THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


&^:  ^' 


£)L^  . 


( 


1 
1 


NELSON'S 

Biographical  Dictionary 


. AND  .  . 


Historical  Reference  Book.. 


OF 


Erib    County, 

Pennsylvania. 


Gontaining  a  Condensed  History  of  Pennsylvania,  of  Erie  County,  and  of  the 
Several  Cities,  Boroughs  and  Townships  in  the  County; 


Portraits  and  Biographies  of  the  Governors  since  1790,  and  of  Numerous 

Representative  Citizens. 


Historical  and  Descriptive  JVlatter  (Page  19  to  Page  540)  Prepared 
by  Benjamin  Whitman. 


1896: 
S.  B.  NELSON,  PUBLISHER, 

f:RIE,    PA. 


FROM  THE  PRESS  OF  WILSON,  HUMPHRYES  &  CO., 
FOURTH  ST.,  LOGAN5PORT,  IND. 


p 


PRKFACE. 


IX  submitting  the  present  work  to  the  people  of  Erie  county,  tiie  publisher  takes  satisfaction 
in  the  belief  that  he  has  fully  complied  with  every  promise  that  has  been  made  to  those 
who  have  honored  him  with  their  patronage.  In  the  character  of  its  reading  matter,  the 
fidelity  to  its  purpose,  the   neatness  of   its  typography  and  the  general   style  in  which  it 

appears,  it  may  reasonably  be  claimed  to  be  at  least  the  equal  of  any  publication  of  similar 
nature  that  has  ever  been  issued  in  Pennsylvania. 

As  announced  in  the  prospectus,  the  work  is  designed  as  a  Historical  Reference  Book  and 
Biographical  Dictionary,  rather  than  as  a  detailed  County  History.  The  limit  placed  upon  it 
from  the  beginning  did  not  admit  of  the  numerous  incidents  and  illustrations  that  form  an 
e.xtended  County  History,  and  the  aim,  both  of  the  writers  and  publisher,  has  been  to  present 
the  leading  events  as  briefly  as  the  facts  seemed  to  warrant,  and  to  so  arrange  them  that  they 
could  be  conveniently  found  by  the  average  reader.  \V^ith  this  in  view,  the  chapters  have 
been  made  short  and  supplied  with  frequent  sub-headings,  reference  has  been  noted  in  various 
parts  of  the  book  to  other  pages  treating  of  the  same  subject,  a  copious  Table  of  Contents  has 
been  given,  and  the  whole  has  been  supplemented  with  a  full  Alphabetical  Index. 

Attention  is  specially  called  to  the  Engravings,  which  must  be  conceded  to  be  far  in  ad- 
vance of  the  majority  of  art  work  in  publications  of  the  kind. 

The  Portraits  of  the  Governors,  the  Biographies  of  the  same,  and  the  Political  and  other 
information  relating  to  Pennsylvania,  are  features  that  will  be  appreciated  by  every  citizen 
who  has  a  patriotic  interest  in  the  state  of  his  residence. 

To  those  who  are  tempted  to  complain  of  the  price  and  peculiar  character  of  the  book,  it 
may  be  proper  to  explain  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  print  a  creditable  work  of  Local  His- 
tory at  a  lower  figure  or  on  a  different  basis  without  great  loss  to  the  publisher.  Numerous 
historical  publications  have  been  issued,  in  Erie  and  elsewhere,  relying  upon  the  general  public 
for  support,  and  in  every  instance  that  can  now  be  recalled  they  have  been  a  sad  financial 
failure,  the  sales  in  one  or  two  home  instances  having  been  barely  enough  to  pay  for  the  white 
paper  on  which  they  were  printed.  Erie  county  has  not  yet  reached  the  degree  of  wealth 
and  population  that  will  permit  of  the  publication  of  a  County  History  at  the  price  of  a  book 
intended  for  state  or  national  circulation,  nor  without  some  distinctive  feature  that  will  secure 
for  it  a  special  and  remunerative  patronage.  The  highest  ambition  of  the  writers  and  publisher 
of  this  book  will  be  attained  if  it  shall  prove  to  be  a  useful  preparatory  effort  to  the  complete 
edition  of  Local  Annals  that  will  come  after  the  county  has  had  many  years  of  growth  and  its 
people  have  attained  to  a  more  wide-spread  prosperity. 

The  Historical  and  Descriptive  chapters  of  the  book  (pages  19  to  540)  have  been  prepared 
by  Benjamin  Whitman,  who  has  spent  the  main  part  of  a  year  in  collecting  the  material.  He 
desires  that  credit  shall  be  given  for  much  of  the  information  secured  to  Capt.  N.  W.  Russell's 


issued  in  1888;  Atkinson's  Erie  City  Directory;  the  files  of  the  several  Erie  journals;  Han- 
Ion's  City  Manual  and  Digest  of  City  Laws  and  Ordinances,  and  various  other  sources  "too 
numerous  to  mention." 

The  Biographical  section  owes  much  of  its  interest  to  the  pen  of  Hon.  James  Sill,  wrho 
contributed  a  number  of  the  family  and  individual  sketches. 

The  publisher  returns  thanks  to  the  citizens  of  the  county  for  the  hearty  support  they  have 
given  to  the  enterprise,  and  begs  leave  to  express  the  hope  that  they  will  receive  the  book  with 
as  much  satisfaction  as  he  remembers  their  kindness  and  liberality. 

THE   PUBLISHER, 


1^  tr'^/CT-'^ 


CONTKNTS. 


PART  I. 
Pennsylvania — Historical,  Descriptive  and  Statistical — State  Constitution  of  1873. 

PART  II. 
Biographies  of  the  Governors. 

PART  III. 
General  History  and  Description  of  Erie  County. 

PART  IV. 
Township  and  Borough  History. 

PART  V. 

The  Cities  of  Erie  and  Corry. 

PART  VI. 

Family  Histories  and  Biographical  Sketches. 

PART  VII. 
Alphabetical  Index. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


PART  I. 

Pennsylvania — Historical,  Descriptive  and  Statistical. 


PAGE. 

Aborig-ities 19 

Anthracite  Coal 19 

Area  of  the  State 19 

Anti-Slavery  Riot 38 

Battles  Fought  in  Pennsylvania 19 

Bituminous  Coal 20 

Braddock's  Defeat 20-24 

Buckshot  War 20 

Borougfhs,  principal 20 

Battle  Flags  of  Pennsylvania 44 

Capitals  of  the  State 20 

Colleges 20 

Churches 20 

Continental  Congress,  sessions  of 20 

Cities  and  Towns,  principal 20 

Criminals.  Number  of 21 

Centennial  Exhibition,  1876 21 

Climate 21 

Coat  of  Arms 21 

Congressmen,  leading 21 

Congressional  Districts 21 

Constitutions,  several  State 21 

Constitution,  present  State,  in  full 45 

Chambersburg,  burning  of 44 

Courts 21 

Debt — State,  Municipal  and  School  District..  .  22 

Debt,  mortgage 22 

Declaration  of  Independence 22 

Early  Settlements 22 

Eminent  Men 23 

Elections,  when  held 23 

Execu'  ive  Officers,  principal 23 

Founder  of  the  State 23 

First  Things  (Canals,  Railroads,  etc.) 23 

Flag  of  the  United  States 24 

French  War 24 

Fruits  grown  in  the  State 24 

Floods,  Great 24 

Fish  and  Fisheries 25 

Franklin,  Benjamin 25 

Farms,  number  of,  value,  production,  etc 25 

Fries  Rebellion 37 

Game  Laws 26 

Go vernor.s,  list  of 26 

General  Progress 26 

Gettysburg,  Battle  of 26 

Holidays,   legal 27 

Homestead  Riots 38 

Indians.  The 19 

Indian  Titles 27 

Indian  Wars  and  Disturbances 28 

Iron  and  Iron  Ore 28 


PAGE. 

Johnstown   Flood 28 

Judiciarj'  Sj-stem 28 

Keystone  State,  Origin  of  name 28 

Lincoln's  Address  at  Gettysburg 27 

Lieutenant-Governors,  list  of 27 

Leading  Products 29 

Legislature,  number  of  Members,  etc 29 

Legislation,  restriction  upon 29 

Language    29 

Lakes 29 

Liberty  Bell 29 

Libraries,  Art  Galleries  and  Museums 29 

Live  Stock,  statistics  of,  etc 29 

Military  System 30 

Manufactures 30 

Motto  of  the  State 30 

Mineral  Products 30 

Mason  and  Dixon's  Line 30 

Northwestern  Pennsylvania,  counties  of 30 

Name  of  State,  origin  of 30 

Natural  Gas 30 

Newspapers,  number  of 30 

Native  American  Riots 38 

Oil  (Natural) 31 

"  Pennsylvania  Dutch,"  Origin  of  Language.  29 

Proprietary  Government.   31 

Population  of  the  State,  17')0  to  1890 31 

Population  of  the  State,  by  Counties 31 

Population  of  the  United  States,  1790  to  1890. .  31 

Penn,  William 32 

Presidents  of  the  United  States  from  Pennsyl- 

vania •'- 

Presidential  Candidates  from  Pennsylvania..  32 

Presidential  Electors,  number  of 32 

Political  History 32 

Public  Receipts' and  Expenditures 32 

Prisoners,  number  of 32 

Paupers,  number  of. 32 

Physical  Features  of  the  State 32 

Perry's  Victory 33 

Petroleum,  Discovery  and  Development  of . . . .  33 

Public  Improveraetits 33 

Public  Buildings 33 

Public  Schools 34 

Philadelphia,  description  of 34 

Pittsburg,  description  of   35 

Presidential  vote  of  the  State 35 

Representatives  in  Congress,  leading 36 

Religious  Denominations 36 

Royal  Government   36 

Railroads  in  the  State 36 

Railroad  Riots  of  1877 38 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Revenue  and  Expenses 36 

Revolution,  American 36 

Rivers,  principal 37 

Rebellions  in  the  State 37 

Rebellion,  Southern 43 

Riots,  most  noted 37 

Richest  Counties  in  the  United  States 38 

Seal  of  the  State 38 

State  Buildings 38 

Slaverv.  when  abolished  in  tlie  State 38 

Summer  Resorts,  principal 38 

State  Officers,  principal 39 

Salaries  and  Fees  of  State  Officers 39 

Stone,  leading:  kinds 39 

Senators   from   Pennsylvania    in    the    United 

States  Conff ress 39 

School  System 39 

Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Orphans 44 

Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home,  Erie 44 

Trianjfle,  The 39 

Timber,  varieties  of 39 

Universities  and  Colleges 40 


PAGE. 

United    States    Constitution,    Pennsylvania's 

part  in  establishing 40 

United    States  Officers,  principal  from  Penn- 
sylvania   40 

United  States   Senators   from    Pennsylvania, 

list  of 41 

United    States   Representatives   in   Congress, 

leading'  from  tlie  State 41 

Vice-President  from  Pennsylvania 41 

Vice-Presidential   Candidates   from   Pennsyl- 
vania   41 

Vote  of  the  State  for  Governor 41 

Vote  of  the  State  for  President 35 

Vegetable  Productions 42 

Valuations,  real  and  personal  property 43 

Whi.-ky  Rebellion 37 

Wayne,  Anthony 43 

Wealth  of  the  State   43 

War  of  1812 43 

War  with  Mexico 43 

War  for  the  Union,  Pennsylvania's  part  in. .  .  43 

World's  Fair,  part  taken  by  Pennsylvania. ...  44 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


PAGE. 

Constitution  of  Pennsylvani.a,  present 45 

Date  of  Adoption,  etc 45 

Preamble 45 

Declaration  of  Rights,  Article  1 45 

The  Legislature,  Article  II 46 

Legislation,  Article  III 47 

The  Executive,  Article  IV 49 

The  Judiciary,  Article  V 51 

Impeachment    and  Removal  From  Office,  Ar- 
ticle VI S3 

Oath  of  Office,  Article  VII 54 

Suffrage  and  ISlections,  Article  VIII 54 


PAGE. 

Taxation  and  Finance,  Article  IX 55 

Education,  Article  X 56 

Militia,  Article  XI 56 

Public  Officers,  Article  XII 56 

New  Counties,  Article  XIII 57 

County  Officers,  Article  XIV 57 

Cities  and  City  Charters,  Article  XV 57 

Private  Corporations,  Article  XVI 57 

Railroads  and  Canals,  Article  XVII. ...    58 

Future  Amendments,  Article  XVIII 59 

Schedule 59 


PART  II. 

Biographies  of  the  Governors. 


First  Governor Thomas  Mifflin 

Second  Governor Thomas  McKean 

Third  Governor Simon  Snyder.  .  . 

Fourth  Governor William  Findlay . 

Fifth  Governor Joseph  Hiester  .  . . 

Sixth  Governor John  A.  Shulze.  . 

Seventh  Governor George  Wolf  .... 

Eighth  Governor Joseph  Ritner  . . . . 

Ninth  Governor David  R.  Porter  . , 

Tenth  Governor Francis  R.  Shunk 

Eleventh  Governor Wm.  F.  Johnston, 


PAGE. 

. .     65 

. .     65 

.       65 

. .     65 

. .     65 

. .     65 

. .     66 

. .     66 

66 

66 

66 


PAGE. 

Twelfth  Governor William  Bigler  ....  66 

Thirteenth  Governor James  Pollock 66 

Fourteenth  Governor William  F.  Packer.  67 

Fifteenth  Governor Andrew  G.  Curtin  .  67 

Sixteenth  Governor John  W.  Geary  ....  67 

Seventeenth  Governor. . .  .John  F.  Hartranft.  67 

Eighteenth  Governor Henrj'  M.  Hoyt. ...  67 

Nineteenth  Governor Robert  E.  Pattison  67 

Twentieth  Governor James  A.  Beaver  .  .  67 

Twenty-first  (Jovernor.  ..  .Robert  E.  Pattison  68 

Twent3'-second  Governor.  .Daniel  H.  Hastings  68 


QBNERAL  INDEX. 


PART  m. 

General  History  and  Description  of  Erie  Countt. 


CHAPTER   I. 
Physical  Geographv,  Etc. — Page  71  to  Pag-e  73. 


PAGE. 

Boundaries,  etc 71 

Ridges  and  Valleys 71 

Highest  Elevations 72 

Peninsula 72 


PAGE. 

Character  of  the  Soil 72 

Climate,  Geology  and  Timber 73 

Scarcity  of  Good  Stone 73 

Minerals,  Natural  Gas,  Oil,  etc 73 


CHAPTER   II. 
CoiNTv,  Township,  City  and  Borough  Organizations.— Page  74  to  Page  76. 


PAGE. 

Original   Townships 74 

Additional  Townships 74 . 

Cities  and  Boroughs 74 

Election  Districts 75 


PAGE. 

Postotfices 75 

Boundary  Lines 75 

Table  of  Distances  from  Erie 76 


CHAPTER    III. 
Population  of  the  County,  Valuations,  Tax  Rates,  Etc.— Page  77  to  Page  80. 


P.AGE. 

Census  of  Erie  Co.  1800  to  1890 77 

Population  of  Erie,  1870-'80-'90 77 

Population  of  Corry,  1870-'80-'90 78 

General  Statistics  of  the  Population 78 

Receipts  and  Expenditures  of  Erie  Co.,  1894. . .  78 

Sheep  Fund,  1894 78 

School  Fund,  1894 78 


PAGE. 

Road  Fund,  1894 78 

Assessment  Table  for  1895 79 

Valuations  for  1895 79 

Acreage  of  the  Several  Townships,  etc 79 

Money  at  Interest,  etc.,  1895 79 

Rate  of  County  Taxation,  1869-1895 80 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Pre-Historic  Remains,  Natural  Curiosities,  Etc.— Page  80  to  Page  82. 


PAGE. 

Masses  of  Human  Bones  Dug  Up 80 

Skeletons  of  Giants 80 

An  Ancient  Graveyard 80 

Pre-Historic  Mounds 81 


P.AGE. 

Strange  Discoveries 81 

"  Gulfs  "  of  the  Lake  Shore  Streams 81 

The  "Devil's  Backbone" 83 

Waterfalls 82 


CHAPTER  V. 

Streams  and  Interior  Lakes,  Bridges,  Etc. — Page  82  to  Page  85. 


PAGE. 

Principal  Creeks 82 

Tributary  Streams 83 

Peculiarities  of  the  Lake  Shore  Streams 83 

French  Creek  and  its  Branches 83 


PAGE. 

Chief  Lake  Shore  Streams 84 

Lakes  LeBoeuf,  Conneauttee  and  Pleasant.. . .     85 
Bridges  and  Culverts 85 


CHAPTER   VI. 
Lake  Erie,  Bays,  Peninsula,  Fish  and  Fishing  Interests.— Page  86  to  Page  91. 


PAGE. 

The  Great  Lakes 86 

Dimensions  of  the  same 86 

Origin  of  their  Natnes S6 

Lake  Erie  described 86 

Curious  Phenomena 87 

Bay  of  Presque  Isle 87 


PAGE. 

Misery  Bay 87 

The  Peninsula 87 

Ownership  of  the  Peninsula 88 

Custodian  of  the  Peninsula 88 

Fish  and  Fishing  Industry- 88 

Valuable  Information 89 


aENEIi.U.   INDEX. 


CHAPTER   VII. 
Indian  Histoky.—  Page  91  to  Page  96. 


PAGR. 

The  Aborifjinal  Inhabitants 91 

Extermination  of  the  Eriez 91 

The  Iroquois 92 

The  Seneca  Tribe 92 

French  and  British  Wars 92 

Pontiac's  Conspiracy 93 

Capture  of  the  Fort.s  at  Waterford  and  Erie. .  .  93 

British  Possession 94 


PAGE. 

A  British  Army  at  Erie 94 

American  Occupation 94 

Indian  Threats 95 

Indian  Councils 95 

Wayne's  Great  Victory 95 

Peace  witii  the  Indians 95 

Indian  Villages  and  Graveyards 95 

Land  Purchased  from  the  Indians 96 


CHAPTER   VIII. 
Gen.  Anthony  Wayne. — Pag-e  96  to  Page  98. 


PAGE. 

Revolutionary  Career 96 

Why  Called  "'  Mad  Anthony  " 97 

Victories  Over  the  Indians 97 

Sickness  and  Death  in  Erie 97 


PAGE. 

Disposal  of  His  Remains 97 

The  Wayne  Block  House 98 

Final  Resting  Place    98 

Inscription  on  His  Monument 98 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Fkknch  ANn  British  Occupation. — Page  99  to  Page  102. 


PAGE. 

Early  French  Explorers 99 

French  and  British  Claims 99 

French  Soldiers  in  Erie  and  LeBijeuf 99 

French  Take  Possession 99 

Washington's  Visit  to  Waterford 100 

Correspondence  between  Washington   and  St. 

Pierre 100 

The  French  War 101 


PAGE. 

Braddock's  Defeat 101 

The  French  Forts 101  2 

British  Victories 101 

The  French  Withdraw 102 

British  and  Indians  at  Erie 102 

American  Independence 102 

The  French  Road  and  Forts 102 


CHAPTER   X. 

Pi'KCiiA.SE  OF  THE  Triangle. — Page  103  to  Page  104. 


PAGE. 

Disputed  Boundary  Lines 103 

Survey  of  the  Boundary 103 

Price  Paid  for  the  Triangle 103 


The  Indians  Offended.   

Description  of  the  Triangle. 


PAGE. 

. ..    104 
. ..    104 


CHAPTER   XI. 
First  Settlements  in  Erie  County. — Page  105  to  Page  107. 


PAGE. 

Early  Surveys  and  Land  Purchases 105 

Indian  Hostility 105 

Measures  for  the  Protection  of  the  Settlers. . .   105 

American  Garrison  at  LeBo;uf 105 

Washington  Advises  Caution 106 


PAGE. 

The  American  Fort  LeBoeuf 106 

Peace  Secured  with  the  Indians 106 

An  American  Force  at  Erie 107 

Waterford  and  Erie  Laid  Out 107 


CHAPTER  XII. 
Early  Land  Matters.— Page  107  to  Page  112. 


PAGE. 

"  The  Actual  Settlement  Law  " 107 

Pennsylvania  Population  Company 107 


Holland  Land  Company. 

Harrisburg  and  Presque  Isle  Company. 

Tenth  Donation  District 

Moravian  Grant 

State  Reservations 

Irvine's  Reservation 

Erie  State  Reserve 


108 
108 
108 
109 
109 
109 
109 


PAGE. 

Waterford  and  LeBtKuf  Reserves 109 

The  Garrison  Reservation 109 

Academy  Lands 109 

Early  Surveyors  and  Land  Agents 110 

Change  in  the  Settlement  Law 110 

Extensive  Land  Sales Ill 

First  Purchasers Ill 

Land  Litigation Ill 

Speculation  of  1836 112 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Early  Settlers  ix  Erie  County.— Page  113  to  Page  115. 


PAGE. 

First  White  Men  and  Women 113 

Nativity  of  the  Pioneers   114 

First  Marriages,  Births  and  Deaths 114 


PAGE. 

How  the  Pioneers  Lived 114 

A  Hard  but  Healthy  Mode  of  Existence 115 

Wild  Beasts,  Birds  and  Fish 115 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

First  Mills,  Factories,  Etc.— Page  116  to  Page  120. 


page. 

Early  Mills,  Etc.,  in  Erie 116 

Mills  Outside  of  Erie 117 


PAGE. 

Beginning  of  the  Iron  Industry 119 

Wages  and  their  Payment  in  the  Early  Days.  119 


CHAPTER   XV. 
Public  Roads,  Mail  Routes,  Stage  Lines,  Old  Taverns,  Etc.— Page  120  to  Page  124. 


PAGE. 

Earliest  Thoroughfares  in  the  County 120 

Buffalo  Road 120 

Ridge  Road 121 

Lake  Koad     121 

Waterford  Turnpike 121 

Edinboro  Plank  Road 121 

Waterford  Plank  Road 122 

Erie  and  Meadville  Plank  Road 122 


PAGE. 

The  "  Shunpike  " 122 

Wattsburg  Plank  Road 122 

Lake  Pleasant  Road 122 

Other  Prominent  Roads   123 

Old  Public  Houses 123 

Trade  and  Travel  in  the  Early  Days 123 

Stage  Lines  and  Mail  Routes 124 

The  Salt  Trade 124 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Lake  Navigation,  Etc.— Page  125  to  Page  131. 


page. 

Earliest  Merchant  Vessels 125 

Earliest  War  Vessels 125 

Pioneer  Lake  Captains 125 

Introduction  of  Steamboats 126 

First  Propellers  and  Ships 126 

Vessel  Statistics 126 

U.  S.  S.  "  Michigan  " 127 

U.  S.  Revenue  Cutters 127 

Appalling  Lake  Disasters 128 

Burning  of  the  Steamboat  "  Erie  " 128 

Distances  l)y  Water  From  Erie 128 

Opening  of  Navigation,  Dates  of  The    129 

Close  of  Navigation,  Dates  of 129 


PAGE. 

Unusual  Seasons  of  Navigation,  etc 129 

Collection  District  of  Prcsque  Isle 129 

U.  S.  Collectors  and  Deputies 129 

Vessels  Owned  in  Erie.  1860-94 129 

Business  of  the  Port  of  Erie 130 

Lighthouses  at  Erie 130 

Lighthouse  Keepers  at  Erie 130 

Assistant  Lighthouse  Keepers  at  Erie 131 

Naval  Inspectors.  List  of 131 

Life-Saving  Service . . .  ■ 131 

Officers  of  the  Life-Saving  Service 131 

U.  S.  Weather  and  Signal  Service  Office 131 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
War  of  1812-14.— Page  132  to  Page  138. 


PAGE. 

Defenseless  Condition  of  the  Frontier 132 

The  Military  Called  to  Erie 132 

A  War  Fleet  for  the  Lakes  Decided  Upon  ....   133 

Perry's  Arrival  in  Erie 133 

Difficulties  Contended  With 133 

Perry's  Fleet 133 

Incidents  Before  the  Battle 134 

Perry's  Great  Victory 134 

Perry's  Famous  Dispatch 135 

After  the  Battle 136 

Perry's  Return  to  Erie 136 


PAGE. 

Gen.  Harrison  in  Erie 136 

Other  Features  of  the  War 136 

Burning  of  Black  Rock  and  Buffalo 136 

Large  Military  Force  at  Erie 136 

Fatal  Duel  at  Erie 136 

Campaign  of  1814 136 

Disposal  of  the  Vessels  137 

The  Lawrence  and  Niagara 137 

Bell  of  the  Queen  Charlotte 137 

Erie  County  Officers  and  Soldiers 137 

Fate  of  Bird,  Rankin  and  Davis 138 


GENERA  I.   INDEX. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Remgious  History,  Oi,n  Graveyards,  Etc. — Pag-e  138  to  Pag-e  144. 


PAGE. 

Fir.st  Religious  Services 138 

The  Presbyterians - 139 

The  Methodist  Episcopalians 139 

Other  Protestant  Denominations 140 

The  Roman  Catholics 140 

The  Erie  Diocese 140 

Bishops  of  the  Erie  Diocese 140 

Catholic  Churches,  Schools,  etc 141 

Church  Organizations  in  the  County,  1880  ...     141 

Presbyterian  Synods,  etc 141 

United  Presbyterian  Church 141 

Episcopal  Diocese  of  Pittsburg 142 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
County,  State  and  United  States  Buildings. — Page  145  to  Page  149. 


Epi-scopal  Bishop? 

Erie  Conferences  M.  E.  Church 

Elderships  M.  E.  Church 

First  Sunday  Schools 

Horace    Greeley    an     Erie     Sunday 

Scholar 

Erie  County  Bible  Society 

Y.  M.  C.  Association 

Christian  Endeavor  Societies 

Old  Graveyards 

Cemeteries  Established 


School 


•AGE. 
142 
142 
142 
143 

143 
143 
143 
143 

144 
144 


PAGE. 

Court  Houses 145 

Expenses  of  Maintaining  the  Court  House. . .  145 

County  Jails 145 

Cost  of  Maintaining  the  Jail 146 

County  Almshouse 146 

Expenses  for  the  Poor  and  Insane 147 


PAGE. 

Marine  Hospital 147 

Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home 147 

Wayne  Blockhouse 148 

Normal  School  at  Edinboro 148 

State  Fish  Hatcheries  at  Erie  and  Corry 148 

United  States  Buildings 148 


CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Bench  and  Bar. — Page  149  to  Page  165. 


PAGE. 

Early  Courts 149 

Judges,  when  first  elected 149 

List  of  President  Judges. ISO 

Additional  Law  Judges 150 

District  Judge ISO 

Judges  who  have  Died  in  Office ISO 

Supreme  Judges  from  the  County  and  Dis- 
trict    ISO 

Competing  Candidates  for  Judge ISO 

Judicial  District,  1800  to  date   150 

Terms  of  Court,  1894 151 

Court  Expenses,  1894 151 

Associate  Judges 151 

City  Recorder  of  Erie 152 

District  Attorneys 152 

Supreme  Court,  term  of  for  Erie  County 152 

Only  Execution  by  the  Sheriff 152 

United  States  Courts 153 


PAGE. 

United  States  Judges 153 

United  States   District  Attorneys 153 

United  States  Marshals 153 

Clerks  of  the  United  States  Courts 153 

Terms  of  the  United  States  Courts 153 

Selection  of  United  States  Jurors 153 

Early  Lawyers 153 

List  of  Erie  County  Attorneys,  1823-1895 154 

A  Notable  Law  Suit 156 

Personal  Reminiscences ...    157 

Official  Positions  Held  by  Erie  County  Lawyers  158 

Deaths,  Removals,  etc 1S9 

Court  Criers 160 

Erie  County  Law  Library 160 

Erie  Bar  Association   160 

Justices  and  Aldermen,  1796  1895 161 

Oldest  Justice  of  the  Peace 165 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
Doctors,  Surgeons  and  Dentists. — Page  166  to  Page  173. 


PAGE. 

Early  Physicians 166 

Law  as  to  Registry 166 

List  of  Registered  Physicians — 

Erie 166 

Corrv 168 

McKean 169 

Wattsburg  169 

Fairview 169 

Girard 169 

Union  City 169 

North  East 170 

Albion 170 

Waterford    170 

Springfield 170 


PAGE. 

Edinboro 170 

Mill  Village 171 

Wellsburg 171 

Miles  Grove 171 

Wesley  ville 171 

Other  Localities 171 

Erie  County  Medical  Society 171 

Hom<jeopathy,   Introduction  of 171 

Homoeopathic  Medical  Society 171 

Homoeopathic  Dispensary,  etc 172 

Early  Dentists 172 

List  of  Registered  Dentists 172 

Erie  Society  of  Dentists 173 


GENERAL  JJSDEX. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
Newspaper  History. — Pag-e  173  to  Pag-e  179. 


PAGE. 

The  Earliest  Newspapers 173 

Erie  Gazette  173 

Erie  Observer 174 

Erie  Dispatch • 174 

Erie  Herald 175 

Erie  Times 175 

Erie  News 175 

Erie  Tag-eblatt-Zuschaiier 175 

Lake  Shore  Visitor 175 

Sunday  Graphic 175 

Erie  Advertiser   176 

Highland  Lig-ht 176 


PAGE. 

The  Truth 176 

Sunday  Messenger 176 

Erie  Sonlaggsgast 176 

Arbeiter-Zietung 176 

The  People 176 

Defunct  Erie  Papers 176 

Papers  Outside  of  Erie 177 

Northwestern  Editorial  Association 177 

Erie  Press  Club 177 

Pennsylvania  Editorial  Association  in  Erie  .  .  177 
Personal  Mention  of  Erie  Newspaper  Men. .  . .  177 
Deceased  Erie  Editors 179 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


The  Canai,  and  Rah,koads. — Page  179  to  Page  186. 


PAGE. 

Early  Projects  for  the  Public  Benefit 179 

Erie  and  Beaver  Canal 179 

Its  Abandonment    180 

Erie  and  North  East  R.  R 180 

Buffalo  and  Erie  R.  R 180 

Cleveland  and  Erie  R.  R 181 

The  Roads  Consolidated 181 

Litigation  Over  the  Same 181 

The  Railroad  War 181 

The  Lake  Shore  R.  R 182 

Distances  by  Lake  Shore  R.  R 182 

Ashtabula  and  Angola  Disasters 182 

Fastest  Long  Distance  Train     182 

Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R 183 


PAGE. 

Distances  by  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R 183 

Highest  Points  on  the  Road 184 

Superintendents  of  the  Road 184 

Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R 184 

Distances  by  the  Same 184 

General  Information  About  the  Road 184 

Western  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  R.  R   . .   185 

"Nypano"  R.  R 185 

Union  and  Titusville  R.  R 185 

"  Nickel  Plate  "  R.  R 18S 

"  Shenango  "  R.  R 185 

Distances  by  the  Same 186 

Projected  Railroads 186 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Public  and  Private  Schools,  Academies,  Etc.— Page  187  to  Page  190. 


PAGE. 

Penn's  Wise  Provision 187 

Pennsylvania  One  of  the  First  States  to  Pro- 
vide for  General  Education 187 

Public  Schools  Urged   by  the  Early  Govern- 
ors       187 

Efforts  of  Thaddeus  Stevens  and  Others 187 

The  Common  School  System  Adopted 188 

Erie  County  Schools  Previous  to  the  General 

Law 188 

Catholic  Parochial  Schools 188 

Books  in  Early  Use 188 


PAGE. 

Adoption   of   the  Common  School   Systeui  in 

Erie  County 189 

Old-Kashioned  Spelling  Schools 189 

Edinboro  Normal  School 189 

Academies  and  Seminaries 189 

School  Sj'steni  Generally 190 

Independent  School  Districts 190 

Erie  County  Teachers'  Institute 190 

Proposed  Public  Library  System 190 

County  Superintendents,  1854-1895 190 

City  Superintendents  of  Erie  and  Corry 190 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Events  of  Special  Note  and  Miscellaneous  Information.— Page  191  to  Page  201. 


PAGE. 

A  King  of  France  in  Erie 191 

Lafayette's  Visit 191 

Horace  Greeley,  Brief  Residence,  in  Erie 191 

Presidential  Visitors  to  Erie 191 

Exciting  Campaign  of  1840 192 

Francisco  Hung  for  Murder 193 

Agricultural  Societies 193 

State  and  County  Fairs 193 

Harvest  Home  Picnics 194 

The  Grange 194 


PAGE. 

Farmers'  Alliance 194 

State  Police 194 

Erie  Fair  Association,  etc 194 

The  Old  Militia  System 194 

Early  Military  Companies 194 

Distilleries,  Breweries,  etc 195 

Wine  Making 195 

Temperance  Societies 195 

Slaves  and  Slavery 195 

Unusual  Spells  of  Weather 195 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Earliest  Snow  Falls 1% 

Weather  Table  for  Twenty-two  Years 197 

The  Cholera  in  Erie 198 

Teleg^rapli  and  Telephone  Lines 198 

Fir.-.t  Shows  and  Circuses 198 

The  Cattle  Trade 193 

Old  Style  Currency 198 

Soldiers'  anu  Sailors'  Monuments 199 


PAGE. 

Revolutionary  Soldiers 199 

The  Anti-Slavery  Movement 199 

Oldest  Men  and  Women 199 

First  Thanksfjiving 200 

Great  Floods 200 

The  Liberty  Bell  in  Erie 200 

Grape  Culture  and  Wine  Making- 200 

Grape  Growers'  Association 201 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


The  War  i-or  the  Union.— Page  201  to  Page  215. 


PAGE. 

First  War  Meetings  in  Erie  County   201 

Liberal  Subscriptions  by  the  Citizens 201 

Erie  Count}' Military  Companies  Tender  their 

Services 201 

Three  Months'  Regiment  Org-anizcd 201 

Eighty-third  Regiment  Organized 202 

Cavalry  Companies  Recruited 202 

Recruiting  for  the  Navy 202 

Ladies'  Aid  Society  Established 202 

One   Hundred   and    Eleventh    Regiment    Or- 
ganized   202 

One  Hundred  and  Forty -fifth  Reg-iment  Or- 
ganized       203 

First  Draft 203 

Money  Matters  and  Politics 204 


PAGE. 

Rebel  Invasion  of  Pennsylvania 204 

Second   Draft 205 

Other  Drafts 206 

Prices  for  Substitutes 207 

Close  of  the  War 207 

General  Rejoicing 207 

Officers  from  Erie  County 207 

County  Finances,  1861  to  1870 208 

Prices  During  the  War 208 

Brief  History  of  the  Erie  County  Regiments. .  209 

Three  Months'  Regiment .'. 209 

Eighty-third  Regiment 210 

One  Hundred  and  Eleventh  Regiment. . . .  211 

One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth  Regiment  .  213 

Company  L,  Twelfth  Cavalry 215 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Record  of  Politicai,  Events,  1798  to  1895.— Page  215  to  Page  262. 


Election  of  Washington  and  Adams 

Election  of  Thomas  Jefferson 

Erie  County  Votes  Separately  for  the   First 

Time...' '. 

Re-Election  of  Jefferson 

Party  Names  in  tlie  Early  Days 

First  Election  Districts  in  Erie  County 

Madison  Twice  Elected 

Monroe  Twice  Elected 

The  Era  of  Political  Harmony 

John  Ouincy  Adams  Cho-sen  President  by  the 

House 

Andrew  Jack.son  Elected 

The  Anti-Masonic  Era 

Democratic  Party  Name  Adopted 

Jackson  Re-Elected 

Democratic  Split  in  the  State 

Van  Buren  Elected 

State  Constitutional  Convention 

The  •'  Buck-Shot  War  " 

Constitutional  Amendments  Adopted 

Prothonotarv,  Register   and   Rec(.rder  First 

Elected  .' 

The  Whig  Party  Organized 

Harrison  and  Tyler  Elected 

Directors  of  the  Poor  First  Elected 

Justices  of   the  Peace  First  Elected 

The  Abolition  Party  Started 

County  Treasurer  First  Elected 

Canal  Commissioners  First  Elected 

The  Clay  and  Polk  Campaign 

Gen.  Reed  Defeated  for  Congress 

Native  American  Party  Organized 


.\GE. 
215 
215 

216 
216 
216 
216 
217 
218 
218 

219 

220 
220 
221 
221 
222 
222 
223 
223 
224 

224 

225 
225 
225 
225 
225 
226 
226 
227 
227 
228 


PAGE. 

Judge  Thompson  Re-elected 228 

First  Prohibition  Movement 229 

Soldier  Vote  in  the   Mexican  War 229 

Taylor  and  Fillmore  Elected 229 

Auditor  and  Surveyor  General  First  Elected.  230 

Judges  First  Elected 231 

John  Galbraith  Chosen  President  Judge 231 

Last  Whig  National  Ticket 231 

Pierce  and  King  Elected 231 

First  Free  Soil  County  Ticket 232 

Rise  of  Know-Nothingism 233 

Motfs  Enormous  Majorilv 233 

Maine  Liquor  Law  Voted  Down 233 

The  "  Railroad  War"  in  Erie  County 233 

Local  Issues  Supersede  Party 234 

Republican  Party  Organized 234 

Buchanan  and  Breckenridge   Elected 234 

More  State  Constitutional    Amendments 235 

The  Railroad  Ouestion  Still  Prominent 236 

Public  Works  Sold  by  the  State 236 

Break-up  of  the  Democratic  Party  in  1860   ....  237 

Lincoln  and  Hamlin  Elected 237 

Governor  Curtin's  First  Election 237 

The  War  for  the  Union 238 

The  Galbraith-Lowry  Contest 238 

Scofield's  First  Election 238 

The  Democrats  carry  Pennsj'lvania 238 

Governor  Curtin's  Second  Election 239 

Lincoln  and  Johnson  Elected 239 

More  Amendments  to  the  State  Constitution. .  239 

Soldiers  Authorized  to  Vote 239 

Period  of  Soldier  Candidates  Begins 240 

Johnson's  "Swing  Around  the  Circle  " 240 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Governor  Geary  Elected 240 

Election  of  Judge  Sharswood 241 

First  Jury  Commissioners  Elected 2-11 

Grant  and  Colfax  Elected 241 

Governor  Geary  Re-elected 242 

The  Scofield-Marvin  Campaign 242 

Vote  in  Favor  of  a  Constitutional  Convention.  243 

Governor  Ha rtranf t's  First  Election 243 

Delegates  Elected  to  Constitutional   Conven- 
tion    244 

Office  of  State  Treasurer  Made  Elective 244 

Liberal  Republican  Movement 244 

Grant  and  Wilson  Elected 245 

Local  Option  Adopted  and  Repealed  245 

Wilson  Moore's  Close  Run  for  Sheriff 246 

New  Constitution  Adopted 246 

Democratic  "Tidal  Wave"  Year 246 

First  Election  of  Lieutenant-Governor 246 

Dr.  Egbert  Elected  to  Congress 246 

Democratic  State  Convention  in  Erie 247 

New  Constitution  in  Force 247 

Minority    Representation    in    the    Boards   of 

County  Commissioners  and  Auditors 247 

First  November  Election  for  State  and  County 

Officers 247 

Start  of  the  National  Greenback  Party 247 

The  Hayes  and  Tilden  Campaign 247 

The  "  Eight  by  Seven  "  Commission 248 

Wm.  A.  Galbraith  Elected  President  Judge. . .  248 

Election  of  Trunkey,  Noyes  and  Schell 249 


P.\GE. 
Governor      Hoyt     and      Lieutenant-Governor 

Stone  Elected 249 

Garfield  and  Arthur  Elected 250 

Anti-Cameron    Outbreak   in    the    Republican 

Party 251 

Orange  Noble's  Defeat  for  State  Treasurer. . .  251 

Another  Republican  Revolt 252 

Pattison  and  Black  Elected 252 

Cleveland  and  Hendricks  Elected 253 

First  Scott  and  Mackey  Campaign   253 

Wm.  L.  Scott's  Big  Vote  in  Erie 254 

Second  Scott  and  Mackey  Campaign 254 

General  Beaver  Chosen  Governor 254 

Harrison  and  Morton  Elected   255 

Liquor  and  Suffrage  Amendments  Defeated..  257 

Further  Republican  Dissensions 257 

The  Pattison-Delemater  Contest 257 

Governor  Pattison  Re-elected 257 

The  Tilden-Griswold   Contest 257 

Constitutional  Convention  Voted  Down 258 

Cleveland's  Re-election 258 

National  People's  Party  Started 258 

The  Flood-Sibley  Campaign 259 

Republican  "Tidal  Wave  "  Year 260 

Grow's  Immense  Majority 260 

Another  Republican  Sweep 260 

Governor  Hastings  Elected 260 

Griswold  Defeats  Sibley 261 

Election  of  1895  261 

Judges  of  the  Superior  Court  First  Elected. . .  261 
Cost  of  Elections 262 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


United  States,  State,  District  and  County  Officers.— Page  262  to  Page  27 


PAGE. 

United  States  Officers 262 

Congressmen 262 

Postmasters  at  Erie 263 

Assistant  Postmasters  at  Erie 263 

Collectors  of  Customs 263 

Deputy  Collectors  of  Customs 263 

Collectors  of  Internal  Revenue 263 

Deputy  Collectors  of  Internal  Revenue  .  .  .  263 

Assistant  Assessors  of  Internal  Revenue  .  264 

United  States  Commissioners 264 

Deputy  Clerks  United  States  Courts 264 

Other'United  States  Officers 264 

State  Officers  from  Erie  County 264 

General  List 264 

Presidential  Electors 265 

State  Senators 265 

Members  of  the  Hou.se  of  Representatives  266 

District  and  County  Officers 267 

President  Judges 267 

District  Judge 268 

Additional  Law  Judges   268 

Associate  Judges 268 

Deputy  Attorney  Generals 268 

District  Attorne'vs 269 

Sheriffs .' 269 


page. 

Prothonotaries 269 

Registers  and  Recorders  and  Clerks  of  the 

Courts 270 

Registers  and  Recorders 270 

Clerks  of  the  Courts 270 

County  Treasurers 270 

Coroners     271 

County  Commissioners 271 

Clerks  to  County  Commissioners 273 

Counsel  to  County  Commissioners 273 

Directors  of  the  Poor 273 

Stewards  of  the  Almshouse 274 

Clerks  to  the  Directors  of  the  Poor 274 

Attorneys  for  the  Directors  of  the  Poor. .  274 

County  Superintendents  of  Public  Schools  274 

County  Detectives  275 

County  Surveyors 275 

County  Auditors 275 

Jury  Commissioners 276 

Court  Criers 277 

Mercantile  Appraisers 277 

Oil  Inspectors       277 

Sealers  of  Weights  and  Measures 277 

Salaries  of  County  Officers 277 


See  Alphabetical  Index  (Part  VII);  Also  Map  of  Erie  County. 


lO 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


PART  IV. 

TowNSHire  AND  Boroughs  of  Erie  County. 


PAGES. 

Albion  Boroutrli 285-286 

Amity  Township 287-289 

Conneaut  Township 281-285 

Concord   Township 289-291 

East  Springfield  Roroujfh 350 

Edinboro  Boroufj h 367-369 

Elg-in  Boroush 291 

Elk  Creek  Township 292-294 

Fairview  Township 295-299 

Fairview  Borough 299-300 

Franklin  Township 300-302 

Girard  Township   302-306 

Girard  Borough 306-309 

Greene  Township 310-312 

Greenfield  Township 312-315 

Harbor  Creek  Township 315-319 

LeBoeuf  Township 319-322 


PAGES. 

lyockport  Borough 309 

Mill  Village  Borough 322  323 

McKean  Township 323-326 

Middleboro  Borough 326 

Mill  Creek  Township 327  336 

North  East  Township 336-340 

North  East  Borough 340-345 

Springfield  Township 345-350 

Summit  Township 350-352 

Union  Town.ship 352-355 

Union  Cit}'  Borough 355-358 

Venango  Township 359-363 

Wattsburg  Borough 363-364 

Washington  Township 365-367 

Waterford  Township 369-372 

Waterf ord  Borough   372  378 

Wayne  Township 379-383 


See  Alphabetic  at.  Index  (Part  VII);  Also  Map  of  Erie  County. 

PART  V. 

Cities  of  Erie  anb  Corry. 

See  Alphabetical  Index  (Part  VII);  Map  of  Erie  County;  Also  Mill  Creek,  Wayne  and  Con- 
cord Townships. 

ERIE. 

CHAPTER  I. 


Founding  of  the  Town— Early  Settlers,  Etc.— Page  387  to  Page  392. 


PAGE. 
Act  for  Laying  Out  the  Town  of  Presque  Isle.  387 

Indian   Hostility 387 

Second  Act  for  Laying  Out  the  Town 388 

First  American  Settlers 388 

First  Women 389 

First  Building 389 

How  the  Town  was  Laid  Out 389 

Incorporated  as  a  Borough 389 


First  Divided  Into  Wards. 

City  Charter 

City  Boundaries 

Sale  of  Town  Lots 

Prices  Paid  for  Lots 


PAGE. 
. . .  389 
. ..  389 
. ..  390 
. . .  390 
. ..  390 


Early  Arrivals  391 

Population,  1820  to  1890 392 


CHAPTER  II. 
Brief  Description  of  Erie. — Page  392  to  Page  .W). 


PAGE. 

Location  of  City 392 

Elevations  Above  the  Lake 393 

Streams  and  Ravines 393 

Streets  and  Avenues 393 

Business  and  Residence  Streets 394 

Public   Parks 394 

Street  Names  that  have  been  Changed 394 

Legal  Width  of  Streets,  etc 394 

Street  Numbering 395 

Street  Lighting 395 

Sewer  System 395 

Public  Buildings,  Churches,  etc 395 

Railroads  and  Transportation  Facilities 396 

Local  Names   396 

Cloughsburg 396 


PAGE. 

Stuuiptciwn 396 

New  Jerusalem 396 

Kingtciwn 397 

Federal  Hill 397 

Eagle  Village 397 

Marvintown 397 

South  Erie 397 

Warfeltown 397 

Weigelville 397 

Wards  and  Election  Districts 397 

City  Finances .398 

Assessments,  1893  and  1895  Compared 398 

Tax  Rate  for  Twenty-seven  Years 398 

Building  Permits,  1889-1894 399 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


II 


CHAPTER    III. 
Borough  and  City  Officers. — Pag-e  399  to  Page  407. 


PAGE. 

First  Borough  Officers 399 

Burgesses 399 

Mayors 399 

City  Councilmen 400 

Presidents  of  City  Councils 400 

Clerks  of  City  Councils 400 

Citv  Treasurers 405 

City  Controllers 406 

City  Solicitors 406 

City  Engineers 406 

Superintendents  of  Streets  and  Sidewalks.  . . .  406 
High  Constables 406 


PAGE. 

Harbor  Masters 406 

Health  Officers 406 

Clerks  of  the  Markets 406 

City  Assessors 406 

Sergeants-at-Arnis 406 

City  Electrician 406 

Building  Inspector 406 

Fire,  Water,  Police  and  School  Officials 406 

Park  Superintendents 406 

Justices  of  the  Peace 406 

Aldermen 406 

Annual  Salaries  of  City  Officials 407 


CHAPTER  IV. 
Water,  Fire  and  Police  Departments.— Page  408  to  Page  414. 


PAGE. 

Water  Department 408 

Earliest  Movement  Toward  a  Public  Water 

Supply 408 

The  Second  Step  Forward 408 

Contract  Authorized  for  a  Water  Supply.  .  408 

Differences  of  Opinion 409 

New  Legislation  Secured 409 

First  Water  Commissioners 409 

Present  Water  Works  Begun 409 

A  Reservoir  Provided   410 

The  Old  and  the  New  Engines   410 

Miscellaneous  Information 410 

List  of  Water  Commissioners 411 

Other  Officers  of  the  Department 411 

Salarj-  List  of  the  Department 411 

Fire  Department 411 

Early  Moves  for  Fire  Protection 411 

First  Steamer  Purchased 411 


PAGE. 

Paid  Department  Organized 411 

Fire  Apparatus  Now  in  Use 412 

Engine  Houses 412 

Number  of  Men  in  the  Department 412 

Pay  of  the  Men  in  the  Department 412 

Periods  of  Incendiarj*  Fires 413 

Fire  Alarm  System 413 

List  of  Fire  Commissioners  413 

Lists  of  Chiefs  of  the  Department 414 

Assistant  Chiefs 414 

Fire  Limits 414 

Police  Department 414 

Early  Police  System 414 

Present  Police  Force 414 

Patrol  Wagon 414 

Police  Call  System 414 

Chiefs  of  Police 414 

Captains  of  Police 414 


CHAPTER  V. 


Peninsula,  Bay,  Harbor,  Etc. — Page  415  to  Page  425. 


PAGE. 

The  Peninsula  in  General 415 

Cranberry  Day 415 

Historical  Items 415 

Protection  of  the  Peninsula 415 

Damage  in  Recent  Years 417 

No  Material  Change  in  Genera!  Features...    .  417 

Reports  of  Government  Officers 417 

Title  to  the  Peninsula 418 

Judge  Galbraith's  Opinion  Thereon 418 

The  Bay  and  Harbor 419 

Harbor  Improvements 419 

Government  Appropriations 419 

Government  Engineers 420 

Principal  Docks 420 

Reed's  Dock 420 

The  Public  Dock 420 

Hard  Coal  Docks 420 


page. 

Anchor  Line  Docks 421 

Grain  Elevators 421 

Erie  and  Pittsburg  Docks 421 

Carnegie  Docks 421 

The  Watson  Dock 422 

The  Lake  Trade 422 

Imports  and  Exports,  1884-1894 422 

Coal  Shipments,  1874  1894 422 

Grain  Receipts,  Where  From 422 

The  Fishing  Industry 423 

A  Fisherman's  Paradise 423 

Gill-Net  Fishing 423 

Pound-Net  Fishing 424 

Introduction  of  Steam  Fishing  Boats 424 

Amateur  Fishermen 424 

Pleasure  Boats 425 

Erie  Yacht  Club 425 


12 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
Public  Pleasure  Resorts.— Page  425  to  Page  429. 


I'AOE. 

Cascade  Park 42S 

Lakeside  Park 425 

Central  Park 425 

Soldiers'  and  Sailor's  Monument 426 

The  Park  Fountains 426 

Keepers  of  the  Parks 426 

The  Head,  or  Massassauga  Point 426 

Tracy  Point 427 

The  Sonimerheim  Association 427 


PAGE. 

Glenwood  Park 428 

The  Grove  House 428 

The  Cedars 428 

Cochran's  Grove 428 

The  Maples 428 

Fair  Grounds 429 

Race  Tracks 429 

Base  Ball  Grounds 429 

Club  Houses,  etc 429 


CHAPTER  VII. 
City  and  State  Buildings,  Charitable  Institutions,  Etc. — Page  429  to  Page  436. 


PAGF,. 

City  Hall 429 

Court  House  Bell 430 

City  Hospital 430 

Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home 4.30 

Wayne  Block  House 430 

Home  for  the  Friendless 432 

Haniot  Hospital     433 

St.  Jo.-ieph's  Orphan  Asylum 434 

Old  Folks'  Home 434 


PAGE.. 

St.  Vincent's  Hospital 434 

Bureau  of  Cliarities 435 

Northwestern  Pennsylvania  Humane  Society.  435 

Erie  Board  of  Public  Charities 436 

Erie  D;i  Y  Nursery 436 

Free  Kindergarten 436 

Exchange  for  Women's  Work     436 

HomiA-opalhic  Hospital  and  Free  Dispensary  .  436 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
Churches,  Sunday  Schools,  Religious  Societies,  Etc. — Page  437  to  Page  468. 


PAGE. 

Presbyterian  Churches 437 

First  Church 437 

Scldcn  Memorial  Chapel 438 

Park  Church 438 

Park  Homo  Chapel 439 

Park  Mission  Chapel    439 

Central  Church 440 

Central  Church  Mission  Schools 440 

Chestnut  Street  Church 441 

United  Presbyterian  Church 441 

Protestant  Episcopal  Churches  443 

St.  Paul's  Church 443 

Bishop  Spaulding 444 

Trinity  Mission 445 

( !  race   Mission 445 

Lundv's  Eane  Mission 445 

St.  John's  Church 445 

St.  Vincent's  Church 446 

Bishop  Vincent 446 

St.  Alban's  Church 447 

Methodist  Episcopal  Churches 447 

First  Church 447 

Brovpn's  Avenue  Mission 448 

Simpson  Church 448 

Tenth  Street  Church 449 

Wayne  Street  Church 4.50 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  Alliance 450 

Methodist  Episcopal  Conferences 4.50 

St.  James'  African  Church 450 

Baptist  Churches 451 

First  Church 451 

North  Star  Mission 452 

Hope  Mission 452 

Wallace  Mission 452 


PAGE. 

Second  Church 452 

First  German  Church 452 

Swedish  Church 453 

Lutheran  Churches 453 

St.  John's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Reformed  4.S3 

Luther  Memorial 454 

Grace  Mission 454 

Zion's  Mission 454 

German  F^'angelical  Trinity  Lutheran...  454 

Swedish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Bethany..  455 

Emanuel  Evangelical  Lutheran 455 

Roman  Catholic   Churches 455 

St.  Patrick's  Church 456 

Catholic  Bishops  of  the  Erie  Diocese. . . .  456 

St.  Patrick's  Auditorium 456 

St.  Peter's  Cathedral 457 

Bishop  Mullen 457 

Vicar  Generals,  Erie  Diocese 456-457 

St.  Mary's  Church 458 

St.  Mary's  Priory,  Convent,  etc 459 

St.  JosO])irs  Churcli 459 

St.  John's   Church 459 

St.  Andrew's  Church 460 

St.  Stanislaus'  Church 460 

St.  Michael's  Clnirch 461 

St.  Paul's  Church 461 

St.  Joachim's  Church 461 

St.  Ann's  Church 461 

Roman  Catholic  Chapels 462 

German  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Church 462 

Ansche  Chesed  Hebrew  Reformed  Congrega- 
tion    462 

United  Brethren  Church 463 

First  Christian  Church 463 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


13 


PAGE. 

First  Universalist  Church 463 

Salem  Evangelical  Association    464 

The  New  Church  (Swedenborgian) 464 

Church  of  Christ  (The  Tabernacle) 465 

Church  of  Christian  Scientists 465 

First  Spiritual  Society 466 

German  Temple  Congregation 466 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association 466 

Ladies'  Auxiliary  Society,  Y.  M.  C.  A 466 


PAGE. 

State  Convention,  Y.  M.  C.  A 466 

Erie  Bethel  Association 467 

Himrod  Mission  Sunday  School 467 

Christian  Endeavor  Union  of  Erie  City 467 

Women's  Christian  Association 467 

Ministerial  Association  of  Erie 467 

State  Convention  of  Christian  Endeavor  So- 
cieties    468 

Religious  Statistics  of  Erie  City  for  1890 468 


CHAPTER  IX. 
Graveyards  and  Cemeteries. — Page  468  to  Page  471. 


PAGE. 

Early  Protestant  Burial  Places 468 

Old  French  Graveyard 469 

Early  Catholic  Burial  Places 469 

Hebrew  Cemetery 469 


PAGE. 

Erie  Cemetery 469 

Trinity  Cemetery 471 

Polish  Cemetery 471 

Lakeside  Cemetery  Association 471 


CHAPTER  X. 

Clubs,  Secret,  Political,  Religious  and  Other  Societies— Page  472  to  477. 


PAGE. 

Clubs ,....  472 

Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen 472 

Benevolent  Societies  (Miscellaneous) 472 

Catholic  Societies 472 

Catholic  Benevolent  Legion 473 

Catholic  Union  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John  473 

Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Association 473 

Catholic  Ladies'  Mutual  Benevolent  Asso- 
ciation     473 

Catholic  Literary  and  Other  Societies 473 

Colored  M  asons 474 

Colored  Odd  Fellows 474 

Daughters  of  Libert}- 474 

Equitable  Aid  Union 474 

Eclectic  Assembly 474 

Elks,  B.  P.  O.  of 474 

Fraternal  Mystic  Circle 474 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 474 

Sons  of  Veterans 474 

Women's  Relief  Corps 474 

Harugaris 474 

Hebrew  Societies 475 

Improved  Order  of  Red  Men 475 

Independent  Order  of  Foresters 475 

Junior  Order  U.  A.  M 475 

Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle 475 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Maccabees 475 

Knights  of  St.  John  and  Malta 475 


PAGE. 

Knights  of  Honor 475 

Knights  of  Malta   475 

Knights  of  Pythias 475 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor 475 

Knights  of  Labor 475 

Masonic  Societies 475 

Mystic  Shrine 476 

Musical  Societies 476 

Medical  Societies 476 

Miscellaneous  Societies 476 

National  U nion 476 

Odd  Fellows 476 

Order  of  United  Friends 476 

Protective  Trades  and  Labor  Organizations. .  476 

Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America 477 

Protected  Home  Circle 477 

Political  Societies 477 

Railroad  Societies 477 

Royal  Arcanum 477 

Royal  Templars  of  Temperance 477 

Regular  Army  and  Navj-  Union 477 

Religious  Societies  not  Otherwise  named 477 

Sons  of  St.  George 477 

Turners 477 

Union  Veteran  Legion 477 

Ladies  of  the  U.  V.  L 477 

Woodmen  of  the  World 477 


CHAPTER   XI. 
Banks,  Insurance  Companies,  Public  Corporations,  Etc.— Page  478  to  Page  4  84. 


PAGE. 

First  Erie  Bank 478 

United  States  Branch  Bank  at  Erie 478 

Erie  City  Bank 478 

Bank  of  Commerce 478 

Private  Bankers  in  1861 478 

German  Savings  Institution 479 

Humboldt  Savings  Bank 479 

Erie  County  Savings  Bank 479 

John  Eliot  &  Co 479 

First  National  Bank 479 


PAGE. 

Keystone  National  Bank 479 

Second  National  Bank 480 

Marine  National  Bank 480 

Dime  Savings  Bank 480 

Ball  &  Colt 480 

Erie  County  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company.  480 

Harbor  Creek  Fire  Insurance  Company 481 

German  Insurance  Company 481 

Alps  Insurance  Company   481 

Erie  Gas  Company 481 


14 


OENERAL  INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Pennsylvania  Natural  Gas  Company 481 

Welsbach  Gas  Company 482 

Edison  Rlectric  I^ifjlit  and  Power  Company. . .  482 
Mercliants'  and  Manufacturers'  Rlectric  Liff lit. 

Heat  and  Power  Company 482 

Erie  Electric  Motor  Company 483 


PACE. 

Erie  Transfer  Company 483 

Erie  Real  Estate  Title  Company 484 

Building^  and  Loan  Associations   484 

Telegraph  Systems 484 

Telephone  Exchange 484 

Express  and  General  Carrying-  Companies  .  . .   484 


CHAPTER  XII. 
Pi'Bi.ic  AM)  Parochial  Schools,  School  Officers,  Academies,  Etc.— Page  485  to  Page  495. 


PAGE. 

First  School  House  in  Erie 485 

Roll  of  the  School 485 

Public  School  System  Adopted 485 

Early  School  Buildings   486 

Present  School  Buildings 487 

The  High  School 487 

List  of  I'rincipals 487 

City  Superintendents   487 

List  of  School  Directors,  1834-1895 488 

Superintendent  of  Buildings 489 

Free  School  Books 489 

Courses  of  Study,  etc 489 

Teachers'  Institute 483 

Mechanical  Drawing  School 490 

Teachers'  Training  Class  490 


I-AC.E. 

Music,  German,  Evening  Schools,  etc 490 

Teachers    Who    Have    Been    Employed    Ten 

Years  or  More 490 

Salaries  Paid  Teachers 490 

Growth  of  the  Schools 491 

Miscellaneous   Information   491 

Free  Public  Librarj-  Law 491 

Erie  Academj' 491 

Academy  Pupils  in  1844 492 

Erie  Female  Seminarj- 493 

St.  Benedict's  Academj- 493 

Villa  Maria  Academy 493 

Catholic  Parochial  Schools   493 

Erie  Business  University 494 

The  Kindergartens 494 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
Manufactures— Historical  and  Statistical.— Page  495  to  Page  504. 


PAGE. 

Early  Mills  and  Factories 495 

"  Big  Oaks  From  Little  Acorns  Grow  " 495 

Absence  of  Strikes 495 

Manufacturing  Statistics,  1880-1890  4 496 

Abbatoirs  and  Packing  Establishments 496 

Bakeries 496 

Breweries 496 

Bicycle  Works 497 

Blank  Books,  Printing,  etc 497 

Brick  Works 497 

Brass  Works 497 

Button  Works 498 

Carriage  and  Wagon  Works 498 

Flouring  Mills 498 

Furniture  and  Fine  Wood  Work 498 

Iron  Works  (Miscellaneous) 498 


PAGE. 

Lime  and  Cement  Works 500 

Lumber  and  Building  Material    500 

Malt  House 501 

Nickel  Works   501 

Oil  Refineries 501 

Paint  Works 501 

Paper  Mill  and  Chemical  Works 501 

Piano  Factories 501 

Pump  Makers 501 

Rubber  Works 501 

Stone  Cutters 501 

Stove  Factories 502 

Tanneries 502 

Vinegar  and  Pickling  Works 502 

Manufactures  Not  Classified 502 

Factories  that  have  been  Discontinned 503 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
Business  Matters  in  General. — Page  504  to  Page  517. 


P.\GE. 

Board  of  Trade 504 

Charter  Members  of  the  same 504 

Presidents  and  Secretaries 504 

Business  Centers,  V^arious  Periods 505 


PAGE. 

List  of  Former  Business  Men 505 

Mercantile  Agencies     512 

Lake  and  Railroad  Business 512 

Business  Blocks,  when  Erected 513 


CHAPTER  XV. 
Hotels,  Markets,  Public  Halls  and  Military  Companies.— Page  518  to  Page  525. 


PAGE. 

First  Public  Houses 518 

Later  Public  Houses 518 

Brown's  Hotel— Ellsworth  House 519 

South  Erie  Hotels 519 


PAGE. 

Mansion  House 519 

Present  Hotels 519 

Reed  House 519 

Liebel  House 519 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


15 


PAGE. 

Wilcox  House 519 

Arcade  Hotel 520 

Wilson  House 520 

Kiinberly  House 520 

Moore  House 520 

Living-ston  Hotel 520 

Park  View  House 520 

Union  Depot  Hotel 520 

Morton  House 520 

Massassauga  Hotel,  etc 520 

Metropolitan  Hotel 520 

Palace  Hotel 520 

South  Krie  Hotel 520 

Other  Public  Houses 520 

Public  Halls  and  Places  of  Amusement 521 

Farrar  Hall 521 

Park  Opera  House 521 

New  York  Opera  House 521 

Old  Wayne  Hall 521 

Park  Hall 521 

Dreisig-aker's  Hall 521 

New  Wayne  Hall 521 

Academy  of  Music 521 

Gabel's  Hall 521 


PAGE. 

Wonderland 521 

Other  Halls 521 

The  Public  Markets 522 

First  Market  House 522 

South  Erie  Market  House 522 

The  Street  Markets 522 

Hay  and  Wood  Market 522 

Modern  Market  Houses 522 

Central  Market  House 523 

Abolishment  of  the  Street  Market 523 

Second  Ward  Market  House 523 

Parade  Street  Market  House 523 

People's  Market  House 523 

Militarj'  Companies 524 

Companies  Previous  to  the  Last  War 524 

Later  Companies 524 

McLane  Lig'ht  Guard 524 

Sheridan  Guard 524 

Noble  Light  Guard 524 

Governor's  Guard 524 

Co.'s  A.  and  C,  15th  Regiment,  N.  G.  P..  524 

Services  of  the  Latter  Companies 524 

Fifteenth  Regiment  N.  G.  P 524 

National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania 524 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
MiSCELl-AXEOUS  IxFORM.\TiON. — Page  525  to  Page  534. 


Centennial  Celebration  of  1895 

The  Tanning  Industry 

Natural  Gas  Wells. . .' 

The  Erie  Test  Well 

Destructive  Floods  in  Mill  Creek 

Grand  Efforts  for  Charity 

Musical  Organizations 

Prices  and  Wages  in  Years  Past  

Cranberries  and  Cranberry  Day 

Pioneer  Mechanics 

Taxes  in  1820 

Original  Town  of  Erie 

A  Curious  Custom 

Drive  Along  the  Beach 

Erie  Horticultural  Society 

An  Ancient  Structure 

Letter  Carrier  Sj-stem — When  Introduced. 

Erie  City  Directory 

Lake  Shore  Masonic  Relief  Association  . . . 
Art  and  Artists 


\GE. 

525 
526 
527 
527 
527 
528 
528 
528 
529 
529 
529 
529 
530 
530 
530 
530 
530 
530 
530 
530 


PAGE. 

Masonic  History 530 

Sisters  of  St.  Joseph 531 

Beer,  Ale  and  Malt 531 

The  Lumber  Interests 531 

Effect  of  Railroads 531 

Erie  Capital  Abroad 532 

Erie  a  Healthy  City 532 

Lime  and  Cement  Trade 532 

Council   Records 532 

The  Bottling  Business 532 

Largest  Picnics  and  Fairs 532 

Coal  Dealers  and  Dock  Builders 533 

A  Memorable  Event 533 

Low  Water  in  the  Lake 533 

The  Niagara,  Place  where  Sunk 534 

Ttennage  Through  the  "  Soo  "  Canal 534 

Early  Postoffice  Sites 534 

Doctors  and  Den  tists 534 

Erie  Citizens'  Association 534 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  List  of  Posts. . .  534 


See  Ai,phabeticai<  Index  (Part  VII);  Map  of  Erie  County;  Also  Miti,  Creek  Township. 


CORRY. 

CHAPTER  I. 
Gener.^l  AND  Historical. — Page  535  to  Page  540. 


P.\GE. 

Origin  of  the  Place 535 

Downer  Oil  Works 535 

Rapid  Growth  at  the  Start 535 

General  Description 536 

Borough  and  City  Charters 536 

List  of  Mayors 536 

Population,  1870-'80-'90 536 


PAGE. 

Factories,  Hotels  and  Business  Houses 536 

Banks  and  Bank  Failures 537 

Public  Schools 537 

School  Superintendents 537 

Churches 538 

Newspapers 538 

Secret  Societies 539 


i6  GENERAL  INDEX. 


PAGE. 

State  and  County  Officers   539 

Postmasters S40 

Water  Works 540 


PACK. 

Sewerage  System 540 

Street  Paving- 540 

Miscellaneous 540 


See  Alphabetical  Index  (Part  VII);  Map  oi-  Ehik  County;  Also  Wayne  and  Concord  Townships. 

PART  VI. 

Family  Histories  and  Biographical  Sketches.— Page  541  to  Page  896. 

PART  VII. 

Alphabetical  Indp:x  to  Entire  Book. 


PART    I. 


PENNSYLVANIA. 


Historical,  Descriptive  and  Statistical 


-ALSO- 


STATE  CONSTITUTION  ADOPTL^D  IN  187?. 


PgNNSYbVANIA. 


HISTORICAL,  DESCRIPTIVE    AXD    STATISTICAL. 


BORIGINES.— The  por- 
tion of  America  included 
in  Pennsylvania  was  or- 
iginally occupied  by  an 
Indian  tribe  who  "  called 
themselves  the  Lenni  Le- 
nape,  or  original  people." 
They  spoke  a  common 
language  and  assembled 
around  the  same  council 
fire.  They  were  united,  by  conquest,  with 
the  historical  Six  Nations,  embracing  the 
Onondagas,  the  Cayugas,  the  Oneidas,  the 
Senecas,  the  Mohawks,  and  the  Tuscaroras. 
These  natives  became  known  to  the  white  set- 
tlers by  the  general  name  of  the  Iroquois,  who 
had  their  great  council  fire  in  the  Onondaga 
valley  of  New  York.  Of  this  confederacy, 
the  Senecas  held  control  of  the  northwestern 
portion  of  the  State,  embracing  Erie  and  ad- 
joining counties.  The  Eriez,  or  "  Cat  tribe," 
who  were  the  original  people  along  the  south 
shore  of  Lake  Erie,  were  exterminated  about 
the  year  IfioO  by  the  Iroquois,  as  is  more 
fully  detailed  in  the  general  history  of  Erie 
county.  [For  a  full  account  of  the  Indians  of 
this  region  see  the  latter  history.] 

Anthracite  Coal. — Pennsylvania  is  the 
only  part  of  the  world  where  anthracite  coal 
is  produced  in  a  large  quantity.  The  anthra- 
cite coal  production  is  limited  to  the  north- 
eastern portion  of  the  State,  and  almost  en- 
tirely to  the  counties  of  Luzerne,  Schuylkill, 
Lackawanna,  and  Carbon,  covering  an  area 
of  about  480  square  miles.  This  coal  was  first 
tested  in  what  is  now  Luzerne  county  about 
1768  or  1769.  Previous  to  that  the  coal  in  use 
throughout  the  world  was  bituminous  or  semi- 
bituminous  in  character.  Anthracite  coal  was 
experimented  with,  for  local  purposes,  in  a 
small  way,  in  the  counties  w-here  found,  for  a 
number  of  years,  but  was  not  received  with 
favor  by  the  general  public  until    about    JS20- 


23,  when  it  began  to  be  shipped  in  considera- 
ble quantities,  by  means  of  the  Lehigh  and 
Schuylkill  systems  of  navigation.  In  1826 
about  5(),00(>  tons  were  received  in  Philadel- 
phia, which  was  then  the  only  port  of  ship- 
ment on  salt  water.  Since  then  the  produc- 
tion has  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  an- 
thracite coal  is  sent  to  every  part  of  the  world, 
and  the  mining  and  transportation  of  the  same 
has  become  one  of  the  great  industries  of 
the  State.  The  amount  carried  by  rail  and 
canal  in  1898  was  43,089,586  tons.  ' 

Area,  etc. — The  State  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Lake  Erie  and  New  York  ;  on  the 
east  by  New  York  and  New  Jersev  ;  on  the 
south  by  Delaware,  Maryland,  and  West  Vir- 
ginia I  and  on  the  west  by  West  \'irginia  and 
Ohio.  The  Delaware  river  forms  the  boun- 
dary between  Pennsylvania  on  the  west  and 
New  York  and  New  Jeisey  on  the  east.  The 
greatest  width  of  the  State  is  175  miles,  and 
its  greatest  length  308.  By  official  tables  pre- 
pared at  Harrisburg,  the  State  is  represented 
as  embracing  45.086  square  miles  and  28,- 
S08,443  acres. 

Battles. — Although  founded  by  Qiiakers, 
who  are  opposed  to  war  for  any  cause,  the 
State  has  been  the  scene  of  some  of  the  most 
bloody  battles  and  frontier  troubles  in  the  his- 
tory of  .\merica.  Among  these  may  be  men- 
tioned the  struggle  between  the  Eriez  and 
Iroquois  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie, 
hereafter  describetl  at  lengtii  :  the  engagements 
between  the  French  and  English  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  State,  including  Hraddock's 
defeat  near  Pittsburg;  the  various  skirmishes 
with  the  Indians,  embracing  the  attacks  on 
Forts  LeBoeuf  and  Presque  Isle  ;  the  Revolu- 
tionary battles  of  Paoli,  Brandy  wine  and 
Germantown  ;  the  massacre  at  Wvoming; 
the  Confederate  raid  upon  the  Cumberland 
\'alley,  and  the  binning  of  Chambersburg ; 
and   the   decisive   battles  of    the  war   for  the 


20 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Union  at  Gettysburg.  Perry's  victory,  on  the 
10th  of  September.  1818,  which  gave  the 
United  States  control  of  the  Great  Lakes,  was 
won  by  a  fleet  prepared  and  equipped  at  Erie. 

Bituminous  Coal. — T'he  bituminous  coal 
fields  of  Pennsylvania  lie  west  of  tiie  Susque- 
hanna river,  and  include  an  area  of  more  than 
9,000  square  miles.  In  the  fifteen  years  from 
1880  to  1895  they  yielded  a  product  of  470,- 
867,7(59  gross  tons.  The  officers  of  the  State 
Geological  .Survey  calculate  that  at  tiie  pres- 
ent rate  of  production  the  bituminous  coal 
supply  of  Pennsylvania  will  last  nearly  a 
thousand  years. 

Braddock's  Defeat. — The  terrible  defeat 
of  Gen.  Hraddock,  the  English  commander 
who  was  sent  out  to  drive  the  French  from 
the  western  part  of  the  State,  took  place  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  Monongahela  river,  a 
few  miles  from  the  present  site  of  Pittsburg, 
on  the  9th  of  July,  1755.  The  French  troops 
who  eflFected  this  result  came  up  Lake  Erie 
from  Canada,  were  assembled  and  organized 
at  Erie  (tlien  known  as  Presque  Isle),  and 
moved  south  by  way  of  LeBoeuf  creek,  French 
creek  and  the  Allegheny  river.  [For  an  ac- 
count of  the  Frencli  occupation  of  Western 
Pennsylvania,  see  the  General  History  of  Erie 
County.] 

Buckshot  War. — This  is  the  derisive  title 
given  to  a  dispute  between  the  Anti-Masons 
and  the  Whigs  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
Democrats  on  the  other,  in  1838-9,  over  the 
organization  of  the  State  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. Governor  Ritner  ordered  out  the 
State  militia  and  appealed  to  the  general  gov- 
ernment for  aid,  but,  happily,  the  controversy 
was  settled  without  bloodshed.  [See  the  Po- 
litical Record  in  General  History  of  Erie 
County.] 

Capital— State.— The  capital  of  the  State 
is  Harrisburg.  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna river.  Up  to  1799  Philadelphia 
was  the  seat  of  the  State  government,  but  in 
the  latter  year  it  was  removed  to  Lancaster. 
Harrisburg  became  the  capital  in  1812.  The 
corner  stone  of  the  "  State  House,"  or  Capitol 
building,  at  Harrisburg  was  laid  in  1819,  and 
the  first  meeting  of  the  Legislature  therein 
was  held  in  1822.  The  original  buildings, 
which  are  still  occupied,  are  of  brick,  plain, 
but  very  substantial  in  their  nature.  A  hand- 
some additional  structure  for  executive  and 
library  purposes  was  erected  in  1894. 


Colleges. —  [See  Universities  and  Col- 
leges.] 

Churches. — [See  Religious  Denomina- 
tions.] 

Continental  Congress. — Tiie  sessions  of 
the  Continental  Congress  within  the  limits  of 
Pennsylvania  were  held  as  follows  :  In  Phila- 
delphia, September  5.  1774,  to  October  26, 
1774,  and  May  10,  1775,  to  December  12, 
1776;  March  4,  1777,  to  September  18,  1777; 
Lancaster,  September  27,  1777;  York,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1777,  to  June  27,  1778;  Philadel- 
phia, July  2,  1778,  to  June  21,  1783. 

Cities  and  Towns. — Below  is  a  list  of  the 
principal  cities  and  towns,  with  their  popula- 
tion, as  shown  by  the  V .  S.  census  report  of 
1890: 

Cities  .\xi)  Population. 

BoRoiGHS.  Coin-ties.  1890. 

Philadelphia  city Philadelphia 1.046,964 

Pittsburgh  city AUeg-heny 238,617 

Alleg-heny  city Allegheny 105,287 

Scranton  city Lackawanna 75,215 

Reading  city Berks .S8.661 

Erie  city Erie 40,634 

Harrisburg  citj- Dauphin   39,383 

Wilkes-Barre  city Luzerne 37,718 

Lancaster  city Lancaster 32.011 

Altoona    city   Blair 30,337 

Williamsport  city Lycoming 27,132 

Allentown  city Lehigh 25,228 

Johnstown  city Cambria 21,80o 

York  borough   York 20,793 

McKeesport  borough. . .  Allegheny 20,741 

Chester  city Delaware 20,226 

Norristown  borough . .  .  Montgomery 19,791 

Shenandoah  borough.  .Schuylkill 15.944 

Lebanon  city   Lebanon   14,664 

Ea.ston  city Northampton 14,48] 

Shamokin  borough Northumberland..  14,403 

Pottsville  borough Schuylkill 14,117 

Pottstown  borough  .  .  .  .Montgomery 13,285 

Hazleton   borough Luzerne 11,872 

New  Castle  city Lawrence 11,600 

Mahanoy  City  borough.Schuylkill 11,286 

Oil  City Venango 10,932 

Carbondale  city Lackawanna 10,833 

Columbia  borough Lancaster 10,599 

Bradford  city McKean 10.514 

South  Bethlehem  boro  ..Northampton  ....  10,302 

Pittston  borough Luzerne 10,302 

Nanticoke  borough  . .  .  .Luzerne 10,044 

Beaver  Falls  borough.  .Beaver 9,735 

Meadville  city Crawford 9,520 

Plymouth  borough. .. .   Luzerne 9,344 

Steelton  borough Dauphin 9,250 

Butler  borough Butler 8,734 

Braddock  borough Allegheny   8,561 

Phoeni.xville  borough.  .Chester 8,514 

Dunmore  borough Lackawanna 8,315 

Mount  Carmel  borough. Northumberland . .  8,254 

Titusville  city Crawford   8,073 

West  Chester  borough .  Chester 8,028 


AND  UlSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


21 


Danville  boroug-h Montour 7,998 

Homestead  borough. . .  .Allegheny 7,911 

Chamber.sburg  borough. Franklin 7,863 

Carlisle  borough Cumberland 7,620 

Sharon  borough Mercer 7,459 

Lock  Haven  citj' Clinton 7,358 

Ashland  borough Schu3lkill 7,346 

South  Chester  borough. Delaware 7,076 

Washington  borough  .  .  Washington 7,063 

Bethlehem  borough. . .  .Northampton 6,762 

Bristol  borough Bucks 6,553 

Uniontown  borough ....  Fayette 6,359 

Franklin  city Venango 6,221 

Du  Bois  borough Clearfield 6,149 

Tamaqua  borough Schuylkill 6,054 

Sunbury  borough Northumberland..  5,930 

Huntingdon  borough..   Huntingdon 5,729 

Corrj-  city Erie. 5,677 

Connellsville  borough.. Fa3-ette     5,629 

New  Brighton  borough. Beaver 5,616 

South  Easton  borough  Northampton 5,616 

Conshohocken  borough. Montgomery 5,470 

Milton  borough Northumberland..  5,317 

Middletown  borough .  .  .  Dauphin 5,080 

Sharpsburg  borough. .  .Allegheny 4,898 

Tyrone  borough Blair 4,705 

W'ilkinsburg  borough.  .Allegheny 4,662 

Bloomsburg  borough  ..Columbia 4,635 

Tarentuin  borough  ...Allegheny 4,627 

Warren  borough Warren 4,332 

Greensburg  borough.  .  .Westmoreland  .  . .  4,202 

Towanda  borough Bradford 4,169 

Renovo  borough Clinton   4,154 

Mauch  Chunk  borough. Carbon   4,101 

Monongahela  city Washington   4,096 

Olyphant  borough Lackawanna    ....  4,083 

Archbald  borough    ...Lackawanna    ....  4,032 

Lansf ord  borough Carbon 4,004 

Criminals. —  [See  Prisoners.] 

Centennial  Exhibition. — The  Centennial 
E.xhibition  at  Philadelphia,  held  in  1870,  in 
commemoration  of  the  one  himdredth  anniver- 
sary of  the  independence  of  the  United  States, 
was  the  first  great  World's  Fair  in  America, 
and  one  of  the  most  successful  known  up  to 
that  date.  It  was  liberally  aided  by  Penn- 
sylvania, and  owed  most  of  its  success  to  the 
active  and  intelligent  efFort  of  citizens  of 
Philadelphia  and  the  State  at  large. 

Climate. — The  climate  of  the  State  is  that 
of  the  Central  temperate  zone,  \vith  consider- 
able variation  between  its  northern  and  south- 
ern sections.  As  a  rule,  there  is  about  two 
weeks  difference  between  the  extreme  north 
and  south.  This,  of  course,  is  somewhat  varied 
by  the  altitude  of  the  several  localities.  The 
summers  of  the  southern  counties  are  very  hot 
at  times,  while  those  of  the  south  shore  of 
Lake  Erie  are  almost  uniformly  pleasant. 
The  temperature  of  the  latter  region  is  great- 
ly affected  by  the  large  body  of  water,  so  that 


spring  sets  in  a  week  earlier  than  in  the  elevat- 
ed sections  to  the  east  and  south  of  the  lake, 
while  winter  commences  a  week  later.  The 
same  influence  makes  the  lake  shore  portion 
of  Erie  county  one  of  the  best  grape,  fruit, 
berrv  and  melon  regions  of  the  world. 

Coat  of  Arms. — An  authentic  copy  of 
the  coat  of  arms  of  the  State  will  be  found  on 
a  preceding  page  of  this  book. 

Congressmen. — [See  Representatives  in 
Congress  of  the  United  States.] 

Congressional  Districts. — Under  the  cen- 
sus of  lyjO  the  State  is  entitled  to  thirty  Con- 
gressmen, being  only  four  less  than  New 
York,  which  at  one  time  was  much  more  ahead 
of  Pennsylvania  in  population  and  representa- 
tion. For  want  of  proper  apportionment, 
twenty-eight  of  these  are  electeil  by  Congres- 
sional Districts  and  two  by  the  State  at  large. 
Erie  and  Crawford  counties  constitute  the 
:?(jth  Congressional  District.  A  list  of  the 
Congressmen  who  have  represented  Erie 
county  will  be   found  in  the    Political  Record. 

Constitutions. — The  State  has  had  three 
Constitutions  since  the  Revolution,  viz.  :  The 
first  adopted  in  177(i;  the  second  in  1790,  and 
revised  in  1838;  and  the  third  (being  the  one 
now  in  force,  a  copy  of  which  is  appended), 
adopted  December  18,  1878.  Under  the  old 
Constitutions,  most  of  the  State  and  county 
officers  were  appointed  by  the  Governors ; 
now,  with  rare  exceptions,  they  are  elected  by 
the  people,  except  for  limited  periods.  Penn- 
svlvania,  always  patriotic,  was  the  second  of 
the  States  to  ratifv  the  Federal  Constitution, 
which  was  framed  in  her  chief  city  in  1787. 
[See  United  States  Constitution.] 

Courts. — The  judicial  power  is  vested  in  a 
supreme  court,  consisting  of  seven  judges,  a 
superior  court,  of  the  same  number,  and 
the  several  countj-,  district  and  minor  courts. 
The  Supreme  judges  are  chosen  by  the  people 
for  twenty-one  years,  eacii  one  becoming 
Chief  lustice  in  turn,  according  to  the  expira- 
tion of  ills  term.  The  salary  of  each  Supreme 
Judge  is  .i!8,000  a  year,  with -toCH)  additional  to 
the  Chief  Justice.  The  judges  of  tiie  superior 
court  hold  office  for  ten  years,  and  receive  a 
salary,  each,  of  $7,500  per  annum.  Each 
county  with  40,000  inhabitants  constitutes  a 
separate  judicial  district.  The  salaries  of  the 
comity  judges  vary  from  .t4,(MH)  to  !f7,tXlO  a 
year,  being  largest  in  Philadelpiiia  and  Alle- 
gheny counties.     Their  term  of  ofHce  is  ten 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


years.  All  judicial  salaries  are  paid  out  of 
the  State  treasury.  [For  a  list  of  judj^es  in 
Erie  county  see  the  general  liistory  of  the 
county.  J 

Debt. — The  extensive  public  improvements 
upon  which  the  State  embarked  in  its  early 
history  created  a  large  debt,  which  was  at  one 
time  a  very  heavy  burden.  By  wise  legisla- 
tion this  debt  has  been  practically  wiped  out 
of  existence.  With  assets  on  hand  in  the 
sinking  fund,  it  was  less  than  two  and  a  half 
millions  on  the  80th  of  November,  1894.  The 
tigures  below,  from  the  V .  S.  census  reports 
of  1890  give  the  entire  debt  of  the  State  at 
that  date  : 

State,   Municipai.,   County   and    School 
District  Debt. 

1880.  1890. 
Total  debt,  less  sink- 
ing- fund $107,201,692  $71,041,675 

Per  capita 25.03  13.51 

State  debt  (see  above)     13,883,218  4,068,610 

County  debt 9,781,384  7,841,484 

Municipal  debt 81,081,128  54,208,547 

School  district  debt..       2,455,902  4,893,034 

A\-EKAGE    Interest    Charges    on     Above 
Debt. 

1880.  1890. 

Annual  interest 
charge $7,444,813  $5,778,853 

Average  rate  of  in- 
terest   5.78  S.3S 

Interest    charge     per 

capita 1.74  1.10 

Mortgages  in  Force  January  1,  IbUO. 

ON    FARM  ON  CITY  OR  AVERAGE   AMT. 

LAND.  TOWN  PROPERTY.  OF  MORTGAGES. 

5613,105,802  3491,260.895  $1,183 

Declaration  of  Independence. — The 
most  important  historical  e\ent  that  ever  hap- 
pened on  Pennsylvania  soil,  and  the  greatest  in 
the  history  of  America,  was  the  signing  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  This  moment- 
ous incident  took  place  in  what  is  now  known 
as  Independence  Hall,  in  Philadelphia,  on  the 
4th  of  July,  1776.  The  building  is  preserved 
just  as  it  was  at  the  time  of  the  Declaration, 
and  contains  numerous  interesting  relics  of  the 
Revolution.  It  is  generally  regarded  as  the 
most  sacred  place  in  American  history.  The 
old  bell,  which  rang  out  "  Liberty  through  the 
land,"  is  kept  in  the  building,  and  is  an  object 
of  great  curiosity.  The  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion   from    Pennsylvania     were    as    follows : 


Robert  Morris.  Benjamin  Rush,  Benjamin 
Franklin,  John  Morton,  (ieorge  Clyiner, 
James  Smith,  George  Taylor,  James  Wilson, 
George  Ross. 

Early  Settlements. — The  first  settlement 
of  Pennsylvania  is  generally  credited  to  the 
Swedes,  who  located  on  the  Delaware  river  in 
1638.  They  established  several  forts  and  vil- 
lages on  that  stream  and  its  tributaries,  and 
gave  name  to  various  localities  in  the  extreme 
southeastern  portion  of  the  State.  Delaware 
river  and  bay  had  been  previously  visited, 
however,  by  the  Dutch,  who  established  them- 
selves at  various  points  south  of  Philadelphia, 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  State  of  Dela- 
ware. It  is  not  certain  that  they  may  not 
have  settled  in  Pennsylvania  in  advance  of 
the  Swedes,  but  if  such  is  the  case  no  authen- 
tic record  remains.  The  Delaware  region  was 
conquered  by  the  English  in  KMVl,  recovered 
by  the  Dutch  in  1()7-,  and  returned  to  the 
English  two  years  later.  Beginning  at  the 
latter  period,  it  was  settled  rapidly  under 
English  auspices,  principally  by  Qiiakers,  who 
came  to  enjoy  religious  tVeedom.  On  the  ac- 
quirement of  Pennsylvania  by  William  Penn, 
in  1681,  he  took  prompt  steps  to  induce  emi- 
gration. The  liberal  laws  and  government  he 
instituted  attracted  the  notice  of  those  who 
objected  to  the  established  churches  of  Europe, 
and  it  was  not  long  until  there  was  a  large  in- 
flux of  Qiiakers,  Welsh  dissenters,  and  Pres- 
byterians from  Scotland  and  the  north  of  Ire- 
land. An  extensive  colony  of  Mennonists,  or 
German  Baptists,  and  Dunkards,  came  in  dur- 
ing the  period  between  1698  and  1730,  and 
these  were  joined  about  the  latter  date  by  a 
host  of  German  Lutherans,  who  continued  to 
arrive  for  a  number  of  years.  The  Germans 
settled  on  the  rich  lands  of  the  southeastern 
counties,  while  the  .Scotch-Irish  gradually 
pushed  forward  into  the  western  districts,  each 
nationality  giving  character  to  the  sections  in 
which  it  located.  The  German  emigration 
ceased  about  1750  or  '60,  and  did  not  revive 
until  after  the  Revolution.  Few  Catholic 
Irish  or  Germans  settled  in  the  State  until  a 
comparatively  modern  date.  As  long  as  the 
crown  of  England  held  control  the  English 
and  Scotch-Irish  element  dominated,  but  some 
years  after  Independence  the  Germans  rose 
into  political  power,  and,  for  a  long  period, 
.elected  most  of  the  public  officers,  and  gave 
tone  to  State  legislation. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


23 


Eminent  Men. — Among  the  eminent  men 
who  have  been  connected  with  the  history  of 
Pennsylvania  were  :  William  Penn,  the 
founder;  Benjamin  Franklin,  the  greatest 
"  all-round  man  "  the  American  nation  has 
produced;  Anthony  Wayne,  the  Revolution- 
ary hero;  Stephen  Girard,  the  millionaire  and 
philanthropist;  Robert  Morris,  the  financier 
of  the  Revolution;  Chief  Justice  Gibson,  the 
profound  jurist ;  John  Fitch,  tiie  inventor  of 
the  steamboat,  and  Robert  Fulton,  who 
brought  the  idea  into  prominence  before  the 
public  ;  Benjamin  West,  P.  F.  Rothermel  and 
Thomas  Hovenden,  the  famous  painters  ;  Lind- 
lev  Murray,  the  grammarian  ;  David  Ritten- 
house,  the  mathematician;  David  Wilmot, 
the  anti-slavery  agitator  ;  Simon  Cameron,  the 
shrewd  politician  ;  William  Strong  and 
Jeremiah  S.  Black,  the  distinguished  lawyers  ; 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  "the  great  commoner;"" 
Edwin  M.  .Stanton,  the  "organizer  of  vic- 
tory"' in  the  late  war;  Stephen  Decatur  and 
David  D.  Porter,  the  brilliant  naval  officers; 
Generals  McClellan,  Meade,  Hancock,  Rey- 
nolds, Geary  and  Hartranft,  leaders  in  the  war 
for  the  Union;  Geo.  W.  Childs  and  Andrew 
Carnegie,  the  liberal  givers;  and  many  others, 
second  only  to  these  in  reputation,  whose 
names  appear  on  other  pages  of  this  book. 

Elections. — The  city,  ward,  borough  and 
township  elections  are  held  on  the  third  Tues- 
day of  February,  and  the  general  elections  for 
State  and  county  officers  on  the  Tuesday  next 
following  the  first  Monday  of  November. 

Executive  Officers. — The  principal  exec- 
utive officers  are  :  Governor,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, Secretar}'  of  the  Commonwealth  (ap- 
pointed) ,  AttorneyGeneral  (appointed), Audi- 
tor General,  State  Treasurer,  Secretary  of  In- 
ternal Affairs  and  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction  (the  latter  appointed).  Adjutant 
General  (appointed).  Insurance  Commissioner 
(appointed).  Superintendent  of  Banking  (ap- 
pointed), State  Librarian  (appointed),  Fac- 
tory Inspector  (appointed),  and  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Printing  (appointed).  These 
officers  are  assisted  by  numerous  deputies  and 
chiefs  of  departments,  and  there  are  a  great 
variety  of  boards,  commissions  and  minor  posi- 
tions, making  a  list  too  long  for  publication 
here. 

Founder  of  the  State. — The  State  was 
founded  by  William  Penn,  who  acquired  it  by 
gift    from    King   Charles    II    of    England,   in 


liquidation  of  claims  held  by  his  father,  a  dis- 
tinguished admiral,  against  the  crown  of  that 
country.-  The  charter  from  the  King  was 
dated  Niarch  4,  lf581,  and  is  still  in  good  pres- 
ervation at  Ilarrisburg.  By  the  King's  order, 
and  against  Penn's  protest,  the  province  was 
named  Pennsylvania  (meaning  Penn's  woods 
or  forest)  in  honor  of  the  distinguished  serv- 
ices of  his  father.  On  securing  possession  of 
his  territory,  Penn  drew  up  "  a  form  of  govern- 
ment and  a  code  of  laws,  all  bearing  the  stamp 
of  his  benevolent  mind.  "  Ilis  prevailing  pur- 
pose was  to  establish  a  commonwealth  that 
should  be  devoted  to  peace,  good  morals, 
general  education  and  religious  freedom.  His 
course  of  action  was  so  different  from  that  of 
other  colonial  founders,  and  his  dealing  with 
the  Indians  was  so  just  and  humane,  that  his 
name  is  illustrious  as  that  of  one  of  the  wisest 
and  greatest  of  men.  Penn's  first  visit  to  the 
province  was  on  the  27th  of  October,  1682. 
He  returned  to  England  in  1684,  and  made  a 
second  visit  in  1699,  remaining  some  two 
years.  By  religion  he  was  a  Quaker,  and  he 
made  many  sacrifices  and  suffered  severe  per- 
secution in  behalf  of  personal  and  religious 
liberty.  He  was  born  in  London  October  1-1, 
1644,  and  died  of  paralysis  at  Rushcombe, 
England,  July  30,  1718.  "  His  enduring 
monument  is  the  great  State  founded  by  him 
'  in  deeds  of  peace."" 

First  Things. — The  first  stone  turnpike  in 
the  L'nited  States  was  built  between  Philadel- 
phia and  Lancaster,  by  a  private  company,  in 
1792—4.  The  first  canal  of  any  considerable 
length  within  the  limits  of  the  Union  was 
begun  in  1792,  with  the  intention  of  construct- 
ing a  water  way  between  the  Delaware  at 
Philadelphia  and  Lake  Erie,  at  or  near  Erie. 
The  first  line  of  coaches  between  Philadelphia 
and  Pittsburg  was  started  in  August,  1804, 
via  Harrisburg,  Carlisle,  Bedford  and  Greens- 
burg,  the  time  from  one  terminus  to  the  other 
occupying  seven  days.  The  first  carriage  in 
the  world  moved  by  steam  on  common  roads 
was  built  by  Oliver  Evans  and  successfully 
operated  at  Philadelphia  in  July,  1807.  The 
first  railroad  in  America  was  built  at  a  stone 
quarry  in  Ridley  township.  Delaware  county, 
in  1^08.  The  "railroad  from  Philadelphia  "to 
Columbia  was  opened  for  travel  in  October, 
1834  (being  part  of  the  State  improvement 
system),  and  the  first  boat  on  the  main  line  of 
tiie    State  canal   between  the  latter  pl.ice  and 


NELHON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Pittsburg;  reaclitd  the  Ohio  in  the  same  month. 
The  Pennsylvania  raih-oad,  the  first  great  line 
of  the  kind  in  the  .State,  and  one  of  the  ear- 
liest throiiffh  systems  in  the  country,  ^yas  com- 
pleted to  Pitt&liiir<r  in  1854.  The  first  really 
successful  steanilioat  was  built  by  Robert  Ful- 
ton, a  Pennsylvanian,  thouijli  the  idea  of  pro- 
pelling boats  by  steam  had  previously  been 
patented  by  John  Fitch,  another  citizen  of  the 
State,  who  made  some  experiments  on  the 
Dela\yare  which  foreshadowed  the  future  use- 
fulness of  Iiis  scheme. 

Flag  of  the  United  States.— The  Na- 
tional Flag,  which  was  designed  by  a  Philadel- 
phia ladv.  Mrs.  Betsey  Ross,  was  adopted  by 
the  Continental  Congress,  sitting  in  that  city, 
on  the  14th  of  June,  1777.  The  resolution  to 
that  effect  was  as  follows  :  "  That  the  flag  of 
the  thirteen  United  States  be  thirteen  stripes, 
alternate  red  and  white ;  that  the  union  be 
thirteen  stars,  white  in  a  blue  field,  represent- 
ing a  new  constellation."  Describing  the 
flag,  Charles  Sumner  said:  "The  stripes  of 
alternate  red  and  white  on  the  L'nited  States 
flag  proclaim  the  original  union  of  thirteen 
States  to  maintain  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. Its  stars,  white  on  a  field  of  blue, 
proclaim  that  union  of  States  constituting  our 
luitional  constellation,  which  receives  a  new 
star  with  every  new  .State.  The  two  together 
signify  union,  past  and  present.  The  very- 
colors  have  a  language  wiiich  was  officially 
recognized  by  our  fathers.  White  is  for 
purity;  red  for  valor;  blue  for  justice."  In 
commemoration  of  the  adoption  of  the  national 
emblem,  the  14th  of  June  in  each  year  has 
been  set  apart  as  "Flag  Day,"  and  is  generally 
observed,  more  especially  by  the  schools.  By 
a  later  act  of  Congress  to  the  one  above  men- 
tioned, a  star  is  added  upon  the  admission  of 
every  new  .State. 

French  War. — As  is  more  fully  detailed 
in  the  general  history  of  Erie  coimty,  the 
French  at  one  time  claimed  all  the  country 
from  the  headwaters  of  the  Allegheny  river, 
down  the  Ohio,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. Their  claim  was  disputed  by  the 
English.  The  French  made  their  base  of 
operations  at  Erie  (formerly  known  as  Presque 
Isle),  and  established  a  chain  of  forts  from 
there  southward,  among  other  points,  at 
Waterford  (LeBoeuf),  Franklin  (Venango), 
and  Pittsburg  (Duquesne).  Early  in  175B, 
George  Washington,  then  a  young  man,  was 


sent  to  LeBoeuf  to  inquire  into  the  purpose  of 
the  French.  Receiving  an  evasive  answer, 
he  returned  to  Virginia,  and  headed  a  force  to 
drive  the  French  out  of  the  country.  The 
latter  pushed  forward  a  thousand  men  from 
Erie  to  Pittsburg,  and  forced  Washington, 
with  a  small  detachment,  to  capitulate.  Brad- 
dock's  expedition,  in  behalf  of  the  English 
and  English  colonists,  was  organized  in  175H, 
with  Washington  as  an  aid-de-camp  to  the 
commander-in-chief.  It  consisted  largely  of 
British  regulars,  added  to  a  considerable  body 
of  Colonial  troops  from  Pennsylvania, \'irginia 
and  Maryland.  The  French  and  tiieir  Indian 
allies  waited  in  ambush  at  a  point  on  tiie 
Monongahela  river,  ten  miles  from  Pittsburg, 
where  they  surprised  Braddock  and  eftected 
one  of  the  most  complete  routs  in  history.  A 
second  army  was  organized  in  1758  by  the 
English,  assisted  by  the  Colonies,  who  march- 
ed to  attack  Fort  Duquesne.  The  French,  on 
learning  of  the  superior  force  of  their  foes, 
abandoned  the  fort,  which  was  promptly 
christened  Fort  Pitt,  in  honor  of  the  great 
English  premier.  Soon  after  the  French  dis- 
appeared from  the  western  part  of  tiie  .State, 
and,  by  a  treaty  of  peace  in  1762,  relinquished 
all  claim  to  the  country.  By  the  same  treaty 
Canada  became  a  British  province. 

Fruits. — Every  variety  known  to  the  north 
temperate  zone  grows  in  profusion,  especially 
apples,  pears,  peaches,  cherries,  plums,  prunes, 
quinces,  grapes,  and  apricots. 

Floods  (Great.) — Some  of  tiie  most  de- 
structive floods  ever  known  have  occurred  in 
Pennsylvania.  Scarcely  a  year  passes  that 
much  damage  is  not  done  along  the  rivers  and 
creeks  of  the  State,  due  mainly  to  the  cutting 
off  of  the  timber.  The  most  terrible  calamity 
that  ever  happened  in  Pennsylvania  took 
place  on  May  31,  1889.  Heavy  rains  had  oc- 
curred all  over  the  .State,  filling  every  stream 
to  excess.  A  large  dam  on  the  South  Fork 
of  the  Conemaugh  river  burst  suddenly,  let- 
ting out  an  immense  volume  of  water  that 
swept  everything  before  it.  The  flourishing 
towns  of  Johnstown  and  Conemaugh  were 
practically  wiped  out  of  existence.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  from  8,5(l0  to  4,00()  persons  lost 
their  lives,  and  that  the  flood  caused  the  de- 
struction of  !ii75,(X)0,fK)0  worth  of  property. 
The  sympathy  of  the  whole  country  was 
aroused  in  behalf  of  the  surviving  population, 
and  donations  of    money,  clothing,  etc.,  were 


51  MOAI   5NYDER.  W  I  LLIAM   F  I  NOL  AY. 


AND  niSTORICAL  liEFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ElllE  COUNTY. 


sent  in  to  an  unprecedented  amount,  the  total 
cash  contributions  alone  being  |8.74(),Siy. 
The  same  unusual  period  of  rains  caused  great 
mischief  along  the  valleys  of  the  Juniata  and 
the  West  Branch,  especially  at  Williamsport 
and  Lock  Haven,  in  the  latter  region,  but  the 
disasters  at  those  points  were  almost  lost  sight  of 
in  view  of  the  overwhelming  calamity  at  Johns- 
town. It  is  characteristic  of  the  American 
people  that  the  citizens  of  the  latter  place  set 
to  work  immediateU  to  retrieve  their  misfor- 
tune, and  to-day  Johnstown  is  larger  and 
more  prosperous  than  before  the  disaster.  An- 
other memorable  Hood  took  place  on  Oil 
Creek  June  5,  1892,  caused,  as  before,  by  the 
breaking  of  a  dam.  It  did  vast  damage  at 
Titusville  and  Oil  City,  and  led  to  much  loss 
of  life.  The  floods  of  1892  extended  all  over 
the  northwestern  part  of  the  State,  and  were 
particularly  disastrous  at  L'nion  City,  in  Erie 
county,  and  Irvineton,  in  Warren  county. 
An  account  of  this  and  other  serious  floods  in 
Erie  county  will  be  found  in  the  ensuing 
chapters. 

Fish  and  Fisheries. — The  fisheries  of  the 
.State  are  quite  extensive,  being  most  produc- 
tive in  the  Delaware,  near  Philadelphia ;  in 
the  Susquehanna,  below  Columbia,  and  in 
Lake  Erie  at  Erie  city.  .Shad  are  caught  in 
great  numbers  in  the  rivers  named,  and  white 
fish,  pike,  sturgeon,  bass,  perch,  herring  and 
other  fish  in  Lake  Erie.  The  rivers  and  creeks 
were  once  well  stocked  with  a  large  variety  of 
fish,  but  they  have  decreased  in  consequence 
of  the  dams  and  the  filth  poured  into  the 
streams  by  the  cities,  towns,  mines  and  factor- 
ies. Brook  trout,  once  plentiful,  are  now  only 
found  to  any  extent  in  the  mountain  streams. 
The  State  has  established  several  fish  hatcheries, 
and  the  Fish  Commission  are  making  a  strong 
effort  to  restock  the  lakes  and  streams.  The 
following  statistics,  from  the  censuses  of  1S80 
and  1890,  show  the  extent  to  which  fishing  is 
carried  on  in  a  commercial  way  : 

Persons  Capital  Vai.ik  of 

Employes.  Invested.  Product. 

1880 SS2  119.810  $320,050 

1890 2,631  735,035  903,005 

[See  (ieneral  History  of  Erie  County.] 
Franklin,  Benjamin. — The  most  illustri- 
ous person  in  Pennsylvania  history  was  born 
in  Boston  in  1705,  and  died  in  Philadelpiia, 
after  residing  there  most  of  his  life,  and  till- 
ing almost   every   important    position    in    the 


gift  of  his  State  and  country,  on  the  17th  of 
April,  1790,  aged  about  Sii  years.  He  was 
buried  by  the  side  of  his  wife  in  the  cemetery 
of  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia,  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  Fifth  and  Arch  streets, 
where  the  slab  that  covers  his  remains  is  open 
to  the  public  view,  through  an  iron  railing, 
on  the  line  of  the  public  walk.  The  follow- 
ing epitaph  was  written  by  Franklin  when  he 
was  only  twenty-two  years  old  : 

The  Body 

OE 

BENJAMIN  FRAXKLl.V, 

FllINTEK, 

(Like  the  cover  of  an  old  book. 

Its  contents  toiin  out. 

And   stripped  of  its  lettering    and 

gilding) , 

Lies  here  food  for  worms. 

But  the  work  shall  not  be  lost. 

For  it  will  (as«e  believes)  appear  once 

more, 

L\  .V  NEW  and  more  elegant  edition, 

Revised  and  Corrected 

BY 

THE  AUTHOR. 

Farms  and  Farm  Products. —  The  United 
States  census  reports  give  these  statistics  in 
regard  to  farms  and  farming  products,  exclu- 
sive of  live  stock  : 

Number  of   Far.ms,  Ere. 

AVKKAGE 

improved  unimproved    size  in 

TOTAL.    acres.       acres.      ACRES. 

1870 174,041     11,515,965      6,478,235  103 

1S80 313,542     13,423,007      6,368,334  93 

1890 211,557     13,210,597      5,153,773  87 

Valuation  of  Farm   L.vnds. 

land  &  imple-  live 
bldgs.        ments,  etc.       stock. 
1870     (depre- 
ciated cur- 
rency)  1,043,481,582      36,658,1%       115,647,075 

1880  (j,-old 

basis) 975,689,410      35,473,037         84,242,877 

1890  (gold 
basis) 922,240,233      39,046,855       101,652,758 

Bushels  of  Cereals  Produced. 

BARLEV.      B'K\VHE.\T.  CORN. 

1870 529,562    2,532,173    34.702,006 

1880 438,100    3.593.326    45,821,531 

1890 493,893    3,069,717    42,318,279 


26- 


NELSON'S  BIOGHAPUWAL  DICTIONARY 


OATS.  RVE.  WHEAT. 

1870 36.478,585        3,577,641         19,672,%7 

1880 33,841,439         3,683,621         19,462,405 

1890 36,197,469        3,742,164        21,595,499 

Hav,  Potatoes  and  Tobacco. 


HAY-- 
TOXS. 

1870 2,848.219 

1880 2.811,517 

1890 4,331,582 


POTATOES — 
BUSHELS. 

12,889,367 
16,284,819 
12.899,315 


Poi'i.inv   .\ND  Eggs. 


CHICKENS. 

1880 6,620,016 

1890 10,381,781 


OTHER 

FOWL. 

740,787 

999,604 


TOBACCO — 
POUNDS. 

3,467,539 
36,943,272 
28,956,247 


EGGS- 
DOZENS. 

34,377,889 
50,049,915 


Game  Laws. — The  Acts  of  Assembly 
make  it  lawful  to  kill  .wild  birds,  animals  and 
fish  in  the  State — excepting  Pike  county  and 
the  Delaware  river — only  within  the  periods 
stated  below  ;  the  penalties  for  infringement 
thereof  being  from  $5  to  %hO  : 

BlIlDS. 

Turkeys Oct.  15  to  Jan.  1 

Ducks Sept.  1  to  May  1 

Plover Sept.  1  to  Dec.  1 

Woodcock July  4   to  Jan.  1 

Quail Nov.  1  to  Dec.  15 

Ruffled  grouse  or  pheasants Oct.  1  to    Jan.  1 

Rail  and  reed  birds Sept.  1  to  Dec.  1 


Aximals. 

Elk  and  deer Oct.  1  to  Dec.  15 

Squirrels Sept.  1  to  Jan.  1 

Hares  and  rabbits Nov.  1  to  Jan.  1 

Fish. 

Salmon  or  speckled  trout April  IS  to  July  15 

Lake  trout April  15  to  July  15 

Black  bass,  pike  and  pickerel.  ..June  1  to  Jan.  1 
German  carp Sept.  1    to    May  1 

Governors  and  Lieutenant-Governors. 

—  L  lulcr  tlic  original  system  the  Governors 
were  appointed  by  William  Penn  and  his  fam- 
ily, who  also  named  the  legislative  council. 
William  Penn  himself  acted  as  Governor  for 
some  six  years.  The  last  proprietary  Governor 
was  John  Penn,  a  grandson  of  the  founder — 
who  was  deposed  in  1770,  together  with  all 
officers  of  the  royal  government.  During  the 
Revolution,  and  up  to  the  adoption  of  the 
Constitution  of  1790,  the  presidents  of  the 
Supreme  Executive  Council  acted  as  Govern- 
ors. Among  the  most  famous  of  these 
were  John  Dickinson,  Benjamin  Franklin  and 
Thomas  Mifflin.  The  Governors  and  Lieuten- 
ant-Governors have  been  as  follows  [See 
sketches  of  Governors  on  other  pages]  : 


GOV-ER.VORS. 


COUNTY. 


TERM  OF  OI'IICE. 


NAME. 

Tinder  the  Constitution  of  1790. 

1— Thomas  Mifflin Philadelphia Dec.  21,  1790,  to  Dec.  17,  1799. 

2— Thomas  McKean Chester Dec.  17,  1799.  to  Dec.  20,  1808. 

3— Simon  Snyder Union Dec.  20,  1808,  to  Dec.  16.  1817. 

4— William  Findlay Franklin Dec.  16,  1817,  to  Dec.  19,  1820. 

5— Joseph  Hiester Berks Dec.  19,  1820,  to  Dec.  16,  1823. 

6— John  Andrew  Shulze Lebanon Dec.  16,  1823,  to  Dec.  15,  1829. 

7_Geor{re  Wolf Northampton Dec.  15,  1829,  to  Dec.  IS,  1835. 

8— Joseph  Ritner Washington Dec.  IS,  1835.  to  Jan.  15,  1839. 

Under  the  Constitution  of  1838. 

9— David  Rittenhouse  Porter Huntingdon Jan.  15,  1839,  to  Jan.  21,  1845. 

10— Francis  Rawn  Shunk* Allegheny Jan.  21,  1845,  to  July  9,  1848. 

11— William  Freame  Johnston* Armstrong July  26,  1848,  to  Jan.  20,  18S2. 

12— William  Bigler Clearfield Jan.  20,  1852,  to  Jan.  10,  1855. 

13— James  Pollock Northumberland Jan.  16,  1855,  to  Jan.  19,  1858. 

14— William  Fisher  Packer Lycoming Jan.  19,  1858,  to  Jan.  15,  1861. 

15— Andrew  Gregg  Curtin Centre Jan.  IS.  1861,  to  Jan.  15,  1867. 

16— John  White  Geary Westmoreland Jan.  15.  1867,  to  Jan.  21,  1873. 

Under  the  Constitution  of  1873. 

17— John  Frederick  Hartranft Montgomery Jan.  21,  1873,  to  Jan.  18,  1879. 

18— Henry  Martyn  Hoyt Luzerne Jan.  18,  1879,  to  Jan.  16,  1883. 

19- Robert  Emory  Pattison Philadelphia Jan.  16,  1883,  to  Jan.  18,  1887. 

20— James  Addams  Beaver Centre Jan.  18,  1887,  to  Jan.  20,  1891. 

21— Robert  Emory  Pattison Philadelphia Jan.  20,  1891,  to  Jan.  15,  189S. 

22— Daniel  Hartman  Hastings Centre Jan.  15,  1895,   

♦Governor  Shunk  resigned  on   his  death-bed  July  9,  1848,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Johnston, 
who,  as  president  of  the  Senate,  became  Governor  by  the  Constitutional  provision.     ''  °'       '- 

was  the  only  Chief  Executive  who  died  during  the  term  for  which  he  was  elected. 


(Jovernor  Shunk 


AND  mSTOltlCAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


27 


LlEUTENAXT-GoVERNORS    UnDER    THE    CONSTITUTION    OF    1873. 

John   Latta Westmoreland  county Jan.  19,  1875,  to  Jan.  21,  1879. 

Charles  W.  Stone Warren  county Jan.  21,  1879,  to  Jan.  16,  1883. 

Chauncev  Forward  Black York  county.' Jan.  16,  1883,  to  Jan.  18,  1887. 

William  T.  Davies Bradford  county Jan.  18,  1857,  to  Jan.  20,  1891. 

Louis  Arthur  Watres Lackawanna  county Jan.  20,  1891,  to  Jan.  IS,  1895. 

Walter  L.von Allegheny  count}' Jan.  15,  1895 , 


General  Progress. — The  general  progress 
of  Pennsylvania  for  the  last  twenty  years  has 
been  greater  than  that  of  any  other  Eastern 
State.  The  following  figures  from  the  U.  S. 
census  reports  show  how  the  State  is  gaining 
in  population   upon  Xew  York  : 


1870. 
Pennsylvania. . .  .3,521,951. 
New  York 4,3S2,759. 


1880.  1890. 

.4,282,891 5,258,014 

.5,082,871 5,997,853 


Excess  of  New 
York 


860,808. 


799,980. 


.    739,839 

Gettysburg. — The  most  decisive  and  a- 
mong  the  most  desperate  series  of  battles  in  the 
war  for  the  Union  took  place  on  Pennsylvania 
soil,  at  Gettysburg,  in  .Vdams  county,  near  the 
Marj'land  line.  A  brief  account  of  the  three- 
days'  series  of  fights  at  that  point  will  be 
found  under  the  heading,  "War  for  the 
Union."  The  battlefield  is  now  largely  occu- 
pied as  a  national  cemeterv  and  public  park, 
and  is  covered  with  splendid  memorial  stones, 
marking  all  the  important  positions,  and  mak- 
ing it  one  of  the  most  interesting  spots  in  the 
world.  Gettysburg  is  easily  reached  bj-  rail 
from  Harrisburg,  York  and  I3altimore.  It  was 
at  the  dedication  of  the  monument  to  the 
Union  dead,  in  the  National  Cemetery  at  Get- 
tysburg, on  the  19th  of  November,  1864,  that 
Lincoln  delivered  the  address  which  ranks  as 
one  of  the  classics  of  American  oratory,  read- 
ing as  follows  ; 

"  Fourscore  and  seven  years  ago,  our  fathers 
brought  forth  upon  this  continent  a  new  na- 
tion, conceived  in  liberty,  and  dedicated  to 
tlie  proposition  that  all  men  are  created  equal. 

"  Xow  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  civil 
war,  testing  whether  that  nation,  or  any  na- 
tion, so  conceived  and  so  dedicated,  can  long 
endure.  We  are  met  on  a  great  battlefield  of 
that  war.  We  are  met  to  dedicate  a  portion 
of  it  as  the  final  resting  place  of  those  who 
here  gave  their  lives  that  this  nation  might 
live.  It  is  altogether  fitting  and  proper  that 
we  should  do  this. 

'"But  in  a  larger  sense  we  cannot  dedicate, 
we  cannot   consecrate,  we  cannot  hallow  this 


ground.  The  brave  men,  living  and  dead, 
who  struggled  here,  have  consecrated  it  far 
above  our  power  to  add  or  detract.  The 
world  will  little  note  nor  long  remember  what 
we  say  here,  but  it  can  never  forget  what  they 
did  here. 

"  It  is  for  us,  the  living,  rather  to  be  dedi- 
cated here  to  the  unfinished  work  that  they 
have  thus  far  so  nobly  carried  on.  It  is  rather 
for  us  to  be  here  dedicated  to  the  great  task 
remaining  before  us — that  from  these  honored 
dead  we  take  increased  devotion  to  the  cause 
for  which  they  here  gave  the  last  full  measure 
of  devotion — that  we  here  higt-.ly  resolve  that 
the  dead  shall  not  have  died  in  vain  ;  that  the 
nation  shall,  under  God.  have  a  new  birth  of 
freedom,  and  that  the  government  of  the  peo- 
ple, by  the  people,  and  for  the  people,  shall 
not  perish  from  the  earth.'' 

Holidays. — The  following  are  the  legal 
holidays  and  half-holidays  in  the  vState.  Ac- 
cording to  law,  all  notes  due  on  any  holiday 
or  half-holidav  are  payable  and  protestable  on 
the  next  secular  business  day  : 

January  1st — New  Year's  Day. 

Third  Tuesday  of  February  (municipal 
election).     After  12  o'clock  noon. 

Februarv  22d — Washington's  Birthday. 

Good  Friday. 

May  30th — Decoration  Day. 

July  4th — Independence  Day. 

First  .Saturday  in  .September — Labor  Day. 
.First  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in 
November — General  election. 

Thanksgiving  Day  (by  appointment  of 
the  Governor). 

December  25th — Christmas. 

Every  Saturday  after  12  o'clock  noon. 

Indian  Titles. — L'nderthe  peaceful  policy 
adopted  bv  William  Penn  all  Indian  claims  to 
the  lands  of  the  State  were  extinguished  by 
treaty  and  purchase.  The  release  of  the  Tri- 
angle portion  of  Erie  county  was  secured  from 
the  Six  Nations  in  November,  1784,  and  con- 
firmed in  1789.  The  lands  south  of  the  Tri- 
angle, in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  Slate, 
were  sold  bv  the   Indians   in    1784,  and   relin- 


2S 


NELSONS  BIOailAPEICAL  VWTIONART 


quished  by  all  the  tribes  who  claimed  an  inter- 
est, in  178;").  [See  General  History  of  Erie 
County.  I 

Iron  and  Iron  Ore. — Extensive  bodies  of 
iron  ore  exist  in  various  sections,  which  are 
largely  used  in  the  furnaces  of  the  State.  One 
of  the  most  valuable  deposits  of  iron  ore  in 
the  world  is  in  Cornwall,  Lebanon  county, 
which  is  generally  spoken  of  as  inexhausti- 
ble, and  which  is  worth  many  millions  of  dol- 
lars. The  ore  consists  of  one  vast  mass,  and 
is  dug  as  gravel  or  clay  would  be  in  most 
places.  It  is  one  of  the  richest  deposits  of 
mineral  in  the  entire  world,  and  probably  the 
easiest  of  access.  Deposits  of  iron  ore  are 
found  in  many  parts  of  the  State,  but  none 
are  equal  in  extent  to  the  one  mentioned 
above.  Generally  speaking,  the  ore,  coal  and 
limestone  lie  conveniently  near  to  each  other, 
making  Pennsylvania  one  of  the  great  iron- 
producing  portions  of  the  world. 

Indian  Wars  and  Disturbances. — While 
Penn  lived  and  his  policy  was  adhered  to,  the 
Indians  gave  the  white  settlers  little  trouble. 
As  the  conflict  between  the  French  and 
English  developed,  they  showed  a  decided 
favor,  however,  for  the  former,  who  seem  to 
have  been  the  more  skillful  in  courting  their 
friendship.  They  took  an  active  part  with 
the  French  in  their  efl'orts  to  circiunvent  the 
English,  and  were  present  in  large  numbers  at 
the  defeat  of  iiraddock.  This  latter  event  en- 
couraged them  in  the  hope  of  driving  the 
English  out  of  the  country,  and  was  succeeded 
by  numerous  Indian  murders  and  outrages. 
The  departure  of  the  French  left  them  still 
hostile,  but  apparently  submissive.  Pontiac, 
the  celebrated  Indian  chief,  conceived  the  idea 
of  striking  a  sudden  and  simultaneous  blow 
that  should  wipe  the  English,  and  the  colonists 
under  them,  out  of  existence,  west  of  the 
Alleghenies.  To  this  end  he,  in  17()3,  enlist- 
ed a  considerable  body  of  the  natives,  who 
were  to  make  a  concerted  attack  upon  all  the 
English  posts  from  the  Allegheny  mountains 
westward.  The  forts  at  Erie,  Waterford  and 
Franklin  were  captured,  but  the  attempt  on 
the  one  at  Pittsburg  and  elsewhere  in  the 
southern  counties  proved  a  failure.  This  des- 
perate venture,  known  in  history  as  "Pontiac's 
Conspiracy-,"  was  succeeded  by  frequent  skir- 
mishes with  the  .savages  and  the  loss  of  many 
lives,  both  white  and  Indian.  The  white 
people,  roused  by  a  spirit  of  retaliation,   in- 


flicted severe  damage  upon  the  Indians,  and 
it  is  a  question  to  the  person  who  studies  the 
events  of  the  times,  which  side  was  most  cruel. 
The  Indians  became  overawed,  sued  for  peace 
in  ITlVl,  and  remained  comi^aratively  quiet  for 
some  years.  They  looked  upon  the  white 
colonists,  though,  as  their  natural  foes,  and, 
when  the  Revolution  opened,  transferred  their 
allegiance  from  the  French  to  the  British, 
whom  they  were  led  to  believe  would  restore 
them  to  their  former  rights  and  possessions. 
Early  in  1778,  a  body  of  Indians  joined  with 
some  tories  and  British  regulars,  descendetl 
the  North  Branch  and  destroyed  the  flourish- 
ing settlements  in  the  Wyoming  Valley.  The 
barbarity  shown  in  this  raid  has  gone  into  his- 
tory as  the  "Wyoming  Massacre."  The 
colonists  quickly  organized  expeditions  in  re- 
tribution of  their  injuries  which  destro^-ed  the 
Indian  villages  along  the  Upper  Suscjuehainia 
and  Allegheny  rivers.  By  1788  most  of  the 
hostile  Indians  had  been  driven  into  "the 
wilds  of  Ohio."  They  continued  troublesome 
for  a  number  of  years,  during  which  it  was 
unsafe  for  white  men  to  locate  in  the  northern 
or  northwestern  counties.  Several  expeditions 
were  sent  against  them,  but  they  were  not 
finally  subdued  until  \Vayne  took  command, 
and  by  his  energy  and  courage  compelled  them 
to  accept  terms  of  peace.  The  treaty  by 
which  this  was  effected  was  made  at  Green- 
ville, Ohio,  on  the  8d  of  August,  1795.  From 
this  date  there  were  no  serious  Indian  disturb- 
ances in  the  part  of  the  Union  embraced  within 
western  and  northwestern  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  country  was  rapidly  opened  to  settlement. 
[For  an  account  of  the  Indians  of  the  north- 
west, and  a  sketch  of  General  Wayne,  see  the 
Gcnerul  History  of  Erie  County.  ] 
Johnstown  Flood. — [See  Floods.] 
Judiciary  System. — [See  Courts.] 
Keystone  State. — The  name.  Keystone 
State,  as  usually  applied  to  Pennsylvania, 
arose  from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  central  one 
of  the  thirteen  colonies  that  revolted  against 
Great  Britain.  The  colonies  on  the  north 
were  New  Jersey,  Xew  York,  Massachusetts, 
Rhode  Island,  Connecticut  and  New  Hamp- 
shire ((J)  ;  on  the  south,  Delaware,  Mary- 
land, \'irginia.  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina 
and  Georgia  (6).  As  far  as  known,  the  term 
was  first  applied  in  an  address  issued  by  the 
Democratic  or  Democratic-Republican  com- 
mittee in  1808. 


AJfD  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COXJ^iTY. 


29 


Leading  Products. — The  leading  products 
of  the  State,  aside  from  manufactures,  are  as 
follows  : 

Minerals. — Anthracite  coal,  bituminous 
coal,  semi-bituminous  coal,  petroleum,  iron 
ore.  natural  gas  and  nickel. 

Vegetable  Productions. — Everything 
that  is  produced  in  the  temperate  zone,  includ- 
ing vast  quantities  of  tobacco  in  tlie  eastern 
counties. 

Stone. — Slate,  marble,  sandstone,  lime- 
stone, greenstone,  and  a  variety  of  tiie  most 
valuable  building  stones. 

Timber. — Pine,  hemlock,  chestnut,  wal- 
nut, oak,  ash,  beech,  maple,  cherry,  cucum- 
ber, etc. 

Fruits,  etc. — Peaches,  pears,  apples, 
grapes,  cherries,  quinces,  plums,  apricots, 
primes  :  in  fact,  all  the  varieties  that  grow  in 
the  north.  The  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  in 
Erie  countv,  has  become  one  of  the  tinest  grape 
and  wine  regions  in  the  world. 

Nuts. — Walnnts,  chestnuts,  beech  nuts, 
hickory  nuts,  hazel  nuts,  butternuts,  etc. 

Fish. — Shad,  white  fish,  salmon,  trout, 
perch,  pike,  eel,  herring,  muscalonge,  black, 
yellow  and  white  bass,  sturgeon,  sunfish,  etc. 
\'ast  fisheries  are  carried  on  upon  the  Susque- 
hanna and  Delaware  rivers,  and  on  Lake  Erie 
at  the  city  of  Erie  and  in  its  vicinity. 

Domestic  Animals.  —  Cattle,  horses, 
sheep,  hogs,  mules,  and  all  the  animals  that 
thrive  in  the  temperate  zone  are  produced  in 
great  numbers. 

Grains. — All  kinds  of  grain  that  grow  in 
the  United  States  are  cultivated  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  State  is  one  of  the  most  prolific 
grain-growing  sections  of  America.  In  fact. 
Pennsylvania  may  be  said,  without  boasting, 
to  be  one  of  the  choicest  spots  of  the  earth. 
Every  kind  of  mineral  useful  to  man  is  natural 
to  the  State  except  the  precious  metals,  and. 
as  a  fruit,  grain-growing,  agricultural,  veget- 
able and  timber-producing  State,  it  is  unsur- 
passed. Natural  gas  is  found  in  vast  quanti- 
ties west  of  the  AUeghenies,  and  manv  cities 
and  towns  are  heated  by  this  useful  natural 
product.  The  State  contains  some  fine  mineral 
springs,  chief  of  which  are  those  at  Bedford. 
Cresson,  Minnequa,  Cambridge  and  Saeger- 
town. 

Legislature. — The  Legislature  consists  of  j 
50  Senators,   elected   for  four  years,  and  204 
Representatives,  elected   for  two  years.     The 


pay  of  each  Senator  and  Representative  is 
|1,500,  and  mileage  both  ways,  for  each  regu- 
lar session.  The  Legislature  meets  everv  two 
years,  unless  called  in  extra  session  by  the 
Governor,  when  additional  pay  and  mileage 
are  allowed  to  the  members. 

Legislation. — All  legislation  is  closely  re- 
stricted bv  the  Constitution. 

Language. — The  language  of  the  people  is 
generally  English,  but  there  is  a  large  popula- 
tion, mainly  in  the  southeastern  counties,  who 
use  wiiat  is  known  as  •'  Pennsvlvania  Dutch," 
being  a  mi.\ture  of  English  and  German,  due 
to  the  earlv  emigration  heretofore  referred  to. 
Up  to  1840  or  thereabouts,  this  portion  of  the 
population  was  strong  enough  to  compel  the 
laws  and  official  papers  to  be  printed  in  the 
German  language.  They  also  dominated  the 
politics  of  the  State  for  a  number  of  vears. 

Lakes. — The  largest  lake  is  Lake  Erie, 
which  forms  the  northwestern  border.  The 
next  largest  is  Conneaut  lake,  in  Crawford 
county,  which  has  become  a  popular  summer 
resort.  There  are  a  mmiber  of  small  lakes, 
chietlx-  in  the  northern  counties. 

Liberty  Bell.— The  old  Liberty  Bell,  per- 
haps the  most  precious  historical  relic  in 
America,  is  carefully  preserved  in  Independ- 
ence Hall,  Philadelphia. 

Libraries,  Art  Galleries  and  Museums. 
— The  State  contains  a  number  of  \aluable 
public  libraries,  art  galleries  and  museums. 
Chief  among  these  are  the  ones  in  Philadel- 
phia, Pittsburg  and  Allegheny,  and  the  State 
librarv  at  llarrisburg.  The  Carnegie  library 
buildings  in  Pittsburg  and  Allegheny  are 
among  the  costliest  and  finest  for  the  purpose 
in  the  world.  The  State  completed  a  splendid 
building  at  Harrisburg  in  1894  for  the  storage 
of  its  librarv,  which  comprises  thousands  of 
valuable  volumes. 

Live  Stock. — Below  are  the  statistics  of 
live  stock,  as  given  in  the  United  States  cen- 
sus reports  : 


HORSES. 

1870 460,339 

1880 533,587 

\m) 618,660 

OTHER 
CATTLE. 

1870 608,066 

1880 861,019 

1890 761,800 


WORKING  MILCH 

MULES.  O.XEN.  COWS. 

18,009  30,048  706.437 

22.914  15.062  854.156 

29,563  17,364  927.524 

SHEEP.  iNcnniNC. 
SWINE.        spring    lambs. 

867,54S  1,794.301 

1.187,968  1,776.598 

1,278,029  1.612.107 


3° 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


Live  Stock  Products. 

l-I.EKCES  POI-XDS  r.AI.S.  OF 

SHORN.  OK  wool,.  .MII.K. 

1870  ....  r.,S.Sl,722      *14,411,729 

1880 1,176,598      8,470,273      t3(),540.S40 

1890 1,226,669      6,411,164     ^368,906,480 

I'OUXD.SOF  POUNDS  OF 

BUTTER.  CHEESE. 

1870  60,834,644  1,145,209 

1880 79,336,012  1,008,686 

1S90 76,809,041  439,060 

*Milk  sold. 

I  Milk  sold  or  sent  to  butter  or  cheese  factories. 

J  All  milk  produced  on  farms. 

Military  System. — The  Governor  is  the 
head  of  the  military  sy.stem,  and  the  next  of- 
ficer in  command  is  the  Adjutant  General, 
who  is  appointed  by  the  former,  and  consti- 
tutes one  of  his  cabinet  orticers.  The  organi- 
zation is  purely  voluntary,  and  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  best  in  the  Union.  Almost  every 
town  of  any  size  has  a  military  company,  and 
there  are  from  two  to  a  dozen  or  more  in  the 
cities,  according  to  their  size.  Every  member 
of  an  active  military  organization  is  sworn  in 
for  three  years,  and  is  obliged  to  render  duty 
when  called  upon  by  his  superior  officers. 
The  military  force  consists  of  three  brigades, 
commanded  by  one  major  general  and  three 
brigadier  generals.  The  brigades  are  divided 
into  regiments  and  companies,  and  are  known 
as  the  National  Guard  of  Peinisylvania.  An 
encampment,  the  cost  of  which  is  paid  by  the 
State,  is  held  annually  at  some  convenient 
point,  for  the  purpose  of  drill  and  general 
mancEuvres.  Each  company  is  critically  ex- 
amined by  chosen  officers  once  each  year,  and 
the  svstem  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best 
peace  protections  of  the  State.  Under  the 
Constitution,  every  citizen  between  eighteen 
and  forty-five  years  of  age  is  liable  to  be  call- 
ed upon  for  defence  of  the  State,  but  the 
Legislature  is  authorized  to  exempt  by  law 
those  who  have  conscientious  scruples  against 
bearing  arms. 

Manufactures. — The  State  is  one  of  the 
greatest  manufacturing  sections  of  the  Union, 
being  onlv  excelled  bv  New  York,  which  has 
an  advantage  in  its  large  cities.  The  most 
important  iron  and  steel  works  in  America 
are  located  in  Pennsylvania,  and  the  .State  is 
hardly  equalled  in  her  carpet  and  silk  factor- 
ies. The  census  reports  of  the  United  States 
furnish  the  statistics  below  given  ; 


EMPLOYES.  WAGES.      VALUE  OF  PRODUCTS. 

1880 387,072  §134,055,904   S  744,818,445 

1890 620,562   305,5')1,033    1.331,794,901 

Motto. — The  motto  of  the  State  is  "  Vir- 
tue, Liberty  and  Independence"  which  forms 
a  part  of  the  coat  of  arms,  elsewhere  shown. 

Mineral  Products. — The  principal  miner- 
al products,  in  tons,  are  gi\en  as  follows  in 
the  U.  S.  census  reports  : 

1880.  1890. 

Iron  ore 1,951,496         1,560,234 

Coal 47,065,982      81,719,059 

Total  value  of  the  mineral  products  of  Penn- 
sylvania in   1889,  Sl.50,876.619. 

Mason  and  Dixon's  Line. —  This  once 
famous  line,  being  the  division  between  the 
free  and  slave  States  of  the  Union,  was  the 
boundary  between  Pennsjdvania,  Delaware, 
Maryland  and  Virginia.  It  was  run  during  the 
years  1708-7  by  Charles  Mason  and  Jeremiah 
Dixon,  of  England,  to  settle  disputes  between 
the  colonies  above-named  as  to  their  proper 
boundarieN,  and  has  ever  since  been  agreed  to. 

Northwestern  Pennsylvania — The  coun- 
ties generally  known  as  Northwestern  Penn- 
sylvania are  as  follows,  with  their  population 
and  area  : 

Population.      Area. 

1890.         So.  Miles.      Acres. 

Cameron 7,238  "  381  243,840 

Clarion 36,802  572  366,080 

Crawford   65,324  1,005  643,200 

Elk 22,239  774  495,360 

Erie 86,074  772  494,080 

Forest 8,482  431  275.640 

Jefferson    44,005  646  413,440 

McKean 46,863  1.007  644,480 

Mercer 55,744  666  426,240 

Veuang-o 46,640  658  421,120 

Warren 37,585  914  584,960 

Name. — The  origin  of  the  name  Pennsyl- 
vania, meaning  "  Penn's  woods  ""  or  "  forest,'' 
has  been  given  in  the  paragraph  relating  to 
the  founder  of  the  State. 

Natural  Gas. — Is  found  in  large  quantities 
in  the  western  part  of  the  State,  and  is  exten- 
sively used  for  cooking,  heating  and  manufac- 
turing  jjurposes.      [See  Petroleum.] 

Newspapers. — The  newspapers  of  the 
State  are  some  12(X)  in  number,  of  which  a 
considerable  proportion  are  dailies.  There  is 
a  large  variety  of  periodicals,  trade  issues  and 
religious  publications.  The  daily  newspapers 
of  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg  are  not  surpass- 
ed in  any  part  of  the  country,  and,  for  the 
price,  have  no  superiors.  Northwestern  Penn- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


31 


sylvania  has  some  of  the  best  papers,  consid- 
ering their  limited  patronage,  to  be  found  in 
any  part  of  the  world. 

Oil. —  (Natural) — [See  Petroleum.] 
Proprietary  Government.  —  As  before 
stated,  tlie  colony  was  ruled  by  Governors  sent 
out  from  England,  and  named  by  the  proprie- 
tors, until  the  era  of  the  Revolution.  The 
royal  and  proprietary  govennnent  was  over- 
turned in  1776,  since  which  date  the  people 
have  selected  in  the  main  their  own  public 
officers.  In  changing  the  government,  care  was 
taken  not  to  disturb  the  personal  and  landed 
rights  of  the  citizens,  and  all  laws  remained 
in  force  that  were  not  inconsistent  with  the 
independence  of  the  State. 

Population — State. — The  population  of 
the  State,  under  the  several  censuses  taken  since 
the  Revolution  has  been  as  follows.  For  com- 
parison the  census  of  the  United  States  is 
given  at  each  period  : 

UNITED 
I'ENXSYI,VANIA.  ST.\TKS. 

1790  434,373  3,929,214 

1800 602,365  5,308,483 

1810 810,091  7,239,881 

1820 1,047,507  11,633,822 

1830 1,348,233  12,866,020 

1840 1,724,033  17,069,453 

1850 2,311,786  23,191,876 

1860 2,906,215  31,443,321 

1870 3,521,951  38,558,371 

1880 4,282,891  50.155,783 

1890 5,258,014  62,622,250 

The  figures  for  the  United  States  in  1890 
are  exclusive  of  Alaska  and  Indians,  including 
which  and  whom  it  is  estimated  that  the  popu- 
lation in  tliat  year  was  0:2,979,6(30. 

Male  and  Female  Population  in   Penn- 
sylvania. 

malk.  female. 

1870 1,758.499  1,763,452 

1880 2,136,655  2,146,236 

1890 2,666,331  2,591,683 

White      and      Colored      Population     in 
Penn.svlvania. 

white.  colored. 

1870 3,456,609  65,294 

1880 4,197,016  85,535 

1890 5,148,257  109,757 

Native  and  Foueign  Population. 

n.\tive.  fokeign. 

1880 3,609,953  .587.063 

1890 4,412,294  845,720 

Per.sons  of  foreign  parentage  in  1890.  1,000, .580. 


Chinese,  Japanese  and  Indians. 

chinese.  japanese.  indians. 

1870 13                          1  34 

1880 148                        8  184 

1890 1,146                       32  983 

Of  the  native-born  population  in  1S$X), 
2,198,872  were  males  and  2,213,423  females; 
of  the  foreign-born  in  the  same  year,  467,459 
were  males  and  378,260  females.  The  colored 
population  in  1890  consisted  of  56,477  males 
and  .53,280  females. 

The  foreign-born  population,  84.5,72(1  in 
all,  came  from  the  countries  below  named; 
Canada  12,171,  Mexico  114,  Central  America 
57,  South  America  271,  West  Indies  1,047, 
England  125,089,  Scotland  32,081,  Whales 
38,301,  Ireland  243,836.  Great  Britain  (not 
specified)  .56,  Germany  230,51(5,  Austria 
21,038,  Holland  (5.52,  Belgium  3,149,  Luxem- 
burg 19,  Switzerland  6,149,  Norway  2,238, 
Sweden  19,346,  Denmark  2,010,  Russia  17,315, 
Hungary  24.901,  Bohemia  2,031,  Poland 
25,191,  France  9,083,  Italy  24,662,  Spain  216, 
Portugal  131 ,  Greece  81  ;  Isalance  from  various 
nations. 

By   Counties. 

The  population  by  counties  was  as  given 
below  : 


Adams  

Alleg-heny  . . 
Armstrong'  . 

Beaver 

Bedford  .  . . . 

Berks 

Blair 

Bradford  .  . . 

Bucks  

Butler 

Cambria  .. . . 
Cameron  .  . . 

Carbon 

Center 

Chester 

Clarion 

Clearfield.  .  . 

Clinton 

Columbia  . . . 
Crawford  . . . 
Cumberland 
Dauphin  . . . . 
Delaware. . . 

Elk 

Erie 

Fayette 

Forest 


1890. 


1880. 


3\486: 
551.959 
46,747 
SJ.077 
38,624 
137,327 
70,866 
59,233 
70,615 
55,339 
66,375 
7,238 
38,624 
43,269 
89,377 
36,802 
69,565 
28.685 
36,832 
65,324 
47,271 
96,977] 
74,683 
22.239; 
86,074 
80,006 
8,482 


32,455 
355,869 
47,641 
39,605 
34,929 
122,597 
52,740 
58,541 
68,656 
52,536 
46,811 
5,159 
31,923 
37,922 
83,481 
40,328 
43,408 
26,278 
32,409 
68.607 
45,977 
76,148 
56,101 
12,800 
74,688 
58,842 
4,385 


32 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


Franklin 

Fulton 

Greene 

Huntinffdon 

Indiana 

Jefferson 

Juniata 

Lackawanna  . . . . 

Lancaster 

Lawrence  

Lebanon 

Lehijf  h 

Luzerne 

Lycoming 

McKean 

Mercer 

Mifflin 

Monroe 

Montgomery  . . . . 

Montour 

Nortliampton  ... . 
Northumberland 

Perry 

Philadelphia  . . . . 

Pike 

Potter 

Schuylkill 

Snyder 

Somerset 

Sullivan    

Susquehanna  . . . . 

Tioga 

Union 

Venango  

Warren 

Washington  .  .  . 

Wayne 

Westmoreland  . . . 

Wyoming 

York  


1890. 


Totals 5,258,014 


51,433 
10,137 
28,935 
35,751 
42,175 
44,005 
16,655 

142.088 

149,095 
37,517 
48,131 
76,631 

201,203 
70,579 
46,863 
55,744 
19,996 
20,111 

123,219 
15,645 
84,220 
74,698 
26,276 

,046,964 

9,412 

22,778 

154.163 
17,651 
37,317 
11,620 
40,093 
52,313 
I7,820i 
46,640 
37,585 
71,155 
31,010 

112,819 
15,819 
99,489 


1880. 


49,855 
10,149 

28,273 
33,974 
40,527 
27,935 
18,227 
89,269 

139,447 
33,312 
38,476 
65,969 

133,065 
57,486 
42,565 
56,161 
19,577 
20,175 
96,494 
15,468 
70,312 

■  53,123 
27,522 

847,170 

9,663 

13,797 

129,974 
17,797 
33.110 
8.073 
40,354 
45.814 
16.905 
43,670 
27,981 
.55,418 
33,513 
78.036 
15,.598 
87,841 


4,282,891 


[See  "  Cities  and  Boroughs."] 
Penn,  'William. — [See  Founder.] 
Presidents  of  the  United  States. — Penn- 
sylvania has  furnished  three  Presidents  of  the 
United  States,  viz.  :  Thomas  MifHin  and 
Arthur  St.  Clair,  previous  to  the  adoption  of 
the  National  Constitution,  and  James  Bu- 
chanan since.  The  latter  was  elected  in  1856, 
and  held  office  from  March  4,  1857,  to  March 
4,  18(')].  He  was  born  in  Franklin  count}'  in 
1791,  and  died  at  Wheatland,  Lancaster  coun- 
ty, where  he  made  his  home  from  early  life, 
in  1868.  In  addition  to  the  above-named 
gentlemen,  the  State  has  given  birth  to  four 
unsuccessful  nominees  for  the  Presidency,  as 
follows:  George  15.  McClellan  (Dem.),  in 
1864;  James  Black    (Prohibition),   in    1872; 


Winfield  S.  Hancock  (Dem.),  in  1880;  and 
James  G.  Blaine  (Rep.),  in  1884. 

Presidential  Electors. — I'nder  the  census 
of  ]S<I()  Pennsylvania  is  entitled  to  Jil'  Presi- 
dential electors,  being  only  4  less  than  Xew 
York,  the  largest  State  in  the  I'nion. 

Political  History. — Except  that  it  favored 
Harrison  in  1840,  and  Taylor  in  1848,  the 
vote  of  the  State  was  uniformly  in.  favor  of 
the  Democratic  Presidential  nominees  from 
1790  to  1860,  when  it  voted  for  Lincoln,  and 
since  then  has  regularly  given  its  support  to 
the  Republican  Presidential  ticket.  On  local 
cjuestions  it  sometimes  elects  Democratic  nomi- 
nees for  State  office,  and  has  twice  since  18()0 
chosen  a  Democratic  (Governor,  x'v/..  :  Robert 
E.  Pattison,  in  188l'  and  1890.  [For  a  list  of 
the  several  State  candidates,  with  their  votes, 
see  the  Political  Record  in  the  General  His- 
tory of  Erie  County.] 

Public  Receipts  and  Expenditures. — 
The  U.  S.  census  report  gives  the  following  as 
the  public  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the 
State  and  its  several  sub-divisions  in  1890: 

EXPENDI- 

KKCEIl'TS.  TUKES. 

State S  7,831,037  $  5,212,128 

Counties 5,794,558  6,474,703 

Municipalities  (over  4,000 

population) 22,540,318  17,790,461 

Schools,  etc 13,514,000  •  12.828,645 

Additional  (estimated)..  2,975,000 

The  receipts  of  the  State  alone  for  the  year 
ending  May.  1895,  were  812,873,786,  and  the  expen- 
ses $13,622,769.  Notwithstanding  this  apparent 
discrepancy,  there  was  a  balance  in  the  treasurj' 
at  the  close  of  the  year  of  over  S5,000,000,  due  to 
an  e-xcess  from  former  fiscal  periods. 

Prisoners. —  Tiie  prisoners  in  the  peniten- 
tiaries and  jails  of  the  State  were, in  1890,as  fol- 
lows :  Whites,  born  of  nati\e  parents,  :i,009  ; 
one  or  both  parents  foreign,  1,757;  foreign- 
born,  1,747;  parentage  unknown,  ^lVi^\  nativ- 
ity unknown,  2*5.  Other  colors:  negroes, 
mostly  nati\e-born,   738;  Chinese,  2. 

Paupers. — The  paupers  in  the  several 
almshouses  were,  in  1890,  as  follows:  Whites, 
born  of  native  parents,  1,327;  one  or  both 
parents  foreign,  320;  foreign  born,  2,539; 
parentage  unknown,  (550;  nativity  unknown, 
7().     Other  colors  :    negroes,  201;    Chinese,  1. 

Physical  Features. — The  State  is  crossed 
from  south  to  north,  or  rather  northeast,  by 
two  great  mountain  chains,  the  AUeghenies 
and    the    Blue    Ridge    or     Kittatinny   range. 


GEORGE:     WOLF.  J03EPM     RIT/MER. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


33 


These,  with  their  spurs  and  foot-hills,  cover 
fully  one-third  of  its  territor}-.  The  moun- 
tains attain  an  elevation  of  l,0()Oto  2,700 feet ; 
the  highest  point  where  they  are  crossed  bj' 
railroads  being  a  little  west  of  Altoona,  on 
the  main  line  of  the  Pennsylvania  road,  and 
at  Kane,  on  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  line. 
Southeast  of  the  Blue  Ridge  is  the  famous 
limestone,  slate  and  sandstone  region  of  the 
State,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  fertile  sec- 
tions in  existence.  Enclosed  by  the  moun- 
tains are  numerous  valleys  that  are  unsurpass- 
ed for  beauty  and  fertility.  The  bituminous 
coal  fields  are,  in  general,  on  the  western  slope 
of  the  Alleghenies,  while  the  anthracite 
mines  are  limited  to  the  eastern  side,  along 
and  between  the  Susquehanna,  Schuylkill  and 
Lehigh  rivers.  The  mountains  and  hills  give 
rise  to  numerous  streams,  which  flow  into  the 
great  rivers  of  the  State,  and  render  it  one  of 
the  best  watered  sections  of  the  earth.  In  the 
western  portion  of  the  State  the  elevations  do 
not  equal  those  of  the  east  and  center  in 
height,  and  the  country  is  much  broken  by 
moderate-sized  hills  and  ridges,  interspersed 
with  frequent  vallevs.  Leaving  out  the  steep 
mountain  chains  in  the  central  part  of  the 
State,  nearly  every  foot  of  ground  is  suscept- 
ible of  cultivation.  The  State,  as  a  whole, 
considering  its  area,  is  perhaps  the  richest 
section  of  the  world  in  point  of  natural,  agri- 
cultural and  mineral  productions. 

Perry's  Victory. — [For  a  full  account  of 
Terry's  victory  upon  Lake  Erie,  September 
10,  1818,  and  the  inciilents  preceding  and  sub- 
sequent to  the  same,  see  (jeneral  History  of 
Erie  County.] 

Petroleum. — Although  petroleum,  or  nat- 
ural oil,  is  found  in  many  parts  of  the  world, 
Pennsylvania  still  remains  the  great  produc- 
ing section.  Natural  oil  and  gas  have  been 
known  from  a  very  early  period,  but  were 
long  regarded  as  curiosities  rather  than  as  arti- 
cles for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  The  earliest 
French  writers  refer  to  them  as  existing  in  the 
western  part  of  Pennsylvania,  along  the  Alle- 
gheny river  and  some  of  its  tributaries.  The 
oil  was  at  one  time  gathered  as  a  medicine, 
and  the  gas  was  treated  as  a  natural  wonder. 
For  a  long  period  nearly  all  the  developments 
in  this  direction  were  along  Oil  creek,  from 
above  Titusville  to  its  mouth  at  Oil  City. 
Col.  E.  L.  Drake  first  conceived  the  idea  of 
securing  the  natural  oil  on  a   large   scale  as  a 


commercial  commodity.  He  drilled  a  well 
near  Titusville,  in  1S59,  and  struck  a  flow  of 
oil  which  started  others  to  follow  his  example. 
A  wild  speculation  ensued  ;  oil  was  found  in 
immense  quantities,  and  hundreds  of  men 
made  and  lost  fortunes.  Beginning  at  the 
original  center  on  Oil  creek,  oil  has  been  ob- 
tained for  commercial  purposes  along  the 
western  slopes  of  the  Alleghenies  in  every 
county  through  which  they  extend,  and  has 
become  one  of  the  most  valuable  and  widely 
distributed  products  of  the  United  States. 
Natural  gas  is  invariably  found  in  connection 
with  the  oil,  and,  at  some  points,  prevails  in 
quantities  that  make  it  scarcely  second  in 
value  to  the  latter  production.  Erie,  Warren, 
Franklin,  Titusville,  Corry,  Pittsburg,  Alle- 
gheny and  a  number  of  the  cities  and  towns  in 
the  western  part  of  the  State  are  largely  heat- 
ed and  illuminated  by  natural  gas. 

Public  Improvements.  —  Pennsylvania 
was  one  of  the  first  States  in  the  L'nion  to  en- 
ter upon  a  general  system  of  public  improve- 
ments. Railroads  being  almost  unknown  un- 
til half  a  century  ago.  the  enterprise  of  tiie 
State  was  directed  mainly  to  the  building  of 
canals,  which  were  the  great  highways  of  the 
age.  A  scheme  to  connect  Lake  Erie  with 
the  Delaware  river  was  projected  as  long  ago 
as  1702.  In  1824  the  State  started  a  gigantic 
plan  of  internal  improvements,  which  includ- 
ed canals  along  the  Delaware,  the  Susque- 
hanna, the  Juniata,  the  Conemaugh.  the 
Beaver  and  the  Shenango,  the  object  being  to 
connect  every  important  part  of  the  State 
with  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg.  The  main 
line  between  Pittsburg  and  Philadelphia,  con- 
sisting mainly  of  canal,  but  partly  of  a  system 
of  railroads  and  portages,  was  completed  in 
1881.  Unfortunately,  about  the  time  the  canal 
system  was  well  under  wav,  it  was  discovered 
that  railroads  were  bound  to  supersede  water 
transportation  ;  and  the  State,  after  incurring 
a  huge  debt  in  making  its  improvements,  was 
glad  to  dispose  of  them  at  a  low  price.  The 
main  line,  above  spoken  of,  was  sold  in  June, 
1857,  and  the  branches  have  been  transferred 
from  time  to  time  until  the  State  is  no  longer 
owner  of  any  canal  or  railroad  property. 
The  proceeds  of  the  sales  and  transfers  have 
been  so  managed  that  the  debt  incurred  for 
public  improvements  has  been  practically  ex- 
tinguished. 

Public   Buildings. — Aside  from  the  capi- 


34 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DWTIOlvARY 


tol  buildings  at  Harrisburg,  the  main  public 
institutions  owned  or  supported  in  whole  or 
in  part  by  the  State  are  as  follows  : 

XOKMAL     SCHOOLS. 

At  West  Chester,  MillersviUe,  Kutztown, 
Edinboro,  East  Stroudsburg,  Mansfield,  Ship- 
pensburg,  Bloonisburg,  Lock  Haven,  Indiana, 
California,  Slippery  Rock  and  Clarion.  Some 
of  these  are  owned  by  private  corporations, 
but  nearl}'  all  have  been  built  with  money 
supplied  by  the  State,  and  all  are  under  its 
supervision. 

PENITENTIAKIES. 

Eastern  at  Philadelphia,  and  Western  at 
Allegheny.  The  latter  is  used  as  a  place  of 
punishment  for  desperate  and  confirmed  crim- 
inals from  Erie  and  the  western  and  north- 
western counties  generally. 

REFORMATORIES. 

Industrial  at  Huntingdon  and  Reform 
School  at  Morganza.  Criminals  who  are 
thought  to  be  reclaimable  are  sent  to  both  in- 
stitutions from  every  part  of  the  State. 

INSANE     ASYLUMS. 

At  Harrisburg,  Di.xmont,  Norristown,  Dan- 
ville and  Warren.  The  latter  is  the  one  where 
the  unfortunate  from  Erie  county  are  mainly 
cared  for.  The  Pennsylvania  Hospital  for  the 
Insane  at  Philadelphia  (better  known  as  Kirk- 
bride's)  is  conducted  under  private  auspices. 

ASYLUM    FOR    CHRONIC    INSANE. 

At  Wernersville,  Berks  county. 

soldiers'  and  sailors'  IIO.ME  at  ERIE, 

containing  some  500  inmates  who  took  part  in 
the  war  for  the  Union  and  are  unable  to  sup- 
port themselves. 

state    COLLEGE, 

in  Centre  county,  specially  established  for  the 
training  of  young  men  in  agricultural  and  in- 
dustrial pursuits. 

hospit.vls 

for  injured  persons  in  the  anthracite  coal 
regions  at  Ashland  and  Hazleton  ;  for  injured 
persons  in  the  bituminous  and  semi-bituminous 
coal  regions  at  Mercer,  Phillipsburg,  Con- 
nellsville  and  Blossburg. 


soldiers  orphan  schools, 
at  Chester  Springs,  Harford  and  Uniontown. 

soldiers'  orphans'  industrial  school, 
Scotland,  Franklin  county. 

training    SCHOOL   FOR    FEEBLE-MINDED    CHIL- 
DREN, 

at  Elwyn,  Delaware  county. 

FOR  TRAINING   IN  SPEECH  OF  DE.\F  CH  ILDREN, 

at  Philadelphia. 

FOR    THE  CARE    OF  THE    FEEHLE-M INDED, 

at  Polk,  Venango  countv    (in   course  of  con- 
struction). 

STATE    ARSENAL, 

at  Harrisburg. 

FISH      HATCHERIES, 

at  Erie,  Corry  and  Allentown. 

Public  Schools. — [See  School  System.] 
Philadelphia. — The  largest  city  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  its  commercial  metropolis,  is 
situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Delaware  and 
Schuylkill  rivers.  It  had  a  population  of  over 
a  million  in  1890,  and  is  one  of  the  great 
cities  of  the  world.  The  city  ranks  second  of 
the  manufacturing  places  in  America,  and  has 
an  extensive  foreign  and  domestic  commerce. 
The  Delaware  river  is  navigable  for  the  larg- 
est vessels  to  Philadelphia,  and  the  city  has 
become  the  most  important  ship-building  point 
on  the  western  continent.  Historically,  Phila- 
delphia is,  perhaps,  the  most  interesting  place 
in  the  United  States.  The  city  was  laid  out 
by  William  Penn  in  1682.  It  was  in  Phila- 
delphia that  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  adopted,  July  4th,  1770,  and  that 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  was 
framed  in  1787.  The  city  was  the  seat 
of  the  United  States  Government  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  after  the  adoption  of  the  Constitu- 
tion. Though  Washington  was  inaugurated 
first  President  in  New  York,  he  lived  and 
performed  his  official  duties  during  most  of  his 
eight-years"  term  in  Philadelphia.  The  city 
contains  an  unusual  number  of  handsome  and 
interesting  buildings,  chief  of  which  are  In- 
dependence Hall,  the  U.  S.  Mint,  the  city 
hall  (grandest  of  all  edifices  for  the  purpose 
in  America),  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows 
"  Temples,"  and  the  Pennsylvania  and  Read- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUyiTY. 


35 


ing  railroad  stations.  No  other  city  in  the 
Union  surpasses  Philadelphia  in  the  number  ! 
of  its  public  libraries,  art  galleries  and  places 
of  entertainment.  Fairmount  Park,  the  jrreat 
pleasure  ground  of  the  city,  has  few  rivals  and 
no  superiors. 

Pittsburg. — The  second  city  in  Pennsyl-  ! 
vania,  is  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Alle- 
gheny and  Monongahela  rivers,  where  they 
form  the  Ohio.  With  its  sister  city  of  .Alle- 
gheny, and  the  suburbs  belonging  to  both, 
Pittsburg  had  a  population  of  over  8(50,CK)0  in 
1890,  making  it  tlie  eighth  in  rank  of  the 
great  cities  of  the  Union.  A  movement  is  in 
progress  to  consolidate  the  entire  population 
directlv  tributary  to  Pittsburg  into  one  city, 
which,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  will  be  successful. 
As  a  manufacturing  and  shipping  point,  Pitts- 
burg is  hardly  surpassed  in  any  portion  of  the 
world.  It  excels  in  the  making  of  iron,  steel 
and  glass ;  but  almost  every  other  kind  of 
manufacture  is  to  be  found  within  its  limits. 
The  citv  is  surrounded  bv  the  richest  coal  dis- 
trict in  America,  and  more  coal  is  shipped 
down  the  Ohio  and  by  the  various  railroads 
than  from  an}-  other  point.  While  the  bu^i- 
ness  and  manufacturing  portion  is  smoky  and 
uninviting,  the  suburban  districts  are  remark- 
able for  their  beautiful  parks,  streets  and  resi- 
dences. Pittsburg  was  named  after  William 
Pitt,  the  celebrated  English  statesman.  His 
toricallv  it  is  famous  as  the  site  of  the  French 
Fort  Duquesne.  and  as  the  place  where  the 
lirst  national  convention  of  the  Republican 
partv  was  held,  and  Fremont  nominated  for 
President,  in  185G. 

Presidential  Vote  of  Pennsylvania. — 
[See  Political  Record  in  General  Ilistorv  of 
Erie  County] — The  Presidential  vote  of  the 
State  since  the  adoption  of  the  United  States 
Constitution  has  been  as  follows  : 

1788. — George  Washington  elected  unani- 
mously. 

1792. — George  Washington  elected  unani- 
mousl)-. 

1796. — The  State  cast  one  electoral  vote 
for  Adams,  Federalist  (who  was  elected),  and 
1.4  for  Jefferson,  Democratic-Republican. 

180<). — Jefferson,  Dem.-Rep.  (who  was 
elected),  received  8  of  the  electoral  votes  of 
the  State,  and  Adams,  Federalist,  7. 

1804. — The  State  gave  all  of  its  electoral 
votes  for  Jefferson.  Dem.-Rep.,  who  was 
elected. 


1808. — The  vote  of  the  State  was  for 
James  Madison,  Dem.-Rep.,  who  was  elected. 

1812. — The  State  gave  its  vote  to  James 
Madison,  Dem.-Rep.,  who    was  elected. 

1810. — James  Monroe,  Dem.-Rep.,  25,009  ; 
opposition   vote,  7,587.      (Monroe  elected). 

1820. — James  Monroe,  Dem.-Rep.,  was 
unanimously  elected. 

1824.— Andrew  Jackson,  35,894;  John 
(.^iiinc)- Adams,  3,405;  \\m.  H.  Crawford, 
4,180;  Henry  Clay,  1,701.  None  of  the  can- 
didates receiving  a  majority  of  the  electoral 
votes,  the  election  was  thrown  into  the  House 
of  Representatives  of  Congress,  where  Adams 
was  chosen.  All  of  the  above  candidates  were 
Democratic-Republicans. 

1828. — ,\ndrew  Jackson,  Democrat  (elect- 
ted),  101,052;  John  Quincy  Adams,  opposi- 
tion, 50,848. 

1832. — Andrew  Jackson,  Dem.  (elected), 
90,983  ;  William  WiVt,  Anti-Masonic,  06,716: 
Henrv  Clav,  Anti-Jackson,  record  not  at 
liand. 

1830. — Martin  A'an  I>uren.  Dem.  (elect- 
ed), 91,475;  William  II.  Harrison,  Anti- 
Mas.,  87,111. 

1840.— William  H.  Harrison,  Whig  (elect- 
ed), 144,021  :  Martin  Van  Huren,  Dem..  143,- 
072. 

1844.^ames  K.  Polk,  Dem.  (elected), 
107,245;  Henry  Clay,  Whig,  161,803  ;  James 
G.  Birnev.    .Vbolitionist,    record  not  at  hand. 

1848.— Zachary  Taylor,  Whig  (elected), 
185,514;  Lewis  Cass,  Dem.,  171,998;  Martin 
\'an  Buren,  Free  Soil,  11,203. 

1852. — Franklin  Pierce,  Dem.  (elected), 
198,584:  Winfield  Scott,  Whig,  179.743; 
John  P.  Hale,  Free  Soil,  8,860. 

1850. — James  Buchanan,  Dem,  (elected), 
230, 50(> ;  John  C,  Fremont,  Republican  and 
Fusion,  147,447:  Millard  Fillmore,  American 
and  Fusion,  82.229. 

lSt)0. — Abraiiam  Lincoln,  Republican 
(elected),  208,030;  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
Northern  Dem.,  and  Jno.  C.  Breckenridge, 
Southern  Dem.  (Fusion),  178,871  ;  John  Bell, 
American,  59,673.  A  portion  of  Mr.  Doug- 
las' friends  would  not  enter  into  the  Fusion 
arrangement,  and  cast  16,677  votes. 

1S04.— Abraham  Lincoln,  Rep,.  296,389; 
Geo.  B.  McClellan,  Dem.,  276,308. 

1868. — Ulvsses  S.  Grant,  Rep.  (elected), 
342,280;  Horatio  Seymour,  Dem.,  313,382. 

1872. — Ulvsses  S'  Grant,  Rep.    (elected), 


36 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


349,689;  Horace  Greeley,  Liberal  Republican 
and  Democrat,  211,901  ;  James  Black,  Pro- 
hibition, 4,()80. 

187(5. — Ruthert'ortl  B.  Hayes,  Rep.  (declar 
ed  elected),  ;}84,184  ;  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  Dem. 
866,204;  Peter  Cooper,  Greenback,  7,204 
Green  Clay  Smith,  Pro.,  1,818;  James  B 
Walker,  Anti-Secret  Society,  85. 

1880  — lames  A.  Garfield,  Rep.  (elected) 
444,704;  Winfield  S.  Hancock,  Dem.,  407, 
428;  Tames  B.  Weaver,  Greenback,  20,668 
NeafDow,  Pro.,  1,939;  John  D.  Phelps 
Anti-Masonic,  44. 

1884. — Grover  Cleveland,  Dem.  (elected), 
392,785;  James  G.  Blaine,  Rep.,  473,804; 
Benjamin  F.  Butler,  Greenback-Labor,  17,002  ; 
John  P.  St.  John,  Pro.,  15,737;  Mrs.  Belva 
A.  Lockwood,  Equal  Rights,  3. 

1888. — Benjamin  Harrison,  Rep.  (elect- 
ed), 520,091  ;  Grover  Cleveland,  Dem.,  440,- 
633;  Clinton  B.  Fisk,  Pro.,  20,947;  A.  J- 
Strceter,  Union-Labor,  3,878. 

1892. — Grover  Cleveland,  Dem.  (elected), 
452,264;  Benjamin  Harrison,  Rep.,  51(5,011; 
John  Bidwell,  Pro.,  25,123;  James  B.  Weav- 
er, People's,  8,714;  Simon  Wing,  Socialist- 
Labor,  808. 

Representatives  in  Congress. —  [For  a 
list  of  the  leading  Representatives  from  Penn- 
sylvania in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
see  U.  S.  Congress.] 

Religious  Denominations. — The  princi- 
pal religious  denominations  in  1890  were  as 
follows — the  total  number  of  communicants 
being  1,726,640,  or  a  percentage  to  the  whole 
population  of  32.84 : 

Adventists 1,952 

Baptists 86,620 

Brethren 2,350 

Catholics  (Roman) 559,127 

Catholic  Apostolic 73 

Christadelphians 60 

Christians 3,219 

Chri.stian  Scientists 155 

Church  of  God 9,344 

Church  of   the   New    Jerusalem   (Sweden- 

borjfians) 744 

Communists 250 

Congreg-ationalists 9,818 

Disciples 12,007 

Dunkards 16,707 

Episcopalians 57,360 

Evangelicals 42,379 

Friends  (Quakers) 13,(i27 

German  Evangelical  Protestant 12,287 

German  Evangelical  Synod 5,293 

Hebrew 8,029 

Latter  Day  Saints 417 


Lutherans 219,725 

Mennonists 15,330 

Methodists 260,388 

Moravians 4,308 

Presbyterians 219,725 

Reformed  Church 124,700 

Schwenkfeldians 306 

Salvation    Army 772 

Ethical  Societies 139 

Spiritualists 4,659 

Theosophists 25 

United   Brethren 33,951 

Unitarians 1,171 

Universalists 2,209 

Independent  Societies 948 

The  number  of  church  organizations  was 
10,175;  of  ciiurch  buildings,  9,(524 ;  and  the 
estimated  value  of  church  property,  $85,- 
917,370. 

Royal  Government. — The  government 
established  by  I'enn  and  perpetuated  under 
royal  control  was  overthrown  in  1776,  and, 
from  that  time  on,  the  people  have  managed 
their  own  affairs  (except  when  checked  and 
humbugged  by  the  politicians!). 

Railroads. — The  railroads  of  Pennsylvania 
are  among  the  most  important  in  the  whole 
country.  The  system  owned  antl  controlled 
by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  is  not 
excelled  in  the  world;  and  the  Reading  and 
Lehigh  Valley  systems  are  onlj'  second  in  ex- 
tent, value  and  usefulness.  According  to 
Cram's  Atlas  for  1894,  Pennsylvania  stood 
second  in  the  number  of  miles  of  railroads  in 
use  of  all  the  States  in  the  Union,  Illinois 
alone  exceeding  her.  Of  the  9,027  miles  of 
railroad  in  the  State  at  that  date,  the  system 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  em- 
braced fully  one-half,  and  two-thirds  of  the 
balance  were  owned  or  controlled  bv  the 
Reading  and  Lehigh  Valley  systems. 

The  following  statistics  from  the  reports 
of  the  Internal  Revenue  Department  for  1894 
show  the  vast   railroad   interests  of  the  State  : 

Capital $1,927,222,235 

Wages  paid  to  employes 99,683,991 

Employes 176,228 

Revenue  and  Expenses. — [See  Public 
Receipts,  etc.  | 

Revolution — American. — It  is  to  the  last- 
ing honor  of  Pennsylvania  tlvit  she  was  not 
only  one  of  the  first  of  the  American  colonies 
to  protest  against  the  wrongs  of  the  mother 
country,  but  one  of  the  most  patriotic  in  defence 
of  liberty  and  independence.  Much  of  this 
was  due    to  the  influence  of  Benjamin  Frank- 


AND  mUTORWAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


37 


lin,  who  was  one  of  the  greatest  men,  if  not 
the  very  greatest  man,  America  has  produced. 
The  first  Continental  Congress  met  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1774;  Washington  was  elected 
commander-in-chief  at  the  same  city  in  1775  ; 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  adopted 
there  in  1776,  and  the  National  Flag  in  1777. 
Pennsylvania's  chief  city  was  the  seat  of  the 
Colonial  government  during  tiie  entire  period 
of  the  Revolution,  except  when  it  was  com- 
pelled bv  military  necessity  to  move  to  Lan- 
caster and  York  for  brief  seasons.  The  earliest 
troops  to  march  to  the  defence  of  Boston  from 
south  of  the  Hudson  were  from  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  Pennsylvania  troops  were  known  as 
"Tlie  First  Regiment  of  the  Armv  of  the 
L  nited  Colonies,  commanded  by  Gen.  George 
Washington."  The  victories  of  Washington 
at  Trenton  and  Princeton,  in  177i5,  were  chiefly 
secured  by  Pennsylvania  troops.  During  1777 
occurred  on  Pennsylvania  soil  the  battles  of 
Brandywine  and  Germantown,  and  the  "  mas- 
sacre of  Paoli,';  all  in  September  of  that  year. 
A  number  of  minor  engagements  took  place 
about  the  same  time.  The  British  entered 
Philadelphia  in  September,  1777.  and  evacua- 
ted it  in  June,  1778.  During  the  winter  of 
1777-78,  the  American  armv  was  encamped  at 
\'alley  Forge,  on  the  Schuylkill  river  above 
Philadelphia,  ^vhere  they  endured  hardships 
that  are  almost  bevond  description.  When 
the  British  left  Philadelphia  thev  were  fol- 
lowed bv  Washington  across  New  Jersey,  his 
armv  consisting  of  Pennsylvania  troops  mainlv, 
with  whom  he  won  the  famous  victory  of 
Monmouth.  Peace  with  Great  Britain  came 
in  the  winter  of  1782-3.  The  Revolution  was 
largely  won  through  the  aid  of  Pennsylvania 
officers,  soldiers,  statesmen  and  financiers,  and 
many  of  the  most  important  events  of  that 
momentous  era  took  place  upon  her  soil.  New 
England  and  Virginia  have  taken  most  of  the 
glory  of  the  Revolution  to  themselves,  but  it 
is  none  the  less  true  that  had  it  not  been  for 
the  efforts  of  Pennsylvania,  the  "Keystone  of 
the  arch,"  the  result  would  have  been  very 
doubtful. 

Rivers. — The  principal  rivers  are  the  Dela- 
ware, Susquehanna  and  Ohio.  Of  these  the 
main  tributaries  are  as  follows  :  Delaware — 
Schuylkill,  Lehigh  and  Lackawaxen  ;  Susque- 
hanna— North  Branch.  West  Branch  and 
Juniata  ;  Ohio — Allegheny,  Monongahcla  and 
Beaver.     Of  the  minor  streams,  the  following 


are  worthy  of  special  note  :  Flowing  into  the 
North  Branch  of  the  Sustpiehanna,  the  Che- 
mung, Wvalusing  and  Lackawanna ;  into 
the  West  Branch,  the  Sinnemahoning,  Clear- 
field, Buffalo,  Pine  and  Lycoming;  into  the 
main  stream  of  the  Susquehanna  (below 
Northumberland),  the  Conestoga,  Fishing, 
Swatara,  Conodoqui'iet,  Codorus  and  Cone- 
wago ;  into  the  Allegheny,  the  Conewango, 
Venango  (or  French  creek),  Claiion,  Red- 
bank  and  Kiskiminetas ;  into  the  Mononga- 
hela,  the  Youghiogheny  and  Cheat  rivers: 
into  the  Beaver,  the  Shenango  and  Mahoning. 
The  Delaware  is  navigable  from  Trenton  to 
the  ocean ;  the  Susquehanna  flows  into  the 
head  of  Chesapeake  bay,  which  is  one  of  the 
great  water  courses  of  the  country  :  and  the 
Ohio,  by  its  connection  with  the  Mississippi 
and  other  rivers,  forms  one  of  the  grandest 
systems  of  inland  communication  to  be  found 
in  the  entire  world. 

Rebellions  and  Riots. — In  1791  Congress 
passed  an  act  laying  a  small  excise  on  distilled 
spirits.  This  was  very  distasteful  to  the  coun- 
ties adjacent  to  Pittsburg,  where  the  manufac- 
ture of  whisky  was  carried  on  to  a  consider- 
able extent.  The  citizens  generally  deter- 
mined to  oppose  the  law.  and  various  acts  of 
violence  and  insubordination  ensued,  covering 
a  period  of  two  or  three  vears.  Affairs  finally 
reached  a  stage  where  President  Washington 
felt  it  to  be  his  dutv  to  compel  an  enforce- 
ment of  the  laws.  In  1794  he  called  out  the 
militia  of  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  Maryland 
and  New  Jersey  to  the  number  of  15,0(X),  with 
orders  to  march  upon  the  revolting  counties 
and  put  down  all  resistance  to  the  laws  of 
Congress.  This  large  force  overawed  the  in- 
surrectionists, and  peace  was  promptly  re- 
stored. The  incident  is  known  in  history  as 
"the  Whisky  Insurrection."' 

THE    FHIE.S    REBELLIO.V. 

A  disturbance  on  a  smaller  scale  broke  out 
among  the  Germans  of  Lehigh,  Berks,  North- 
ampton and  adjoining  counties  in  1798—9, 
which  is  chiefly  interesting  from  the  political 
effect  it  had  upon  those  sections.  It  was 
headed  by  John  Fries,  and  was  directed 
against  a  so-called  "  house  tax  "'  that  had  been 
levied  by  Congress.  Several  arrests  were 
made,  but  no  serious  punishment  followed. 
The  agitation  connected  with  this  tax   is  gen- 


38 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  UlCTIONARY 


erally  understood   to  have   given  the  counties 
named  their  Democratic  complexion. 

NATivK  amf:kican   uiots. 

In  April  and  May,  1844,  occurred  the  dis- 
turbances in  Philadelphia  which  ace  usually 
known  as  the  Native  American  riots.  A  bit- 
ter feeling,  for  some  cause,  had  grown  up  be- 
tween a  portion  of  the  native  born  Protestants 
of  that  cit\-  and  the  foreign  Catholic  element, 
which  resulted  in  serious  encounters,  the  loss 
of  a  number  of  lives  and  the  destruction  of 
some  Catholic  church  property.  The  State 
militia  were  called  out,  and  peace  was  restored 
only  after  several  persons  had  been  killed  and 
wounded. 

.\NTI-SLA\ERV     RIOTS. 

One  of  the  most  imp<jrtant  afl'airs  in  its 
results  that  ever  happened  in  the  State  took 
place  at  Christiana,  Lancaster  county,  in  1851. 
An  attempt  was  made  to  restore  an  escaped 
slave  to  his  master,  under  the  Fugitive  Slave 
Law  of  Congress,  which  was  resisted  witii 
bloody  consequences.  This  was  at  the  time 
when  hostility  to  slavery  was  steadily  increas- 
ing in  the  North,  and  the  '"  Christiana  riot," 
as  it  became  known,  had  a  good  deal  of  inilu- 
ence  in  creating  the  Republican  party. 

UIOTS  OF  1877. 

The  riots  in  1877  grew  out  of  a  dispute 
between  the  railroad  corporations  and  their 
employes  over  the  wages  and  hours  of  labor. 
For  several  days  in  July  of  that  year  nearly 
every  railroad  in  the  State  was  obliged  to  sus- 
pend operations.  July  LOth  to  the  25th,  a 
mob  held  possession  of  Pittsburg,  and  the  dis- 
turbances that  ensued  led  to  the  death  of  fifty 
persons  and  the  destruction  of  $5,000,000 
worth  of  property.  As  usual  in  such  cases, 
the  militia  were  ordered  out,  and  matters  were 
cpiieted,  after  a  great  expenditure  of  money 
and  much  difficulty. 

HOMESTEAD      RIOT. 

The  latest  of  the  great  disturbances  in  the 
State  took  place  at  Homestead,  near  Pitts- 
burg, in  1892.  A  dispute  between  the  Car- 
negie Companj'  and  some  of  its  employes  led 
to  an  extensive  strike.  The  company  pro- 
cured the  aid  of  the  "  Pinkertons,"  a  well- 
known  detective  force,  who  attempted  to  se- 
cure possession  of  the  works  at  Homestead  by 


strategy.  The  strikers  learned  of  their  pur- 
pose, and  determined  to  resist  it.  A  severe 
fight  occurred  on  July  (5th,  in  which  about 
twenty  persons  were  killed  and  twice  as  many 
wounded.  The  whole  military  force  of  the 
State  was  placed  upon  duty,  and  succeeded  in 
so  settling  matters  that  tiie  works  partial! v  re- 
sumed ojierations  in  about  a  month.  As  in  sev- 
eral of  the  instances  above  mentioned,  this  trou- 
ble had  a  considerable  political  effect.  Mr.  Car- 
negie was  a  leading  Repul)lican,  and  the  tend- 
ency of  the  Homestead  aflfair — whether  just- 
ly or  unjustly  is  not  argued  here — was  to  drive 
thousands  of  working  men  into  the  ranks  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  undoubtedly  led  to 
the  election  of  (irover  Cle\eland  for  the  sec- 
ond term  as  President  of  the  I'nited  States. 

Richest  Counties  in  the  United  States. 
— According  to  the  I  nited  States  census  of 
1890,  the  six  leading  counties  in  the  value  of 
agricultural  products  are  as  follows  :  1,  Lan- 
caster county.  Pa.,  $7,657,790 ;  2,  St.  Law- 
rence county,  N.  Y.,  $(),054,1()0 ;  8,  Chester 
countj-.  Pa.,  $5,86i},800  ;  4,  Worcester  county, 
Mass.,  $5,489,480;  5,  Bucks  county,  Pa., 
$5,41 1,870  ;(•),  Colusa  county,  Cal.,  $5,857,850. 
Lancaster  has  long  been  known  as  the  richest 
farming  coimty  in  America.  The  above  figures 
do  not  refer  to  the  value  of  the  land,  but  give 
the  value  of  the  yearly  farming  product. 
Lncaster  leads  by  great  odds  in  the  value  of 
farm  lands,  although  it  is  only  one-third  as 
large  as  St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  V. 

Seal  of  the  State. — An  authentic  engrav- 
ing of  the  seal  of  the  State  is  printed  on  anotlier 
page  of  this  book. 

State  Buildings. — [See  list  of  Public 
Buildings.  J 

Slavery  Abolished. — As  in  most  or  all  of 
the  Colonies,  slavery  at  one  period  was  legal 
in  Pennsylvania.  The  act  for  the  gradual 
abolishment  of  slavery  passed  the  Assembly 
in  March,  1780.  Every  person  in  bondage  at 
the  time  was  continued  in  slavery  for  a  cer- 
tain period,  and  the  children  of  slaves  became 
free  at  a  certain  age.  The  first  important 
proposition  in  Congress  to  limit  slavery  in  the 
territories  owned  by  the  United  States  was 
offered  by  David  Wilmot,  a  Pennsylvania 
representative,  in  1840,  and  the  first  national 
convention  of  the  Republican  party  was  held 
in  Pittsburg  in  1856. 

Summer  Resorts. — The  best-known  sum- 
mer anil   health    resorts  are  at    Bedford,  Cres- 


ANU  UlSTOltWAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


39 


son,  Minnequa,  Cambridge  and  Saegertown. 
The  mineral  springs  at  Bedford  have  been  cel- 
ebrated for  upwards  of  a  century,  and  are 
among  the  most  valuable  known.  Forty  or 
fiftv  years  ago  thev  were  the  most  popular  in 
the  Union,  being  a  famous  resort  for  politi- 
cians of  national  fame.  The  water  is  not  sur- 
passed by  any  of  a  mineral  character  in  any 
part  of  the  world. 

State  Officers. — |  See  Executive  OfHcers.  ] 
Salaries  of  State  Officers. — The  salaries 
and  fees  attached  to  some  of  the  principal  ex- 
ecutive offices  were  as  follows  in  181(4  : 

Salarj- 
(per  year).   Fees,  etc. 

Governor S10,000  

Lieutenant-Governor 5,000  

Sec'y  of  the  Commonwealth..  ..  4,000  $13,067 

Deputy  Secretary 2,S()0  

Auditor  General 4,000  525 

State  Treasurer 5,000  525 

Attorney   General 3,500  7,500 

Deputy  Attorney  General 4,000  

Insurance  Commissioner 3,0C0  4,370 

Dep.    Insurance  Commissioner  1,800  

Secretary   of   Internal    Affairs  4,000  

Dep.  Sec'y  of   Internal  Affairs  2,300  

Supt.  of  Public  Instruction 4,000  

Two  Deputies  (each) 1,800  

Adjutant  General 2,500  

State  Librarian 2,500  

First  Assistant  Librarian 1,800  

Superintendent  of  Banking-. .. .  4,000  

Deputy  Supt.  of  Banking 1,400  

Factory  Inspector 3,oro  

Sec'y  Board  of  Agriculture.  . . .  2,500  

Dairy  and   Food   Commissioner  2,000  

Supt.  of   Public  Printing 1,600  

Stone. — The  State  contains  nearly  all  the 
ornamental  and  building  stones  in  general  use, 
but  slate,  limestone  and  sandstone  are  the 
leading  products  in  this  direction.  Slate  is 
procured  in  great  quantities  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Kittatinny  range,  in  Lehigh  and  North- 
ampton counties,  and  the  other  stones  named 
are  distributed  generally  over  the  State.  A  fine 
variety  of  marble  is  occasionally  found,  and  the 
greenstone,  extensively  used  in  building  in 
some  of  the  eastern  cities,  belongs  almost  ex- 
clusivelv  to  Pennsylvania. 

Senators  from  Pennsylvania  in  U.  S. 
Congress. — |  .See  L'.  S.  Senators.] 

School  System. — The  public-school  sys- 
tem of  Pennsylvania  is  properly  regarded  as 
one  of  the  best  in  the  Union.  It  was  a  cardinal 
principle  of  William  Penn,in  establishing  iiis 
colony,  that  a  good  education  should  be  open  to 
every  child  born  within  its  limits.    One  of  the 


earliest  provisions  made  by  the  State  was  for  an 
academy  in  every  county.  When  the  common- 
school  idea  came  into  vogue,  it  was  eagerly 
embraced  bv  the  old-time  Governors,  who 
lost  no  opportunity  for  recommending  it  to 
the  Legislature.  The  first  law  on  the  subject 
was  passed  during  the  administration  of  Gov- 
ernor Wolf,  and  this  was  improved,  at  various 
times,  by  the  efforts  of  Governors  Ritner, 
Packer,  and  others,  aided  by  such  men  as 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  Thomas  II.  Burrowes  and 
Henry  L.  DiefFenbach.  A  more  complete  ac- 
count of  the  system  than  can  be  given  here 
will  be  found  in  the  General  History  of  Erie 
County,  and  a  list  of  the  State  Normal  .Schools 
is  given  elsewhere.  The  following  statistics, 
from  the  State  reports  for  18'J3,  are  of  value 
in  this  connection  : 

Number  of  school  districts 2,386 

Number  of  schools 24,012 

Number  of  male  teachers 8,245 

Number  of  female  teachers 17,718 

Average  salaries  of  male  teachers  per 

month 143  94 

Average   salaries   of  female  teachers 

per  month 33  04 

Average    length    of    school    term    in 

months 8.10 

Number  of  pupils 994,407 

Cost  of  tuition  for  the  year $8,468,437 

The  estimated  value  of  the  school  property  in 
some  of  the  counties  and  towns  in  northwestern 
Pennsj'lvania  in  the  same  year  was  as  follows  : 
Counties  (exclusive  of  cities) — Crawford,  $231,400  ; 
Erie,  $268,554  ;  Venango,  $193,500  :  Warren,  S271,- 
550.  Cities  and  towns— Bradford.  $100,000;  Corry, 
$52,304  :  Erie,  $600,000  ;  Meadville,  $150,000  :  Oil 
City,  $112,500  ;  Titusville,  $100,000. 

Triangle. —  [For  an  account  of  the  pur- 
chase of  the  Triangle,  embracing  Presque 
Isle  Bay  and  the  northern  portion  of  Erie 
county,  see  the  General  History  of  said 
county.  ] 

Timber. — Probably  no  portion  of  the  world 
was  more  densely  covered  with  timber  than 
Pennsylvania  when  opened  to  white  set- 
tlement. Every  kind  of  timber  that  grows  in 
the  temperate  zone  was  found  in  the  State, 
including  among  the  principal  varieties  pine, 
hemlock,  oak,  hickory,  waliuit,  ash,  cucumber 
— in  fact,  almost  any  sort  that  can  be  named. 
ITnfortunately  for  the  welfare  of  the  State, 
the  timber  has  been  recklessly  destroj-ed,  and 
but  few  large  bodies  remain,  most  of  these 
being  at  remote  points.  Suggestions  have 
been  made  in  favor  of  a  general  system  of  tree 


4° 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHIGAL  DICTION  ART 


propagation,  and  tliere  is  not  much  doubt  that 
some  day  the  mountains  and  hillsides  will 
again  be  covered  with  valuable  timber,  under 
the  care  of  the  State.  Measures  have  also  been 
adopted  that  will  eventually  lead  to  a  wider 
cultivation  of  trees  alonjr  the  highways  and 
upon  the  banks  of  the  streams. 

Universities  and  Colleges. — No  .State  in 
the  Union  has  given  more  attention  to  the 
higher  education  of  its  citizens  than  Pennsyl- 
vania. Aside  from  her  splendid  system  of 
Public  Schools  and  Academies,  some  of  the 
largest  and  best  Colleges  and  Universities  in 
the  world  are  located  within  her  boundaries. 
Among  the  most  widely  known  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

University  of   Pennsylvania,   Philadelphia. 

Western  University  of  Pennsylvania,  Pitts- 
burg. 

Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia. 

Girard  College   for  Orphans,  Philadelphia. 

Lehigh  ITniversity,  Bethlehem. 

Allegheny  College,  Meadville. 

State  College,  Centre  county. 

Dickinson  College,  Carlisle. 

Haverford  College,  near  Philadelphia. 

Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  Lancaster. 

St.  Vincent's,  near  Latrobe. 

Villa  Nova,  near  Philadelphia. 

Swarthmore  College,  Delaware  county. 

Lafayette  College,  Easton. 

Pennsylvania  College,  Gettysburg. 

Washington  and  Jefferson  College,  Can- 
onsburg. 

Bucknell  L'niversity,  Lewisburg. 

Western  Theological  Seminary,  Allegheny. 

Bryn  Mawr  College,  Brj'n  Mawr. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  leading  educa- 
tional institutions  of  the  State,  nearly  every 
county  containing  one  or  more  that  are  only 
second  to  the  above-named  in  reputation. 

United  States  Constitution. — As  previ- 
ously mentioned,  the  convention  which  drafted 
the  Constitution  of  the  I'nited  States  was  held 
in  Philadelphia.  The  State  was  the  second 
one  to  ratify  this  invaluable  document,  little 
Delaware,  under  Pennsylvania  influence,  hav- 
ing been  the  first.  The  ratification  by  Dela- 
ware was  December  7,  1787,  and  by  Pennsyl- 
vania December  12th  of  the  same  year.  The 
delegation  from  Pennsylvania  who  helped 
to  frame  and  who  signed  the  Constitution  of 
the  L'nited  States  were  :  Benjamin  Franklin, 
Thomas  Mifflin,  Thomas  Fitzsimmons,  James 


Wilson.  Robert  Morris,  George  Cl3'mer,  Jared 
Ingersoll.  (jouverneur  Morris. 

United  States  Officers — Principal  ones 
from  Pennsylvania. — Below  is  a  list  of  the 
persons  from  Pennsylvania  who  have  held 
leading  positions  in  the  civil  service  of  the 
United  .States  Government  at  Washington  : 

PHKSIUKNT,  APPOINTED  PRIOR  TOTHECONSTITUTION. 

Thomas  Mifflin Nov.  3,17P.^ 

Arthur  St.  Clair Feb.  2.1787 

PRE.SIDENT,  EI.ECTEU  LXUEK  THE  CONSTITLTIOX. 

Term  of 

service. 

James  Buchanan 1857-1861 

VICE   PRESIDENT. 

George  M.  Dallas 184o  18-)9 

SECRETARIES   OF  ST.\TE. 

Timothy  Pickering 1795  1800 

James  Buchanan 1845-1849 

Jeremiah  S.  Black 1860-1861 

SECRETARIES  OF  THE  TREASIRV. 

Albert  Gallatin 1801  1«14 

Alexander  J.  Dallas 1814  1817 

Richard  Rush 1825-1829 

Samuel  D.  Ingham 1829  1831 

William  J.  Duane 1833 

Walter  Forward 1841-1843 

William  M .    Meredith 1849-1850 

SECRETARIES    OF    WAR. 

Timothy  Pickering 1795 

James  M.  Porter 1843-1844 

William  Wilkins 1S44-1845 

Simon  Cameron 1861-1862 

Edwin  M.  Stanton 1862-1868 

J.  Donald  Cameron 1876-1877 

SECRETARIES   OF   THE    NAVY. 

William  Jones 1813  1814 

Adolph  E.  Borie 1869 

SECRET.^RV  OF  THE  INTERIOR. 

T.  M.  T.  McKennan 1850 

POSTMASTERS  GENERAL. 

Timothy  Pickering 1791-1795 

James  Campbell 1853-1857 

John  Wanamaker 1889-1893 

ATTORNEYS  GENERAL. 

William  Bradford 1794-1795 

Richard  Rush 1814-1817 

Henry  D.  Gilpin 1840  1841 

Jeremiah  S.  Black 1857-1860 

Edwin  M.    Stanton 1860-1861 

Wayne  MacVeagh 1881 

Benjamin  H.  Brewster 1881-1885 


WILLIAM    F.JOHAiSTON.  WILLIAM    BIGLER. 


ANU  in.STOIilCAL  ItEFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


4' 


ASSOCIATE   JUSTICES  OF   THE  SUPREME   COURT. 

James  Wilson 1789-1798 

Henry  Baldwin 1830-1846 

Robert  C.  Grier 1846-1870 

William  Strong- 1870-1880 

Georg-e  Shiras 1892 

PKESIDENTS  I'KO  TKM    OK  THE  SENATE. 

William  Bingham 1797 

James  Ross 1797-1799 

Andrew  Gregg 1809 

SPEAKERS    HOUSE   OE    KEPHESIiXTATIVEb . 

F .  A.  Muhlenberg 1789-1791 

F.  A.  Muhlenberg 1793-1795 

Galusha  A.    Grow 1861-1863 

Samuel  J.  Randall 1876-1881 

CHIEF   JUSTICE   OF   THE    COUKT   OF    CLAIMS. 

Joseph   Casey 1863-1870 

United  States  Senators. — Tlie  Senators 
in  the  Congress  of  the  I  nited  .States  from 
Pennsylviinia  have  been  as  follows  : 

William  Maclay 1789-1791 

Robert  Morris 1789-1795 

Albert  Gallatin 1793-1794 

James  Ross 1794-1803 

William  Bingham 1795-1801 

John  P.  G.  Muhlenberg 1801 

George  Logan 1801-1807 

Samuel  Maclav 1803-1808 

Andrew  Gregg' 1807-1813 

Michael  Leib 1808-1814 

Abner  Leacock 1813-1819 

Jonathan  Roberts 1814-1821 

Walter  Lowrie 1819-1825 

William  Findlay 1821-1827 

William  Marks 1825-1831 

Isaac  D.  Barnard 1827-1831 

George  Mifflin  Dallas 1S31-1833 

William  Wilkins 1831-1834 

Sanmel  McKean 1833-1839 

James  Buchanan 1834-1845 

Daniel  Sturgeon 1839-1851 

Simon  Cameron 1845-1><49 

James  Cooper 1849-1855 

Richard  Brodhead 1851-1857 

William  Bigler 1855-1861 

Simon  Cameron 1857-1861 

David  Wilmot 1861-1863 

Edgar  Cowan 1861-1867 

Charles  R.  Buckalew 1863-1869 

Simon  Cameron 1867-1877 

John  Scott 1869-1875 

William  A.  Wallace 1875-1881 

J.  Donald  Cameron  1877  

John  I.  Mitchell 1881-1887 

Matthew  Stanley  Uuay 1887  

United  States  Representatives  in  Con- 
gress.— Of  the  members  in  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives of   Congress  from  Pennsylvania, 


I  the  gentlemen  named  below  have  been  among 
the  most  distinguished  : 

Henry  Baldwin,  Horace  IJinnev,  James 
Buchanan,  Charles  R.  Buckalew,  Joseph 
Casey,  John  Cessna,  Hiester  Clyiner,  John 
Covode,  Andrew  G.  Curtin,  John  Dalzell. 
John  L.  Dawson,  Henry  D.  Foster,  Albert 
Gallatin,  Galusha  A.  Grow,  Samuel  D.  Ing- 
ham, Charles  J.  Ingersoll,  Joseph  R.  Inger- 
soll,  J.  Glancy  Jones,  George  A.  Jenks, 
\\'illiam  D.  Kelley,  John  C.  Kunkel,  D.  J. 
Morrell,  Edward  J.  Morris,  F.  A.  Muhlen- 
burg,  \\'illiam  Mutchler,  James  Pollock,  Alex- 
ander Ramsey,  Samuel  J.  Randall,  Glenni 
\V.  Scofield,  John  Scott,  William  L.  Scott, 
Joseph  C.  Sibley,  Thaddeus  Stevens,  Andrew- 
Stewart,  Charles  W.  Stone,  William  Strong, 
I  James  Thompson,  Richard  Vaux,  William 
Wilkins,  David  Wilmot,  George  W.  Wood- 
ward, Hendrick  B.  Wright. 
I  Vice-President. — The    only    Vice-Presi- 

I  dent  the  State  has  furnished  to  the  Union  was 
George  M.  Dallas  of  Philadelphia,  elected  with 
President  Polk,  in  1844.  The  unsuccessful 
candidates  from  the  State  for  Vice-President 
have  been  as  follows  :  Albert  Gallatin,  on  the 
Anti-Jackson  ticket  with  William  H.  Craw- 
ford, in  1824;  and  W'illiam  Wilkins,  Demo- 
crat, John  Sergeant,  Anti-Jackson,  and  Amos 
EUmaker,  Anti-Masonic,  all  in  188:^.  The 
parents  of  John  C.  Calhoun,  the  eminent 
statesman,  elected  Vice-President  on  the  ticket 
with  Jackson,  in  1828,  moved  from  Lancaster 
county  to  South  Carolina  but  a  short  time  be- 
fore his  birth. 

Votes  for  Governor. — [See  Political  Rec- 
ord in  General  History  of  Erie  County.] — 
The  following  has  been  the  vote  for  the  prin- 
cipal Gubernatorial  candidates  since  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Constitution  of  ITtld: 

1790.— Thomas  MiHlin,  Democratic-Re- 
publican. 27,725;  Arthur  St.  Clair,  Federal- 
ist, 2,802. 

1793.— Thomas  MiHlin,  Dem-Rep.,  18,590; 
F.  A.  Muhlenberg,  Fed.,  1(),70(). 

17%.— Thomas  Mifllin,  Dem-Rep.,  80,020  : 
F.  A.  Tsluhlenberg,  Fed..  1,011. 

17iH).— Thomas  McKean,  Dem-Rep.,  38,- 
030;  James  Ross,  Fed..  82,(>41. 

1802. — Thomas  McKean,  Dem-Rep..  47.- 
879;  James  Ross,  Fed.,  17.037. 

1808. — Simon  Snyder,  Dem-Rep.,  07,975; 
James  Ross,  Fed.,  39.575  :  John  Sjiayd.  Inde- 
pendent, 4,000. 


43 


NELSON-  .S  BIO  QUA  I'UICA  L  DIV  TIONA  li ) ' 


1811.— Simon  Snvder,  Dem-Rep.,  52,319; 
William  Tighlman,  Ind.,  8,(509. 

1814.— Simon  Snyder,  Dem-Rcp.,  51,099; 
Isaac  ^\'ayne,  Fed.,  29,5()() ;  G.  Lattimer, 
Ind.,  910. 

1817. — William  Findlav,  Dem-Rep.,  (>(),- 
;581  ;  Joseph  Iliester,  Fed.,' 59,272. 

1.S20.— Joseph  Hiester,  Fed.,  ()7,905; 
William  Findlay,  Dem-Rep.,  ()6,;500. 

1823.— J.  A.  Schulze,  Dem-Rep.,  80,928; 
Andrew  Gregg.  Fed.,  04,205. 

1820. — J.  .\ndre\v  Schulze,  Dem-Rep., 
72,710;  John  Sergeant,  Fed.,  1,175;  scatter- 
ing, 1,174. 

1829.— George  Wolf,  Democrat.  78,219; 
Joseph  Ritner,  Anti-Masonic,  51,776. 

1832. — George  Wolf,  Dem.,  91,335  ;  Joseph 
Ritner,  Anti-Mas.,  88,105. 

1835.— Joseph  Ritner,  Anti-Mas.,  94,023; 
George  Wolf,  Dem.,  (55304;  Henry  A.  Muhl- 
enberg, Dem.,  4(1,580. 

1838.— David  R.  Porter,  Dem.,  127,827; 
lo.seph  Ritner,  Anti-Mas.,  122,321. 

1841.— David  R.  Porter,  Dem.,  136,504; 
John  Banks,  Whig,  113,473;  F.  ].  Lemoyne, 
Abolition,  703. 

1844.— Francis  R.  Shunk.  Dem.,  1(50,322; 
Joseph  Markle,  Whig,  150,040. 

1847.— Francis  R.  Shunk,  Dem.,  146,081  ; 
James  Irvin,  Whig,  128,148;  Emanuel  C. 
Reigart,  Native  American,  11,247;  F.  J.  Le- 
moyne, Abolition,  1,861. 

1848.— William  F.  Johnston,  Whig,  168,- 
522;  Morris  Longstreth,  Dem.,   1(58,225. 

1851.— William  Bigler,  Dem.,  180,489; 
William  F.  Johnston,  Whig,  178,034  ;  Kimber 
Cleaver,  Native  American,  1,850. 

1854. —  James  Pollock,  Whig  and  Know 
Nothing,  203,822;  William  Bigler,  Dem., 
166,991  ;  B.  Rush  Bradford,  Native  American, 
2,194. 

1857.— William  F.  Packer,  Dem.,  188,846  ; 
David  Wilmot,  Fusion,  149,139;  Isaac  Hazle- 
hurst,  American,  28,108. 

1860. — Andrew  G.  Curtin,  Republican, 
2(52,340;   Henry  D.  Foster,  Dem.,  230.239. 

18(33.— Andrew  G.  Curtin,  Rep.,  269,500 
(Jeorge  W.  Woodward,  Dem.,  254,171. 

1806.— John    W.    Geary,    Rep.,  307,274 
Iliester  Clymer,  Dem.,  290^097. 

1869.— John    W.    Geary,    Rep.,    290,552 
Asa  Packer,  Dem.,  285,956. 

1872.— John  F.  Hartranft,  Rep.,  353,387 


Charles  R.  Buckalew,  Dem.,  317,760;  S.  B. 
Chase,  Prohibition,  1,197. 

1875.— John  F.  Hartranft,  Rep.,  304,175 ; 
Cyrus  L.  Pershing,  Dem.,  292,145;  R.  Audley 
Brown,  Pro.,  13,244. 

1878.— Henry  M.  Iloyt,  Rep.,  319,490; 
Andrew  H.  Dill,  Dem.,  297,137  ;  Samuel  R. 
Mason,  Greenback,  81,758;  Franklin  II.  Lane, 
Pro.,  3,753. 

1882. — Robert  K.  Pattison,  Dem.,  355,791 ; 
James  A.  Beaver,  Rep.,  315, 5H9;  John  Stew- 
art, Independent  Republican,  43,743  ;  Thomas 
A.  Armstrong,  Greenback-Labor,  23,996; 
Alfred  C.  Pettit,  Pro.,  5,19(5. 

1886.— James  A.  Beaver,  Rep.,  412,285 ; 
Chauncey  F.  Black,  Dem.,  3(59,(534;  Charles 
S.  Wolfe,  Pro.  and  Ind.  Rep.,  32,458;  Robert 
J.  Houston,  Greenback-Labor,  4,835. 

1890.— Robert  E.  Pattison,  Dem.,  404,209  ; 
George  B.  Delamater,  Rep.,  447,055  ;  John  D. 
Gill,  Pro.,  10,108;  Theo.  P.  Rynder,"  Green- 
back-Labor, 224. 

1894.— Daniel  II.  Hastings,  Rep.,  574,801  ; 
W'illiam  M.  Singerly,  Dem.,  333,4(4;  Charles 
L.  Hawley,  Pro., "  23.433 ;  J.  T.  Ailman, 
Populist,  19,404;  Thomas  H.  Grundy,  .Social- 
ist-Labor, 1.733. 

Vegetable  Productions. — The  vegetable 
productions  are  those  that  pertain  to  the  tem- 
perate zone.  Everything  that  can  be  grown 
in  the  temperate  regions  is  produced  in  Penn- 
sylvania, with,  perhaps,  as  much  ease  and 
abundance  as  in  any  part  of  the  world. 

Valuations. — The  valuations  of  real  and 
personal  property  for  1890,  with  other  statis- 
tics relating  to  the  wealth  and  taxation  of  the 
State,  as  given  in  the  United  .States  census  re- 
port for  that  year,  are  herewith  submitted  : 

Real  estate,  with  improvements $3,781,117,285 

Live  stock  and  farming-  implements..  140,699,613 

Mines  and  quarries 361,888,490 

Machinery  of  mills   and    product  on 

hand 486,944,603 

Railroads  and  equipments 455,446,676 

Telegraphs,  telephones,  shipping-  and 

canals 87,347,794 

Miscellaneous 777,541,606 

Gold  and  silver  coin  and  bullion 99,700,483 

Total $6,190,746,550 

WEALTH    AND    TAXATION. 

1880.  1890. 

True  value  of  real  and 

personal  property. .  .$4,942,000,000    $6,190,746,550 


AND  UISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   VOUXTT. 


43 


Personal 

Property. 

$617,780,310 

1890. 
$=37,337,062 

7  10 

1  40 

0  60 


Real 
Estate. 
Assessed  value S2,042,016,599 

1880. 
Ad  valorem  taxation. .$28,799,334 

Per  capita 6  72 

Rate   per   hundred  of 

assessed  valuation..  1  71 

Rate  per  hundred    of 

true  valuation 0  5S 

\Vayne,  Anthony. — An  extended  account 
of  the  life,  deatli  and  important  pnblic  services 
of  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne,  Pennsylvania's 
most  eminent  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  will  be  fonnd  in  the  Genera!  History  of 
Erie  Coimty. 

Wealth.  —  Pennsylvania  is  second  in 
wealth  of  the  States  of  the  Union,  being 
exceeded  only  bv  New  York. 

War  of  1812. — During  the  last  war  with 
Great  Britain,  usuallv  known  as  the  "  War  of 
1812,"  but  which  really  lasted  from  June  19, 
1812,  to  the  spring  of  1815,  the  people  of 
Pennsylvania  were  enthusiastic  for  the  Amer- 
ican cause.  When  the  war  opened  the  Gov- 
ernor asked  for  14,()(l0  volunteers,  and  three 
times  as  many  were  offered  within  a  few  weeks. 
The  British  at  no  time  gained  a  footing  on 
Pennsylvania  soil,  but  the  troops  of  the  State 
were  kept  constantly  on  the  alert  to  repel 
rumored  or  threatened  attacks  upon  Erie  and 
Philadelphia.  Detachments  of  Pennsylvania 
volunteers  rendered  good  service  in  the  battles 
along  the  Niagara,  and  others  responded  with 
alacritv  to  the  call  of  the  country  when  Wash- 
ington was  burned  and  the  enemy  marched 
upon  Baltimore.  The  victorious  fleet  of  Perry 
was  partly  built  and  entirely  created  and 
equipped  in  the  harbor  of  Erie,  and  largely 
manned  by  volunteers  from  the  Pennsylvania 
militia  stationed  at  the  post.  During  the  war 
the  little  navy  of  the  United  States  rendered 
distinguished  service,  on  the  ocean  as  well  as 
the  lakes,  and  among  the  most  famous  of  its 
heroes  were  four  Pennsylvanians — Stephen 
Decatur,  James  Biddle,  Charles  Stewart  and 
Jesse  D.  Elliott.  Each  of  these  received 
well-merited  testimonials  from  his  native 
State.  I  For  a  full  account  of  Perry's  victory 
and  the  events  of  the  war  along  the  north- 
western border,  see  the  General  History  of 
Erie  County.] 

War  with  Mexico. — In  the  war  with 
Mexico,  1846-7,  the  State  olTered  nine  regi- 
ments— four  times  her  quota.     Two  regiments 


and  two  additional  companies  were  accepted 
and  sent  to  the  seat  of  war.  These  were 
among  the  most  efficient  in  the  service,  and. 
on  several  occasions,  won  the  special  commen- 
dation of  the  commanding  general.  The  State 
has  erected  a  handsome  monument  to  the  mem- 
ory of  her  fallen  soldiers  in  the  Mexican  war 
on  the  Capitol  grounds  at  Harrisburg. 

War  for  the  Union. — Under  the  direction 
of  her  patriotic  Governor,  .Andrew  G.  Curtin, 
Pennsylvania  was  one  of  the  most  ardent  and 
energetic  of  the  loyal  States  in  defense  of  the 
Union  during  the  memorable  struggle  which 
lasted  from  1861  to  '65.  President  Lincoln's 
first  call  for  75,000  volunteers  to  maintain  the 
national  authority  was  made  on  the  15th  of 
April,  1861.  On  the  ISth  of  that  month  over 
500  Pennsylvania  soldiers  reached  Washing- 
ton, being  the  first  .State  troops  to  arrive  at 
the  National  Capital  in  response  to  the  Presi- 
dent's proclamation.  On  the  way  through 
Baltimore  they  were  grossly  insulted,  but  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  to  Washington  without  a 
fight.  By  the  end  of  April  twenty-five  regi- 
ments had  been  sent  forward — nearly  twice 
the  number  asked  for  from  the  State — and 
steps  had  been  taken  for  the  organization  of  a 
large  reserve  force.  From  that  time  to  the 
close  of  the  war  Pennsylvania  met  every  call, 
heartily  and  promptly,  and  there  was  scarcely 
an  important  battle  in  which  her  brave  men 
did  not  take  a  conspicuous  part.  The  total 
number  of  men  furnished  by  the  .State  during 
the  contest  was  887,281,  of  whom  (j(),()C)0  were 
killed  in  battle,  :-55,0<H>  mortally  wounded, 
and  many  thousands  died  of  disease  in  camps, 
hospitals  and  elsewhere. 

BATTLES    AT   GETTYSBURG. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1868,  the  main 
Southern  army,  led  by  General  Lee,  invaded 
the  State,  by  way  of  the  Cimiberland  Valley, 
in  the  hope  of  transferring  the  scene  of  war 
in  the  East  from  \'irginian  to  Northern  soil. 
A  portion  of  the  force  reached  York  and 
penetrated  to  within  a  few  miles  of  Harris- 
burg ;  but  learning  thai  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac was  marching  northward,  Lee  rapidly 
concentrated  his  men  in  the  direction  of  Get- 
tysburg. The  two  armies  came  together  at 
the  latter  place,  and  a  series  of  battles  ensued 
on  the  1st,  2d  and  8d  of  July,  which  were  not 
only  among  the  most  desperate  of  the  war, 
but'  among    the    bloodiest    in    iiistory.       The 


44 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHWAL  DICTIONARY 


Southerners  were  repulsed  at  every  point,  and 
Lee  was  tijlad  to  witlidraw  his  shattered  force 
through  a  gap  in  the  mountains  to  a  place  of 
safety  soutli  of  the  I'uloinac.  It  is  estimated 
that  the  Southerners  engaged  at  (iettysburg 
were  70,000  in  number,  with  -IbO  guns  ;  the 
Union  troops  numbered  some  80,000,  with 
800  guns.  The  Union  loss,  as  given  by  Gen- 
eral Bingham,  in  his  address  at  Gettysburg  in 
1889,  was  :  3,068  killed,  14,492  wounded  and 
5,455  missing — a  total  of  22,990 ;  that  of  the 
Southerners  was  never  fully  returned,  but  is 
thought — in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners — 
to  have  been  about  27,500.  Many  prominent 
officers  were  killed,  or  died  of  their  wounds, 
including  Generals  Reynolds,  Vincent,  Weed, 
Zuck  and  Farnsworth  of  the  Union  army, 
and  Generals  Pender,  Barksdale,  Armstead, 
Garnett  and  Semmes  of  the  Southern.  Gen- 
eral iMeade,  commander  of  the  Union  forces, 
several  of  his  leading  officers,  pre-eminently 
Generals  Hancock,  Reynolds,  Geary,  Vincent, 
Gregg  and  McCandless,  and  26,628  of  his 
army,  were  Pennsylvanians. 

BURNING    OF    CIIAMBEIlSIiUllG. 

A  sudden  dash  into  the  State,  for  the  os- 
tensible purpose  of  retaliating  upon  the  North 
for  the  injuries  done  to  property  in  the  Shen- 
andoah Valley  by  the  Union  troops,  was  made 
on  July  29,  1804,  by  a  considerable  body  of 
Southerners  under  the  lead  of  General  Mc- 
Causland.  They  reached  the  outskirts  of 
Chambersburg  early  in  the  morning  of  the 
80th  of  July,  and  entered  the  place  soon  after 
daylight,  there  being  no  Union  force  in  that 
section  of  sufficient  size  to  oppose  their  prog- 
ress. An  immediate  demand  was  made  upon 
the  citizens  for  1100,000  in  gold,  or  .$000,000 
in  greenbacks,  to  be  paid  within  a  half  an 
hour,  under  the  threat  of  burning  the  town. 
This,  of  course,  the  people  were  unable  to  do, 
and,  while  negotiations  were  going  on,  the 
town  was  set  on  fire  in  a  hundred  places,  and 
the  main  portion  destroyed.  Millions  of  dol- 
lars' worth  of  property  were  eaten  up  by  the 
(lames  within  a  few  hours,  and  8,000  persons 
robbed   of  their  homes,  money  and  valuables. 


This  was  one  of  the  most  atrocious  acts  of  the 
war,  and  has  rendered  the  name  of  General 
McCausland  forever  odious.  Having  accom- 
plished their  object,  the  enemy  hurried  back 
to  the  Southern  lines,  plundering  the  Union 
farmers  of  horses,  provisions,  etc.,  on  the  way. 

GENEROUS    C.\)iE    OF    SOr.DIEUs'   .AND  SAILORs' 
OKI'II  ANS. 

The  State  has  remembered  the  deeds  of  its 
gallant  men  who  fought  in  defense  of  the 
Union,  with  characteristic  generosity.  One 
of  its  first  acts  was  to  provide  a  series  of 
orphan  schools,  in  which  the  children  of  de- 
ceased soldiers  were  educated,  clothed  and 
cared  for  at  the  public  charge  until  they 
reached  an  age  where  they  could  provide  for 
themselves.  It  has  also  fitted  up  a  home  at 
Erie  for  sick  and  disabled  soldiers  and  sailors, 
which  is  doubtless  the  best  institution  of  the 
kind  in  any  .State  of  the  Union.  [»See  Gen- 
eral History  of  Erie  County  and  City  of 
Erie.] 

Pennsylvania's  battle  flags. 

The  torn  and  blood-stained  battle  flags  of 
the  several  Pennsylvania  regiments  in  the  last 
war  are  sacredly  preserved  in  a  handsome 
room  in  the  Capitol  building  at  Ilarrisburg. 

World's  Fair. — The  part  taken  by  Penn- 
syhania  in  the  \\'orld"s  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion at  Chicago,  in  1898,  was  greatly  to  her 
credit.  .She  was  one  of  the  first  common- 
wealths to  respond  to  the  request  of  the  Ex- 
position authorities  for  aid,  voting  the  liberal 
sum  of  .fyOd.OOO,  and  by  various  acts,  official 
and  otherwise,  doing  much  to  encourage  their 
efforts.  Her  State  building  was  one  of  the 
finest  on  the  grounds,  and  was  generally  con- 
ceded to  be  the  best  adapted  for  its  purpose. 
Among  the  many  articles  from  the  .State  was 
the  Liberty  IJell,  which  attracted  remarkable 
attention,  and  was  unquestionably  the  most 
precious  relic  at  the  Exposition.  Pennsyl- 
vania Day,  September  7,  1898,  was  a  proud 
event  for  the  .State,  over  200,000  people  hav- 
ing attended,  as  shown  by  the  official  reports 
of  the  Fair  authorities. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 


[Adopted  Deckmbeh    18,  187-?;   Went  Into  Operation   Jancaky    1st,  1874,  Except  as 

Otherwise  Provided  Thehein.] 


PREAMBLE. 

We,  the  people  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Penn- 
sylvania, grateful  to  Almighty  God  for  the  bless- 
ings of  civil  and  religions  liberty,  and  humblj'  in- 
voking His  guidance,  do  ordain  and  establish  this 
constitution. 

ARTICLE  I. 

declaration  of  rights. 

That  the  general,  great  and  essential  prin- 
ciples of  liberty  and  free  government  may  be  re- 
cognized and  unalterably  established,  we  declare 
that— 

Section  1.  All  men  are  born  equally  free 
and  independent,  and  have  certain  inherent  and 
indefeasible  rights,  among  which  are  those  of  en- 
joying and  defending  life  and  liberty,  of  acquir- 
ing, possessing,  and  protecting  property  and  re- 
putation, and  of  pursuing  their  own  happiness. 

Sec.  2.  All  power  is  inherent  in  the  people, 
and  all  free  governments  are  founded  on  their  au- 
thority and  instituted  for  their  peace,  safety  and 
happiness.  For  the  advancement  of  these  ends, 
they  have  at  all  times  an  inalienable  and  inde- 
feasible right  to  alter,  reform,  or  abolish  their 
government  in  such  manner  as  they  may  think 
proper. 

Sec.  3.  All  men  have  a  natural  and  indefeas- 
ible right  to  worship  Almighty  God  according  to 
the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences:  no  man  can 
of  right  be  compelled  to  attend,  erect,  or  support 
any  place  of  worship,  or  to  maintain  any  ministry 
against  his  consent;  no  human  authority  can,  in 
any  case  whatever,  control  or  interfere  with  the 
rights  of  conscience,  and  no  preference  shall  ever 
be  given  by  law  to  anj'  religious  establishments 
or  modes  of  worship. 

Sec.  4,  No  person  who  acknowledges  the  be- 
ing of  a  God,  and  a  future  state  of  rewards  and 
punishments,  shall,  on  account  of  his  religious 
sentiments,  be  disqualified  to  hold  any  office  or 
place  of  trust  or  profit  under  the  commonweath. 

Sec.  S.  Elections  shall  be  free  and  equal:  and 
no  power,  civil  or  military,  shall  at  any  time 
interfere  to  prevent  the  free  exercise  of  the 
right  of  suffrage. 

Sec.  6.  Trial  by  jury  shall  be,  as  heretofore, 
and  the  right  thereof  remain  inviolate. 

Sec.  7.  The  printing  press  shall  be  free  to  every 
person  who  may  undertake  to  examine  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  legislature,  or  any  branch  of  gov- 
ernment, and  no  law  shall  ever  be  made  to  restrain 


the  right  thereof.  The  free  communication  of 
thoughts  and  opinions  is  one  of  the  invaluable 
rights  of  man,  and  every  citizen  may  freelj-  speak, 
write  and  print  on  any  subject,  being  responsible 
for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty.  No  conviction  shall 
be  had  in  any  prosecution  for  the  publication  of 
papers  relating  to  the  official  conduct  of  officers  or 
men  in  public  capacity,  or  to  any  other  matter 
proper  for  public  investigation  or  information, 
where  the  fact  that  such  publication  was  not  ma- 
liciously or  negligently  made  shall  be  established 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  jury;  and  in  all  indict- 
ments for  libel,  the  jury  shall  have  the  right  to 
determine  the  law  and  the  facts,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  court,  as  in  other  cases. 

Sec.  8.  The  people  shall  be  secure  in  their 
persons,  houses,  papers  and  possessions  from  un- 
reasonable searches  and  seizures,  and  no  warrant 
to  search  anyplace  or  to  seize  any  person  or  things 
shall  issue  without  describing  them  as  nearly  as 
maybe,  nor  without  probable  cause,  supported  by 
oath  or  affirmation,  subscribed  to  bj-  the  affiant. 

Sec.  9.  In  all  criminal  prosecutions  the  accus- 
ed hath  aright  to  be  heard  by  himself  and  his 
counsel,  to  demand  the  nature  and  cause  of  the 
accusation  against  him,  to  meet  the  witnesses 
face  to  face,  to  have  compulsory  process  for  ob- 
taining witnesses  in  his  favor,  and.  in  prosecutions 
by  indictment  or  information,  a  speedy  public 
trial  by  an  impartial  jury  of  the  vicinage:  he  can- 
not be  compelled  to  give  evidence  against  himself, 
nor  can  he  be  deprived  of  his  life,  liberty  or  prop- 
ertj-,  unless  by  the  judgment  of  his  peers  or  the 
law  of  the  land. 

Sec.  10.  No  person  shall,  for  any  indictable 
offense,  be  proceeded  against  criminally  by  in- 
formation, except  in  cases  arising  in  the  laud  or 
naval  forces,  or  in  the  militia,  when  in  actual  serv- 
ice, in  time  of  war  or  public  danger,  or  by  leave 
of  the  court,  for  oppression  or  misdemeanor  in 
office.  No  person  shall,  for  the  same  offense,  be 
twice  put  in  jeopardy  of  life  or  limb;  nor  shall 
private  property  be  taken  or  applied  to  public  use, 
without  authority  of  law  and  without  just  com- 
pensation being  first  made  or  secured. 

Sec.  11.  All  courts  shall  be  open,  and  every 
man  for  an  injurj'  done  him  in  his  lands,  goods, 
person  or  reputation,  shall  have  remedy  by  due 
course  of  law,  and  right  and  justice  administered 
without  sale,  denial  or  delay.  Suits  may  be 
brought  against  the  commonwealth  in  such  man- 
ner, in  such  courts  and  in  such  cases  as  the  legis- 
lature may  b)-  law  direct. 

Sec.  \2.     No  power  of  suspending  law.s  shall 


46 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


be  exercised  unless  by  the  leg-islature,  or  by  its 
authority. 

Six.  13.  Excessive  bail  .sliall  not  be  required, 
nor  excessive  fines  imposed,  nor  cruel  i)unisliinents 
inllicted. 

Sec.  14.  All  prisoners  shall  be  bailable  by 
sufficient  sureties,  unless  for  capital  offenses, 
when  the  proof  is  evident  or  presumption  g-reat; 
and  the  privilege  of  the  writ  of  liabiaK  rurpnn  shall 
not  be  suspended,  unless  when  in  case  of  rebellion 
or  invasion  the  public  safety  maj'  require  it. 

Sec.  15.  No  commission  of  oyer  or  terminer 
or  jail  delivery  shall  be  issued. 

Sec.  16.  The  person  of  a  debtor,  where  there 
is  not  strong  presumption  of  fraud,  shall  not  be 
continued  in  prison  after  delivering  up  his  estate 
for  the  benefit  of  his  creditors,  in  such  manner  as 
shall  be  prescribed  by  law. 

Sec.  17.  No  ijpiistfiictii  law,  nor  any  law  im- 
pairing the  obligation  of  contracts,  or  making 
irrevocable  any  grant  of  special  privileges  or 
immunities  shall  be  passed. 

Sec.  is.  No  person  shall  be  attainted  of  trea- 
son or  felony  by  the  legislature. 

Sec.  19.  No  attainder  shall  work  corruption 
of  blood,  nor.  except  during  the  life  of  the  offend- 
er, forfeiture  of  estate  to  the  commonwealth. 
The  estate  of  such  persons  as  shall  destroy  their 
own  lives  shall  descend  or  vest  as  in  cases  of  nat- 
ural death,  and  if  any  person  shall  be  killed  by 
casualt}*  there  shall  be  no  forfeiture  bj'  reason 
thereof. 

Skc.  20.  The  citizens  have  a  right  in  a  peace- 
able manner  to  assemble  together  for  their  com- 
mon good,  and  to  apply  to  those  invested  with  the 
powers  of  government  for  redress  of  grievances 
or  other  proper  purposes,  by  petition,  address  or 
remonstrance. 

Sec.  21.  The  right  of  the  citizens  to  bear 
arms  in  defense  of  themselves  and  the  state  shall 
not  be  questioned. 

Sj:c.  22.  No  standing  army  shall,  in  time  of 
peace,  be  kept  up  without  the  consent  of  the  legis- 
lature, and  the  military  shall  in  all  cases  and  at 
all  times  be  in  strict  subordination  to  the  civil 
power. 

Sec.  23.  No  soldier  shall,  in  time  of  peace,  be 
quartered  in  any  house  without  the  consent  of  the 
owner,  nor  in  time  of  war.  but  in  a  manner  to  be 
prescribed  by  law. 

Sec.  24.  The  legislature  .shall  not  grant  any 
title  of  nobility  or  hereditary  distinction,  nor 
create  any  office,  the  appointment  to  which  shall 
be  for  a  longer  term  than  during  good  behavior. 

Sec.  2-S.  Emigration  from  the  state  shall  not 
be  prohibited. 

Sec.  26.  To  guard  against  transgressions  of 
the  high  powers  which  we  have  delegated,  we  de- 
clare that  everything  in  this  article  is  excepted 
out  of  the  general  powers  of  government  and  shall 
forever  remain  inviolate. 

ARTICLE    II. 

THE  LEGISLATURE. 

Sec.  1.  The  legislative  power  of  this  common- 
wealth  shall   be   vested   in    a   general   assembly. 


which  shall  consist  of  a  Senate  and  a  House  of 
Representatives. 

Sec.  2.  Members  of  the  general  assembly 
shall  be  chosen  at  the  general  election  every 
second  year.  Their  term  of  service  shall  begin  on 
the  first  day  of  December  next  after  their  election. 
Whenevera  vacancy  shall  occur  in  either  House, the 
presiding  officer  thereof  shall  issue  a  writ  of  elec- 
tion to  fill  such  vacancy  for  the  remainder  of  the 
term. 

Sec.  3.  Senators  shall  be  elected  for  the  term 
of  four  years,  and  representatives  for  the  term  of 
two   years. 

Sec.  4.  The  general  assembly  shall  meet  at 
twelve  o'clock,  noon,  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  Jan- 
uary, every  second  year,  and  at  other  times  when 
I  convened  by  the  Governor,  but  shall  hold  no  ad- 
I  journed  annual  session  after  the  year  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  seventj'-eight.  In  case  of 
a  vacancy  in  the  office  of  United  States  Senator 
from  this  commonwealth,  in  a  recess  between  ses- 
sions, the  Governor  shall  convene  the  two  Hou.ses, 
by  proclamation  on  notice  not  exceeding  sixty 
days,  to  fill  the  same. 

Sec.  S.  Senators  shall  be  at  least  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  and  representatives  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  They  shall  have  been  citizens  and 
inhabitants  of  the  state  four  years,  and  inhabi- 
tants of  their  respective  districts  one  year  ne.xt 
before  their  election  (unless  absent  on  the  public 
business  of  the  United  States,  or  of  this  statel, 
and  shall  reside  in  their  respective  districts  dur- 
ing their  terms  of  service. 

Sec.  6.  No  senator  or  representative  shall, 
during  the  time  for  which  he  shall  have  been 
elected,  be  appointed  to  any  civil  office  under  this 
commonwealth,  and  no  member  of  congress,  or 
other  person  holding  any  office  (except  of  attor- 
ney-at-law  or  in  the  militia),  under  the  United 
States,  or  this  commonwealth,  shall  be  a  member 
of  either  House  during  his  continuance  in  office. 

Sec.  7.  No  person  hereafter  convicted  of  em- 
bezzlement of  public  moneys,  bribery,  perjury,  or 
j  other  infamous  crime,  shall  be  eligible  to  the  gen- 
1  eral  assembly,  or  capable  of  holding  any  office  of 
trust  or  profit  in  this  coininonvvealth. 

Sec.  8.  The  members  of  the  general  assembly 
shall  receive  such  salary  and  mileage  for  regular 
and  special  sessions  as  shall  be  fixed  by  law,  and 
no  other  compensation  whatever,  whether  for  serv- 
ice upon  committee  or  otherwise.  No  member  of 
either  House  shall,  during  the  term  for  which  he 
may  have  been  elected,  receive  any  increase  of 
salary  or  mileage,  under  any  law  passed  during 
such  term. 

Sec.  9.  The  Senate  shall,  at  the  beginning 
and  close  of  each  regular  session,  and  at  such 
other  times  as  may  be  necessary,  elect  one  of  its 
members  president  pA<  teinpun,  who  shall  perform 
the  duties  of  the  Lieutenant  Governor,  in  any  case 
of  absence  or  disability  of  that  officer,  and  when- 
ever the  said  office  of  Lieutenant  Governor  shall 
be  vacant.  The  House  of  Representatives  shall 
elect  one  of  its  metnbers  as  speaker.  Each  House 
shall  choose  its  other  officers,  and  shall  judge  of 
the  election  and  qualifications  of  its  members. 

Sec.  10.     A  majority  of  each  House  .shall  con- 


AND  HISTORICAL  liEFERESC'E  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


47 


stitute  a  quorum,  but  a  smaller  number  may  ad- 
journ from  day  to  day,  and  compel  tlie  attendance 
of  absent  members. 

Skc.  11.  Each  Hou.se  shall  have  power  to  de- 
termine the  rules  of  its  proceeding's,  and  punish  its 
members  or  other  persons  for  contempt  or  disor- 
derly behavior  in  its  presence,  to  enforce  obedience 
to  its  proce.ss,  to  protect  its  members  ag-ainst  vio- 
lence, or  offers  of  bribesor  private  solicitation,  and, 
with  the  concurrence  of  two-thirds,  to  expel  a 
member,  but  not  a  second  time  for  the  same  cause, 
and  shall  have  all  other  powers  necessary  for  the 
legislature  of  a  free  state.  A  member  expelled 
for  corruption  shall  not  thereafter  be  eligible  to 
either  House,  and  punishment  for  contempt  or  dis- 
orderly behavior  shall  not  bar  an  indictment  for 
the  same  offense. 

Sec.  12.  Each  House  shall  keep  a  journal  of 
its  proceedings,  and  from  time  to  time  publish  the 
same,  except  such  parts  as  require  secrecy,  and 
the  yeas  and  nays  of  the  members  on  any  question 
shall,  at  the  desire  of  any  two  of  them,  be  entered 
on  the  journal. 

Skc.  13.  The  sessions  of  each  House,  and  of 
committees  of  the  whole,  shall  be  open,  unless 
when  the  business  is  such  that  it  ought  to  be  kept 
secret. 

Sec.  14.  Neither  House  shall,  without  the 
consent  of  the  other,  adjourn  for  more  than  three 
daj's,  nor  to  any  other  place  than  that  in  which 
the  two  Houses  shall  be  sitting. 

Sec.  l.S,  The  members  of  the  general  a.ssembly 
shall,  in  all  ca.ses,  except  treason,  felony,  violation 
of  their  oath  of  office,  and  breach  or  surety  of  the 
peace,  be  privileged  from  arrest  during  their  at- 
tendance at  the  sessions  of  their  respective  Houses, 
and  in  going  to  and  returning  from  the  same;  and 
for  any  speech  or  debate  in  either  House  they  shall 
not  be  questioned  in  any  other  place. 

Skc.  16.  The  State  shall  be  divided  into  fifty 
senatorial  districts  of  compact  and  contiguous  ter- 
ritory, as  nearly  equal  in  population  as  may  be, 
and  each  district  shall  be  entitled  to  elect  one 
.senator.  Each  county  containing  one  or  more 
ratios  of  population  shall  be  entitled  to  one  senator 
for  each  ratio,  and  to  an  additional  senator  for  a 
surplus  of  population  exceeding  three-fifths  of  a 
ratio,  but  no  county  shall  form  a  separate  district 
unless  it  shall  contain  four-fifths  of  a  ratio,  except 
where  the  adjoining  counties  are  each  entitled  to 
one  or  more  .senators,  when  such  county  may  be 
assigned  a  senator  on  less  than  four-fifths  and  ex- 
ceeding one-half  of  a  ratio;  and  no  county  shall 
be  divided  unless  entitled  to  two  or  more  senators. 
No  city  or  county  shall  be  entitled  to  separate  rep- 
resentation exceeding  one-sixth  of  the  whole 
number  of  senators.  No  ward,  borough,  or  town- 
ship shall  be  divided  in  the  formation  of  a  district. 
The  senatorial  ratio  shall  be  ascertained  by  divid- 
ing the  whole  population  of  the  State  bv  the  num- 
ber fifty. 

Sec.  17.  The  members  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives shall  be  apportioned  among  the  several 
counties,  on  a  ratio  obtained  bv  dividing  the  popu- 
lation of  the  State,  as  ascertained  by  the  most  re- 
cent United  States  census,  by  two  hundred.  Every 
county  containing  less  than  five   ratios  shall  have 


one  representative  for  every  full  ratio,  and  an  ad- 
tional  representative  when  the  surplus  exceeds 
half  a  ratio;  but  each  county  shall  have  at  least 
one  repre.sentative.  Every  county  containing  five 
ratios  or  more  shall  have  one  representative  for 
every  full  ratio.  Every  city  containing  a  popula- 
tion equal  to  a  ratio  shall  elect  separatelj'  its  pro- 
portion of  the  representatives  allotted  to  the 
county  in  which  it  is  located.  Every  city  entitled 
to  more  than  four  representatives,  and  every  coun- 
ty having  over  one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants, 
shall  be  divided  into  districts  of  compact  and  con- 
tiguous territory,  each  district  to  elect  its  propor- 
tion of  representatives  according  to  its  population, 
but  no  district  shall  elect  more  than  four  repre- 
sentatives. 

Sec.  18.  The  general  assembly  at  its  first 
session  after  the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  and 
immediately  after  each  United  States  decennial 
census,  shall  apportion  the  State  into  senatorial 
and  representative  districts,  agreeably  to  the  pro- 
visions of  the  two  next  preceding  sections. 

ARTICLE  in. 

I.E:r.ISI,ATIOX. 

Sec.  1.  No  law  shall  be  passed  except  by  bill, 
and  no  bill  shall  be  so  altered  or  amended,  on  its 
passage  through  either  House,  as  to  change  its 
original  purpose. 

Sec.  2.  No  bill  shall  be  considered  unless  re- 
ferred to  a  committee,  returned  therefrom,  and 
printed  for  the  use  of  the  members. 

Sec.  3.  No  bills,  except  general  appropriation 
bills,  shall  be  passed  containing  more  than  one 
subject,  which  shall  be  clearlv  expressed  in  the 
title. 

Sec.  4.  Every  bill  shall  be  read  at  length  on 
three  different  days,  in  each  House:  all  amend- 
ments made  thereto  shall  be  printed  for  the  use  of 
the  members  before  the  final  vote  is  taken  on  the 
bill,  and  no  bill  shall  become  a  law,  unless  on  its 
final  passage  the  vote  be  taken  by  yeas  and  nays, 
the  names  of  the  persons  voting  for  and  against 
the  same  be  entered  on  the  journal,  and  a  majority 
of  the  members  elected  to  each  House  be  recorded 
thereon  as  voting  in  its  favor. 

Sec.  5.  No  amendments  to  bills  by  one  House 
shall  be  concurred  in  by  the  other  except  by  the 
vote  of  a  majority  of  the  members  elected  thereto, 
taken  by  yeas  and  nays,  and  the  names  of  those 
voting  for  and  against  recorded  upon  the  journal 
thereof;  and  reports  of  committees  of  conference 
shall  be  adopted  in  either  Hou.se  only  by  the  vote 
of  a  majority  of  the  members  elected  thereto, 
taken  by  j'eas  and  naj's.  and  the  names  of  those 
voting  recorded  upon  the  journals. 

Sec.  6.  No  law  shall  be  revived,  amended,  or 
the  provisions  thereof  extended  or  conferred,  by 
reference  to  its  title  only,  but  so  much  thereof  as 
is  revived,  amended,  extended,  or  conferred,  shall 
be  re-enacted  and  published  at  length. 

Sec.  7.  The  general  assembly  shall  not  pass 
any  local  or  special  law  authorizing  the  creation, 
extension  or  impairing  of  liens;  regulating  the 
affairs  of  counties,  cities,  townships,  wards,  bor- 
oughs, or  school  districts;  changing  the  names  of 


48 


NELSON- SS  BTOanAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


persons  or  places;  chang-ing  tlic  venue  in  civil  or 
criminal  cases;  authorizing^  the  laying  out.  open- 
ing, altering  or  maintaining  roads,  highways, 
streets  or  alleys:  relating  to  ferries  or  bridges,  or 
incorporating  ferry  or  bridge  companies,  except 
for  the  erection  of  bridges  crossing  streams  which 
form  boundaries  between  this  and  any  other 
States;  vacating  roads,  town  plats,  streets  or 
alleys;  relating  to  cemeteries,  grave-yards,  or 
public  grounds  not  of  the  State:  authorizing  the 
adoption  or  legitimation  of  children:  locating  or 
changing  county  seats;  erecting  new  counties,  or 
changing  county  lines:  incorporating- cities,  towns 
or  villages,  or  changing  their  charters;  for  the 
opening  and  conducting  of  elections,  or  fixing  or 
changing  the  place  of  voting;  granting  divorces; 
erecting  new  townships  or  boroughs;  changing 
township  lines,  borough  limits  or  districts;  creat- 
ing offices,  or  prescribing  the  powers  and  duties 
of  officers  in  counties,  cities,  boroughs,  townships, 
election,  or  school  districts:  changing  the  law  of 
descent  or  succession:  regulating  the  practice  or 
jurisdiction  of,  or  changing  the  rules  of  evidence 
in,  any  judicial  proceeding  or  inquiry  before 
courts,  aldermen,  justices  of  the  peace,  sheriffs, 
commissioners,  arbitrators,  auditors,  masters  in 
chancery,  or  other  tribunals,  or  providing  or  l 
changing  methods  for  the  collection  of  debts,  or 
the  enforcing  of  judgments,  or  prescribing  the 
effect  of  judicial  sales  of  real  estate;  regulating 
the  fees,  or  extending  the  powers  and  duties  of  i 
aldermen,  justices  of  the  peace,  magistrates  or 
constables:  regulating  the  management  of  public 
schools,  the  building  or  repairing  of  school-houses, 
and  the  raising  of  money  for  such  purposes;  fi.xing 
the  rate  of  interest;  atfecting  the  estates  of  minors 
or  persons  under  disability,  except  after  due  notice 
to  all  parties  in  interest,  to  be  recited  in  the  spe- 
cial enactment;  remitting  tines,  penalties  and  for- 
feitures, or  refunding  moneys  legally  paid  into  the 
treasury;  exempting  property  from  taxation;  regu- 
lating labor,  trade,  mining  or  manufacturing; 
creating  corporations,  or  amending,  renewing,  or 
extending  the  charters  thereof:  granting  to  any 
corporation,  association,  or  individual  any  special 
or  exclusive  privilege  or  immunity,  or  to  any  cor- 
poration, association,  or  individual  the  right  to 
lay  down  a  railroad  track;  nor  shall  the  general 
assembly  indirectly  enact  such  special  or  local  law 
by  the  partial  repeal  of  a  general  law:  but  laws 
repealing  local  or  special  acts  may  be  passed;  nor 
-shall  any  law  be  passed  granting  powers  or  privi- 
leges in  any  case  where  the  granting  of  such 
powers  and  privileges  shall  have  been  provided 
for  by  general  law,  nor  where  the  courts  have 
jurisdiction  to  grant  the  same  or  give  the  relief 
asked  for. 

Sec.  8.  No  local  or  special  bill  sliall  be  passed 
unless  notice  of  the  intention  to  apply  therefor 
shall  have  been  published  in  the  locality  where 
the  matter  or  the  thing  to  be  affected  may  be  situ- 
ated, which  notice  shall  be  at  least  thirty  days 
prior  to  the  introduction  into  the  general  assem- 
bly of  such  bill  and  in  the  manner  to  be  provided 
bylaw;  the  evidence  of  such  notice  having  been 
published  shall  be  exhibited  in  the  general  as- 
sembly before  such  act  shall  be  passed. 


Skc.  9.  The  presiding  officer  of  each  House 
shall,  in  the  presence  of  the  House  over  which  he 
presides,  sign  all  bills  and  joint  resolutions  passed 
by  the  general  assembly,  after  their  titles  have 
been  publicly  read  immediately  before  signing  ; 
and  the  fact  of  signing  shall  be  entered  on  the 
journal. 

Sec.  10.  The  general  assembly  shall  prescribe 
by  law  the  number,  duties  and  compensation 
of  the  ollicersand  employes  of  each  House,  and  no 
payment  shall  be  made  from  the  State  treasury, 
or  be  in  any  way  authorized,  to  any  person,  except 
to  an  acting  officer  or  employe  elected  or  appoint- 
ed in  pursuance  of  law. 

Sec.  11.  No  bill  shall  be  passed  giving  any 
extra  compensation  to  any  public  officer,  servant, 
employe,  agent  or  contractor,  after  services  shall 
have  been  rendered  or  contract  made,  nor  pro- 
viding for  the  payment  of  any  claim  against  the 
commonwealth  without  previous  authority  of  law. 

Sec,  12.  All  stationery,  printing  paper  and 
fuel  used  in  the  legislative  and  other  departments 
of  government  shall  be  furnished,  and  the  print- 
ing, binding  and  distributing  of  the  laws,  jour- 
nals, department  reports,  and  all  other  printing 
and  binding,  and  the  repairing  and  furnishing  the 
halls  and  rooms  used  for  the  meetings  of  the  gen- 
eral assembly  and  its  committees,  shall  be  per- 
formed under  contract  to  be  given  to  the  lowest 
responsible  bidder  below  such  maximum  price  and 
under  such  regulations  as  shall  be  prescribed  by 
law;  no  member  or  officer  of  any  department  of 
the  government  shall  be  in  any  way  interested  in 
such  contracts,  and  all  such  contracts  shall  be 
subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Governor,  Auditor 
General  and  State  Treasurer. 

Sec.  13.  No  law  shall  extend  the  term  of  any 
public  officer,  or  increase  or  diminish  his  salary 
or  emoluments,  after  his  election  or  appointment. 

Sec.  14.  All  bills  for  raising  revenue  shall 
originate  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  but  the 
Senate  may  propose  amendments  as  in  other  bills. 

Sec.  1^.  The  general  appropriation  bill  shall 
embrace  nothing  but  appropriations  for  the  ordi- 
nary expenses  of  the  executive,  legislative  and 
judicial  departments  of  the  commonwealth,  inter- 
est on  the  public  debt  and  for  public  schools;  all 
other  appropriations  shall  be  made  by  separate 
bills,  each  embracing  but  one  subject. 

Sec.  16.  No  money  shall  be  paid  out  of  the 
treasury  except  upon  appropriations  made  by  law, 
and  on  warrant  drawn  by  the  proper  officer  in 
pursuance  thereof. 

Sec.  17.  No  appropriation  shall  be  made  to 
any  charitable  or  educational  institution  not  un- 
der the  absolute  control  of  the  commonwealth, 
other  than  normal  schools  established  by  law  for 
the  professional  training  of  teachers  for  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  the  State,  except  by  a  vote  of  two- 
thirds  of  all  the  members  elect  to  each  House. 

Sec.  18.  No  appropriations,  except  for  pen- 
sions or  gratuities  for  military  services,  shall  be 
made  for  charitable,  educational  or  benevolent 
purposes  to  any  person  or  communi'y.  nor  to  any 
denominational  or  .sectarian  institution,  corpora- 
tion or  association. 

Sec.  19.     The  general  assembly  may  make  ap- 


JAME5  P0LLOC!< 


WILLIAM  p  pAC^^ER.   ^^ 


JOM/M   W.  GEARY. 


JOM/M    F.  HARTRA/^FT. 


AND  niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


49 


propriations  of  money  to  institutions  wherein  the 
widows  of  soldiers  are  supported  or  assisted,  or 
the  orphans  of  soldiers  are  maintained  and  edu- 
cated, but  such  appropriations  shall  be  applied 
exclusively  to  the  support  of  such  widows  and 
orphans. 

Sec.  20.  The  general  assembly  shall  not  dele- 
gate to  any  special  commission,  private  corpora- 
tion or  association,  any  power  to  make,  supervise 
or  interfere  with  any  municipal  improvement, 
money,  property  or  effects,  whether  held  in  trust 
or  otherwise,  or  to  levy  taxes  or  perform  any 
municipal  function  whatever. 

Sec.  21.  No  act  of  the  general  assembly  shall 
limit  the  amount  to  be  recovered  for  injuries  re- 
sulting in  death,  or  for  persons  or  property;  and 
in  case  of  death  from  injuries  the  right  of  action 
shall  survive,  and  the  general  assembly  shall  pre- 
scribe for  whose  benefit  such  actions  shall  be 
prosecuted.  No  act  shall  prescribe  any  limitations 
of  time  within  which  suits  may  be  brought  against 
corporations  for  injuries  to  persons  or  property,  or 
for  other  causes  different  from  those  fixed  by  gen- 
eral laws  regulating  actions  against  natural  per- 
■sons,  and  such  acts  now  existing  are  avoided. 

Sec.  22.  No  act  of  the  general  assembly  shall 
authorize  the  investment  of  trust  funds  by  execu- 
tors, admini.strators,  guardians  or  other  trustees, 
in  the  bonds  or  stock  of  any  private  corporation, 
and  such  acts  now  existing  are  avoided,  saving  in- 
vestments heretofore  made. 

Sec.  23.  The  power  to  change  the  venue  in 
civil  and  criniinal  cases  shall  be  vested  in  the 
courts,  to  be  exercised  in  such  manner  as  shall  be 
provided  by  law. 

Sec.  24.  No  obligation  or  liability  of  any 
railroad  or  other  corporation,  held  or  owned  by  the 
commonwealth,  shall  ever  be  exchanged,  trans- 
ferred, remitted,  postponed  or  in  any  way  dimin- 
ished by  the  general  assembly,  nor  shall  such 
liability  or  obligation  be  released,  except  by  pay- 
ment thereof  into  the  state  treasurj-. 

Sec.  25.  "When  the  general  assembly  shall  be 
convened  in  special  session  there  shall  be  no  legis- 
lation upon  subjects  other  than  those  designated 
in  the  proclamation  of  the  Governor  calling  such 
session. 

Sec.  26.  Every  order,  resolution  or  vote,  to 
which  the  concurrence  of  both  Houses  maj'  be 
necessary  (except  on  the  question  of  adjournment), 
shall  be  presented  to  the  Governor,  and,  before  it 
shall  take  effect,  be  approved  by  him,  or,  being 
disapproved,  shall  be  re-passed  by  two-thirds  of 
both  Houses,  according  to  the  rules  and  limitations 
prescribed  in  case  of  a  bill. 

Sec.  27.  No  State  office  shall  be  continued  or 
created  for  the  inspection  or  measuring  of  any 
merchandise,  manufacture  or  commodity,  but  any 
county  or  municipality  may  appoint  such  officers 
when  authorized  by  law. 

Sec.  28.  No  law  changing  the  location  of  the 
capital  of  the  State  shall  be  valid  until  the  same 
shall  have  been  submitted  to  tlie  qualified  electors 
of  the  commonwealth,  at  a  general  election,  and 
ratified  and  approved  by  them. 

Sec.  29.  A  member  of  the  general  assembly 
who  shall  solicit,  demand  or  receive,  or  consent  to 
4 


receive,  directly  or  indirectly,  for  himself  or  for 
another,  from  any  company,  corporation  or  per- 
son, any  money,  office,  appointment,  employment, 
testimonial,  reward,  thing  of  value  or  enjoyment, 
or  of  personal  advantage,  or  promise  thereof,  for 
his  vote,  or  official  influence,  or  for  withholding 
the  same,  or  with  an  understanding,  expressed  or 
implied,  that  his  vote  or  official  action  shall  be,  in 
any  way,  influenced  thereby,  or  who  shall  solicit 
or  demand  any  such  money,  or  other  advantage, 
matter  or  thing  aforesaid,  for  another,  as  the  con- 
sideration of  his  vote  or  official  influence,  or  for 
withholding  the  same,  or  shall  give  or  withhold 
his  vote  or  influence,  in  consideration  of  the  pay- 
ment of  or  promise  of  such  money,  advantage, 
matter  or  thing  to  another,  shall  be  held  guilty  of 
bribery  within  the  meaning  of  this  constitution, 
and  shall  incur  the  disabilities  provided  thereby 
for  said  offense,  and  such  additional  punishment 
as  is  or  shall  be  provided  by  law. 

Sec.  30.  Any  person  who  shall,  directly  or  in- 
directly, offer,  give  or  promise  any  money  or  thing 
of  value,  testimonial,  privilege  or  personal  ad- 
vantage, to  any  executive  or  judicial  officer,  or 
member  of  the  general  assembly,  to  influence  him 
in  the  performance  of  any  of  his  public  or  official 
duties,  shall  be  guilty  of  bribery,  and  be  punished 
in  such  manner  as  shall  be  provided  by  law. 

Sec.  31.  The  oftenseof  corrupt  solicitation  of 
members  of  the  general  assembly,  or  of  public 
officers  of  the  State,  or  of  any  municipal  division 
thereof,  and  any  occupation,  or  practice  of  solicita- 
tion, of  such  members  or  officers,  to  influence 
their  official  action,  shall  be  defined  by  law,  and 
shall  be  punished  by  fine  and  imprisonment. 

Sec.  32.  Any  person  may  be  compelled  to 
testify  in  anylaw-ful  investigation,  or  judicial  pro- 
ceeding, against  any  person,  who  may  be  charged 
with  having  committed  the  offense  of  bribery  or 
corrupt  solicitation,  or  practices  of  solicitation, 
and  shall  not  be  permitted  to  withhold  his  testi- 
mony upon  the  ground  tliat  it  may  criminate  him- 
self, or  subject  him  to  public  infamy;  but  such 
testimony  shall  not  afterwards  be  used  against 
him  in  any  judicial  proceeding,  except  for  perjury 
in  giving  such  testimony:  and  any  person  convict- 
ed of  either  of  the  offenses  aforesaid  shall,  as  part 
of  the  punishment  therefor,  be  disqualified  from 
holding  any  oftice  or  position  of  honor,  trust,  or 
profit  in  this  commonwealth. 

Sec.  33.  A  member  who  has  a  personal  or 
private  interest  in  any  measure  or  bill  proposed 
or  pending  before  the  general  a.ssemblj-,  shall  dis- 
close the  fact  to  the  House  of  which  he  is  a  mem- 
ber, and  shall  not  vote  thereon. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

THE    EXECUTIVE. 

Sec.  1.  The  executive  department  of  this 
commonwealth  shall  consist  of  a  Governor,  Lieu- 
tenant Governor,  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth, 
Attorney  General.  Auditor  General,  State  Treas- 
urer, Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs,  and  a  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Instruction. 

Sec.  2.     The  supreme    executive  power   shall 


50 


NELSOSf'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


be  vested  in  the  Governor,  who  shall  take  care 
that  the  laws  be  faithfully  executed;  he  shall  be 
chosen  on  the  day  of  the  g-eneral  election,  by  the 
qualified  electors  of  the  commonwealth,  at  the 
places  where  they  shall  vote  for  representatives. 
The  returns  of  every  election  for  Governor  shall 
be  scaled  up  and  transmitted  to  the  seat  of  Gov- 
ernment, directed  to  the  President  of  the  Senate, 
who  shall  open  and  publish  them  in  the  presence 
of  the  members  of  both  Houses  of  the  {general 
assemblj'.  The  person  having-  the  highest  num- 
ber of  votes  shall  be  Governor;  but  if  two  or  more 
be  equal  and  highest  in  votes,  one  of  them  shall 
be  chosen  Governor  by  the  joint  vote  of  the  mem- 
bers of  both  Houses.  Contested  elections  shall  be 
determined  bj-  a  committee,  to  be  selected  from 
both  Houses  of  the  general  assembly,  and  formed 
and  regulated  in  such  manner  as  shall  be  directed 
by   law. 

SHC.-3.  The  Governor  shall  hold  his  office 
during  four  years,  from  the  tliird  Tuesday  of  Jan- 
uary next  ensuing  his  election,  and  shall  not  be 
eligible  to  office  for  the  next  succeeding  term. 

Sec.  4.  A  Lieutenant  Governor  shall  be 
chosen  at  the  same  time,  in  the  same  manner,  for 
the  same  term,  and  subject  to  the  same  provisions 
as  the  Governor;  he  shall  be  President  of  the  Sen- 
ate, but  shall  have  no  vote  unless  they  be  equally 
divided. 

Skc.  5.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the 
office  of  Governor  or  Lieutenant  Governor,  except 
a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  who  shall  have  at- 
tained the  age  of  thirty  years,  and  have  been 
seven  years  next  preceding  hiselection  an  inhab- 
itant of  the  State,  unless  he  shall  have  been 
absent  on  the  public  business  of  the  United  States 
or  of  this  State. 

Skc.  6.  No  member  of  congress,  or  person 
holding  any  office  under  the  United  States  or  this 
State,  shall  exercise  the  office  of  Governor  or 
Lieutenant  Governor. 

Skc.  T.  The  Governor  shall  be  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  army  and  navy  of  the  common- 
wealth, and  of  the  militia,  except  when  they  shall 
be  called  into  the  actual  service  of  the  United 
States. 

Sec.  8.  He  shall  nominate,  and,  by  and  with 
the  advice  and  consent  of  two-thirds  of  all  the 
members  of  the  Senate,  appoint  a  Secretary  of 
the  Commonwealth  and  an  Attorney  General  dur- 
ing pleasure,  a  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion for  four  j'ears,  and  such  other  officers  of  the 
commonwealth  as  he  is  or  ma)-  be  authorized  by 
the  constitution  or  by  law  to  appoint;  he  shall 
have  power  to  fill  all  vacancies  that  may  happen  in 
offices  to  which  he  may  appoint,  during  the  recess 
of  the  Senate,  by  granting  commissions  which 
shall  expire  at  the  end  of  their  next  session;  he 
shall  have  power  to  fill  an)'  vacancy  that  may 
happen  in  offices  to  which  he  may  appoint,  during 
the  recess  of  the  Senate,  by  granting  commissions 
which  shall  expire  at  the  end  of  their  next  session; 
he  shall  have  power  to  fill  any  vacancy  that  may 
happen,  during  the  recess  of  the  Senate,  in  the 
office  of  Auditor  General,  State  Treasurer,  Secre- 
tary of  Internal  Afl'airs,  or  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  in  a  judicial  office,  or  in   any 


other  elective  office  which  he  is  or  may  be  authoriz- 
ed to  fill;  if  the  vacancy  shall  happen  during  the 
session  of  the  Senate,  the  Governor  shall  nominate 
to  the  Senate,  before  their  final  adjournment,  a 
proper  person  to  fill  said  vacancy;  but  in  any  such 
case  of  vacancy  in  an  elective  office,  a  person 
shall  be  chosen  to  said  office  at  the  next  general 
election,  unless  the  vacancj'  sh.T.11  happen  within 
three  calendar  months  immediately  preceding  such 
election,  in  which  case  the  election  for  said  office 
shall  be  at  the  second  succeeding  general  election. 
In  acting  on  executive  nominations  the  Senate 
shall  sit  with  open  doors,  and,  in  confirming  or 
rejecting  the  nominations  of  the  Governor,  the 
vote  shall  be  taken  by  yeas  and  nays,  and  shall 
be  entered  on  the  journal. 

Sec.  9.  He  shall  have  power  to  remit  fines 
and  forfeitures,  to  grant  reprieves,  commutations 
of  sentences  and  pardons,  except  in  cases  of  im- 
peachment ;  but  no  pardon  shall  be  granted  nor  sent- 
ence commuted,  except  upon  the  recommendation, 
in  writing, of  the  Lieutenant  Governor, Secretary  of 
the  Commonwealth,  Attorney  General  and  Secre- 
tary of  Internal  Aft'airs,  or  any  three  of  them, 
after  full  hearing,  upon  due  public  notice  and  in 
open  session;  and  such  recommendation,  with  the 
reasons  therefor  at  length,  shall  be  recorded  and 
filed  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Common- 
wealth. 

Sec.  10.  He  may  require  information,  in  writ- 
ing, from  the  officersof  the  executive  department, 
upon  any  subject  relating  to  the  duties  of  their 
respective  offices. 

Sec.  11.  He  shall,  from  time  to  time,  give  to 
the  general  assembly  information  of  the  state  of 
the  commonwealth,  and  recommend  to  their  con- 
sideration such  measures  as  he  may  judge  expe- 
dient. 

Sec.  12.  He  may, on  estraordinarj'  occasions, 
convene  the  general  assembly;  and,  in  cas-e  of  dis- 
agreement between  the  two  Houses,  with  respect 
to  the  time  of  adjournment,  adjourn  them  to  such 
time  as  he  shall  think  proper,  not  exceeding  four 
months.  He  shall  have  power  to  convene  the 
Senate  in  extraordinarj-  session  by  proclamation, 
for  the  transaction  of  executive  business. 

Sec.  13.  In  case  of  the  death,  conviction  or 
impeachment,  failure  to  qualify,  resignation,  or 
other  disability  of  the  Governor,  the  powers, 
duties  and  emoluments  of  the  office,  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  term,  or  until  the  disability  be 
removed,  shall  devolve  upon  the  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor. 

Sec.  14.  In  case  of  a  vacancj*  in  the  office  of 
Lieutenant  Governor,  or  when  the  Lieutenant 
Governor  shall  be  impeached  by  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, or  shall  be  unable  to  exercise  the 
duties  of  his  office,  the  powers,  duties  and  emolu- 
ments thereof  for  the  remainder  of  the  term,  or 
until  the  disability  be  removed,  shall  devolve  up- 
on the  President  pro  tempore  of  the  Senate;  and 
the  President  pra  tempore  of  the  Senate  shall  in 
like  manner  become  Governor  if  a  vacancy  or  dis- 
ability shall  occur  in  the  office  of  Governor;  his 
seat  as  Senator  shall  become  vacant  whenever  he 
shall  become  Governor,  and  shall  be  filled  by 
election  as  any  other  vacancy  in  the  Senate. 


AND   IIISTOiaCAL   BEFEliENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


5' 


Sec.  15.  Every  bill  which  shall  have  passed 
both  Houses  shall  be  presented  to  the  Governor: 
if  he  approve  he  shall  sig'n  it:  but  if  he  shall  not 
approve  he  shall  return  it,  with  his  objections,  to 
the  House  in  which  it  shall  have  orig-inated,  which 
House  shall  enter  the  objections  at  larg-e  upon 
their  journal  and  proceed  to  reconsider  it.  If,  after 
such  reconsideration,  two-thirds  of  all  the  mem- 
bers elected  to  that  House  shall  agree  to  pass  the 
bill,  it  shall  be  sent,  with  the  objections,  to  the 
other  House,  by  which  likewise  it  shall  be  recon- 
sidered, and  if  approved  bj'  two-thirds  of  all  the 
members  elected  to  that  House,  it  shall  be  a  law: 
but  in  such  cases  the  votes  of  both  Houses  shall 
be  determined  by  yeas  and  nays,  and  the  names 
of  the  members  voting  for  and  ag-ainst  the  bill 
shall  be  entered  on  the  journals  of  each  House 
respectively.  If  any  bill  shall  not  be  returned  by 
the  Governor  within  ten  days  after  it  shall  have 
been  presented  to  him,  the  same  shall  be  a  law,  in 
like  manner  as  if  he  had  signed  it,  unless  the  gen- 
eral assembly,  by  their  adjournment,  prevent  its 
return;  in  which  case  it  shall  be  a  law.  unless  he 
shall  file  the  same,  with  his  objections,  in  the 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth,  and 
give  notice  thereof  by  public  proclamation  with- 
in thirty  da3-s  after  such  adjournment. 

Skc.  16.  The  Governor  shall  have  power  to 
disapprove  of  any  item  or  items  of  any  bill  mak- 
ing appropriations  of  money,  embracing  distinct 
items,  and  the  part  or  parts  of  the  bill  approved 
shall  be  the  law,  and  the  item  or  items  of  appro- 
priation disapproved  shall  be  void,  unless  re-pass- 
ed according  to  the  rules  and  limitations  prescrib- 
ed for  the  passage  of  other  bills  over  the  execu- 
tive veto.  I 

Sec.  17.  The  chief  justice  of  the  supreme 
court  shall  preside  upon  the  trial  of  anj'  contested 
election  of  Governor  or  Lieutenant  Governor,  and 
shall  decide  questions  regarding^  the  admissabil- 
jty  of  evidence,  and  shall,  upon  request  of  the 
committee,  pronounce  his  opinion  upon  other 
questions  of  the  law  involved  in  the  trial.  The 
Governor  and  Lieutenant  Governor  shall  exercise 
the  duties  of  their  respective  offices  until  their 
successor  shall  be  dulj-  qualified. 

Sec.  18.  The  Secretary  of  the  Common- 
wealth shall  keep  a  record  of  all  official  acts  and 
proceedings  of  the  Governor,  and  when  required 
lay  the  same,  with  all  papers,  minutes  and  vouch- 
ers relating  thereto,  before  either  branch  of  the 
general  assembly,  and  perform  such  other  duties 
as  may  be  enjoined  upon  him  by  law. 

Sec.  19.  The  Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs 
shall  exercise  all  the  powers,  and  perform  all  the 
duties  of  the  Surveyor  General,  subject  to  such 
changes  as  shall  be  made  by  law.  His  department 
shall  embrace  a  bureau  of  industrial  statistics, 
and  he  shall  discharge  such  duties  relating  to  cor- 
porations, to  the  charitable  institutions,  the  agri- 
cultural, manufacturing,  mining,  mineral,  timber 
and  other  material  or  business  interests  of  the 
State  as  may  be  prescribed  by  law.  He  shall  an- 
nually, and  at  such  other  times  as  may  be  required 
by  law,  make  report  to  the  general  assembly. 

Sec.  2i>.  The  Superintendent  of  Public  In- 
struction shall  exercise  all  the  powers  and  perform 


all  the  duties  of  the  superintendent  of  common 
schools,  subject  to  such  changes  as  shall  be  made 
by  law. 

Sec.  21.  The  term  of  the  Secretary  of  Inter- 
nal Affairs  shall  be  four  years;  of  the  Auditor 
General  three  years,  and  of  the  State  Treasurer 
two  years.  These  officers  shall  be  chosen  by  the 
qualified  electors  of  the  State  at  general  elections. 
No  person  elected  to  the  office  of  Auditor  General 
or  State  Treasurer  shall  be  capable  of  holding  the 
same  office  for  two  consecutive  terms. 

Sec.  22.  The  present  Great  Seal  of  Pennsyl- 
vania shall  be  the  seal  of  the  State.  All  commis- 
sions shall  be  in  the  name  and  by  authority  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  and  be  sealed 
with  the  State  seal,  and  signed   by  the  Governor. 

ARTICLE  V. 

THE   Jl'DICI.^KV. 

Sec.  1.  The  judicial  powers  of  this  common- 
wealth shall  be  vested  in  a  supreme  court,  in 
courts  of  common  pleas,  courts  of  oyer  and  ter- 
miner and  general  jail  delivery,  courts  of  quarter 
sessions  of  the  peace,  orphans"  courts,  magistrates' 
courts,  and  such  other  courts  as  the  general  as- 
sembly may  from  time  to  time  establish. 

Sec.  2.  The  supreme  court  shall  consist  of 
seven  judges,  who  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified 
electors  of  the  State  at  large.  They  shall  hold 
their  offices  for  the  term  of  twenty-one  years,  if 
they  so  long  behave  themselves  well,  but  shall  not 
be  again  eligible.  The  judge  whose  commission 
shall  first  expire  shall  be  chief  justice,  and  there- 
after each  judge  whose  commission  shall  first  ex- 
pire shall  in  turn  be  chief  justice. 

Sec.  3.  The  jurisdiction  of  the  supreme  court 
shall  extend  over  the  State,  and  the  judges  thereof 
shall,  by  virtue  of  their  offices,  be  justices  of  oyer 
and  terminer  and  general  jail  delivery  in  the  sev- 
eral counties:  they  shall  have  original  jurisdiction 
in  cases  of  injunction  where  a  corporation  is  a 
party  defendant,  of  hahni-t  carpus,  of  m(inrla!)iu>!  to 
courts  of  inferior  jurisdiction,  and  of  rj)io  irnrrnntii 
as  to  all  officers  of  the  commonwealth  whose  juris- 
diction extends  over  the  State,  but  shall  not  exer- 
cise any  other  original  jurisdiction;  they  shall 
have  appellate  jurisdiction  by  appeal,  cerlinrari,  or 
writ  of  error  in  all  cases,  as  is  now  or  may  here- 
after be  provided  by  law. 

Sec.  4.  Until  otherwise  directed  by  law,  the 
courts  of  common  pleas  shall  continue  as  at  pres- 
ent established,  except  as  herein  changed:  not 
more  than  four  counties  shall,  at  any  time,  be  in- 
cluded in  one  judicial  district  organized  for  said 
courts. 

Sec.  S.  Whenever  a  county  shall  contain  forty 
thousand  inhabitants  it  shall  constitute  a  separate 
judicial  district,  and  shall  elect  one  judge  learned 
in  the  law:  and  the  general  assembly  shall  provide 
for  additional  judges,  as  the  business  of  said  dis- 
tricts may  require.  Counties  containing  a  popula- 
tion less  than  is  sufficient  to  constitute  separate 
districts  shall  be  formed  into  convenient  single 
districts,  or,  if  necessary,  may  be  attached  to 
contiguous  districts,  as  the  general  assembly  may 


52 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


provide.  The  office  of  associate  judge,  not  learned 
in  the  law,  is  abolished  in  counties  forming  sep- 
arate districts;  but  the  several  associate  judges  in 
office  when  this  constitution  shall  be  adopted  shall 
serve  for  their  unexpired  terms. 

Sec.  6.  In  the  counties  of  Philadelphia  and 
Allegheny  all  the  jurisdiction  and  powers  now 
vested  in  the  district  courts  of  common  pleas,  sub- 
ject to  such  changes  as  may  be  made  by  this  con- 
stitution or  by  law,  shall  be.  in  Philadelphia, 
vested  in  four,  and  in  Allegheny  in  two,  distinct 
and  separate  courts  of  equal  and  co-ordinate  juris- 
diction, composed  of  three  judges  each:  the  said 
courts  in  Philadelphia  shall  be  designated  respect- 
ively as  the  court  of  common  pleas  number  one, 
number  two,  number  three,  and  number  four,  and 
in  Allegheny  as  the  court  of  common  pleas  number 
one  and  number  two.  but  the  number  of  said 
courts  may  be  by  law  increased,  from  time  to  time, 
and  shall  be,  in  like  manner,  designated  by  suc- 
cessive numbers;  the  number  of  judges  in  any  of 
said  courts,  or  in  any  county  where  the  establish- 
ment of  an  additional  court  maj-  be  authorized  by 
law,  may  be  increased  from  time  to  time,  and 
whenever  such  increase  shall  amount  in  the  whole 
to  three,  such  three  judges  shall  compose  a  dis- 
tinct and  separate  court  as  aforesaid,  which  shall 
be  numbered  as  aforesaid.  In  Philadelphia,  all 
suits  shall  be  instituted  in  the  said  courts  of  com- 
mon pleas  without  designating  the  number  of  said 
court,  and  the  several  courts  shall  distribute  and 
apportion  the  business  among  them  in  such  man- 
ner as  shall  be  provided  bj'  rules  of  court,  and 
each  court  to  which  any  suit  shall  be  thus  as- 
signed, shall  have  exclusive  jurisdiction  thereof, 
subject  to  change  of  venue,  as  shall  be  provided 
by  law.  In  Allegheny  each  court  shall  have  ex- 
clusive jurisdiction  of  all  proceedings  at  law  and 
in  equity,  commenced  therein,  subject  to  change 
of  venue,  as  may  be  provided  by  law. 

Sec.  7.  For  Philadelphia  there  shall  beonepro- 
thonotary's  office  and  one' prothonotary  for  all 
said  courts,  to  be  appointed  by  the  judges  of  said 
courts,  and  to  hold  office  for  three  years,  subject 
to  removal  by  a  majority  of  the  said  judges;  the 
said  prothonotary  shall  appoint  such  assistants  as 
may  be  nece.ssary  and  authorized  by  said  courts; 
and  he  and  his  assistants  shall  receive  fixed  sala- 
ries, to  be  determined  by  law  and  paid  by  said 
county;  all  fees  collected  in  said  office,  except 
such  as  may  be  by  law  due  to  the  commonwealth, 
shall  be  paid  by  the  prothonotary  into  the  county 
treasury.  Each  court  shall  have  its  separate 
docket,  except  the  judgment  docket,  which  shall 
contain  the  judg-ments  and  liens  of  all  the  said 
courts,  as  is  or  may  be  directed  by  law. 

Sec.  8.  The  said  courts  in  the  counties  of 
Philadelphia  and  Allegheny,  respectively',  shall, 
from  time  to  time,  in  turn,  detail  one  or  more  of 
their  judges  to  hold  the  courts  of  oyer  and  terminer 
and  the  courts  of  quarter  sessions  of  the  peace  of 
said  counties,  in  such  manner  as  may  be  directed 
by  law. 

Sec.  9.     Judges  of  the  courts  of  common  pleas 
learned  in  the  law  shall  be  judges  of  the  courts  of   i 
oyer  and  terminer,  (juarter  sessions  of  the  peace, 
and   general   jail  delivery,    and   of   the   orpliaus" 


court,  and  within  their  respective  districts,  shall 
be  justices  of  the  peace  as  to  criminal  matters. 

Sec.  10.  The  judges  of  the  courts  of  common 
pleas,  within  their  respective  counties  shall  have 
power  to  issue  writs  of  i-i-i-tinrari  to  justices  of  the 
peace,  and  other  inferior  courts,  not  of  record,  and 
to  cause  their  proceedings  to  be  brought  before 
them,  and  right  and  justice  to  be  done. 

Sec.  11.  Except  as  otherwise  provided  in  this 
constitution,  justices  of  the  peace,  or  aldermen, 
shall  be  elected  in  the  several  wards,  districts, 
boroughs  and  townships  at  the  time  of  the  elec- 
tion of  constables  hy  the  qualified  electors  thereof, 
in  such  manner  as  shall  be  directed  by  law,  and 
shall  be  commissioned  by  the  Governor  for  a  term 
of  five  years.  No  township,  ward,  district  or  bor- 
ough shall  elect  more  than  two  justices  of  the 
peace  or  aldermen,  without  the  consent  of  a  ma- 
jority of  the  qualified  electors  within  such  town- 
ship, ward  or  borough;  no  person  shall  be  elected 
to  such  office  unless  he  shall  have  resided  within 
the  township,  borough,  ward  or  district  for  one 
j-ear  next  preceding  his  election.  In  cities  con- 
taining over  fift)'  thousand  inhabitants  not  more 
than  one  alderman  shall  be  elected  in  each  ward 
or  district. 

Sec.  12.  In  Philadelphia  there  shall  be  estab- 
lished, for  each  thirty  thousand  inhabitants,  one 
court,  not  of  record,  of  police  and  civil  causes, 
with  jurisdiction  not  exceeding  one  hundred  dol- 
lars; such  courts  shall  be  held  by  magistrates 
whose  term  of  office  shall  be  five  years,  and  they 
shall  be  elected  on  general  ticket  by  the  qualified 
voters  at  large:  and  in  the  election  of  the  said 
magistrates  no  voter  shall  vote  for  more  than  two- 
thirds  of  the  number  of  persons  to  be  elected  when 
more  than  one  are  to  be  chosen;  they  shall  be 
compensated  only  by  fixed  salaries,  to  be  paid  by 
said  county,  and  shall  exercise  such  jurisdiction, 
civil  and  criminal,  except  as  herein  provided,  as  is 
now  exercised  by  aldermen,  subject  to  such 
changes,  not  involving  an  increase  of  civil  juris- 
diction or  conferring  political  duties,  as  may  be 
made  by  law.  In  Philadelphia,  the  office  of  alder- 
man is  abolished. 

Sec.  13.  All  fees,  fines  and  penalties  in  said 
courts  shall  be  paid  into  the  county  treasiirj-. 

Sec.  14.  In  all  cases  of  summary  conviction 
in  this  commonwealth,  or  of  judgment  in  suit  for 
a  penalty  before  a  magistrate  or  court  not  of 
record,  either  party  may  appeal  to  such  court  of 
record,  as  may  be  prescribed  by  law,  upon  allow- 
ance of  the  appellate  court,  or  judge  thereof,  upon 
cause  shown. 

Sec.  is.  All  judges  required  to  be  learned  in 
the  law,  except  the  judges  of  the  supreme  court, 
shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  electors  of  the 
respective  districts  over  which  they  are  to  preside, 
and  shall  hold  their  offices  for  the  period  of  ten 
years,  if  they  shall  so  long  behave  tlvemselves 
well;  but  for  any  reasonable  cause,  which  shall 
not  be  sufficient  ground  for  impeachment,  the 
Governor  may  remove  any  of  them  on  the  address 
of  two-thirds  of  each  House  of  the  general  as- 
sembly. 

Sec.  16.  Whenever  two  judges  of  the  supreme 
court  are  to  be  chosen  for  the  same  term  of  serv- 


AND  UISTORICAL  REFEliESCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


53 


ice,  each  voter  shall  vote  for  one  only,  and  when 
three  are  to  be  chosen  he  shall  vote  for  no  more 
than  two;  candidates  highest  in  vote  shall  be  de- 
clared elected. 

Sec.  17.  Should  any  two  or  more  judges  of 
the  supreme  court,  or  any  two  or  more  judg'es  of 
the  court  of  common  pleas  for  the  same  district, 
be  elected  at  the  same  time,  they  shall,  as  soon 
after  the  election  as  convenient,  cast  lots  for  pri- 
ority of  commission,  and  certify  the  result  to  the 
Governor,  who  shall  issue  their  commissions  in 
accordance  therewith. 

Skc.  1>>.  The  judges  of  the  supreme  court  and 
the  judges  of  the  several  courts  of  common  pleas, 
and  all  other  judges  required  to  be  learned  in  the 
law,  shall,  at  stated  times,  receive  for  their  serv- 
ices an  adequate  compeQ>ation,  which  shall  be 
fixed  bj'  law  and  paid  by  the  State.  They  shall 
receive  no  other  compensation,  fees  or  perquisites 
of  office  for  their  services  from  any  source,  nor 
hold  anj'  other  office  of  profit  under  the  United 
States,  this  State,  or  any  other  State. 

Sec.  19.  The  judges  of  t,he  supreme  court, 
during  their  continuance  in  office,  shall  reside 
within  this  commonwealth,  and  the  other  judges 
during  their  continuance  in  office  shall  reside 
within  the  districts  for  which  they  shall  be  re- 
spectively elected. 

Sec.  20.  The  several  courts  of  common  pleas, 
besides  the  powers  herein  conferred,  shall  have 
and  exercise  \vithin  their  respective  districts,  sub- 
ject to  such  changes  as  may  be  made  by  law,  such 
chancery  powers  as  are  now  vested  by  law  in  the 
several  courts  of  common  pleas  of  this  common- 
wealth, or  as  may  hereafter  be  conferred  upon 
them  by  law. 

Sec.  21.  No  duties  shall  be  imposed  by  law 
upon  the  supreme  court  or  any  of  the  judges  there- 
of except  such  as  are  judicial,  nor  shall  any  of  the 
judges  exercise  any  power  of  appointment  except 
as  herein  provided.  The  court  of  ««(  priu^  is 
hereby  abolished,  and  no  court  of  original  juris- 
diction to  be  presided  over  bj-  any  one  or  more 
of  the  judges  of  the  supreme  court  shall  be  estab- 
lished. 

Sec.  22.  In  every  count}'  wherein  the  popula- 
tion shall  exceed  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand, 
the  general  assembly  shall,  and  in  any  other  coun- 
tj'  may,  establish  a  separate  orphans'  court,  to 
consist  of  one  or  more  judges  who  shall  be  learned 
in  the  law,  which  court  shall  exercise  all  the  juris- 
diction and  powers  now  vested  in  or  which  may 
hereafter  be  conferred  upon  the  orphans'  courts, 
and  thereupon  the  jurisdiction  of  the  judges  of 
the  court  of  common  pleas  within  such  county,  in 
orphans'  court  proceedings,  shall  cease  and  de- 
termine. In  any  county  in  which  a  separate  or- 
phans' court  shall  be  established,  the  register  of 
wills  shall  be  clerk  of  such  court  and  subject  to  its 
directions;  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  his  office: 
he  may  appoint  assistant  clerks,  but  only  with  the 
consent  and  approval  of  said  court.  All  accounts 
filed  with  him  as  register  or  as  clerk  of  the  said 
separate  orphans'  court  shall  be  audited  by  the 
court  without  expense  to  parties,  except  where  all 
the  parties  in  interest  in  a  pending  proceeding 
shall  nominate  an  auditor  whom    the  court  may. 


in  its  discretion,  appoint.  In  every  county  or- 
phans' courts  shall  possess  all  the  powers  and 
jurisdiction  of  a  registers'  court,  and  separate 
registers'  courts  are  hereby  abolished. 

Sec.  23.  The  style  of  all  process  shall  be 
"The  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania."  All 
prosecutions  shall  be  carried  on  in  the  name  and 
by  the  authority  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  conclude  "  against  the  peace  and 
dignity  of  the  same." 

Sec.  24.  In  all  cases  of  felonious  homicide, 
and  in  such  other  criminal  cases  as  may  be  pro- 
vided for  by  l.'iw,  the  accused,  after  conviction 
and  sentence,  may  remove  the  indictment,  record 
and  all  proceedings  to  the  supreme  court  for  re- 
view. - 

Sec.  25.  Any  vacancy  happening  by  death, 
resignation  or  otherwise,  in  any  court  of  record, 
shall  be  filled  by  appointment  by  the  Governor,  to 
continue  until  the  first  Monday  of  January  next 
succeeding  the  first  general  election,  which  shall 
occur  three  or  more  months  after  the  happening 
of  such  vacancy. 

Sec.  26.  All  laws  relating  to  courts  shall  be 
general,  and  of  uniform  operations,  and  the  or- 
ganization, jurisdiction  and  powers  of  all  courts 
of  the  same  class  or  grade,  so  far  as  regulated  by 
law,  and  the  force  and  effect  of  the  process  and 
judgments  of  such  courts  shall  be  uniform;  and  the 
general  assembly  is  hereby  prohibited  from  creat- 
ing other  courts  to  exercise  the  powers  vested  by 
the  constitution  in  the  judges  of  the  courts  of 
common  pleas  and  orphans'  courts. 

Sec.  27.  The  parties,  by  agreement  filed, 
may,  in  any  civil  case,  dispense  with  trial  by  jury, 
and  submit  the  decision  of  such  case  to  the  court 
having  jurisdiction  thereof,  and  such  court  shall 
hear  and  determine  the  same;  and  the  judgment 
thereon  shall  be  subject  to  writ  of  error,  as  in 
other  cases. 

ARTICLE   VI. 
impe.\chmext  and  removal  from  office. 

Sec.  1.  The  House  of  Representatives  shall 
have  the  sole  power  of  impeachment. 

Sec.  2.  All  impeachments  shall  be  tried  by 
the  Senate.  When  sitting  for  that  purpose,  the 
senators  shall  be  upon  oath  or  affirmation.  No 
person  shall  be  convicted  without  the  concurrence 
of  two-thirds  of  the  members  present. 

Sec.  3.  The  Governor,  and  all  other  civil  of- 
ficers, shall  be  liable  to  impeachment  for  any 
misdemeanor  in  office;  but  judgment  in  such  cases 
shall  not  extend  further  than  to  removal  from  of- 
fice, and  disqualification  to  hold  any  office  of  trust 
or  profit  under  this  commonwealth:  the  person  ac- 
cused, whether  convicted  or  acquitted,  shall  never- 
theless be  liable  to  indictment,  trial,  judgment, 
and  punishment,  according  to  law. 

Sec.  4  All  officers  shall  hold  their  offices  on 
the  condition  that  they  behave  themselves  well 
while  in  office,  and  shall  be  removed  on  conviction 
of  misbehavior  in  office,  or  of  any  infamous 
crime.  Appointed  officers,  other  than  judges  of 
the  courts  of  record  and  the  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  may  be  removed  at  the  pleas- 


54 


NELSON'S  BIOOBAFEIVAL  DWTIONAUT 


ure  of  the  power  by  which  they  shall  have  been 
appointed.  All  officers  elected  by  the  people,  ex- 
cept Governor,  Lieutenant  Governor,  members  of 
the  general  assembly,  and  judges  of  the  courts  of 
record  learned  in  the  law,  shall  be  removed  by  the 
Governor  for  reasonable  cause,  after  due  notice 
and  full  hearing,  on  the  address  of  two-thirds  of 
the  Senate. 

ARTICLE  VII. 

0.\TH   OF   OFFICE. 

Sec.  1.  Senators  and  representatives,  and  all 
judicial,  state  and  county  officers,  shall,  before 
entering  on  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices, 
take  and  subscribe  the  following  oath  or  affirma- 
tion. 

"I  do  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I  will  sup- 
port, obey  and  defend  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  Constitution  of  this  Com- 
monwealth, and  that  I  will  discharge  the  duties  of 
my  office  with  fidelity;  that  I  have  not  paid  or 
contributed,  or  promised  to  pay  or  contribute, 
either  directly  or  indirectly,  any  mone)-  or  other 
valuable  thing,  to  procure  my  nomination  or  elec- 
tion (or  appointment),  except  for  necessary  and 
proper  expenses  expressly  authorized  by  law;  that 
I  have  not  knowingly  violated  any  election  law  of 
this  commonwealth,  or  procured  it  to  be  done  by 
others  in  my  behalf;  that  I  will  not  knowingly  re- 
ceive, directly  or  indirectly,  any  moneys  or  other 
valuable  thing  for  the  performance  or  non-per- 
formance of  any  act  or  duty  pertaining  to  my 
office,  other  than  the  compensation  allowed  by 
law." 

The  foregoing  oath  shall  be  administered  by 
some  person  authorized  to  administer  oaths,  and 
in  the  case  of  State  officers  and  judges  of  the 
supreme  court,  shall  be  filed  in  the  office  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  in  the  case 
of  other  judicial  and  count3'  officers,  in  the  office 
of  the  prothonotary  of  the  county  in  which  the 
same  is  taken;  any  person  refusing  to  take  said 
oath  or  affirmation  shall  forfeit  his  office,  and  anj- 
person  who  shall  be  convicted  of  having  sworn  or 
affirmed  falsely,  or  of  having  violated  said  oath  or 
affirmation,  shall  be  guiltj'  of  perjury,  and  be  for- 
ever disqualified  from  holding  any  office  of  trust 
or  profit  within  this  commonwealth.  The  oath  to 
the  members  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
.sentatives  shall  be  administered  by  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  supreme  court  or  of  a  court  of  com- 
mon pleas,  learned  in  the  law,  in  the  hall  of  the 
House  to  which  the  members  shall  be  elected. 


ARTICLE  VIII. 

SUFFR.\GE    .\ND   ELECTIONS. 

Sec.  1.  Every  male  citizen  twenty-one  j-ears 
of  age  possessing  the  following  qualifications 
shall  be  entitled  to  vote  at  all  elections:  First. 
He  shall  have  been  a  citizen  of  the  United  States 
at  least  one  month.  Second.  He  shall  have  resided 
in  the  State  one  year  (or  if,  having  previously 
been  a  qualified  elector  or  native-born  citizen  of 


the  State,  he  shall  have  removed  therefrom  and 
returned,  then  six  months)  immediately  preceding 
the  election.  Third.  He  shall  have  resided  in  the 
election  district  where  he  shall  offer  to  vote  at 
least  two  months  immediately  preceding  the  elec- 
tion. Fourth.  If  twenty-two  years  of  age  or  up- 
wards, he  shall  have  paid  within  two  years  a  State 
or  county  ta.x,  which  shall  have  been  assessed  at 
least  two  months  and  paid  at  least  one  month  be- 
fore the  election. 

Sec.  2.  The  general  election  shall  be  held  an- 
nually on  the  Tuesday  next  following  the  first 
Monday  of  November,  but  the  general  assembly 
may  by  law  fix  a  different  day,  two-thirds  of  all 
the  members  of  each  House  consenting  thereto. 

Sec.  3.  All  elections  for  citj',  ward,  borough 
and  township  officers,  for  regular  terms  of  serv- 
ice, shall  be  held  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  Feb- 
ruary. 

Sec.  4.  All  elections  b_v  the  citizens  shall  be 
by  ballot.  Every  ballot  voted  shall  be  numbered 
in  the  order  in  which  it  shall  be  received,  and  the 
number  recorded  bj' the  election  officers  on  the  list 
of  voters,  opposite  the  name  of  the  elector  who 
presents  the  ballot.  Any  elector  may  write  his 
name  upon  his  ticket,  or  cause  the  same  to  be  writ- 
ten thereon  and  attested  by  a  citizen  of  the  dis- 
trict. The  election  officers  shall  be  sworn  or  af- 
firmed not  to  disclose  how  any  elector  shall  have 
voted  unless  required  to  do  so  as  witnesses  in  a 
judicial  proceeding. 

Sec.  5.  Electors  shall  in  all  cases,  except 
treason,  felony  and  breach  or  surety  of  the  peace, 
be  privileged  from  arrest  during  their  attendance 
on  elections,  and  going  to  and  returning  there- 
from. 

Sec.  6.  Whenever  any  of  the  qualified  elect- 
ors of  this  commonwealth  shall  be  in  actual  mili- 
tary service,  under  a  requisition  from  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  or  by  the  authority  of 
this  commonwealth,  such  electors  may  exercise 
the  right  of  suffrage  in  all  elections  by  the  citi- 
zens, under  such  regulations  as  are,  or  shall  be, 
prescribed  by  law,  as  fully  as  if  thej-  were  present 
at  their  usual  places  of  election. 

Sec.  7.  All  laws  regulating  the  holding  of 
elections  by  the  citizens  or  for  the  registration  of 
electors  shall  be  uniform  throughout  the  State, 
but  no  elector  shall  be  deprived  of  the  privilege  of 
voting  bj' reason  of  his  name  not  being  registered. 

Sec.  8.  Any  person  who  shall  give,  or  prom- 
ise or  offer  to  give,  to  an  elector,  any  money,  re- 
ward or  other  valuable  consideration  for  his  vote 
at  an  election,  or  for  withholding  the  same,  or 
who  shall  give  or  promise  to  give  such  considera- 
tion to  any  other  person  or  party  for  such  elector's 
vote  or  for  the  withholding  thereof,  and  any 
elector  who  shall  receive  or  agree  to  receive, 
for  himself  or  for  another,  any  money,  reward  or 
other  valuable  consideration  for  his  vote  at  an 
election,  or  for  withholding  the  same,  shall  there- 
by forfeit  the  right  to  vote  at  such  election,  and 
any  elector  whose  right  to  vote  shall  be  challenged 
for  such  cause  before  the  election  officers,  shall  be 
required  to  swear  or  affirm  that  the  matter  of  the 
challenge  is  untrue  before  his  vote  shall  be  re- 
ceived. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFEREKCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


D3 


Sec.  9.  Any  person  who  shall,  while  a  candi- 
date for  office,  be  guilty  of  bribery,  fraud  or  wil- 
ful violation  of  any  election  law,  shall  be  forever 
disqualified  from  holding  an  office  of  trust  or  profit 
in  this  commonwealth:  and  anj*  person  convicted 
of  wilful  violation  of  the  election  laws  shall,  in 
addition  to  any  penalties  provided  bj'  law,  be  de- 
prived of  the  right  of  suffrage  absolutely  for  a 
term  of  four  years. 

Sec.  10.  In  trials  of  contested  elections  and 
in  proceedings  for  the  investigation  of  elections, 
no  person  shall  be  permitted  to  withhold  his  testi- 
mony upon  the  ground  that  it  ma_v  criminate  him- 
self or  subject  liim  to  public  infamy:  but  such  tes- 
timony shall  not  afterwards  be  used  against  him 
in  any  judicial  proceeding  except  for  perjury  in 
giving  such  testimony. 

Sec.  11.  Townships  and  wards  of  cities  or 
boroughs  shall  form  or  be  divided  into  election 
districts  of  compact  and  contiguous  territorj-,  in 
such  manner  as  the  court  of  quarter  sessions  of 
the  city  or  county  in  which  the  same  are  located 
may  direct:  but  districts  in  cities  of  over  one  hun- 
dred thousand  inhabitants  shall  be  divided  by  the 
courts  of  quarter  sessions,  having  jurisdiction 
therein,  whenever  at  the  next  preceding  election 
more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  votes  shall  have 
been  polled  therein:  and  other  election  districts 
whenever  the  court  of  the  proper  county  shall  be 
of  opinion  that  the  convenience  of  the  electorsand 
public  interests  will  be  promoted  thereby. 

Skc.  12.  All  elections  by  persons  in  a  repre- 
sentative capacity  shall  be  rira  roci . 

Sec.  13.  For  the  purpose  of  voting  no  person 
shall  be  deemed  to  have  gained  a  residence  by 
reason  of  his  presence,  or  lost  it  b^-  reason  of  his 
absence,  while  employed  in  the  service,  either 
civil  or  militarj'.  of  this  State  or  the  United 
States,  nor  while  engaged  in  the  navigation  of  the 
waters  of  the  State  or  of  the  United  States,  or  on 
the  high  seas,  nor  while  a  student  of  any  institu- 
tion of  learning,  nor  while  kept  in  any  poorhouse 
or  other  asylum  at  public  expense,  nor  while  con- 
fined in  public  prison. 

Sec.  14.  District  election  boards  .shall  consist 
of  a  judge  and  two  inspectors,  who  shall  be  chosen 
annually  by  the  citizens.  Each  elector  shall  have 
the  right  to  vote  for  the  judge  and  one  inspector, 
and  each  inspector  shall  appoint  one  clerk.  The 
first  election  board  for  auj-  new  district  shall  be 
selected,  and  vacancies  in  election  boards  filled 
as  shall  be  provided  by  law.  Election  officers 
shall  be  privileged  from  arrest  upon  days  of  elec- 
tion, and  while  making  up  and  transmitting  re- 
turns, except  upon  warrant  of  court  of  record,  or 
judge  thereof,  for  an  election  fraud,  for  felony,  or 
for  wanton  breach  of  the  peace.  In  cities  they 
may  claim  exemption  from  jur^-  duty  during  their 
terms  of  service. 

Sec.  15.  No  person  shall  be  qualified  to  serve 
as  an  election  officer  who  shall  hold,  or  shall 
within  two  months  have  held,  an  office,  appoint- 
ment or  employment  in  or  under  the  government 
of  the  United  States  or  of  this  State,  or  of  anj- 
city  or  county,  or  of  anj-  municipal  board,  com- 
mission or  trust  in  an_v  city,  save  only  justices  of 
the  peace  and   aldermen,  notaries  public,  and  per- 


sons in  the  militia  service  of  the  State:  nor  shall 
any  election  officer  be  eligible  to  any  ci%-il  office 
to  be  filled  at  an  election  at  which  he  shall  serve, 
save  only  to  such  subordinate,  municipal  or  local 
offices,  below  the  grade  of  city  or  county  offices, 
as  shall  be  designated  by  general  law. 

Sec.  16.  The  courts  of  common  pleas  of  the 
several  counties  of  the  commonwealth  shall  have 
power,  within  their  respective  jurisdictions,  to  ap- 
point overseers  of  elections,  to  supervise  the  pro- 
ceedings of  election  officers,  and  to  make  report 
to  the  court  as  may  be  required;  such  appoint- 
ments to  be  made  for  any  district  in  a  citj'  or 
count5',  upon  petition  of  five  citizens,  lawful  vot- 
ers of  such  election  districts,  setting  forth  that 
such  appointment  is  a  reasonable  precaution  to 
secure  the  purity  and  fairness  of  elections:  over- 
seers shall  be  two  in  number  for  an  election  dis- 
trict, shall  be  residents  therein,  and  shall  be  per- 
sons qualified  to  serve  upon  election  boards,  and 
in  each  case  members  of  different  political  par- 
ties. Whenever  the  members  of  an  election  board 
shall  differ  in  opinion,  the  overseers,  if  they  shall 
be  agreed  thereon,  shall  decide  the  question  of 
difference;  in  appointing  overseers  of  election,  all 
the  law  judges  of  the  proper  court,  able  to  act  at 
the  time,  shall  concur  in  the  appointments  made. 

Sec.  17.  The  trial  and  determination  of  con- 
tested elections  of  electors  of  President  and  Vice 
President,  members  of  the  general  assembly,  and 
of  all  public  officers,  whether  State,  judicial, 
municipal  or  local,  shall  be,  by  the  courts  of  law, 
or  by  one  or  more  of  the  law  judges  thereof:  the 
general  assembly  shall,  by  general  law.  designate 
the  courts  and  judges  by  whom  the  several  classes 
of  election  contests  shall  be  tried,  and  regulate 
the  manner  of  trial,  and  all  matters  incident 
thereto;  but  no  such  law  assigning  jurisdiction,  or 
regulating  its  exercise,  shall  applj'  to  any  contest 
arising  out  of  an  election  held  before  its  passage. 

ARTICLE  IX. 

T.\X.\TIOX    AXD    FIN-.\NCE. 

Sec.  1.  All  taxes  shall  be  uniform,  upon  the 
same  class  of  subjects,  within  the  territorial  lim- 
its of  the  authority  levying  the  tax.  and  shall  be 
levied  and  collected  under  general  laws:  but  the 
general  assembly  may,  by  general  laws,  exempt 
from  taxation  public  property  used  for  public  pur- 
poses, actual  places  of  religious  worship,  places  of 
burial  not  used  or  held  for  private  or  corporate 
profit,  and  institutions  of  a  purely  public  charity. 

Sec.  2.  All  laws  exempting  property  from 
taxation,  other  than  the  property  above  enumer- 
ated, shall  be  void. 

Sec.  3.  The  power  to  tax  corporations  and 
corporate  property  shall  not  be  surrendered  or  sus- 
pended b)'  any  contract  or  grant  to  which  the 
State  shall  be  a  party. 

Sec.  4.  Xo  debt  shall  be  created  \>y  or  on  be- 
half of  the  State,  except  to  supply  casual  de- 
ficiencies of  revenue,  repel  invasions,  suppress  in- 
surrection, defend  the  State  in  war,  or  to  pay 
existing  debt;  and  the  debt  created  to  supply  de- 
ficiencies  in    revenue   shall   never  exceed,  in  the 


56 


NELSONS  BIOQUAPUIVAL  DICTION  AMY 


I 


aggregate  at  any  one  time,  one  million  of  dollars. 

Sec.  S.  All  laws  authorizing  the  borrowing 
of  money  by  and  on  behalf  of  the  State  shall 
.specify  the  purpose  for  which  the  money  is  to  be 
used,  and  the  money  so  borrowed  shall  be  used  for 
the  purpose  specified,  and  no  other. 

Si:c.  6.  The  credit  of  the  commonwealth  shall 
not  be  pledged  or  loaned  to  any  individual,  com- 
pany, corporation  or  association,  nor  shall  the 
Commonwealth  become  a  joint-owner  or  stock- 
holder in  any  company,  as-i^ociation  or  corporation. 

Si;c.  7.  The  general  assembly  shall  not  au- 
thorize anj-  county,  city,  borough,  township  or  in- 
corporated district  to  become  a  stockholder  in  any 
companj-,  association  or  corporation,  or  to  obtain 
or  appropriate  money  for,  or  to  loan  its  credit  to, 
any  corporation,  association,  institution  or  indi- 
vidual. 

Sec.  8.  The  debt  of  any  county,  city,  bor- 
ough, township,  school  district  or  other  munici- 
pality or  incorporated  district,  except  as  herein 
provided,  shall  never  exceed  seven  per  centum  up- 
on the  assessed  value  of  the  taxable  property 
therein,  nor  shall  any  such  municipality  or  district 
incur  any  new  debt,  or  increase  its  indebtedness 
to  an  amount  exceeding  two  per  centum  upon 
such  assessed  valuation  of  property,  without  the 
assent  of  the  electors  thereof  at  a  public  election 
in  such  manner  as  shall  be  provided  by  law:  but 
any  cit}',  the  debt  of  which  now  exceeds  seven 
per  centum  of  such  assessed  valuation,  may  be 
authorized  by  law  to  increase  the  same  three  per 
centum,  in  the  aggregate  at  any  one  time,  upon 
such  valuation. 

Sec.  9.  The  commonwealth  shall  not  assume 
the  debt,  or  any  part  thereof,  of  any  citj',  county, 
borough  or  township,  unless  such  debt  shall  have 
been  contracted  to  enable  the  State  to  repel  inva- 
sion, suppress  domestic  insurrection,  defend  itself 
in  time  of  war,  or  to  assist  the  State  in  the  dis- 
charge of  any  portion  of  its  present  indebtedness. 

Sec.  10.  Any  county,  township,  school  dis- 
trict or  other  municipality,  incurring  any  indebt- 
edness, shall,  at  or  before  the  time  of  so  doing, 
provide  for  the  collection  of  an  annual  tax,  suffi- 
cient to  pay  the  interest,  and  also  the  principal 
thereof  within  thirty  years. 

Sec.  11.  To  provide  for  the  payment  of  the 
present  State  debt,  and  any  additional  debt  con- 
tracted as  aforesaid,  the  general  assembly  shall 
continue  and  maintain  the  sinking  fund  sufficient 
to  pay  the  accruing  interest  on  such  debt,  and 
annuallj'to  reduce  the  principal  thereof  by  a  sum 
not  less  than  two  hundred  and  tiftj'  thousand 
dollars;  the  said  sinking  fund  shall  consist  of  the 
proceeds  of  the  sales  of  the  public  works,  or  any  part 
thereof,  and  of  the  income  or  proceeds  of  ihe  sale  of 
any  stocks  owned  b)'  the  commonwealth,  together 
with  other  funds  and  resources  that  may  be  des- 
ignated by  law,  and  shall  be  increased  from  time 
to  time  by  assigning  to  it  any  part  of  the  taxes,  or 
other  revenues  of  the  State,  not  required  for  the 
ordinary  and  current  expenses  of  government; 
and  unless  in  case  of  war,  invasion  or  insurrection, 
no  part  of  the  said  sinking  fund  shall  be  used  or 
applied  otherwi.se  than  in  the  extinguishment  of 
the  public  debt. 


Sec.  12.  The  moneys  of  the  State,  over  and 
above  the  necessary  reserve,  shall  be  used  in  the 
payment  of  the  debt  of  the  State,  either  directly 
or  through  the  sinking  fund,  and  the  moneys  of 
the  sinking  fund  shall  never  be  invested  in  or 
loaned  upon  the  security  of  anything,  except  the 
bonds  of  the  United  States,  or  of  this  State. 

Sec.  13.  The  moneys  held  as  necessary  re- 
serve sh.'ill  be  limited  by  law  to  the  amount  requir- 
ed for  current  expenses,  and  shall  l)e  secured  and 
kept  as  may  be  provided  by  law.  Monthly  state- 
ments shall  be  published,  showing  the  amount  of 
such  moneys,  where  the  same  are  deposited  and 
how  secured. 

Sec.  14.  The  making  of  profit  out  of  the  pub- 
lic moneys,  or  using  the  sanie  for  any  purpose  not 
authorized  by  the  law.  by  an  ofHccr  of  the  State, 
or  member  orofficerof  the  general  assembly,  shall 
be  a  misdemeanor,  and  shall  be  punished  as  may 
be  provided  by  law;  but  part  of  such  punishment 
shall  be  disqualification  to  hold  office  for  a  period 
or  not  less  than  five  Tears. 


ARTICLE   X. 

EDUCATION. 

Sec.  1.  The  general  assembly  shall  provide 
for  the  maintenance  and  support  of  a  thorough  and 
efficient  system  <]f  public  schools,  wherein  all  the 
children  of  this  commonwealth,  above  the  age  of 
six  years,  may  be  educated,  and  shall  appropriate 
at  least  one  million  dollars  each  year  for  that 
purpose. 

Sec.  2.  No  money  raised  for  the  support  of 
the  public  schools  of  the  commonwealth,  shall  be 
appropriated  to,  or  used  for,  the  support  of  any 
sectarian  school. 

Sec.  v1.  \Vi>men  twenty-one  years  of  age  and 
upwards  shall  be  eligible  to  any  office  of  control  or 
management  under  the  .school  law  of  this  State. 

ARTICLE  XI. 
Mn,iTi.\. 

Sec.  1.  The  freemen  of  this  commonwealth 
shall  be  armed,  organized  and  disciplined  for  its 
defense,  when,  and  in  such  manner  as  may  be  di- 
rected by  law.  The  general  assembly  shall  pro- 
vide for  maintaining  the  militia,  by  appropriations 
froni  the  treasury  of  the  commonwealth,  and  may 
exempt  from  military  service  per.sons  having  con- 
scientious scruples  against  bearing  arms. 

ARTICLE   XII. 

PUBLIC    OFEICEKS. 

Si'X'.  1.  All  officers  whose  selection  is  not 
provided  for  in  this  constitution,  shall  be  elected 
or  appointed,  as  may  be  directed  by  law. 

Sec.  2.  No  member  of  congress  from  this 
State,  nor  any  persoti  holding  or  exercising  any 
office  or  appointment  of  trust  or  profit  under  the 
United  States,  shall  at  the  s.ime  time  hold  or  exer- 
cise any   office   in    this  State   to   which  a  salary, 


ME/vjRY   M.MOYT. 


.v^ 


'^I'^^^i^ 


ROBERT    E.  PATTISO/v).  DA/NIEL  H.  HASTINGS 


AND  niSrORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


57 


fees  or  perquisites  shall  be  attached.  The  g-eneral 
asseinblj'  may  by  law  declare  what  offices  are 
incompatible. 

Skc.  3.  Any  person  who  shall  fight  a  duel,  or 
send  a  challeng-e  for  that  purpose,  or  be  aider  or 
abettor  in  fighting  a  duel,  shall  be  deprived  of  the 
right  of  holding  any  office  of  honor  or  profit  in 
this  State,  and  may  be  otherwise  punished  as  shall 
be  prescribed  by  law. 

ARTICLE  XIII. 
y.r.\\  coiNTiKS. 

Sec.  1.  No  new  county  shall  be  established 
which  shall  reduce  any  county  to  less  than  four 
hundred  square  miles,  or  to  less  than  twenty  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  nor  shall  any  county  be  formed 
of  less  area,  or  containing  less  population;  nor 
shall  any  line  thereof  pass  within  ten  miles  of  the 
county  seat  of  any  county  proposed  to  be  divided. 


I   township  and  borough   officers,  as  well  as  for  the 

'  fees  which  may  be  collected  by  them,  as  for  all 
public  or  municipal  moneys  which  may  be  paid  to 

I   them. 

SK'J.  7.  Three  county  commissioners  and 
three  cpunty  auditors  shall  be  elected  in  each 
county  where  such  officers  are  chosen,  in  the  j-ear 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-five  and 
every  third  year  thereafter;  and  in  the  election  of 
said  officers  each  qualified  elector  shall  vote  for  no 
more  than  two  persons,  and  the  three  persons  hav- 
ing the  highest  number  of  votes  shall  be  elected; 
any  casual  vacancj'  in  the  office  of  county  com- 
missioner or  county  auditor  shall  be  filled  by  the 

'  court  of  contmon  pleas  of  the  count}'  in  which 
such  vacancy  shall  occur,  by  the  appointment  of 
an  elector  of  the  proper  county  who  shall  have 
voted  for  the  commissioner  or  auditor  whose  place 
is  to  be  filled. 

i  ARTICLE   XV. 


ARTICLE   XIV. 


COUNTY    OFFICER.S. 


Sec.  1.  County  officers  shall  consist  of  sheriffs, 
coroners, prothonotaries, registers  of  wills, recorders 
of  deeds,  commissioners,  treasurers,  surveyors, 
auditors  and  controllers,  clerks  of  the  courts,  dis- 
trict attorneys,  or  such  others  as  may  from  time 
to  time  be  establislied  by  law;  and  no  sheriff  or 
treasurer  shall  be  eligible  for  the  term  next  suc- 
ceeding the  one  for  which  he  may  be  elected. 

Sec.  2.  County  officers  shall  be  elected  at  the 
general  elections,  and  shall  hold  their  offices  for 
the  term  of  three  years,  beginning  on  the  first 
Monday  of  January  next  after  their  election,  and 
until  their  successors  shall  be  duly  qualified;  all 
vacancies  not  otherwise  provided  for  shall  be  filled 
in  such  manner  as  may  be  provided  by  law. 

Sec.  3.  No  person  shall  be  appointed  to  any 
office  within  any  county,  who  shall  not  have  been 
a  citizen  and  an  inhabitant  therein  one  j-ear  next 
before  his  appointment,  if  the  count}-  shall  liave 
been  so  long  erected,  but  if  it  shall  net  have  been 
so  long  erected,  then  within  the  limitsof  the  coun- 
ty or  counties  out  of  which  it  shall  have  been 
taken. 

Sec.  4.  Prothonotaries,  clerks  of  the  courts, 
recorders  of  deeds,  registers  of  wills,  county  sur- 
veyors, and  sheriffs,  shall  keep  their  offices  in  the 
county  town,  of  the  county  in  which  they  respect- 
ively shall  be  officers. 

Sec.  5.  The  compensation  of  officers  shall  be 
regulated  by  law,  and  all  county  officers  who  are 
or  may  be  salaried  shall  pay  all  fees  which  they 
may  be  authorized  to  receive,  into  tlie  trea-^ury  of 
the  county  or  State,  as  may  be  directed  by  law.  In 
counties  containing  over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  inhabitants  all  county  officers  shall  be 
paid  by  salary,  and  the  salary  of  any  such  officer 
and  his  clerks,  heretofore  paid  by  fees,  shall  not  ex- 
ceed the  aggregate  amount  of  fees  earned  during 
his  term  and  collected  by  or  for  him. 

Sec.  6.  The  general  assembly  shall  provide 
by  law  for  the  strict  accountabilitv  of  all  countv, 
5 


CITIES    AND    CITY    CH.^RTERS. 

Sec.  1.  Cities  may  be  chartered  whenever  a 
majority  of  the  electors  of  any  town  or  borough 
having  a  population  of  at  least  ten  thousand  shall 
vote  at  any  general  election  in  favor  of   the  same. 

Sec.  2.  No  debt  shall  be  contracted  or  liability 
incurred  by  any  municipal  commission,  except  in 
pursuance  of  an  appropriation  previously  made 
therefor  by  the  municipal  government. 

Sec.  3.  Every  city  shall  create  a  sinking  fund, 
which  shall  be  inviolably  pledged  for  the  payment 
of  its  funded  debt. 


ARTICLE   XVI. 


I'KUATE    CORPORATIONS. 

Sec.  1.  All  existing  charters  or  grants  of 
special  or  exclusive  privileges,  under  which  a  bona 
fide  organization  shall  not  have  taken  place  and 
business  been  commenced  in  good  faith,  at  the 
time  of  the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  shall 
thereafter  have  no  validity. 

Sec.  2.  The  general  assembly  shall  not  remit 
the  forfeiture  of  the  charter  of  any  corporation 
now  existing,  or  alter  or  amend  the  same,  or  pass 
any  other  general  or  special  law  for  the  benefit  of 
such  corporation,  except  upon  the  condition  that 
such  corporation  shall  thereafter  hold  its  charter 
subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  constitution. 

Sec.  3.  Tlie  exercise  of  the  right  of  eminent 
domain  shall  never  be  abridged  or  so  construed  as 
to  prevent  the  general  assembly  from  taking  the 
property  and  franchises  of  incorporated  com- 
panies, and  subjecting  them  to  public  use,  the 
same  as  the  property  of  individuals;  and  the  exer- 
cise of  the  police  power  of  the  State  shall  never  be 
abridged  or  so  construed  as  to  permit  corporations 
to  conduct  their  business  in  such  manner  as  to 
infringe  the  equal  rights  of  individuals  or  the 
general  wellbeing  of  the  State. 

Sec.  4.  In  all  elections  for  directors  or  man- 
agers of  a  corporation,  each  member  or  share- 
holder may  cast  the  whole  number  of  his  votes  for 


58 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


one   candidate,   or  distribute   them   upon   two  or 
more  candidates,  as  he  may  prefer. 

Sec.  S.  No  foreign  corporation  shall  do  any 
business  in  this  State  without  having  one  or  more 
known  places  of  business  and  an  authorized  agent 
or  agents  in  the  same  upon  whom  process  may  be 
served. 

Sec.  6.  No  corporation  shall  engage  in  any 
business  other  than  that  e.vpressly  authorized  in 
its  charter,  nor  shall  it  take  or  hold  any  real 
estate  except  such  as  ma^'  be  necessary  and  proper 
for  its  legitimate  business. 

Sec.  7.  No  corporation  shall  issue  stocks  or 
bonds  except  for  money,  labor  done,  or  money  or 
property  actually  received,  and  all  fictitious  in- 
crease of  stock  or  indebtedness  shall  be  void.  The 
stock  and  indebtedness  of  corporations  shall  not 
be  increased  except  in  pursuance  of  general  law, 
nor  without  the  consent  of  the  persons  holding  the 
larger  amount  in  value  of  the  stock  first  obtained 
at  a  meeting  to  be  held  after  sixty  days'  notice 
given  in  pursuance  of  law. 

Sec.  8.  Municipal  and  other  corporations  and 
individuals  invested  with  the  privilege  of  taking 
private  property  for  public  use  shall  make  just 
compensation  for  property  taken,  injured  or  de- 
stroyed by  the  construction  or  enlargement  of 
their  works,  highways  or  improvements,  which 
compensation  shall  be  paid  or  secured  before  such 
taking,  injury  or  destruction.  The  general  as- 
sembly is  hereby  prohibited  from  depriving  any 
per.son  of  an  appeal  from  any  preliminary  assess- 
ment of  damages  against  any  such  corporations 
or  individuals  made  by  viewers  or  otherwise;  and 
the  amount  of  such  damages  in  all  cases  of  appeal 
shall,  on  the  demand  of  either  party,  be  deter- 
mined by  a  jury,  according  to  the  cour.se  of  the 
common  law. 

Sec.  9.  Every  banking  law  shall  provide  for 
the  registry  and  countersigning,  by  an  officer  of 
the  State,  of  all  notes  or  bills  designed  for  circu- 
lation, and  that  ample  security  to  the  full  amount 
thereof  shall  be  deposited  with  the  Auditor 
General  for  the  redemption  of  such  notes  or  bills. 
Sec.  10.  The  general  assembly  shall  have  the 
power  to  alter,  revoke  or  annul  any  charter  of  in- 
corporation now  existing  and  revocable  at  the 
adoption  of  this  constitution,  or  any  that  may 
hereafter  be  created,  whenever,  in  their  opinion, 
it  may  be  injurious  to  the  citizens  of  this  common- 
wealth, in  such  manner,  however,  that  no  injust- 
ice shall  be  done  to  the  corporators.  No  law  here- 
after enacted  shall  create,  renew  or  extend  the 
charter  of  more  than  one  corporation. 

Sec.  11.  No  corporate  bodj'  to  pos.sess  bank- 
ing and  discounting  privileges  shall  be  created  or 
organized  in  pursuance  of  any  law  without  three 
months'  previous  public  notice,  at  the  place  of  the 
intended  location,  of  the  intention  to  apply  for 
such  privileges,  in  such  manner  as  shall  be  pre- 
scribed by  law,  nor  shall  a  charter  for  such  priv- 
ilege be  granted  for  a  longer  period  than  twenty 
years. 

Sec.  12.  Any  association  or  corporation,  or- 
ganized for  the  purpose,  or  an3'  individual,  shall 
have  the  right  to  construct  and  maintain  lines  of 
telegraph  within   this   State,  and  to  connect  the 


same  with  other  lines,  and  the  general  assembly 
shall,  by  general  law  of  uniform  operation,  provide 
reasonable  regulations  to  give  full  effect  to  this 
section.  No  telegraph  company  shall  consolidate 
with,  or  hold  a  controlling  interest  in,  the  stock  or 
bonds  of  any  other  telegraph  company  owning  a 
competing  line,  or  acquire,  by  purchase  or  other- 
wise, any  other  competing  line  of  telegraph. 

Sec.  13.  The  term  "corporations,"  as  used 
in  this  article,  shall  be  construed  to  include  all 
joint-stock  companies  or  associations  having  any 
of  the  powers,  or  privileges  of  corporations,  not 
possessed  by  individuals  or  partnerships. 

ARTICLE  XVII. 

KAILROADS    AND   CANAI,.S. 

Sec.  1.  All  railroads  and  canals  shall  be  pub- 
lic highways,  and  all  railroad  and  canal  companies 
shall  be  common  carriers.  Any  association  or 
corporation,  organized  for  the  purpose,  shall  have 
the  right  to  construct  and  operate  a  railroad  be- 
tween any  points  within  this  State,  and  to  connect 
at  the  State  line  with  railroads  of  other  States. 
Every  railroad  company  shall  have  the  right  with 
its  road  to  intersect,  connect  with,  or  cross  any 
other  railroad;  and  shall  receive  and  transport 
each  the  other's  passengers,  tonnage  and  cars, 
loaded  or  empty,  without  delay  or  discrimination. 

Sec.  2.  Every  railroad  or  canal  corporation 
organized  in  this  State,  shall  maintain  an  office 
therein,  where  transfers  of  its  stocks  shall  be 
made,  and  where  its  books  shall  be  kept  for  in- 
spection by  any  stockholder  or  creditor  of  such 
corporation,  in  which  shall  be  recorded  the 
amount  of  capital  stock  subscribed  or  paid  in,  and 
by  whom,  the  names  of  the  owners  of  its  stock, 
and  the  amounts  owned  by  them,  respectively,  the 
transfers  of  said  stock,  and  the  names  and  places 
of  residence  of  its  officers. 

Sec.  3.  All  individuals,  associations  and  cor- 
porations shall  have  equal  right  to  have  persons 
and  property  transported  over  railroads  and 
canals,  and  no  undue  or  unreasonable  discrimina- 
tion shall  be  made  in  charges  for,  or  in  facilities 
for,  transportation  of  freight  or  passengers  within 
this  State,  or  coming  from  or  going  to  any  other 
State.  Persons  and  property  transported  over 
any  railroad,  shall  be  delivered  at  any  station,  at 
charges  not  exceeding  the  charges  for  transporta- 
tion of  persons  and  property  of  the  same  class,  in 
the  same  direction,  to  any  more  distant  station; 
but  excursion  and  commutation  tickets  may  be 
issued  at  special  rates. 

Sec.  4.  No  railroad,  canal  or  other  corpora- 
tion, or  the  lessees,  purchasers  or  managers  of 
any  railroad  or  canal  corporation,  shall  consoli- 
date the  stock,  property  or  franchises  of  such  cor- 
poration with,  or  lease  or  purchase  the  works  or 
franchises  of,  or  in  any  way  control  any  other 
railroad  or  canal  corporation,  owning,  or  having 
under  its  control,  a  parallel  or  competing  line; 
nor  shall  any  officer  of  such  railroad  or  canal  cor- 
poration act  as  an  officer  of  any  other  railroad  or 
canal  corporation,  owning,  or  having  the  control 
of  a  parallel  or  competing  line;  and  the  question 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


59 


whether  railroads  or  canals  are  parallel  or  com- 
peting lines  shall,  vfhen  demanded  by  the  party 
complainant,  be  decided  by  a  jury  as  in  other  civil 
issues. 

Sec.  S.  No  incorporated  company  doing-  the 
business  of  a  common  carrier  shall,  directly  or  in- 
directly, prosecute  or  engage  in  mining  or  manu- 
facturing articles  for  transportation  over  its 
works:  nor  shall  such  company,  directly  or  in- 
directly, engage  in  any  other  business  than  that 
of  common  carriers,  or  hold  or  acquire  lands,  free- 
hold or  leasehold,  directly  or  indirectly,  except 
such  as  shall  be  necessary  for  carrying  on  its 
business;  but  any  mining  or  manufacturing  co:n- 
pany  may  carry  the  products  of  its  mines  and 
manufactories  on  its  railroad  or  canal  not  exceed- 
ing fift3'  miles  in  length. 

Spx.  6.  No  president,  director,  officer,  agent 
or  employe  of  any  railroad  or  canal  company  shall 
be  interested,  directly  or  indirectly,  in  the  furnish- 
ing of  material  or  supplies  to  such  company,  or  in 
the  business  of  transportation  as  a  common  car- 
rier of  freight  or  passengers  over  the  works 
owned,  leased,  controlled  or  worked  by  such  com- 
pany. 

Sec.  7.  No  discrimination  in  charges  or  facil- 
ities for  transportation  shall  be  made  between 
transportation  companies  and  individuals,  or  in 
favor  of  either,  by  abatement,  drawback,  or 
otherwise,  and  no  railroad  or  canal  company,  or 
any  lessee,  manager,  or  employe  thereof,  shall 
make  any  preferences  in  furnishing  cars  or 
motive  power. 

Sec.  8.  No  railroad,  railway  or  other  trans- 
portation company  shall  grant  free  passes,  or 
passes  at  a  discount,  to  an^'  person  except  officers 
or  employes  of  the  company. 

Shc.  9.  No  street  passenger  railway  shall  be 
constructed  within  the  limits  of  anj-  city  borough 
or  township  without  the  consent  of  its  local  au- 
thiirities. 

Sec.  10.  No  railroad,  canal  or  other  trans- 
portation company,  in  existence  at  the  time  of  the 
adoption  of  this  article,  shall  have  the  benefit  of 
any  future  legislation  by  general  or  special  laws, 
except  on  condition  of  complete  acceptance  of 
all  the  provisions  of  this  article. 

Sec.  11.  The  existing  powers  and  duties  of 
the  Auditor  General  in  regard  to  railroads,  canals 
and  other  transportation  companies,  except  as  to 
their  accounts,  are  herebj'  transferred  to  the 
Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs,  who  shall  have  a 
general  supervision  over  them,  subject  to  such 
regulations  and  alterations  as  shall  be  provided  by 
law:  and  in  addition  to  the  annual  reports  now  re- 
quired to  be  made,  said  secretarj'  may  require 
special  reports  at  any  time  upon  any  subject  relat- 
ing to  the  business  of  said  companies  from  any 
officer  or  officers  thereof. 

Skc.  12.  The  general  assembly  shall  enforce, 
by  appropriate  legislation,  the  provisions  of  this 
article. 

ARTICLE  XVIII. 

FUTURE    AMENDMENT.S. 

Sec.  1.  Anj'  amendment  or  amendments  to 
this  constitution  may  be  proposed  in  the  Senate  or 


House  of  Representatives:  and  if  the  same  shall 
be  agreed  to  bj-  a  majority  of  the  members  elected 
to  each  House,  such  proposed  amendment  or 
amendments  shall  be  entered  on  their  journals 
with  the  yeas  and  nays  taken  thereon,  and  the 
Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth  shall  cause  the 
same  to  be  published  three  m<mths  before  the  next 
general  election,  in  at  least  two  newspapers  in 
every  county  in  which  such  newspapers  shall  be 
published,  and  if,  in  the  general  assembly  next 
afterwards  chosen,  such  proposed  amendment  or 
amendments  shall  be  agreed  to  by  a  majority  of 
the  members  elected  to  each  House,  the  Secretary 
of  the  Commonwealth  shall  cause  the  same  again 
to  be  published  in  the  manner  aforesaid;  and  such 
proposed  amendment  or  amendments  shall  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  qualified  electors  of  the  State  in  such 
manner  ano  at  such  time,  at  least  three  months 
after  being  so  agreed  to  by  the  two  Houses,  as  the 
general  assembly  shall  prescribe:  and,  if  such 
amendment  or  amendments  shall  be  approved  by 
a  majority  of  those  voting  thereon,  such  amend- 
ment or  amendments  shall  become  a  part  of  the 
constitution:  but  iif)  amendment  or  amendments 
shall  be  submitted  oftener  than  once  in  five  j-ears. 
When  two  or  more  amendments  shall  be  submitted 
they  shall  be  voted  upon  separately. 

SCHEDULE. 

That  ncj  inconvenience  may  arise  from  the 
changes  in  the  constitution  of  the  commonwealth, 
and  in  order  to  carry  the  same  into  complete 
operation,  it  is  hereby  declared  that: 

Sec.  1.  This  constitution  shall  take  effect  on 
the  first  day  of  January,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  seventy-four,  for  all  purposes 
not  otherwise  provided  fcjr  therein. 

Sec.  2.  Ail  laws  in  force  in  this  common- 
wealth at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  this  consti- 
tution not  inconsistent  therewith,  and  all  rights, 
actions,  prosecutions  and  contracts  shall  continue 
as  if  this  constitution  had  not  been  adopted. 

Sec.  3.  At  the  general  election  in  the  years 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-four  and 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-five, 
senators  shall  be  elected  in  all  districts  where 
there  shall  be  vacancies.  Those  elected  in  the 
year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
four  shall  serve  for  two  years,  and  those  elected  in 
the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  shall  serve  for  one  year.  Senators  now  elect- 
ed and  those  who.se  terms  are  unexpired  shall 
represent  the  districts  in  which  they  reside  until 
the  end  of  the  terms  for  which  they  were  elected. 

Sec.  4.  At  the  general  election  in  the  j-ear 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-six,  sena- 
tors shall  be  elected  from  even  numbered  districts 
to  serve  for  two  years,  and  from  odd  numbered 
districts  to  serve  four  years. 

Sec.  S.  The  first  electiim  of  Governor  under 
this  constitution  shall  be  at  the  general  election  in 
the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
five,  when  a  Governor  shall  be  elected  for  three 
j-ears:  and  the  term  of  the  Governor  elected  in 
the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight,  and  of  those  thereafter  elected,  shall  be  four 


6o 


NELSON- S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


years,  according  to  the  provisions  of  this  con- 
stitution. 

Sec.  6.  At  the  general  election  in  the  year 
one  thousand  eight  liundred  and  seventy-four,  a 
Lieutenant  Governor  shall  be  elected,  according 
to  the  provisions  of  this  constitution. 

Spx.  7.  The  Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs 
shall  be  elected  at  the  first  general  election  after 
the  adoption  of  this  constitution:  and  when  the 
said  officer  shall  be  duly  elected  and  qualified,  the 
office  of  Surveyor  General  shall  be  abolished. 
The  Surveyor  General  in  office  at  the  time  of  the 
adoption  of  this  constitution  shall  continue  in  of- 
fice until  the  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  he 
was  elected. 

Sec.  8.  When  the  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction  shall  be  duly  qualified,  the  office  of 
superintendent  of  common  schools  shall  cease. 

Skc.  9.  Nothingcontained  in  this  constitution 
shall  be  construed  to  render  anj'  person  now  hold- 
ing any  State  office  for  a  first  otlicial  term  inelig- 
ible for  re-election  at  the  end  of  such  term. 

Sec.  10.  The  judges  of  the  supreme  court  in 
office  when  this  constitution  shall  take  effect  shall 
continue  until  their  commissions  severally  expire. 
Two  judges,  in  addition  to  the  number  now  coui- 
posinf^  the  said  court,  shall  be  elected  at  the  first 
general  election  after  the  adoption  of  this  consti- 
tution. 

Sec.  11.  All  courts  of  record,  and  all  existing 
courts  which  are  not  specified  in  this  constitution, 
shall  continue  in  existence  until  the  first  day  of  De- 
cember, in  the  yearoue  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
seventy-five,  without  abridgment  of  their  present 
jurisdiction,  but  no  longer.  The  court  of  first 
criminal  jurisdiction  for  the  counties  of  Schuyl- 
kill, Lebanon  and  Dauphin,  is  hereby  abolished, 
and  all  causes  and  proceedings  pending  therein  in 
the  countj-  of  Scluij'lkill  shall  be  tried  and  dis- 
posed of  in  the  courts  of  oyer  and  terminer  and 
quarter  sessions  of  the  peace  of  said  county. 

Sec.  12.  The  registers'  courts  now  in  exist- 
ence shall  be  abolished  on  the  first  day  of  Janu- 
ary next  succeeding  the  adoption  of  this  consti- 
tution. 

Sec.  13.  The  general  assemblj-  shall,  at  the 
next  session  after  the  adoption  of  this  constitu- 
tion, designate  the  several  judicial  districts,  as  re- 
quired by  this  constitution.  The  judges  in  com- 
mission when  such  designation  shall  be  made  shall 
continue  during  their  unexpired  terras  judges  of 
the  new  districts  in  which  they  reside;  but,  when 
there  shall  be  two  judges  residing  in  the  same  dis- 
trict, the  president  judge  shall  elect  to  which  dis- 
trict he  shall  be  assigned,  and  the  additional  law 
judge  shall  be  assigned  to  the  other  district. 

Skc.  14.  The  general  assembb'  shall,  at  the 
next  succeeding  session  after  each  decennial  cen- 
sus, and  not  of  tener,  designate  the  several  judicial 
districts,  as  required  by  this  constitution. 

Sec.  is.  Judges  learned  in  the  law  of  any 
court  of  record,  holding  commissions  in  force  at 
the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  shall  hold  their 
respective  offices  until  the  expiration  of  the  terms 
for  which  they  were  commissioned,  and  until  their 
successors  shall  be  duly  qualified.  The  Governor 
shall  commission  the  president  judge  of  the  court 


of  first  criminal  jurisdiction  for  the  counties  of 
Schuylkill,  Lebanon  and  Dauphin  as  a  judge  of 
the  court  of  common  pleas  of  Schuylkill  county, 
for  the  unexpired  term  of  his  oflice. 

Skc.  16.  After  the  expiration  of  the  term  of 
any  president  judge  of  any  court  of  common  pleas 
in  commission  at  the  adoption  of  this  constitution, 
the  judge  of  such  court  learned  in  the  law  and  old- 
est in  commission  shall  be  the  president  judge 
thereof;  and  when  two  or  more  judges  arc  elected 
at  the  same  time  in  any  judicial  district,  they  shall 
decide  by  lot  which  shall  be  president  judge;  but 
when  the  president  judge  of  a  court  shall  be  re- 
elected he  shall  continue  to  be  president  judge  of 
that  court.  Associate  judges  not  learned  in  the 
law,  elected  after  the  adoption  of  this  constitu- 
tion, shall  be  commissioned  to  hold  their  offices  for 
the  term  of  five  j-ears  from  the  first  day  of  Janu- 
ary next  after  their  election. 

Sec.  17.  The  general  assembly,  at  the  first 
session  after  the  adoption  of  this  constitution, 
shall  fix  and  determine  the  compensation  of  the 
judges  of  the  supreme  court  and  of  the  judges  of 
the  .several  judicial  districts  of  the  commonwealth; 
and  the  provisions  of  the  thirteenth  section  of  the 
article  on  legislation  shall  not  be  deemed  incon- 
sistent herewith.  Nothingcontained  in  this  con- 
stitution shall  be  held  to  reduce  the  compensation 
now  paid  to  any  law  judge  of  this  commonwealth 
now  in  commission. 

Sec.  18.  The  courts  of  common  pleas  in  the 
counties  of  Philadelphia  and  Allegheny  shall  be 
composed  of  the  present  judges  of  the  district 
court  and  court  of  common  pleas  of  said  counties 
until  their  offices  shall  severally  end,  and  of  such 
other  judges  as  maj-  from  time  to  time  be  selected. 
For  the  purpose  of  first  organization  in  Philadel- 
phia, the  judges  of  the  court  number  one  shall  be 
Judg^es  AUisini,  Pierce  and  Paxson;  of  the  court 
number  two,  Judges  Hare,  Mitchell  and  one  other 
judge,  to  be  elected;  of  the  court  number  three. 
Judges  Ludlow,  Fiuletter  and  Lynd;  and  of  the 
court  number  four.  Judges  Thayer,  Briggs  and 
one  other  judge,  to  be  elected.  The  judge  first 
named  shall  be  the  president  judge  of  said  courts 
respectively,  and  thereafter  the  president  judge 
shall  be  the  judge  oldest  in  commi.ssion;  but  any 
president  judge  re-elected  in  the  same  court  or  dis- 
trict shall  continue  to  be  president  judge  thereof. 
The  additional  judges  for  courts  numbers  two  and 
four  shall  be  voted  for  and  elected  at  the  first 
general  election  after  the  adoption  of  this  consti- 
tution, in  the  same  manner  as  the  two  additional 
judges  of  the  supreme  court,  and  they  shall  decide 
by  lot  to  which  court  they  shall  belong.  Their 
term  of  office  shall  commence  on  the  first  Monday 
of  January,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five. 

Sec.  19.  In  the  county  of  Allegheny,  for  the 
purpose  of  first  organization  under  this  constitu- 
tion, the  judges  of  the  court  of  common  pleas,  at 
the  time  of  the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  shall 
be  the  judges  of  the  court  number  one,  and  the 
judges  of  the  district  court,  at  the  same  date,  shall 
be  the  judges  of  the  common  pleas  number  two. 
The  president  judges  of  the  common  pleas  and 
district  courts   shall    be  president   judge  of   said 


AND  HISTORICAL  liEFEHEyCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


6i 


courts  mimber  one  and  two,  respectively,  until 
their  offices  shall  end;  and  thereafter  the  judg-e 
oldest  in  commission  shall  be  president  judffe;  but 
any  president  judg'e  re-elected  in  the  same  court  or 
district  shall  continue  to  be  president  judge  there- 
of. 

Sec.  20.  The  org-anization  of  the  courts  of 
common  pleas  under  this  constitution  for  the  coun- 
ties of  Philadelphia  and  Allegheny  shall  take 
effect  on  the  first  Monday  of  January,  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  seventy-five,  and  existing 
courts  in  said  counties  shall  continue  with  their 
present  powers  and  jurisdictions  until  that  date, 
but  no  new  suits  shall  be  instituted  in  the  courts 
of  nini prill .1,  after  the  adoption  of  this  constitution. 

Sec.  21.  The  causes  and  proceedings  pending 
in  the  court  of  /iiKipn'iin,  court  of  common  pleas  and 
district  court  in  Philadelphia,  shal'.  be  tried  and 
disposed  of  in  the  court  of  common  pleas.  The 
records  and  dockets  of  said  courts  shall  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  prothonotary's  office  of  the  said 
county. 

Sec.  22.  The  causes  and  proceedings  pending 
in  the  court  of  common  pleas  in  the  countj'  of 
Allegheny,  shall  be  tried  and  disposed  of  in  the 
court  number  one:  and  the  causes  and  proceedings 
pending  in  the  district  courts  shall  be  tried  and 
disposed  of  in  court  number  two. 

Sec.  23.  The  prothonotary  of  the  court  of 
common  pleas  of  Philadelphia,  shall  be  first  ap- 
pointed by  the  judges  of  said  court,  on  the  first 
Monda)'  of  December,  in  the  year  one  tliousand 
eight  hundred  and  seventy-five,  and  the  present 
prothonotary  of  the  district  court,  in  said  county, 
shall  be  the  prothonotary  of  the  said  court  of  com- 
mon pleas  until  said  date,  when  his  commission 
shall  expire;  and  the  present  clerk  of  the  court  of 
oyer  and  terminer  and  quarter  sessions  of  the 
peace,  in  Philadelphia,  shall  be  the  clerk  of  such 
court  until  the  expiration  of  his  present  commis- 
sion, on  the  first  Monday  of  December,  in  the  year 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventj'-five. 

Sec.  24.  In  cities  containing  over  fifty  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  except  Philadelphia,  all  alder- 
men in  office  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  this 
constitution  shall  continue  in  office  until  the  ex- 
piration of  their  commissions:  and  at  the  election 
for  city  and  ward  officers,  in  the  year  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  seventy-five,  one  alderman 
shall  be  elected  in  each  ward,  as  provided  in  this 
constitution. 

Sec.  25.  In  Philadelphia,  magistrates,  in  lieu 
of  alderman,  shall  be  chosen,  as  required  in  this 
constitution,  at  the  election,  in  said  city,  for  city 
and  ward  officers,  in  the  3'ear  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  seventy-five;  their  terra  of  office  shall 
commence  on  the  first  Monday  of  April  succeeding 


their  election.  The  terms  of  office  of  aldermen,  in 
said  cit}',  holding,  or  entitled  to,  commissions  at 
the  time  of  the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  shall 
not  be  affected  thereby. 

Sec.  26.  All  per.sons  in  office  in  this  common- 
wealth, at  the  time  of  theadoptiouof  this  constitu- 
tion, and  at  the  first  election  under  it,  shall  hold 
their  respective  offices  until  the  term  for  which 
they  have  been  elected  or  appointed  shall  expire, 
and  until  their  successors  shall  be  duly  qualified, 
unless  otherwi>c  provided  in  this  constitution. 

Sec.  27.  The  seventh  article  of  this  constitu- 
tion, prescribing  an  oath  of  office,  shall  take  effect 
on  and  after  the  first  day  of  January,  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  seventy-five. 

Sec.  28.  The  terms  of  office  of  county  com- 
missioners and  county  auditors,  cho.sen  prior  to 
the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
five,  which  shall  not  have  expired  before  the  first 
Monday  of  January,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  seventy-six,  shall  expire  on 
that  daj'. 

Sec.  29.  All  State,  county,  city,  ward,  bor- 
ough and  township  officers,  in  office  at  the  time  of 
the  adoption  of  this  constitution,  whose  compensa- 
tion is  not  provided  for  by  salaries  alone,  shall 
continue  to  receive  the  compensation  allowed 
them  by  law  until  the  expiration  of  their  re- 
spective terms  of  office 

Sec.  30.  All  State  and  judicial  officers  hereto- 
fore elected,  sworn,  affirmed,  or  in  office  when  this 
co:.istitution  shall  take  effect,  shall  severallj-,  with- 
in one  month  after  such  adoption,  take  and  sub- 
scribe an  oath  or  affirmation  to  support  this  con- 
stitution. 

Sec.  31.  The  general  assembly,  at  its  first 
session,  or  as  soon  as  may  be,  after  the  adoption 
of  this  constitution,  shall  pass  such  laws  as  may 
be  necessary  to  carry  the  same  into  full  force  and 
effect. 

Sec.  32.  The  ordinance  passed  bj*  this  con- 
vention, entitled  "An  ordinance  for  submitting 
the  amended  Constitution  of  Pennsylvania  to  a 
vote  of  the  electors  thereof,"  shall  be  held  to  be 
valid  for  all  the  purposes  thereof. 

Sec.  33.  The  words  "  count)'  commissioners," 
wherever  used  in  this  constitution  and  in  any  or- 
dinance accompanying  the  same,  shall  be  held  to 
include  the  commissioners  for  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia. 

Adopted  at  Philadelphia,  on  the  third  day  of 
November  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  seventv-three. 

JOHN  H.  WALKER, 
Attest:    D.  L.  Imbrie,  President. 

Chief  Clerk: 


PART    II, 


BIOGRAPHIES  OF  THE  GOVERNORS 


OF 


PENNSYLVANIA. 


LIVES  OF  THg  GOVERNORS  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 

SINCE    THE    ADOPTION    OF    THE    CONSTITUTION    OE    1790. 


[See  General  State  History;    also  Politicai,  Record  in 
General  History  of  Erie    County.  1 


GOVERNORS  UNDER  THE  COXSTI- 

TUTION  OF  1700. 

TnO.M.\S    MIFl-I.IN FIRST    GOVERNOIt. 

Born  in  Philadelphia  in  1744,  of  Qiiaker 
parentage.  After  receiving  a  college  educa- 
tion, visited  Europe.  On  his  return  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits.  Elected  to  the  Assem- 
bly in  1772,  and  to  the  Continental  Congress 
in  1774.  Served  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
beginning  as  major  and  ending  as  major  gen- 
eral. President  of  Congress  in  1783;  held 
numerous  other  official  positions;  president  of 
the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of  17'J0. 
Governor  from  1790  to  1791).  Died  at  Lan- 
caster January  21,  1800.  His  body  is  interred 
in  the  latter  citv. 

THOMAS    m'kEAN SECOND    G0\ERN01t. 

Born  in  Chester  count}-  in  1734.  Lineage, 
Scotch-Irish.  Received  an  academic  educa- 
tion and  admitted  to  the  bar.  Member  of  the 
Slate  Assembly  from  17(>2  to  1709,  and  of  the 
Continental  Congress  from  1774  to  1783. 
Signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
President  of  Congress  in  1781.  Member  of 
the  Convention  which  framed  the  Articles  of 
Confederation  in  1778.  Served  in  the  Conti- 
nental arm}-  in  177(5-7.  President  of  the 
State  of  Delaware  in  1777,  and  Governor  of 
Pennsylvania  from  1799  to  ISOS.  Died  in 
Philadelphia  June  24,  1817. 

SI.MON    SNYDER THIRD    UOVERNOK. 

Born  in  Lancaster  in  1759.  Descent,  Ger- 
man. Learned  the  trade  of  a  tanner.  Be- 
came a  merchant  at  Selinsgrove  in  1784.  Held 
the  position  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  twelve 


years.  Member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1790,  and  speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  of  Pennsylvania  for  six  suc- 
cessive terms.  Chosen  Governor  in  1808  and 
served  until  1817.  Died  November  9,  1819, 
while  a  member  of  the  State  Senate,  and 
buried  at  Selinstrrove. 


WILLI.XM  FI.NDL.VY- 


l-OLRTH  GOVERNOR. 


Born  in  Franklin  county  in  1768.  An- 
cestors, Scotch-Irish.  Received  a  good  Eng- 
lish education,  but  was  unable  to  take  a  col- 
legiate course.  Began  life  as  a  farmer.  Was 
a  Representative  in  the  Legislature  several 
terms,  which  position  he  resigned  to  take  the 
ortice  of  State  Treasurer.  Held  the  latter 
place  ten  years.  Elected  Governor  in  1817, 
and  U.  S.  .Senator  in  1821.  Treasurer  of  the 
V.  S.  Mint  under  President  Jackson.  Died 
at  Harrisburg  November  12,  1846. 

JOSEPH    HIESTER FIFTH    GOVERNOR. 

Born  at  Reading,  of  German  descent,  in 
1752.  Captain  and  major  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  Member  of  the  Legislature  a 
number  of  years ;  delegate  to  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1790  ;  and  Representa- 
tive in  Congress  fifteen  years.  Elected  Gov- 
ernor in  1820.     Died  June  10,  1832. 

JOHN    A.    SHULZE SI.VTH    GOVERNOR. 

Born  at  Tulpehocken,  Berks  county,  in 
1775;  son  of  a  Lutheran  clergyman.  De- 
scent, German.  Studied  theology,  ordained 
as  a  Lutheran  minister,  and  pastor  of  congre- 
gations in  Berks  county  six  years.  Entered 
the  mercantile  business.  Served  three  years 
in  the  State  House  of  Representatives.  Pro- 
thonotary    of    Lebanon    county    eight    years. 


66 


NELSOJ^'S  BIOQRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Elected  to  the  Legislature,  both  as  a  member 
of  the  House  and  Senate.  Chosen  Governor 
in  1828  and  '26.  Died  in  Lancaster  Novem- 
ber 18.  1852. 

CiEORGE     WUI.l- M;\  KNTIl     i;i)\' KKNOlt. 

German  by  descent.  Born  in  Northamp- 
ton county  in  1777.  Received  a  classical  edu- 
cation and  studied  law.  Postmaster  of  Easton 
and  clerk  of  the  Orphans'  Court  of  North- 
ampton county.  Member  of  the  Legislature. 
Congressman  three  terms.  (iovernor  from 
1829  to  1885.  Inauguratetl  the  common  school 
.system.  Comptroller  of  the  U.  S.  Treasury 
in  183(),  and  Collector  of  the  port  of  Phila- 
delphia in  1838.  Died  in  tlie  latter  city 
March    11.  IK-IO. 

JOSlil'll     KIlNElt KH.Iiril     (;0\  EKXOK. 

Born  of  (ierman  lineage  in  Berks  county 
in  1780.  Received  a  very  limited  education. 
Moved  to  Washington  county  and  elected  to 
the  Legislature ;  served  in  the  House  six 
years,  and  Speaker  of  that  body  two  years. 
Chosen  Governor  as  the  anti-Masonic  candi- 
date in  1835.  An  ardent  friend  of  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  strongly  opposed  to  slavery. 
Appointed  Director  of  the  Mint  in  1848. 
Died  in  Cumberland  county,  which  he  had 
made  his  home,  October  K),   1S()'.I. 


UNDER  THE  CONSTITUTION   OF  1.S38. 
D.win    i:.    roRTKit — m.\  rii    (;(i\ek.\oh. 

Born  near  Norristown  in  178S,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  lineage.  Received  an  academic  educa- 
tion. Served  as  assistant  to  iiis  father  in  the 
ofHce  of  Surveyor-General.  Moved  to  Hunt- 
ingdon county  and  became  an  iron  manufac- 
turer. Member  of  the  Assembly  from  181'.)  to 
1821.  Appointed  prothonotary  of  Hunting- 
don county.  State  Senator  two  years.  Elect- 
ed Governor  in  1838  and  1841 .  Died  at  Harris- 
burg  August  6,  1867. 


FRANCIS    K.     SHl'NK TKNTl 


GOVERNOR. 


(ierman  by  descent.  Born  in  Montgomery 
county  in  1788.  Taught  school  when  quite 
young.  Appointed  a  clerk  under  Surveyor- 
General  Porter.  Admitted  to  practice  law. 
First  assistant  and  then  chief  clerk  of  the 
State  House    of    Representatives.     Secretary 


I  to  the  Board  of  Canal  Commissioners.  Secre- 
tary of  the  Commonwealth  uniler  Governor 
Porter.  Located  in  Pittsburg  as  an  attorney. 
Elected  Governor  in  1844,  and  re-elected  in 
1847.  Resigned  on  account  of  sickness  July 
9,  1848,  and  died  at  Harrisburgon  the  BOth  of 
the  same  month. 

VVII.I-IAM        1   .         |01INSrt)N  KI.KN'K.N  1  II        (;(>\- 

ERNOR. 

Born  in  Greensburg  in  bSO.S,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry.  Admitted  to  the  practice  of 
law.  I-ocatcd  in  Armstrong  county  and  ap- 
pointed district  attorney.  .Served  in  the  State 
House  of  Representatives  several  years,  and 
elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  1847.  Chosen 
Speaker  of  the  Senate,  and  became  Governor 
by  virtue  of  the  Constitution,  upon  the  resig- 
nation of  Governor  .Shunk,  in  Ji'lyi  1848. 
Elected  for  the  full  term  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year.  Entered  business  life  upon  his 
retirement.  Died  in  Pittsbiu'g  October  25, 
1  1872. 

1 

WILLIAM     HIGLER IWEI.KTII     (;0\KI!NOR. 

By  descent,  German.  Born  in  Cumber- 
land county  in  1814.    Received  a  limited  tdu- 

!  cation.  Learned  the  printing  trade  at  Belle- 
fonte ;  started  a  paper  in  Clearfield,  which  he 
sold  in  order  to  engage  in  the  lumbering 
business.  Became  a  member  of  the  .State 
Senate,  and  elected  Speaker  of  that  body. 
Served  as  Governor  from  1852  to  1855.  Elect- 
ed U.  S.  Senator  in  1855,  and  held  the  position 

[  si.x  years.  Democratic  nominee  for  Congress 
in  the  Erie  district  in  1864.  Delegate  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1873,  and  act- 
ive in   promoting  the  success  of    the   Centen- 

j   nial  Exposition   of   1876.      Died   at    Clearfield 

!   August  U,  1880. 

'        JAMES     POLLOCK Til  IHTKENII I     GO\ERNOR. 

Born  in  Northumberland  county,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry,  in  1810.  Graduated  from 
Princeton  College.  Admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Milton.      Became    district    attorney,    member 

\  of  Congress  for  three  terms,  and  Presi- 
dent Judge.  Elected  Governor  in  1854. 
Director  of  the  Mint  in  Philadelphia  from 
1861  to  1866,  and  appointed  to  the  same  posi- 
tion in    1869.      Died  in   Philadelphia  April  19. 

:   1890. 


AND  niSTORWAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


67 


WILLIAM      F.      PACKER  FOURTEENTH      GOV- 
ERNOR. 

Of  English-Quaker  descent.  Born  in 
Center  county  in  1807.  Became  a  printer. 
Studied  law.  Edited  papers  at  Williamsport 
and  Harrisburg.  Appointed  Canal  Commis- 
sioner in  1889,  and  Auditor  (ieneral  in  1842. 
Elected  to  the  State  House  of  Representatives 
in  1847  and  '48  (being  vSpeaker  of  the  body 
the  second  year),  and  to  the  State  Senate  in 
1849.  Chosen  Governor  in  1857,  serving  one 
term.  Died  in  Williamsport  September  l'7, 
1870. 

.VNDREW    G.    CUEtTIN K  [  FT  EEN  Til   <;()\' K  K  NOli  . 

Born  in  Bellefonte,  of  Scotch-Irish  stock, 
in  1817.  Received  a  good  education.  Ad- 
mitted to  the  practice  f)f  law  in  liis  native 
town.  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth  and 
Superintendent  of  common  sciiools  from  1855 
to  1858.  Elected  Governor  in  18G0,  and  re- 
elected in  18(53.  Minister  to  Russia  from 
1869  to  1872.  Member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  187B.  Served  three  terms  in 
Congress.    Died  in  Bellefonte  October  7,  1894. 

JOHN     W.   GEAKV SIXTEENTH    GOV^ERN'OR. 

Of  English  and  Scotch-Irish  ancestry. 
Born  in  Westmoreland  county  in  1819.  Be- 
came a  civil  engineer.  Went  to  the  Mexican 
war  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  2d  Pa. 
Reg.,  and  became  its  colonel.  Going  to 
San  Francisco,  became  first  mayor  oi  the  city. 
Returned  to  his  farm  in  Westmoreland  county. 
Appointed  Governor  of  the  Territory-  of 
Kansas  in  1856.  Served  as  a  general  during 
the  war  for  the  Union  with  great  distinction. 
Elected  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  in  1867. 
and  re-elected  in  1870.  Died  in  Harrisburg 
February  8,  1873. 

JOHN      F.      HARTR.VXFI' SEVENTEENlll      i;()\- 

ERNOR. 

Born  in  Montgomery  county,  of  German 
stock,  in  1830.  Received  a  college  training. 
Admitted  to  the  bar.  Entered  the  war  for 
the  Union  as  a  colonel,  and  rose  to  be  a  major 
general.  Elected  Auditor  General  in  18(55 
and  '68,  and  Governor  in  1872  and  '75.  Ap- 
pointed U.  S.  Collector  of  the  port  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  Postmaster  of  tiiat  city.  Died 
October    17,  1889,  and  buried   at  Norristown. 


'  UNDER  THE  CONSTITUTIOX  OF  1873. 

[John     F.     Hartranft.    second     term — see 
above. J 

HKNKV     M.    1U)VT ElOIITEENTH   (;OVEKNOR. 

Born  in  Luzerne  county,  of  New  England 
parentage,  June  8,  1830.  Received  a  college 
education.  Taught  school  several  years.  Ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1853.  Enlisted  in  the 
'  war  for  the  Union  as  a  lieutenant  colonel. 
Mustered  out  as  a  brevet  brigadier  general. 
Appointed  additional  law  judge  of  Luzerne 
i  county  in  1867-  Chairman  of  the  Republican 
'  State  Committee  in  1875-6.  Elected  Gover- 
nor in  1878.  While  Governor  "  broke"  with 
the  .State  Republican  "  machine."  and  wrote 
a  scathing  letter  denouncing  its  methods.  Re- 
sumed the  practice  of  law  in  Wilkesbarre  at 
the  expiration  of  his  term  as  Governor.  Wrote 
a  book  in  favor  of  the  High  Tariff  system. 
Died  in  Wilkesbarre  December  1,  1892. 

ROBERT        E.      PATTI.SOX N  INETEE.VTII      GOV- 
ERNOR. 

Son  of  a  Methodist  Episcopal  clergyman, 
of  English  descent.  Born  in  Maryland  in 
1850.  Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Phila- 
delphia, studied  law.  and  admitted  to  prac- 
tice. Elected  controller  of  Philadelphia  in 
1877,  and  re-elected  in  1880.  Chosen  Gov- 
ernor in  1882.  Appointed  by  President  Cleve- 
land one  of  the  commission  to  investigate  the 
artairs  of  the  Pacific  Railroad  companies.  Be- 
came president  of  a  bank  in  Philadelphia. 
Elected  Governor  the  second  time  in  1890. 
Taken  up  as  the  Reform  candidate  for  mayor 
of  Philadelphia  on  the  expiration  of  his  term 
as  Governor  in  1895,  but  defeated.  Now 
(1895)  practicing  law  in  the  latter  city. 

JAMES     .v.     BEAVER TWENTIETH    GOVERNOR. 

Born,  of  Huguenot  descent,  in  Perry  coun- 
ty, October  21,  1837.  Passed  tiirough  college. 
Commenced  the  practice  of  law  at  Bellefonte. 
Joined  the  local  military  company.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  war  for  the  Union  became 
lieutenant-colonel  of  a  Pennsylvania  regiment. 
Lost  a  leg  in  the  war.  Mustered  out  of  the 
army  as  a  brigadier  general  in  December, 
186)1.  Resumed  his  law  practice  at  Belle- 
fonte. Took  an  active  part  in  politics  on  the 
Republican  side.  Nominated  for  Governor  in 
1882.  and  defeated  through  factional  quarrels. 


68 


NJELSON-S  BIOQRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Renominated  in  1886,  and  elected.  On  the 
close  of  his  term  engaged  largely  in  coal  and 
manufacturing  enterprises.  In  1895  became 
a  Ti'dge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  State. 
a' Presbyterian  by  religion,  and  has  taken  a 
leading  part  in  the  assemblages  of  that  body. 
Living  in  Hellefonte. 

ROBERT       K.     PATTISON TWE.VTV-KIRST     GO\- 

EUNOR. 

[See  above.  | 

DAXIEL    11.    IIASTI.NGS TWEXTY-SECOND    GOV- 
ERNOR. 

Born  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  in  Clinton 
county,  in  1849.     Became  a  school  teacher  at 


15,  and  principal  of  Bellefonte  academy  in 
1867.  Edited  a  paper  in  Bellefonte  for  three 
years.  Admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  latter  place 
in  1875.  Engaged  in  the  mining  of  coal. 
Enlisted  in  the  National  Guard  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  promoted  to  the  colonelcy  of  the 
5th  regiment.  Appointed  Adjutant  General 
of  the  State  in  1887.  Took  charge  of  the  re- 
lief operations  in  Johnstown  at  the  time  of  the 
great  flood  in  1889.  Delegate  to  numerous 
State  and  National  conventions  ot  his  party. 
Active  on  the  stump  in  1888  and  189:2.  Elect- 
ed Governor  in  1894  by  the  largest  majority 
ever  given  in  the  State.  Prominent  in  the 
councils  of  the  M.  E.  Ciuirch. 


PART    III, 


THE  COUNTY  OF  ERIE. 


Descriptive  and  Historical. 


ERIE  60UNTY,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


CHAPTER     I. 


General  Description — Physical  Geography,  &c. 


THE  COUNTY  OF  ERIE  forms  the 
extreme  northwestern  portion  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  is  the  only  section  of  the 
State  that  borders  on  Lake  Erie.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lake  Erie, 
on  the  east  by  Chautauqua  county.  New  York, 
and  Warren  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the 
south  by  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
on  the  west  by  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio.  The 
len<i;th  of  the  county  along  the  lake  is  about 
forty-five  miles,  along  the  Chautauqua  and 
Warren  county  lines  thirty-six  miles,  along 
that  of  Crawford  county  forty-five  miles,  and 
along  the  Ohio  line  nine  miles.  It  contains 
772  square  miles,  or  about  500, ()()()  stjuare 
acres.  Its  mean  or  center  latitude  is  forty-two 
degrees  north,  and  its  longitude  is  three 
degrees  west  from  Washington. 

The  surface  of  the  county  is  divided  into 
five  distinct  sections,  viz.  :  The  Lake  Shore 
plain,  the  series  of  dividing  ridges,  the  valleys 
between  the  ridges,  the  valleys  of  French 
creek  and  its  tributaries,  and  the  high  lands 
south  of  the  last-named  stream. 

Four  separate  ranges  of  hills  extendi  across 
the  county  from  east  to  west,  known  respect- 
ively as  the  First,  Second,  Third  and  Fourth 
ridges.  The  First  ridge  rises  to  a  height  of 
150  to  200  feet  above  Lake  Erie,  the  Second 
to  about  400,  and  the  height  of  the  Third  and 
Fourth  ridges  varies  from  600  to  1,200  feet, 
their  most  elevated  summits  being  in  the  east- 
ern portion  ofMcKean,  the  western  portion  of 
Waterford,  the  northern  portion  of  \'enango, 
the  southern  part  of  Greenfield,  and  in  tiie 
vicinit)'  of  Cony.  The  separation  of  the 
ridges  becomes  more  clearly  defined  along  a 
line  drawn  through  Harbor  Creek,  Mill  Creek, 
Summit,  Waterford  and  McKean  townships 
than  further  east ;  but  from  there  westward 
each  ridge  is  as  distinct  as  though  it  belonged 


to  a  system  of  its  own.  As  the  Third  and 
Fourth  ridges  extend  westward  they  recede 
from  the  lake  until  they  run  into  Crawford 
county. 

PKINCIPAI.    V.XLLEYS. 

Three  continuous  valleys  cross  the  county 
between  the  ridges,  from  the  line  above  men- 
tioned, broken  in  places  by  slight  elevations, 
and  known  in  succession  as  the  Mill  Creek, 
the  Walnut  Creek  and  the  Elk  Creek  valleys. 
These  streams  rise  on  the  high  ground  of  the 
Third  and  Fourth  ridges,  and,  after  flowing 
westward  for  some  distance  down  their  re- 
spective valleys,  suddenly  turn  to  the  north 
and  break  through  the  First  and  Second  ridges 
by  a  series  of  deep  "gulfs"  or  gullies,  which 
are  a  striking  feature  of  the  region.  North  of 
the  First  ridge,  and  between  it  and  Lake  Erie, 
is  a  broad  alluvial  tract,  from  two  to  three 
miles  in  width,  which  extends  along  the  whole 
water  front  of  the  county.  Its  general  height 
above  the  lake  is  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet,  but 
in  the  eastern  part  of  Harbor  Creek  township 
its  elevation  suddenly  rises  to  nearly  1(X)  feet 
and  so  continues  almost  to  the  New  York 
line. 

South  of  the  dividing  ridges  are  the  valleys 
of  French  creek  and  of  the  streams  which 
empty  into  it,  and  still  beyond  are  the  hills 
which  form  the  water-shed  between  that 
stream  and  Brokenstraw,  Spring  and  Oil 
creeks.  The  water  on  the  north  side  of  the 
main  ridge  flows  into  Lake  Erie,  and  on  the 
south  side  to  the  Allegheny  river.  The 
dividing  line  between  the  waters  is  some  eight 
miles  south  of  Lake  Erie  in  Greenfield  and 
Greene  townships,  twelve  miles  in  Summit, 
fourteen  in  Waterford,  McKean  and  Wasli- 
ington,and  sixteen  in  Franklin  and  Elk  Creek. 
Along  French.  Walnut,  Elk,  Conneaut,  Mill, 


72- 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPUICAL  DICTIOJSARY 


Big  Conneauttee,  Little  Conneaiittee  and  Le- 
Boeiif  creeks,  Hatch  iloUovv  Alder  run, 
Beaver  Dam  run,  and  the  outlet  of  Lake 
Pleasant  arc  very  handsome  valleys,  from  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  to  more  than  a  mile  in 
width. 

HIGHEST    KLEVATIONS. 

The  State  Geological  Report  gives  the  fol- 
lowing as  the  elevation  above  tide-water  of 
the  points  named  :  Surface  of  Lake  Erie, 
578  7-10  feet;  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R. 
summit  between  Walnut  and  LcBoeuf  Creeks, 
1,229;  hill  tops  on  each  side  of  the  same  sum- 
mit, 1,355;  hill  tops  in  western  Waterford 
and  eastern  McKean,  1,4:70;  Philadelphia  & 
Erie  Railroad  station  at  Union  City,  1,270; 
hill  tops  southwest  of  Union  City,  1,301  ;  rail- 
road station  at  Corry,  1,131  ;  hill  tops  east  of 
Corry,  1,500;  hill  tops  south  of  Cony,  1,725; 
hill  tops  along  the  Little  Conneauttee,  1,196; 
hill  tops  southwest  of  Edinboro,  1,400. 

The  same  report  gives  the  following  as  the 
barometric  elevations  above  Lake  Erie  : 

Feet. 

Corry  (depot) 854 

Union  City  (P.  &  E.  depot) V28 

Nortli  East  (L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R   R.) 231 

Moorheads  (L.  .S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.) 195 

Harbor  Creek  (L.  S.  it  M.  S.  R.  R.) 157 

WeslevviUe  (L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.) 124 

Erie  (L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.) 113 

Swanville  (L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.) 152 

Fairview  (L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.) 162 

Girard  (L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.) 144 

Sprinj,'field  (L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.) 90 

Concord  Station  (N.  Y.,  P.  &  O.  R.  R.) 788 

Union  City  (N.  Y.,  P.  &  O.  R.  R.) 738 

Mill  Villag-e  Station  (N.  Y.,  P.  &  O.  R.  R.) 643 

Beaver  Dam 862 

Eagle  Hotel,  Waterford 612 

Cross  Roads  at  Cranesville 382 

Girard  Junction  (E.  &  P.  R.  R.) 124 

Crosses  (E.  &  P.  R.  R.) 192 

Albion  (E.  &  P.  R.  R.) 2S4 

Belle  Valley  (Pliila.  &  E.  R.  R.) 434 

Langdon's  (Pliila  &  E.  R.  R.) 562 

Jackson's  (Pliila.  &  E.  R.  R.) 657 

Waterford  (Pliila.  &  E.  R.  R.) 620 

LeBn:uf  (Pliila.  &  E.  R.  R.) 644 

Lovell's  (Phila.  &  E.  R.  R.) 791 

Cedar  Ridge,  Concord  Town-ship 1285 

Greenfield  P.  O 852 

Wattsburg 752 

Cross  Roads  at  Middleboro 497 

Franklin  P.  0 667 

IIIE     PENINSULA. 

Jutting  out  from  the  mainland,  in  Mill 
Creek  township,  is  the   peninsula   of  Presque 


Isle,  which  forms  the  bay  of  Presque  Isle,  the 
harbor  of  the  city  of  Erie.  It  is  a  low  sand 
bank,  washed  up  by  the  action  of  the  waves, 
some  six  miles  in  length,  and  varving  in  width 
from  a  few  rods  to  a  mile  and  a  half.  Except 
at  its  head  and  foot,  it  is  covered  witii  trees 
and  shrubs  of  almost  every  variety  that  grows 
in  this  latitude.  The  peninsula  is  indented 
with  several  shallow  ponds,  one  or  two  of 
which  run  half  way  across.  [For  a  fuller  ac- 
count of  the  peninsula  and  the  improvements 
for  its  protection  see  Chapter  \'I.  ;  also  Erie 
City.] 

CHAIi/.CTEIi    OI-     Till-:    SOU,. 

In  general,  the  Lake  Shore  plain  lias  a 
sandy  soil,  while  immediately  south  of  it, 
along  the  First  ridge,  is  a  wide  and  continu- 
ous strip  of  gravel.  The  valleys  between  the 
ridges  are  a  mixture  of  loam,  clay  and  sand, 
making  a  mellow  soil  that  is  easy  to  work. 
On  the  high  lands  and  slopes  of  the  ridges  the 
soil  is  mostly  of  a  clayey  nature,  somewhat 
damp  and  cold.  That  of  the  valleys  of  the 
French  creek  system  is  a  rich  alluvial  de- 
posit corresponding  in  character  to  bottom 
lands  the  country  over. 

The  lands  bordering  on  Lake  Erie  are 
generally  regarded  as  the  best  in  the  county 
for  grain  and  fruits.  This  favored  section 
produces  everything  that  is  common  to  the 
north  temperate  zone.  The  lake  moderates  the 
climate  so  that  it  is  less  troubled  by  frosts 
than  regions  many  miles  south,  and  as  fine 
melons,  grapes,  peaches,  strawberries,  etc., 
are  raised  as  in  any  part  of  the  State.  A  belt 
of  swamp  land  about  half  a  mile  wide  origi- 
nally extended  along  the  Lake  Shore  plain,  in 
an  east  and  west  direction,  from  Twelve-Mile 
creek  to  the  Ohio  boundary.  Most  of  this 
has  been  drained,  and  is  now  fertile  land. 
The  valleys  of  the  French  creek  system  are 
all  rich,  but  are  subject  to  frosts,  which  pre- 
vent the  successful  culture  of  the  more  deli- 
cate fruits.  On  the  high  lands  the  frosts  are 
less  troublesome,  but  the  nature  of  the  soil 
adapts  them  best  for  grazing.  Off  of  the  lake 
shore  the  attention  of  the  farmers  is  mainly 
given  to  dairying,  which  may  be  said  to  be 
the  leading  agricultural  industry  of  the  county. 
Aside  from  wheat,  every  kind  of  grain  does 
well  in  all  sections.  That  grain  has  of  late 
years,  however,  been  grown  with  consider- 
able success  in  various  portions  of  the  coun- 


AND  niSTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


73 


ty  south  of  the  lake  shore,  and  it  is  possible 
that  in  time  it  will  be  generally  cultivated. 
The  apple  crop  is  everywhere  sure  and  pro- 
lific. Large  quantities  of  this  fruit  and  of  po- 
tatoes are  annually  shipped  to  the  Southern 
and  Eastern  markets. 

The  highest-priced  farming  lands  are  in 
the  vicinity  of  Erie,  Girard,  North  Easl, 
Fairview  and  Watcford,  and  the  lowest- 
priced  in  Greenfield,  Elk  Creek.  Franklin  and 
Wayne. 

CLIMATE,    (JEOI.OGV    AND    TIMHEH. 

The  climate  is  more  moderate  than  would 
be  thought  from  the  high  northern  latitude. 
The  county  lies  within  the  same  isothermal 
lines  as  Philadelphia  and  Eastern  Pennsjl- 
vania  generally,  but,  while  the  average  tem- 
perature corresponds  with  that  section,  there 
is  less  sultry  weather  in  summer  and  more 
piercing  wind  in  winter  and  spring.  This  is 
due  to  the  proximity  of  Lake  I2rie,  which,  as 
stated  above,  has  a  wonderful  effect  upon  the 
atmosphere.  To  the  same  influence  is  due  tiie 
fact  that  spring  sets  in  from  one  to  two 
weeks  earlier  on  the  lake  shore  than  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  county.  It  some- 
times happens  that  good  sleighing  prevails  in 
the  southern  townships  when  the  ground  is 
bare  along  the  lake.  The  winters  and  sum- 
mers are  about  of  ecjual  length,  but  it  is  seldom 
that  either  are  extreme.  For  six  months  in 
the  year  the  county  is  as  delightful  a  place  of 
residence  as   the   most  fastidious  could  desire. 

A  peculiarity  of  the  county  is  the  scarcity 
of  stone,  which  is  not  sufficient  in  Cjuantity 
for  ordinarj-  home  use.  The  only  quarries  of 
much  account  are  in  Franklin,  I^eBo'uf,  Sum- 
mit and  Waterford  townsiiips,  and  these  do 
not  consist  of  vast  masses  of  rock,  but  are 
merely  thin  layers,  one  above  the  other,  rang- 
ing from  five  to  twenty  feet  in  total  thick- 
ness. The  stone  is  hard,  of  good  quality  and 
easily  worked,  but  is  saturated  with  oil,  which 
causes  it  to  blemish  after  exposure.  Small 
quarries  exist  in  Fairview,  ^^'ashingl()n.  Am- 
ity, Venango,  McKean  and  Union,  but  are 
rarely  worked  to  advantage. 

The  first  settlers  found  the  country  cover- 
ed with  a  dense  forest,  consisting  mainly  of 
pine,  hemlock,  chestnut,  walnut,  cherry,  cu- 
cumber, beech  and  maple.  Perhaps  two-thirds 
of  the  land   has  been  cleared,   and   but    little 


good  timber  is  left.  The  pine  and  hemlock  of 
the  French  valley  were  largely  rafted  to  Pitts- 
burgh. That  of  the  lake  shore  was  shipped 
to  Cleveland,  Buffalo  and  Xew  York  markets. 
The  county  does  not  furnish  building  mater- 
ial enough  now  for  home  use. 

MINERALS,    OIL    WELLS.    ETC. 

No  minerals  of  any  kind  have  ever  been 
found  in  the  county,  except  small  deposits  of 
iron,  of  the  grade  known  as  bog  ore,  in  Mill 
Creek  and  Elk  Creek  townships,  and  a  few 
unimportant  beds  of  marl  in  Waterford, 
Wayne  and  LeBrpuf. 

Mineral  springs,  the  waters  of  which 
are  of  a  medicinal  character  have  been  discover- 
ed in  different  localities.  One  in  Elk  Creek 
township  and'another  in  Erie,  near  the  corner 
of  Eighth  and  Chestnut  streets,  were  once 
quite   widely   known. 

In  early  days  a  number  of  salt  wells  wer<- 
put  down  at  various  points,  and  the  manu- 
facture of  salt  was  carried  on  to  a  considerable 
extent.  The  most  valuable  of  these  were 
along  the  East  branch  of.  Conneaut  creek, 
near  Wellsburg.  A  salt  spring  still  flows  in 
Springfield,  and  salt  licks  prevailed  in  almost 
every   township. 

Many  test  wells  for  oil  have  been  bored, 
nearly  every  section  having  had  from  three  to 
half  a  dozen  experiments  of  that  character. 
With  scarcely  an  exception,  a  small  yield  of 
oil  has  resulted,  but  not  enough  to  encourage 
the  belief  that  it  will  be  found  in  paying 
quantities.  The  Althof  well  in  Erie  produc- 
ed oil  enough  for  several  years  to  warrant  the 
expense  of  pumping.  The  oil  that  has  been 
secured  is  of  the  heavy  kind  used  for  lubricat- 
ing purposes.     [See  Erie  City  ]. 

Natural  gas  is  found  almost  everywhere 
by  boring.  The  wells  put  down  for  oil  have 
invariably  yielded  gas  in  a  heavy  volume,  and 
it  has  been  used  in  numerous  instances  for 
light  and  fuel.  In  the  course  of  time,  the  gas 
diminishes  and  flu-  wells  lose  their  value. 
[See  Erie  City  j. 

Tamarack  Swamp,  in  the  northeast  part 
of  Waterford  and  the  eastern  part  of  McKean 
townships,  is  about  two  miles  long  by  1(X) 
rods  wide.  Its  waters  flow-  into  Lake  Le- 
Bcruf.  Portions  of  the  swamp  have  been 
drained,  leaving  a  rich,  black  mold  that  is  very 
productive. 


CHAPTER     II 


County,  Towxsiiip,   City    and    Borouc;ii    Organizations — Post    Offices — Boundary 
Link — Table  of  Distances  from  Erie,  &c. 


PREVIOUS  to  the  24th  of  September, 
1788,  all  of  the  State  lying  west  of  the 
Allegheny  mountains  was  embraced 
in  Westmoreland  and  Washington 
counties.  On  that  date,  the  section 
north  of  the  Ohio  and  west  of  the  Allegheny 
to  the  Ohio  line  was  set  off  as  a  new  county, 
which  was  named  after  the  latter  river.  Pitts- 
burgh was  designated  as  its  county  seat.  The 
population  was  sparse,  and  it  was  not  until 
ten  years  later  that  a  necessity  arose  in  the 
Northwest  for  a  separate  organization.  On 
the  4th  of  April,  1798,  Erie  township  was 
erected  with  the  identical  limits  of  the  present 
county. 

Erie,  Butler,  Beaver,  Crawford,  Mercer, 
Venango  and  Warren  counties  were  created 
by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  approved  March 
12, 1800,  their  seats  of  justice  being  named  at 
the  same  time.  Being  unable  to  sustain  a 
separate  organization,  five  of  these,  Erie, 
Crawford,  Mercer,  Venango  and  Warren, 
were  joined  as  one  county  for  governmental 
purposes,  with  the  general  title  of  Crawford 
county,  under  the  act  of  April  0,  l&Ol.  The 
county  seat  was  at  Meadville,  and  one  set  of 
county  officers  and  one  member  of  the  Assem- 
bly served  for  the  whole  five.  This  relation 
continued  until  1803.  when  the  first  county 
officers  were  elected  in  Erie  county. 

ORIGINAL      townships      AND      FORMATION       OF 
NEW    ONES. 

The  townships  originally  establisiied  in 
Erie  county  weresixteen  in  numberas  follows  : 
Brokenstraw,  Beaver  Dam,  "  Coniaute," 
"  Conniat,"  Elk  Creek,  Fairview,  Greenfield, 
Harbor  Creek,  "  LeBoeuff ,"  Mill  Creek,  Mc- 
Kean,  North  East,  Springfield,  Lfnion,  Ve- 
nango and  Waterford. 

The  following  townships  have  been  added, 
making  twenty-one  in  all  :  Amity,  Franklin, 


Girard,   Summit,  Wayne. 

The  name  of  Brokenstraw  was  changed  to 
Concord  in  1821. 

Amity  was  taken  from  Union  in  1820. 

Wayne  was  formed  out  of  Concord  in  1)S20. 

Girard  was  set  oft"  from  Elk  Creek,  Fair- 
view  and  Springfield  in  1882. 

The  name  of  "  Coniaute  "'  was  changed  to 
Washington  in   1834. 

That  of  Beaver  Dam  was  changed  to 
Greene  in  1840. 

Franklin  was  created  out  of  parts  of  Wash- 
ington, McKean  and  Elk  Creek  in. 1844. 

Summit  was  formed  out  of  Greene,  Water- 
fonl  and  McKean  in  1854. 

cities  and    boroughs. 

The  cities  and  boroughs   are  as    follows  : 

Cities. — Erie  and  Corry,  2. 

Boronff/is. — Albion,  East  Springfield,  Ed- 
inboro,  Elgin,  Fairview,  Girard,  Lockport, 
Middleboro,  Mill  Village,  North  East,  Union 
City,  Wattsburg  and   Waterford,  13. 

Erie  was  incorporated  as  a  borough  in  1805, 
having  previously  formed  a  part  of  Mill  Creek 
township  ;  divided  into  two  wards  in  1840; 
granted  a  city  charter  in  1851  ;  and  divided 
into  four  wards  in  1858.  South  Erie  was  set 
off  from  Mill  Creek  township  and  incorpora- 
ted as  a  borough  in  18GG;  consolidated  with 
the  city  in  1870,  and  became  the  Fifth  and 
Sixth  wards,  some  additions  h:iving  been 
made  from  Mill  Creek  township. 

The  following  shows  the  years  in  which 
the  several  boroughs  were  incorporated : 
Waterford,  1833;  Wattsburg,  1834;  North 
East,  1884;  Edinboro,  1840;  Girard,  1846; 
Albion,  1861 ;  Middleboro,  1861  ;  Union  Mills, 
1863;  Fairview,  1868;  Mill  Village,  1870; 
Lockport,  1870;  Elgin,  1876 ;  East  Spring- 
field, 1887. 

Corry   was    established    as   a    borough    in 


AND  UISTOlilCAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   VOUNTY. 


75 


1863,  and  granted  a  city  charter  in  1866.  It 
is  divided  into  the  First,  Second,  Third  and 
Fourth  ^vards. 

The  name  of  Union  Mills  borough  was 
changed  to  Union  City  July  4,  1871. 

ELECTION      DISTRICTS. 

The  election  districts  of  the  county,  with 
the  changes  from  time  to  time,  are  shown  in 
the  tables  of  the  Presidential  vote,  as  given  in 
the  chapter  devoted  to  political  subjects. 

I'OST    OFFICES     IX    THE    COUNTY. 

The  following  are  the  post  offices  in  the 
county,  with  the  townships  in  which  those 
outside  of  the  cities  and  boroughs  are  located  : 

Albion  (borough);  Arbuckle,  Amity 
township:  Avonia  (Fairview  Station),  Fair- 
view  township;  Belle  Valley,  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship ;  Boscobel  (Six-Mile  Creek),  (jreene 
township;  Cherry  Hill,  Conneaut  township; 
Clipper,  Greene  township;  Corry  (city); 
Cranesville,  Elk  Creek  township;  Delhil, 
Greenfield  township;  East  Gieene,  Greene 
township;  East  Sprmgtield  (borough)  ;  Edin- 
boro  (borough)  ;  Elgin  (borough) ;  Erie  (city) ; 
Fairplain,  (Jirard  township;  I'^iirview  (bor- 
ough) ;  Ferdinand,  Union  township;  Francis, 
Girard  township  ;  Franklin  Corners,  Franklin 
township;  Girard  (borough);  (jodard,  Summit 
township  ;  Greenfield,  Greenlield  township  ; 
Hamot,  Greene  township;  Harbor  Creek,  Har- 
bor Creek  township;  Hatch  Hollow,  Amity 
township;  Hornby,  Greenfield  township;  Itley 
(Draketown) ,  Washington  township  ;  Ivarea, 
Franklin  township;  Juva,  Waterford  town- 
ship; Katan  (Carter  Hill),  Wayne  town- 
ship; Kearsarge,  Mill  Creek  township; 
Keepville,  Conneaut  township;  Lake  Pleas- 
ant (Mill  Town),  V'enango  township;  Lav- 
erv.  Elk  Creek  township  ;  LeBanif,  LeBoeuf 
township;  Eittle  Elk,  Elk  Creek  township; 
Lovell's  Station,  Concord  township;  Low- 
ville,  Venango  township;  Lundy's  Lane 
(Wellsburg),  Elk  Creek  township:  McKean 
(Middleboro) ;  Mcl^allen's  Corners,  Washing- 
ton township;  McLane,  Washington  town- 
ship; Miles  Grove  (Girard  Station),  Girard 
township;  Mill  Village  (borough);  Moorhead- 
ville,  Harbor  Creek  township ;  Mystic,  Le- 
Boeuf  township  ;  Nasby,  Greenfield  township  ; 
North  East  (borough);  North  Springfield. 
Springfield  township  ;  Northville,  North  East 


township;  Ovid  (Beaver  Dam),  Wayne 
township;  Pennside,  Conneaut  township; 
Phillipsville,  Venango  township  ;  Platea 
(Lockpori  borough)  ;  Pont.  Elk  Creek  town- 
ship ;  Sibleyville,  McKean  township  (near 
Waterford  line)  ;  Sterrettania,  McKean  town- 
ship; Swanville,  Fairview  township;  Teller, 
Amity  township  ;  Tracj-,  Conneaut  township  ; 
Union  City  (borough);  Wannetta  (Albion 
depot),  Conneaut  township  ;  Waterford  (bor- 
ough); Wattsbiirg  (borough);  Wesley ville. 
Harbor  Creek  township  ;  West  Greene,  Greene 
township  ;  West  Mill  Creek,  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship ;  West  Springfield,  Springfield  township  : 
Wheelock,  Wayne  township. 

Erie,  Corry,  North  East  and  Union  City 
are  ''Presidential  offices,"'  their  incumbents 
being  appointed  by  the  President  and  subject 
to  confirmation  by  the  Senate. 

The  following  are  money  order  oflices  : 
Albion,  Corry,  Edinboro,  Erie,  Fairview. 
Girard,  Harbor  Creek,  Lundy's  Lane,  Mill  Vil- 
lage, Miles  Grove,  North  East,  Northville, 
North  Springfield,  Platea,  Union  City,  Water- 
ford, Wattsburg,  West  Springfield. 

Erie  is  the  only  letter  carrier  office. 

liOUNDARV    LINES    BETWEEN    EltlE    AND   CRAW- 
FORD   COUXTIKS. 

The  boundary  line  between  Erie  and  Craw- 
ford counties  was  long  a  subject  of  dispute. 
To  settle  the  question,  the  Legislature  passed 
an  act  at  the  session  of  1849-fiO,  providing  for 
'  three  commissioners  to  run  a  new  line,  who 
t  were  given  full  power  to  act,  and  whose  deci- 
sion should  be  final.  In  1850.  Humphrey  A. 
Hills,  then  of  Albion,  was  appointed  commis- 
sioner for  Erie  county  :  Andrew  Ryan  was 
appointed  for  Crawford,  and  they  two  named 
H.  P.  Kinnear,  of  Warren,  as  the  third  mem- 
ber. Wilson  King  was  chosen  surveyor  on 
the  part  of  Erie,  and  Mr.  Jagger  on  that  of 
Crawford;  but  David  Wilson,  as  deputy  for 
Mr.  King,  did  most  of  the  work.  A  perfectly 
straight  line  was  run  from  east  to  west,  and 
marked  by  stones  set  two  miles  apart.  The 
commission  added  a  long,  narrow  strip  of 
territory  to  Erie  county,  which  is  usually 
outlined  upon  the  county  and  township  maps. 
A  number  of  persons  found  themselves  in  Erie 
who  had  supposed  they  were  citizens  of  Craw- 
ford, and  a  less  number  in  Crawford  who  had 
imagined  they  belonged  to  Erie. 


76 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


DISTANCES    FKOM    ERIE. 

The  distances  from  Erie,  as  adopted  by  the 
county  coniniissioners  May  1,  1882,  and  fol- 
lowed in  computin<^  the  pay  of  jiuor*.  wit- 
nesses, etc.,  are  here  given  : 

Miles. 

Albion 27 

Belle  Valley 4 

Branchville 12 

Beaver  Dam 26 

Cherry  Hill 28 

Corry 38 

Cranesville 28 

Cross's  20 

Edinboro 20 

East  Spring-field 21 

Elgrin 32 

Fairview 12 

Franklin  Center  (Franklin  Corners  P.  O.) 17 

Girard 18 

Greenfield 18 

Harbor  Creek 8 

Hatch  Hollow 24 

Kearsarg-e 4 


Keepville 28 

Jackson's 12 

Lockport  (Platea  P.  O.) 22 

Lowvillc 18 

lycxinf^ton 24 

Lovell's 34 

LeBijcut  Station 23 

McLallen's  Corners 22 

Moorheadville 11 

McLane 14 

Middlrboro  (McKeau  P.  O.) 10 

Miles  Grove 16 

Milltown  (Lake  Pleasant  P.  O.) IS 

Mill  Village 25 

North  East 16 

Phillipsville 14 

Pageville 28 

Sterrettania 10 

Swanville 9 

St.  Boniface  (Haraot  P.  O.) 8 

Union  City 27 

West  Greene  12 

Wesley ville 4 

West  Sprin jjfield 25 

Wellsburg  (Lundy's  Lane  P.  O.) 28 

Wattsburg 20 

Waterford 20 


CHAPTER     III. 


Population    ISO)  to    1!S'J0,   Inclusive — Acreage   of  the  Several  Townships — Taxa- 
ki.es — Valuations  and  Taxes  i-oit  1895 — County  Receipts  and  Expenses,  &c. 


THE  first  census  of  the  county  was  taken 
in  1800,  and  has  been  renewed  every 
ten  years  under  the  auspices  of  the 
United  States  authorities.  Up  to  1840, 
the  enumeration  was  made  bv  one  per- 
son for  tlie  whole  countv.  In  the  latter  vear 
the  county  was  cut  up  into  two  districts,  and 
since  then  the  number  of  enumerators  has  been 
regularly  increased  at  each  census.  The  coun- 
ty contained  1,468  inhabitants  in  1800,  and 
3,758  in  1810.  Below  is  the  result  of  the 
enumerations  from  18:20  to  1890,  inclusive  of 
both  years  : 


1820.  1830.  iSm.  i  1850.  18U0.  18T0.  1880. 1  1890. 


Albion 

Amity 

Couneaul  (o) 

Coneoi*d  (b) 

Corry 

Elk  Creek  (c' 

Elpin 

EQlnboro 

Erie 

Fairview  Townablpld) 
Fairview    Boroug-h. 

Franklin 

Glrard  Townshlp(c) 

Girard  Borough 

Gi^ene  ifi 

Greenfield  ..- 

Harbor  Creek 

Loekport ' 

LeBoeuf(Jf) I     aB 

McKean((() «0 

Middleboro ' - 

MUlCreekdi) l.(J01 

Mill  Villai-e 

Norlli  East  Twp.  (i)  ..    l.OtB 
North  KaBt   Borough.. 

.Sprintrfield  (J)  (pi 

Summit 

Union  Township  (*)... 

Union  Cit.v 

Venanpo  (/) 

Watlsbnrff 

Waterford  Twp.  li»)... 
Waterford  Borough... 

Washington  ui) 

Wayne  (<») — 


385 

LSil 

225 


at» 

1.7W!' 
ti52 


73!) 
I.IMJ 


fi35l  l.«>5 
5361  1  j29 


8% 


200 


290 


579 
438 


MB 
I.IW 


98< 


1.783 


1.K15:  1.5.15 


232 
3.412 
1.481 


21.4 
1.71)1 


1.081 

8>12l 


2,44,1 

4U0 
l..>42' 

731 
2.USt 


1.714 

2,832 

'i.793 

339 

2.314 


.1. 


443i 

i.oo;' 
2.118;  1, 
1,215    I. 

■i,'5S7  i: 

"4T4 

•j.iv.i  i;i, 

2.131    1. 

I 
'jral 

2.453  2. 

«1« 

l.4:t7  1, 

873  i  1. 

2.H!:i  1. 


452  4,33 

VU  l.(W 

,6:ts  i..>iii; 

,4);8  1.171 
.SI9   5.277 

,4tl!  1.5«>4: 
l.>»| 

sill  STC 
fM  2:.7:(7 

,t~4  1,48.' 

4.>4J  415 

VM  I.ICU 

,018  2.i;« 

7m 


593 


990 
1,9I«! 


,48; 

l,5t«    1 


i.:m 
l.U.ni 
1.7.-il 

:u.i 


74S    1.42U 


811 

132 

1.144 

40:i 

Lml 

738 


l.MM 
2111 
3.064   5,070   2,744    3,2ru 

2.I.VJ 

l.:«i 

1.7'.t.' 

.in:  i.wr 
.xu  l.:i7r 
,500   2,171 


2,379| 

:iS7' 

l,!14l)| 

"i,071ii 


l.ito 

1.71*; 
i,i2;l 


1.854:  2. 

5Hj 

1,!151  1 

1.0:18  1, 

1.949  1 

...  -j  1. 

1J8;'  1, 

:f?.i 

l.'.ri.;  1 

'iVi 

l.'M-i  1 

i,38i;  1 


mi 

l2o 


313 

•.«:0 


1.445 

:w 

l,8-» 

7,-41 

1.S^0 

i.3ui; 


'UK 

913 

l.SSti 

991 

1.325 
nil 

i.iij; 

1.3.5 
»ii 
9.;t 

2.2.-4) 

i;x 
\M\ 
1.4:1",' 

l.rVill 

3,0 

1.315 

l.:t») 

l'.«'i 

3.3?9 

.330 

2.124 

l..i.i8 

i.ia2 

IKH 

l.:»i 
2.2(;i 

1.351 
383 

1..>)J 
8.38 

1.790 

1.134 


I  ft  Known  as  Beaver  Daui  until  1840.  A  part  of  Summit  taken 
off  in  18.51. 

(ffi  Mill  Village  iiicoi-porated  in  1870.  after  the  census  was 
taken. 

t'.n  A  portion  of  Fi'anklln  cut  off  in  1844  and  of  Summit  In  1851. 
Middleboro  incoi-porjited  in  18t;l. 

ih'  South  F.rie  incorporated  as  a  borough  In  18tB.  and  added  to 
Erie  in  1S70.  when  another  slice  was  taken  from  the  township. 
By  the  census  of  18,J|.  Ea.sl  Mill  Creek  contained  a  population  of 
1.305  and  West  Mill  Creek  of  3-l>;>. 

Hi  North  East  Borough  incorporated  in  I8:i4. 

(J)  A  portion  of  Girai-d  taken  off  in  1832.  and  of  Couneaut  add- 
ed in  lS:i). 

(M  Amitv  taken  off  in  182j.    Union  Borough  In  1863. 

t/)  Wattsburg  incorporated  in  18;M. 

im)  Waterford  Borough  incorporated  In  1833.  A  part  of  Sum- 
mit taken  off  in  i-^M. 

tji)  Knowni  as  "  Coniaiite"  till  KU.  Edinboro  incorporated  In 
1840.    A  portion  of  Franklin  cut  off  in  1844. 

l<*»  A  slice  eiu  off  to  form  Corr.v  Borough  In  18*13,  and  another 
in  the  creation  of  Corry  City  in  18)K. 

[p)  Inclusive  of  East  Springfield  Borough, 

ERIE     CITY. 

The  following  was  the  population  of  Erie 
City  by  wards  in  1870,  1880  and  1890: 

1870.  1880.  1890. 

First  Ward 3,364  4,629  6,492 

Second    "     5,031  6,58  5  9,985 

Third      "       3,730  5,378  7,318 

Fourth    ■•     4,526  5,799  7,292 

Fifth        ■•     1,497  2,348  4,360 

Si.^th       ••     1,498  3,000  5,187 


Total  eotinty 8,541  17.041  31.344  :«,742  49.432  B5,9n!  74.688  8B.074 

'  I  I  I  I  I  I 


NOTES  TO  THE   CE.N'Sl'S  T.tULE. 

(<()  Reduced  by  adding  a  portion  to  Springfield  in  1835.  and  by 
the  incorporation  of  .-Mbion  Borough  in  iNii. 

(/M  Wayne  set  off  in  is-j.;.  a  slice  taken  off  to  form  Corry  Bor- 
ough in  I'^'kl.  and  another  when  Corry  was  made  a  city  in  18*». 
Elgin  Borough  incorporated  In  187t;.  The  township  was  known 
asBrokenstraw  till  ls31. 

(ft  A  slice  taken  off  to  form  Glrard  township  in  18:^;.  and  an- 
other to  form  Franklin  in  1844. 

(rfl  A  part  of  Girard  cut  oil  in  1833.  Fairview  Borough  created 
In  1818. 

(•)  Glrard  Borough  Inoorpoi-ated  in  184*1.  and  Lockport  In  1370. 


19,646        27,737        40,634 

SEX.  BIRTH.  COLOR. 

isyu. . — 

Male. Female.  Native. Foreign.  White. Col'd. 

First  Ward 3  487      3  005  4  812        1680          6,413      79 

Second"     5  124      4  861  6  W8        2.987          9.978        7 

Third     "     3.693      3,625  5  723        1.595           7  306      12 

Fourth    ■■     3  607    '  3,6»5  5  819        1,473           7,144     148 

Fifth       •'     2,287      2,073  3  080        1,280          4  Si7        3 

Sixth      "     2,558      '2,629  3  806        1,381           5  187     ,.. 

20  756    19.878    30.238      10..396        40,385    249 
The  colored  column  embraces  seven  Chinese  and  one  Japanese. 

The  following  figures  relating  to  Erie  City 
are  from  the  U.  S.  census  report  for  1890: 

Persons  of  voting  age — Native  born,  0,644  ; 
foreign  born,  4.893;  colored,  82. 

Deaths — ^Males,  421 ;  females,  354;  total, 
775. 

Dwellings.  7,168;  families,  8,027;  per- 
sons to  a  dwelling,  5.67 ;  to  a  family,  5.06. 

Public  school  enrollment — Male  teachers, 
9;  female,  145;  boy  pupils,  2,700;  girl, 
2,700:  colored  boys,  24;  girls,  16. 


78 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Debt— 1880,  !f  1,118,729;  per  capita, 
$41.12;    1800,  it!l,()27,m:)9;    per  capita,  $21.54. 

Population— 1870 — Native,  12,718;  for- 
eign, G,298.  1880— Native,  20,031  ;  foreign, 
7,70(5. 

CITY  oi-  coniiv. 

Tile  population  of  Corry  by  ward-^  was  as 
follows  : 

1870. 

First   Ward 3,559 

Second    '■     3,250 

Third      '•     

Fourth    •■     


18S0. 

1890. 

2,758 

957 

2,519 

1,357 

1,737 

1,626 

Pop  II  III  lit  in. 

1860. 

1870. 

1880. 

1890. 

White 

49,251 

65,584 

74,345 

85.756 

Colored 

181 

389 

332 

308 

Male 



37,303 

43,526 

Female 

37,295 

42,548 

Native-born . . 

40,758 

52,699 

61,543 

71,196 

Foreign-born. 

8,674 

13,274 

13,145 

14,878 

Persons  of  voting  age  in  1890 — Natives, 
17,520;  foreign,  7,094;  colored,  114. 

Dwellings  and  families  in  1890 — Dwell- 
ings, 17,068;  families,  18,849;  persons  to  a 
dwelling,  4.87  ;    to  a  family,  4.57. 

General  statistics  for  189t) — Insane  per- 
sons, 211;  feeble-minded,  189;  deaf,  150; 
deaf  and  dumb,  84;  blind  in  one  eye,  150;  in 
both  eyes,  00. 

RECEIPTS    AND     EXPENSES    Ol"     EKIE    COUNTY. 

Below  were  the  receipts  and  expenses  of 
Erie  county  for  1894,  as  shown  by  the  state- 
ment of  the  county  commissioners,  approved 
by  the    county   auditors,    February    22,  1895 : 

UI^CEIPTS. 

Balance  in  treasury  January  1,  1894.  . .  .$  62,059  36 

Net  avails  county  tax 74,063  78 

License  fees  under  high  license 11,571  60 

Unseated  lands 440  85 


6,809        5,277        5,677 


The  following  are  from  the  United  States 
census  reports  relating  to  Qorty  : 

Population — 1870 — Native,  5,080  ;  foreign, 
1,729.  1880— Native,  4,250;  foreign,  1,012. 
1890 — Native,  4,895;  foreign,  782;  male  citi- 
zens, 2,7530;  female,  2,941;  whites.  5,()57 ; 
colored,  20. 

Debt— 1880,  .1505,148;  per  capita,  $12. 85. 
1890,  $122,300;    per  capita,  $21.54. 

ERIE     COUNTY    GENERALLY. 

The  following  figures,  from  the  U.  S.  cen- 
sus reports,  relate  to  Erie  county  in  general  : 


State  tax 19,770  84 

Kedeuiption  money 212  10 

Commonwealth   costs 398  59 

Outstanding  tax 835  09 

Maintenance  at  Warren  Asylum 369  50 

Transferred  from  sheep  fund 3,000  00 

All  other  receipts 204  12 


$172,925  83 


li.KPENDITUKE.S. 


Publishing  annual  statement ?  207  00 

Auditors'  pay 707  88 

Appropriations  to  societies 300  00 

Assessments 3, .556  32 

Blanks,  blank  books,  etc l,88!l  80 

Apprehension  and  punishment  of  crime.  21,936  17 

Court  House  expenses 6,096  26 

Commissi<iners'  office 4,854  50 

County  Treasurer 2,304  00 

Court  expenses 17,853  81 

Election  expenses 12,170  06 

Inquests 424  49 

Poor  and  insane 45,615  34 

Other  expenses 2,.j02  84 

Balance  in  the  treasury  January  1.  1S95.  52,507  36 


5172,925  83 


SHEEP      FUND. 

Balance    in    the  treasury 

January  1,  1894 $  6,506  76 

Net  available  dog  tax 4,863  05 

Cash  on  dog  tax 1  00 

Amount     transferred     to 

county  fund 

Sheep   warrants    paid    in 

1S94 

Balance    in    the   treasury 

January  1,  1895 


$11,370  81 
SCHOOL    FUND. 

Balance  in  the  treasury 
January  1,  1894 $  2.222  00 

Amounton  unseated  lands     1,286  84 

Amount  on  unseated  lands 

sold,  not  paid  for 16  75 

School  warrants  paid  in 
1894 

Balance  in  treasury  Janu- 
ary 1,  1895 

$3,525  59 

KOAD    FUND. 

Balance  in  the  treasury 
January  1,  1894 $    903  73 

Amount     from     unseated 

lands 533  64 

Amount     from     unseated 

lands  sold,  not  paid  for..  2  37 

Road  warrants  paid  in 
1894.     

Balance  in  treasury  Janu- 
ary 1,  1895 


3,000  00 

2,517  1= 

5,853  66 

11,370  81 


1,940  64 

1,584  95 

$3,525  59 


$1,439  74 


134  23 

1,305  49 

$1,439  74 


AND   HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUJSTy. 


79 


•n  a 

"S 

7,- 

?,W 

■3.5 

o^: 

in 

<u'a 

0) 

5^ 

00 

"■c 

H 

51  p 

^ 

•2° 

0 

^? 

Ft, 

f.- 

ffl 
CD 


^T3 

or 

n 

H 

nr 

o 

C 

-psssassE 

XBl  aiBJS  JO  jauoiueiBjox 


•a)3'sqEj'sit3Et['S3snqiu 
-uio  'saHejs  'isajaini  i^ 
^auoui  auipn[oa:  'sasod 
■jnd  ajeig  aoj  aiqexm 
iusdojd   JO    3U[BA    leiox 


■DJ3  'sqeo  'SJIDB  q  'sasnq 
-iiiuio   'saSejs    jo    auie^v 

313  'SJiaois  "sajou 
'spuoq'siuamapnf-saSca 
-lioui  ^uipnioui  'issjai 
-ui  ie  Xauoui  |b  junotuv 

'iBiiop  at(j  uosniiu^i'r.jo 
a)Bi  si()  JB  passassE  xej 
i(lu(io3  JO  junouie   IB»ox 


•JB][op  aqi  uo  s|iiru 
^gjoaiEJ  9qi  IB  sasbd 
-jtid  XjunoD  joj  aiqvxci 
Xjjodojd  HE  JO  anjEA  lEjoj_ 


■saofjEdnojo 
pUE  sapEJj  'suoissajojd 
'lyojd  ^o  sisod  'saj^o 
'33y|o     JO  siuainniouia 

pUE      S9IiE[ES      JO       an(E^ 


sjEa^C  jnoj 

JO    SJtB    aqi    JdAO    3l))ED 

jEau  |o  aniEA  pOE  jaqmniij 


-- 13-(-  —  "  c;  I-  -^  —  X  1".  c-  X  —  ?:  :c':>i.':  —.  cJCi  — -r  ntfi-fffl  t-ct  — -r -r  —  3^ 


If;  p  g.  - 


:.(txS^?(^?;S-''SF'^"";:E2«S^'--^-^~^^'"''^- 


'■■%  :i§  ;§ 


?38 

ti .-:  -r 


se 


ir:  C  a;  - 

Oi  T »  31  - 

«  •^•^5  -J- 1 


:  X  I-  (-  c:  ■—  X  t 


3^^C:  5? 


T(  Ci  I"  JS  S  »  -T  Ci  - 


i  C-f  ir:  -£J  C-.  —  3:  —  i 


r  X  ac  I  ■ 
•  •£  —  X  f 


1  T  O  I-  l-  lO 


iff  o  -M  "jj  ■=  ic  5  ai  o  Li  T  -T  X  ^  «;  ac  1  •  i-  p:  «  2  ^!  —  i- 
o  If;  o  C3>  1-  •7»  cc  —  3c  7(  2  X  t-  —  w  If:  If:  2^  IJ 1!  ES  ^  V  ^ 

I  «  2-  s  ¥.  s  "  IS  «  «  £  ^  =  -2  £  -e  s  1-.  :3;  r?  :^  z  .7^  p^  r: 


( -M  -?•  O  :D  O  - 
i-  X  W  ift  xt.  —  _  .. 

X  cc  o  TUD  X  t~  « ';» 


.    .  c;  If:  -t-  '^  CJ  ■:'  X  »-  ic  - 

T(  It:  T(  fM  —  c;  :r.  X  X  Oi  —  - 


_   _.       XGJ  — xinc  si«- 
'£  nc  t-  3c  —  ci  T)  X  ®  if;  '^'  !^ 


^-!t 


—  'jf  o  T(  X  '^»  c(  •?»  ^  ^  X 

OT^Ot-ClTfQ  —  I-P55--2 

t-  —  o  ci  if:  T  X  T»  cc  ifi  T 


■vr^ 


i-':coif:ooK:oowii 

I?)  iK  o  t*  If:  It;  i-  m  o  —  ■: 

I  If:  Ti  T»  ci  «(»■;•  K -r  l>  It 

[  <x.  ':t  rt  fT  tfi  a  -if  "li  ~^  - 


i  ~  —  C:  X  ^  X  Ci 


■BiS'^^ssgg 


r  It:  —  if;  It:  It;  in  in  ~  —  if:  —  it;  5  It;  5  Q  ic 

Cr-KC^Jl-X-rt-X-Tf-C  —  tJXX-TCO 


■SJE9X  jnoj  JO 
a3f  aqi  aaAO  sajniu  pue 
sSuipjaa  'sajEca  *sasjoq 
JO    aiqBA     poE     Jsquinf^ 


■uoiiEXEj  uiojj  iduia 
-X3  ajEjsa  leaj   jo  3iilBj\ 


0,  0)  " 

j=  a" 

**  o  « 

-  n" 


^^;;;f^-Qk)t.^5c-t'?(ir:*i;if5  —  ^jTircTCixxi-xc^TJiSSif:;* 

T       I'  tO       3i  =1 1-       X       —       I-  i'  t-  -r  X       ^       o  M       ct 


->.  —  —-.<-..*-.•'. <-./-.<--»-"  —  ,/-  —  — ^  — ^— ■  —  I—  .f:i~i''  ^xrc^iif:  —  w3it;— >^it;i-';it;i?;it;x ^tf;^fCOO 


5>«'t'*  '    1— I  T  —  C?  K  CC  7(  ^!  ■— T        K  if;  —  it;  5C  ^        CQ        ^        CI  tT 


i|||||||l||l||igE|£ig|K?|i||i5|5|i|i||-5p^i|i  I 


— 

■I. 

T3  0) 

cja 

s 

-■o 

"S 

u 

•ss 

tC 

S 

' 

i— 

1 

y 
H 


■■-at 


S  "=• 
OS'S  ; 


-   rt  -  - 


; 3  c—    .    .    . 
o  »2    .    .    . 

c  ^ 


i-^. 


-    '-s:  a.      . 


■2     _-a?__.^ 

ill--  ^'=1^2  galls 

So o      o SH^ 0  5 "o  c^ 

•*■  -Z    ■■    fli    r^    'f.  "O  •Q   ^^   ^j    _d    n 


—  "o-S- 
So 


'  if '-5  —  «  c  ■ 


us  ,    , 

B  -    ■ 

—  •a 


•-C 


OOI--SZSSi 


s 

=  a 


=  S  =  i 

0  in  0-- 
O  ?  o'j: 

o|a  = 

i'Hiio 
.  „  -  .^  w 

?  e  _  -.1   J. 


-  ^  «  n  c 


3   S 

o  o 
oH 

■o     2 

•2     5 
5:3 


5S>?5?    ? 


8o 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


COUNTY 

RATE 

OF    TAXATION 

1883 

Mills. 
2% 

1890... 

Mills. 

.     2 

The 
follows 

county  rate   o 
for  twenty-six 

f  taxation 
years  : 

has 

been   as 

1884 

1885 

1886 

2'', 
'..'.'.'.     3  ' 
3 

1891 . . . 
1892... 
1893... 

'.     2 

1869 

1870. . . . 
1871* 

Mills. 
.  15 
.  20 
.     4 
.     3 
.     3 
.     i% 
.     3 

1876 

1877 

1878 

Mills. 
....     3 

....    2'A 
3 

1887 3          1894... 

1888 2yi       1895... 

1889 2,Vi 

*Since  1871  the  rate  has  been 
assumed  value  of  the  property. 

The  county  is  entirely  free 
has  been  for  a  long  period. 

based   uj) 
from  deb 

2 

•     2'A 

III   the 

1872 

1879 

...     2'4 

1873.... 
1874.... 
1875.... 

1880 

1881 

1882 

....     2 

....     2,!4 
.    ..     21A 

I,  and 

CHAPTKR     IV. 


Remains  of  a  Puk-IIistoric  Race — Gulfs,  Cascades  .\.\d  Nati  kai.  CiJiiiosrnEs. 


VARIOUS  indications  have  been  found 
in  the  county  which  lead  to  the  con- 
clusion that  it  must  have  been  peopled 
centuries  ago  by  a  different  race  from 
the  Indians  who  were  found  here 
when  it  was  lirst  visited  by  white  men.  When 
the  link  of  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R. 
from  the  Lake  Shore  road  to  the  dock  at  Erie 
was  in  process  of  construction,  the  laborers 
dug  into  a  great  mass  of  bones  at  the  crossing 
of  the  public  road  which  joins  the  Lake  road 
near  Scott's  Pioneer  Farm.  From  the  pro- 
miscuous way  in  which  they  were  thrown  to- 
gether, it  is  surmised  that  a  terrible  battle 
must  have  taken  place  in  the  vicinity  at  some 
day  so  far  distant  that  not  even  a  tradition  of 
the  event  has  been  preserved.  The  skulls 
were  flattened,  and  the  foreheads  were  seldom 
more  than  an  inch  in  width.  The  bodies  were 
in  a  sitting  posture,  and  there  were  no  traces 
that  garments,  weapons  or  ornaments  had 
been  buried  with  them. 

At  a  later  date,  when  the  roadway  of  the 
Philadelphia  and  l->ie  R.  R.,  where  it  passes 
through  the  ^Varfel  farm,  was  being  widened, 
another  deposit  of  bones  was  dug  up  and 
ruthlessly  disposed  of.  Among  the  skeletons 
was  one  of  a  giant,  side  by  side  with  a  smaller 
j)erson,  probably  that  of  his  wife.  The  arm 
and  leg  bones  of  this  n'ative  American  Go- 
liath were  about  one-half  longer  than  those  of 
the  tallest  man  uniong  the  laborers;   the  skull 


was  immensely  large ;  the  lower  jawbone 
easily  slipped  over  the  face  and  whiskers  of  a 
full-faced  man,  and  the  teeth  were  in  a  per- 
fect state  of  preservation. 

Another  skeleton  was  dug  up  in  Coiiiuaut 
township  some  years  ago  w'hich  was  quite  as 
remarkable  in  its  dimensions.  A  comparison 
was  made  with  the  largest  man  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  the  jawbone  readily  covered  his 
face,  while  the  lower  bone  of  the  leg  was 
nearly  a  foot  longer  than  the  one  with  which 
it  was  measured,  indicating  that  the  man 
must  have  been  eight  to  ten  feet  in  height. 
The  bones  of  a  flathead  were  turned  up  in 
the  same  township  some  two  years  ago  with  a 
skull  of  unusual  size.  Relics  of  a  former  time 
have  been  gathered  in  that  section  by  the 
pailful,  and  among  other  curiosities  a  brass 
watch  was  found  tiiat  was  as  big  as  a  com- 
mon saucer. 

In  preparing  the  bed  for  the  '•Nickel 
Plate''  railroad,  near  the  bridge  over  Elk 
creek,  in  Girard  township,  numerous  skele- 
tons were  tiirown  up  bj-  the  steam  shovel  and 
i  carelesslv  dumped  to  one  side  with  as  little 
;  respect  as  if  they  had  been  the  bones  of  so 
many  cattle. 

An  ancient  graveyard  was  discovered  in 
1820  on  the  land  now  known  as  the  Carter 
and  Dickinson  places  in  Erie.  Dr.  Albert 
Thayer  dug  up  some  of  the  bones,  and  all  in- 
dicated a  race  of  beings  of  immense  size. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


8l 


PRE-IIISTORIC    MOUXDS. 

No  less  curious  arc  the  pre-historic  mounds 
and  circles  found  in  Wayne,  Harbor  Creek. 
Conneaut,  Girard,  Springfield,  LelJoHif,  \'e- 
nango  and  Fairview  townships.  The  princi- 
pal one  in  Wayne  township,  which  is  still  in 
a  fair  state  of  preservation,  is  near  the  road 
from  Corry  to  Elgin,  and  but  a  short  distance 
east  of  the  springs  which  furnish  water  for 
the  State  fish-hatching  establishment.  It  con- 
sists of  a  circle  of  raised  earth,  surrounded  by 
a  trench,  from  which  the  dirt  was  dug,  the 
whole  enclosing  about  three  acres  of  unbroken 
ground.  The  embankment  has  been  much 
flattened  and  reduced  by  the  elements,  but  was 
still  from  one  lo  two  feet  high  and  from  three 
to  four  feet  wide  at  the  base  some  years 
ago.  When  the  first  settlers  discovered  it  the 
interior  of  the  circle  was  covered  with  forest 
trees.  Half  a  mile  west,  a  little  to  the  north 
of  the  road,  on  a  slight  eminence,  was  another 
and  smaller  circle,  which  lias  been  plowed 
down,  leaving  no  vestige  behind. 

The  circles  in  other  portions  of  the  county 
are  or  were  similar  in  their  general  features, 
with  one  exception,  to  the  above.  Those  in 
Harbor  Creek  township  were  situated  on  each 
side  of  Four-Mile  creek,  slightly  southeast  of 
the  big  curve  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie 
R.  R.,  on  points  overlooking  the  deep  gulf  of 
that  stream.  The  one  on  the  west  side  of  the 
creek  is  still  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation. 
The  two  Conneaut  circles  were  near  together, 
while  those  in  Girard  and  Springfield,  four  in 
number,  extended  in  a  direct  line  from  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  former  township  to  the  south- 
western part  of  the  latter.  One  of  the  circles 
partially  occupied  the  site  of  the  cemetery  at 
East  Springfield.  In  Fairview  township  there 
was  both  a  circle  and  a  mound,  the  first  at  the 
mouth  of  Front  run.  and  the  second  at  Man- 
chester. The  latter,  at  the  close  of  the  last 
century,  was  about  six  feet  high  and  fifteen 
feet  in  diameter.  A  tree  was  cut  on  one  of 
the  embankments  in  Conneaut  that  had  at- 
tained the  age  of  500  years.  The  circles  in 
LeBcruf  and  Venango  were  very  much  like 
those  above  described. 

BONES      Ol-     A     MAMMOTH     AND     A     MYSTERIOUS 
BEAD. 

The  skeletons  of  extinct  species  of  animals 
have    frequently  been    found    in    the   county. 


Perhaps  the  most  extraordinary  discovery  of 
that  nature  was  made  near  Girard  borougli,  in 
the  early  part  of  May,  l!S80.  A  man,  while 
plowing,  turned  up  some  bones  of  a  mammoth, 
which  were  thought  to  indicate  an  animal  fif- 
teen feet  long  and  from  twelve  to  thirteen 
,  feet  high.  One  of  the  teeth  weighed  three 
and  a  half  pounds,  having  a  grinding  surface 
of  three  and  a  half  by  four  inches.  Pieces  of 
the  tusks  led  to  the  opinion  that  they  must 
have  been  eight  or  ten  feet  long. 

In  the  year  1825,  while  Francis  Carnahan 
was  plowing  along  the  lake  shore  in  Harbor 
Creek  township,  he  turned  up  a  strange  look- 
ing bead,  which  was  cleaned  and  preserved. 
It  fell  into  the  hands  of  L.  G.  Olmstead, 
LL.  D.,  a  traveler  and  archieologist  of  some 
reputation,  who  pronounced  it  to  be  one  of  the 
celebrated  ■•  Chorean  beads"  of  ancient  Egypt, 
and  kept  it  until  his  death  as  a  relic  of  rare 
interest  and  value. 

CUKIOSITIES    OF     NATURE. 

Among  the  natural  curiosities  of  the  coun- 
!  ty  are  the  "gulfs"  or  gullies  through  w-hich 
\  the  lake  shore  streams  descend  from  the  divi- 
ding ridges  in  the  south  to  the  level  of  the  lake. 
The  gulf  of  Four-Mile  creek  extends  from 
near  the  crossing  of  the  Station  road,  about 
half  a  mile  south  of  Wesleyville,  to  Ripley"s 
mill,  in  Greene  towMiship,  a  distance  in  a 
direct  line  of  about  four  miles,  and  by  the 
course  of  the  stream  of  about  one-half  more. 
Its  depth  varies  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,  with  sides  that  are  almost  perpen- 
dicular at  some  points,  and  its  width  is  from 
one  to  two  himdred  feet.  The  deepest  part  is 
at  a  spot  locally  known  as  Wintergreen  Gulf, 
some  four  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  Erie. 
The  "gulf"  of  Six-Mile  creek,  which  is 
wholly  in  Harbor  Creek  township,  is  very 
similar  to  the  other.  It  commences  about 
j  half  a  mile  south  of  the  Buffalo  road  and  ter- 
i  minates  a  little  north  of  the  .Station  road, 
being  about  the  same  length  as  the  gully  of 
Four-Mile  creek.  Its  deepest  and  most  pic- 
turesque point  is  at  the  Clark  settlement, 
where  the  banks  are  not  far  from  a  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  high. 

"  Gulfs  "  of  a  like  nature  attend  every  one  of 
!  the    lake    shore    streams,    but  are   less   pictu- 
resque, generally  speaking,  than  the  two  above 
named.     The    most    interesting    are    those   of 
Twelve-Mile  cteek,  near  the  lake;  of  Sixteen- 


82 


NELSONS  BIOaiiAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Mile  creek,  in  tlie  soutliern  part  of  North  East 
township;  of  Twenty-Mile  creek,  near  the 
New  York  line  ;  of  Walnut  creek,  where  it 
was  crossed  by  the  old  aqueduct  ;  of  Crooked 
creek,  in  Sprinjjlield  township  ;  and  of  Elk 
creek,  in  the  southern  part  of  Fairvicw  town- 
ship. 

In  Girard  township,  south  of  the  borough, 
is  the  "Devil's  Backbone,"'  which  owes  its 
novelty,  as  in  the  other  cases  mentioned, 
mainly  to  the  long-continued  action  of  water. 
Tiie  West  branch  of  Elk  creek  winds  around 
ihe  base  of  a  ridge  for  about  one-fourth  of  a 
mile  until  it  reaches  its  point.  This  it  sud- 
denly turns,  and  then  rinis  in  the  opposite 
direction  along  the  same  ridge.  The  constant 
washing  of  the  base  has  reduced  the  ridge  to 
very  slender  limits,  so  that  it  has  a  width  on 
top,  in    some   parts,  of   barely  two   feet.     The 


summit  is  about  a  hundred  feet  above  the  bed 
of  the  creek,  and  the  sides  of  the  ridge  are 
nearly  perpendicular. 

WATEIIFAI,I..S. 

On  Falls  run,  a  small  stream  that  flows 
into  Elk  creek  from  Franklin  township,  is  a 
cascade,  some  fifty  feet  in  height,  which  is 
said  to  be  quite  attractive  at  certain  seasons. 
A  beautiful  waterfall  formerly  existed  on  the 
bank  of  the  bay  at  the  mouth  of  Cascade  run, 
but  was  destroyed  in  the  building  of  the  Erie 
and  Pittsburg  R.  R.  and  dock,  to  the  regret 
of  many  citizens.  A  small  waterfall  still 
exists  on  Little  Cascade  creek,  where  it  joins 
the  bay,  within  the  city  limits,  and  numerous 
low  but  picturesque  falls  prevail  on  most  of 
the  lake  shore  streams  as  they  approach  their 
terminus. 


CHAPTER    V. 


Streams,  Intekior  Lakes — Bhidges,  &c. 


ERIE  COl'XTY,  though  one  of  the 
best-watered  sections  of  the  State, 
has  no  rivers  and  few  streams  of  im- 
portance. A  large  number  of  creeks 
and  runs  have  their  origin  on  the 
dividing  ridges,  and  course  through  the  county 
in  all  directions,  so  that  almost  every  farm  has 
its  running  water,  but  only  three  or  four  are 
of  sufficient  size  to  be  given  a  place  on  the 
general  map  of  the  commonwealth.  The 
dividing  ridges  separate  the  water  system  of 
the  county  into  two  distinct  divisions,  which 
may  be  classed  for  the  present  purpose  into 
the  Northern  and  Southern.  All  of  the 
streams  which  form  on  the  north  side  of  the 
main  ridge  flow  into  Lake  Erie,  and  thence, 
through  Niagara  river.  Lake  Ontario  and  the 
St.  Lawrence,  to  the  Atlantic  ocean.  Those 
on  the  south  side  invariably  unite  with  the 
.Vllegheny  river,  which  in  turn  pours  its  waters 
into  the  Ohio,  the  Mississippi,  and  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.     Of  the   southern   streams   the  most 


important  is  French  creek,  the  couimon  recep- 
tacle of  all  the  rest,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Brokenstraw  (which  flows  through  a  corner 
of  Wayne  township) ,  and  the  head-waters  of 
Spring  creek  and  Oil  creek,  having  their 
sources,  the  former  in  Concord  and  the  latter 
in  that  and  Union  township.  The  principal 
tributaries  of  French  creek,  within  the  county, 
are  the  East,  West  and  South  branches,  the 
outlet  of  Lake  Pleasant  and  LeBoeuf  creek. 
The  Conneauttee,  which  rises  in  Franklin 
township,  and  the  Cussewago,  the  sources  of 
which  are  both  in  that  township  and  Elk 
creek,  join  the  same  stream  in  Crawford 
county. 

The  leading  lake  shore  streams  are  as  fol- 
lows :  Conneaut,  Crooked,  Elk,  Trout, Walnut, 
Mill,  Four-Mile,  Six-Mile,  Twelve-Mile,  Six- 
teen-Mile and  Twenty-Mile,  the  five  last  men- 
tioned being  named  according  to  their  distance 
from  Erie  City.  The  smaller  streams  which 
empty   directly  into   Lake   Erie,  are   Raccoon 


AND   niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTK 


«.^ 


and  Turkey  runs,  in  Sprinsrfield  township; 
Trout  run,  in  Fairview  township;  Fas-ietrun, 
Kelso  run,  the  Head  run,  and  One,  Two  and 
Three-Mile  creeks,  in  Mill  Creek  townsiiip ; 
Cascade  and  Garrison  runs,  in  Erie  City  ;  Five- 
Mile  creek,  Elliott's  run  and  Scott's  run,  in 
Harbor  Creek  township  ;  Spring,  Spafford  and 
Averill  runs,  in  North  East  township;  and 
several  rivulets,  the  titles  of  which  are  various- 
ly given. 

rRIIiUTARV     STKKANtS. 

The  tributaries  of  tiie  aijo\e  streams  are  as 
follows,  the  terminus  of  each  being  in  the 
township  indicated  : 

French  Creek. — In  Greenfield  township,  a 
number  of  creeks  and  runs  ;  in  Venango  town- 
ship, Middlebrook  .Vlder  run  and  Fritts  run 
of  the  West  branch,  and  Spafford  run  of  the 
East  branch;  in  Amitv  township  (East  and 
West  branches  unite),  the  outlet  of  Lake 
Pleasant,  Jones'  brook.  Henry  brook,  the  Hub- 
bell  Alder  run,  Deerlick  run,  the  Hatch  Hol- 
low Alder  run  and  Buncombe  run  ;  in  Water- 
ford  township,  Davis  run  ;  in  LeBreuf  town- 
ship, the  South  branch,  LeBn>uf  creek.  Trout 
brook,  Colt  run.  Mill  run,  Moravian  run,  Gill 
brook  and  Mallory  run. 

LeBiviif  Creek. — In  W'aterford  township, 
the  West  branch,  Boyd  run.  Trout  run  and 
Benson  run.  (Boyd  and  Trout  rinis  empty 
into  Lake  LeBoeuf,  which  is  really  no  more 
than  an  expansion  of  the  creek.) 

The  .South  Branch  of  French  Creek. — In 
Concord  township,  Scotch  run.  Spring  brook, 
Lilly  run.  Beaver  Dam  run,  Spencer  run, 
Baskin  run  and  Slaughter  run  ;  in  Union 
township.  Scotchman's,  Wilson.  Miilvin, 
Carroll,  Pine,  Tolbert  and  Benson  runs. 

Coiuieaiit  Creek. — In  Conneaut  township, 
the  East  branch,  the  West  branch  and  Marsh 
run.  The  tributaiies  of  the  East  branch  are 
Frazier's  run  in  Elk  Creek  township,  and 
Crane  and  Jackson  runs  in  Conneaut  town- 
ship. 

Elk  Creek. — In  McKean  township,  tiie 
South  branch:  in  Fairview  township.  Fall's 
run;  in  Girard  township.  Little  Elk.  Hall's 
run,  Brandy  run  and  Spring  run. 

H^a/n/ii  Creek. — In  Mill  Creek  township, 
Thomas  run  ;  in  Fairview  township,  Bear  and 
Beaver  Dam  runs. 

Mi/I  Creek. — In  Mill  Cn-ek  township, 
Bladen's  run. 


Four-Mile  Creek. — In  Harbor  Creek  town- 
ship, McConnell  run. 

Sixteen-Mile  Creek. — In  Noith  East  town- 
ship, the  Borough  branch. 

Hare  Creek,  the  only  tributary  of  the 
Brokenstraw  flowing  from  the  county,  joins 
that  stream  in  Warren  county,  below  Corry. 
Its  chief  inlets  in  Erie  county  are  Bear  creek 
and  Scioto  run. 

The  Conneaultec  is  joined  by  the  Little 
Conneauttee  a  short  distance  across  the  line, 
in  Crawford  county,  and  by  Pratt  and  Her- 
bert creeks  in  Washington  township. 

PKCUI.IAR     I-KATIRES. 

A  feature  of  the  lake  shore  streams  deserv- 
ing of  mention  is  the  fact  that,  while  tho.se 
eastward  from  Erie  City  flow  directly  to  the 
lake  in  a  general  northwesterly  course,  those 
in  and  west  of  the  city  run  almost  exactly 
westward  until  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
lake,  when  they  suddenly  turn  to  the  north, 
and  soon  after  unite  with  the  great  current 
which  pours  over  Niagara.  This  is  the  more 
noticeable  of  Mill  creek,  which  rises  in  Greene 
and  empties  into  the  lake  at  Erie ;  Walnut 
creek,  which  also  rises  in  Greene,  flows  across 
Summit,  Mill  Creek  and  Fairview  townships, 
and  terminates  at  Manchester  ;  and  Elk  creek, 
which  rises  in  Waterford.  crosses  McKean. 
Fairview  and  Girard  townships,  and  enters 
the  lake  below  Miles  Grove.  Conneaut  creek 
is  to  some  extent  an  exception  to  the  rule,  ris- 
ing as  it  does  in  Crawford  county,  flowing 
nearlv  due  north  through  Conneaut  township 
to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  Girard  line. 
and  then  bending  abruptly  westward,  forming 
the  boundary  line  between  that  and  Spring- 
field townships,  finally  entering  Ohio,  and, 
after  a  devious  course,  becoming  the  harbor  of 
Conneaut  in  that  State. 

All  of  the  streams  in  the  county  were 
formerly  much  larger  and  more  reliable  than 
now.  The  cutting  off  of  the  timber  has  had 
an  alarming  effect  in  drying  up  the  streams, 
and  the  seasons  of  high  water,  which  were 
once  of  two  or  three  weeks'  duration,  now 
last  only  a  few  days. 

FRENCH  CREEK  -VXD  ITS  MAIN  BRANCHES. 

French  Creek — the  most  important  in  the 
county — was  variously  known  to  the  Indians 
as  the  Toranadakin  and  Innungah,  the  latter 
word   having   some  reference  to  "  a  rude  and 


84 


A'-ELSON'S  BJOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


indecent  figure  carved  upon  a  tree,"  which 
the  Seneca  trilic  found  when  they  came  to 
this  region  after  having  conquered  the  Eriez. 
The  French  first  gave  it  the  name  of  the  River 
Aux  BttHifs,  but  changed  it  to  the  River 
Venango,  being  a  corruption  of  the  Indian 
word  Innungah.  When  the  Americans  occu- 
pied the  country,  they  dropped  both  the  Indian 
and  French  names,  and  gave  tlie  stream  the 
phiin  appelhition  of  French  creelv.  The  main 
stream  is  created  by  the  junction  of  the  East 
and  A\'est  branches  in  Amity  township,  just 
south  of  the  borough  limits  of  Wattsburg. 
The  East  branch  takes  its  rise  in  Chautauqua 
count  J',  N.  Y.,  near  the  village  of  Sherman, 
and  the  head  of  the  West  branch  is  usually 
said  to  be  in  Findley's  lake,  about  two  miles 
over  the  New  York  line,  in  the  same  county, 
each  having  a  length  of  about  twenty  miles. 
After  the  junction  of  the  East  and  West 
branches,  the  creek  traverses  ^\mity,  W^ater- 
ford  and  LeBanif  townships,  leaving  the 
county  to  enter  Crawford  in  the  last  named. 
It  passes  through  the  whole  width  of  Craw- 
ford county  from  north  to  south,  nearly  in  the 
center  of  the  county,  and  after  watering  half 
of  Venango  county  unites  ^vith  the  Allegheny 
at  Franklin.  Its  length  from  Wattsburg  to 
Franklin  cannot  be  less  than  a  hundred  miles. 
It  was  along  the  valley  of  this  creek  that 
Washington  traveled  on  his  visit  to  the  French 
at  Fort  LeBceuf,  and  he  descended  the  stream 
in  a  canoe  on  his  return  journey. 

Outlet  of  Lake  Pleasant. — This  stream,  as 
its  name  indicates,  carries  off  the  excess  of 
water  in  Lake  Pleasant.  It  issues  from  the 
foot  of  the  lake  in  \'enango  township,  and 
empties  into  French  creek  in  Amitv,  after  a 
course  of  some  three  miles. 

The  South  Branch. — The  Soulli  branch  of 
French  creek  rises  in  Concord  townsliip,  and 
unites  with  the  main  stream  in  LeBanif,  a 
short  distance  below  the  Philadelphia  &  Erie 
Railroad  bridge.  It  has  a  length  of  perhaps 
twenty  miles. 

LeBiViif  Creek  was  known  to  the  Fiench 
as  the  River  Aux  Banifs,  being  at  first  sup- 
posed to  be  the  main  stream.  It  was  so  named 
from  the  number  of  cattle  discovered  by  them 
on  the  flats  near  its  mouth.  The  creek  is 
formed  by  two  stems,  the  eastern  one  of  which 
rises  on  the  V^enango  township  line,  and  flows 
across  Greene  township,  while  the  western 
has   its   source   in  Summit  township,  the  two 


coming  together  on  the  northern  boundary  of 
Waterford  township.  On  the  edge  of  Water- 
ford  borough  the  creek  enters  Lake  LeBanif, 
from  which  it  issues  somewhat  increased  in 
size.  It  joins  French  creek  in  LeBanif  town- 
ship. From  the  head  of  the  East  branch  to 
the  mouth  of  the  creek,  the  distance  is  about 
twenty  miles. 

French  creek,  all  three  of  its  branches — 
the  East,  West  and  .South — and  LeBiruf  creek 
were  at  one  period  navigable  for  rafts  and 
tlat-boats,  and  before  the  building  of  good 
roads  were  the  chief  avenues  for  bringing 
goods  and  provisions  into  the  county  from  the 
southern  part  of  the  State.  There  has  been 
no  rafting  to  speak  of  on  the  branches  of 
French  creek  for  forty  years,  and  the  busi- 
ness on  the  main  stream  may  be  said  to  have 
suspended  about  18G1  or  '62. 

STREAMS    THAT    E.MPTY    INTO    I,.\KE    ElUK. 

Coiineaut  Creek,  the  second  largest  in  the 
county,  rises  south  of  Conneautville,  Crawford 
county,  flows  in  a  general  northerly  direction 
through  Conneaut  township,  nearly  to  the 
Springfield  line,  then  turns  abruptly  westward 
and  continues  into  Ohio.  In  Ohio  it  flows 
nine  miles  westward  to  Kingsville,  then 
makes  another  sudden  bend  to  the  east,  and 
comes  back  eight  miles  to  Conneaut,  where  it 
turns  again  to  the  north,  and,  after  a  further 
course  of  about  a  mile,  empties  into  Lake  Erie 
not  far  from  the  Pennsylvania  line,  forming 
Conneaut  harbor.  It  is  a  very  crooked 
stream,  the  length  from  head  to  mouth  being 
fully  sixty  miles,  while  the  distance  by  an 
air  line  is  not  more  than  twenty-five.  The 
East  branch  of  Conneaut  creek  rises  on  the 
northern  edge  of  Crawford  county,  flows 
through  Elk  Creek  township,  and  unites  with 
the  main  stream  northeast  of  Albion.  In  the 
latter  borough  it  is  joined  by  Jackson  creek, 
which  rises  on  the  Elk  creek  and  Conneaut 
line,  near  Crawford  county.  The  East  branch 
is  about  ten  miles  long,  and  Jackson  creek 
some  Ave  miles. 

Elk  Creek  rises  in  Waterford  township 
and  flows  in  a  general  westerly  course  through 
ISIcKean,  Fairview  and  Girard  townships  to 
Lake  Erie,  north  of  Miles  Grove.  The  length 
of  Elk  creek  is  between  twenty-five  and  thirty 
miles.  An  effort  was  made  to  have  the  mouth 
of  this  stream  made  the  terminus  of  the  canal, 
and  various  projects   have  been  advocated  for 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


85 


establishing  a  harbor  there.  The  name  of  Elk 
creek  was  given  from  the  number  of  elk  found 
in  its  vallev.  Falls  run  starts  in  Franklin 
township  and  joins  Elk  creek  in  Fairview. 
Brandy  run  rises  iu  Fairview  township  and 
unites  with  Elk  creek  in  Girard.  The  Little 
Elk,  which  also  joins  the  same  stream  in 
the  latter  township,  rises  in  Elk  Creek  town- 
ship.    They  are  all  small. 

Walnut  Creek,  so  named  because  its  banks 
are  lined  with  walnut  trees,  rises  on  the  west- 
ern edge  of  Greene  township,  and  flows 
through  Summit,  Mill  Creek  and  Fairview, 
entering  the  lake  at  Manchester.  Its  length  is 
about  fifteen  miles. 

Crooked  Creek  rises  in  Lockport  borougii, 
and  flows  through  Girard  and  Springfield  to 
Lake  Erie,  a  short  distauce  from  North 
Springfield.     It  is  about  ten  miles  long. 

The  Head  Run  is  the  small  stream  that 
enters  Presque  Isle  bay  just  above  the  Massas- 
sauga  pleasure  ground. 

Cascade  Run  is  historical  because  a  portion 
of  Perry's  fleet  was  built  at  its  mouth.  It  falls  in- 
to the  baj-at  the  Pittsburgh  docks,  in  Erie  City. 

Mill  Creek  is  formed  by  two  branches,  the 
one  rising  in  the  extreme  southeastern  section 
of  Mill  Creek  township,  and  the  other  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  Greene.  They  unit  enear 
the  southeastern  line  of  the  first  named  town- 
ship, and  the  stream  enters  the  bay  within  the 
city  limits  of  Erie.  Mill  creek  cannot  be  less 
than  eight  miles  long.  It  received  its  name 
from  the  fact  that  the  first  mil!  in  the  county 
was  built  at  its  mouth. 

Foiir-Milc  Creek  rises  in  Greene,  runs 
through  the  western  edge  of  Harbor  Creek,  and 
enters  the  lake  in  the  northeastern  corner  of 
Mill  Creek  township,  after  a  course  of  about 
eight  miles. 

T-L-clve-Mile  Creek  heads  on  the  line  of 
North  East  and  Greenfield  townships,  and 
joins  the  lake  in  Harbor  Creek.  Its  length  is 
about  seven  miles. 

T-xeiitY-Mile  Creek  rises  in  Chautauqua 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  empties  into  the  lake  in 
North  East  township,  near  the  State  line.  It 
is  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  miles  long. 

Besides  the  above  there  are  a  number  of 
smaller  streams  which  are  referred  to  else- 
where. 

THE    INTERIOR    L.VKES. 

In  the  interior  of  the  county  are  three  small 
lakes — LeBopuf,     Pleasant    and    Conneauttee 


'  — all  of  which  lie  on  the  south  side  of  the 
dividing  ridge,  and  empty  into  French  creek. 
Lake  LcBa'uf. — This  lake  is  in  Waterford 
township,  on  the  southwestern  edge  of  Water- 
ford  borough.  It  is  about  two-thirds  of  a 
mile  long,  by  half  a  mile  wide.  The  lake  is 
fed  by  LeBoeuf  creek  and  Boyd  and  Trout 
runs.  Its  outlet  falls  into  French  creek,  in  Le- 
B(Puf  township. 

Lake  Pleasant,  in  the  southwestern  corner 
of  Venango  township,  is  about  two-thirds  of 
a  mile  long  by  a  third  of  a  mile  wide,  with  a 
depth  of  five  to  fift)'  feet.  It  has  no  tributary 
streams  except  two  tinv  rivulets,  and  is  appa- 
rently fed  by  springs  in  the  bottom.  The  out- 
let joins  French  creek  in  Amity  township. 

I^ake  Conneauttee  lies  on  the  northern  side 
of  Edinboro,  and  is  partly  in  that  borough  and 
partlv  in  Washington  township.  Its  length  is 
about  a  mile,  and  its  width  a  little  over  half  a 

I   mile.      The    deepest  water    is  about    fifty  feet. 

j  Big  Conneauttee  creek  enters  at  its  northern 
extremity,  and  leaves  at  tiie  southern,  continu- 
ing on  to  Crawford  county,  where  it  unites 
with  French  creek. 

BRIDGES,   CULVERTS,   ETC. 

'  Where   there   are   so  many  streams,  it  fol- 

I  lows  as  a  consequence  that  there  must  be  a 
:  large  number  of  bridges.  None  of  these  are 
very  extensive  or  costlj'  compared  with  the 
immense  structures  that  are  found  in  other 
parts  of  the  country.  The  most  expensive 
,  public  bridges  are  those  whicii  span  French 
creek  in  Amitv,  Waterford  and  LeBreuf  town- 
ships, and  Conneaut  creek  in  Conneaut  town- 
ship, and  upon  the  line  between  that  town- 
ship and  Springfield.  The  iron  bridges  of 
the  "Nickel  Plate""  railroad  over  Crooked, 
Elk,  Walnut  and  Twenty-Mile  creeks  are  the 
longest  and  costliest  in  the  county. 

The  Lake  Shore  railroad  formerly  overcame 
the  gullies  of  Twenty-Mile  creek,  Sixteen- 
Mile  creek.  Walnut  creek,  Elk  creek  and 
Crooked  creek  by  extensive  trestle  works, 
which  have  been  replaced  by  suVistantial  cul- 
verts and  embankments  that  cost  manv  thou- 
sands of  dollars.  All  of  the  streams  upon  the 
line  of  this  road  are  now  spanned  by  stone  cul- 
verts or  iron  bridges. 

The  aqueducts  of  the  canal  over  Walnut 
creek,  in  Fairview  township,  and  Elk  creek, 
in  Girard,  were  at  one  time  looked  upon  as 
wonders  of  engineering  and  mechanical  skill. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


Lake   Erik — H.w  oi     Presc^ue  Isle — Misery  Bay — The  PENixsri.A   and  the  Fishing 

Industry. — |  See  Chapter  V..  Erie  City.] 


THE  vvhok.'  northern  lionl  ol  the  county 
is  hordered  by  Lake  Erie  and  Presque 
Isle  bay,  fjivino;  a  shore  line,  with  the 
various  indentations,  of  fully  forty-Hve 
miles.  Lake  Erie  is  one  of  the  chain 
of  ••  Great  Lakes,"  consisting,  besides  itself, 
of  Lakes  Superior,  Huron,  Michigan,  St. 
Clair  and  Ontario  No  one  of  these,  except 
St.  Clair,  is  excelled  or  equaled  in  size  by  any 
body  of  fresh  water  elsewhere  in  the  world. 
Recent  measurements  si\e  the  following  re- 
sults : 

''  The  greatest  length  of  Lake  Superior  is 
5535  miles;  its  greatest  breadth,  1(50  miles; 
mean  depth,  088  feet;  elevation  above  the 
ocean,  602  feet ;  area,  82,000  square  miles. 

■'The  greatest  length  of  Lake  Michigan 
is  HOO  miles;  its  greatest  breadth,  108  miles; 
mean  deptii,  tiCK)  feet;  elevation,  n8]|  feet; 
area,  28.000  s<|uare  miles. 

"The  greatest  length  of  Lake  Huron  is 
200  miles;  its  greatest  breadth,  169:  mean 
depth,  ()00  feet;  elevation,  581;J  feet;  area, 
23,(KX)  square  miles. 

"  The  greatest  length  of  Lake  Erie  is  250 
miles;  its  greatest  breadth  is  80  miles;  its 
mean  deptli  is  81  feet;  elevation,  573;',,  feet; 
area,  (5,000  square  miles. 

"The  greatest  length  of  Lake  Ontario  is 
i^iO  miles;  its  greatest  breadth,  (i5  miles;  its 
mean  depth  is  500  feet ;  elevation.  24f5i  feet ; 
area,  (5,000  square  miles. 

"The  length  of  all  five  is  1,2(55  miles,  and 
the  area  covered  by  their  waters  is  upward  of 
135.0(¥)  square  miles.' 

OKUnX    Ol-     IHEIK     N.VMES. 

A  prominent  writer  in  one  of  the  maga- 
zines furnishes  the  following  information  : 

"  The  first  discoverers  of  Lake  Ontario 
gave  it  the  name  '  St.  Louis  ;'  another  party 
of    travelers   called    it  'Frontenac,'   after  the 


great  pioneer.  Then  came  the  ICnglish.  who 
preferred  to  call  it  'Ontario.' 

"  Lake  Huron  was  named  after  the  Indian 
tribe  that  lived  upon  its  borders. 

"  Lake  Michigan  was  for  many  years  called 
'  Lake  Illinois,'  from  the  tribe  of  Indians  who 
j  lived  near  it.  In  1710  the  pioneer  Sener  gave 
[  it  the  present  name  of  Michigan. 

"  Cham[ilain  was  the  first  one  to  describe 
j  Lake  Superior,  and  on  his  map  it  is  called 
'  (jraiul  Lac'  Later  on,  the  Jesuit  fathers 
called  it  '  Tracey,'  or  "  Superior.' 

'•  Lake  Erie  was  named  by  the  Iroquois 
'  Erike,'  from  a  tribe  living  on  its  shores. 
The  French  called  it  'Racoon,'  or  'Cat 
Lake,'  and  on  various  old  maps  it  appears  as 
'Lac  de  Conty,'  'Lac  llerrie,'  '  Lak  Erie.' 
'  Lac  Erocoise,'  or   '  Erie/,.'  " 

LAKE    ERIE     DESCUIIIKD. 

Lake  Erie  receives  the  outfiow  of  Lake 
Huron  through  the  St.  Clair  river.  Lake  St. 
Clair  and  the  Detroit  river,  and  empties  itself 
through  the  Niagara  river  into  I>ake  Ontario. 
The  outlet  of  the  latter  is  the  St.  Lawrence 
river,  which,  after  a  course  of  some  five  or  six 
hundred  miles,  falls  into  the  Atlantic  ocean, 
the  volume  of  water  which  it  carries  down 
being  greater  than  that  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  breadth  of  Lake  Erie  is  from  thirty  to 
eighty-four  miles.  The  narrowest  part  o/  the 
lake  is  between  Long  Point,  Canada,  and 
Presque  Isle,  and  the  widest  is  between  Ash- 
tabula, Ohio,  and  Port  Stanley,  Canada.  The 
average  depth  of  Lake  Erie  is  less  than  that 
of  anv  other  of  the  chain,  except  St.  Clair. 
It  has  few  natural  harbors,  that  of  Erie  being 
the  best. 

In  commercial  importance,  Lake  Erie  ex- 
cels any  other  of  the  chain.  The  falls  of 
Niagara,  about  twenty  miles  below  its  foot, 
forbid    direct    navigation    between    Erie    and 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


87 


Ontario.  This  has  been  remedied  in  part  by 
the  construction  of  the  Welland  Ship  canal, 
opened  in  1829,  and  built  and  operated  by  the 
Canadian  Government.  Vessels  pass  through 
this  artificial  channel  to  and  from  Lake  On- 
tario, the  St.  Lawrence  river  and  the  Atlantic 
ocean.  The  lake  seldom  freezes  over  more 
than  a  few  miles  from  shore,  but  instances 
have  been  known  of  the  ice  being  clogged 
between  Long  Point  and  Pres(|ue  Isle  so  that 
teams  and  wagons  have  crossed.  Navigation 
usually  closes  about  the  1st  of  December  and 
opens  early  in  April.  Several  winters  are  re- 
corded when  vessels  have  sailed  every  month 
of  the  year.  [See  chapter  on  lake  naviga- 
tion.] It  is  suliject  to  fluctuations  of  several 
feet  in  the  height  of  the  water,  according  to 
the  direction  of  the  wind  and  the  amount  of 
rainfall  on  the  upper  lakes. 


CURIOUS 


IIEXOMKNA. 


Some  puzzling  phenomena  are  reported  by 
old  settlers  along  the  shores  of  the  lake.  Just 
after  sunset  on  the  8Uth  of  May,  182*5,  several 
swells  were  observed  at  the  mouths  of  Otter 
and  Kettle  creeks,Canada,  being  twenty  miles 
apart,  and  the  water  suddenly  dashed  to  a 
height  of  nine  feet  at  the  former  point  and  of 
seven  at  the  latter.  The  weather  was  tine  and 
the  lake  bad  previously  been  calm.  A  similar 
incident  was  witnessed  at  tiie  mouth  of  Si.\- 
teen-Mile  creek  in  1820,  at  that  of  Cunning- 
ham creek,  Ohio,  in  182(5,  and  again  at  that  of 
Grand  river,  Ohio,  in  1880.  At  the  .second 
point  named  the  water  rose  fifteen  and  at  the 
third  eight  feet.  VVater-spouls  are  of  frequent 
occurrence,  as  manv  as  three  having  been  seen 
at  one  time.  A  whirlwind  \\  as  exijcrienced 
at  Conneaut,  Ohio,  in  September,  1889,  which 
lifted  the  water  of  the  lake  to  a  height  of 
thirty  feet.  Three  monster  waves  are  report- 
ed as  having  dashed  upon  the  dock  at  Madi- 
son, Ohio,  the  first  of  which  was  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  iiigh.  "  In  1844  or  1845  a  wave 
came  into  Euclid  creek  fifteen  feet  in  height, 
carrying  everything  before  it.  *  *  *  The 
Toledo  JJladc  recorded  a  change  of  ten  feet  on 
December  5,  185(5."  The  records  of  lowest 
water  are  for  1808,  "18,  '84  and  '95.  and  of 
highest  for  1813,  '38  and  '58. 

HAY     or    PRESQ.UE    ISLE. 

77/c  Bay  of  Prcsquc  Ish\  forming  the  har- 
bor of  Erie — the  onlv  one  in  the  countv — is  a 


beautiful  body  of  water,  about  four  and  one- 
half  miles  long,  with  a  breadtii  ranging  from 
a  mile  and  a  quarter  to  a  mile  and  a  half. 
The  long  and  narrow  sand  bank  which  divides 
it  from  the  lake  is  known  as  the  Peninsula,  or 
in  French  as  Presque  Isle,  meaning  "  nearlv 
an  island."  Within  a  hundred  years  the  bay 
extended  by  a  narrow  channel  half  a  mile 
further  westward  than  it  does  now.  The  en- 
trance to  the  bay  is  at  its  eastern  end,  between 
two  long  piers,  which  create  an  artificial 
channel  2(H)  feet  wide.  Before  the  govern- 
ment improvements  were  made  the  mouth 
of  the  bay  was  nearly  a  mile  in  width, 
and  obstructed  by  a  bar  wliich  afforded  only 
eight  to  ten  feet  of  water.  Now  the  largest 
vessels  upon  the  lake  can  enter  easily,  and 
when  within  the  bay  are  secure  against  the 
worst  storms.  Three  lighthouses  direct  mari- 
ners to  the  entrance,  while  the  course  of  the 
channel  is  made  clear  by  a  series  of  range 
lights.  The  greatest  depth  of  water  in  the 
bay  is  nearly  opposite  the  Pittsburg  docks, 
where  the  lead  touches  bottom  at  twenty- 
seven  feet. 

Misery  Bay  is  a  small  subdivision  of  the 
bay  proper  at  its  northeastern  extremity.  Its 
name  was  suggested  by  Lieut.  Holdup  during 
the  war  of  1814.  when  the  vessels  of  the  Lake 
Erie    s(|uadron    were    anchored    there.       The 

!   gloomy  weather    that    prevailed,   and    the   un- 

I  comfortable  condition  of  the  crews,  made  the 
title  eminently  appropriate.     Within  this   lit- 

\  tie  bay  were  sunk  two  of  the  vessels  of  Per- 
ry's fleet,  the  Lawrence  and  Niagara.  The 
former  was  raised  and  taken  to  the  Centen- 
nial Exhibition  in  1S7<) ;  the  latter  still  lies  at 
the  bottom  of  the  bay  on  the  east  side.  Both 
of  the  bays  freeze  over  in  winter,  and  usually 

I  continue  closed  until  about    the    Isl    of   April. 

j  [For  a  further  account  of  the  bay.  harbor  and 
jieninsula  see  Erie  Citv.  ] 

THE    i>i;m.\sui.a  . 

Prestiue  Isle,  or  ■■  The   Peninsula."  as  it  is 

I   best  known,  which   forms  the  harbor  of   Erie. 

1   is  a  low  sand  formation   about  six   miles  long, 

and  varying  in  width  from  three  hundred  feet. 

at   the   ''Head,"'  or   place   where   it   joins  the 

mainland,  to  a  mile  and  a   half  in  its  widest 

part.     It   is    covered   with    trees    and  bushes. 

;  representing  nearly  every  variety  in  the  north, 

and    contains    several    small  ''  ponds,"    lakes 

and    lagoons.      Large    sums  of    money    ha\e 


NELSONS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DWriONAHY 


been  spent  to  prevent  tlie  he;vvy  tall  and 
sprini^  waves  from  \vasliin<^  through  tlie  pen- 
insiihi  at  its  narrow  points.  A  break  occurr- 
ed dtiring  the  winter  of  J828-9,  another  dur- 
ing that  of  188i-.-5,  and  a  third  in  No- 
vember, 1874,  all  of  which  were  promptly 
closed  at  the  cost  of  the  I'.  vS.  Government. 
Constant  vigilance  is  required  to  keep  the 
storms  from  breaking  through  the  neck  of  the 
peninsula,  a  result  whicii,  it  is  generally 
thought,  if  not  speedily  corrected,  would  cause 
great  injury  to  the  harbor.  Several  attempts 
have  been  made  to  propagate  willows  for  the 
purpose  of  strengthening  the  neck,  but  they 
have  not  been  successful,  though  a  consider- 
able growth  of  those  trees  has  sprung  up 
naturally.  It  was  at  one  time  contemplated 
to  ojien  a  channel  from  the  west  into  the  har- 
bor and  a  good  deal  of  money  was  expended 
in  that  direction.  After  a  few  years  of  ex- 
periment, the  project  was  given  up  as  im- 
practicable. It  is  a  matter  of  local  tradition 
that  several  vessels  entered  the  bay  through 
the  entrance  thus  created.  The  peninsula  is 
constantly  eroding  on  its  north  and  widest 
part,  and  extending  at  its  eastern  projection. 
[See  Erie  City.  | 

OWNERSHir    OI-    THE    PENINSULA. 

The  extracts  below,  from  a  communica- 
tion written  by  Henry  W.  Babbitt,  of  the 
General  Land  Oflice  at  W^ashington,  are  of 
historical  value.  After  speaking  of  the  pur- 
chase of  this  section  by  Pennsylvania,  a  full 
account  of  which  is  given  further  on,  he  saj's  : 

"  By  act  of  Legislature  of  February  4, 
1809,  the  State  of  PennsyKania  conveyed  the 
said  Presque  Isle  to  Marine  Hospital  (the  pre- 
decesi^or  of  the  Soldiers"  and  Sailors'  Home) 
at  Erie,  Pa.  (Congressional  Record,  49th 
Cong.,  1st  Sess.,  page  8,790).  By  act  of  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  of  May  11,  1871, 
title  to  said  Peninsula  or  Presque  Isle  was 
tendered  to  the  I'nited  States  M.irine  Hos- 
pital, at  Erie,  Pa.  (Ibid). 

■'  By  act  of  Congress,  approved  August  5, 
188(5  (U.  S.  Statutes,  v.  24,  page  iJli),  the 
secretary  of  war  is  authorized  and  directed  to 
receive  and  accept  title  from  said  Marine 
Hospital  as  tendered  by  said  legislative  enact- 
ment of  May  II,  1871;  $37,500  being  the 
sum  appropriated  to  pay  for  the  same. 

"  From  the  letter  of  December  7,  1889,  on 
this    subject,   from    Ihomas    Lincoln    Casey, 


brigadier  general,  chief  engineer  1'.  S.  A.,  to 
Hon.  B.  F.  (jilkerson,  second  comptroller  I'. 
S.  treasury  ilepartment.  I  am  advised  that  the 
deed  of  said  Marine  Hospital,  conveying  title 
to  said  Peninsula,  or  Presque  Isle,  to  the 
United  States,  is  dated  May  25,  1871  ;  that 
the  acting  judge  advocate  of  the  U.  S.  army, 
on  the  18th  of  November,  1886,  rendered  an 
opinion  that  the  acceptance  of  said  deed, 
imder  the  provisions  of  said  act  of  Congress  of 
August  5,  188(),  might  be  signified  by  enter- 
ing upon  and  taking  possession  of  the  land  in 
behalf  of  the  I'nited  States  ;  that  the  honor- 
able secretary  of  war  approved  this  opinion 
and  directed,  December  14,  1886,  that  the 
necessary  action  be  taken.  Accordingly,  in 
pursuance  of  this  order,  the  land  was  entered 
upon,  and  taken  possession  of,  in  behalf  of  the 
I'liited  States,  by  the  war  department," 
(which  now  controls  the  same). 

Capt.  Janits  Hunter,  of  Erie,  has  been 
custodian  of  the  Peninsula,  appointed  bv  the 
I'.  S.  government,  since  188G. 

FISH    AM)     IISIIING    liUSINESS. 

From  Capt.  Jt>hn  Fleeharty's  valuable 
and  interesting  contribution  to  the  work  is- 
sued by  the  State  Fish  Commisioners  in  con- 
nection with  their  exhibit  at  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,  the  following  facts 
are  gathered  : 

"Ever  since  the  appearance  of  the  white  man 
on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie  it  has  been  noted 
for  the  quantity,  variety  and  fine  qualitj-  of 
its  fish.  Long  before  the  advent  of  tlie  whites 
the  Indian  was  aware  and  appreciated  this 
fact,  and  fish  in  connection  with  game  was 
his  whole  food  supply.  In  addition  to  the 
fish  in  the  lake,  all  of  the  small  streams  empty- 
ing into  it  abounded  with  brook  trout  and 
otlier  species  of  small  fish.  The  writer  when 
a  boy  has  taken  them  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
Union  depot  in  a  small  stream  coming  down 
from  the  ridge,  and  emptying  into  Mill  creek 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Sixteenth  and  State 
streets.  Big  Cascade  creek  also  abounded 
with  them.  *  *  *  UpperMill  creek, Walnut 
creek  and  Trout  run  were  noted  for  their  fine 
fishing.  In  fact,  without  particularizing,  all 
of  the  streams  in  Erie  county  were  prolific  in 
fish,  and  all  of  them  contained  many  brook 
trout. 

"  When  the  pioneers  located  on  Presque 
Isle,  in    1795,  they  had   to  resort  to  fishing  in 


^^^^n^^^  o^^^/^^-i^i^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


'y 


their  log  canoes  from  the  lake  and  bay  for  the 
purpose  of  adding  to  their  food  supply,  and 
the  soldiers  in  the  forts  east  of  Mill  creek 
laid  in  a  large  supply  each  season  for  their 
own  use.  *  *  *  The  bay  of  Presque  Isle 
abounded  in  all  varieties  of  lake  tish,  particu- 
larly the  black  bass,  and  all  iish  were  taken 
with  the  hook  and  line  prior  to  18i^0.  *  *  * 
The  ponds  in  the  Peninsula,  and  Pike  pond 
on  the  south  side  of  the  bay,  near  the  harbor 
entrance,  were  the  spawning  grounds  for  a 
large  variety  of  fish.  Pike  pond  was  rated 
for  tlie  number   and  size   of    the  grass    pike. 

*  *  *  The  black  bass  and  lake  pike  have 
always  been  the  game  fish  of  the  lakes,  and 
trolling  in  a  school  of  black  bass  is  the  finest 
sport  for  a  tour  fisherman  that  can  be  con- 
ceived.    *     *     * 

'•Formerlv  perch  abounded  in  the  bay, 
particularly  in  Misery  bay  ;  but  they  are  by 
no  means  as  plentiful  now,  and  yet  they 
are  not  nearly  as  scarce  as  black  bass  in 
proportion.  Rock  bass  and  sunfish  were  some 
years  ago  exceedingly  abundant.  The  differ- 
ent varietie-s  of  pike  indigenous  to  the  lakes 
formerly  were  in  great  numbers,  but  are  not 
now  nearly  as  numerous.  The  herring  are 
also  not  nearly  as  plenteous  as  formerly,  al- 
though they  are  still  caught  in  large  quan- 
tities. It  used  to  be  the  occupation  during  the 
winter  months  of  many  persons  to  Iish  for 
them  through  the  ice,  and  as  many  as  fi\e  to 
eight  hundred  persons  ha\e  been  seen  fishing 
for  them  through  the  ice  in  the  liay.  and  in 
the  lake  near  the  piers. 

"In  1852  Captain  Nash,  a  fisherman  from 
Mackinac,  took  from  there  to  Dunkirk,  N.  Y., 
two  Mackinac  fish  boats,  witii  gill  nets  and 
complete  outfit,  and  began  fishing  at  that 
point  as  an  experiment.  He  set  his  nets  about 
eight  miles  northwest  from  the  harbor,  and 
his  first  catch  was   a    large   one   of   white  fish. 

*  *  *  It  was  mentioned  in  the  Dunkirk, 
Buffalo  and  Cleveland  papers  of  the  day  as 
the  first  catch  of  wliite  fish  on  Lake  Erie,  and 
Captain  Nash  positiveh'  informed  the  writer 
of  this.  *  *  *  As  soon  as  it  became  known 
that  white  fish  had  been  taken  in  Lake  Erie 
people  began  fishing  for  them  in  these  waters. 
Previous  to  finding  the  white  fish  it  liad  been 
tlie  custom  all  along  tlie  lake  for  persons  who 
could  afford  it  to  send  to  Mackinac  or  Detroit 
every  fall  for  a  barrel,  half  barrel  or  kit  of 
sugar-cured  white  fish  for  winter  u.-;e. 


■'  The  muskallonge  used  to  be  quite  plenti- 
ful in  this  vicinit}'.  The  largest  one  taken  at 
this  point  was  sixty-tw-o  pounds;  the  next 
largest  forty-four  pounds.  *  *  *  Only  a 
few  j'ears  ago  sturgeon  were  considered  of  no 
use,  and  were  taken  to  the  peninsula  and 
buried.  Thousands  of  them  have  been  buried 
there.  To-day  they  are  worth  two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  each." 

An  account  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the 
fishing  interest,  now  one  of  the  most  import- 
ant in  the  city,  is  given  in  one  of  the  chapters 
devoted  to  Erie. 

GF.XER.M.    ACCOUNT    OF    T!IK    FISH     AM)    FISII- 
IXG    IX    LAKE    ERIE. 

The  following  article  by  an  unknown 
writer  in  the  New-  ^'ork  Sim  is  worthy  of 
preservation  : 

"No  other  body  of  fresh  water  on  the 
globe  produces  so  large  a  tjuantity  of  fresh 
fish  as  Lake  Erie,  and  Sandusky,  Ohio,  is  the 
greatest  market  for  fresh  fish  in  the  world. 
About  2. U0( ),(»)()  pounds  of  sturgeon  alone  are 
handled  at  Sandusky  every  year,  nearly  one- 
third  of  which  are  taken  in  the  vicinity  of  that 
place.  Three-fouiths  of  that  immense  quan- 
tity of  sturgeon  are  taken  by  Buffalo  fisher- 
men. Tons  of  sturgeon  roe  are  spiced  and 
pickled  at  Sandusky  annually,  and  the  trade 
in  isinglass  made  from  the  air  bladders  of  that 
fish  is  an  important  one.  A  sturgeon's  roe 
will  weigh  from  twenty  to  sixty  pounds 
Three-quarters  of  the  Sandusky  caviare  is  sent 
to  Germany,  and  is  exported  from  that  coun- 
try back  to  this  in  large  (juantities,  the  same 
as  the  finest  English  dairy  cheese  is  male  up 
in  Cattaraugus  county,  sent  to  England  and 
shipped  back  here  again.  Sandusky  gets  ten 
cents  a  pound  for  her  caviare,  and  lays  by 
cpiite  a  snug  pile  annuallv  from  its  sale.  Yet 
it  was  not  until  18(55  that  the  sturgeon  was 
looked  upon  with  even  a  small  degree  of  fa\or 
by  lake  fishermen.  Now  smoked  sturgeon  is 
found  not  only  in  the  markets  of  all  the  large 
cities  and  towns,  but  in  country  stores  also, 
while  fresh  sturgeon  is  one  of  the  highest- 
priced  of  fresh  water  fishes. 

' ^ S/>tnc// ///i^a ro// //i/s . — In  none  of  theotiier 
great  lakes  do  the  conditions  for  fish  seem  to 
be  so  favorable  as  in  Lake  Erie.  This  is  due 
in  a  great  measure,  fish  culturists  think,  to  the 
variations  in  the  depth  which  are  peculiar  to 
that   lake.      The  western   end    is  shallow,  and 


9° 


NELSON- S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


thus  provitles  vast  areas  for  spawning  grounds. 
The  deep  water  at  the  eastern  end  is  an  almost 
boundless  retreat  for  the  half-grown  yoiuig. 
The  line  between  deep  and  shallow  water 
seems  to  be  drawn  at  Cleveland,  for  west  of 
that  city  the  water  is  not  more  than  sixty  feet 
deep  anywhere,  and  the  average  depth  will 
perhaps  fall  below  forty.  East  of  that  line  the 
water  grows  rapidly  deeper  until  it  reaches  a 
depth  of  '2'lf)  feet  in  some  places. 

"  Troul .  Miiskallonge  and  Herring. — 
There  is  something  singular  in  the  distribution 
of  fishes  in  Lake  Erie.  The  lake  trout,  one  of 
the  most  valuable  of  lake  fishes,  is  rare  at  the 
best  in  Lake  Erie,  but  it  is  never  taken  west 
of  Erie.  On  tiie  other  hand,  pike  and  mus- 
kallonge  are  taken  only  west  of  Erie.  If  a 
fisherman  is  after  lake  herring,  he  knows  he 
will  be  wasting  his  time  if  he  sets  his  nets  in 
the  eastern  waters.  He  seeks  this  beautiful 
and  delicious  lish  at  or  west  of  Erie.  The  lake 
herring  is  the  lesser  white  fish  of  Lake  Erie. 
Here  is  another  funny  thing ;  at  least  it  may 
seem  so  to  those  who  don't  know  the  reason. 
While  Erie  herring  fishermen  are  hauling  in 
fish  by  the  ton  in  April  and  Maj',  and  getting 
a  good  many  all  along  through  the  summer, 
the  fishermen  further  west  know  better  than 
to  wet  their  nets  during  these  months,  for  they 
wouldn't  get  herring  enough  to  make  a  smell 
in  a  frying  pan.  When  fall  comes,  though, 
the  Erie  fishermen  know  enough  to  take  out 
their  nets  and  keep  them  out,  and  the  San- 
dusky and  other  western  fishermen  put  their's 
in.  In  the  western  waters  the  champion 
month  for  catching  herring  is  November.  The 
reason  for  this  is  that  in  that  month  the  fish 
are  moving  in  enormous  schools  on  to  the 
spawning  grounds  around  Bass  Island  and 
grounds  further  west.  A  similar  situation 
exists  in  the  matter  of  white  fish.  The  most 
profitable  months  for  taking  them  from  the 
Erie  deep  water  fisheries  are  July  and  August, 
and  the  shallow  water  fishermen  to  the  west- 
ward don't  get  a  chance  at  them  until  No- 
vember. 

^'■Miiskallonge  Decreasing. — One  of  the 
most  lamentable  facts  about  the  fish  of  the  lakes 
is  that  the  muskallonge,  that  king  of  game 
fishes,  is  decreasing  in  numbers  every  year.  The 
home  of  this  great  fish  is  in  the  deep  waters 
of  the  lakes.  It  is  onl^'  when  it  is  on  its  an- 
nual spawning  migration  to  the  streams  and 
tributaries    of    the    lakes   that    the    sportsman 


with  rod  and  line  comes  in  contact  with  the 
muskallonge.  It  ascends  those  streams  to 
spawn,  and  when  that  duty  is  performed  the 
gigantic  pike  turns  its  head  homeward  again, 
and  seeks  once  more  the  dejilhs  of  the  lakes. 
It  is  not  due  to  the  fishing  that  the  muskal- 
longe is  growing  rarer  every  year  in  the  lakes, 
in  the  lakes,  but  to  the  defilement  of  the 
spawning  grounds  by  the  sewage  of  towns 
and  the  refuse  of  manufacturing  establish- 
ments. 

"Aff/r  Sturgeon. — There  is  something  also 
that  is  playing  hob  with  the  sturgeon  of  Lake 
Erie,  and  one  of  these  days,  if  the  sturgeon 
fishermen  don't  mend  their  ways,  they  will 
wake  up  and  find  their  ugly  but  valuable  fish 
one  of  the  has-beens.  Sturgeon  spawn  in 
June  along  the  rocky  ledges  of  the  eastern  end 
of  the  lake  and  leave  deep  water  the  same 
month.  They  travel  in  schools.  The  favor- 
ite method  the  fishermen  have  of  taking  them 
is  by  grappling  irons.  Attaching  a  far-reach- 
ing grap]iling  iron  to  a  long  rope,  the  fisher- 
man throws  it  overboard  and  drags  it  along- 
rowing.  When  this  overtakes  a  school  of 
sturgeon  the  grappler  knows  it  at  once  by  the 
strike  the  iron  makes  on  a  fish.  The  line  is 
then  drawn  up  hand  over  hand,  and  if  the 
grappling  hook  fixed  itself  firmly  in  the  stur- 
geon the  fisherman  will  probal>ly  get  his  fish 
aboard.  If  not,  it  will  tear  loose,  perhaps  mort- 
allj-  hurt.  Thousands  of  sturgeons  are  killed 
in  this  way  every  year  and  become  a  dead 
loss.  Lake  Erie  fish  have  curious  migrations. 
The  sturgeon,  the  blue  pike,  and  many  other 
species  regularly  leave  their  spring  and  early 
summer  haunts  toward  the  end  of  July,  and 
seek  the  Canadian  shore  of  the  lake,  and  it 
will  be  useless  to  look  for  them  in  their  old 
haunts  again  until  the  coming  of  the  fierce 
November  gales.  .Soon  after  the  first  hard 
sou'wester  the  blue  pike  will  appear  on  its  old 
feeding  ground^,  and  the  sturgeon  be  found 
nosing  around  again  in  Sandusky  Bay. 

'■'■Lake  JF'isliing. — Fishing  in  Lake  Erie  is 
done  with  pound  and  gill  nets.  The  gill  net 
is  u.sed  almost  exclusively  by  the  fishermen  at 
Erie,  and,  in  fact,  almost  everywhere  in  the 
eastern  waters.  Half  the  whitefish  taken 
from  Lake  Erie  are  caught  in  gill  nets,  which 
is  to  be  regretted,  for  these  gill  nets  are  doing 
untold  damage  to  the  whitefish  supply  of  the 
lake,  on  account,  not  of  the  fish  they  catch, 
but  of  the  fish  that   are  destroyed  and  wasted 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  HOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


91 


by  them.  The  fish  arc  caught  by  getting  fast 
in  the  meshes  by  their  gills,  hence  the  name 
of  the  net.  The  fish  thus  caught  soon  die. 
Whitefish  are  so  delicate  that  a  few  hours" 
delav  in  removing  them  from  the  nets  makes 
them  worthless.  Gill-net  fishermen  plan  to  lift 
their  nets  ever)'  foi  ty-eight  hours.  Lake  Erie 
is  subject  to  fierce  storms  that  frequently  con- 
tinue several  days,  during  which  it  is  impos- 
sible for  nets  to  be  lifted.  Thus  hundreds  of 
tons  of  choice  whitefish,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
other  varieties,  are  held  in  the  nets  until  they 
are  of  no  use,  and  have  to  be  thrown  away. 
This  feature  of  gill-net  fishing  has  done  more 
to  lessen  the  number  of  whitefish  in  the  lakes 
than  any  other  one  thing.  The  pound  net  is 
used  almost  exclusively  in  the  western  waters 
of  the  lake,  and  with  the  exception  of  white- 
fish  a  large  percentage  of  the  fish  taken  in 
Lake  Erie  are  caught  in  pound  nets.  This 
device  was  introduced  on  Lake  Erie  at  Dun- 
kirk by  a  man  named  McClosky,  in  1850. 
There  are  now  several  hundred  miles  of  them 
stretched  along  the  lake,  some  of  the  lines 
being  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  in  length. 

•'■  Herri >i IT.    Etc. — The    lake    herring    is    a 


wonderful  variety  of  fish.  In  spite  of  the 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  tons  of  them 
that  have  been  taken  from  Lake  Erie  in  the 
last  few  years,  they  are  more  abundant  tiian 
ever,  and  they  are  the  only  lake  fish  of  which 
that  can  be  said.  Sometimes  the  nets  will  l)e 
so  jammed  with  herring  tiiat  tin-  markets  will 
be  knocked  galleywest. 

"  It  is  estimated  that  ('>,rX)0  tons  of  fish  are 
salted  along  Lake  Erie  annually,  not  less  than 
5,000  tons  are  frozen,  and  probably  :?,00()  tons 
are  smoked.  The  amount  of  fish  sold  from 
Lake  Erie  points  fresh,  which  is  principally  a 
local  trade,  will  reach  18,<KX)  tons  a  year. 
These  figures  represent  tiie  catch  of  Lake  Erie 
only.  The  other  lakes  west  of  Erie  add  some- 
thing like  5(),0(KI  tons  to  the  annual  total  of 
the  supply.  While  Lake  Erie  produces  more 
fish  than  any  of  the  other  lakes,  the  whitefish 
of  Lake  Superior  surpass  those  of  Lake  Erie 
in  quality — as  they  do  all  other  whitefish. 
The  lake  trout  of  Lake  Superior  are  also  the 
finest  in  the  world.  Lake  Michigan  produces 
a  close  second  to  Lake  Erie  in  whitefish,  and 
exceeds  all  the  other  great  lakes  in  amount  of 
lake  trout.'" 


CHAPTER    VII 


The   Ixni.ws — Extermination'   ok  the  Euiez  Tribe — Ponti.\c"s  Conspir.vcv — C.M'tuhe 
OF  Forts  Presq.ue   Isi.e  and  LeBckuf — America.s   Occii-ation. 


TIIE  State  Library  at  Ilarrisburg  con- 
tains two  old  French  maps,  one  print- 
ed in  1763  and  the  other  in  17(58,  in 
which  rude  attempts  are  made  to  show 
the  leading  geographical  features  of 
portions  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
Both  represent  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie 
as  having  been  peopled  by  a  tribe  or  nation  of 
Indians  known  as  the  "  Eriez.'"  A  note  on 
tlu'  margin  of  each  reads  as  follows:  "The 
ancient  Eriez  were  exterminated  by  the  Iro- 
quois upwards  of  100  N'ears  ago,  ever  since 
which  time  thev  have  been  in  possession  of 
Lake  Erie."" 


This  information  is  corroborated  in  a 
French  book  printed  in  170i},  tlescribing  the 
voyages  of  Le  Baron  de  Lahonton,  an  ad- 
venturous Frenchman,  who  spent  ten  years 
among  the  Indians,  commencing  in  U)83 
"The  shores  of  Lake  Erie,'"  he  .says,  "are 
frequented  by  the  Iroquois,  the  Illinois,  the 
Omnanies,  etc.,  who  are  so  savage  that  it  is  a 
risk  to  stop  with  them.  The  I->rieronens  and 
-Vndestiguerons,  who  formerlv  inhabited  the 
borders  of  the  lake,  were  exterminated  by  tiie 
Iroquois."  Incidentally  it  may  be  added,  he 
refers  to  the  Massassaugues  as  a  tribe  living 
somewhere  near   the  western  end  of  the  lake. 


92 


NBLSON'S  BIOQliAPHWAI.  VICTIONARY 


All  of  the  authorities  agree  that  the  date  of 
the  extermination  of  the  Ericz  was  some- 
where about  ]()5().  It  is  claimed  by  most  his- 
torians that  the  word  Erie/,  was  the  Indian 
expression  for  wild  cat,  but  a  recent  writer 
contends  that  "  this  is  a  mistake,  that  it  does 
not  mean  wild  cat,  but  raccoon.  The  latter 
were  abundant  on  the  lake  shore,  while  the 
former  were  rarely  seen." 

When  the  French  visited  this  section  in 
1626  the  Eriez  were  governed  by  a^  queen, 
called  in  their  own  language  Yagowania,  and 
in  the  .Seneca  tongue  Gegosasa.  The  chief 
warrior  of  the  tribe  was  Ragnotha,  who  had 
his  principal  location  at  Tu-shu-way,  now 
Huffalo.  The  Massassaugas  were  described 
by  French  \vriters  of  the  period  as  a  tribe  liv- 
ing near  the  western  end  of  Lake  Erie. 

THE    ERIEZ    EXTEKMIXATED. 

The    war    of    extermination  betw-een    the 
Eriez  and  the  Iroquois  occurred   about   1050, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  cruel  in  aboriginal 
history.     From  the  opening  it  was  understood 
by  both  sides  to  mean  the  destruction  of  one 
or  the  other.     The  Eriez  organized  a  powerful 
body  of  warriors  and  sought  to  surprise  their 
enemies   in    their    own    country.     The    latter 
raised  a  force  and  marched  out  to  meet  the  in- 
vaders.    The  engagement  resulted  in   a  com- 
plete victory  for  the   Irocjuois.     Seven    times 
the  Eriez  crossed  the  stream  dividing  the  hos- 
tile lines  and  thej-  were  as  often  driven  back 
with  terrible  loss.     On  another  occasion  several 
hundred  Iroquois  attacked  nearly  three  times 
their   number    of    Eriez,    encamped  near  the 
mouth  of  French  creek,  dispersed  them,  took 
many  prisoners,  and  compelled  the  balance  to 
fly  to  remote  regions.     In  a  battle  near  the  site 
of  the  Cattaraugus  Indian  mission   house,  on 
the  Allegheny  river,  the  loss  of  the  Eriez  was 
enormous.     Finally    a    pestilence    broke     out 
among  the  Eriez,  which  "swept  away  greater 
numbers  even  than  the  club  and  arrow.'"     The 
Iroquois  took  advantage  of   their  opportunity 
to  end  all  future  trouble  with  the  ill-fated  Er- 
iez.    Those  who    were    taken    captive   were, 
with  rare  exceptions,  remorselessly'  butchered, 
and  their  wives  and  children  were  distributed 
among  the  Iroquois  villages,  never  again  to  be 
restored  to  their  husbands  and  brothers.     The 
few  survivors  "  fled  to  distant   regions   in   the 
West  and   South,  and  were  followed  by  the 
undying  hatred  of  the   Iroquois.       *       «       * 


Their  council  hre  was  put  out,  and  their  name 
and  language  as  a  tribe  lost." 

It  is  claimed  by  some  that  the  Eriez  were 
also  known  by  the  name  of  Kah-Kwahs,  but 
the  investigations  of  the  writer  lead  to  the  be- 
lief that  this  was  only  a  local  title  given  to  a 
tribe  located  at  or  near  the  foot  of  the  lake. 

Tuv.   iitoiyois. 

After  the  extermination  of  the  Eriez,  the 
country  on  the  south  side  of  the  lake  was  oc- 
cupied bv  the  Iroquois,  as  they  were  called  by 
the  French,  or  the  Six  Nations,  as  they  were 
known  to  the  English.  The  Six  Nations  were 
originally  a  confederacy  of  five  tribes — the  On- 
ondagas,  Cayugas,  Senecas,  Oneidas  and  Mo- 
hawks— and  were  then  styled  the  Five  Na- 
tions. In  1712,  the  Tuscaroras,  being  ex- 
pelled from  the  interior  of  North  Carolina  and 
Virginia,  were  adopted  as  a  sixth  tribe.  Their 
territory  stretched  from  Vermont  nearly  to  the 
upper  end  of  Lake  Erie,  embracing  the  head- 
waters of  the  Allegheny,  Susquehanna  and 
Delaware  rivers,  and  the  seat  of  their  "great 
council  fire"  was  in  the  Onondaga  valley. 
The  Senecas,  who  were  the  most  powerful 
tribe,  occupied  the  western  part  of  the  do- 
main, having  their  headquarters  on  the  Alle- 
gheny river,  near  the  line  between  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania.  The  Iniiansin  the  north- 
western part  of  this  State  were  Senecas  inter- 
mixed with  stray  members  from  each  of  the 
other  tribes. 

I'llE    FKE.NCII    .VXD    ENGLISH. 

When  the  French  and  English  began  to 
extend  their  settlements  westward,  the  lake 
region  was  under  the  full  dominion  of  the 
Iroquois,  with  the  Senecas  as  the  immediate 
possessors  of  the  soil.  Both  nations  appreci- 
ated the  importance  of  having  the  good  will 
of  the  Indians,  but  the  adroit  French  were 
more  successful  in  winning  their  friendship 
I  than  their  blunt  and  less  politic  competitors. 
As  far  back  as  17-50,  the  French  Indian  agent, 
Joncaire,  penetrated  this  section,  adopted  the 
habits  of  the  natives,  became  one  of  their 
number,  and  "won  them  over  to  the  French 
j  interest."  The  French  built  up  a  considerable 
'  trade  with  the  Indians,  which  yielded  an  im- 
mense profit.  The  English  viewed  the  pro- 
jects of  the  French  with  mingled  jealousy  and 
alarm,  sent  out  numerous  agents,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  some  quarters  in  estraiTging  the   In- 


AND  UISrORlCAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTV. 


93 


dians  from  their  rivals,  but  not  to  any  extended 
degree.  Some  of  their  traders  were  located  at 
I>eB<L'uf  (Waterford)  when  the  advance  troops 
of  the  French  reached  that  point  in  175H. 

Friendly  as  the  Six  Nations  were  toward 
the  French  in  a  commercial  sense,  they  did  not 
take  kindly  at  tirst  to  the  occupation  of  the 
country  by  armed  bodies  of  the  latter.  The 
expedition  of  Sieur  Marin  (or  Morang) ,  in 
1753,  and  the  erection  of  forts  at  Presque  Isle 
and  LeBd'uf,  worked  them  up  to  a  spirit  of 
hitter  resentment.  A  delegation  of  Senecas 
waited  upon  that  officer  at  LeBo'uf  to  inquire 
of  him  '•  bv  a  belt"  whether  lie  "was  march- 
ing with  a  banner  uplifted  or  to  establish  tran- 
quility." He  answered  that  his  purpose  was 
to  support  and  assist  them  in  their  necessities, 
and  to  drive  away  the  evil  spirits  that  encom- 
passed them  and  disturbed  the  earth,  meaning 
the  English.  His  manner  and  conduct  ap- 
peased them,  so  that  the  Allegheny  river 
Senecas  zealously  assisted  the  French  with 
horses  and  provisions. 

The  Indians  of  Western  Pennsylvania 
were  generallv  favorable  to  the  French 
throughout  the  war.  M.  de  Vaudrcil,  in  a 
letter  from  Montreal,  dated  August  8,  1756. 
wrote  that  "the  domiciliated  Massassaugues 
of  Presque  Isle  have  been  out  to  the  number 
of  ten  against  the  English.  They  have  taken 
one  prisoner  and  two  scalps,  and  gave  them 
to  cover  the  death  of  M.  de  St.  Pierre."' 

By  1757,  the  Englisli  seein  to  have  won 
some  of  the  tribes  over  to  their  side,  for  we 
learn  from  the  Pennsylvania  Archives  that 
the  French  kept  "100  men  in  garrison  at 
Presque  Isle,  being  apprehensive  that  the 
English  and  the  Indians  might  attack  them 
there,"'  and  bv  175U  the  aborigines  had 
reached  the  conclusion  that  they  could  very 
well  dispense  with  the  presence  of  both.  The 
war  closed  in  1700,  leaving  the  whole  West- 
ern country  under  the  domination  of  the 
English.  Presque  Isle  was  the  last  of  the 
French  forts  south  of  Lake  Erie  to  be  aban- 
doned. The  parting  between  the  French  and 
the  Indians  was  extremely  aft"ecting.  The 
Indians  called  them  their  "brethren,"  and 
invoked  the  aid  of  the  Great  Spirit  to  give 
them  a   speedy  return. 

THE   CONSPIRACY   1,F.D   BV    POXTIAC. 

The  most  powerful  and  influential  of  the 
Western    chiefs  was    the    renowned    Pontiac, 


head  of  the  Ottawa  tribe.  When  the  Eng- 
lish assumed  dominion  of  the  country  he 
was  at  first  tlistant  and  sidlen  toward  them; 
but  in  time  his  prejudices  seemed  to  be  con- 
((uered.  and  he  even  rendered  some  service 
that  led  them  to  believe  that  they  could  rely 
upon  his  CO  operation.  His  friendship  proved, 
however,  to  be  assumed,  and  he  was  quietly 
at  work  fomenting  a  spirit  of  hostility  among 
the  several  tribes,  and  organizing  them  for 
concerted  action.  His  plan  included  a  com- 
bination of  all  the  tribes  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghenies,  acting  in  unison  with  the  Six 
Nations.  The  conspiracy  was  conducted  with 
such  secrecy  and  planned  with  so  much  skill, 
that  almost  before  the  Englisli  knew  that 
hostile  measures  were  on  foot  nine  of  the 
thirteen  western  forts  had  been  captured, 
ainong  the  number  being  Presque  Isle,  Le- 
Bcpuf  and  Venango.  Niagara,  Pittsburg 
and  the  two  other  forts  were  invested,  "but 
withstood  the  attacks  until  relief  arrived  from 
the  Eastern   settlements."' 

The  fort  at  Le  BdHif  was  assaulted  on  the 
17th  of  June,  176-5.  It  was  commanded  by 
Ensign  Price,  who  had  a  force  of  thirteen 
men.  Finding  it  impossible  to  hold  the  post, 
they  crept  out  at  night,  managed  to  elude  the 
savage  enemy,  and  escaped  to  Pittsburg. 
From  Le  Bieuf  the  Indians,  consisting  of 
about  'IW  Senecas  and  Ottawas,  marched 
immediately  to  Presque  Isle,  which  surren- 
dered on  the  '2'2A  of  the  same  month.  This 
fort  stood  upon  the  bank  of  the  bay,  on  a 
point  of  land  just  west  of  the  mouth  of  Mill 
creek,  that  has  been  mainly  dug  away  for 
railroad  and  other  purposes.  The  following 
account  of  its  capture  is  from  Parkman's 
Historv  of  the  "  Conspiracy  of  Pontiac." 

C.VPTIUE  OV   FOKT  PRESfirE    ISLE. 

•■There  had  been  hot  fighting  before 
Presqu'ile  was  taken.  Could  courage  have 
saved  it,  it  never  would  have  fallen.  *  * 
At  one  of  its  angles  was  a  large  block-house. 
*  *  It  was  two  stories  in  height,  and  solid- 
ly built  of  massive  timber,  the  diameter  of 
the  upper  story  exceeding  that  of  the  lower 
by  several  feet,  so  that  through  the  openings 
in  the  projecting  floor  of  the  former  the 
defenders  could  shoot  down  upon  the  heads  of 
an  enemv  assailing  the  outer  wall  below. 
The  roof  being  covered  with  shingles  might 
easily  be  set  on  fire,  but  to  guard  against  this 


94 


KMLSOJrS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONAKY 


there  was  an  opening  through  whicli  the  gar- 
rison, partially  protected  by  a  covering  of 
plank,    might    pour   water    upon    the    flames. 

*  *  .\nil  now  the  dofenikrs  could  see  the 
Indians  throwing  up  earth  and  stones  behind 
one  of  tiie  breastworks;  their  imj)lacable  foes 
were  laboring  to  luideruiine  the  block-house, 
a  sure  and  insidious  expedient,  against  which 
there  was  no  defense.  *  *  *  *  The 
barrels  of  water  always  kept  in  the  block- 
house were  nearly  emptied  in  extinguishing 
the  frequent  fires,  and  though  there  was  ;i 
well  in  the  parade  ground,  yet  to  approach  it 
woidd  be  certain  death.  The  only  recourse 
was  to  dig  one  in  the  blockhouse  itself.  The 
floor  was  torn  up,  and  while  some  of  the  men 
tired  their  heated  muskets  from  the  loopholes 
to  keep  the  enemy  in  check,  the  rest  labored 
with  desperate  energy  at  this  toilsome  and 
cheerless  task.  Before  it  was  half  completed, 
the  cry  of  fire  was  again  raised,  and,  at  the 
imminent  risk  of  life,  they  tore  off  the  blazing 
shingles  and  arrested  the  danger.  By  this 
time  it  was  e\ening.  The  little  garrison  had 
fought  from  earliest  daylight  without  a  min- 
ute's rest.  Nor  did  darkness  bring  relief,  for 
the  Indians'  guns  flashed  all  night  long  from 
the  intrenchments.  They  seemed  determined 
to  wear  out  the  obstinate  defenders  by  fatigue. 
While  some  slept,  others  in  their  turn  con- 
tinued the  assault,  and  morning  brought  fresh 
dangers.  The  block-house  was  fired  several 
times  during  the  day,  but  they  kept  up  their 
forlorn  and  desperate  resistance.  The  house 
of  the  commanding  officer  sank  into  glowing 
embers.  The  fire  on  both  sides  did  not  cea.se 
till  midnight,  at  which  hoiu-  a  voice  was 
heard  in  French,  calling  out  that  further 
defense  was  useless,  since  preparations  were 
made  to  burn  above  and  below  at  once.  En- 
sign Christie,  the  officer  in  command,  de- 
manded if  any  one  spoke  English,  upon 
which,  a   man  in   Indian  dress  came  forward. 

*  *  *  He  said  if  they  yielded  they  would 
be  saved  alive,  if  not,  they  would  be  burned. 
Christie  resolved  to  hold  out  as  long  as  a 
shadow  of  hope  remained,  and  while  some  of 
the  garrison  slept,  the  rest  watched.  They 
told  them  to  wait  imtil  morning.  They  as- 
sented, and  suspended  their  fire.  When 
morning  came,  they  sent  out  two  persons,  on 
pretense  of  treating,  but  in  reality  to  learn  the 
truth  of  the  preparations  to  burn  the  block- 
house, whose  sides  were  pierced  with   bullets 


and  scorched  with  fire.  In  spite  of  the  capit- 
ulation, they  were  surrounded  and  seized, 
and,  having  been  detained  for  some  time  in 
the  neighborhood,  were  sent  as  jirisoners  to 
Detroit,  where  Ensign  Christie  soon  made  his 
escape." 

INDIANS      .\NI)      KNGl.ISIl       .\r      I'UKStyjE      ISLK. 

During  the  interval  between  the  summer 
and  fall  of  17G3  many  barbarities  were  com- 
mitted by  the  Indians  upon  the  white  settlers. 
Late  in  that  year  a  covenant  was  made  with 
the  tribes  of  New  York  and  Western  I'enn- 
.sylvania,  but  hostilities,  though  not  upon  an 
e.xtended  scale,  were  soon  renewed.  Early  in 
1704,  a  British  army  ofH.OtJt),  under  the  com- 
mand of  (jen.  Bradstreet,  passed  up  the  lake 
in  canoes.  They  stopped  at  Presque  Isle  and 
dragged  their  canoes  across  the  neck  of  the 
peninsula  to  avoid  paddling  several  miles 
around.  After  relieving  Detroit,  Bradstreet 
returned  to  Presque  Isle,  where,  on  the  1:2th 
of  August,  1704,  he  madf  a  treaty  of  peace 
with  the  Delawares  and  .Shawnees,  which 
was  scarcely  signed  till  it  was  broken. 

No  authentic  record  of  events  in  this  sec- 
tion can  be  found  from   that   date  until  17'J4. 
I  The    fort    appears    to   have  been  abandoned, 
i   and  it   is  probable    that   the    English  made   no 
attempt  to  e.xercise  more  than  nominal  control 
over  the  country. 

OCCUI'IEI)     in       rilK     .\.MKUIC.\NS. 

The  treaty  of  peace  with  (jreat  Britain, 
which  secured  the  independence  of  the  United 
States,  was  made  in  1788.  By  its  provisions 
\  the  British  Government  abandoned  all  claim 
to  the  western  country,  and  agreed  to  with- 
1  draw  its  troops  and  yield  up  the  forts,  block- 
1  houses  and  other  militarv  structures.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1784,  a  treaty  was  made  with  the  Six 
Nations  by  which  they  relinquished  to  Penn- 
sylvania all  of  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
State  to  a  line  parallel  with  the  southern 
boundary  of  New  York.  By  another  treaty, 
made  on  the  9th  of  January,  1789,  with  a  por- 
tion only  of  the  Six  Nations,  they  acknowl- 
edged "  the  right  of  soil  and  jurisdiction  to 
and  over"  the  Triangle  '•  to  be  vested  in  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania."  Some  dissatisfaction 
having  arisen  among  the  Seneca  tribe  in 
consequence  of  this  act,  the  Legislature  em- 
powered the  Governor  to  draw  a  warrant  for 
1800  in  favor  of  Cornplanter,  Half  Town  and 


AKD  ULSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUXTT. 


95 


Big  Tree,  in  trust  for  tlie  use  of  the  tribe  and 
in  full  satisfaction  of  all  demands,  in  consider- 
ation of  which  the  said  chiefs,  on  the  8d  of 
February,  1701,  signed  a  release  of  all  claims 
against  the  State  for  themselves  and  their  peo- 
ple forever.  On  the  ;5d  of  March,  1792,  the 
Triangle  was  purchased  from  the  I'nited  States 
by  the  Commonwealth,  and  a  month  later  an 
act  of  Assemblv  was  passed  to  encourage  its 
setilement  bv  white  people.  State  troops,  to 
facilitate  this  puipose,  were  first  stationed  at 
LeBa'uf  early  in  May,  1704. 

INDIAN      THREATS. 

The  treaty  which  ceded  the  territory  em- 
braced in  the  Triangle  was  very  obnoxious  to 
a  large  portion  of  the  Six  Nations,  among  the 
most  hostile  being  Joseph  Brant,  head  of  the 
Mohawk  tribe.  On  the  other  hand.  Corn- 
planter,  the  Seneca  chief,  was  friendly  to  the 
Americans,  and  it  was  mainly  through  his  ef- 
forts that  another  war  with  the  Indians  was 
averted.  Early  in  1794,  an  Indian  council 
was  held  at  Buffalo  to  protest  against  the  set- 
tlement at  Presque  Isle,  on  the  result  of  which, 
it  was  given  out,  would  depend  the  issue  of 
peace  or  war.  To  this  council  Cornplanter, 
whom  Brant  was  seeking  to  win  to  his  side, 
was  invited.  It  was  attended  by  Gen.  Israel 
Chapin,  United  States  Superintendent  of  the 
Six  Nations,  who  wrote  to  the  Secretarj'  of 
War:  "lam  afraid  of  the  consequences  of 
the  attempt  to  settle  Presque  Isle  at  present. 
The  Indians  do-  not  acknowledge  the  validity 
of  the  Cornplanter  sale  to  Pennsylvania.'"  By 
request  of  the  council,  he  went  to  LeBanif  on 
or  about  the  2f3th  of  June,  1794,  accompanied 
by  Mr.  Johnson.  British  Indian  Agent,  and 
twenty-five  chiefs  and  warriors,  the  purpose 
of  the  latter  being  to  remonstrate  with  the 
State  officers  at  that  post  against  the  placing 
of  garrisons  in  the  Northwest.  The  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Six  Nations  claimed  to  be 
anxious  to  live  at  peace  with  the  United 
States,  but  pretended  to  be  much  disturbed  by 
the  presence  of  the  troops,  fearing  that  it 
would  involve  them  in  strife  with  the  hostile 
Indians.  Thej'  were  assured  by  Ellicott  and 
Denny,  the  state  officers  at  LeBciHif,  that  the 
soldiers  could  not  move  from  there  till  or- 
dered, and  that  they  would  await  the  com- 
mands of  their  superiors  in  authority.  The 
council  adjourned  without  accomplishing  any- 
thing of  a  definite  character.     Another  Indian 


council  was  held  at  LeBoeuf  on  the  4th  of 
July,  1794,  at  which  the  chiefs  reiterated  their 
purpose  of  preventing  a  garrison  being  sta- 
tioned at  Presque  Isle. 

WAYXe's      VICTOKV      SElTLKIl      .\I.I.      TROUBLE. 

The  savages  continued  to  be  sullen  and 
threatening  for  some  months.  .Several  raids 
were  made  upon  the  southern  settlements, 
among  others  on  Cussewago,  near  the  Craw- 
ford county  line.  A  Mr.  Dickson,  living 
near  there,  w  as  fired  upon  by  a  party  of  In- 
dians on  the  10th  of  September.  Twelve 
soldiers,  sent  from  LeBa'uf  for  the  protection 
of  the  settlement,  were  fired  upon,  and  the 
Indians  drove  off  several  horses. 

Matters  remained  in  this  alarming  condi- 
tion till  October,  when  news  reached  LeBoeuf 
of  Wayne's  \  ictory  on  the  Alaumee.  This  had 
a  wonderful  effect  on  the  Indians  of  our  vicin- 
ity. A  number  of  warriors  of  the  Six  Nations 
had  taken  part  in  the  fight,  and  the  reports 
they  brought  back  of  Wayne's  fighting  quali- 
ties had  a  disheartening  effect  upon  their  com- 
rades. The  .Senecas,  who  had  been  strongly 
urged  to  go  into  the  war,  gave  the  messengers 
a  peremptory  refusal.  Notwithstanding  this 
decision,  disturbances  broke  out  on  several 
occasions.  On  Saturday,  the  29th  of  May, 
1795,  four  men  who  were  journeying  from 
LeBa?uf  to  Presque  Isle  were  attacked 
near  the  present  Union  depot  in  Erie,  by  a 
party  of  Indians,  in  retaliation,  it  is  supposed, 
because  some  of  their  friends  had  been  fired 
upon  bv  whites  along  the  Allegheny.  Ralph 
Rutledge,  one  of  the  number,  was  killed  and 
scalped,  and  his  body  was  interred  on  a  piece 
of  rising  ground  on  the  west  side  of  State 
street,  near  its  junction  with  Turnpike.  His 
son  was  also  shot  and  scalped,  but  lived  to  be 
taken  to  the  fort  at  LeBoeuf,  where  he  died. 
This  is  the  last  Indian  difficulty  known  to 
have  taken  place  in  the  county. 

A  treaty  of  peace  was  eft'ected  with  the 
\\'estern  tribes  bv  Gen.  Wavne  at  Greenville, 
Ohio,  on  the  Hd  of  August,  1795,  and  another 
was  made  with  the  Six  Nations  at  Canan- 
daigua,  N.  V.,  on  the  9th  of  November  en- 
suing. 

VILLAGES  .\N1)  (jR.WEVARUS  OK  THE    INPl.VNS. 

There  is  no  evidence  that  any  large  num- 
ber of  Indians  ever  made  their  abode  within 
the    limits    of    Erie    county    after    it    became 


96 


NELSOJfS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


known  to  the  whites.  In  1795.  there  were 
Indian  villaj^es  on  Mill  creek,  and  at  the  head 
of  the  ba}-,  each  numberinfr  from  twenty  to 
thirty  families.  Other  villages  were  located  at 
Waterford  and  Cranesville. 

On  the  Scouller  farm,  in  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  the  city,  was  an  Indian  graveyard, 
where  the  boys  of  fifty  years  ago  used  to  dig 
into  the  mounds  and  gather  bones  as  relics. 
The  first  held  east  of  the  burial  ground  was 
cleared  in  1821.  For  some  years  after  it  was 
a  frequent  thing  to  find  stone  hatchets  and 
other  rude  implements  of  the  aborigines.  It 
was  the  custom  for  manj*  years  after  the  in- 
coming of  the  whites,  for  parties  of  Indians 
to  camp  near  by  and  indulge  in  peculiar  rites 
in  commemoration  of  their  ancestors.  The 
last  Indian  encampment  was  in  June,  1841, 
when  about  a  dozen  Indians  spent  a  couple  of 
days  on  the  site. 

Indian  graves,  arrow  heads,  pieces  of  pot- 
tery, and  other  curiosities  have  been  found  in 
a  grave  on  the  Hunter  place,  bordering  French 
creek,  in  LeBonif  township.  A  graveyard 
was    opened    on    the    Ebersole    farm,  east  of 


j  Erie   City,  which   contained  numerous  bones. 

;   beads  and    other  Indian    remains.      All  of  the 

'  bodies   were    in    a    sitting    position.      Graves 

have  been  found  in  spots  all   along  the  Ridge 

road  from  Ebersole's  woods  to  State  street  in 

Erie. 

Early  in  the  centur\  occasional  bodies  of 
Indians  passed  through  the  countv  on  friendlv 
\isits  between  the  New  York  and  tiie  VW'st  • 
em  tribes.  Parties  of  1(K)  to  15(1  red  nun. 
women  and  children  are  known  to  ha\e  en- 
camped on  the  ]iarks  in  the  Cilv  of  I'Lrie. 

INDl.W     ITKc  llAsKS. 

The  land  in  the  northern  and  northwestern 
parts  of  the  .State  was  purcha.setl  from  the  Six 
Xations  by  commissioners  appointed  bv  the 
Legislature,  who  met  in  conference  with  the 
Indians  at  Fort  Stanwix  (now  Rome),  \.  ^'., 
and  concluded  a  treaty  in  October,  1784.  Thi> 
action  of  the  Six  Xations  was  confirmed  by  a 
treaty  made  with  the  Delawares  and  Wj-an- 
dots     at     Fort    Mcintosh    in    January,     1785. 

I   Xeither   of   these  purchases  covered   tlulerri- 

I  tory  known  as  "  The  Triangle.'' 


CHAPTER     VIII. 


LiFK   AND  Death  of  Gk\.   ANrmiN^    \V.vv.\k. 


THIS  work  would  not  be  complete  with- 
out a  sketch  of  the  career  of  Gen.  An- 
thony Wayne,  whose  last  sickness, 
death  and  burial  are  inseparably  asso- 
ciated with  the  history  of  Erie  county. 
He  was  born  in  the  township  of  Eastown, 
Chester  county,  Pa. ,  on  the  1st  of  January, 
1745.  After  receiving  a  good  education, 
he  embraced  the  profession  of  a  surveyor, 
at  which  he  was  engaged  for  a  brief  period  in 
his  native  county.  A  member  of  the  Assem- 
bly in  1774,  and  of  the  Provincial  Convention 
in  the  same  year,  to  consider  the  troubles  with 
Great  Britain,  he  became  one  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  Safety  in  1775.  Believing  war  to  be 
inevitable,  he  resigned  his  civil  office  in  Sep- 
tember, and,  after  some  time  spent  in  military 


study  and  practice,  raisetl  a  regiment,  of  which 
he  was  commissioned  colonel.  His  first  serv- 
ice was  with  Gen.  Sullivan  in  the  spring  of 
177G,  and  he  bore  a  brilliant  part  in  the  battle 
of  Three  Rivers.  Canada.  When  the  expedi- 
tion returned,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
posts  of  Ticonderoga  and  ^It.  Independence. 
In  February,  1777.  he  was  commissioned  a 
brigadier  general,  and  served  with  Washing- 
ton in  the  Xew  Jersej-  and  Delaware  Valley 
campaign.  On  the  20th  of  September,  1777. 
while  stationed  at  Paoli,  near  his  Chester 
county  home,  with  a  detachment  of  l,5tK) 
men,  his  position  was  betraved  bv  some  tories 
to  the  enemy,  who  fell  upon  him  during  the 
night  and  killed  and  wounded  one-tenth  of  his 
command.    A  court-martial  convened  bv  Gen. 


^.y^^^L-^^lUC-^-^  c^^ 


AND  UISTOUICAL  liEFEIiENCE  BOOK  OF  ElilE   COUNIT. 


Washington,  at  Wayne's  urgent  request,  de- 
cided, after  minute  investigation,  that  he  did 
everything  that  could  be  expected  from  an 
active,  brave  and  galhmt  officer  under  the 
orders  whicli  he  then  had. 


CALLED 


.M.\l)     ANTIKJNV  BEC.MSE    Ol-      \\l> 

DASH     AND     URAVKHV. 


He  led  the  attack  of  the  American  right 
wing  at  Germantown.  and  received  the  special 
applause  of  \Vashington  for  his  conduct  at 
Monmouth.  His  .surprise  and  capture  of 
Stony  Point,  one  of  the  strongest  British  posi- 
tions on  the  Hudson,  was  among  the  most  gal- 
lant events  of  the  war.  and  elicited  resolutions 
of  thanks  from  Congress  and  the  Legislature 
of  Pennsvlvania.  Hi>  last  sphere  of  duty 
during  the  Revolution  was  in  Georgia,  from 
which  he  succeeded  in  driving  the  enemy.  He 
was  distinguished  in  all  councils  of  war  for 
supporting  the  most  energetic  measures,  from 
which,  and  from  his  wonderful  dash  and  cour- 
age, he  won  the  popular  appellation  of  "  Mad 
Anthonv."  At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  re- 
tired to  his  farm  in  Chester  county.  He  was 
called  in  1789  to  serve  in  the  Pennsylvania 
convention,  and  in  that  body  earnestly  advo- 
cated the  adoption  of  the  United  States  Con- 
stitution. 

SUBDIJES    THE     WEMElt.N     INDI.V.VS. 

In  the  year  170:?,  A\'ayne  was  commis- 
sioned major  general  by  President  Washing- 
ton and  assigned  to  the  Northwestern  frontier, 
for  the  purpose  of  forcing  the  Indians  into 
subjection.  After  various  minor  engage- 
ments, he  gained  a  signal  victory  over  the  sav- 
ages on  the  ^laumee,  in  August,  1794.  His 
skill,  promptness  and  bravery  made  a  strong 
impression  among  the  hostile  tribes,  and  they 
hastened  to  sue  for  forgiveness.  He  was  then 
appointed  sole  commissioner  to  deal  with  them 
on  the  part  of  the  I'nited  States,  and  elTected 
a  treatv  of  peace  at  Greenville,  Ohio,  in  1795, 
which  paved  the  wav  for  the  settlement  of 
northwestern  Pennsvlvania  and  northern  Ohio. 

HIS    LAST    SICKNESS    .WD    UE.\TH     AT    ERIE. 

In  the  fall  of  1796  he  embarked  in  a  small 
vessel  at  Detroit  for  Presfjue  Isle,  now  Erie, 
on  his  wav  homeward.  During  his  passage 
down  the  lake,  he  was  attacked  with  the  gout, 
which  had  afflicted  him  for  some  years,  and 
been  much  aggra\  ated   by  his  exposure  in  the 


Western  wilds.  The  vessel  being  without 
suitable  remedies,  he  could  obtain  no  relief, 
and  on  landing  at  Pres(|ue  Isle  was  in  a  dan- 
gerous condition,  liv  his  own  request,  he  was 
taken  to  the  block  house,  the  attic  of  which 
had  been  fitted  up  as  a  sleeping  apartment. 
Dr.  J.  C.  \\'allace.  who  had  served  with  him 
as  a  surgeon  during  his  Indian  campaign,  and 
who  was  familiar  with  his  disease,  was  then 
stationed  at  Fort  Favette,  near  Pittsburg.  The 
general  sent  a  messenger  for  the  doctor,  and 
the  latter  started  instantly  for  Erie,  but  on 
reaching  Franklin  was  astonished  to  learn 
the  news  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the 
15th  of  December,  1796.  Two  days  after  his 
death  the  body  was  buried,  as  he  directed,  in 
■I  plain  coffin,  with  his  imiform  and  boots  on. 
at  the  foot  of  the  flagstaflF  of  the  block  house. 
The  top  of  the  coffin  was  marked.  "A.  W.. 
O.  B.,  December  15,  179<),'"  in  round-headed 
brass  tacks,  driven  into  the  wood.  At  the 
time  of  his  decease  Wayne  was  the  ranking 
officer    of  the  United  States  army. 

THE     IIE.M.MNS    DUG    I'P    .VND    RE.MO\'ED. 

In  the  spring  of  1809.  Col.  Isaac  \\'ayne. 
the  general's  son,  came  to  Erie,  through  what 
was  then  a  wilderness,  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
moving the  remains  to  Chester  county.  He 
engaged  Dr.  Wallace,  the  same  one  spoken  of 
above,  to  attend  to  the  disinterment  and  pre- 
paration of  the  remains,  and  gave  him  entire 
charge  of  the  operation,  declining  to  witness 
it  on  the  ground  that  he  preferred  to  remem- 
ber his  father  as  as  he  knew  him  when  living. 
On  openingthe  grave,  all  present  were  amazed 
to  find  the  body  petrified,  with  the  exception 
of  one  foot  and  leg,  which  were  partially  gone. 
The  boot  on  the  unsound  leg  had  decayed  and 
most  of  the  clothing  was  missing.  Dr.  Wal- 
lace separated  the  body  into  convenient  parts 
and  placed  them  in  a  kettle  of  boiling  water 
until  the  flesh  could  be  removed  from  the  bones. 
He  then  carefullv  scraped  the  bones,  packed 
them  in  a  small  box  and  returned  the  flesh, 
with  the  implements  used  in  the  operation,  to 
the  coffin,  which  had  been  left  undisturbed, 
and  it  was  again  covered  over  with  earth. 
The  box  was  secured  to  Col.  Wayne"s  sulky 
and  carried  to  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  where 
the  contents  were  deposited  in  a  second  grave 
among  those  of  the  general's  deceased  relatives. 

In  explanation  of  Dr.  Wallace's  course,  it 
is  argued  that  the  remains  had  to  be  placed  in 


98 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


as  small  a  space  as  possible,  to  accommodate 
the  means  of  conveyance.  Col.  Wayne  is 
reported  to  have  said,  in  regard  to  the  affair  : 
'■  I  always  regretted  it;  had  I  known  the  state 
the  remains  were  in  before  separated  I  think 
1  should  certainly  have  had  them  again  depos- 
ited there  and  let  them  rest,  and  had  a  monu- 
ment erected  to  his  memory. '' 

SITK    OV    ni.S    BUKI.M.    PLACE    MARKED. 

About  the  year  1878  Dr.  Germer,  for  many 
years  Health  Officer  of  the  city  of  Erie,  ascer- 
tained the  site  of  the  block-house,  which  had 
long  before  disappeared  with  the  other  struc- 
tures, and  digging  down  at  the  foot  of  the 
flagstaff  readily  found  the  grave  and  coffin. 
The  lid  of  the  coffin,  with  the  initials,  etc., 
before  described,  upon  it,  was  fairly  preserv- 
ed, but  the  balance  had  mostly  rotted  away. 
Largely  through  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Germer 
and  Capt.  Welsh,  an  appropriation  was  ob- 
tained from  the  Legislature,  with  which  a 
substantial  log  block-house  in  imitation  of  the 
original  was  built  in  1880,  to  mark  the  site, 
and  the  grounds  were  surrounded  by  a  railing 
with  cannon  at  each  of  the  four  corners.  The 
grave  has  been  neatly  and  substantially  built 
up  with  stone,  and  the  coflin  lid,  with  other 
relics  of  the  early  days,  is  carefully  sheltered 
within  the  block  house — the  whole  forming  as 
appropriate  a  monument  to  the  hero  as  could 
well  be  devised.  The  block-house  is  on  the 
grounds  of  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home, 
and  is  open  to  visitors  during  certain  hours  of 
eacii  week  dav. 


WAYNE   S    [IX.M.     KKSTINO    PLACE. 

The  \\'ayne  family  burial  grounil,  where 
the  bones  of  the  gallant  General  repose,  is  in 
the  cemetery  attached  to  St.  Davids  Episco- 
pal Church,  at  Radnor,  Delaware  county,  not 
far  from  the  Chester  county  line,  less  than  an 
hour's  walk  from  Wayne  Station,  on  the 
Penn.sylvania  R.  R.,  and  fourteen  miles  west 
from  Philadelphia.  A  plain  granite  shaft, 
with  a  pyramid  cap,  has  been  erected  over 
the  remains,  one  side  of  which  contains  the 
following  inscription  : 

MAJOR    GENERAL 

ANTHONY    WAYNE 

WAS    BORN    AT    V^•AVNESBOR()l■G^, 

IN    CHESTER    COUNTY, 

STATE    OF    PENNSYLVANIA, 

A.  D.  1745. 

Al-  IKK     A     LIKE    OV     HONOR      AND     USEILLNESS 

HE    DIED    IN    DECEMBER,     179C, 

AT    A    MILITARY    POST 

ON    THE    SHORES    OF     LAKE    ERIE, 

C().VIM.\NDER-IX-CHIEF    OF      THE    .VR.MV    OF 

THE  UNITED    STATES. 

HIS    MILITARY    ACHIEVEMENTS 

.\RE    CONSECRATED 

IN     THE     HISTORY    OF    HIS    COUNTRY 

AND    IN 

rilE    HEARTS    OF     HIS    COUNTRYMEN. 

HIS    REMAINS 

ARE    HERE     DEPOSITED. 


CHAPTER     IX. 


Fkknlii   AM)   English   Oclii'a hon. 


AS  early  as  ItUl-J:.'  Sieur  de  Cliam- 
plain.  an  adventurous  Frenchman,  as- 
cended tlie  chain  of  lakes  as  far  as 
Lake  Huron.  .Vt  a  period  extendini; 
from  1(W(1  to  1()40  the  Indians  were 
visited  bv  numerous  French  Catholic  priests, 
among  whom  were  the  celebrated  Joliet  and 
Marquette,  on  the  double  mission  of  spread- 
ing the  Gospel  and  promoting  the  interests  of 
their  king  and  nation.  In  1G70  La  Salle 
launched  the  schooner  Griffin  in  Niagara 
river,  and  sailed  with  a  picked  body  of  men  to 
Green  bay,  in  Lake  Michigan.  A  French 
post  was  established  at  Mackinaw  in  1(584. 
Tiie  dominion  of  the  country  was  not  wholly 
given  over  to  the  French  bv  the  English  until 
1753.  The  French  did  a  large  trade  with  the 
Indians  by  exchanging  beads,  goods,  pro- 
visions, guns  and  ammunition  for  furs. 

Although  the  French  possession  was  un- 
disturbed for  years,  it  must  not  be  inferred 
that  it  was  quietly  acquiesced  in  bv  the  Eng- 
lish. The  French  claimed  that  their  discovery 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Mississippi  en- 
titled them  to  the  ownership  of  the  territory 
bordering  upon  those  streams  and  their  tribu- 
taries. The  English  claim  was  based  upon  a 
grant  by  King  James  I,  in  lt')()(j,  to  "divers 
of  his  subjects,  of  all  the  countries  between 
north  latitude  48  deg.  and  34  deg.,  and  west- 
ward from  the  Atlantic  ocean  to  the  South 
sea,'"  and  also  upon  purchases  of  Western 
lands  made  from  the  Six  Nations  by  commis- 
sioners from  Pennsylvania,  Maryland  and 
Virginia,  representing  the  mother  countrv. 
A  long  and  sometimes  acrimonious  contro- 
versy was  waged  between  the  foreign  depart- 
ments of  the  two  nations  over  the  question. 

FIRST   FKENCH     SOLDIERS    ON     L.\KE    ERIE    .VNO 
THE     OHIO. 

L'p  to  the  year  1749  the  French  had  done 
nothing  of  an   official   nature   looking   to   the 


occupation  of  the  country  between  Lake  Erie 
and  the  Ohio.  Their  discoverers  had  taken 
possession  of  it  long  before  in  the  name  of  the 
king,  and  from  that  time  it  had  been  a  sort  of 
common  tramping  ground  for  traders  of  both 
nations,  without  being  directly  subject  to  the 
control  of  either.  In  the  year  named  Capt. 
Celeron,  with  a  detachment  of  300  men,  was 
sent  b}-  the  Captain  General  of  Canada  to 
•'  renew  the  French  possession  "  of  the  Ohio 
and  its  tributaries.  He  came  up  Lake  Erie  to 
the  mouth  of  Chautaucjua  creek,  from  which 
point  he  crossed  over  to  the  Allegheny.  De- 
scending the  latter  river  and  the  Ohio  as  far 
as  the  Muskingum,  he  deposited  leaden  plates 
at  the  mouths  of  some  of  the  most  important 
streams,  as  a  "  monument  of  renewal  of  pos- 
session," and  as  a  mark  for  the  guidance  of 
those  who  might  follow  him.  The  expedition 
caused  much  alarm  among  the  Indians,  ^vho 
regarded  it  as  the  beginning  of  a  scheme  to 
■'  steal  their  country,"'  and  also  created  much 
commotion    throughout   the   English  colonies. 

FORMAL     FRENCH      OCCUPATION. 

The  final  occupation  bv  the  French  began 
in  the  spring  of  1753.  The  expedition  was  in 
charge  of  three  young  officers — Sieur  Marin, 
commander,  and  Major  Pean  and  the  Cheva- 
lier Mercier,  assistants — and  consisted,  ac- 
cording to  various  authorities,  of  from  i50  to 
800  men.  The  little  army  marched  up  Lake 
Erie  by  land  and  ice  to  Presque  Isle,  where  it 
!  was  decided  to  build  a  fort  and  establish  a 
base  of  supplies.  The  reasons  which  prompt- 
ed the  selection  of  Presque  Isle  were  the  short 
portage  to  Lake  LeBnnif  and  the  facility  with 
which  canoes  could  be  floated  down  French 
creek  from  the  latter  to  the  Allegheny. 

On  the  3d   of   August   the  fort  at  Prestjuc 
',  Isle  was  finished,  the  Portage  road,  six  leagues 
■  long,   was   ''  ready  for  carriages,"  the    store- 
house, half  way  across,  was   in  a  condition  to 


lOO 


XELSOys  BIOGRAPHICAL  DIVTIoyAUY 


receive  stock,  and  the  fort  at  LeBoeuf  was 
nearly  completed.  The  Indians  willingly  as- 
sisted in  the  transportation  of  the  stores. 
Among  the  soldiers  was  one  Stephen  Coffin, 
who  gives  the  following  account  of  the  French 
Fort  Presque  Isle:  "It  was  of  chestnut  logs, 
squared  and  lapped  over  eacii  other  to  the 
height  of  fifteen  feet,  about  1:20  feet  on  the 
sides,  with  a  log  house  in  each  corner,  and 
had  gates  in  the  north  and  south  sides.'" 

GliOHCiK     W.\SIIi.NGTO.\    AT    l.KBUiUI'. 

The  Commander-in-Chief,  Marin,  died  in 
the  fall  of  1758,  soon  after  the  main  body  of 
the  troops  started  on  their  return  to  Can- 
ada, leaving  the  forts  at  Presque  Isle  and  Le- 
Bwuf  respectively  in  charge  of  Capt.  Riparti 
and  Commander  St.  Pierre.  The  latter  was 
visited  during  the  winter  by  a  gentleman  who 
afterward  rose  to  the  first  place  in  American 
love  and  iiistory.  This  was  no  less  a  person- 
age than  George  Washington,  then  in  his 
twenty  first  jear,  who  was  accompanied  bv 
Christopiier  Gist,  an  experienced  white  fron- 
tiersman, and  one  Indian  interpreter.  They 
reached  LeBiruf  on  the  11th  of  December  and 
remained  till  the  10th,  during  which  time  Capt. 
Riparti  was  called  over  from  Presque  Isle  to 
confer  with  Washington  and  St.  Pierre. 
Washington's  treatment,  though  formal,  was 
courteous  and  kind,  and  he  has  left  on  record 
in  his  journal  a  warm  compliment  to  the  gen- 
tlemanly character  of  the  French  officers. 
The  object  and  result  of  Washington's  mission 
are  given  in  the  following  letters,  the  first  be- 
ing the  one  he  was  charged  with  delivering  to 
the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  French  forces 
by  Gov.  Dinwiddle,  of  \'irginia,  and  the  sec- 
ond the  reply  of  St.    Piene  ; 

IIIN  WII)DIE'.S    i,etteh. 

OcTOBEK  31,  1753. 
Sik:  The  lands  upon  the  River  Ohio,  in  the 
western  part  of  the  colony  of  Vir^jinia,  are  so  no- 
toriously known  to  be  the  property  of  the  crown 
of  Great  Britain  that  it  is  a  matter  of  equal  con- 
cern and  surprise  to  nie  to  hear  that  a  body  of 
French  forces  are  erectinjf  fortresses  and  making 
settlements  upon  that  river  within  His  Majesty's 
dominions.  The  many  and  repeated  complaints  I 
have  received  of  these  acts  of  hostility  lay  me  un- 
der the  necessity  of  sending,  in  the  name  of  the 
King,  my  master,  the  bearer  hereof,  George 
Washington,  Esq.,  one  of  the  Adjutants  General 
of  the  forces  of  this  dominion,  to  complain  to  j'ou 
of  the  encroachments  thus  made,  and  of  the  in- 
juries done   to   the  subjects  of  Great  Britain,  in 


violation  of  the  law  of  nations  and  the  treaties 
subsisting  between  the  two  crowns.  If  these  facts 
are  true  and  you  think  fit  to  justify  your  proceed- 
ings, I  must  desire  j-ou  to  acquaint  me  by  whose 
authoritj'  and  instructions  j-ou  have  lately 
marched  from  Canada  with  an  armed  force  and 
invaded  the  King  of  Great  Britain's  territorj-,  in 
the  manner  comi)lained  of:  that,  according  to  the 
purport  and  resolution  of  your  answer,  I  may  act 
agreeably  to  the  commission  I  am  honored  with 
from  the  King,  my  master.  However,  sir,  in  olie- 
dience  to  my  instructions,  it  becomes  my  duty  to 
require  your  peaceable  departure  ;  and  that  you 
would  forbear  prosecuting  a  purpose  so  interrup- 
tive  of  the  harmony  and  good  understanding 
which  His  Majestj'  is  desirous  to  continue  and  cul- 
tivate with  the  most  Christian  King,  etc. 

ROKKRT  DlXWIDDIK. 
NT.     1'IEKKE's     UEPLV. 

Fkom  thk  Fokt  on  the  Rivkr  ai;  BoiiK,  ( 
December  15,  1753.  ( 
Sir:  As  I  have  the  honor  of  commanding 
here  as  chief,  Mr.  Washington  delivered  to  me 
the  letter  which  you  wrote  to  the  commander  of  the 
French  troops.  I  should  have  been  glad  that  you 
had  given  him  orders,  or  that  he  had  been  inclined 
to  proceed  to  Canada  to  see  our  General,  to  whom 
it  better  belongs  than  to  me  to  set  forth  the  evi- 
dence and  the  reality  of  the  rights  of  the  King, 
my  master,  to  the  lands  situate  along  the  River 
Ohio,  and  to  contest  the  pretensions  of  the  King 
of  Great  Britain  thereto.  I  shall  transmit  your 
letter  to  the  Marquis  DuQuesne.  His  answer  will 
be  a  law  to  me.  And  if  he  shall  order  me  to  com- 
municate it  to  you.  sir,  you  may  be  assured  I  shall 
not  fail  to  dispatch  it  forthwith  to  you.  As  to  tlie 
summons  you  send  me  to  retire, I  do  not  think  myself 
obliged  to  obey  it.  Whatever  may  be  your  inten- 
tions, I  am  here  by  virtue  of  the  orders  of  my  Gen- 
eral, and  I  entreat  you.  sir,  not  to  doubt  one  mo- 
ment but  that  I  am  determined  to  conform  myself 
to  them  with  all  the  exactness  and  resolution 
which  can  be  expected  from  the  best  officer.  I  do 
not  know  that  in  the  progress  of  this  campaign 
i  anything  has  passed  which  can  be  reputed  an  act 
;  of  hostility,  or  that  is  contrarj-  to  the  treaties 
which  subsist  between  the  two  crowns  ;  the  con- 
tinuance whereof  interests  and  pleases  us  as 
much  as  it  does  the  English.  Had  you  been 
pleased,  sir,  to  descend  to  particularize  the  facts 
which  occasioned  your  complaint,  I  should  have 
had  the  honor  of  answering  you  in  the  fullest, 
I  and,  I  am  persuaded,  the  most  satisfactory  man- 
ner, etc.  Lkcardkur  de  St.  Pierre. 

[A  further  account  of  Washington's  visit 
will  be  found  uiuliT  the  heading  of  Water- 
ford.] 

WAll     AT    LAST. 

Both  sides  were  busily  engaged  during  the 
winter  in  preparing  for  the  war  which  was 
now  inevitable.  The  French  plan  was  to  es- 
tablish a  chain  of  fortifications  from  Qiicbec 
along  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie  and  the  waters 


AND   HISTORICAL  REFEliENCE  HOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


lOI 


of  French  creek  and  the  Allegheny  to  the 
junction  of  the  last-named  stream  with  the 
Monongahela,  and  thence  along  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi,  to  the  Cjiilf  of  Mexico.  Provi- 
sions, arms  and  ammunition  were  sent  from 
Qiiebec  to  Presque  Isle,  and  from  there  dis- 
tributed to  the  lower  forts. 

As  soon  as  the  weather  would  permit  in 
the  spring  of  17'54,  troops  were  moved  by  bith 
sides  in  tlie  direction  of  the  Ohio.  The  first 
French  detachment  to  reach  Pittsburgh,  then 
known  as  the  "  Forks  of  the  Ohio,"  was  on 
the  ITtli  of  April.  It  consisted  of  1,000  French 
and  Indians,  with  eighteen  cannon.  Their 
route  was  from  Presque  Isle  to  LeBo^uf,  thence 
down  French  creek  and  the  Allegheny.  The 
English  had  put  up  a  stockade  at  the  "  Forks  of 
the  Ohio,"'  now  Pittsburgh,  during  the  winter, 
which  was  unfinished  and  guarded  only  by  an 
ensign  and  fortv-one  men.  Tiiis  small  body 
immediately  surrendered.  On  the  ;5d  or  4th 
of  July,  5()0  English  capitulated  to  the  French 
at  Fort  Necessity,  in  Fayette  county,  after  an 
engagement  of  about  ten  hours.  The  French 
seem  to  have  been  uniformly  successful  in  the 
campaign  of  \liy\.  Deserters  from  their  ranks 
reported  that  the  number  of  French  and 
Indians  in  the  countrv  during  the  year  was 
about  l',(KX).  On  the  9th  of  July.  1755,  Brad- 
dock's  defeat  took  place  near  Pittsburgh,  an 
event  which  raised  the  French  hopes  to  a 
pitch  of  the  utmost  exultation,  and  seemed  for 
the  time  to  destroj-  all  prospect  of  English 
ascendency  in  the  West. 

DuQjiesne,  in  a  letter  of  July  (5,  1755,  says: 
"  The  fort  at  Presque  Isle  serves  as  a  depot  for 
all  others  on  the  Oliio.  *  *  The  effects  are 
])ut  on  board  pirogues  at  Fort  LeBfruf.  *  * 
At  the  latter  fort  the  prairies,  which  are  ex- 
tensive, furnish  only  bad  hay.  *  *  At 
Presque  Isle  the  hay  is  very  abundant  and 
good.  The  quantity  of  pirogues  constructed 
on  the  River  AuBopuf  has  exhausted  all  the 
large  trees  in  the  neighborhood.'' 

THE    rilENCH    IN    1 75(>-7    .\NP     1758. 

A  prisoner  who  escaped  from  the  Indians 
in  175(5  described  Fort  LeBanif  as  "garrisoned 
with  150  men,  and  a  few  straggling  Indians. 
Pres(jue  Isle  is  built  of  srjuare  logs  filled  up 
with  earth;  the  barracks  are  within  the  fort, 
and  garrisoned  with  150  men,  supported  chiefly 
from  a  French  settlement  begun  near  it.  The 
settlement  consists  of  about  one  hundred  fami- 


lies. The  Indian  families  about  the  settlement 
are  pretty  numerous  ;  they  have  a  priest  and 
schoolmaster,  and  some  grist  mills  and  stills  in 
the  settlement."  The  village  here  referred  to 
was  on  the  east  bank  of  Mill  creek,  a  little 
back  from  the  lake,  almost  on  a  line  with  I'a- 
rade  street. 

No  events  of  importance  occurred  in  this 
section  in  1757  or  "8.  The  forts  ^vere  gar- 
risoned by  small  bodies  of  men  ;  but  a  consider- 
able force  was  maintained  on  the  line  between 
the  lake  and  the  Ohio.  The  supplies  for  the 
i  troops  were  brought  by  canoes,  creeping  along 
1  the  south  shore  of  the  lake,  from  Buffalo.  The 
forts  were  allowed  to  get  out  of  repair  and 
could  easilv  have  been  captured. 

j  I'ORTS    l'IiES(irE    ISLE    AND   LEBCKIl-. 

j  An  Indian   spy  employed   by  the   English 

j  in  1758  gave  some  additional  particulars  of 
the  fort  at  Presque  Isle.  •'  It  is,''  he  said. 
••  square,  with  four  bastions  *  *  *  The 
I  wall  is  only  of  single  logs,  with  no  bank  with- 
j  in — a  ditch  without.  *  *  *  The  magazine 
is  a  stone  hjuse  covered  with  shingles,  and 
not  sunk  in  the  ground,  standing  in  the  right 
bastion,  next  the  lake.  *  *  *  The  other 
houses  are  of  square  logs."  Fort  LeBd^uf  he 
described  as  of  '"  the  same  plan,  but  very 
small — the  logs  mostly  rotten.  Platforms  are 
erected  in  the  bastions,  and  loopholes  properlv 
I  cut;  one  gun  is  mounted  in  a  bastion,  and 
I  looks  down  the  river.  It  has  only  one  gate, 
and  that  faces  the  side  opposite  the  creek. 
The  magazine  is  on  the  right  of  the  gate,  go- 
ing in,  partly  sunk  in  the  ground,  and  above 
are  some  casks  of  powder  to  serve  the  Indians. 
Here  are  two  officers,  a  storekeeper,  clerk, 
priest  and  150  soldiers,  who  ha\e  no  emplov- 
ment.'"      f  .See  Waterford.  | 

THE    KNGI.ISH    V ICIOKIOUS. 

The  English  made   sufficient    progress  dur- 
ing 1758  in  the  direction   of  the  Ohio  to  com- 
,   pel  the  French  to  evacuate  Fort  DuQiiesne  on 
j  the  22d  of  November.     Bv  this   time   the  In- 
'   dians  had    lost   confidence    in    the    triumph   of 
the  French,  and  many  were  either  siding  with 
the  English  or  pretending  to  be  neutral.     The 
English  finally  besieged    Fort    Niagara   below 
Buffalo,  compelling  the  French  to  withdraw 
1,200  men  from  Detroit,  Presque  Isle  and  Ven- 
ango for  its  defense.    Its  capture  bv  the  English 
astonislied  and  terrified  the  French  in  this  sec- 


102 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


tion.  A  inessenj^er  reached  Presqiie  Isle  from 
Sir  William  Johnson,  the  victorious  English 
comniaiuler,  notifying  the  oflicer  in  charge 
that  the  other  posts  must  surrender  in  a  few 
days.  The  French  began  making  hasty  prepa- 
rations for  departure.  Their  |)rincipal  stores 
at  Pres(|ue  Isle  were  sent  up  the  lake  August 
13.  17o9,  and  the  garrison  waited  a  brief  time 
for  their  comrades  at  LeBa>uf  and  Venango, 
when  the  entire  army  left  in  batteaux  for 
Detroit. 

The  Englisii  did  not  take  formal  jiosses- 
sion  of  Forts  Presque  Isle  and  LeBonif  until 
17(50,  when  Major  Rogers  was  sent  out  for 
that  purpose.  A  treaty  of  peace  was  signed 
at  Paris  in  17()'"5,  by  which  the  French  ceded 
Canada  and  confirmed  the  Western  country 
to  the  British  Crown.  The  Indians  did  not 
take  kindly  to  the  British,  and  eventually 
made  a  concerted  effort  to  drive  them  out  of 
the  country,  as  detailed  in  another  chapter, 
but  failed  of  success. 

AN     E.Ntil.lSM     Ai:.\IV     AT     ERIE. 

Col.    Bradstreet,  with   an   army  of   8,000, 
arrived  at   Prcsque    Isle  in  August,  1764,  and 
met  a  band  of  Sluxwnees  and  Delawares,  who 
agreed   to   articles    of    peace    and    friendship.   ! 
These  proceedings   seem   to  have  been  entered   [ 
into  bv  the  savages  merely  as  a  deception,  for   I 
in  a  short  time  they  renewed  hostilities.      An- 
other   expedition,    under    Col.    Boquet,    was  1 
titled  out,  and  punished  the  troublesome  tribes 
so  severely  that  they  were  glad  to  accept  the 
conditions  oflVred  them. 

The  independence  of  the  I'nited  States 
\vas  acknowledged  by  (Jreat  Britain  in  17SH. 
By  the  treaty  of  peace  the  mother  country 
abandoned  all  pretensions  to  the  western  re- 
gion. Her  otiicers  in  Canada,  ho^veyer, -still  ] 
retained  a  hope  of  the  ultimate  return  of  the  I 
colonies  to  the  protection  of  the  British 
crown.  The  English  had,  by  this  date,  won 
the  confidence  of  the  Indians,  who  were  kept 
hostile  to  the  Americans  by  representations 
thai  (Jreat    Britain  would    vet   resume   posses- 


sion of  the  country.  As  late  as  1785  Mr. 
Adams,  our  minister  at  London,  complained 
to  the  English  Secretar}'  of  State  that  though 
two  years  had  elapsed  since  the  definitivi' 
treaty,  the  forts  at  Presque  Isle.  Niagara  and 
elsewhere  on  the  northern  frontier  were  still 
held  by  British  garrisons.  The  actual  Ameri- 
can occupation  dates  from  17il''). 

TMIC     IKKNCII     lORTS     AM)     KOAI). 

While  the  British  occupieil  the  country 
tiie\' put  Fort  Presque  Isle  in  repair  and  kept  it 
up  until  after  our  National  Independence  was 
acknowledged,  soon  after  ^vhich  it  fell  into 
ruin.  Its  site  yvas  easily  traceable  as  late  as 
18()iS,  by  mounds  and  depressions  on  the  bank 
of  the  lake  near  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek  on 
its  W'Cst   side. 

The  fort  at  LeBuuif  stood  within  the  pres- 
ent limits  of  Waterford  borough,  on  the  brow 
of  the  hill  above  LeBcruf  creek,  nearly  in  line 
with  the  iron  bridge  across  that  stream.  A 
ra\ine,  which  has  since  been  partially  tilled 
up,  extended  along  its  north  side,  down  which 
flowed  a  rivulet,  leading  Washington  to  de- 
scribe the  fort  as  standing  on  "  a  kind  of  an 
island."  Practically  the  same  site  was  success- 
ively occupied  by  the  English  and  Americans. 

The  French  road  commenci'd  at  the  mouth 
of  Mill  creek,  extended  uj)  that  stream  a  short 
distance,  and  then  struck  ofl'  to  the  higher 
land,  nearly  following  the  line  of  Parade 
street.  A  branch  road  led  from  the  south 
gate  of  the  fort,  and  connected  with  the  main 
road  in  the  hollow  of  Mill  creek.  From  the 
southern  end  of  Parade  street  the  main  road 
ran  across  Mill  Creek  township  to  the  present 
Waterford  plank  road.  Leaving  the  latter, 
the  French  road  took  across  the  hills  and  ter- 
minated at  the  gate  of  Fort  LeBo'uf,  near 
where  the  Eagle  Hotel  stands.  The  route 
known  as  the  French  road  in  Summit  town- 
ship is  understood  to  be  exactly  on  the  line  of 
its  historical  original.  The  road  w'as  laid  out 
thirty  feet  wide,  and  was  "corduroyed"' 
throughout  most  of  its  length. 


CHAPTER   X. 


PlKCHASK    OF    THE    TrIANGI.E. 


THE  limits  of  Pfiinsylvaiiia  are  describ- 
ed ill  the  charter  granted  by  King 
Charles  II.  to  William  Penn  as  "  three 
degrees  of  latitude  in  breadth,  and  five 
degrees  of  longitude  in  length,  the 
eastern  boundary-  being  the  Delaware  river, 
the  northern  the  beginning  of  the  three  and 
fortieth  degree  of  nortliern  latitude ;  on  the 
south  a  circle  drawn  at  twelve  miles  dis- 
tance from  New  Castle  (Delaware)  northward 
and  westward  unto  the  beginning  of  the  for- 
tieth degree  of  northern  latitude,  and  tiien  by 
a  straight  line  westwaril  to  the  limits  of  longi- 
tude above  mentioned." 

The  boundaries  of  the  State  were  long  a 
subject  of  earnest  and  sometimes  bitter  dis- 
pute. Fifty  years  before  the  grant  to  Penn, 
King  James  I.  granted  to  the  Plymouth  Com- 
pany "  all  the  land  lying  in  the  same  latitude 
with  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  as  far 
west  as  the  Pacific  ocean,  not  previouslj-  set- 
tled bv  other  Christian  powers.'"  L'nder  the 
construction  placed  upon  this  clause  bj-  Con- 
necticut, more  than  one-third  of  Pennsylvania, 
including  the  whole  northern  part,  belonged 
to  that  province.  The  dispute  was  finally 
settled  by  the  action  of  Congress,  which  ap- 
pointed Commissioners  in  17^2,  to  investigate 
the  subject,  who  reported  that  "Connecticut 
has  no  right  to  the  land  in  controversv." 

THE    LINES    BETWEEN     NEW    YORK    AND   I'ENN- 
SVEVANI.\. 

Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  in  17S5,  nni- 
tually  agreed  upon  commissioners  to  determine 
and  establish  the  east  and  west  boundary  line 
between  the  two  States,  being  the  fortv-sec- 
ond  degree  of  latitude.  The  commissioners 
who  finally  did  the  work,  which  was  con- 
firmed by  the  Legislatures  of  both  States,  were 
Andrew  Ellicott  on  the  part  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  James  Clinton  and  Simeon  DeWitt  on 
that  of  New  York.     Thev  surveyed  the  entire 


line  from  the  Delaware  to  Lake  Erie,  planting 
a  stone  every  mile,  with  the  distance  from  the 
river  marked  upon  it.  and  marking  mile  trees 
in  the  same  manner.  The  distance  from  the 
point  of  departure  to  where  the  north  line  of 
Pennsylvania  terminated  on  the  shore  of  Lake 
Erie  in  Springfield  township,  this  county,  was 
found  to  be  259  miles  and  eighty-eight  perches. 

THE   TIIIANGLE. 

The  charter  of  New  York  defineil  its  west- 
ern boundary  as  extending  from  the  south 
shore  of  Lake  Erie  to  the  forty-second  degree 
of  latitude,  on  a  line  drawn  from  the  western 
extremity  of  Lake  Ontario.  In  determining 
this  line  it  became  necessary  to  agree  whether 
the  "  western  extremity  of  Lake  Ontario"'  in- 
cluded Burlington  bay,  or  was  at  the  Penin- 
sula dividing  the  latter  from  the  lake.  An- 
drew Ellicott  and  Frederick  Saxton.  the  sur- 
veyors sent  out  to  establish  the  boundary,  de- 
cided upon  the  peninsula  as  the  proper  point 
from  which  to  draw  the  line,  and  the  western 
boundary  of  New  York  was  therefore  fixed  at 
twent\-  miles  east  of  Presque  Isle.  This  left 
a  triangular  tract,  which  was  not  included  in 
j  the  charter  of  either  State,  and  which  was 
I  variously  claimed  by  New  York.  Massaciiu- 
1   setts  and  Connecticut. 

HOW  I'ENNSV1.\"AN1A  SECIKKI)  THE  TKl.\N(iLE. 

At  an  early  period.  Gen.  William  Irvine 
was  sent  to  the  Northwest  by  the  authorities 
of  Pennsylvania  to  examine  into  the  quality 
of  its  lands  and  report  upon  the  best  manner 
of  putting  them  into  the  market.  While  upon 
this  tour  he  was  struck  with  the  fact  that  the 
State  had  no  harbor  upon  the  lake,  and  the 
great  desirability  of  securing  the  one  at 
Presque  Isle.  On  his  return  to  the  East  he 
interested  a  number  of  intelligent  and  pro- 
gressive citizens  in  the  project  of  purchasing 
the  Triangle.      After  a  protracted  negotiation, 


I04 


NELSON- S  BIOORAPUICAL  DICriOHABY 


New  York,  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut 
released  their  chiims  to  tlie  United  States  fjov- 
ernment,  and  tiie  latter,  in  turn,  conveyed  the 
tract  to  I'ennsvlvania.  The  contract  for  the 
sale  of  tiie  Trianjrle,  made  between  the  Rep- 
resentatives of  the  United  States  and  Penn- 
sylvania was  ratified  by  Congress  on  the  4th 
of  September,  1788.  On  the  18th  of  April, 
1791,  the  Governor  was  authorized  by  the  Leg- 
islature to  complete  the  ]5urchase.  March  i5, 
17'.'2,  a  patent  was  issued  to  the  State,  signed 
bv  (Jeorge  Washington  as  President,  and 
Thomas  fefl'erson  as  Secretary  of  State.  The 
consideration  was  $1")!  ,(')40.25,  in  Continental 
certificates,  which  were  much  below  par. 

TllK     INDIANS    Ol  FKNDEI). 

Pending  the  negotiations  with  the  general 
government,  the  State  authorities  proceeded 
to  secure  a  release  of  the  Triangle  tract  from 
the  Six  Nations,  which  w  as  only  efl'ected  after 
a  protracted  effort.  The  conference  for  this 
purpose  with  the  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the 
several  tribes  was  held  on  the  9th  of  January, 
1789,  and  the  deed  from  the  Indians  appears 
to  have  been  signed  sometime  during  the  same 
month.  The  price  paid  to  the  Six  Nations 
was  $:.>,()()()  bv  Pennsylvania  and  !f  1.200  by  the 
United  States. 

The  cession  of  the  Triangle  gave  offense  to 
a  portion  of  the  Indians,  who  claimed  that  they 
had  not  been  fairly  represented  in  the  council. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  talk  among  them  of 
resisting  its  occupancy  by  the  State,  and  at  one 
time  matters  looked  really  serious.  On  the  8d 
of  Febniarv.    1791.  Cornplanter.  Half    Town. 


and  Big  Tree  executed  a  second  instrument, 
in  which,  after  reciting  the  dissatisfaction 
that  existed  among  the  Seneca  nation,  they 
acknowledged  the  recei])t  of  !|>!^(KI  as  full  satis- 
faction of  all  claims  and  demands  h\  their  na- 
tion against  the  common\\ealth. 

XAl.tAHI.E     INFOHM  ATION. 

riie  Triangle,  which  includes  the  citv  of 
Erie  and  the  Peninsula,  extends  some  fort}- 
three  miles  in  a  straight  line  along  the  lake,  and 
is  about  eighteen  miles  in  breadth  along  the 
New  York  boundarj',  tapering  from  there  to  a 
point  in  Springfield  township,  between  four 
and  five  miles  east  of  the  Ohio  line.  It  em- 
braces 202,187  acres,  and  the  United  States 
received  pay  for  it  at  the  rate  of  three-fourths 
of  a  dollar  per  acre.  The  townships  included 
in  the  Triangle  are  North  East,  Greenfield. 
\'enango.  Harbor  Creek,  (jreene,  Smninit, 
Mill  Creek,  a  small  portion  of  Springfield, 
about  two-fifths  of  Girard  and  McKean,  and 
four-fifths  of  Fairvievv.  The  terminus  of  the 
Triangle  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie  was  marked 
by  a  stone  in  Springfield  township.    [See  map.  | 

Some  time  ago  a  corps  of  engineers,  repre- 
senting both  Stales,  renewed  the  monuments 
marking  the  boundary  between  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania,  manv  of  which  had  been 
destroved  or  lost  sight  of.  In  the  execution 
of  their  task  they  made  use  of  blocks  of 
Qiiincy  granite,  about  four  feet  long  and  six 
inches  square  at  the  top,  set  ordinarily  at  a  dis- 
tance of  one  mile  apart.  The  letters  "Pa." 
and  "  N.  Y.,"'  about  two  inches  long,  face 
Pennsvlvania  and  New  "^'ork    respectivelv. 


/^AZ-^^^'^ 


^^^^^J^ 


s:^ 


CHAPTER  XI, 


First  Steps  Toward  the  Settlement  of  Erie  County 


IX  the  year  1785  David  Watts  and  William 
Miles  were  sent  under  the  auspices  of  the 
State  to  survey  the  Tenth  Donation  Dis- 
trict, embracing  portions  of  Waterford, 
Wayne  and  Amity  townships.  March  24, 
1789,  it  was  resolved  by  the  General  Assembly 
that  not  exceeding  ii,i)00  acres  should  be  sur- 
veyed at  Presque  Isle,  LeBo:>uf  and  two  other 
places  for  the  use  of  the  commonwealth.  This 
was  followed  by  the  settlement  law  of  the  8d 
of  April,  1792,  which  provided  for  the  survey 
of  all  the  lands  north  and  west  of  the  Alle- 
gheny and  Ohio  rivers  and  Conewango  creek, 
and  their  sale  upon  terms  that  will  be  stated 
in  another  chapter.  The  Pennsylvania  Popula- 
tion Company,  formed  at  Philadelphia  March 
8,  1792,  [Huchased  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the 
Triangle  with  the  object  of  inducing  settlement. 
On  the  8th  of  April,  of  the  same  year,  the 
Legislature  passed  and  Gov.  MifHin  approved 
a  bill  for  laying. out  a  town  at  Presque  Isle. 

MEASURES    FOR    PROTECTION'. 

Rumors  of  Indian  hostilities  induced  the 
Legislature  February  25,  1794.  to  authorize 
the  Governor  to  station  a  detachment  of  the 
State  troops  at  such  place  or  places  at  or  near 
Presque  Isle  as  might  be  necessary  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  settlers.  In  accordance  with  its 
provisions,  Gov.  MifHin,  on  the  1st  of  March, 
1794,  issued  a  circular  to  the  Brigade  Inspectors 
of  Washington,  Westmoreland  and  Allegheny 
counties,  recjuiring  them  to  raise  men  to  serve 
eight  months,  unless  sooner  discharged,  with 
a  stipulation  that,  if  necessary,  they  should 
continue  in  service  till  the  next  meeting  of  the 
Legislature.  Four  companies  were  to  be  or- 
ganized within  the  district,  of  whom  one  cap- 
tain, one  lieutenant,  twoensigns.si.x  corporals, 
six  sergeants  and  ninety-five  privates  were  to 
be  detached  for  the  Presque  Isle  expedition. 
The  command  was  given  to  Capt.  Kbenezer 
Denny,  of  Allegheny  county,  who  is  pre- 
sumed to  have  seen  service  in  border  warfare. 


Gen.  William  Irvine  and  Andrew  Ellicott 
had  been  appointed  commissioners  to  lay  out 
a  road  from  Reading  to  Presque  Isle.  On  the 
day  the  circular  was  issued  they  were  notified 
that  Albert  Gallatin  had  been  associated  in 
their  appointment,  and  that  they  three  were 
to  lay  out  the  town  contemplated  by  the  act 
of  1792.  The  Governor's  instructions  desired 
them  to  "promote  peace,  order  and  friendship 
with  the  peaceable  Indians  or  British  garrison, 
should  any  intercourse  *  *  be  produced 
by  accident  or  necessity.'"  Capt.  Denny  was 
required  "to  comply  with  every  lawful  request 
of  the  commissioners,"  and  was  further  re- 
minded that  the  objects  of  his  appointment 
were  '-strictly  those  of  protection  and 
defense.' 

LE     BCEUF     occupied     and     ax      INDIAN'      WAR 
FEARED. 

The  troops  took  possession  of  ••  the  forks 
of  French  creek,  about  two  miles  below  the 
old  post  of  LeBnnuf,"  on  or  near  the  11th  of 
May,  where  they  built  a  small  block-house, 
pending  the  cutting  out  of  the  logs  which 
obstructed  the  navigation  of  the  stream. 
From  this  point.  Gen.  John  Wilkins,  of 
Pittsburgh,  who  accompanied  the  expedition, 
wrote  on  the  day  of  their  arrival  that  "  the 
British  are  determined  to  oppose  the  progress 
of  the  State  troops  from  LeBo?uf  to  Presque 
Isle  by  sending  a  number  of  Indians  and  Eng- 
lish to  cut  them  off."  In  a  few  davs  more 
the  detachment  reached  LeBo-iif.  where  they 
immediately  erected  two  small  ])icketed  block- 
houses, which,  Wilkins  reported,  •■will  make 
them  sufficiently  strong  until  the  re-enforce- 
ment arrives  under  Capt.  Denny."'  The 
latter  event  did  not  occur  until  the  21th  of 
June. 

While  these  events  were  in  progress,  a 
letter  reached  Gen.  Knox,  Secretary  o\  War 
under  President  Washington,  from  Gen. 
Israel    Chapin,    the     United    States    Commis- 


io6 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


sioner  to  the  Six  Nations,  to  the  effect  that 
the  British  "  feel  very  nuich  ahirmed  at  the  ] 
garrisoning  of  I'resque  Isle.  *  *  If  the  ^ 
garrison  destined  for  that  place,"  wrote 
Chapin,  '•  is  not  very  strong,  it  is  doubtful 
wiiether  it  will  not  be  attacked."'  On  the 
9th  of  May,  Gen.  Knox  wrote  to  Wilkins  and 
Dennv,  cautioning  them  to  "  proceed  with  the 
utmost  vigilance  and  precaution."'  The  next 
day,  he  addressed  a  communication  to  Gen. 
Mifflin,  stating  that  "  at^'airs  are  critically 
circumstanced  between  the  United  States  and 
the  Si.x  Nations,"'  and  giving  it  as  the  opin- 
ion of  the  President,  "on  mature  reflection, 
tliat  it  is  advisable  to  suspend  for  the  present 
the  establishment  of  Presque  Isle."  In  ac- 
cordance with  this  suggestion,  the  Governor 
rescinded  all  orders  for  drafting  men,  directed 
the  commissioners,  who  had  not  yet  left 
Pittsburgh,  to  postpone  further  proceedings, 
and  commanded  Denny's  detachment  to 
remain  at  LeBoeuf,  "unless  it  should  be  found 
necessary  to  retire  from  the  station  in  order 
to  prevent  an  actual  contest  with  the  friendly 
Indians.'" 

The  people  of  the  western  counties  were 
highlv  indignant  at  the  suspension  of  the 
proceedings  for  settlement,  and,  without 
knowing  the  reason  that  prompted  (iov. 
Mifflin.,  hotly  condemned  what  they  called  his 
timidity.  The  Governor,  however,  soon 
righted  himself  by  spreading  the  intelligence 
abroad  that  he  had  acted  in  pursuance  of  a 
special  request  from  President  Washington. 

THE     (9.\KI!ISON      AT      l-'OKT      LKIiOiUF. 

Three  days  after  reaching  LeBoouf ,  Denny 
asked  for  "a  few  militia,"  on  the  ground  that 
a  number  of  his  men  at  LeBoeuf  were  ill  with 
the  flux  and  others  had  to  be  detached.  To 
the  Governor  he  reported  on  the  4th  of  July  : 
"  Have  been  busy  erecting  a  stockade  post. 
Moved  the  detachment  in  yesterday.  Am 
now  beyond  tiie  power  of  any  body  of  hostile 
Indians.  None  have  been  around  since  tiie 
party  on  the  :24th.  Hear  firing  almost  daily, 
but  whether  friends  or  foes  is  uncertain." 
Ellicott,  who  must  have  arrived  soon  after 
Denny,  wrote  on  the  1st  of  August:  "The 
Indians  consider  themselves  as  our  enemies 
and  that  we  are  their's.  From  this  consider- 
ation they  never  come  near  the  garrison  ex- 
cept as  spies  and    then   escape  as  soon   as   dis- 


covered."' Denny  notified  liie  (Jo\ernor  on 
the  same  date  that  they  had  four  block-houses 
at  LeBtruf,  on  two  of  whicii  a  six-pounder 
was  mounted,  the  others  not  being  calculated 
for  cannon.  Over  each  gate  was  a  swivel. 
The  officers  occupied  their  tents  in  the  ab- 
sence of  more  agreeable  (piarters.  The  sit- 
uation lie  regarded  as  e.Kcellent,  except  that 
there  was  a  hollow  way  parallel  with  the 
rear  of  the  works  and  witliin  gunshot  that 
would  "  cover  any  number  of  Indians."  This 
was  examined  every  morning  before  the  gates 
were  thrown  open.  The  troops  at  the  post 
numbered  one  hundred  and  ten,  inclusive  of 
officers.      (See  Waterford.] 


PE.XCE    SECfHED. 

A  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded  with  the 
Six  Nations  at  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  on  the 
11  til  of  November,  in  which  they  unreservedlj- 
acknowledged  the  title  of  Pennsylvania  to  the 
Triangle,  and  for  themselves  and  their  suc- 
cessors released  all  claims  upon  tiie  lands 
within  its  limits.  This  happy  conclusion  was 
much  hastened  by  the  terror  of  Anthony 
Wayne's  name  and  victories.  As  soon  as 
tidings  of  the  treaty  reached  Washington, 
word  was  sent  by  the  President  to  Gov.  MifHin 
that  the  temporary  obstacles  to  the  establish- 
ment were  removed.  It  being  too  late  in  the 
season  when  the  good  news  arrived  at  LeBo'uf 
to  do  any  effective  work  at  Presque  Isle,  the 
detachment  remained  at  the  former  post  until 
early  spring.  The  force  there  on  the  I'Tth  of 
March,  ITUr).  consisted  of  ninety-nine    in    all. 

Maj.  Craig,  of  the  United  States  Army, 
stationed  at  Pittsburg,  reported  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  on  the  24th  of  May,  17U5,  that 
"  the  State  troops  at  LeBoeuf  are  nearly  all 
disbanded.  Capt.  Buchanan,"  he  says,  "  who 
commanded  at  that  post  (Denny  having  left), 
arrived  here  yesterday  with  the  greater  part 
of  the  men  under  his  command,  who  are  all 
discharged."  In  Buchanan's  communication 
to  the  Governor,  of  June  li),  he  states,  how- 
ever, that  Lieut.  Mehaffey,  with  twenty-six 
men,  marched  from  Pittsburgh  with  Commis- 
sioners Irvine  and  Ellicott  toward  LeBcpuf. 
lie,  Buchanan,  expected  to  start  that  day  with 
the  balance  of  the  escort.  This  would  imply 
that  a  new  set  of  men  had  been  enlisted  for 
the  purpose. 


AND  UISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


107 


WATERFORD    AND    ERIE    LAID    OUT. 

While  Ellicott  was  at  LeBoeuf,  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1794,  he  laid  out  the  town  of  Water- 
ford,  the  plan  of  which  was  afterward  sanc- 
tioned by  the  Legislature.  An  act  for  laying 
out  towns  at  Presque  Isle,  LeBa>uf,  Venango 
and  Conewango  (Erie,  Waterford,  Franklin 
and  Warren)  passed  that  body  in  April,  1795, 
being  the  second  in  regard  to  the  first-named 
place. 

About  two  hundred  men  from  Wayne's 
army  landed  at  Presque  Isle  early  in  the  spring 
of  1795,  under  command  of  Capt  Russell 
Bissell.  They  set  to  work  at  once,  cutting 
timber  for  block-houses,  of  which  two  were 
erected  on  the  bluff  overlooking  the  entrance 


to  the  harbor,  just  east  of  the  mouth  of  Mill 
creek.  They  also  cleared  a  good  deal  of  land 
to  raise  corn  for  the  use  of  the  garrison.  A 
sawmill  was  put  up,  and  by  1790  a  warehouse 
and  stockade  were  completed.  The  supplies 
of  food,  etc.,  for  some  time  were  mainly  ob- 
tained by  vessel  from  Detroit. 

In  June,  1795,  Ellicott  and  Irvine,  com- 
missioners, arrived,  accompanied  by  a  corps 
of  surveyors,  and  escorted  by  State  troops 
under  command  of  Capt.  John  Grul)b,  to  lay 
out  the  town  of  Erie,  which  was  done  during 
that  year.  Troops  remained  at  the  post  until 
1806,  but  were  few  in  number.  [See  chapters 
relating  to  Erie  city  and  the  several  townships 
for  a  further  account  of  the  early  settlements.] 


CHAPTER    XII. 


Legislation  in  Rkcjaud  to   Land  and   Early   Land  Sales. — [See  Chapter  I,  Eric  City.] 


OXE  month  after  the  cession  of  the  Tri- 
angle, in  179:?,  the  General  Assembly- 
passed  an  act  for  the  encouragement 
of  emigration  to  the  newly-acquired 
territory.  This  measure,  generally 
known  as  the  "actual  settlement  law."  was 
in  substance  as  follows  : 

The  lands  north  and  west  of  the  Rivers 
Ohio,  Allegheny  and  Conewango  are  to  be 
sold  to  any  person  who  will  cultivate,  improve 
and  settle  the  same,  or  cause  them  to  be  im- 
proved and  settled,  at  £1  10  shillings  for 
every  hundred  acres,  with  an  allowance  of  six 
per  cent,  for  roads,  etc. 

On  application  to  the  Land  Office,  giving 
a  description  of  the  lands  applied  for,  a  war- 
rant is  to  be  issued  to  the  applicant  for  any 
quantity  not  exceeding  400  acres. 

No  title  shall  vest  in  the  lands  unless  the 
grantee  has,  prior  to  the  issuance  of  his  war- 
rant, made  or  caused  to  be  made,  or  shall, 
within  two  years  next  after  the  same,  make  or 
cause  to  be  made  an  actual  settlement  thereon, 
by  clearing,  fencing  and  cultivating  at  least 
two   acres    for   everv    hundred    in   one  survey. 


and  erected  a  house,  and  resided  or  caused  a 
family  to  reside  on  the  same  for  the  five  years 
immediatel}'  following  :  and  in  default  thereof 
new  warrants  shall  be  issued  to  actual  settlers  ; 
'■•provided ,  that  if  a)iv  such  actual  settler  or 
grautee  ^^  shall,  hv  force  of  arms  of  the  euciuies 
of  the  L'uited  States,  be  prevented  from  mak- 
ing such  settlement,  or  he  driven  therefrom, 
and  shall  persist  in  his  endeavors  to  make 
such  actual  settlement,  then,  in  either  case,  he 
and  his  heirs  shall  be  entitled  to  have  and  to 
hold  such  lands  in  the  same  manner  as  if  the 
actual  settlement  had  been  made." 

The  lands  actually  settled  and  improved  to 
remain  chargeable  with  the  purchase  monev 
and  interest,  and  if  the  grantee  shall  neglect 
to  apply  for  a  warrant  for  ten  years  after  the 
passage  of  this  act,  unless  hindered  by  death 
or  the  enemies  of  the  United  States,  the  lands 
may  be  granted  to  others  by  warrants  reciting 
the  defaults. 

l.WD     fOMI'.WIES. 

Almost  simultaneously  \\  ith  the  enactment 
of  the  "  actual   settlement  law."  the  Pennsyl- 


loS 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


vania  Population  Company  was  formed  at 
Philadelphia,  to  settle  and  dispose  of  the  lands 
in  the  Triangle.  John  Xicholson,  ihe  famous 
land  speculator,  was  elected  president.  Pre- 
\  ious  to  the  ori^anization  of  the  company,  Mr. 
Nicholson  iiad  applied  for  ;590  warrants  in  the 
Triangle.  These  he  transferred  to  the  corpo- 
ration, which  paid  for  them  and  perfected  the 
title.  The  company  took  up  about  500  addi- 
tional warrants  in  Erie  and  Crawford  coun- 
ties. The  lands  located  by  the  Population 
Company  embraced  tiie  whole  Triangle  except 
the  town  plot  of  Erie,  the  Erie  State  Reserve, 
the  Garrison  Reserve  and  Irvine's  Reserva- 
tion, in  addition  to  tracts  in  the  southern  part 
of  Erie  county.  The  corporation  was  dis- 
solved in  1814,  after  the  last  war  with  Great 
Britain,  and  the  remaining  lands  and  unset- 
tled contracts  for  the  sale  of  lands  passed  into 
the  hands  of  individual  members. 

The  Population  Company,  on  the  8th  of 
March,  ITU-J,  issued  instructions  to  their 
agents,  offering  the  following  inducements  to 
settlers  in  Erie  county  : 

A  gift  of  150  acres  each  to  the  first  twenty 
families  that  shall  settle  on  French  creek. 

A  similar  gift  to  the  first  twenty  families 
that  shall  settle  in  "  the  Lake  Erie  territory.'" 

A  gift  of  100  acres  each  to  the  next  fifty 
families  (after  tiie  first  twenty)  who  shall  set- 
tle on  French  creek. 

A  similar  gift  to  the  next  fifty  families 
(after  the  first  ten)  who  shall  settle  in  the 
Lake  Erie  territory. 

The  settlers  were  privileged  to  locate  on 
any  lands  of  the  company  they  chose,  and  if 
they  cleared  at  least  ten  acres,  and  erected  a 
comfortable  house  thereon,  in  which  they  re- 
sided, were  to  have  a  deed  after  two  years. 
In  case  \\\&y  were  driven  off  by  the  Indians, 
no  part  of  the  two  years  was  to  run  against 
them,  and  no  title  was  to  vest  in  any  person 
or  his  heirs  who  abandoned  the  lands  before 
receiving  his  deed. 

Thirty  thousand  acres  were  offered  for  sale 
to  actual  settlers,  in  tracts  not  exceeding  800 
acres,  at  11  per  acre,  payable  at  the  option  of 
the  purchaser,  in  three  years,  with  interest 
the  last  two  years. 

THE  HOLLAND  LAND  COMPAXY. 

Some  time  after  the  Revolution,  a  number 
of  wealthy  gentlemen  living  in  Holland,  or- 
ganized  under  the  name  of  the  Holland  Land 


Company,  purchased  of  Robert  Morris,  the 
financier  of  the  Revolution,  vast  bodies  of 
land  in  western  New  York  and  nortiiwestern 
Pennsylvania.  They  also  took  up  by  warrant 
large  tracts  in  Erie  and  Crawford  counties, 
besides  those  purchased  from  Morris.  The  war- 
rants were  issued  to  them  at  various  times  in 
171)3,  17W  and  1795.  The  lands  of  the  Holland 
Company  in  Erie  county  lay  .soutii  of  the 
Triangle  line,  across  the  entire  width  of  the 
county.  Maj.  Alden,  the  first  agent  of  the 
companj-,  was  succeeded  by  William  Miles. 
In  1815,  H.  J.  Huidekoper,  a  member  of  the 
corporation,  came  on  from  Holland,  took 
charge  of  tiie  comj)any"s  affairs,  and  establish- 
ed his  office  in  Mead\ille.  The  lands  remain- 
ing unsold  were  bought  by  Mr.  Huidekoper 
in  1833.  William  H.  .Seward,  afterward 
famous  as  a  statesman,  was  agent  for  ihe 
company  in  western  New  York,  having  his 
office  in  Mav\ille  or  Westfield. 

ANOTHER  CO.MPAXV   KORMED  AT  HA  R  K  ISHU  R  G. 

An  association  was  formed  at  Harrisburg 
on  the  i;5th  of  August,  179*3,  under  the  title 
of  the  Harrisburg  and  Presque  Isle  Company, 
for  the  purpose  of  "  settling,  improving  and 
populating  the  countrv  near  and  adjoining 
to  Lake  Erie.'  It  waslimited  to  ten  persons, 
among  whom  were  Richard  Swan,  Tiiomas 
Forster,  Samuel  Laird  and  ^^'illiam  Kelso. 
The  company  purchased  thirty-.seven  Erie  in- 
lots  and  eight  outlets  at  the  public  sale  at 
Carlisle  in  August,  1796.  Thej'  also  obtained 
possession  of  480  acres  at  the  mouth  of  Wal- 
nut creek,  and  of  some  land  at  Waterford. 
Mr.  Forster  came  on  as  agent,  in  company  with 
Mr.  Swan,  in  the  spring  of  1797,  and  located 
on  the  ^^'alnut  creek  property.  By  tiie  fall 
of  that  year,  tiiev  had  a  sawmill  erected,  and 
the  next  year  a  gristmill  was  commenced, 
which  was  completed  in  the  fall  of  1798. 
They  laid  out  a  town  at  the  mouth  of  the 
creek  and  called  it  Fairview.  Both  Forster 
and  Swan  took  up  large  tracts  in  the  vicinity 
on  their  own  account.  The  title  to  a  portion 
of  the  company's  property  was  disputed  by 
the  Population  Company,  and,  after  long 
litigation,  tiie  Walnut  creek  site  was  sold  at 
Sheriff's  sale. 

TENTH    DONATION    DISTRICT. 

The  Legislature  in  1788  directed  the  laving 
out  of  large    tracts    in    the    northwestern  and 


AND  UISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUM'l'. 


109 


western  portions  of  the  commonwealth,  to  be 
known  as  Donation  Districts,  and  to  be  ap- 
plied in  fulHIlment  of  a  promise  made  on  the 
Ttli  of  March.  178(1,  "  to  the  officers  and  pri- 
vates belonginj^  to  this  State  in  the  Federal 
army,  of  certain  donations  and  quantities  of 
land,  according  to  their  several  ranks,  to  be 
surveyed  and  divided  off  to  them,  severally,  at 
the  end  of  the  Revolutionary  war."  The  Do- 
nation District  was  divided  into  sub-districts, 
each  of  which  was  known  by  its  number.  The 
Tenth  District  commenced  about  a  mile  east 
of  the  borough  of  W'aterford  and  extended 
eastward  across  the  present  townships  of 
Amity  and  Wayne  to  the  Warren  county  line. 
It  was  surveyed  on  the  part  of  the  State,  in 
1785,  by  David  Watts  and  William  Miles. 
Few  of  the  soldiers  for  whose  benefit  the  lands 
were  set  aside,  mo\ed  onto  them,  the  patents 
having  generally  been  disposed  of  at  a  small 
price  to  speculators.  • 

THE    MORAVIAN'    GRANT. 

In  recognition  of  its  services  in  maintain- 
ing missionaries  at  its  own  expense  among 
the  Indians,  the  State,  in  1791,  voted  to  "  the 
Society  of  the  L'nited  Brethren  for  propaga- 
ting the  Gospel  among  the  heathen  '" — com- 
monlv  known  as  the  Moravians — two  grants 
of  land  of  2, 5(H)  acres  each,  with  allowance, 
to  be  located  respectivelv  on  "  the  River  Con- 
nought,  near  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
State,"  and  on  "  the  heads  of  French  creek." 
The  society  located  2,875  acres  in  LeBa'uf 
townsiiip,  which  they  named  the  "Good 
Luck"  tract,  and  2,797  in  Springfield  and 
Conneaut  townships,  to  which  they  gave  the 
title  of  "  Hospitality."  These  lands  were 
leased  until  1850,  when  they  were  purchased 
by  N.  Blickensderfer  and  James  Miles.  The 
first  agent  for  the  Moravians  was  William 
Miles,  of  Union,  who  was  succeeded  by  his 
son  James  as  manager  of  the  "  Hospitality," 
and  by  John  ^\'ood.  of  Waterford,  as  manager 
of  the  "  Good  Luck  "  tract. 

STATE     RESERVATIONS. 

In  laying  out  the  lands  of  the  county  for 
settlement,  the  State  reserved  four  tracts, 
which  are  briefly  described  below  : 

Irvine's  Reservation  consisted  of  2,()(K)  acres 
in  Harbor  Creek  township,  donated  by  the  com- 
monwealth to  Gen.  William  Irvine  as  a  special 
reward  for  his  ser\  ices  during  the  Re\olution. 


The  tract  which  became  known  as  the 
Erie  State  Reserve  commenced  at  the  head  of 
the  bay  and  ran  south  three  miles,  then  east- 
ward, parallel  with  the  lake,  eight  miles,  then 
back  to  the  lake  shore  three  miles,  excluding 
the  lands  originally  embraced  within  the  limits 
of  Erie.  These  lands  were  first  surveyed  by 
George  Moore  in  1795,  again  by  John  Coch- 
ran in  179(5—97,  and  finally  by  Thomas  Rees  in 
1799.  The  latter  laid  them  out  in  three  tiers 
— the  one  furthest  from  the  lake  consisting  of 
15()-acre  tracts,  the  second  mainlv  of  ISd-acre 
tracts,  and  the  last,  or  nearest  to  the  lake,  of 
tracts  ranging  from  50  to  100  acres.  Xone  of 
the  lands  were  sold  until  1801,  and  but  few 
before  1804.  Those  who  bought  earliest  paid 
from  $8  to  $4  per  acre;  one-fifth  in  hand,  tiie 
balance  in  four  etjual  annual  payments.  One 
party  who  owned  411  acres  deeded  the  whole 
of  it,  in  1!S()4,  for  a  male  slave.  The  final  sale 
of  the  Reserve  lands  took  place  on  the  first 
Monday  of  August,  1888,  when  a  number  of 
fifty-acre  tracts  on  the  bank  of  the  lake  west 
of  the  city  were  purchased  at  from  ii!9  to  .|22 
per  acre. 

The  Reserve  at  Waterford  consisted  of  1,800 
acres  in  Waterford  township,  and  400  in  Le- 
BoMif .  Provision  for  its  sale  was  made  in  tiie 
act  of  1799,  and  most  of  the  tract  had  passed 
into  private  iiands  by  1804. 

The  Garrison  tract  was  provided  for  in  the 
act  of  17'.t4.  for  laying  out  a  town  at  Presque 
Isle,  which  directed  the  Governor  to  reserve 
"out  of  the  lots  of  the  said  town  so  much  land 
as  he  siiall  deem  necessary  for  public  uses : 
also,  so  much  land,  within  or  out  of  the  said 
town,  as  may,  in  his  opinion,  be  wanted  by 
the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
forts,  magazines,  arsenals  and  dock-yards." 
It  lies  on  the  bank  of  the  bay  on  the  east  side 
of  Mill  creek,  and  is  now  occupied  in  whole 
or  in  part  by  the  grounds  of  the  Soldiers'  and 
Sailors'  Home. 

LANDS    SET    ASIDE    FOR    .VCADEMV    Pl]{POSES. 

By  an  act  passed  in  1799  it  was  provided 
that  in  the  sales  of  land  500  acres  should  be 
held  back  from  each  of  the  Reserve  tracts  at 
Erie  and  Waterford  "  for  the  use  of  such 
schools  and  academies  as  may  hereafter  be  es- 
tablished by  law"  in  those  towns.  The  lands 
that  fell  to  the  share  of  Waterford  Academy 
lie  in  LeBo'uf  township,  at  tiie  moutii  of  Lc- 
Ba'uf  creek.      4'he\   were  sold  ofi'  about  184tt. 


no 


NELSON'S  BIOQltAPUICAL  DICTIONARY 


The  Erie  Academy  grant  was  in  Mill  Creek 
township,  and  extended  some  distance  along 
the  ^^'aterford  turnpike,  commencing  near  the 
present  southern  boundary  of  the  city.  The 
land  has  mainly  passed  into  the  hands  of  pri- 
vate owners. 

SL'KXEVOKS    .\NU     LAND    Ai;f;N"TS. 

I'nder  the  act  of  1792,  the  territory  north 
and  west  of  the  Ohio,  Allegheny  and  Cone- 
wango  rivers,  was  di\  ided  into  five  districts, 
each  of  w-hich  was  assigned  to  a  deputy  sur- 
veyor. District  No.  1,  embracing  the  Tri- 
angle, was  assigned  to  Thomas  Rees,  Jr., 
who  left  for  Presque  Isle  in  the  spring  of 
1798.  After  long  delay,  on  account  of  In- 
dian threats,  he  reached  his  destination  ;  but 
the  attitude  of  the  Indians  was  so  hostile, 
and  reports  of  Indian  murders  so  frequent, 
that  he  abandoned  the  field  and  returned  to  the 
East.  In  the  spring  of  1795  Mr.  Rees  came 
on  again,  put  up  a  tent  at  the  mouth  of 
Mill  creek,  and  resumed  his  duties  as  a  sur- 
veyor. About  this  time  he  was  also  appointed 
agent  for  the  Population  Company.  He  em- 
ployed several  assistant  surveyors  during  the 
season,  among  whom  were  George  Moore  and 
David  McXair,  and  by  fall  reported  the  sale 
for  the  company  of  74,790  acres  to  some  2tH) 
different  persons.  Few  of  these,  however, 
made  an  immediate  settlement  upon  the  land, 
through  fear  of  Indian  depredations.  Mr. 
Rees  resigned  both  as  deputy  surveyor  and 
agent  for  the  Population  Company  at  the  be- 
ginning of  1796,  and  from  that  date  until  the 
spring  of  1802  served  the  State  as  commis- 
sioner for  the  sale  of  lots,  etc.  He  \vas  suc- 
ceeded in  the  first  position  by  John  Cochran, 
and  in  the  second  by  Judah  Colt,  who  con- 
tinued until  his  death.  Mr.  Rees  took  up  a 
large  tract  in  Harbor  Creek  township,  about 
one  mile  south  of  the  present  Buffalo  road,  to 
which  he  cut  a  highway  in  1797.  The  sev- 
eral parties  who  acted  on  the  part  of  the  State 
for  the  sale  of  lots  and  lands  were  as  follows  : 

Erie— ISOO,  Thomas  Rees,  Jr.;  1802,  John 
Kelso;  1805,  Thomas  Forster  ;  18()9,  Conrad 
Brown  ;  1810,  John  Kelso  :  1811,  Robert  Knox. 

Waterford— 1800,  David  McNair  arid 
James  Naylor ;  1805,  John  Vincent ;  1809, 
Charles  Martin;    1811,  James  Boyd. 

Wilson  Smith  was  appointed  deputy 
survevor  for  the  town  of  Erie  April  25th, 
1800." 


Judah  Colt,  who  had  been  appointed  to 
succeed  Mr.  Rees  as  agent  of  the  Population 
Companv,  came  on  in  that  capacit}'  on  the 
1st  of  July,  \~tW.  He  was  assisted  in  his 
duties  by  Elisha  and  Enoch  Marvin.  Singu- 
lar to  state,  they  preferred  the  high  lands  in 
Greenfield  township,  and  the  first  permanent 
settlement  in  the  county,  outside  of  Erie  and 
\\'atcrf()rd,  was  made  early  in  1797  at  Colt's 
Station.  |  See  Greenfield.]  Mr.  Colt  died 
in  1882,  and  left  a  large  estate.  His  succes- 
sor for  most  of  the  members  of  the  company 
was  Judah  C.  Spencer.  A  few  of  the  mem- 
bers placed  their  interests  in  charge  of 
Thomas  H.  Sill.  Dunning  McXair  estab- 
lished an  agency  for  the  company  on  Con- 
neaut  creek  in  1797,  later  in  the  year  than  the 
settlement  in  Greenfield,  and  made  contracts 
with  most  of  the  earlv  settlers  of   that  region. 

CHANGE      IX     TlIK      SETTLEMENT      LAW. 

In  1794  the  Legislature  passed  an  act 
which  provided  that  no  further  applications 
should  be  received  by  the  land  office  for  anj'  un- 
improved land  within  the  Triangle.  This  was 
after  it  had  been  ascertained  that  the  territory 
was  not  sufficient  to  supplv  the  warrants 
issued  to  the  Population  Company.  The 
same  act  directed  that  no  warrant  should 
issue  after  the  15th  of  June  of  that  year,  for 
any  land  within  the  Triangle  except  in  favor 
of  persons  claiming  by  virtue  of  some  settle- 
ment and  improvement  having  been  made 
thereon,  and  that  all  applications  remaining 
in  the  land  office  after  that  date  for  which 
the  purchase  money  had  not  been  paid,  should 
be  void.  It  was  stipulated,  however,  that 
applications  might  be  "  received  and  war- 
rants issued  until  the  1st  of  January,  1795, 
in  favor  of  any  persons  to  whom  a  balance 
might  be  due  in  the  land  office  on  unsatisfied 
warrants  issued  before  the  29th  of  March, 
1792,  for  such  quantities  of  land  as  might  be 
sufficient  to  discharge  such  balances;"  pro- 
vided, that  the  act  should  not  be  "so  con- 
strued as  that  anv  warrants,  except  those 
wherein  the  land  is  particularly  described, 
should  in  any  manner  affect  the  title  of  the 
claim  of  any  person  having  made  an  actual 
improvement  before  such  warrant  was  entered 
and  surveyed  in  the  Deputy  Survej'or's  books. '" 

Another  act,  passed  in  September  of  the 
same  year,  made  it  unlawful  for  any  appli- 
cation   for    lands    to   be    received   at  the  land 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


I II 


office,  after  its  passage,  "  except  for  such 
lands  where  a  settlement  has  been  or  here- 
after shall  be  made,  grain  raised  and  a  per- 
son or  persons  residing  thereon." 

EXTENSIVE    LAND    SALES. 

At  an  earlv  date  David  Watts  and  William 
Miles,  the  first  surveyors  under  the  State,  lo- 
cated 1.40)  acres  at  Wattsburg  and  1.:.'00 
acres  at  Lake  Pleasant.  In  179(5,  Mr.  Miles 
also  purchased  four  tracts  on  the  lake  shore 
from  the  Population  Company,  on  which  he 
agreed  to  place  settlers.  ]VIartin  Strong,  who 
came  to  the  countv  in  1795  as  a  survevor  for 
the  Holland  Land  Company,  took  up  a  large 
tract  on  the  ridge,  in  Waterford  and  Summit 
townships.  David  McNair  chose  ^(K)  acres  of 
the  Walnut  creek  flats,  at  Kearsarge.  besides 
other  extensive  tracts.  He  at  one  time  owned 
some  of  the  most  valuable  property  in  the 
county,  including  half  of  what  is  now  South 
Erie.  George  Fisher,  of  Dauphin  county,  se- 
cured a  vast  body  of  land  in  Waterford  and 
Washington  townships,  and  William  Wallace, 
who  was  the  first  lawyer  in  the  county,  be- 
came the  owner  of  numerous  tracts  in  various 
townships.  Many  sales  were  made  by  the 
different  companies  between  179G  and  1799, 
and  by  1800  a  good  share  of  the  county  had 
passed  into  the  hands  of  actual  settlers,  or 
persons  who  intended  to  become  such . 


FIRST    PUUCHASERS. 

ist  of  parties  who  entered  into 


Below  is  a 

agreements  with  the  Population  Company  for 
the  purchase  of  lands  in  1796—97  and  ]79(S,  all 
being  for  full  tracts  except  the  one  in  the 
nameof  George  Hurst,  which  was  for 200  acres  : 
James  Baird,  George  Balfour. 

Russell  Bissell,  Negro  "  Boe," 

Richard  Clement,  Isaac  Craig, 

Joshua  Fairbanks,  Thomas  Forster, 


Thomas  Gallagher, 
John  Grubb, 
Thomas  P.  Miller, 
Thomas  Rees,  Jr., 
Beriah  Davis, 
Elihu  Crane, 
Patrick  Kennedy, 
Morrow  Lowry, 
Rowland  Rees, 
William  M.  (irundv, 
James  O'llarra, 
Laton  Dick, 


Thomas  Greer, 
Samuel  Holliday, 
Francis  Brawley, 
Abraham  Custard, 
?vliles  Crane, 
Abiathar  Crane, 
John  Sanderson, 
William  Lee, 
Robert  Lowry, 
John  Mill, 
Juilah  Colt, 
Charles  John  Reed, 


Benjamin  Richardson, 
David  Hays. 
Francis  Scott, 
Joseph  McCord, 
George  Hurst, 
William  Paul, 
Israel  Bodine, 
John  Kennedy, 
George  Xicliolson, 
Thomas  Dunn, 
Henry  Hurst, 
William  Dunn, 
Martin  Strong, 
Richard  Swan, 
J.  F.  Vollaine, 
John  McKee, 
John   Oliver, 
Marv  Reed, 
Milhall  Condon, 
David  Long. 
Peter  Grasoss, 
Joseph  L.  Rowley, 
William  G.  T^sner, 
Freeman  Tuttle, 
Hamilton  Stone, 
John  .\nderson, 
John  Shaffer. 
Thomas  Hughes, 
David  Seely, 
John  Morris, 
David  McCullough, 
William  Sturgeon. 
Hugh  Trimble, 
Robert  Brown, 
John  Nichols, 
Robert  Mclntire, 
Samuel  Barker, 
George  Trac}-, 
Oliver  Dunn, 
Oliver  Thornton, 
Timothy  Tuttle, 


Benjamin  Russell, 
Anthony  Saltsman, 
James  Herman, 
Azariah  Davis, 
Arnold  Custard, 
William  Barker, 
Samuel  Barker, 
Israel  Miller, 
George  Lowrv. 
James  Dunn, 
Ezekiel  Dunning, 
William  Parcell, 
Hugh  Spears, 
Elihu  Talmadge, 
Alex.  Vance, 
Hugh  McLaughlin, 
Rufus  S.  Reed. 
Stephen  Oliver, 
Alex.  McKee, 
Stephen  Forster, 
James  Greer, 
James  Foulke, 
John   Hay, 
Bernard  Tracy, 
Zelmar  Barker, 
Daniel  Dobbins, 
John  Cummings, 
John  Daggett, 
.Samuel  Holliday, 
Patrick  McKee, 
Henry  Strowman, 
Jeremiah  Sturgeon. 
James  Leland. 
Peter  Prime, 
John  Gordon, 
George  W,  Reed, 
John  Cochran, 
William  Weed, 
William  Baird, 
Thomas  Greer, 


LITIGATION    OVER    L.\XD. 

Mr.  Colt's  first  j-ears  as  agent  of  the  Pop- 
ulation Company  were  much  disturbed  by 
hostile  manifestations  and  costly  litigation  to 
maintain  the  real  or  assumed  rights  of  the  or- 
ganization. The  causes  of  the  troubles,  in 
brief,  were  as  follows:  The  law  of  1792  pro- 
vided that  any  actual  settler,  or  grantee  in 
any  original  or  succeeding  warrant,  who 
should  be  driven  from  the  country  by  the  ene- 
mies of  the  I'nited  Stales,  and  who  should 
persist  in  the  endeavor   to  make  a  settlement. 


I  12 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


should  be  entitled  to  hold  his  lands  in  the 
same  manner  as  if  an  actual  settlement  had 
been  made.  The  Population  Company  and 
the  Holland  Company  claimed  that  by  their 
several  efforts  to  occupy  the  lands  in  175)8, 
'91  and  '!);"),  they  had  fulfilled  all  the  condi- 
tions of  the  law.  In  the  sprint^  of  17U5,  a 
proclamation  was  issued  by  the  Governor  de- 
claring that  the  Indians  had  been  conquered, 
and  stating  that  the  northwestern  section  of 
the  State  was  open  to  settlement.  The  effect 
of  this  was  to  induce  a  number  of  people  to 
emigrate  to  the  county,  some  of  whom  pur- 
chased from  the  agents,  while  others  set  up 
adverse  claims,  asserting  that  the  companies 
had  forfeited  the  lands. 

The  companies  alleged  tliat  [)cace  was  not 
really  secured  until  1796,  citing  the  Rutledge 
murder  as  proof.  To  this  the  adverse  claimants 
replied  that  the  murder  was  not  committed 
by  the  Indians,  but  was  the  deed  of  white 
men  in  pay  of  the  company,  to  relieve  them 
from  their  embarrassment.  The  principal 
seat  of  the  troubles  was  in  Greenfield  and 
North  East  townships;  but  they  extended 
in  some  degree  to  Conneaut,  Harbor  Creek 
and  other  sections. 

The  Holland  Company  also  had  diiliculties 
with  various  parties  who  claimed  to  be  actual 
settlers.  Among  those  who  became  involved 
in  litigation  with  the  company  was  William 
Miles,  who  had  located  and  placed  settlers  up- 
on lands  which  the  company  complained  had 
been  allotted  to  them.  The  Miles  suits  were 
ultimately  settled  by  amicable  arrangement, 
and  he  became  the  agent  of  the  company. 

The  .Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania  de- 
cided against  the  adverse  claimants,  creating 
an  intense  feeling  of  indignation  and  disap- 
pointment throughout  the  Northwest.  This 
settled  the  business,  so  far  as  the  Population 
Company  was  concerned,  it  being  a  State 
corporation,  wholly  composed  of  citizens  of 
Pennsj'lvania.  The  Holland  Land  Company, 
being  a  foreign  concern,  brought  their  action 
in  the  United  States  Circuit  Court,  where  the 
decision  \vas  precisely  like  that  of  the  State 
Supreme  Court.  It  was  appealed  to  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  United  .States,  where  the 
other  courts  were  fullv  sustained  in  an  opinion 
rendered   bj-  Chief  Justice   Marshall   in    18(15. 

This  result  settled  the  dispute  for  good. 
There  being  no  further  question  of  title,  the 
county  began  to  fill  up  rapidly.     .Some  of  the 


adverse  settlers  left  in  disgust  and  despair  ;  but 
the  majority  entered  into  ti,rrangements  with 
the  companies  to  purchase  the  land  which 
they  had  improved. 

I.AND    SI>ECl'I..\TIOX      IN     1880. 

One  of  the  wildest,  if  not  the  most  reck- 
less, land  speculations  ever  known  in  Erie 
count}'  took  place  in  188(>,  being  confined 
mainly  to  the  borough  of  Erie  and  vicinity. 
It  grew  out  of  the  important  internal  improve- 
ments conceived  and  set  in  operation  about 
that  time,  added  to  a  tremendous  o\;er-issue  of 
paper  money  throughout  thecountry.  Thecanal 
to  Beaver  had  been  surveyed,  a  charter  had 
been  granted  for  the  railroad  to  .Sunbury,  and 
considerable  work  had  been  done  by  the  I'nit- 
ed  States  Government  in  building  piers  and 
deepening  the  harbor.  ^\  widespread  impres- 
sion sprung  up  that  Erie  was  destined  to  be- 
come a  great  city.  The  charter  of  the  United 
States  Bank  at  Philadelphia  expired  in  1880. 
In  the  early  part  of  that  year,  the  Slate  Legis- 
lature chartered  the  United  States  Bank  of 
Pennsylvania  with  a  capital  of  Ji!85,()()(t,(H)(). 
This  institution  established  a  branch  at  Erie, 
erecting  the  old  custom  house  on  State  below 
Fifth  street,  and  the  residence  adjoining,  for  a 
banking  office  and  cashier's  house.  The  stock 
of  the  Erie  branch,  amounting  to  ifl^tK ),()()<). 
was  all  taken  on  the  :27th  of  February,  188(5. 
These  matters  combined  gave  an  extraordinary 
impulse  to  real  estate  in  the  borough  of  Erie. 
The  price  of  town  lots  jumped  up  100  per 
cent.  In  a  single  week  the  sales  of  real  estate 
amounted  to  over  half  a  million  dollars.  One 
lot,  purchased  in  February  for  .$  10,000,  was 
resold  in  Buffalo  within  a  month  for  $50,(KJ0. 
The  speculation  lasted  until  1887,  when  the 
banks  failed  throughout  the  Union,  causing  a 
terrible  revulsion.  Although  the  speculation 
in  this  county  was  limited  to  Erie  and  its  vi- 
cinity, a  general  spirit  of  ad\'enture  prevailed 
in  the  whole  nation,  and  thousands  of  persons 
were  ruined  by  their  faith  in  inflation  and  the 
speculative  tendency  of  the  time.  The  history 
of  that  day  is  one  of  the  best  arguments  that 
can  be  produced  against  the  theories  of  those 
who  believe  in  the  issue  of  a  large  volume  of 
paper  currencv  without  taking  proper  steps 
for  its  redemption  and  securitv. 

[For  an  account  of  the  land  sales  and  set- 
tlements at  Erie,  see  the  chapter  on  that  sub- 
ject under  the  heading  of  Erie  City.] 


'!■'■' S.irnailSart-"'^ 


(c6  /  /2c/^L- 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


First  Settlers  in  the  Colxtv — Earliest  Marriages,  Biktiis   and  Deaths. 


AS  may  be  seen  by  llie  pi-eceding  cbap- 
ters,  the  first  known  American  citi- 
zens who  located  permanently  within 
the  bounds  of  Erie  county  were 
Thomas  Rees  and  John  Gru!)b,  who 
reached  Erie  in  the  sprinjr  of  17'.)5  and  re- 
mained until  their  deaths.  At  a  later  date  in 
the  same  year  William  Miles  and  W^illiam 
Cook,  with  their  wives,  made  a  settlement  in 
Concord  township,  near  the  Crawford  county 
line,  where  they  were  the  sole  residents  for 
some  years.  A  month  or  so  later,  Col.  Seth 
Reed,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  sons, 
Manning  and  Charles  John,  came  to  Erie  in  a 
sail  boat  from  Buffalo,  which  was  piloted  by 
James  Talmadge,  who  took  up  lands  during 
the  season  in  McKean  township.  These 
three  ladies  were  the  first  white  persons  of 
their  sex  who  are  known  to  have  resided  in 
the  countv.  The  other  settlers  during  1795 
were  Rufus  S.  and  George  W.  Reed,  James 
Baird  and  children,  Mrs.  Thomas  Rees  and 
Mrs.  J.  Fairbanks,  at  Erie;  .\mos  Judson, 
James  Xaylor,  Lieut.  Martin,  and  Martin 
Strong,  in  Waterford :  John  W.  Russell, 
George  Moore  and  David  McNair,  in  Mill 
creek  ;  Capt.  Robert  King  and  familv,  W'ill- 
iam  and  Thomas  Black  and  Thomas  Ford  and 
wife,  in  LeBfruf  ;  Jonathan  Spaulding  in  Con- 
neaut ;  Michael  Hare  and  two  men  named 
Ridue  and  Call,  in  Wayne  ;  James  and  Bailey 
Donaldson,  in  North  East,  and  James  Blair  in 
Girard.  So  far  as  the  records  show,  these 
were  the  onlv  white  people  living  in  the 
county  that  j'ear.  Among  the  settlers  during 
the  interval  between  IT'.'-")  and  ISOO  were  the 
following  : 

170(5 — Was/iini;io)/  lowitship,  Alexander 
Hamilton  and  William  Culbertson ;  Eric, 
Capt.  Daniel  Dobbins  ;  Mi/!  Creel-,  Benjamin 
Russell,  Thomas  V.  Miller,  David  Dewey, 
Anlhonv  Saltsnian  and  John  McFarland ; 
Greenfield ,  Judah  Colt,  lilisha  and  Enoch 
Marvin,  Cyrus    Robinson,  Charles    Allen,  Jo- 


seph Berry,  John  Wilson,  James  Moore' 
Joseph  Webster,  Philo  Barker,  Timothy  Tut- 
tle,  Silas  and  W^illiam  Smith,  Joseph  Shat- 
tuck,  John  Daggett.  Joiin  Andrews  and 
Leverett  Bissell ;  McKean,  Thomas  and  Oliver 
Dunn ;  Fairvicxv,  Francis  Scott ;  Siinnnit . 
George  W.  Reed  ;  North  East,  William  Wil- 
son, George  and  Henry  Hurst  and  Henry  and 
DverLoomis;  S/>rin<^/ie/t/.  '>iunue]  Holliday, 
John  Devore,  John  Mershom,  William  'Sic- 
Intvre  and  Patrick  Ager ;  Vcnani;o,  Adam 
and  James  Reed,  Burrill  and  Zalmon  Tracy  ; 
Waterford,  John  Lj-tle,  Robert  Brotherton, 
John  llennox  and  Thomas  Skinner. 

1797 —  Waterford,  John  Vincent  and  W^il- 

son    Smith  ;      Wayne,  Joseph    Hall    and  

Prosser ;  Union,  Hugh  Wilson,  Andrew 
Thompson,  Matthew  Gray,  Francis  B.  and 
Robert  Smith;  Elk  Creek,  Eli  Colton;  IV- 
nango,  Thomas,  John  and  Da\  id  Phillips  ; 
Spring/ic/d,  Oliver  Cross;  Eairvic-.e,  Thomas 
Forster,  Jacob  Weiss,  Cjeorge  Nicholson,  John 
Kelso,  Richard  Swan,  I'atrick  Vance,  Patrick 
and  John  McKee,  Jeremiali  and  William 
Sturgeon  and  William  Ilaggerty ;  LeBixnf, 
Francis  Isherwood,  James,  Robert  and  Adam 
Pollock;  Conncaiit,  Col.  Dunning  McXair; 
Mill  Creek,  John  Nicholson,  the  ^[cKees  and 
Boe  Bladen  ;  Was/iinoion,  Job  Reeder,  Sam- 
uel Galloway,  Simeon  Dunn,  John  and  James 
Campbell,  Matthias  Sipps,  Phineas  McLene- 
than,  Matthew  Hamilton,  John  Mc Williams, 
James,  John,  ^Vndrew  and  Samuel  Culbertson, 
and  Mrs.  Jane  Campbell  (widow)  ;  Xorth 
East.  Thomas  Robinson,  Joseph  McCord, 
James  McMahon,  Margaret  Lowry  (widow), 
James  Duncan.  Francis  Brawley  and  Abram 
and  Arnold  Custard  ;  Harbor  Creek,  William 
Saltsinan,  Amasa  Prindle  and  Andrew  El- 
liott. 

1798_£-,-/<-,  William  Wallace;  ir'<nv/<-. 
William  Smith  and  David  Findley ;  /  'nion, 
Jacob  She]ihard,  John  Welsh,  Jolni  Fagan 
and  John    Wilson;    Elk    C/rcX-,  George  Hay- 


'4 


NELSON'S  BlOaBAPHIVAL  iJlCTIUSAUy 


barger  and  John  Dictz ;  I'eiiaiino.  William 
Allison  and  wife  ;  Spriiti^ficld,  Nicholas  Le- 
Barger  ;  Fairvic^c,  John  Dempsey  ;  Coni/caiif, 
Abiathar  and  Elilui  Crane;  \VasIii/ii;toii, 
Peter  Kline;  Girard,  Abraham  and  William 
Silverthorn  ;  Xorth  East ,  Thomas  Crawford, 
Lemuel  Brown,  Henry  and  Matthew  Taylor, 
William  Allison,  Henry  Biirgett,  John,  James 
and  Matthew  Greer;  Water  ford ,  Aaron 
Himrod. 

1790 —  M'atcrford,  John.  James  anil  David 
Boyd,  Capt.  John  Tracy.  M.  Himebuugh, 
John  Clemens,  the  Simpsons  and  Lattimores; 
Erie.,  John  Teel ;  McKcati,  Lemuel  and 
Russell  Stancliff;  Suiiiiitit,  Eliakim  Cook. 

The  above  is  not  claimed  to  be  a  complete 
list  of  the  settlers  up  to  180(),  but  is  as  nearly 
full  as  can  now  be  obtained.  Emigration 
was  slow  the  first  five  years  in  consequence 
of  the  land  troubles.  After  1805,  the  county 
commenced  to  fill  up  more  rapidly,  and  to 
attempt  to  give  a  roll  of  the  settlers  would 
exceed  the  limits  of  a  work  like  this.  [See 
the  City,  Township  and  Borough  Chapters.] 

NATI\I'rV     OK     THE     PIONEERS. 

Most  of  the  people  named  above  were 
from  New  England  or  New  York,  but  quite 
a  number  were  Scotch-Irish  from  the  south- 
ern counties  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  few  were 
of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  descent.  The  New 
Yorkers  were  in  general  from  the  interior  of 
that  State,  and  the  Pennsylvanians  from 
Dauphin,  Cumberland,  Lancaster  and  Nor- 
thumberland counties.  The  Riblets,  Eber- 
soles.  Loops,  Zucks,  Browns,  Stoughs,  Zim- 
mermans,  Kreiders,  and  others  of  that  class, 
came  in  at  a  period  ranging  from  1801  to 
1805.  From  that  time  the  people  who 
settled  in  the  county  were  almost  universall)' 
of  New  England  and  New  York  origin  until 
about  1825.  when  another  emigration  of  Penn- 
sylvania Dutch  set  in,  which  continued  until 
18'-i5  or  thereabouts.  Among  those  who 
located  in  the  county  during  this  period  were 
the  Weigels,  Warfefs,  Mohrs,  Metzlers,  Ber- 
gers,  Brennemans,  Charleses  and  others 
whose  names  are  familiar.  The  foreign  ele- 
ment began  to  come  in  at  a  comparatively 
recent  date — the  Irish  about  1825,  and  the 
Germans  from  five  to  ten  j-ears  after.  The 
first  settlers  were  a  hardy,  adventurous  race 
(if  men.  and  their  wives  were  iirave,  loving 
and  ilutiful  women. 


FIRST     MARRIAGES,     BIRTHS     AND     DEATHS. 

The  earliest  marriage  was  that  of  Charles 
J.  Reed,  of  Walnut  Creek  (Kearsarge),  to 
Miss  Rachel  Miller,  which  occurred  on  Decem- 
ber 27,  17U7.  The  earliest  recorded  birth  was 
that  of  John  R.,  son  of  William  Black, 
in  Fort  LeBieuf,  August  29,  1795.  Mr. 
Boardman,  of  Washington  township,  was 
born  in  the  Conneauttee  valley  the  same  year 

The  earliest  known  deaths  occurred  in  the 
years  below  : 

Ralph  Rutledge,  killed  livthe  Indians  at 
Erie,  May  29th,  1795.  His  "son  was  fatally 
shot  at  the  same  time,  and  died  shortly  after, 
in    the    fort   at    LeBfruf. 

Gen.  Anthony  Wayne,  in  the  block-house 
at  Erie,  December  15,  179(). 

Col.  Seth  Reed,  at  Walnut  Creek,  March 
19,  1797. 

PRIMITIVE      MODE      OF     LIVING. 

The  majority,  if  not  all,  of  the  settlers 
were  in  moderate  circumstances,  and  were 
content  to  live  in  a  very  cheap  waj-.  They 
had  to  depend  on  the  produce  of  their  little 
clearings,  which  consisted  to  a  large  extent  of 
potatoes  and  corn.  Mush,  corn  bread  and 
potatoes  were  the  principal  food.  There  was 
no  meat  except  game,  and  often  this  had  to 
be  eaten  without  salt.  Pork,  flour,  sugar  and 
other  groceries  sold  at  high  prices,  and  were 
looked  upon  as  luxuries.  In  1798-99,  wheat 
brought  .'f!2.50  per  bushel;  flour,  .flS  a  barrel  ; 
corn,!f!2  per  bushel;  oats,  !i!1.50;  and  potatoes, 
$1 .50.  The  mills  were  far  apart, the  roads  scarce- 
ly more  than  pathways  through  the  woods,  and 
the  grists  had  to  be  carrietl  in  small  (juantities 
on  the  backs  of  men  or  horses.  Few  families 
had  stoves,  and  the  cooking  was  done  almost 
entirely  over  open  fires.  The  beds  were 
without  springs  and  were  made  up  in  general 
by  laying  coarse  blankets  upon  boxes  or  rude 
frames.  All  clotliing  was  homemade.  Every 
house  had  a  spinning  wheel,  and  many  were 
proxided  with  looms.  Liquor  was  in  com- 
mon use,  and  there  was  seldom  a  family 
without  its  bottle,  for  the  comfort  of  the 
husband  and  the  entertainment  of  his  guests. 

The  first  buildings  were  log  cabins  con- 
structed of  unhewn  logs  laid  one  upon  another 
with  the  crevices  filled  in  with  mud.  These 
gave  way,  as  the  condition  of  the  people  im- 
proved, to  structures  of  hewn  limber  in  which 
mortar  was  substituted  for  mud.      Hardly  any 


AND  UISrOBICAL  REFERENCE  ROOK  OF  ERIE  COUIHTr. 


I  I  : 


of  the  houses  were  plastered.  Many  were 
without  window  glass,  and  wall  paper  was 
unknown.  As  saw  mills  increased,  frame 
buildinys  of  a  Ijetter  character  were  substi- 
tuted for  the  log  cabins,  and  occasionally  a 
brick  or  stone  structure  was  erected,  whicli 
was  talked  about  in  all  the  country  round  as  a 
marvel  of  architecture.  The  people  were  sepa- 
rated by  long  distances;  for  years  there  were 
few  clearings  that  joined.  In  every  house 
there  was  an  immense  fire-place,  in  which 
tremendous  amounts  of  wood  were  consumed, 
which  practically  cost  nothing. 

When  a  new  resicience  or  barn  was  to  be 
erected,  the  neighbors  were  invariably  invited 
to  the  raising.  On  such  occasions,  liquor  or 
cider  was  expected  to  be  freely  dispensed,  and 
it  was  rarely  the  case  that  the  invitations  were 
declined.  These  raisings  were  the  merry- 
making events  of  the  day,  and  generally 
brought  together  twentv-five  to  fifty  of  the 
settlers,  who  worked  hard,  drank  freely,  and 
flattered  themselves  when  they  were  through 
that  they  had  experienced  a  jolly  good  time. 

A     HARD    BUT    HEALTHY    LIFE. 

All  the  cooking  and  warming,  in  town  as 
well  as  in  country,  was  done  by  the  aid  of 
fires  kindled  on  the  brick  hearths  or  in  the 
brick  ovens.  Pine  knots  or  tallow  candles 
furnished  the  light  for  the  long  winter  nights, 
and  sanded  floors  supplied  the  place  of  rugs 
and  carpets.  The  water  used  for  household 
purposes  was  drawn  from  deep  wells  by  the 
creaking  sweeps.  There  were  no  friction 
matches,  by  the  aid  of  which  a  fire  could  be 
easily  kindled,  and  if  the  fire  \vent  out  upon 
the  hearth  over  night,  and  the  tinder  was 
dainp,  so  that  the  spark  would  not  catch,  the 
alternative  remained  of  wading  through  the 
snow  a  mile  or  so  to  borrow  a  brand  from  a 
neighbor.  Only  one  room  in  any  house  was 
warm,  in  all  the  rest  the  temjierature  was  at 
zero  during  the  extreme  winter  nights.  The 
men  and  women  undressed  anil  went  to  their 
beds  in  a  temperature  as  cold  as  our  barns  and 
woodsheds. 

Churches  and  schoolhouses  were  sparsely 
located,  and  of  the  most  primitive  character. 
One  pastor  served  a  number  of  congregations  ; 
and  salaries  were  so  low  that  the  preachers 
had  to  take  part  in  working  their  farms  to  pro- 
cure support  for  their  families.  The  peo|)le 
went  to  religious  service  on  foot  or  horseback, 


and  the  children  often  walked  two  or  three 
miles  through  the  woods  to  school.  There 
were  no  fires  in  the  churches  for  a  number  of 
years.  When  they  were  introduced  they  were 
at  first  built  in  holes  cut  in  tiie  floors,  and  the 
smoke  found  its  way  out  through  openings  in 
the  roofs.  The  seats  were  of  imsmoothed 
slabs,  the  ends  and  centers  of  which  were  laid 
upon  blocks,  and  the  pulpits  were  little  better. 
Worship  was  lield  once  or  twice  a  month,  con- 
sisting usually  of  two  services,  one  in  the 
forenoon  and  one  immediately  after  noon,  the 
people  remaining  during  the  interval  and 
spending  the  time  in  social  intercourse. 

WILD     BE.\STS    AND    KISH. 

A  dense  forest  covered  the  county,  when 
it  was  opened  to  settlement,  which  abounded 
with  deer,  bears,  wolves,  panthers,  rabbits, 
foxes,  raccoons,  squirrels,  oppossums,  minks, 
skunks,  martins,  and  some  wild  cattle,  or 
'•  buffalo,"  as  they  were  called  by  the  French. 
Every  man  kept  a  gun  and  went  into  the 
woods  in  pursuit  of  game  whenever  the  sup- 
ply of  food  in  his  household  ran  short.  Deer 
were  abundant  for  years.  There  were  nuiner- 
ous  deer-licks,  where  the  animals  resorted  to 
find  salt  water,  at  which  the  hunters  lay  in 
wait  and  shot  them  down  without  mercy. 
Packs  of  \yolves  often  surrounded  the  cabins 
and  kept  the  inmates  awake  with  their  howl- 
ing. A  bounty  was  long  paid  for  their  scalps, 
varying  in  amount  from  |1()  to  .i!l2  per  head. 
Accounts  are  given  of  sheep  being  killed  by 
wolves  as  late  as  1818.  Occasionally  a  pan- 
ther or  wild  cat  terrified  whole  neighborhoods 
by  its  screaming.  The  last  panther  was  shot 
at  Lake  Pleasant  by  Abram  Knapp  in  1857. 

The  country  was  full  of  pigeons,  ducks, 
geese,  pheasants,  partridges,  and  turkeys  in 
their  season,  all  of  which  fell  easy  victims  to 
the  guns  or  traps  of  the  pioneers.  The  lakes, 
of  course,  contained  plenty  of  fish,  and  most 
of  the  small  streams  abounded  in  trout.  It 
does  not  appear  that  the  county  was  ever  much 
troubled  with  poisonous  snakes.  There  were 
.some  massassaugies  and  copperheads  on  the 
peninsula  :  but  the  interior  seems  to  have  been 
remarkably  free  from  dangerous  reptiles. 

Taken  altogether,  while  they  had  to  en- 
dure many  privations  and  hardships,  it  is 
tloubtful  whether  the  pioneers  of  any  part  of 
America  were  more  fortunate  in  their  selec- 
tion than  those  of  Erie  county. 


CHAPTER     XIV. 


Gkisimii-ls,   Sawmills,   Factories,  Tanneries,   Bhewkries,  Eic. — [See  Chapters  XIII 

and  XVI,   Erie  City  History.] 


TIIK  lirst  mill  in  Erie  county  was  built 
at  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek  in  1790, 
luulcr  the  direction  of  Capt.  Russell 
iJissell,  of  the  United  States  army,  to 
supply  tiinl)er  for  barracks,  dwellings, 
etc.,  for  the  use  of  the  troops  who  had  been  sent 
forward  as  a  protection  to  the  settlers.  It 
gave  name  to  the  stream  and  stood  until  1820, 
when  it  burned  down.  The  dam  was  just  east 
of  Parade  street,  nearly  on  a  line  with  Fourth. 
In  1831,  George  W.  Reed  and  William  Him- 
rod  built  another  sawmill  on  the  old  site,  the 
frame  of  which  was  standing  for  more  than 
thirty  years  after  its  erection. 

The  second  sawmill  was  built  by  John 
Cochran  in  1800,  on  the  site  of  what  became 
known  as  the  Eliot  or  Densmore  mill.  The 
following  year,  he  added  a  gristmill,  both 
being  constructed  of  logs.  In  the  year  181(5 
John  Teel  replaced  them  by  a  frame,  which  was 
subsequently  operated  by  John  Gray  and  son 
James,  Jonathan  15aird  and  John  McClure. 
In  May,  18i}(),  upon  the  death  of  John  Coch- 
ran, it  fell  into  the  hands  of  his  son  Robert, 
and  about  1845  was  sold  to  Gen.  C.  M.  Reed, 
who  conveyed  it  to  George  A.  Eliot.  In 
1850,  Mr.  Eliot  gave  the  control  of  it  to  his 
son  John,  who  in  March,  1871,  sold  it  to 
Henry  Shotwell;  thence  it  passed  into  the 
possession  of  William  Densmore.  When  Mr. 
Teel  rebuilt  the  mill,  the  contract  price  was 
pM)i).  He  took  in  part  pay  for  his  services  the 
two  outlots  bounded  by  Chestnut,  Sassafras, 
Twentieth  and  Twenty-second  streets.  The 
land  alone,  included  in  this  property,  is  now 
worth  $()(),00(). 

In  180(),  Robert  Brotherton  built  a  saw- 
mill at  or  near  the  site  of  the  present  Hope- 
dale  mill.  The  farm  and  mill  were  pur- 
chased l3\-  John  (jingrich,  and  the  latter  was 
discontinuetl  when  timber  became  scarce  in 
the  neighborhood.     An    oil  mill    was    subse- 


(juently  erected  there  by  C.  Siegel.  Upon 
his  father's  death,  Henry  Gingrich  inherited 
the  property,  and  about  1850  built  a  flouring 
mill,  which  he  called  "  Hopedale.'  This  mill 
was  operated  for  some  years  by  Oliyer  Ik  Ba- 
con, who  left  it  in  18<)5,  and  it  was  then  taken 
in  charge  by  its  owner,  Henry  Gingrich. 

During  the  years  1807-8,  another  sawmill 
was  erected  on  Mill  creek  at  its  intersection 
with  Eighth  street,  by  Thomas  Forster  and 
William  Wallace,  who  got  control  of  the  wa- 
ter-power from  Twelfth  to  Parade  streets. 
About  ISlO,  R.  S.  Reed  purchased  the  prop- 
erty and  built  a  gristmill  below.  In  1822, 
(jeorge  Moore  bought  these  mills  and  added  a 
carding  and  fulling-mill.  Some  time  during 
the  winter  of  18;-}4-;55,  the  mills  were  pur- 
chased by  E.  D.  Gunnison,  who  became  asso- 
ciated in  business  with  Abraham  Johnson,  and 
they  built  and  named  the  Fairmount  flouring- 
mill.  Gunnison  sold  his  interest  to  John  II. 
Walker,  who  converted  the  carding  and  full- 
ing mill  into  a  plaster  mill,  and  built  a  large 
tannery  opposite  and  a  number  of  dwellings 
for  the  workmen.  Jehiel  Towner  was  miller 
for  man\'  years.  The  tannery  burned  down 
and  the  mill  fell  into  the  hands  of  Liddell, 
Kepler  &  Co.  In  the  spring  of  1859  it  was 
bought  by  P.  &  O.  E.  Crouch,  and  is  now 
owned  and  operated   by  J.  B.  Crouch  &  Co. 

Rufus  S.  Reed  built  a  gristmill  on  Mill 
creek  in  1815.  It  was  located  on  Parade  street 
between  Fourth  and  Fifth,  and  the  dam 
crossed  the  stream  just  below  Sixth  street. 
He  afterward  added  a  distillery,  both  of  which 
were  carried  on  by  him  until  his  death.  The 
mill  stood  until  some  twenty  years  ago. 

The  same  year  ( 1815),  Robert  Large  erected 
a  gristmill  near  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and 
French  streets,  with  the  dam  above  Twelfth. 
It  did  not,  however,  prove  successful,  and  in 
1822  was  sold  to  Alvah  Flint,  who   converted 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  ROOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


it  into  a  clolli,  carding  and  fiilling-niill.  This 
was  kept  up  until  1S40,  when  tlie  site  and 
water-power  were  purchased  by  Vincent, 
Himrod  &  Co.,  who  erected  a  foundry  subse- 
quently known  as  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works. 
It  is  now  occupied  by  Althofs  planing  mill 
and  the  Ball  Engine  Works. 

brewp:rie.s. 

The  first  beer  brewery  in  the  city  was 
built  in  1815,  by  jSIaj.  David  McNair,  on  Turn- 
pike street,  near  where  the  Erie  City  mill  was 
afterward  erected.  He  added  a  distillery  in 
1823,  and  in  .1827  built  a  grist  mill  on  State 
street,  south  of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.,  the 
motive  power  for  all  being  furnished  by  the 
water  of  Ichabod  run.  This  stream  came 
down  from  the  ridge  on  the  west  side  of  the 
city  and  emptied  into  Mill  creek  near  the 
State  street  bridge  of  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad 
company.  The  small  amount  of  water  that 
remains  has  been  carried  into  the  sewers. 
The  mill  went  down,  and  in  184i)  the  Erie 
City  mill  was  built  by  McSparren  «&  Dumars, 
to  use  the  water  of  the  same  stream.  It 
became  the  property  of  William  Densmore, 
who  still  carries  on  the  milling  business  at  the 
corner  of  State  and  Sixteenth  streets. 

Jacob  Diefenthaler  was  the  second  beer 
brewer  in  the  citv.  He  was  succeeded  by 
John  Knobloch.  The  brewerj-  was  located 
on  the  east  side  of  French  street,  between 
Third  and  Fourth.  Mr.  Jacobi  started  a  beer 
brewery  in  the  same  locality,  which  he  sold 
out  to  George  L.  Baker,  who  converted  it  into 
an  ale  brewerv.  The  former  then  built  a  beer 
brewery  on  Fourth  street  near  Poplar,  which 
had  quite  a  successful  run.  Jacob  Deitz  es- 
tablished the  brewery  afterward  operated  by 
Charles  Koehler,  now  owned  by  Frederick 
Koehler  &  Co.  An  ale  brewery  was  started 
by  James  Carnagie  on  Myrtle  street,  east 
side,  between  Second  and  Third,  about  18B7, 
which  only  continued  a  few  years.  The  Eagle 
brewery  (  Jackson  Koehler's)  was  foundetl  by 
Fry  &  Schaff  in  184(5,  and  long  operated  by 
Henrj-  Kalvelage ;  the  National  brewery 
(Conrad's),  by  Jacob  Fuess,  about  1848. 
A  Mr.  Heilman  was  in  the  brewing  business 
for  some  time.  One  of  the  most  prominent 
of  the  early  breweries  was  that  of  Alfred 
King,  on  the  Ridge  road,  a  little  west  of  Erie 
cemeterv.  Mr.  King  also  did  a  large  liusiness 
in  barlev  and  malt. 


TANNERIES,    BRICKVARDS,  ETC. 

The  pioneer  tannery  of  Erie  was  erected 
by  Ezekiel  Dunning,  on  Holland  street,  be- 
tween Fifth  and  Sixth,  about  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century.  It  was  long  known 
as  Sterrett"s  tannery,  and  was  kept  in  operation 
until  1852.  The  next  tannery  in  the  order  of 
time  was  established  in  18()5,  by  Samuel  and 
Robert  Hays,  on  the  corner  of  Ninth  and 
French  streets.  The  latter  sold  his  interest  to 
Samuel,  and  he  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  his 
sons,  W.  B.  and  J.  W.  Hays,  who  carried  on 
a  tannery  in  Erie  for  many  years.  William 
Arbuckle,  who  learned  the  trade  with  Samuel 
Hays,  started  a  tannery  in  1820,  on  Eighth 
street,  west  of  Myrtle,  which  he  ran  until  1880, 
when  it  ceased  operations. 

A  fulling-mill  was  started  about  1830,  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  Tenth  and  Myrtle 
streets,  by  John  Glover.  It  was  abandoned 
about  1840.' 

The  first  brickyard  in  the  county  was 
opened  in  1803,  by  Isaac  Austin  and  B.  Rice, 
and  was  located  east  of  Parade,  between  Sec- 
ond and  Third  streets.  From  brick  made  in 
this  yard,  James  Baird  erected  the  first  brick 
house  in  Erie  county.  It  stood  on  German, 
between  Front  and  Second  streets,  was  two 
stories  in  height,  and  occupied  for  many  years 
by  Thomas  \Vilson.  The  building  was  used 
as  a  hospital  in  1813  for  the  wounded  prison- 
ers captured  at  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie,  anil 
was  burned  down  in  1827. 

When  there  w^as  not  one-fifth  of  the  pop- 
ulation, a  distillery  was  to  be  found  in  almost 
every  neighborhood.  Some  families  were  as 
particular  about  laying  in  their  barrel  of 
whisky  as  their  barrel  of  pork,  and  would 
rather  be  without   the    latter  than    the  former. 

MILLS     OlITSIDE     OK     I- HIE. 

The  second  aiul  third  sawmills  in  the 
county  were  put  up  in  I7'.l7 — one  by  Thomas 
Forster  at  the  nmutli  of  Walnut  creek,  and 
the  other  by  Robert  Brotherton,  on  LeBdnif 
creek,  near  the  Waterford  station  of  the 
P.  &  E.  R.R.  The  latter  added  a  gristmill  in 
1802.  In  1798,  a  fourth  sawmill  was  built 
near  the  mouth  of  Four-Mile  creek  by  Thomas 
Rees,  for  tiie  Population  Company.  The 
fifth  was  built  by  Leverett  Bissell.  on  French 
creek,  in  Greenfield  townsliij-),  in  I7'.Ht. 

During  the  year  17'.I8  the  llrst  gristmill    in 


ii8 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


the  county  was  built  at  tin-  mouth  of  W'ahiut 
creek  under  the  superintendence  of  'Ihonias 
Forster.  The  otiier  mills  established  outside 
of  Eiie  City  before  the  last  war  with  (ireat 
Britain  were  as  follows: 

One  on  Sprini^  run,  Girard  township,  bv 
Mr.  Silverthorn,  in   I  T'.KI. 

A  grist  and  sawmill  by  William  Miles,  at 
I'nion,  in  18U0,  later  known  as  Church's  mill. 
In  the  same  year,  a  small  gristmill,  bv  James 
Foulk,  at  the  mouth  of  Six-Mile  creek. 

A  sawmill  by  William  Culbertson,  in  1801, 
and  a  gristmill  in  1802,  at  Edinboro,  since 
known  as  Taylor  &  Reader's  mills. 

A  sawmill  by  Capt.  Ilolliday,  in  1801, 
and  a  gristmill  in  1803,  at  the  mouth  of 
Crooked  creek,  in  Springfield  township. 

A  sawmill  in  1802  or  ]80y,  by  John 
Riblet,  Sr.,  on  Four-Mile  creek,  half  a  mile 
south  of  Wesleyville. 

Lattimore's  and  Boyd's  sawmills,  in 
Waterford  township,  about  1802.  Gristmills 
were  added  to  each  at  a  later  date,  and  allow- 
ed to  go  down  some  fifty  years  ago. 

A  grist  and  sawmill,  in  180H,  b}-  Capt. 
Daniel  Dobbins  and  James  Foulk,  near  the 
mouth  of  Twehe-Mile  creek,  since  known  as 
Neely's  mill. 

A  gristmill  on  Si.\teen-Mile  creek,  in 
North  East  township,  by  Col.  Tut  tie,  in  1807, 
afterward  known  as  Scouller's. 

Three  miles  south  of  the  city,  on  what  is 
now  the  Waterford  Plank  Road,  I^obert 
McCullough,  in  ISOi' or  1S()4,  put  up  a  saw 
and  gristmill,  which  became  known  as  the 
Erie  County  Mills.  lie  used  the  water  of 
Mill  creek.  In  1814,  a  small  gristmill  was 
built  b)-  Thomas  Miller,  on  the  little  stream 
which  empties  into  the  bay  at  the  Head,  to 
which  he  soon  after  added  a  mill  for  making 
linseed  oil. 

LATER     MII.I.S. 

The  following  shows  when  the  mills 
mentioned  were  erected  : 

181  J — The  West  Girard  grist  and  sawmill, 
on  Elk  creek,  by  Peter  Woolverfon.  A  saw- 
mill where  Lines'  mills  stand,  on  Crooked 
creek,  in  Springfield,  by  Amos  Remington 
and  Oliver  Cross. 

18Io — A  sawmill  by  William  Saltsman, 
at  the  foot  of  the  gulley  of  Four-Mile  creek, 
in  Harbor  Creek  township. 

181() — A  sawmill  by  James  Love,  on  Wal- 


nut cieek,  in  Mill  Creek  township.  A  saw- 
mill on  Mill  creek,  by  Foote  &  Parker. 

About  1820 — The  Strong  gristmill,  on 
Crooked  creek,  in  Springfield,  by  Andrew 
Cochran. 

1822 — The  Lowville  mills,  bv  Samuel 
Low.  The  Wattsbmg  mills,  by  \\'illiam 
Miles. 

1823 — The-Nason  mill,  on  Bear  run,  in 
Fairview,  by  Daniel  Bear.  The  Porter  mill, 
on  Conneaut  creek,  in  Springfield,  by  Com- 
fort Hay.  Two  mills  in  Amity  township, 
near  Milltown,  one  by  Capt.  James  Donald- 
son. A  gristmill  at  Wesleyville,  1)V  John 
Shattuck. 

1824 — A  sawmill  in  the  south  part  of 
Greenfield,  by  John  Whiteside. 

LS2.5 — Shattuck's  sawmill  at  W'esleyville. 
The  mills  at  W^ellsburg,  by  Samuel  Wells. 

1826 — The  old  Cooper  mill,  on  Four  Mile 
creek,  by  William  Saltsman. 

The  Burger  gristmill,  on  French  creek,  in 
LeBcruf  township,  was  built  by  George 
Burger  about  1830;  the  Line  gristmill,  in 
Springfield,  by  Mr.  Case,  about  1832;  the 
Sterrettania  mills,  on  Elk  creek,  by  David  S. 
Sterrett,  in  183U;  the  Moore  sawmill,  in 
LeBfPuf,  about  iSlO:  and  the  Branchville 
mill,  about  18.10. 

OTMEK    Jtll.LS    AXD    FACTORIES. 

,\mong  the  earliest  mills  were  Weigle's,  at 
the  crossing  of  W^alnut  creek  by  the  Ridge 
road,  in  I'airview  townshiji,  built  by  S.  F. 
Gudtner ;  the  IClgin  mills,  on  BeaAer  Dam 
run,  by  Joseph  Hall  ;  the  grist  mill  on  Le- 
Ba-uf  creek,  in  Greene,  by  Jacob  Brown;  and 
the  Backus  mill  on  Si.x-^Iile  creek,  in  Harbor 
creek.  All  of  these  were  established  in  the 
beginning  of  the  century,  but  the  exact  dates 
cannot  be  obtained.  A  sawmill  was  built  at 
an  early  period  by  Michael  Jackson,  and  a 
gristmill  by  Amos  King,  at  Albion.  In  1810 
there  was  a  carding  and  woolen  mill  on  the 
site  of  the  Cass  factory  in  Harbor  creek. 

Soon  after  the  war  of  1812-14,  a  perfect 
mania  arose  for  building  sawmills,  and  every 
stream  that  could  be  turned  to  use  was  em- 
ployed to  drive  from  one  to  a  dozen  wheels. 
The  county  was  still  largely  covered  with 
forest  trees,  and  all  of  the  streams  contained 
an  abundance  of  water.  The  cutting  ofl"  of  the 
timber  was  followed  by  the  drjing  up  of  the 
streains.      Most  of  the  mills  have  gone  down, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  ROOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


I 


and  those  tliat  remain  generally  use  steam, 
With  few  exceptions,  the  gristmills  remain  on 
the  sites  originally  adopted. 

IRON     WORKS. 

The  first  concern  in  the  county  for  the 
manufacture  of  iron  goods  was  a  foundry  at 
Freeport,  North  East  township,  built  in  1!S:24, 
by  Philetus  Glass.  The  next  was  established 
in  18i53  •'  by  Messrs.  Ilinkley.  Jarvis  &  Co., 
of  Westfield,  N.  Y.,  who  erected  two  small 
wooden  buildings  near  the  corner  of  Eleventh 
and  State  streets,  in  Erie,  and  began  the  man- 
ufacture in  them  of  iron  castings  for  plows, 
sawmill  machinery  and  a  cheap  class  of  stoves. 
The  motive  power  at  first  consisted  of  one 
blind  horse.  Various  changes  in  the  members 
of  the  Hrm  connected  with  the  business  oc- 
curred in  the  eighteen  years  which  followed  ; 
W.  II.  Johnson,  James  Sennett,  Pardon  .Sen- 
nett,  E.  A.  Lester  and  Walter  Chester  being 
members  of  the  firm  under  various  names  dur- 
ing that  period.  The  invested  capital  in  land, 
buildings,  machinery  and  patterns  was  1:^2,- 
OCH)  in  1851,  and  it  was  considered  a  large  es- 
tablishment. Then  followed  other  firms  : 
Sennett  iS:  Co.,  Sennett,  Barr  &  Co..  Barr  & 
Johnson.  Barr,  Johnson  &  Co.,  Johnson, 
Black  &  Co.,  and   Black   &  Germer. 

"In  1840  W.  H.  Johnson  withdrew  from 
the  firm  of  John.son,  Sennett  &  Co.,  •  The 
Old  Furnace,"  and,  associated  with  William 
Himrod,  David  Himrod  and  B.  B.  Vincent, 
organized  'The  New  Furnace  Company," 
which  had  its  works  on  the  square  bounded  by 
State,  French,  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  streets. 
The  business  has  been  continued  under  the 
firm  names  of  Johnson,  Himrod  &  Co..  Vin- 
cent, Himrod  &  Co.,  Tibbals,  Shirk  &  White- 
head, and  the  Chicago  and  Erie  Stove  Com- 
pany."' 

Out  of  "  The  New  Furnace  Company  "  has 
also  grown  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works, 
Cleveland  &  Hardwick  and  others  of  the  most 
prominent  manufacturing  institutions  in  the 
city. 

Of  the  later  mills  and  factories  mention 
will  be  made  in  the  city,  borough  and  town- 
ship chapters.  The  number  in  the  county, 
outside  of  Erie  and  Corry,  in  1880,  was  com- 
puted to  be  as  follows  :  Creamery,  1  :  cheese 
factories,  28;  gristmills,  3G ;  tanneries,  14; 
saw,  shingle,  lath  and  heading  mills,  117; 
cider,  jell  and    vinegar    factories,  27  ;   planing 


mills  and  sash,  door  and  blind  factories,  17: 
woolen,  carding  and  fulling  mills,  fj ;  paper 
mills,  2 ;  brick  and  tile  works,  8 ;  manufac- 
tories of  wooden  articles,  3'.);  beer  breweries, 
3 ;  carriage  and  wagon  shops,  1 1  ;  miscella- 
neous, 12;  total,  316.  -Vltogether,  there  were 
probably  450  different  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments in  Erie  county,  and  the  number 
doulitless  exceeds  50<>  at  present. 

WAGES    AND    TIIEIK     PAYMENT. 

The  following  interesting  particulars  were 
contributed  by  M.  R.  Barr,  Esq.,  to  the  Erie 
Souvenir^  published  in  1888:  "To  one  ac- 
quainted only  with  the  present  methods  of 
paying  wages,  the  old-time  method  would 
seem  to  be  as  extraordinary  as  it  really  was. 
Printed  due-bills  in  the  fractional  parts  of  a 
dollar  in  eighths,  and  for  one,  two,  five  and 
ten  dollars,  were  issued,  payable  in  merchan- 
dise or  castings,  and  this  '  currency  "  was  good 
in  the  hands  of  employes  for  such  meat,  fiour 
and  other  provisions  as  they  might  need  for 
their  own  use ;  but  if  presented  by  any  other 
party  payment  could  only  be  claimed  in  regu- 
lar '  store  goods  '  or  castings.  A  small  por- 
tion of  the  wages  was  paid  in  cash  ;  but  an 
employe  must  be  an  exceptionally  good  and 
important  '  hand  '  if  his  cash  receipts  on  ac- 
count of  wages  exceeded  an  average  of  a  dol- 
lar per  week. 

"  After  the  passage  of  the  law  by  the 
Pennsylvania  Legislature  forbidding  the  issu- 
ing of  printed  due-bills,  or  anything  in  the 
similitude  of  bank  bills,  or  intended  to  circu- 
late as  bank  bills,  or  pavable  in  anvthing  but 
cash,  a  scheme  \vas  devised  and  executed  bv 
the  '  New  Furnace  Company,"  to  issue  metal- 
lic tokens  having  very  much  the  appearance 
of  coin,  and  in  the  fractions  of  a  dollar,  in 
eighths  and  one  dollar  amounts  ;  and  there- 
after '  Pewteringtum,"  as  it  was  generally 
called,  formed  (|uite  a  considerable  part  of  the 
circulating  medium  in  local  trade,  and  entirely 
superseded  •  Blue  Crackee,"  as  the  due-bills 
were  named  (excepting  those  payable  in 
•castings  only"),  and  which  were  vulgarlv 
called  '  Crackee  and  be  d d." 

"  The  following  incident  illustrates  the 
mode  of  paving  wages  fortv  years  ago  :  The 
bookkeeper.  Mr.  M.,  said  to  the  member  of 
the  Furnace  Company  firm  who  acted  as  cash- 
ier :  '  Mr.  C,  one  of  the  men,  Mr.  H..  wants 
six  dollars  in  cash  this  evening  to  pav  the  taxes 


I20 


NELSON'S  BIOQRAPniCAL  BICTIOhARY 


on  liis  farm."  •Well,'  replied  Mr.  C,  'he 
cannot  have  so  much  money  as  that  at  once.' 
Mr.  M.  argued  that  II.  had  had  no  money 
since  he  (M.)  had  been  bookkeeper  for  the 
firm,  and,  by  M.'s  persuasion,  C.  consented  to 
i^ive  II.  the  money.  H-  was  called  into  the 
office  and  the  money  handed  to  him  ;  and  Mr. 
C.  asked,  ■  Mr.  II.,  how  long  have  you  worked 
in  tliis  establishment  r  "  H.  replied,  '  Over 
ten  years.'  '  How  much  of  your  wages  have 
you  had  in   cash    during    that    time? '  inquired 


Mr.  C.  '  Just  what  I  now  have  in  mj-  hand. 
This  is  the  first  money  I  liave  ever  received 
for  my  work,"  wa.s  the  reply  of  II. 

"  The  .system  of  monthly  cash  payment  of 
wages  was  commenced  by  Barr  &  Johnson  in 
18(52,  and  very  soon  afterward  they  were  fol- 
lowed by  Tibbals,  Shirk  &  Whitehead,  who 
paid  their  workmen  their  full  wages  in  cash 
weekly,  and  this  system  has  been  regularly  con- 
tinucd,with  but  fewexce])tions,by  all  the  manu- 
facturing firms  of  the  city  to  the  present  day." 


CHAPTER    XV. 


M.viN   Tiioi!(>uGirF.\REs,  M,\ii.  Routes,  Siage    Lines.   Old  Taverns,  Etc. 


IT  is  scarcely  necessary  to  remind  those  who 
have  read  the  preceding  chapters  that  the 
French  cut  a  road  from  Presque  Isle  to 
LeBtpuf  in  IToH,  tlie  first  year  of  their  oc- 
cupation, and  kept  it  up  as  long  as  they 
maintained  posts  in  western  Pennsylvania. 
This  was  the  first,  at  d  for  more  than  forty 
year.s  the  only  road  in  Erie  county.  The 
French  road  began  at  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek, 
ran  south  on  a  line  parallel  with  Parade  street, 
in  Erie,  to  the  corners  in  Marxintown.  and 
then  across  Mill  creek.  .Summit  and  Water- 
ford  townships,  to  Fort  LeB<ruf,  in  the  pres- 
ent Waterford  borough. 

An  act  passed  the  Legislature  of  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1701  to  o])en  a  road  from  Presque 
Isle  to  French  creek,  and  another  in  1795  for 
the  survey  of  a  route  from  LeBa>uf  to  the 
Juniata  river  in  Milllin  county.  The  Susque- 
hanna and  Waterford  turnpike  was  located  by 
jVndrew  Ellicott  in  17ll(),  from  Lake  LeBipuf 
to  Curwensville,  in  Clearfield  countj-,  by  way 
of  Meadville  and  Franklin.  Its  purpose  was 
to  give  a  continuous  road  from  Erie  to  Phila- 
delphia. 

The  earliest  road  opened  after  the  Ameri- 
can occupation  was  by  Judah  Colt,  as  agent 
of  the  Population  Company,  in  1797,  from 
Freeport,  on  the  lake  near  North  East,  to 
Colt's  Station,  and  from  the  latter  place  to  the 


forks  of  French  creek,  or  Wattsburg.  late  in 
the  season  of  179'S.  The  Eastern  road  through 
Greenfield,  from  North  East  to  Wattsburg  was 
laid  out  about  ISOO;  the  ones  from  Waterford 
to  Cranesville  through  Washington  township, 
and  from  \Vaterford  to  Edinboro,  about  \HY1. 
and  the  road  from  North  East  to  Waterford, 
by  way  of  Phillipsville,  in  1804. 

The  State  opened  a  road  through  the 
northern  tier  of  counties,  from  the  head-wa- 
ters of  the  Delaware  river,  in  almost  a  direct 
line,  to  Ohio,  in  1SI):2  or  lMli5,  which  is  still 
known  as  the  State  road. 

nil-:   iiLFF.\Lo   iio.\n. 

This  road  was  surveyed  by  James  McMa- 
hon  in  1805,  and  appears  to  have  been  ready 
for  travel  in  the  same  year.  It  was  opened 
westward,  from  the  New  Ycnk  line,  in  a  di- 
rect course  to  Wesleyville,  at  which  jilace 
travel  diverged  by  a  cross-road  to  the  Lake 
road,  and  reached  Erie,  which  consisted  of  a 
small  collection  of  houses  at  the  mouth  of  Mill 
creek,  by  the  latter  thoroughfare.  The  court, 
in  181:2,  ordered  the  completion  of  the  road  to 
Peach  street  in  Erie,  and  it  was  thrown  open 
to  travel  some  time  in  that  year.  The  Buffalo 
road  generally  follows  a  nearly  straight  line 
from  Peach  street  to  the  city  of  ButTalo,  but 
there  is  an  abrupt   jog   at   the  Saltsman  place. 


^^/'/^^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


121 


the  reason  for  which  has  been  a  puzzle  to 
many.  It  is  said  to  be  due  to  two  causes, — 
first,  there  was  an  ugly  swamp  on  the  straight 
line,  south  of  the  present  road;  and,  second, 
it  was  considered  more  desirable  to  enter 
"the  city  on  the  line  of  Eighteenth  street.  The 
Buft'alo  road  forms  the  principal  street  of  the 
borough  of  North  East,  and  of  the  villages  of 
Wesleyville,  Harbor  Creek,  Moorheadville, 
and  Northville.  The  distances  from  Central 
park  in  Erie  by  this  route  are  as  follows  : 
Buffalo  ;  90  miles  ;  Northville,  19  ;  North  East, 
15;  Moorheadville.  lOi  ;  Harbor  Creek,  7i ; 
Wesleyville,  4:|. 

THE     RIDGE     ROAD. 

The  Ridge  road  is  practically  a  continua- 
tion of  the  Buffalo  road,  and  is  connected  with 
it  by  the  southern  part  of  Peach  street  in  the 
city  of  Erie.  It  follows  tiie  line  of  the  First 
Ridge  and  traverses  the  western  part  of  Mill 
Creek,  and  the  entire  width  of  Fairview, 
Girard  and  Springfield  townships  to  the  Ohio 
line.  It  was  opened  in  1805.  the  same  year 
as  the  Buffalo  road.  The  Ridge  road  passes 
through  and  constitutes  the  principal  streets 
of  East  .Springfield,  Girard  and  Fairview  bor- 
oughs and  the  villages  of  W'eigleville,  Swan- 
ville.  West  Girard  and  West  Springfield.  It 
is  K»0  miles  bv  this  route  to  Cleveland,  25  to 
West  Springfield,  21  to  East  Springfield,  l(3i 
to  West  Girard,  16  to  Girard,  12  to  Fairview, 
9  to  Swanville,  and  2-|  to  Weigleville,  meas- 
uring from  Central  park  in  Erie  City. 

THE     LAKE     ROAD. 

The  Lake  road  crosses  the  entire  county 
from  east  to  west,  at  a  distance  from  Lake 
Erie  varying  from  a  few  rods  to  half  a  mile. 
It  enters  Erie  on  the  east  bv  Sixth  street,  and 
leaves  on  the  west  by  Eighth  street.  The 
Lake  road  becomes  merged  into  the  Ridge 
road  at  or  near  Conneaut,  Ohio.  It  was  laid 
out  in  1806,  and  opened  partly  in  that  year 
and  at  intervals  of  several  years  after,  as  the 
country  became  settled.  This  road  is  the  main 
avenue  to  the  Head,  Trinity  cemetery.  Lake- 
side cemetery  and  the  various  club  houses  and 
pleasure  resorts  east  and  west  of  the  city.  It 
is  occupied  in  part  by  the  electric  road  from 
the  western  terminus  of  Eighth  street,  in  Erie, 
to  a  little  beyond  the  crossroads  at  the  Cath- 
olic cemeterv. 


THE    WATERFORD    TURNPIKE. 

The  Erie  and  Waterford  turnpike  was  orig- 
inated b)'  Col.  Thomas  Forster.  Previous  to 
its  completion,  the  travel  between  Erie  and 
Waterford  was  wholly  over  the  old  French 
road,  which  had  been  but  slightly  repaired 
and  was  in  a  horrible  condition.  The  turn- 
pike company  was  formed  in  1805,  its  avowed 
object  being  the  building  of  a  link  in  the  great 
contemplated  thoroughfare  from  Erie  to  Phila- 
delphia bv  way  of  the  French  creek,  Juniata, 
and  busfiuehanna  valleys.  Work  was  com- 
menced in  ISOO  and  the  road  was  completed 
in  1809.  The  turnpike  was  a  paying  property 
until  1845,  when  it  ceased  to  be  remunerative 
to  the  stockholders.  It  was  soon  after  aban- 
doned bv  them  and  accepted  as  a  township 
road.  Judge  Cochran  opposed  the  building  of 
the  "  pike"  on  the  ground  that  it  was  uncon- 
stitutional to  make  the  public  pay  toll.  The 
toll  <)uestion  was  tested  before  the  county 
court,  and  Judge  Moore  gave  an  opinion  sus- 
taining the  constitutionalitj-  of  the  act  of  in- 
corporation. 

The  turnpike  originally  ended  at  Water- 
ford :  but  twenty  years  later  the  Waterford  & 
Susquehanna  Turnpike  Co.  was  organized, 
which  extended  the  route  by  Meadville  and 
Franklin  to  Curwensville,  Clearfield  count)-, 
where  it  connected  with  another  turnpike  run- 
ning across  the  State,  making  a  good  wagon 
road  from  Erie  to  Harrisburg  and  Philadel- 
phia. The  first  toll  gate  out  of  Erie  was  kept 
by  Robert  Brown,  near  the  southern  line  of 
Erie  Citv,  and  the  second  by  Martin  Strong, 
on  the  summit  between  Erie   and    Waterford. 

The  "  pike  '"  commenced  at  the  Ridge  road, 
now  Twenty-sixth  street  in  Erie,  and  from 
there  extended  across  MillCreek.  Summit  and 
Waterford  townships  to  Waterford  borough. 
It  is  four  miles  bj-  this  route  to  Kearsargeand 
fourteen  to  the  borough  of  Waterford. 

THE      EDINBOUO      PLANK     ROAD. 

The  Erie  &  Edinboro  Plank  Road  Co. 
was  organized  in  1850.  and  the  road 
was  completed  in  1852.  It  followed  the 
course  of  the  Waterford  turnpike  to  a  point  a 
little  south  of  Walnut  creek,  where  it 
branched  off  and  adopted  a  route  partly  new 
and  partly  the  old  Edinboro  road.  The  road 
bed  was  covered,  as  the  name  indicates,  with 
heavy  planks,  and  the  grade  being  in  general 
quite     moderate,      furnished     an     easj-    and 


ii2 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPEICAL  DICTION  ART 


pleasant  thoroufflifare  while  it  was  kept  in 
good  condition.  The  Edinboro  &  Meadville 
plank  road,  completed  simultaneously,  formed 
a  smooth,  continuous  route  from  Lake  Erie  to 
the  county  seat  of  Crawford  county.  Though 
the  travel  was  large,  neither  road  proved  a 
profitable  investment,  and  both  were  aban- 
doned as  plank  roads  and  became  township 
roads  in  1868  or  18G9.  The  distances  are 
twenty  miles  to  Edinboro,  fourteen  to  Mc- 
Lane,  twelve  to  Branchville,  ten  to  Middle- 
boro  and  ft)ur  to  Kearsarge. 

THE     WA'IEUFORD     PLANK     ROAD. 

The  Erie  &  Waterford  plank  road  was 
commenced  in  1850  and  completed  in  1851, 
one  j'ear  in  advance  of  the  one  to  Edinboro. 
In  laying  out  the  road  an  entirely  new  route 
was  adopted,  following  the  valleys  of  Mill 
creek.  Walnut  creek  and  LeBffiuf  creek,  and 
obviating  the  heavy  grades  of  the  old  turn- 
pike. So  skillfully  was  the  engineering  and 
grading  performed,  that  a  horse  can  trot 
most  of  the  length  of  the  road.  The  stranger 
traveling  over  this  easy  route  would  scarcelj' 
believe  that  at  the  Walnut  creek  summit  he 
was  about  500  and  at  Graham's  summit  be- 
tween 650  and  700  feet  above  the  level  of 
Lake  Erie.  There  were  three  toll  gates  on 
the  line — one  a  short  distance  north  of 
Waterford,  another  at  Capt.  J.  C.  Graham's, 
in  Summit,  and  the  third  near  Eliot's  or 
Deiismore's  mill.  The  road  never  paid  a 
profit,  and  was  abandoned  to  the  townships 
in  1808  or  1869.  The  distance  between  Erie 
and  Waterford  is  slightly  more  than  by  the 
turnpike. 

ERIE     AND     MEADVILLE     PLAXK     ROAD. 

About  the  same  time  that  the  above  plank 
roads  were  built,  another  was  pushed  through 
from  Waterford  to  Drake's  mills,  Crawford 
county,  to  prevent  the  diversion  of  travel  that 
was  feared  from  the  opening  of  the  Erie  & 
Edinboro  and  Edinboro  &  Meadville  roads. 
This  enterprise  was  no  more  of  a  financial 
success  than  tiie  others,  and,  like  them,  was 
given  up  to  the  townships. 

THE   "  SIHNPIKE,"'  OR  ROAD  TO  AVOID  THE 
TOLLS. 

The  stage  company  owning  the  line  be- 
tween Erie  and  Waterford  had  a  quarrel  over 
tolls  with  tiie    turnpike  company  in    the  win- 


ter of  1827-28,  which  resulted  in  the  con- 
struction by  the  former,  rit  considerable 
expense,  through  Summit,  (jreene  and  Water- 
ford townships,  of  a  new  road,  to  wiiich  was 
given  the  suggestive  name  of  the  Shunpike. 
The  route  adopted  commenced  at  \\  aterford, 
near  where  the  plank  road  and  turnpike 
separate,  and  ran  across  the  country  until  it 
connected  with  the  old  French  road.  A 
good  share  of  the  route  is  still  used  as  a  town- 
ship road. 

THE      W.VTTSnURG     PLAXK     ROAD. 

A  road  was  opened  in  1809  from  Erie  to 
Wattsburg,  through  Phillipsville.  In  1828  a 
re-survey  was  made  under  the  authority  of 
the  State,  which  appropriated  a  small  sum  for 
the  purpose.  This  resulted  in  some  changes 
in  the  location.  In  1851,  the  Erie  &  Watts- 
burg Plank  Road  Co.  was  organized.  The 
plank  road  was  completed  in  1858,  a  year 
after  the  one  to  Edinboro,  and  two  years 
after  the  one  to  Waterford.  In  the  ailoption 
of  a  route  the  old  road  was  pretty  closely 
pursued,  except  for  a  short  distance  in 
Greene  township,  and  from  the  Siegel  place  in 
Greene,  to  Lowville,  where  a  new  route  was 
adopted.  The  liighest  points  are  at  the  H. 
L.  Pinney  and  IJailey  places,  in  (ireene 
township,  the  elevation  above  Lake  Erie 
being  some  5(K)  feet  at  the  former  and  (500 
at  the  latter. 

There  were  four  regular  toll  gates — at 
Lowville,  at  Oscar  Sears's  in  Venango,  at 
Diefenthaler's  in  Greene,  and  at  Marvintown. 
The  road  was  a  non-paying  enterprise,  and  it 
was  allowed  to  run.  down,  though  toll  was 
still  exacted.  In  the  spring  of  1805,  public 
feeling  became  so  much  excited  that  a  party 
of  farmers  was  formed  who  started  at  Erie 
and  tore  down  every  gate  on  the  road. 
Though  they  were  severely  threatened,  none 
of  the  party  were  tried  or  punished,  and  no 
toll  has  been  ciiarged  on  the  road  since.  It  is 
now  kept  up  by  the  townships  through  which 
it  extends.  The  distances  from  Erie  are  :  To 
Wattsburg,  twenty  miles;  to  Lowville,  eight- 
een miles;  to  St.  Boniface,  seven  and  a  half 
miles,  and  to  Belle  Valley  four  miles. 

THE     LAKE     PLEASANT    ROAD. 

The  first  road  in  the  direction  of  Lake 
Pleasant  was  opened  in  1821-22  from  Erie  to 
a  point  near  the  Martin  Hayes  farm,  in  Greene 


AND  mSTORIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


123 


township.  In  1826-27,  at  a  heavy  expense 
for  the  period,  the  county  continued  the  road 
past  Lake  Pleasant  to  French  creek,  where  it 
meets  the  tiioroughfare  between  Union  and 
Wattsburg.  The  distance  from  Erie  to  Lake 
Pleasant  is  twelve  miles,  and  to  French  creek 
two  and  a  half  miles  further.  It  is  said  to  be 
two  miles  shorter  from  Erie  to  Wattsburg  bj' 
this  road  than  by  the  plank  road.  The  road 
branches  off  from  the  Wattsburg  plank  at  the 
Davidson  place,  a  mile  or  more  outside  of 
Erie. 

THE    colt's    station     IlO,\D. 

The  road  from  Wesleyville  to  Colt's  sta- 
tion was  laid  out  about  1813,  to  give  a  route 
between  Erie  and  Mayville,  N.  Y.  At  Colt's 
station,  an  intersection  is  made  with  the 
North  East  and  Wattsburg  road. 

HOUSES    FOR    PUBLIC    ACCOMMODATION'. 

The  first  public  house  on  the  south  shore 
of  Lake  Erie,  west  of  Buffalo,  and  the  first 
building  erected  within  the  limits  of  Erie 
City,  was  the  Prescjue  Isle  Tavern,  built  by 
Col.  Seth  Reed  in  July,  1795.  It  stood  near 
the  mouth  of  Mill  creek,  and  was  a  one-story 
log  and  stone  structure.  The  ne.xt  year.  Col. 
Reed  built  a  two-story  log  building  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  .Second  and  Parade 
streets,  which  he  turned  over  to  his  son, 
Rufus  S.  Reed,  who  kept  a  store  and  tavern 
in    it  for  many  years. 

The  third  tavern  was  built  in  Erie  by 
George  Buehler  in  180<),  at  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  Third  and  French  streets,  which  after- 
ward became  known  as  the  "  McConkey 
House."  This  building  was  occupied  as 
Perry's  headquarters  in  1818. 

[A  fuller  account  of  the  earlv  public 
houses  in  Erie  will  be  found  in  Chapter  XIV. 
of  the  City  History.] 

Outside  of  Erie,  the  earliest  public  house 
was  opened  in  Waterford  by  Lieut.  Martin  in 
1795.  Public  houses  were  established  by  Rich- 
ard Swan  at  Manchester  in  1805;  by  Henry 
Burgett  in  North  East  in  180(5;  by  Lemuel 
Brown  on  the  site  of  the  Ilaynes  house,  in  the 
same  place,  in  1808;  by  John  Ryan  on  the 
Bufl'alo  road,  between  Erie  and  Wesleyville. 
in  1809;  by  George  W.  Reed  in  Waterford  in 
1810;  and  by  John  and  David  Phillips  in 
Phillipsville  in  the  same  year. 

Previous  to  the  introduction  of  railroads, 
the    Buffalo    and    Ridge    roads     were    among 


the  busiest  thoroughfares  in  the  country,  be- 
ing the  great  avenues  for  emigration,  trading 
and  droving  between  the  Northeastern  States 
and  the  West.  Numerous  public  houses 
sprung  up  and  did  a  good  business.  The  tav- 
ern keepers  of  those  days  were  usually  men  of 
much  force  of  character,  and  wielded  wide  po- 
litical influence.  It  is  said  that  at  one  time 
there  was  not  a  mile  along  the  roads  named 
without  a  public  house. 

Among  the  most  noted  of  the  old  lake 
shore  taverns  were  the  "  Doty"'  and  "Keith" 
Houses  at  East  Springfield;  the  "Martin 
House"  at  Girard  ;  the  "Fairview  House"  at 
Fairview  ;  "Swan's  Hotel"  at  Swanville  ;  the 
"Halfway  House."  a  little  west  of  the  county 
almshouse;  the  "Weigleville  House;"'  the 
"Ryan"  or  "'Taggart  House"  near  Wesleyville  ; 
"Fuller's  Tavern"  at  Wesleyville;  and  the 
"Brawley  House"  at  North  East. 

Back  from  the  lake  shore  the  best  known 
of  the  older  hotels  were  Martin  Strong"s,  at 
the  summit  of  the  Waterford  turnpike;  the 
"  Eagle  Hotel"  at  Waterford  ;  the  "Robinson 
House  "  at  Edinboro  ;  the  "  Sherman  House  " 
at  Albion;  the  "Wattsburg  House"  at  Watts- 
burg; and  the  "  Lockport  House"  at  Lock- 
port. 

The  Erie  City  hotels,  and  the  more  recent 
ones  outside,  will  be  described  in  their  proper 
connection. 

TRADE     AND    TR.WEL. 

Up  to  1800,  a  good  share  of  the  travel  and 
transportation  was  by  means  of  small  boats  on 
the  lake  from  Buffalo,  and  by  way  of  French 
creek  from  Pittsburg.  The  boats  on  French 
creek  generally  went  no  farther  up  than 
Waterford,  but  in  times  of  good  water  they 
were  poled  to  Greenfield  ^'illage.  They  were 
either  canoes  or  fiat-bottomed  vessels,  the  lat- 
ter being  somewhat  like  the  mud  scows  now 
seen  on  Presque  Isle  bay,  but  small  and  shal- 
low, drawing  but  a  trifling  amount  of  water. 
Those  on  the  lake  were  originally  propelled 
by  oars  ;  but  it  was  not  long  till  sails  were  in- 
troduced. In  winter  many  persons  came  into 
the  country,  either  on  foot  or  in  sledges,  by 
traveling  on  the  ice  of  the  lake. 

By  1810,  there  were  roads  to  all  points 
south,  east  and  west,  and  the  opportunities  for 
travel  and  transportation  became  greatly  im- 
proved. The  roads,  however,  were  still  rough 
and    muddv,    and    horseback   riding    was    the 


124 


NBLSOlf-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


favorite  mode  of  travel.  As  the  roads  became 
better,  the  once  familiar  two-horse  wagons 
were  introduced.  These  were  covered  with 
cotton  cloth  stretched  over  hickory  ribs,  and 
furnished  shelter  for  a  whole  famil}',  besides 
carrying  tiieir  goods  Each  party  brought 
their  provisions  along,  stopping  at  meal  times 
by  the  springs  or  streams,  and  doing  their 
cooking  over  open  fires.  From  the  direction 
of  Pittsburg  the  French  creek  route  continued 
to  be  the  one  used  till  some  time  after  the 
second  \var  with  Great  Britain.  The  supplies 
for  Perry's  Heet,  including  the  cannon,  were 
largely  transported  in  flat  boats  to  Waterford, 
and  from  there  by  the  turnpike  to  Erie. 

The  first  step  ahead  was  the  introduction 
of  stage  coaches.  After  that  came  the  steam- 
boats, which  carried  hundreds  of  passengers 
on  each  trip.  For  a  number  of  years  succeed- 
ing the  opening  of  the  canal,  thousands  of 
emigrants,  bound  for  the  southwest,  reached 
Erie  by  steamboat,  and  from  there  \vent  by 
way  of  the  new  water  route,  do\vn  to  the 
Ohio. 

THE    OLD    STAGE     LINES    AND    ^l\U.    ROITTES. 

A  route  was  opened  in  liSOi  between  Erie 
and  Pittsburg,  via  Waterford  and  Meadville, 
to  carry  mail  once  a  week.  The  mode  of  tran- 
sportation was  on  horseback,  and  later  b}- 
horse  and  common  wagon.  A  regular  stage 
line  commenced  running  about  the  date  of  the 
completion  of  the  turnpike.  In  1826  stages 
began  running  each  wav  three  times  a  week, 
carrying  a  mail  every  trip.  This  was  increased 
to  a  daily  mail,  each  direction,  which  con- 
tinued until  the  era  of  railroads. 

In  18()()  a  route  was  established  between 
Erie  and  Buffalo,  to  carrj'  the  mail  once  a 
week.  The  first  line  of  stages  between  Erie 
and  Buffalo,  making  weekly  trips,  was  estab- 
lished in  December,  1820.  At  the  beginning  a 
stage  left  Buffalo  every  Saturday  at  noon  and 
reached  Erie  the  next  Monday  at  (5  p.  m  ;  re- 
turning, it  started  from  Erie  at  (3  A.  M.  every 
Tuesday  and  arrived  at  Buffalo  on  Thursday 
at  noon.  By  January  8,  1824,  a  stage  with 
mail  was  making  semi-weekly  trips  between 
Erie  and  Cleveland.  On  the  10th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1825,  a  mail  coach  commenced  running 
daily  between  Erie  and  l?uft"alo,  and  soon  after 


a  daily  stage  and  mail  line  was  commenced 
between  Erie  and  Cle\eland. 

In  1827  a  line  of  four-horse  coaches  was 
placed  on  the  road  between  Buffalo  and 
Cleveland  by  a  company  of  which  Rufus  S. 
Reed  was  one  of  the  chief  men.  This  event 
was  as  much  talked  about  as  the  opening  of  a 
new  railroad  would  be  to-day.  The  new  line 
carried  a  daily  mail  each  direction,  and  was  a 
source  of  large  profit  to  its  owners.  Eighteen 
hours  were  allowed  as  the  time  between  ]5uf- 
falo  and  Erie. 

A  mail  route  to  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  via 
Wattsburg,  was  established  in  1828.  At  the 
start  a  man  or  boy  on  foot  carried  a  pouch 
once  a  week.  The  route  to  Edinboro  was 
established  in  the  winter  of  18H.5— 36,  and  the 
pouch  was   carried    weekly  on  a   horse's  back. 

The  arrival  of  the  stage  was  as  important 
an  e\ent  fifty  years  ago  as  that  of  a  railroad 
train  to-dav  in  a  village  with  but  a  single 
line. 

.\N     IMPORTANT    INDUSTRY. 

The  salt  trade,  which  commenced  about 
1800,  and  continued  until  about  1819,  was  one 
of  the  leading  industries  of  the  early  days. 
The  salt  was  purchased  at  Salina,  N.  Y., 
hauled  from  there  to  Buft'alo  in  wagons, 
brought  in  vessels  to  Erie,  unloaded  in  ware- 
houses at  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek,  and  from 
there  carried  by  ox  teams  to  Waterford,  where 
it  was  ])laced  in  flat  boats  and  floated  down 
French  creek  and  the  Allegheny  to  Pittsburg. 
It  is  estimated  that  when  the  trade  was  at  its 
best,  one  hundred  teams  and  as  many  persons 
were  constantly  on  the  road  between  Erie  and 
Waterford.  The  time  for  making  each  trip 
was  calculated  at  two  days,  and  the  average 
load  for  a  four-ox-team  was  fourteen  barrels. 
A  number  of  warehouses  were  erected  on  the 
bank  of  LeBoeuf  creek  at  Waterford  for  stor- 
ing the  salt  until  the  water  was  at  a  suitable 
stage  for  floating  it  down  French  creek. 
There  was  a  period  when  salt  was  almost  the 
only  circulating  medium  in  the  county.  Oxen, 
horses,  negro  slaves  and  land  were  sold  to  be 
paid  for  in  so  much  salt.  The  discovery  of 
salt  wells  on  the  Kiskiminitas  and  Kanawha, 
about  1813,  cheapened  the  price  of  the  article 
at  Pittsburg,  so  that  Salina  salt  could  not  com- 
pete, and  the  trade  by  way  of  Erie  steadily 
diminished. 


CHAPTKR   XVI. 


Navigation  of  the  Lakes — Merchant  and  Government  Vessels — The  Light-House 

AND  Like-Saving  Service,  Etc. 


THE  first  sailing  vessel  that  floated  on 
the  waters  of  Lake  Erie  was  built  by 
Robert  Cavalier  de  la  Salle,  an  ad- 
venturous  Frenchman,  on  the  Niagara 
river,  six  miles  above  the  Falls,  in  the 
year  1677.  She  was  named  the  "Griffin," 
and  was  of  six  tons  burthen.  La  Salle  navi- 
gated Lakes  Erie,  Huron  and  Michigan,  to 
Green  bay,  where,  with  a  picked  body  of  men, 
he  left  the  vessel  and  marched  overland  to  the 
Mississippi.  With  the  exception  of  one  more 
attempt  by  the  French  to  sail  the  lakes,  many 
years  afterward,  which  proved  a  failure,  no 
record  is  to  be  found  of  any  other  sailing  ves- 
sel on  the  lake  until  17(')6,  when  the  British, 
who  had  secured  possession  of  both  shores, 
built  and  launched  four.  They  were  of  light 
burthen,  and  were  chiefly  used  for  carrying 
troops  and  army  supplies.  All  transportation 
of  a  commercial  character,  and  all  of  the  very 
limited  passenger  business  was  carried  on  by 
batteaux  until  after  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war. 

The  earliest  American  sailing  vessel  on  the 
lake  was  a  small  boat,  owned  and  run  by 
Capt.  \\'illiam  T^ee,  in  which  he  carried  pas- 
sengers and  light  articles  of  freight  between 
Buffalo  and  Erie.  She  was  constructed  to  use 
oars  in  going  against  the  wind,  and  had  no 
crew,  the  passengers  being  obliged  to  "work 
their  passage." 

The  first  sailing  vessel  built  on  the  south 
shore  of  Lake  Erie  was  the  sloop  "  Washing- 
ton," of  thirty  tons,  at  the  mouth  of  Four- 
Mile  creek,  for  the  Pennsylvania  Population 
Company,  owners  of  the  bulk  of  the  land  in 
the  Triangle.  She  was  launched  in  Septem- 
ber, 1798,  and  was  emploved  for  some  twelve 
years  in  the  service  of  the  company. 

The  first  vessel  launched  at  Erie  was  built 
at  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek  in  17U',I,  Capt.  Lee 
and  Rufus  S.  Reed  being  her  principal  own- 
ers.    She  was  named  tiie  "  Good  Intent,"  and 


sunk  at  Point  Abino  in  ISOB,  with  all  on 
board.     The    "Harlequin,"    built   at  Erie   in 

1800  by  Eliphalet  Beebe,  was  also  lost  the 
first    season,    with    her  entire    crew.      About 

1801  the  "  Wilkinson,"  of  sixty-five  tons,  was 
owned  at  Erie.  Another  earl)-  Erie  vessel 
was  the  schooner  "  Mary,"  of  100  tons,  built 
in  1805. 

VESSELS     OK     war. 

The  British  kept  a  fleet  of  armed  vessels 
on  the  lakes  from  1792  until  Perry's  victory  in 
1813,  and  in  1810  had  as  many  as  seven  in 
commission.  They  were  called  the  "pro- 
vincial marine  service,"  and  were  manned 
mostly  by  Canadians.  To  counteract  their 
movements,  the  United  States  Government, 
at  various  times  up  to  1809,  had  placed  four 
vessels  of  war  upon  the  lakes,  the  most  formid- 
able of  which  was  the  "Detroit,"  the  one 
that  brought  Cien.  Wayne  to  Erie  on  return- 
ing from  his  Western  expedition.  She  was 
wrecked  off  Presque  Isle  the  next  fall.  Of 
this  class  of  vessels  the  onlj-  one  that  was  in 
service  on  Lake  Erie  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
last  war  with  Great  Britain  was  the  "Adams," 
of  150  tons,  which  was  captured  by  the  Brit- 
ish in  1812. 

MERCHANT    VESSELS. 

Before  the  war  of  1812-14,  a  dozen  or 
more  vessels  comprised  the  whole  merchant 
fleet  of  the  lake,  averaging  about  sixty  tons. 
The  chief  article  of  freight  was  salt  from  Sa- 
lina,  N.  Y.  Some  business  was  also  done  in 
carrying  furs  from  the  Far  West  to  ]?utTalo. 

Among  the  pioneer  lake  captains  were 
Daniel  Dobbins,  William  Lee,  Thomas  Wil- 
kins,  Seth  Barney,  C.  Blake,  James  Rough, 
John  F.  Wight,  William  Davenport,  Levi  Al- 
len, John  Richards,  George  Miles  and  Charles 
Hayt.  Capt.  Richards  quit  sailing  and  went 
into  ship-building  with  considerable  success. 
Capt.  \Vilkins  commenced  with  the  Reeds  in 


126 


NELSOJTS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


18:22,  and  was  long  one  of  their  most  popular 
commanders.  Rutus  S.  Reed  owned  several 
vessels  at  an  early  day,  and  continued  in  the 
lake  business  during  the  balance  of  his   life. 

STEAMBOATS     INTRODUCED. 

The  first  steamboat  to  navigate  Lake  Erie 
was  the  "Walk-in-the-Water,"  of  342  tons, 
built  on  the  Niagara  river,  between  Black 
Rock  and  Tonawanda,  and  launched  on  the 
28th  of  May,  1818.  On  her  first  trip  it  took 
from  7  :*5t'  i'-  m.,  on  Monday,  to  11  a.  m.  on 
Tuesday,  to  reach  Cleveland  from  Erie,  and 
the  entire  voyage  from  Butl'alo  to  Detroit  re- 
quired forty-one  hours  and  ten  minutes,  the 
wind  being  ahead  all  the  way.  She  carried 
quite  a  number  of  passengers,  who  enjoyed 
the  trip  mightily.  As  the  boat  neared  the 
head  of  the  lake,  the  Indians  ran  down  to  the 
water's  edge,  and  gave  utterance  to  their 
amazement  by  repeated  signs  and  shouts. 
The  "  Walk-in-the-Water"  made  regular  trips 
each  season  between  Buffalo  and  Detroit,  on 
each  of   which  she  stopped  at  Erie. 

The  first  steamboat  launched  at  Erie  was 
the  William  Penn,  of  200  tons,  on  May  18, 
1826.  She  was  the  sixth  on  the  lake,  and  was 
built  by  the  Erie  &  Chautau(|ua  Steamboat 
Companv,  the  managers  of  which  included,  be- 
sides some  New  York  parties,  R.  S.  Reeil,  P. 
8.  V.  Hamot,  Josiah  Kellogg,  John  F.  Wight, 
Daniel  Dobbins  and  Peter  Christie,  of  Erie. 
The  William  Penn  was  first  commanded  by 
Capt.  Thomas  Wilkins,  ami  afterward  by 
Capt.  John  .Spires. 

Gen.  C.  M.  Reeds  first  steamboat  was  the 
"Pennsylvania,"  Capt.  John  Fleeharty,  mas- 
ter. She  was  built  near  the  foot  of  Sassafras 
street,  in  July,  1882,  and  towed  to  Black 
Rock,  where  her  engines  were  put  in.  (Jen. 
Reed  built  the  "  Thomas  Jefferson"  in  1884 
and  the  "James  Madison"  in  1880,  both  at 
Erie,  in  about  the  same  locality  as  the  "  Penn- 
sylvania." His  boats  did  a  heavy  business, 
sometimes  carrying  a  thousand  passengers, 
besides  large  amoiuits  of  freigiit.  The  "Mad- 
ison'" is  said  to  have  cleared  $80,1)00  on  her 
first  trip. 

In  1887,  the  ill-fated  "Erie"  was  built  at 
the  foot  of  French  street,  by  the  Erie  Steam- 
boat Co. — Thomas  G.  Colt  and  Smith  I.  Jack- 
son being  the  chief  men — and  the  "  Missouri  " 
followed,  built  by  Gen.  Reed  in  1840.  The 
"  Erie"  was   subsequently  purchased  by  Gen. 


Reed,  who  owned  the  vessel  until  her  destruc- 
tion by  fire.  All  of  these  were  large,  elegant, 
rapid  and  popular  boats.  In  fact,  the  boats 
built  at  Erie  had  the  reputation  of  being  the 
best  on  the  lakes,  and  Gen.  Reed  was  long  the 
most  extensive  and  famous  vessel  owner  on 
the  entire  chain. 

In  182(5,  three  steamboats  entered  and 
cleared  from  Erie  harbor  every  week,  and 
from  two  to  ten  sciiooners.  The  opening  of 
the  canal  between  Erie  and  the  Ohio  river,  in 
the  spring  of  1845,  gave  an  immense  impetus 
to  the  lake  trade  at  this  port.  In  1846a  daily 
!  steamboat  line  had  been  established  between 
Erie  and  Buffalo.  Tens  of  thousands  of  emi- 
grants were  brought  from  Buffalo  each  year, 
taking  the  canal  route  to  the  Ohio  valley,  and 
the  harbor  of  Erie  was  one  of  the  liveliest  on 
tiie  lake.  The  tide  of  travel  by  way  of  the 
lake  continued  until  the  completion  of  the 
Lake  Shore  R.  R.  to  Toledo  in  1858,  when 
the  emigrant  business  dropped  off  and  the 
steamboats  were  compelled  to  depend  mainly 
\  upon  freight  to  and  from  the  upper  lakes.  Be- 
I  fore  the  opening  of  the  canal,  all  the  lake 
steamboats  used  wood  for  fuel,  giving  employ- 
ment to  a  large  number  of  men  and  teams. 

KIHST  PROPELLERS  AND  SHIPS. 

The  first  propeller  on  Lake  Erie  was  the 
"  Vandalia,"  of  15(1  tons,  built  at  Oswego, 
and  brought  through  the  Welland  canal  in 
1842.  Two  others  appeared  the  same  season. 
The  propellers  have  entirely  taken  the  place 
of  the  old  style  steamboats. 

The  first  full-rigged  ship  on  the  lake  was 
the  "Julia  Palmer,"  of  800  tons,  launched  at 
Buffalo  in  1880.  The  ship  "Milwaukee"" 
was  built  in  the  same  year  at  Grand  Island,  in 
the  Niagara  river. 

VALUABLE    STATISTICS, 

The  following  statistics  of  the  vessels  on 
Lake  Erie  at  various  jieriods  show  the  progress 
that  has  been  made  : 

In  1810,  eight  or  nine  sailing  vessels,  aver- 
aging si.xty  tons. 

In  1820,  one  small  steamboat  and  thirty 
sailing  vessels,  the  latter  averaging  fifty  tons. 

In  1831,  eleven  steamboats  aggregating 
2,260  tons,  and  100  sailing  vessels,  averaging 
seventy  tons. 

In  1845,  forty-five  steamboats,  aggregating 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


127 


80,000  tons,  and  217  other  vessels,  aggrega- 
ting I'O.dOO  tons. 

In  1S60  (including  Lake  Ontario),  138 
steamers,  111?  propellers,  58  barks,  UO  brigs  and 
974  sloops  and  schooners.  Total  tonnage, 
536,0(X);  valuation,  |30,000,(XXJ. 

The  books  of  the  United  States  Treasury 
Department  gave  the  following  as  the  tonnage 
on  all  the  lakes  June  30.  1894 : 

GROSS 
NO.  TOXXAGE. 

Steam   vessels                     .1,731  828.702.29 

Sailing  vessels 1.139  317,789.87 

Canal  boats 38(3  76,843.57 

Barges 85  87,731.99 

Totals 3.341      1,261,067.22 

"  The  number  of  steam  vessels  registering 
1,000  tons  and  upward  is  359,  with  a  gross 
tonnage  of  634,467.84  tons.  The  number  of 
vessels  of  this  class  owned  in  all  other  parts 
of  the  United  States  is  316,  with  a  tonnage 
of  (542,642.50  tons,  so  that  half  of  the  best 
steamship  tonnage  in  the  United  States  is 
owned  on  the  lakes. 

''  The  freight  borne  upon  the  lake  waters 
during  284  days  of  1894  exceeded  30,000,000 
tons,  being  equal  to  one-quarter  of  the  freight 
carried  by  all  the  railroads  in  the  United 
States  during  365  days."' 

Years  ago  the  trade  of  the  lakes  was  done 
in  schooners  of  from  2CKJ  to  5(K)  tons.  A 
schooner  of  the  latter  size  was  considered  a 
monster.  Then  came  the  steamers,  carrving 
from  40,0(X)  to  50.(X)0  bushels  of  corn.  Lar- 
ger steamers  began  to  crowd  out  the  schoon- 
ers from  the  grain,  coal  and  iron  trade,  and  in 
a  few  vears  they  had  grown  until  they  carried 
70,{¥)0'and  80,000  bushels.  In  the  changes  of 
the  times  the  old  lake  schooners  are  rapidly 
passing  from  the  field.  Many  marine  men 
think  the  coming  boat  will  be  nearer  6,0tX) 
tons  in  carrj-ing  capacity  than  4,(X)0. 

V.   S.  GOVEKX.MEXT  VESSELS. 

The  United  States  Steamer  "  Michigan,"' 
the  onlv  vessel  of  war  now  on  the  lakes,  was 
launched  at  Erie  on  the  9th  of  November, 
1848,  and  accepted  and  commissioned  by  the 
Government  on  the  15th  of  August,  1844.  The 
"  Michigan  ''  is  a  side-wheeler,  with  a  length 
over  all  of  167  feet,  an  extreme  beam  of  47 
feet,  a  depth   of  hold   of  14  feet,  a  registered 


tonnage  of  450  tons  and  a  displacement  of  685 
tons.  She  was  built  at  Pittsburg,  transported 
in  pieces  to  Cleveland,  brought  from  that 
city  to  Erie  in  a  steamer,  and  put  together  at 
Erie  harbor,  being  the  first  iron  hull  ever  set 
afloat  on  the  lakes.  Her  tonnage,  armament 
and  crew  are  regulated  by  a  treaty  with  Great 
Britain,  which  is  also  authorized  to  place  a 
vessel  of  the  same  character  on  the  lakes. 
Erie  has  always  been  the  headquarters  of  the 
"  Michigan." 

Erie  was  the  station  for  the  United  States 
revenue  cutters  from  the  time  that  branch  of 
the  Government  service  was  established  on 
Lake  Erie  up  to  a  few  years  ago.  The  first 
cutter  was  the  Benjamin  Rush,  of  thirty  tons, 
built  at  Erie  by  Capt.  John  Richards,  about 
1827,  and  first  commanded  by  Capt.  Gilbert 
Knapp,  who  was  succeeded  by  Capt.  Daniel 
Dobbins.  The  second  was  the  "  Erie,'"  of 
sixty-two  tons,  launched  at  Reed's  dock,  in 
March.  1838,  and  placed  in  charge  of  Capt. 
Dobbins,  with  Douglas  Ottinger  as  his  second 
lieutenant.  The  "Erie"  was  succeeded  in  1846 
by  the  iron  steamer  "Dallas,"  of  which  Michael 
Connor  was  captain  and  Douglas  Ottinger 
first  lieutenant.  This  vessel  was  removed  to 
the  Atlantic  coast,  by  way  of  the  Canadian 
canals  and  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  in  1848. 
The  "Jeremiah  S.  Black"  was  one  of  si.x 
steam  cutters  built  by  the  government,  being 
one  for  each  lake,  in  1857,  and  was  placed 
under  the  command  of  Capt.  Ottinger,  who  had 
been  promoted.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
war,  these  vessels  were  moved  to  the  Atlantic 
coast  under  the  direction  of  Capt.  Ottinger. 
In  18(>i.  Capt.  Ottinger  superintended  the 
construction  of  the  steam  cutter  "  Perry,"  of 
which  he  was  commander,  with  the  exception 
of  two  years,  until  1881,  when  he  was  placed 
on  the  retired  list.  This  vessel  was  built  on 
the  Niagara  river,  and  her  capacity  ^vas  fixed 
at  404  tons.  She  was  peculiarly  constructed, 
having  propeller  wheels  at  the  sides.  Some 
ten  years  ago  she  was  condemned  and  sold  to 
Buffalo  parties,  who  used  her  as  an  excursion 
steamer.  Immediately  after  the  sale,  the 
Government  built  a  new  cutter,  also  known  as 
the  "Perry,"  which  continued  in  the  lake  service 
until  the  fall  of  1890,  when  she  was  ordered 
to  the  ocean .  After  being  refitted  at  New 
York,  she  took  a  trip  around  the  Horn,  and  is 
now  stationed  in  Pacific  waters,  as  one  of 
the  fleet  to  protect  the  American  seal  interests. 


128 


NBZSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


APPALLING     LAKE     DISASTERS. 

The  early  disasters  have  already  been  re- 
cited, and  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  them. 
The  following  are  some  of  the  most  terrible 
incidents  that  have  happened  in  later  years  on 
the  bay  and  lake  : 

The  schooner  "  Franklin,"  owned  by  P.  S. 
V.  Hamot,  loaded  at  Buffalo  for  an  upper 
port,  left  Erie  on  the  IGth  of  October,  1820, 
and  w'as  never  seen  afterward.  Capt.  Hayt 
and  three  men,  all  residents  of  Erie  or  vicin- 
ity, were  lost. 

In  Ajiril,  182B,  four  men — :Hutchinson, 
Zuck,  Fox  and  Granger — started  to  cross  the 
bay  in  a  boat.  The  water  was  rough,  the 
boat  capsized,  and  all  but  Granger  were 
drowned. 

The  steamboat  "  Washington"  burned  off 
Silver  Creek  in  1888,  and  sixty  persons  lost 
their  lives. 

Eleven  men  left  tlie  wharf  at  Erie  in  a 
small  boat  on  the  14th  of  May,  1834,  to  go  to 
the  steamboat  New  York,  lying  at  the  outer 
pier.  A  blinding  snow  storm  prevailed,  and 
the  boat  was  upset.  Nine  of  the  party  were 
drowned. 

One  of  the  most  dreadful  calamities  in  the 
history  of  lake  navigation  occurred  on  the  9th 
of  August,  1841.  The  steamboat  "Erie,"  of 
Erie,  owned  by  Gen.  Reed,  and  bearing  a 
large  party  of  emigrants,  was  coming  up  the 
lake  from  Buffalo,  and  when  off  Silver  Creek 
was  discovered  to  be  ablaze.  In  an  incon- 
ceivably brief  period  of  time  the  boat  was 
burned  to  the  water's  edge.  Two  hundred 
and  forty-nine  persons  were  lost,  of  whom 
twenty-six  were  residents  of  Erie.  Between 
120  and  180  bodies  rose  to  the  surface  and 
were  recovered.  The  "Erie"  was  valued  at 
.l!75,0O().  Iler  cargo  was  worth  about  120, 0(K), 
and  the  emigrants,  it  is  calculated,  had  with 
them  1180,000  in  gold  and  silver. 

In  1850  the  steamboat  "  G.  P.  Griffin" 
burned  near  Chagrin,  Ohio,  and  250  souls 
were  lost. 

The  propeller  "  Henry  Clay  '  foundered 
in  1851,  and  nothing  was  ever  heard  of  any 
one  on  board. 

Nineteen  lives  were  lost  by  the  foundering 
of  the  propeller   "  Oneida  "  in  1852. 

In  the  summer  of  1852  the  steamboat  "At- 
lantic "  collided  with  another  vessel,  and  sunk 


off  Long  Point,  opposite  Erie.  One  hundred 
and  fifty  lives  were  lost. 

The  sloop  "  Washington  Irving,"  of  Erie, 
Capt.  Vanatta,  left  that  port  for  Buffalo  on 
the  7th  of  July,  18()0,  and  was  never  heard 
from  again.  She  is  supposed  to  have  found- 
ered. All  on  board — seven  persons — were 
drowned. 

The  loss  of  life  and  property  on  the  chain 
of  lakes  each  year  is  very  large.  In  1800,  578 
persons  were  drowned  and  a  million  dollars' 
worth  of  property  destroyed.  In  one  gale,  on 
the  10th  of  September,  1882,  157  persons  lost 
their  lives,  of  whom  upwards  of  100  came 
to  their  deaths  by  the  foundering  of  the 
Canadian  steamer  "  Asia,  "  in  Georgian 
bay.  One  of  the  severest  gales  ever  known 
occurred  in  November,  1883,  lasting  from  the 
11th  for  several  days,  and  extending  over  the 
whole  chain  of  lakes.  Nothing  like  it  had 
been  seen  for  many  years.  From  fifty  to  sixty 
vessels  were  lost,  and  the  damage  was  scarce- 
ly less  than  a  million  dollars.  The  largest 
loss  of  life  during  a  single  season,  in  recent 
years,  happened  in  1887,  when  204  persons 
were  drowned.  The  storm  of  October  14—15, 
1893,  strewed  the  lakes  with  wrecks  and 
caused  the  loss  of  over  seventy  seamen.  In 
that  year  the  dead  numbered  123,  and  in  1892 
they  numbered  ninety-nine.  During  the  sea- 
son of  1894  sixty  sailors  were  lost,  and  thirty- 
eight  vessels,  with  an  aggregate  tonnage  of 
15,381  tons,  passed  out  of  existence. 

DISTANCES      BY      LAKE. 

The  following  are  the  distances  by  water 
in  miles  from  the  harbor  of  Erie  : 

Alpena 513 

Bay    City 397 

Buffalo 85 

Clieboygan 517 

Chicag-o 818 

Cleveland 90 

Detroit 185 

Duluth 921 

Grand  Haven 735 

Green  Bay 692 

Mackinaw 535 

Mackinac  Island 533 

Marquette 682 

Milwaukee 753 

Og'densburg^ 328 

Oscoda 365 

Oswepfo 238 

Port  Huron 247 

Sapinaw 412 

Sarnia 247 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


I2C 


Sault  Ste.  Marie 523 

St.  Ignace 538 

Toledo 180 

Toronto 129 

OPENING     OF     NAVIGATION. 

Navigation  usually  opens  at  the  port  of 
Erie  late  in  March  or  early  in  April,  and 
closes  about  the  1st  of  December.  As  a  rule, 
the  harbor  of  Erie  is  open  two  or  three  weeks 
before  that  of  Buffalo.  The  following  are 
some  of  the  earliest  and  latest  periods  of 
opening  : 

/f(7;-//V.sV.— 1828,  March  oth;  18l".),  laiuuirv 
29th;  1842,  March  12th  ;  1850,  March  11th"; 
1863,  Februarv  27th  ;  1878  and  1880.  March 
16th;  1883,  April  13th;  1894,  March  18th. 

Zfr/w/".— 1853,  May  9th;  1855,  May  10th  ; 
1856,  May  5th. 

In  1834  navigation  opened  the  24th  of 
March,  but  was  much  retarded  by  ice  and 
storms.  On  the  14th  of  May,  snow  fell  along 
the  south  shore  of  the  lake  to  the  depth  of  six 
inches. 

The  Revenue  Cutter  "  Erie"  sailed  from 
the  port  of  Erie  to  Buffalo  about  the  last  of 
December,  1837,  without  interruption.  In 
February,  1838,  the  steamer  "  Dewitt  Clin- 
ton "'  came  into  Erie  from  Buffalo  and  went 
from  Erie  to  Detroit. 

In  the  winter  of  1844—45,  the  steamer 
"  United  States"  made  a  trip  every  month 
between  Buffalo  and  Detroit. 

On  the  13th  of  December,  1852,  a  steam- 
boat passed  up  the  lake  and  another  on  the 
10th  of  January,  1858. 

The  winter  of  1893-4  was  remarkably 
mild.  The  bay  was  only  frozen  over  eight  or 
ten  days.  Vessels  could  have  entered  the 
harbor  any  time  during  the  month  of  Jan- 
uary, and  two  did  actually  leave  the  port  on 
the  18th  of  tiie  month. 

The  straits  of  Mackinaw,  upon  the  open- 
ing of  which  depends  the  lake  traffic  to 
Chicago,  are  generallv  clear  of  ice  about  the 
last  of  April  or  the  1st  of  May.  Vessel  insu- 
rance begins  as  a  rule  on  the  latter  date,  and 
always  closes  on  the  1st  of  December. 

U.   S.  COLLECTORS. 

The  U.  S.  Collection  district  of  Presque 
Isle  embraces  the  whole  coast  line  of  Penn- 
sylvania on  Lake  Erie.  The  Collectors' 
office  was  in  the  old  custom  house  (formerlv 
the  U.  S.    Bank   building),   on    State   street, 


below  Fourth,  until  the  completion  of  the 
new  government  structure,  at  State  and 
Central  Park,  when  it  was  removed  to  the 
latter,  with  the  other  Federal  offices.  Below 
is  a  list  of  the  Collectors  and  Deputy  Collect- 
ors, with  the  dates  of  the  commissions  of  the 
former. 

Collectors. 

Thomas  Forster,  March  26,  1799;  Edwin 
J.  Kelso,  Julv  1,  1886;  Charles  W.  Kelso, 
July  10,  1841  ;  Murray  Whallon,  June  19, 
1845;  William  M.  Gallagher,  April  29,  1849; 
James  Lytle,  April  22,  1858;  John  Brawley, 
October  15,  1857;  Murrav  Whallon,  March  11, 
1859;  Charles  M.  Tibbals,  November  1,  1859; 
Thomas  Wilkins,  June  22,  1861;  Richard  F. 
Gaggin,  May  7.  1869;  James  R.  Willard, 
February  19,  1874;  Hiram  L.  Brown,  March 
22,  1878:  Matthew  R.  Barr,  December  1,  1880 
(resigned)  ;  H.  C.  Stafford,  July  17.  1883; 
R.  H.  Arbuckle,  November  21^  1885  ;  John  M. 
Glazier,  November  21,  1889;  Nelson  Baldwin, 
November  29,  1898. 

Deputies. 
Under  Col.    Forster — Thomas  McConkey, 
James  Maurice;   under  E.  J.  Kelso — Murray 
Whallon  ;  under  C.  W.  Kelso — A.  C.  Hilton  ; 
under    Murray   Whallon    (first   term) — A.    P. 
Durlin  ;    under   W.     M.    Gallagher — William 
S.    Brown  ;    under    Messrs.    Lytle,    Brawley, 
Whallon  (second   term)  and  Tibbals — \V.  W. 
Loomis;    under     Thomas      Wilkins — R.      F. 
Gaggin  :      under     R.     F.     Gaggin — Thomas 
Wilkins;   under  J.    R.   Willard— William  F. 
,    Luetje  ;   under   Messrs.    Brown   and   Barr — R. 
!   F.    Gaggin;    under    Mr.     Barr,   from    March, 
I    1888— Andrew  H.  Caughey  ;  under  Mr.  Staf- 
ford— E.  H.  Wilcox  and  Alfred   King;   under 
Mr.     Arbuckle — Henry    Mayer:    under    Mr. 
Glazier — Giles  D.   Price;  under  Mr.  Baldwin 
— R.  S.  P.  Lowry. 

The  Collectors  are  appointed  by  the  Presi- 
dent, and  the  Deputies  by  the  Collector,  with 
the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

VESSELS  OWNED   IN    EHIK. 

The  following  list  of  vessels  owned  in 
Erie  in  I860  and  1894  is  given  for  the  pur- 
pose of  comparison  ;  the  figures  for  1894  being 
taken  from  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Trade  : 

1860. — Brig,  one;  barque,  one;  schooners, 
twentv-four:  total,  5.294  tons;  valuation, 
$300,000. 


130 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


1894. — Sailing  vessels,  four;  steam  vessels, 
(wood),  forty-five;  steam  vessels  (iron),  nine  ; 
yacht,  one;  sailinj^  vacht,  one;  total  tonnage, 
36,055;  valuation,  ii>,.SO(),()00. 

BUSINESS    OK     THE      PORT. 

The  entrances  at  the  port  of  Eric  during 
18(K)  were  (555,  and  the  clearances  678,  with  a 
total  tonnage  of  about  30(),000.  The  follow- 
ing persons  and  firms  were  in  the  lake  busi- 
ness in  that  j-ear  :  Coal  and  shipping.  Walker 
&  Gilson,  John  Hearn  &  Co.,  Charles  M. 
Reed,  Josiah  Kellogg,  Starr  &  Payne,  George 
J.  Morton,  Scott  &  Rankin  ;  coal  and  iron, 
Curtis  &  Boyce  ;  grocery  and  shjp  chandlery, 
Andrew  Hofsies.  With  the  exception  of  the 
lumber  and  fishing  business,  the  whole  trade  of 
the  port  is  now  done  by  the  Anchor  Line,  the 
Carnegie  Company,  and  the  firm  of  which  the 
late  Wm.  L.  Scott  was  the  controlling  spirit. 
Tile  former  do  all  the  grain  and  miscellaneous 
business,  and  the  two  latter  control  the  coal 
and  iron  ore  trade. 

The  following  table  shows  the  business  of 
the  port  for  the  years  stated  : 

1880  1890  1894 
Vessels    entered   and 

cleared 2,024  3,195  2,683 

Tonnage  of  same....  1,565,183  2,492,253  3,069,739 

Enrolled  tonnage 28,248  110,801           

The  first  grain  elevator  at  the  port  of 
Erie,  now  known  as  ''Elevator  A,"  was  built 
in  1868,  by  William  S.  Hrown,  Orange  Noble, 
Joseph  McCarter  and  Henry  C,  Shannon. 
After  being  operated  by  the  firm  for  a  short 
time,  it  was  sold  to  the  Erie  and  Western 
Transportation  Co.,  (generally  known  as 
the  Anchor  line),  which  erected  two  others, 
all  three  of  which  are  still  operated. 

LIGHT-HOUSES    AT    EUIE. 

The  first  lighthouse  upon  the  chain  of 
lakes  was  erected  at  Erie  in  1818,  on  the  bluff 
overlooking  the  entrance  to  the  harbor,  a 
tract  of  land  for  the  purpose  having  been 
ceded  to  the  United  .States  Government  by 
Gen.  John  Kelso.  A  new  structure  was  built 
of  Milwaukee  brick  in  1858,  but  proved  to  be 
defective,  and  it  was  replaced  by  a  third 
building  of  stone  in  186().  at  a  cost  of  !j!l'( ),(«)(). 
This  was  discontinued  in  18<S0  and  the  Innld- 
ing  and  land  sold  in  the  spring  of  1,S81. 
There  was  a  strong  protest  on  the  part  of  the 
lake  men,  which   induced  the   government  to 


re-purchase  the  land  and  restore  the  light  at 
the  opening  of  navigation  in  1882. 

About  the  year  1880,  the  government  added 
a  beacon  light  on  the  north  pier  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  harbor  of  Erie.  It  consisted  of 
a  tall  wooden  tower,  resting  upon  a  heavy  bed 
of  masonrj'.  This  structure  was  carried  away 
by  a  sailing  vessel  in  the  summer  or  fall  of  1857, 
and  was  replaced  by  the  present  wrought  iron 
tower  in  the  summer  of  1858.  The  light- 
house was  modeled  and  forged  into  form  in 
France,  reaching  Erie  with  nothing  to  be  done 
except  to  bolt  the  pieces  into  their  proper  po- 
sitions. Five  different  lights  are  maintained 
at  this  station,  all  fi.xed,  white,  sixth  order 
lenses,  and  used  as  ranges.  In  addition  to 
these  and  for  the  further  protection  of  navi- 
gators, there  is  a  1,200-pound  Meneely  fog 
bell,  which  is  operated  by  clock  work,  and 
tolls  three  times  each  minute  in  snowy  and 
foggy  weather. 

A  third  Hght-hou.se  station  was  established 
on  the  north  shore  of  the  peninsula,  and  a 
handsome  brick  tower  erected  for  the  pur- 
pose, from  which  the  first  light  was  exhibited 
on  the  night  of  July  12,  1N78.  It  is  known 
as  the  Flash  Light,  and  cost  the  government 
$15,000. 

LIGHT-HOUSE    KEEPERS. 

Helow  is  a  list  of  the  several  Light-house 
Keepers,  with  the  years  of  their  appointment  : 

Eric  [or  Land)  /,/;■///.— l.shS- 1833, 
Capt.  John  Bone,  of  Erie  ;  1833,  Robert  Kin- 
caide,  of  Erie;  1841,  Griffith  Ilinton,  of 
Harbor  Creek;  1845,  Eli  Webster,  of  Mc- 
Kean;  1849,  James  W.  Miles,  of  West  Mill 
Creek,  who  died  in  the  summer  of  1853,  the 
duties  being  performed  by  iiis  wife,  Isabel 
Miles,  till  the  ensuing  spring;  April  1,  1854, 
John  Graham,  of  Erie;  April  1,  1858,  Gen. 
James  Fleming,  of  Erie  ;  October  27,  1858, 
A.  C.  Landon,  of  Erie;  July  15,  1861,  John 
Goalding,  of  Erie;  April  1,  1864,  George 
Demond,  of  Erie;  August  1,  1871,  A.  J. 
Fargo,  of  Fairview  ;  188.5,  George  W.  Miller, 
of  Conneaut,  Ohio. 

Pi-cstjiic  Isle  Pier  Head  (or  lycacon) 
Light. — William  T.  Downs,  years  unknown  ; 
Benjamin  Fleming,  Erie,  years  unknown  ; 
]()lin  Hess,  Erie,  years  unknown  ;  Leonard 
Vaughn,  Summit,  years  unknown  ;  George 
W.  Bone,  Erie,  appointed  July  19,  1861; 
Richard  P.  Burke,  Erie,  March  1,  1863 ;  Frank 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


131 


Henry,  Harbor  Creek,  May  1,  1809;  Charles 
D.  Coyle,  Erie,  1884;  Robert  Hunter,  Erie, 
1889. 

Assista>its. — James  Johnson,  Erie,  ap- 
pointed in  June,  1873;  C.  E.  McDannell, 
Mill  Creek,  September,  1871  ;  William  H. 
Harlow,  1885;  Robert  Hunter,  Erie,  1886: 
Thomas  L.  Wilkins,  1889;  Edward  Pfister, 
1892;  John  W.  Reddy,  1894. 

Prcsqne  Isle  (or  P/ash)  Light. — July  12, 
1873,  Charles  T.  Waldo,  of  Fairview  ;  spring 
of  1880,  George  E.  Irvin,  A.  J.  Harrison; 
Fall  of  1880,  O.  T-  McAllister,  of  Wattsburg  ; 
1880,  George  E.  Town,  of  North  East;  1883. 
Clark  M.  Cole,  of  Erie;  188(5,  Lewis  Van- 
natta,  Erie;  1891,  Lewis  Walrose ;  1892, 
Thomas  L.  Wilkins,  Erie. 

L'p  to  June,  1894,  the  appointment  of 
Light-house  Keeper  was  made  by  the  Col- 
lector of  the  port,  but  under  the  civil  service 
rules  it  is  now  vested  in  the  Inspector  of  light- 
houses. 

The  new  gas  buoy,  one  of  the  latest  and 
most  useful  inventions  of  the  day,  was  placed 
in  the  harbor  during  tiie  summer  of  1895, 
through  the  recommendation  of  Capt.  Gridley, 
light-house  Inspector  of  the  district. 

NAVAL    INSPECTORS. 

The  Erie  lights  are  in  the  Tenth  Light- 
house district  of  the  United  States,  extending 
from  the  mouth  of  St.  Regis  river,  in  New 
York,  to  and  including  Grassj-  Island,  in  the 
Detroit  river.  Each  district  is  in  charge  of  a 
L^nited  States  naval  officer,  who  is  officially 
known  as  Inspector. 

The  following  have  been  the  recent  in- 
spectors : 

Com.  Ellison,  from to  18(38;  18(38-71, 

Com.  G.  H.  Scott ;  1871-74,  Com.  X.  Collins  ; 
1874-77,  Com.  E.  E.  Potter;  1877-78,  Capt. 
George  Brown  ;  1878-80.  Com.  W.  R.  Bridg- 
man;  1880-83,  Com.  George  W.  Hay  ward; 
1883-87,  Com.  X.  M.  Dwver;  1887-91.  Com. 
Charles  V.   Gridley;    1891-93,    Com.    E.    T. 


Woodward;  1893-94,  Com.  James  G.  Green  ; 
1894,  Com.  Charles  V.  Gridley. 

LIFE-S.WIN'G    SERVICE. 

The  U.  S.  Life-Saving  Service  on  Lake 
Erie  was  organized  in  1870  by  Capt.  Ottinger, 
of  the  revenue  service,  who  was  soon  suc- 
ceeded in  regular  charge  by  Capt.  D.  P.  Dob- 
bins, a  resident  of  Buffalo,  but  a  native  of 
Erie,  who  continued  till  his  death,  August  20, 
1892.  He  was  followed  by  Capt.  Chapman, 
of  Oswego,  whose  headquarters  are  in  Buffalo. 
The  Xinth  district,  of  which  the  latter  has 
supervision,  embraces  Lakes  Erie  and  Ontario, 
and  the  Falls  of  the  Oiiio  at  Louisville,  Ky. 
The  stations  on  Lake  Erie  are  located  at  Buf- 
falo, Erie,  Ashtabula,  Cleveland,  Fairport  and 
Point  Marblehead. 

The  original  station  at  Erie  was  built  on 
the  north  shore  of  the  peninsula,  with  Clark 
Jones  in  charge.  This  location  being  found 
inconvenient,  the  station  was  removed  to  the 
north  pier  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor. 
William  Clark  took  charge  of  the  station  in 
1877.  He  was  drowned  while  trying  to  rescue 
the  passengers  of  the  Badger  State  on  June 
4th,  1891.  His  successor  was  Andrew  P. 
Jansen.  A  new  and  improved  life-boat  of  the 
English  type,  which  had  been  on  exhibition 
at  the  World's  Fair,  was  placed  in  the  station 
during  the  spring  of  1894. 

U.   S.   WEATHER  AND  SIGN.VL  SERVICE  OFFICE. 

The  L^.  S.  Weather  and  Signal  Service 
office,  intended  largely  for  the  benefit  of  mari- 
ners, was  established  in  Erie  May  23,  1873. 
Peter  Wood,  who  had  been  in  the  chief  office 
at  Washington  city,  assumed  charge  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1884,  and  has  been  on  dutv  ever  since. 
The  office  is  on  the  fourth  floor  of  the  govern- 
ment building,  at  .State  street  and  Central 
Park. 

[For  other  information  regarding  the  har- 
bor, the  lake  trade,  fishing  interests,  etc.,  see 
Chapter  V.,  Erie  City.] 


CHAPTER     XVII. 


The  Wah  ok   1812-1  i — I'ehry's  Victory — Erie  County's  Paki-  ix  the   War. 


W»\  R  was  declared  for  the  second  time 
liy  the  llnited  States  against  Great 
Britain  on  the  ISth  of  Ji'ne,  1812. 
At  that  time  tlie  Canadian  territory 
bordering  the  lakes  and  the  St.  Law- 
rence was  far  in  advance  of  the  L  nited  .States 
on  the  opposite  side  in  popuhition,  commerce 
and  agriculture.  The  British  were  also  much 
better  prepared  for  war,  having  a  series  of 
military  posts,  from  Niagara  to  Sault  Ste. 
Marie,  and  being  provided  with  a  "  Provincial 
Navy,"  which  gave  them  tlie  mastery  of  the 
lakes.  The)-  were  on  the  best  of  terms  with 
the  Indians  on  both  sides  of  the  water,  \vho 
were  generally  hostile  to  the  Americans. 

Erie,  than  a  mere  handful  of  buildings, 
from  its  position  near  the  center  of  the  lake 
and  the  excellence  of  its  harbor,  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  important  points  on  the 
south  shore. 

On  the  east,  there  was  no  village  of  any 
size  nearer  than  Buffalo,  and  the  countrv  be- 
tween scarcely  contained  len  families  to  the 
square  mile.  \\  est  ward  the  greater  portion 
of  the  region  remained  an  unbroken  forest, 
the  only  settlements  worthy  of  a  name  being 
those  which  surrounded  tlie  military  posts  at 
Cleveland,  Sandusky,  Toledo  and  Detroit. 

UECHNNING    OK    THE     W.\K. 

When  hostilities  commenced,  thev  were  so 
little  expected  on  the  frontier  that  Capt. 
Daniel  Dobbins,  Rufus  Seth  Reed  and  W.W. 
Reed  sailed  in  a  trading  vessel  for  Mackinaw 
soon  after  the  opening  of  navigation.  While 
at  that  place  a  body  of  British  and  Indians 
took  possession  of  the  island  and  captured  the 
party  with  their  vessel.  As  prisoners  of  war 
they  were  carried  in  their  own  vessel  to  De- 
troit, where  they  were  allowed  to  depart,  and 
finally  reached  home  in  safety. 

On  the  outbreak  of  the  war  a  military 
company  was  in  existence  at  Erie,  under  com- 
mand of   Capt.  Thomas  Forster.     The  mem- 


bers immediately  tendered  their  services  to  the 
President,  and  were  accepted  for  the  time 
being.  In  anticipation  of  the  conflict.  Gov. 
Snyder  had  organized  the  militia  of  the  .State 
into  two  grand  divisions — one  for  the  east  and 
one  for  the  west.  The  western  di\ision  was 
under  the  command  of  Maj.-Gen.  Adamson 
Tannehill,  of  Pittsburg  ;  the  brigade  of  which 
the  Erie  county  militia  formed  a  part  was 
commanded  by  Brig. -Gen.  John  Kelso,  and 
the  Erie  county  regiment  was  under  the  com- 
mand of  Dr.  John  C.  Wallace.  Among  the 
ofHcers  of  the  regiment  were  Capts.  Andrew 
Cochran,  Zelotus  Lee,  James  Barr,  William 
Dickson,  Robert  Davison,  Warren  Foote, 
John  Morris,  —  Smith  and  —  Donaldson. 
Capt.  Barr  and  his  men  were  sent  to  San- 
dusky, and  spent  the  winter  of  1812-13  there. 
Capt.  Cochran's  Springtield  company  kept 
guard  along  the  lake  for  some  months,  and 
was  fretjuently  called  out  at  later  stages  of 
the  war.  The  company  commanded  by  Capt. 
Foote  was  assigned,  in  the  beginning,  to 
'■  keep  sentry  at  the  head  of  the  peninsula." 

Before  the  close  of  June,  Gen.  Kelso 
ordered  out  his  brigade  for  the  defence  of 
Erie.  This  was  (juickly  followed  by  a  general 
call  fur  the  Sixteenth  Division,  the  State  hav- 
ing by  liiis  time  been  apportioned  into  more 
numerous  military  districts.  The  brigade 
rendezNous  was  on  the  farm  of  John  Lytle, 
upon  the  flats  at  Waterford  station.  Upward 
of  two  thousand  men  were  collected  from 
Erie,  Crawford,  Mercer  and  the  adjoining 
counties.  August  13,  a  detachment  of  2.500 
of  the  Northwestern  militia — increased  in 
September  by  2,0(K)  more — were  ordered  to 
march  to  Buffalo,  which  was  menaced  by  the 
enemy.  They  continued  at  Buffalo  the  winter 
through,  under  command  of  Gen.  Tannehill, 
and  it  is  related  to  the  credit  of  Erie  county, 
that  while  many  others  deserted,  not  one  man 
of  Col.  Wallace's  command  shirked  his  duty. 
In  the  meantime  measures  had  been  taken  for 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


13.3 


the  defence  of  Erie,  which  was  reported  in 
danger  of  an  attack  by  the  enemy's  fleet  seve- 
ral times  during  the  year. 

The  summer  campaign  of  1812  along  the 
lake  was  a  series  of  disasters  to  the  Americans. 
The  surrender  of  Detroit  by  Hull,  the  defeat 
of  Van  Rensselaer  at  Niagara  in  October,  and 
the  capture  of  the  Adams,  the  only  armed  ves- 
sel that  had  been  left  to  us.  gave  the  British 
full  control  upon  the  lake. 

A    LAKE    FLEET    PKOVIDEO     KOI!.  ' 

Upon  the  return  of  Capt.  Dobbins  to  Erie, 
he  was  called  into  immediate  consultation 
with  Gen.  Mead,  commander  of  the  post,  who 
sent  him  to  Washington  for  the  purpose  of 
informing  the  President  of  the  situation  on 
the  lakes.  On  reaching  the  capital,  he  met 
the  cabinet,  in  official  session,  and  earnestly 
advocated  the  establisiuiient  of  a  naval  station 
and  the  building  of  a  fleet  powerful  enough 
to  cope  with  the  British  upon  the. lake.  These 
suggestions  were  adopted.  A  Sailing  Master's 
commission  in  the  navy  was  tendered  to  him 
and  accepted,  and  he  was  ordered  to  proceed 
to  Erie  and  begin  the  construction  of  gun- 
boats. An  effort  was  made  to  secure  ship 
carpenters,  but  only  one  being  secured,  Capt. 
Dobbins  decided  to  go  on  with  such  house 
builders  and  laborers  as  he  could  gather  to- 
gether. 

About  January  1,  ISlH,  Commodore 
Chauncev  came  to  Erie,  accompanied  by  a 
United  States  naval  constructor,  and,  after 
approving  what  Dobbins  had  done,  ordered 
him  to  prepare  for  the  building  of  two  sloops 
of  war  in  addition  to  the  gunboats.  The  keels 
of  these  vessels  were  ready  to  laj-  and  much  of 
the  timber  on  hand  about  the  10th  of  March, 
when  a  gang  of  twenty-five  carpenters,  in 
charge  of  Xoah  Brown,  a  master  ship  builder 
from  New  York,  reached  Erie.  A  temporary 
guard  \vas  improvised,  consisting  of  Capt. 
Forster's  volunteer  military  company,  who 
had  got  back  from  Buffalo,  and  the  workmen 
at  the  station. 

.\RRIVAL    OV      COMMODORE     I'ERR^. 

Lieut.  Oliver  Hazard  I'erry,  to  whom  the 
command  on  Lake  Erie  had  been  assigned, 
arrived  at  Erie  March  :?7,  1813,  and  estab- 
lished his  headquarters  in  "Duncan's  Hotel" 
(later  the  "  ^lcConkey  House"'),  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  Third  and  French  streets. 


He  was  only  twenty-seven  years  of  age, 
and  his  sole  war  service  was  as  a  Mid- 
shipman in  the  war  with  Tripoli ;  but  he  was 
active,  brave  and  patriotic.  By  the  joint  ex- 
ertions of  Perry  and  Mead,  a  thousand  State 
militia  were  ordered  to  rendezvous  at  Erie  on 
or  before  the  20th  of  April.  The  old  Ameri- 
can block-house  of  1795,  which  had  nearly 
gone  to  ruins,  was  hurriedlv  restored,  as  was 
also  the  one  on  the  point  of  the  peninsula. 
Redoubts  were  subsequently  thrown  up  at 
several  points  on  the  bank  of  the  bay  and  lake. 

It  is  next  to  impossible  at  the  present  day 
to  comprehend  the  difficulties  that  attended 
Perrv  and  Dobbins  in  their  efforts.  Of  prac- 
tical ship  builders  there  were  few  in  the  lake 
countrv.  The  timber  for  the  vessels  had  to  be 
cut  in  the  forests  and  used  while  yet  green. 
Iron  was  scarce,  and  had  to  be  picked  up 
wherever  it  could  be  found.  The  guns,  arms 
and  ammunition  had  to  be  brought  by  small 
boats  from  Buffalo  and  Pittsburg. 

Carpenters,  blacksmiths,  sail  makers,  rig- 
gers, and  other  workmen  came  on  from  Xew 
York  and  Philadelphia,  infusing  new  energy 
into  the  operations.  The  "  Lawrence  "  and 
"  Niagara,"  sloops  of  war,  and  the  pilot  boat 
"  Ariel,"  schooner-rigged,  were  built  on  the 
beach  at  the  mouth  of  Cascade  run,  now  occu- 
pied by  the  Erie  &  Pittsburgh  docks,  and  the 
'•  Porcupine  '"  and  "  Tigress,'"  gunboats,  on  a 
beach  that  jutted  out  from  the  mouth  of  Lee's 
run,  afterward  the  terminus  of  the  canal.  The 
brig  "Caledonia"'  and  sloop  '■  Trippe."'  and 
the  schooners  Ohio,  Amelia  and  Somers  were 
brought  up  the  lake  from  Black  Rock,  great 
vigilance  being  required  to  elude  the  enemj-. 
They  reached  Erie  on  the  17th  of  June. 

I'EKRV'S     FLEET. 

The  entire  fleet  with  which  Perrj-  was  ex- 
pected to  humble  British  pride  on  the  lake 
was  now  concentrated  in  tiie  harbor  of  Erie. 
It  consisted  of  the  ''Lawrence'"  and  ''Ni- 
agara.'" built  after  the  same  model,  being  100 
feet  straight  rabbit,  100  feet  between  per- 
pendiculars, 30  feet  beam,  9  feet  hold,  flush 
deck,  and  pierced  for  twenty  guns,  with  two 
stern  ports;  the  "Ariel"  and  "Scorpion,""  each 
of  03  tons  ;  the  ''  Porcupine'"  and  "  Tigress,'"  of 
about  5t)  tons  :  the  "  Caledonia."  of  85  tons  ; 
the  "  Trippe,"  of  (53  tons,  and  the  "Amelia." 
"  Somers"  and  "  Oliio,""  of  72,  05  and  02  tons 
'■  respectively.     The  "Lawrence"   was  named 


'34 


NELSON'S  BTOORAPRICAL  DICTIONARY 


after  the  heroic  Capt.  James  Lawrence,  who 
was  killed  in  the  encounter  between  the 
Chesapeake  and  Shannon,  and  whose  last 
words,  "  Uon't  give  up  the  ship,'"  ^vere  in- 
scribed by  I'erry  on  iiis  fighting  flag.  One  of 
the  schooners  brought  up  from  Black  Rock, 
the  "Amelia,"'  was  condemned  as  worthless 
and  sunk  in  the  harbor. 

Up  to  the  :25th  of  June  something  like  150 
men  and  officers  had  arrived  for  service  in  the 
fleet,  of  whom  many  were  sick  in  the  hos- 
pitals, of  which  there  were  three — in  the 
court  house,  on  the  point  of  Alisery  bay  and  in 
the  block  house,  respectively.  More  men 
reached  Erie  on  or  about  the  25th  of  July,  and 
by  August  1st  Perr3-'s  force  numbered  about 
SCRt,  of  whom  quite  one-tliird  were  landsmen, 
who  volunteered  for  the  service. 

While  Perry  was  preparing  the  fleet,  ves- 
sels of  the  enemy  anchored  in  the  roadstead 
several  times,  and  would  have  entered  the  bay 
but  for  the  shallow  water  on  the  bar.  Some- 
times the  "  Qiieen  Charlotte,"  the  British  flag- 
ship, would  appear  alone,  and  at  others  the 
whole  squadron.  July  I'Jth,  six  of  the  enemy's 
vessels  were  in  sight  outside  the  harbor,  where 
they  lay  becalmed  for  two  days.  Perry  went 
with  three  gunboats  to  attack  them,  and  a  few 
shots  were  exchanged  at  a  mile's  distance.  A 
breeze  springing  up,  the  enemy  sailed  away, 
evidentl)-  desiring  to  avoid  a  fight.  All  this 
time  the  meager  land  force  at  Erie  was  kept 
busy  parading  the  bank  of  the  lake,  to  give 
the  impression  to  the  enemy  of  a  larger  army 
than  was  really  the  case.  On  the  27th  of  Au- 
gust a  force  of  1,000  State  militia  was  report- 
ed as  being  in  camp  at  Erie. 

CROSSING     TjrE      BAR. 

On  Sunday,  the  1st  of  August,  the  vessels 
were  moved  to  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  then  free 
from  piers,  and  preparations  were  made  for 
getting  them  over  the  bar  and  for  defending 
them  in  case  of  an  attack  while  the  operation 
was  in  progress.  The  guns,  ballast  and  other 
heavy  material  were  removed  from  the  "Law- 
rence ''  to  the  sand  beach,  being  so  adjusted  as 
to  be  readily  replaced,  and  the  ship  was  lifted 
over  the  bar  by  the  aid  of  "camels."  This 
proceeding  was  considerably  delayed  by  an 
unfavorable  wind,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
n'lorning  of  the  4th,  after  two  nights  and  days 
of  wearisome  labor,  that  the  'Lawrence" 
was  floated  to  her  anchorage  in  the  roadstead. 


The  "Niagara"  was  lifted  over  by  the  same 
process  a  few  days  after,  the  smaller  vessels 
crossing  without  serious  trouble. 

Before  the  work  of  moving  the  "  Niagara  " 
over  the  bar  was  completed,  the  enemy  ap- 
peared early  one  morning,  and  hove  to  about 
eight  miles  out  for  the  purpose  of  reconnoiter- 
ing.  After  looking  over  the  situation  for  an 
hour  or  two,  the  British  crossed  the  lake  to 
Port  Dover,  where  it  had  been  intended  to 
concentrate  a  sea  and  land  force  for  a  com- 
bined attack  upon  Erie.  This  failed  because 
the  troops  could  not  be  got  up  in  season. 

ON    THE    WAV    TO     BATTLE. 

On  the  tith,  to  the  joy  of  all,  the  little  band 
were  joined  by  Lieut.  Elliott,  with  some  offi- 
cers and  ninety  men,  most  of  whom  were  ex- 
perienced sailors.  The  squadron,  though  still 
lacking  a  proper  equipment,  was  now  thought 
to  be  ready  for  active  service,  and,  on  the 
morning  of  the  12th  of  August,  sailed  up  the 
lake  in  search  of  the  enemy.  A  dinner  was 
given  to  Perry,  just  before  his  departure,  by 
the  citizens  of  Erie,  at  which  he  expressed  a 
desire  to  return  a  victor  or  in  his  shroud.  The 
fleet  consisted  of  ten  vessels.  Before  sailing 
Perry  had  been  created  a  commander,  and  El- 
liott had  been  promoted  to  the  same  rank. 
Most  of  the  officers  were  voungmen — the  av- 
erage ages  of  the  commissioned  ones  being  less 
than  twenty-three  years.  With  few  excep- 
tions, they  had  no  acquaintance  with  the  navi;- 
gation  of  the  lakes.  While  at  vSandusky, 
Sailing-Master  Dobbins,  in  command  of  the 
"  Ohio,"  was  ordered  to  Erie  with  his  vessel, 
for  the  purpose  of  procuring  "  provisions  and 
other  articles,"  and  very  unwillingly  remained 
at  anchorage  in  the  harbor  while  the  battle 
was  ill  progress. 

THE  ENEiMV  MET  AND  BEATEN. 

On  the  10th  of  September,  at  the  rising  of 
the  sun,  while  the  fleet  lay  in  Put-inBay,  the 
lookout  shouted  "Sail,  ho !"  and  the  men  of 
the  stpiadron,  who  were  almost  instantly  astir, 
saw  the  British  vessels,  six  in  number,  rise 
above  the  horizon.  Feeble  from  sickness  as  he 
was,  Perrv  gave  the  signal  immediately  to  get 
under  way,  adding  that  he  was  "  determined 
to  fight  the  enemy  that  day."  At  a  quarter 
before  12  o'clock,  when  the  "Detroit"  and 
"Lawrence"  were  still  more  than  a  mile 
apart,  the  sound  of  a  bugle  was  heard  on   the 


AND  mSTORIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


135 


British  flagship,  followed  by  cheers  along  their 
line,  the  band  struck  up  "Rule  Brittannia," 
and  in  a  moment  after  tiie  music  ceased,  a  shot 
was  thrown  at  tiie  "Lawrence"  whicii  fell 
short. 

The  purpose  of  this  sketch  being  to  deal 
with  the  subject  mainly  in  its  local  bearings, 
no  attempt  will  be  made  to  gi\e  a  minute 
account  of  the  action,  which  lias  been  graphi- 
cally described  by  several  of  the  most  emi- 
nent writers  of  the  countr}-.  It  is  enough  to 
say,  that,  through  some  cause,  the  real  na- 
ture of  which  has  been  hotly  discussed,  the 
"Niagara"  did  not  engage  the  enemy  at 
close  quarters,  and  the  battle,  for  a  time,  was 
maintained  "  by  the  '  Lawrence,'  '  Caledonia,' 
'Scorpion'  and  'Ariel,'  against  the  whole 
British  squadron,  assisted  only  by  the  long 
twelves  of  the  '  Niagara,'  and  the  distant, 
rambling  shots  from  the  headmost  gunboats." 
The  "  Lawrence"  for  two  hours  sustained 
the  fire  of  the  two  heaviest  British  vessels, 
as  ^vell  as  some  stray  shots  from  the  others, 
"  until  every  gun  was  dismounted,  two-thirds 
of  her  crew  killed  or  wounded,  and  the  ship 
so  badly  cut  up  aloft  as  to  be  unmanageable." 
In  this  critical  situation.  Perry  took  his  fight- 
ing flag  under  his  arm  and  passed  in  a  row 
boat,  accompanied  by  his  brother  and  four 
men,  to  the  "  Niagara,"  which  was  making 
an  effort  to  gain  the  head  of  the  enemy's  line. 
The  British  felt  sure  that  the  day  was  their's 
and  sent  up  a  cheer. 

On  boarding  the  "  Niagara,"  Perry,  who 
had  stood  erect  in  the  boat  the  whole  way, 
was  met  cordiall)^  by  Elliott,  in  command  of 
the  vessel,  who  offered  and  was  ordered  to 
bring  the  gunboats  into  close  action,  while 
the  former  assumed  command  of  the  vessel. 
The  gunboats  being  well  up,  and  the  "  Cale- 
donia."  in  good  position,  the  signal  to  break 
through  the  British  line  was  shown  from  the 
"Niagara"  at  2:45  in  the  afternoon.  The 
fire  of  the  "Niagara"  was  reserved  until  she 
got  abreast  of  the  "  Detroit,"  when  she  poured 
her  starboard  at  pistol  shot  into  that  vessel  and 
the  ■'  Qiieen  Charlotte,"  while  with  the 
port  broadside  she  sent  a  storm  of  ball  into 
the  "  Lady  Provost  "  and  '■  Chippewa."  The 
"  Caledonia  "  and  the  gunboats  followed 
close  behind,  dealing  death  on  both  sides,  and 
the  "  Detroit  "  having  fouled  with  the  "  Queen 
Charlotte,"  neither  vessel  was  able  to  reply. 
After   passing    through    the    British    line,  the 


"Niagara"  rounded  to  under  their  lee,  and 
sent  one  broadside  after  another  into  the  en- 
tangled vessels,  causing  such  fearful  damage 
that  in  fifteen  minutes  from  the  time  she  bore 
up  a  white  handkerchief  was  waved  from  the 
"  Qiieen  Charlotte"  as  a  symbol  of  submis- 
sion, shortly  succeeded  by  one  from  the  "  De- 
troit." The  firing  ceased  almost  instantly, 
after  a  struggle  of  almost  three  hours'  dura- 
tion. Two  of  the  smaller  British  vessels  un- 
dertook to  escape,  but  were  brought  back  by 
the  "  Scorpion"  and  "  Trippe." 

PEUKV'S     FAMOUS    DISPATCH. 

When  the  smoke  of  battle  cleared  away, 
the  two  squaihons  were  found  to  be  inter- 
mingled, with  the  exception  of  the  shattered 
■•  Lawrence,"  which  was  drifting  with  the 
wind  some  distance  to  the  eastward.  As  the 
shout  of  victory  went  up,  her  flag,  which  had 
been  struck  after  Perry  left,  was  again  hoisted 
to  the  masthead  by  the  remaining  few  of  her 
crew  who  were  able  to  witness  the  triumph  of 
their  comrades.  Perry  sat  down  as  soon  as 
the  firing  had  ceased  and  wrote  on  the  back  of 
an  old  letter  this  modest  and  memorable  epis- 
tle to  (jen.  Harrison  : 

United  States  Steamship  Niagara, 

September  10,  4  p.  M. 
Dear  General  :  We  have  met  the  enemy  and 
thej'  are  ours  ;  two  ships,  two  brig^s,  one  schooner, 
and  one  sloop. 

Yours  with  great  respect  and  esteem, 
O.  H.   Perrv. 

To  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  he  messaged  : 
'■  It  has  pleased  the  Almighty  (o  give  to  the 
LTnited  States  a  signal  victory  on  this  lake," 
detailing  the  number  of  captured  vessels. 
These  brief  dispatches  were  forwarded  by 
schooner  to  Gen.  Harrison,  then  at  the  mouth 
of  Portage  river,  distant  some  twelve  miles. 

Taking  all  the  circumstances  into  consid- 
eration, the  victory  of  Perry  was  one  of  the 
proudest  in  naval  annals.  The  Americans 
had  the  most  vessels,  but  the  British  had  the 
superiority  in  guns,  their  number  being  sixty- 
three  to  our  fifty-four.  The  men  engaged 
were  about  equal  in  number,  but  the  British 
marines  were  \eterans  while  ours  were  chieflv 
raw  volunteers. 

The  captured  squadron  consisted  of  tiie 
"  Detroit,"  "  Qiieen  Charlotte,"  "Lady  Pro- 
vost," "  Chippewa,"  "  Hunter'"  and  "  Little 
Belt."     Their  killed   were   fortv-one  and  the 


136 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


wounded  ninety-four,  being  more  than  one  in 
four  of  the  men  engaged.  The  casualties  on 
the  American  side  were  twenty-seven  killed 
and  ninety-six  wounded,  of  whom  two-thirds 
belonged  to  the  crew  of  the  "  Lawrence." 

.\FTEIt     THE     VICTOHV. 

The  badlv  wounded  were  put  on  board  tlie 
"  Lawrence,"  wliich  had  been  sufficiently  re- 
paired for  the  purpose,  and  brought  to  Erie, 
reaching  port  on  the  28d,  thirteen  days  after 
tlie  battle.  The  citizens  of  Erie  vied  with 
each  other  in  showing  tiieni  everv  attention, 
no  (liscriniiiiat ion  being  made  between  friend 
and  foe. 

The  Americans  being  now  in  absolute  con- 
trol of  the  lake,  Perry  and  Harrison  com- 
menced instant  preparations  to  retrieve  the 
disasters  to  our  cause  on  the  frontier.  Harri- 
son's army,  which  had  received  large  acces- 
sions of  volunteers,  was  mainly  transported 
on  the  serviceable  vessels  of  the  two  fleets  to 
the  Canadian  shore  near  the  head  of  the  lake. 
The  British  al)andoned  Maiden,  retreating  up 
the  Detroit  river,  followed  by  our  army  and 
squadron.  At  Sandwich,  after  finding  he 
could  be  of  no  direct  service  on  the  water, 
Perry  volunteered  as  an  aide  to  Harrison.  The 
battle  of  the  Thames,  the  defeat  of  Proctor 
and  the  death  of  Tecumseh  followed,  wiping 
out  all  armed  resistance  in  that  quarter  and 
leaving  the  western  part  of  Canada  in  the 
(juiet  possession  of  the  Americans. 

Taking  Harrison  and  his  staff,  who  had 
been  ordered  to  Fort  George,  on  board  the 
"Ariel,"  Perry  sailed  for  Erie,  where  the 
"Niagara"  was  ordered  to  meet  him.  At 
Put-in-Bay  the  captured  British  naval  com- 
mander, Barclay,  and  his  attending  surgeon 
were  invited  to  join  the  party,  and  willingly 
accepted.  The  "  Ariel,"  with  her  distin- 
guished passengers,  arrived  at  Erie  on  the 
morning  of  tile  l'lM  of  October.  As  the  ves- 
sel appeared  otT  the  point  of  the  peninsula, 
two  field  pieces  greeted  her  with  a  national 
salute.  A  large  delegation  of  citizens  met 
Perry  at  the  foot  of  French  street,  escorted 
him  and  his  party  to  "  Duncan's  Hotel"  and 
almost  smothered  him  with  congratulations. 
In  the  e\ening,  the  town  was  illuminated  and 
a  torchlight  procession  paraded  the  streets. 
Perrv  had  requested  that  no  noise  or  display 
should  be  made  near  the  hotel  to  annoy  the 
wounded  Commodore,  a  desire  that  was  cour- 


teously complied  with.  The  "  Niagara  '"  ar- 
rived at  Erie  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  as 
the  "Ariel."  The  forenoon  of  the  2ikl  Perry 
employed  in  a  visit  to  the  "Lawrence,"  which 
lay  at  anchor  in  Misery  bay,  and  in  the  after- 
noon he  saileil  for  Buffalo,  accompanied  by 
Harrison  and  Barclav.  Reaching  that  place 
on  the  :?4tli,  he  turneil  o\  er  the  connnand  on 
the  Up])er  Lakes  to  Elliott,  and  journeyed  east- 
ward by  land  "  amid  a  blaze  of  rejoicing." 
He  never  returned  to  Erie.  While  in  charge 
of  the  squadron  in  the  West  Indies  he  was  at- 
tacked by  yellow  fever,  and  died  in  llSl'.t,  on 
the  anniversary  of  his  birthday  (.\ugust  23), 
at  the  early  age  of  thirty-four. 

WINTER    OF    11S18-14. 

The  season  being  well  advanced,  Elliott 
ordered  the  vessels  into  winter  (juarters — the 
"  Ariel  "  and  "  Chippewa  "  going  to  Buffalo, 
where  they  were  driven  ashore  and  went  to 
pieces;  the  "  Trippe  '  and  "  Little  Belt  "  to 
Black  Rock,  wfTere  they  were  "Burned  by  the 
British  when  they  crossed  over  to  Buflalo, 
and  the  balance  of  the  squadron  to  Erie. 

On  the  iJUth  of  December  word  reached 
Erie  that  an  army  of  British  and  Indians  had 
landed  at  Black  Rock,  forced  our  army  to  re- 
treat, burned  the  villages  of  Black  Rock  and 
Buffalo,  captured  and  destroyed  the  govern- 
ment vessels,  and,  flushed  with  triumph,  were 
advancing  up  the  lake  for  the  purpose  of  cap- 
turing Erie.  A  defensive  force  of  4,000 
State  militia  was  collected.  Though  the 
rumor  of  a  British  advance  pr<)ved  talse,  a 
considerable  body  of  troops  was  kept  at  Erie 
during  the  winter.  The  principal  camp  was 
just  north  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church, 
where  the  ground  was  covered  with  low  log 
barracks,  most  of  which  burned  down  soon 
after  they  were  abandoned. 

A  duel,  growing  out  of  the  frequent  dis- 
putes over  the  respective  merits  of  Elliott  and 
Perry,  took  place  during  the  winter  near  the 
corner  of  Third  and  Sassafrass  streets,  be- 
tween Midshipman  Senat,  who  commanded 
the  "  Porcupine  "  during  the  fight,  and  Acting 
Master  McDonald,  resulting  in  the  death  of 
the  former.  The  unfortunate  man  was  en- 
gaged to  an  Erie  lady  at  the  time. 

CAMPAICN    OF    1814. 

As  soon  as  the  ice  was  out  of  the  lake, 
Elliott  sent  Dobbins  on  a  cruise  between  Erie 


^>i^^  JL> 


'T^L   ^- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


137 


and  Long  Point,  to  obtain  information  of 
the  enemy's  movements  and  intercept  any 
supplies  tliat  iiiifrht  be  going  by  water. 

In  April  Elliott  was  ordered  to  Lake  On- 
tario, being  succeeded  by  Capt.  Arthur  Sin- 
clair. An  expedition  against  Mackinaw  was 
planned.  The  "  Lawrence  '"  and  "  Niagara  "" 
were  rendered  seaworthy,  the  "  Detroit  and 
"  Qiieen  Charlotte"  were  brought  from  Put- 
in-Bay to  Erie,  and  the  squadron  sailed  for 
the  upper  lakes  on  the  25th  of  June.  Their 
attack  was  repulsed  and  the  expedition  re- 
turned to  Erie,  with  the  exception  of  the 
"Scorpion"  and  "  Tigress."  These  vessels 
were  surprised  and  captured  at  the  lower  end 
of  Lake  Huron,  by  a  body  of  British  and  In- 
dians, who  boarded  them  in  boats  at  night. 
Sinclair  left  the  •' Lawrence  "'  at  Erie,  and 
with  the  balance  of  the  squadron  conveyed  a 
portion  of  the  troops  to  Buffalo.  Remaining 
there  a  few  days,  he  came  back  to  Erie,  leav- 
ing the  "  Somer  s  "  and  "Ohio,"  from  which 
Dobbins  had  been  detached,  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  lake.  Shorth'  afterward,  these  vessels, 
while  lying  at  anchor  at  Fort  Erie,  were 
boarded  at  night,  and  captured  by  a  British 
party,  making  six  that  were  destroyed  by  the 
enemy  after  the  battle. 

DISPOS.XL    OF    THE    VESSELS. 

In  1815,  orders  were  issued  to  dispose  of 
the  vessels  to  the  best  advantage.  The 
"Lawrence,"  "  Detroit"  and  "Queen  Char- 
lotte "  were  sunk  for  preservation  in  Misery 
bay  ;  the  '•  Caledonia  "  and  "  Lady  Provost" 
were  sold  and  converted  into  merchant  ves- 
sels;  the  "  Porcupine"  was  transferred  to  the 
revenue  service,  and  the  "  Niagara"  was  kept 
afloat  as  a  receiving  ship  for  some  years  when 
she  was  beached  on  the  northeast  side  of  Misery 
bay. 

At  the  auction  of  government  property, 
upon  the  breaking  up  of  the  naval  station, 
June  12,  182(),  the  "  Lawrence,"  "  Detroit," 
"Niagara"  and  "  Qiieen  Ciiarlotte  ""  were 
purchased  by  a  Mr.  Brown,  of  Rochester,  who 
re-sold  them  in  183()  to  Capt.  tjeorge  Miles 
and  others.  They  raised  some  of  the  vessels, 
intending  to  tit  them  up  for  the  merchant  serv- 
ice. The  "Detroit"  and  "  (^ueen  Char- 
lotte "  were  found  in  tolerable  condition,  but 
the  "  Lawrence  "  being  so  badlv  riddled  that 
she  was  not  worth  repairing,  was  again  allow- 
ed to  sink  in  the  waters  of  the  bav.  After 
10 


some  years  of  duty,  the  "Detroit"  was  dis- 
mantled and  sent  adrift  to  go  over  Niagara 
Falls  as  a  spectacle.  Capt.  Miles  transferred 
his  interest  in  the  "  Lawrence''  and  "  Niag- 
ara "  to  Leander  Dobbins  in  1857,  who  in 
turn  disposed  of  the  vessel  in  1875  to  John 
Dunlap  and  Thomas  J.  Viers.  In  the  spring 
of  1876,  the  latter  had  her  raised,  cut  in  two 
and  transported  on  cars  to  Philadelphia  for 
exhibition  at  the  Centennial.  The  people, 
however,  would  not  believe  that  a  vessel  no 
larger  than  a  modern  canal  boat  was  the  fain- 
ous  "  Lawrence."  The  show  proved  a  dis- 
astrous financial  failure,  and  the  old  hulk 
was  finally  purchased  by  a  firm  who  expected 
to  realize  something  by  converting  it  into 
relics.  The  "Niagara"  was  never  removed 
from  the  place  where  she  was  beached.  [See 
Chapter  XVL] 

The  bell  of  the  "  Qjiieen  Charlotte  "  was 
bought  at  auction  by  Rufus  S.  Reed,  and  pre- 
sented to  the  borough  of  Erie.  It  hung  in  the 
court  house  that  stood  in  the  park  till  the 
building  was  torn  down,  when  it  passed  into 
various  hands,  and  was  used  for  a  period  as  a 
fire  alarm.  On  one  occasion  it  was  rung  so 
violently  that  it  became  cracked.  It  then  fell 
into  disuse  and  was  lost  sight  of  until  1898, 
when  it  became  the  property  of  the  city,  and 
is  now  suspended  in  the  main  corridor  of  the 
city  hall. 

ERIE    COl'NTY      SOLDIERS      AND    OFFICERS. 

The  following  is  a  partial  list  of  officers 
from  Erie  county,  who  participated  in  the 
war  : 

Q_uartermaster  General,  Wilson  Smith, 
1812-1-1.  Major  General,  Sixteenth  Division 
— John  Phillips,  1814.  Brigadier  General, 
First  Brigade,  Sixteenth  Division —  John 
Kelso,  1812-14:  Henry  Hurst,  1814.  Pay- 
master, Joiin  Phillips.  1812-13.  Major  and 
Lieutenant  Colonel,  Dr.  John  C.  Wallace. 
Commissaries,  Rufus  S.  Reed.  Stephen  Wol- 
verton.      Sergeant  Major,  Henry  Colt. 

The  members  of  Capt.  Thomas  Forster's 
company  of  '•  Erie  Light  Infantry,"  who  spent 
the  winter  of  1812  at  Buffalo,  were  as  follows  : 
First  Lieutenant,  Thomas  Rees ;  Ensign, 
Thomas  Stewart ;  First  Sergeant,  Thomas 
Wilkins;  Second  Sergeant,  John  Hay;  Drum- 
mer, Ira  Glazier;  Fifer,  Rufus  Clough  ;  Pri- 
vates— Archibald  McSparren,  George  Kellev, 
John  Sloan,  William   Murray,    Jonas  Duncan, 


'3S 


NELSOIfS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


John  Clough,  John  Woodside,  William  Dun- 
can, John  Eakcns,  (icorge  S.  Russell,  John 
E.  Lapslev,  Peter  Grawosz,  Jacob  Carniack, 
William  Henderson,  Robert  Irwin,  Ebenezer 
Dwinnell,  Samuel  Hays,  Thomas  Laird,  John 
W.  Bell,  Robert  McDonald,  Thomas  Hughes, 
Robert  Brown,  John  Morris,  George  Buehler, 
William  Lattimore,  James  E.  Herron,  Simeon 
Dunn,  Adam  Arbuckle,  Stephen  ^^'olverton, 
Francis  Scott,  Thomas  \'ance. 

Among  those  who  came  to  Erie  as  ship- 
builders and  became  permanent  residents  of 
the  town  were  John  Justice,  John  Rich- 
ards and  Jeremiah  Osborne. 

IITUKF,    MEN     KILLED     AS    DESERTERS. 

Among  the  State  militia  who  came  on  to 
defend  Erie  was  James  Bird,  a  young  man 
from  Center  county.    He  volunteered  for  serv- 


ice in  Perry's  fleet  and  fought  gallantly  on 
the   '"Lawrence,"   receiving  a   severe   wound. 

In  the  spring  of  1814,  a  warehouse  having 
been  fitted  up  at  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek, 
Bird  was  one  of  the  guard  assigned  for  its 
protection.  He  and  John  Rankin,  anotiier 
marine,  took  advantage  of  tlie  opportunity  to 
desert.  They  were  recognized  shortly  after 
at  a  tavern  in  Mercer  county,  brought  back  to 
Erie,  tried  by  .court  martial,  and  condemned 
to  death.  A  sailor  named  John  Davis,  who 
had  deserted  several  times,  was  tried  and  sen- 
tenced with  them  to  the  same  fate. 

Their  execution  took  place  in  October, 
1814,  on  board  the  '•  Niagara,"  lying  at  anchor 
in  Misery  bay.  Bird  and  Rankin  being  shot, 
and  Davis  hung  at  the  yard  arm.  The  bodies 
were  interred  on  the  sand  beacli,  east  of  the 
mouth  of   Mill  creek. 


CHAPTKR    XVIII. 


Religious  Denominations — Church  Buildings — Sunday-Schools — Old  Graveyards 
— Cemeteries,  Etc. —  [See  Chapters  VIII  and  IX  Erie  City;  also  Corry,  Borough 
and  Township  Chapters.] 


THE  Catholic  priests  who  accompanied 
the  French  to  this  section  in  1753 
caused  a  small  log  chapel  to  be  erected 
at  Fort  Presque  Isle,  and  another 
within  the  walls  of  Fort  LeBffuf,  at 
Waterford,  in  whicji  the  solemn  rites  of  the 
mother  church  were  regularly  administered 
until  the  departure  of  the  invading  forces  in 
1759.  As  far  as  any  record  exists,  these  were 
the  only  religious  services  held  within  the 
bounds  of  Erie  county  previous  to  the  year 
1797. 

The  first  Protestant  exercises  of  which 
there  is  any  account  took  place  at  Colt's  Sta- 
tion, in  Greenfield  township,  on  Sundaj^  the 
:^d  of  July,  1797.  About  thirty  persons  assem- 
bled in  response  to  a  general  invitation.  No 
minister  was  located  witliin  the  bounds  of  the 
county,  and  the  services  were  led  by  Judali 
Colt,  founder  of  the  settlement. 


the      PliESBVPKRIANS      FIRST     IX     THE      FIELD. 

In  1799  a  tour  was  made  through  this  sec- 
tion by  Revs.  McCurdy  and  Stockton,  two 
missionaries  who  were  sent  out  by  the  Ohio 
and  Redstone  Presbyteries.  They  visited 
Erie,  Waterford  and  North  East,  and  preached 
at  each  place.  A  period  of  two  years  ensued 
before  the  colonists  were  favored  with  an- 
other ministerial  visitation,  when  Mr.  Mc- 
Curdy was  again  sent  forth,  assisted  by  Revs. 
Satterfield,  'I'ate  and  Boyd,  all  of  the  Presby- 
teries above  named.  The  first  two  reached 
Middlebrook,  in  \'eiiango  township,  in  Au- 
gust, 1,S()1.  and  preached  in  a  chopjiing  tiiat 
had  been  prejiared  for  llie  purpose  on  tiic  bank 
of  Frencii  creek. 

The  efforts  of  the  two  ministers  met  with 
such  favor  that  it  was  resolved  upon  the  spot 
that  a  meeting  house  should  be  put  up  within 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


•39 


the  ensuing  week.  On  the  next  Thursday  the 
population  for  miles  around  gathered  at  the 
site  that  had  been  chosen,  and  bv  night  had  a 
rough  log  building  under  roof,  the  first  house 
for  Protestant  worship  erected  in  Erie  countv. 
This  structure  was  succeeded  by  another  and 
better  one  in  180:2,  known  to  e\ery  old  settler 
as  the  Middlebrook  Church.  From  Middle- 
brook,  after  organizing  a  congregation  of 
eighteen  members,  Messrs.  McCurdv  and  Sat- 
terfield  continued  their  journey  to  Colt's  Sta- 
tion and  North  East,  where  they  were  joined 
by  Messrs.  Tate  and  Boyd.  At  the  latter 
place  these  four  participated  in  the  first  sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Supper  ever  administered 
in  Erie  county,  according  to  I'rolestant  forms, 
on  the  27th  of  September,  ISO].  An  audi- 
ence of  about  300  had  assembled,  of  whom 
some  forty  sat  down  to  the  tables.  A  congre- 
gation witii  the  title  of  "  The  Churches  of 
Upper  and  Lower  Greenfield"  was  organized 
at  the  same  time. 

The  Erie  Presbytery  was  established  on 
the  2d  of  October,  I80L  including  the  terri- 
tory between  the  Ohio  and  Allegheny  rivers 
and  Lake  Erie,  extending  some  distance  also 
west  of  the  Ohio  line.  The  Presbytery  first 
met  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Beaver  county,  on  the 
13th  of  April,  1802,  seven  ministers  only  be- 
ing in  attendance.  Supplications  were  filed 
from  Upper  and  Lower  Greenfield,  Middle- 
brook  and  Prescjue  Isle.  Revs.  McCurdy, 
Satterfield  and  AlcPherriu  were  chosen  mis- 
sionaries. 

FIKST    REGULAIi     PU  E.VCIIERS. 

Rev.  Robert  Patterson,  who  had  accepted 
a  call  from  "  The  Churches  of  Upper  and 
Lower  Greenfield,"  was  receised  by  the  Pres- 
bytery on  the  30th  of  September.  1802.  He 
returned  to  North  East,  and  entered  upon  his 
pastoral  work  on  the  31st  of  December.  A 
log  church  was  built  at  North  East  in  1804, 
on  the  knoll  now  occupied  by  the  cemetery  of 
that  borough.  Mr.  Patterson  preached  at 
Springfield  during  that  year,  and  organized  a 
preacliing  point  there.  The  first  cliurch  in 
the  latter  township  was  built  in  1804  on  the 
site  of  the  cemetery  at  East  Springfield. 

Rev.  Johnson  Eaton  came  on  from  the 
southern  part  of  the  State  in  April,  1805,  and 
preached  for  some  time  at  the  mouth  of  Wal- 
nut creek  and  in  Springfield.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year   he  went    back  to   his  home,  return- 


ing in  1806  with  a  bride,  and  settling  perman- 
ently in  Fairview  township.  He  had  the 
whole  county  for  his  field,  but  gave  special 
attention  to  the  people  at  Fairview  and  Spring- 
field. In  1807  he  succeeded  Mr.  Patterson  at 
North  East,  and  he  also  held  occasional  serv- 
ices for  several  years  at  Colt's  Station,  Mid- 
dlebrook, Waterford  and  Erie.  A  church  was 
built  at  the  mouth  of  Walnut  creek  in  1810. 
During  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  Mr.  Eaton 
gave  his  services  to  the  go\ernment  as  a  chap- 
lain, besides  ministering  to  his  congregation 
with  as  much  regularity  as  the  unsettled  con- 
dition of  the  time  would  allow.  By  1810,  the 
population  of  Erie  had  increased  sufHciently 
to  enable  an  arrangement  to  be  made  by  which 
he  gave  one-third  of  his  time  to  the  congrega- 
tion there,  which  had  been  organized  by  him 
September  15,  1815.  He  continued  as  pastor 
of  the  Erie  congregation  until  1823,  and  of  the 
Fairview  church  until  his  death,  on  the  17th 
of  June,  1847. 

In  1808,  supplies  were  granted  by  the  Pres- 
bytery to  "  Upper  Greenfield,  Middlebrook, 
Waterford  and  Erietown,"  and  in  1809  it  was 
reported  to  that  body  that  none  of  these  places 
could  support  a  pastor. 

No  regular  preaching  of  any  kind  was  had 
at  Erie  until  Mr.  Eaton  was  called  to  give  one- 
third  of  his  time,  as  before  stated. 

The  Presbyterian  congregation  at  Water- 
ford was  organized  in  ISOU,  and  that  at  L^nion 
in  1811,  being  the  first  in  those  places. 
Rev.  John  Matthews  was  settled  as  pastor 
of  the  Waterford  congregation  October  17, 
1810.  The  Union  congregation  did  not  put 
up  a  building  till  1831,  and  that  of  Waterford 
till  1834.  In  1817,  Rev.  Mr.  Camp  was  em- 
ployed as  a  missionarj'  to  supply  the  churches 
unable  to  support  a  pastoi'.  and  served  in  that 
capacity-  for  two  years.  The  minutes  of  the 
Presbytery  in  1820  show  congregations  at 
Springfield.  North  East,  Waterford,  Middle- 
brook, Union.  Fairview  and  Erie. 

THE     METHODIST    EPISCOPALIAN'S. 

Occasional  services  were  held  bj-  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  an  early 
date  in  various  portions  of  the  county,  but 
principally  in  the  western  and  southwestern 
townships.  The  first  of  which  there  is  any 
positive  knowledge  was  led  by  Rev.  Joseph 
Bowen.  a  local  preacher,  at  the  house  of  Mrs. 
!Mershon,    near  \\'est    Springfield,  in    Septem- 


I40 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


ber,  1800.  A  class  was  orfranized  near  Lex- 
ington, in  Conneaut  township,  in  1801,  and 
the  same  year  a  iifrcat  revival  was  held  at 
Ash's  Corners,  Washinijton  township.  The 
first  church  building  was  erected  in  1S04, 
about  a  mile  south  of  West  Springfield.  The 
first  quarterly  meeting  was  held  in  that  church 
in  July,  1810.  Meetings  of  the  denomination 
in  Erie  were  held  by  circuit  preachers,  at  long 
intervals,  commencing  in  1801.  Worship 
took  place  in  the  winter  of  1810-11,  in  a 
tavern  on  the  west  side  of  French  street,  be- 
tween Sixth  and  Seventh.  A  congregation 
would  seem  to  have  been  partially  established 
soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  century,  but 
was  probably  unable  to  support  a  pastor  until 
1820,  at  which  period  the  First  Church  of 
Erie  city  dates  its  organization.  The  earliest 
of  the  other  congregations  in  the  county  were 
those  at  Mill  \'inagc,  organized  in  1810  ;  North 
East,  in  1812;  Fair  Haven,  Girard  township, 
1815;  Girard  Ijorough,  1815;  Waterford  bor- 
ough, 181(');  Ihiion  City  and  Fairview,  1817; 
Middleboro,  1>S19;  Northville,  1820;  Watts- 
burg,  1827;   Wesleyville,  1828. 

Ol'IIKR    I'liOTKSTANT   DKNOMIN ATIOXS. 

Rev.  Robert  Reid,  a  minister  of  the  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  Presbyterian  Ciiurch,  gathered 
a  congregation  in  Erie  in  1811,  which  was  the 
first  regularly  organized  religious  body  in  the 
city.  Services  were  held  in  a  school-house 
until  181G,  when  a  church  building  was 
erected,  eight  years  in  advance  of  that  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  congregation.  These  two 
were  the  sole  religious  organizations  in  the  j 
city  in  1820.  A  second  society' was  organized  \ 
by  Mr.  Reid  at  Waterford"  in  1812.  three 
years  after  the  I'ri'sbvterian  body  of  that 
place. 

In  the  year  1815  or  '10,  Rev.  Charles  Col- 
son,  a  Lutheran  minister  from  Germany,  or- 
ganized four  congregations  of  that  church, 
one  each  at  Meadville,  French  Creek,  Con- 
neaut and  Erie.  Tiie  Erie  society  died  out 
very  soon,  and  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
revived  until  ni.iny  years  later.  Tiie  earliest 
Lutheran  church  in  Erie  city  was  built  in 
1830. 

No  organization  of  the  Episcopalians  was 
effected  till  March  17,  1827,  when  a  number 
of  persons  withdrew  from  the  Presbyterian 
cburch  of  Erie  and  became  united  as  St.  Paul's 
Episcopal  congregation.     Rev.  Charles  Smith 


came  on  from  Philadelphia  and  assumed 
charge  as  rector.  Services  were  held  in  tiie 
court-house  till  a  building  \\as  completed  in 
November,  1832.  The  Waterforil  society 
was  organized  the  same  year  as  the  one  at 
Erie. 

The  first  building  of  the  Christian  denom- 
ination was  erected  at  East  Springfii'ld  in 
1820,  and  the  second  in  Fairview  townshi])  in 
1885. 

The  Lake  ICric  I 'niversalist  Association 
was  organized  in  Wellshurg  in  1839,  where  a 
church  had  been  established  the  preceding  year. 
The  ICrie  churcii  was  not  organized  until 
1844. 

The  earliest  Baptist  congregation  was  in 
Harbor  Creek  township  in  1822.  This  was 
followed  by  societies  in  Erie  in  1831,  and  in 
North  East  and  Waterford  townships  in  1832. 

The  other  Protestant  denominations  exist- 
ing in  the  county  are  comparatively  new  and 
will  be  referred  to  in  their  proper  connection. 

THE     l;OM.\N     C.'VrllOI.ICS. 

The  Roman  Catholics  had  no  organization 
in  the  county  initil  1883,  when  a  church  was 
erected  in  the  northern  partofMcKean  town- 
ship, and  occupit'd  until  the  new  one  was  put 
up  in  Middleboro.  St.  Mary's  and  St.  Pat- 
rick's congregations  in  Erie  d:\W  from  1833 
and  1837  respectively.  The  Catholics  now 
number  more  communicants  than  any  single 
denomination  in  the  county.  Their  Cathedral 
church,  at  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  Sassafras 
streets,  in  Erie,  is  the  most  extensive,  costly 
and  handsome  religious  edifice  in  this  part  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  corner-stone  was  laid 
August  1,  1875,  and  the  building  was  dedi- 
cated August  2,  1.S03,  haying  been  eighteen 
years  in  process  of  erection,  after  the  founda- 
tion walls  had  been  laid. 

The  Erie  Diocese  comprises  the  counties  of 
Erie,  Crawford,  Mercer,  Venango,  Forest, 
Clarion,  Jefferson,  Clearfield,  Cameron,  Elk, 
McKean,  Potter  and  Warren.  It  was  estab- 
lished in  1<S53,  Rt.  Rev.  Michael  O'Connor 
being  the  first  bishop.  He  was  transferred 
from  Pittsburg  in  1853,  and  re-transferred  in 
1854.  His  successor,  Rt.  Rev.  J.  M.  Young, 
was  consecrated  April  28,  1854,  and  died 
September  18,  1800.  Rt.  Rev.  T.  Mullen, 
present  bishop,  was  consecrated  August  2, 
1808.  The  vicar-generals  have  been  the 
Yeyy     Revs.     John    1).     Coady,   Thomas  A. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


141 


Casey  and  Peter  J.  Sheridan,  the  latter  being 
the  present  incumbent. 

Tlie  information  given  below,  in  regard  to 
tlie  affairs  of  the  churcii  in  Eric  county,  is 
from  the  Catholic  Directory  for  181)5  : 

Coil irrcga/i oils  in  Eric  Coiintv  Outside  of 
Erie  City. — Albion, attended  from  Conneaut- 
ville ;  Concord,  attended  from  Union  City ; 
Corry — St.  Thomas'  Church,  Rev.  Thomas 
Lonergan,  rector.  Rev.  Patrick  McGovern, 
assistant ;  St.  Elizabeth's,  Rev.  E.  Franck, 
rector;  Elgin,  attended  from  Union  City; 
Girard — St.  John's  Church,  attended  from 
North  East;  Ilamot — St.  Boniface  Church, 
Rev.  S.  Assenmacher  :  Jackson's — St.  ^lat- 
thew's,  attended  from  ^liddleboro ;  Middle- 
boro — St.  Francis  Xavier's  Church,  Rev. 
Francis  Aaron  ;  Mill  Village,  attended  from 
Union  City ;  North  East,  St.  Gregory's 
Church,  Rev.  F.  Briody ;  Union  City — St. 
Teresa's  Church,  Rev.  David  Hanlev;  Water- 
ford — St.  Cyprian's  Church,  attended  from 
Union  City.  [.See  Erie,  for  a  list  of  the  citv 
churches.] 

Religious  Commutiities  and  Convents. — 
Erie — Benedictine  Monks,  St.  Mary's  Priory; 
Benedictine  Nuns,  St.  Benedict's  Convent; 
Sisters  of  St.  Joseph,  St.  Joseph's  Convent ; 
North  East — Redemptorist  Fathers'  Convent, 
dedicated  to  Blessed  Gerard,  and  attached  to 
St.  Mary's  College ;  Union  City — Sisters  of 
St.  Joseph,  St.  Teresa's  Convent. 

Hospitals,  Asvliims,  Etc. — Erie — St.  Jo- 
seph's Orphan  Asylum,  St.  Vincent's  Hos- 
pital, Old  Folks'  Home. 

Colleges  and  Academies. — Erie — Villa  Ma- 
ria Academy,  St.  Benedict's  Academy,  St. 
Joseph's  Academy  ;  Corry — St.  Thomas' 
Academy  :  North  East — St.  Mary's  College  ; 
Union  City — St.  Teresa's  Academy. 

Parochial  Schools. — Erie — St.  Patrick's, 
children,  400  ;  St.  John's,  200  ;  St.  Jo.seph's, 
380;  St.  Mary's,  6CK) ;  St.  Michael's,  175;  St. 
Stanislaus',  800;  total.  2,055;  Hamot— St. 
Boniface's,  SO  ;  Corry— St.  Thomas'  800  ;  St. 
Elizabeth's,  55;  Union  City— St.  Teresa's,  70. 
Total  attendance  of  parochial  schools  in  the 
county,  2,5(50. 

Church  Mcmbcrshifi,  d-c,  in  the  Eric  Dio- 
cese.— Bishop,  1 ;  priests,  83  ;  ecclesiastical  stu- 
dents, 16;  churches,  102;  chapels,  11;  sta- 
tions visited,  10;  colleges,  11;  convents,  17; 
academies  or  select  schools,  8(5;  children  at- 
tending   parochial     .schools,    (5,417;     orphan 


asylum,  1;  orphans  cared  for,  1G4;  hospitals, 
2 ;  other  charitable  institutions,  1  ;  Catholic 
population,  (55,000. 

CO.\GKEG.\TIO.\S    IN     1880. 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  various  congregations 
in  the  county  in  1880.  with  the  year  each  one 
is  supposed  to  have  been  organized.  Any  ad- 
ditions that  have  been  made  since  that  year, 
or  any  errors  in  dates,  &c.,  will  be  noted  in 
the  citv,  borough  and  township  sketches: 

Presbyterian  (19).— Belle  Valley,  1841; 
Beaver  Dam.  \Va3-ne  township,  about  182(3; 
Central  Church,  Erie,  1871  ;  Chestnut  street. 
Erie,  1873;  Corry,  18(54;  East  Springfield, 
1804;  Edinboro,  1829;  Fairview  borough, 
1845;  First  Church,  Erie,  1815;  Girard  bor- 
ough, 1835;  Harbor  Creek,  1832;  Mill  Vil- 
lage. 1870;  North  East  borough,  1801;  Park 
Church,  Erie,  1855  ;  Union  City,  1811  ;  Water- 
ford  borough,  1809;  Wattsburg.  1826;  West- 
minster, Mill  Creek  township,  180(5-1851  ; 
Wales,  Greene  township,  1849.  The  Presby- 
terian Churches  of  Erie  count}-  are  within  the 
bounds  of  the  Synod  of  Pennsylvania  and  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Erie.  The  Synod  was  con- 
stituted in  1881,  and  embraces  the  four  old 
Synods  of  Philadelphia,  Harrisburg,  Erie  and 
Pittsburg.  The  Presbytery  embraces  Erie, 
Crawford,  Warren,  Venango  and  Mercer 
counties. 

United  Presbyterian  (6). — Beaver  Dam, 
Wayne  township,  1859;  First  Church,  Erie. 
1811;  Five  Points,  Summit  township,  1842; 
Mission  Church,  Erie,  1874;  Waterford  bor- 
ough, 1812;  Whiteford's  Corners,  Summit 
township,  187(5.  The  name  of  this  denomina- 
tion in  Erie  county  was  originally  the  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  Presbyterian  Church.  On  the 
26th  of  May,  1858,  the  Associated  Presbyterian 
and  the  Associate  Reformed  Presbyterian 
societies  of  the  Northern  States  consolidated 
under  the  name  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  churches  of  this  county  are  at- 
tached to  the  First  Synod  of  the  West  and  to 
the  Lake  Presbytery.  The  Synod  embraces 
all  of  the  churches  in  Pennsylvania  west  of 
the  Allegheny  and  portions  of  Ohio  and 
Michigan.  The  Presb^-tery  covers  Erie  and 
Crawford  counties,  a  portion  of  Mercer,  and 
a  small  part  of  Trumbull  county,  Ohio. 

Episcopal  (8). — Emanuel,"  Corry,  1864; 
Cross  and  Crown,  Erie,  18(57;  Miles  Grove, 
1862  ;   ^lission  of  the  Holy  Cross,  North  East, 


142 


NELSOST'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


1872;  St.  Paul's,  Erie,  1827;  St.  John's,  Erie, 
1867;  Uniod  City,  1875;  St.  Peter's,  Water- 
ford  borough,  1827.  The  churches  of  Erie 
county  are  embraced  in  the  Diocese  of  Pitts- 
burg. The  diocese  includes  all  of  Pennsyl- 
vania west  of  the  eastern  lines  of  Somerset, 
Cambria,  Clearfield,  Elk,  Cameron  and  Mc- 
Kean  counties.  The  Pittsburg  Diocese  was 
organized  November  lf5,  18(35,  on  which  date 
Rev.  John  B.  Kerfoot  was  elected  bishop. 
His  consecration  took  place  on  the  ensuing 
26th  of  January.  lie  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
Dr.  Cortland  Whitehead,  who  was  consecrated 
on  January  25,  1882,  and  remains  in  the  posi- 
tion. The  Erie  Deanerv  was  erected  on  the 
12th  ot  June,  1871. 

IhiitCii  Brclhrcn  (18). — Brancliville,  Mc- 
Kean  township,  about  1866;  Corry,  1864; 
Clark  settlement,  Harbor  Creek  township, 
1856  ;  Erie,  1878  ;  Elk  Creek  and  Girard  line, 
1870;  Elk  Creek  township,  1853 ;  Fairview 
township,  about  1857;  Greene  and  Venango 
line,    1871  ;   Macedonia,    Venango    township, 

;  New  Ireland,  LeRnnif  township,  1876; 

Shattuck's  Corners, Greenfield  township,  about 
1874;  Union  City,  1872;  Wayne  Valley, 
Wayne  township,  1870. 

Roman  Catholic  (Iti). — Albion,  prior  to 
1850;  St.  Mary's,  Erie,  1838;  St.  Patrick's, 
Erie,  1837;  St.  Josepii's,  Erie,  about  1853; 
St.  John's,  Erie,  1869;  St.  Andrew's,  Erie, 
1871;  St.  Thomas's,  Corry,  1860;  St.  Eliza- 
beth, Corry,  1875 ;  St.  John's,  Girard,  1853; 
St.  Boniface's,  Greene  townsiiip,  1857  ;  St. 
Peter's,  Greene  township,  1870;  St.  Mat- 
thew's, Summit  township,  1867;  St.  Francis 
Xavier's,  Middleboro,  1833;  St.  Gregory's, 
North  East,  1854;  St.  Theresa's,  Union  City, 
1857;  St.  Cyprian's,  Waterford  Station,  1878. 

Methodist  Episcopal  (55). — Albion,  prior 
to  1850;  Ash's  Corners,  Washington  town- 
ship, 1867;  Asbury,  Mill  Creek  township, 
1846;  Asbury,  Union  township,  1810;  Beaver 
Dam,  KS3,S;"Carter  Hill,  about  1S35 ;  Corry, 
18(52;  Cherry  Hill,  1858;  Concord  township, 
1879;  Cranesville,  about  1830;  Crane  road, 
Franklin  township,  1867;  East  Springfield, 
1825;  Edinboro,  1829;  Edenville,  LeBrouf 
township,  1839;  Elgin,  1854;  Eureka,  1867; 
First  Church.  Erie,  182(5;  Fair  Haven,  Girard 
township,  1815;  Fairplain,  Girard  township, 
1840;  Fairview  borough,  1817;  Franklin  Cor- 
ners, 186();  Gospel  Hill,  Harbor  Creek  town- 
ship, 1816;  Greenfield,  183(5;   Girard  borough, 


1815;  Harbor  Creek,  1834;  Hatch  Hollow, 
Amity  township,  prior  to  1835;  Hamlin, 
Summit  township,  1837;  Keepville,  about 
18(57;  Lowville,  1875;  Lockport,  1843  ;  Miles 
Grove,  1867:  McLane,  Washington  township, 
18(53;  Mill  Village,  prior  to  1810;  Mitldle- 
boro,  1819;  North  Corry,  1870;  North  East 
borough,  1812;  Northville,  about  1820  ;  Phil- 
lipsville.  prior  to  1848;  South  IIarb(u-  Creek, 
Harbor  Creek  township,  prior  to  1830;  Simp- 
son Church,  Erie,  1858;  Sterrettania,  1842; 
South  Hill,  McKean  township,  about 
1860;  Sharp's  Corners,  Waterford  township, 
1838;  Sherrod  Hill,  ;  Tower  school- 
house,  Venango  township, ;  Tenth  street, 

Erie,  1867;  Union  City,  1817:  ^Vaterford 
borough,  1814;  Wellsburg,  1833;  Waltsburg, 
1827;  West  Springfield,  1801  ;  Wales,  Greene 
township,  about  1850;  West  Greene,  1827; 
Wesleyville,  1828. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Churches  in  Erie 
county  are  attached  to  the  Erie  Conference, 
organized  in  1836,  the  bounds  of  which  extend 
on  the  west  to  the  Ohio  State  line,  on  the 
east  to  a  line  running  slightly  beyond  James- 
town, N.  Y.,  and  Ridgway,  Pa.,  and  on 
the  south  to  a  line  running  east  and  west  be- 
low New  Castle,  Pa.  The  conference  is  sub- 
divided into  si.\  Presiding  Elders'  districts, 
viz.  :  Erie,  Clarion,  Franklin,  Jamestown, 
Meadville  and  New  Castle.  The  Erie  Dis- 
trict includes  the  churches  of  Erie,  Mill 
Creek,  Fairview,  Girard,  Greene,  Greenfield, 
Harbor  Creek,  McKean,  North  East,  .Summit, 
Springfield,  Wesleyville  and  Waterford;  the 
Meadville  District  those  of  Albion,  ICdinboro, 
Lockport,  Mill  Village,  Union  and  Wattsburg; 
the  Jamestown  District  those  of  Corry. 

Univcrsalist  (5). — Corry,  1877;  Erie, 
1844  ;  Girard,  about  1850;  Wellsburg,  1838; 
West   Springfield,   1,S48. 

Kvaiiii'clical  Association  (6) . — Emanuel , 
Summit  townshi]),  about  1838;  Salem,  Fair- 
view  and  Mill  Creek  line,  1833;  Salem,  lirie, 
1883;  Mt.  Nabo,  Farview  borough,  1883; 
North  East  borough,  1870;  congregation  at 
Sterrettania. 

Gcrinaii  livaiii^dical  (1).  —  St.  Paul's, 
Erie,   1850. 

Lutheran  (10). — St.  John's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  and  Reformed,  Erie,  1835;  Ger- 
man iLvangelical  Lutheran  Trinity,  Erie,  1881  ; 
First  English  Evangelical  Lutheran,  Eric, 
1861  ;  Evangelical  Lutheran,  Giraril  borough. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


143 


186G  ;  Evangelical  Lutheran,  Fairview,  1856  ; 
St.  Paul's  German  Lutheran,  Mill  Creek 
township,  about  LS3() ;  St.  Paul's  German 
Evangelical,  North  East,  1864;  St.  Jacob's 
Evangelical  L'nited,  Fairview  township,  1852  ; 
Franklin  Township  Church,  1871  ;  German 
(Lutheran),  Corry,  about    1874. 

Baptist  (16).— Corry,  1868;  Edinboro, 
1838;  Franklin  and  Elk  Creek  line,  1866: 
First  Church,  Erie,  1831  :  German  Church, 
Erie,  1861  ;  Lowrey  settlement.  Harbor  Creek 
township,  1822;  McLane,  Washington  town- 
ship, 1838;  North  East,  1832;  Newman's 
Bridge,  Waterford  township,  1832  or  1833; 
Pageville,  188U ;  Second  Greenfield  Union 
Free-Will  Baptist,  Greenfield  township,  1881  ; 
Union  City,  185U ;  Waterford  and  Amity- 
line,  about'  1835;  West  Springfield,  1826"; 
Wattsburg,  1850;  Wellsburg,  IS?*.). 

Christian  (8). — Corry,  1864;  Draketown, 
1877;  East  Springfield,  1826  ;  Fairview  town- 
ship, 1835;  Girard  and  Franklin  line,  1872; 
Hare  Creek,  Wavne  township,  1877;  McLal- 
len's  Corners,  1828;  Oak  Hill,  Waterford 
township,  1854. 

Discip/c  (2).— Albion,  1880;  Lockport, 
1877. 

Con<j;rcgational. — Corrv,  1 874. 

i¥ei5rew.— Erie,   1858;' Corry,   about  1873. 

Advent — Edinboro,  1863. 

Weslcvan  Methodist  (3). — Concord  town- 
ship, 1840;  Erie,  1847;  Keepville,  1N54. 

African  Methodist  Episcopal. — Erie,  re- 
organized, 1877. 

Union. — Manross  Church,  LeBivuf  town- 
ship, erected  1869. 

[For  any  changes  or  corrections  in  above 
list,  see  the  City,  Borough  and  Township 
Chapters.] 

EAKLY    SUXUAV      StllOOI-S. 

The  first  Sunday-school  in  the  county  was 
founded  by  Rev.  ^Ir.  Morton  and  Col.  James 
Moorhead,  at  Moorheadville,  in  1817.  In 
1818,  Mrs.  Judah  Colt  returned  to  Erie  after 
a  visit  to  New  England,  where  schools  for  the 
religious  instruction  of  children  on  the  Sab- 
bath had  recently  been  introduced,  and,  by  the 
aid  of  Mrs.  R.  S.  Reed  and  Mrs.  Carr, 
established  a  class  for  girls,  wiiich  met  alter- 
nately at  the  houses  of  the  ladies  named. 
A  public  meeting  was  held  in  the  court  house 
on  the  25th  of  March,  1S21,  to  consider  the 
project   of    regularly    organizing  "  a   Sunday- 


school  and  Moral  Society."  A  paper  for  con- 
tributions was  passed  around,  and  the  sum  of 
$28.50  subscribed  to  procure  suitable  books. 
The  school  commenced  in  May  with  an  at- 
tendance of  sixty-four.  Horace  Greeley,  then 
an  employe  in  the  office  of  the  Erie  Gazette., 
was  one  of  the  scholars  in  the  winter  of  1830- 
31.  A  second  school  was  started  in  Septem- 
ber, 1880,  by  the  ladies  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
congregation,  and  held  its  sessions  in  the 
court  house  imtil  their  church  building  was 
completed.  The  first  schools  had  to  encounter 
some  opposition,  even  from  zealous  church 
members. 

BIBLE    SOCIETY     .\NI>     V.     M.    C.    ASSOCIATION. 

The  Erie  County  Bible  Society  was 
established  in  1824,  and  has  been  in  continu- 
ous operation  ever  since.  Its  mission  is  to 
distribute  the  Holv  Book  Iree  of  cost  to  those 
who  are  too  poor  to  buy,  and  at  a  moderate 
price  to  persons  in  better  circumstances.  It 
celebrated  its  seventv-first  anniversarv  in 
April,  1895. 

The  first  officers  were  Rev.  Johnston 
Eaton,  president ;  Rev.  Robert  Reid,  vice- 
president  ;  E.  D.  Gunnison,  treasurer  ;  George 
Selden,  secretary;  Giles  Sanford,  William 
Gould,  Robert  Porter,  John  McCord,  Joseph 
Selden,  Judah  Colt,  Robert  McClelland,  John 
Phillips,  Oliver  Alford,  directors. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
of  Erie  was  organized  in  September,  1860. 
The  society  owns  a  fine  building  at  the  corner 
of  Tenth  and  Peach  streets,  which  is  conve- 
nientlv  fitted  up  for  the  purpose. 

CHI!ISTI.\X    ENDEAVOK    SOCIETIES. 

The  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor  was 
originated  in  Portland,  Me.,  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Francis  E.  Clark  and  wife,  pastor  of  the 
Williston  Church  of  that  city,  in  the  year 
1881.  I'he  idea  "took"  with  amazing  fervor 
and  the  organization  spread  until  it  has 
societies  in  nearly  every  part  of  the  world.  -Vt 
the  last  general  convention  of  the  society,  held 
in  Boston,  in  1895,  there  was  an  attendance 
of  over  50,000 — the  largest  religious  gathering 
ever  known  in  America.  The  Erie  County 
LTnion  of  Christian  Endeavor  was  organized 
November  21,  1894.  with  Herman  Eldridge, 
of  Erie,  as  president  ;  Miss  Margaret  McCord, 
of  Erie,  as  corresponding  secretary  ;  Miss  Ellen 
McCord.   of  North    East,  as   recording  secre- 


144 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


tary,  and  Mr.  J.  A.  13ebee,  of  Union  City,  as 
treasurer.  Il  embraces  all  of  the  societies  in 
Erie  county,  fifty-two  in  number  at  the  time 
of  writinfj.  July  20,  1895.  The  State  conven- 
tion of  Ciiristian  Endeavor  Societies  was  held 
in  Erie  during  the  last  week  in  August,  1895. 
[For  a  fuller  account  of  tlie  several  relig- 
ious .societies,  see  the  city,  borough  and  town- 
ship chapters.] 

OLD   (JRAVEVAUnS   AND    MllDKKN  CEMETERIES. 

The  first  burial  place  of  which  there  is  a 
record  was  established  at  Colt's  Station  in 
Greenfield  township,  on  the  6th  of  July,  1801. 
A  party  of  fifteen  met  and  cleared  off  an  acre 
for  the  interment  of  the  dead,  which  has  re- 
mained as  a  graveyard  to  this  day.  Their  ex- 
ample led  the  people  of  Middlebrook  to  fol- 
low suit,  and  a  burial  place  was  begun  there 
in  the  following  month.  A  graveyard  was 
established  at  Erie  nearly  at  the  same  time, 
on  the  bank  of  the  lake,  near  the  mouth  of 
Mill  creek,  but  was  abandoned  about  1805. 
Others  were  located  at  an  early  day  at  Water- 
ford,  North  East,  Fairview,  Springfield  and 
elsewhere. 

In  1805,  three  lots  were  set  aside  for  a 
graveyard  at  the  southeast  corner  of  French 
and  Eighth  streets,  Erie,  which  was  used  bj' 
all  denominations  until  1827,  \vhen  it  became 
the  property  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  property  was  sold  in  1862  and 
the  bodies  were  removed  to  the  cemetery. 
The  Presbyterians  purchased  four  lots  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  Seventh  and  Myrtle  streets, 
in  Erie,  in  182tj,  and  used  them  for  burial  pur- 
poses for  upward  of  twenty  years,  when  the 
bodies  were  taken  up  and  the  land  sold.  Near 
by  was  the  Episcopal  graveyard,  established 
in  1827. 


Ground  for  the  earliest  Catholic  grave- 
yard was  purchased  in  1837,  and  the  property 
was  duly  consecrated  August  2,  1840.  It  was 
established  by  St.  Mary's  congregation,  and 
occupied  the  site  of  St.  Benedict's  Academy. 
In  1848,  a  large  tract  on  Chestnut  street,  be- 
tween Twenty-fourth  and  Twenty-fifth,  was 
purchased,  to  wiiich  the  bodies  were  removed 
from  Ninth  street,  and  which  was  long  in  use. 
St.  Patrick's  congregation  started  a  small 
gra\eyard,  about  1838,  on  Third  street,  be- 
tween German  and  Parade.  Finding  it  in- 
sufficient for  their  purpose,  they  purchased  a 
five-acre  tract,  in  1852,  at  the  corner  of  Twen- 
ty-fourth and  Sassafras  streets.  Since  the 
consecration  of  Trinity  cemetery,  in  1869, 
these  graveyards  have  all  been  abandoned  and 
tiie  bones  of  the  dead  taken  to  the  new  loca- 
tion. 

A  graveyard  has  been  maintained  in  con- 
nection with  vSt.  John's  Lutheran  Churclv  for 
many  years,  but  no  further  burials  take  place 
in   it. 

As  the  county  increased  in  population, 
graveyards  were  located  in  every  section, 
some  of  which  continue,  while  the  sites  of  oth- 
ers have  almost  or  entirely  been  forgotten. 
Many  families  chose  burial  places  on  their 
farms,  and  some  of  these  still  exist.  The  es- 
tablishment of  the  cemetery  at  Erie,  which 
was  dedicated  in  May,  1851,  and  speedily  be- 
came one  of  the  handsomest  in  the  Union,  has 
had  a  good  effect  upon  the  whole  county. 

Corry,  Union  City,  North  East,  Water- 
ford,  Girard,  Edinboro,  Fairview,  Springfield, 
Sterrettania,  Lowville  and  other  places  now 
have  cemeteries  that  speak  well  for  the  taste 
of  their  citizens. 

[See  city,  borough  and  township  chap- 
ters.] 


jr< 


t  ^^ '  ^^vy 


CHAPTER   XIX. 


County,  State  and  United  States  Buildings. 


UP  to  the  lime  of  l)uilding  the  first 
court  house,  in  lyOlS,  court  was  vari- 
ously held  in  "  Buehler's  Hotel,"  cor- 
ner of  Third  and  French  streets,  in 
the  log  jail,  which  stood  at  Second  and 
Holland  streets,  east  of  French,  and  in  a  build- 
ingbelongingto  Conrad  Brown, on  theopposite 
corner  from  the  hotel  above  mentioned.  The 
original  court  house  was  a  small  brick  build- 
ing, that  stood  in  the  West  Park,  at  Erie,  a 
little  north  of  the  Soldiers  and  Sailors'  monu- 
ment. The  county  was  too  poor  to  afford  the 
total  expense,  and  the  State  generously  granted 
$2,000  toward  the  erection  of  the  building. 
On  Sunda}'  morning,  March  23,  1823,  be- 
tween the  hours  of  12  and  3  o'clock,  this 
court  house  was  destroyed  by  fire,  with  all  the 
books,  papers  and  records.  The  ensuing  term 
of  court  was  held  in  the  Erie  Academy,  and 
that  edifice  was  rented  for  county  purposes 
and  occupied  by  the  various  county  oflicials 
for  two  years. 

In  1824  the  County  Commissioners  entered 
into  contracts  for  the  erection  of  a  new  build- 
ing, which  was  completed  and  occupied  in 
the  spring  of  1825.  It  stood  nearly  on  the 
site  of  its  predecessor,  and  was  a  two-story 
brick  structure,  surmounted  by  a  wooden 
cupola.  For  nearly  thirty  years  this  was  the 
principal  hall  of  the  town,  being  used  for  re- 
ligious worship,  political  meetings,  entertain- 
ments, and,  in  fact,  for  almost  every  public 
purpose.  The  building  was  long  the  most 
elegant  court  house  in  Northwestern  Penn- 
sylvania, and  its  erection  was  a  heavv  burden 
upon  the  county.  In  the  cupola  hung  the 
bell  of  the  captured  British  vessel,  the 
"  Queen  Charlotte,"  a  brief  history  of  which 
has  been  given  in  a  pre^■ious  chapter.  A 
little  to  the  west  of  the  court  house  was  a  two- 
story  building  containing  the  county  offices. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  third  and  present 
court  house  was  laid  on  Tuesday,  August  17, 
1852.     The    building    required     nearlj-    three 


years  to  complete,  the  first  court  held  therein 
being  on  the  7th  of  May,  1855.  It  originally 
cost  some  ii!63,00(),  but  subsecjuent  additions 
and  improvements  have  brought  the  sum  to 
about  HBO, 000.  The  land  on  which  the  court 
house  stands  was  purchased  for  the  County 
Commissioners  in  ],S()4.  It  was  upon  this  lot. 
within  the  old  jail  ground,  that  Henry  Fran- 
cisco, the  onl)-  person  ever  executed  in  the 
county  by  judicial  sentence,  was  hung  in  1838. 

In  1889-90  the  court  house  was  enlarged 
by  the  addition  of  a  wing,  etc.,  to  accommodate 
the  increased  business  of  the  county,  at  a  cost, 
with  furnishings,  of  about  $40,000.  The 
original  building  was  surmounted  by  a  bell 
tower  and  had  a  fence  in  front,  both  of  which 
were  removed  in  18U4. 

The  cost  of  maintaining  the  court  house, 
inclusive  of  heating  and  lighting  the  jail,  and 
supplying  the  same  with  city  water,  was 
given  as  follows  in  the  report  of  the  County 
Commissioners  for   18<)4  : 

Heating  court-house  and  jail $1,100  00 

Liighting  court-house  and  jail 1,045  87 

Watchman's  salary 720  00 

Furniture,  etc 137  44 

Janitor 540  00 

Supplies 212  94 

Repairs    2,340  01 

Insurance 480  87 

Incidentals   368  67 

City  water 407  00 

Telephone 60  00 

S7,412  80 
[For    a    list    of    Judges,     Attorneys    and 
Court  Criers,   see  Chapter  XX.] 

THE    COUNTY     JAIL. 

The  tirst  jail  was  a  small  log  building,  on 
the  southwest  corner  of  Holland  and  Second 
streets.  A  second  jail,  of  brick,  was  put  up 
on  the  site  of  the  present  court  house  in  1881 K 
The  third  and  existing  jail  was  erected  in 
1850,  and  remodeled  in  18(59  at  an  expense  of 
$39,671.     Its  total  cost  up  to  date,   including 


146 


NELSON'S  BIOOBAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


sheriflF's  residence,  which  occupies  the  Fifth 
street  front,  is  about  .fBO.OOO.  On  the  tliird 
floor  of  the  sheriff's  house  is  the  li(>s])ital,  in 
which  are  various  conveniences  for  the  sick. 

The  regular  bill  of  fare  for  the  piisouers  is 
as  follows  :  Breakfast — a  loaf  of  bread  and 
cup  of  coffee;  dinner — meat,  potatoes,  and 
sometimes  other  vegetables;  supper — a  cup  of 
tea  and  the  balance  of  the  bread  left  from 
breakfast  and  dinner.  The  meals  are  handed 
in  to  the  prisoners  through  a  narrow  opening 
in  the  wall  between  the  jail  and  the  sherifl"'s 
kitchen.  To  the  above  is  frequently  added 
some  palatable  dish,  through  the  kindness  of 
the  sheriff's  family,  and  on  holidays  the  pris- 
oners are  usually  treated  to  roast  turkey. 

Prisoners  of  the  worst  class  are  sen- 
tenced to  the  Western  Penitentiary  at  Al- 
legheny ;  young  men  who  are  convicted  of  the 
first  offense  to  the  Allegheny  County  Work 
House  and  boys  and  girls  to  the  State  Re- 
form School  at  Morganza,  Washington  county, 
or  the  Reformatory  at  Ilunlingdoii. 

The  first  jailer  was  Robert  Irvin,  who  was 
succeeded  by  John  Gray,  James  Gray,  Will- 
iam Judd,  Robert  Kincaid  and  Cornelius 
Foy.  John  Gray-  held  the  position,  off  and 
on,  for  many  years.  The  first  sheriff  who 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  jailer  was  Albert 
Thayer,  who  was  elected  in  1825.  For  some 
years  past  the  sheriff's  duties  have  been  too 
onerous  to  allow  of  his  taking  immediate 
charge  of  the  jail,  and  the  institution  has  been 
in  care  of  a  warden,  acting  under  and  respon- 
sible to  that  officer.  [For  list  of  Sheriffs, 
Deputy  Sheriff's  and  Wardens,  see  Chapter 
XXVIII.] 

The  cost  of  maintaining  the  jail,  as  shown 
by  the  report  of  the  County  Commissioners  for 
1894,  was  as  follows,  exclusive  of  heat,  light 
and  water  : 

Clothing  for  prisoners $      26  64 

Furniture,  etc 72  00 

Phv.sician  and  medicine 125  00 

Repairs,  etc 99  88 

Boarding  prisoners  (paid  on  account).  .  1 ..  3,000  00 

$4,323  52 

COUNTY     .\1,.MSH<)USK. 

John  II.  Walker,  while  a  member  of  the 
Assembly,  in  1882,  procured  an  act  ceding 
the  third  section  of  two  thousand  acres  of 
State  land  in  Mill  Creek  township,  west  of 
Erie,  to  the  borough,  the  proceeds  to  be  used 
in  constructing  a  canal  basin    in    the  harbor. 


It  was  stipulated  in  the  act  that  one  hundred 
acies  should  be  reserved  to  Erie  county,  on 
which  to  erect  an  almshouse,  the  land  to  be 
selected  by  three  Commissioners  appointed  by 
the  County  Commissioners.  The  latter  offi- 
cers, on  May  7,  1888,  named  William  Miles, 
George  Moore  and  Da\id  McXair,  who  chose 
the  piece  of  ground  on  the  Ridge  road,  three 
miles  west  of  Erie,  which  has  ever  since  been 
known  as  the  "  poor  house  farm."  The  origi- 
nal tract  was  increased  to  about  one  hundred 
and  thirteen  acres,  including  the  allowance, 
by  the  purchase  of  eight  and  three-fourths 
acres  from  Martin  Warfel  in  1877.  This  was 
added  to  subsecjuently  by  purchasing  some 
five  acres  of  the  abandoned  canal  bed,  making 
the  present  size  of  the  farm  about  one  hun- 
dred and  eighteen  acres. 

Soon  after  the  selection  of  the  farm,  an 
agitation  began  for  the  erection  of  a  county 
almshouse  on  the  propertj-.  .\  proposition  to 
that  effect  was  submitted  to  the  people  in 
1889,  and,  after  a  hard  fight,  was  voted  down 
l)y  a  majority  of  154.  The  friends  of  the 
measure  claimed  that  the  question  had  not 
been  fairly  treated,  and  it  was  again  brought 
before  the  people  at  the  spring  election  of 
1840,  when  it  was  carried  by  the  close  vote  of 
1,599  in  favor  to  1,594  in  opposition.  Three 
Directors  of  the  Poor  were  elected  the  same 
vear.  Contracts  were  soon  after  let  for  the 
construction  of  a  building,  and  by  the  fall  of 
1841  it  was  ready  for  the  reception  of  the  pau- 
pers. Before  that  each  borough  and  township 
took  care  of  its  own  poor,  under  the  supervi- 
sion of  two  overseers  elected  by  their  citizens. 
While  Mr.  Stranahan  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature,  he  secured  an  act  changing  the 
almshouse  to  the  southern  part  of  the  county, 
but  the  opposition  of  the  citv  and  the  lake 
shore  townships  resulted  in  its  repeal  and  the  re- 
tention of    the  building  upon  its  original  site. 

The  present  edifice  was  commenced  in 
1870  and  substantially  completed  in  1871, 
though  the  finishing  and  furnishing  continued 
untill878.  Itscost  was  .f  11 8,000.  A  further 
sum  of  .1!  10,000  was  voted  in  1874.  of  which 
perhaps  one-half  was  applied  to  the  improve- 
ment of  the  building  and  grounds.  About 
•i>8,000  of  the  balance  are  understood  to  have 
been  used  in  building  the  barn,  and  nearly 
|2,0(M)  in  putting  down  gas  wells  upon  the 
farm.  A  building  for  insane  male  persons 
was  added  in  1875,  at  a  cost  of  about  .ii2,000. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


HI 


The  food  supplied  to  the  inmates  is  clean 
and  abundant,  though  plain.  The  hours  for 
meals  are  :  Breakfast  at  7  :15,  dinner  at  12  :80, 
and  supper  at  -5:80  or  6.  Everj'  inmate  is 
obliged  to  be  in  bed  by  9  o'clock  v.  m.  and  to 
rise  by  half-past  six  in  the  morning.  Those 
who  are  over  thirty-five  years  of  age  are 
allowed  a  certain  quantity  of  tobacco  each 
week.  Few  of  the  paupers  are  able  to  work, 
and  those  who  are  have  to  make  themselves 
useful,  the  men  by  helping  in  the  garden  or  on 
the  farm,  and  the  women  by  sewing  or  doing 
household  service 

The  poor  house  farm  is  one  of  the  best  in 
the  county,  and  has  generally  been  kept  under 
fine  cultivation.  A  few  rods  north  of  the 
buildings  is  a  large  spring,  which  will  furnish 
an  ample  supply  of  water  for  all  the  needs  of 
the  institution  to  the  end  of  time.  A  little  to 
the  east,  inclosed  by  a  neat  fence,  is  the  pau- 
per burial  ground,  which  already  contains  the 
bodies  of  about  20()  unfortunates.  Each  grave 
is  marked  by  a  stone  and  a  number  cor- 
responding with  the  one  in  the  death  book. 

The  charity  system  of  the  county  is  in 
charge  of  three  Directors  of  the  Poor,  one  of 
whom  is  elected  annually.  They  employ  a 
Steward  of  the  almshouse,  a  .Secretary  and 
Treasurer,  an  Attorney,  a  Physician  for  the 
almshouse  (who also  attends  to  the  Erie  poor), 
and  one  physician  each  at  Corrv,  North  East, 
Union  and  other  important  points  in  the 
county.  [For  a  list  of  the  Directors  of  the 
Poor,  Stewards  of  the  Almshouse,  and  other 
officers  of  the  Board,  see  Chapter  XXVIII.] 

POOR      EXPENSES. 

By  way  of  showing  how  pauperism  has 
increased,  some  figures  for  18(50,  1880  and 
1890  are  taken  from  the  official  report  : 

1860— Population  of  Erie  county,  49,482 
Inmates  of  the  almshouse  at  the  beginning  of 
the  year,  107.  Total  expense  for  the  support 
of  the  poor  of  the  entire  county,  inchuling 
some  old  debts  on  building,  !}!7,l'i29 

1880 — Population.  74,578.  Paupers  in  the 
almshouse,  221.  Total  expense  for  the  coimty 
$28,(559. 

1890 — Population,  S(),074.  Paupers  in  the 
almshouse,  188.      Expenses  about  .|88,0()O. 

The  following  shows  the  requisitions  of 
the  Directors  of  the  Poor  for  the  years  named  : 

1845 $  5,()(10 

1855 4,500 


1860 8,000 

1865 11,000 

1870 20,000 

1880 20,000 

1890 33,000 

1891 35,000 

1892 37,000 

1893 40,000 

1894 40,000 

EXPENSES    FOK    THE     INDIGENT,     INSANE,     &C. 

The  expense  of  the  indigent,  insane,  &c., 
during  the  year  1894  is  given  as  below  in  the 
annual  statement  of  the  County  Commission- 
ers • 

Conveying  to  asylum $        35  84 

Requisition  of  Directors  of  the  Poor 40,000  00 

School  for  feeble-minded  children 5  54 

Warren  asylum 5,457  25 

Warnersville  asylum 116  71 

Burial  indigent  soldiers 175  00 

Headstones  for  soldiers'   graves 45  00 

L.  W.  Olds,  for  services  rendered  in  the 
construction  of  the  Poor  House  as 
per  order  of  court 600  00 

$46,430  34 

STATE     BUILDINGS SOLDIKRS'    AND     SAILORs' 

HOME. 

While  Hon.  Morrow  B.  Lowry  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Senate,  he  conceived  the 
idea  of  a  Marine  Hospital  at  Erie,  for  the 
care  of  sick  and  unfortunate  seamen  of  the 
lake  service.  Through  his  eflbrts,  appropria- 
tions were  made  from  year  to  year,  until  a 
building  was  erected  whicii  constitutes  in  the 
main,  the  central  portion  of  the  present  Sol- 
diers' and  Sailors'  Home.  The  structure  was 
never  used  for  the  purpose  of  the  original  ap- 
propriation, and  was  neglected  for  some  years 
until  it  became  badly  out  of  repair.  On  June 
3,  1885,  a  bill  was  introduced  in  the  Legisla- 
ture by  Hon.  I.  B.  Brown,  of  Corry,  passed 
and  approved  by  the  (iovornor,  creating  a  com- 
mission to  locate  a  Home  "  for  the  disabled  sol- 
diers and  sailors  of  Pennsylvania."  This  body, 
consisting  of  Gov.  Pattison  and  ten  other 
prominent  citizens,  concluded  to  make  use  of 
the  Marine  Hospital  for  the  purpose.  An 
appropriation  was  secured.  Trustees  appoint- 
ed, additions  made  to  the  original  structure, 
and,  within  less  than  a  year  from  the  day  of 
the  first  legislation  on  the  subject,  the  institu- 
tion was  read)-  for  occupancy.  The  two 
most  active  men  in  "  working  up  ""  the  enter- 
prise were  Maj.  John  W.  Walker  and  Capt. 
John  H.  Welsh,  both  of  Erie. 


148 


IfELSOIf'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


The  Home  was  dedicated  on  the  22d  of 
February,  1887,  at  which  time  it  was  formally 
opened  for  inmates.  Gen.  Gobin,  of  Leba- 
non, delivered  the  dedicatory  address,  and 
speeches  were  made  by  Gov.  Pattison  and 
others.  Maj.  W.  \V.  'IVson  was  appointed 
Commander,  and  lias  remained  in  the  position 
ever  since  lie  is  assisted  by  Capt.  N.  W. 
Lowell  as  (.Jjiartermaster,  who  was  chosen 
March  1,  1888.  Dr.  S.  F.  Chapin  has  been 
Surgeon  since  October  1,  1889,  and  David 
Reinhold  Resident  Physician  since  the  fall  of 

I8uri. 

The  buildings  have  been  much  enlarged 
and  improved,  and  the  grounds,  which  em- 
brace 107  acres,  are  kept  up  in  a  handsome 
manner.  Altogether,  the  institution  is  a  great 
credit  to  llie  State,  and  makes  a  most  comfort- 
able abiding  place  for  the  aged  and  unfortu- 
nate soldiers  and  sailors  who  become  inmates. 
None  but  those  who  are  disabled  and  without 
proper  means  of  support  are  received. 

The  institution  is  in  charge  of  a  board  of 
Trustees,  of  whom  the  (iovernor  is,  cx-officio, 
the  President. 

On  the  grounds  of  the  Home  is  a  block- 
house in  imitation  of  the  one  in  which  Gen. 
Anthony  Wayne  died,  which  stands  on  or 
very  near  the  place  of  his  burial.  It  contains 
portions  of  his  coffin  and  various  mementos 
of  the  Revolutionar)'  hero.  The  main  men  in 
locating  Gen.  W^iyne's  grave  and  securing  the 
erection  of  the  blockhouse  were  Dr.  Edward 
W.  Germer  and  Capt.  John  H.  Welsh.  [See 
Chapter  VIL,  Erie  City.] 

NOKMAI,    SCHOOL    .\T    KDINIiOKO. 

The  Normal  School  at  lulinboro  for  the 
training  of  teachers  in  the  common  schools, 
was  first  recognized  as  a  Stale  institution  on 
January  2(),  1861.  It  embraces  a  number  of 
buildings,  generally  well  adapted  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  in  the  main  has  had  a  large  degree 
of  success.  The  school  was  managed  by  Prof. 
J.  A.  Cooper  from  18(58  to  1892,  and,  since 
the  latter  date,  by  Prof.  Martin  G.  Benedict. 
[See  Edinboro.] 

STATE    FISH     H  A  TCH  EKIES. 

Erie  county  has  been  selected  as  the  site  of 
two  of  the  State  hatcheries,  for  the  propaga- 
tion of  fish,  to  restock  the  rivers,  lakes  and 
creeks — one  at  Erie  and  the  other  at  Corry. 

The  one  at  Corry  was  established  in  1873, 


by  Seth  Weeks,  as  a  private  enterprise,  and 
made  a  State  institution  in  187(5.  It  is  located 
in  Wayne  township,  a  short  distance  east  of 
Corry,  and  is  wholly  supplied  by  springs, 
which  burst  out  co])iously  from  tlu'  hill  near 
1)V.      I  .Si-e  Wayne  township.  | 

The  Erie  liatchery  was  opened  December 
12,  1S85.  It  occupies  a  neat  building  at  the 
corner  of  Second  and  Sassafras  streets,  and 
draws  its  supply  of  water  from  the  city  water 
works.  From  15,0(X),(K)()  to  2(),()(:)0,()()0  small 
fry — largely  white  fish — are  hatched  out  each 
season,  and  placed  in  the  lake  or  other  suitable 
places.      I  .See  Erie  City.] 

Both  hatcheries  are  under  the  superxision 
of  the  State  Fish  Commission,  and  in  charge 
of  William  Buller,  who  has  brouglit  them  up 
to  a  high  state  of  etliciency. 

U.MIED   STATES   BUILDINGS. 

Before  the  purchase  of  a  government  edi- 
fice in  Erie,  the  postoffice  and  Collector's  office 
were  housed  in  prixate  buildings.  In  1844  Con- 
gress appropriated  )f27,<XJ<l  for  a  go\ernment 
structure  in  Erie.  Previous  to  that — in  183(3-7 
— the  United  States  Bank  of  Pennsylvania 
had  erected  a  marble  building  for  its  branch 
in  Erie,  on  the  east  side  of  State  street,  near 
Fourth,  with  a  house  for  its  cashier  adjoining. 
The  bank  failed,  and  the  Government  bought 
the  building  in  1S49.  It  was  soon  after  oc- 
cupied as  the  custom  house,  and  the  postoffice 
was  moved  into  it  in  1858.  On  the  establish- 
ment of  the  internal  revenue  system,  the  of- 
fices for  this  district  were  located  in  the  same 
building,  which  caused  it  to  be  inconveniently 
croxvded.  The  postoffice  was  removed  to  the 
Noble  block  in  18(57,  and  afterward  to  one  of 
the   store  rooms  in  the  Reed  House. 

In  1882  Congressman  Watson  secured  an 
appropriation  of  !|<ir)(),0()0  for  a  building  in 
Erie,  which  sliould  be  adapted  for  the  various 
United  States  offices  in  the  city  and  district. 
This  sum  was  increased  to  $250,000  through 
the  efforts  of  Congressman  Brainerd.  A  Com- 
mission on  the  part  of  the  government  selected 
the  site  of  the  old  Rufus  S.  Reed  mansion,  at 
the  southeast  corner  of  Central  Park  and 
State  street.  For  this  the  sum  of  )i!.'5(5,0(K)  • 
was  paid.  Ground  for  the  building  was 
broken  in  April,  1885,  Henry  Shenk  being 
the  contractor,  Jacob  Bootz,  the  superintend- 
ent, and  Jos.  P.  O'Brien  clerk  to  the  latter 
officer.     The  structure  was  completed  in  1887, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


t49 


within  the  amount  appropriated,  inclusive  of 
the  furniture.  It  was  occupied  by  the  post- 
office  and  custom  iiouse  shortly  after.  The 
first  floor  is  used  by  the  postotfice  ;  the  second 
by  the  Collector  of  customs  and  the  internal 
revenue  offices.  On  the  third  floor  are  two 
rooms  for  the  United  States  Courts  and  the 
offices  appertaining  to  the  same,  and  the  fourth 
floor  is  used  by  the  weather  office,  for  jury 
rooms,  etc. 


The  building  fronts  seventy-two  feet  on 
State  street,  and  one  hundred  and  fourteen  on 
Central  Park.  The  Collector  of  the  port  is 
custodian,  makes  all  the  appointments  that 
relate  to  its  care,  and  looks  after  repairs  and 
improvements. 

[For  a  list  of  Postmasters  and  other  United 
States  officials  from  Erie  countj',  see  Chapter 
XXVIII.] 


CHAPTER     XX. 


The    Courts,    Ji'DGes  and  Bar  of    Erie  County — Supreme    Court — Uxited    States 
Courts — Justices  of  the  Peace  and  Aldermen. 


AS  heretofore  stated,  Erie  county  con- 
stituted a  sub-division  of  Allegheny 
county  up  to  the  year  1800,  and  all 
judicial  proceedings  took  place  at 
Pittsburg,  the  county  seat.  The  act 
creating  Erie  a  separate  county  is  dated  the 
12th  of  March,  18CH).  The  county  was  too 
sparsely  settled  to  maintain  a  distinct  organ- 
ization, and  by  the  act  of  April  9,  1801,  Erie, 
Crawford,  Mercer,  ^'enango  and  Warren  were 
thrown  temporarih'  together  for  election  and 
governmental  purposes.  Meadvillc  was  desig- 
nated as  the  place  where  the  county  business 
should  be  transacted.  This  arrangement  con- 
tiiuied  for  two  years. 

The  first  court  in  Erie  was  held  by  Hon. 
Jesse  Moore,  in  April,  1808.  Tlie  hours  for 
convening  were  announced  by  the  Crier  by  the 
blowing  of  a  horn.  This  horn  continued  to 
be  used  for  the  purpose  until  18i'8.  The  Su- 
preme Judges  at  that  time  were  obliged  to 
hold  Circuit  Courts  in  the  several  counties 
of  tiie  State,  and  in  the  cour.se  of  their  duties 
Judge  Yates  visited  Erie  on  the  lr5th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1806,  and  Judge  Brackenridgc  in  1807 
and  1811.  A  .session  of  the  Supreme  Court 
was  iield  in  the  city  in  1854,  at  wiiich  Judges 
Lewis,  Woodward,  Lowrie  and  Knox  were 
present. 

The  Countv  Courts  were  iield  bv  the  Pres- 


ident Judge,  aided  by  two  Associate  Judges — 
usually  farmers  of  good  standing — until  May, 
1839,  when  a  District  Court  was  created  to 
dispose  of  the  accumulated  business  in  Erie, 
Crawford,  Venango  and  Mercer  counties. 
Hon.  James  Thompson,  of  \'enango,  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  District  Judgeship,  and  tilled  the 
position  until  May,  18^5.  The  term  originally 
was  for  five  years,  but  was  extended  one  year 
by  request  of  the  bar. 

Previous  to  1851,  both  the  President  Judges 
and  Associate  Judges  were  appointed  by  the 
Governor.  The  first  election  by  the  people 
was  in  October,  1851,  when  Hon.  John  Gal- 
braith  was  chosen  President  Judge,  and  Hon. 
Joseph  M.  Sterrett  and  Hon.  James  Miles, 
Associates.  The  office  of  Additional  Law 
Judge  was  created  in  185('),  Hon.  David  Der- 
rickson,  of  Crawford  county,  being  its  first 
incumbent,  and  expired  by  the  operation  of 
the  constitution  on  the  ITtii  of  April,  1874. 
1  he  Associate  Judges  were  abolished  on  No- 
vember 17,  187t),  and  since  that  date  the  en- 
tire duties  of  the  Court  have  been  jierformed 
by  the  President  Judge.  All  law  Judges  in 
the  State  are  elected  for  ten  years. 

The  "  now"  constitution,  wliich  went  into 
operation  January  1,  1874,  allowed  the  Presi- 
dent Judge  of  each  district,  where  there  was 
an   Additional  Law  Judge,  to  elect   to  which 


'SO 


NELSON- S  BIOORAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


of  the  districts  into  which  his  original  juris- 
diction had  been  divided  he  might  be  assigned. 
Under  this  provision.  Judge  ^^'etmore  selected 
the  Thirtv-seventh  District,  consisting  of  War- 
ren and  Elk  counties,  and  Judge  \'incent, 
Additional  Law  Judge  for  tlie  district,  became 
President  Judge  of  Erie  count v,  which  had 
been  created  a  district  by  itself. 

PRESIDEX  I  ,    OlsrUU'I'    AND    ADDITIOXAI.     I. AW 
JUDGKS. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  President, 
District  ami  Additional  Law  Judges,  with  the 
dates  of  their  commissions  : 

President  yiidnvs. — Alexander  Addison, 
Pittsburg,  August"]?,  179L 

David  Clark,  Alleghenv  countv,  JSLirch  3, 
ISCK). 

Jesse  Moore,  Crawford  county,  April  h. 
1803. 

Ilenrv  Shippen.  Huntingdon  comity,  Jan- 
uary 24,'!  825. 

Nathaniel  15.  Eldred,  Wayne  county,  March 
23,  1839. 

Gaylord  CluMch,  Crawford  county,  April 
3,  1843. 

John  Galbraith,  Erie  comity,  November  6, 
1851. 

Rasselas  Brown,  Warren  countv,  June  29, 
1860. 

Samuel  P.  Johnson,  Warren  county,  De- 
cember 3,  I8(iO.' 

Lansing  D.  Wetmore,  Warren  county,  first 
Monday  in  January,  1870. 

John  P.  Vincent,  Erie  countv,  April  17, 
1874. 

William  A.  Galbraith,  Erie  countv,  first 
Monday  in  January,  1877. 

Frank  (iunnison,  Erie  countv.  December 
13,  1880. 

Additional  Lav:  yudges. — David  Derick- 
son,  Crawford  county,  first  Monday  in  De- 
cember, 1856. 

John  P.Vincent,  Erie  county,  first  Monday 
in  December,  18(50. 

District  yndgc. — James  Thompson,  Ve- 
nango county,  May  18,  1839. 

Three  President  Judges  have  died  in  office, 
yiz.  :  Hon.  Jesse  Moore,  at  Meadville,  on  the 
21st  of  December,  1824  ;  Hon.  Henry  Shippen, 
at  Meadville,  in  1839;  and  Hon.  John  Gal- 
braith, at  Erie,  on  the  15th  of  June,  1860. 
Rasselas  Brown,  of  Warren  county,  was  ap- 
pointed  by    the    Governor    to   succeed  Judge 


John  Galbraith,  and  served  until  Decembers, 
I860.  One  Judge  for  the  district — Hon. 
Alexander  ^Addison — was  impeached  and  re- 
moved from  his  office.  Judge  Eldrtd  resigned 
in  1843,  but  afterward  went  on  the  bench  as 
President  Judge  of  the  Dauphin  district. 

Two  of  tile  Judges  were  promoted  to  seats 
on  the  Supreme  Bench  of  the  State.  James 
Thompson  was  elected  one  of  the  Justices  of 
the  Supreme  Court  in  1856,  and  held  the  po- 
sition until  11S72,  the  full  term  of  fifteen  years, 
the  last  five  of  which  he  presided  as  Chief 
Justice.  Gaylord  Church  was  appointed  a 
Supreme  Judge  in  1858,  to  fill  a  vacancy 
caused  by  the  resignation  of  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Court.  Judge  William  A.  Gal- 
braith is  a  son  of  Judge  John  Galbraith,  be- 
ing the  only  instance  in  the  history  of  the 
county  where  a  son  was  elected  to  fill  a  prom- 
inent official  place  occupied  by  his  father. 

The  salaries  of  the  Judges  are  paid  by  the 
State. 

COMPETING    CANDIDATES. 

The  following  shows  the  competing  can- 
didates for  President  and  .Additional  Law 
Judges  since  the  offices  have  been    elective  : 

1851 — President  Judge,  John  Galbraith, 
Democrat;   Elijah  Babbitt,  Whig. 

185G — Additional  Law  Judge,  David  Der- 
rickson.  Republican  ;  Rasselas  Brown,  Dem- 
ocrat. 

]<S(')() — President  Judge,  Samuel  P.  John- 
son, Republican;  Rasselas  Brown,  Demo- 
crat. 

1S6() — Ailditional  Law  Judge,  John  P. 
\'incent.  Republican;  Benjamin  Giant,  Dem- 
ocrat. 

1870 — President  Judge,  Lansing  D.  Wet- 
inore,  Republican  ;  Samuel  E.  Woodruff,  In- 
dependent Republican;  Rasselas  Brown, 
Democrat. 

1876 — President  Judge,  William  A.  Gal- 
braith, Independent  Democrat;  William  Ben- 
son, Republican. 

]8S(i — President  Judge,  Theo.  A.  Lamb, 
Democrat;  Frank  Gunnison,  Republican  ;  S. 
P.  McCalmont  (\'enango  county),  Prohibi- 
tion. 

[See  Chapter  XW'II.  for  the  vote  given  to 
the  several  candidates.] 

JUDICIAL    DISTRICTS. 

The  judicial  districts  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  county  have  been  as  follows  : 


AND  HISTORtCAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


151 


1800— All  of  the  State  west    of    the  Alle 
gheny  river. 

1803 — Erie,  Crawford,  Mercer,  \'eiiango, 
Warren  and  Beaver. 

18!25 — Erie,  Crawford,  Mercer  and  \'e- 
nango. 

1851 — Erie,  Crawford  and  Warren. 

I860— Erie,  Crawford,  Warren    and    Elk. 

1870— Erie,  Warren  and  Elk. 

1874 — Erie  alone,  to  date. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  district  has 
been  designated  the  Sixth  almost  or  entirely 
from  the  day  the  county  was  organized. 

TERMS    OF     COURT. 

Tlie  regular  terms  of  court  were  fixed  in 
1894  as  follows  : 

Quarter  Sessions — 1st  Monday  in  Febru- 
ary ;  2d  Monday  in  May  ;  1st  Monday  in  Sep- 
tember ;   2d  Monday  in  November. 

License  Court — 1st  Monday    in    February. 

Civil  List — 2d,  3d  and  4th  Mondays  in 
January;  1st,  2d  and  3d  Mondays  in  March; 
1st,  2d  "and  3d  Mondays  in  October;  1st,  2d 
and  3d  Mondays  in  December. 

Argument  Court — Last  Monday,  each,  in 
February,  March,  May,  June,  September,  Oc- 
tober and  November 

COURT    EXPENSES. 

The  cost  to  the  county  for  "  administering 
law  and  justice"  for  1894,  as  shown  by  the 
statement  of  the  County  Commissioners,  is  as 
follows,  exclusive  of  the  expense  for  main- 
taining the  court  iiouse,  etc.  : 

Justices'  costs 2,112  45 

Reward  for  horse  thieves 25  76 

Conveying-  convicts 1,213  83 

County  detective,  .salary 840  00 

Constables'  returns  to  court.  . .   .  685  84 

District  attorney's  fees 1,101  00 

A.ssistant district  attorney's  fees  120  00 

Costs  in  commonwealth  cases. . .  2,337  75 

Jail- 
Clothing  for  prisoners 26  64 

Furniture,  etc 72  00 

Physician  and  medicine 12S  00 

Repairs,  etc 99  88 

Boarding   prisoners  (paid  on  ac- 
count)  3,000  00 

4,323  52 

Allegheny  County  Workhou.se. ..  857  99 

Morganza  Reform  School 878  99 

Pa.  Industrial  Reformatory 2,458  96 

Western  Penitentiary 4,980  08 

Grand  jurors'  pay 1,159  66 

Conveying  grand  jury 39  00 

Constable  attendance  grand  jury      42  00 
Traverse  jurors"  pay 5,925  48 


Meals  for  jurors 59  35 

Common  Pleas  Jurors'  pay 5,753  30 

Crier  and  tipstaves 1,210  00 

Stenographer's  pay 1 .668  SO 

Prothonotary'sfees 1,188  35 

Recorder's  fees 251  75 

Publishing  trial  list 110  95 

Total 


17,408  34 
$46,005  51 


ASSOCIATE    JUDCtES. 

Two  Associate  Judges  assisted  the  Presi- 
dent Judge  from  the  organization  of  the 
county  until  the  17th  of  November,  187(3, 
when  the  office  was  abolished  by  the  new 
constitution.  The  Associate  Judges  were  ap- 
pointed by  the  Governor  until  1851,  at  which 
time  the  office  was  made  elective.  The  in- 
cumbents of  the  position  were  not  required  to 
be  learned  in  the  law.  and  in  everv  instance 
were  either  substantial  farmers  or  intelligent 
business  men.  One  Associate  Judge,  William 
Bell,  died  in  office,  and  Samuel  Smith  re- 
signed to  take  a  seat  in  Congress.  Before  the 
constitution  of  1838,  all  judges  were  commis- 
sioned for  life  or  good  behavior,  but  that 
instrument  limited  the  term  of  President 
Judges  to  ten  years  and  of  As.sociate  Judges  to 
five  years.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  As- 
sociate Judges  from  the  time  the  county  was 
separated  from  Allegheny,  with  the  dates  of 
their  commissions  : 

Appointed. — David  Mead,  Crawford  coun- 
ty, March  13,  1800,  resigned. 

John  Kelso,  Erie  countv,  March  14, 
1800;  resigned  December  21,  1804. 

William  Bell,  Erie  county,  December  20, 
1800;  in  place  of  David  Mead. 

Samuel  Smith,  Mill  Creek,  July  (j,  1803; 
resigned  in  IStto. 

William  Bell,  Erie,  Ma}-  9,  1805;  in  place 
of  John  Kelso,  resigned. 

John  Vincent,  W'aterford,  December  23, 
1805;  in  place  of  Samuel  Smith. 

Wilson  Smith.  Waterford,  March  15,  1814; 
in  place  of    William  Bell,  who    died  in   office. 

John  Grubb,  Mill  Creek,  January  8,  1820  ; 
in  place  of  Wilson  Smith,  elected  to  the  Leg- 
islature. 

John  Brawley,  North  East,  March  20, 
184() ;  re-commissioned  March  8,  1845. 

Myron  Hutchinson,  (jirard,  March  13, 
1841  ;  re-commissioned  Marcii   13,  1846. 

Joseph  M.  Sterrett,  Erie,  June  4.  1850;  re- 
commissioned  January  23,  1851. 


NELSON'' S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


James  Miles,  Girard,  April  1,  1851. 

Elected. —  Joseph  M.  Stcrrett,  Erie,  No- 
vember 10,  1851. 

James  Miles,  (jirard,    November  10,  1851. 

Samuel  Hiitchins,  Waterford,  November 
12,  185G. 

John  Greer,  North  East,  November  12, 
1856.     Re-elected  in  18C1. 

William  Cross,  Springfield,  November  2i5, 
1861. 

William  Benson,  W'aterford.  November  8, 
1866.     Re-elected  in  1871. 

HoUis  King,  Corry,  November  8,  1866. 

Allen  A.  Craig,  Erie,  November  17.  1871. 

[See  Chapter  XX\^II.  for  the  vote  on 
Associate  Judge  since  1851.  ] 

CITY     KECORDER    OF    ERIE. 

By  a  special  act  of  Assembly  a  Recorder's 
Court  was  established  in  cities  of  the  third 
class,  the  Recorder  to  be  chosen  by  the  people 
and  to  be  a  person  versed  in  the  la\v.  The  Court 
had  equal  jurisdiction  with  the  city  Aldermen 
in  all  criminal  cases,  and  in  civil  cases  not 
involving  more  than  1500.  Hon.  Selden  Mar- 
vin, who  had  been  County  Judge  in  Chautau- 
qua county,  was  elected  City  Recorder  of 
Erie  in  the  fall  of  1877,  and  continued  to  hold 
the  position  until  1892,  three  terms  of  five 
years  each,  when  the  act  was  pronounced  un- 
constitutional. The  Recorder  was  paid  by 
fees,  and  his  Court  was  held  in  a  room  on  the 
second  lloor  of  the  Xoble  block,  now  the  Penn 
building. 

DISTRICT    .\TTORNEVS. 

From  1804  to  1850,  the  position  which 
answers  to  the  present  office  of  District  At- 
torney was  known  by  the  title  of  Deputy 
Attorney  General,  and  its  incumbents  were 
appointed  by  and  retained  in  office  during  the 
pleasure  of  the  Attorney  General  of  the  State. 
The  name  was  changed  to  District  Attorney 
in  1850,  the  office  was  made  elective,  and  the 
term  fixed  at  three  years.  Below  is  a  list  of 
the  persons  who   have  filled  the  position  : 

1804— William  N.  Irvine,  Erie. 

William  Wallace,  Erie. 

liSOD — Patrick    Farrelly,  Crawford  county. 

Ralph  Marlin,  Crawford  county. 

18U)— George  A.  Eliot,  Erie. 
1824— William  Kelly,  Erie. 
1833— Don  Carlos  Barrett,  Erie. 
1835 — Galen  Foster,  Erie. 


1836— Elijah  Babbitt,  Erie. 
1837- William  M.  Watts,  Erie. 
lS3i) — Carson  Graham,  Erie. 
1845 — Horace  M.  Hawes,  Erie. 
1846— William  A.  Galbraith,  Erie. 

Of  the  above,  all  but  Messrs.  Kelly,  Fos- 
ter, Babbitt  and  Watts  were  appointed  as 
anti-Federalists  or  Democrats.  The  District 
Attorneys  elected  by  the  people  have  invaria- 
bly been  Whigs  or  Republicans,  with  the 
exception  of  Mr.  Baker.  They  are  as  follows  : 

1850— Matthew  Taylor,  Erie. 

1853 — Samuel  E.  Woodruff,  Girard. 

1856 — G.  Nelson  Johnson,  Erie.  Died 
shortly  after  the  election,  and  Charles  W.  Kelso 
appointed  by  the  Governor  to  serve  until  the 
October  election  in  1857. 

1857 — James  Sill,  Erie. 

1860 — Samuel  A.  Davenport,  Erie. 

18()3 — y.  F.  Downing,  Erie. 

1866 — Charles  M.  Lynch,  Erie. 

186U — John  C.  Sturgeon,   Erie. 

1872 — Samuel  M.    Brainerd,    North    East. 

1875— A.  B.  Force,  Erie. 

1878 — Charles  E.  Lovett,  Erie. 

1881- E.  A.  Walling,  North  East;  re- 
signed December  1,  1884  (having  been  elected 
to  the  S'ate  Senate),  and  Cassius  L.  Baker, 
of  Corry,  appointed  by  the   Court. 

1884— Cassius  L.  Baker.  Corrv. 

KS87-0O— A.  E.  Sisson,  Erie.  " 

18<);3_U.  p.  Rossiter,  Girard. 

[For  the  vote  on  District  Attorney  since 
1850,  see  Chapter  XXVII.  ;  and  for  a  list  of 
the  other  Court  officers,  see  Chapter  XXVIII.] 

.SUl'HEiME    COl'RT    OK     PEN  NS  VL\' ANI  A. 

Erie  county  is  attached  to  the  Eastern 
District  of  the  Supreme  Court,  which  holds 
its  sessions  at  Philadelphia.  The  hearing  of 
cases  from  Erie  county  commences  on  the  last 
Mondav  in  April  of  each  year. 

ONI.V     EXECl'TIOX     RV      rllE     SHERIFF. 

Although  a  number  of  persons  have  been 
tried  for  murder  in  the  county,  the  death  pen- 
alty has  only  been  enforced  against  a  single 
individual.  Henry  Francisco  was  sentenced 
by  Judge  Shippen  on  November  11 ,  1837,  and 
hung  by  Sheriff  Andrew  Scott  on  March  9, 
1838,  within  the  yard  of  the  jail,  which  then 
occupied  the  site  of  the  present   court   house. 

[For  full  particulars,  see    Chapter   XXV.] 


1» 


,f 


^m 


z 


/>-^/^~ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


153 


UNITED    STATES    COURTS. 

By  an  act  of  Congress  passed  in  1866, 
Erie  was  named  as  one  of  the  places  for  the 
sittings  of  the  United  States  District  and  Cir- 
cuit Courts  for  the  Western  District  of  Penn- 
sylvania. The  Supreme  Judges  may,  if  they 
choose,  sit  with  the  Circuit  Judge  or  hold 
Court  alone.  The  only  time  one  of  the  Su- 
preme Judges  of  the  United  States  has  been 
present  in  Erie  was  \vhen  Judge  Strong  was 
here  in  July,  1S75. 

The  first  session  of  the  District  Court  was 
held  in  Erie  in  January,  1867,  and  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  in  July,  1868,  Judge  Wilson  Mc- 
Candless  presiding.  Both  Courts  were  regu- 
larly held  by  him  until  Hon.  William  Mc- 
Kennan,  of  Washington  countv,  was  sworn 
in  as  Circuit  Judge.  Judge  McCandless  con- 
tinued to  serve  until  July  :24,  1876,  when  he 
was  honorably  retired  on  account  of  ad- 
vanced years,  and  was  succeeded  as  District 
Judge  by  Hon.  Winthrop  W.  Ketchum. 
Judges  McKennan  and  Ketchum  were  sworn 
in  and  began  their  official  duties  at  Erie. 
Judges  McCandless  and  Ketchum  both  died 
in  1880.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  later 
officers  of  the  Courts,  with  the  dates  of  their 
appointment. 

Judges  i".  S.  Circuit  Court. — William 
McKennan,  Washington  countv,  December 
22,  1869;  Marcus  W.  Achesoii,  Allegheny 
county,  February  3,  1891. 

Judges  U.  S.  District  Court W.  W.  Ket- 
chum, Luzerne  county,  June  26,  1876;  M.  W. 
Acheson,  Allegheny  county,  January  14, 1880  ; 
James  II.  Reed,  February  20,  1891  ;  Joseph 
Buffington,  February  23,  1892. 

U.  S.  District  Attomcvs. — R.    B.    Carna- 

han,    Allegheny   county,   appointed ;    H. 

Bucher  Swoope,  Clearfield  county,  1870 ; 
David  Reed,  Allegheny  county,  1874;  H.  H. 
McCormick,  Alleghenv-  county,  June  29,  1876; 
William  A.  Stone,  Allegheny-  county,  July  6, 
1880;  George  A.  Allen,  Erie  county,  Decem- 
ber 4,  1886;  Walter  Lvon,  .\lleghenv  county, 
June  27,  1890;  Stephen  C.  McCandless,  Alle- 
gheny county,  April  26,  1S93  (temporarih- 
appointed)  ;  Harrv  Alvin  Hall,  Elk  county, 
June  8,  1893. 

U.  S.  Mars/ia/s. — Samuel  McKelvy,  Alle- 
gheny  county,    appointed    ;    Thomas  A. 

Rowley,  Allegheny  county,  1868;  Alex.Mur- 
dpck,  Washington    county,  1869;  John  Hall. 


Washington  county,  December  19,  1872 ; 
James  S.  Rutan,  Beaver  county,  May  22, 
1882  ;  George  W^.  Miller,  Washington  county, 
August  2,  1886  ;  Joseph  R.  Harrah,  December 
20,  1889;  John  W.  Walker.  Erie  countv.  Jan- 
uary 16,   1894. 

Clerks  i'.  S.  District  Court. — Stephen  C. 
McCandless,  Allegheny  county,  appointed 
November  3,  1863;  William  T.  Linclsey,  Al- 
legheny county.  May  11,  1891. 

Deputy  Clerks  (all  from  Erie). — George 
W.  Gunnison,  1867;  George  ^\.  Allen.  1869; 
F.  W.  Grant,  1873. 

Clerks     U.     S.      Circuit      Court. — Henry 

Sproul.     Allegheny     county,    ;     H.     D. 

Gamble,    Allegheny   county.  January  5,  1870. 

Deputy  Clerks  (all  from  Erie). — George 
W.  Gunnison,  1868;  George  A.  Allen,  1869; 
A.  B.  Force.  1871  :  Frank  W.  Grant,  Novem- 
ber 26,  1875. 

The  regular  terms  of  both  Courts  at  Erie 
were  originally  fixed  to  commence  on  the 
second  Monday  of  January  and  the  third 
Monday  of  July.  The  January  term  was  held 
at  Erie  every  year  until  1875.  since  when  it 
has  been  omitted. 

Under  the  old  system,  the  selection  of 
jurors  for  the  United  States  Courts  was  wholly 
in  the  hands  of  the  Marshal,  who  summoned 
an}-  person  he  pleased.  In  1879,  Congress 
passed  an  act  making  the  Clerk  of  each  Court 
a  lury  Commissioner  for  his  own  Court,  and 
requiring  him  to  appoint  another  Jurv  Com- 
missioner of  opposite  politics,  thus  securing 
representation  on  the  juries  from  both  of  the 
leading  parties. 

THE    B.\R. 

The  first  lawyer  to  locate  in  Erie  was 
William  Wallace,  who  came  on  from  Eastern 
Pennsvlvania  in  1800,  as  attorney  for  the 
Pennsylvania  Population  Company.  He  re- 
mained until  1811,  when  he  returned  to 
Harrisburg.  The  second  ^vas  William  N. 
Irvine,  who  settled  here  in  1804,  but  also  re- 
turned to  Harrisburg  in  a  few  years,  even- 
tually becoming  President  Judge  of  the  Adams 
district.  Among  the  lawyers  who  located  in 
Erie  at  an  early  day,  and  who  became  per- 
manent residents  were  Anselen  Potter,  George 
A.  Eliot,  Thomas  H.  Sill,  Philo  E.  Judd  and 
William  Kelly. 

The  early  lawyers  were  obliged  to  practice 
in  a  dozen  counties  in  order  to  make  a  liveli- 


i54 


JVBiSOiV^'<S  BIOGRAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


hood,  and  some  of  them  were  away  from  their 
homes  and  offices  more  than  half  of  the  time. 
They  traveled  from  one  county  seat  to  the 
other  on  horseback,  with  their  legal  papers 
and  a  few  books  in  a  sack  across  tiie  saddle. 

Among  the  first  lawyers  who  practiced  at 
the  Erie  bar  was  Henry  PSaldwin,  of  Pittsburg, 
who  was  appointed  a  Judge  of  the  U.  S.  Su- 
preme Court  in  1830.  John  Banks,  of  Mer- 
cer, another  practitioner,  was  appointed  Judge 
of  the  Berks  county  Court,  and  became  the 
Whig  candidate  for  Governor  in  1841. 

Dudley  Marvin,  the  eminent  New  York 
lawyer,  was  admitted  to  the  Erie  bar  at  an 
early  day.  Other  early  lawyers  who  practiced 
at  tiie  Erie  bar  were  John  B.  Wallace,  the 
Fosters,  Ralph  INIartin,  Patrick  Farrelly,  John 
J.  Pearson  and  Gaylord  Church.  Gen.  C.  M. 
Reed  was  admitted,  but  never  became  a  regu- 
lar practitioner. 

LIST    OF    ATTORNEYS. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  those  who  have 
been  admitted  to  the  bar  since  the  destruction 
of  the  court  house  in  1823,  with  the  dates  of 
their  admission  : 

A— Allen,  George  A.,  June  16,  1868; 
James  W.  Allison,  June  1,  1875;  F.  H.  Abell, 
June  16,  1877 ;  John  Arthur,  November  10, 
1881;  O.  C.  Allen,  May  20,  1802;  Frank  L. 
Armstrong,   May    18,   W.)h. 

B_Babbitt,  Elijah,  February  1,  1826; 
Don  Carlos  Bariott,"  July  1,1826;  Peter  A. 
R.  Brace,  May  3,  1848;  William  Benson, 
August  7,  1846;  J.  W.  Brigden,  October  23, 
1849;  Rush  S.  B"attles,  December  11,  1855; 
Charles  Burnham,  November  30,  1865;  Gur- 
don  S.  Berry,  December  21,  1865;  Charles  O. 
Bowman,  November  30,  1865;  W.  M.  Biddle, 
April  30.  18(56;  R.  B.  Brawley,  August  %, 
1866;  Henry  Butterfield,  April  2,  1867;  S.  J. 
Butterfiekl,"  April  2,  18f)7;  Hiram  A.  BakeV, 
October  1,  1867;  Julius  Byles,  August  15, 
1868;  Samuel  B.  Brooks,  September  29,  1868; 
Charles  P.  Biddle,  October  15,  1868 ;  Geo.  D. 
Buckley,  November  27,  1868;  W.  W.  Brown, 
August  31,  1869;  Samuel  M.  Brainerd,  De- 
cember 22,  18()9;  Cassius  L.  Baker,  May  8, 
1872;  H.  W.  Blakeslee,  November  22,  1872; 
Ulric  Rlickensderfer,  December  12,  1873;  A. 
F.  Bole,  February  27,  1874;  Isaac  B.  Brown, 
May  6,  1875;  Judge  William  Benson,  De- 
cember 4,  1876;  M.  H.  Byles,  February  12, 
1879;  John  C.    Brady,    September    30,1879; 


Charles  H.  Burton,  May  31,  1881;  J.  R. 
Brotherton,  September  1-1,  1883;Eben  Brew- 
er, Time  30,  1885 ;  Janies  R.  Burns,  May  10, 
1886;  Arthur  L.  Bates,  June  8,  1886;  Chas. 
S.  Burchfield,  September  6,  1886  ;  Frank  A. 
Bliley,  May  20,  1891  ;  Saml.  S.  Bayle,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1891  ;  C.  M.  Bousch,  September  15, 
1891  ;  D.  1.  Bali,  November  80,  1891;  C.  W. 
Benedict,  January  16,  1893;  Paul  A.  Benson, 
April  3,  1893  ;  John  A.  Bolard,  June  26,  1893  ; 
Wm.  J.  Breene,  December  8,  1893;  Geo.  W. 
Barker,  September  3,  1894. 

C— Curtis,  C.  B.,  1834;  George  H.  Cutler, 
November  7,  1840;  Justin  B.  Chapin,  May  4, 
1848;  Andrew  H.  Caughey,  November  26, 
1851;  Marcus  N.  Cutler,  T<>"i'<"'y  31,  1857; 
Junius  B.  Clark,  May  10,  1860;  Edward 
Camphausen,  March  15,  1865;  Edward  Clark, 
March  14,  1867  ;  Manly  Crosby,  September 
30,  1868 ;  A.  W.  Covell,  May  25,  1870 ;  C.  L. 
Covell,  May  27,  1873;  W.  B.  Chapman, 
March  28,  1873;  George  A.  Cutler,  October  7, 
1873;  C.  C.  Converse,  March  11,  1874;  D.  R. 
Cushman,  June  28,  1874;  Herman  J.  Curtze, 
January  4,  1875;  Allen  A.  Craig,  December 
18,  1875;  A.  G.  Covell,  September  7,  1880; 
Jno.  B.  Compton,  July  18,  1881  ;  F.  H.  Coch- 
ran, November  14,  1881;  Frank  M.  Catlin, 
February  19,  1884;  Henry  A.  Clark,  May  10, 
1884;  M.  D.  Christy,  June  1,  1885;  Wm.  G. 
Crosby,  December. 1889;  T-  R-  Craig,  Decem- 
ber 28,  1S98. 

D— Dunlap,  James  D..  October,  1837; 
John  W.  Douglas's,  May  8,  1850;  Samuel  A. 
Davenport,  May  7,  1854;  John  F.  Duncombe, 
August  8,  1854";  George  W.  DeCamp,  August 
7,  1857;  J.  F.  Downing,  1859;  Myron  E. 
Dunlap,  December  12,  1873;  James  Doughty, 
June  tj,  1881  ;  Geo.  F.  Davenport,  January  22, 
1885;  J.  Fold  Dorrencc,  July  15,  1887":  C. 
C.  Dickey,  December  12,  1891. 

E—Edwards,  T.  D.,  June  29,  1853;  Clark 
Ewing,  December  24,  18(53;  Josepii  D.  Eber- 
sole.  May  7,  1851  ;  John  B.  Eichenlaub,  Sep- 
tember 6,  1886;  Henry  M.  Eaton,  May  10, 
1892;  Monroe  J.  Echols,  June  19,  1893. 

F— Fisk,  James  B.,  June  10,  1845;  A.  J. 
Foster,  March  15,  1865  :  A.  B.  Force,  August 
22,  1871;  T-  M.  Force,  November  28,1879; 
A  B.  Fried'lev.  April  18,  1883;  K.  F.  Friend, 
May  18,  1885";  A.  A.  Freeman,  May  10,  1886; 
George  M.  Fletcher,  October  18,  1887;  Henry 
E.  Fish,  February  9,  1889:  Edward  M.  Foye, 
June  18,  1894. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


'55 


G — Graham,   Carson,  December  19,  1837 
John  Galbraith,  1837  ;  C.  S.  Gzowski,  August 

5,  1889;  St.  John  Goodrich,  August  2,  1841 
Michael  Gallagher,  May  1,  1843;  William  A 
Galbraith,    May    9,    1844;    Benjamin     Grant 
October  21,  1845;  John  L.  Gallatevv,  Decem 
bar  3,    1846;  Jonas   Gunnison,  November  9 
1849;    George   P.   Griffith,  August    4,    1864 
George  W.  Gunnison,  March  15,  1865;  Frank 
Gunnison,    February     5,     1870;     Frank     W 
Grant,  March  12,  1874;  Paul  H.  Gaitiier,  No 
vemher    19,1874;   William    Griffith,    January 
27,    1875;  Edward   P.   Gould,  May    31,1875 
Edward  Graser,  May  6,  1876;  Samuel  L.   Gil 
son,   September  4,  1878  ;  John  W.    Galbraith 
September  28,   1885;  S.  C.  Grunibine,  Febru- 
ary  14,  1888;    Davenport  Galbraith,  October 
30,    1888;    Joseph    A.   Guignon,    January  7, 
1889. 

H — Hawes,  Horace  M.,  November  7,  1840; 
William  M.  Heister,  May  3,  1841  ;  D.  W. 
Hutcliinson,  May  11,  1855;  Calvin  J.  Hinds. 
May  11,  18()0;  Charles  Horton,  January  29, 
1866;  John  K.  Hallock,  March  24,  1868: 
John  L.  Hyner,  April  4,  1870;  David  S.  Her- 
ron,  September  8,  1875;  Thomas  C.  Hime- 
baugh.  May  20,  1880 ;  James  D.  Hancock, 
January  27,  1881  ;  George  D.  Iliggins,  De- 
cember 10,  1883;  E.  E.  Hickernell,  May  9, 
1887;  Charles  Hevdrick,  June  28,  1887;  F. 
W.  Hastings,  December  20,  1887;  L.  E.  Hay- 
berger,  January  20,  1888;  C.  A.  Hitchcock, 
June   25,    1888 ;  M.    J.   Hevwang,  September 

6,  1888;  Theodore  A.'  Hunter,  May  17,  1890; 
George  W.  Haskins,  December  11,  1890;  A. 
F.  Henlein,  November  6,  1891  ;  A.  P.  Heney, 
March  11,  1892;  C.  D.  Higbv,  November  17. 
1892;  W.  D.  Hmkley,  November  28,  1893. 

J — Johnson,  Q_uincy  A.,  August  6,  1839; 
John  B.  Johnson,  April  5,  1842;  George  N. 
'Johnson,  May  9,  1855;  M.  W.  Jacobs,  Oc- 
tober 29,  1872 ;  A.  M.  Judson,  May  9,  1851 ; 
George  A.   Jenks,  September  8,  1892. 

K— Kelso,  Charles  W.,  1835;  William  C. 
Kelso,  May  10,  1839;  Louis  F.  Keller,  No- 
vember 8,  1869;  D.  H.  Kline,  November  14, 
1874;  Joseph  K.  Kelso,  June  27,  1876;  Otto 
Kohler,  May  12,  1887. 

L — Law",  Samuel  A,  April  5,  1841  ;  Will- 
iam S.  Lane,  Julv  22,  1844;  Wilson  Laird, 
February  8,  1849;  A.  McDonald  Lyon,  March 
20,  1857;  George  A.  Lyon,  Jr. ."March  12, 
1861;  Charles  M.  Lyncli,  February  6.  1866; 
H.    B.    Loomis,    August   6,   1866,   Samuel   P. 


Longstreet,  January  25,  1869 ;  James  H. 
Lewis,  January  28,  1869;  William  E.  Lathy, 
March  7,  1871  ;  Theodore  A.  Lamb,  August 
'22,  1871  ;  Francis   P.  Longstreet,  August  22, 

1871  ;  George  W.  Lathy,  December  18.  1871; 
Charles  E.  Lovett,  October  10,  1874  ;  J.  W. 
Lee,  January  20,  1880  ;  Hugh  C.  Lord,  De- 
cember 15,  1880. 

M — Marvin,  Dudley,  — ;  Moses  McLean, 
November  2,  1825;  Oilman  Merrill,  November 
9,  1826;  George  Morton,  June  7.  1827;  James 
C.  Marshall,  August  4,  1829;  George  H. 
Myers,  May  10,  1849;  David  B.  McCreary, 
August  8,  1851  ;  Francis  F.  Marshall.  October 
28,  1857;  Selden  Marvin,  December  14.  1^59; 
William  E.  Marsh,  May  7,  1879;  Frank  M. 
McClintock,  May  11,  1878  ;  Samuel  Miner, —  ; 
William  O.  Morrow,  January  25,  1884;  Paul 
W.  McKay,  June  26,  1889;  E.  W.  Mc Arthur. 
May  12,  1892;  C.  H.  McAulev,  September 
12,  1892. 

N— Norton,  L.  S.,  October  12,  1868; 
Miles  R.  Nason,  March  12,  1892;  Samuel  T. 
Neill,  November  19,  1892 

O — Olmstead,  C.  G..  September  7.  1875; 
Clark  Olds,  April  26,  1876;  Edward  J. 
O'Conner.  December  5.  1878 ;  Joseph  P. 
O'Brien.  March  17,  1883;  A.  B.  Osborne,  Mav 
31,  1887;  John  Ormerod.  November  14,  1889: 
N.  J.  Osmer,  Julv  17,  1898;  M.  E.  Olmstead. 
April  13,  1895. 

P — Phelps,  Mortimer,  September  12,  1850; 
James  G.  Payne,  February  1,  1861;  T.  S. 
Parker,  December  19.  1865  ;  James  O.  Parme- 
lee,  October  7,  1871  ;  John  Proudfit,  April  26, 
1876  :  C.  L.  Pierce,  October  23,  1877  ;  William 
R.  Perkins,  June  25,  1878;  Rodman  F.  Pugh. 
September  4,  1878;  Frank  L.  Perlev,  Septem- 
ber 30,  1879;  E.  C.  Page.  Julv"  22.  1889; 
James  IM.  Proudfit,  February  24,  "l890;  B.  B. 
Pickett,  Jr.,  September  28,  1891  ;  George  W. 
Perkins, "June  5.  1893. 

R— R'iddle,  John  S..  August  9.  1826;  Al- 
bert C.  Ramsev'  May  7,  1833;  John  J.  Ran 
dall,  May  8.  1839;  S.  W.  Randall.  Afay  10, 
1839  ;  James  C.  Reid.  August  10.  1848  ;  John 
W.  Riddell,  December  26.  1854;  David  W. 
Rambo,  November  2,  18()4:  Henrv  M.  Riblet. 
October    3,    1867;    B.   J.    Reid,  "January  22, 

1872  ;  Louis  Rosenzweig,  ApriH),  1872  ;  Craig 
J.  Reid,  September  11,  1876;  John  S.  Rill- 
ing, Februarv  19.  1885;  Thomas"  Roddv,  Mav 
9,  1885;  r."  P.  Rossiter,  January  28",  1887"; 
George    A.    Rathburn,    September   10.   1888; 


156 


J^ELSOJV'S  BIOaiiAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


C.  P.  Rogers,  Jr.,  September  5,  1890;  John 
E.  Reynolds,  October  7,  1891 ;  J.  E.  Reed, 
June  28,  1895. 

S — Smith,  Silas  T.,  June  4,  1827:  George 
\y.  Smitli,  November  7.  1831  ;  Stephen 
Strong  (District  Court).  April  8,  1841;  Reid 
T.  Stewart,  August  5,  1845;  .S.  Meiwin  Smith. 
Mav  5,  184(j;  James  Sill,  October  29,  1852; 
Samuel  S.  Spencer,  February  12,  1853;  Will- 
iam R.  S'cott,  February  2,  1858;  B.  J.  Ster- 
rett,  May  7,  1861 ;  C.  B.  Sleeper,  August  9, 
18(55;  J.  C.  Sturgeon,  February  28,  18(37;  C 
R.  Saunders,  May  24,  18(39;  Henry  Souther, 
October  30,  1872;  James  W.  Sproul,  April 
13,  1874;  Earl  N."  Sackett.  December  28, 
1875;  Henry  A.  Strong,  September  17,  1881; 
A.  E.  Sisson,  November  19,  1881  ;  David  A. 
Sawdey,  December  1, 1881  :  James  A.  Strana- 
han,  Apiil  24,  1884;  George  Sturgeon,  Sep- 
tember 28,  1884 ;  Isador  Sobel,  Mav  14,  1888 ; 
Frank    S.  Shaw,   Jinie   2(3,   1889 ;   James    M. 

Shervvin,  November  18,  1890;    Schmer, 

March  2,  1891  ;  Rufus  B.  Stone,  January  26, 
1893;  H.  M.  Sturgeon,  February  24,  1894; 
Ralph  B.  Sterrett,  May  14,  1894;  Patrick  C. 
Sheehan,  February  15,  1895 ;  Justin  P.  Slo- 
cum,  May  28.  1895. 

T— Tyler,  Nathan,  October  22,  1828; 
Tames  Thompson,  May  5.  1845;  Matthew 
Taylor,  April  2(5,  1847;  William  Taylor,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1849:  Henry  R.  Teiry,  January  25, 
1852";     J.    Ross    Tiiompson,    May    3,    185(3; 

Samuel  Thomas,  jr..  May  8,  1857; Titus, 

October  31,  18(50;  O.  O.  Trantum,  May  25, 
1868;  O.  E.  Taylor,  January  30,  1877;  C.  W. 
Tyler,  January  24,  1884;  F.  N.  Thorpe,  June 
25,  1885:  Albert  Truesdell,  December  14, 
1886;  L.  E.  Torry,  October  18.  1887;  E.  T. 
Templeton,  February  29,  1892;  James  C. 
Thomas,  October  2,  1893. 

V_Virgil,  Almon,  May  8,  1889;  John  P. 
Vincent,  February  2,  1841;"  E.  B.  Van  Tassel, 
December  16,  1858 ;  Strong  Vincent,  Decem- 
ber 12,  18(50;  Cornelius  Van  Horn,  May  28, 
1885. 

W— Walker,  John  H.,  July  27,  1824:  John 
H.  Waugh,  May  25,  1825;  "David  Walker, 
February  7,  182f;  William  M.  Watts,  July  17, 
1889;  Murray  Whallon,  October  \%  1839; 
Irwin  M.  Wallace,  May  28,  1843:  Edwin  C. 
Wilson,  August  3,  1846;  S.  E.  Woodruff, 
October  28,  1846;  Jeron-e  W.  Wetmore,  No- 
vember 9,  1849;  George  Williamson,  January 
24,    1850;  John  W.    Walker,    November  15, 


1854;  Hy.  J.  Walters,  April  27,  1857;  A. 
D.  Woods,  September  3,  1863;  George  W. 
Walker,  August  1.  1864;  Thomas  J.  Wells, 
August  4.  18(54;  D.  M.  R.  Wilson,  December 
19,  18(55;  Calvin  D.  Whitney.  May  10,  1866: 
C.  S.  Wilson,  October  6,  1870;  Thomas  S. 
Woodruff,  May  25,  1871  ;  David  J.  Winton, 
March  6,  ]878  ;"E.  L.Whittelsey,  May  15,  1877  ; 
Emory  A.  Walling,  September  4,  1878; 
Charles  L.  White,  October  2,  1882. 

Y— Yard,  \\.  C,  November  28,  1879. 

A    NOTABLE     LAW    SUIT. 

The  most  notable  suit  against  a  railroad 
company  to  recover  damages  for  injuries  sus- 
tained through  the  negligence  or  alleged 
negligence  of  the  company's  employes,  and 
one  that  involved  the  largest  sum  of  money 
ever  paid  in  the  United  States  for  personal 
injuries  received,  was  that  of  T.,ouis  Rosen- 
zweig,  attorney  at  law,  of  Erie,  against  the 
Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Soutliern  Railway 
Company.  The  plaintiff  had  purchased  a 
ticket  "  good  for  thirty  days  from  November 
25,  1883,"  for  passage  from  Erie  to  Cleveland 
and  return.  Upon  presenting  his  ticket  on 
the  following  day,  shortly  after  midnight,  on 
his  return  trip,  he  was  ejected  from  the  train, 
on  the  ground  that  his  ticket  was  not  good  on 
that  train,  the  "  Limited  E.xpress."  The 
ticket  presented  was  unconditioned,  and  the 
plaintiff  had  no  knowledge  that  a  recent  order 
of  the  company  limited  its  use  ;  yet  he  tendered 
cash  in  payment  for  his  passage,  whicli  was 
refused,  and  the  plaintiff  was  compelled  to 
alight  from  the  train  a  short  distance  out  from 
Cleveland,  on  a  most  dangerous  part  of  the 
I  railway  company's  yard,  where  there  were 
j  many  tracks,  and  where  freight  trains  were 
being  made  up  and  numerous  locomotives, 
trains  and  sections  of  trains  were  passing  in 
each  direction.  The  plaintiff"  was  an  utter 
stranger  to  the  locality,  the  night  was  dark, 
and  the  lights  of  passing  engines  served  to 
accentuate  the  d,-.rkness  when  they  had  passed. 
I  While  endeavoring  to  escape  the  dangers  and 
perils  of  his  position,  he  was  struck  in  the 
back  and  seriously  injured.  Suit  to  recover 
damages  was  instituted  by  his  law  partner, 
George  A.  Allen,  Esq.,  and  subsequently 
Samuel  A.  Davenport  and  J.  Ross  Thompson, 
Esqs.,  were  retained  as  associate  counsel. 
The  defendant  company  was  represented  by 
C.  R.  Roys,  Esq,,  of  Chicago,  Hon.  John  P. 


AND  niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


157 


Vincent  and  Hon.  S.  M.  Brainerd,  of  Erie, 
and,  when  the  case  reached  the  Supreme 
Court,  Hon.  Rasselas  Brown,  of  Warren,  was 
added  to  counsel  for  defense.  The  ca.se  was 
heard  twice,  in  1884,  before  Judge 
Galbraith,  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  of 
Erie  county,  the  trials  occupying^  eleven  days 
and  two  weeks  respectively,  resulting  in  a 
verdict  for  the  plaintiff  in  the  sum  of  !f48,- 
750.  It  was  carried  to  the  Suoreme  Court  of 
Pennsylvania  on  error  by  defendant.  The 
judgment  of  the  lower  Court  was  affirmed 
October  4th,  1880.  the  sum  finally  paid  the 
phiinlifF,  being  the  amount  of  verdict,  with 
interest,  aggregating  the  sum  of  $58,150. 

PERSONAL    REMINISCENCES. 

The  public  careers  of  some  of  the  above- 
named  gentlemen  include  almost  the  whole 
political  history  of  the  county.  The  limits  of 
this  work  leave  room  for  only  a  few  brief  ref- 
erences. Joim  II.  Walker  reached  Erie  when 
quite  a  young  man,  walking  from  Pittsburg 
to  Meadville,  where  he  was  obliged  to  borrow 
money  to  enable  hiin  to  reach  his  destination. 
Elijah  Babbitt  built  his  office  and  house  in 
1828,  and  stuck  to  the  same  spot  the  balance 
of  his  life.  Messrs.  Walker,  Babbitt  and 
Thomas  H.  Sill  filled  numerous  public  posi- 
tions, among  them  some  of  the  most  conspic- 
uous in  the  gift  of  the  people.  Dudlev  ISIar- 
vin,  after  remaining  in  Erie  a  brief  period,  re- 
moved to  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  eminent  lawyers  of  that  State. 
James  C.  Marshall  moved  to  Girard  in  1830, 
engaged  in  business,  and  did  not  return  to  the 
practice  of  law  in  Erie  until  1844.  Don  Car- 
los Barrett's  name  was  stricken  from  the  roll 
of  the  bar  in  1884,  and  he  soon  after  left  the 
county,  never  to  return.  He  located  in  Texas 
and  accumulated  a  large  property.  John 
Galbraith  came  to  Erie  from  Franklin  in  1887, 
and  was  elected  President  Jndge.  Carson  Gra- 
ham and  John  F.  Buncombe  went  West  and 
speedily  grew  prominent  in  public  life,  the 
one  as  a  Judge  and  the  other  as  a  Legislator 
and  popular  orator.  James  D.  Dunlap  was 
the  author  of  Duniap's  Book  of  Forms,  and 
Benjamin  Grant  of  several  volumes  of  the 
State  Reports.  Horace  M.  Hawes  emigrated 
to  California  and  became  worth  several  mill- 
ions. William  M.  Heister  returned  to  Read- 
ing, served  a  term  or  two  in  the  State  Sen- 
ate, and  was  Secretary  of  State   during    Gov- 


ernor Packer's  administration.  George  H. 
Cutler  came  to  Erie  county  in  1835  from 
Cortland  county.  N.  Y  ,  where  he  had  read  law. 
After  a  time  spent  in  other  pursuits  he  took  a 
second  course  of  reading  with  Hon.  John 
Galbraith,  to  comply  with  the  rule.  Selden 
Marvin  came  here  from  Chautauqua  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  served  a  term  as  County 
Judge,  with  credit  and  general  acceptability. 
Henry  Souther,  before  coming  to  Erie,  had 
held  several  prominent  State  positions,  and 
was  Judge  of  Schuylkill  county  bj'  appoint- 
ment of  the  Governor.  John  J.  Pearson 
served  for  thirty-two  years  as  Presiding  Judge 
of  the  Dauphin-Lebanon  district.  Gaylord 
Church  was  appointed  to  the  Supreme  Bench 
and  served  a  brief  term. 

General  Curtis  went  to  Warren  immedi- 
ateh'  after  his  admission,  and  lived  there  until 
186(5,  when  he  came  back  to  Erie.  He  was  a 
Colonel  in  the  war  for  the  Union,  and  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature  and  Congress.  C. 
S.  Gzowski  moved  to  Canada  and  became 
prominent  there.  A  monument  to  his  memory 
stands  in  the  Victoria  Park  at  Niagara  Falls. 
S.  E.  Woodruff  lived  in  Girard  until  1872, 
when  he  moved  to  Erie.  Strong  Vincent 
served  gallantly  in  the  war  for  the  Union, 
rose  to  be  a  brigadier  general,  won  an  envia- 
ble reputation  as  a  brave  soldier  and  was 
killed  at  Gettysburg.  Murray  Whallon  moved 
to  California,  where  he  was  elected  several 
times  to  the  Legislature.  Samuel  A.  Law 
went  to  New  York,  and  was  chosen  to  the 
Legislature  of  that  State.  John  W.  Douglass 
is  now  a  resident  of  Washington  City,  after 
long  service  as  Deputy  Commissioner  and 
Commissioner  of  Internal  Revenue,  and  Com- 
missioner of  the  District  of  Columbia.  Judge 
Thompson  removed  to  Philadelphia  after  his 
election  to  the  Sujireme  Bench,  of  which  he 
became  Chief  Justice.  On  his  retirement  from 
that  position  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
law,  and  died  in  February,  1877.  while  ad- 
dressing the  Court  of  which  he  iuid  been  a 
member. 

Moses  McLean  removed  to  Gettysburg 
and  represented  the  Adams  district  in  the 
Twenty-nintii  Congress.  Albert  C.  Ramsey 
moved  to  York,  Pa.,  and  was  ciiosen  colonel 
of  a  regiment  in  the  Mexican  war  of  1847—48. 
George  W.  vSmith  changed  to  Butler  and 
afterward  to  Kansas,  where  he  was  promi- 
nent in  the  Territorial  troubles.     Richard  Sill 


158 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


went   to    Pittsburg   and    entered    active    busi- 
ness. 

OFFICIAL       POSITIONS      HELD        BY        ERIE        AT- 
TORNEYS. 

Of  the  attorneys  resident  in  Erie  county 
and  admitted  since  182'},  the  following  have 
held  the  otVicial  positions  named.  [  See  Political 
Record — List  of    Public  Officers.] 

George  A.  Allen,  deputy  clerk  U.  S. 
court,  city  solicitor,  U.  S.  district  attorney. 

James  W.  Allison,  U.  S.  position  in  Col- 
orado. 

Elijah  Babbitt,  city  .solicitor,  Assembly, 
State  Senator,  Congress  ;  died  in  his  ninety- 
second  year. 

Charles  O.  Howman,  Assembly,  delegate 
to  Constitutional  Convention  of  1878. 

Henry  Butterfield,  clerk  of  the  courts,  As- 
sembly, State   Senator. 

S.  J.  Butterfield,  U.  S.  clerkships  at  Erie 
and  Washington. 

W.  W.    Brown,  Assembly,  Congress. 

Isaac  B.  Brown,  ^Vssembly,  deputy  secre- 
tary of  Internal  Affairs,  secretary. 

S.  M.  Brainerd,  justice  of  the  peace,  dis- 
trict attorney,   Congress. 

C.  L.  Baker,  district  attorney. 

John  C.  Brady,  mayor  of  Erie. 

Eben  Brewer,  secretary  to  Director  General 
World's  Fair. 

James  R.  Burns,  Assembly. 

A.  F.  Bole,  mayor  of  Corry. 

C.  B.  Curtis,  Legislature,  Congress. 

George  H.  Cutler,  State  .Senator,  President 
of  the  State  Senate. 

M.  X.  Cutler,   clerkship  at  ILirrisburg. 

E.  Camphausen,  select  council,  alderman, 
city  solicitor,  consul  to  Naples. 

M.  Cro.sby,  mayor  of  Corrj-. 

A.  A.  Craig,  alderman,  sheriff,  U.  S.  pay- 
master, associate  judge. 

James  D.  Duniap,  city  council,  Assembly, 
State  Senate. 

J.  F.  Downing,  clerk  of  select  council, 
select  council,  justice  of  the  peace,  district 
attorney. 

John  W.  Douglass,  collector  of  Internal 
Revenue,  deputy  commissioner  and  com- 
missioner of  Internal  Revenue,  commissioner 
of  the  District  of  Columbia. 

S.  A.  Davenport,  district  attorney. 

M.  E.  Duniap,  common  council. 

George  A.  Eliot,  burgess  of  Erie. 


A.  B.  Force,  district  attornej'. 

A.  A.  Freeman,  alderman,  school  director. 

A.J.  Foster,  clerk  select  council. 

John  Galbraith,  Congress,  president 
judge. 

William  A.  (ialbraith,  president  judge. 

Jonas  Ciunnison,  clerk  of  select  council, 
cit}-  council,  Assembly. 

Frank  (iunnison,  select  council,  counsel 
to  the  comity  commissioners,  president 
judge. 

George  P.  (iriffith,  clerk  of  common  coun- 
cil, alderman,  attorney  to  the  Erie  School 
Board. 

Frank  W.  Grant,  select  council,  deputy 
clerk  U.  S.  Courts. 

E.  P.  Gould,  attorney  to  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  poor.  Assembly. 

S.  L.  Gilson,  Indian  agent  in  Dakota. 

George  W.  Gunnison,  justice  of  the  p^ace, 
deputy  clerk  U.  S.  Courts. 

D.  W.  Hutchinson,  U.  S.  receiver  of  pub- 
lic money,  Bismarck,  N.  Dak. 

John  L.  Hyner,  sheriff. 

E.  E.  Hickernell,  deputy  U.  S.  marshal. 
Western  Pennsylvania,  deputy  sheriff  in 
Montana. 

C.  A.  Hitchcock,  Assembly. 
Charles  Ilorton,  postmaster.  North  East. 
J.  B.  Johnson,  Assembly,  State  Senator. 
George  N.  Johnson,   deputy  attorney  gen- 
eral. 

C.  W.  Kelso,  burgess  of  Erie,  city  solici- 
tor, Assembly. 

William  S.  La^ie,  city  council. 

Wilson  Laird,  Assembly,  mayor  of  Erie. 

A.  McD.  Lyon,  paymaster  U.  S.  army. 

Geo.  A.  Lyon,  paymaster  U.  S.  navy. 

Chas.  M.  Lj'ncli,  district  attorney,  collect- 
or of  Internal  Revenue. 

Theo.  A.  Lamb,  city  solicitor. 

Chas.  E.  Lovett,  district  attorney. 

Geo.  W.  and  Wm.  E.  Lathy,  city  solicitors. 

James  C.  Marshall,  prothonotary,  clerk  of 
the  courts,  revenue  commissioner. 

D.  B.  McCreary,  Assembly,  State  Senate, 
adjutant  general. 

Selden  Ahirvin,  county  Judge  of  Chautau- 
qua county,  N.  Y.,  city  recorder. 

F.  F.  Marshall,  U.  S.  commissioner. 
Jos.  P.  O'Brien,  city  solicitor. 

A.  B.  Osborne,  mayor  of  Corry. 
James   G.   Payne,    clerk   common    council 
of  Erie,  judge  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


'59 


M.  Phelps,  countj-  treasurer. 
John  Proudfit,  justice  of  the  peace. 

C.  L.  Pierce,  clerk  of  the  courts. 
John  S.  Riddle,  Assembly. 
Gen.  Chas.  M.  Reed,  Congress. 
James  C.  Reid.  Assembly. 

John  S.  Rilling,  attorney  to  the  Erie 
School  Board. 

L.  Rosenzweig,  alderman. 

U.  P.  Rossiter,  district  attorney. 

Thos.  H.  Sill,  burgess  of  Erie,  deputy  U. 
S.  marshal,  deputj-  attorney  general.  Assem- 
bly, Congress,  Presidential  elector,  postmaster 
of  Erie. 

James  Sill,  city  solicitor,  city  council,  dis- 
trict attorney,  State  Senate. 

J.  C.  Sturgeon,  district   attorney. 

Henry  Souther,  State  Senate,  surveyor 
general,  president  judge  of  Schuylkill  county. 

D.  B.  J.  Sterrett,   city  solicitor. 
A.  E.  Sisson,  district  attorney. 

D.  A.  Sawdey,  counsel  for  county  com- 
missioners. 

James  A.  Stianahan,  Legislature,  deputy 
attorney  general  of  Penna. 

Isador  Sobel,  common  council. 

J.  Ross  Thompson,   common  council. 

James  Thompson,  Assembly,  district  judge, 
Congress,  supreme  judge,  chief  justice. 

Matthew  Taylor,  district  attorney. 

Albert  Truesdell,  justice  of  the  peace. 

John  P.  Vincent,  city  solicitor.  Assembly, 
assistant  law  Judge,  president  judge. 

Jno.  H.  Walker,  Assembly,  Senate,  dele- 
gate to  Constitutional  Convention  of  1873, 
president  of  the  latter  body. 

\V.  M.  Watts,  Assembly  (from  Cumber- 
land county). 

Murray  Whallon,  Assembly,  mayor,  col- 
lector of  the  port.  Legislature  in  California. 

E.  C.  Wilson,  adjutant  general,  commis- 
sary general. 

S.  E.  Woodruff,  district  attorney,  register 
in  bankruptcy. 

John  W.  Walker,  Assembly  U.  S.  marshal 
Western  District  of  Penna. 

E.  L.  Whittelsey,  prothonotarv. 

E.  A.  Walling,  district  attorney.  State 
Senate. 

DEATHS    .VXD    REMOVALS. 

The  following  attorneys  are  known  to  be 
dead  :  Don  Carlos  Barrett,  Charles  Burnham, 
Wm.  Benson  (of  Erie,  Chas.  O,  Bowman,  H. 


A.  Baker,  A.  F.  Bole,  Peter  A.  R.  Brace, 
Gurdon  S.  Berry,  W.  M.  Biddle,  Justin  B. 
Chapin,  C.  B.  Curtis,  Geo.  H.  Cutler,  M.  N. 
Cutler,  M.  D.  Christy,  W.  B.  Chapman, 
James  D.  Dunlap,  Clark  Ewiiig,  George  A. 
Eliot,  Galen  Foster,  Carson  Graham,  John 
Galbraith,  S.  L.  Gilson,  C.  S.  Gzwoski, 
Benjamin  Grant,  Jonas  Gunnison,  William 
Griffith,  George  W.  Gunnison,  Horace  M. 
Hawes,  William  M.  Heister,  Charles  Hor- 
ton,  John  L.  Hyner,  D.  W^.  Hutchinson, 
Q_uincy  A.  Johnson,  John  B.  Johnson, 
George  X.  Johnston,  Charles  W.  Kelso, 
William  Kelley,  W.  C.  Kelso,  A.  McDonald 
Lyon,  Samuel  A.  Law,  F.  P.  Longstreet,  S. 
P.  Longstreet,  Wm.  S.  Lane,  Wilson  Laird, 
Moses  McLane,  Jas.  C.  ^larshall,  Selden 
^Marvin,  L.  S.  Norton,  C.  L.  Pierce,  John  S. 
Riddle,  James  C.  Reid.  A.  C.  Ramsey,  Jno. 
J.  Randall,  S.  W.  Randall,  B.  J.  Reid,  Silas 
T.  Smith,  S.  Merwin  Smith,  Thomas  H.  Sill, 
Reid  T.  Stewart,  George  W.  Smith,  Henry- 
Souther,  Matthew  Taylor,  William  Taylor, 
James  Thompson,  Oliver  E.  Taylor,  Strong 
Vincent,  John  H.  Walker.  Edwin  C.  ^^'ilson, 
W.  M.  Watts,  Irvin  M.  Wallace.  Murray 
Whallon,  S.  E.  Woodruff  and  George  W. 
Walker.  Mr.  Brace  died  at  Prarie  du  Chien, 
Wis.,  Mr.  Berry  in  Titusville,  Mr.  Chapin  in 
Ridgway,  Mr.  Chapman  in  Bradford,  Pa., 
Mr.  Foster  in  New  England,  Mr.  Graham 
in  Iowa, Mr.  G.  W.  Gunnison  in  Massachusetts, 
Mr.  Hawes  in  California,  Mr.  Heister  in  Read- 
ing, Mr.  Kelly  in  the  West,  Mr.  S.  ^L  Smith 
in  Vermont,  Judge  Thomp.son  in  Philadelphia, 
Gen.  Vincent  at  Gettysburg,  Judge  Souther 
at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Mr.  Lane  in  Philadel- 
phia, Mr.  Reid  in  Clarion,  Mr.  Norton  in  New 
York,  Mr.  Whallon  in  California,  and  Gen. 
Wilson  in  Baltimore.  Mr.  Stewart  married 
an  Erie  lady  and  died  on  his  wedding  trip. 

The  following  attorneys  are.  or  were,  in 
practice  elsewhere  :  John  Arthur,  State  of 
Washington  ;  Julius  Byles,  Titusville  ;  G.  D. 
Buckley.  California;  W.  W.  Brown,  Brad- 
ford; M.  H.  Byles,  Titusville;  W.  B.  Chap- 
man, Bradford;  John  W.  Douglass,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  ;  John  F.  Duncombe,  Iowa  ;  George 
W.  DeCamp,  Kansas;  A.  B.  Force,  Pitts- 
burg; Paul  H.  Gaither,  Greensburg;  D.  S. 
Herron,  oil  regions;  M.  W.  Jacobs.  Harris- 
burg;  William  E.  Lathy,  Kansas;  William  S. 
Lane,  Philadelphia;  Charles  E.  Lovctt,  Du- 
luth  ;  James  O.   Parmlee,  Warren  ;  James  G. 


i6o 


NELSOIT'S  BIOGBAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Payne.  W'asliiiigtoii,  I).  C.  ;  T.  S.  Parker, 
Pittsburg;  Jolin'W.  Ridtlle.  Pittsburg:  Will- 
iam R.  Scott,  Meadville  ;  C.  B.  Sleeper, West ; 
C.  R.  Saunders,  Cleveland;  E.  B.  VanTassel, 
Conneautville  ;  Murray  Whallon,  California; 
George  Williamson.  West;  A.  D.  Woods, 
Warren;  Thomas  J.  Wells.  Frank  S.  Shaw, 
Paul  W.  McKay  and  S.  S.  Bayle,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Caughey  entereil  the  ministry  after  his 
admission  to  the  bar,  being  the  only  instance 
of  the  kind  in  the  history  of  the  county. 

The  following  left  the  cqunty,  but  theii 
locations,  business,  etc.,  are  not  known  to  the 
writer:  R.  B.  Brawley,  Charles  P.  Biddle, 
H.  W.  Blakeslee,  Junius  B.  Clark,  Edward 
Clark,  M.  E.  Dunlap,  St.  John  Goodrich. 
Michael  Gallagher,  John  L.  Gallatew,  Thomas 
C  Himebaugh,  Louis  F.  Keller,  D.  H.  Kline, 
James  H.  Lewis,  George  H.  Myers,  R.  F. 
Pugh,  F.  L.  Perley,  John  J.  and  S.  W.  Ran- 
dall, D.  W.  Rambo,  Stephen  Strong,  D.  B. 
J.  Sterrett,  Almon  Virgil. 

The  following  abandoned  the  profession 
and  are  engaged  in  other  pursuits :  F.  H 
Abell.  J.  W.  Brigden,  Rush  S.  Battles,  S.  J 
Butterfield,  L'.  Hlickensderfer,  James  R 
Burns,  A.  H.  Caughey,  C.  C.  Converse,  E 
Graser,  A.  M.  Judson,  George  A.  Lyon,  E.  J 
O'Conner,  J.  F.  Downing,  John  W.   Walker 

In  looking  over  the  list  of  attorneys,  it  is 
curious  to  see  how  few  have  acquired  fortunes 
by  their  practice.  A  number  have  become 
possessed  of  large  means,  but  in  every  instance 
the  writer  recalls  to  mind,  their  financial 
prosperity  has  been  due  to  real  estate  invest- 
ments or  to  some  other  piece  of  good  luck  out- 
side of  the  regular  course  of  their  profession. 
The  law — in  Erie  county,  at  least — may  be 
the  pathway  to  reputation,  but  it  is  very  far 
from  being  the  easy  road  to  affluence. 


COUHT      CRIERS- 


-l.AW      I.IHH.VUV- 
ClATION. 


-BAH       .\SSO- 


I'he  following  liave  been  the  court  criers  : 
David  Langlev.  Basil  Iloskinson,  Robert  Kin- 
caide,  Joshua  Randall,  Remras  Baldwin,  P. 
D.  Bryant,  Edward  B.  Lytic,  A.  E.  White 
(since  1851). 

The  law  librarv  of  the  county  consists  of 
1,200  or  more  volumes.  It  was  purchased 
largelv  from  the  proceeds  of  fines  in  certain 
criminal  cases.  The  selection  of  books  is  made 
by  a  librarv  committee  consisting  of  five  mem- 
bers of  the  bar, 


The  Erie  Bar  Association  has  been  in  oper- 
ation since  about  1876,  the  object  being  to 
advance  the  general  interest  of  the  profession. 

JUSTICE.S  OI'  TIIK    PEACE  FROM     IT'.K)  TO     1828, 
INCLUSIVE. 

Up  to  18;5S,  when  the  Constitution  was 
amended,  all  Justices  of  the  Peace  were  ap- 
pointed by  the  Governor,  to  hold  their  offices 
during  good  behavior.  For  some  years  the 
larger  part  of  the  marrying  and  a  good  share 
of  the  conveyancing  were  done  by  the  Justices, 
who  were  usually  men  of  more  than  ordinary 
standing.  The  records  of  the  State  Depart- 
ment at  Ilarrisburg  show  the  following  ap- 
pointments to  that  office  from  ITOH  to  1828, 
inclusive  : 

1T9()— March  31,  Thomas  Rees,  \Villiam 
Wilson. 

1707 — April  IT),  John  Grubb. 
1798 — April  (),  David  McNair;  August  8, 
John  Way. 

1799— March  8,  Timothy  Tuttle  ;  March 
28,  Thomas  Robinson  ;  December  10,  William 
Culbertson. 

1800 — August  15,  William  Clarke,  John 
Lytle. 

1801 — February  25,  Cornelius  Van  Horn, 
Abiather  Crane,  John  Hay;  May  16,  James 
Pollock,  George  Williamson,  Adam  Stewart, 
John  Grubb. 

1802 — January  2,  Thomas  McCreary,  Abi- 
athar  Crane. 

1808 — January  8,  Hugh  \\'ilson.  John  \'in- 
cent. 

1801 — lainiarv  2,  Joseph  M.  Kratz,  John 
Phillips. 

1805 — April  1,  Thomas  Brown. 

1806— January  1,  John  C.  Wallace:  April 
1,  William  Culhertson,  Jacob  Hildebrand, 

1807— February  28,  John  Boyd  ;  July  4, 
Elisha  Marvin,  (ieorge  Moore. 

1808— July  4.  John  Way;  October  20, 
Timothy  Tuttle. 

1809— February  28,  John  Boyd.  William 
Porter;  June  22,  Thomas  Wilson. 

1810^April  12,  Dr.  Waitstill  Hastings. 

1811— January  24,  Cardiff  Taggart ;  No- 
vember 7,  (ieorge  Hurst. 

1812 — Februarv  2,  Howard  Salsbury. 

1815— March  8,  Alex.  T.  Blaine. 

1816 — -January  2, John  Phillips;  November 
13,  John  Gray. 


r 


^# 


y^. 


^->? 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUJUTr. 


i6i 


1817— February  21,  James  Hall  ;  March  14, 
Francis  Brawley. 

1S18 — January  28,  John  Morris:  March  11, 
John  McCord. 

1819 — December  14.  Oliver  Dunn,  Myron 
Backus. 

1820— February  28,  Robert  McClelland: 
May  18,  James  Weston. 

1821— March  29,  William  Hull;  November 
2,  Thomas  Forster,  Jr. 

1822— February '18,  Henry  Colt,  Jesse  D. 
Jackson:  March  16,  'I  homas  Stewart,  Hamil- 
ton H.  Graham. 

1823 — March  (3,  George  Moore;  March  28, 
William  Colt :  December  8,  Thomas  Green- 
wood; December  9,  Shepherd  Reals;  Decem- 
ber 12,  Jonathan  Stafford;  December  13,  Giles 
Sanford. 

JUSTICES     OF     THE     PE.\CE       AND       ALDERMEN 

FROM  1823  TO  1895.  inclusive. 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  Justices  of  the  Peace 
and  Aldermen  whose  commissions  have  been 
recorded  at  the  Court  House  since  1823.  The 
figures  show  the  dates  of  their  first  commis- 
sions : 

A — Geo.   W.   Addison,  August   26,  1836. 

C.  B.  Allen,  April   13,  1841. 

Ensign  Anderson,  April  15,  1845. 

Wm.  H.  Armstrong.  April  26,  1862. 

C.  W.  S.  Anderson.  April  12,  1866. 

Henry  C.  Aubrey,  March  29,  1878. 

Adam   Acheson,  April  18,  1878. 

Wm.  Aldrich,  March  30,  1880. 

T.  W.  Allison,  March  18,  1885. 

Benj.  P.  Allen.  April  5,  1888. 

Frank  A.  Akin,  April  21,  1891. 

E.  R.  Allen.  April  19,  1892. 
B— John  Brawley,   August  3,  1825. 

Lewis  S.   Bowers,   December  5,  1828. 

Mark  Baldwin,  November  10,  1829. 

John  Brecht,  April  3,  1830. 

John  Bennett.  March  8,  1832. 

A.  W.  Brewster.    October  26,  1837. 

G.   T.  Ball.  March  8.  1838. 

John  Bovd,  April  14,  1840. 

Win.  Benson.  April  14,  1840. 

John  Barney.  April   14.  1840. 

Wm.  Blore."  April  14.  1840. 

Roswell  H.  Brown.  April    12,  1842. 

Wm.  K.  Black,  April  12,  1842. 

Ednnind  Bunting,  April  12,  1842. 

Royal  B.  Barnes,  April  11,  1848. 


A.  W.  Blaine,  May  13,  1845. 
Henry  Ball,  April  14,  1846. 
James  Benson,  April  14,  1846. 
L.  I.  Baldwin,  April  13,  1847. 
John  S.  Barnes,  April  13,  1847. 
Wm.  Bracken,  April  13,  1847. 
Daniel  Branch,  April  11,  1854. 
John  Braden,  April  14,  1857. 
David  Baker.  March  12,  1857. 
R.  R.  Burchfield,  April  9,  1861. 
Philo  E.  Bennett,  May  10,  1861. 
J.  C.  Burnside,  May  10.  1861. 
W.  P.  Barber,  May  10,  1861. 
L.  K.  Bennett,  September  25,  1863. 
L.  D.  Brooks,  April  12,  ls64. 
Chas.  Burnham,  April  27,  1865. 

E.  P.  Bennett,  April  12,  1866. 
G.  C.  Barney,  April  20,  1867. 
H.  A.  Baker,  March  11,  1867. 
Graham  Benson,  April  21,  1868. 
S.  B.  Brooks,  April  15,  1869. 

John    Blackmarr.    November   6,    1869. 
S.  M.    Brainerd,  November  13,    1869. 
Geo.  D.  Bucklev.  April  20,  1871. 
Timothy  Butlen  April  9,  1872. 
Edwin  Bragg,  April  15,  1873. 
A.  S.  Bunnell,  April  15,  1873. 
Samuel  Brooks,  March  14,  1874. 

F.  H.  Button,  March  13,  1875. 
Geo.  N.  Barnes.  April  11,  1876. 
James  R.  Burns,  ^larch  17,  1877. 
R.  C.  Bromley,  March  25.  1878. 
I.  Llovd  Benson,  March  27,  1879. 
Chas."Q.  Brown,  March  30,  1880. 
Chas.  S.  Burchfield.  April  9,  1881. 
Byron  B.  Bean,   March  30,  1882. 
G'.  Sid.  Beavis,  April  16,  1885. 
H.  S.  Barnes,  April  16,  1885. 

I.  T.  Beechcr,  April  8,  1886. 
A.  G.  Burnham.  April  8.  1886. 
D.  R.  Bovee,  April  8,  1886. 
F.  S.  Barney.  April  11,1887. 
H.  R.  Briggs.  April  16,  1890. 
J.  V.  Baldwin,  April  21,  1891. 
"James  S.  Benson.  April  24.  1893. 
C— Ansel  Crouch,  June  13,  1836. 

)ames  Ciiambers,  December  18,  1838. 
David  Crozier,  April  14.  1840. 
Andrew  Caughey.  April  14.  1840. 
Andrew  Cousc,  April  14.  1840. 
Iliram  Crow,  April  14.  1840. 
Jacob  Comstock,  April  14,  1840. 
James  Culver,  April  14,  1840. 
Wm.  Campbell,  May  19,  1840. 


l62 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Luke  II.  Ciilter,  April  15,   1845. 

G.  A.  Ebisch,  April  20,  1871. 

Matthew  G.  Cook,  April  15,  1845. 

M.  S.  Edmunds,  March  13,  1875. 

Cyrus  A.  Culbertsoii,  April    15,  1845. 

E.  J.  Evans,  April  16,  1895. 

Pliny  Chapiii,  (2d),  April  15,  1845. 

F_Asliel  B.  Foster,  March  3,  1838. 

Joel  A.  Curti.s,  May  IS,  1845. 

Lewis  Frisbee,  April  14,  1840. 

David  H.  Chapman,  April  13,  1847. 

H.  D.  Frances,  March  9,  1850. 

John  W.  Campbell,  April  11.  1848. 

A.    J.Foster   (police   justice),    March 

Hiram  Cook,  April    II,  I84S. 

10,  1870. 

Rodney  Cole,  April  9,  1850. 

Perry  Fargo,  April  19,  1872. 

A.  A.  "Craig,  April   18,  1858. 

J.  M.  Finn,  April  9,  1872. 

E.  Camphausen,  April  18,  1858. 

John  Ferrier,  April  11,  1876. 

Frederick  Curt/.e,  April   10,  1860. 

A.  A.  Freeman,  April  9,  1881. 

Lawrence  Colegrove,  March  21,  1860. 

F.  E.  Fenton,  March  80,  1882. 

Wm.  Cheeseman,  April  11,  1865. 

O.  D.  Fitch,  April  16,  1885. 

Samuel  Cummins,  April  11,  1865. 

U.  S.  Fuller,  April  21,  1891. 

M.  B.  Chamberlain,  November  6,  1869. 

G— Wm.  Gray,  Jr.,  March  8,  1824. 

J.  C.  Coffman,  April  17,  1871. 

E.  D.  Gunnison,  March  15,  1825. 

John  Crowell,  April  17,  1871. 

Wm.  Graham,  April  12,  1827. 

C.  C.  Carter,  March  18,  1875. 

Oren  Goff,  April  11,  1840. 

Thomas  Crowley,  March  13,  1875. 

L.  B.  Goodell,  April  14,  1840. 

Elijah  Crow.  March   11,  1876. 

Wm.  Griffith,  April  10,  1849. 

E.  A.  Church,  March  15,  1880. 

Henry  Gingrich,  April  18,   1858. 

S.  F.  Chapin,  May  6,  1881. 

John  Greer,  April  11,  1854. 

Norman  H.  Clark,  April  16,  1885. 

R.  M.  Greene,  April  10,  1855. 

T.  G.  Carroll,  April  16,  1885. 

E.  W.  (ierrish,  April  16,  1856. 

Clark  M.  Cole,  April  8,  1886. 

I.  ().  (iriffin,  April  16,  1856. 

E.  A.  Collins,  April  16,  1890. 

Stephen   J.  Godfrey,  April  12,  1859. 

T.  H.  Crandall,  April  21,  1891. 

Stephen  Griffith,  April  10,  1860. 

C.  C.  Chappell,  April  21,  1891. 

Philip  P.  Glazier,  April  9,  1861. 

E.  S.  Crooker,  April  19,  1892. 

Geo.  W.  Gunnison,  April  12,  1864. 

G.  H.  Cornell,  April  16.  1894. 

L.  E.  Guignon,  April  12,   1864. 

John  Chapman,  April  16,  1894. 

Charles  Galliard,  April  20,  1867. 

D— kobt.  M.  Dou<,rlas,  March  1,  1825. 

Geo.  VV.  Gillett,  March  6,  1869. 

John  L.  Davis^  April  8,  1828. 

Geo.  P.  Griffith,  November  6,  1869. 

Hiram  Drury,  November  9,  1885. 

John  W.  Goodell,  June  3,  1875. 

Robt.  Dunn,  June  18,  18;i6. 

Benj.  P.  Griffith,  A'pril  9,  1877. 

Almon  Duncombe,  April  14,  1840. 

J.  L.  Green,  March  80,  1880. 

Ira  Dewey,  April  14,  1845. 

b.  F.  Gifford,  April  9,  1881. 

Eli  Duncombe,  April   15,  1845. 

C.  R.  Gray,  April  9,  1881. 

Jeremiah  Davis,  April  13,  1847. 

F.  M.  Gould,  March  30,  1882. 

J.  F.  Downing,  April  14,  1857. 

G.  W.  GrifFen,  April  16,  1885. 

James  Dunn,  April  21,  1868. 

Robeit  Gough,  April  16,  1890. 

C.  E.  Duncombe,  April  21,  1868. 

H — Myron  Hutchinson,  April   12,  1827. 

M.Detzel,  April  20,  1871. 

Richard  O.  Hulbert,  July  1,  1832. 

Philip  Diefenbach,  April  15,  1878. 

Robert  Heath,  October  31,  1834. 

Wm.  W.  Davis,  April  28,  1878. 

Peter  Haldeman,  March  3,  1838. 

Hosea  Drown,  March  30,  1880. 

Christian  Heck,  April  14,  1840. 

E.  F.  Davenport,  March  30,  1880. 

Horace  Hall,  April  14,  1840. 

Richard  B.  Dempsey,  May  16,  1881. 

Uriah  Hawkins,  April  15,  1845. 

Chas.  E.  Davis,  April  11,"  1887. 

Antlerson  Hubbard,  April  15,  1845. 

J.  F.  Dearing.  April  21,  1891. 

Humiihrev  A.  Hills,  April  9,  1850. 

B.  C.  Drury,  April  24,  1893. 

D.  W.  Howard,  March  10,  1854. 

Albert  J.  Doerr,  April  16,  1895. 

Jonathan  A.  Hill,  April  11,  1854. 

E — Allen  Ensworth,  April  16,  1856. 

Heman  Heath  March  10,  1855. 

AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


163 


M.  A.  Hays,  April  13,  1858. 

S.  S.  Hammond.  April  25,  1862. 

E.  \V.  Hatch,  April  14.  1863. 
J.  L.  Hyner,  April   14,  1868, 
P.  B.  Honecker,  April  14,  1868. 
Henry   S.  Holdridge,   March   6,  1869. 
Wm. 'Harrington,  March  24,  1870. 
Wm.  Himrod,  April  17,    1871. 

J.  Robert  Hall,  April    17,  1871. 
Monroe    Hutchinson,   April    17,  1871. 
Chas.  A.  Hitchcock,  April  15,  1873. 
S.  M.  Hayes,  March  13,  1875. 
Wm.  E.  Haves,  March  13,  1875. 
L.  L.  Howard,  March  11,  1S76. 
James  Hubbard,  March  11,  1876. 
Henry  P.  Hall,  March  17,  1877. 

C.  L.  Hills,  March  17,  1877. 
A.  W.  Hayes,  October  8,  1878. 

G.  A.  Hampson,  November    13,  1884. 

H.  C.  Hayes,  April  8,  1886. 

H.  G.  Harvey,  April  5,  1888. 

Bryan  S.  Hill,  April  5,  1888. 

R.  A.  Holman,  April  5.  1888. 

M.  A.  Harrington,  April  16,  1890. 

H.  C.  Hayes,  April  21,  1891. 

T.  C.  Hughes,  April  21,  1891. 

Jos.  P.  Hollen,  May  18,  1892. 
J— John  B.  Jones,  March  1,  1825. 

Michael  Jackson,  February  20,  1834. 

Lyman  Jackson,  April  15,  1845. 

Peter  P.' Judson,  April  9,  1850. 

Chauncy  Joslin,  April  11,  1854. 

William  C.  Jackson,  April  9,  1861. 

Giistave  Jarecki.  May  24,  1862. 

W .  C.  Johnson,  April  7,  1884. 
K— William  Kelley,  August  1,  1828. 

Thomas  King,  April  3,  1838. 

Amos  King,  August  14,  1838. 

George  Kellogg,  April  14,  1840. 

Thomas  G.  King,  April   18,  1853. 

Melvin  M.  Kelso,  April  13,  1853. 

Enos  Kress,  April  13,  1858. 

Perry  Kidder,  April  13,  1858. 

F.  W.  Koehler,  April  14,  1863. 
Hollis  King,  April  12,  1866. 

S.  E.  Kincaid,  March  6,  1869. 

D.  C.  Kennedv,  November  6,  1869. 
Wilson  King, "March  14,  1874. 
Joseph  Knight,  March  16,  1876. 
W.  B.  Kirnan,  March  17,  1877. 
Jos.  W.  Kelso.  July  6,  1878. 

E.  S.  Kennedy. 'March  27,  1879. 
Julius  Koenig.  .September  21,  1885. 
\\'illiam  Kernick,  April  19,  1892. 


L — Jacob  Lefever,   January  16,  1832. 

W.  W.  Loomis.' Aprir24.  1834. 

Joseph  E.  Lee,  April  14,  1840. 

Ezra  Lilley,  July  2,  1840. 

Dyer  Loomis,  April  15,  1845. 

Newton  Lounsberry,  April  11,  1848. 

Wilson  Laird,  May  10,  1852. 

Nelson  Lewis.  April  12,  1859. 

N.  D.  Lowry,  April  10,  1860. 

Cyrenus  Lindsley,  May  10,  1861. 

Hartley  Lampson,  Mav  10,  1861. 

H.  E.  Ladd,  April  12,' 1866. 

F.  P.  Liebel,  April  25,  1871. 

C.  W.  Lowell,  April  9,  1881. 

Joseph  Laverv,  April  16,  1890. 
M— Alex.  McClaskev,  April  11,  1825. 

Wm.  T.  Mackev,  Februarv  16,  1833. 

Thomas  Mellen"  April  24,'l>^33. 

Harry  ^slailory,  March  13.  lcS34. 

James  McConkev.  November  27,  1835. 

David  McKinne'y,  April  14,  1840. 

John  McCullough,  April  14,  1840. 

John  B.  Milliken.  April  14,  1840. 

S.  F.  Moore.  April  14,  1840. 

James  Moorhead,  April  14,  1840. 

Thomas  R.  Miller,  May  15,  1840. 

Hiram  Moore,  April  14,  1846. 

William  S.   Maynard,  April  13,  1847. 

Elijah  Matteson,  April  10.  1849. 

William  E.  Marvin,  April  9,  1850. 

Hector  McLean,  April  15,  1851. 

George  McLean,   November  22,  1852. 

I.  Newton  Miller,  April  10,  1860. 

W.  E.  McLean,  April  12,  1864. 

Jackson  McCreary,  April  27,  1867- 

A.J.  McCreary,  April  19,  1872. 

James  McCrearj-,  April  19,    1872. 

M.  M.  Moore,  March  14,  1874. 

William  T.  Myer,  March  11,  1876. 

James  A.  McCullough,  March  17,  1877. 

William  Marsh,  April  3,  1879. 

Melvin  W.  Moffitt,  Mav  15.  1879. 

W.  H.  Moore,  March  30,   1882. 

M.  Munson.  April  6.  1883. 

George  W.  Mitchell.  April  6,  1883. 

Daniel  McMahon,  December  6,  1883. 

Presslev  McCrearv,  April  8,   1886. 

John  ^icGonnell, "April  21'-  1891. 

"D.  J.  Mead,  April  19,  1892. 

N.  T.  McLallen,  April  16,  1894. 
N — James  Nelson,  March  4,  1828. 

Elisha  Nason,  April  14,  1840. 

Marshall  Niles,  April  9,  1850. 

Robert  Nesbitt,  April  10,   1860. 


164 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


D.  W.  Nason,  April  I'l,  1868. 

Samuel  Rea,  Jr.,  .\pril  10,  18(50. 

M.  M.  Nason,  December  17.  18(30. 

F.  N.  Runnefs,  March  7,  18(53. 

Will.  Nicholson,  April  14,  1870. 

Philip  Royer,  April  14,  18(53. 

David  Nason,  April  28,  1873. 

.\lbert  Rockwood,  April  12,  1864. 

Wm.  M.  Nason,  Tune  15,  1875. 

N.  W.  Russell,   April  12,  1867. 

E.  K.  Nason,  November  13,  1876. 

David  Reed,  April    17,  1871. 

Henry  S.  Nash,  March  30,  1880. 

M.  W.Robinson,  April  17,  1871. 

Elmer  Nesbitt,  April  10.  1885. 

Louis   Rosenzweig,  April  9,  1872. 

B.   T.  Nason,  April  3,  1886. 

C.  S.  Raymond,  April  9,  1S72. 

Geo.  A.  Nantes,  April  11,  1887.. 

Wm.  S.  Randall,  April  11,  1876. 

Wm.  M.  Nason.  April  20,  1889. 

Wm.   T-  Rohinson,  February  4,  ISW). 

Thayer  W.  Northrup,  May  2,  1892. 

A.  Z.Randall,  December  15,  1881. 

p_John  Phillips,  October  28,    1825. 

M.  S.  Rouse,  April  7,  1884. 

Elijah  Pond,  April  14,  1840. 

Elijah  K.  Range,  March  19,  1887. 

David  Proudtlt,  April  13,  1841. 

Hiram  Rice,  April  21,  1891. 

Ilalsey  Pelton,  April  11,  1843. 

T.  P.  Ross,  March  7,  1892. 

John  Parmater,  .Vpril  11,  1848. 

John  G.  Reed,  April  16,  1894. 

Geo.  M.  Pope,  April  10.  1849. 

C.  K.  Riblet,  April  16,  1894. 

E.  0.  Pinnev,  April   10,  1849. 

S — John  Salsbury,  December  10,  1829. 

Wm.  Putnam,  April  9,  1850. 

Tames  Smiley,  August  13,  1838. 

Willard  Perry,  April  9,  1850. 

Jo.seph  M.  Sterrett,  January    15,  1836. 

Tames  D.  Phillips,  April  24,  1852. 

Harley  Sherman,   December  12,   1837. 

H.  L.  Pinney,  April  12,  1859. 

Elias "Salsbury,  April  14,  1840. 

Wm.  B.  Pier,  March  21,  1860. 

John  C.  Smith,  April  14,  1840. 

Jesse  R.  Prindlc,  April  10,  I860. 

"llenrv  Strong,  April  14,  1840. 

D.  N.  Patterson,  April  14.  1863. 

Tob  Stafford,  April  14,  1840. 

George  Pierce,  April  11,  1865. 

Russell  Stancliff,  April  15,  1845. 

James  E.  Pettibone,  April  12,  1866. 

John  Smith,   April  15,  1845. 

Mortimer  Phelps,  April  12,  18G6. 

"Tohn  R.  Smith,  April  18,  1847. 

Loren  Pease,  April  14,  1868. 

Ethel  Shelmadine,  April  13,  1847. 

T.  B   Potter,  April  15,   1869. 

S.  Merwin  Smith,  April  10,  1849. 

John  Proudfit,  November  6,  1869. 

William  Scott,  April  10,  1849. 

Giles  D.  Price,  yVpril  17,  1871. 

Levi  Silverthorn,  April  10,  1849. 

D.  R.  Palmer,  December  28,  1874. 

L.  W.  Savage,  April  9,  1850. 

T.  B.  Page,  May  9,  1879. 

S.  S.  Spencer,  April  9.  1850. 

H.  A.  Porter,  March  30.  1880. 

Tohn  Sweeney,  Ti'"e  25,  1850. 

Ralph  I.  Pettit,  March  30,  1881. 

Geo.  S.  Sweet,  April  18,  1852. 

C.  R.  Powell,  April  11,  1887. 

F.  W.  M.   Sherwood,   April  24,  1852. 

J.  M.  Proudfit,  April  11,  1887. 

Moses  Smiley,  April  11,  1854. 

Davis  Peck,  July  6,  1887. 

Ira  Sherwin,  April  11,  1854. 

Henry  S.  Parson,  April  5,  1888. 

Tohn  Stewart,  April  10.  1855. 

George  Peck,  April  20,  1889. 

Sanford  Slater,  April  Ki,  lS5l). 

E.  Pool,  April  16,  1890. 

Tames  D.  Smith,  March  5,   1859. 

R.  S.  Pierce,  April  16,  1895. 

"Tohn  Spaulding,  April  10,  18(50. 

R — Casper  M.  Rouse,  November  17,  1832. 

Alex.  Smiley,  April  10,  18(50. 

Alvan  Ryan,  February  1(5,  1835. 

Tosiah   Sullivan,  April  10,  18(50. 

Theo.  Ryman,  April  14,  1840. 

Geo.   T- Sherman,  April  9,   1861. 

James  Robinson,  April  14,  1840. 

David  StanclilT,  April  14,  1868. 

Robt.  Ransom,  April  13,  1841. 

E.  P.  Snow,  April  11,  1865. 

Richard  R.  Robinson,  April  15,  1845. 

A.  P.  Salsbury,  April  11,  1865. 

Lyman  Robinson,  Ajiril  18,  1852. 

Thomas  Sterrett,  April  17,  1871. 

Samuel  Rea.  April  10,  1855. 

James  Skinner,  April  20,    1871. 

Tames  II.  Rouse,  Mav  16,  1856. 

W.  Barrv  Smith,  April  17,  1871. 

H.  M.  Range,  April  13,  1858. 

Thos.  B.Smiley,  March  14,  1871. 

AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


165 


J.  R.  Smith,  March  23,  1875. 

Frank    Schlaudecker,  March  13,  1875. 

M.  H.  Silverthorn,  March  13,  1875. 

C.  Swallev,  April  11,  1876. 

C.  C.  Stoddard,  March  11,  1876. 

C.  V.  Sherman,  March   18,  1878. 
R.  D.  Silverthorn,  March  l'7.  1.^79. 
T.  B.  Smiley,  March  27,  1879. 
Marvin  St.  John,  March  30,  1SS2. 
F.  M.  Spaulding;  April  16,  1885. 
Clinton  B.  Smith,  April  16,  1885. 
H.  H.  Strieker,  April  5,  1888. 

D.  G.  Smilev,  April  20,  1889. 
Geo.  H.  Spaulding,  April  24.  1893. 
John  Scott,  Mav3,  1893. 

"John  W.  Scott. "April   16,  1894. 
Jacob  E.  Swap,  April  16,  1894. 
Samuel  C.  Smith,  April   16,  1894. 
W.  C.  Shields,  April  16,  1894. 
H.  A.  Skinner,  April  16,  1895. 
T— Albert  Tuttle,  December  1,  1829. 
Heiirv  A.  Terrv,  October  24,  1836. 

A.  C'.  Tiffany,  July  10,  1839. 

B.  O.  Town,  April  11,  18^13. 

John  A.  Tracy  (2d).  April  10,  1849. 
Isaac  R.  Taylor.  April  9,  1850. 
James  R.  Taylor,  April  15,  1851. 

E.  W.  Twichell,  April  13,  1852. 
John  Tuckey,  April  11,  1854. 
John  C.  Trask,  April  10,  1855.  • 
William  Thornton.  June  21,  1855. 
Caleb  Thompson.  April  16,  1856. 
D.  H.  Troop.  April  10,  1860. 
John  G.  Taylor,  April  11,  1865. 
John  'Ihompson,  Jr.,  April  11,  1865. 
Albert  Truesdell, 'March  12,  1879. 
R.  B.  Temple.  April  16,  1885. 
Taylor  Tome,  April  11,  1887. 
Isaac  L.  Tubbs.  April  5.  1888: 

B.  C.  Town.  April  1(5,  1890. 

J.  L.  Titus, . 

V— \Vm.  Vincent,  October  12,  1829. 

David  W.  Vorse,  April  9,  1850. 

Lewis  Van  Anden,  April  16,  1856. 

S    A.  Van  Dusen,  April  5,  1888. 
\V— Joseph  Wright,  March  15,  1825. 

James  H.  Woodworth,  December  23, 
1830. 

James  Wilson,  July  30,  1831. 

James  Weston,  Mav  22,  1.S32. 

Philip  Wells,  June  "l3,  1832. 


David  G.  Webber,  May  27,  1834. 
Isaac  Webster,  December  18,  1838. 
John  L.  Way,  April  14,  1840. 
Xoves  White,  April  12,  1842. 
Isaac  M.  White,  April  15,  1845. 
John  M.  Warren,  April  15,  1845. 
Wareham  Warner,  April  9.  1850. 
Jeduthan  Wells,  April  15,  1851. 
Z.  L.  Webster,  April  15,  1851. 
G.  W.  Walker,  April  13,  1853. 
Orrin  G.  Wood,  April  10,  1855. 
Jonas  W'endall.  April  16,  1856. 
Seymour  Washburn,  April  14,  1857. 
H.  R.  Whittlesey.  April  13,  1858. 
D.  C.  Wilbur.  April  12.  1859. 
D.  M.  Wood,  April  10,  1860. 
H.  L.  Wvman,  September  25,  1863. 
R.  H.  Williamson,  March  25.  1864. 
David  Wilson,  April  12,  1864. 
James  Winchester,  April  27,  1865. 
O.  G.  Wood.  April  28,  1865. 
Chester  S.  Wilson,  April  27,  1867. 
D.  M.  R.  Wilson.  April  15.  1869. 
J.  L.  Waterhouse,  April  9,  1872. 
Sam  Woods,  April  11,  1876. 
T.  C.  Wheeler,  April  11,  1876. 
T.  A.  Walling,  April  9,  1877. 

B.  J.  Wakelev,  April  9,  1877. 
Wm.  E.  WilHams,  March  25,  1878. 
Wm.  R.  Wade,  March  30,  1880. 
George  S.  Washburn,  April  9,  1881. 

C.  C.  Wright,  April  9.  1881. 
A.  D.  Wiard,  March  29.  1882. 
T.  V.  Wallis,  April  6,  1883. 
John  G.  Weiblein.  April  16,1885. 
W.  Wheaton,  April  21,  1891. 
James  Watson.  April  16,  1894. 
George  E.  Watrous,  April  16,  1895. 
Hugh  Wilson.  April  16,  1895. 

Y — Thos.  L.  Young,  August  26,  1834. 

James  W.  Yost,  April  20,  1867. 
Z — David     Zimmerman,      November     18, 
1835. 
Reinhard  Zimmer,  April  6,    1883. 
The   venerable   James  Chambers,  of   Har- 
bor Creek,  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  a 
longer  period  than  any  other  man  in  the  coun- 
ty, if  not   in  the    State.      Appointed  by  Gov. 
Ritner  in    1838,  he   has  held   the   office,  with 
the   exception  of   one  or    two    brief  intervals, 
ever  since. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 


Doctors,  Surgeons  and  Dkntists. 


THE  first  and,  for  a  number  of  vears,  tlie 
only  resident  ph3'sician  in  Erie  countv, 
was  Dr.  John  C.  \\'aliace,  who  located 
in  the  borougii  of  Erie  about  the  time 
of  its  first  settlement.  He  continued 
in  the  practice  of  medicine  nearly  to  the  day 
of  his  death,  wiiich  occurred  on  the  8th  of  De- 
cember, 1827. 

Dr.  Plara  Thayer  located  in  or  near  Erie 
about  1811,  and  was  joined  in  a  short  time  by 
his  brother.  Dr.  Albert  Thayer.  They  resided 
on  Federal  Hill,  and  their  practice  extended 
over  a  good  part  of  the  countv. 

Dr.  Asa  Coltrin  settled  in  Erie  about  1815, 
and  continued  in  practice  until  his  death  in 
November,  1824.  The  next  physician  in  Erie 
was  Dr.  Peter  Christie,  wlio  was  a  surgeon  in 
the  United  States  navy. 

The  list  of  Erie  physicians  was  increased 
by  the  arrival  of  Dr.  VVilliam  Johns  in  1822, 
and  bj'  Drs.  Taber  and  Elijah  Beebe  in  1825. 
All  of  these  remained  until  their  decease. 

Dr.  Peter  Faulkner  located  in  South  Erie 
in  1825.  After  a  time  he  changed  to  Craw- 
ford county,  but  returned  to  Erie  in  1848. 
His  sons,  Drs.  William  and  Robert  Faulkner, 
both  became  practitioners  in  Erie  at  a  com- 
paratively early  period. 

Dr.  Jacob  \'^osburg  reached  Erie  the  same 
year  as  Dr.  Faulkner,  and  Dr.  Sanford  Dickin- 
son, who  had  practiced  in  Wattsburg  a  short 
time,  removed  to  Erie  in  1S4(). 

Outside  of  Erie,  the  earliest  physician  was 
Dr.  James  Smedley,  who  located  in  North 
East  at  an  early  day.  Dr.  Ira  Sherwin  made 
his  home  in  Harbor  Creek  in  1825,  and  Dr. 
W.  T.  Bradley  in  VVesleyville  about  1840. 
Dr.  Rufus  Hills  practiced  in  Girard  from  an 
early  date  until  ISSJO,  when  he  changed  to 
Erie.  He  removed  to  Pittsburg,  where  he 
died.  Dr.  M.  C.  Kellogg  practiced  in  connec- 
tion with  Dr.  Vosburg  at  Erie  until  1831, 
when  he  changed  to  Girard.  He  died  in  Al- 
bion, to  which  place  he  had  removed,  in  1855. 


Among  the  physicians  of  prominence  in 
Erie,  at  a  later  period,  were  Dr.  William  A. 
Wallace,  Dr.  P.  Hall,  Dr.  C.  Sevens,  Dr.  T. 
II.  Stuart,  Dr.  S.  Dickinson,  Dr.  J.  L.  Stew- 
art, Dr.  Perkins,  Dr.  H.  A.  Spencer,  Dr.  N. 
Seymour,  Dr.  George  Bennett,  Dr.  W.  O. 
Gilson,  Dr.  Charles  Aichner  and  Dr.  E.  W. 
Germer — not  naming  those  who  are  still  in 
active  practice  in  the  city.  Dr.  Seymour  re- 
moved to  North  East  in  1894,  and  still  gives 
some  attention  to  the  practice  of  medicine. 

I,.\W     AS    TO    REGISTRY. 

The  law  of  Pennsylvania  provides  that 
every  person  engaged  in  the  regular  practice 
of  medicine  or  surgery  shall  be  a  graduate  of 
a  legally  chartered  medical  college  or  univer- 
sity, and  have  his  diploma  registered  in  the 
Prothonotary's  office  in  the  county  where  he 
resides.  In  case  the  diploma  has  been  lost,  a 
certified  copy  of  the  same  may  be  presented, 
or,  if  not  obtainable,  the  party  may  make  affi- 
davit to  the  tact,  with  the  name  of  the  school 
he  attended.  Exception  is  made  in  the  case  of 
phjsicians  who  have  been  in  continuous  prac- 
tice within  this  commonwealth  for  a  long 
period.  These  are  allowed  to  continue  in 
practice,  but  must  appear  before  the  Prothon- 
otary  and  make  affidavit  in  accordance  with 
the  law. 

LIST    OK     REGISTERED    PHYSICIANS. 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  physicians  who  regis- 
tered in  Erie  county  up  to  July  1,  1895,  with 
the  colleges  from  which  they  graduated,  the 
time  when,  or  the  periods  they  claimed  on  the 
day  of  registrv  to  have  practiced.  When  no 
dates  are  given,  they  do  not  appear  on  the 
registry,  due  probably  to  an  oversight  in  re- 
cording : 

ERIE. 

A — Charles  Aichner,  University  of  Basle, 
Switzerland,  1857. 
E.  P.  Abbott,  Jefferson   Medical   Col- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


167 


lege  of  Philadelphia,  1877. 

Oscar   F.   Aichner,   Jefferson  Medical 
College  of  Philadelphia,  1893. 
B — P.  Barkey,  University  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,   1871- 

y.  Q.  H.  Bassett.  practiced  a  number 
of  years.  Diploma  destroyed  in 
Chicago  fire. 

Charles  Brandes,  practice    since    1845. 

Mrs.  E.  S.  Burnham,  practice  for  twen- 
ty years. 

Linnie  Burnham,  Electropathic  Insti- 
tute of  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  1879. 

E.  P.  Banning,  Sr.,  College  of  Medi- 
cine at  Evansville,  Ind. 

W.  F.  Ball,  United  States  Medical 
College,  New  York. 

A.  A.  Bancroft.  Homceopathic  Medical 
College  of  Pennsylvania,  1869. 

Louis  B.  Baker,  University  of  Buffalo, 
1882. 

Max  Bosch,  practice  since  1871. 

William  K.  Byron,  University  of  Buf- 
falo, 1890. 

B.  F.  Brubaker,  Medico-Chirurgical 
College  of  Philadelphia,  1898. 

C — Jeannette  Caldwell,  Ilomni-opathic  Col- 
lege, New  York  City,  1876. 

J.  S.  Carter,  practice  since  1840. 

J.  T.  Clark,  National  Medical  College, 
Washington,  D.  C  ,  1870. 

W.  K.  Cleveland,  University  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  18(50  ;  New  York 
Ophthalmic  Hospital,  18(')();  Belle- 
vue  Hospital,  1862,  and  Homceo- 
pathic Tvledical  Board  of  Canada, 
1869. 

Edward  Cranch,  Universit}'  of  George- 
town, D.  C,  1878. 

C.  B.  Chidester,  Baltimore  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  1881. 

J.  M.  Cooper,  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Philadelphia,  1888. 
D — J.  C.  M.    Drake,  Hahnemann  Medical 
College,  Chicago,  1880. 

Michael  C.  Dunnigan,  Bellevue  Medi- 
cal College,  New  York   City,  1875. 

James  H.  Delaney,  Bellevue  Hospital 
Medical  College,   New  York,    1886. 

John  Doll,  practice  since  1886. 

David  N.  Dennis,  Jefferson  Medical 
College  of  Philadelphia.  1881. 

George  S.  Dickinson,  Jefferson  Medi- 
cal College  of  Philadelphia,  1893. 


E — Martin  Ernst,  attended  lectures  upon 
surgerj'  by  Prof.  Buntz,  atDelbruge, 
Germany  ;   diploma  lost. 

W.  C.  Evans,  Western  Reserve  Col- 
lege, Cleveland,  Ohio,  1854. 

William    Evans,  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  New  York,  1890. 
F — Robert  Faulkner,  Homrpopathic  Medi- 
cal College,  New  York  City,    1867. 

William  Faulkner,  Geneva  Medical 
College,  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  1842. 

Eugene  B.  Fletcher,   Cleveland  Medi- 
cal College,  1879. 

John  F.  Flint,  Universitv  of  Michigan, 
Ann  Arbor,  1881. 

A.  A.  Freeman,  Universitv  of  Buffalo, 
1876. 

Charles  A.  French,  Western  Reserve 
College,  Cleveland,  1876. 

J.  Finerty,  Niagara  University  of  Buf- 
falo. 

B.  F.  French,  Hahnemann  Medical 
College,  Philadelphia,  1880. 

H.  E.  Flint,  Homu>opathic  Medical 
College,  University  of  Michigan, 
1891. 
H.  H.  Foringer,  Western  Reserve  Uni- 
versity, Cleveland,  1898. 
G — Henry  F.  Garey,  Washington  Univer- 
sity, Baltimore,  1876. 

George  A.  Carries,  Western  Reserve 
Medical  College,  Cleveland,  1881. 

E.  D.  Gates,  University  Victoria  Col- 
lege, Medical  Department,  1859. 

E.  W.  Germer,  Medical  College  of 
V^ienna,also  certificate  from  Freiburg 
University. 

Thomas  H.  (jrav,  ITnivcrsity  of  Michi- 
gan, 1871. 

Amos  S.  Gregory,  Union  College  of 
Medicine  and  Surgerv,  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  1872. 

S.  F.  Ginner,  practice  of  medicine 
since  1870. 

W.  O.  Gilson,  Western  Reserve  Uni- 
versity of  Ohio. 

H.  C.  Galster,  Cleveland  Medical  Col- 
lege, 1892. 

Eugene    D.   Geer,    license  from  State 
Medical  Council,  February  16,  1895. 
H — Peter  Hall,  practice  since  1844. 

Susan  A.  Hills,  practice  since  1871. 

John  N.  Hauptmann,  University  of 
Michigan,  1892. 


1 68 


NELSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIOSART 


Wallace     R.     Hunter,    University    of 
Pennsylvania,  1890. 

F.  L.  Hall,  Western   Reserve  Univer- 
sity of  Ohio,  1882. 
I — y.  L.  Ireland.  Halmeniann  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Philadelphia,  1893. 
L — John  M.  Lewis,  Bellevue  Medical  Col- 
lege, New  York  City,  1880. 

A.  S.  Lovett,  Ann    Arbor,   Michigan, 
University  of  Michigan. 
M — Susan     Mever,     practice     for     fifteen 
years. 

A.    McPherson,    Hahnemann   Medical 
College  of  Chicago,  1885. 

James    H.    jSIontgomery,    New    York 
College  of  Phvsicians  and  Surgeons. 

Alfred   iSlullhaupt.    Jefferson    Medical 
College  of  Philadelphia,  1884. 

Helena  M.  MuUliaupt.  Women's ^ledi- 
cal  College  of  Philadelphia,  1880. 

Alvin   J.  Miller,  Hahnemann    Medical 
College,  Philadelphia,  1880. 

R.  T.   Marks,  Homeopathic   Hospital 
College,  Cleveland,  1880. 
N — William  Nick,  practice  since  1859. 

H.  C.  Nick,  practice  since  1867. 

William   F.  Nick,   practice  since  1859. 

Frederick  Nick,  practice  since  1869. 
P — Anna  Pressley,  Electropathic  Institute 

of  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  1882. 
R — A.   Z.   Randall.    University  of  Michi- 
gan, Ann  Arbor,  18()4. 

David     P.      Robbins,      University'     of 
Michigan. 
S — Nelson    Seymour,    practice    for  thirty- 
five  years. 

James  E.  Silliman,    Jeft"erson   Medical 
College,  Philadelphia.  1874. 

Byron  A.  Smith,    practice  since   1866. 

Mrs.    Jane   A.    Smith,    practice  since 
1865. 

H.  A.  Spencer,  Western  Reserve  Col- 
lege, Cleveland,  Ohio,  1851. 

J.   L.  Stewart,  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1848. 

Chester  W.  Stranahan,  Jefl"erson  Medi- 
cal College  of  Pliiladelphia,  1867. 

D.  H.  Strickland.  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, 1863. 

Jones  J.    Seward,  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  at  Cincinnati,  1883. 

C.  J.  A.  Schneider,  Universitv  of  New 
York,  1880. 


Henry  C.    Statzer,  Homrcopathic  Hos- 
pital College,  Cleveland,  1886. 

\\'m.  O.  Smith,  Universitv  of  Pennsyl- 
vania,  1878. 

Augustus    Soper,   Ontario    College  of 
Phvsicians  and   Surgeons. 

J.  W.  Seip,  JefTerson  Medical  College 
of  Philadelphia,  1883. 
T — Alvin  Thayer,  practice  since  1845. 

Robert   D.  Tipple,  Honifropathic  Col- 
lege of  Cleveland.  1878. 

(j.  S.  Tubbs,  practice  since  1870. 

J.   C.    Thoms,   Homrropathic    College 
of  Cleveland. 

C.  C.   Taylor,    Homoeopathic    College 
of  Cleveland,  1894. 
U — George  Ulrich,  German   Medical   Col- 
lege of  Germany,  18(50. 

G.  F.  E.  Umrath,  practice  since  1872. 
W— Richard   H.  Walker,  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  Wooster  University,  Cleve- 
land, 1879. 

Mrs.  A.  B.  Woods,  Women's  Medical 
College  of  Pennsylvania,  1876. 

Arthur    A    Woods,     Miami    Medical 
College,  Cincinnati,   1876. 

Mary  A.  B.  Woods,  Western  Homa^o- 
pathic  College,  Cleveland,  1864. 

John  Wilbur,  University  City  of  New 
York. 

I.  N.  Willard,  Bellevue  Medical  Hos- 
pital College  of  New  York,  1875. 

Emerson  J.  Wood,  practice  since  1871. 

•Samuel  H.  Warren.  Universitj'  of  Buf- 
falo. 1880. 

Albert  W.  Wilson,  Philadelphia  Elec- 
tropathic Institute,  1889. 

Arthur  C.  Wheeler,  Columbia  College, 
New  York,  1893. 


Almon  S.  Bonsteel,  Bellevue  Hospital  Col- 
lege, New  York  City,  1872. 

S.  R.  Breed,  practice  since  1856. 

Reuben  Brinker,  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia,  1851. 

Charles  Adams  Bush,  practice   since  1871. 

John  B.  Chace,  American  Medical  Col- 
lege, Cincinnati. 

D.  E.  DeRoss,  Eclectic  College  of  Cincin- 
nati, 1875. 

G.  A.  Elston,  Medical  Department  of  Uni- 
versity of  New  York,  1880. 


nuoT^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


169 


H.    G.    Fay,  Medical   Society  of  Steuben   ' 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  1875. 

Daniel  D.  Franklin.  Eclectic  Institute 
of  Cincinnati,  185(1. 

Flora  Hayward   Stanford,  Boston  Univer-   , 
sity. 

Emma  L.  Jordan,  Eclectic  Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia,  1879. 

C.  B.  Kibler,    University  of  Buffalo,  1870. 
H.  O.Mackres,  University  of  Buffalo,  18G7. 

B.  H.  Phelps,  Cleveland"Medical  College, 

1871. 

Manhattan  Pickett,  Medical  College  of 
Buffalo,   1869. 

Joseph  R.  Phillips,  Hom<i>opathic  Hospia 
tal  College  at  Cleveland. 

D.  C.  Storer,  practice  since  18(52. 
Henry    S.  Tanner,    Eclectic   Medical  Col- 
lege of  Cincinnati,  1859. 

J.  E.  Weeks,  University  of  Michigan,  Ann 
Arbor. 

Oliver  J.  Shannon,  N.  Y.  Free  Medical 
College,  187(). 

James  W.  Chace,  Med.  Dept.  of  Univer- 
sity of  Buffalo,  1885. 

F.  C.  Price,  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  Cin- 
cinnati, 1879. 

G.  H.  Waggoner,    Hahnemann     Medical   \ 
College,  Chicago.  1881^ 

C.  H.  McCoy,  practice  since  1869. 

Jno.  C.  Jackson,  Homopopathic  Hospital 
Med.  College',  Cleveland,  1882. 

Meivin  L.  Adams,  Homiropathic  Hospital 
Med.  College,  Cleveland. 

H.    W.    Thayer,    Rush    Medical     College.   ' 
Chicago. 

A.  M.  Fisher,  Jefferson  Medical  College, 
Philadelphia,  1890. 


P.   P.    Fisher,   College    of    Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  Baltimore,  1881. 

D.  R.  Waggoner,  Medical  College  of  Ohio, 
1872. 

John    W.    farvis  (Middleboro),  I'niversity 
at  Ann  Arbor.  Mich.,  1869. 

George    M.  Edick,  College   of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  1883. 

John  N.  Bowers,  Western  Reserve  Univer- 
sity of  Ohio,  1885. 

W.  T.  Greenfield,  Miami  Medical  College. 
Cincinnati,    1883. 

Earl    B.    Potter,     Western     Pennsylvania 
Medical  College,  Pittsburg,  1892. 
12 


WATTSBURG. 

D.  T.  Bennett,  Eclectic  Medical  Associa- 
tion of  Pennsylvania.  1876. 

Samuel  F.  Chapin,  Yale  Medical  College, 
1859. 

G.  Thickstun,  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 
College,  New  York   City,  1864. 

William  C.  Tracy,  Harvard  Medical  Col- 
lege, Boston,  1866. 

Joseph  C.  Shuey,  Western  Reserve  Uni- 
versity, Ohio,  1876. 

FAIRVIEW. 

M.  D.  Satterlee,  University  of  New 
York  City,  1879. 

M.  A.  Millard,  University  of  Buffalo.  1873. 

W.  J.  Weeks,  practice  since  1870. 

F.  L.  Hart,  W^estern  Reserve  University, 
Ohio,  1892. 

GIRARD. 

A.  G.  Ely.  Geneva  Medical  College, 
Geneva,  N.  Y.,  1840. 

T.  J.  Kellogg,  practice  since  1886. 

A.  R.  Smith,  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  of 
Cincinnati,    1858. 

I.  N.  Taylor,  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
Philadelphia,  1866. 

Helen  M.  Weeks.  Honrropathic  College, 
Cleveland.  Ohio. 

J.  M.  Ealv.  Western  Reserve  University, 
Ohio,  1884. 

Earl  M.  Pratt,  Western  Reserve  I'ni- 
versity, Ohio. 

B."  C.  Ely.  Medical  College  of  Castle- 
ton.  Vt. 

R.  H.  Duff,  .\dellx-rt  College  of  Western 
Reserve  I  niversitv  ot  ()hio. 

UNION  CITY. 

O.  L.  Abbey,  University  of    Buffalo,   1868. 

Stephen  R.  Davis,  practice  since  1872. 

Mrs.  S.  R.  Davis,  practice  since  1872. 

Curtis  N.  Goucher,  Medical  Department 
of  the  Western  Reserve  College  of  Hudson, 
Ohio,  1870. 

James  F.  Read,  practice  since  1838. 

L.  D.  Rockwell,  I'niversity  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Philadelphia.  1874. 

Alfred  C.  Sherwood,  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania,  1873. 

Ernest  B.  Smith,  Cleveland  Homcpopathic 
Hospital  College,   1882. 

William  J.  Humphrey.  l'ni\ersitv  of 
Buflalo,  1890." 


i)o 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


John  VV.  Wright,  Jefferson  Medical  College 
of  Philadelphia,  1890. 


H.    M.    Xortham,    Homcropathic    Medical   I   18G2. 


WATERFORD. 
T.    W.    Barton.    BiifTalo   Medical    College, 


College,  University  of  Michigan,  1898. 


John    W.     Bowman.     Cleveland     Medical 


William    S.  Pierce,     University     of     New    ,   College,  18o'.l. 


York.  1884. 

[.  C.  Agard,  practice  since  1857. 

il.  L.  Leonard,  h^clectic  Medical  In- 
stitute of  Cincinnati. 

Clarence  G.  Hollister,  registered  in  Craw- 
ford county. 

George  D.  Marsh,  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege of   Philadelphia. 

Edson  C.  Barker,  Eclectic  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Cincinnati,  1880. 

D.  S.  Brown,  Western  Reserve  University 
of  Ohio,  1884. 

G.  E.  Humphry,  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, 

N.  Cheney,  practice  since  1871. 

NORTH    E.4ST. 

John  K.  (Trillin.  Universitv  of  Buffalo, 
18(iri. 

L.  G.  Hall,  Medical  Universitv  of  Buffalo, 
1850. 

A.  B.  Heard,  Detroit  Medical  College, 
1872. 

D.  D.  Loop,    University  of    Buffalo,  1865. 

Burton  II.  Putnam,  University  of  Buffalo. 

A.  T-  Sears,  University  of  Wooster,  Cleve- 
land,  i878. 

George  B.  Stillman,  College  of  Physicians 
and    Surgeons,  Baltimore.  1880. 

MuUin  A.  Wilson,  New  \'ork  Honin'o- 
pathic  Medical  College,  New  York  City. 

M.  C.  Smith,  Baltimore  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons. 

James  W.  Losee,  Ilomu'opathic  Medical 
College  of  Ann  Arbor.  Michigan,  18U1. 

Arthur  J.  Adams.  Ontario  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  1877. 

J.  C.  Dowville,  Uni\ersitv  of  Marvland, 
Baltimore,  1892. 

ALBION. 

P.  D.  Flower,  Philadelphia  Unixersitv  of 
Medicine  and  Surgery,  18(59. 

O.  Logan,  practice  for  twenty-fi\e  years; 
Medical  Ifniversity  of  Buffalo,  1882. 

James  S.  Skeels,  Western  Reserve  Medi- 
cal College  at  Hudson,  Ohio,  1848. 

William  S.  Hubbard,  Pulte  Medical  Col- 
lege, Cincinnati,  1887. 


Frank  L.  Clemens,  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia.  1881. 

L.  A.  Burrows,  Eclectic  Medical  Institute, 
Cincinnati,  1887. 

Eugene  E.  Kendall,  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia,  1887. 

Charles  L.  Townley,  Western  Reserve 
University  of  Ohio,  1884. 

Henry  L.  Stern,  Cleveland  Medical  Col- 
lege, 1892. 

SPRINGFIELD. 

George  Ellis,  Hudson  Medical  College  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  1809. 

Charles  N.  Moore,  Hygeia  Therapeutic 
College,  New  York,  18(54. 

Lamarr  V.  Knapp,  Buffalo  Medical  Col- 
lege, 1873. 

Joseph   R.  Hewett,  practice  since  18(55. 

John  Ross,  practice  since  18(50. 

().  O.  Blakeslee,  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  of  Baltimore,  1882. 

Ranson  C.  Sloan.  Bufl'alo  Medical  College, 
18(59. 

Thomas  Piircell.  Buffalo  Medical  Uui^■er- 
sity,  1888. 

A.  H.  Cartright,  Western  Reserve  Uni- 
versity of  Ohio,  1888. 

Charles  O.  Robinson,  Western  Peunsyl- 
\ania  Medical  College,  Pittsburg,  1891. 

N.  J.  Cooper,  license  from  State  Medical 
Council,  June  1(5,  1S94. 

EDINBORO. 

George  M.  Cole,  Eclectic  College  of  Cin- 
cinnati, 1881. 

Willard  Greenlield,  practice  for  twenty- 
eight  years. 

Truman  Hawkins,  Western  Reserve  L'ni- 
versitv,  1850. 

S.B.  Hotchkiss,  Bellevue  Hospital  Medi- 
cal College,  New  York  City,  1871. 

Henry  R.  Terry,  Jefferson  Medical  College, 
Philadelphia,  18(58. 

Joseph  C.  Wilson,  Starling  Medical  Col- 
lege, Columbus,  1851. 

Frank  G.  Greenfield,  Mianii  M.cdical  Col- 
lege, Cincinnati,  1882. 

M.  C.  Cornell,  Baltimore  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons,  1884. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


MILL  VILLAGE. 

William  P.  Biles,  Eclectic  Medical  Insti- 
tute of  Cincinnati,  1879. 

John  H.   Kirk,  University    of    Michigan,  ^ 
Ann  Arbor,  1S75. 

G.  W.  Wilson,  practice  since  1860. 

John  T-  Sharp.  L'niversitv  of  the  City  of 
New  York.  1883. 

William  O.  Smith,  Belleviie  Hospital  Medi- 
cal College,  Xew  York,  1887. 

W.  K.  Andrews,  Medical  Department, 
University  of  City  of  Xew  York,  1889. 

WELLSBURC;. 

M.  V.  B.  Johnson,  Medical  College  of 
Cincinnati,  18(55 

Mary  Steward,  University  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery,  Philadelphia,  1878. 

Slilton  M.  Henrj-,  Western  Reserve  Uni- 
versity of  Ohio,  1885.  j 

Francis  M.  Temple,  Universitj-  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, 1884. 

Robt.  M.  Powers,  Western  Pennsylvania 
Medical   College.  Pittsburg,  1890. 

Joel  M.  Peters,  Jefferson  Medical  College 
of  Pennsylvania.  1889. 

MILES   GROVE. 

James  C.  LefRngwell,  Universitj-  of  Mich- 
igan. 1873. 

Wiliard  F.  Greenfield,  Miami  Medical 
College  of  Cincinnati,  1883. 

R.  W.  Clark,  Adelbert  College,  Western 
Reserve  University  of  Ohio. 

F.  W.  Dunning,  Universitv  of  Citv  of  Xew 
York. 

WESLF.VVILLE. 

M.  M.  Moore,  practice  since  185l*. 
Charles    L.  Allen.   Jefferson   Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia,  1872. 

OTHER  LOCALITIES 

11.  R.  Haves,  Amity  Township,  practice 
since  1861. 

J.  L.  Bennett,  East  Greene,  practice  for 
twenty-one  years. 

Johnson  Wright,  Franklin  Township. 
Homoeopathic  Hospital  College.  Cleveland. 
1873. 

Barker  A.  Skinner,  Elgin.  University  of 
Wooster,  1878. 

George  Wright.  Lockport.  Homceopathic 
Hospital  College,  Cleveland,  1871. 

W.  V.  Blakeslee,  Concord  Township, 
practice  since  1846. 


M.  B.  Cook,  Harbor  Creek,  Cleveland 
Medical  College,  1877. 

James  G.  LefRngwell,  Miles  Grove.  Michi- 
gan University,  Ann  Arbor,  1873. 

W.  L.  Shawk,  Harbor  Creek,  Western 
Reserve   University    of  Ohio,  1883. 

Charles  G.  Miller,  Harbor  Creek,  practice 
•'  since  before  1871.' 

L.  D.  Church,  Cherrv  Hill,  practice  since 
1858. 

F.  A.  Beebe,  Finley's  Lake,  Wooster 
University,  Cleveland,  1877. 

D.  Ripley,  Sr.,  Greene  township,  practice 
since  1871. 

Thomas  L.  Mills,  Philadelphia  Universitv' 
of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  1876. 

Homer  L.  Clark,  Universitv  of  Marvland, 
1885. 

MEDICAL    SOCIETIES. 

The  first  Erie  Countv  Medical  Society  was 
organized  in  1829,  with  the  following  officers  : 
President.  William  Johns;  vice  president,  A. 
Thaver  ;  secretary,  F.  W.  Miller  ;  treasurer, 
A.  iSeebe:  censors,  J.  Smedley,  Jacob  Vos- 
burg,  A.  N.  Molton. 

The  present  Medical  Society  of  Erie 
county  was  established  in  1841  and  has  been 
in  perpetual  existence  ever  since.  Among  its 
presidents  and  other  officers  have  been  some 
of  the  most  prominent  physicians  in  the 
county. 

Homccopathv  atni  the  Honiceopathic  Medi- 
cal Society ■ — The  IIom<popathic  ^Medical  So- 
ciety of  Erie  County  was  organized  Jul\-  1, 
1891.  bv  the  following  physicians  :  Edward 
Cranch,  J.  C.  M.  Drake,  J.  R.  Phillips,  J.  F. 
Flint.  H.  E.  Flint,  J.  S.  Skeels,  M.  A.  Wil- 
son, J.  T.  Sturtevant,  R.  T.  Marks,  A.  Mc- 
Pherson.  D.  W.  Byron,  M.  A.  B.  Woods. 

The  following  have  since  become  mem- 
bers :  W.  S.  Hubbard.  W.  K.  Cleveland,  J. 
O.  Jackson,  f.  M.  .Stenim,  H.  C.  Galster,  J. 
L.  Ireland,  E.  F.  Gifford,  Wm.  R.  Powell.  ' 

Homopopathv  was  first  practiced  in  Erie 
bv  Dr.  Bianchini.  a  learned  Italian,  who  lo- 
cated in  the  city  about  1840.  Soon  after  came 
Dr.  Xelson  Sevmour.  lately  removed  to  Xorth 
East.  Dr.  Peter- Faulkner,  a  practitioner  of 
allopathv  from  1818.  became  an  enthusiastic 
convert,  and  was  followed  by  his  son.  Robert. 
An  organization  of  homoeopathic  physicians 
of  Erie  and  neighboring  towns  existed  in  1866, 
and  later  in  1878. 


ij2 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


A  corporation  for  the  purpose  of  establish- 
ing a  hospital,  free  ilispensary  and  training 
school  for  nurses  in  Erie  was  chartered  in 
1894,  including  twelve  physicians  of  the  city 
and  county,  but  its  objects  as  to  the  hospital 
and  training  school  are  as  yet  unfulfilled.  The 
free  dispensary  has  been  in  operation  for  some 
time. 

LIST    OF    nRNTISTS. 

The  earliest  dentist  was  a  traveling  man 
who  stopped  in  Erie  for  a  short  time  in  182(5. 
He  made  a  set  of  false  teeth  for  the  wife  of 
Rev.  Dr.  Whallon,  who  was  the  first  woman 
in  the  county  to  enjoy  that  sort  of  a  luxury.  A 
dentist  by  the  name  of  ().  N.  Sage  practiced 
in  Erie  several  years.  The  first  permanent 
dentist  was  Dr.  ().  N.  Elliott,  who  settled  in 
Erie  about  1840.  The  next  was  Dr.  W.  E. 
Magill. 

The  dentists  of  the  county  who  have  regis- 
tered under  the  Act  of  Assembly,  passed 
April  17,  1876,  and  amended  Ma_v  17,  1888, 
are  given  below,  in  the  order  of  their  registry, 
up  to  July  1.  18<)r); 

1888— F.  H.  Abcll.  Practiced  (except  for 
eight  months  in  187S)  lor  sixteen  years. 

1888 — Henry  H.  Hlair.  Practiced  twenty- 
four  years. 

1883 — F.  II.  Lawrence.  Practiced  nine 
years. 

1888— W.  v..  Magill.  Practiced  twenty 
years. 

1888— J.  H.  Devore.  Diploma  of  the 
Philadelphia  Dental  College. 

1888 — Andrew  McPherson.  Practiced 
since  187i'. 

1888 — T.  J.  I-;ilii)tl.      Practiced  eight  years. 

1888 — L.  Essick.     Practiced  twenty  years. 

1888 — George  H.  McDonald.  Diploma 
from  the  Philadelphia  Dental  College. 

1888— G.  F.  McDonald.  Practiced  nine 
years. 

1888— ().  I..  I':ili(>lt.  Pracliced  thirty-six 
years. 

1883 — Perry  A.  (jibson.  Diploma  from 
the  State  University  of  lowa.- 

1883— V.  D.  Gibson.  Practiced  twelve 
years. 

1883 — y.  H.  (iifford.     Practiced  ten  years. 

1883— W.  L.  Battles.  Diploma  from  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania. 

1883— (i.  J.  .Mead.  Practiced  fifteen 
years. 


1883 — E.    R.    Allen.      Practiced     nineteen 
years. 

1888 — J.    II.    Nelson.      Practiced    fourteen 
j'ears. 

1888 — M.    C.    Hurgess.     Practiced   eleven 
years. 

1888— C.     11.     llirvey.      Practiced     fifteen 
years. 

1888— S.    R.    Bryant.        Practiced     fifteen 
years. 

1888 — Frank  C.  Callaghan.    Di])lonia  from 
the  Indiana  Dental  College. 

1888 — T.     D.      Ingersoll.       Practiced     ten 
years. 

1883— Edward  E.  GitTord.     Practiced  nine- 
teen years. 

1888—11.     L.     Wilkins.        Diploma      fr..m 
huliana  Medical  College. 

18,S4 — W.      T.      Kendall.       Practiced     for 
twentv-three  years. 

1884 — B.  D.  Schlaudecker.     Diploma  from 
Philailelphia  Medical  College. 

1884— D.  D.  Magill.      Diploma   from  l^ni- 
versity  of  Michigan. 

1884 — Lewis  Craine.      Diploma  from  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan. 

1884 — F.     C.      Higgins.       Diploma     from 
Peimsylvania  College  of  Dental  Surgery. 

I8sr) — (jcorge  G.  Hollister.     Diploma  from 
Iniliana  Dental  College. 

188(j— S.  M.  White.    Diploma  from  Phila- 
deljihia  Dental  College. 

1887 — Jii'iies  A.  Ilodkins.     Diploma  from 
Philadelpliia  Dental  College. 

1SS7 — P.  E.  Wood.      Diploma  from  Penn- 
svlvaiiia  College  of  Dental  .Surgerv. 

1887 — H.  (i.  Keeler.    Diploma  from  Penn- 
sylvania College  of  Dental  Surgery. 

1887 — L,  G.  (iable.      Diploma  from  Penn- 
sylvania College  of  Dental  Surgery. 

1888— W.  M.  Ilackman.    Practiced  tor  fif- 
teen years. 

1888 — James  A.  Mead.    Practiced  for  four- 
teen years. 

1888- G.  R.  McKay.      Diploma    Pliiladel- 
jibia  Dental   College. 

188(1 — Herman     Muller.      Diploma     Balti- 
more Dental  College. 

188!) — C.  G.  Woolsey.      Diploma  Universi- 
ty of    Pennsylvania. 

189() — Jno.  V.    Anderson.      Diploma    Uni- 
versity of   Iowa. 

|S<«» — (ieo.  B.  Cameron.      Diploma  Phila- 
delphia Dental  College. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


173 


1890 — C.  F.  Rodgers.  Diploma  Phila- 
delphia Dental  College. 

1890 — James  Brady.  Diploma  Philadel- 
phia Dental  College. 

1890— Frank  E.  Taft.  Diploma  Dental 
Department  of  Central  I'niversity,  Louisville. 

1890 — Geo.  E.  Wetherton.  Diploma  Den- 
tal Dept.  of  Central  University,  Louisville. 

1890— Wm.  T.  Magill.  Diploma  Phila- 
delphia Dental  College. 

1891 — C.  O.  Jerrel.  Diploma  University 
of  Iowa. 

1891 — Geo.  W.  Cochran.  Diploma  Phila- 
delphia Dental  College. 

1891. — Wm.  E.  Linn.  Diploma  Pennsyl- 
vania College  of  Dental  Surgerv. 

1891 — L.  E.  Craine.  Diploma  Eclectic 
Medical  College  of  Des  IMoines,  Iowa. 

1891 — y.  A.  Hatch.      Practiced  since  1873. 

1892— C.  C.  Pollitt.  Diploma  Ohio  Col- 
lege of  Dental  Surgery. 


1892— O.  O.  Williams.  Diploma  Hahne- 
mann Medical  College,  Chicago. 

1893— H.  C.  Sturdevant.  Diploma  Phila- 
delphia Dental  College. 

1893— Jno.  A.  Clarke.  Diploma  Philadel- 
phia Dental   College. 

1893— S.  H.  Swift.  Diploma  University 
of  Michigan. 

1893 — D.  N.  Swift.  Diploma  University 
of  Michigan. 

1895— John  Walter  Glas.  Diploma  West- 
ern Reserve  University  at  Cleveland. 

DENTAL  SOCIETY. 

The  Erie  Society  of  Dentists  was  organ- 
ized February  6,  1895,  with  the  following 
officers  :  President,  Dr.  W.  E.  Magill  ;  vice- 
president.  Dr.  L.  Esseck ;  secretary.  Dr.  F. 
C.  Callahan ;  treasurer,  Dr.  B.  D.  Schlau- 
decker. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 


Newspapers  of  the  County 


THE  earliest  newspaper  printed  in  the 
county  was  the  Mirror,  started  in 
Erie  by  George  Wyeth  in  1808.  It 
lasted  but  a  short  time.  In  1812  the 
Northern  Scntiuc/  appeared,  with  R. 
J.  Curtis  as  editor.  It  was  discontinued  at 
the  end  of  a  year,  but  revived  in  181(5  under 
the  name  of  the  Genius  of  the  Lakes.  The 
title  was  again  changed  to  the  Pha'nix.  and 
finally  to  the  Reflector,  and  the  paper  \vas 
printed  in  Erie  till  1819  or  1820,  when  it  was 
removed  to  Mayville,  N.  Y.,  where  it  lived 
but  a  short  time.  Meanwhile,  another  journal 
had  sprung  into  existence.  This  was  the  Pa- 
triot, founded  in  1818  by  Zeba  Willis.  It  ran 
a  course  of  one  year  in  Erie,  when  the  office  was 
moved  to  Cleveland,  and  became  the  basis  of 
the   Herald  of  that  city. 

the  ekie   "  gazette." 

The  tirst  paper  in  Erie  that   came   to  stay 
wa?-   the    Weeklv    Gazette,  established  on   the 


15th  of  January,  1820,  by  Joseph  M.  Ster- 
rett.  Mr.  Sterrett  was  assisted  in  the  edi- 
torial conduct  of  his  paper  at  various  times 
by  James  Buchanan  (not  the  President), 
J.  Hoge  Waugh,  John  Riddell  and  others. 
John  Shaner  was  associated  in  its  publication 
from  1835  to  1842,  when  J.  P.  Cochran  and 
George  W.  Riblet  took  control.  In  1845, 
Mr.  Sterrett  resumed  charge,  and  on  the  10th 
of  September,  184(i,  he  associated  I.  B.  Gara 
with  him,  who  edited  the  paper  till  Mav  3, 
18(55,  when  it  was  sold  to  ,S.  A.  Davenport. 
The  latter  not  being  a  practical  newspaper 
man  was  obliged  to  turn  over  the  management 
to  others,  and  it  had  numerous  editors  dur- 
ing the  period  between  18(55  and  1873.  Among 
them  were  E.  L.  Clark,  John  R.  Graham,  R. 
Lyle  White,  James  Hendricks.  B.  F.  McCarty, 
and  perhaps  others.  On  the  5th  of  Tune, 
1873,  the  Gazette  was  purchased  from  Mr. 
Davenport  by  F.  A.  Crandall,  who  retained 
possession  until  Februarv  1,  1882.     Mr.  Cran- 


>74 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


dall  started  the  Saturday  Evening  Gazette, 
March  :20,  1875,  and  changed  it  to  the  .^'nncfav 
Morning  Gazette  on  the  17th  of  June  in  the 
same  year.  During  its  middle  age,  lion. 
Gideon  J.  Ball  and  William  Kelley  were  fre- 
quent contributors  to  the  Gazette.  Among 
the  later  editors  of  the  paper  were  W.  G. 
McKean,  John  R.  Hess  and  F.  A.  Mallory. 
The  office  and  good  will  were  purchased  by 
the  Dispatch  Company  in  1890.  The  Sunday 
edition  was  discontinued  in  1894,  but  the 
weekly  edition  is  still  printed,  under  the  title 
of  the  Dispatch-  Gazette. 

Horace  Greeley  worked  as  a  journeyman  in 
the  office  of  the  Gazette  during  the  winter  of 
1880-31.  Among  those  who  learned  the  print- 
ing trade  in  the  Gazette  office  was  Sidney 
Kelsey,  a  well-known  newspaper  man.  The 
Gazette  has  always  been  anti-Democratic  in 
its  politics. 

THE    ERIE    OBSERVER 

Wasstarted  in  1830,  as  the  result  of  a  cjuarrel 
over  the  Masonic  order,  to  whicii  the  Gazette 
was  hostile.  The  first  editor  was  T.  B.  Bar- 
num,  who  was  succeeded  in  183;3  by  H.  L. 
Harvey.  The  latter  printed  a  specimen  copy 
of  a  daily  in  188(5.  Among  the  editors  and 
publishers  of  the  paper  from  1887  to  1843 
were  S.  W.  Randall,  Thomas  Laird,  Hii  am  A. 
Beebe,  J.  M.  Kuester,  W.  McKinstry,  Wm. 
A.  Cnilbraith  and  John  W.  Douglass.  In  May, 
1848,  the  office  was  purchased  by  A.  P.  Durlin 
and  B.  F.  Sloan.  These  gentlemen  tried  the 
experiment  of  a  semi-weeklv  for  a  few  months 
in  1849.  Mr.  Durlin  withdrew  from  the  con- 
cern on  the  26th  of  January,  185G,  and  was 
succeeded  by  M.  M.  Moore.  This  partnership 
continued  until  January  1,  1859,  when  Mr. 
Moore  retired.  On  the  1st  of  Januar}',  1801, 
Mr.  Sloan  sold  the  office  to  Andrew  Hopkins. 
This  gentleman  disposed  of  it  to  Benjamin 
Whitman  and  James  I.  Brecht  on  the  17th  of 
January,  18(52.  Their  partnership  continued 
until  April  1,  1865.  Mr.  Whitman  then  be- 
came sole  (proprietor  and  remained  such  until 
December  1,  1878,  when  the  office  was  pur- 
chased by  R.  B.  Brown.  The  latter  started 
the  Dailv  Event )ig  Ob.fervcr  on  the  15th  of 
October,  1881,  which  was  discontinued  in 
1884.  Mr.  Brown  sold  to  Eugene  J.  Miller  in 
December,  1885,  who,  in  turn,  sold  to  John  C. 
Brady.  The  latter  consolidated  the  office  with 
that    of   the    .Snndav    Graphic,   December   18, 


1886,  the  joint  papers  being  edited  by  F.  E. 
Woods.  The  consolidated  establishment  was 
purchased  by  F.  S.  Phelps  on  the  1st  of  De- 
cember. 1S92,  who  united  it  with  the  Times 
office  February  1,  1894.  by  which  company 
the  Observer  is  still  published.  L'nder  the 
management  of  Mr.  Whitman  the  Observer 
secured  a  State-wide  reputation,  and  became 
the  most  prosperous  paper  ever  known  in  the 
county.     It  has  always  been  Democratic. 

The  earliest  daily  papers  issued  in  the  county- 
were  printed  in  the  Observer  office,  first  in 
1886,  as  the  Dailv  Observer,  and  second  as 
the  Dailv  Bulletin,  in  1861.  The  latter  was 
published  by  W.  H.  Harris,  who  received  the 
daily  telegraphic  reports  of  war  news  at  his 
restaurant,  State  street  and  the  Park,  had 
them  issued  in  the  form  of  a  small  newspaper, 
and  continued  their  publication  for  a  month 
or   two. 

THE    ERIE    DISPATCH. 

In  1851,  a  small  paper,  named  the  Dis- 
patch, was  started  at  Waterford  by  Joseph  S. 
M.  Young.  When  the  railroad  war  broke 
out,  it  took  such  a  lively  part  on  the  side  of 
the  "rippers,"  or  "anti-railroad  men,"  that 
their  leaders  induced  Mr.  Young  to  remove 
his  office  to  Erie.  This  he  did  in  1856.  In  a 
short  time  after  the  removal,  the  office  was 
completely  destroyed  by  fire.  Its  friends  club- 
bed together  and  bought  Mr.  Young  new  ma- 
terial, \yhich  ga\e  him  a  great  advantage  over 
his  competitors.  During  1861,  a  daily  was 
started,  which  was  only  continued  a  few 
months.  The  office  was  purchased  on  the  Isl 
of  February,  1864,  by  B.  F.  H.  Lynn.  The 
daily  was  revived  on  May  22.  1864,  and  has 
been  printed  regularly  ever  since.  Mr.  Ljnn 
became  embarrassed  and  the  establishment 
was  sold  at  Sheriff's  sale.  After  that  it  was 
conducted  by  various  parties,  among  whom 
were  S.  Todd  Perley,  Azro  Gofl",  W.  P.  Atkin- 
son ;  Willard,  Redway  &  Cook;  Willard  & 
Brewer;  Willard,  Brewer  &  Hooker;  Camp, 
Belknap  &  Johnson,  and  the  Dispatch  Print- 
ing Co.  Among  the  best  known  editors  the 
Dispatch  has  had  were  J.  R.  Willard  and 
Eben  Brewer,  both  now  living  in  Chicago. 
For  a  time  the  paper  was  managed  by  W.  J. 
Robinson.  Among  those  who  have  been  on 
its  editorial  force  were  Nelson  Baldwin,  Eu- 
gene Cam]),  W.  G.  McKean,  Sam  Woods. 
D.  P.  Robbins,    A.    F.  Moses,  Otto  Pettit,  D, 


AND  EISTOBIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


'75 


S.  Crawford,  Frank  Bray,  Allen  McKean  and 
J.  J.  McAndrews.  The  paper  was  purchased 
by  S.  W.  Bolles  in  December,  1894,  who  is 
now'  its  editor  and  publisher. 

The  Dispatch  started  as  an  independent 
paper,  but  changed  to  Republican  about  1800, 
and  has  ever  since  advocated  that  part}'.  From 
18(54  to  1878,  the  Dispatch  may  be  said  to 
have  been  practically  the  only  English  daily 
in  Erie.  Others  were  started  at  various  pe- 
riods, but  the  most  successful  of  them  only 
lasted  a  year  or  two. 

The  publications  issued  from  the  office  are 
the  Daily  Dispatch,  Eveuing  XevL's,  and 
Weekly  Dispatch-  Gazette. 

THE    ERIE    HERALD. 

This  journal,  a  Democratic  evening  paper, 
first  appeared  on  the  20th  of  July,  1878.  Its 
editors  were  James  R.  Burns  and  H.  C.  Mis- 
simer,  teachers  in  the  Erie  High  School.  After 
it  had  been  printed  two  or  three  months  the 
paper  was  purchased  by  William  L.  Scott,  and 
a  weekly  edition  was  added.  Thomas  F. 
O'Brien  was  placed  in  charge  and  continued 
as  manager  until  after  the  election  in  1881. 
Nelson  Baldwin  became  managing  editor  in 
February,  1883,  and  continued  in  charge  till 
the  first  Monday  in  December,  1898,  when  he 
became  Collector  of  the  port.  He  was  first 
succeeded  by  S.  E.  Holly,  and  on  Oct.  7,  1895, 
by  J.  M.  Cooper.  The  latter  is  assisted  by 
S.  E.  Holl}-,  W.  D.  Kinney,  Frank  Weiss  and 
others.  The  business  managers  of  the  estab- 
lishment are  Wm.  Wallace  and  W.  P.  Atkin- 
son, and  the  office  is  owned  by  the  Herald 
Printing  and  Publishing  Company,  limited. 
Their  publications  are  the  Evening  Herald, 
the  Weekly  Herald ,  and  the  Sunday  Messen- 
ger. W.  P.  Atkinson  is  geneial  manager  of 
t!ie  newspaper  branch  of  the  office. 

DAILV     TIMES. 

The  Daily  Times  was  started  as  an  inde- 
pendent evening  paper,  on  the  co-operative 
plan,  April  li',  1888,  by  nine  union  printers. 
Later  all  retired  but  j".  II.  Mead  and  J.  F. 
Liebel,  who  became  associated  with  J.  H. 
Kelley,  John  Aliller,  Jr.,  and  D.  S.  Crawford, 
Mr.  Kelley  being  the  managing  and  Maj. 
Crawford  the  local  editor.  In  the  course  of 
time  Mr.  Miller  and  Maj.  Crawford  withdrew. 
The  Graphic  and  the  Observer  offices  were 
consolidated    with    the     Times    in     Februarv. 


1894,  F.  S.  Phelps  becoming  the  managing 
editor.  John  J.  McAndrews  was  local  editor 
after  Maj.  Crawford,  until  June,  1895,  when 
J.  F.  Liebel  took  charge  of  that  department. 
The  publications  of  the  company  are  the 
Evening  Times,  the  Weekly  Observer  and  the 
Sunday    Graphic. 

THE    EVEXIXG    NEWS, 

Independent  in  politics,  was  started  in 
1892  by  Mr.  Hathaway  of  Cleveland.  It  was 
purchased  by  the  Dispatch  Company  in  1893, 
and  edited  "by  Otto  Pettit  until  the  fall  of 
1894,  when  Sam  Woods  became  the  editor. 

TAGEBL.\TT-ZUSCHAUER     (gERMAx). 

A  Mr.  Schuefflen  started  the  Zuschauer 
[Spectator)  in  1852.  It  was  purchased  by  C. 
Moeser,  in  1855,  and  by  E.  E.  Stuerznickel  in 
1861.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1877,  Mr. 
Stuerznickel  sold  the  Zuschauer  to  F.  G. 
Gorenflo.  In  March,  1890.  Mr.  Gorenflo 
commenced  a  daily  edition.  This  was  con- 
solidated with  the  Tageblatt.  a  German  daily 
started  in  1884  by  Otto  Luedicke.  Hugo 
Held  became  the  manager.  In  October,  18"<9, 
the  company  purchased  the  Sonntaggsgast, 
and  the  two  papers  have  since  been  published 
from  the  same  office  by  Held,  Gorenflo  &  Co. 
The  name  of  the  weekly  edition  is  the  Tage- 
blatt-Svnntaggsgast,  Frank  Wiess  being  the 
editor.  Both  papers  are  Republican,  with 
independent  tendencies. 

EXISTING      SUNDAY       AND       WEEKLY        P.\PERS. 

The  Lake  Shore  I  isitor  was  commenced 
in  1874,  as  the  organ  of  the  Catholics  of  the 
Erie  diocese.  The  writing  was  mainlv  done 
by  Bishop  Mullen  until  1875,  when  Rev. 
Thomas  A.  Casey  became  editor,  who  contin- 
ued until  his  death,  February  9,  1894.  since 
when  Bishop  Mullen  has  been  in  charge.  The 
first  publisher  was  B.  F.  McCarty.  who  was 
succeeded  bj-  Thomas  F.  O'Brien. 

The  Erie  Sunday  Graphic  was  established 
by  Boyle  &  McCaulev  on  the  20th  of  May, 
1880.  In  the  spring  of  1882,  John  T.  Boyle 
purchased  the  interest  of  his  partner,  and  on 
the  27th  of  August,  1882.  he  sold  the  office  to 
Jacob  Bender.  The  office  was  purchased  by 
Woods  &  Hickernell  in  the  spring  of  1884, 
and  Mr.  Woods  became  sole  owner  in  1885. 
The  Obiierver  and  Graphic  were  consolidated 
December  31.    188(5.     In    1893  the  office  was 


176 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


purchased  by  F.  S.  Phelps,  who  edited  the 
two  papers  until  February,  1894,  when  they 
were  united  with  the  Dailv  Times.  In  poli- 
tics the  Graphic  is  independent,  with  Demo- 
cratic leanings. 

The  Erie  Advertiser  was  started  on  the  1st 
of  April,  1876,  by  John  M.  Glazier.  Dr.  D. 
P.  Robbins  purchased  the  plant  November 
10,  1891,  and  organized  the  Advertiser  Print- 
ing Company,  limited.  April  IS.  1S93.  The 
paper  was  independent,  with  Republican  pro- 
clivities, until  the  consolidation  mentioned 
below. 

The  HigJiland  Light  was  established  in 
1892  by  Rev.  O.  O.  Wiard  as  a  religious 
paper.  It  espoused  the  cause  of  the  O.  U.  A. 
M.  in  1893,  and  that  of  the  A.  P.  A.  in  1894. 
February  27,  1894,  it  was  united  with  the 
Advertiser.  The  joint  papers  were  published 
by  the  Advertiser  Printing  Company.  Dwigiit 
J.  Robbins  was  editor  and  manager.  The 
Advertiscr-Higlilaitd  Light  was  discontinued 
in  the  fall  of  189.5,  and  succeeded  by  The 
Trtith,  under  the  same  management. 

The  Sunday  Messenger  was  started  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1894,  with  S.  E.  Holly  as  editor,  and 
Frank  E.  Woods  as  telegraph  editor.  Otto 
Pettit  became  editor,  and  was  succeeded  by 
J.  H  Kelley  in  the  springof  l.SSk").  Mr.  Kelly- 
was  followed  by  F.  E.  Woods,  as  editor,  on 
Oct.  IH,  isyrj.  The  paper  is  issued  by  the 
Herald  Company,  .ind  takes  no  part  in  politics. 

The  weekly  editions  of  the  Herald., 
Dispatch  and  Gazette  and  Observer  are  re- 
ferred to  above. 

The  Sonntaggsgast  was  established  in  1881 
by  Frank  Weiss  &  Co.  It  was  sold  to  the 
Heralil  Company  in  1886,  was  purchased  by 
the  Tageblatt-Zuschauer  Company  in  1889, 
and  is  now  issued  from  the  latter  othce.  under 
the  name  of  the  Tagcblatt-Sountaggsgast,  with 
Mr.  Weiss  in  editorial  charge. 

The  Arhiter-ZeitiDig  (independent,  with 
strong  Socialistic  notions)  was  started  by 
Samuel  Weiss  in  August,  1891.  In  1892  he 
was  succeeded  by  Charles  Backofen.  M.  Ph. 
Jahn  too<  charge  in  the  spring  of  1893.  He 
died  early  in  189-5,  since  when  the  paper  has 
been  conducted  by  Samuel  Weiss. 

Tlie  People,  organ  of  the  Populist  party, 
was  founded  by  a  cooperative  coinpau)-  on 
October  1,  1892.  It  has  been  edited  from  the 
first  by  Samuel  Weiss,  aided  by  a  corps  of 
contributors. 


DEFUNCT    PAPERS. 

The  Erie  Chronicle  was  started  by  Samuel 
Perley.  in  1840,  as  a  rival  Whig  organ  to  the 
Gazette.  Mr.  Perley  moved  the  office  to 
(jirard. 

In  lt<46  a  second  rival  of  the  Gazette  made 
its  appearance  under  the  title  of  the  Commer- 
cial Advertiser,  with  J.  P.  Cochran  as  editor. 
In  1850  the  paper  passed  into  the  hands  of  A. 
H.  Caughey,  who,  at  the  end  of  a  year  and  a 
half  sold  it  to  J.  B.  Johnson.  The  latter 
changed  the  name  to  the  Constitution,  which 
became  the  advocate  of  the  "  railroad  men  "  as 
against  the  "  rippers  "  during  the  eventful  era 
of  the  railroad  war.  A  party  of  "rippers" 
entered  the  office  in  1855,  "pied"  the  type 
and  threw  the  press  into  the  street.  The  paper 
was  resuscitated  by  R.  Lyle  White,  who  kept 
it  up  for  a  short  time.  He  issued  a  daily  bul- 
letin for  some  months  in  1858. 

The  first  outspoken  abolition  paper  in  the 
city  was  the  True  American,  started  by 
Compton  &  Moore  in  1853.  It  was  published 
for  a  time  by  James  Perley  and  Henry  Catlin. 
The  latter  finally  became  sole  editor  and  pro- 
prietor.    The  paper  died  in  1861  or  't32. 

The  Express,  started  in  1857  by  E.  C. 
Goodrich,  as  a  rival  Democratic  paper  to  the 
Observer,  was  merged  into  the  True  American 
in  a  fe\y  months. 

The  daily  Republican  was  printed  some 
two  or  three  years,  commencing  about  1867. 
During  its  brief  life  it  had  several  editors  and 
publishers,  none  of  whom  made  a  financial 
success  of  the  enterprise. 

The  Argns  was  brought  into  e.\istence 
mainly  through  the  labors  of  S.  Todd  Perley. 
As  a  basis  for  the  enterprise,  he  effected  a 
consolidation  of  the  offices  of  the  Union  City 
Times  and  the  Corry  Republican,  the  material 
of  which  was  moved  to  Erie  on  the  1st  of  May, 
1875.  A  daily  and  a  weekly  paper  were  is- 
sued for  some  months,  but  failed  to  secure  a 
living  patronage. 

R.  Lyle  While,  published  the  /)ailv  Ihil- 
letin  for  a  few  months  about  1874. 

The  Lake  City  Dailv,  a  penny  paper,  was 
printed  by  Woods,  Constable  &  Co.,  thiee 
young  graduates  of  the  high  school  in  1878. 
and  lasted  about  a  year.  It  was  ultimately 
merged  in  the  Herald. 

The  first  German  paper  in  Erie  was  the 
Unscre   World  (Our  Worhl),  founded  by  Carl 


lu.  ir"  /^^^M 


AND  niHTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


177 


Benson  in  1851.  The  name  was  changed  to 
the  Freie  Pressc  (Free  Press)  in  1860.  .  The 
paper  went  down  in  1808. 

The  Weekly  Leuchtthiiriii  ( Ligiit-House) 
was  established  in  18<30  by  Baetzel  &  Atkin- 
son. It  was  purchased  about  1873  by  Merhoff 
&  Wallenhorst.  Wallenhorst  soon  retired,  and 
H.  Merhoff  assumed  sole  control.  In  April, 
1875,  Otto  Luedicke  became  a  partner  with 
Merhoff,  and  assumed  editorial  charge.  The 
Daily  Lctic/ittkiiriii  wdi  started  in  June,  1875. 
Mr.  Luedicke  withdrew  in  1879,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Merhoff,  Boyer  &  Rastatter.  Mer- 
hoff and  Rastatter  sold  out,  and  John  F.  Boyer 
became  sole  proprietor  in  1880.  October  1, 
1882,  Mr.  Luedicke  resumed  control  under  a 
lease  from  Mr.  Boyer.  The  paper  finally  gave 
up  the  ghost. 

The  Star  of  Lihertv,  a  monthly  publication, 
established  A'pril  1,  i88L\  by  H."  R.  .Storrs,  as 
an  advocate  of  liberal  views  on  the  licjuor 
question,  ended  its  career  with  the  tleath  of  the 
proprietor,  about  1885. 

The  yourual de  Noticias  (General  News) 
enjoyed  the  distinction  for  several  years  of  be- 
ing the  only  paper  in  the  Portuguese  language 
in  the  United  States.  It  was  established  on 
the  27th  of  October,  1877,  by  A.  M.  &  John 
M.  Vincent.  The  office  was  removed  to  the 
West. 

The  Erie  Sunday  Globe  was  started  b}'  R. 
R.  Cornell,  as  an  independent  paper.  After 
a  spasmodic  career,  it  was  wound  up  for  good 
in  January,  1895,  Mr.  Cornell  locating  in  the 
South. 

The  Mor)ii)ig'  Record  was  born  on  August 
22,  1895,  and  departed  this  life  on  September 
2  ensuing.  A.  S.  Porter  was  editor  and  pub- 
lisher. 

COUNTY     PAPERS. 

Below  is  a    list  of   the    newspapers    in   the 
county,  outside  of  Erie,  in  the  year  1895.   The 
figures    show    the    time    they    were   founded  ; 
Albion. — Blizzard,  weekly,  1882. 
Cony.— i^Arr,  daily,    1884. 
Leader,  da'ilv,  1884. 
Telegraph,   weekly,  1863. 
Herald,  weekly,  1876. 
Democrat,  weekly.  1890. 

Edinboro Educational       Independent, 

weekly,    1891. 
Independent ,    weekly,     1881. 
Conneauttee    Wave.  1898. 


Girard. —  Cosmopolite,  weekly  1867. 

Mill  Village.— /Av-<7/</,  weekly,  1876. 

Xorth  East. — Sun.  weekly,  1868. 

Advertiser,  weekly,  1884. 
Breeze,  weekly,  1893. 

Union  City. —  Times,  weekly,  1870. 

Waterford. — Leader,  weekly,  1878. 

Wattsburg. — Sentinel,  weekly,  1884. 

[See  the  chapters  relative  to  the  places 
above  named  for  a  history  of  the  several  pub- 
lications.] 

PRESS    ORGANIZATIONS. 

The  Northwestern  Editorial  Association, 
organized  in  Erie  about  18<'>5,  was  composed 
of  newspaper  men  in  Warren,  Erie,  Crawford, 
Mercer,  Venango,  Butler  and  .several  other 
counties.  It  had  two  or  three  annual  meet- 
ings, and  then  quietly  expired.  A  meeting  to 
resuscitate  it,  or  rather  to  start  a  new  associa- 
tion, was  held  in  Erie,  in  January,  1895. 
This  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the 
Northwestern  Pennsylvania  Press  Associa- 
tion, which  seems  to  ha\e  a  prosperous  career 
before  it.  Their  annual  meeting  in  Erie  on 
July  12,  1895,  was  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
gatherings  ever-known  in  the  city. 

The  Erie  Press  Club,  composed  of  news- 
paper men  and  business  men  in  harmony  with 
their  efforts  to  build  up  the  city,  was  started 
in  1887,  and  had  a  brilliant  career  for  several 
years.  Through  its  influence  the  Pennsylvania 
Editorial  Association  came  to  Erie  on  June 
26,1888,  and  remained  three  days.  The  visit 
of  the  Association  and  the  events  connected 
with  it  are  remembered  asamongths  most  in- 
teresting and  important  features  in  the  pro- 
gress of  the  cit}'.  The  Club  went  out  of  ex- 
istance  about  1891.  During  its  brief  life  it 
probably  did  as  much  toward  the  growth 
and  reputation  of  Erie  as  anj-  organization 
ever  started  within  its  limits. 

PERSONAL     MENTION. 

Joseph  M.  Sterrett.  for  years  the  Nestor  of 
the  Erie  press,  died  at  his  residence  in  the  lat- 
ter city,  on  the  20th  of  June,  1888.  He  had 
held  the  positions  of  County  Commissioner, 
State  Senator,  Associate  Judge  and  Postmas- 
ter of  Erie. 

Isaac  B.  Gara,  long  the  associate  of  Judge 
Sterrett.  was  Enrolling  Commissioner  for  the 
draft  in  1868,  Deputy    Stcretary  of  the  Com- 


ijS 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


monwealth  and  Postmaster  of  Erie.  He  died 
June  15,  1895. 

George  \V.  Riblet  was  Director  of  the 
Poor,  and  held  numerous  positions  of  trust  in 
the  city. 

Gideon  J.  Ball  was  State  Treasurer,  Chief 
Clerk  to  the  Sixth  Auditor  of  the  Treasury, 
member  of  the  Assembly  six  terms,  and  Pay- 
master in  the  army  during  the  war  for  the 
Union. 

B.  F.  Sloan  was  Postmaster  of  Eiie,  clerk 
to  the  Pension  Committee  of  Congress,  and 
Secretary  of  the  Erie  Water  Department. 
He  is  now  a  resident  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Benjamin  Whitman  is  a  resident  of  Erie, 
engaged  in  literary  and  business  pursuits.  He 
lias  held  the  positions  of  Water  Commissioner, 
member  of  the  Board  of  World's  Fair  Com- 
missioners of  Pennsylvania,  and  Executive 
Commissioner  of  the  latter  body. 

Jno.  W.  Douglas  has  lived  in  Washington 
City  many  years. 

M.  M.  Moore  still  resides  in  Erie,  where 
he  has  been  elected  to  several  city  offices,  in- 
cluding Alderman  and  School  Director. 

Andrew  Hopkins  died  in  Washington, 
Pa.,  where  he  was  publishing  a  Democratic 
weekl}*. 

Robert  B.  Brown  served  as  a  member  of 
the  ^Vssembly  from  Clarion  county  in  1869 
and  1870.  He  moved  from  Erie  to  Meadville, 
purchased  the  Mcsseiiffer  of  that  city,  and  is 
now  Postmaster  there. 

F.  A.  Crandall  went  to  Buffalo  and  held 
prominent  positions  on  the  press  of  that  city. 
He  now  occupies  the  post  of  Superintendent 
of   Public  Documents  at  the  National  Capital. 

Nelson  Baldwin  is  Collector  of  the  Port  of 
Erie. 

W.  L.  Scott  was  twice  elected  to  Congress, 
and  became  very  prominent  as  a  political  lead- 
er. He  died  September  19,  1891.  The  funeral 
was  attended  bj-  President  Cleveland, Governor 
Pattison  and  a  number  of  eminent  public  men 
and  railroad  officials. 

W.  P.  Atkinson  is  prominently  identified 
with  the  Herald  Printing  and  Publishing 
Company  of  this  citv  ;  also  publisher  of  the 
Erie  Directory. 

W.  McKinstry  is  one  of  the  editors  and 
publishers  of  the  Fredonia  (N.  Y.)   Censor. 

A.  P.  Durlin,  after  a  long  newspaper  ca- 
reer in  Iowa,  returned  to  Erie  and  established 
a  job  printing  office. 


W.  A.  Galbraith  is  the  honored  ex-Presi- 
dent Judge  of  the  Erie  count}'  Courts.  He 
has  been  remarkably  successful  both  in  law 
and  business. 

Joseph  S.  M.  Young  went  from  I'^rie  to 
Pittsburg,  and  became  a  specialist  in  medi- 
cine. 

B.  F.  H.  Lynn,  after  a  varied  career,  was 
found  dead  in  the  house  of  a  relative  at  Mauch 
Chunk. 

E.  E.  Stuerznickel  was  Sheriff'  from  ISTT 
to  1880. 

Samuel  Perley  was  Prothonotarv  from  l5i51 
to  185-1. 

A.  II.  Caughey  was  one  of  the  professors 
in  Lafayette  College,  at  Easton,  for  several 
years,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  Presbyterian 
ministry. 

J.  15.  Johnson  was  a  memberof  the  Assem- 
bly and  State  Senator. 

Henry  Catlin  is  still  a  resident  of  Erie, 
engaged  in  the  Downing  insurance  office. 

Jacob  Bender  died  early  in  1895  in  New 
York,  where  he  had  been  working  as  a  com- 
positor. 

S.  A.  Davenport   is  one  of  Erie's  leading 
lawyers.      Though  long  owner  of  the  Gazc/tc, , 
he    never    took  an  active  part    in    its   manage- 
ment. 

W.  G.  McKean,  after  a  brief  newspaper 
career  in  Dakota,  returned  to  Erie,  and  devotes 
his  time  mainly  to  literary  and  general  press 
work. 

.Sidney  Kelsey  lives  a  life  of  retirement  in 
Erie. 

John  C.  Brady  has  been  Mayor  of  Erie, 
and  is  one  of  its  most  pushing  lawyers  and 
business  men. 

S.  Todd  Perley  is  a  pension  attorney  in 
Erie. 

Dr.  I).  I*.  Robbins  is  a  resident  of  Erie, 
engaged  in  business  and  literature. 

1.  R.  Willard  is  a  prosperous  broker  in 
Chicago. 

Eben  Brewer  is  also  a  resident  of  Chicago. 
He  was  conspicuously  identified  with  the  exe- 
cutive department  of  the  World's  Fair. 

James  K.  Burns  served  two  terms  in  the 
Assembly,  was  the  Democratic  nominee  for 
Congress  in  1888,  and  has  long  been  a  pro- 
fessor in  the  Erie  high  school. 

H.  C.  Missimer,  after  serving  many  years 
as  principal  of  the  high  school,  is  now  .'super- 
intendent of  the  city  schools. 


ANB  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


179 


John  R.  Hess  and  John  Miller,  Jr.,  are 
department  editors  on  the  Providence  (R.  I.) 
jfournal. 

Thomas  A.  Casey  was  long  in  charge  of 
St.  Patrick's  congregation  and  St.  Peter's 
Cathedral  congregation  in  Erie,  and  Vicar 
General  of  the  Erie  diocese.  He  died  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1894,  and  the  funeral  exercises  over 
his  remains  were  the  most  impressive  ever 
seen  in  the  city. 

John  M.  Glazier  was  Collector  of  the  port 
of  Erie,  and  is  now  business  manager  of  the 
Erie  Business  University. 

Otto  Luedecke  left  Erie  to  do  editorial 
work  in  jVIihvaukee. 


F.  A.  Mallory  has  a  position  on  a  leading 
New  York  daily. 

H.  MerhofT  is  working  at  the  printing 
trade. 

John  F.  Boyer  is  in  the  railroad  service. 

The  following  persons  not  previously 
named,  are  dead  :  R.  Ljle  White,  James 
Hendricks,  B.  F.  McCarty,  John  Shaner,  J. 
P.  Cochran,  George  W.  Riblet,  G.  J.  Ball, 
Wm.  Kelley,  T.  B.  Barnum,  H.  L.  Harvey, 
Eugene  J.  Miller,  W.  H.  Harris,  Joseph  S. 
M.  Young,  S.  W.  Randall,  Thomas  Laird, 
Hiram  A.  Beebe,  J.  M.  Kuester,  Carl  Benson, 
J.  B.  Johnson,  C.  Moeser,  .Samuel  Perley. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 


The  Erie-Beaver   Canal  and  the  Several  Railroads. 


AS  early  as  1762  a  suggestion  was  made 
to  unite  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie  with 
the  Delaware  river.  The  Legislature 
in  1823  passed  an  act  for  the  ap- 
appointment  of  Commissioners  to 
explore  a  route  for  connecting  Lake  Erie 
with  French  creek  bv  canal  and  slack- 
water.  A  convention  of  delegates  from  forty- 
six  counties,  Giles  Sanford  representing  Erie, 
met  at  Harrisburg  in  August,  1825,  and  passed 
resolutions  in  favor  of  a  canal  from  the  Sus- 
quehanna to  the  AUeghen)-,  and  from  the 
Allegheny  to  Lake  Erie.  The  State  embarked 
in  the  enterprise  soon  after,  going  heavily  in 
debt  for  the  purpose,  and  by  October,  1834, 
the  first  boat  from  the  east  reached  Pittsburg. 

LAKE   TERMINI'S   OF   THE    CAN.M,. 

In  the  meantime  a  furious  agitatiim  sprung 
up  in  the  Northwest  over  the  question 
whether  the  extension  of  the  canal  from  Pitts- 
burg to  Lake  Erie  should  be  by  way  of  the 
Allegheny  river  and  French  creek,  or  down 
the  Ohio  and  up  the  Beaver  and  Shenango 
rivers.     The    tirst  was    known  as    the  "  East- 


ern "' and  the  latter  as  the  "  W^estern  "  route. 
The  Western  route  having  been  adopted  by 
the  advice  of  the  engineers  in  charge,  another 
controversy  arose  in  the  county  over  the  lake 
terminus  of  the  canal,  some  wanting  it  to  be 
at  Erie  and  others  at  the  mouth  of  Elk  creek. 
Erie  was  rinallv  selected,  through  the  labors  of 
Elijah  Babbitt,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Leg- 
islature at  the  time.  In  1832,  through  the 
efforts  of  John  H.  Walker,  the  State  ceded  the 
third  section  of  2. (MM)  acres  of  land  west  of 
Erie  to  the  borough,  for  the  purpose  of  build- 
ing a  canal  basin  at  the  harbor,  reserving  100 
acres  for  a  county  almshouse.  Work  on 
the  enterprise  progressed  at  irregular  spots 
and  intervals  until  1842.  wlien  the  State  re- 
fused to  appropriate  anv  more  monev.  At  Erie 
ground  was  broken  for  the  canal  on  the  4th  of 
July,  1888,  amid  great  festivities.  To  Capt. 
Daniel  Dobbins  was  awarded  the  honor  of 
throwing  up  the  tirst  shovelfuU  of  earth.  Up 
to  1843  the  State  had  expended  more  than  $4,- 
000,000,  and  it  was  calculated  that  but  .$211,- 
000  more  were  needed  to  make  the  canal 
ready  for  use. 


I  So 


NELSON'S  BIOQBAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


ITS    COMPLETION. 

At  the  session  of  1842-43,  the  Legislature 
passed  an  act  incorporating  the  Erie  Canal 
Company,  and  ceding  to  it  all  the  work  that 
had  been  done  at  sucli  immense  cost,  on  con- 
dition that  the  corporation  would  finish 'and 
operate  the  improvement.  This  company  was 
organized  with  Riifus  S.  Reed  as  president, 
and  C.  M.  Reed  as  treasurer.  The  first  boats 
to  reach  Erie  were  the  Qiieen  of  the  West,  a 
packet  boat,  crowded  with  passengers,  and  the 
R.  S.  Reed,  loaded  with  Mercer  county  coal, 
both  coming  in  on  the  same  day,  the  5th  of 
December,  1844.  The  canal  entered  the  city 
limits  of  Erie  near  the  recently  destroyed  car 
works,  and  followed  the  ravine  of  Lee's  run 
to  the  bay,  which  it  joined  near  the  foot  of  Sas- 
safras street.  A  commodious  basin  for  the 
protection  of  the  boats  was  built  in 
the  bay,  at  the  outlet,  which  still  re- 
mains, being  the  enclosed  part  of  the  harbor 
on  both  sides  of  the  public  ilock.  The  canal 
was  of  moderate  capacity,  the  average  boat 
only  carrying  sixty-five  tons. 

ABANDONMENT    OF    THE    CANAL. 

A  good  business  was  done  for  thirty  years 
after  its  completion,  mainly  in  coal,  iron  ore 
and  merchandise.  Up  to  18.58,  when  the 
Lake  Shore  R.  R.  was  opened  to  Toledo, 
the  canal  also  carried  large  numbers  of  emi- 
grants, who  came  to  Erie  by  steamer  from 
Buffalo,  and  took  this  route  to  the  Ohio  val- 
ley. A  number  of  packet  boats  for  conveying 
passengers  ran  on  the  canal,  and  it  was  the 
grand  avenue  of  trade  and  travel  for  the  west- 
tern  counties.  W.  W.  Reed  was  superintend- 
ent in  1860,  and  continued  in  that  capacity 
until  the  canal  was  abandoned. 

The  canal  continued  to  flourish  imtil  the 
completion  of  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R., 
which  soon  proved  to  be  a  formidable  com- 
petitor. An  enlargement  was  proposed,  but 
never  undertaken.  The  capitalists  who  had 
faith  in  its  enlargement  oft'ered  Gen.  Reed, 
who  controlled  most  of  the  stock,  a  handsome 
sum  for  the  canal,  but,  in  the  midst  of  their 
negotiations,  were  notified  that  he  had  dis- 
posed of  it  to  the  railroad  management.  The 
latter  operated  it  in  an  unsatisfactory  manner 
to  the  boatmen  until  1871,  when  the  fall  of 
the  Elk  creek  aqueduct  gave  them  an  excuse 
for  abandoning  the  work.  Since  then  the 
locks  and   bridges   have  been  taken  to  pieces, 


and    the   channel    filled  almost  everv>vhere   in 
the  county. 

FIHST    KAILKO.VDS. 

The  earliest  public  movement  in  regard  to 
the  construction  of  a  railroad  along  the  lake 
shore  was  through  a  convention  held  in  Fre- 
donia,  N.  Y.,  in  1831.  Its  object  was  to  ar- 
range for  building  a  road  from  Buffalo  to  the 
State  line,  with  the  understanding  that  it  was 
to  connect  with  one  in  Pennsylvania.  The 
delegates  from  Erie  were  C.  IVL  Reed,  P.  S. 
V.  Hamot  and  Thomas  H.  Sill. 

The  Erie  and  North  East  R.  R.  Companj-, 
the  first  railroad  organization  in  the  county, 
was  incorporated  April  12,  1842.  Hooks  for 
subscriptions  were  opened  on  the  I9th  of 
October,  184(),  most  of  the  stock  being  taken 
in  Erie.  The  active  men  in  forwarding  the 
project  were  Charles  M.  Reed,  John  A.  Trac}' 
and  John  H.  Walker.  The  survey's  of  the 
road  were  completed  in  the  spring  of  1849, 
under  the  direction  of  Milton  Courtright,  who 
had  been  one  of  the  engineers  in  locating  the 
canal.  Contracts  for  the  construction  of  the 
road  were  let  on  the  26th  of  July  of  the  same 
year,  and  the  grading  was  commenced  soon 
after.  The  road  extended  from  Erie  to  the 
State  line,  at  or  near  Xorthville. 

ERIE    TO    BUFFALO. 

Previous  to  this,  a  company  had  been 
formed  to  build  a  railroad  from  Dunkirk 
to  the  State  line,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
New  York  and  Erie  R.  R.  Company.  A 
second  road  was  projected  by  the  New  York 
Central  Company  from  BufTalo,  by  way  of 
Fredonia,  to  the  State  line.  Both  routes  were 
surveyed,  the  right  of  way  obtained,  and  some 
work  done.  A  contract  was  entered  into  by 
the  Erie  and  North  East  Company  for  a  connec- 
tion with  the  Dunkirk  and  State  line  road, 
which  would  have  given  a  uniform  six-feet 
gauge,  and  made  Erie  the  practical  terminus 
of  the  Nevv^'ork  and  ErieR.  R.  ."shortly  after- 
ward, another  arrangement  was  made  with  the 
Buftalo,  Fredonia  and  State  line  road  for  the 
laying  of  an  additional  track  of  the  New  York 
gauge  of  four  feet  eight  and  one-half  inches. 
In  course  of  time,  a  compromise  was  effected 
between  the  two  New  York  corporations,  by 
which  they  violated  their  contract  with  the 
Erie  and  North  East  Company,  and  agreed  to 
build  but   one  road   between  Buftalo   and  the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


i8i 


State  line  of  the  Ohio  gauge  of  four  feet  ten 
inches.  The  object  of  this  was  to  force  the 
Erie  and  North  East  Company  to  adopt  the 
same  gauge,  and  compel  the  break,  which  had 
to  occur  at  some  point,  to  be  made  within  the 
limits  of  New  York.  This  did  not  have  the 
effect  they  anticipated,  and  the  Erie  &  North 
East  R.  R.  was  completed  with  a  six-feet 
track.  Work  on  the  road  went  on  slowh, 
and  the  first  passenger  train  did  not  come  into 
Erie  until  the  19th  of  January,  1852. 

ERIE    TO    CLEVELAND. 

The  Franklin  Canal  Company  was  incor- 
porated on  the  27th  of  April,  1844,  to  repair 
the  Franklin  division  of  the  canal.  On  the 
9th  of  April,  1849,  a  supplement  to  the  char- 
ter was  secured  authorizing  the  company  to 
build  a  railroad  on  the  route  of  the  canal  be- 
tween Meadville  and  Franklin,  and  to  extend 
it  northward  to  Lake  Erie,  and  southward  to 
Pittsburg.  This  charter  was  so  construed  as 
to  permit  tlie  building  of  a  railroad  from  Erie 
to  the  Oiiio  State  line,  and  one  was  accord- 
ingly constructed,  largely  through  the  efforts 
of  Judge  John  Galbraith  and  Alfred  Kelley. 
At  the  State  line  it  connected  with  a  road  that 
had  been  completed  to  Cleveland,  under  the 
laws  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  first  train  ran 
from  Erie  to  Ashtabula  on  the  morning  of  the 
28d  of  November,  1852.  As  the  Pennsylvania 
law  stood  at  that  time,  all  roads  entering  Erie 
from  the  east  were  to  be  six  feet  or  four  feet 
eight  and  one-half  gauge,  and  all  from  the 
west  four  feet  ten.  The  gauge  of  the  Franklin 
Canal  Company's  road  was  therefore  different 
from  that  of  the  Erie  &  North  East  road,  ne- 
cessitating a  break  at  Erie. 

THE    ROADS    CONSOLIDATED. 

The  change  of  gauge  at  Erie  and  at  the 
State  line  proved  to  be  a  serious  inconvenience 
to  the  railroad  companies,  and  on  the  17th  of 
November,  1853,  a  contract  was  entered  into 
between  the  Buffalo  and  State  Line  and  the 
Erie  and  North  East  Companies,  by  which  the 
latter  were  to  alter  their  track  to  four  feet  ten 
inches,  making  a  uniform  gauge  from  Buffalo 
to  Cleveland.  By  this  time,  two-thirds  of  the 
stock  of  the  E.  and  N.  E.  R.  R.  had  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Buffalo  and  State  Line  parties,  who 
had  entered  into  a  contract  to  run  the  improve- 
ment as  one  road.  The  change  of  gauge  was 
commenced  on  the  7th  of  December,  1853,  but 


was  not  completed  till  February  1,  1854,  when 
the  first  train  under  the  new  arrangement  ar- 
rived at  Erie  from  the  East. 

THE    FAMOUS    KAILROAD   WAR. 

This  scheme  created  the  utmost  indigna- 
tion amonf^  the  people  of  Erie  county,  who 
saw  in  it  the  defeat  of  their  hope  of  having 
Erie  made  the  lake  terminus  of  the  New  York 
and  Erie  R.  R.,  and  a  purpose  to  make  the 
city  nothing  more  than  a  way  station.  At  10 
o'clock  in  the  forenoon  of  the  7th  day  of  De- 
cember, 1858,  an  immense  assemblage  of  the 
citizens  of  Erie  gathered  at  the  depot,  tore 
down  the  bridges  over  State  and  French  streets, 
and  took  up  the  track  across  everv  street  east 
of  Sassafras.  Near  Harbor  Creek  Station,  on 
the  same  day,  the  track  was  torn  up  in  three 
places.  In  the  latter  township,  on  the  28th 
of  December,  while  the  railroad  men  were  re- 
laying the  track,  a  fracas  took  place,  in  which 
a  pistol  was  fired  bv  a  train  conductor,  and 
two  citizens  of  the  township  slight!}-  wound- 
ed. The  excitement  that  ensued  was  the  most 
intense  ever  known  in  the  count)'.  Only  a 
few  citizens  of  Erie  sided  with  tiie  railroad 
companies,  and  they  were  treated  as  common 
enemies. 

The  railroad  question  obliterated  party 
lines  to  a  great  extent,  and  in  each  of  the  years 
1854,  1855  and  1858,  for  the  first  time  in  a  loiig 
period,  one  of  the  two  legislative  Representa- 
tives elected  from  the  county  was  a  Democrat. 
The  agitation  among  the  people  was  followed 
b\'  an  appeal  to  the  Courts,  and  the  interposi- 
tion of  both  State  and  United  States  officials 
was  required  on  sexeral  occasions.  During 
the  two  montiis  in  which  the  populace  pre- 
vented the  track  from  being  changed,  passen- 
gers and  freight  were  transferred  between 
Harbor  Creek  and  Erie  by  stages  and  wagons, 
causing  a  delay  that-subjected  our  city,  county 
and  people  to  innumerable  curses  from  the 
eastern  and  western  patrons  of  the  railroad. 
A  second  series  of  outbreaks  occurred  in  Erie 
and  Harbor  Creek  in  1855,  when  the  bridges 
were  again  destroyed  and  the  track  torn  up. 

SIPREME      COIKT      DECISIONS      .\ND       KUHTHER 
CONSOLIDATIONS. 

The  Supreme  Court  decided  that  the  road 
constructed  by  the  Franklin  Canal  Company 
was  not  a  legal  building  under  the  charter,  and 
the  charter  itself  was  repealed  in  1854.  Mean- 


l82 


2fJSLS0N-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


while,  the  stock  had  been  mostly  purchased 
by  the  Cleveland,  Fainesville  and  Ashtabula 
Company,  owners  of  the  connecting  road 
from  the  Ohio  State  line  westward.  A  new 
charter  was  granted  by  the  Legislature  in  1855 
or  1856,  on  condition  that  the  company,  known 
as  the  Cleveland  and  Erie,  should  subscribe 
l.'jOO.OtH)  to  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.,  ex- 
tend its  track  to  the  harbor  of  Erie,  and  retain 
three  citizens  of  Pennsylvania  perpetually  in 
its  Board  of  Directors. 

The  charter  of  the  Erie  and  North  East 
Company  was  repealed  in  1855,  but  restored 
in  April,  1856,  conditioned  upon  the  expendi- 
ture of  |400,(XX)  toward  the  building  of  a 
road  from  Pittsburg  to  Erie.  A  few  years 
afterward  the  Erie  and  North  East  and  the  Buf- 
falo and  State  Line  R.  R.were  consolidated  un- 
der the  title  of  the  Buffalo  and  Erie  R.  R. 

Some  time  in  the  early  sixties  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  Cleveland  and  Erie  R.  R.-was  ef- 
fected with  the  Cleveland  and  Toledo,  and  at  a 
still  later  date  this  organization  was  consoli- 
dated with  the  Michigan  Southern,  making 
one  management  from  Erie  to  Chicago,  which 
became  known  as  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan 
Southern  Company.  Into  this  organization 
the  Buffalo  &  Erie  was  merged  in  1869.  The 
control  of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  is  in  the  hands 
of  the  rich  \'anderbilt  family,  with  Chauncey 
M.  Depew  as  their  legal  and  bu-iness  repre- 
sentative. 

THE     LAKE    SHOKE     R.     H. 

The  track  of  the  road  is  ostensibly  four 
feet,  ten  inches,  but  has  been  gradually  nar- 
rowed to  four  feet,  nine  inches,  which  is  the 
universal  gauge  of  the  United  States,  with  few 
exceptions.  In  building  the  road  the  greatest 
difficulties  experienced  were  at  the  gullies  of 
the  lake  shore  streams.  These  were  originally 
crossed  by  wooden  viaducts,  which  have  been 
replaced  by  arches  or  iron  bridges. 

The  first  depot  at  Erie  was  a  clumsy  look- 
ing brick  structure,  built  in  1851.  It  was  re- 
placed by  the  Union  depot  in  18(54,  the  ex- 
pense of  constructing  which  was  borne  equally 
by  the  two  Lake  Shore  organizations  then  ex- 
isting. The  Philadelphia  and  Erie  Company 
pays  interest  for  its  use  on  one-third  of  the 
cost  and  one-third  of  the  current  expense  of 
keeping  it  up,  less  a  small  rental  from  the  Erie 
and  Pittsburg  Company.  Ira  W.  Hart  was  the 
first   ticket   agent,    commencing  in    1852,   and 


Wm.  S.  Brown  the  first  freight  agent,  ap- 
pointed in  1858.  John  Sutter  became  con- 
nected with  the  road  September  16,  1855, 
being  probably  the  oldest  employe  in  continu- 
ous service  at  Erie. 

The  western  roundhouse  was  built  in  1862, 
and  the  eastern  in  1863. 

DISTANCES     HV     LAKE     SHOKK     R.     R. 

The  following  are  the  distances  bv  this 
route  from  Erie  to  the  places  named  : 

Eastvv.\rd— Miles.  WeSTW.vkd —Miles. 

Wesley  ville 4     Svvanville 9 

Harbor  Creek 8     Fairview 11 

Moorhead's 11     Miles  Grove 16 

North  East IS     Springtield 20 

State  Line 20     Ohio  Line 26 

Ripley 23     Conneaut 28 

Westfield 31     A.shtabula    41 

Brocton 39     Painesville    57 

Dunkirk 48     Cleveland 95 

Buffalo 88     Sandusky 158 

Rochester 137     Toledo 208 

Albany 385     Chicajfo 452 

New  York 528 

This  road,  while  one  of  the  best  managed 
and  constructed  in  the  Union,  has,  strange  to 
say,  had  two  or  three  of  the  worst  disasters 
ever  known  in  railroad  history.  One  of  these 
was  at  Ashtabula,  on  Friday,  December  29, 
1876,  at  7  :  80  p.  m.,  when  seventj-two  persons 
were  killed,  and  the  other  at  Angola,  N.  Y., 
when  the  loss  was  smaller,  but  scarcely  less  ap- 
palling in  its  general  features.  In  both  cases 
citizens  of  Erie  were  among  the  dead  or  in- 
jured. 

FASTEST    LON<;     DISTANCE    TIME    EVER    .MADE. 

The  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  claims  the  record 
of  having  made  the  fastest  time  for  a  long 
distance  of  any  in  the  world.  A  train  of  three 
Wagner  cars,  drawn  by  a  single  engine,  left 
Chicago  at  3  :  30  a.  m.  (Central  time),  on  the 
24th  of  October,  1895,  and  reached  Buffalo  at 
11:30:43.  The  distance  is  510.1  miles,  and 
the  time  was  481  minutes  and  7  seconds,  an 
average  speed,  iiiclusive  of  stops  and  changing 
of  engines,  of  ()5.7  miles  an  hour.  The  great- 
est run  was  made  between  Erie  and  Buffalo, 
a  distance  of  86  miles,  which  was  made  in  70 
minutes  and  16  seconds.  In  two  instances 
between  Erie  and  Buffalo  the  train  attained  a 
speed  of  96  miles  an  hour.  The  engine  which 
secured  this  remarkable  result  was  No.  564, 
handled  by  Engineer  William  Tunkey.  The 
object  of  the  fast  run  was  to  ascertain  at  what 


AND  EISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


183 


rate  a  train  could  be  taken  over  the  road  with 
safet)'  for  general  through  passenger  business. 
Different  engines  were  used  on  each  of  the 
divisions,  and  the  run  for  the  divisions  were  ; 
Chicago  to  Elkhart,  87.4  miles,  in  85  minutes 
•lij  seconds  ;  Elkhart  to  Toledo,  138.4  miles, 
in  124  minutes  85  seconds  ;  Toledo  to  Cleve- 
land, 107.8  miles,  in  lOG  minutes  (5  seconds; 
Cleveland  to  Erie,  95.5  miles,  in  85  minutes 
82  seconds  ;  Erie  to  Buffalo,  8(j  miles,  in  70 
minutes  16  seconds. 

The  train  arrived  in  New  York  City,  over 
the  Central  road,  at  10:  15  (Eastern  time)  in 
the  evening  of  the  day  it  left  Chicago,  having 
made  the  distance  of  980  miles  in  17  hours 
and  45  minutes. 

PHIL.\DELPHI.\    AND    ERIE     R.\ILROAD. 

A  railroad  was  projected  from  Erie  to 
Philadelphia  as  long  ago  as  1830,  upon  nearly 
the  same  route  that  was  ultimately  adopted. 
In  1838  a  railroad  was  commenced  at  Sunbury 
by  Stephen  Girard  and  others,  intended  to 
connect  Erie  with  Philadelphia  by  way  of 
Pottsville.  A  few  miles  of  it  were  built 
eastward,  and  then  the  work  stopped  on  ac- 
count of  financial  depression. 

In  1887  a  bill  passed  the  Legislature  in- 
corporating the  Sunbury  and  Erie  R.  R. 
Company.  An  organization  was  regularly 
effected,  the  stock  to  secure  the  charter  being 
taken  by  the  United  States  Bank,  and  engi- 
neers were  employed  to  survev  a  route  in  1838 
and  1889.  Nothing  further  was  done  for  some 
years.  In  1854  the  project  was  simultaneously 
revived  in  Philadelphia,  in  Erie  and  in  the  Leg- 
islature. The  city  of  Philadelphia  subscribed 
$1,000,000  toward  the  construction  of  the 
road,  the  county  of  Erie  .l!200,0(^0  and  the  city 
of  Erie  .$800,000,  in  addition  to  150  water  lots 
for  dock  accommodations.  The  Cleveland 
and  Erie  Company  were  required  to  subscribe 
$500,000  to  the  road,  as  a  condition  of  secu- 
ring a  new  charter.  About  this  time  the  State 
exchanged  a  portion  of  her  canals  for  $8,500,- 
000  of  Sunbury  and  Erie  bonds, thus  placing  the 
companv  on  a  substantial  footing.  By  Decem- 
ber, 1854,  the  road  was  in  running  order  from 
Sunbury  to  Williamsport,  wiiere  a  connection 
was  made  with  the  Northern  Central  R.  R.  to 
Elmira.  The  division  of  the  road  from  Erie 
to  Warren  was  begun  in  August,  1856,  and 
completed  in  December,  1859,  the  Middle 
division  remaining  unfinished.      In   the  spring 


of  18(>1,  the  name  of  the  corporation  was 
changed  to  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R. 
Company.  The  war  coming  on  in  that  year 
alarmed  the  stockholders,  and  the  road  was 
leased,  in  1862,  to  the  Penn.sylvania  Railroad 
Company  for  a  term  of  999  years.  Work  was 
vigorously  p  osecutcd  by  the  lessees,  and  in 
October,  1864,  the  first  passenger  train  came 
through  to  Erie  from  Philadelphia  with  a 
large  party  ot  excursionists. 

GENERAL   DESCRIPTION. 

• 

The  road  is  287  6-10  miles  in  length,  oper- 
ated in  three  divisions,  as  follows  :  Eastern — 
Sunbury  to  Renovo,  92  4-10  miles;  Middle — 
Renovo  to  Kane,  100  7- 10  miles  ;  Western — 
Kane  to  Erie,  94  5-10.  At  Sunbury.  con- 
nection is  made  with  the  Southern  division  of 
the  Northern  Central  R.  R.,  under  the  same 
management,  which  gives  a  direct  route  to 
Harrisburg,  Baltimore,  Washington,  Phila- 
delphia and  New  York.  The  distance  from 
Erie  to  Harrisburg  is  847  miles  ;  to  Baltimore, 
425;  to  Washington,  468,  to  Philadelphia, 
458,  and  to  New  York,  543.  Below  are  the 
distances  along  the  road  itself,  measuring  from 
the  foot  of  State  street  in  Erie  : 


Outer  Depot 2 

Wagner's 5 

Belle  Valley 7 

Langdon's 9 

Jackson's 13 

Waterford  Depot 18 '4 

Le  Boeuf 23 

Union  City 27 

Elgin....' 32 

Lovell's 34 

Corry 37 

Coliunbus 39 

Spring  Creek 44 

Garland SO 

Pittsfield 54 

Youngsville 58 

Irvineton 60 

Warren 66 

Stonehani 71 

Clarendon 73 


Tiona 76 

Sheffield 79 

Roj'stone 82 

Ludlow 86 

Wetniore 90 

Kane 95 

Wilcox 104 

Ridgwav     119 

St.  Mary's 129 

Emporium   149 

Cameron    155 

Driftwood 168 

Renovo 196 

Lock  Haven    224 

Jersey  Sliore 236 

Williamsport 248 

Muncy 260 

Milton 275 

Northumberland  .285.6 
Sunbury 287.6 


SURVEYS    AND    HEIGHTS    .\BOVE    TIDE-W.\TER. 

In  surveying  the  road,  considerable  diffi- 
culty was  experienced  in  finding  a  suitable 
route  to  reach  the  level  of  the  lake  from  the 
high  lands  on  the  south.  The  course  finally 
adopted  was  bv  way  of  Four-Mile  creek, 
necessitating  a  long  curve  to  roimd  the  Second 
ridge,  which  compels  over  seven  miles  of  rail- 
road to  make  the  distance   of   four  and  a   half 


z84 


NELSOlf-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


miles  by  common  road  from  Erie  to  Belle 
Valley.  The  grade  between  Jackson's  and 
Erie  is  at  one  place  eighty-three  feet  to  the 
mile. 

The  following  tigures  give  the  height  of 
the  road  above  tide-water  at  the  points 
named  : 

STATIONS.  FEET. 

Erie,  foot  of  State  street 573 

Suiniiiit,  at  Jackson's 1,229 

Union  City 1,270 

Corry 1,431 

Garland 1,309 

Warren 1,200 

Sheffield 1,337 

Kane 2,130 

Wilcox 1,527 

Ridg-way 1,393 

St.  Mary's  Sununit 1,696 

Emporium .  .  1,021 

The  first  general  Superintendent  of  the 
road  was  Joseph  D.  Potts,  who  took  charge  at 
its  opening  in  1864.  The  superintendents  of 
the  western  division  have  been  :  Samuel  A. 
Black,  appointed  in  Julv,  1859;  William  A. 
Baldwin,  February  t,  1862 ;  John  W.  Rey- 
nolds, May  1.  1868.  The  general  offices  were 
at  Erie  until  1874,  when  they  were  removed 
to  Williamsport. 

The  company  occupied  a  frame  building  at 
the  foot  of  State  street,  in  Erie,  as  a  passen- 
ger and  freight  depot,  until  the  completion  cjf 
the  Union  depot,  to  which  the  passenger 
traffic  was  at  once  transferred.  The  freight 
business  continued  at  the  former  point  until 
the  erection  of  the  new^  freight  buildinf^  on 
Parade  street  in  1880 

The  shops  of  the  road  are  at  Erie,  Kane, 
Renovo  and  Sunburv. 

ERIE    AND    PITTSBURG    R.     R. 

The  charter  for  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg 
Company,  was  obtained  in  1856,  by  parties  in- 
terested in  the  Erie  and  North  East  Companv. 
The  new  charter  of  the  latter  company  pro- 
vided that  it  should  invest  $4()().()0()  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  road  in  the  direction  of  Pitts- 
burg. \Vith  this  sum  and  the  money  of  the 
stockholders,  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  road  was 
graded  from  near  Miles  Grove  to  Jamestown, 
Mercer  county,  and  the  track  laid  to  Albion. 
In  1864,  the  road  was  continued  to  New- 
Castle,  where  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R. 
proper  terminates.  At  that  place  connection 
is  made  with  the  New-  Castle  and  Beaver  A'alley 
R.  R.,  which  connects  in  turn  with  the  Pitts- 


burg, Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago  at  Home- 
wood,  and  with  a  road  down  the  Beaver  val- 
ley, making  direct  connection  in  both  cases 
with  the  "smoky  city." 

The  company  own  extensive  docks  at  Erie 
for  the  handling  of  coal  and  iron  ore,  built  in 
186f3,  and  since  then  largely  extended.  The 
round-house  in  Erie  was  erected  in  1865,  and 
the  shops  bought  of  McCarter  &  Scoville  in 
1866. 

The  distances  bv  this  route  are  as  follows  : 

MII.ES. 

Erie  to  a  little  west  of  Miles  Grove  (Lake 

Shore   road)   16.5 

Cross' 21 

Albion 27 

Spring   32 

Conneautville 35 

.Jamestown 57 

Greenville 63 

Sharpsville 75 

Sharon 78 

Middlesex 84 

New  Castle 99 

Home  wood   113.9 

Pittsburg 148.9 

The  superintendents  of  the  road  have  been 
R.  N.  Brown,  J.  L.  Grant,  W.  S.  Brown,  J. 
J.  Lawrence,  F.  N.  Finney,  John  M.  Kimball 
and  H.  W.  Byers.  \V.  L.  Scott,  of  Erie,  was 
president  of  the  corporation  many  years. 

The  road  was  operated  as  a  feeder  to  the 
Lake  Shore  until  the  24th  of  March,  1870, 
when  it  was  leased  to  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R. 
Company  for  a  term  of  991)  years.  On 
the  first  of  March,  1871,  the  management 
was  transferred  to  the  Pennsylvania  Company, 
a  separate  corporation  from  the  Pennsylvania 
R.  R.  Company,  organized  to  operate  the 
Western    lines  leased  or  owned  by  the  latter. 

From  Erie  to  a  short  distance  west  of  Miles 
Grove,  the  E.  &  P.  uses  the  Lake  Shore  track, 
with  the  exception  of  two  and  one-half  miles 
between  the  citv  and  the  dock  junction.  The 
company  own  the  connecting  road  along  the 
bay  front  of  Erie,  from  the  Pittsburg  dock 
to  the  foot  of  State  street.  It  was  built  about 
1870. 

The  headquarters  of  the  road  were  in  Erie 
until  1881,  when  they  were  removed  to 
Youngstown,  Ohio,  and  subsequently  to  the 
Junction,  a  short  distance  below  New  Castle. 

The  following  tigures  show  the  elevation 
in  feet  above  tide-water  of  various  points  on 
the  road  :  .Summit,  near  Conneautville,  1,141  ; 
Greenville,  984;   Sharon,    858;    New  Castle, 


•/  bvJKJ^mxis}^^^^- ' 


/f}2$t 


"^^ty-t^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUSTY. 


'85 


802.  In  crossing  the  dividing  ridge  south  of 
Conneautville,  the  summit  is  approached  from 
the  north  for  two  or  three  miles  by  a  grade  of 
fifty-two  feet  to  the  mile. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Wood  held  the  position  of  mas- 
ter mechanic  of  the  road,  with  headquarters 
at  Erie,  for  some  twenty  years. 

WESTERN    XEW   YORK   -WD     PK.V.VS  YLV.\X  I.\. 

A  railroad,  known  as  the  Oil  Creek  R.  R., 
was  completed  between  Corry  and  Miller 
Farm  in  ISO:?.  In  18C5,  a  majority  of  its  cap- 
ital stock  was  purchased  by  Dean  Richmond, 
representing  the  Lake  Shore  and  New  York 
Central  Companies,  and  by  Thomas  A.  Scott, 
representing  the  Pennsylvania  Company,  and 
placed  in  the  hands  of  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  of 
New  York,  as  trustee  for  the  three  corpora- 
tions. The  road  was  extended  to  Petroleum 
Centre  in  18G<).  where  it  connected  with  the 
Farmers"  road  to  Oil  City.  Not  long  after- 
ward, the  Allegheny  Valley  R.  R.  was  com- 
pleted to  Oil  City,  from  Pittsburg,  making  a 
continuous  line  from  the  latter  city.  The  fail- 
ure of  the  wells  on  Oil  creek  robbed  the  road 
of  its  prosperitv,  and  it  was  sold  out  upon  mort- 
gage, and  purchased  by  the  .Mlegheny  Valley 
R.  R.  management. 

The  Cross-Cut  R.  R.  was  built  from  Corry 
to  Brocton  in  1867,  to  secure  a  lake  outlet  for 
the  Oil  Creek  R.  R.,  and  a  connection  with  the 
Lake  Shore  R.  R.,  independent  of  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Erie  R.  R. 

All  the  above  roads  were  consolidated  un- 
der one  management,  as  the  Buffalo,  Corrv  and 
Pittsburg,  and  have  since  become  a  part  of 
the  Western  New  York  and  Pennsylvania 
system,  which  embraces  over  six  hundred 
miles  of  track  witliin  the  two  States. 

NEW     'iORK,   PEXNSVL\'.\XI  A      \M>    i  IHIO    (  X'lT- 

.\xo)    i;.    u. 

The  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  R.  R.  was 
completed  to  Corry  in  June,  ISCd  ,  and  exiended 
westward  through  the  southern  portion  of  the 
countv  in  1862.  It  was  intended  and  is  still 
operated  as  the  western  extension  of  the  Erie 
Railway  (now  the  New  York,  Lake  Erie  and 
Western  ),withwhich  it  connects  at  Salamanca, 
N.  Y.  The  track  was  originally  six  feet  wide, 
but  the  gauge  was  changed  about  1884  to  the 
general  standard  of  the  coinitrv.  The  above 
name  was  adopted  about  1882.  In  March. 
1883,  the  road  was  leased  to  the  New  York, 
13 


Lake  Erie   and  Western  Company  for  ninety- 
nine  years. 

UNION    .\XD    Trn;s\iLLE    R.    R. 

This  road  extended  from  Titusville  to 
Union  City,  where  it  connected  with  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Erie  R.  R.  It  was  originated  in 
1865,  and  completed  in  February.  1871.  It 
was  operated  by  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R. 
Companv  for  some  years,  and  finallv  aban- 
doned about  18'.I2  or  i898. 

new  york,  chicago    .\nd    .st.    lol'is    r.    1( . 
(the  nickel   plate). 

The  New  York,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis 
R.  R.  Company  was  organized  in  1880  to  build 
a  railroad  from  Buffalo  to  Chicago  by  way  of 
Dunkirk,  Erie,  Cleveland,  Fostoria  and  Fort 
Wavne.  The  grading  of  the  road  commenced 
in  June,  1881,  and  the  first  through  passenger 
train  reached  Erie  from  the  West  in  the  after- 
noon of  August  81,  1882.  The  train  returned 
from  Buffalo  on  the  1st  of  September.  Regu- 
lar passenger  trains  commenced  running  on 
Monday,  October  23,  1882. 

In  the  winter  of  1882—88,  a  majority  of  the 
stock  of  the  road  was  purchased  in  Erie  by 
William  H.  Vanderbilt  and  others  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  Lake  5hore  R.  R.,  and  it  has  since 
been  run  in  harmony  with  that  line,  although 
a  separate  organization  and  an  apparent  com- 
petition are  kept  up. 

The  principal  office  of  the  company  is  at 
Cleveland.  The  main  shops  are  at  Chicago. 
Division  shops  are  located  at  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  and  Bcllevue  and  Conneaut,  Ohio.  The 
divisions  for  engine  service  are  :  Buffalo  to 
Conneaut ;  Conneaut  to  Bellevue  ;  Belleviie  to 
Fort  Wayne  :   Fort  Wayne  to  Chicago. 

Instead  of  the  culverts  used  by  the  L.  .S.  and 
M.  .S.  R.  R.,  this  route  crosses  the  gullies  of 
the  lake  shore  streams  by  iron  viaducts,  some 
of  which  are  of  unusual  height  and  length. 

The  distances  by  the  Nickel  Plate  R.  R.  are 
as  follows  :  Buffalo  to  Erie,  S7.48  miles  ;  to 
Conneaut,  115.51  miles:  to  Cleveland.  183.70 
miles:  to  Bellevue,  247.86  miles:  to  Fort 
Wayne,  370. B8  miles;  to  Chicago.  524.74 
miles. 

PITTSBIRC;.    SIIEXAX(;()    AXI>     LAKE    ERIE    R.    R. 

This,  the  latest  road  entering  Erie,  was 
opened  for  business  in  the  spring  of  1892. 
The  track  was  laid  down  on  Twelfth  street  in 


1 86 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL   DICTIONARY 


November,  1891.  The  depot,  at  Twelfth  and 
Sassafras  streets,  was  built  in  the  spring  of 
1892,  and  the  tirst  passenger  train  reached 
Erie  in  June  of  the  same  year.  The  road  ex- 
tends from  Erie  to  Butler,  following,  in  the 
main,  the  route  of  the  old  canal,  and  trains 
enter  Pittsburg  from  Butler  over  the  track  of 
the  Pittsburg  and  Western  R.  R.  The  distance 
from  Erie  to  Pittsburg  by  this  road  is  \h'2h 
miles.  At  Cranesville,  in  this  county,  the 
road  branches,  one  track  coming  to  Erie  and 
the  other  extending  to  the  lalce  at  Conneaut, 
O.,  a  distance  of  14  4-10  miles  from  the  first- 
mentioned  point.  The  first  is  used  for  the 
passenger  and  general  freight  business,  and 
the  second  for  the  coal  and  iron  ore  traffic. 
Arrangements  have  been  made  with  the  Grand 
Trunk  R.  R.  of  Canada  by  \\  hich  powerful 
boats  are  run  between  Conneaut  and  Port 
Dover,  summer  and  winter,  carrying  cars 
loaded  with  coal  and  general  merchandise. 
These  boats  were  first  put  in  operation  in 
August,  189o. 

niSTANCE   TAni,E. 

Below  arc-  the  distances  by  this  road  to  the 
most  important  points  between  Erie  and  Pitts- 
burg : 

Wallace  Junction.  .  .14.4     Meadville 60.3 

Girard 15.5     Hartstowii 52.2 

Elk  Creek  Siding... 17.3     Adamsville 55.0 

Lockport 20.2     Greenville 63.6 

Cranesville 23.7     Shenang^o 65.6 

Albion 24.9     Fredonia 74.5 

Pennside 28.6  Mercer  Junction. .  .  81.3 

Shadeland 31. 2     Mercer 82.1 

Springboro 32.5     Grove  City 91.1 

Conneautville TS.b  P.  &  W.  Junction.  .121.1 

Dicksonburg 39.8     Butler 121.6 

Harmonsburg 42.9     Pittsburg 152.6 

Meadville  Junction  44.9 

PROJECTED    RAILROADS. 

Books  were  opened  in  183(3  for  subscrip- 
tions to  build   a   railroad,   twenty-three  miles 


long,  from  Erie  to  the  State  line,  three  miles 
east  of  Waltsburg,  \vhere  it  was  designed  to 
connect  with  a  branch  of  the  Erie  ra  Iway. 
The  scheme  was  to  make  Erie  the  terminus  of 
the  latter  thoroughfare.  ^\'hen  the  Erie  and 
North  East  R.  R.  was  built,  the  project  was 
abandoned. 

The  Erie  City  R.  R.  Company  was 
chartered,  in  1853,  to  build  a  road  from  Erie 
to  some  point  on  the  State  line  in  North  East, 
Greenfield  or  \'enango  Townships,  as  a  con- 
nection of  the  Erie  Railway.  Its  organization 
was  maintained  until  the  Atlantic  and  Great 
Western  R  R.  was  completed,  when  the  pro- 
jectors concluded  that  further  effort  to  induce 
the  Erie  Raihvaj-  to  come  to  the  harbor  of 
Erie  would  be  useless. 

The  Erie  Southern  was  designed  to  give 
Erie  a  connection  with  the  N.  Y.,  P.  &  C).  R.  R. 
road  at  Cambridge,  and  the  Oil  Creek  R.  R.  at 
Titusville,  opening  up  a  new  route,  by  way 
of  McKean  and  Edinboro,  for  the  coal  and  oil 
traffic.  The  project  was  much  talked  about  in 
1873,  considerable  subscriptions  were  obtained, 
and  the  city  voted  the  corporation  a  block  of 
water-lots,  besides  the  right  of  way  on  Liberty 
street.  A  small  amount  of  digging  and  gra- 
ding was  done  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the 
city,  when  the  enterprise  was  given  up. 

Another  railroad  was  projected  from  Erie 
to  Mill  Village  via  Waterford,  the  purpose 
being  also  to  secure  a  connection  with  the 
New  York,  Pennsylvania  &  Ohio.  Surveys 
made  by  Col.  Irvin  Camp,  in  1882-83,  de- 
veloped the  fact  that  the  length  of  the  pro- 
posed road  would  be  but  nineteen  miles  from 
the  depot  at  Erie  to  the   one   at    Mill  Village. 

Of  late  the  scheme  for  building  a  load  from 
Erie  to  the  "  Nypano  "  at  Cambridge  has 
been  much  discussed,  and  it  is  safe  to  predict 
that  this  line,  or  one  connecting  with  the  lat- 
ter system  at  Mill  Village,  will  be  built  before 
many  years. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 


Public  and  Fhivate  Schools,  Academies,  Seminaries,  Etc. 


IN  providing  a  frame  of  government  for  the 
Colony  of  Pennsylvania,  William  Penn 
declared  that  wisdom  and  morality  ■•  must 
be  carefully  propagated  by  a  virtuous  ed- 
ucation of  the  youth,''  and  that  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Councils  should  "  erect  and  order 
public  schools."  The  wise  example  of  the 
founder  was  followed  by  the  heroes  of  the 
Revolution,  in  framing  the  Constitution  of 
1776,  with  a  requirement  that  -'a  school  or 
schools  shall  be  established  in  each  county." 
The  Constitution  of  171X)  went  still  further  by 
declaring  that  the  Legislature  might  provide 
for  the  establishment  of  schools  throughout 
the  State  "in  such  manner  that  the  poor  may- 
be taught  gratis.'" 

Notwithstanding  these  noble  sentiments, 
little  progress  toward  the  schooling  of  the 
masses  was  effected  until  a  comparatively  re- 
cent period.  Generous  endowments  were 
made  by  the  State  to  colleges  and  academies, 
but  the  idea  of  "  common  schools,"  open  alike 
to  rich  and  poor,  and  supported  at  the  public 
expense  by  a  system  of  equal  taxation,  was 
slow  in  winning  the  approval  of  property 
owners.  "  Pav  schools,"  in  which  the  chil- 
dren ^vere  trained  for  a  moderate  compensa- 
tion, were  common,  however,  almost  every 
district  having  one  or  more,  according  to  its 
population.  The  primary  schools  in  Erie 
county,  up  to  1884,  were  all  of  this  character. 

A      PTBLIC      SCHOOL     SYSTEM      I'ROED      BY      THE 
EARLY    GOVERNORS. 

In  1821  Governor  Ileister,  in  his  message 
to  the  Legislature,  declared  it  to  be  '•  an  im- 
perative duty  to  introduce  and  support  a  lib- 
eral system  of  education,  connected  with  some 
general  religious  instruction."  Governor 
.Shultze's  message  to  the  Legislature  of  1827 
contained  this  passage  :  "  Among  the  in- 
junctions of  the  Constitution,  there  is  none 
more  interesting  than  that  which  enjoins  it  as 
a  duty  on  the  Legislature  to  provide  for  the 


education  of  the  poor  throughout  the  Common- 
wealth."' In  1828  the  same  executive  stated 
in  his  annual  message  that  he  could  not  for- 
bear from  "  again  calling  attention  to  the  sub- 
ject of  public  education.  To  devise  means  for 
the  establishment  of  a  fund  and  the  adoption 
of  a  plan  by  wiiich  the  blessings  of  the  more 
necessary  branches  of  education  should  be  con- 
ferred on  every  family  within  our  borders 
would  be  every  way  worthy  the  Legislature 
of  Pennsylvania." 

The  first  practical  step  in  the  direction  of 
a  common  school  system  for  Pennsylvania  was 
taken  when  George  Wolf,  of  Northamption 
county,  was  elected  Governor  in  1829.  The 
question  of  public  schools  entered  largely  into 
the  canvass  preceding  his  election,  and  the 
Democratic  leaders  were  generally  pledged  to 
some  sort  of  a  measure  for  the  purpose.  In  a 
speech  delivered  during  the  campaign,  James 
Buchanan  said  :  ■'  If  ever  the  passion  of  envy 
could  be  excused  in  a  man  ambitious  of  true 
glory,  he  might  almost  be  justified  in  envying 
the  fame  of  that  favored  individual,  whoever 
he  may  be,  whom  Providence  intends  to  make 
the  instrument  in  establishing  common  schools 
throughout  the  Commonwealth,"'  Gov.  Wolf's 
inaugural  address  took  strong  ground  in  favor 
of  the  eduv:ation  of  the  masses,  and  the  Legis- 
lature of  1830,  in  accordance  with  his  recom- 
mendation, set  apart  a  sum  of  monej-  to  be 
placed  at  interest  and  used  at  some  future 
period  in  establishing  a  common  school  sys- 
tem. The  Governor  continued  to  urge  the  free 
school  idea  until  the  passage  of  the  act  of 
1834-5.  The  original  law  made  it  optional 
with  each  township,  ward  and  borough  to 
adopt  the  system. 

EFFORTS  OF  TH.XDDEUS  STE\KNS  .\ND  OTHERS. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  there  was  violent 
opposition  to  the  measure  in  some  parts  of  the 
State.  The  persons  interested  in  colleges, 
academies    and    pay     schools    objected    to    it 


1 88 


NELSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


through  fear  of  a  loss  to  their  revenues;  the 
wealthy  and  the  snobbish  disliked  it  because 
they  did  not  want  their  children  to  mix  with 
the  "  vulgar  herd  :"  the  ptnurious  dreaded  an 
increase  of  taxation  ;  and  a  hundred  objections 
were  urged  that  seem  too  absurd  now  for  any 
reasonable  person  ever  to  have  believed.  At 
the  ensuing  session  a  motion  for  the  repeal  of 
the  law  was  offered  by  John  Strohni,  of  Lan- 
caster county,  and  eloquently  opposed  by 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  then  a  representative  from 
Adams.  Mr.  Stevens  closed  his  remarks  with 
this  thrilling  sentence  :  "If  the  opponent  of 
education  were  my  most  intimate  personal 
and  political  friend,  and  the  free  school  can- 
didate mv  most  obnoxious  enemy,  I  should 
deem  it  mv  dutv  as  a  patriot,  at  this  moment 
of  our  intellectual  crisis,  to  forget  all  other 
considerations,  and  I  should  place  myself  un- 
hesitatingly and  cordially  in  the  ranks  of  him 
whose  banner  streams  in  light."  The  bill 
was  saved,  but  was  improved  and  made  more 
acceptable  during  the  administration  of  Gov. 
Ritner.  who  succeeded  Gov.  Wolf. 

Probably  no  one  man  did  more  effective 
service  in  building  up  the  system  than  Thomas 
H.  Burrowes,  who  was  Gov.  Ritner's  Secre- 
tary of  State,  and,  as  such,  official  head  of  the 
school  department.  During  Ritner's  admin- 
istration the  annual  State  appropriation  was 
increased  from  |7r),0()0  to  $400,000.  and  the 
number  of  schools  to  5,(MH). 

The  act  passed  in  184'.)  made  the  adoption 
of  the  system  obligatory  throughout  the  State. 
The  law  of  1854,  providing  for  County  Super- 
intendents, teachers'  examinations,  and  other 
important  measures,  was  prepared  by  Hon.  H. 
L.  Dieffenbach  of  Clinton  countv,  acting  head 
of  the  School  Department,  with  the  assistance 
of  Governor  Bigler  and  Secretary  of  State 
Charles  A.  Black.  ,\fter  that  came  the  normal 
school  act  of  1857,  making  a  complete  system, 
and  giving  to  Pennsylvania  the  conceded  pre- 
eminence of  having  the  best  school  laws 
in  the  L^nion. 

THE  ERIE  COUNTV  SCHOOLS. 

For  several  years  after  the  county  was 
established,  the  population  was  too  sparse  to 
sustain  more  than  a  few  schools.  These  were 
wholly  private,  parents  paying  the  teachers 
a  stated  sum  for  each  of  their  children  who  at- 
tended.   The  first  schools  of  which  a  record  can 


be  found  were  established  in  Watcrford  about 
1800;  at  Manchester,  in  Fairview  township,  in 
1804;  at  Erie  in  180(5:  at  Union  in  1820;  and 
at  Phillipsville  in  1828.  Others  were  opened 
at  an  early  date,  on  Federal  Hill,  within  the 
present  limits  of  Erie  ;  in  Springfield;  and  in 
Mill  Creek  township.  The  earliest  school 
buildings  in  Waterford  and  Erie  were 
erected  in  IJSOOand  180(5  respectively,  being 
built  bv  the  free  contributions  of  the  citizens. 
By  1812  almost  every  village  and  township 
had  one  or  more  "  pay  "'  schools.  These  were 
increased  bv  degrees  so  that  when  the  law  of 
1834  went  into  force  it  found  every  district 
fairly  well  supplied  with  educational  facilities. 
The  school  buildings  were  generally  built  of 
logs,  and  were  very  poorly  arranged  and  ven- 
tilated. The  '•schoolmasters,"  as  tiiey  were 
called,  were  plain  men,  who  made  no  preten- 
tion to  a  knowledge  of  more  than  the  rudi- 
mentary branches.  They  believed  in  the  use 
of  the  rod,  and  applied  it  with  vigor  for  every 
small  offense.  A  ready  knowledge  of  "  the 
three  R's" — Readin',  "Ritin'  and  Rithmetic — 
was  all  that  was  supposed  to  be  necessary  for 
the  average  child. 

The  first  Catholic  parochial  school  was 
established  in  connection  with  .St.  Mary's 
Church,  in  Erie,  in  1850,  and  the  second  in 
1863,  in  connection  with  St.  Patrick's  Church. 
The  Catholic  parochial  schools  of  the  county 
in  1895  numbered  2,5(50  children,  of  whom 
2,055  were  in  Erie  City,  355  in  Corry,  70  in 
Union  City  and  80  at  .St.  Boniface,  in  Greene 
township. 

HOOKS    IX    EARLY    USE. 

The  school  books  most  universally  used  in 
the  beginning  were  Webster's  and  Byerly's 
Spelling  Books,  the  English  Reader  and  Da- 
boU's  Arithmetic.  The  teacher  was  expected 
to  be  a  good  penman  and  to  be  able  to  "  set 
the  copy"  himself.  A  better  class  of  books 
came  in  at  a  later  date,  including  Cobb's 
.Spelling  Book,  Goodrich's,  Parley's  and 
Mitchell's  Geographies, Parley's  and  Mitchell's 
Histories,  the  First,  Second  and  Third  Read- 
ers, Smith's  Grammar,  and  Davies'  Arithme- 
tics. Cobb's  Spelling  Book  was  introduced 
into  this  section  in  1827.  The  cop\-right  for 
one-half  of  the  State  of  Penn.sylvania  was 
purchased  bv  Joseph  M.  .Sterrett  and  Oliver 
Spafford,  who  published  the  work  in  Erie  for 
many  years,  realizing  a   snug  profit   from  the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


189 


enterprise.     Mr.    .Spafford    :it   one   time    also 
published  the  "  English  Reader." 

Erie  count}'  was  one  of  the  foremost  in 
taking  advantage  of  the  common  school  law. 
The  act  required  that  the  Directors  of  each 
county  should  meet  annually  in  convention 
with  the  County  Commissioners  and  determine 
the  amount  of  school  tax  to  be  raised.  The 
first  convention  for  this  purpose  was  held  in 
the  court  house  soon  after  the  passage  of  the 
law,  and  was  attended  by  representati\  es  from 
every  district  in  the  county.  A  levy  of  $2,000 
was  voted  unanimouslv,  and  the  people  were 
requested  to  decide  bv  vote  whether  an  addi- 
tional sum  should  be  raised  in  the  several  dis- 
tricts. An  extra  tax  of  .ISLOCKJ  was  voted  in 
Erie,  the  active  spirijs  in  having  it  done  being 
E.  Babbitt,  George  Kellogg,  Dr.  William 
Johns  and  William  Kell\'.  In  a  few  years  the 
law  was  changed  so  as  to  leave  the  amount  of 
tax  to  be  designated  by  the  Directors  of  the 
several  districts,  in  which  shape  it  still  re- 
mains. 

SPELLING    SCHOOLS. 

The  spelling  school  was  a  once  popular  in- 
stitution, in  both  town  and  country.  As  us- 
ually conducted,  the  pupils  of  the  district 
school  would  assemble  on  some  winter  eve- 
ning and  choose  two  of  the  best  spellers  for 
leaders,  who,  in  turn,  would  select  from  six 
to  a  dozen  others  on  each  side.  These  would 
range  themselves  in  standing  rows  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  building,  and  the  teacher  or  some 
other  competent  person  would  give  out  the 
words  to  be  spelled  from  a  book  that  h;  d  been 
agreed  upon.  The  pupil  who  missed  a  word 
had  to  take  his  seat  immediatelv,  and  the  ex- 
ercise continued  until  but  one  of  the  contest- 
ants reiTiained  upon  the  floor,  who  became  the 
hero  of  the  occasion.  Sometimes  half  a  dozen 
spelling  matches  would  occur  in  an  evening. 
Two  or  more  schools  would  often  meet  in 
rivalry,  and  the  event  would  be  the  talk  of  the 
neighborhood  for  a  month  or  so.  In  many 
districts,  the  spelling  school  was  the  regular 
winter  amusement,  old  and  voung  attending, 
and  all  looking  forward  to  the  evening  with 
interest. 

NORMAL     SCHOOLS,      ACADEMIES       AND      SEMI- 
NARIES. 

While  the  State  was  slow  in  adopting  the 
common  school  svstem,  the  liberality  she  dis- 


played in  founding  colleges  and  academies 
proves  that  it  was  wholly  through  doubts  of 
its  policy,  and  not  because  good  educational 
facilities  were  not  appreciated.  Provision  was 
made  at  an  early  day  for  an  academy  in  each 
county,  and  generous  appropriations  were 
made  to  colleges  and  universities.  The  Water- 
foid  and  Erie  Academies  were  incorporated  in 
1811  and  1817  respectively,  the  buildings  for 
both  being  completed  in  1822.  A  bountiful 
donation  of  lands  was  given  by  the  State  for 
the  support  of  each  institution.  Both  are  still 
in  operation. 

The  Erie  Female  Seminary  was  incorpo- 
rated in  1888  and  went  into  operation  soon 
after,  receiving  an  annual  appropriation  of 
$300  from  the  Legislature  for  several  years. 
It  kept  up  till  about  18(56,  but  never  had  any 
buildings  of  its  own.  The  last  location  of  the 
seminary  was  m  the  Hamot  House,  on  the 
bank  of  the  bay,  at  the  foot  of  State  street. 

Academies  were  established  at  West 
Springfield  in  1858,  at  East  Springfield  in 
1856,  at  Girard  in  1859,  and  at  North  Spring- 
field in  1866,  which  were  conducted  for  some 
years  with  a  certain  degree  of  success.  All 
have  become  merged  into  the  common  school 
system. 

The  Normal  School  at  Edinboro  is  the  only 
State  educational  institution  in  the  county.  It 
was  founded  as  an  Academy  in  1857.  and  re- 
organized as  a  State  Normal  School  in  1861. 
This  school  has  been  quite  prosperous  and  has 
the  promise  of  a  long  and  useful  career. 

The  Lake  Shore  Seminary  was  established 
at  North  East  in  1870  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Liberal 
contributions  were  secured  and  a  fine  building 
was  erected.  The  institution  became  involved, 
and  the  property  was  bought  in  at  Sheriff's 
sale  by  the  principal  creditor.  The  latter,  in 
1881,  sold  the  building  to  the  Redemptorist 
Fathers,  who  re-dedicated  it  as  St.  Mary's 
College.  It  is  conducted  as  a  preparatory 
school  for  voung  men  intending  to  enter  the 
Catholic  priesthood.  The  buildings  have  re- 
centlv  been  much  enlarged  and  improved. 

St.  Benedict's  Academv    of    the    Catholic 
Church,  is  on  East    Ninth   street,  in   Erie,  ad- 
joining St.  Mary's   Church.      The  institution 
has  extensive  buildings,  with  a  boarding  place 
:  attached. 

"Villa  Marie  Academy,  the   latest   Catholic 
educational  institution,  is  located  in  Erie,  near 


190 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


tlie  western  city  limits.  It  was  dedicated  May 
9,  189:^,  and  is  managed  by  the  Sisters  of  St. 
Joseph  as  an  in,>ititutioii  for  the  highei  cduca 
tion  of  voung  ladies.  Tiie  grounds,  which 
occupy  a  whole  square,  were  donated  by  the 
lamented  Father  Thomas  A.  Casey,  who  also 
furnished  the  means  for  the  erection  of  the 
building. 

Besides  the  above,  there  are  St.  Thomas' 
Academy  at  Corry  and  St.  Teresa's  Academy 
at  Union  Cilv,  attaclied  to  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Churches  of  similar  name  in  those  places. 

Additional  particulars  of  the  above  institu- 
tions will  be  found  in  the  sketches  of  their 
respective  localities. 

SCHOOL    SYSTEM     GENEKALLY     AND    PUOPOSED 
PUBLIC    LIBRAKY    SYSTEM. 

The  pul)lic  schools  of  the  county,  as  of  the 
State  at  large,  are  under  the  control  of  Direc- 
tors, who  are  elected  by  the  people  of  the 
several  districts  at  the  spring  elections,  a 
certain  number  going  out  each  year.  Gen- 
erally speaking,  each  city,  borough  and 
township  is  a  district  by  itself.  There  are 
three  independent  districts  in  the  county,  how- 
ever, viz.  :  Belle  Valley,  Elk  Creek  and 
Franklin,  and  Lake  Pleasant.  The  State 
grants  every  district  an  annual  appropriation, 
which  is  apportioned  according  to  the  number 
of  pupils.  Teachers  are  employed  bj-  the 
Directors  of  the  district  in  which  they  are 
to  serve,  but  must  have  passed  an  examination 
and  received  a  certificate  of  competency  from 
the  County  Superintendent.  The  latter  holds 
an  annual  examination  in  each  district,  and  is 
expected  to  visit  every  school  in  the  county 
once  in  each  j-ear. 

A  teacher's  institute,  or  gathering  of  the 
teachers  in  the  county,  for  mutual  benefit,  is 
held  annually,  under  the  direction  of  the 
County  Superintendent.  The  cities  of  Erie 
and  Corry  each  have  local  institutes,  which 
meet  at  frequent  intervals  during  the  year. 

Within  the  last  year  a  movement  has  been 
started  by  Benjamin  Whitman.  Dr.  A.  A. 
Freeman,  Prof.  Missimer    and    others   for  the 


establisliment  of  free  non-sectarian  public  li- 
braries throughout  the  State,  to  be  under  the 
control  of  the  school  Directors  in  the  several 
districts,  and  supported  by  a  general  tax  upon 
the  public.  The  act  drafted  by  Mr.  Whitman, 
assisted  by  the  above  named  gentlemen,  pass- 
ed the  Legislature,  largely  through  the  labors 
of  Senator  McCreary  and  Representative 
Gould,  and  was  cordially  approved  by  Gov. 
Hastings.  The  law,  in  the  opinion  of  its 
friends,  will  give  Pennsylvania  the  best  public 
library  system  in  .\merica,  if  not  in  the  world. 

COU.NTY    AND   CITY   SUPERINTENDENTS. 

The  first  convention  for  the  choice  of  a 
County  Superintendent  was  held  in  Erie  in 
1854.  William  H.  Armstrong  was  elected  at 
a  salary  of  $800  per  year.  The  following  is 
a  list  of  the  County  Superintendents  since  the 
adoption  of  the  law  creating  the  office  : 

William  H.  Armstrong,  Wattsburg,  1854 
to  1860. 

L.  W.  Savage,  Springfield,  I860  to    1863. 

D.  P.  Ensign,  Erie,  served  six  months  in 
1863,  and  resigned. 

Julius  Degmier,  Erie,  ap[)ointed  for  six 
months,  and  then  elected  to   serve  until  1866. 

L.  T.  Fisk,  Girard,  1866  to  1869. 

C   C.  Taylor.  Elk  Creek,  1869  to  1878. 

Charles  Twining,  Union,  1878  to  1884. 

James  M.  Morrison,  Girard,  1884  to  1889 
(resigned). 

Thos.  C.  Miller,  Mill  Creek,  1889  to  date. 

The  office  of  Citj-  Superintendent  of  the 
schools  of  Erie  was  filled  from  1867  to  1890 
by  11.  S.  Jones.  II.  C.  Missimer,  who  still 
fills  the  position,  was  elected  in  1890. 

V.  G.  Curtis  was  the  Superintendent  of 
the  Corry  schools  for  many  years.  He  was 
succeeded  by  A.  I).  Colegrove,  who  holds  the 
place  at  present. 

Erie  and  Corry,  having  city  governments, 
are  not  subject  to  the  county  rules,  and  have 
separate  Boards  and  Superintendents. 

[For  the  school  history  of  the  several  cities, 
boroughs  and  townships,  see  the  chapters  ic- 
lating  thereto]. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 


Events  of  Special  Note  and  Miscellaneous  Information. 


I 


N  addition  to  tlie  events  heretofore  men- 
tioned, the  county  has  been  the  scene  of 
numerous  occurrences  of  more  than  com- 
mon interest. 


A     LIVE     KING    IN    ERIE. 

One  of  these  was  the  visit  of  Louis  Phil- 
lippe,  future  King  of  France,  accompanied  by 
his  brother  and  a  servant.  They  spent  a  day 
or  two  at  Erie,  in  1705,  with  Thomas  Rees, 
sleeping  and  eating  in  his  tent  on  the  bank  of 
the  hike,  near  the  moutii  of  Mill  creek. 

Lafayette's  visit. 
In  1825  the  county  was  honoreil  with  a 
visit  from  Lafayette,  who  was  making  a  tour 
of  the  country  whose  independence  he  had 
periled  his  life  and  fortune  to  establish.  He 
was  accompanied  by  his  son,  a  companion  and 
a  servant,  on  their  way  from  New  Orleans  to 
New  York.  They  reached  Waterford,  where 
they  were  hospitably  received,  on  the  evening 
of  the  2d  of  June,  and  stayed  there  overnight. 
A  committee  from  Erie  met  them  at  Water- 
ford,  and  the  party  left  the  latter  place  early 
on  the  morning  of  the  .'kl,  by  way  of  the  turn- 
pike. At  Federal  Hill,  they  were  met  by  a 
body  of  military,  who  escorted  the  distinguish- 
ed guest  to  the  foot  of  State  street,  where  they 
were  greeted  with  a  national  salute  and  for- 
mally presented  to  the  LTnited  States  naval 
officers  and  other  prominent  citizens.  From 
there  a  procession  marched  to  the  public 
house  of  Capt.  Daniel  Dobbins,  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  State  and  Third  streets,  where 
Burgess  Wallace  welcomed  Lafayette  in  the 
name  of  the  borough.  He  was  then  taken  to 
the  residence  of  Judah  Colt  (at  the  corner  of 
French  and  Fourth  streets),  who  was  chair- 
man of  the  reception  committee,  and  intro- 
duced to  the  ladies.  Meanwhile,  a  public 
dinner  had  been  in  course  of  preparation,  un- 
der the  supervision  of  John  Dickson,  which 
was  the  grandest  affair  of  the  kind  known  up 
to  that  da)-  in  Erie.  The  tables,  which  had 
been  erected  on  a  bridge  over  the  ravine  on 
Second  street,  between  State  and  French,  were 
170  feet  long,  elegantly  adorned  and  covered 


with  an  awning  made  of  the  sails  of  the 
British  vessels  captured  by  Perry.  After  the 
dinner,  toasts  were  ofTered,  among  them  the 
following  by  the  hero  of  the  occasion  : 

"Erie — a  name  which  has  a  great  share  in 
American  glory  ;  may  this  town  ever  enjoy  a 
proportionate  share  in  American  prosperitv 
and  happiness." 

Lafayette  and  his  party  left  on  the  fore- 
noon of  June  4th,  and  were  accompanied  bv 
numerous  citizens  to  Portland,  at  the  mouth 
of  Chautauqua  creek,  N.  Y.,  where  he  took 
a  steamer  for  Buffalo.  During  his  stay  in  Erie 
his  stopping  place  was  in  the  Dobbins  House 
above  mentioned,  which  is  still  standing.  He 
occupied  a  large  room  on  the  second  floor,  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  house. 

HORACE    GREELEV's    RESIDENCE     IN   ERIE. 

Horace  Greeley,  the  world-famed  editor, 
and  the  Liberal -Democratic  nominee  for  Presi- 
dent in  1872,  resided  in  Erie  a  short  time  as  a 
journeyman  printer,  in  the  employ  of  the 
Gazette.  His  parents  settled  in  Wavne  town- 
ship in  182(5,  and  in  the  spring  of  18H0  Horace, 
who  had  remained  in  New-  England  to  finish 
his  apprenticeship,  came  on  foot  to  visit  them, 
secured  emplo^'tnent  as  above,  and  stopped  in 
Erie  until  the  summer  of  1831.  During  most 
or  all  the  period  of  his  stay,  he  boarded  at  the 
house  of  Judge  Sterrett,  then  proprietor  of 
the  Gazette.  Even  at  that  youthful  age,  he 
was  fond  of  talking  politics,  and  was  regarded 
as  an  oracle  on  subjects  of  that  nature.  He 
left  Erie  for  New  York  in  August,  1831, 
reaching  there  with  only  .iilO  in  his  purse. 
His  father  and  mother  died  in  Wayne  town- 
ship. Mr.  Greeley's  last  appearance  in  Erie 
was  during  the  campaign  of  1872,  when  he 
made  a  speech  from  one  of  the  east  windows 
of  the  Ll^nion  depot.  [See  Wayne  Township 
for  a  sketch  of  the  Greeley  Family.] 

NUMEROUS    PRESIDENTI.\L    VISITORS. 

Erie  has  been  visited  by  no  less  than 
eleven  gentlemen  who  either  had  been,  were 
at  the  time,  or  afterwards  became  President 
of  the  United  States.  \  iz.  ;  William  H.  Harri- 


192 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


son,  1813;  Buclumim  in  184U;  \'an  Biiren  in 
1842;  John  Quincy  Adams,  in  184*5;  Taylor 
and  Fillmore  in  1849;  Linct>ln,  in  18fil  ;  John- 
son and  Grant,  in  18(50;  Garfield  at  various 
periods  between  18(50  and  1880;  and  Cleve- 
land in  1891.  Stephen  A.  Douglass,  one  of 
the  Democratic  nominees  for  President  in  1860, 
made  a  long  speech  in  the  Wfst  Park  during 
the  campaign  of  that  year. 

Harrison  came  as  the  commanding  gen- 
eral of  the  western  army,  in  company  with 
Perry,  as  detailed  at  length  in  the  account  of 
the  battle  of  Lake  Erie.  He  stopped  at  the 
McConkey  House,  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
French  and  Third  streets. 

Buchanan  was  the  leading  speaker  on  the 
Democratic  side  at  the  great  assemblage  in 
1840,  when  the  two  rival  parties  sought  to  see 
which  could  collect  the  largest  crowd,  an  ac- 
count of  which  will  be  found  later  on. 

Van  Buren  reached  Erie  by  steamer  from 
the  west  on  the  0th  of  June,  1842,  and  was 
given  a  public  reception. 

Ex-President  John  Quincy  Adams  also 
arrived  in  Erie  by  steamer,  and  remained  from 
7  to  9  o'clock  in  the  evening.  He  was  wel- 
comed by  Hon.  Thomas  H.  Sill,  on  behalf  of 
the  citizens.  The  Wayne  Grays  and  the  three 
fire  companies  paraded  in  his  honor. 

President  Taylor  was  on  a  journey  up  the 
lakes  for  recreation  from  the  cares  of  office. 
He  came  by  wav  of  Waterford,  where  he  was 
taken  sick.  On  reaching  Erie,  he  was  too 
ill  to  proceed  any  further.  He  remained  in 
the  city  some  ten  days,  stopping  with  Dr.  W. 
M.  Woods,  of  the  L'nited  States  Xavv.  in  a 
dwelling  on  or  near  the  northwest  corner  of 
Eighth  and  State  streets.  Vice-President 
Fillmore  came  up  from  Buffalo  and  met  the 
President,  remaining  witii  him  until  the  next 
day.  On  departing,  the  United  States 
steamer  Michigan  undertook  to  fire  a  Vice 
President's  salute,  when  the  gun  exploded, 
killing  two  men.  Finding  that  his  condition 
unfitted  him  for  proceeding  further,  the 
President  returned  to  Washington,  where  he 
died  in  less  than  a  year,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Mr.  Fillmore. 

Lincoln  passed  through  Erie  on  his  way  to 
Washington  to  be  inaugurated.  He  made  a 
few  remarks  from  the  second  story  of  the  old 
depot.  His  remains  were  taken  o\  er  the  Lake 
Shore  road  in  1865.     A   short   halt    was  made 


in  Erie  to  enable  the  citizens  to  pav  their  re- 
spects to  iiis  memory. 

Erie  was  favored  with  a  speech  by  Presi- 
dent Johnson  in  his  famous  "swing  around 
the  circle,"'  in  186<5.  He  was  attended  by 
Gen.  Grant  and  Wm.  11.  Seward,  the  latter 
of  whom  also  spoke. 

Garfield,  being  a  near  neighbor,  made 
frequent  trips  to  Erie,  both  political  and 
social.  He  spoke  in  the  court  house  during 
the  canvass  of  1878. 

Cleveland  was  in  the  city  to  attend  the 
burial  of  Wm.  L.  Scott,  on  Thursday,  Sep- 
tember 24,  1891.  He  and  Gov.  Pattison  rode 
in  the  same  carriage  in  the  funeral  procession. 

Mdsr      EX<.rrlN(,       l-OI.ITIC.\I,      CONTEST      KVEIl 
KNOWN. 

The  Presidential  campaign  of  1840,  when 
Harrison  and  \'an  Buren  were  the  opposing 
candidates,  was  probably  the  most  bitter  and 
exciting  ever  experienced  in  America.  The 
feeling  between  the  two  parties  was  intense, 
and  the  meetings  everywhere  were  character- 
ized by  a  retaliatory  spirit  that  has  seldom  if 
ever  been  exhibited  in  politics.  At  a  conclave 
of  the  Whig  magnates,  it  was  agreed  to  hold 
a  mass  meeting  in  Erie  on  the  10th  of  Septem- 
ber, the  anniversar}'  of  Perrj's  victory.  Tiie 
Democrats,  determined  not  to  be  excelled,  and 
fearful  that  the  prestige  of  the  day  might  give 
their  enemies  an  advantage,  resolved  to  hold 
a  convention  at  the  same  time.  This  decision 
created  the  wildest  indignation  among  their 
antagonists.  The  excitement  ran  up  to  fever 
heat.  Both  elements  made  the  utmost  exer- 
tion to  get  out  their  adherents.  Runners  and 
bills  were  sent  all  over  the  western  counties  of 
the  State,  as  well  as  through  northeastern 
Ohio  and  western  New  York.  For  several 
days  before  the  10th,  the  roads  leading  to  Erie 
were  crowded  with  men,  women  and  children, 
on  foot,  in  wagons  and  on  horseback,  manv 
carrying  banners  and  all  shouting  themselves 
hoarse  for  their  favorite  candidates.  On  the 
eventful  day,  the  town  was  crowded  as  it 
never  had  been  before  and  probably  never  has 
been  since.  It  was  feared  that  collisions 
might  occur  between  the  embittered  partisans, 
but  the  danger  was  averted  by  holding  the 
conventions  in  different  sections  of  the  town. 
The  Whig  gathering  assembled  on  a  vacant  lot 
on  Second  street  between  Holland  and  Mill 
creek,  and   the   IJ>emocratic   at   the   corner  of 


c? 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFEREyCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE   COUNTY. 


193 


Second  and  Walnut  streets.  James  Buchanan, 
afterward  President  of  the  I'nited  States,  was 
chief  speaker  for  the  Democrats,  and  Francis 
Granger,  of  New  York,  suhsequently  ap- 
pointed Postmaster  General,  presided  over  and 
was  the  leading  figure  of  the  NN'hig  convention. 

EKIE    COLuNTY's    only    EXECUTEIJ    MURDERER. 

Though  numerous  persons  have  been  tried 
for  murder,  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  but  one 
execution  for  that  offense  has  ever  taken  place 
in  the  county-  Henry  Francisco  was  convicted 
before  Judge  Shippen,  on  the  8th  of  Xovem 
ber,  1837,  of  having  poisoned  his  wife,  and 
was  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  The  iiistory  of 
the  case  is  very  peculiar.  Fiancisco  married 
a  Miss  Maria  Robinson,  who  is  described  by 
old  residents  as  one  of  the  handsomest  girls 
ever  seen  in  Erie.  For  reasons  not  proper  to 
mention,  they  mutually  agreed,  three «weeks 
after  the  wedding,  to  commit  suicide.  Each 
took  four  ounces  of  laudanum  at  the  same 
time.  The  liquid  acted  as  an  emetic  upon 
Francisco,  but  caused  the  death  of  his  wife. 
He  was  sick  for  some  time,  and  immediately 
after  his  recovery  was  arrested  for  murder,  on 
the  ground  that  he  had  influenced  his  wife  to 
take  the  poi=on.  On  the  Uth  day  of  March, 
1838,  "  Sheriff  Andrew  Scott  pinioned  Fran- 
cisco s  arms  in  his  cell,  and  the  procession 
started  with  solemn  tread  for  the  fatal  spot  in 
the  jail  yard.  First  came  the  Deputy  At- 
torney General  from  Harrisburg,  with  Dr. 
Johns,  the  jail  physician,  then  vSheriff  Scott 
and  three  deputies,  followed  by  the  jury  that 
convicted  the  culprit.  Ne.xt  came  the  pris- 
oner, supported  by  Rev.  Dr.  I^yon.  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Glover,  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Three 
guards  brought  up  the  rear.  These  were  the 
onlv  witnesses  to  the  execution. 

"  Upon  reaching  the  gallows,  Francisco 
was  placed  beneath  the  beam  and  over  the 
drop,  and  Sheriff  Scott  proceeded  to  strap  his 
legs.  The  condemned  man  conducted  himself 
with  great  firmness,  betraying  no  signs  of  fear 
for  his  fate.  The  prisoner  shook  hands  w'ith 
his  jailers  and  spiritual  advisers,  and  with  the 
jury.  To  his  waiting  executioner,  he  was  pro- 
fuse in  express-ions  of  gratitude  for  kind  and 
humane  treatment.  The  farewells  being  over, 
the  Sheriff  slipped  the  noose  over  his  head  and 
pulled  down  the  cap  that  was  to  spare  the 
witnesses  the    horrible   sight   of  his  distorted 


features  while  undergoing  strangulation.  All 
was  silent  as  the  grave  as  the  neighboring 
clock  chimed  a  quarter  after  two.  The  drop 
was  to  fall  at  2  :80. 

•'  Rev.  Dr.  Lvon  knell  down  and  offered  an 
impressive  prayer,  and  when  he  arose  Sheriff 
Scott,  according  to  the  usage  of  those  days, 
told  the  poor  wretch  how  many  minutes  he 
had  to  live,  and  adjured  him  to  make  good  use 
of  them  in  jjetitioning  for  mercy  at  the  Throne 
of  Grace.  In  the  middle  of  his  passionate 
prayer  the  holt  was  drawn,  the  drop  fell  and 
Francisco's  body  plunged  down  the  trap,  and 
after  three  minutes  of  violent  contortions  it 
hung  motionless  at  the  end  of  the  rope. 

•'  In  thirty  five  minutes  the  body  was  cut 
down  and  inclosed  in  a  neat  coffin,  which  was 
screwed  down  in  jail,  but  such  was  the 
curiosity  to  see  the  remains  that  those  charged 
with  the  burial  had  to  unscrew  the  coffin 
twice.  The  body  was  interred  at  the  corner 
of  Seventh  and  Myrtle  streets,  on  property 
long  owned  by  H.  S.  Jones." 

.\GRICULTURAI.  SOCIETIES,  GRANGE,  FARM- 
ERS' ALLIANCE,  STATE  POLICE  .\ND  HAR- 
VEST   HOME     PICNIC. 

The  first  agricultural  society  was  formed 
in  1822,  and  held  a  fair  on  the  public  square 
of  Erie  in  1823.  The  next  organization  was 
perfected  in  1848  under  the  title  of  the  Erie 
County  Agricultural  Society.  Fairs  were 
held  on  the  Academy  grounds  in  184U,  1850, 
1851,  1852;  on  the  Cunningham  lot,  east  of 
Parade  street,  in  1858,  1854  and  1855;  on  the 
Garrison  tract  in  1856.  1857  and  1858;  and  on 
the  Ebersole  farm,  in  East  Mill  Creek,  in  1859 
and  1860.  The  society  was  chartered  as  a 
joint  stock  association  in  18(50.  with  a  capital 
of  $5,0(X1.  Thirty  acres  of  the  Eliersole  farm, 
east  of  the  city,  were  purchased,  a  race  track 
laid  out,  and  a  small  exhibition  building  erect- 
ed, but  no  fair  was  lield  after  1860,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  war. 

The  Erie  County  Agricultural  Society  was 
formed  in  1869  and  held  fairs  annually  on  the 
Reed  lots,  just  west  of  Erie  City,  until  within 
a  few  years. 

The  Pennsylvania  State  Agricultural 
Society  has  held  four  exhibitions  at  Erie,  on 
the  Reed  tract  above  referred  to.  The  years 
of  its  fairs  were  1872.  1873,  1877  and  1878. 
John  W.  Hammond,  of  Erie,  was  president 
of  the  society   when    its  last  two  fairs  in  this 


194 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


county  were  held.     James  Miles,    of   Giraid. 
was  president  in  188:2-83-84 

An  association  was  formed  in  lS(i4  for 
holding  a  "  Harvest  Home  "  picnic  annually, 
which  has  been  one  of  the  most  successful  in 
the  county.  These  picnics  are  usually  held  in 
August,  at  the  Head,  and  are  attended  b)' 
thousands  of  farmers,  as  well  as  many  city 
people.  [.  C.  Thornton,  one  of  the  origi- 
nators of  the  idea,  has  attended  e\ery  picnic 
from  the  beginning.  The  30th  annual  Harv- 
est Home  Picnic  was  held  at  the  Head  on 
Thur>day.  August  16,  1894. 

The  order  of  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  or 
"  Grange,"  as  it  is  usually  known,  was  intro- 
duced into  Erie  county  December  23,  1878, 
when  Corrv  Grange,  No,  55,  the  first  in  the 
county,  was  instituted,  D.  C.  Kennedy  was 
the  first  master  and  H.  G.  Pratt  the  first 
secretary  in  the  county.  The  order  has  since 
spread  until  it  numbers  a  dozen  or  more  so- 
cieties and  wields  large  influence. 

The  first  Farmers'  Alliance,  known  as 
•■  Erie  County,"  was  organized  near  Hornby, 
in  Greenfield"  township.  May  20,  1889 ;  the 
second,  called  Greenfield  Alliance,  at  the 
Prindle  school-house,  in  the  same  township, 
November  25,  1889, and  the  third  (Macedonia) 
in  Venango  township,  January  11,  1890. 
Charles  Morgan,  Jr,,  of  Greenfield,  was  the 
active  man  in  starting  the  organization. 
From  Erie  county  the  association  has  spread 
over  a  number  of  the  States,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  influential  farmers'  organizations  in  the 
Union. 

The  organization  known  as  the  State  Police 
and  Home  Guards  of  Penn.sylvania  and  Ohio, 
was  started  in  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  and 
Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania.  At  the  begin- 
ning, the  societies  had  no  regular  legal  author- 
ity, but  in  1872  Hon.  E.  H.  Wilcox  secured  an 
act  of  Assemblv  which  entitled  them  to  incor- 
poration, and  gave  them  specific  powers.  The 
object  of  the  organization  is  to  protect  the 
farmers  and  citizens  of  villages  against  outlaws, 
and  more  particularly  against  horse  thieves. 
Numerous  camps  of  the  organization  exist  in 
this  and  the  adjacent  counties  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Ohio.  Geo.  C.  Gates,  of  Springfield, 
was  secretary  of  the  society  for  seven  years, 
and  captain  for  three  years. 

The  Erie  Fair  Association  was  organized 
in  January,  1895.  A  fine  racing  track  for 
their   use    has  been  prepared    by  Charles  M, 


Reed,    on    the    Reed   farm,    located  upon   the 
Lake  road,  some  three  miles  east  of  the  city. 

Local  fairs  have  long  been  held  annually 
at  Corry,  Edinboro  and  Wattsburg,  imder  the 
direction  of  the  societies  at  those  places. 

MILITIA    .\ND   MILITARY     ORG  A  NIZ.\TION'S. 

Bv  the  act  of  1804,  every  able-bodied  man 
between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five 
was  enrolled  and  compelled  to  perform  two 
days'  riilitary  duty  each  year,  or  pay  a  fine. 
The  militia  were  divided  into  companies,  bat- 
talions, regiments  and  brigades,  each  of  which 
elected  its  own  officers.  Beginning  in  a 
proper  spirit,  the  "  militia  trainings,''  as  they 
were  termed,  degenerated  into  a  public  farce. 
Every  member  was  expected  to  have  a  gun 
and  bring  it  along  for  inspection,  but,  as  the 
system  weakened  in  popular  estimation,  the 
discipline  grew  more  slack,  and  many  carried 
sticks,  canes,  brooms,  corn  stalks,  and  even 
light  fence  rails.  The  contrast  between  the 
flaming  uniforms  of  the  officers,  and  the  out- 
landish appearance  of  the  men  was  indescri- 
bably laughable.  For  a  long  time,  though, 
training  day 'was  a  great  event  throughout  the 
State,  and  was  looked  forward  to  as  a  fair  or 
a  circus  is  now.  The  militia  law  was  repealed 
at  the  session  of  1847-48,  and  the  old-fashioned 
trainings  went  out  of  vogue.  A  good  many 
men  who  are  or  have  been  known  as  generals, 
majors  or  colonels,  secured  their  titles  under 
the  old  militia  system. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  militia,  volunteer 
companies  have  been  in  existence  almost  from 
the  earliest  settlement.  The  first  of  these  was 
Capt.  Elisha  Marvin's  Greenfield  company, 
organized  in  1801,  with  about  eighty  mem- 
bers. The  second  was  Capt.  Thomas  Forster's 
Erie  Light  Infantry,  organized  in  1806.  This 
company  took  part  in  the  war  of  1812-13. 
Other  old-time  companies  were  as  follows  :  In 
1821,  the  Erie  Greens;  in  1824,  the  Washing- 
ton Artillery ;  in  the  .same  year,  the  Erie 
Guards;  in  1831,  an  artillery  company;  in 
1836,  a  cavalry  company;  about  1841,  the 
German  Guards  and  the  Washington  Guards; 
in  1842,  the  Wayne  Grays;  in  1858,  the 
Franklin  Pierce  Rifle  Company ;  in  1859,  the 
Wayne  Guard,  John  W.  McLane,  captain, 
and  the  Perry  Artillery  Company,  Gustav 
Jarecki,  captain. 

The  Wayne  Grays  and  the  Wayne  Guard 
are  the  best  known,  a  number  of  citizens  who 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


'95 


are  yet  living  having  been  members  of  one  or 
the  otlier  of  these  companies.  The  Graj-s 
tendered  their  services  in  the  Mexican  war, 
but  thev  were  declined,  the  cjiiota  from  Penn- 
sylvania being  full.  The  Wayne  Guard  were 
at  the  height  of  their  prosperity  at  the  out- 
break of  the  rebellion,  and  the  company 
formed  the  nucleus  of  all  the  regiments  that 
left  Erie.  More  than  half  of  the  companj-  be- 
came officers  in  the  war. 

Besides  these  volunteer  organizations,  the 
following  are  known  to  have  been  in  exist- 
ence in  the  countv  :  At  North  East,  in  1822, 
the  Burgettstown  Blues;  at  Waterford,  in 
1824,  the  Invincibles;  at  Fairview,  in  1824, 
a  company,  name  unknown  ;  at  the  same  place, 
the  Fairview  Guards;  at  Girard,  in  1860,  the 
Guards.  Most  of  the  volunteer  soldiery  of 
the  county  tendered  their  services  to  the  gov- 
ernment in  1861,  when  the  war  for  the  Union 
opened.  [For  an  account  of  the  military 
organizations  in  Erie  since  the  war  for  the 
Union,  see  chapter  XIII.,  Erie  City.] 

DISTILLERIES,  BREWERIES  AND  WINE-MAKING. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  county  the  use  of 
whisky  was  almost  universal,  and  there  were 
few  houses  in  which  a  supply  was  not  kept 
constantly  on  hand.  No  one  thought  it  wrong 
to  "treat"  visitors,  or  to  drink  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  familv.  Distilleries  were  as  com- 
mon as  gristmills  became  afterward,  and  a 
large  share  of  the  grain  was  converted  into 
liquor.  Many  farmers  made  a  practice  of 
regularly  taking  a  portion  of  tiieir  grain  to  the 
distilleries  and  having  a  jug  full  or  a  barrel 
full  of  whisky  made  for  their  household  use. 
The  first  prohibition  society  was  established 
at  Wattsburg  in  1829,  and  the  ne.xt  }  ear  a 
great  temperance  wave  swept  over  the  county. 
A  large  portion  of  the  people  signed  the 
pledge,  it  became  unpopular  to  keep  liquor 
in  the  house  or  to  have  grain  made  into 
whisky,  and  the  distilleries  rapidly  disap- 
peared. To-day  there  is  not  one  in  the 
county.  The  manufacture  of  wine  began  at 
North  East  in  1869,  and  has  since  become 
considerable  of  an  industrv  at  that  place  and 
Erie.  Beer  is  a  comparatively  modern  bev- 
erage in  the  county,  having  been  introduced 
with  the  later  German  immigration.  There 
are  eight  or  ten  breweries  in  the  count)-,  of 
which  three  in  Erie  ate  on  quite  an  extensive 
scale. 


TEMPERANCE     AND     TEMPERANCE     SOCIETIES. 

In  1840  there  was  a  temperance  society  in 
almost  every  town  and  township.  Temper- 
ance organizations  have  been  in  existence  ever 
since,  and  the  Temperance  party  has  run  a 
county  ticket  annually  for  many  years.  The 
Good  Templar  society  in  Erie  county  was 
first  organized  in  1856. 

SLAVES   AND    SLAVERY. 

The  colored  population  of  the  county  was 
larger,  proportionately,  eighty  years  ago  than 
now.  Jvlost  of  those  who  were  here  in  early 
days,  were  brought  in  as  slaves,  some  of  the 
most  reputable  families  having  been  owners 
of  this  kind  of  property.  The  emancipation 
act  of  the  State  provided  that  all  negroes  over 
a  certain  age  should  remain  slaves  until  their 
death  ;  all  below  should  become  free  at  the 
age  of  twenty-eight.  Under  its  provisions,  a 
large  portion  of  the  colored  race  became  en- 
titled to  their  freedom,  but  there  were  a  few 
who  continued  in  slavery  till  released  by  the 
Master  of  all. 

UNUSUAL   SPELLS     of    WEATHER. 

The  month  of  May,  1834,  is  notable  in  the 
weather  records  of  the  lake  shore  country. 
For  three  days  before  the  13th,  there  were 
strong  cold  winds  from  the  west,  with  snow 
squalls.  On  the  13th,  the  bay  and  lake  were 
unusually  rough.  Six  inches  of  snow  fell  on 
the  15th.  The  leaves  and  blossoms  were 
nearly  all  killed.  No  vessel  was  able  to  enter 
the  port  of  Erie  for  four  days.  At  the  end  of 
that  time,  the  steamboat  "New  York,"  from 
Buffalo,  stopped  at  the  channel  pier.  A  small 
boat  set  out  from  the  wharves  to  board  her, 
and  was  capsized  on  the  wav  over.  Of  eleven 
persons  in  the  boat  but  two  were  saved. 
Frosts  took  place  as  late  as  June  of  that  year. 

Two  of  the  worst  storms  on  record  occur- 
red on  the  10th  and  Uth  of  November.  1835. 
and  on  the  15th  of  the  same  month,  1842.  On 
the  occasion  first  named,  the  water  was  lashed 
into  such  fury  that  a  party  of  fifteen  men,  who 
were  raising  the  "  Detroit  ""  in  Misery  bay, 
dared  not  venture  to  return  home,  and  had  to  re- 
main on  the  Peninsula  from  the  evening  of  the 
10th  to  the  morning  of  the  12th  without  food, 
fire  or  shelter.  The  waves  rolled  over  the  sand 
beach  clear  up  to  the  foot  of  Garrison  Hill. 

In  May,  1858,  there  was  a  continued  period 
of  cold  weather.  Rain  fell  nearly  every  day 
in  the  month,  and  fruits  of  all  kinds  were  kill- 


196 


N£!LSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


ed  b)'  frost.  The  heaviest  late  frost  recorded 
by  the  weather  office  in  Erie  occurred  May  '2'-.), 
1884,  but  milder  frosts  took  phice  the  tirst 
week  of  June,  1878,  '79,  '80  and  "88. 

On  June  (J,  1842,  there  were  snow  and  ice 
in  various  parts  of  the  county,  and  in  July  of 
the  same  year  frost  formed  over  a  good  por- 
tion of  Northwestern  Peinisvlvania.  Snow 
fell  in  some  parts  of  the  State  on  June  (5,  184*5. 
The  frreatest  snow  storm  on  record  fell  on  the 
afternoon  and  niglit  of  December  2il,  1876, 
the  date  of  the  Ashtabula  disaster.  It  was  so 
deep  that  people  in  the  city  doing  business, 
but  a  few  squares  from  their  homes,  were  ex- 
hausted in  making  their  way  to  their  suppers. 

In  the  winter  of  1880-81,  snow  fell  about 
the  middle  of  November,  and  lasted  without 
interruption  till  Februarj-.  During  most  of 
that  time  there  was  a  slight  snow-fall  daily. 
A  break-up  came  in  February,  but  it  was 
quicklv  followed  by  more  snow,  which  lasted 
until  the  loth  of  March.  Then  came  the  great 
snow-storm  of  March  30  and  SI.  The  cold 
was  intense  during  most  of  the  winter.  On 
the  3d  of  February  the  thermometer  was  18 
(leg.  below  zero  at  Eiie,  20  deg.  at  McKean, 
24  deg.  at  Edinboro,  28  deg.  at  Albion,  and 
30  deg.  at  Waterford.  February  10,  1881, 
the  weather  was  20  deg.  below  zero  in  Erie 
at  8  A.  M.  The  lake  was  frozen  over  to  the 
Canada  shore  during  a  good  portion  of  the 
winter,  and  the  ice  on  the  bay  was  over  twenty 
inches  thick.  The  snow  and  cold  prevailed 
over  the  country  from  the  Rocky  ^Iountains 
to  the  Atlantic.  There  were  snow  and  ice  in 
portions  of  the  .South  where  they  had  never 
been  known  before. 

The  winter  of  1882—83  was  unusuallv  long 
and  steady.  There  was  scared v  a  pleasant 
day  from  November  1  to  April  1.  The  ground 
was  found  to  be  frozen  in  some  places  in  Erie 
to  a  depth  of  three  and  a  half  feet. 

The  night  of  February  10,  1885.  is  memor- 
able as  one  of  the  coldest  periods  known  in 
the  county.  On  the  morning  of  the  11th  the 
thermometer  registered  17  to  28  below  zero  at 
Erie,  25  to  30  at  Waterford.  23  at  Corry  and 
32  at  Wattsburg. 

A  long-to-be-remembered  cold  spell  set  in 
the  night  of  February  3,  1895,  and  lasted  un- 
til the  8th.  During  most  of  this  period  the 
thermometer  at  Erie  ranged  from  3  to  4  below 
zero  in  the  day  time,  and  8  to  10  at  night. 
On  the  7th  occurred  one  of  the  .severest  bliz- 


zards ever  exjierienced.  The  cold  and  storm 
extended  over  the  most  of  North  America, 
Europe  and  Northern  .\sia.  Zero  weather 
prevailed  as  far  south  as  Tennessee,  and  deep 
snow  fell  where  it  is  seldom  known.  The 
railioads  were  blocked  for  days  all  over  the 
country,  and  many  persons  died  from  the  ex- 
treme cold.  At  Corry  and  in  the  southern 
parts  of  the  county  ginerally,  the  thermome- 
ter, from  February  3  to  7,  inclusi\e,  ranged 
from  4  to  28  below  zero,  averaging,  during 
the  five  days,  l(5i.  On  February  15,  the  ice 
in  Erie  harbor  was  from  28  to  30  inches  thick. 
On  Sunday  night.  May  12,  1895,  a  heavy 
frost  fell  that  injured  the  grapes  and  small 
fruit  considerablv.  The  week  ensuing,  the 
weather  was  quite  chilly.  On  the  morning  of 
May  15th  ice  was  reported  half  an  inch  thick 
on  C|uict  water  in  the  hill  townshijis.  Snow 
to  the  depth  of  two  inches  fell  in  some  of  the 
southern  districts  of  the  comity.  The  cold 
spell  was  preceded  by  several  days  of  unusu- 
ally warm  weather.  The  extreme  heat,  fol- 
lowed by  cold  and  frost,  prevailed  over  a  large 
portion  of  the  Lhiion. 

On  the  other  hand,  several  winters  have 
been  remarkable  for  their  mildness.  A  num- 
ber of  instances  are  mentioned  in  the  article 
on  lake  navigation.  During  the  winter  of 
1881-2,  the  bay  was  open  most  of  the  season, 
and  there  was  never  more  than  a  light  coating 
of  ice  on  the  lake.  On  the  2()th  of  December, 
1865,  fires  were  not  needed,  and  people  were 
glad  to  throw  open  their  doors  and  windows 
for  cool  air.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1870.  the 
day  was  so  pleasant  that  the  people  of  Girard 
indulged  in  a  picnic  in  the  woods. 

The  month  of  Jidj',  1895,  was  unseason- 
ably cool,  especially  during  the  last  w-eek. 
July  30  and  31  and  August  1,  fires  were  quite 
comfortable,  and  many  persons  wore  their 
winter  clothing  in  the  evenings.  The  free 
band  concerts  in  Central  Park,  Erie  city,  had 
to  be  postponed  on  account  of  the  cool  weather. 

The  earliest  fall  snow  storms  on  record  are 
as  follows  ;  October  13.  1844  or  '45.  remain- 
ing until  the  ensuing  April  ;  October  20,  18()(5, 
ten  inches  in  depth,  which  disappeared  in  some 
three  days:  September  22,  1870.  lasting  the 
fall  and  winter  through;  October  8,  1879  or 
'80.  eight  inches,  followed  by  mild  weather  ; 
October  20,  1895,  ten  inches  in  Erie,  disap- 
pearing in  a  day  or  two.  and  succeeded  by  a 
spell  of  pleasant  weather. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


197 


O    •'> 


Or;" 

—  5  .'^ 


>  a.  ,r 

''<^ 

M       0 

U      r-'     0 

, 

T?^ 

w 

^^>S  ji 

h^ 

w 

S    t-.^ 

■—       ^ 

< 

^  2  !-■ 

Ji    «J    >-. 

—  fe  -Q 

W 

'^    >.'S 

tn 

0  V  % 

.-  -  c 

b 

0  vH,  - 

0       -Ct. 

<1 

--o>:- 

H 

.^;'2 

l> 

"^  i  ^ 

^ 

_  u 

c    t^« 

i  s  ^ 

C     r- 

"ib-l 

■S     "     S 

i^     ^     U 

0    *-     0 

U           ^ 

-a  c 

-; 

mH 

a 

-t-) 

« 

rfl 

br 

■^ 

r" 

c 

rr 

*-; 

5 

0 

0 

0 

(- 

"o 

> 

be 

'-^ 

u 

u 

1 1 

■~t 

■r 

2 

_l: 

^ 

'a 

Jt-* 

0 

rt 

a> 

\i 

i£ 

^ 

0 

♦J 

COXtj.X^ 


CQ  -M  QC  ;D  X  o      .  ^      -       lO 


^        ,^222     S 


««  X  wOO  )f;     - 

■"J-  X  ^  X  ec  ^j' 


3t§ 


if:  —  t-  F!;  r*  ' , 

,  X  ac  =c  «  ..;  71  ^ 


-  =  *•  w  '^-  i- 


96     .0 1-  =-,  X  if; »  S 

— .  m  X  —  i-  -^  -    »  - 


Xl- 

—1        X        -    X 

SX  <M  X  CJ     -*     15 


X 

-?  '^J  1*  "^  <»  '^.  ?1  "^. 

'T  S-5  X  00  X  ^  ?I  OT 


S^S 


<=>  »^I  X  X  CJ  ■?(  -    •£> 
^„a:oX—  ^-M 


■^  X  ^  X  _ 
^  X^  X  It 


—  ^  1'  ^  --  2  ■  —  X 


4xSx 

gc 

si|?i 

ta 
« 

5 

^2- 

a.  79 

18 
1878 

.5.41 
1874 

1.09 
13.  '78 

1.37 
8,  '8(> 
22,  '88 
5. 

•=*-2Sxxc;^M^- 


px*    -     SoS 


CC  O        3  -     NX 

.  O  *""     .  *^      .  X     ,     . 

K'MX^X.h'^Ii-iO^ 


E  ?^     - 


c  ■■'  w 

S  «  ifl  ui  «,  - 
2  s  aj  rt  t;;  2 

-  -  S  S^  rt 

"~  ""^    S; 

c  .n  °  £  o  ii 
o  a;  tit's  actn 
c  S  "J  ^  ™  H 

SS<u<s 


T3  C:  ~ 
1}  n 


Eg  E 

0)   O    0) 


■S'sS 


tJ    4)   w  *- 

&I  ar  01  K 
«  «  -  a 
I-  I-  «.o 
u  c;  a;  - 
>  >  k-  s 

<<0< 


-  ».5 

o  j::== 
■-  o  « 


L==-ii 


-  C  0)  C  a 

«  2  (u  £  <u 
a."  c  V.  c  w 

J<0<0 


S^ 


1-  c;  »f:  c/i "  X  5 


3  M  X  to  •  CC 


ss 


2o    »^. 


SS       „£:■ 


«   V.   O 


000 
u  u  u 
V  V  a 


=  =  c 
a  V  a 
ex  tie  u 

n  (1  re 

V   O   EU 

<<< 


11 


=  o 


<   - 


S-3 


=^-  «  o  c 

2     ■—    MM 
J?  ai  0)  -  c 

-j^  g  j5  „ 

3'=l:s- 

£■0  C.S.S 

-  ■*  3  o  o 

©"H  2  «>  sj 

*-  *;C   5J   « 

V-C  oj  i^  k. 

«  M*;  a  O 

2\Z5  >  > 


X   >< 


".  „-  s «; " 

u--  C  4)  - 

u  a—  a.= 

£-'u  £;  E  « 
c  o  3  a  t- 
4)  ir  —  ^  :; 

a  n  "  "  S 
~  3  '^—  a. 
=  =  S.Sc 

JS-f  5 

illil 

O    0--    S   o 


198 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


THE    CHOLERA. 

Few  persons  are  aware  that  the  Asiatic 
cholera — most  dreadful  of  all  contagious  dis- 
eases— at  one  time  threatened  the  city  of  Erie. 
It  was  in  July,  1832,  in  the  days  of  steam- 
boating.  A  party  of  immigrants  were  being 
conveyed  u])  the  lake  from  Buffalo,  when  a 
Mrs.  Hunter,  and  her  daughter  developed 
symptoms  of  the  terrible  epidemic.  Thesteam- 
boat  stopped  at  the  channel  pier  and  thev  were 
landed  on  the  peninsula,  where  both  died — 
Mrs.  Hunter  after  an  illness  of  thirteen  hours, 
and  her  daughter  a  few  hours  later.  The  in- 
cident created  much  excitement  among  the 
citizens,  who  instant Iv  adopted  measures  to 
prevent  the  contagion  from  getting  a  foothold 
in  the  town.  Numerous  cases  of  cholera  de- 
veloped during  that  season  on  board  lake 
steamboats  and  in  other  lake  cities. 

TELEGRAPH    AND   TELEPHONE   LINES. 

The  first  telegraph  line  in  Erie  countv  was 
put  up  in  1847.  It  extended  from  Buffalo  to 
Cleveland.  The  only  telegraph  ofHce  in  the 
county  for  several  years  was  at  Erie.  The 
telephone  exchange  in  Erie,  the  Hrst  in  the 
county,  was  established  August  1,    1H78. 

SHOWS    AND    CIKCl'SES. 

The  early  shows  were  altogether  of  the 
animal  order,  and  the  exhibitions  generally 
took  place  in  the  barns  of  the  best  known 
hotels.  In  the  beginning  they  consisted  of  a 
lion  or  tiger,  and  a  monkey  or  two,  and  from 
that  developed  into  laige  collections.  We 
find  a  record  of  an  elephant  being  in  Erie  in 
the  summer  of  18i'0,  and  of  other  animal 
shows  in  1822  and  1823.  The  price  of  admis- 
sion was  twenty-five  cents  for  adults  and 
twelve  and  a  half  cents  for  children.  This 
charge  continued  up  to  the  second  or  third 
year  of  the  civil  war.  In  July,  1827,  the  first 
circus  appeared,  and  in  the  same  month  in 
1831,  a  violent  storm  blew  down  the  tent  of 
another,  which  was  considered  by  the  pious 
people  as  a  manifestation  of  the  disapproval  of 
Providence.  Within  a  date  comparatively 
recent,  it  was  looked  upon  as  wicked  to  attend 
a  circus,  and,  if  religious  persons  went  at 
all,  it  was  with  fear  that  they  were  not  doing 
exactly  the  right  thing. 

CATTLE    DRIVING    AND    SELLING. 

Before  the  era  of  railroads,  cattle  driving 


was  one  of  the  great  industries  of  the  county. 
There  was  no  market  for  cattle  nearer  than 
the  eastern  counties  of  the  State,  and  the  only 
way  of  getting  them  there  was  by  the  common 
roads.  They  were  collected  annually  and 
driven  across  the  mountains  in  droves  of  one 
hundred  or  more  to  Berks,  Lancaster  and  other 
counties  convenient  to  Philadelphia.  Two 
men  and  a  boy,  with  as  main-  hor>es,  usually 
managed  a  drove,  and  the  trip  took  from  two  to 
three  months.  Sheep,  hogs  and  horses  were 
driven  to  market  in  the  same  way.  There 
were  numerous  taverns  on  the  route,  where 
rest  and  sustenance  was  provided  for  men  and 
beasts.  The  business  was  started  by  Thomas 
P.  and  Lsaac  Miller,  and  was  also  carried  on 
extensively  by  S.  Hutchins,  John  Marvin  and 
others.  It  required  considerable  capital  to 
carry  on  the  business,  but,  with  ordinary  luck, 
it  paid  well.  The  heaviest  cattle  buyer  of 
later  years  was  Wilson   Moore,  of   Waterford. 

OLD  TIME  AND  PRESENT  CURRENCY. 

Located  between  New  York  and  Ohio, 
far  away  from  the  wealthier  portions  of  the 
State,  Erie  county  suffered  all  the  evils  of  the 
miserable  currency  which  prevailed  before 
greenbacks  and  National  bank  notes  were  in- 
troduced. With  the  exception  of  a  few  years, 
there  was  no  bank  of  issue  in  the  county,  and 
the  only  banking  institutions  were  private 
brokers'  offices.  The  best  currency  of  those 
times  was  New  \ork  bank  notes,  and  the 
poorest  those  of  the  western  banks.  Pennsyl- 
vania bank  notes  had  only  a  small  circulation 
in  the  county,  and  held  a  place  in  popular 
estimation  intermediate  between  the  above. 
There  was  a  discount  on  all  of  these,  ranging 
from  one  to  twenty  per  cent.  It  was  for  the 
interest  of  the  private  bankers  to  circulate  the 
notes  on  which  there  was  the  largest  discount, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  the  county  was  flooded 
with  the  bills  of  banks  the  locations  of  \\  hich 
were  hardly  known.  Every  business  man  liad 
to  keep  a  '/  Lank  note  detector,"  revised  and 
published  monthly  or  weekly,  on  hand,  and 
was  not  sure  then  that  the  notes  he  accepted 
would  not  be  pronounced  worthless  by  the 
next  mail.  There  was  hardly  a  week  without 
a  bank  failure,  and  nearly  every  man  had  bills 
of  broken  banks  in  his  possession.  To  add  to 
the  perplexities  of  the  situation,  there  were 
innumerable  counterfeits  which  could  with 
'difficulty    be  distinguished    from  the   genuine. 


AND  niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


199 


Granting  that  the  bank  was  good,  and  that  the 
discount  was  properly  figured,  there  was  no 
assurance  that  the  bill  was  what  it  purported 
to  be.  All  this  was  a  terrible  annoyance  and 
loss  to  the  people,  but  it  was  a  regular 
bonanza  to  the  "  shaving  shops."  Even 
of  the  uncertain  bank  notes,  there  was  not 
enough  to  do  the  business  of  the  community. 
Most  of  the  buying  and  selling  was  done 
on  long  credit,  and  occasionally  a  manufactu- 
ring firm,  to  ease  itself  along,  and  relieve  the 
necessities  of  the  public,  would  issue  a  mon- 
grel coin,  which  went  by  the  name  of  "  pew- 
terinctum."  This  condition  of  affairs  lasted 
until  a  vear  or  two  after  the  rebellion  broke 
out. 

People  of  tiiis  day  who  have  no  knowledge 
of  the  old  bank  note  currency,  can  scarcely 
conceive  of  the  advantage  of  a  uniform  system, 
such  as  has  been  given  to  us  by  the  United 
States  government. 

soldiers'  and   sailors'  monuments. 

Erie  county  enjoys  the  distinction  of  hav- 
ing erected  tiie  first  monument  in  Pennsj-l- 
vania  to  the  memory  of  the  soldiers  and  sailors 
who  lost  their  lives  in  the  war  for  the  Union. 
It  stands  in  the  center  of  the  public  square  of 
Girard,  and  the  entire  expense  of  its  erection, 
about  'iiGjOOO,  was  incurred  by  Dan  Rice,  the 
showman.  The  monument  was  dedicated  on 
the  1st  of  November,  180.5,  in  the  presence  of 
a  vast  multitude.  Gov.  Curtin,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Gov.  Tod,  of  Ohio,  were  among 
the  eminent  men  ^<'ilo  graced  the  occasion. 

A  second  monument,  one  of  the  hand- 
somest of  its  kind  in  tiie  Union,  was  dedicated 
in  Erie  in  1872,  and  adds  to  the  attractiveness 
of  the  Central  park  of  the  city.  It  commemo- 
rates the  dead  sailors  as  well  as  soldiers  of  the 
county,  and  owes  its  existence  largely  to  the 
persistent  labor  of  three  patriotic  ladies — Mrs. 
Isaac  Moorhead,  Miss  Sarah  Reed  and  Miss 
Helen  Ball.  The  monument  cost  !iilO,00()  ex- 
clusive of  $500  paid  by  the  city  for  the  foun- 
dation. A  monument  to  the  unknown  dead 
of  the  war  for  the  Union  was  dedicated  in  Eiie 
cemetery  in  1894. 

REVOLUTIONARY  SOLDIERS. 

The  pioneers  of  the  county  included  a  fair 
proportion  of  Revolutionary  soldiers.  Among 
them  were  Seth  Reed,  who  fought  at  Bunker 
Hill   and   rose   to  the  rank  of  colonel  ;   Capts. 


John  Lytle  and  Robert  King,  and  Privates 
John  Vincent,  Thomas  Rees,  William  Miles, 
Zelotus  Lee,  Michael  Hare,  Daniel  Stancliff, 
John  McCoy,  .Stephen  Sparrow,  Titus  Allen, 
.Stephen  Oliver,  Robert  Irwin,  and  Messrs. 
Nash,  Trask  and  Burrows. 

THE    ANTI-SLAVERV     .MOVEMENT. 

The  first  anti-slavery  society  in  the  county 
(which  was  also  one  of  the  earliest  in  the 
State)  was  formed  in  ]8J5(j.  The  principal 
members  were  Philctus  Glass,  Dr.  Smedley, 
and  Truman  Tuttle,  of  North  East ;  Col.  J.  M. 
Moorhead,  Mr.  Jessup  and  Samuel  Low,  of 
Harbor  Creek  ;  William  Himrod,  Alex.  Me- 
hafi"ey  and  Aaron  Kellogg,  of  Erie ;  Giles 
and  Hamlin  Russell,  of  Mill  Creek  ;  Stephen 
C.  Lee,  of  Summit;  Rev.  T.  H.  Burroughs, 
of  Concord;  and  William  Gray,  of  Wayne. 
Another  society  was  formed  in  North  East 
about  the  same  time,  with  Truman  Tuttle  as 
President,  James  Duncan  as  Vice-president, 
Dr.  Smedley  as  Secretary,  and  R.  L.  Loomis 
as  Treasurer.  An  anti-abolition  meeting  was 
held  the  same  year  in  Springfield. 

The  "underground  railroad,"  which  was 
the  name  generally  given  to  the  system  by 
which  s'aves  from  the  South  were  run  away 
from  their  masters,  was  in  full  operation  in 
this  county  from  about  1840  to  18(j().  There 
were  regular  stations  along  the  route,  where 
zealous  anti-slaverv  people  openly  tlefitd  the 
law  and  gave  the  runaway  slaves  food,  siielter 
and  mone)'.  The  chief  "  station  agents,  "  as 
they  were  jokinglj-  called  in  Erie  count)',  were 
William  Gray,  Stephen  C.  Lee,  Hamlin  Rus- 
sell and  William  Himrod.  The  slaves  were 
secreted  until  a  good  chance  offered  to  send 
them  to  Canada. 

OLDEST    MEN    AND    WOMEN. 

Michael  Hare,  who  was  buried  in  Water- 
ford  cemetery,  attained  the  remarkable  age  of 
115  years,  8  months  and  23  days.  He  was 
born  in  Ireland  June  10,  1728.  and  died  at 
Waterford  on  the  3d  of  May,  1843. 

Patrick  Ward  died  in  Girard  township, 
aged  105  years.  When  in  his  103d  year 
he  walked  three  miles  to  Girard  borough  in 
order  to  vote. 

James  Davis  lived  in  Greenfield  until  he 
was  100,  when  he  moved  to  Michigan,  where 
he  died,  either  103  or  105  years  old. 

Two  men  have  died   in   their  100th   year. 


20O 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPmCAL  DICTT0NAR7 


They  were  Levi  Atkins,  of  North  East,  and 
Elias  Palmer,  of  Conneaut.  The  hitter  tlied 
in  1878. 

John  Teel,  first,  a  native  of  New  England, 
died  in  Erie  early  in  the  centurj-,  aged  97 
years;  Stephen  Oliver,  in  McKean,  January 
li,  1857,  lacking  one  month  of  97  ;  John  Cook, 
in  Belle  Valley, October  5,1 895,  aged  97:  James 
Steadnian,  in  McKeun.  in  [XWl,  aged  9(5  years 
and  (j  months  ;  Benjamin  CuUom,  in  the  same 
township,  in  May,  1888,  aged  96;  Griffith 
Hinton,  in  Venango,  on  the  15th  of  March, 
1880,  aged  96;  Andrew  Matteson,  at  or  near 
Corry,  on  the  :26th  of  March,  1883,  aged 
95;  and  Mr.  !McIntyre,  in  Springfield,  in  1867, 
at  the  same  age. 

The  oldest  woman  was  Mrs.  Sarah  Green, 
of  Fairview,  who  died  about  1885  or  '86,  at 
the  age  of  104  years.  Next  in  the  order  of 
age  was  Mrs.  Mary  Dobbins,  relict  of  Capt. 
D.  Dobbins,  of  Erie,  who  died  on  the  24th  of 
January,  1879,  in  her  100th  year.  Mrs.  Mary 
Shaughnessy  died  in  Erie  July  30,  1882,  aged 
100  years.  The  fourth  oldest  was  Mrs.  Will- 
iam Smith,  formerly  of  Waterford,  but  later 
of  Beaver  Dam.  Her  death  occurred  in  the 
latter  place  on  the  6th  of  August,  1875,  in 
her  99th  year. 

Mrs.  Anna  Margaret,  relict  of  Casper  Doll, 
of  Fairview,  died  February  3,  1881,  aged 
97  years  and  10  days  ;  Miss  Rosanna  Bliss,  in 
Venango  township,  on  the  16th  of  May,  1895, 
at  the  age  of  97  years  and  10  months;  Mrs. 
Lucy,  relict  of  Asa  G.  Olds,  in  Erie,  August 
13,  "l881,  lacking  a  few  days  of  97;  Mrs. 
Phelps,  of  Waterford,  in  August,  1879,  aged 
95;  Mrs.  Elias  Parmer,  of  Conneaut,  in  1876, 
aged  94;  and  Mrs.  JoJinston  Eaton,  of  Fair- 
view,  in  1872,  aged  93. 

Below  are  the  oldest  persons  known  to  the 
writer  to  be  living  in  the  county  on  the  1st  of 
September,  1895  :  Thomas  Dillon,  Erie,  in 
his  99th  year;  Mrs.  Weed.  Greene  township, 
aged  97  ;  Mrs.  Eliza  Wilson  Yost,  Greenfield, 
94;  Mrs.  Matthew  Gray,  Erie,  in  her  93d 
year;  Mrs.  Oliver  Dunn,  Erie,  in  her  92d 
year;  James  Hampson,  North  East,  aged  92. 
All  of  these,  except  Mr.  Dillon,  were  born  in 
Erie  county. 

THANKSGIVING     DAY. 

The  first  time  a  day  for  Thanksgiving  was 
set  apart  in  Pennsylvania  was  on  the  last 
Thursday  of  November,  1819,  at   the  sugges- 


tion of  (jov.  Findlay.  The  governor's  proc- 
lamation was  generally  respected  throughout 
Erie  county.  The  first  chief  executive  to  pro- 
pose a  day  of  national  Thanksgiving  was 
President  Washington,  who  fixed  Thursday, 
November  26,  1789,  for  that  purpose. 

GREAT     FLOOIIS. 

The  largest  rainfall  ever  known,  within 
the  same  period,  occurred  on  August  25,  1873, 
when  the  weather  office  reported  that  two 
inches  of  water  fell  within  two  hours'  time. 

A  flood  in  the  fall  of  1878  did  much  dam- 
age in  the  western  part  of  the  county. 

One  of  the  greatest  floods  ever  known 
took  place  at  the  beginning  of  February,  18i^3. 
It  washed  avvav  nearly  every  mill  dam  in  the 
county  and  destroyed  numerous  bridges.  The 
damage  amounted  to  tens  of  thousands  of  dol- 
lars. 

An  extraordinary  downpour  occurred  in 
June,  1892,  lasting  several  days  and  extend- 
ing over  the  whole  State.  It  did  much  dam- 
age in  this  county,  especially  along  the  South 
Branch  of  French  creek,  at  Corry,  Lhiion  and 
other  points. 

The  biggest  flood  known  in  Erie  city  oc- 
curred in  the  spring  of  1893,  sweeping  bridges 
and  houses  off  their  foundations  along  Mill 
creek,  and  causing  damage  that  cost  the  city 
many  thousands  of  dollars  to  repair. 

LIBERTY    BELL. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  incidents  in 
the  history  of  the  county  was  the  trip  of  the 
Liberty  Bell  in  1893.  It  reached  Erie  at  3 
A.  M.  on  the  26th  of  April,  on  its  way  from 
Philadelphia  to  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago, 
accompanied  by  a  large  delegation  of  officials 
of  the  second  named  city.  An  immense  con- 
course gathered  at  the  depot  to  greet  the  relic, 
including  thousands  of  school  children.  The 
special  train  left  Erie  at  noon  of  the  26th,  and 
proceeded  to  Chicago  by  way  of  Corry,  Oil 
City  and  Pittsburg.  It  was  received  every- 
where with  touching  demonstrations. 

GRAPE    Cl'LTURE. 

One  of  the  main  interests  of  the  agricul- 
tural portion  of  the  county  is  the  raising  of 
grapes,  which  are  produced  in  enormous 
quantities  in  North  East,  Harbor  Creek  and 
some  of  tiie  other  lake  shore  townships.  An 
account  (if  the   beginning  and   progress  of  this 


v)th*^^_ 


.^- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUI^TY. 


20 1 


important  interest  will  be  found  in  the  chapter 
relating  to  North  East  township.  From 
North  liast  and  Harbor  Creek,  the  grape  cul- 
ture spread  to  the  lake  shore  townships  of 
Girard,  Fairview,  Mill  Creek  and  Spring- 
field, and  it  will  not  be  many  years  until  the 
entire  lake  border  of  the  county  will  be  one 
vast  grape,  fruit,  berry  and  vegetable  section. 
When  the  grape  culture  developed  into  a  large 
business,  the  principal  growers  of  Erie  and 
Chautauqua  countie>  entered  into  an  organiza- 


tion which  was  known  as  the  Chautauqua  and 
North  East  Grape  Union.  This  was  in  1891. 
The  Union  lasted  three  years,  when  it  was 
dissolved  and  a  new  organization  formed  at 
North  East,  under  the  title  of  the  Lake  Erie 
Grape  Union.  It  embraces  the  leading  grow- 
ers of  North  East  and  Harbor  Creek,  but  is 
open  to  members  from  all  parts  of  Erie  coun- 
ty. The  purpose  of  the  Union  is  to  sell  and 
ship  grapes  and  advance  the  general  interests 
of  the  grape-growing  industry. 


CHAPTER    XXVI, 


Erie  County  ix  the  W.\r  for  the   Uxiox. 


ON  the  inauguration  of  Civil  War  by  the 
attack  on  Fort  Sumter.  April  12, 
1M(51,  the  people  of  Erie  county  were 
practically  unanimous  in  the  senti- 
ment that  the  Union  must  be  pre- 
served at  all  hazards.  Party  differences  were 
forgotten,  for  the  time  being,  and  men  of  all 
shades  of  politics  vied  with  each  other  in 
acts  of  patriotism. 

The  first  war  meeting  in  the' county  was 
held  in  Wayne  Hall,  Erie,  on  the  2f5th  of 
April,  1861.  It  was  largely  attended,  and 
was  presided  over  by  \\'illiam  A.  Galbraith. 
Speeches  were  made,  in  addition  to  Mr.  Gal- 
braith's,  by  George  II.  Cutler,  John  H.  Walker 
and  George  W.  DeCamp.  Of  these  gentle- 
men, Messrs.  (ialbraith,  Cutler  and  DeCamp 
had  been  identified  with  the  Demociatic  party. 

.V  movement  had  alread\-  been  started  bv 
Capt.  T'lhn  W.  McLane  to  organize  a  regi- 
ment to  serve  for  three  months.  Volunteers 
w-ere  flocking  to  McLane's  standard  with  sur- 
prising rapidity,  and  it  was  necessary  to  raise 
a  fund  for  the  support  of  the  families  of  many 
of  those  who  had  enlisted.  The  sum  of  j 
•liT.OOO  for  the  purpose  was  subscrihed  at  the 
meeting,  which  was  increased  in  a  few  days 
to  iflT.OOO.  Similar  meetings  were  held  in 
almost  every  town  in  the  county,  and  vol- 
unteer relief  funds  were  subscribed  every 
14 


where.     The   speakers    in    most    general    de- 
mand were  Messrs.  Galbraith  and  DeCamp. 

The  Perry  Artillery  Company.  C.  F. 
Mueller  captain,  and  W.  F.  Leutje,  first  lieuten- 
ant, at  once  tendered  their  services  to  the  gov- 
ernment and  were  accepted.  The  Wayne 
Guard,  of  which  Jno.  W.  McLane  was  cap- 
tain, generally  enlisted,  as  did  those  of  the 
Girard  Guards,  D.  W.  Hutchinson  captain. 
Many  of  the  members  of  these  companies  be- 
came officers  in  the  regiments  subsequently 
organized. 

the  three  moxths'  regimext. 

When  the  war  broke  out,  no  person.  North 
or  South,  believed  it  would  last  beyond  three 
months.  The  first  proclamation  of  President 
Lincoln  called  for  volunteers  for  that  period, 
and  a  large  portion  of  the  men  who  went  into 
the  field  on  both  sides  did  so  with  the  thought 
that  it  would  be  nothing  more  than  a  grand 
picnic  at  the  public  expense. 

The  camp  of  the  three  months'  regiment 
was  established  on  a  piece  of  vacant  ground 
in  Erie  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Parade  and 
Sixth  streets,  where  volunteers  poured  in 
from  all  parts  of  the  northwest.  More  offer- 
ed in  a  few  days  than  could  be  accepted,  and 
many  were  reluctantly  compelled  to  return 
home.      As  a  sample  of  the  spirit  of  the  time, 


202 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


the  borough  and  township  of  Waterford  sent 
forward  nearly  1(K)  men.  Five  companies 
were  recruited  in  Erie  alone,  but  of  these 
fully  one-half  were  from  other  places.  It  was 
considered  a  privilege  to  be  accepted,  and 
those  who  failed  to  pass  muster  or  arrived  too 
late  were  grievously  disappointed.  The  regi- 
ment left  Erie  for  Pittsburg  at  '2  p.  m.  on 
Wednesday,  the  1st  of  May,  being  accom- 
panied by  Mehl's  Brass  Band.  A  vast  crowd 
was  at  the  railroad  depot  to  witness  its  de- 
parture. The  regiment  reached  Pittsburg  at 
9  A.  M.  the  next  day,  and  took  up  quarters 
in  Camp  Wilkins.  A  number  of  its  members 
were  discharged  because  the  companies  to 
which  they  were  attached  exceeded  their 
(juola.  It  received  arms  and  uniforms  on  the 
I^Uth  of  May,  and  was  carefully  drilled  every 
day  that  it  remained  in  camp.  For  some  rea- 
son, the  regiment  was  never  called  into  active 
service,  and  it  returned  to  Erie  on  Saturday 
evening,  July  20.  It  was  escorted  by  a  dele- 
gation of  citizens  to  Central  park,  where  a 
public  supper  had  been  prepared  by  the  ladies 
of  the  city.  But  one  member  died  during  the 
absence  of  the  regiment. 

EIGHTY-THIRD    REGIMENT. 

Meantime,  the  President  had  issued  a  call 
for  300,000  men  for  the  war,  and  Col.  Mc- 
Lane  had  made  a  tender  of  a  regiment  for  that 
service.  Manj'  of  the  members  of  the  three 
months'  regiment  volunteered  to  go  with  the 
colonel,  and  they  were  accordingly  dismissed 
until  the  1st  of  August  to  await  an  answer 
to  his  proffer.  On  the  24th  of  July  Col.  Mc- 
Lane  received  an  order  authorizing  him  to  re- 
cruit a  new  regiment.  Those  of  the  first 
regiment  who  had  re-enlisted  were  recalled, 
and  recruiting  began  actively  throughout  the 
Northwestern  counties.  A  camp  was  estab- 
lished on  the  old  fair  grounds,  about  two 
miles  east  of  the  city,  on  the  Buffalo  road, 
which  was  used  for  the  same  purpose  by  the 
regiments  afterward  organized. 

An  immense  meeting  was  held  in  Farrar 
Hall,  on  the  24th  of  August,  to  assist  in  rais- 
ing men  for  the  regiment.  It  was  addressed 
by  William  A.  Galbraith,  James  C.  Marshall, 
George  W.  DeCamp,  Col.  McLane,  Miles  W. 
Caughey  and  Capt.  John  Graham.  Meetings 
of  a  like  character  followed  throughout  the 
county.  The  principal  speakers  besides  those 
named    were    Alfred   King,   Strong    Vincent, 


William  S.  Lane.  Morrow  B.  Lowry  and  Dan 
Rice. 

The  regiment  of  Col.  McLane,  on  being 
reported  full,  was  ordered  to  the  front,  and 
left  for  Harrisburg  on  the  16th  of  September. 
Its  departure  was  attended  by  the  same  vast 
outpouring  and  marked  by  the  same  pathetic 
incidents  as  before,  and  none  who  were  eye- 
witnesses will  ever  forget  the  scenes  of  the 
day.  A  flag  was  presented  to  it  on  the  part 
of  the  State  December  21,  and  it  became 
oflicially  known  as  the  Eighty-third  Regiment. 

OTHER    ORGANIZATIONS. 

While  these  measures  were  in  progress 
Capts.  Gregg  and  Bell,  of  the  United  States 
army,  opened  a  recruiting  office  in  the  city 
for  the  regular  cavalry,  and  enlisted  a  consid- 
erable number  of  yoinig  men.  Recruiting 
was  going  on  at  the  same  time  with  great 
vigor  for  the  navy.  Some  sixty  persons  from 
Erie  went  to  New  York  to  serve  under  the 
command  of  Lieut.  T.  H.  Stevens,  formerly 
of  the  Michigan.  Up  to  September  7,  Capt. 
Carter,  of  the  United  States  steamer  "  Mich- 
igan," had  enlisted  700  seamen,  who  were 
forwarded  in  squads  to  the  seaboard. 

By  September,  the  Ladies"  Aid  Society 
had  been  organized  in  Erie  to  furnish  relief 
to  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  in  the  field, 
with  branches  in  most  of  the  towns  in  the 
county.  It  was  maintained  during  the  entire 
war,  and  did. invaluable  service.  Through  its 
labors  bo.\es  of  delicacies,  hospital  supplies, 
medicines  and  other  comforts  for  the  sick  were 
forwarded  to  the  front  almost  daily. 

ONE      HINDRED      AND      KI.E\ENTH      REGIMENT. 

Before  the  departure  of  the  Eighty-third 
Regiment,  M.  Schlaudecker,  of  Erie,  major 
of  the  three  months'  regiment,  commenced  re- 
cruiting for  another.  Enlistments  went  on 
with  such  alacrity  that  the  regiment  left  for 
the  front  on  Tuesday,  the  25th  of  February, 
1802,  with  every  company  full.  At  Harris- 
burg it  was  presented  by  Gov.  Curlin  with  a 
stand  of  colors,  and  took  rank  as  the  One 
Hundred  and  Eleventh  Regiment.  The  regi- 
ment was  accompanied  bv  Zimmerman's  Brass 
Band. 

A  meeting  was  held  in  Erie  on  the  12th  of 
April  to  provide  for  the  relief  of  those  who 
might  be  wounded  in  the  battles  that  were 
daily      expected     in    Virginia.      Considerable 


AND  UISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


203 


money  was  raised,  and  committees  were  ap- 
pointed to  furnish  attendants  for  those  who 
might  need  their  services.  By  this  date,  the 
country  was  having  war  in  earnest.  Squads 
of  rebel  prisoners  were  taken  through  on  the 
Lake  Shore    R.  R.  every  few  days. 

It  might  be  supposed  that  war  matters  ab- 
sorbed the  whole  of  the  public  attention,  but 
this  was  only  the  case  in  a  general  sense.  All 
lines  of  trade  and  manufacture  were  carried 
on  with  unabated  energy  during  the  entire 
conflict,  and  a  course  of  public  lectures  was 
maintained  in  the  city  each  winter,  compri- 
sing some  of  the  most  noted  orators  of  tlie 
day. 

The  news  of  the  battles  around  Richmond, 
in  which  the  Eighty-third  suffered  terribly 
and  Col.  jSIcLane  was  killed,  reached  Erie  in 
the  later  part  of  June,  and  caused  great  mourn- 
ing. Emblems  of  sorrow  for  the  dead  were 
placed  on  many  buildings,  and  hospital  stores 
were  hastilv  sent  forward  for  the  wounded. 

ONE    HUNDRED    AND     P'ORTV-FIFTH     REGIMENT. 

Early  in  July  the  President  called  for 
300,000  more  troops,  and  of  this  number  it 
was  announced  that  Erie  county's  proportion 
was  five  companies  of  100  men  each.  A  meet- 
ing to  encourage  enlistments  was  held  in 
Wayne  Hall,  at  which  the  County  Commis- 
sioners were  asked  to  appropriate  $100,000  to- 
ward equipping  a  new  regiment.  This  was 
succeeded  by  others,  both  in  Erie  and  in  the 
countrv  districts.  The  martial  spirit  had 
been  mucii  cooled  by  the  disasters  in  Virginia, 
and  it  began  to  be  necessary  to  ofl'er  extra  in- 
ducements to  volunteers.  Erie  city  offered  a 
bounty  of  .f50  to  each  recruit  and  the  various 
townships  hastened  to  imitate  its  example. 
Another  call  for  300,000  men  decided  the 
County  Commissioners  to  appropriate  |25,000 
to  pay  an  additional  bounty  of  the  same 
amount.  In  August,  for  the  third  time,  the 
fair  grounds  were  turned  into  a  military  camp, 
and  the  organization  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-fifth  Regiment  began.  Recruits  came 
forward  rapidly,  and  the  regiment  left  for  the 
seat  of  war  on  the  11th  of  September,  1862. 

At  the  same  time  that  enlistments  were 
in  progress  for  the  last-named  regiment,  vol- 
imteers  were  being  gathered  for  other  organi- 
zations. The  navy  was  receiving  numerous 
accessions,  mainly  from  Erie.  Capts.  Lcnnon. 
Miles  and  Roberts  were  each  raising  a  cavalry 


company.  On  September25,  Capt.  Lennon's 
company  left  with  full  ranks,  and  by  the  4th 
of  (3ctober,  Roberts'  and  Miies'  companies 
were  both  in  camp  at  Pittsburg.  A  cavalry 
company  had  previously  been  raised  at  Union 
by  Capt.  Geo.  H.  Russell,  which  went  into 
camp  at  Philadelphia,  and  became  a  part  of 
the  Twelfth  Cavalry  Regiment. 

THE    FIRST      DRAFT. 

Notwithstanding  the  large  number  of  vol- 
unteers, the  quota  of  Erie  county,  under  the 
various  calls  of  the  President,  was  still  short, 
and  a  draft  seemed  inevitable.  The  papers 
were  full  of  articles  urging  the  people,  for  the 
credit  of  the  county,  to  avoid  the  draft,  and 
meetings  were  constantly  beingheld  to  induce 
volunteering.  Many  persons  were  badly 
scared  over  the  probability  of  being  forced  in- 
to the  service,  and  a  few  quietly  took  up 
their  abode  in  Canada.  As  the  chance  of  a 
draft  became  more  certain,  insurance  com- 
panies were  formed  for  the  protection  of  the 
members.  Those  who  joined  these  organiza- 
tions paid  a  sum  varying  from  $20  to  $50, 
which  was  placed  in  a  common  fund,  to  pro- 
cure substitutes  for  such  of  their  number  as 
might  be  drawn  from  the  wheel  of  fate. 
While  preparations  for  the  draft  were  in  pro- 
gress, recuiting  for  both  tiie  army  and  the 
navy  went  on  with   great  energy. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  September,  the 
State  authorities  became  alarmed  for  the  safe- 
ty of  Harrisburg,  and  a  hasty  call  was  issued 
for  minutemen  to  assist  in  the  defense  of  the 
capital.  Six  companies,  including  some  of  the 
'leading  business  men,  left  Erie  for  Harrisburg, 
in  response  to  the  Governor's  appeal,  but,  hap- 
pily, were  not  needed  to  take  part  in  any  fight- 
ing. Thev  returned  in  the  beginning  of 
October. 

Meanwhile,  an  enrollment  of  the  militia 
had  been  made,  preliminary  to  the  draft, 
under  the  direction  of  I.  B.  Gara,  who  had 
been  appointed  a  commissioner  for  that  pur- 
pose. These  proceedings,  as  well  as  the  sub- 
sequent measures  in  connection  with  the  sub- 
ject, were  carried  on  under  the  State  militia 
law.  W.  P.  Gilson  was  appointed  a  deputy 
marshal  to  prevent  the  escape  of  persons  lia- 
ble to  conscription  into  Canada.  The  officers 
to  manage  the  draft  were  B.  B.  Vincent,  com 
missioner,    and     Charles     Brandes,     surgeon. 


204 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Volunteers  were  accepted    up  to   the   day  of 
drafting. 

The  draft  was  held  in  the  grand  jury  room 
of  the  court  house  on  the  16th  of  October, 
1862,  1,055  names  being  drawn  for  the  whole 
county,  the  owners  of  whicii  were  to  serve  for 
nine  months.  A  blindfolded  man  drew  the  slips 
from  the  wheel,  which  were  read  as  they  came 
out  to  the  crowd  in  attendance.  There  were 
many  funny  incidents,  and  some  that  were 
very  sad  indeed.  North  East  and  Springfield 
were  the  only  districts  in  the  county  that 
escaped  the  draft,  their  quotas  being  full.  In 
lilling  the  wheel,  all  persons  were  e.xempted 
aboye  the  age  of  forty-five  years;  also,  all 
ministers,  school  teachers  and  school  directors,   i 

After  the  draft,  the  main  Ijusiness  for  some 
weeks  was  hunting  up  substitutes.  The  price 
of  these  ranged  from  !|!50  to  !|!:.'50,  tiiough  the 
average  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  $150. 
The  act  released  parties  from  military  service 
on  payment  of  $800,  and  those  who  were  able 
to  raise  the  money  generally  availed  them- 
selves of  the  privilege.  A  good  many  persons 
who  had  concluded  that  the  war  was  to  be  a 
long  and  bloody  one,  put  substitutes  into  the 
service  for  a  term  of  three  years.  Swindlers 
were  plenty,  who  hired  out  as  substitutes,  got 
their  money  in  advance  and  then  left  for  parts 
unknown.  Some  300  persons  were  exempted 
for  physical  disability,  about  250  failed  to  re- 
port, and,  altogether,  it  is  doubtful  whether 
500  of  the  drafted  men  ever  went  into  the 
army.  The  first  lot  of  conscripts,  fifty-one  in 
number,  left  for  camp  at  Pittsljurg  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  October,  some  800  were  forwarded 
on  the  10th  of  November,  and  the  balance 
went  on  at  intervals  between  that  and  the  end 
of  the  year.  Andiew  Scott  was  appointed  a 
Provost  Marshal  to  hunt  up  the  delinquents, 
but  hardly  found  enough  to  pa}'  for  the 
trouble.  The  Councils  of  Erie  voted  .$45,000 
for  the  relief  of  the  families  of  conscripts  from 
the  city,  and  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society  supplied 
each  family  with  a  Thanksgiving  dinner.  A 
majority  of  the  conscripts  reached  home  by 
the  ensuing  August.  Few  saw  any  fighting, 
and  the  number  of  deaths  was  meager. 

MONEY    MATTERS    ANI>    POLITICS. 

B}'  the  fall  of  18(32,  prices  had  gone  up 
twenty-five  to  forty  per  cent.,  with  a  steady 
tendency  to  advance.  The  national  tax  law 
w-as   in    full   operation,  and   county,  city   and 


township  levies  were  largely  increased  to  pro- 
vide money  for  bounties.  Gold  and  silver  had 
disappeared  from  circulation,  and  national 
treasury  notes,  or  greenbacks,  as  they  came  to 
be  known,  were  slowly  finding  their  way  into 
use  ;  but  the  principal  medium  of  exchange 
still  consisted  of  the  notes  of  uncertain  State 
banks,  county  and  citj'  scrip  and  government 
fractional  currency  or  "shin  plasters."  Even 
of  the  latter  there  were  not  enough  for  public 
convenience,  and  business  men  resorted  to 
checks  and  due  bills  for  fractional  parts  of  a 
dollar.  To  meet  the  demand  for  small  change, 
the  city  issued  scrip  in  sums  of  five,  ten, 
twenty,  twenty-five  and  fifty  cents,  which 
proved  of  much  convenience  for  the  time 
being. 

While  this  was  the  state  of  afl'airs  finan- 
cially, political  feeling  grew  daily  more  in- 
tense. The  term  "  Copperhead,"  as  applied 
to  the  Democrats,  came  into  use  about  the 
beginning  of  18(')8,  and  the  latter,  to  retort 
upon  the  Republicans,  styled  them  Black- 
snakes,  Revolutionists,  Radicals  and  other 
names  more  forcible  than  polite.  The  Repub- 
licans taunted  the  Democrats  with  being  op- 
posed to  the  war,  and  the  latter  answered  by 
saying  that  the  Republicans  aimed  at  the  de- 
struction of  the  people's  liberty.  Looking  at 
the  subject  now,  the  embittered  partisanship 
of  the  day  seems  supremely  foolish  and  incom- 
prehensible. There  were  true  patriots  on 
both  sides,  and  both  parties  doubtless  contain- 
ed men  who  were  more  anxious  tor  the  triumph 
of  selfish  ends  than  for  the  good  of  the  coun- 
try. The  mass  of  the  people  were  anxious 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  though 
they  held  different  views  about  the  way  of  do- 
ing it. 

THE     KEHEI.S    ON     PENNSVI,\"  AN!  A    SOIL. 

The  news  of  the  rebel  invasion  of  Pennsyl- 
vania in  June,  1868,  caused  a  wonderful  com- 
motion throughout  the  county.  The  (jovernor 
made  an  urgent  appeal  for  militia  to  defend 
the  State, and  instant  measures  were  taken  in  re- 
sponse. A  vast  meeting  was  held  inErie  on  the 
evening  of  June  15,  at  which  earnest  speeches 
were  made  by  Messrs.  Lowry,  Sill,  Galbraith, 
Walker,  Marvin,  McCreary  and  others,  point- 
ing out  the  duty  of  the  people  to  drive  the 
enemy  from  the  soil  of  Pennsylvania.  About 
400  citizens  enlisted  for  the  State  defense,  but, 
on     reaching    Pittsburg,    they    were    ordered 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUSTY. 


205 


home,  the  victory  of  Meade  at  Gettysburg 
having  rendered  their  immediate  service  un- 
necessary. Generous  contributions  of  hospital 
stores  were  sent  to  the  wounded  Erie  countv 
soldiers  by  the  efforts  of  the  Ladies'  Aid 
Society.  The  fall  of  Vicksburg  and  Meade's 
triumph  were  celebrated  in  Erie  with  great 
rejoicing. 

By  reference  to  the  newspapers  of  the  daj-, 
we  find  that  in  the  summer  of  1863,  Capt. 
Mueller  was  in  Erie  recruiting  another  bat- 
tery. Large  numbers  of  young  men  were 
shipping  in  the  navy.  The  citizens  were  mak- 
ing extraordinary-  exertions  to  avert  another 
draft.  Insurance  companies  against  the  draft 
were  formed  bv  the  score,  and  hundreds  of 
persons  were  putting  in  claims  for  exemption 
to  the  enrolling  officers.  Regiments  were 
passing  through  the  cit}'  as  often  as  two  or 
three  a  week,  on  their  way  home  to  fill  up 
their  ranks.  Not  a  few  liable  to  military 
service  were  slipping  off  to  Canada,  and  an 
occasional  instance  was  reported  of  young 
men  maiming  them.selves  to  secure  exemption. 
The  only  portion  of  the  male  population  who 
felt  really  comfortable  were  the  deformed,  the 
crippled  and  the  over-aged. 

SECOND    DRAFT. 

Early  in  the  year  1863  Congress  passed  an 
act  taking  the  matter  of  conscription  out  of 
the  hands  of  the  States,  rendering  all  persons 
liable  between  the  ages  of  twenty  and  forty- 
five,  except  such  as  were  exempt  from  physi- 
cal causes,  or  other  special  reasons,  and  mak- 
ing each  Congressional  district  a  military 
district,  under  the  supervision  of  a  provost 
marshal,  an  enrolling  commissioner,  and  an 
examining  surgeon,  to  be  appointed  by  the 
President.  To  escape  military  duty  when 
called  upon,  it  \vas  made  necessary  to  prove 
exemption,  furnish  a  substitute,  or  pay  $300. 
Lieut.  Col.  H.  S.  Campbell,  late  of  the  Eighty- 
third  Regiment,  was  named  as  marshal:  Jerome 
Powell,  of  Elk  county,  as  cominissioner  ;  and 
Dr.  John  Macklin,  of  Jefferson  county,  as 
surgeon,  to  act  for  this  Congressional  district. 
Headquarters  were  established  at  Waterford, 
and  a  new  enrollment  was  made  during  the 
months  of  May  and  June.  In  the  prosecution 
of  their  duties,  the  enrolling  officers  met  with 
some  hostility  among  the  laborers  and  me- 
chanics of  the  city,  but  nothing  occurred  of  a 
serious  nature.     The  government  vi'as  now  en- 


listing negroes  into  the  army,  and  bodies  of 
these  troops  passed  through  Erie  frequently. 
The  second  draft  in  numerical  order,  and 
the  first  under  the  United  States  law,  occurred 
at  Waterford  under  the  supervision  of  the 
officers  above  named  on  Monday  and  Tuesday 
the  24th  and  25th  of  August.  The  wheel  stood 
on  a  platform  in  front  of  the  provost  marshal's 
office,  and  the  names  were  drawn  by  a  blind 
man.  An  audience  of  a  thousand  or  more 
surrounded  the  officers,  one  of  whom  took 
each  slip  as  it  came  out  of  the  wheel  and  read 
it  aloud,  so  that  all  present  could  hear.  The 
crowd  was  good  natured  throughout  the  pro- 
ceedings, but  many  a  man  who  assumed  in- 
difference when  his  name  was  drawn  was  at 
heart  sick  and  sore.  The  saddest  features  of 
the  case  did  not  appear  to  the  public;  they 
were  only  known  to  the  parents,  the  wives, 
the  children  and  the  sweethearts  of  the  con- 
scripts. It  is  impossible  now  to  state  the 
number  who  were  drafted,  but  as  the  county 
was  announced  to  be  nearly  1,400  short  of  its 
quota  a  week  or  so  before,  it  is  probable  that 
it  did  not  fall  much  below  that  figure.  The 
price  for  substitutes  ran  up  to  $300,  with  the 
supply  quite  equal  to  the  demand.  On  the  26th 
of  September,  it  was  stated  in  the  newspapers 
that  eightj'-three  of  the  conscripts  had  fur- 
nished substitutes,  245  had  paid  commutation, 
706  had  been  exempted  and  127  had  been 
forwarded  to  camp  at  Pittsburg. 

A    CALL    FOR    MORE    MEN. 

In  October,  1863,  appeared  a  call  from 
President  Lincoln  for  300,(XX)  more  men.  Gov. 
Curtin  announced  Pennsylvania's  quota  to  be 
38,268,  which  he  asked  to  be  made  up  bj- 
volunteering.  A  general  bounty  of  $4t>2  was 
offered  to  veterans  who  should  re-enlist,  and 
$100  less  to  new  recruits.  To  this  sum  the 
countv  added  $300,  and  most  of  the  districts 
$50  to  $100  more. 

During  a  portion  of  the  season,  the  United 
States  steamer  "Michigan"  was  guarding  John- 
son's Island,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  lake, 
where  about  two  thousand  rebel  prisoners 
were  confined,  whom  rumor  accused  of  a 
design  to  escape.  In  the  month  of  November 
reports  became  current  of  a  proposed  rebel  in- 
vasion from  Canada,  Erie  being  named  as  the 
landing  place.  This  was  the  most  startling 
news,  in  a  local  sense,  that  had  yet  arisen  out 
of  the  war,  and  the  citizens  were  correspond- 


2o6 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


ingly  agitated.  While  the  excitement  was  at 
its  height,  000  troops  arrived  from  Pittsburg 
with  a  batterv,  under  the  command  of  Maj. 
Gen.  Brooks.  The  hitter  directed  intrencli- 
ments  to  be  thrown  up  on  the  blockhouse 
bluff,  and  called  upon  the  citizens  to  lend  him 
their  assistance.  Something  like  one  thousand 
obeyed  his  summons,  with  picks  and  shovels, 
on  the  first  day,  but  the  workers  dwindled 
woefully  in  number  on  the  second  day.  The 
rumor  proved  to  be  false,  the  work  was  aban- 
doned, and  the  troops  left  for  the  South  in  a 
few  days,  with  the  exception  of  the  battery. 
The  encouragement  given  by  the  large 
bounties  did  much  to  promote  volunteering. 
Erie  county's  quota  of  the  new  call  was  673, 
which  it  was  determined  by  the  public  should 
be  made  up  without  a  draft.  To  the  joy  of  all, 
when  the  day  for  the  draft  arrived,  Erie 
countv  escaped,  her  proportion  having  been 
raised. 

RECKIMTI\<;     .\CTIVE. 

On  the  14th  of  January,  1864,  the  members 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eleventh  Regiment 
came  home  to  reciuit  their  ranks.  They  were 
given  a  grand  reception  at  tiie  depot,  and  treat- 
ed by  the  ladies  to  a  sumptuous  repast.  The  regi- 
ment went  into  camp  on  the  fair  grounds,  and 
remained  until  Februarv  25,  when  they  left  for 
the  seat  of  war  with  ranks  nearl\'  full.  A 
good  many  members  of  the  Eighty-third  Reg- 
iment, whose  term  had  expired,  also  came 
home  in  January,  and  were  received  with  the 
cordiality  their  bravery  entitled  them  to. 
.Seventy-five  more  arriv^jd  on  the  4th  of 
March. 

Among  the  features  at  the  beginning  of 
1864.  it  is  to  be  noted  that  two  recruiting 
officers  for  the  regular  armv  were  busy  at 
work  in  the  city.  The  national  currency  had 
supplanted  all  other  paper  circulation,  and, 
being  issued  in  vast  amounts,  had  inflated 
prices  to  twice  and  thrice  their  normal  stand- 
ard. A  remarkable  speculation  had  com- 
menced in  real  estate.  Sixty  persons  had  re- 
centlv  enlisted  from  Erie  in  the  navy,  and 
hosts  of  others  were  thinking  of  doing  the 
same  in  preference  to  entering  the  army. 
Several  squads  of  negro  soldiers  passed  through 
Erie  from  Waterford,  where  they  had  been 
accepted  to  apply  on  the  quota  of  the  county. 
Five  or  six  criminals  were  released  from  prison 
by  the  Court  at   the  May  session   on  condition 


tiiat  they  must  join  the  army.  It  was  a  com- 
mon practice  of  the  day  for  the  Courts  to  per- 
mit prisoners  indicted  for  minor  ofi'enses  to  go 
without  sentence  if  they  volunteered  to  fight 
for  the  Union. 

FI\'E   HUNDRED  THOUSAND  MORE. 

The  call  of  the  President,  in  July,  1864, 
for  500.0(K)  more  men,  was  succeeded  by  the 
usual  periodical  endeavor  to  avoid  the  draft, 
which  had  become  the  all-exciting  topic  of 
discussion.  At  a  meeting  in  Erie,  .$20,000 
were  subscribed  to  offer  extra  inducements  to 
volunteers,  besides  the  United  States,  county 
and  district  bounties.  The  quota  of  the 
county  was  stated  to  be  1,289,  and  of  this,  the 
city's  proportion  was  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty.  Provost  Marshal  Campbell,  in  pursu- 
ance of  instruction,  gave  notice  that  negroes 
would  be  taken  as  substitutes.  This  hint  was 
eagerly  accepted,  and  Asa  Battles,  John  W. 
Halderman  and  Richard  M.  Broas  w-ere 
deputed  to  go  to  the  Southwest  and  pick  up 
recruits  to  apply  on  the  quota  of  Erie  county. 
Meanwhile  Ensign  Bone  had  opened  an  office 
in  the  city,  where  he  was  shipping  men  by  the 
hundreds  for  the  navy.  About  a  thousand 
entered  the  service  through  that  channel,  re- 
ceiving an  average  bounty  of  $400.  The 
price  of  substitutes  had  increased  to  $550, 
$600  and  $700. 

President  Lincoln  was  re-elected  in  No- 
vember, 1804,  after  a  contest  which  has  never 
been  surpassed  in  the  hatred  it  engendered, 
and  the  vigor  with  which  it  was  fought  on 
both  sides.  Every  speaker  who  could  be 
mustered  was  forced  upon  the  stump,  and 
there  was  scarcely  a  cross-roads  that  did  not 
have  its  mass  meetings,  pole  raisings  and 
political  clubs.  The  great  processions  of  the 
two  parties  in  Erie  during  that  campaign  were 
the  events  of  a  life-time  to  many  of  the  par- 
ticipants. Notwithstanding  the  heated  can- 
vas, the  election  passed  off  without  a  disturb- 
ance, and  tlie  defeated  party  acquiesced  in 
the  result  with  the  calmness  of  a  martyr. 

THREE  HUNDRED  THOUS.\ND   MORE  CALLED 
FOR  AND  ANOTHER  DRAFT. 

The  call  for  800,000  more  men  in  January, 
1805,  led  the  Councils  of  Erie  to  increase  their 
offer  of  a  bounty  to  $150,  which  was  ulti- 
mately increased  to  $400.  A  draft  took  place 
at    Ridgway,    where    the    Provost     Marshal's 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTr. 


207 


office  had  been  moved  from  Waterford,  on  the 
6th  of  March,  in  which  2,010  names  were 
drawn  from  Erie  county.  The  only  district 
that  did  not  have  to  contribute  was  Girard 
borough.  The  names  of  the  conscripts  were 
telegraphed  to  Erie  and  read  to  the  anxious 
thousands  in  waiting,  from  a  window  of  the 
Daily  Dispatch  office,  in  ^\'right's  block,  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  State  and  Fifth  streets. 
Occasionally  a  sound  of  forced  laughter 
would  be  heard  as  some  excitable  person's 
name  was  announced,  but  the  general  bearing 
of  the  crowd  was  solemn  and  painful.  Hun- 
dreds of  women  were  in  the  crowd,  and  their 
distress  upon  learning  of  the  conscription  of 
some  father,  husband  or  brother  was  most 
pitiful.  The  people  were  at  last  face  to  face 
with  war's  sternest  and  crudest  realities.  The 
Legislature  had  passed  an  act  authorizing  any 
district  to  pay  a  bounty  of  $400,  and  large 
sums  were  now  offered  for  volunteers  and 
substitutes.  The  price  of  the  latter  at  one 
period  rose  to  .|1,500,  but  got  down  finally 
to  an  average  of  between  .tSOO  and  $900.  Of 
the  drafted  men.  a  good  portion  entered  the 
service  and  were  mostly  assigned  to  guard 
duty  in  the  forts  at  and  near  Washidgton. 
The  majority  of  them  were  back  bv  the  last 
of  June. 

CLOSE  or   THE    W.\R.  '•■ 

On  Sunday,  April  9,  came  the  glad  news 
of  the  surrender  of  Lee,  at  Appomattox,  which 
was  everywhere  hailed  as  the  virtual  end  of 
the  war.  The  demonstration  in  Erie  over  the 
event  was  the  most  joyful  and  impressive  in 
the  city's  history.  Cannons  were  fired,  bells 
were  rung,  flags  were  thrown  to  the  breeze, 
and  the  whole  population  shouted  themselves 
hoarse  for  the  Union  and  its  gallant  soldiers. 
The  illumination  in  the  evening  made  the 
streets  almost  as  bright  as  the  noonday  sun. 
The  universal  gladness  was  quickly  changed 
to  profound  sorrow  by  the  assassination  of 
President  Lincoln  on  that  dreadful  Friday, 
the  12th  of  April.  Emblems  of  mourning 
instantly  took  the  place  of  the  tokens  of 
victory,  and  everv  warehouse,  shop  and  busi- 
ness establishment  was  closed  on  Saturday,  j 
The  special  train  bearing  the  martyred  Presi- 
dent's remains  to  .Springfield  passed  through 
the  city  on  the  27th  of  April.  Thousands  of 
people  gathered  at  the  depot  to  pay  their  last 
tribute  of  respect  to  the  honored  dead. 


OFFICERS     FROM     ERIE     COUNTY,    OUTSIDE    OF 
THE    ERIE    REGIMENTS. 

Here  ends  the  story  of  the  war,  so  far  as 
relates  to  its  general  features  in  Erie  county. 
A  sketch  in  detail  of  the  several  regiments  is 
given  later  on,  to  which  all  are  referred  who 
wish  to  know  more  of  their  historv.  The  fol- 
lowing is  a  partial  list  of  officers  from  Erie 
county  who  took  part  in  the  contest,  aside 
from  those  already  named  or  in  the  regular 
regimental  organizations  : 

United  States  Navy. — Regular  officers,  R. 
B.  Lowry,  Thomas  H.  Stevens,  R.  X.  Spotts, 
James  E.  Jouett,  James  W.  Shirk,  Leonard 
Paulding,  D.  Lanman,  Napoleon  Collins. 

Chief  Engineer — William    H.  Rutherford. 

Surgeon — W.  Maxwell  Wood. 

Assistant  Paymasters — J.  P.  Loomis,  Wal- 
ter W.  Chester,  George  A.  Lyon. 

Volunteer  Service. —  Masters  —  John  H. 
Welsh,  M.  J.  Cronen,  James   C.  Marshall,  Jr. 

Ensigns — A.  J.  Louch,  M.  E.  Flannigan, 
Patrick  Donnelly,  William  .Slocum,  James 
Hunter,  George  W.  Bone,  Feli.x  McCann, 
Philip  Englehart,  James  S.  Roberts,  C.  M. 
Bragg,  John  Dunlap,  Frank  Oliver,  James 
Downs,  J.  M.  Reed,  John  Sullivan,  Xorman 
McCloud,  Warren  Burch,  —  Reed.  —  Reed, 
Patrick  Murphy,  Braxton  Bragg. 

Engineers  —  Patrick  Maloney,  Robert 
Riley,  William  Bass,  Bennett  Jones,  P.  H. 
Fales,  Jonas  Slocum.  William  Moran,  John 
Miles,  George  Odell. 

Gunners — John  Murray,  William  Barton. 
Thomas  Carpenter. 

Carpenters — J.  G.  Thomas,  John  O.  Baker. 

Masters'  Mates — Patrick  Sullivan,  Horace 
Sprague,  Robert  Roberts,  Thomas  J.  Dunlap, 
William  Marsh,  Henry  C.  Warren,  William 
E.  Leonard,  Jesse  M.  Rutherford,  Joseph  K. 
Kelso,   James   Cummins,   Henr^-  Van  \'elsor. 

Revenue  Service. — Douglass  Ottinger. 

United  States  Arinv. — Regular  officers — 
Gen.  Reno,  H.  B.  Fleming.  Josiah  Kellogg, 
W.  W.  Lyon. 

Paymasters — A.  McDowell   Lyon. 

Quartermaster — E.   C.  Wilson. 

Vohtntecr  Service. — A.  F.  Swan,  16th  Pa. 
Cav.  ;  Lockwood  Caughey,  ICth  Pa.  Cav. ; 
William  H.  McAllister,  I2'th  Pa.  Cav.  :  T.  J. 
Hoskinson,  58th  Pa.  Inf. 

Paymasters — Allen  A.  Craig,'_S.  V.  Holli- 


208 


NELSON'S  BIOQBAPHIGAL  DICTIONARY 


day,  Gideon  J-  Ball,  Henrv  C.  Rogers,  John 

W.Walker. 

Qiiartermaster — Robert  C  Caugliey- 
Surgeons — J.     I^-    Stewart,    Thomas     H. 

Stuart. 

State  Agent — S.  Todd  Perley. 

COUNI  V    FIXAXCES  IX  CONNECTIOX    \V  1  1  1 1    rilK 
WAR. 

The  following  are  e.xtracts  from  the  records 
of  the  County  Commissioners  during  and  im- 
mediately following  the  war  : 

18G1 — April  22— The  sum  of  |10,0UU  of 
the  county  funds  set  apart  for  the  support  of 
such  persons  as  shall  enlist  in  support  of  the 
Government. 

18G2 — August  5 — A  bounty  of  $50  voted 
to  each  person  who  will  volunteer  to  make  up 
the  quota  of  oOO  men  required  from  Erie  county 
to  make  up  the  call  of  the  President. 

September  K) — The  quota  being  full  and  a 
large  excess  of  volunteers  in  the  One  Hun- 
dreth  and  Fort3'-fifth  Regiment;  the  resolu- 
tion offering  a  bounty  of  $50  extended  to  all 
who  may  hereafter  form  the  Eighty-third, 
One  Hundred  and  Eleventh  and  One  Hundred 
and  Fortv-fifth  Regiments,  or  Thomas  Len- 
non's  Cavalry  Company,  to  be  credited  to 
Erie  county. 

1868— December  14— A  bounty  of  $300 
voted  to  each  person  who  shall  volunteer  to 
the  credit  of  Erie  county,  so  as  to  avoid  the 
draft  fixed  for  the  5th  of  January,  warrants 
to  be  issued  for  tiie  purpose  drawing  interest, 
redeemable  at  the  will  of  the  Countv  Commis- 
sioners in  county  scrip,  at  par  without  interest. 

1864— February  9— The  bounty  of  $300  ex- 
tended, under  the  same  condition  as  above. 

April  5 — Count)'  script  signed  to  date, 
$190,800. 

March  14 — Rate  of  bounty  tax  tixed  at  20 
mills  on  the  dollar  of  valuation.  Amount 
levied,  $93,652. 

March  22 — The  bounty  of  $30(1  continued 
till  the  quota  of  Erie  countv  is  full  ;  provided, 
that  if  a  local  bounty  is  ofl'ered  by  anv  ward, 
borough  or  township,  the  county  will  only 
pay  so  much  in  addition  as  will  make  the  sum 
of  $300. 

December  15 — The  other  hanks  of  Erie 
having  refused  to  receive  the  countv  script  on 


deposit,  arrangements  made  by  which  it  will 
be  received  by  the  Kevstone  National  Bank 
at  par. 

A  tax  of  $35,000  levied  to  redeem  county 
script. 

1865 — January  i) — Rate  of  county  Ijounty 
tax  tixed  at  3  per  cent  on  the  valuation. 
Amount  levied  $171,867. 

October  2 — Tax  to  the  amount  of  $12,000 
levied  to  pay  interest  on  script  and  bounty 
warrants. 

December  27 — The  rate  of  countv  bounty 
tax  fixed  at  15millson  the  valuation.  Amount 
levied  $88,643. 

1866 — January  2— Burned  $74.«91  of  the 
county  script. 

1867 — January  7 — Burned  $54,532  of  coun- 
ty script. 

April  1 — Burned  $25,000  of  county  scrip. 

187t) — October  4 — Estimate  of  county  ex- 
penses :  To  replace  scrip  burned  by  Auelitors 
for  1869,  $14,800;  to  redeem  county  scrip  yet 
outstanding,  $3,700. 

EFFECT    OF    INFL.\TED    CURREXCV. 

During  the  war  the  government  issued 
large  amounts  of  paper  money,  which  were 
generally  understood  to  be  irredeemable  except 
in  case  of  the  preservation  of  the  Union. 
Starting  at  par,  or  nearly  so,  this  currency  de- 
preciated until  at  one  time  it  was  worth,  in 
golil,  only  forty  cents  on  the  dollar.  The  fol- 
lowing table  ot  retail  prices,  compiled  from 
the  Erie  papers,  shows  how  the  cost  of  living 
advanced  in  consequence  of  the  depreciated 
currency  : 


ARTICLES. 

Jan.  1,  1862. 

Mar.  13,  1864. 

Sept.  14, 1865. 

Flour,  per  barrel 

S5  00£«6  00 

S7  50(5  8  00 

»10  .W.'all  00 

Wheat,  per  bushel 

1  10 

1  40(5  I  60 

I  80('i  2  40 

Corn,  per  bushel 

40 

1  20 

75'<i80 

Rve.  per  bushel 

60 

1  25 

1  00 

Oats,  per  bushel 

30 

75 

50 

Barley,  per  bushel 

40fa50 

1  25 

75(S1  00 

Clover  seed,  per  bushel 
Timothy  seed,  per  bush 
Flax  seed,  per  bushel . 

4  00ia4  2.5 

14  00(8.15  00 

2  00 



600 

87 

366 

1  75 

Potatoes,  per  bushel. .  - 

371, 

60ra75 

40(8  50 

Beans,  per  bushel 

I  25 

2  00(8  2  25 

1  -Mi.n«  00 

Dried  apples,  per  bush. 

1  60 

per  lb,  25(3  30 

2  00 

Butter,  per  pound 

15@16 

30^35 

28(1 30 

Lard,  per  pound 

8@)10 

25&28 

20 

Cheese,  per  pound 

5®  6 

12(gI5 

14(5)16 

Ham,  per  pound 

7@  8 

15(3116 

25(g)28 

Shoulder,  per  pound  . . 

6 

12 

20 

Eggs,  per  dozen 

10®12 

20(3)23 

20@a2 

Hard  wood,  per  cord.. 

2  0002  50 

7  00 

Soft  wood,  per  cord  . . . 

2  00 

400 

xVb-- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


209 


Brief    History    of     the     Erie     County 
Regiments. 

THE    three    months'     REGIMENT. 

This  regiment  was  recruited  under  a  call 
issued  on  the  21st  of  April,  1861,  by  Capt. 
John  W.  McLane.  who  had  served  in  the 
Mexican  war,  and  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
rebellion  was  in  command  of  the  Wayne  Guard 
at  Erie.  Twelve  hundred  men  responded  to 
the  call  in  four  days,  of  whom  ten  companies 
of  seventy-seven  men  each  were  accepted. 
The  regiment  was  mainly  recruited  from  Erie 
and  Crawford  counties.  It  went  into  camp 
on  a  piece  of  vacant  ground  in  Erie  city,  on 
the  east  side  of  Parade  street,  near  the  inter- 
section of  Sixth,  which  was  duly  christened 
Camp  Wayne.  Field  6tficers  were  elected  on 
the  27th  of  April.  The  regiment  proceeded 
by  rail  to  Pittsburg  on  Wednesday.  May  1, 
and  camped  along  the  Allegheny  river  a  short 
distance  above  the  city.  Being  the  first  or- 
ganized regiment  that  had  reached  the  city,  it 
was  received  with  much  curiosity  and  enthu- 
siasm, and  the  people  vied  with  each  other  in 
deeds  of  kindness  to  both  officers  and  men. 
After  six  weeks  spent  in  idleness  at  Camp 
Wilkins,  as  its  first  quarters  were  known,  the 
regiment  was  moved  to  Hulton  Station,  twelve 
miles  further  up  the  Allegheny,  whete  a  gene- 
ral rendezvous  had  been  established  for  the 
troops  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  under  the 
name  of  Camp  Wright.  Here  the  men  re- 
ceived muskets  and  were  carefully  drilled,  but 
labored  under  much  disadvantage  in  target 
practice  for  want  of  suitable  ammunition. 
The  term  of  enlistment  of  the  regiment  expired 
without  its  having  been  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service.  It  returned  to  Erie  on 
the  20th  of  July. 

The    following  were    the    principal  officers 
of  the  regiment  : 

FIELD    AND    STAFF. 

Colonel — John  W.  McLane. 
Lieutenant  Colonel — Henjann'n  Grant. 
Major — M.  Schlaudecker. 
Adjutant — Strong  \'incent. 
Qiiartermaster — S.  B.  Benson. 
Surgeon — J.  L.  Stewart. 

COMPANY    A RECRUITED    .\T    ERIE. 

Captain — T.  M.  Austin. 

First  Lieutenant — A.  McD.  Lyon. 


Second  Lieutenant — Strong  Vincent  (re- 
signed to  take  the  Adjutancy  of  the  regi- 
ment). 

Second  Lieutenant — William  E.  Bates. 

COMPANY     B RECRUITED     AT    ERIE. 

Captain — Hiram  L.  Brown. 
First  Lieutenant — James  F.  Wittich. 
First  Lieutenant — D.  B.  McCreary. 
Second  Lieutenant — John  M.  Clark. 

COMP.\NY    C RECRUITED  AT    ERIE. 

Captain — John  (iraham. 
First  Lieutenant — A.  E.  Yale. 
Second  Lieutenant — C.  P.  Rogers. 

COMPANY  D RECRUITED  AT  CONNEAUTVILLE. 

Captain — J.  L.  Dunn. 

First  Lieutenant — J.  W.  Patton. 

Second  Lieutenant — I.  S.  Krick. 

COMPANY   E RECRUITED   AT   WATERFORO. 

Captain — John  A.  Austin. 

First  Lieutenant — A.  ]SI.  Judson. 

Second  Lieutenant — J.  W.  McKay. 

COMPANY   F RECRUITED   AT  TITUSVILLE. 

Captain — Charles  B.  Morgan. 
First  Lieutenant — James  Farrell. 
Second  Lieutenant — David  P.  Sigler. 

COMPANY   G RECRUITED   AT  GIRARD. 

Captain — D.  W.  Hutchinson. 
First  Lieutenant — J.  Godfrey. 
Second  Lieutenants — C.  A.   Pettibone,  J. 
E.  Pettibone. 

COMPANY    H RECIUITED     .\T   UNION. 

Captain — John  Landsrath. 
First  Lieutenant — John  M.  Sell. 
Second  Lieutenant — W.  W.  Gould. 

COMPANY   I RECRUITED  .\T  ERIE.. 

Captain — Frank  ^Vagner. 

First  Lieutenant — Peter  Liebel. 

Second  Lieutenant — Peter  Schlaudecker. 

CO.MP.XNY    K RECRUITED    AT   ERIE. 

Captain — John  Kilpatrick. 

First  Lieutenant — Thomas  C.  McLane. 

Second  Lieutenant — Edward  Coughlin. 

The  regiment  was  accompanied  by  Mehl's 
Band  during  the  entire  period  of  its  absence. 
This  band  was  organized  and  led  by  M.  W. 
Mehl,  of  Erie. 


2  lO 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


EIGHTV-THIRD  REGIMEXT. 

On  the  return  of  the  tliree  months"  regi- 
ment Col.  McLane  immediately  announced 
his  purpose  of  raising  another  regiment  for 
three  years.  Authority  for  this  purpose  was 
received  on  the  24th  of  July.  1861,  and  in  less 
than  five  weeks  the  full  complement  of  1,000 
men  had  enlisted,  mainly  from  the  counties 
of  Erie,  Crawford,  Warren  and  Forest.  Of 
these,  neai'ly  300  had  been  members  of  the 
three  months'  regiment.  The  rendezvous  was 
on  the  old  fair  grounds  east  of  Erie,  and  the 
regiment  was  mustered  into  the  I'^nited  States 
service  on  the  8th  of  vSeptcmber.  It  left  for 
Wasliington  on  the  KUh  of  September,  ac- 
companied by  MehTs  Band,  where  it  was  as- 
signed to  the  Third  brigade  of  Porter's  divi- 
sion, under  command  of  Gen.  Butterfield. 
The  regiment  soon  attained  to  a  high  reputa- 
tion for  drill  and  soldierly  appearance.  On 
one  occasion  Gen.  McClellan  said  to  Col.  Mc- 
Lane :  "I  congratulate  you  upon  having  one 
of  the  very  best  regiments  in  the  army."  Gen. 
Butterfield  also  congratulated  and  commended 
the  regiment  in  a  general  order. 

The  regiment  remained  in  camp  in  front 
of  Washington  until  the  8th  of  March,  1862, 
when  orders  were  received  for  the  whole  army 
to  move.  It  took  part  in  the  reconnoisbance 
toward  Big  Bethel  and  the  siege  of  Yorktown, 
and  was  prominently  engaged  in  the  battles 
of  Hanover  Court  House,  Gaines'  Mill,  Mal- 
vern Hill  and  most  of  the  desperate  encoun- 
ters along  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Chicka- 
hominv.  At  Gaines'  Mill  on  the  27th  of  June 
Col.  McLane  was  killed.  On  the  11th  of"  Au- 
gust Mehl's  Band,  which  had  been  with  the 
regiment  to  that  date,  was  discharged  by  gen- 
eral order,  and  returned  to  Erie. 

When  the  army  moved  north  the  Eighty- 
third  accompanied  it,  and  participated  in 
Pope's  campaign,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg, 
Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Spottsylvania, 
and,  in  fact,  nearly  every  battle  that  was 
fought  down  to  the  closing  scene  at  Appo- 
mattox. Col.  Vincent,  who  had  succeeded 
Col.  McLane,  and  who  was  at  the  time  in 
command  of  the  brigade,  fell,  mortally 
wounded,  at  Gettj'sburg  on  the  2d  of  July, 
1863.  He  had  been  appointed  a  Brigadier 
General,  but  the  news  of  his  promotion  did 
not  reach  the  regiment  until  after  his  death. 
After    Gettysburg   the   regiment,    which,    had 


been  reduced  by  losses  in  battle  and  sickness 
to  but  200  of  its  original  members,  was  en- 
larged to  the  extent  of  some  400  drafted  men 
and  substitutes,  and  it  received  accessions 
from  time  to  time  sufticient  to  swell  its  total 
roll  to  about  2,600. 

It  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at 
Washington  on  the  28th  of  June,  1865,  and 
formally  disbanded  on  the  4th  of  July  at  Har- 
risburg.  The  members  of  the  regiment  re- 
turned to  their  homes  in  small  bodies,  but 
their  welcome  was  none  the  less  warm  and 
cheering.  In  the  official  history  of  Pennsyl- 
vania volunteers,  published  by  the  Common- 
wealth, it  is  stated  that  the  Eighty-third  Regi- 
ment was  engaged  in  twenty-five  battles, 
"  more  by  two  than  any  other  Pennsylvania 
Infantry  regiment.'"    • 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  principal  officers  of 
the  regiment  : 

FIELD    AND    STAFF. 

Colonels — John  W.  McLane,  Strong  Vin- 
cent,  O.  S.  Woodward,  Chauncey  P.    Rogers. 

Lieutenant  Colonels  —  Strong  Vincent, 
Hugh  S.  Campbell,  Dewitt  C.  McCoy,  Chaun- 
cey P.  Rogers,  William  O.  Colt. 

Majors — Louis  H.  Naghel,  William  H. 
Lamont,  William  O.  Colt,  W.  H.   Dunbar. 

Adjutants— John  M.  Clark,  B.   M.  Frank. 

Quartermasters — James  Saeger,  Daniel  W. 
Clark,  George  M.  Boal. 

Surgeons — William  Faulkner.  E.  P.  Allen, 
J.  P.  Burchfield. 

Assistant  Surgeons — David  E.  Belknap, 
Isaac  Walborn,  Michael  Thompson,  Jonathan 
Wotring,  William  >S.  Stewart,  Jared  Free,  T. 
C.  M.  Stockton. 

Chaplains — Josiah  Flower,  Orson  B.  Clark. 

COMPANY     A RECRUITED    AT    TITUSVILI.E. 

Captains — Charles  B.  Morgan,  David  P. 
Sigler,  David  P.  Jones,  William  O.  Colt,  E. 
L.  Whittelsey. 

First  Lieutenants — David  P.  Sigler,  David 
P.  Tones,  James  M.  Hunter,  Martin  V.  B. 
Gifford,  Wi'lkes  S.   Colt. 

Second  Lieutenants  —  David  P.  Jones, 
James  M.  Hunter,  Wilkes  S.  Colt,  William  H. 
Lamont,  Pierce  Hanrahan,  David    R.  Rogers. 

COMPANY    B RECRUITED    AT    MEADVILLE. 

Captains — John  F.  Morris,  David  A.  Ap- 
ple, Daniel  G.  Saeger,  Israel  Thickstun, 
Andrew  J.  McKee. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUSTY. 


311 


First  Lieutenants — James  Saeger,  Daniel 
G.  Saeger,  Orrin  A.  Hotchkiss,  David  A. 
Apple,  Andrew  J.  McKee,  A.  C.  Montgomery, 
Harrison  Raymond. 

Second  Lieutenants — David  A.  Apple, 
Daniel  G.  Saeger,  Orrin  A.  Hotchkiss,  A.  C. 
Montgomery.  Harrison  Raymond,  Charles  W. 
Smith. 

COMPAXV    C RECRUITED    AT    ERIE. 

Captains — John  Graham,  John  H.  Borden. 

First  Lieutenants — Aaron  E.  Yale,  John 
W.  Vannatta.  Abner  B.  Edson,  Charles  H. 
Hubbell. 

Second  Lieutenants — James  R.  Farrell, 
Bethuel  J.  Gofi",  Joseph  B.  Grimier,  John  W. 
Vannatta,  Samuel  L.  Fluke,  Charles  H.  Hub- 
bell,  Daniel  B.  Foote. 

COMPANY    D RECRUITED    AT    EDINBORO. 

Captains — O.  S.  Woodward,  Chauncey  P. 
Rogers,  John  P.  Kleckner. 

First  Lieutenants — Chauncey  P.  Rogers, 
Isaac  Keck. 

Second  Lieutenants — Plvmpton  A.  White. 
Isaac  Keck,  Abijah  H.  Burnett. 

COMPANY     E RECRUITED    AT     WATERFORD. 

Captains — Hugh  S.  Campbell,  Amos  M. 
Judson,  Benjamin  A.  Smith,  Peter  Grace. 

First  Lieutenants — Amos  M.  Judson,  Will- 
iam O.  Colt.  Peter  Grace.  William  H.  Mc- 
Gill. 

Second  Lieutenants — William  O.  Colt, 
James  H.  Barnett,  Peter  Grace.  ^Villiam  H. 
McGill,  Alex  B.  Langley,  E.  L.  Whittelsey, 
James  C.  Percival. 

COMPANY    F RECRUITED    AT    ME.\DVILLE. 

Captains — Dewitt  C.  McCov,  Thomas  A' 
Stebbins,  C.  V.  Van  Dusen. 

First  Lieutenants— Joe!  Smith,  Thomas 
A.  Stebbins,  C.  V.  Van  Dusen,  John  W. 
Marshall.  Xoble  L.  Terrell. 

Second  Lieutenants — Thomas  A.  Stebbins, 
John  W.  Marshall,  Augustus  McGill,  William 
J.  Gleason,  John  P.  Kleckner,  William  L. 
Bennett. 

CO.MP.VNY    G RECRUITED    AT    TIONESTA. 

Captains — Daniel  S.  Knox,  George  Sto\ve, 
Moses  G.  Corey. 

First  Lieutenants — George  Stowe,  Moses 
G.  Corey,  Thomas  ^'an  Giesen, 


Second  Lieutenants — Daniel  W.  Clark, 
John  Herr'.ngton,  Moses  G.  Corey,  Thomas  J. 
Van  Giesen,  Benjamin  A.  Smith. 

A  new  company  G,  recruited  in  Allegheny 
county,  was  assigned  to  the  regiment  in  March, 
1865." 

COMPANY  H — RECRUITED  AT  CONNE  A  UTVILLE. 

Captains — P.  B.  Carpenter.  Israel  Thicks- 
stun. 

First  Lieutenants — John  E.  Wilson,  Israel 
Thickstun,  Roswell  B.  Hynes. 

Second  Lieutenants — Israel  Thickstun, 
James  W.  Foster,  Oliver  L.  Hall,  Andrew  J. 
McKee. 

A  new  company  H,  recruited  at  Pittsburg, 
was  assigned  to  the  regiment    in  March.  18(35. 

CO.MPAXV     I RECRUITED    AT     ERIE. 

Captains — Hiram  L.  Brown,  John  M.  Sell, 
John  H.  Borden. 

First  Lieutenants — John  M.  Sell.  John  H. 
Borden,  Frederick  C.  Wittich. 

Second  Lieutenants — John  M.  Clark, 
Frederick  C.  Wittich,  William  J.  Wittich, 
Abner  B.  Edson. 

A  new  company  I,  recruited  at  Harrisburg 
and  Reading,  was  assigned  to  the  regiment  in 
March,  1865. 

COMPANY    K RECRUITED   AT   ERIE. 

Captains  —  Thomas  M.  Austin.  John 
Hechtman. 

First  Lieutenants — William  E.  Bates,  John 
Hechtman,  Henrv  Austin. 

Second  Lieutenants — Edmund  W,  Reed. 
Henry  Austin,  Noble  L.Terrell. 

A  new  company  K,  recruited  in  Dauphin 
countv,  was  assigned  to  the  regiment  in  March, 
1865." 


ONE   HUNDRED    .\ND   ELEVENTH   REGIMENT. 

While  the  Eighty-third  regiment  was  or- 
ganizing, application  was  made  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  by  Matthias  Schlaudecker,  of 
Erie,  who  had  served  as  Major  of  the  three 
months"  regiment,  for  authority  to  recruit  a 
new  infantry  regiment  for  the  three  j'ears" 
service.  His  request  was  granted  on  the  2d 
of  September,  1861,  a  rendezvous  was  at  once 
established  at  the  old  fair  ground,  and  on  the 
24th  of  Januar)-,  18G2,  the  ranks  being  full,  a 
regimental    organization    was    effected.     The 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


regiment  left  for  Ilarrisburg  on  the  25tli,  by 
way  of  Cleveland  and  Pittsburg,  reaching  the 
State  capital  on  the  27tli.  There  it  was  fur- 
nished with  colors,  arms  and  equipments,  and 
on  the  1st  of  March  proceeded   to   Baltimore. 

Its  first  serious  engagement  was  on  the  9th 
of  August,  at  Cedar  Mountain,  where  it  lost 
nineteen  killed,  sixty-one  wounded  and  thir- 
teen missing.  From  that  time  to  the  24th  of 
September,  1863,  when  the  regiment  was 
transferred  to  Tennessee,  it  was  constantly 
connected  with  the  iVrmj-  of  the  Potomac,  and 
participated  in  nearly  all  of  the  battles  in  Vir- 
ginia and  Maryland,  including  Antietam, 
Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg.  While  sta- 
tioned at  Acquia  Creek  it  was  one  of  fifteen 
regiments  specially  commended  bj'  General 
Hooker  in  his  general  order  of  March  3.  Col. 
Schlaudecker  was  honorably  discharged  in 
November,  1862,  and  the  other  tiell  officers 
were  dulj'  promoted. 

The  regiment  joined  Rosecrans'  army  at 
Murfreesboro  on  the  6th  of  October,  1868,  and 
took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  movement  upon 
Lookout  jSJountain.  In  December,  most  of 
its  members  enlisted  for  a  second  term,  and 
were  given  a  furlough  to  come  home,  arriving 
at  Erie  the  14th  of  January,  1864.  On  return- 
ing to  the  scene  of  war  in  the  Southwest,  the 
regiment  took  part  in  the  march  upon  Atlanta, 
being  ore  of  the  first  to  enter  that  city.  Dur- 
ing the  severe  fighting  before  the  capture  of 
Atlanta.  Col.  Cobham  was  shot,  and  died  on 
the  field  of  battle.  The  regiment  performed 
provost  duty  in  Atlanta  some  two  months, 
when  it  joined  the  main  body  of  the  army  in 
Sherman's  famous  "  march  to  the  sea."  At 
Goldsboro,  X.  C. ,  the  One  Hundred  and 
Ninth  and  One  Hundred  and  Eleventh  regi- 
ments, which  had  served  side  by  side  since 
1862,  were  consolidated,  with  885  members, 
retaining  the  latter  title.  It  was  mustered  out 
of  service  at  Washington  on  the  19th  of  Ti>l.V» 
1865,  and  the  Northwestern  Pennsylvania  por- 
tion of  the  regiment  reached  Erie  on  the  27th 
of  the  same  month,  where,  after  a  grand  re- 
ception, the  gallant  veterans  quietly  separated 
for  their  respective  homes.  Below  is  a  list  of 
the  principal  officers  of  the  regiment  : 

FIELD  AND    STAFF. 

Colonels  —  M.  Schlaudecker,  George  A. 
Cobham,  Thomas  M.  Walker. 


Lieutenant  Colonels — George  A.  Cobham. 
Thomas  M.  Walker,  Frank  J-  Osgood. 

Majors — Thomas  M.  Wafker,  Frank  J.  Os- 
good, John  A.  Boyle. 

Adjutants  —  John  A.  Boyle,  James  NL 
Wells,  Hiram  L.  Blodgett.  John  R.  Boyle, 
Albert  G.  Lucas. 

Qiiartermasters  —  Alexander  Thompson. 
William  vSaeger,  Noah  W.  Lowell. 

.Surgeons — Wallace  B.  Stewart,  George  P. 
Oliver,  James  L.  Dunn,  D.  H.  Strickland. 

Assistant  Surgeons  —  John  Nicholson, 
James  Stokes,  Henrv  F.  Conrad,  Josepii  F. 
Ake,  G.  M.  Bradfield,"D.  H.  Strickland. 

Chaplains — Loren  D.  Williams,  John  R. 
Hamilton. 

COMPANY     A. 

Captains — Josiah  Brown,  John  D.  Bentley, 
Martellus  H.  Todd,  George  Selkregg. 

First  Lieutenants — John  D.  Bentley,  Mar- 
tellus H.  Todd,  Nelson  E.  Ames,  Joseph 
Warford. 

Second  Lieutenants — M.  II.  Todd,  N.  E. 
Ames,  Cyrus  A.  Hayes. 

COMPANY    B. 

Captains — Arthur  Corrigan,  \V.  P.  Lang- 
worthy,  Wallace  B.  Warner,  William  Geary, 
John  J.  Haight. 

First  Lieutenants — W.  P.  Langworthy, 
Wallace  B.  Warner,  John  J.  Haight. 

Second  Lieutenants — Wallace  B.  Warner, 
John  J.  Haight,  Marvin  D.  Pettit. 

COMPANY  C. 

Captains — Richard  Cross,  O.H.  P.  Fergu- 
son. 

First  Lieutenants — O.  H.  P.  Ferguson, 
Hiram  L.  Blodgett,  William  C.  Hay,  John 
McFarl  ind. 

vSecond  Lieutenants — Hiram  L.  Blodgett, 
William  C.  Hay,  Philetus  D.  Fowler. 

CO.MPANV     D. 

Captains — Elias  M.  Pierce,  William  J. 
Alexander,  H.  R.  Sturdevant. 

First  Lieutenants — William  J.  Alexander, 
j  H.  R.  Sturdevant,  Nelson  Spencer,  C.  W. 
Culbertson. 

Second  Lieutenants — H.  R.  Sturdevant, 
Nelson  Spencer,  Warren  M.  Foster. 

COMPANY    E. 

Captains — Samuel  M.  Davis,  Peter  S.  Ban- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


213 


croft,  Francis  A.  Guthrie,  William  L.  Patter- 
son. 

First  Lieutenants — Leander  W.  Kimball, 
F.  A.  Guthrie,  W.  L.  Patterson,  Jesse  Moore. 

Second  Lieutenants — W.  L.  Patterson, 
Jesse  Moore,  Hiram  Bissell. 

COMPANY     F. 

Captains — John  Braden,  James  M.  Wells. 

First  Lieutenants — James  M.  Wells,  C. 
M.  Kingsbury,  Andrew  W.  Tracy. 

Second  Lieutenants — C.  W.  Kingsbury, 
George  Selkregg,  John  L.  Wells. 

CO.MPAXV    G. 

Captains — William  A.  Thomas,  Frederick 
L.  Gimber. 

First  Lieutenants — Christian  Sexaur,  Will- 
iam Mathers. 

Second  Lieutenants — Joseph  Cronenber- 
ger,  Valentine  Hitchcock.  Albert  X.  Kinney. 

COMP.\NY     H. 

Captains — J.  P.  Schlaudecker,  Hiram  L. 
Blodgett,  WilHam  C.  Hay. 

First  Lieutenants — George  J.  Whitnev, 
John  R.  Boyle,  William  P.  Gould. 

Second  Lieutenants — Samuel  S.  Bloom, 
John  R.  Boyle. 

COMPANY    I. 

Captains — Frank  Wagner,  Chas.  Woeltge, 
Moses  Veale. 

First  Lieutenants — Charles  Woeltge,  John 
C.  Teel,  Henry  Dieffenbach,  William'  W. 
Griffing. 

Second  Lieutenants  —  L^.  Schlaudecker, 
William  Saeger,  Henry  Dieffenbach. 

COMPANY     K. 

Captains — Jonas  J.  Pierce,  Frank  J.  Os- 
good, Plympton  A.  ^lead.^ 

First  Lieutenants — F.  J.  Osgood,  P.  A. 
Mead,  Albert  E.  Black,  George  W.  Clark. 

Second  Lieutenants — George  W.  Smith, 
P.  A.  Mead,  A,  E.  Black,  George   W.  Clark. 


OXE   HUNDRED   AND     FORTY-FIFTH    REGIMENT. 

A  fourth  regiment,  which  received  the 
title  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth,  was 
recruited  during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1862, 
having  its  rendezvous  at  the  same  camp  which 


had  been  used  by  the  Eighty-third  and  One 
Hundred  and  Eleventh  regiments.  The  date 
of  its  organization,  September  5,  1862,  was 
one  of  the  most  critical  in  the  history  of  the 
war.  The  regiment  was  accordingly  hurried 
forward  without  arms  and  with  little  training 
I  in  military  duty.  Leaving  Erie  on  the  11th 
!  of  September,  it  reached  Chambersburg  by 
way  of  Buffalo  and  Elmira  within  thirty-si.x 
hours,  was  there  furnished  with  arms,  and  in 
two  days  more  was  within  sound  of  the 
enemy's  guns  at  Antietam.  About  noon  on 
the  17th  the  regiment  joined  the  extreme 
1  right  of  the  Union  line,  and  rendered  good 
'  service  in  preventing  a  flank  movement  of  the 
enemy.  After  the  battle  it  was  one  of  the 
detail  to  bury  the  dead,  some  of  whom  had 
lain  upon  the  field  of  battle  four  days.  The 
exposure  to  which  the  regiment  had  been 
thus  suddenly  subjected  told  with  serious 
effect  upon  many  of  the  men,  so  that  between 
2(>0  and  30<)  were  disqualified  for  duty  within 
a  month  after  it  was  ordered  to  the  front. 
Quite  a  number  died  or  were  permanently 
disabled.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the 
First  Brigade,  First  Division,  of  the  Second 
Corps. 

On  the  13th  of  December  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Forty-fifth  took  part  in  the  terrible 
]  charge  at  Fredericksburg,  under  the  lead  of 
I  Gen.  Hancock.  The  division  to  which  it  be- 
longed was  composed  of  o,0(-X)  men,  2.(X)0  of 
whom  fell  in  that  single  charge.  Of  the  556 
members  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth 
who  crossed  the  river,  226  were  either  killed 
or  wounded.  At  Chancellorsville  a  detail  of 
150  men  from  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
fifth  was  ordered  to  the  relief  of  the  skirmish 
line,  and,  after  some  hard  fighting,  failing  to 
receive  the  command  to  retire,  were  mostly 
captured.  The  regiment  entered  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg  200  strong,  and  lost  upward  of 
eight}-  in  killed  and  wounded.  Returning  to 
\'irginia,  it  participated  in  nearly  all  of  the 
marches  and  engagements  of  the  L'nion  army 
until  the  winter  of  1868  brought  the  cam- 
paign to  a  close. 
i  The  renewal  of  operations  in  May,  1864, 

I  found  the  regiment  recruited  almost  to  its 
original  strength.  From  this  date  the  history 
of  the  Army  of  Virginia,  with  its  never-ceas- 
ing marches  and  well-nigh  daily  battles,  is 
equally  the  history  of  the  regiment.  In  the 
charge   in  front   of   Petersburg,  the  regiment 


214 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


had  about  fifty  killed  and  wounded,  and  some 
ninety  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The 
remainder  of  the  men  were  almost  constantly 
under  fire  during  the  balance  of  the  season. 
In  the  spring  campaign  of  1865  the  regiment 
did  good  service  with  Sheridan. 

It  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  on  the 
Blst  of  May,  and  returned  to  Erie  on  the  5th 
of  June,  where  it  was  welcomed  with  the 
honors  it  so  richly  deserved. 

Below  is  a  list   of  the  principal  officers  : 

FIELD    AND  ST.\rF. 

Colonels — Hiram  L.  Brown,  David  B. 
McCreary. 

Lieutenant  Colonels — David  B.  McCreary, 
Charles  M.  Lynch. 

Majors — John  W.  Patton,  John  W.  Rey- 
nolds, Charles  M.  Lynch,  John  D.  Black. 

Adjutants — James  C.  Hart,  John  D.  Black. 

Q.uartermasters — -James  G.  Payne,  D.  W. 
Winchester. 

Surgeon — George  L.  Potter. 

Assistant  Surgeons — Simon  V.  Pilgrim, 
J.  S.  Whilldin,  Daniel  W.  Richards,  I.  X. 
Taylor. 

Chaplain — J.  H.  \V.  Stuckenberg. 

COMPANY     A RECRUITED      IN      ERIE     COUNTY. 

Captains — John  W.  Reynolds,  Frs  J.  De 
Schryver,  Horace  McCray. 

First  Lieutenants — James  C.  Hart,  Fletch- 
er Clay,  Daniel  Long,  Frs  J.  De  Schryver, 
Horace  McCray,  Elias  Brockway. 

Second  Lieutenants — Frs  J.  De  .Schryver, 
Daniel  Long,  Horace  McCray,  Elias  Brock- 
wav,  William  F.  Brockway. 

COMPANY      n RECRUITED  IN      ERIK     COUNTY. 

Captains — Moses  W.  Oliver,  John  H.  Col- 
lom,  Marlton  O.  Way. 

First  Lieutenants — William  II.  (irant. 
John  H.  Collom.  M.  O.  Way. 

Second  Lieutenants — Joseph  A.  Moray, 
John  H.  Collom,  M.  O.  Way,  S.  M.  Burchfield. 

COMPANY      C RECRUITED      IN    ERIE      COUNTY. 

Captains — Dyer  Loomis,  George  T.  Jewett, 
Melvin  H.  Bemis. 

First  Lieutenants — Ezra  A.  Parker,  George 
T.  Jewett,  M.  H.  Bemis. 

Second  Lieutenants — George  T.  K'wett, 
M.  H.  Bemis,  A.  H.  Rathbone,  John  M. 
Fargo. 


COMPANY  D RECRUITED      IN     ERIE      COUNTY. 

Captains — David  B.  McCreary,  Charles 
M.  Lynch,  Clayton  W.  Lytle. 

First  Lieutenant.* — John  II.  Hubbard, 
Horatio  F.  Lewis,  C.  W.  Lytle,  Thomas  C. 
Lee. 

Second  Lieutenants — Charles  H.  Riblet, 
C.  W.  Lytle,  Thomas  C.  Lee,  John  C.  Mcin- 
tosh. 

COMPANY  F RECRUITED    IN  WARREN  COUNTY. 

Captain — Kimball  H.  Stiles. 

First  Lieutenants — Richard  Magill,  Jere- 
miah Birtcil. 

.Second  Lieutenants — Stephen  H.  Evans, 
Jeremiah  Birtcil,  Louis   B.  Carlile. 

COMPANY    c; RECRUITED    IN  MERCER  COUNTY. 

Captains — William  W.  W.  Wood.  Thomas 

F.  McCreary,  George  F.  C.  Smart. 

First  Lieutenants — T.  F.  McCreary,  G.  F. 
C.  Smart,  Joseph   L.   Linn. 

Second   Lieutenants — John    W.    Vincent, 

G.  F.  C.  Smart,    Jo.seph   L.  Linn.    Robert  C. 
McClure,  Stephen  A.  Osborne. 


COMPANY 


-RECRUITED        IN 
COUNTY. 


CRAWFORD 


Captains — Andrew  J.  Mason,  J.  Boyd 
Espy,  Peter  W.  Free. 

First  Lieutenants — J.  Boyd  Espy,  Hugh 
R.  Stewart,  Peter  W.  Free.  William  S. 
Trimble. 

.Second  Lieutenants — H.  R.  Stewart,  P. 
W.  Free. 

COMPANY  I RECRUITED  IX  ERIE  COUNTY. 

Captains — Washington  Brown,  George  (j. 
Griswold,  James  B.  Hamlin. 

First  Lieutenants — George  G.  Griswold, 
James  B.  Hamlin,  Edwin  W.  Sampson, 
George  A.  Evans.     ^ 

Second  Lieutenants — James  B.  Hamlin, 
George  A.  Evans. 

'    COMPANY       K RECRUITED      IN    ERIE      COUNTY. 

Captains— John  W.  Walker,  John  C.  Hil- 
ton, C.  W.  Deveieatrs,  Samuel  V.  Dean. 

First  Lieutenants — James  F.  Wittich,  John 
C.  Hilton,  C.  W.  Devereaux,  Samuel  C. 
Snell,  George  W.  Young. 

Second  Lieutenants — C.  ^^■.  Devereau.x, 
R.  M.  Brown,  Samuel  \ .  Dean,  .Samuel  C. 
Snell. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


215 


TWELFTH    CAVALRY     REGIMENT. 

A  company  was  enlisted  at  Union  for  the 
cavalry  service,  which  became  a  part  of  the 
Twelfth  Cavalry  regiment.  It  did  good  serv- 
ice from  early  in  1862  to  the  20th  of  July, 
1865,  when  it  was  mustered  out.  The  follow- 
ing were  the  several  officers   of  the  company  : 

Captains — Geo.  H.  Russell,  Elmer  F. 
Jennings,  Wm.  H.  McAllister,  O.  13.  Tour- 
tellot. 


First  Lieutenants — Melvin  H.  Fenno, 
Henry  A.  Drake. 

Second  Lieutenant — Bela  P.  Scoville. 

Sergeants — C.  S.  McCullough,  John 
White,  H.  S.  Logan,  Newton  B.  Parker, 
Wm.  H.  Keasey,  Perry  Smiley. 

Capt.  McAllister  was  promoted  to  be 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  Mav  18,  1865.  The  regi- 
ment has  held  an  annual  re-union  since  1890, 
the  last  one  at  Union  City,  August   13,  1895. 


CHAPTBR    XXVII. 


Record  of  Political  Events  from   1798  to  1895  Inclusive. 


17S8  to  1800— In  1788  and  1792,  Allegheny 
county,  which  embraced  Erie  county  until 
1800,  gave  a  unanimous  vote  for  George 
Washington  for  President,  who  was  elect- 
ed without  opposition.  John  Adams  was 
chosen  Vice  President. 

In  1790  Thomas  Mifflin  was  elected  the 
first  Governor  of  the  State  under  the  Consti- 
tutional system. 

In  1796,  the  Jeflerson  electors  received  392 
votes,  and  the  Adams  electors  seventy-seven  in 
Allegheny  county.  The  State  cast  one  elec- 
toral vote  for  Adams,  fourteen  for  Jefferson . 
two  for  Thomas  Pickering,  and  thirteen  for 
Aaron  Burr.  Adams  was  elected  President 
and  Jefferson  Vice  President. 

The  vote  of  the  commonwealth  within  the 
above  period  was  for  Governor  :  1790 — 
Thomas  Mifflin,  Democrat,  27,725;  Arthur 
St.  Clair,  Federal,  2,802.  1793— Thomas 
Mifflin,  Democrat,  18,590  ;  F.A.Muhlenberg, 
Federal,  10,706.  1796— Thomas  Mifflin, 
Democrat,  30,020;  F.A.Muhlenberg,  Fede- 
ral, 1,011.  1799 — Thomas  McKean,  Demo- 
crat, S8,03();   James  Ross,  Federal,  32,641. 

Allegheny  county  voted  eacii  time  for  the 
successful  candidate. 

The  first  election  of  which  there  is  a  record 
in  Erie  countv  occurred  at  Erie  in  October, 
1798. 


April  8,  1799,  six  election  districts  were 
created  in  the  township  of  Erie — one  to  hold 
elections  in  the  town  of  Erie  ;  one  at  the  house 
of  Timothy  Tuttle,  in  North  East ;  one  at  the 
house  of  John  McGonigle,  at  or  near  Edin- 
boro  ;  one  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Hamilton, 
in  Lexington,  Conneaut  township  ;  one  at  the 
house  of  Daniel  Henderson,  in  Waterford  ; 
one  at  the  house  of  William  Miles,  in  Concord 
township. 

JEFFERSON    ELECTED. 

1800 — The  State  cast  eight  electoral  votes 
for  Jefferson,  eight  for  Burr,  seven  for  Adams, 
and  seven  for  C.  C.  Pinckney.  Jeflerson  was 
chosen  President  and  Burr  Vice  President. 
This  section  of  the  State  gave  a  majority  for 
Jefferson  and  Burr. 

Albert  Gallatin  was  elected  to  Congress 
from  the  Western  District  of  the  State,  em- 
bracing Erie  county,  (jal latin  was  appointed 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  by  President  Jeffer- 
son in  1801,  and  resigned  his  seat  in  Con- 
gress. 

The  candidates  for  other  positions  received 
the  following  votes  : 

State  Senator — John  Hamilton,  Wasiiing- 
ton  county,  2,(X)2  ;  John  Hoge,  Washington, 
847.     The    district    comprised    the  whole    of 


2l6 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Western  Pennsylvania  north  of  Virginia  and 
west  of  the  Allegheny  river. 

Samuel  Ewalt,  of  Allegheny  county,  was 
chosen  to  the  Assembl)-. 

ISOl — William  Hoge,  Washington  county, 
was  elected  to  till  the  vacancy  in  Congress 
caused   by  the   resignation  of  Albert  Gallatin. 

William  McArthur,  of  Meadville,  was 
elected  to  represent  Erie,  Mercer,  Crawford 
Venango  and  Warren  counties  in  the  Senate. 
This  Senatorial  District  continued  until  183(). 

Alexander  Buchanan,  of  Crawford  county, 
was  sent  to  the  Assembly. 

1802 — For  Governor,  Erie,  Crawford, 
Mercer,  Venango  and  Warren  counties  still 
voting  together,  cast  1,835  votes  for  Thomas 
McKean,  the  Democratic,  and  187  for  James 
Ross,  the  Federal  candidate.  The  vote  of  the 
State  was  as  follows:  Thomas  McKean, 
Democrat,  38,036;  James  Ross.  Federal, 
32,641. 

John  B.  C.  Lucas,  of  Beaver  county,  was 
elected  to  Congress. 

John  Lytle,  J'"-,  of  Erie  county,  was  elected 
to  the  Assembly 

ERIE    COUNTY    VOTES   "SE1'.\R.\ TELV . 

1S03 — This  year  Erie  county  voted  sep- 
arately for  county  ofKcers  for  the  first  time. 
The  following  was  the  result  :  Sheriff — Wil- 
son Smith,  Waterford,  267;  Martin  Strong, 
Waterford,  201.  Coroner — Abraham  Smith, 
Erie,  288;  John  C.  Wallace,  Erie,  184. 

The  County  Commissioners  elected  were 
John  Vincent,  of  Waterford  ;  James  Weston, 
of  LeBrouf;  and  Abiather  Crane,  of  Mill 
Creek. 

John  Lytle,  Jr.,  was  elected  to  the  As- 
sembly. 

John  Hoge,  of  Washington  county,  was 
elected  to  Congress. 

JEKFEHSON     RE-ELECTED. 

1804 — The  county  cast  112  ballots  for 
President,  all  for  the  Jefferson  electors.  The 
State  gave  its  electoral  votes  to  Jefferson  and 
Burr,  who  were  elected. 

John  B.  C.  Lucas  was  re-elected  to  Con- 
gress. 

Wilson  Smith,  of  Waterford.  was  elected 
to  the  Assembly. 

William  Clark,  of  Erie,  James  Lowry,  of 
North  East,  and  John  Phillips,  of  Venango, 
were  elected  County  Commissioners. 


PARTY    NAMES    AND    ORGANIZATIONS. 

1805 — The  candidates  for  Governor  were 
Thomas  McKean  and  Simon  Snyder,  both 
Democrats.  Erie  county  gave  McKean  254, 
and  Snyder  377  votes.  The  vote  of  the  State 
was  us  follows  :  Thomas  McKean,  43,644; 
Simon  Snyder,  38,433;   Samuel  Snyder,  395. 

For  Sheriff,  John  Milroy,  of  Erie,  received 
296,  and  Jacob  Carmack,  of  Erie,  295  votes. 
By  law  the  two  highest  candidates  were  re- 
turned to  the  Governor,  who  made  a  choice 
between  them.  Carmack  received  the  ap- 
'    pointment. 

William  McArthur    was    re-elected    to   the 
Senate  and  Wilson    Smith    to   the    Assembly. 
John  Hay,  of  Erie,  was  chosen.  County  Com- 
missioner. 
j  John    B.    C.    Lucas    ha\  ing   resigned  from 

I   Congress  November  7,  Samuel  Smith,  of  Mill 
Creek,  Erie  county,  was  chosen  in   his   place. 

The  opposing  parties  were  distinguished  as 
Democratic-Republican  and  Federal  Repub- 
lican. This  continued  to  be  the  case  until 
1829,  when  the  anti-Masonic  excitement  came 
up.  Erie  county  was  strongly  Democratic- 
Republican,  and  all  of  the  candidates  elected 
up  to  1830  were  nominated  by  that  party,  ex- 
cept an  occasional  Independent.  The  Demo- 
;  cratic-Republicans  held  a  convention  in  the 
county  every  year  from  1805  to  1830.  The 
name  Democratic — without  the  annex — is  first 
found  in  tiie  Erie  Observer  in  1831. 

1806 — Samuel  Smith  was  re-elected  to 
Congress  by  a  majority  of  715. 

Wilson  Smith  was  elected  Assemblyman, 
and  John  McCreary,  of  Mill  Creek,  County 
Commissioner. 

John  Milroy  was  elected  Coroner. 

FIRST  ELECTION    DISTRICTS    IN    ERIE   COUNTV. 

ISO? — Wilson  Smith  was  re-elected  to  the 
Assembly. 

John  Gray,  of  Erie,  was  elected  Coroner, 
and  John  Boyd,  of  Waterford,  County  Com- 
missioner. 

April  11,  1807,  the  following  election  dis- 
tricts were  constituted,  and  their  voting  places 
designated  : 

No.  1.  Erie  and  Mill  Creek,  at  the  court 
house. 

No.  2.  "  Coniaute "  and  McKean,  at 
house  of  James  McGuiiies. 

No.  8.  Fairview.  at  house  of  William 
Sturgeon. 


AND  marORICAL  reference  book  of  ERIE  COUNTY. 


317 


No.  4.  Springfield,  at  house  of  William 
Porter. 

No.  5.  •'Conniiit "' and  Elk  Creek,  at  town 
of  Lexington. 

No.  6.  •'  LeBfjeuff  "  and  Waterford.  at 
house  of  Jonas  Clark. 

No.  7-  Beaver  Dam  and  Harbor  Creek, 
at  house  of  Thomas  Morton. 

No.  8.  North  East,  at  house  of  Andrew- 
Low  ry. 

No.  9.  Greenfield  and  \'enango,  at  house 
of  Philo  Parker. 

No.  10.  Brokenstraw  and  Union,  at  hou.se 
of  John  Taylor. 

In  1808,  Venango  was  made  District  No. 
11.  The  election  place  was  fixed  at  the  house 
of  John  Yost. 

MADISON     ELECTED. 

180S — Erie  county  cast  200  votes  for  the 
Madison  electors,  and  eighty-six  against  them. 
The  State  gave  her  vote  for  James  Madison  for 
President  and  George  Clinton  for  \^ice  Presi- 
dent, who  were  elected. 

The  vote  for  Governor  was  345  for  Simon 
Snyder,  Democrat,  and  244  for  James  Ross, 
Federal.  That  of  the  State  was  as  follows  : 
Simon  Snyder,  Democrat,  67,975 ;  James 
Ross,  Federal,  89,575;  John  Spavd,  Independ- 
ent Democrat,  4,006. 

Samuel  Smith  was  re-elected  to  Congress. 

John  Phillips,  of  Erie  county,  and  James 
Harrington,  of  Mercer,  were  elected  to  the 
Assembly. 

The  vote  on  other  officers  was  as  follows  : 
Sheriff — Jacob  Spang,  of  Erie,  828;  Robert 
Irvin,  of  Erie,  287  ;  John  Salsbury,  of  Con- 
neaut,  807. 

Francis  Brawley,  of  North  East,  was 
elected  County  Commissioner,  and  Thomas 
Rees.  of  Harbor  Creek,  Coroner. 

1809 — Wilson  Smith  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate. 

John  Phillips,  of  Erie  county,  and  James 
Harrington,  of  Mercer  county,  were  chosen  to 
the  Assembly. 

Thomas  Forster,  of  Erie,  was  elected 
County  Commissioner,  and  John  C.  Wallace, 
of  Erie,  Coroner. 

1810 — John  Phillips,  of  r>ie  county,  and 
Roger  Alden,  of  Crawford  county,  were 
elected  to  the  Assembl}-. 

Abner    Lacock,    of    Beaver    countv,     was 
elected  to  Congress. 
15 


ForSherifT,  James  E.  Herron,  of  Erie,  re- 
ceived 278,  and  James  Weston,  of  LeBoeuf, 
278  votes.  Weston  obtained  the  appointment 
from  the  Governor. 

John  Salsburv  was  elected  Countv  Com- 
missioner. 

1811 — The  county  gave  .Simon  Snyder, 
Democratic  candidate  for  Governor,  348  votes, 
he  having  no  regular  opposition.  The  vote  of 
the  State  was  as  follows :  vSimon  Snyder, 
Democrat,  52,819;  William  Tilghman,  Inde- 
pendent, 3,609, 

John  Phillips,  of  Erie  county,  and  Patrick 
Farrelly,  of  Crawford  county,  were  elected  to 
the  Assembly. 

Thomas  Wilson,  of  Erie,  was  elected 
County  Commissioner. 

MADISOX     RE-ELECTED. 

1812 — The  vote  of  Erie  county  was  152  for 
the    Madison,    and     129     for     the     opposition 
electors.     The  State  cast  its  electoral  vote  for 
James    Madison   for    President,  and    Elbridge- 
Gerry  for  Vice   President,  who  were  elected. 

Phillips  and  Farrelly  were  re-elected  to  the 
Assembly. 

Abner  Lacock,  Beaver  county,  was  re- 
elected to  Congress. 

Henry  Taylor,  North  East,  was  elected 
County  Commissioner  and  John  Miirov,  of 
Erie,  Coroner, 

1813  —  The  Legislature  having  chosen 
Abner  Lacock  United  States  Senator,  he  re- 
signed, and  Thomas  Wilson,  of  Erie,  was 
elected  to  Congress  in  his  stead  at  a  special 
election  held  in  May, 

Joseph  Shannon  was  elected  to  the  Senate 
and  James  Weston,  of  Erie  county,  and  James 
Burchfield,  of  Crawford  countv,  to  the  As- 
sembly. 

For  Sheriff,  Da\id  Wallace,  of  Erie,  re- 
ceived 187,  and  John  Tracy,  of  Waterford, 
127  votes, 

Thomas  Forster  was  re-elected  County 
Commissioner,  John  Grubb,  of  Mill  Creek, 
was  elected  to  the  same  office  to  fill  a  vacancj- 
caused  by  the  resignation  of  Thomas  Wilson, 

18U-^The  vote  of  the  county  was  308  for 
Simon  Snyder,  Democrat,  fifty-five  for  Isaac 
WajMie,  Federal,  and  seventy-seven  for  George 
Lattimore,  Independent  Democrat,  The  State 
voted  as  follows  ; 

Simon  Snyder,  51,099;  Isaac  Wayne.  29.- 
566;  George  Lattimore,  910. 


2lS 


NELSON- S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONART 


Thomas  Wilson  was  re-elected  to  Congress, 
and  Weston  and    Burchficld  to    the  Assembly. 

Henry  Taylor,  of  North  I'^ast,  was  re- 
elected County  Commissioner. 

1815 — Jacob  Harriiifrton  ,  of  Mercer,  James 
Weston,  of  Erie,  and  Ralph  Marlin,  of  Craw- 
ford, were  elected  to  the  Assembly.  The  dis- 
trict had  been  changed  to  Erie,  Crawford, 
Mercer,  Warren  and  Venango,  electing  three 
members. 

Robert  McClelland,  of  Mill  Creek,  was 
elected  County  Commissioner,  and  John  Mor- 
ris, of  Erie,  Coroner. 

MONKOE      ELECTED. 

1816 — James  Monroe  was  elected  Presi- 
dent, and  Elbridge  Gerry.  Vice  President. 
The  county  gave  the  Monroe  ticket  180,  and 
the  opposition  eighty-four  votes.  In  the  State 
Monroe  had  25,609  votes,  and  the  opposition 
ticket  17,537. 

Henry  Hurst,  of  Crawford  count  v,  formerly 
of  North  East,  was  elected  State  Senator  in 
place  of  Joseph  Shannon,  resigned. 

Robert  Moore,  of  Beaver,  was  elected  to 
Congress;  Jacob  Harrington,  Ralph  Marlin. 
and  Samuel  Hays,  of  Venango  county,  to  the 
Assembly,  and  Thomas  Forster,  of  Erie,  Coun- 
ty Commissioner. 

The  vote  for  Sheriff  was  as  follows  : 
Stephen  Wolverton,  of  Erie,  200;  James  Hall, 
of  Springfield,  242. 

1817 — The  candidates  for  Governor  were 
William  Findlay,  Democrat ;  and  Joseph 
Hiester,  Federal.  Erie  countv  gave  Findlav 
385,  and  Hiester.  2(il.  The  vote  of  the  State 
was  :     Findlay,  66,331  ;  Hiester,  59,292. 

Henry  Hurst  was  re-elected  to  the  Senate, 
the  district  comprising  Erie,  Crawford,  Mer- 
cer, Venango  and  Warren  counties. 

Samuel  Hays,  of  Venango  county,  Thomas 
Wilson,  of  Erie  county,  and  Ralph  Marlin,  of 
Crawford  county,  were  elected  to  the  Assem- 
bly, and  Robert  Brown,  of  Erie,  was  elected 
County  Commissioner. 

1818 — Robert  Moore,  of  Beaver  county, 
was  re-elected  to  Congress  over  Thomas  Wil- 
son, of  Erie. 

Jacob  Harrington,  Mercer,  James  Coch- 
ran, Crawford,  and  Joseph  Hackney,  Ve- 
nango, were  elected  Assemblymen.  George 
Moore,  of  Erie,  County  Commissioner,  and 
.Samuel   Hays,  of  Erie,  Coroner. 

1819 — Wilson     Smith,    of     Erie    county. 


James  Cochran,  of  Crawford,  and  William 
Connelly,  of  Venango,  were  elected  to  the  As- 
sembly. 

The  vote  for  count)-  officers  was  as  follows  ; 

Sheriff — Thomas  Laird,  Erie,  349  ;  David 
Wallace,  Erie,  330;  Amos  P.  Woodford, 
Waterford,  157. 

Commissioner — Stephen  \\'olverton,  Erie, 
427;  James  Hall,  Springfield.  255:  Abiather 
Crane,  Mill  Creek,  forty-nine  ;  Jonah  Cowgill. 
Erie,  three. 

POLITICAL   HARMONY MONKOE     RE-ELECTED. 

1820 — The  Presidential  election  was  held 
in  the  fall  of  this  year,  James  Monroe  being 
unanimously  supported  for  re-election.  Patrick 
Farrelly  was  the  elector  for  this  district.  For 
Governor,  the  Democrats  supported  William 
Findlay,  of  Franklin,  and  the  Federalists  Gen. 
Joseph  Hiester,  of  Berks.  Hiester  was  elect- 
ed. Erie  gave  Findlav  519  votes,  and  Hiester 
415. 

The  candidates  for  Congress  were  Robert 
Moore,  of  Beaver,  and  Patrick  Farrelly,  of 
Crawford.  Farrelly  was  elected.  The  can- 
didates for  Assembly  were  Wilson  Smith, 
Erie  county  ;  George  Moore,  Erie  ;  Jacob  Har- 
rington, Mercer  ;  William  Connellv.  Venango  ; 
James  Cochran.  Crawford;  William  Moore, 
Venango,  and  Walter  Oliver,  Mercer.  All  of 
the  above  gentlemen  claimed  to  be  Democrats. 
Messrs.  Smith,  Connelly  and  Harrington  were 
elected.  George  Nicholson,  Fairvicw,  was 
chosen  Commissioner  by  seventy-five  majorit}' 
over  Henry  Colt,  of  Waterford.  Thomas  H. 
Sill,  Erie,  and  Thomas  Dunn.  McKean,  were 
elected  Auditors. 

Alexander  McNair,  fornierlvof  Mill  Creek, 
was  this  year  elected  first  Governor  of  Mis- 
souri. 

1821 — The  following  were  the  candidates: 
State  Senate — Samuel  Lord,  Meadville;  Gen. 
Henry  Hurst,  Meadville  ;  Jacob  Harrington, 
Mercer.  Harrington  was  elected.  George 
Moore,  Erie:  James  Cochran,  Crawford,  and 
David  Brown,  Warren,  were  elected  to  the 
Assembly.  Thomas  Forster,  Erie,  was  elected 
Commissioner  by  twenty-three  majority  over 
Henry  Colt.  Thomas  Rees,  Harbor  Creek,  was 
elected  Auditor,  and  Benjamin  Russell,  Mill 
Creek,   Coroner. 

1822 — The  candidates  for  Congress  were 
Patrick  Farrelly,  Crawford,  and  Samuel  Wil- 
liamson, Mercer,   both    Democrats.     Farrelly 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


319 


was  elected  by  a  majority  of  about  2,000  in 
the  district. 

The  Assembly  district  was  changed  this 
year,  Erie  and  Warren  being  placed  together, 
and  allowed  one  member.  George  Moore, 
Erie  borough,  and  James  Weston,  LeBa?uf, 
were  the  candidates  for  that  office,  the  latter 
being  elected  by  a  majority  of  only  seventeen 
votes.  Stephen  Wolverton,  Erie,  David  Wal- 
lace, Mill  Creek, and  Simeon  Dunn,  Erie,  were 
candidates  for  Sheriff.  Wolverton's  majority 
was  306  over  both  of  his  competitors.  Henry 
Colt,  Waterford,  Alexander  McClosky,  North 
East,  and  Thomas  Rees,  Harbor  Creek,  were 
candidates  for  Commissioner.  Colt  was  elected 
by  a  majority  of  sixty-two  votes  over  both  of 
the  others.  Thomas  Dunn,  McKean,  was 
chosen  Auditor. 

1823 — For  Governor  tiie  Democrats  sup- 
ported John  ^\ndrew  Shulze,  Lebanon ;  the 
Federalists,  Andrew  Gregg,  Centre.  Tiie  vote 
of  the  countv  was  :  Schulze,  754  ;  Gregg,  60-i 
— Democratic  majoritv,  loO.  The  vote  of  the 
State  was:  Schulze,"  89,9l'8  ;  Gregg,  (34,211. 
For  Assembly,  George  Moore,  Erie,  and 
Thomas  H.  Sill,  Erie,  were  the  candidates. 
Sill  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  149  in  the 
district.  Alexander  McClosky  was  chosen 
Commissioner  over  John  Cochran, Mill  Creek, 
and  E.  D.  Gunnison,  Erie.  Daniel  Sayre, 
Fairview,  was  elected  Auditor. 

JOHN    q_UINCV    ADAMS  CHOSEN'    PRESIDENT  BY 
THE  HOUSE    OF    REPRESENTATIVES. 

1824 — A  convention  met  March  4,  of  this 
year,  at  Harrisburg,  and  nominated  Andrew 
Jackson  for  President,  and  John  C.  Calhoun 
for  Vice  President.  Henry  Clay,  who  at  that 
time  acted  with  the  Democratic  party,  re- 
ceived ten  votes  for  the  latter  position.  An- 
other convention  was  held  in  Harrisburg, 
August  9,  which  nominated  William  H.  Craw- 
ford, of  Georgia,  for  President,  and  Albert 
Gallatin,  Pennsylvania,  for  Vice  President. 
Henry  Clay  and  John  Qiiincy  Adams  were 
alsocandidates  before  the  people  for  President. 
The  candidates  for  elector  were  as  follows  : 
For  Jackson,  John  Boyd,  \\'aterford  ;  for 
Adams.  Jesse  Moore,  ^Iead\ille;  for  Craw- 
ford, James  Montgomerv  ;  for  Clav,  Charles 
H.  Israel. 

The  vote  of  the  county  was  :  For  Jackson, 
302;  Adams,  fiftv-five  :  Crawford,  ten;  Clay 
three. 


The  vote  in  the  State  was  :  Jackson,  35,- 
894;  Adams,  3,405;  Crawford,  4,186;  Clay, 
1,701. 

None  of  the  candidates  received  a  majority 
of  the  electoral  votes  in  the  Union,  and  the 
election  was  thrown  into  the  House,  where 
Adams  was  chosen  President. 

For  Congress,  Patrick  Farrelly  and  Samuel 
Williamson  were  opposing  candidates.  Far- 
relly's  majority  in  the  district  was  3,133. 
The  district  consisted  of  Erie,  Crawford, 
Mercer,  Venango  and  Warren. 

John  Phillips,  of  Venango  township,  was 
elected  to  the  Assembly  over  George  Moore. 
John  Morris,  Erie,  was  chosen  Commissioner 
over  John  Salsbury.  Conneaut,  and  E.  D. 
Gunnison,  Erie.  Rufus  Seth  Reed,  Erie,  was 
elected  Coroner,  and  Thomas  Rees.  Harbor 
Creek,   Auditor. 

1S25 — For  State  Senate,  Wilson  Smith, 
Waterford ;  George  Moore,  Erie  ;  Thomas 
Atkinson,  Crawford  ;  James  Herriott,  Mercer  ; 
and  John  Leech,  Mercer,  were  opposing  can- 
didates. Moore  had  one  majority  over  all 
in  this  countv,  but  Leech  received  a  majority 
in  the  district.  Stephen  Wolverton  was 
chosen  to  the  Assembly  over  John  Phillips 
and  Abiather  Crane,  Erie  county,  and  Archi- 
bald Tanner  and  J.  W.  Irvine,  Warren.  The 
candidates  for  Sheriff  were  :  Henr}-  Colt, 
Waterford ;  Thomas  Forster,  Erie ;  Thomas 
Laird,  Erie;  A.  W.  Brewster,  Erie;  Albert 
Thaver.  Mill  Creek,  and  David  McCreary, 
Mill"  Creek.  Mr.  Thayer  was  elected.  The 
candidates  forCommissioner  were  :  John  Sals- 
bury,  Conneaut ;  William  Benson,  Waterford  : 
John  Grav,  Erie;  Thomas  Dunn,  McKean, 
and  Giles  Hulbert.  Waterford.  Mr.  Salsbury 
was  elected.  Col.  James  McKay,  Waterford. 
was  chosen  Auditor  for  the  regular  term,  and 
^^'illiam  E.  McNair,  Mill  Creek,  for  one  year, 
in  place  of  Daniel  Sayre.  who  moved  out  of 
the  county. 

A  proposition  to  form  a  new  State  Consti- 
tution was  brought  before  the  people  and 
voted  down,  the  majority  against  it  in  Erie 
county  being   1,062. 

1826 — Patrick  Farrellv,  Congressman  from 
this  district,  died  at  Pittsburg,  on  Iiis  way  to 
Washington,  February  12,  1826,  and  a  special 
election  was  held  in  ^larch.  following,  for  his 
successor.  The  candidates  were  Thomas  H. 
Sill,  Erie;  Samuel  Hays,  Venango;  Jacob 
Harrington,    Mercer;    and    Stephen    Barlow, 


220 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Crawford.  Mr.  Sill  was  elected.  At  the 
regular  October  election,  Sili.  Barlow  and 
John  Findlay,  Mercer,  were  candidates  for 
Congress.      Barlow  was   elected. 

At  the  October  election  of  this  year,  Cio\-. 
Shulze  had  no  opposition  in  Erie  county. 
The  vote  of  the  State  was  :  John  Andrew 
Shulzc,  Democrat,  64,211;  John  Sergeant. 
Philadelphia,  Federal,  1,474.  " 

The  candidates  for  Assembly  were  Stephen 
Wolverton,  Alex.  McCloskey,  (ieorge  Moore 
and  George  Stuntz.  Erie  county;  and  John 
Andrews,  Warren.  Wolverton  was  re-elect- 
ed. William  Ben.son,  Waterford ;  Thomas 
Forster,  Erie,  and  James  M.  Moorhead, 
Harbor  Creek,  were  candidates  for  Commis- 
sioner. Benson  was  elected.  Martin  Strong. 
McKean,  was  chosen  Auditor. 

1827 — Stephen  Wolverton  was  re-elected 
to  the  Assembly  over  Alex.  McCIoskej-,  North 
East,  his  only  opponent.  William  Fleming, 
Ei'ie,  was  elected  Coroner;  James  M.  Moor- 
head was  chosen  Commissioner  over  Thomas 
Forster.  David  H.  Chapman.  Fairview,  was 
chosen  Auditor. 

JACKSON    EI.ECTKl)    I'KKSIDENT. 

1828 — The  Jackson  State  Convention  was 
held  in  Harrishurg  January  (S.  .\ndrew  Jack- 
son was  nominated  for  President,  and  John 
C.  Calhoun  for  Vice  President.  James  Dun- 
can, Mercer  countj-,  was  the  electoral  candi- 
date for  this  Congressional  district. 

The  Adams  Convention  met  about  tiie  4th 
of  March,  and  nominated  Jolin  Qjiincv  Adams 
for  President,  and  Richard  Rush.  Pennsyl- 
vania, for  \'ice  President.  John  Leech,  Mercer 
county,  was  the  electoral  candidate  for  this 
Congressional  district. 

The  State  election  was  held  October  14. 
The  candidates  in  this  district  and  county 
were  as  follows  :  Congress — Thomas  H.  Sill, 
Erie  county;  and  Stephen  Barlow.  Crawford. 
The  vote  in  the  county  was  1 ,4()()  for  Sill  and 
B6()  for  Barlow.  Sill  received  a  majority  of 
about  ()()()  in  the  district.  Assemblv — George 
Moore.  Stephen  Wolverton  and  Wilson  Smith, 
all  of  Erie  countv.  Moore  was  elected.  Sheriff 
— Alex.  W.  Brewster,  Erie  ;  Thomas  Mellen, 
North  East ;  Daniel  Sawtell,  Springfield ; 
Smith  Jackson.  Erie;  Richard  Arbuckle  and 
John  G.  Caldwell,  Mill  Creek.  Brewster  was 
elected.  Commissioner  (three  years) — Albert 
Thayer,    Erie ;   George    Nicholson,   Fairview. 


Thayer  was  elected  by  a  nearlv  unanimous 
vote.  Commissioner  (one  year) — in  place  of 
William  Benson,  Waterford.  resigned — Mv- 
ron  Hutciiinson.  SpringHeld  ;  James  Pollock, 
LeBo'uf  ;  and  John  Boyd,  Waterford.  Hutch- 
inson was  elected.  Robert  Cochran.  Mill 
Creek,  was  elected  Auditor. 

The  Presidential  election  was  held  on  Fri- 
day. October  81,  and  resulted  as  follows  : 

.\D.\MS.       fACK.SON. 

Erie  and  Mill  Creek 133        "        188 

McKean S2  27 

Fairview 95  S't 

Spring-field 118  31 

Conneaut 76  19 

Waterford  and  LeBoeuf 115  120 

Harbor  Creek 56  54 

North  East 85  116 

Greenfield 24  13 

Union 2S  9 

Venang^o  23  46 

Conneauttee  (now  Washing-ton). .     58  27 

Elk  Creek 27  28 

Beaver  Daui  (now  Greene) 8  20 

Concord 16  10 

Amity 22  7 

Wayne   12  2 

Total 945  773 

The  vote  of  the  State  was:  Jackson,  1(H,- 
652;  .\dams,  50,848;  Jackson's  majority, 
50,804.  Jackson  and  Calhoun  had  a  large 
majoritv  of  the  electoral  votes  of  the  I'nion. 

THE    ANTI-MASONIC    ERA. 

1829 — The  Anti-Masonic  excitement  had 
by  this  year  ri.sen  into  a  political  issue,  and  a 
separate  party  organization  was  formed,  em- 
bracing a  large  portion  of  the  supporters  of 
Mr.  Adams.  The  Democratic  State  Conven- 
tion met  at  Hatrisbuig  on  the  4th  of  March 
and  nominated  George  Wolf,  Northampton 
county,  for  Governor.  The  Anti-Masonic 
State  Convention  met  at  the  same  place  on  the 
same  day,  and  nominated  Joseph  Ritner, 
Washington  county.  The  vote  of  Erie  countv 
was  :  Ritner,  1,545  ;  Wolf,  497.  The  vote  o"f 
the  State  was:  George  Wolf,  Democrat, 
77,988;  Joseph  Ritner,  Anti-Mason.  51,724  : 
Wolf's  majority,  2(5, 204. 

For  State  Senate,  Thomas  S.  Cunningham, 
Mercer  county,  defeated  Wilson  Smith,  Eiie 
county,  bj-  over  2,700  majority  in  the  district. 
George  Moore,  was  elected  to  the  Assemblv 
over  Stephen  Wolverton.  Joseph  M.  Ster- 
rett,  Erie;  Myron  Hutchinson,  Springfield, 
and  William    Gray,    Wayne,  were    candidates 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


221 


for  Coiniiiissioner.  Sterrett  was  elected  by  a 
majority  of  twenty-six  over  Hutchinson,  the 
next  highest  candidate.  Eli  Webster,  McKean, 
was  elected   Auditor. 

1830 — This  was  the  first  year  in  which 
Anti  Masonry  entered  directly  into  the  choice 
of  district  and  county  officers.  The  Anti-Ma- 
sonic candidate  for  Congress  was  John  Banks, 
of  Mercer  county.  The  Democratic  candidate 
was  Thomas  S.  Cunningham,  Mercer  county. 
Banks  had  a  majority  of  316  in  Erie  county, 
and  1,135  in  the  district.  The  candidates  for 
county  officers  were  as  follows  : 

Anti-Masonic — Assembly,  John  Riddle, 
Erie  ;  Commissioner,  James  Pollock,  LeBo'uf  ; 
Coroner,  David  Wallace,  Erie  ;  Auditor,  John 
J.  Swan,  Fairview. 

Democratic-Republican — Assembly,  P.  S. 
V.  Hamot,  Erie ;  Commissioner.  John  Sals- 
bury,  Fairview  ;  Coroner,  Charles  Laj-,  Erie  ; 
Auditor,  Thomas  Laird,  of  Erie. 

The  Anti-Masonic  ticket  was  successful  by 
an  average  majority  of  250. 

1831 — The  candidates  were  as  follows  : 

Anti-Masonic — Assembly,  John  Riddle; 
Sheriff,  William  Fleming,  Erie;  Commis- 
sioner, Thomas  K.  Miller,  Springfield;  Audi- 
tor, James  Smedley,  North  East. 

*Democratic — Assembly,  George  Moore, 
Erie;  Sherifl',  Albert  Thayer,  Erie;  Commis- 
sioner, Thomas  Mellen,  North  East;  Auditor, 
John  G.  Caldwell,  Mill  Creek. 

Independent  Candidates — Assembly,  Will- 
iam Dickson,  North  East ;  Sheriff,  David  Zim- 
merman and  James  McConkey,  Erie. 

The  Anti-Masonic  candidates  were  suc- 
cessful by  average  majorities  of  about  400. 
None  of  the  independent  candidates  had  much 
of  a  support. 

JACKSON   RE-ELECTED. 

1832 — The  candidates  for  Governor  were 
George  Wolf,  Democrat,  and  Jose]ih  Ritner, 
Anti-Masonic. 

The  Democrats  of  Pennsylvania  supported 
Andrew  Jackson  for  President,  aqd  William 
Wilkins,  this  State,  for  Vice  President.  Mar- 
tin Van  Buren,  New  York,  was  also  a  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  V^ice  President,  and  was 
elected,  though  Pennsylvania  cast  her  vote  for 
Wilkins.    Henry  Clav  ran  as  an  Anti- Jackson 


*1831. — This  ye."i  the  name  Democratic-Republican  was 
dropped  in  Erie  coanty,  and  the  supporters  of  Jackson  called 
themselves  Democrats. 


Democratic  candidate  for  President,  with  John 
Sergeant,  Pennsylvania,  for  Vice  President. 
The  Anti-Masons  supported  William  Wirt, 
Maryland,  for  President,  and  Amos  Ellmaker, 
Pennsylvania,  for  Vice  President.  Wilson 
.Smith  was  the  Jackson  candidate  for  Elector  in 
this  district  ;  David  Dick,  Crawford,  the  Clay 
candidate  ;  and  Robert  Falconer,  Warren,  the 
Anti-Masonic.  The  Jackson  and  Clay  men 
went  by  the  designatioa  of  Democratic-Re- 
publicans: the  supporters  of  Wirt  by  that  of 
Republican  Anti-Masons.  The  vote  of  the 
county  was  as  follows  : 

WIRT.      J.\CK.SON. 

Erie  and  Mill  Creek 284  163 

McKean 94  16 

Fairview 89  12 

Spring-field 82  69 

Conneaut 118  74 

Waterford 92  65 

Harbor  Creek 80  76 

North  East 110  42 

Greenfield 37  52 

Union 138  1 

Venang-Q 72  42 

Conneauttee  (Washing-ton) 36  26 

Concord 16  33 

Beaver  Dam 64  31 

Elk  Creek 33  32 

Amity 30  39 

Wayne 23  17 

LeBoeuf 37  61 

Girard 109  88 

Total 1,494  1,049 

Only  three  ballots  were  cast  for  Clav,  all 
in  North  East  township. 

In  the  State  the  result  was  as  follows : 
George  Wolf,  Democrat,  91,235;  Joseph 
Ritner,  Anti-Mason,  88,186  ;  Wolf's  majority, 
3,049.  The  vote  for  President  was  :  Jackson, 
90,983;  Wirt,  66,716:  majoritv  for  Jackson. 
24,267. 

Mr.  Clay's  vote  was  too  light  to  be  con- 
sidered worthy  of  record  by  the  papers  of  the 
day. 

The  candidates  for  district  and  countv 
offices  were  as  follows  ; 

Anti-Masonic — Congress,  Thomas  H.  Sill, 
of  Erie;  Assembly,  John  H.  Walker,  Erie; 
Commissioner,  John  McCord,  North  East : 
Auditor,  Samuel  Low.  Venango  township. 

Democratic — Congress,  John  Galbraith. 
\'enango  countv  :  Asseinbly,  Rufus  .Seth 
Reed,  Erie;  Commissioner,  Thomas  Mellen, 
North  East;  Auditor,  John  Philljps,  Ve- 
nango. 

All  of  the   Anti-Masonic  candidates  were 


222 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


elected  except  Mr.  Sill.  John  Galbraith  was 
defeated  by  833  votes  in  Erie  county,  but  re- 
ceived a  majority  of  778  in  the  district. 

1833 — Anti-^^asonic  Candidates  —  State 
Senate,  Charles  M.  Reed,  Erie  county;  As- 
sembly, John  H.  Walker.  Erie;  Commis- 
sioner, James  Love,  Mill  Creek  ;  Coroner, 
David  McXair,  of  Mill  Creek  ;  Auditor,  Mark 
Baldwin,  Greecfiekl. 

Democratic  Candidates  —  State  Senate, 
Thomas  S.  Cunningham,  Mercer  county; 
Assembly,  Dr.  Tabor  Beebe,  Erie  ;  Commis- 
sioner, John  Gingrich,  Mill  Creek  ;  Coroner, 
Wareham  Taggart,  Springfield;  Auditor, 
John  Saulsbury,  Conneaiit. 

All  of  the  Anti-Masonic  candidates  were 
elected  except  Reed,  who  received  a  majority 
in  the  county,  but  was  defeated  in  the  district. 

1831 —  Anti-Masonic  Candidates  —  Con- 
gress, Thomas  H.  Sill,  Erie  county;  As- 
sembly, John  H.  Walker,  Erie;  Sheriff, 
Thomas  Mehaffey,  Erie;  Commissioner, 
Stephen  Skinner,  McKean  ;  Auditor.  Russell 
Stancliff.  Washington. 

Democratic — Congress,  John  Galbraith, 
Venango  county ;  Assembl}',  James  M. 
Moorhead,  Harbor  Creek;  Sherifl",  Albert 
Thayer,  Erie;  Commissioner,  Daniel  Gillespie, 
Erie;   Auditor,  John  R.  Rouse,  Venango. 

Independent  Candidate  for  Sheriff — 
Chauncey  Rogers.  Girard. 

The  Anti-Masonic  candidates  were  elected 
with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Sill,  who  received 
353  majority  in  the  comity,  but  was  defeated 
by  1  ,(jl':^  in  the  district. 

A   DEMOCRATIC    SPLIT    IN   THE    STATE. 

1S35 — The  Democratic  party  of  Pennsyl- 
vania was  divided  this  j-ear  over  a  candidate 
for  Governor,  one  portion  supporting  George 
Wolf,  and  another  Henry  A.  Muhlenberg, 
Berks.  The  Anti-Masons  again  chose  Joseph 
Ritner  as  a  candidate. 

The  vote  of  Erie  county  was  :  For  Ritner, 
1,743;  Wolf,  164;  Muhlenburg,  1,281.  In 
the  State  the  vote  was  as  follows:  Joseph 
Ritner,  Anti-Masonic,  94,023  ;  George  Wolf, 
Democrat,  65,804;  Henry  A.  Muhlenberg, 
Democrat,  40,586. 

Anti  Masonic  Countv  Ticket — Assembly, 
John  H.  Walker,  Erie:  Commissioner,  James 
Miles,  Girard  ;  Auditor,  William  Benson, 
Waterford. 

Democratic  County  Ticket — Assembly,  P. 


!  ,     , 

'  S.    V.    Hamot,     Erie ;     Commissioner,    John 
Gingrich ,  Mill  Creek ;  Auditor,  David  Webber, 
I   Concord. 

Allot   the   .\iiti-Masonic   candidates   were 
I   elected  bv  an  average  majority  of  400. 

A  proposition  to  hold  a  convention  for  re- 
vising the  State  Constitution  was  carried  by 
10,404  majority.  Erie  county  cast  3,023  votes 
for  the  convention  and   twenty-one  against  it. 

\  AN      HUKKX     ELECTED    PRESIDENT. 

1836 — The  Democratic  candidate  for  Con- 
gress was  Arnold  Plumer,  \'enango  county  ; 
the  Anti-Masonic  was  David  Dick.  Crawford 
county.  The  vole  of  the  county  was  :  For 
Dick,"  1,773;  for  Plumer,  1,214.'  In  the  dis- 
trict Dick  had  8,628,  Plumer.  4,323,  the  lat- 
ter being  elected. 

The  county  tickets,  with  the  vote  for  each 
candidate,  were  as  follows  : 

Anti-Masonic — Assembly,  Thomas  R.  Mil- 
ler, Springfield.  1.048;  Elijah  Babbitt,  Erie, 
1,716;  Commissioner,  Samuel  Low,  Harbor 
Creek,  1,710;  Coroner,  .Samuel  W.  Keefer, 
Erie,  1,696;  Auditor,  William  H.  Crawford, 
North  East,  1,680. 

Democratic — Assemblv,  James  C.  Mar- 
shall, Girard,  1,281;  Frederick  W.  Miller, 
Waterford,  1,032 ;  Commissioner,  William 
Doty,  Springfield,  1,244;  Coroner,  Anthony 
Saltsman,  Mill  Creek,  1,158;  Auditor,  James 
Wilson,  Greenfield,  1,176. 

The  presidential  election  was  held  October 
31.  The  Anti-Masonic  candidates  were  :  For 
President,  Gen.  William  H.  Harrison,  Ohio; 
for  Vice-President,  Francis  Granger,  New 
York.  The  elector  for  this  district  was  James 
Cochran,  Crawford  county.  The  Democratic 
candidates  were  :  For  President,  Martin  Van 
Buren,  New  York;  for  \'^ice-President,  Rich- 
ard M.  Johnson,  Kentucky.  The  elector  was 
John  P.  Davis,  Crawford  county.  Below  is 
the  vote : 


HARKI-  VAN 
SON.          BUREX. 

Erie 217  113 

McKean 147  20 

Fairview 125  18 

Springfield 182  67 

Conneaut 86  91 

■VVaterford 122  92 

Harbor  Creek 154  75 

North  East 137  197 

Greenfield 48  37 

Union 59  25 

Venang-o 86  44 


AND  HJSTOBIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUSTY. 


223 


Washington 133  58 

Beaver  Dam SI  37 

Elk  Creek 79  82 

Concord 15  47 

Amity 26  43 

Wayne 42  22 

LeBoeuf 35  55 

Girard 155  94 

Mill  Creek 205  95 

Total 2,134  1.312 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  for  Van  Biiren, 

91,475:  Harrison,  87,111. 

Van  Buren  and  Johnson  were  elected  by  a 

large  majority  of   the   electoral    votes  of  the 

Union. 

CONSTITLTIONAL    CONVEiNTIOX. 

An  election  for  Delegates  to  the  conven- 
tion for  revising  the  Constitution  ^vas  held 
on  the  same  day.  The  candidates,  with  their 
votes,  were  as  follows  : 

Senatorial  Delegate — .ViUi-Masonic, Daniel 
Sager,  Crawford  county,  2,0(54  in  Erie  county, 
and  3,249  in  the  district.  Democratic,  Henry 
Colt,  Waterford.  l.HSO  in  Erie  county,  3,016 
in  the  district. 

Representative  Delegates — Anti-Masonic, 
Thomas  H.  Sill,  Erie,  2,079;  James  Pollock, 
LeBcruf,  2,063.  Democratic.  Wilson  Smith, 
Waterford.  1.314:  Henrv  L.  Harvev,  Erie, 
1,315. 

The  convention  met  at  Harrisburg  in  May 
or  June,  1837,  and  adjourned  to  Philadelphia 
in  the  winter,  finally  adjourning  in  1838,  after 
adopting  various  amendments  to  the  Constitu- 
tion, which  aie  referred  to  hereafter. 

183? — The  candidates  for  State  Senator 
(Erie  and  Crawford  constituting  the  district) 
were  :  Anti-Masonic,  Joseph  M.  Sterrett, 
Erie ;  Democratic,  Edward  A.  Reynolds, 
Crawford.  The  vote  for  Sterrett,  in  Erie 
county,  was  1,840;  for  Reynolds,  1,065. 
Sterrett  was  elected  by  about  400  majority  in 
the  district,  Crawford  being  at  that  time 
Democratic. 

The  countv  tickets,  with  the  vote,  were  as 
follows  : 

Anti-Masonic  —  Assembly,  Charles  M. 
Reed,  Erie,  2,087;  David  Sawdy,  Conneaut, 
1,773;  Sheriff,  Andrew  Scott,  Erie,  1,715; 
Commissioner,  Thomas  Sterrett,  McKean, 
1.757:  Auditor,  Thomas  Nicholson,  Mill  Creek, 
1 ,876. 

Democratic — Assembly,  Martin  Strong, 
sr.,  Beaver   Dam,  962:   David  H.  Chapman, 


Fairview,  630;  Sheriff,  Albert  Thayer,  Mill 
Creek,  1,204;  Commissioner,  Eli  Webster, 
Beaver  Dam,  944. 

THE    "buckshot"    war. 

1838 — The  Anti-Masons  again  nominated 
Joseph  Ritner  for  Governor ;  the  Democrats 
placed  in  nomination  David  R.  Porter,  of 
Huntingdon  county.  The  vote  of  the  county 
was  :  For  Ritner,  2,747;  for  Porter,  1,565 — 
Ritner's  majority,  1.182.  In  the  State  the 
result  was  as  follows :  David  R.  Porter. 
Democrat,  127,821 ;  Joseph  Ritner.  Anti- 
Mason,  122,325. 

The  organization  of  the  Legislature,  in 
December  following  this  election,  caused  the 
troubles  which  have  been  named  in  derision 
the  '■  Buckshot  war."  Their  history  may  be 
briefly  given  as  follows  :  When  the  Return 
Judges  of  Philadelphia  count)-  met  in  conven- 
tion, a  motion  was  made  to  throw  out  the 
votes  of  the  Northern  Liberties,  on  account  of 
alleged  frauds.  By  accepting  the  votes,  the 
Anti-Masonic  candidates  for  Congress,  State 
Senator  and  Assemblv  were  elected ;  their  re- 
jection gave  the  seats  to  the  Deinocratic  can- 
didates. The  Democrats  had  a  majority  of  the 
Judges,  and  the  returns  were  not  accepted. 
The  Anti-Masonic  Judges  bolted  and  made 
out  other  returns,  including  the  vote  of  the 
Northern  Liberties,  which  were  sent  to 
Thomas  H.  Burrowes.  .\nti-Masonic  Secretary 
of  State,  at  Harrisburg.  When  the  Legisla- 
ture assembled,  each  set  of  candidates  appeared 
for  admission,  and  in  the  House  the  two  parties 
were  so  nearly  balanced  that  the  acceptance 
or  rejection  of  the  Philadelphians  involved  the 
control  of  the  body.  Meantime,  much  excite- 
ment prevailed  throughout  the  State,  and  se- 
rious disturbances  were  threatened.  On  the 
day  of  meeting,  Harrisburg  was  full  of  angry 
men,  but  if  we  can  rely  on  the  Anti-Masonic 
papers  of  the  time,  the  Democrats  were  largelj- 
in  the  ascendent.  The  vote  for  Speaker  was 
taken,  when  the  Democrats  supported  \\'ill- 
iam  Hopkins,  and  the  Anti-Masons  Thomas 
S.  Cunningham,  each  party  having  separate 
tellers.  Both  claimed  to  be  elected,  and  for 
some  time  occupied  seats  on  the  platform,  side 
by  side.  Under  such  circumstances  no  busi- 
ness could  be  transacted,  and  affairs  were 
brought  to  a  dead-lock.  The  Senate,  which 
contained  a  majority  of  Anti-Masons,  recog- 
nized the   Cunningham   House.      Excitement 


2  24 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONABT 


increased  throughout  the  State,  and  the  Demo- 
crats, resolved  not  to  be  defeated  in  their  pro- 
crramnie.  threatened  to  maintain  Mr.  Hopkins' 
right  to  the  Speakership  by  force.  The  Gov- 
ernor called  out  the  militia  of  the  adjoining 
counties,  but  when  they  reached  Harrisburg  it 
was  found  that  the  Democrats  were  in  the 
majority  among  the  troops,  so  that  the  Anti- 
Masons  could  not  depend  upon  their  support. 
He  then  wrote  to  President  Van  Buren  for  aid, 
wlio  pluniply  refused.*  After  an  agitation  of 
several  weeks,  four  Anti-Masonic  Senators  re- 
ceded from  their  original  position,  voted  to 
recognize  the  Hopkins  House,  and  terminated 
the  trouble.  The  Anti-Masons  throughout 
the  State  were  fierce  in  their  denunciations  of 
the  recreant  Senators,  but  soon  subsided  into 
acquiescence,  and  thus  ended  one  of  the  most 
memorable,  as  it  was  also  one  of  the  most  dis- 
graceful, incidents  in  Pennsylvania  history. 
Amid  all  the  excitement  no  blood  was  spilled. 
From  this  date,  the  Anti-Masonic  party  of 
Penn.sylvania  rapidly  declined,  and  in  a  few 
years  sunk  out  of  existence. 

The  Anti-Masons  again  nominated  David 
Dick  for  Congress.  John  Galbraith,  who  had 
removed  to  Erie  county,  was  the  Democratic 
candidate.  In  the  county,  Dick  received  2,614 
votes,  and  Galbraith,  1,610.  Dick's  vote  in 
the  district  was  5,918  ;  Galbraith'?  6.198.  The 
district  comprised  Erie,  Crawford,  Venango 
and  Warren  counties,  the  three  latter  giving 
Democratic  majorities. 

The  county  tickets,  with  the  vote  for  each 
candidate,  were  as  follows  : 

Anti-Masonic — Assembly,  Samuel  Hutch- 
ins,  Waterford,  2,581  ;  William  M.  Watts, 
Erie,  2,868;  Commissioner,  William  E.  Mc- 
Nair,  Mill  Creek,  2,591  ;  Auditor.  Alexander 
W.  Brewster,  Erie,  2.601. 

Democratic — Assembly,  Ebenezer  D.  Gun- 
nison. Erie,  1,616;  Myron  Hutchinson, 
Girard,  1,580;  Commissioner,  J-  P-  Grant, 
Wayne,  1,522;  Auditor.  Samuel  T.  Axtell, 
Union,  1,524. 

CONSTITUTIONAL      .V.MENDMENTS       ADOPTED 

PROTHONOTARV     AND     REGISTER     .\ND     RE- 
CORDER   FIRST    ELECTED. 

A  vote  was  taken  on  the  adoption  of  the 
proposed    amendments    to   the    Constitution, 

*  The  Uniteti  States  Storekeeper  at  Frankfort  turned  over  a 
liberal  supply  of  ammunition  to  the  State  authorities,  much  of 
which  consisted  of  tuckshot  cartridges.  Hence  the  name  of 
' '  Buckshot  war." 


with  the  following  result  in  the  State  :  For 
the  amendments,  113,981;  against,  112,759. 
Erie  county  gave  a  majority  of  1,721  against 
the  amendments. 

Previous  to  this,  negroes  had  voted  in  the 
State.  The  revised  Constitution  excluded  them 
from  suffrage.  In  the  convention  the  delegates 
from  Erie  county  were  divided,  Mr.  Sill  vo- 
ting for  negro  suffrage,  and  Mr.  Pollock 
against.  The  Anti-Masons  had  a  slight  ma- 
jority in  the  body. 

The  revised  Constitution  provided  for  the 
election  of  Prothonotary  and  Register  and  Re- 
corder, instead  of  their  appointment  by  the 
Governor  as  before.  The  same  instrument 
also  changed  the  manner  of  selecting  [ustices 
of  the  Peace  from  appointment  bv  the  Gov- 
ernor to  election  by  the  people.  The  choice 
of  the  latter  officers  was  not  made  until  the 
spring  election  in  1840,  the  old  incumbents  re- 
taining their  position  until  the  first  Monday 
of  May  in  that  year. 

1839 — The  county  tickets,  with  the  vote 
for  each  candidate,  were  as  follows: 

Anti-Masonic — Assembly,  Samuel  Hutch- 
ins,  Waterford,  1,927 ;  William  M.  Watts, 
Erie,  1,713;  Prothonotary,  William  Kelly, 
Erie,  1,791  ;  Register  and  Recorder,  Thomas 
Moorhead,  Erie,  1,997:  Commissioner  for  three 
years.  Lyman  Robinson,  Wattsburg,  1,845 ; 
Commissioner  for  one  year  (to  supply  the  va- 
cancj'  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Thomas 
Sterrett),  Samuel  Low,  Harbor  Creek,  1,886; 
Coroner,  John  K.  Caldwell,  Mill  Creek,  1,817; 
Auditor,  Gideon  J-  Ball,  Erie,  1,791. 

Democratic  —  Assembly,  William  Town- 
send,  Springtield,  1,522;  Prothonotary,  James 
C.  Marshall,  Girard,  1.155;  Register  and  Re- 
corder, E.  D.  Gunnison,  1 .39() ;  Commissioner, 
three  years,  James  Duncan.  Xorth  East,  1,420  ; 
Commissioner,  one  year,  Horace  Powers, 
Washington,  1,374;  Coroner,  P.  P.  Glazier, 
Erie,  1,391;  Auditor,  Martin  Strong,  Beaxcr 
Dam,  1,403. 

Dr.  William  Johns,  Erie,  who  had  pre- 
viouslv  sought  the  Anti-Masonic  nomination 
for  the  office,  announced  himself  as  an  inde- 
pendent candidate  for  Assembly,  and  was  sup- 
ported bv  a  portion  of  the  Democrats.  He 
received  1,137  votes  in  the  county. 

A  proposition  to  build  a  county  poor  house 
was  submitted  to  the  people,  and  defeated  hv 
a  majority  of  154  votes. 


/^/!Uc^ 


^^^2l-e./L^  a/p->e.cY 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


225 


ORGANIZATION  OF   THE   WHIG  PARTY HARRI- 
SON AND  TYLER   ELECTED. 

1840 — Before  this  year,  each  township  took 
care  of  its  own  poor.  A  proposition  to  build 
a  county  poor  house  met  with  much  opposi- 
tion, but,  on  being  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the 
people  at  the  spring  elections,  was  carried  bj- 
a  vote  of  1.599  in  favor  to  1,515  against.  At 
this  election.  Justices  of  the  Peace  were  chosen 
by  popular  vote  for  the  first  time,  their  se- 
lection having  been  previouslv  vested  in  the 
Governor. 

The  Anti-Masonic  party  had  by  this  time 
given  up  the  ghost,  and  the  Whig  party  was 
organized  upon  its  remains.  The  Whig  can- 
didate for  Congress  was  William  A.  Irvine, 
of  Warren  county;  the  Democratic,  Arnold 
Plumer,  of  Venango.  Below  is  the  vote  in 
the  district  : 

IRVINE.  PI.UMER. 

Erie 3,301  2,005 

Crawford 2,175  2,640 

Venango 679  1,007 

Warren 835  925 

Clarion   610  1,329 

Total 7,600  7,906 

The  county  tickets,  with  the  vote  for  each 
candidate,  were  as  follows  : 

Whig — Assembly,  Stephen  Skinner,  Mc- 
Kean,  3,289;  James"  D.  Dunlap,  Erie,  3,281; 
Sheriff,  E.  W."^M.  Blaine,  North  East,  3,296; 
Commissioner,  Russell  Stancliff,  Washington, 
3,284;  Auditor,  James  Miles,  Girard  township, 
3,247. 

Democratic — Assembly,  William  Town- 
send,  Springfield.  2,033:  Anthonv  Saltsman, 
Mill  Creek,  2.030;  Sherifl".  Benjaniin  F.  Nor- 
ris,  Greene,  2,012  ;  Commissioner,  James 
Duncan,  North  East,  2,004;  Auditor,  G.J. 
Stranahan,  Concord,  2,002. 

At  this  election.  Directors  of  the  Poor 
were  chosen  for  the  first  time,  each  township 
having  before  elected  its  own  Overseers.  The 
candidates  on  the  Whig  ticket  were  Thomas 
R.  Miller.  Springfield;  James  Benson,  Water- 
ford  township  ;  and  Geoige  W.  Walker.  Har- 
bor Creek,  all  of  whom  were  elected.  The 
Democra':ic  candidates  were  William  W. 
Warner.  Fairview  ;  Sherburn  Smith,  Erie; 
and  William  Wyatt,  Harbor  Creek. 

At  the  general  election  following,  the 
Whig  candidates  were  :  For  President,  Gen. 
William  H.  Harrison,  of  Ohio;  for  Vice  Pres- 


ident, John  Tyler,  of  \'irginia.  John  Dick, 
of  Crawford  count)%  was  the  Whig  elector  for 
this  district.  The  Democrats  again  supported 
Van  Buren  and  Johnson.  Stephen  Barlow, 
of  Crawford  county,  was  the  electoral  candi- 
date.  The  following  is  the  vote  of  the  countv  : 

H.\RRISON.      V.\N    BUREN. 

Erie,  West   ward 175  96 

Erie,  East       "     203-378  83-179 

McKean 208  71 

Fairview >. .  . .  247  53 

Springfield 285  87 

Conneaut   197  125 

Waterford  township 172  67 

Harbor  Creek 227  106 

North  East  township 158  174 

Greenfield 91  55 

Union 81  36 

Venang-o  and  Wattsburg.  .  122  69 

Washington  and  Edinboro.  244  71 

Greene 112  66 

Elk   Creek 163  137 

Concord 38  81 

Amity 46  61 

Wayne 85  51 

LeBoeuf 71  93 

Girard 301  229 

Mill  Creek 319  182 

North   East  borough   43  .W 

Waterford  borough 46  30 

Total 3,636  2,061 

In  the  State — Harrison.  144,021  :  Van 
Buren,  143,672. 

Harrison  and  Tyler  were  elected.  The 
former  served  only  one  month,  when  he  died 
in  office,  and  was  succeeded  by  John  Tyler. 

BEGINNING  OF   THE    .\I50HTI0N    P.\RTV. 

1841 — The  Whig  candidate  for  Governor 
was  John  Banks,  of -Berks  county,  formerly 
of  fiercer;  the  Democrats  again  supported 
David  R.  Porter,  of  Huntingdon.  The 
county  gave  Banks  2.956  votes,  and  Porter 
1,855.  In  the  State  the  vote  was  :  For  Porter 
136.504;  Banks,  118,478. 

The  Abolitionists  held  their  first  con\en- 
tion  in  Penns\'lvania  this  year,  and  nominated 
Dr.  Francis  J.  LeMoyne,  of  Washington 
county,  for  Governor,  who  received  736  votes 
in  all.  Of  these,  forty  were  cast  in  Erie 
county. 

The  Democrats  made  no  nomination  for 
the  State  Senate,  and  supported  John  W. 
Farrellv,  of  Crawford,  who  ran  as  an  inde- 
pendent Whig  candidate.  John  Dick,  of 
Crawford,  was  the  regular  Whig  candidate. 
The  vote  of  the  district  was  as  follows  : 


226 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


DICK.      FARRELLY. 

Erie 2,663  1.955 

Crawford 1,887  2,774 

Total 4.550       ■  4,729 

The  county  tickets,  with  the  votes,  were  as 
follows  : 

Whig — Assembly,  Janies  D.  Dunlap,  Erie, 
2,(58'?;  Stephen  C.  Lee,  Greene,  i,t540 ;  Com- 
missioner, David  Savvdey,  Conneaiit,  2,489 ; 
Treasurer,  James  Williams,  Erie,  2,589;  Audi- 
tor, Moses  Barnett,  Fairview,  2,571  ;  Director 
of  the  Poor,  Conrad  Brown,  of  Mill  Creek  (no 
opposition). 

The  Democrats  made  no  nominations,  but 
supported  Independent  candidates,  as  follows  : 

Assembly,  Robert  S.  Hunter,  Erie,  1,()96; 
William  Miner,  Harbor  Creek,  1,(5(37  ;  Commis- 
sioner, Ira  Parker.  Mill  Creek,  l,4tj5  ;  Treas- 
urer, John  Hughes,  Erie,  1,3(36:  Auditor, 
Joseph  Y.  Moorhead,  Harbor  Creek,  1,827. 

COUNTY    TREASUREU    FIRST    ELECTED. 

Mr.  Williams  was  the  first  County  Treas- 
urer chosen  by  popular  vote. 

184:2 — The'  Whig  county  ticket,  with  the 
Yote  for  each  candidate,  was  as  follows: 
Assembly,  Stephen  Skinner.  McKean,  1.880; 
Lyman  Robinson,  Wattsburg,  l,8(i4  ;  Prothon- 
otary,  Wilson  King,  Erie,  1.92S;  Register, 
Thomas  Moorhead,  Jr.,  Erie,  2,4*50 ;  Commis- 
sioner, Joseph  Henderson,  Mill  Creek,  2,075  ; 
Coroner,  Hezekiali  Bates,  Erie,  1,971 ;  Auditor, 
Benjamin  Gunnison,  Greene,  2,027  ;  Director 
of  the  Poor,  John  Evans,  sr. ,  Mill  Creek, 
1 ,982. 

The  Democrats  made,  no  regular  nomina- 
tions, but  supported  Independent  candidates 
for  the  various  offices.  The  Abolitionists  had 
a  regular  ticket  in  the  field  for  every  office  ex- 
cept Director  of  the  Poor.  Below  is  a  list  of 
all  the  candidates,  with  their  votes  : 

Assembly,  Dr.  William  Johns,  Erie  (Inde- 
pendent Whig) ,  989;  Sylvester  W.  Randall 
(Democrat),  Erie,  1,358;  Joseph  Neely, 
(Working  Men's),  Harbor  Creek,  117;  David 
H.  Chapman  (Abolitionist),  Fairview,  21(3; 
James  M.  Moorhead  (Abolitionist),  Harbor 
Creek,  288;  Prothonotary,  James  C.  Marshall 
(Democrat),  Girard,  1,627;  George  Kellogg 
(Abolitionist).  Erie,  179 ;  Register,  William 
Gray  (Abolitionist),  Wayne,  134;  Commis- 
sioner, Matthew  Greer  (Democrat),  North 
East,    781;    William    Himrod    (Abolitionist), 


Erie,  166;  Coroner,  Alex  MehafiFey  (Abolition- 
ist), Erie,  301  ;  Auditor,  William  Vincent 
(Abolitionist),  Waterford,  162;  Director  of 
the  Poor,  John  Gingrich  (Democrat),  Mill 
Creek,  717. 

C.WAL    COMMISSIONERS     FIRST    ELECTED. 

1S43  —  The  first  Canal  Commissioners 
elected  by  popular  vote  were  chosen  this  year. 
The  Whig  candidates  were  W'illiam  Tweed, 
Benjamin  Weaver,  and  Simeon  (julliford  ;  the 
Democratic,  James  Clark,  Jesse  Miller  and 
William  B.  Foster.  Jr.  The  average  Whig 
majority  in  the  county  was  about  1,150.  The 
Democrats  carried  the  State  by  an  average 
majoritj'  of  14,500.  Hugh  Mehaffey,  Hugh 
D.  King  and  James  Moorhead  ran  as  Inde- 
pendent Anti-Masons,  and  received  about  270 
votes  in  the  State. 

The  Whig  candidate  for  Congress  was 
Charles  M.  Reed,  of  Erie;  the  Democratic, 
Dr.  Galbraith  A.  Irvine,  of  Warren.  The 
vote  of  the  district  was  as  follows  : 

REED.  IRVINE. 

Erie 2,867  1,-560 

Warren 620  860 

McKean   259  342 

Potter 135  405 

Jefferson 449  536 

Clarion 743  1,330 

Total 5,073  5,033 

The  apportionment  bill  of  1842  made  a 
Senatorial  district  of  Erie  county.  Elijah 
Babbitt  was  the  W'hig  candidate,  and  James 
C.  Marshall  the  Democratic.  The  vote  was 
for  Babbitt  2,646,  for  Marshall  1,554.  Galen 
Foster,  Abolition  candidate,  received  seventy- 
three   votes. 

The  following  was  the  vote  for  other 
candidates  : 

Whig — Assembly.  James  D.  Dunlap,  Erie, 
2,53(j;  David  A.  Gould,  Springfield,  2,573; 
Sheriff,  William  E.  McNair,  Mill  Creek, 
2,465;  Commissioner,  Robert  Gray,  Lhiion, 
2,648;  Treasurer,  Gideon  J.  Ball,  Erie,  2,595; 
Auditor,  W'illiam  M.  Arbuckle,  Erie,  2,574; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  Janies  Anderson.  Water- 
ford  township,  2,544. 

Democratic — Assembly,    Martin      Strong, 

Greene,  1,657:  George  H.  Cutler,  Elk  Creek, 

1,639:    Sheriff',    James    Lytle,     Erie,     1,729; 

Commissioner,    G.    J.     Stranahan,    Concord, 

I   1,504;  Treasurer,   Stephen   C.  Walker,  Erie, 

i  1,481;  Auditor,  Eli   Webster,  Greene,  1,561; 


4ira  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


227 


Director  of  the   Poor,    Joseph  E.   Lee,  Xorth 
East,   1,512. 

Abolition — Assembly,  W'm.  Gray,  Wayne, 
seventy-nine ;  James  M.  Moorhead.  Harbor 
Creek,  eighty-seven;  Sheriff,  Alex.  McClellan, 
Mill  Creek,  eighty-six;  Commissioner,  John 
B.  Fluke,  Erie,  seventy-three;  Treasurer, 
Clinton  George,  Erie,  eighty-five;  Auditor, 
Ambrose  Shelly,  Harbor  Creek,  ninety;  Di- 
rector of  the  Poor,  Samuel  Brecht.  Fairview, 
ninetv— six. 

THE  CLAY   AND  POLK  C.VMPAIGX GENERAL 

REED  DEFEATED  AND  JUDGE  THOMPSON 
ELECTED. 

184-lr — For  Governor,  the  Democrats  nom- 
inated Francis  R.  Shunk,  Allegheny  county; 
the  Whigs,  Gen.  Joseph  Markle,  Westmore- 
land :  the  Abolitionists,  F.  J.  LeMoyne, 
Washington.  Erie  county  gave  Markle  8,501 
votes,  Shunk,  2,2()7.  and  LeMoyne,  sixtv-nine. 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows  : 

Shunk,  1(50,403:  Markle.  156,120;  Le- 
Moyne, 2,675. 

The  candidates  for  Canal  Commissioner 
were  Simeon  Gulliford,  Whig;  Joshua  Harts- 
horn, Democrat;  W^illiam  Larimer,  Jr.,  Abo- 
lition. The  vote  vi-as  about  the  same  as  that 
for  Governor. 

Gen.  Reed  was  renominated  by  the  Whigs 
for  Congress.  James  Thompson,  Erie,  was 
the  Democratic,  and  John  Mann,  Potter,  the 
Abolition  candidate. 

The  vote  of  the  district  was  as  follows  ; 

THOMP- 
REED.  SON. 

Erie 3.554  2,180 

Warren S56  1.061 

McKeau 311  '          415 

Potter 206  531 

.Jefferson 638  777 

Clarion 799  1,868 

Total 6,364  6,832 

Mr.  Mann  received  but  ninety  votes  in  all, 
of  which  forty-five  were  cast  in  Erie  county. 
Hamlin  Russell,  Abolition,  also  received  four- 
teen votes  in  this  county. 

The  county  tickets,  with  tiie  vote  for  each 
candidate,  were  as   follows  : 

Whig — Assembly,  Mark  Baldwin.  North 
East,  8,442;  James  D.  Dunlap.  Erie.  8,445; 
Commissioner,  Isaac  Webster,  Fairview, 
3,348;     Auditor,     Thomas    Pierce,     LeBoeuf, 


8,880;  Director  of  Poor,  David  Kennedy, 
Erie,  3,332 — all  being  elected. 

Democratic — Assembly,  George  H.  Cut- 
ler, Girard,  2,147;  David  Allison,  North  East, 
2,135 ;  Commissioner,  James  Wilson,  Green- 
field, 2,210;  Auditor,  ^lichael  Jackson,  Con- 
neaut,  2,148;  Director  of  Poor,  James  M. 
Reed.  Mill  Creek,  2,156. 

Abolition — Assembly,  David  H,  Chap- 
man Fairview;  Aaron  Kellogg,  Erie;  Com- 
missioner, Nathaniel  Wilson,  Union  ;  Audi- 
tor, Alexander  McClellan,  Mill  Creek  ;  Direc- 
tor of  Poor,  .Silas  Walker.  Harbor  Creek. 
This  ticket  received  an  average  of  about 
seventy  votes. 

A  vote  was  taken  to  decide  whether  the 
main  line  of  the  State  public  works  should  be 
sold  or  not.  The  proposition  received  a  ma- 
jority of  447  in  Erie  countv.  but  was  defeated 
in  the  general  \ote  of  the  State  bv  a  majority 
of  21,433. 

The  Whig  part)-  nominated  Henry  Clay, 
of  Kentucky,  for  President,  and  Theodore 
Frelinghuysen,  of  New  Jersey,  for  Vice  Pres- 
ident. William  A.  Irvine  was  the  electoral 
candidate  for  this  district.  The  Democratic 
nominees  were  James  K.  Polk,  of  Tennessee, 
for  President,  and  George  M.  Dallas,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, for  Vice  President.  Christian  Myers, 
of  Clarion  county,  was  the  candidate  for  elec- 
tor. The  Abolitionists  ran  James  G.  Birney, 
of  Michigan,  for  President,  who  received 
seventy-four  votes  in  the  county  and  8,188  in 
the  State.  James  M.  Moorhead,  of  Harbor 
Creek,  was  the  candidate  for  elector. 

The  following  was  the  Whig  and  Demo- 
cratic vote  in  the  county  : 

CL.W.  POLK. 

Erie,  West  ward 151  118 

Erie,  East  ward 170-321  112-230 

Amity 37  77 

Concord 45  89 

Conneaut 201  110 

Edinboro 30  11 

Elk  Creek... 108  121 

Fairview 244  52 

Franklin 62  10 

Girard 344  166 

Greene 104  99 

Greenfield 73  32 

Harbor  Creek 203  127 

LeBoeuf 88  114 

Mill  Creek 350  209 

McKean 223  79 

North  East  township 168  192 

North  East  borougfh 48  34 

Springfield 269  103 

Union 73  53 


228 


NELSON'S  BIOOBAPHIUAL  DICTIONARY 


Venango 102  55 

Wattsburgr 20  13 

Washing-ton 215  79 

Waterford  borough 54  25 

Waterford  township 178  78 

Wayne 55  68 

Total 3,630      2,226 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows : 
Clav,  161,8(58;  Polk.  1(57. iU5.  Polk's  major- 
ity."(5. 882. 

Polk  and  Dallas  were  elected  by  a  large 
majority  of  the  electoral  votes  t>f  the  Union. 

NATIVK    AMEKIC.VNISM   COMES   TO    THE   FRONT. 

184:5 — The  Democratic  candidate  for  Canal 
Commissioner  was  James  Burns,  Mifflin 
county;  the  Whig  candidate,  Samuel  D. 
Karns,  Dauphin;  the  Abolition,  William 
Larimer,  Allegheny.  In  Erie  county,  Burns 
received  I.IOS  votes,  Karns,  1,831.  Larimer, 
eighty-two.  In  the  State,  Burns  had  119,510  ; 
Karns,  89,118  and  Larimer,  2,857.  The  Native 
American  party  placed  a  ticket  in  the  field  for 
the  first  time  this  year,  and  George  Morton, 
their  candidate,  received  22,98-1  votes,  most  of 
them  being  cast  in  Philadelphia  and  the 
neighboring  counties. 

Elijah  Babbitt,  elected  State  Senator  in 
1848,  resigned  his  seat  at  the  close  of  his  sec- 
ond session,  and  candidates  were  nominated  to 
supply  the  vacancy.  The  Whigs  supported 
James  D.  Dunlap,  the  Democrats  Carson 
Graham,  and  the  Abolitionists  David  H,  Chap- 
man. The  vote  was  1,794  for  Dunlap.  1,192 
for  Graham  and  eighty-nine  for  Chapman. 

The  Democrats  made  no  county  nomin- 
ations. The  following  were  tiie  candidates 
voted  for : 

Whig — Assembly,  J.  B.  Johnson,  Erie, 
1,755;  Lyman  Robinson,  Wattsburg,  1,785 
Prothonotar}',  Wilson  King,  Erie,  1,888  ;  Reg 
ister,  Thomas  Moorhead,  jr.,  Erie,  1,810 
Commissioner,  Wm.  E.  Marvin,  Greenfield 
1,768;  Auditor,  three  years.  James  H 
Campbell,  Edinboro,  1,699  ;  Auditor,  to  sup 
plv  vacancy,  Simeon  Hunt,  Waterford,  1,(394 
Coroner,  Thomas  Dillon,  Erie.  1,708;  Direc 
tor  of  Poor,  Curtis  Heidler,  Fairview,   1.698 

Abolition — Assembly,  .Samuel  Kingsbury 
North  East,  191  ;  Nathan  Gould,  Springfield 
190;  Prothonotary,  N.  Wilson,  Union,  160 
Register,  John  13.  Fluke,  Erie,  168;  Commis 
sioner,  Wm.  Robinson.  North  East,  154 
Auditor,  A.  N.  Wood,  Venango,  156;   David 


Nellis,  Harbor  Creek,  153 ;  Coroner,  Alex. 
McClellan,  Mill  Creek,  1(38;  Director  of 
Poor,  Richard  Barnett,  Fairview.  I(i9. 

JUDGE     THOMPSON    RE-ELECTED. 

1846 — The  Democratic  candidate  for  Canal 
Commissioner  was  Wm.  B.  Foster;  the 
Whig,  James  M.  Power;  the  Abolitionist, 
Wm.  Elder,  and  the  Native  American, 
George  Morton.  In  Erie  county.  Power  had 
1.801  votes,  Foster,  895,  and  Elder,  seventy- 
four.  The  State  gave  Power  97.918,  Foster 
89,084,  Morton  15,488,  Elder  2,097. 

James  Thompson  was  re-nominated  by  the 
Democrats  for  Congress,  and  elected.  The 
Whig  candidate  was  James  Campbell,  of 
Clarion,  and  the  Abolition,  John  Mann,  of 
Potter.  The  vote  of  the  district  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

CAMPBELL.    THOMPSON.    MANN. 

Erie 1,792  942  77 

Clarion 617  1,199  — 

Warren   486  684  19 

Jefferson 278  333  — 

McKean 168  256  — 

Potter 99  237  54 

Elk 113  128  — 

Total 3,553  3,779  150 

The  Democratic  candidate  for  State  Sen- 
ate was  .Smith  Jackson,  Erie  ;  the  Whig,  J.  B. 
Johnson,  Erie,  and  the  Abolition,  Nathan 
Gould,  of  Springfield.  Johnson  received  1,708 
votes,  Jackson  873,  and  Gould  eighty-six. 

The  county  tickets  and  their  votes  were  as 
follows  : 

Whig  —  Assembly,  William  Sanborn, 
Amity,  1,719;  David  A.  Gould,  Sprmgfield, 
1,668";  Sheriff',  Miles  W.  Caughey,  Fairview, 
1,723;  Commissioner,  William  Campbell, 
Washington,  1,710;  Treasurer,  John  S. 
Brown,  Erie,  1,709;  Auditor,  James  Cham- 
bers, Harbor  Creek,  1,703;  Director  of  Poor, 
William  Bracken,  LeBoeuf,  1,(580. 

Democratic  —  Assembly,  E.  Dimcombe, 
Amity.  876;  Newton  Lounsbury,  North  East, 
857;  Commissioner.  James  Wilson,  Green- 
field, 781  ;  Treasurer,  John  S.  Carter.  Erie. 
846;  Auditor,  Martin  .Strong,  jr.,  Waterford, 
796;  Director  of  Poor.  Isaac  R.  Taylor, 
Washington,  806. 

Abolitionist — Assembly,  William  Gray, 
W^ayne,  eighty-four;  R.  Barnett,  Fairview. 
eightv-four;  .Sheriff,  Aaron  Kellogg,  North 
East,  182;   Commissioner,  Thomas  McClellan, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COVNTY. 


229 


Mill  Creek,  eighty;  Treasurer,  Alexander  Me- 
haffey,  Erie,  eighty-three;  Auditor.  Abner 
H.  Gould,  Springfield,  seventy-nine:  Direc- 
tor of  Poor,  Alvah  Francis.  Franklin,  eighty- 
five. 

FIRST        PROHIBITION       MOVEMENT SOLDIERS* 

NOTE   IX   THE    MEXICAN    \V.\R 

184-7 — A  vote  was  taken  at  the  spring 
election  whether  or  not  license  to  sell  liquor 
should  be  granted  in  the  county-  The  vote 
was  2,416  in  favor  of  license,  and  2,183 
against. 

The  Whigs  nominated  for  Governor  James 
Irvin,  of  Center  county  ;  the  Democrats  sup- 
ported Francis  R.  Shunk  ;  the  Abolitionists, 
F.  J.  LeMoyne  ;,  and  the  Native  Americans, 
E.  C.  Reigait,  Lancaster.  Erie  county  gave 
Irvin  2,586  votes;  Shunk.  1.728;  LeMoyne. 
180. 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows : 
Shunk,  146,084;  Irvin,  128,148;  Reigart, 
11,247;   LeMoyne,  1,861. 

For  Canal  Commissioner,  Joseph  \V.  Pat- 
ton,  Cumberland,  was  the  Whig  candidate; 
Morris  Longstreth,  Montgomery,  the  Demo- 
cratic ;  William  B.Thomas,  Philadelphia,  the 
Abolition,  and  George  Morton.  Dauphin,  the 
Native  American,  Longstreth  being  elected  by 
about  the  same  vote  as  .Shunk. 

The  Pennsylvania  soldiers  in  the  Mexican 
war  voted  for  State  officers,  and  gave  a  large 
majority  for  the  Democratic  candidates. 

The  Democrats  made  no  nominations  for 
county  officers.  The  following  were  the 
county  candidates,  with  the  vote  for  each  : 

Whig — Assembly,  Gideon  J.  Ball.  Erie, 
2,545  ;  William  Sanborn,  Amity,  2.478  ;  Com- 
missioner, H.  A.  Hills,  Conneaut,  2,359;  Audi- 
tor. John  Wood,  LeBanif.  2.421  ;  Director  of 
Poor,  David  Sterrett,  McKean,  no  opposition. 

Abolition — Assembly.  Nathaniel  Wilson, 
Union.  158;  Orange  Sclkrigg,  North  East, 
158;  Commissioner,  B.  Beebe,  Wayne,  152  ; 
Auditor,  E.  N.  Wood,  Venango,  148. 

T.WLOR     .\ND    FILLMORE     KLECTF.I). 

1848 — The  Democratic  State  candidates 
were  :  For  Go\  ernor,  Morris  Longstreth, 
Montgomery  ;  for  Canal  Commissioner,  Israel 
Painter,  Westmoreland.  The  Whig  candidates 
were  William  F.  Johnson,  Armstrong,  for 
Governor,  and   Xer  Middleswarth,  Union,  for 


Canal  Commissioner.  Gov.  Shunk  had  died 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  and  Mr. 
Johnson,  who  was  Speaker  of  the  Senate,  be- 
came Governor.  The  gubernatorial  vote  was 
the  closest  that  ever  occurred  in  Peimsylvania, 
Johnson  having  succeeded  by  only  302  ma- 
jority. The  Democratic  nominee  for  Canal 
Commissioner  was  elected  by  2,958  majority. 
Erie  county  gave  Johnson  3,500  votes;  Long- 
streth, 2,087;  Middleswarth,  3,305;  and 
Painter,  2,096.  The  Abolitionists  and  Native 
Americans  had  no  State  ticket  in  the  field. 

The  candidates  for  Congress  were  the  same 
as  in  1846,  and  James  Thompson  was  again 
elected  bv  483  majority  over  Mr.  Campbell. 

The  counlv  tickets  were  as  follows  : 

Whig— Assembly,  G.  J.  Ball,  Erie,  3,169; 
Theodore  Ryman,  Girard,  3,165;  Prothono- 
tary,  James  Skinner,  Erie,  3,162:  Register, 
R."  J.  Sibley,  Waterford,  3,077;  Commis- 
sioner, George  W.  Brecht.  Mill  Creek,  3,067; 
Auditor,  John  Eagley,  Springfield.  3,059; 
Treasurer,  John  Hughes,  Erie,  3,101  ;  Director 
of  Poor,  David  Kennedy,  Erie,  3,025 ;  Coro- 
ner, Samuel  L.  Foster,  Erie,  3,030. 

Democratic — Assembly,  .Smith  Jackson, 
Erie,  1,628;  John  S.  Barnes,  Girard,  1,628 ; 
Commissioner,  JamesWilson, Greenfield,  1,631; 
Auditor,  D.  W.  Howard,  Amity,  1,585;  Di- 
rector of  Poor,  Henry  Colt,  Waterford,  1,555. 
There  were  jio  candidates  for  Prothonotary, 
Register,  Treasurer  or  Coroner. 

Abolition — Assembly.  William  Beatty, 
Erie,  371;  Job  Stafford,  McKean.  367;  Pro- 
thonotary. Aaron  Kellogg,  North  East,  1,303; 
Register,  Ira  .Sherwin,  Harbor  Creek,  487; 
Commissioner,  James  M.  Moorhead,  Harbor 
Creek,  382;  Auditor,  B.  Beebe,  Concord,  325  ; 
Treasurer,  Henrv  Cadwell,  Erie,  377;  Direc- 
tor of  Poor.  Eli  Perkins,  Wayne,  357  ;  Coro- 
ner, John  B.  Fluke,  Erie,  470. 

The  National  tickets  were  as  follows  : 
Whig — For  President,  Zacliary  Taylor,  Louis- 
iana ;  Vice  President,  Millard  Fillmore,  New 
York.  Democratic — For  President,  Lewis 
Cass,  Michigan  :  for  Vice  President,  William 
O.  Butler,  Kentucky.  Free  Soil — For  Presi- 
dent, Martin  Van  Buren.  New  York  ;  for  Vice 
President,  Charles  Francis  Adams,  Massachu- 
setts. The  Whig  candidate  for  Elector  in  this 
district  was  Thomas  H.  -Sill.  Erie:  the  Demo- 
cratic, Timothv  Ives,  Potter:  the  Free  Soil. 
William  F.  Clark,  Crawford.  Below  is  the 
vote  of  the  county  : 


230 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


VAN 

TAYLOR.         CASS.  HliREN. 

Erie,  East  Ward 209  151  12 

Erie,  West  Ward 260  46')     152-303        4-16 

Mill  Creek 317  159  3 

Fairview 249  40  6 

Girard  borough 46  29  2 

Girard  township 263  154  16 

Spring-field 234  87  31 

Conneaut 202  87  5 

Elk  Creek 122  125  4 

Franklin 45  4  20 

Washington 1%  63  — 

Edinboro 40  14  — 

McKean 182  58  30 

Greene 109  116  — 

Waterford  borough 62  42  1 

Waterford  township 161  49  — 

LeBoeuf 63  72  — 

Union 73  48  23 

Concord  32  35  43 

Wayne  7  37  39 

Wattsburg  24  15  3 

Venango 62  48  34 

Greenfield 60  28  20 

North  East  borough 44  37  7 

North  East  township 133  178  27 

Harbor  Creek 184  113  26 

Total   3,418        2,022  356 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows  :  Tay- 
lor, 185,514;  Cass.  171,998;  Vnn  Bnreii, 
11,263. 

Taylor  and  Fillmore  were  elected.  The 
former  died  after  being  in  office  about  a  year 
and  a  half,  and  Mr.  Fillmore  served  out  the 
balance  of  the  term. 

1819 — The  Wliig  candidate  for  Canal  Com- 
sioner  was  Henry  M.  Fuller,  of  Luzerne;  the 
Democratic,  John  A.  Gamble,  of  Lycoming. 
The  vote  of  the  county  was  2,503  for  Fuller 
and  1,3<59  for  Gamble.  Mr.  Gamble  was  elect- 
ed, receiving  135,840  votes  to  133,111  for  Ful- 
ler. Kimber  Cleaver,  of  Schuylkill,  the  Native 
American  candidate,  received  3,259  votes  in 
the  State,  but  none  in  Erie  county. 

The  candidates  for  State  Senate  were  John 
H.  Walker,  Whig,  and  Murray  Whallon, 
Democrat.  Mr.  Walker  was  elected  by  a  vote 
of  2.417  to  1,399  for  Whallon. 

The  county  tickets  were  as  follows  : 

Whig — Assembly,  Ja'nes  C.  Reid,  Erie, 
2,487;  Leffert  Hart,"  Girard,  2,302  ;  SheriflF,  P. 
E.  Burton,  Erie,  2,474  ;  Commissioner,  Simeon 
Stewart,  Concord,  2,467 ;  Auditor,  John  L. 
Way,  Greene,  2,474  ;  Director  of  Poor,  George 
Fritts,  Waterford,  2,457. 

Democratic — Assemblj-,  David  Olin,  Gi- 
rard,   1,349;    William   Griffith,    North    East, 


1,350;  Sheriflr,  E.  W.  Gerrish.  Edinboro, 
1,370;  Commissioner,  Truman  Stewart,  Con- 
cord, 1,355;  Auditor,  Henry  Teller,  (Jirard, 
1,357;  Director  of  Poor,  Henry  Gingrich, 
Mill  Creek,  1,363. 

Al'DITOR  GENERAL  AND     SURVEYOK  GENER.VL 
ELECTED   FOR  THE   FIRST  TIME. 

1850 — The  first  election  for  Auditor  and 
Surveyor  General  was  held  this  year.  The 
Democratic  State  ticket  consisted  of  William 
T.  Morrison,  of  Montgomery,  for  Canal  Com- 
missioner ;  Ephraim  Banks,  of  Mifflin,  for 
Auditor  General ;  and  James  Porter  Brawley, 
of  Crawford,  for  Surveyor  General.  The 
Whig  ticket  consisted  of  Joshua  Duncan,  of 
Bucks,  for  Canal  Commissioner;  Henry  W. 
Snyder,  of  Union,  for  Auditor  General  ;  and 
Joseph  Henderson,  of  Washington,  for  Sur- 
veyor General.  The  Whigs  carried  the  county 
by  an  average  majority  of  1,460.  but  were  de- 
feated in  the  State. 

An  amendment  to  the  Constitution  making 
Judges  elective  was  submitted  to  the  people, 
and  144,578  votes  were  cast  in  its  favor  to 
71,092  votes  in  opposition.  Erie  county  gave 
3,908  votes  for  the  amendment,  and  only  3(59 
against  it. 

The  Whig  candidate  for  Congress  was 
John  H.  Walker,  of  Erie  county;  the  Demo- 
cratic, Carlton  B.  Curtis,  of  Warren.  The 
following  was  the  vote  in  the  district  : 

WALKER.      CURTIS. 

Erie 3,226  1,636 

Clarion 1,193  1,697 

Jefferson 519     ■  780 

Warren 717  1,117 

Potter 360  541 

Elk 109  277 

McKean 297  454 

Total 6,416  6,522 

The  county  tickets,  with  the  vote  for  each 
candidate,  were  as  follows  : 

Whig — Assembly,  James  C.  Reid,  of  Erie, 
3,159;  Alexander  W.  Blaine,  North  East, 
3,163;  Commissioner.  Thomas  Dunn,  Mc- 
Kean. 3,149 ;  Treasurer.  Alfred  King,  Erie, 
3,175;  ^Xuditor,  Flavel  Bovd,  Waterford, 
3,158;  Director  of  Poor,  Melviii  M.  Kelso, 
Fairview,  3,097. 

Democratic — As«emblv,  George  H.  Cutler, 
Girard,  1,699;  C.  M.  tibbals,  Erie,  1,681  ; 
Commissioner,  Henry  Allison,  North  East, 
1,615  ;  Treasurer,  Henry  Cadwell,  Erie,  1,694  ; 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


231 


Auditor,  Henry  Gingrich,  Mill  Creek,  1,704; 
Director  of  Poor,  A.  Mallorv,  Springfield, 
1,716. 

At  this  election,  the  District  Attorney  and 
County  Surveyor  were  chosen  by  popular 
vote  for  the  first  time.  The  following  were 
the  candidates,  with  their  vote  : 

Whig — District  Attorney,  Matthew  Tay- 
lor, Erie,  3,164;  Surveyor,  David  Wilson, 
Union,  8,152. 

Democratic — District  Attorney,  Benjamin 
Grant,  Erie,  1,641  ;  Surveyor,  Irviii  Camp, 
Erie,   1,698. 

JUDGES   FIRST   ELECTED    BY    THE    PEOPLE THE 

GALBRAITH-BABBITT    CONTEST. 

1851 — The  Democratic  State  ticket  con-  , 
sisted  of  William  Bigler,  Clearfield,  for  Gov- 
ernor, and  Seth  Clover,  Clarion,  Canal  Com- 
missioner. The  Whigs  re-nominated  Governor 
Johnston,  and  John  Strohm,  Lancaster,  was 
their  candidate  for  Canal  Commissioner.  Erie 
county  gave  3,()10  votes  for  Johnston,  and 
2,106  for  Bigler. 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows  : 
Bigler,  186,507;  Johnston,  178,070. 

The  Democratic  candidate  for  Canal  Com- 
missioner was  elected  by  about  the  same  vote. 
The  Native  American  candidate  for  Governor 
was  Kimber  Cleaver,  Schuylkill,  who  received 
1,713  votes;  for  Canal  Commissioner.  David 
McDonald,  Philadelphia,  who  received  1,875 — 
no  \otes  for  either  being  cast  in   Erie  county. 

The  first  election  of  Judges  by  popular  vote 
took  place  this  year  under  the  constitutional 
provision  adopted  in  1850.  The  Democratic 
candidates  for  the  Supreme  Court  were  Jere- 
miah S.  Black,  Somerset  ;  James  Campbell, 
Philadelphia;  Ellis  Lewis,  Lancaster;  John  B. 
Gibson,  Cumberland;  and  \\'alter  H.  Lowrie, 
Allegheny.  The  Whig  candidates  were  Rich- 
ard Coulter,  Westmoreland;  William  M. 
Meredith,  Philadelphia;  George  Chambers, 
Franklin;  Joshua  W.  Conily,  Montour;  and 
William  Jessup,  Susquehanna.  All  of  the 
Democratic  candidates  were  elected  by  con- 
siderable majorities  except  Mr.  Campbell,  who 
was  defeated  because  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  The  Native  Americans 
united  their  force  upon  Richard  Coulter,  who 
had  a  majority  of  3,199. 

In  this  district,  the  Democratic  candidate 
for  President  Judge  was  John  Galbraith,  Erie  ; 


the    Whig,    Elijah    Babbitt,    Erie.     The  vote 
was  as  follows  : 

G.\L- 

BRAITH.  B.ABBITT. 

Erie   2,573  2,942 

Crawford 3,337  2,661 

Warren 1,316  1,022 

Total 7.226  6,625 

The  Democrats  made  no  nominations  for 
county  officers,  but  supported  independent 
candidates.  The  following  were  the  candi- 
dates, with  their  vote  : 

Associate  Judge,  Joseph  M.  Sterrett,  Erie. 
(Reg.  Whig)',  3,06l^";  John  Wood.  Waterford 
(Reg.  Whig),  2,4:26;  James  Miles,  Girard 
(Ind.  Whig),  3,090;  Assembly,  Alex.  W. 
Blaine,  North  East  (Reg.  Whig),  3,531; 
Charles  W.  Kelso  (Reg.  Whig),  3,460;  Pro- 
thonotary,  James  Skinner,  Erie  (Reg.  Whig), 
2,540;  Samuel  Perley  (Ind.  Whig),  2,752; 
Register,  David  McAllister,  Erie  (Reg.  Whig), 
3,472;  Commissioner,  Rodney  Cole,  Greene 
(Reg.  Whig),  3,414;  Coroner,  Simeon  Dunn, 
Erie  (Reg.  Whig),  3,426;  Director  of  Poor, 
William  E.  McNair,  Mill  Creek  (Reg. 
Whig),  8,432;  Auditor,  Samuel  Reeder, 
Washington  (Reg.  Whig),  3,319.  Messrs. 
Sterrett  and  Miles  were  elected  Associate 
Judges,  and  Mr.  Perley,  Prothonotary.  All 
of  the  balance  of  the  regular  Whig  ticket  was 
successful. 

LAST    WHK;     X.\T10XAL    ticket PIERCE    .\ND 

KI.NG      ELECTED. 

1852 — The  Democratic  candidates  were  : 
For  Canal  Commissioner,  William  Hopkins, 
Washington  ;  for  Supreme  Judge,  in  place  of 
R.  Coulter,  who  died,  George  W.  Woodward, 
Luzerne.  The  Whig  candidates  were :  For 
Canal  Commissioner,  Jacob  Hofl'man,  Berks; 
for  Supreme  Judge.  Joseph  Buffington,  Arm- 
strong. The  Abolitionists  and  Native  Amer- 
icans also  had  candidates  in  the  field.  Erie 
county  gave  2,180  votes  for  Hopkins,  3,257 
for  Hoffman,  2,165  for  Woodward,  8,247  for 
Buffington,  and  212  for  the  Abolition  ticket. 
The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows  :  Hopkins, 
171,548:  Hoffman,  151,600:  Woodward,  172,- 
610;  Buffington,  153,681 — Hopkins  and  Wood- 
ward being  elected.  The  Abolition  ticket  re- 
ceived 3,061  votes,  and  the  Native  American 
8,099  in  the  State. 

For  Congress,  the  Whigs  nominated  Gen. 
John    Dick,    of   Crawford;    the     Democrats, 


233 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


George  H.  Cutler,  of  Erie  ;  and  the  Abolition- 
ists, David  A.  Gould,  of  Erie.  The  district 
had  been  changed  since  tiie  last  election,  and 
comprised  only  Erie  and  Crawtord  counties. 
The  following  was  the  vote  : 

DICK.      CVTLER.      GOULD. 

Erie  county 3,253        2,152  321 

Crawford  county 2,741         1,905  619 

Total 5,994        4,057  940 

The  Senatorial  district  was  also  changed, 
and  consisted  of  the  same  counties  as  the 
Congressional.  The  Whigs  nominated  James 
Skinner,  of  Erie,  and  the  Abolitionists, Charles 
A.  Hammond,  of  Crawford.  The  Democrats 
made  no  nomination,  and  supported  David 
Derrickson,  of  Crawford,  who  ran  as  an  Inde- 
pendent Whig  candidate.      Below  is  the  vote  : 

SKIN-  DERRICK-        HAM- 

NER.  SON.  MOND. 

Erie  county 3,271  2,072  271 

Crawford 2,056  2,687  523 

Total 5,327  4,759  794 

The  Democrats  had  no  nominees  for  coun- 
ty officers,  and  supported  Independent  Whig 
candidates.  Below  is  a  list  of  the  candidates 
with  their  vote; 

Regular  Whig — Assembly,  Charles  W. 
Kelso,  Erie,  3,140;  Hiim])hrey  A.  Hills,  Con- 
neaut,  2,93:2;  .Sheriff,  Thomas  B.  \'incenl, 
Waterford,  3,054:  Commissioner,  Richard  R. 
Robinson,  Springfield,  3,137;  Treasurer, 
James  Chambers,  Harbor  Creek,  3,164;  Au- 
ditor, Orin  Reed,  McKean,  3,079;  Director  of 
Poor,  Joseph  B.  Moorhead,  Harbor  Creek, 
3,117.' 

Independent  Wiiig — AssembK*,  James 
Hoskinson,  Erie,  2,254:  John  iSIcKee,  Spring- 
field, 2,893;  SheritT,  jiimcs  H.  Campbell, 
Edinboro,  2,489  ;  Joseph  R.  Ferguson,  Erie, 
sixty-three;  Commissioner,  Gilbert  Hurd, 
Springfield,  1.8r>(5  ;  Treasurer,  James M.  Reed, 
Mill  Creek,  1,931;  Auditor, 'D.  W.  Vorce, 
McKean,  2,002  ;  Director  of  Poor,  John  Par- 
meter,  McKean,   1,952. 

Abolition — Assembly,  Job  Stafford  and 
Nathaniel  Wilson ;  Commissioner,  Samuel 
Kingsbury ;  Treasurer,  Alex.  Mehaffey ; 
Sheriff,  J.  A.  French  ;  Auditor,  Aaron  Kel- 
logg;  Director  of  Poor,  Benjamin  Grant,  Mc- 
Kean. These  candidates  received  an  average 
of  about  150  votes. 

The  ^^'hig    candidate    for    President    was 


Gen.  Winfield  Scott,  of  New  Jersey;  for  Vice 
President,  William  A.  Graham,  of  North 
Carolina.  The  elector  for  this  district  was 
Christian  Myers,  of  Clarion.  The  Democratic 
candidate  for  President  was  Franklin  Pierce, 
of  New  Hampshire;  for  Vice  President,  Win. 
R.  King,  of  Alabama.  J.  S.  McCalmont,  of 
Venango,  was  the  candidate  for  Elector.  The 
Free  Soil  party  ran  John  P.  Hale,  of  New 
1  Hampshire,  for  President,  and  (j.  W.  Julian, 
of  Indiana,  for  Vice  President.  Below  is  the 
vote   of  the  countv: 

SCOTT.       I'llCKCK.       HAI.E. 

Erie  East  ward 208  240  5 

Erie,  West   ward 262-470     206-446    9-14 

I   Amitv 67  69  5 

j   Concord 42  65  61 

Conneaut   190  109  56 

Edinboro 33  18  6 

Elk  Creek 131  145  55 

Fairview 276  70  14 

Franklin SO  26  34 

Greenfield 84  35  32 

Greene 135  141  — 

Harbor  Creek 236  122  45 

Girard  borough 66  41  1 

Girard  township 306  166  41 

I   McKean 223  91  28 

I    Mill   Creek 307  234  13 

I   LeBoeuf 108  111  — 

North  East  borough    57  43  4 

North  East    township 191  171  21 

Springfield 267  79  41 

Union 114  82  27 

Venango 131  71  10 

Wattsburtr 25  27  3 

Washington 181  95  53 

Waterford  borough 71  62  4 

Waterford    township 204  102  — 

Wavne 55  96  53 


Total 4,015 


2,748 


611 


I         The  State  gave  Scott  179,743  votes,  Pierce 
198,534.  and   Hale  8,860.     Pierce  and  King 
j   were  elected  by  a  large   majority  of  the  elec- 
I  toral  votes  of  the  Union.     Jacob  Broom,  the 
I   Native  American  candidate  for   President,  re- 
ceived 11,048  votes  in   the    State,  but  none  in 
Erie  county. 

FIRST    FREE    .SOIL    COITNTY    TICKET. 

1853 — The  Democratic  ticket  for  State 
officers  was  as  follows  :  Supreme  Judge, 
John  C.  Knox,  Tioga  ;  Canal  Commissioner, 
Thomas  H.  Forsyth,  Philadelphia;  Auditor 
General,  Ephraim  Banks,  Mifflin  ;  Surveyor 
General,  J.  Porter  Brawley,  of  Crawford. 
The  Whig  candidates  were  ;  .Supreme  Judge, 
Thomas  A.  Budd,  Philadelphia  :   Canal  Com- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


233 


missioner,  Moses  Pownal,  Lancaster;  Auditor 
General,  Alexander  K.  McClure,  Franklin  ; 
Survejor  General,  Christian  Mjers,  Clarion. 
The  Democrats  were  successful  by  average 
majorities  of  85,000,  except  in  the  case  of  Mr. 
Brawley,  who  ran  some  10,000  votes  behind 
his  ticket.  In  Erie  county  the  vote  for  Su- 
preme Judge  was  1,434  for  the  Democrats, 
and  2,017  for  the  Whigs,  this  being  about  the 
average  for  all  the  candidates  except  Brawley. 

The  county  tickets  and  their  votes  were  as 
follows  : 

Whig — ^Vssemblv,  Gideon  ].  Ball,  Erie, 
L>,073;  H.  A.  Hills,"  Conneaut,"  2,341;  Com- 
missioner, William  Parker,  Greenfield,  1,978; 
Surveyor,  William  Benson,  Waterford,  1,899; 
District  Attorney,  S.  E.  WoodrufT,  Girard, 
1,831;  Auditor,  Robert  Gray,  Union,  1,931  ; 
Director  of  Poor,  John  Hay,  Girard,  1,901 — 
all  being  elected. 

Democratic  —  Asseuibly,  Wilson  Laird, 
Erie,  1,164;  E.  W.  Gerrish,  Edinboro.  1,858; 
Commissioner,  Myron  Hutchinson,  Girard, 
1,281;  District  Attorney,  Carson  Graham, 
Erie,  1,560;  Director  of  Poor.  J.  P.  Grant, 
Wayne,  1,257. 

Free  Soil — Assembly,  N.  Wilson  and  N. 
Gould;  Commissioner,  J.  J.  Compton  ;  Sur- 
veyor, P.  C.  Compton;  District  Attorney, 
Andrew  H.  Caughey  ;  Auditor,  William  Gray; 
Director  of  Poor,  John  B.  Fluke.  This  ticket 
received  an  average  vote  of  about  250. 

RISE     OF      KNOW-XOTIIIXGISM    TIUi      MAINE 

LIQJL'OR       LAW       ADOPTED THE     R.\ILROAD 

WAK. 

185-t — The  Know-Xothing  party  (the  foun- 
dation principle  of  which  was  opposition  to 
foreigners  in  office,  and  particularly  to  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church),  had  risen  into 
sudden  importance,  and  swallowed  up  a  large 
portion  of  the  Whig  organization,  together 
with  some  Democrats.  The  Whigs  and  Know- 
Nothings  nominated  James  Pollock,  of  North- 
umberland, for  Governor.  The  Democrats 
re-nominated  William  Bigler  for  Governor, 
and  Henrv  S.  Mott,  of  Pike,  for  Canal  Com- 
missioner. The  Whig  candidate  for  the  latter 
office  was  George  Darsie,  of  Allegheny,  the 
Know-Nothings  making  no  nomination.  The 
Democratic  candidate  for  Supreme  Judge  was 
16 


I  Jeremiah  S.  Black;  the  Whig,  Daniel  M. 
Smyser,  of  Montgomery  ;  the  Know-Nothing, 
Thomas  H.  Baird,  of  Washington.  Erie 
county  gave  Pollock  3,637  votes ;  Bigler, 
2,526;  Darsie,  1,885;  Mott,  8,364;  Black. 
2,889;  Smyser,  1,494;  Baird,  1,694. 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows  :    Pol- 

lock,  204,008;  Bigler,  167,001 ;  Darsie,  83,331; 
Mott,  274,074;  Black,   167,010;   Smyser,  83,- 

j  571;  Baird,  120,516. 

Mr.  Darsie,  the  Whig  candidate  for  Canal 
Commissioner,  was  of  foreign  birth,  and  the 
Know-Nothings  threw  their  votes  for  Mr. 
Mott.  The  original  Native  Americans  had 
separate  candidates  in  the  field  for  Governor 
and  Canal  Commissioner,  but  they  received 
only  a  trifling  support. 

A  ballot  was  taken   at   this  election  to  de- 

i  cide  whether  or  not  the  Maine  Liquor  Law 
should  be  adopted  in  this  State,  and  resulted 
in  158,842  votes  for  to  168,510  against.  Erie 
county  cast  2,767  for  the  law,  and  1,501 
against  it. 

Gen.  John  Dick  was  re-elected  to  Con- 
gress without  opposition. 

The    memorable    "  railroad    war  "'    in    our 

i  county  was  in  full  vigor  this  year  and  weak- 
ened  party  obligations  to    a   considerable   ex- 

I   tent.     The  following  were  the  tickets  with  their 

!   \'otes  : 

Whig— Assembly,  G.  J.  Ball,  Erie,  2,889; 
Wareham  Warner,  \enango,  2.766  ;  Prothon- 
otary,  Alfred  King,  Erie,  8,891  :  Register, 
David  McAllister,  Erie,  2,525;  Treasurer,  M. 
Phelps,  Edinboro,  3,043;  Commissioner,  Flavel 
Boyd,  Waterford,  1,(319:  Coroner,  David  Bur- 
ton, Erie,  1,583;  Auditor,  George  W.  Brecht, 
Mill  Creek,  1,643;  Director  of  Poor,  Thomas 
McKee,  Mill  Creek,  1,482, 

Democratic — Assembly,  James  Thompson, 
Erie,  2,881  (elected);  Prothonotary,  Robert 
S.  Hunter,  Erie,  2,169:  Commissioner,  John 
S,  Barnes,  Girard,  1,829. 

Know-Nothing — Register,  Thomas  Moor- 
head,  Erie,  2,386;  Commissioner,  Samuel  L. 
Foster,  Erie,  1,801. 

Free-Soil — Assembly,  N.  Wilson,  Union, 
1,612:  Audley  Magill,  Harbor  Creek, 
853;  Prothonotary,  S.  Mervin  Smith,  Erie, 
151  ;  Register.  Azro  Goff,  Erie,  551  :  Treas- 
urer, Ira  Sherwin,  Harbor  Creek,  1,246:  Com- 
missioner, John  Pickney,  Erie,  1,024. 


234 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARt 


LOCAL    ISSUES    SUPERSEDE    PARTY. 

1855 — A  portion  of  tlie  Wliigs  and  Know- 
Nothings  nominated  Tiionias  Nicholson,  of 
Beaver,  for  Canal  Commissioner.  The  Dem- 
ocratic candidate  for  the  same  office  was  Ar- 
nold Plumer,  of  Franklin.  The  Republicans, 
by  which  name  the  old  Abolitionists  and  Free- 
Soilers  had  christened  themseUes,  nominated 
Passmore  Williamson,  of  Philadelphia,  whose 
resistance  to  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  had  got 
him  into  prison,  and  caused  him  to  be  looked 
upon  as  a  martyr.  The  original  Native 
Americans  supported  Kimber  Cleaver.  The 
dissatisfied  Know-Nothings  nominated  Peter 
Martin,  of  Lancaster,  and  the  old-fashioned 
Whigs  supported  Joseph  Henderson,  of  \A'ash- 
ington.  Erie  county  gave  Plumer  1  ,()98  votes; 
Nicholson,  :2,113;  \\'illiamson,  471;  and 
Cleaver,  fifteen.  The  vote  of  the  State  was  as 
follows:  Plumer,  16L^80 ;  Nicholson,  150,- 
359  ;  Williamson,  7,063  ;  Cleaver,  4,041  ;  Mar- 
tin, 571  ;  Henderson,  'l.'llO. 

The  '"railroad  war'"  continued  to  excite 
the  people  of  this  county  and  district,  and 
party  lines  were  not  drawn  in  the  choice  of 
local  officers.  The  candidates  were  voted  for 
with  reference  to  that  issue  entirely.  For 
vState  Senate,  Darwin  A.  Finney  and  Charles 
B,  Power,  both  of  Crawford  county,  were  the 
candidates.     The  vote  was  as  follows  : 

FINNEY.  POWER. 

Erie  county 1.886  3,034 

Crawford  county 4,112  871 

Total 5,998  3,905 

The  candidates  for  other  offices  were  as 
follows:  Assembly,  G.  J.  Ball,  Erie,  2,716; 
Murray  Whallon,  Erie,  2,575:  Theodore  Ry- 
man,  Girard,  2.114;  Robert  Dunn,  Summit, 
2,136;  Sheriff,  John  Evans,  Girard,  1,151; 
Allen  A.  Craig,  Erie,  1,834;  John  Killpatrick, 
Harbor  Creek,  2,083 ;  Commissioner,  W.  W. 
Eaton,  Fairview,  1,571  ;  Myron  Hutchinson, 
Girard,  1,051  ;  J  J.  Compton,  Washington, 
2,005;  Director  of  the  Poor,  S.  W.  Keefer. 
Erie,  2,310;  Samuel  Kingsburv,  North  East, 
458;  Isaac  R.  Tavlor,  Washington,  1,259; 
Auditor,  N.  W.  Russell,  Mill  Creek,  1,250; 
Jehiel  Towner,  Erie,  883;  S.  B.  Benson, 
Waterford,  1,219;  Z.  E.  Peck,  Harbor  Creek, 
1,160.  The  successful  parties  were  Messrs. 
Ball  (Whig),  Whallon  (Democrat),  Killpat- 
rick (Democrat),  Compton  (Free-Soil),  Keef- 
er (Whig),  and  Russell  (Whig). 


THE  REPUBLICAN  PARTY  ORGANIZED BUCII- 

AN.VN  AND  BRECKEXRIDGE  ELECTED. 

1856 — A  National  Convention  of  delegates 
met  in  Pittsburg  on  February  22d  of  this  vear 
and  organized  the  Republican  party. 

The  opposition  to  the  Democracy  nomina- 
ted a  Fusion  State  ticket,  which  was  defeated, 
as  shown  below  : 

Canal  Commissioner,  George  Scott,  Co- 
lumbia county  (Democrat),  212,921  ;  Thomas 
E.  Cochran,  Lancaster  county  (Fusion) ,  210,- 
172  ;  Auditor  General,  Jacob  Fry,  Montgom- 
ery county  (Democrat),  212,468;  Darwin 
Phelps,  Armstrong  county  (Fusion),  209,261  ; 
Surveyor  General,  John  Rowe,  Franklin 
county  (Democrat).  212,()23 ;  Bartholomew 
Laporte,  Bradford  county  (Fusion),  208,888. 
The  vote  of  Erie  countv  was  :  Scott,  1,980; 
Cochran,  4,083;  Fry,' 1,985;  Phelps,  4,021, 
Rowe,  1,967;  Laporte,  4.008. 

For  Congress;  in  the  district  composed  of 
Erie  and  Crawford,  the  Democratic  candidate 
was  James  A.  McFadden,  of  Crawford,  and 
the  Fusion  candidate.  John  Dick,  of  the  same 
county.  The  latter  was  elected  by  the  fol- 
lowing  vote  : 

DICK.  m'KADDEN. 

Erie  county 4,235  1,582 

Crawford  county 4,709  2,633 

Tot.-il 8,944  4,215 

The  Fusion  candidate  for  Additional  Law 
Judge  (being  the  first  election  held  for  th:it 
office)  was  David  Derrickson,  of  Crawford  ; 
the  Democratic,  Rasselas  Brown,  of  Warren. 
Below  is  the   vote  : 

DERRICKSON.  BROWN. 

Erie  county 3.970  2,114 

Crawford  county 4,354  2,974 

Warren  county' 1,472  1,440 

Total 9,796  6,528 

The  countv  tickets,  with  the  vote  for  each 
candidate,  were  as  follows  :  Fusion — As- 
sembly, G.  J.  Ball,  4,003;  Wareham  Warner, 
\'enango,  3,922.  Associate  Judges — Samuel 
Hutchins.  Waterford,  3,588:  John  Greer, 
North  East,  3,79(1.  Commissioner — William 
W.  Eaton,  Fairview,  4,273.  Treasurer,  Jere- 
miah Davis,  Lockport,  3,833.  District  A'ttor- 
ney — G.  Nelson  Johnson,  Erie,  3,923.  Sur- 
veyor— William  Benson,  Waterford,  3,377. 
Auditor — John  W,  Campbell,  Washington, 
3,589.      Director  of  the  Poor — John   Spauld- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUiiTY. 


235 


ing.  Springfield,  3,786.  Mr.  Johnson  died 
immediately  after  his  election,  and  Charles 
W.  Kelso  was  appointed  by  the  Governor.  Mr. 
Spaiilding  refused  to  serve,  and  John  Hay,  of 
Girard,  was  appointed   by  the  Court. 

Democratic — Assembly,  Murray  Whallon, 
Erie,  1,971  :  Wilson  Laird,  Erie,  1,246;  Asso- 
ciate Judges,  Anthon)-  Saltsman,  Mill  Creek, 
1,885;  Henry  Gingrich,  Mill  Creek,  1,809; 
Commissioner,  Joseph  Xeeley,  Harbor  Creek. 
1,818;  District  Attorney.  John  W.Douglas, 
Erie.  2,141  ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Eli  Dun- 
combe.  Amity.  1,869:  Auditor.  C.  C.  Boyd, 
Waterford,  1,471. 

Independent — Associate  Judge,  Jas.  Miles, 
Girard.  1.178:  Treasurer,  Joseph  S.  M.  Young, 
Erie,  1,366;  Surveyor,  Samuel  Low,  Harbor 
Creek,  1.142  ;  Auditor,  Samuel  Drown,  Greene, 
588. 

The  Democratic  National  candidates  were 
James  Buchanan,  Pennsylvania,  for  President, 
and  John  C.  Breckenridge,  of  Kentucky,  for 
Vice-President.  Vincent  Phelps,  Crawford. 
was  the  Elector  for  this  district.  The  Repub- 
lican party  ran  John  C.  Fremont,  of  Califor- 
nia, for  President,  and  William  L.  Dayton,  of 
New  Jersey,  for  Vice  President.  The  Amer- 
ican partv  supported  Millard  Fillmore  of  New 
York,  for  President,  and  A.J.  Donelson,  of 
Tennessee,  for  Vice  President.  A  fusion  of 
the  two  latter  elements  was  formed,  and  an 
electoral  ticket  nominated,  with  the  under- 
standing that  the  votes  for  each  candidate  for 
President  and  Vice-President  should  be  count- 
ed separately.  James  Skinner,  of  Erie,  was 
the  district  nominee  for  Elector.  A  portion 
of  Mr.  Fillmore's  friends  would  not  unite,  and 
ran  a  separate  electoral  ticket,  with  James 
Webster,  of  Fairview,  as  the  candidate  for 
this  district. 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows : 
Buchanan.  230,500:  Fusion  (Fremont),  147,- 
447;  Fusion  (Fillmore).  55,801  :  Straight  Fill- 
more, 26,338. 

Below  is  the  vote  of  the  countv  : 


FUSION. 

Erie,  East  ward 245 

Erie,  West  ward   ,^33-578 

Mill  Creek 321 

Lockport 180 

Conneaut 282 

Elk  Creek 170 

Girard  borough 36 

Girard  township 176 


I 


STR. 

BUCH- 

FILL- 

AX.-VN. 

MORE. 

256 

2(1 

245-501 

29-49 

268 

1 

6 

3 

70 

4 

92 

1 

45 

35 

65 

37 

Waterford  boroug-h 79  42  13 

Waterford  township.  .  243  95  2 

Greene 126  83  3 

Greenfield 128  41  1 

Harbor  Creek 242  111  10 

Concord 160  74  2 

Wayne 185  62  — 

Washington 315  89  — 

McKean 241  46  3 

Summit 78  80  1 

Franklin 127  32  2 

Fairview 197  93  52 

Union 202  85  7 

Le  Boeuf 136  133  4 

Amity 94  65  1 

North  East  borough ...  75  40  1 

North  East  township. .  195  141  2 

Edinboro 62  23  4 

Springfield 342  38  12 

Venango 190  55  2 

Wattsburg 30  19  — 

Total 5,156  2,584  252 

Of  the  Fusion  votes,  only  thirty-seven 
were  for  Fillmore,  all  the  rest  being  in  favor 
of  Fremont.  Buchanan  and  Breckenridge 
were  elected. 

MORE    STATE  CONSTITUTIONAL  AMENDMENTS. 

1857 — The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  fol- 
io ^vs  : 

Governor — William  F.  Packer,  Lycoming 
(Dem.),  188,890:  David  Wilmot,  Bradford 
(Fusion).  146,147;  Isaac  Hazlehurst,  Phila- 
delphia (American),  28,160. 

Supreme  Judge — James  Thompson,  Erie 
(Democrat),  187,023;' William  Strong,  Berks 
(Democrat),  186,823:  Joseph  J.  Lewis.  Ches- 
ter (Fusion),  141,377;  James  Veech,  Fayette 
(Fusion),  141,467;  Jacob  Broom,  Philadelphia 
(American),  27.244;  Jasper  E.  Brady,  Cum- 
berland (American),  26,954  :  Canal  Commis- 
sioner, Nimrod  Strickland,  Chester  (Demo- 
crat), 186,578:  William  Millward,  Philadel- 
phia (Fusion),  142,479:  John  F.  Linderman, 
Berks  (American).  25,730. 

The  vote  of  Erie  countv  was,  for  Packer, 
2.105:  Wilmot,  3,306;  "Hazlehurst.  143, 
Thompson,  2,598:  Strong,  2,027:  Lewi.s, 
2,767;  Veech,  2,(i73:  Broom.  101:  Brady, 
ninety-four. 

The  Democrats  made  no  nominations  for 
county  officers,  and  supported  Independent 
candidates.  Below  is  a  list  of  those  who  ran. 
with  their  votes  : 

Fusion  —  Assembly,  Wareham  Warner, 
Venango,  3,299;  John  R.  Cochran.  Erie, 
2,235;    Prothonotary,    James    Skinner,    Erie. 


236 


NELSON- S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


3,778:  Register,  William  T.  Trimbell,  Harbor 
Creek,  3,075;  Commissioner,  Amos  Gould, 
North  East,  2,995  ;  District  Attorney,  James 
Sill,  Erie,  8,163;  Auditor,  Elias  Brecht,  Mc- 
Kean,  2,8(59;  Coroner,  Thomas  Dillon,  Erie, 
2,948;  Director  of  the  Poor  (three  years). 
Alex.  Nicholson,  Fairview,  2,938;  William 
Bracken  (two  years),  Le  Brpuf,  2.919. 

Independent — Assembly,  David  Himrod, 
W^aterlord,  2,724;  Register,  John  Rice.  Har- 
bor Creek,  1,321  ;  District  Attorney,  William 
J.  Herring,  Erie,  102;  Coroner,  Samuel  L. 
Foster,  Erie.  435. 

American — Assembly,  James  McClelland, 
Girard,  245;  Prothonotary,  Isaac  Webster, 
Fairview,  654;  Register.  Silas  E.  Teel,  Erie, 
eighty-eight  ;  Commissioner,  Andrew  Oliver, 
Waterford,  115;  Auditor,  Charles  Sterrett, 
McKean,  100;  Director  of  the  Poor  (three 
years),  James  P.  Paul,  Conneaut,  134. 

Mr.  Himrod,  Independent,  was  elected  to 
the  Assembly  over  John  R.  Cochran,  Fusion. 

A  series  of  amendments  to  the  State  con- 
stitution were  submitted  to  the  people,  and 
carried  by  a  large  majority — in  the  county  as 
well  as  in  the  State. 

THE    RAILROAD  ISSUE    STILL    PROMINENT. 

1858 — All  elements  of  opposition  to  the 
Democrats  rallied  under  the  Republican  ban- 
ner, and  won  a  sweeping  victory.  The  State 
candidates  with   their   \otes  were  as   follows  : 

Supreme  Judge,  John  M.  Reed,  Philadel- 
phia (Rep.).'  198,116;  William  A.  Porter. 
Philadelphia  (Dem.),  171,130.  Canal  Com- 
missioner, William  E.  Frazier,  Fayette 
(Rep.),  196,(526;  Wesley  Frost,  Fayette 
(Dem.),  170,336. 

The  vote  of  Erie  county  was,  for  Reed, 
3,233;  Porter.  1,921:  Frazier,  3,187;  Frost, 
1,519. 

For  Congress,  Elijah  Babbitt,  of  Erie,  ran 
as  the  Republican  candidate,  and  James  C. 
Marshall,  of  Erie,  as  the  Democratic.  The 
vote  of  the  district  was  as  follows: 

BABBITT.       M.^RSHALL. 

Erie  county 3,220  2,080 

Crawford  county 3,140  2,033 

Total 6,360  4,113 

The  Republican  candidate  for  State  .Sen- 
ate was  Darwin  A.  Finney,  of  Crawford  ;  the 
Democratic,  Benjamin  Grant,  of  Erie.  The 
vote  of  the  district  was  as  follows  : 


FINNEY.      GRANT. 

Erie  county 2.419  2,443 

Crawford  county   3,230  1,932 

Total 5,649  4,375 

The  vote  for  county  officers  hinged  wholly 
upon  the  railroad  issue,  the  Democrats  ma- 
king no  regular  nominations,  and  supporting 
Independent  candidates  of  both  parties.  Be- 
low is  the  vote  :  Assemblj'  (Reg.  Rep.),  John 
W.  Campbell,  Washington,  2,937;  Henry 
Teller,  Girard,  2,401;  (Ind.  Rep.)  David 
Himrod,  1,966:  (Ind.  Dem.)  Wilson  Laird. 
Erie,  2,656;  Sheriff  (Reg.  Rep.).  John  W. 
McLane,  Harbor  Creek,  8.029;  (Ind.  Rep.) 
Elias  Brecht.  McKean,  156;  (Ind.  Dem.) 
D.  D.  Walker,  Erie.  2,279;  (Ind.  Dem.) 
James  Lytle,  Erie,  117;  Treasurer  (Reg. 
Rep.),  Thomas  J.  Devore,  .Springfield,  2,794  ; 
(Ind.  Rep. )  Mortimer  Phelps,  Edinboro.  2,220; 
Commissioner  (Reg.  Rep.).  AVilliam  Putnam, 
Union,  8,048;  Director  of  the  Poor  (Reg. 
Rep.),  Thomas  Stewart,  Erie,  2.523  ;  Auditors 
(three  years),  David  Nash,  Concord,  2,473 ; 
(two  years)  H.  H.  Bassler,  Fairview,  2,431. 
Wilson  Laird  (Dem.)  was  elected  to  the  As- 
sembly over  Henry  Teller. 

1859 — The  State  candidates  were  as  fol- 
lows : 

Auditor  General,  Thomas  E.  Cochran, 
York  (Rep.),  181,835:  Richardson  L.  Wright, 
Philadelphia  (Dem.),  164,544;  Surveyor  Gen- 
eral, William  II.  Keim,  Berks  (Rep.)."  182,282: 
John  Rowe,  Franklin  (Dem.),  163.970. 

The  public  works  of  the  .State  having  been 
sold,  the  oflice  of  Canal  Commissioner  was 
abolished. 

Erie  county's  \ote  was,  for  Cochran,  2,825  ; 
Wright,  1,119;  Keim,  2,299;  Rowe,  1,144. 

The  Democrats  made  no  county  nomina- 
tions, and  the  only  Democratic  candidate  in 
the  field  was  Wilson  Laird,  for  Assembly, 
who  received  1,632  votes,  and  was  defeated. 
The  following  were  the  Republican  candi- 
dates, all  of  whom  but  Mr.  Brockway  were 
elected :  Assembly,  Jonas  Gunnison,  Erie, 
and  Henry  Teller,  Girard ;  Commissioner, 
Hiram  Brockwaj',  Springfield;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  William  Bracken.  Le  Bcpuf  ;  Surveyor, 
William  Benson.  Waterford;  Auditor  (three 
years),  John  L.  Way,  Summit:  (two  years), 
H.  H.  Bassler,  Fairview.  Joseph  Henderson, 
Mill  Creek.  Independent,  candidate  for  Com- 
missioner, was  elected  by  265  majorit}-. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


237 


DIVISION    IN     THE     DEMOCRATIC     PARTY LIN- 
COLN   AND    HAMLIN    ELECTED GOV.    CUR- 

TIN's    FIRST    ELECTION. 

ISGO — The  Republican  candidate  for  Gov- 
ernor was  Andrew  G.  Curtin,  of  Centre 
county;  the  Democratic,  Henry  D.  Foster,  of 
Westmoreland.  The  vote  of  the  State  was 
•262,349  for  Curtin.  and  230,257  for  Foster— 
Curtin's  majority.  32,092.  Erie  county  gave 
Curtin  5, 613  votes,  and  Foster  2,469. 

Elijah  Babbitt  was  the  Republican  candi- 
date for  re-election  to  Congress.  The  Demo- 
cratic candidate  was  Edwin  C.  Wilson,  of  Erie 
county.      Below  is  the  vote  : 

HABBITT.      WILSON. 

Erie  county 5.440  2,432 

Crawford  county 5,265  3,119 


Total 10,705 


5,551 


John  Galbraith,  President  Judge,  died 
June  15  of  this  year,  and  Rasselas  Brown,  of 
Warren  was  appointed  to  serve  until  the  elec- 
tion. The  Democrats  nominated  the  latter 
gentleman ;  the  Republican  candidate  was 
Samuel  P.  Johnson,  of  the  same  county.  The 
vote  of  the  district  was  as  follows  : 

JOHNSON.    BROWN. 

Erie  county 5,545  2,602 

Crawford  county 5,172  3,200 

Warren  county 1,594  1,590 


Total 12,111  7,392 

The  county  tickets,  with  their  vote,  were 
as  follows  : 

Republican  —  Assembly,  Henry  Teller, 
5,546:  G.  J.  Ball,  5,509;  Prothonotary,  James 
Skinner,  5,652;  Register,  Samuel  Rea,  Jr., 
Springfield,  5,294;  Treasurer,  William  O. 
Black,  Union,  5,384;  Commissioner,  Jacob 
Fritts,  Venango,  5,446;  Coroner,  Richard 
Gaggin,  Erie,  5,336;  District  Attorney,  S. 
A.  Davenport,  Erie,  5,596 ;  Auditor,  Will- 
iam H.  Belknap,  Concord,  5,298  ;  Philip  Os- 
born,  Girard,  5,280;  Director  of  the  Poor. 
Thomas  Willis,  Mill  Creek,  5,486. 

Democratic — Assembly,  James  Stranahan. 
Le  Bcpuf,  2,307  ;  E.  Camphausen.  Erie,  2,260 
Prothonotary,  Henry  Ball,  Girard,  1,810 
Register,  S.  E.  Teel,  Erie,  2,370;  Treasurer 
G.  D.  Wagner,  Mill  Creek,  2,311  ;  Commis- 
sioner, I.  M.  White,  Waterford,  2,679;  Coro- 
ner, Daniel  Wood,  Elk  Creek,  1,895;  Audi- 
tor, D.  M.  Merrill.  Xorth  East.  1,673;  T-  T- 
Lintz,  Erie,  223. 


The  Democratic  party  was  divided  upon 
national  candidates,  one  branch  supporting 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  of  Illinois,  for  President, 
and  Herschell  V.  Johnson,  of  Georgia,  for 
\'ice  President;  the  other  branch,  John  C. 
Breckenridge,  of  Kentucky,  for  President, 
and  Joseph  Lane,  of  Oregon,  for  Vice  Presi- 
dent. A  Fusion  of  the  two  elements  was 
formed  in  Pennsylvania,  which  nominated  an 
electoral  ticket,  comprising  seventeen  Douglas 
men  and  ten  Breckenridge  men,  which  was 
supported  by  the  mass  of  the  party.  A  small 
portion  of  Mr.  Douglas'  friends,  under  Col. 
Forneys  lead,  refused  to  harmonize,  and  ran 
an  electoral  ticket  embracing  the  Douglas  men 
on  the  Fusion  ticket,  with  others  substituted 
for  the  Breckenridge  electors.  The  Republi- 
can candidates  were  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  Illi- 
nois, for  President,  and  Hannibal  Hamlin,  of 
Maine,  for  Vice  President.  The  American 
party  supported  John  Bell  of  Tennessee,  for 
President,  and  Edward  Everett,  of  Massachu- 
setts, for  Vice  President.  The  candidates  for 
elector  were  :  Republican,  John  Greer,  North 
East;  Democratic  (on  all  the  tickets).  Gay- 
lord  Church,  Crawford  count}';  American, 
Isaac  Webster,  Fairview. 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows  : 

Lincoln 268,030 

Democratic  Fusion 178,871 

Straightout  Douglas 16,677 

Bell 12,809 

The  vote  of  the  county  was  as  follows  : 

LINCOLN.    FISION.    STR.  D.    BELL. 

Erie,  First  Ward..  .  177  103  6            7 

Erie,  Second    "     ...  203  144  1  — 

Erie,  Third      "...  216  92  —            9 

Erie,  Fourth    -     ...  222-818     122-t61  10-17      9-25 

Mill  Creek 419  288  —            1 

Harbor  Creek 261  %  —            4 

Fairview 265  88  —  20 

Girard  township  . .  .  258  62—9 

Girard  borough  ....  48  55  —  11 

North  East  towns'p  235  134  —  — 

North  East  borough  117  21  —  — 

Greenfield 128  20  —  — 

Venango 196  61  —  — 

Wattsburg 51  21  —  — 

Amity 107  74  —  — 

Wayne 191  77  —  — 

Concord 189  78  —  — 

Union 254  128  —  — 

Le  Banif 166  100  —  — 

Waterford  borough.  166  41  —  — 

Waterford  towns'p.  292  76  —  — 

Greene 122  100  —  — 

Summit 66  78  —  — 

McKean 280  26  —  — 


238 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Washinjrton 336  75  —  4 

Edinboro 75  38  —  7 

Franklin 145  31  —  1 

Elk  Creek 183  96  —  — 

Conneaut 231  55  —  — 

Albion 69  32  —  — 

Springfield 265  31  —  7 

Lockport 177  87  —  1 

Total 6,160         2.531  17  90 

Lincoln  and  Hamlin  were  elected  by  a 
large  majority  of  the  electoral  votes,  carrying 
every  Northern  State,  except  New  Jersey, 
three-sevenths  of  whose  Electors  voted  for 
Douglas  and  the  balance  for  Lincoln. 

THE     WAR    FOR    THE    I'NION'. 

1861 — The  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  weak- 
ened party  ties,  and  there  was  a  strong  dispo- 
sition in  Erie  county  to  cast  aside  old  political 
prejudices.  The  Republican  party  nominated 
a  ticket  headed  by  Morrow  B.  Lowry,  of 
Erie,  for  State  Senate.  Soon  after,  a  call  was 
issued  for  a  Union  Convention,  irrespective 
of  party,  which  met  on  the  19th  of  September, 
every  district  being  represented.  The  dele- 
gates were  about  evenly  divided  between 
Democrats  and  Republicans.  William  A. 
Galbraith  and  Judge  Miles  were  named  as 
candidates  for  the  Senate.  The  nomination 
fell  upon  the  former.  In  Crawford  county, 
the  two  parties  voted  for  Galbraith  and 
Lowry,  respectively,  witii  little  deviation. 
Below  is  the  vote  of  the  district  : 

GAI.- 
I.OWRV.       BRAITH. 

Erie  county 3,621  3,521 

Crawford  county 3,753  2,238 

Total 7,374  5,759 

The  Eighty-third  Regiment,  under  com- 
mand of  Col.  John  W.  McLane,  held  an  elec- 
tion at  Hall's  Hill,  Va.,  the  result  of  which 
is  included  in  the  above  and  following  re- 
turns. The  Erie  county  soldiers  gave  Gal- 
braith thirty  majority:  the  Crawford  county 
soldiers  gave  a  majority  of  eighty-five  for 
Lo\vry. 

The  following  were  the  county  tickets, 
with  their  vote : 

Republican — Assembly,  fohn  P.  Vincent, 
Erie,  8,995  ;  E.  W.  Twichelf,  Edinboro,  3,450; 
Sheriff,  Allen  A.  Craig,  Erie,  4,079;  Associ- 
ate Judges,  John  Greer,  North  East,  3,794; 
William  Cross,  Springfield  (on  both  tickets). 
4,897  ;    Commissioner.  Seymour    W'ashburne, 


McKean,  3,643;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Thomas 
Stewart,  Erie,  3,241  ;  Auditor,  Joseph  W. 
Swalley,  Fairview,  3,426. 

Union  —  Assembly,  George  H.  Cutler 
(Dem,),  Girard,  2,928;  Matthew  R.  Barr 
(Rep.),  Erie,  2,548;  Sheriff,  Joseph  L.  Cook 
(Rep.),  Waterford,  1,902;  Associate  Judge, 
James  Chambers  (Rep.),  Harbor  Creek, 
2,708;  Commissioner,  Isaac  Webster  (Dem.), 
Fairview,  2,597  ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Henry 
Gingrich  (Dem.),  Mill  Creek,  2,2(56;  Auditor, 
Stutely  Stafford  (Rep.) ,  McKean,  2.201. 

Robert  S.  Hunter,  of  Erie,  Independent 
Democratic  candidate  for  Sheriff,  received  663 
votes.  David  Kennedy,  Independent  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  Director  of  the  Poor,  re- 
ceived 220  votes. 

SCOFIELD's       first      election DEMOCRATIC 

\'ICTORY    IN  THE   STATE. 

18G2 — The  Republican  State  ticket  con- 
sisted of  Thomas  E.  Cochran,  of  York,  for 
Auditor  General,  and  William  S.  Ross,  of 
Luzerne,  for  Surveyor  General.  The  Dem- 
ocratic candidates  were  Isaac  Slenker,  of  Co- 
lumbia, for  Auditor  General,  and  James  P. 
Barr,  of  Allegheny,  for  Surveyor  General. 
The  State  ga\e  a  Democratic  majority  of  about 
3,450.  Erie  county  cast  4,255  votes  for  Coch- 
ran and  2,713  for  Slenker. 

The  Republican  Conference  at  Ridgway 
nominated  Glenni  W.  Scofield,  of  Warren, 
for  Congress.  A  portion  of  the  party  in  this 
county  were  dissatisfied  with  the  nomination, 
and  united  with  a  number  of  Democrats  in  a 
letter  to  Milton  Courtriglit,  of  Erie,  asking 
him  to  be  a  Union  candidate.  He  accepted 
the  honor,  and  was  indorsed  b}-  the  Dem 
ocratic  Conference  at  Ridgway.  Below  is 
the  vote  of  the  district  : 

COURT- 

SCOKIKLD.  RICHT. 

Erie   4,112  3,143 

Warren 1,890  1,245 

McKean 671  564 

Cameron 195  143 

Forest ; 82  59 

Jefferson 1,424  1.503 

Elk 276  607 

Clearfield 1,304  2,198 

Total 9,954  9,462 

The  following  were  the  county  tickets, 
with  the  vote  for  each  candidate  : 

Republican — Assembly,  John  P.  \'incent, 
4,218;  E,  W.  Twichell,  4,289;  Commissioner, 


AND  niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


239 


Garner  Palmer,  Albion,  4,238 ;  Treasurer, 
Lieut.  Egbert  D.  Hulbert,  Erie,  6,975;  Direc- 
tor of  the  Poor,  Archibald  Duncan,  North 
East,  6,819;  Auditor,  Henry  Gingrich,  Mill 
Creek,  (),714. 

Democratic — ^Vssemblv,  Selden  Marvin, 
Erie,  2,812  ;  Isaac  M.  White,  Waterford,  2,801; 
Commissioner,  Ralpii  Bowman,  Conneaut, 
2,623. 

Messrs.  Hulbert,  Duncan  and  Gingrich 
■were  upon  both  tickets. 

GOVERNOR  CIIRTIN's  SECOND  ELECTION. 

1863 — Andrew  G.  Curtin  was  re-nomi- 
nated by  the  Republicans  for  Governor. 
George  vV.  Woodward,  Luzerne,  was  the  Dem- 
ocratic candidate.  For  Supreme  Judge,  the 
Democratic  candidate  was  Walter  H.  Lowrie, 
Allegheny ;  the  Republican,  Daniel  Agnew, 
Beaver.  Curtin  and  Agnew  were  elected  by 
majorities  respectively  of  15,825  and  12,308. 
Erie  countv  cast  6,259  votes  for  Curtin,  and 
3,260  for  Woodward. 

The  county  tickets,  witli  the  vote  for  each 
candidate,  were  as  follows  : 

Republican — Assembly,  John  R.  Cochran, 
Erie.  6,167;  Byron  S.  Hill,  Wattsburg,  6,161  ; 
Prothonotary,  George  W.  Colton,  Erie,  6,107  ; 
District  Attorney,  J.  F.  Downing,  Erie,  6,088  ; 
Register,  Samuel  Rea,  Erie,  6,129;  Clerk  of 
Courts,  Capt.  John  C.  Hilton,  Erie,  6,156; 
Commissioner,  C.  C.  Boyd,  Waterford,  6,129  ; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  Thomas  Willis,  Mill 
Creek,  6,025;  Surveyor,  R.  P.  Holliday, 
Springfield,  6,002;  Coroner,  Thomas  Dillon, 
Erie,  6,505;  Auditor,  Orin  Reed,  McKean, 
6,373. 

Democratic — Assembly,  Watts  B.  Lloyd, 
Waterford,  3,238;  Irvin  Camp,  Erie,  3,234; 
Prothonotary,  Col.  William  O.  Colt,  Water- 
ford, 3,197  ;  Register,  Calvin  L.  Randall  (de- 
clined), 538;  Commissioner,  R.  J.Osborne, 
Wayne,  3,137;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  no  nom- 
ination ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  John  L^^hr,  Mill 
Creek,  3,112;  Surveyor,  Isaac  R.  Taylor, 
Washington,  3,110. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Eleventh  Regiment 
voted  343  for  Curtin,  four  for  W^oodward. 

additional  constitutional  amendments 

Lincoln's   second    election. 

1864 — A  special  election  was  held  August 
2.  to  decide  upon  the  proposed  three  amend- 
ments to  the  State  Constitution,  allowing  sol- 


diers to  vote  away  from  their  place  of  residence, 
providing  that  the  Legislature  should  pass  no 
bill  containing  more  than  one  subject,  and  pro- 
hibiting the  same  body  from  passing  any  bill 
allowing  counties,  cities  or  boroughs  to  loan 
their  credit  to  corporations.  They  were  all 
adopted  by  large  majorities. 

The  following  was  the  vote  of  the  district 
for  Congress,  Glenni  W.  Scofield,  Warren, 
being  the  Republican,  and  ex-Governor  Will- 
iam Bigler,  Clearfield,  the  Democratic  nomi- 
nee : 

SCOFIELD.      BIGLER. 

Erie 5,575  3,054 

Warren 2,009  1,281 

Cameron 277  193 

Clearfield 1,302  2,476 

Elk 261  656 

Forest   71  53 

McKean   643  580 

Jefferson   .  .   1,514  1,621 

Total 11,652  9,914 

For  State  Senate,  the  Republicans  re- 
nominated Morrow  B.  Lowry,  and  the  Demo- 
crats took  up  Dan  Rice,  of  Girard,  the  cele- 
brated showman. 

Below  is  the  vote  of  the  district  : 

LOWRV.  RICE. 

Erie 5,311  3,031 

Crawford 4,768  3,638 

Total 10.079  6,669 

The  countv  tickets  with  their  votes  were  as 
follows  : 

Republican — Assembly,  John  R.  Cochran, 
Erie,  5,390  ;  Byron  S.  Hili,  Wattsburg,  5,390  ; 
Sheriff,  Col.  H.  L.  Brown,  Erie,  5,407  ;  Clerk 
of  the  Courts  (in  place  of  Mr.  Hilton,  re- 
signed), Henry  Buttertield,  Erie,  5,358  ;  Treas- 
urer, Lieut.  E.  D.  Hulbert.  Erie,  5,348  ;  Com- 
missioner, James  Chambers,  Harbor  Creek, 
5,378;  Aud'itor,  Philip  Osborn,  Girard,  5,261  ; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  Thomas  Stewart,  Erie. 
5,303. 

Democratic — .\s.sembl3,  H.  D.  Francis, 
Corry,  3,039;  L.  W.  Savage,  Springfield, 
3,039;  Sheriff,  Col.  William  O.  Colt,  Water- 
ford, 3,013  ;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  F.  W.  Koeh- 
ler,  South  Erie.  2,079 :  Commissioner,  Mon- 
roe Hutchinson,  Girard,  2,979:  Treasurer,  P. 
A.  Becker,  Erie,  3,018;  Director  of  the  Poor, 
Ralph  Bowman,  Conneaut,  2,973;  Auditor, 
Uras  Schluraff,  Mill  Creek,  3,000. 

The  Republican  National  Convention 
nominated   Abraham    Lincoln,  of  Illinois,  for 


240 


NELSON'S  BIOGBAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


President,  and  Andrew  Johnson,  of  Tennes- 
see, for  Vice  President .  Jolni  Patton,  Clear- 
field, was  the  Elector  for  this  district.  The 
Democrats  nominated  George  B.  McClellan, 
of  Pennsylvania,  for  President,  and  George  H. 
Pendleton,  of  Ohio,  for  Vice  President.  Ras- 
selas  Brown,  Warren,  was  the  candidate  for 
Elector.  The  vote  of  the  countv  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

LINCOLN.         M'CI,ELI,AN. 

Erie,    First    Ward 183  131 

Krie,  Second      "     124  248 

Erie,  Third        "     271  122 

Erie.  Fourth      "     290-868  183-684 

West  Mill  Creek 198  137 

East  Mill  Creek 220  333 

Harbor  Creek 237  149 

Greentield 131  38 

North  East  township 242  180 

North  East  borough 119  31 

Waterford  boroug-h 135  31 

Waterford  township 263  88 

Wattsburg 43  19 

Venango 193  86 

Edinboro 81  50 

Washington 312  110 

Franklin 142  39 

Concord 174  102 

Corry 199  70 

Amity      94  94 

McKean 230  42 

Middleboro 32  — 

Greene 116  156 

Summit 73  107 

Elk  Creek 153  127 

Conneaut 212  65 

Springfield 392  41 

Fairvie w 249  156 

Girard   township 236  70 

Girard  borough 72  68 

Albion 61  27 

LeBoeuf 179  140 

Union  township 194  103 

Union  borough 95  92 

Wayne 188  87 

Lockport 164  97 

Total 6,387  3,619 

The  soldiers  from  Erie  county  gave  Lincoln 
524  votes,  and  McClellan  10H,  which  are  not 
included  in  the  above. 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows  ;  Lin- 
coln, 296,889;  McClellan,  276,308. 

THE   PERIOD  OF  SOLDIER  CANDIDATES. 

1865 — Auditor  General. — Gen.  John  F. 
Hartranft,  Montgomerv  countv.  Republican, 
288.4(j()i  Gen.  W.  W.  H.  Davfs.  Bucks  coun- 
ty. Democrat,  215,714. 

Surveyor  Genera/. — ;^y.  ]VL  Campbell,  Cam- 
bria county,    Republican,  287,969  ;   Col.  John   I 


P.  Linton,  Cambria  county.  Democrat, 
21.5,981. 

The  vote  of  the  county  was  as  follows  : 
Hartranft,  8,845;  Davis,  2.051;  Campbell. 
3,842;   Linton,  2,04L 

Countv  Candidates. — Republican — Assem- 
bly, Col.'O.  S.  Woodward,  Waterford,  3,875; 
Gen.  D.  B.  McCreary,  Erie,  8,845;  County 
Commissioner,  L.  M.  Childs,  Wayne,  8,808  ; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  Andrew  Thompson, 
Union,  8,781  ;  Surveyor,  G.  W.  F.  Sherwin, 
Harbor  Creek,  8,720;  Auditor,  O.  H.  P.  Fer- 
guson, Fairview,  8,744. 

Democratic — Assembly,  Maj.  T.  J.  Hos- 
kinson,  Erie,  2,016;  Col.'W.  O.  Colt,  Water- 
ford, 2,027;  County  Commissioner,  Edwin 
Hall,  Girard,  2,061";  Director  of  the  Poor, 
William  C.  Keeler,  Erie,  2,040;  Surveyor, 
Capt.  John  H.  Miller,  Mill  Creek,  2,053; 
Auditor,  George  W.  Arbuckle,  (iirard,  2,029. 

THE  YEAR    OF  JOHNSOn's  SWING  AROUND  THE 
CIRCLE GOV.    GEARY  ELECTED. 

1866 — Governor. — Gen.  John  W.  Geary, 
Westmoreland  county,  Republican,  807,274 ; 
Hiester  Clymer.  Berks  county.  Democrat. 
290,096. 

The  vote  of  the  county  was  as  follows  : 
Geary,  7,237;  Clymer,  3,957. 

John  P.  Vincent,  of  Erie,  was  nominated 
as  the  Republican,  and  Lieut.  Col.  Benjamin 
Grant,  of  Erie,  as  the  Democratic  candidate 
for  Additional  Law  Judge.  The  vote  of  the 
district  was  as  follows  : 

VINCENT.     ('.KANT. 

Erie 7,193  3,956 

Crawford  6,707  4,969 

Warren  2,656  1,579 

Total   16,556  11,504 

For  Congress,  Glenni  W.  Scofield  was  re- 
nominated by  the  Republicans,  and  William  L. 
Scott,  of  Erie,  was  the  candidate  of  the  Demo- 
crats.    The  vote  of  the  district  was  as  follows  : 

SCOFIELD.      SCOTT. 

Cameron  372  305 

Clearfield  1,646  2,791 

Elk   359  636 

Erie 7,128  4,094 

Forest   99  77 

Jefl'erson  1,986  1,944 

McKean 854  739 

Warren   2,663  1.595 

Total 15,107  12,481 


,^7 


C?^<^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


241 


County  Candidates. — Republican — Assem- 
bly, Gen.  D.  B.  McCreary,  Erie,  7,147;  Col. 
O.  S.  Woodward,  \\'aterford,  7,149;  Associate 
Judges,  HoUis  King,  Corry,  7,19(1;  William 
Benson,  Waterford,  7,156  ;  Prothonotary,  Col. 
Chauncev  P.  Rogers,  Edinboro.  7,197;  Dis- 
trict Attorney,  Col.  Charles  M.  Lynch,  Erie, 
7,158 ;  Register  and  Recorder,  Capt.  H.  G. 
Harvey,  Springfield,  7,209;  Treasurer.  Lieut. 
C.  W.  Keller,  Union,  7,205;  Commissioner, 
Stephen  J.  Godfrey,  Elk  Creek,  7,158;  Audi- 
tor, M.  Hartleb,  Erie,  7,192;  Director  of  the 
Poor, Thomas  Willis,  Mill  Creek,  7.207  ;  Coro- 
ner, ^^'i^iam  J.  Sterrett,  Erie,  0,721. 

Democratic — Assembly,  William  Henrv, 
South  Erie,  4.0303;  F.  F.  Marshall,  Erie, 
4,007;  Associate  Judges,  Henrv  R.  Porter, 
North  East,  3,940-  P.  P.  Tudson,  Waterford, 
3,955  ;  Prothonotary,  Col.  W.  O.  Colt,  Water- 
ford, 3,971  ;  District  Attorney,  Charles  B. 
.Sleeper,  Corry,  3,996  ;  Register  and  Recorder, 
Frank  Schlaudecker,  Erie,  3,971  ;  Treasurer, 
P.  A.  Becker,  Erie,  3,997 ;  Commissioner, 
Charles  Wright,  Franklin,  8,989;  Auditor, 
Amos  Stone,  Fairview,  3,991  ;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  LTras  Schluraff ,  Mill  Creek,  4,070  ;  Coro- 
ner, James  A.  Shearer,  LeBoeuf ,  3,775. 

FIRST    JURY    COMMISSIONERS    ELECTED. 

\mi—Siipre»!c  Judge.— Henry  W.  Will- 
iams, Allegheny  county,  Republican,  266,824: 
George  Sharswood,  Philadelphia,  Democrat, 
267,746. 

The  vote  of  Erie  county  \vas  as  follo\vs  : 
Williams,  5,504;   Shars^yood,  3,428. 

The  candidates  for  State  Senate  were 
Morrow  B.  Lowry,  Erie  county.  Republican, 
and  George  W.  Hecker,  Crawford  county, 
Democrat.      Below  is  the  vote  of  the  district  : 

LOWRV.    HECKEK. 

Erie 4.615  3,562 

Crawford  5,248  4,071 

Total   9,863  7,633 

County  Candidates. — This  was  the  first 
year  Jury  Commissioners  were  elected. 

Republican — Assembly,  George  P.  Rea. 
Girard,  5,182  ;  John  D.  Stranahan,  LeBrpuf. 
5,588;  Sherifl",  Maj.  Andrew  F.  Swan,  Fair- 
view,  5,451  ;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  Capt. 
Charles  L.  Pierce,  Venango,  5.51 1  ;  Jury  Com- 
missioner, D.  W.  Patterson,  Wattsburg,  5,490; 
Commissioner,  William  B.  Reed.  Greene. 
5,502;   Director  of  the   Poor,  Jacob  Hanson, 


Erie,  5,499;  Auditor,  FrancisF.  Stow,  Amity, 
5,479. 

Democratic — Assembly,  Isaac  R.  Taylor, 
Washington,  3,339;  F.  P.'Liebel,  Erie,  3,434, 
Sherifl",  Wilson  Moore.  Waterford,  3,409; 
Clerk  of  the  Courts,  R.  H.  Arbuckle,  Mill 
Creek.  8.365;  Jury  Commissioner,  P.  G. 
btranahan,  Union.  8.864;  County  Commis- 
sioner, J.  C.  CaufFman,  Lockport,  3,368;  Di- 
rector of  the  Poor,  James  Lytle,  Erie,  3,371  ; 
Auditor,  Alden  Pomeroy,  Conneaut,  3,345. 

GRANT  AND  COLFAX  ELECTED. 

1868 — Auditor  General. — Gen.  John  F. 
Haitranft,  Montgomery  countj%  Republican, 
331,408;  Charles  E.  Boyle,  Fayette  county, 
Democrat,  321,731. 

Surveyor  General. — James  M.  Campbell. 
Cambria  county,  Republican.  831,126;  Col. 
Wellington  H.  Ent.  Columbia  county.  Demo- 
crat, 821.947. 

The  vote  of  Erie  county  was  7.702  for 
Hartranft.  4,531  for  Boyle, '7,699  for  Camp- 
bell, and  4,532  for  Ent.  " 

The  candidates  for  Congress  were  Glenni 
W.  Scofield.  Republican,  and  Rasselas  BroAvn, 
of  Warren,  Democrat.  Below  is  the  vote  of 
the  district  : 

SCOFIELD.      BROWX. 

Erie 7,675  4,572 

Warren 2,935  1,934 

McKean 964  825 

Elk 501  1.061 

Cameron 537  440 

Jefferson 2,067  2,107 

Clearfield 1,890  3,066 

Forest   334  350 

Total 16,903  14.355 

County  Candidates. — Republican — Assem- 
bly, John  D.  Stranahan.  LeBn?uf,  7.679; 
George  P.  Rea,  Girard,  7,632;  Treasurer, 
Lieut.  C.  W.  Keller,  Union,  7.736;  Commis- 
sioner. L.  M.  Childs,  Wayne,  7.649;  Director 
of  the  Poor,  Andrew  Thompson,  Union,  7,671 ; 
Auditor,  Thomas  Evans,  Erie,  7,717  ;  Survey- 
or, R.  P.  Holliday.  Fairview,  7.717. 

Democratic — Assembly.  P.  A.  Becker, 
Erie,  4,602;  James  Lewis.  Corry,  4,556; 
Treasurer.  Henry  Ball,  Girard,  4,548;  Com- 
missioner, Wilson  Moore,  Waterford,  4,567; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  James  D.  Phillips, 
Amity,  4,554;  Auditor.  W.  W.  Dobbins, 
Erie,  4,559:  Surveyor,  H.  L.  Pinnev.  Greene, 
4,557. 


242 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Presidential  I  'ote. — The  State  vote  for 
President  at  the  November  election  was  as  fol- 
lows :  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  of  Illinois,  Republi- 
can, 342,280;  Horatio.Seyniour,  of  New  York, 
Democratic,  3153,382. 

Schuyler  Colfax,  of  Indiana,  was  the  Rep- 
publican,  and  Gen.  Frank  P.  Blair,  of  Mis- 
souri, the  Democratic  nominee  for  Vice  Presi- 
dent. 

Grant  and  Colfax  were  elected.  The 
county  vote  was   as  follows  : 

C.R.^NT.      SEVMOUK. 

Erie,   First  ward 294  145 

Brie,   Second   ward 297  319 

Erie,  Third  ward 386  198 

Erie,  Fourth  ward 584-1561  235-897 

Corry ,  North  ward 223  178 

Corry,  South  ward 336-559    204-382 

Amity 115  104 

Albion 80  35 

Concord 184  126 

Conneaut 244  136 

Edinboro 110  48 

Elk  Creek ISO  136 

Fairview   township 221  1.32 

Fairview    boroug-h 74  44 

Franklin    194  54 

Girard   township 275  89 

Girard  borough 85  76 

Greene 150  160 

Greenfield 163  44 

Harbor  Creek 246  125 

LeBoeuf 230  146 

Lockport 161  105 

McKean 259  3.8 

Middleboro 31  2 

Mill  Creek  (East) 198  285 

Mill  Creek  (West) 239  151 

North  East   township 262  216 

North  East  borough 182  44 

Springfield '. 397  33 

Summit 89  138 

South  Erie 114  155 

Union  township 226  120 

Union  borough 117  121 

Venango 210  93 

Wattsburg 49  21 

Washington 350  140 

Waterford    township 297  93 

Waterford  borough 135  48 

Wayne 221  81 

Total 8,007        4.555 

James  Sill,  of  Erie,  was  tiie  Republican, 
and  William  A.  Galbraith,  of  Erie,  the  Dem- 
ocratic candidate  for  Elector. 

GOV.    GKARY     RE-ELECTED. 

1869 — Govertior — Gen.  John  W.Geary, 
Cumberland    county.     Republican,    290,552; 


Asa  Packer,  Carbon  countv.  Democrat,  285,- 
950. 

Supreme  jfudge. — H.  W.  Williams,  Alle- 
gheny county.  Republican,  291,278:  Cyrus 
L.  Pershing,  Cambria  county.  Democrat,  282,- 
575. 

Erie  county  gave  (j.990  votes  for  Geary, 
4,388  for  Packer,  6,-i:2G  for  Williams,  and 
4,25t)  for  Pershing. 

Countv  Candidates  — Republican  —  As- 
sembly, Charles  O.  Bowman,  Corry,  (i,490; 
Gen.  D.  B.  McCreary,  Erie,  (5,411.  Prothon- 
otary,  Capt.  E.  L.  Whittlesey,  Waterford, 
6,520;  Register  and  Recorder,  Capt.  H.  G. 
Harvey,  Springfield,  (3,614  ;  District  Attorney, 
J.  C.  Sturgeon,  Erie,  6,540,  Commissioner, 
Garner  Parmer,  Albion,  5,974  ;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  S.  A.  Beavis,  Corry,  6,429;  Auditors, 
Thomas  Woods,  Union  (three  years),  6,610; 
George  W.  Griffin,  North  East  (one  year), 
6,534;  Coroner,  Thomas  Dillon,  Erie,  no  op- 
position. 

Democratic — Assembly,  Frank  Schlau- 
decker,  Erie,  4,226  ;  Isaac  R.  Taylor,  Edin- 
boro, 4,001  ;  Prothonotary,  Col.  W.  O.  Colt, 
Waterford,  4,234;  Register  and  Recorder, 
Charles  Horton,  North  East,  4,191  ;  District 
Attorney,  George  A.  Allen,  Erie,  4,2(iO;  Com- 
missioner, George  C.  Gallowhur,  (lirard, 
4,737;  Director  of  the  Poor,  John  Burton,  East 
Mill  Creek,  4,353;  Auditors,  James  M.  Finn, 
Greenfield  (three  years),  4,205;  Ephraim 
Boyer,  Fairview  (one  year),  4,202. 

THE    SCOFIELD-MARVIN    CONTEST. 

1870 — The  Republican  candidate  for  Pres- 
ident Judge  was  Lansing  D.  VV'etmore,  War- 
ren, and  the  Democratic,  Rasselas  Brown, 
same  county.  S.  E.  Woodruff,  Erie,  was  an 
Independent  Republican  candidate.  The  vote 
of  the  district  was  as  follows: 

WOOD-  WET-  BROWN. 

RUFF.        MORE. 

Erie 1,591  4,102  3,926 

Warren 167  2,121  1,548 

Elk 7  324  798 

Total 1,765         6,548  6,252 

The  candidates  for  Congress  were  Glenni 
W.  Scofield,  Republican,  Warren,  and  Selden 
Marvin,  Democrat,  Erie,  Below  was  the  vote 
of  the  district: 


AND  HISTORICAL  BEFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


243 


SCOFIELD.      MARVIN. 

Erie 5,595  4,C89 

Warren 2,250  1,657 

Clearfield 1.371  2,608 

Elk 342  787 

Forest 366  276 

Cameron   437  390 

McKean 882  700 

Jefferson 1,812  1,914 

Total 13,055  12,451 

For  the  State  Senate,  George  B.  Delama- 
ter,  of  Crawford  county,  was  the  Republican, 
and  J.  Ross  Thompson,  of  Erie  county,  the 
Democratic  candidate.  The  vote  of  the  dis- 
trict was  as  follows : 

DEI.A- 
MATEK.     THOMPSON. 

Erie 5,691  3,921 

Crawford 5,109  4,602 

Total 10,800  8,523 

Couiitv  Candidates. —  Republican  —  As- 
sembly, George  W.  Starr.  Erie,  5,940;  I. 
Newton  Miller,  Springfield,  5.887;  Sheriff, 
Gen.  Thomas  M.  Walker,  Erie,  5,600;  Treas- 
urer, Logan  J.  Dyke,  Erie,  5,929;  Clerk  of 
the  Courts,  Capt.  C.  L.  Pierce,  Venango,  6,- 
019;  Commissioner,  Myron  H.  Silverthorn, 
Fairview  township,  5,869;  Jury  Commis- 
sioner, William  W.  Love,  West  jvlill  Creek, 
5,954;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Stephen  A. 
Beavis,  Corry,  5,891:  W.  W.  Eaton,  Fair- 
view  borough.  5,894;  L.  W.  Olds,  Erie, 
5,886;  Auditor,  Jesse  Ebersole,  Harbor  Creek, 
5,92  L 

Democratic  —  Assembly,  Eli  Duncoinbe, 
Amity,  3,750;  Spencer  H.  Ellis,  Washington, 
3,797;  Sheriff.  Wilson  Moore,  Waterford 
township,  3,4()l' ;  Treasurer,  Amos  Heath, 
Corry,  3,765;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  A.  J. 
Proudfit,  Edinboro,  3,765;  Commissioner, 
John  Burton,  East  Mill  Creek,  3,770;  Jury 
Commissioner,  H.  L.  Pinne_v,  Greene  (elect- 
ed), 3,742;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Henry 
Wolf,  North  East  township,  3,722 ;  Jacob 
Bootz,  Erie,  3,709;  Josiah  Shreve,  Union 
township,  3,722;  Auditor.  S.  C.  Sturgeon, 
Fairview   borough,  3,747. 

Independent  Democrat  —  Sherifl'.  Levi 
Jackson.  Girard  borough.  362. 

The  election  of  three  Directors  of  the 
Poor  w;is  due  to  the  following  circumstances  : 
For  some  time  the  southern  townships  had 
urged  the  sale  of  the  poor  house  farm  and  the 
purchase  of   a   cheaper   property.      A   bill    to 


that  effect  passed  the  Legislature,  and  a  sale 
was  made,  which  the  Court  refused  to  confirm. 
The  question  was  taken  to  the  Supreme 
Court,  which  decided  the  act  unconstitutional. 
The  Legislature  thereupon  repealed  the  act. 
and  another  one  was  adopted,  requiring  the 
election  of  a  new  board,  who  should  serve 
one,  two  and  three  j'ears.   respectivelv. 

VOTE      IN      FAVOR    OF      CONSTITUTIONAL      CON- 
VENTION. 

1871 — Audi  lor  General. — David  B.  Stan- 
ton, Beaver  county.  Republican,  284,097; 
Gen.  William  McCandless,  Philadelphia, 
Democrat,  269,522 ;  Barr  Spangler,  Lancas- 
ter county.  Prohibition,  3,132. 

Siirvcvor  General. — Col.  Robert  B.  Beath, 
Schuylkill  county.  Republican,  287,045;  Maj . 
James  H.  Cooper,  Lawrence  county.  Demo- 
crat, 266,335 ;  Edward  A.  Wheeler,  Mercer 
countv.  Prohibition.  2,969. 

Erie  county  cast  4.282  votes  for  .Stanton, 
2,966  for  McCandless,  si.xty-two  for  Spangler, 
4,285  for  Beath,  2,964  for  Cooper,  and  sixtv- 
two  for  Wheeler. 

County  Candidates. —  Republican — Asso- 
ciate Judges,  William  Benson,  Waterford 
borough,  4,495;  Allen  A.  Craig,  Erie,  3,820; 
Assembly,  George  W.  Starr.  Erie,  3,957; 
Col.  Chauncey  P.Rogers,  Edinboro,  4,343; 
Commissioner.  Clark  Bliss.  North  East  town- 
ship, 4,371  ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Michael 
Henrv,  Erie,  4,018;  Auditor.  Col.  C.  W. 
Lytle",  Erie,  4,285. 

Democratic — Associate  Judge,  Isaac  R. 
Taylor.  Edinboro.  3,467  ;  Assemblv,  Charles 
Horton,  North  East  borough,  3,406 ;  Commis- 
sioner. R.  H.  Palmer,  Corry,  2,982 ;  Director 
of  the  Poor.  Amos  Heath,  Corry,  3,039; 
Auditor,  W.   J.  Brockvvay.    Conneaut,  8.007. 

A  vote  was  taken  this  year  to  decide 
whether  a  Constitutional  Convention  should 
be  held.  Erie  countv  cast  ().490  for  a  Con- 
vention, and  204  against.  The  vote  of  the 
State  was  352.439  in  favor  of  and  72.081  in 
opposition  to  the  Convention. 

STATE    TREASUREK     MADE     ELECmE. 

1872 — Governor.  —  Gen.  John  F.  Har- 
tranft,  of  Montgomery  county.  Republican, 
353,387;  Charles  R.  Buckalew,  Columbia 
county.  Democrat,  317,760;  .Simeon  B.  Chase, 
Susquehanna  county,  Prohibition,  1,252. 


244 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Auditor  General. — Gen.  Harrison  Allen, 
Warren  county,  Republican,  85:2,767  :  William 
Hartley,  Bedford  county.  Democrat,  315,851 ; 
Barr  Spangler,  Lancaster  county.  Prohibition, 
1,260. 

Congressnie?i  at  Large. — Lemuel  Todd, 
Cumberland  county.  Republican,  857,748  ;  G. 
W.  Scofield,  Warren  count}',  Republican,  359,- 
048  ;  Charles  Albrij^ht,  Carbon  county,  Re- 
publican, 860,54() ;  Richard  Vaux,  Philadel- 
phia, Democrat,  811,080;  Hendrick  B. 
Wright,  Luzerne  county.  Democrat,  814,014  ; 
James  H.  Hopkins,  Allegheny  countv.  Demo- 
crat, 318,884. 

George  F.  McFarland,  Dauphin  county, 
Andrew  J.  Clark,  Luzerne,  and  B.  Rush  Brad- 
ford, Beayer,  the  Prohibition  candidates,  re- 
ceiyed  an  average  of  1,250  yotes. 

Supreme  yuitge. — Ulysses  Mercur,  Brad- 
ford county.  Republican,  354,819;  James 
Thompson,  Philadelphia,  Democrat,  818,876; 
Joseph  Henderson,  Washington,  Prohibition, 
977. 

Erie  county  gave  an  average  vote  of  7,500 
for  the  Republican,  and  5,200  for  the  Demo- 
cratic State  ticket. 

By  the  act  of  Assembly  pro\iding  for 
a  Constitutional  Convention,  fourteen  dele- 
gates at  large  were  allotted  to  each  of  the  two 
leading  parties,  and  three  delegates  to  each 
Senatorial  district,  in  the  latter  case  no  voter 
being  entitled  to  vote  for  more  than  two,  so  as 
to  secure  minority  representation.  John  H. 
Walker,  of  Erie,  was  one  of  the  Republican 
delegates  at  large.  The  Senatorial  delegates 
elected  were  C.  ().  Bowman,  of  Corry,  and 
Thomas  Struthers,  of  Warren,  Republicans, 
and  Rasselas  Brown,  of  Warren,  Democrat. 
John  Miller,  sr.,  of  Erie  was  one  of  the  Pro- 
hibition nominees  for  district  delegate. 

An  amendment  to  the  Constitution  was 
adopted  this  year,  making  the  office  of  State 
Treasurer  elective.  Erie  county  gave  11,509 
yotes  for  the  amendment  and  only  two 
against  it. 

CURTIS    AND      KANE DOWNING     AND    CUTLER. 

The  Republican  candidate  for  Congress 
was  Gen.  Carlton  B.  Curtis,  of  Erie  county. 
Gen.  Thomas  L.  Kane,  of  McKean  countv, 
was  supported  by  the  Liberal  Republicans  and 
Democrats.  The  vote  of  the  district  was  as 
follows  : 


CURTIS.       KANE. 

Erie 7,506  5,111 

Warren 3,221  2,332 

McKean 956  1.000 

Jefferson 2,37.=.  2,318 

Clearfield 2,052  3,506 

Elk 626  1.181 

Cameron 590  531 

Forest 416  356 

Total 17,742       16,235 

l)a\id  Wilson,  of  Lhiion,  Prohibition  can- 
didate, received  fourteen  votes  in  Erie  county 
and  none  outside. 

The  candidates  for  the  State  Senate  were 
George  H.  Cutler,  of  Girard,  Republican,  and 
J.  F.  Downing,  of  Erie,  Liberal  Republican, 
supported  by  the  Democrats.  The  following 
was  the  vote  of  the  district : 

CUTLER.       DOWNING. 

Erie 7,507  5,139 

Warren 3,256  2,298 

Total 10,363  7,427 

Jehiel  Towner,  of  Erie  city.  Prohibition 
candidate  for  State  Senate,  received  ten  votes 
in  this  county  and  none  in  Warren. 

Countv  Candidates. — Republican — Assem- 
bly, W.  VV.  Brown,  Corrj',  7,446;  Emmett  H. 
Wilcox,  Washington,  7,413  ;  District  Attorney, 
S.  M.  Brainerd,  North  East,  7,435;  Frothon- 
otary,  Capt.  E.  L.  Whittlesey,  Waterford, 
7,564  (no  opposition)  ;  Register  and  Record- 
er, Daniel  Long,  Fairview,  7,558  ;  Treasurer, 
Jacob  Yeagla,  Fairview,  7,800;  Commissioner, 
William  T.  Brown,  Corry,  7,589;  Auditor, 
D.  W.  Titus,  Venango,  7,555;  Surveyor, 
George  Piatt,  Girard,  7,555  (no  opposition)  ; 
Coroner,  M.  S.  Vincent,  Erie,  7,287. 

Democratic  and  Liberal. —  Assembly, 
Thomas  McClure,  Girard  borough.  Liberal, 
5,124;  S.  B.  Brooks,  Corry,  Liberal,  5,113; 
District  Attorney,  George  P.  Griffith,  Erie, 
Democrat,  5,217;  Register  and  Recorder, 
Harry  Ellen,  Democrat,  North  East  borough, 
5,116;  Treasurer,  Eugene  Metz,  Democrat, 
Erie,  5,192;  Commissioner,  Isaac  R.Taylor, 
Democrat.  Edinboro,  5,141  ;  Auditor,  W.  J. 
Brockway,  Democrat,  5,127. 

Prohibition. — Assembly,  Jas.  Lytle,  Erie, 
seventeen;  David  Carroll,  Union,  twenty- 
one;  Prothonotary,  John  Miller,  Erie,  six- 
teen ;  Treasurer,  Dr.  C.  N.  Moore,  Spring- 
field, sixteen  ;  Commissioner,  Myron  H.  Cole. 
Elk  Creek,  sixteen, 


AND  HiarORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


245 


Independent  Republican. — Coroner,  Thos. 
Dillon,  Erie,  5,350. 

Tlie  authorities  at  Harrisburg  decided  that 
this  was  not  the  proper  year  to  elect  a  Sur- 
veyor, and  refused  Mr.  Piatt  a  commission. 
He  was  appointed  by  the  Court  until  the  next 
election. 

THE    GRANT    AND    GREELEY    CAMPAIGN. 

Presidential  Vote. — The  Republicans  nom- 
inated Ulysses  S.  Grant,  of  Illinois,  for  Presi- 
dent, and  Henrj' Wilson,  of  Massachusetts,  for 
Vice  President.  The  dissatisfied  element  of 
the  party  called  another  convention,  adopted 
the  title  of  Liberal  Republicans,  and  nomi- 
nated Horace  Greeley,  of  New  York,  for  Pres- 
ident, and  B.  Gratz  Brown,  of  Missouri,  for 
Vice  President.  This  ticket  was  subsecjuentlv 
adopted  by  the  Democrats.  The  Prohibition 
ticket  was  James  Black,  of  Pennsylvania,  for 
President,  and  Rev.  John  Russell,  of  Michi- 
gan, for  Vice  President. 

Selden  Marvin,  of  Erie,  was  one  of  the 
Democratic  nominees  for  Elector  at  Large,  and 
George  W.  Arbuckle,  of  Girard,  one  of  the 
Prohibition  nominees.  The  district  candidates 
for  Elector  were  :  Charles  C.  Boyd,  Water- 
ford,  Republican  :  William  A.  Galbraith,  Erie, 
Democrat;  John  J.  Taylor,  Clearfield,  Prohi- 
bition. 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows: 
Grant,  349,689:  Greeley.  211.961;  Black, 
■±,630. 

Grant  and  Wilson  were  elected.  Below  is 
the  vote  of  the  county  : 

r,R.\NT.      GRKELEV.      BI..\CK. 

Erie,   First    ward 291  288  8 

Erie,  Second  ward 368  2%  2 

Erie,  Third  ward 421  124  1 

Erie,  Fourth  ward....  440  216  2 

Erie,    Fifth    ward   ...  105  99 

Erie,  Sixth  ward 120  70  13 

Total 1,74.S  1,093  25 

Corry,  First  ward.  .  ;.     313  198 

Corry,  Second  ward.  .     281  211 

Total 594  409 

East  Mill  Creek 93  63 

West  Mill  Creek 160  61 

Harbor  Creek 208  53 

North  East  township..  215  116 

North  East  borough   .183  51 

Greenfield 133  16 

Venango 196  58                 1 

Wattsburg 44  27                 1 


Amity 74  70 

Wayne 211  80 

Concord 182  83 

Union  township 167  75              12 

Union  City 239  195                4 

EeBoeuf 159  99                2 

Mill  Village SO  26                1 

Waterford  township.  .  291  98 

Waterford   borough  .  .  147  54                2 

Greene Ill  120 

Summit 86  94                 1 

McKean 218  20 

Middleboro 29                     5 

Washington 285  116 

Edinboro    74  53 

Franklin 152  43 

Elk  Creek 180  133                1 

Conneaut 232  57                2 

Albion 50  29              13 

Springfield 352  60                5 

Girard  township  288  132 

Girard  borough 79  59 

Lockport 46  48 

Fairview  township  ..  .  171  89 

Fairview  borough ....  61  34 

Total 7,504  3,587  S3 

A  large  portion  of  the  Democrats  were  dis- 
satisfied with  Mr.  Greeley's  nomination,  and 
refused  to  vote  at  the  November  election.  To 
show  the  falling  off  in  the  vote,  the  following 
recapitulation  is  given  : 

OCTO-         NOVEM- 
BER. BER. 

Opposition  vote  in  State 317,760        211.961 

Opposition  vote  in  county 5,200  3.587 

LOCAL    OPTION    ADOPTED THE     NEW     CONSTI- 
TUTION ACCEPTED. 

1873 — A  law  known  as  the  Local  Option 
Act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  which  sub- 
mitted the  question  to  a  vote  of  the  people  on 
the  Kith  of  March  whether  licenses  for  the  sale 
of  liquor  should  or  should  not  be  granted  for 
the  three  years  ensuing.  Each  city  and  county 
decided  the  matter  for  itself.  The  vote  of 
Erie  was  2,017  for  license  and  696  against ;  of 
Corry,  556  for  license  and  319  against  ;  and  of 
the  county,  outside  of  those  cities,  1,760  for 
license  and  2.620  against.  In  accordance  with 
this  result,  no  licenses  were  granted  in  the 
countv.  with  the  exception  of  Erie  and  Corry, 
forabout  a  vear,  when  the  Legislature  repealed 
the  act.  The  complete  vote  of  the  State,  apart 
from  the  cities,  was  165,427  for  license  and 
164,505  against ;  of  the  cities  alone,  79,908  for 
license  and  50,929  against. 

The  following  was  the  vote  for  State  ofK- 
cers  at  the  October  election  :    Supreme  Judge, 


246 


NELSOIf'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Isaac  G.  Gordon,  JefFerson  county,  Republi- 
can, 240,385;  James  R.  Ludlow,  Philadel- 
phia, Democrat,  225,941. 

Slate  Treasurer. — (First  election  by  the 
people)  Robert  W.  Mackey,  Allegheny  coun- 
ty, Republican,  243,823;  Frank  M.Hutchi- 
son, Allegheny    county,  Democratic,  219,471. 

The  vote  of  the  county  was  3,887  for  Gor- 
don, 2.709  for  Ludlow,  3,652  for  Mackey,  and 
2,899  for  Hutchison. 

Couniv  Candidates. —  Republican  —  As- 
sembly, Henry  Rutterfield,  Erie,  4,568;  Em- 
mett  H.  Wilcox,  Edinboro,  4,077;  Sheriff, 
John  L.  Hyner,  Waterford  borough,  3,457  ; 
Clerk  of  Courts,  Capl.  C.  L.  Pierce,  7,249  (on 
the  Democratic  ticket  also)  ;  Commissioner, 
M.  H.  Silverthorn,  Fairview,  5,484  (Demo- 
crats made  no  nomination);  Director  of  the 
Poor,  James  Dunn,  McKean,  4,423;  Auditor. 
W.  W.  Thomas,  Erie,  4,374;  Jury  Commis- 
sioner, William  Grant,  McKean,  4,474. 

Democratic  and  Liberal — Assembly,  Wil- 
son Laird,  Eric,  3,096;  Isaac  R.  Taylor,  Edin- 
boro, 2,750;  Sheriff,  Wilson  Moore,  Water- 
ford  township,  3,450  ;  Director  of  the  Poor, 
Mortimer  Phelps,  Edinboro,  Liberal,  2,687; 
Auditor,  Thomas  McClure,  (jirard,  Liberal, 
2,682;  Jury  Commissioner,  Robert  Leslie, 
Wattsburg,  2,797  (elected). 

Prohibition  —  As.sembly,  David  Wilson, 
Union  township,  138;  Sheriff,  A.  L.  Haskell, 
Amity,  184;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  John  Mil- 
ler, jr. ,  Erie,  144;  Commissioner,  Clark  Rice, 
Union,  179  ;  Directoi'  of  the  Poor,  Hugh  Gush- 
ing, 131  ;  Auditor,  Lyman  G.  Hall,  North 
East,  168;  Jury  Commissioner,  James  Lvtle, 
Erie,  155. 

Independent  Democrat — Sherift',  Robert 
S.  Hunter,  Erie,  203;  Levi  Jaclison,  Girard,  80. 

Independent  Republican  —  County  Com- 
missioner, M.  Hartleb,  Erie,  1,767- 

The  first  returns  for  Sheriff  gave  Wilson 
Moore  four  majority,  and  he  was  declared 
elected.  Just  as  the  convention  of  Return 
Judges  was  about  to  adjourn,  an  error  was  re- 
ported in  Middleboro  which  gave  J.  L.  Hyner 
a  majority  of  seven.  He  was  given  the  com- 
mission, and  served  out  the  term. 

.Special  Election. — A  special  election  was 
held  on  the  16th  of  December,  to  decide  upon 
the  adoption  or  rejection  of  the  new  constitu- 
tion which  had  been  prepared  by  a  convention 
held  during  the  year.  The  vote  of  Erie  county 
was    6,624    for     the    constitution,     and     742 


against ;  the  vote  of  the  State.  252,744  for, 
and  108.594  against. 

FIRST  TIDAI.   WAVE    YEAR. 

187-t— .SV^//rwc  ;7?/(/or.— Edward  M.  Pax- 
son,  Philadelphia.  Republican,  270,230;  W.  J. 
Woodward.  Berks  county.  Democrat,  277,454; 
James  Black,  Lancaster,  Prohibition,  5,069. 

Lieutenant  Governor. — A.  H.  Olmstcad, 
Potter  county.  Republican,  272,51(1;  John 
Latta,  Westmoreland  county,  Democrat,  277,- 
195;  B.  R.  Bradford,  Beaver,  Prohibition. 
4,647. 

Auditor    General. — Gen.    Harrison    Allen, 
Warren  county,   Republican,   272,571;  J.  F 
Temple,  Greene  county.  Democrat,   276,605; 
Calvin  Parsons,  Luzerne  county.  Prohibition, 

'  Secretary  of  Internal  ^  I  flairs — Cot.  R.  B. 

Beath,  Schuylkill  county.  Republican,  272,- 
310;  Gen.  William  McCandless.  Philadelphia, 
Democrat,  27<'),935;  W.  P.  Culbcrtson,  Mont- 
gomery county,  Prohibition,  4,()04. 

The  average  vote  in  the  county  was  5,000 
for  the  Republican,  4,600  for  the  Democratic, 
and  thirty  for  the  Prohibition   State  ticket. 

For  Congress,  the  Republican  candidate 
was  Carlton  B.  Curtis,  of  Erie,  and  the  Demo- 
cratic, Albert  G.  Egbert,  of  Venango.  The 
latter  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  eleven  as 
follows  : 

CURTIS.      EGBERT. 

Erie 4,999  4,873 

Venango 3,097  3,480 

Warren   2,278  2,032 


Total 10,374 


10,385 


Citv  Candidates. — Assembly,  Henry  But- 
terfield,  Republican,  1,125;  William  Henry, 
Democrat,  1,585  ;  John  H.  Welsh,  Independent 
Republican,  153. 

County  Candidates.  —  Republican  —  As- 
sembly, W.  W.  Brown,  Corry,  3,637;  Orlando 
Logan,  Albion,  3,775.  Dr.  S.  F.  Chapin, 
Wattsburg,  3,851  ;  Treasurer,  Carl  H.  Wal- 
bridge,  Erie,  4.692 ;  Commissioner,  Clark 
Bliss,  North  East  township,  5,221  ;  Director 
of  the  Poor,  Michael  Henry,  Erie,  5,254; 
Auditor,  William  E.  Hayes,  Greene,  5,824. 

Democratic — Assembly,  F.  Stanford,  Cor- 
ry, 3,371  ;  Treasurer,  N.  T.  Hume,  Wattsburg, 
5,161  ;  Commissioner,  John  M.  Kuhn,  Erie, 
4,693;   Director   of  the  Poor,   Charles    Sher- 


AiTD  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


247 


man,  Elk  Creek,  4,643;  Auditor,  D.  W. 
Howard,  Wayne,  4,666. 

Independent  candidate  for  Assembly,  Asa 
Battles,  Girard,  1.94:]. 

Prohibition  —  Assembly,  A.  L.  Haskell. 
Amity,  twenty-nine  ;  Treasurer,  P.  E.  Nor- 
cross,  Venango,  thirty  six  ;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  W.  R.  Wade,  Union,  twenty-one  ;  Audi- 
tor, James  Chambers,  Harbor  Creek,  nineteen. 

This  is  known  as  the  first  "  Tidal  Wave  " 
year,  the  Democrats  sweeping  almost  every 
State  and  gaining  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives at  Washington  by  a  large  majority,  the 
first  time  they  had  control  of  that  body  in 
many  years.  Besides  electing  the  State  officers, 
they  carried  a  majority  of  the  lower  House  at 
Harrisburg,  which  enabled  them  to  send  W^ill- 
iam  A.  Wallace  to  the  United  States  Senate 
for  si.K  years  from  the  4th  of  March,  1875. 

THE  NEW  CONSTITUTIO.V   IN  FORCE MINORITY 

COUNTY      COMMISSIONERS     AND     AUDITORS 
FIRST    ELECTED. 

1875 — The  Democratic  State  Convention 
met  in  Erie  this  year,  being  the  only  State 
assemblage  of  either  party  ever  held  In  the 
city.  The  vote  on  State  candidates  was  as 
follows  : 

Governor. — Gen.  John  F.  Hartranft,  Mont- 
gomery county.  Republican,  804,175;  Cyrus 
L.  Pershing,  Cambria  county.  Democrat,  292,- 
145;  Rev.  R.  A.  Brown,  Lawrence  countv. 
Prohibition,  13,249. 

State  Treasurer. — Henry  Rawle,  Erie 
countv,  Republican,  302,875;  Victor  E.  Piol- 
let,  Bradford  county.  Democrat,  293,150; 
E.  L.  Pennypacker,  Chester  countv,  Prohibi- 
tion, 12,468. 

The  county  gave  (5,699  votes  for  Hartranft, 
4,744  for  Pershing,  120  for  Brown,  6,809  for 
Rawle,  4,641  for  PioUet.  and  ninetv-four  for 
Pennypacker. 

County  Candidates. — Republican — State 
Senate,  Henry  Butterfield,  Erie,  6,360;  Pro- 
thonotary,  Giles  D.  Price,  Venango,  6,937; 
Register  and  Recorder,  Capt.  D.  Long.  Fair- 
view,  (5,820;  District  Attorney,  A.  B.  Force, 
Erie.  6,315;  Coroner,  Dr.  J.  E.  Silliman,  Erie, 
6,581:  Director  of  the  Poor,  John  G.  Kin- 
caide,  Wayne,  6,694. 

Democratic — State  Senate,  David  Olin, 
Girard,  5,083  ;  Prothonotary,  S.  B.  Gail,Corry, 
4,559;  Register  and  Recorder,  A.  L.  Tilden, 
LeBoeuf,    4,682;    District     Attorney,    A.    F. 


Bole,  L^nion  City,  5,119;  Coroner,  Dr.  J.  T. 
Clarke,  Erie,  4,588;  Director  of  the  Poor, 
Josiah  Shreve,  L'nion  township,  4,794. 

Independent  candidate  for  Coroner.  A.  M. 
Tarbell,  Erie,  289. 

This  year,  entire  Boards  of  County 
Commissioners  and  County  Auditors  were 
elected  for  the  first  time,  under  the  opera- 
tion of  the  new  constitution.  Three  of 
both  classes  of  officers  were  chosen  for  three 
years  in  each  case,  no  voter  having  a  right  to 
cast  a  ballot  for  more  than  two.  thus  securing 
minority  representation.  The  nominees  of 
the  Republican  and  Democratic  parties  were 
as  follows,  all  being  elected  : 

County  Commissioners — A.  B.  Gunnison. 
Erie,  D.  W.  Titus,  Venango,  Republicans, 
and  R.  H.  Arbuckle,  East  Mill  Creek.  Demo- 
crat. 

County  Auditors — E.  K.  Range,  LeBoeuf, 
William  B.  Hayes,  Greene,  Republicans,  and 
W.   y.  Brockway,  Conneaut,   Democrat. 

FIRST  NOV'EMBER  ELECTION  FOR  STATE  AND 
COUNTY  OFFICERS THE  HAYES  AND  TIL- 
DEN     FIGHT ST.\RT     OF      THE      NATIONAL 

GREENBACK      PARTY WM.     A.     GALBRAITH 

ELECTED   PRESIDENT      JUDGE. 

1876 — The  October  election  was  dispensed 
with,  and  district  and  county  officers  were 
chosen  in  November,  on  tiie  same  day  as  the 
Presidential  Electors,  under  the  operation  of 
the  new  Constitution. 

This  year  was  the  first  in  which  the  Green- 
back partv-  appeared  in  Xational  politics.  It 
proposed  to  abolish  the  Xational  Banks,  and 
substitute  United  States  Treasury  Notes,  usu- 
ally known  as  Greenbacks,  for  their  notes  of 
issue. 

The  nominees  for  President  and  Vice 
President  were  as  follows  : 

President — Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  of  Ohio, 
Republican  ;  .Samuel  J.  Tilden,  New  York, 
Democrat;  Peter  Cooper,  New  York,  Green- 
back; Green  Clay  Smitii,  Kentucky,  Prohibi- 
tion; James  B.  Walker.  Illinois,  Anti-Secret 
Society. 

Vice  President — William  A.  Wheeler, 
New  York.  Republican  ;  Thomas  A.  Hen- 
dricks, Indiana,  Democrat;  Samuel  F.  Cary, 
Ohio,  Greenback  ;  (Jideon  T.  Stewart,  Pro- 
hibition ;  Donald  Kilpatrick,  New  York, 
Anti-Secret  Society. 

The  nominees  for  Elector  in  tiiis  Congres- 


248 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


sional  District  were  W.  W.  Wilbur,  Warren, 
Republican  ;  B.  F.  Morris,  Warren,  Democrat ; 
David  Wilson,  Erie  countv.  Greenback  ;  John 
T.  Taylor,  Venango,  Prohibition;   D.  W".   El- 
derkin,  Venango,  Anti-Secret  Society. 
The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows  : 
Haves,  384,184;  Tilden,  366,204 ;  Cooper, 
7,204  :"Smith,  1,318:  Walker  eighty -five. 
Following;  is  the  vote  of  the  county  : 


HAYES.       TILDEN.    COOPER.    SMITH. 

Erie,  First  ward, First  District,  73  108 

Erie,  First  ward.  Second  dist..  167  96 

Erie,  First  ward.  Third  dist   .  .  Sl-3-31  371-17.T 

Erie.  Second  ward.  First  dist..  124  288 

Erie,  Second  ward, Second  dist  171  165 

Erie,  Second  ward.  Third  dist.  119-424      131-584 

Erie,  Third  ward.  First  dist  . .  188  161 

Erie,  Third  ward.  Second  dist.  188  TS 

Erie,  Third  ward,  Third  dist..  119-J95      135-374 

Erie,  Fourth  ward.  First  dist.-  205  192 

Erie.  Fourth  ward. Second  dist.  144  61 

Erie,  Fourth  ward.  Third  dist.  169-518      157-110 

Erie,  Fifth  ward 141  219 

Erie,  Sixth  ward 226-2,125  190-2,242 

Corry,  First  ward 263  212 

Corry,  Second  ward 270-533      2.58-470 

East  Mill  Creek.                         .  108  137 

West  Mill  Creek 211  168 

Harbor  Creek 278  165 

North  East  township 286  18& 

North  East  borough 232  86 

Greenfield 168  56 

Venango 212  131 

Wattsburg 57  32 

Amity 124  104 

Wayne 198  82 

Concord 136  114 

Elgin 30  9 

Union  township 199  HI 

Union  City 235  257 

LeBoeuf 196  147 

MillVillage 61  36 

Waterford  township 315  112 

Waterford  borough \T2  62 

Greene 142  196 

Summit 89  130 

McKean 252  61 

Middleboro 31  4 

Washington 342  122 

Edinboro 88  60 

Franklin 188  55 

ElkCreek 211  146 

Conneaut 274  109 

Albion 72  44 

Springfield 419  67 

Girard  township 351  166 

Girard  borough 79  82 

Lockport 46  45 

Fairview  township 202  135 

Fairview  borough 67  37 

Total 8.734  6.179 


10 
11-21 


M 


THE   "EIGHT    BY    SEVEX   COMMISSION. 


A  long  and  exciting  dispute  occurred  over 
the  electoral  votes  of  Louisiana,  Florida  and 
South  Carolina,  which  were  claimed  by  both 
of  the  leading  parties.  In  Oregon,  the  Gov- 
ernor gave  a  certificate  to  one  Democratic 
Elector,  on  the  ground  that  one  of  the  Repub- 


lican Electors  was  ineligible.  After  a  pro- 
longed agitation,  the  matter  was  submitted  to 
an  Electoral  Commission,  consisting  of  five  of 
the  United  States  Supreme  Judges  and  ten 
members  of  Congress,  who  decided  by  eight  to 
seven  in  each  case  that  the  entire  Electoral  vote 
of  the  State  named  should  go  to  the  Repub- 
licans. This  decision  gave  Hayes  and 
Wheeler  the  offices  of  President  and  Yice 
President  by  a  majority  of  one  Elector.  Polit- 
icallv,  the  Commission  stood  eight  Republicans 
to  seven  Democrats. 

The  Republican  nominee  for  Congress  was 
Lewis  F.  Watson,  of  Warren;  the  Demo- 
cratic, William  L.  Scott,  of  Erie:  the  Green- 
back, C.  C.  Camp,  of  Venango;  and  the  Pro- 
hibition, Samuel  Axtell,  of  Venango.  Below 
is  the  vote  of  the  district  ; 

WATSON.    SCOTT.    CAMP.    AXTKLL. 

Erie 8,557      6,369        26  ;S 

Warren 3,321       2,202         11  80 

Venango 3,762      3,522      212  247 

Total 15,640     12,093      249  342 

The  vote  for  President  Judge  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

William  A.  Galbraith,  Erie,  Independent 
Democrat,  7,331  ;  William  Benson,  Erie, 
Republican,  7,187;  Judge  Galbraith  had 
\,'2(K)  majority  in  the  city  of  Erie. 

Ci'/v  Candidates. — Assembly.  Gustav  Jar- 
ecki,  Republican,  2,167:  William  Henry, 
Democrat,  2,177. 

County  Candidates. — Republican  —  State 
Senate,  Henry  Butterfield,  Erie,  8,692;  As- 
sembly (county  only).  Dr.  S.  F.  Chapin, 
Wattsburg,  6,613;  Charles  A.  Hitchcock, 
North  East  borough.  6,596 ;  S.  E.  Kincaide, 
Waj-ne,  6,571  ;  Sheriff,  E.  E.  Stuerznickel, 
Erie,  8,667 ;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  Frank 
H.  Couse,  Erie,  8,909;  Director  of  the  Poor, 
Seymour  Washburn,  McKean,  8,676;  Jury 
Commissioner,  George  A.  Evans,  West  Mill 
Creek,  8,797. 

Democratic — State  Senate,  John  W. 
Walker,  Erie,  6,193;  Assembly,  W.  T.  Ever- 
son,  Amity,  3,916  ;  L.  W.  Savage,  Springfield, 
3,911;  D.  C.  Thomas,  Fairview  borough, 
3,920;  Sherift',  F.  Stanford,  Corry,  6,168; 
Clerk  of  the  Courts,  James  Bell,  Concord, 
5,990;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Archibald  Dun- 
can, North  East,  6,345;  Jury  Commissioner, 
Joseph  I.  Tanner,  Erie,  6,112  (elected). 


AND  mSTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


249 


A  DEMOCRATIC    STATE  VICTORY. 

1877 — Supreme  ytidge. — James  P.  Sterrett, 
Allegheny  count}',  Republican,  244,480  :  John 
Trunkey, Venango  county.  Democrat,  251,000; 
B.  S.  Bentley,  Lycoming  county,  Greenback, 
51,582;  A.  II.  VVinton,  Luzerne  county.  Pro- 
hibition, 2,899. 

State  Trcasiirer. — \Vm.  B.  Hart,  Mont- 
gomery county.  Republican,  241,11(3;  A.  C. 
Noyes,  Clinton  county.  Democrat,  251,717; 
James  L.  VV right,  Philadelphia,  Greenback, 
52,854;  Samuel  Cornett,  Chester  countv.  Pro- 
hibition, 2,827. 

Auditor  General. —  J.  A.  AI.  Passmore, 
Schuylkill  county.  Republican,  242,288  ;  Will- 
iam P.  Schell,  Bedford  county.  Democrat, 
251,256;  James  E.  Emerson,  Beaver  county. 
Greenback,  52,<388 ;  A.  A.  Barker,  Cambria 
county,  Prohibition,  2,097. 

The  average  vote  of  Erie  county  was 
4,870  for  the  Republican,  8,670  for  the  Demo- 
cratic, 190  for  the  Greenback  and  fourtv-four 
for  the  Prohibition  State  candidates. 

Countv  Candidates. — Republican — Treas- 
urer, William  C.  Hay,  Fairview,  4,970 ; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  George  W.  Riblet, 
Erie,  4,809;  County  Survej-or,  George  AL 
Robinson,  Springfield,  5,044. 

Democratic — Treasurer,  Wm.  A.  Bean, 
vSummit.  8,876;  Countv  Surveyor,  Irwin 
Camp,  Erie,  8.772. 

Independent  Republican — Director  of  the 
Poor,  Michael  Henry.  Summit,  8,762. 

GOV-EUNOR    HOVT   ELECTED. 

1878 — Governor. — Gen.  Henry  H.  Hoyt, 
Luzerne  county.  Republican,  819,567 ;  An- 
drew H.  Dill,  Union  county.  Democrat, 
279,060;  Samuel  R.  Mason,  jVIercer  county. 
Greenback,  81,758;  Franklin  H.  Lane,  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  Prohibition,  3,759. 

Lieutenant  Governor. — Charles  W.  Stone, 
Warren  county.  Republican,  819,008 ;  John 
Fertig,  Crawford  county,  Democrat,  295,758 ; 
Michael  Steck,  Lvcoming  county,  Greenback, 
74,082;  John  Sh;ilIcross;  Philaclelphia,  Pro- 
hibition,'8, 618. 

Supreme  yudi;e. — James  P.  Sterrett,  Alle- 
gheny county.  Republican,  811,042;  Henry 
P.  Ross,  Montgomery  county.  Democrat, 
287,221  ;  Daniel  Agnew,  Beaver  county. 
Greenback  and  Prohibition,  99,816. 

Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs. — Aaron  K. 
17 


Dunkel,  Philadelphia,  Republican,  318,193; 
J.  .Simpson  Africa,  Huntingdon  county, 
Democrat,  301,034;  James  L.  Wright,  Phila- 
delphia, Greenback,  8], 738;  Calvin  Parsons, 
Luzerne  county.  Prohibition,  3,657. 

The  average  vote  of  Erie  count}-  was  6,000 
for  the  Republican,  4,200  for  the  Democratic, 
1,650  for  the  Greenback,  and  two  for  the  Pro- 
hibition candidates. 

The  Republican  candidate  for  Congress 
was  John  H.  Osmer,  Venango;  the  Demo- 
cratic, (jeorge  A.  Allen,  Erie  ;  the  Greenback, 
Cyrus  C.  Camp,  Venango,  and  the  Prohibi- 
tion, Samuel  B.  Axtell,  Venango.  Following 
is  the  vote  of  the  district : 

OSMER.    ALI.KN.  CAMP.  AXTELL. 

Erie 5,576       4,796     1,631 

Warren 2.200       1,821     2,047 

Venango 3,409       2,934     1,446  301 

Total 11,205      8,551    5,127  301 

City  Candidates. — Assembly,  Gustav  Ja- 
recki.  Republican,  1,894;  John  M.  Kuhn, 
Democrat,  1,402;  James  Hoskinson,  Green- 
back, 171  ;  Asa  H.  Faulkner,  Independent, 
nineteen. 

County  Candidates. — Republican  —  As- 
sembly, Samuel  E.  Kincaide,  Wayne,  4,270 ; 
Mjron  H.  .Silverthorn,  Fairview  township, 
4,804  ;  Isaac  B.  Brown,  Corry,  3,984  ;  Prothon- 
otar)',  Giles  D.  Price,  Venango,  6,269;  Reg- 
ister and  Recorder,  Capt.  John  C.  Hilton, 
Erie,  6,437 ;  District  Attorney,  Charles  E. 
Lovett,  Erie,  6,026;  Commissioner,  Albert  B. 
Gunnison,  Erie,  6,159;  D.  W.  Titus,  Venan- 
go, 6,137:  Director  of  the  Poor,  Jefterson 
Triscuit,  Union,  0,148;  Coroner,  Dr.  J.  E. 
Silliman,  Erie,  0,207;  Auditors,  William  E. 
Hayes,  Greene,  6,163:  ^^'.  W.  Love,  West 
Mill  Creek,  6,132. 

FUSION    COUNTY    TICKET. 

The  Democrats  and  Greenbackers  formed 
a  fusion  upon  Assemblvmen  and  Register  and 
Recorder,  which  led  to  the  election  of  Alfred 
Short  to  tiie  Assembly,  over  Isaac  B.  Brown. 
The  following  were  the  candidates  on  the  sev- 
eral tickets  : 

On  both  tickets — Assemblv,  Alfred  Short, 
North  East,  4,402  ;  Uras  Schhnaff,  West  Mill 
Creek,  8,980;  David  Wilson.  Union,  4,056: 
Register  and  Recorder,  Robert  .S.  Hunter. 
Erie,  5,483. 

On    Democratic    ticket    alone — Protiiono- 


250 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


tary,  C.  E.  Duncombe,  Amity,  4,021 ;  District 
Attorney,  Frank  W.  Grant,  Erie,  4,378  ;  Com- 
missioner, A.  L.  Tilden,  Le  Ba'uf,  4,171 
(elected)  ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Hartley 
Lampson,  Middleboro,  4,]f56;  Coroner,  John 
Walsh,  Erie,  4,090;  Auditor,  C.  R.  Gray, 
Venango,  4,122   (elected.) 

On  Greenback  ticket  alone — Prothonotary, 
A.  T.  Marsh,  Erie,  1,722;  District  Attorney, 
M.  Phelps,  Edinboro,  1,609;  Commissioners, 
Ephraim  Boyer,  Fairview  township,  18G0; 
H.  L.  Wyman.  Corry,  1,024;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  George  W.  Harr,  West  Mill  Creek, 
1,684;  Coroner,  Danifl  Landon,  Erie,  1,687; 
Auditors,  Theo.  II.  Marsh,  Waterford.  1,751; 
lilijah  Crow,  Washington,   1,086. 

1879 — Stale  Treasurer. — Samuel  Butler, 
Chester  county.  Republican,  280,153;  Daniel 
O.  Barr,  Allegheny  county.  Democrat,  221,- 
715;  Peter  Sutton,  Indiana  county,  Greenback, 
27,207;  J.  L.  Richardson,  Philadelphia,  Pro- 
hibition,'3,219. 

Erie  county  gave  Butler  5,281,  Barr  3,244, 
Sutton  738,  and  Richardson  one  vote. 

Coimiy  Candidates . — Republican — Sheriff, 
Henry  C.  Stafford,  jr.,  Waterford  township, 
5,707;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  Frank  H.  Couse, 
Erie,  5,295 ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Jno. 
C.  Zuck,  West  Mill  Creek,  5,297;  Jury  Com- 
missioner, D.  L.  Bracken,  Corry,  5,493. 

Democratic — Sheriff,  R.  H.  Arbuckle, 
West  Mill  Creek,  2,882  ;  Clerk  of  the  Courts, 
David  A.  Sawdey,  Conneaut,  3,223;  Director, 
of  the  Poor,  Ephraim  Boyer,  Fairview  town- 
ship, 3,990  (on  Greenback  ticket  also)  ;  Jury 
Commissioner,  William  Biggers,  Girard  town- 
ship, 3,125  (elected). 

Greenback — Sheriff,  Frank  S.  Heath,  Con- 
cord, 783;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  Mortimer 
Phelps,  Edinboro,  749;  Jury  Commissioner, 
A.  M.  Howard,  Corry,  773. 

GARFIELD    AND    ARTHUR    ELECTED. 

1880 — The  nominees  for  President  and 
Vice  President  were  as  follows  : 

President — James  A.  Garfield,  of  Ohio, 
Republican  ;  Winfield  S.  Hancock,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Democrat ;  James  B.  Weaver,  Iowa, 
Greenback  ;  Neal  Dow,  Maine,  Prohibition  ; 
John  D.  Phelps,  Vermont,  Anti-Masonic. 

Vice  President — Chester  A.  Arthur,  of 
New  York,  Republican  ;  William  H.  English, 
Indiana,  Democrat ;  Benjamin  I.  Chambers, 
Texas,     Greenback ;     Henry     A.     Thompson, 


Ohio,  Prohibition  ;  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  Kansas, 
Anti-Masonic. 

The  nominees  for  Electors  in  this  Con- 
gressional District  were  C.  W.  Gilfillan,  of 
Venango,  Republican  ;  J.  Ross  Thompson,  of 
Erie,  Democrat ;  S.  P.  McCalmont,  Venango, 
Prohibition ;  James  B.  White,  of  Venango, 
Greenback;  John  S.  Aunden,  of  Venango, 
Anti-Masonic. 

Garfield  and  Arthur  were  elected. 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows : 
Garfield,  444,704;  Hancock,  407,428;  Weaver, 
20,()08;  Dow,  1,939;  Phelps,  forty-four. 

Below  was  the  vote  of  the  county  : 


GAR- 
FIELD. 

Erie,  1st  ward,  1st  dis.  93 
1st  ward,  2ddis. .  172 
1st  ward,  3d  dis..      97-362 

2d  ward,  1st  dis..  133 
2d  ward,  2d  dis..  182 
2d  ward,  3d  dis..     142-457 


3d  ward,  1st  dis. 
3d  ward,  2d  dis. 
3d    ward,  3d  dis. 


209 
215 
179-603 


HAN- 
COCK. 
141 
99 

329-569 


WEA- 
VER. 

2 

1 

..-3 


349  2 

180  1 

173-702  1-4 

178  4 

89  1 

165-432  4-9 


4th  ward,  1st  dis.  261 

4th  ward,  2d  dis.  146 

4th  ward,  3d  dis.  185-692 

5th   ward 235 

6th  ward 222-2571 


Corry,  1st  ward 242 

Corry,  2d  ward 235-477 

Albion 49 

Amity 118 

Concord 112 

Conneaut 215 

East  Mill  Creek 120 

West  Mill  Creek 323 

Edinboro 96 

Elgin 29 

Elk  Creek 219 

Fairview  boroug-h....  67 

Fairview  township....  222 

Franklin 172 

Girard  township 364 

Girard  borough 86 

Greene 125 

Greenfield 166 

Harbor  Creek 268 

LeBoeuf 180 

Lockport 51 

McKean 228 

Middleboro 28 

Mill  Village... 60 

North  East  township.  305 

North  East  borough.  .  233 

Springfield 390 


258 
72 
165-495 


2 
6-8 


285       2 
119-2592   3-  24 


199 

194-393 

43 
108 

84 

88 
124 
144 

57 

4 

ISS 

32 
119 

61 
192 

57 
206 

57 
157 
162 

44 

57 

18 

42 
216 
103 

65 


70 
60-130 

7 

8 

59 

78 

12 
14 

7 
12 

1 

17 
1 

4 
6 

12 
1 

22 
1 

2 

4 

2 


AND  UISTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTr. 


251 


Summit 97  127  11 

Union  township 168  121  19 

Union  City 235  241  8 

Venango 226  126  11 

Washington 309  129  26 

Waterford  township. .  .  292  103  24 

Waterford  borotig-h...  133  57  4 

Wattsburg- 64  34  2 

Wayne 149  48  100 

Total 8,752  6,741  641 

Dow  received  twelve  votes  and  Phelps 
one  vote  in  Erie  county. 

The  State  candidates  received  the  follow- 
ing vote  : 

Siiprcii/c  J/idijc. — Henrj'  Green,  North- 
ampton comity,  Republican,  444,934;  George 
A.  Jenks,  Jefferson  county.  Democrat,  40G,- 
U04  ;  Samuel  Calvin,  Blair  countv,  Greenback, 
12,Gr)3. 

Auditor  General. — John  A.  Lemon,  Blair 
county.  Republican,  442,835  ;  Robert  P.  Dech- 
ert,  Philadelphia,  Democrat,  405,736;  A.  L. 
Roberts,  Crawford  county.  Greenback,  19,- 
226;  George  F.  Turner,  Prohibition,  1,898. 

Congress. — The  Republican  candidate  for 
Congress  was  Lewis  F.  Watson,  Warren 
county,  and  the  Democratic  and  Greenback, 
Alfred  Short,  Erie.      Below  was  the   vote  : 

WATSON.  SHORT. 

Erie 8,469  7.463 

Warren 3,173  2,852 

Venango 4,158  4,183 

Total 15,740  14,438 

CUy  Caiididci/cs. — Assembly,  Gustav  Ja- 
recki,  Republican,  2,547;  Orange  Noble, 
Democrat,  2,657. 

County  Candidates. — Republican  —  State 
Senate,  James  Sill,  Erie,  8,771  ;  Assembly, 
Myron  H.  Silverthorn,  Fairview  township, 
6.578;  Isaac  B.  Brown,  Corry,  6,363;  A.  W. 
Hayes,  Wattsburg,  6,302;  Treasurer,  James 
P.  Crawford,  Erie,  8,800;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  Joseph  Henderson,  Erie,  8,840. 

Democratic — State  Senate,  John  W.  Walk- 
er, Erie,  6,408 ;  Assembly,  Isaac  R.  Taylor, 
Edinboro,  3,823;  Thomas  H.  Mohr,  West 
Mill  Creek,  3,(508;  Frank  S.  Heath  (also 
Greenback),  Corry,  4,088;  Treasurer,  A.  J. 
Proudfit,  Edinboro  (also  Greenback),  7,020; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  A.  Duncan,  North  East, 
6,463. 

Greenback — State  Senate,  Jeduthan  Wells, 
641. 


AN  ANTI-CAMERON  OUTBREAK ORANGE  NO- 
BLE DEFEATED. 

1881 — State  Treasurer. — Orange  Noble, 
Erie  county,  Democrat,  258,387;  Silas  M. 
Bailey,  Fayette  county.  Republican,  265,293; 
Charles  S.  Wolfe,  Union  county.  Independent 
Republican,  49,969;  Reno  W.  Jackson,  Mer- 
cer county.  Greenback,  14,848;  J.  M.  Wilson, 
Prohibition,  4,512. 

This  year  is  memorable  in  Pennsylvania 
politics  as  being  the  one  in  which  the  first  open 
revolt  was  made  against  the  Cameron  power 
in  the  Republican  party.  Charles  S.  Wolfe, 
the  leader  of  the  anti-Cameron  Republicans, 
announced  himself  as  an  Independent  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  State  Treasurer,  and  re- 
ceived a  large  vote.  There  was  also  a  dissen- 
sion in  the  ranks  of  the  Democratic  part)',  led 
by  William  L.  Scott,  of  Erie. 

The  vote  of  Erie  county  was  4,656  for 
Bailey,  4,130  for  Noble,  292  for  Wolfe,  437  for 
Jackson,  and  195  for  Wilson. 

County  Candidates. — Republican —  Pro- 
thonotary,  Samuel  V.  Holliday,  Springfield, 
5,298;  District  Attorney,  Emory  A.  Walling, 
North  East,  5,311;  Register  and  Recorder, 
John  C.  Hilton,  Erie,  5,296;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  Jefferson  Triscuit,  Union  township, 
5,290;  Coroner,  Dr.  Alvin  Z.  Randall,  Erie, 
4,932;  County  Commissioners,  Richard  Pow- 
ell, Elk  Creek,  5,152;  B.  B.  Whitley,  East 
Mill  Creek,  5,092;  Auditors,  William"P.  Ed- 
wards, Harbor  Creek,  5,262,  William  L.  Ar- 
buckle,  Erie,  5,225. 

Democratic — Prothonotary,  M.  \'.  Blore, 
Venango,  3,734;  District  Attorney,  C.  L. 
Baker,  Corry,  3,879;  Register  and  Recorder, 
Wesley  Bingham,  North  East,  3,616;  Director 
of  the"  Poor,  William  O.  Colt,  Waterford 
borough,  8,746;  Coroner,  A.  B.  Heard,  North 
East,  4,014;  County  Commissioner,  A.  L. 
Tilden.LeBcEuf  (elected), 4,016;  Auditor, Geo. 
Manton,  Elk  Creek,  3,804   (elected). 

Greenback — Prothonotary,  J.  T.  Brown, 
West  Mill  Creek,  489;  District  Attorney,  A. 
W.  Covell,  Erie,  420;  Register  and  Recorder, 
John  Marsh,  Waterford  township,  479;  Direc- 
tor of  the  Poor,  G.  \\'.  Spaulding,  Conneaut, 
484  ;  Coroner,  A.  J.  Louch,  Erie,  479  ;  County 
Commissioner,  II.    L.  Wyman,  Corry,   757. 

Prohibition — Prothonotarj',  W.  R.  Daven- 
port, Erie,  228;  Register  and  Recorder,  N.  R. 
Luce,  LTnion,  313  ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  H.  E. 


252 


NBLSOWS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Ladd,  220;  County  Commissioner,  Isaac  R. 
Taylor,  Edinboro,  211;  James  D.  Smith, 
Wayne,  219;  Coroner,  I.'.  G.  Hall,  North 
East,  282. 

Greenback  and  Proliil)ition — Auditors,  J. 
G.  Perry,  Venango,  479;  W.  T.  Everson, 
Wattsburg,  699. 

A      REPUBLICAN      REVOLT     AND     DEMOCRATIC 
SWEEP PATTISON    AND    BLACK      ELECTED. 

1882 — This  year  there  was  another  for- 
midable revolt  in  the  Republican  party  of  the 
State  against  the  control  of  Senator  Cameron 
and  his  associates.  It  was  led  by  United 
States  Senator  Mitchell,  Charles  S.  Wolfe  and 
a  number  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the 
party.  The  following  were  the  respective 
nominees  for  the  several  State  offices.  The 
figures  show  the  vote  received  by  each  candi- 
date : 

Governor. — Robert  E.  Pattison,  Philadel- 
phia, Democrat,  855,791  ;  James  A.  Beaver, 
Center  county,  Regular  Republican,  315,589; 
John  Stewart,  Franklin  county.  Independent 
Republican,  48,748 ;  A.  C.  Pettet,  Lawrence 
county.  Prohibition,  5,196;  Thomas  A.  Arm- 
strong, Allegheny  county,  Greenback-Labor, 
23,484. 

Lieutenant  Goverjior. — Chauncey  F. Black, 
York  county,  Democrat,  353,642  ;  William  T. 
Davies,  Bradford  county.  Regular  Repub- 
lican, 317,614;  Levi  K.  DufF,  Allegheny 
county,  Independent  Republican,  48,577; 
Alvin  Williams,  Chester  county.  Prohibition, 
4,662;  William  Howard,  Greenback-Labor, 
19,475. 

Supreme  yudi^n'. — Silas  M.  Clark,  Indiana 
county,  Democrat,  355,985;  William  H.  Rawle, 
Philadelphia,  Regular  Republican,  315,163; 
George  Junkin,  Philadelphia,  Independent  Re- 
publican, 41,990;  J.  A.  Cake,  Northumber- 
land county,  Greenback-Labor,  19,285;  S.  B. 
Chase,  Susquehanna  county,  Prohibition,4,457. 

Secretary  of  /nternal  Affairs. — J.  Simp- 
son Africa,  Huntingdon  county,  Democrat, 
353,752;  John  M.  Grier,  Butler  county.  Reg- 
ular Republican,  317,408  ;  George  W.  Merrick, 
Tioga  county,  Independent  Republican,  43,- 
096  ;  J.  L.  DeWoody,  Venango  county,  Green- 
back-Labor, 19,941  ;  Ezra  Grossman,  McKean 
county.  Prohibition,  5,497. 

Congressmen  at  Large. — Mortimer  F.  Elli- 
ott, Tioga  county.  Democrat,  351,043;  Mar- 
riott Brosius,   Lancaster  county,  Regular  Re- 


publican, 328,255;  William  McMichael,  Phil- 
adelphia, Independent  Republican,  40,995; 
Robert  K.  Tomlinson,  Bucks  county,  Green- 
back-Labor, 20,400;  I.  Newton  Pierce,  Phil- 
adelphia, Prohibition,  4,042. 

The  vote  of  Erie  count}-  for  Governor  was 
as  follows  :  Pattison,  5,727;  Beaver,  5,218; 
Stewart,  575;  Armstrong,  772;    Pettet,  265. 

City  Candidates. — Assembl_y,  John  W. 
Walker,  Democrat,  2,723;  David  T.  Jones, 
Republican,  1,328;  J.  T-  Sepple,  Greenback- 
Labor,  244. 

County  Candidates. —  Republican  —  As- 
sembly, H.  A.  Traut,  Girard,  4,290;  Isaac  B. 
Brown,  Corry,  4,471;  A.  W.  Hayes,  Watts- 
burg, 4,379 ;  Sheriff,  Frank  E.  Staples,  Union 
City,  6,081  ;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  Robert  S. 
Moorhead,  Erie,  6,604;  Director  of  the  Poor, 
O.  J.  McAllister,  Wattsburg,  5,879;  Jury 
Commissioner,  George  J.  Russell,  East  Mill 
Creek,  5,984. 

Democratic — I.  N.  Taylor,  Girard  borough, 
2.945;  F.  E.  McLean,  Union  City,  8,077;  A. 
B.  Heard,  North  East  borough,  3.267;  Sheriff", 
Frank  J.  Moore,  LeBceuf,  5,819  ;  Clerk  of  the 
Courts,  A.  C.  Miller,  5,297;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  L.  W.  Savage,  Springfield,  5,463  ;  Jury 
Commissioner,  James  D.  Phillips,  Union  City, 
5,709  (elected)". 

Prohibition  —  Assembly,  H.  P.  Malick, 
Girard,  216;  A.  L.  Haskell,  Amity,  196;  L. 
G.  Hall,  North  East,  215;  Sheriff,  James 
Shreve,  Union,  187;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  C. 
S.  Carr,  Erie,  231  ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  H. 
E.  Ladd,  Amity,  262;  Jury  Commissioner, 
Eaton  Gross,  Amity,  265. 

Greenback-Labor — Assembly,  B.  Mason, 
546;  George  W.  Barr,  501;  S.  L.  Kennedy, 
354;  Sherift;  W.  E.  Hubbell,  Erie,  480;  E)i- 
rector  of  the  Poor,  Charles  Drake,  Washing- 
ton, 733  ;  Jury  Commissioner,  William  Davis, 
Waterford  township,  598. 

The  candidates  for  Congress  were  S.  M. 
Brainerd,  of  Erie  county.  Republican  ;  Henry 
B.  Plumer,  of  Venango  county,  Democrat,  and 
W.  T.  Everson,  of  Erie  count}',  Greenback- 
Labor  and  Prohibition.  The  vote  of  the  dis- 
trict was  as  follows: 

BRAINERD.      PLUMER.     EVERSON. 

Erie  county 6,201  5,448  8SS 

Venango  county 2,604  2,960  975 

Warren  county 2,365  1,839  1,162 

Total 11,170  10,247  2,992 

Brainerd's  plurality.      923 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


253 


THE     REPUBLICANS    WIN    AGAIN. 

1883 — Auditor  General — Jerome  B.  Niles,  ; 
Tioga  county  (Rep.),  819,1(56;  Robert  Tag- 
gart,  Warren   county  (Dem.),   302,081;   J.  B. 
Fordham,  Lackawanna  county  (Pro.),  6.602; 
T.  P.  Rynder,  Center  county  (Cjr.),   4,452. 

State    Treasurer — \\  illiam    Livsey,    Alle-   ; 
ghenvcountv  (Rep.),  821.050  ;  Joseph  Powell, 
Bradford  county  (Dem.j,  800,U89  ;  I.  E.  How- 
ard,    county    (Pro.),    6,687;    A.    T. 

Marsh,  Erie  county  (Gr.),  4,431. 

County  Candidates. — Republican — Coun- 
ty Treasurer,  John  L.  Wells.  Erie,  5,881  ; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  Joseph  Henderson,  Erie, 
5,876. 

Democratic — County  Treasurer.  J.M.  De- 
witt,  North  East,  4,418  ;  Director  of  the  Poor, 
Uras  Schluraff,  West  Mill  Creek,  4,874. 

Prohibition  —  County  Treasurer,  H.  E. 
Ladd,  Amity,  850;  Director  of  the  Poor, 
Amos  Burch,  North  East,  870. 

The  Greenback  party  made  no  county 
nominations. 

CLEVELAND    AND    HENDH1CKS    ELECTED. 

1884: — The  nominees  for  President  and 
Vice-President  were  as  follows  : 

President. — James  G.  Blaine,  of  Maine, 
Republican  ;  Grover  Cleveland,  of  New  York, 
Democrat  ;  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  of  Massachu- 
setts, Greenback-Labor;  John  P.  St.  John, 
of  Kansas,  Prohibition  ;  Belva  A.  Lockwood. 
of  Washington  City,  Equal  Rights;  W.  T. 
Ellsworth,  of  Pennsylvania,  American  Alli- 
ance. 

Vice-President. —  John  A.  Logan,  of  Illi- 
nois, Republican  ;  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  of 
Indiana,  Democrat ;  A.  M.  West,  of  Missis- 
sippi, Greenback-Labor;  Wm.  Daniel,  of 
Marvhind,  Prohibition  :  Marietta  L.  Stow,  of 
California,  Equal  Rights;  Chas.  H.  Water- 
man, of  New  York,  American  Alliance. 

The  nominees  for  Presidential  Elector  in 
this  Congressional  District  were :  L.  B. 
Wood,  of  Warren,  Republican;  A.  J.  Green- 
field, of  Venango,  Democrat ;  J.  L.  DeWoody, 
of  Venango,  Greenback,  and  J.  J.  Taylor,  of 
Venango,  Prohibition. 

The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows  : 

Blaine,  Republican 473,804 

Cleveland,  Democrat 392,785 

Butler,  Greenback 17.002 

St.  John,  Prohibition 15,737 

Belva  Lockwood,  Equal  Rights 3 


Following  is  the  vote  of  the  county: 

CLEVE-  ST. 

BLAINE.      LAND.    BUTLER.  JOHN. 

Erie   First  ward.  First  disl....    123  150  4 

Erie.  First  ward.  Second  dist..    laS  85  1  3 

Erie.  First  ward.  Third  dist...    137-H5        324-559        4-9  -3 

Erie,  Second  ward.  First  dist.    180  411  4  1 

Erie.  Second  %vd,  Second  dist.    218  218  ] 

Erie,  Second  ward,  Third  dist    163-ii61        195-824      ..-5        ..-1 

Erie.  Third  ward.  First  dist...    221  191  6  7 

Erie,  Third  ward.  Second  dist.    233  95  1  3 

Erie,  Third  ward.  Third  dist  .    JOT-tKl        194-180        .5-12        5-15 

Erie,  Fourth  ward.  First  dist..    270  279  1 

Erie.  Fourth  ward.  Second  dist    154  69  3  5 

Erie,  Fourth  ward,  Third  dist.    202-626        188  5.36        4-7        ..-6 

Erie,  Fifth  ward 196  288  3  .. 

Erie,  Sixth  ward 297-2.786     209-2,896     1-37        6-31 

Corry,  First  ward 279  2.52  23  41 

Corry,  Second  ward 271-550       222-474      15-38      46-87 

Albion 55  40  7  12 

Amity  113  81  »4 

Concord 123  84  S)  14 

Conneaut 239  84  54  10 

Elgin 28  9.4 

East  Mill  Creek 130  124  2  1 

Edinboro 103  69  7  4 

Elk  Creek 236  134  14 

Franklin 193  57  9  6 

Fairview  township 204  130  2  4 

Fairview  borough 63  35  5 

Greenfield 190  47  21 

Greene 153  206  6 

Girard  township 402  167  17 

Girard  borough 80  68  8 

HarborCreek 249  148  4  7 

LeBceuf 183  131  4  21 

Lockport 46  46 

Mill  Village 55  33  1  3 

McKean 2.53  62  ..  5 

Middleboro 32  21  ..  1 

North  East  township 316  193  2  20 

North  East  borough 222  107  2  22 

Summit  109  127  3 

Springfield... 374  74  17 

Union  township 169  110  2  33 

LnionCity 250  208  4  48 

Venango 185  139  ..  27 

Washington 311  123  15  23 

Waterford  township 311  109  22  11 

Waterford  boroagh 122  53  1  8 

Wattsburg M  28  7 

Wayne  1:2  63  -25  98 

West  Mill  Creek 218  146  5  2 

Totals 9,230  6.725  267         631 

Cleveland  and  Hendricks  were  elected. 

State  Candidate^,. — The  candidates  for 
Congressman-at-Large  were:  Edwin  S.  Os- 
borne, of  Luzerne  countv.  Republican  ;  W. 
W.  H.  Davis,  of  Bucks,  D'emocrat ;  N.  L.  At- 
wood,  of  Venango,  Greenback-Labor,  and 
James  Black,  of  Lancaster,  Prohibition,  who 
received  about  the  same  vote  as  the  Presiden- 
tial nominees  of  their  respective  parties. 

SCOTT  DEFEATS  MACKEV. 

Congressional. — The  candidates  for  Con- 
gress were  Wm.  L.  Scott,  of  Erie,  Democrat 
and  People's;  Chas.  W.  Mackey,  of  Venango, 
Republican,  and  J.  R.  Borland,  of  Venango, 
Prohibition.       Erie    city    voted    as    follows: 


254 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Scott,  4,3B1;  Mackey,  1,542;  Borland,  4. 
The  vote  of  the  district  was  as. follows  : 

SCOTT.    MACKEY.    BORLAND. 

Erie  county 9,179  7,221  406 

Warren  county 3,112  3,945  360 

Venango  county 3,711  4,174  438 

16,002         15,340  1,204 

City  Candidates. — Assembly — James  R. 
Burns,  Democrat,  8,188;  Edward  P.  Gould, 
Republican,  2,717. 

Countv  Candidatci. — Republican  —  State 
Senate,  E.  A.  Walling,  Erie,  9,411  ;  Assem- 
bly (county  only),  I.  B.  Brown,  Corry,  6,518; 

E.  K.  Nason,  North  East,  6,503;  Thomas  Os- 
borne, Elk  Creek,  6,499;   District  Attorney, 

F.  A.  McClintock,  Union  City,  8,071;  Reg- 
ister and  Recorder,  C.  L.  Randall,  Girard, 
9,355;  Prothonotary,  S.  \.  HoUiday,  Spring- 
field, 9,800  ;  Coroner,  C.  Swaliey,  Erie,  8,480  ; 
Auditors,  E.  K.  Range,  LeBoeuf,  9,364;  W. 
L.  Arbuckle,  Erie,  9,400;  County  Commis- 
sioners, B.  B.  Whitley,  East  Mill  Creek,  9,214  ; 
W.  R.  Wade,  Concord,  9,407;  Director  of 
the  Poor,  Frank  Willis,  Fairview,  9,353. 

Democratic — State  Senate,  F.  Stanford, 
Corry,  6,871 :  Assembly  (county  only),  Geo. 
Van  Riper,  Albion,  3,700;  Heber  Chaffee, 
Concord,  3,572;  James  H.  Phillips,  North 
East,  3,528;  District  Attorney,  C.  L.  Baker, 
Corry,  8,292  (elected)  ;  Register  and  Recor- 
der, John  PI.  Piefter,  Mill  Village,  6,919;  Pro- 
thonotary, O.  W.  Irish,  Elk  Creek,  6,213; 
Coroner,  W.  C.Evans,  Erie,  7.689;  County 
Auditor,  L.  W.  Savage,  Springfield,  6,879 
(elected)  ;  Coimty  Commissioner.  A.  O.  Gil- 
lett,  Union  City,  6,297  (elected)  ;  Director  of 
the  Poor,  Alonzo  Sherman,  Elk  Creek,  6,910. 

Prohibition — vState  Senate,  David  Wilson, 
Union  township,  541  ;  Assembly  (county 
only),  Oscar  Gleason,  Union  City,  650;  A. 
Burch,  North  East,  558;  H.  P.  Mallick,  Gir- 
ard, 488;  Register  and  Recorder,  Elias  Bayle, 
Fairview,  555;  Prothonotary,  John  W.  Gen- 
sheimer,  Erie,  571;  Coroner,  L.  H.  Hall, 
North  East,  569  ;  County  Auditor,  Hugh  Wil- 
son, Union  township,  579 ;  County  Commis- 
sioner, H.  E.  Ladd,  Amitj-,  752;  Director  of 
the  Poor,  M.  A.  Dunning,  Erie,  580. 

1885 — State  Candidates. — State  Treasurer, 
M.  S.  Qiiay,  of  Beaver,  Republican,  5,838; 
Conrad  B.  Day,  of  Philadelphia,  Democrat, 
3,955 ;  Barr  Spangler,  of   Lancaster,  627  ;  D. 


W.  Whitney,  of  Warren,  Greenback,  forty-five 
The  vote  of  the  State  was  as  follows  :  Qiiav, 
324,()94;  Day,  281,178;  Spangler,  15,047; 
Whitney,  2,783. 

Coniitv  Ca?ididatcs. — Republican — Sheriff, 
M.  V.  B'.  Gifford,  of  Venango,  5,448;  Clerk 
of  the  Courts,  R.  S.  Moorhead,  of  Harbor 
Creek,  5,987  ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  O.  J.  Mc- 
Allister, of  Wattsburg,  5,565,  Jury  Commis- 
sioner, llartman  Fisher,  of  West  ^Iill  Creek  ; 
5,618. 

Democratic — Sheriff,  Frank  Moore,  of 
Union,  4,222;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Peter 
Herrman,of  West  Mill  Creek,  3,911;  Jury 
Commissioner,  H.  B.  Brewster,  of  Conneaut, 
3,851  (elected). 

Prohibition— H.  H.  Chaffee,  Amity,  522  ; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  Jeduthan  Wells,  of 
Albion,  692;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  W.  W.  Lar- 
away,  Corry.  644;  Jury  Commissioner,  M.  A. 
Dunning.  Erie,  (576. 

SECOXD      SCOTT       AND       MACKEY       CA.Ml'AIUX 

BEAVER    ELECTED    GOVERNOR. 

1886  —  State  Candidates.  —  Go\ernor — 
James  A.  Beaver,  of  Centre,  Republican, 
412,285;  Chauncey  F.  Black,  of  York,  Demo- 
crat, 3()9,634;  Charles  S.  Wolfe,  of  Union, 
Prohibition  and  Independent  Repidjlican,  32,- 
458;  Robert  J.  Houston,  Greenback-Labor, 
4,885. 

The  other  nominees  were  as  follows,  who 
received  nearly  the  same  votes  as  the  candid- 
ates at  the  head  of  their  respective  tickets  : 

Lieutenant-  Governor. — Wm.  T.  Davies,  of 
Bradford,  Republican;  R.  Bruce  Ricketts,  of 
Luzerne,  Democrat;  A.  A.  Barker,  of  Blair, 
Prohibition  ;   John  Porter,   Greenback-Labor. 

Auditor-Gci.eral. — A.  Wilson  Norris,  of 
Piiiladelphia,  Republican  ;  Wm.  J.  Brennan,  of 
Alleghen}-,  Democrat  ;  Charles  Hawley,  Pro- 
hibition ;  John  Parker,  Greenback-Labor. 

Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs. — Thos.  J. 
Stewart,  of  Montgomery,  Republican  ;  J. 
.Simpson  Africa,  of  Huntingdon,  Democrat  ; 
Jno.  N.  Emery,  Prohibition  ;  Thos.  H.  Tiiomp- 
son,  Greenback-Labor. 

Congressman-at-Large.  —  Edwin  S.  Os- 
borne, of  Luzerne,  Republican ;  Maxwell 
.Stevenson,  of  Philadelphia,  Democrat ;  John 
M.  Palmer,  Prohibition,  Chas.  D.  Thompson, 
Greenback -Labor. 

The  \ote  in  the  county  on  .State  candidates 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


255 


differed  but    little    from    the    ordinary    party 
support. 

Coiigrcssiofial. — The  Congressional  candi- 
dates were  Win.  L.  .Scott  of  Erie,  Democrat  and 
People's  ;  Chas.  W.  Mackey  of  \'enango,  Re- 
publican, and  II.  F.  Andrews  of  Warren,  Pro- 
hibition.     Belo^v    is    the   vote  of  the  district  : 

SCOTT.    M.iCKEV.    .\NDREWS. 

Erie  county 8,609  6,525  660 

Veuang-o  county 3.233  3,904  836 

Warren  county 2.945  3,145  644 

Total 14,787        13,574  2,140 

Citv  Candidates. — Assembly — James  R. 
Burns,  Democrat,  8,805:  Samuel  B.  McCord, 
Republican,  1,977;  M.  -X.-  Dunning,  Prohibi- 
tion, forty-three. 

Republican — President  Judge,  Frank  Gun- 
nison, Erie,  7,577;  Assembly  (county  only), 
E.  K.  Xason,  North  East,  5,834 ;  Thos.  Os- 
borne, Elk  Creek,  5,424;  Warren  Chaffee, 
Amity.  5,488  ;  County  Treasurer,  W.  J.  Robin- 
son, Mill  Village,  8,110  ;  Director  of  the  Poor, 
Henry  Dunn,  Erie,  7,842. 

Democratic — President  Judge,  Theo.  A. 
Lamb,  Erie,  7,158  ;  Assembly  (county  only), 
A.  B.  Heard,  North  East.'  3,794 ;  County 
Treasurer,  John  Bennett,  Venango,  6,862 ; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  Valentine  Schultz,  Erie, 
7.070. 

Prohibition — President  Judge,  S.  P.  Mc- 
Calmont,  ^'enango  county,  792;  Assembly 
(county  only),  Isaac  N.  Taylor,  Washington 
(supported  in  part  by  the  Democrats),  1,271  ; 
S.  S.  Burton,  Mill  Creek,  920 ;  Hugh  Wilson, 
Union,  953;  County  Treasurer,  W.  T.  Ever- 
son.  Union  City,  832 ;  Director  of  the  Poor, 
Richard  Wayman,  902. 

COL.  thomi'son's  run  for  supreme  judge. 

1887 — State  Candidates. — State  Treasurer, 
Wm.  B.  Hart,  of  Montgomery,  Republican  ; 
Bernard  ^IcGranu,  of  Lancaster  Democrat  ; 
D.  A.  Irish,  Prohibition;  John  Q^.  A.Ken- 
nedy, Greenback. 

Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court — Henry  W. 
Williams,  of  Tioga,  Republican;  J.  Ross 
Thompson,  of  Erie,  Democrat;  Simeon  B. 
Chase,  of  Susquehanna,  Prohibition  ;  Chas.  S. 
Keyson,  Greenback. 

The  average  vote  was  as  follows  ;  Republi- 
lican,  385.514;  Democratic,  340,289;  Prohi- 
bition, 18,581;  Greenback,  8,902.  Col.  Thomp- 


son ran  some  800  votes  ahead  of  his  party 
ticket  in  Erie  county. 

Coiintv  Candidates.  —  Republican — Pro- 
thonotary,  Joseph  W.  Loomis,  North  East, 
6,439:  Register  and  Recorder,  CaUin  L. 
Randall,  Girard,  0,166;  District  Attorney, 
A.  E.  Sisson,  Erie,  6,618;  County  Commis- 
sioners, Geo  S.  Mills,  Conneaut,  6,004;  Wm. 
R.  Wade,  Concord,  5,992 ;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  Daniel  Roberts,  Elk  Creek,  6,125; 
County  Auditors,  Wm.  B.  Flickinger,  Erie, 
6,347;  J.  J.  Mc Williams,  Edinboro,  6,351; 
Coroner,  Samuel  Z.  .Smith,  Erie,  6,283. 

Democratic — Prothonotary,  Eugene  Metz, 
Erie,  4,080  ;  Register  and  Recorder,  Geo.  Van 
Riper,  Albion,  4,625  ;  District  Attorney,  John 
S.  Rilling,  Erie,  4,042:  County  Commis- 
sioners, W.  W.  Lyle,  Erie,  4.158  (elected), 
C.  Zeisenheim,  Girard.  3,149;  Director  of  the 
Poor.  Henry  Wolf,  North  East,  4,562  ;  County 
Auditor,  Frank  .Shaw,  Waterford,  4,354 
(elected)  :  Coroner,  H.  A.  Mackres,  Corrv, 
4,365. 

Prohibition. — Prothonotary,  J.  B.  Potter, 
616;  Register  and  Recorder,  W.  J.  Olds, 
577;  District  Attorney,  A.  L.Haskell,  536; 
County  Commissioners,  P.  C.  Ferguson,  577  ; 
A.  Perry,  587;  Director  of  the  Poor,  A. 
Burch,  614  ;  County  Auditor,  Geoige  Rounds, 
610. 

HARRISON"   AND   MORTON"   ELECTED. 

1888  —  Xational  Candidates. —  Republi- 
can— President,  Benjamin  Harrison,  of  Indi- 
ana ;  Vice  President,  Levi  P.  Morton,  of  New 
York. 

Democratic — President,  Grover  Cleveland, 
of  New  York  ;  Vice  President,  Allen  G.  Thur- 
man,  of  Ohio. 

Prohibition — President,  Clinton  B.  Fisk, 
of  New  Jersey ;  ^"ice  President,  John  A. 
Brooks. 

Union  Labor — President,  Alson  J.  Streeter, 
of  Illinois;  Vice  President,  Chas.  E.  Cun- 
ningham. 

In  addition  to  these,  tickets  were  in  the 
field  labeled  respectively  American,  United 
Labor,  Equal  Rights  and    Industrial   Reform. 

The  vote  of  the  State  for  the  leading  can- 
didates was  as  follows:  Harrison,  526,091; 
Cleveland,  446,633;  Fisk,  20,947;  Streeter, 
3,873.  Harrison  and  Morton  were  elected. 
Erie  county  cast  her  ballot  as  follows  : 


=  56 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


HARRI- 

CLEVE- 

SON. 

LAND.            FISK. 

Erie, 

1st  ward,  1st  dis  . 

.    153 

196 

" 

"      "       2d     •' 

183 

116 

1 

** 

"      "       3d     " 

138-474 

342-654 

..-1 

Erie 

2nd  ward,  1st  dist. 

.     84 

311 

1 

(( 

"       2d     " 

210 

256 

5 

'* 

"       3d     " 

196 

239 

O 

** 

"       4th  '• 

96-586 

202-1,008 

1-9 

Erie 

3d  ward,  1st  dist 

.    199 

219 

7 

k( 

"       "       2d      " 

234 

117 

6 

'* 

"       "      3d      " 

258-691 

236-572 

7-20 

Erie 

4th  ward,  1st  dis. 

.   231 

169 

3 

*' 

"       "       2d      " 

173 

65 

5 

(( 

"       3d      " 

190 

190 

'* 

■•       4th    '• 

108-702 

147-571 

..-8 

Erie, 

Sth  ward,  1st  dis. 

.   153 

170 

4 

" 

"       2d      " 

97-250 

174-344 

1-5 

Erie,  6th  ward,  1st  dist   .   171  117  9 

*'        *'        '*      2d      '*         122  221  2 

"      3d      "         102-3,095     96-3,583    2-56 


Corry,  1st  ward 133 

"      2d       "     92 

'•      3d       "     217 

"      4th     "     160-602 

Albion 51 

Amity  township 96 

Concord  township 136 

Conneaut  townsliip.  . . .  217 

Elgin  borough 34 

East  Mill  Creek 114 

East  Spring-field  boro..  74 

Edinboro   92 

Elk  Creek  township.  .  .  215 

Franklin  township  ....  184 

Fairview  township   . .  173 

Fairview  borough 59 

Greenfield  township.  .  .  186 

Greene  township 119 

Girard  township 225 

Girard  borough 84 

Harbor  Creek  township  218 

LeBoeuf  township 172 

Lockport  borough 37 

Miles  Grove 153 

Mill  Village 64 

McKean  township 230 

Middleboro 37 

North  East  township.  .  304 

North  East  borough  ...  223 

Summit  township 106 

Springfield  township.  .  268 

Union  township 158 

Union  City 280 

Venango  township  ....  193 

Washington  township..  318 

Waterford  township. . .  287 


136 

17 

80 

7 

153 

21 

132-501 

24-69 

38 

8 

67 

4il 

74 

5 

60 

20 

8 

4 

145 

7 

12 

s 

63 

28 

120 

21 

44 

18 

116 

*> 

.■i8 

2 

41 

19 

184 

14 

73 

9 

60 

7 

128 

7 

142 

17 

36 

8 

85 

18 

34 

6 

87 

8 

18 

-7 

182 

16 

108 

11 

110 

1 

41 

24 

110 

46 

209 

60 

91 

19 

101 

38 

103 

8 

Waterford  borough 123  57  12 

Wattsburg 58  26  7 

Wayne  township 162  65  57 

West  Mill  Creek     ....  222  151  2 

Total 9,372  7,111  710 

A     DEMOCRATIC     SUPREME    Jl'DCiE. 

Stale  Ca?nlidalcs. — Tlie  State  candidates 
were  :  For  Supreme  Judge,  James  T.  Mitch- 
ell, of  Philadelphia,  Republican;  J.  Brewster 
McColIum,  of  Susquehanna,  Democrat,  and 
James  Black  of  Lancaster,  Prohibition  ;  Audi- 
tor General,  Thomas  McCalmont,  of  Blair, 
Republican;  Henry  Meyer,  of  Allegheny, 
Democrat,  and  Milton  S.  Marques,  Prohibi- 
tion, who  received  nearly  the  same  vote  as  the 
Presidential  candidates.  There  being  two  va- 
cancies on  the  Supreme  Bench  to  be  filled, 
Mr.  McCoUum  was  declared  elected  under 
that  clause  of  the  Constitution  which  prohibits 
more  than  one  person  to  be  voted  for  under  a 
condition  of  that  nature. 

Congressional. — The  Congressional  nomi- 
nees were  Wm.  C.  Culbertson,  of  Erie,  Re- 
publican ;  James  R.  Burns,  of  Erie,  Democrat, 
and  Rev.  R.  Miller,  of  Crawford,  Prohibition. 

The  vote  of  the  district  was  as  follows  : 

CULBERTSON.      BUKNS.      MU.LKK. 

Erie 9,085        7,483  604 

Crawford 7,840        6,369  790 

Total 16,925      13.8.52  1,394 

City  Candidates. — For  Assembly,  Wm.  B. 
Flickinger,  Republican,  received  8,834  votes, 
A.  A.  Freeman,  Democrat,  8,255,  and  S.  S. 
Caughey,  Prohibition,  fourteen. 

Coiinlv  Candidates. — Republican  —  State 
Senate,  D.  B.  McCreary,  of  Erie,  8,(U9 ;  As- 
semblv,  B.  15.  Whitley,  of  East  Mill  Creek, 
6,281 ";  J.  D.  Bentley,  of  Corry,  0,216  ;  Sheriff, 
Wm.  C3.  Mehl,  of  Erie,  9,606;  Clerk  of  the 
Courts,  W.  H.  Hewitt,  of  Erie,  9,536;  Direc- 
tor of  the  Poor,  Benjamin  E.  Riblet,  of  East 
Mill  Creek,  9,377;  Jury  Commissioner,  H.  S. 
Barnes,  of  Lockport,  9,296. 

Democratic — State  Senate,  Alfred  Sliort, 
of  North  East,  7,814;  Assembly,  E.  M.  Bon- 
nell,  of  Harbor  Creek,  8,646;  Clerk  of  the 
Courts,  Charles  Hejdrick,  of  Erie,  6,976; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  L.  W.  .Savage,  of 
Springfield,  7,093  ;  Jury  Commissioner,  James 
Hallinan,  of  West  Mill  Creek,  "7,093 
(elected). 

Prohibition — State   .Senate,   M.   A.  Dunn- 


'^.^^^^y^2<^^^^^C^ 


AND  HISTOBIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


257 


ing,  614;  Assembly.  Charles  W.  Selden,  080; 
S.  S.  Caugliey,  727  ;  Sheriff,  Dennis  Johnson, 
750;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  Henry  Schabacker, 
780;  Director  of  the  Poor,  J.  R.  Hunter,  747  ; 
Jury  Commissioner,  Arthur  Titus,  722. 

Mr.  Hewitt  died  soon  after  his  election, 
and  Henry  L.  Rea,  of  Erie,  was  appointed  by 
the  Court. 

SPECIAL     ELECTION LIQ.UOK    AND     SUFFRAGE 

AMENDMENTS    DEFEATED. 

A  special  election  was  held  throughout 
the  State  on  the  18th  of  June  to  decide  the 
fate  of  two  proposed  amendments  to  the  Con- 
stitution— one  to  prohibit  the  sale  of  liquor, 
and  the  other  changing  the  law  in  regard  to 
suffrage.  Both  were  defeated  by  the  follow- 
ing vote  : 

I'OK.  AGAINST. 

Prohibition  amendment 296,617  484,644 

Suffrage  amendment 183,371  420,323 

Erie  county  voted  as  follows  : 

l-OK.  AGAINST. 

Prohibition  amendment 5,151  8,952 

Suffrag-e  amendment   1,922  6,779 

The  city  vote  on  Prohibition  was  605  for 
and  4,672  in  opposition. 

1889 — State  Candidates. — State  Treasu- 
rer, Henry  K.  Bover,  Philadelphia,  Republi- 
can, 341,244;  E.  A.  Bigler,  Cleartield,  Dem- 
ocrat, 280,388 ;  James  R.  Johnson,  Prohibi- 
tion, 21,308. 

Erie  county  voted  as  follows  :  Republican, 
4,801;  Democratic,  3,508;   Prohibition,    499. 

Coil  ntv  Candidates. — Republican — Comity 
Treasurer,  Judson  Walker,  \Vaterford,  4,742  ; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  Henry  Dunn,  Erie, 
4,594;  County  Auditor  (to  succeed  W.  B. 
Flickinger,  Republican,  resigned).  H.  H. 
Davis,  Erie,  4,831. 

Democratic — County  Treasurer,  John  H. 
Pieffer,  Mill  Village,  3,742  ;  Directo'r  of  the 
Poor,  Thomas  H.  Mohr,  West  Mill  Creek, 
3,864. 

Prohibition — County  Tieasurer,  George  T. 
Warner,  434;  Director  of  the  Poor,  H.  E. 
Ladd,  465;  County  Auditor,   J.  J.  Rea,  480. 

FURTHER      REPUBLICAN      DISSENSIONS GOV. 

PATTISON    RE-ELECTED. 

1890 — State  Candidates.  — Republican 
nominees — Governor,  George  W.  Delamater, 
of  Crawford  county;  Lieut.  Governor,  L.  A. 
Watres,  of  Lackawanna  ;   Secretary  of  Inter- 


nal Affairs,  Thos.  J.  Stewart,  of  Mongomery. 

Democratic — Governor,  Robert  E.  Patti- 
son,  of  Philadelphia  ;  Lieut.  Governor,  Chaun- 
cey  F.  Black,  of  York  ;  Secretary  of  Internal 
'   Affairs,  William  II.  Barclay,  of  "Bedford. 

Prohibition  —  Governor,  John  D.  Gill; 
Lieut.  Governor,  Charles  E.  Hyatt ;  Secretary 
of  Internal  Affairs,  William  T.  Dunn. 

Greenback-Labor  —  Governor,  Theo.  P. 
Rynder ;  Lieut.  Governor,  Justus  Watkins, 
Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs,  Henry  K.  Filler. 

Governor  Pattison  was  re-elected  by  the 
following  vote  in  the  State  :  Pattison,  404,- 
209;  Delamater,  447,655;  Gill.  16,108;  Ryn- 
der, 224. 

The  Republican  nominees  for  Lieutenant 
Governor  and  Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs 
were  chosen  by  majorities  of  more  than  20,000. 

The  vote  of  Erie  count)'  on  Governor  and 
Lieutenant  Governor  was  as  follows  :  Patti- 
son, 6,744;  Delamater,  (),737 ;  Gill,  493; 
Rynder,  twelve  ;  Watres,  6,933  ;  Black,  6,530  ; 
Hyatt,  535  ;  Watkins,  twelve. 

THE    GRISWOLD-TILDEN    CONTEST. 

Congressional. — The  candidates  were  Mat- 
thew Griswold,  of  Erie  county,  Republican  ; 
A.  L.  Tilden,  of  Erie  county,  Democrat  and 
People's,  and  Hugh  Wilson,  of  Erie  county, 
Prohibition.  Below  was  the  vote  of  the  dis- 
trict : 

GRIS- 

WOI.n.      TII.DEN.    WILSON. 

Erie  county   7,191  6,342  511 

Crawford  county 6,588  6,549  497 


Total 13.770 


12,891 


1,008 


Citv  Candidates.  —  Assembly  —  Wni.  B. 
Flickinger.  Republican,  3,079;  A.  A.  Freeman, 
Democrat,  2,658. 

Coiintv  Candidates.  —  Republican  —  As- 
semblv.  Chas.  M.  Wheeler,  of  LeBoeuf,  4,762, 
B.  B.  "Whitley,  East  Mill  Creek,  4,236;  County 
Commissioners,  Geo.  T.  Churchill.  Erie, 
0,920.  Geo.  C.  Mills,  Conneaut,  7,210;  Regis- 
ter and  Recorder,  John  Depinet,  Erie,  7,410; 
District  Attorney,  A.  E.  Sisson.  Erie,  7,427  ; 
Clerk  of  the  Courts.  Henry  L.  Rea,  Erie, 
7,535;  Prothonotary,  Joseph  W.  Loomis, 
North  East,  7,422  ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Wm. 
Hopkins,  Girard,  7,399;  Coroner,  D.  A.  Hen- 
drick,  Erie,  7.877  ;  Countv  Auditors,  D.  II. 
Edwards.  Erie.  7.119,  Geo.  Taylor,  Water- 
ford.  7,833. 


=58 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAI'iriCAL  DICTIONARY 


Democratic. — Assembly,  James  H.  Phil- 
lips, North  East,  8,475,  H.  B.  Brewster,  Con- 
neaut,  'IfiVi) ;  County  Commissioner,  Thos.  H. 
Mohr.  West  Mill  Creek,  (),142  (elected)  ;  Dis- 
trict .\ttoriiey,  L.  E.  Torry,  Erie.  G,()56 ; 
Clerk  of  the  Courts,  R.  St.  P.  Lowry,  Erie, 
5.933;  Prothonotary,  Frank  E.  Enswortli, 
Waterford,  (),066 ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  R.  J. 
Osborne,  Wayne,  6.102;  Coroner,  H.  H. 
Holmes,  Elgin,  0,102;  County  Auditor,  H.  L. 
Moore,  Erie,  G.lOU  (elected). 

Prohibition . — Assembly,  James  L.  Smith, 
531  ;  County  Commissioners,  C.  C.  Rouse, 
921,  J.  R.  Sherwood,  932;  Register  and  Re- 
corder, Wilbur  Titus,  431 ;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  Melvin  vStancliff,  514;  Treasurer,  Amos 
Burch,  226. 

Mr.  Hendrick. Coroner-elect,  removed  from 
the  county  in  a  short  time  after  his  election, 
and  Dr.  L.  B.  Baker  of,  Erie,  was  appointed  by 
the  Court. 

CONSTITUTIONAL    CONVENTION     VOTED    DOWN. 

1891 — A  proposition  was  submitted  to  the 
people  for  the  holding  of  a  Constitutional  Con- 
vention, but  it  was  defeated  in  the  State  by  a 
vote  of  173,813  in  favor  to  420.598  against. 
The  vote  of  Erie  county  was  4,438  for  the 
Convention  and  3,827  in  opposition.  Under 
the  law  the  Republicans  elected  two  delegates 
to  the  Convention  from  Erie  county  and  the 
Democrats  one.  The  Republican  delegates 
elected  were  S.  A.  Davenport  of  Erie  and 
C.  G.  Olmstead  of  Corry ;  the  Democratic 
delegate-elect  was  Thos.  O.  Marshall  of  Xorth 
East.  No  convention  being  held,  these  gen- 
tlemen were  not  called  upon  to  serve. 

State  Candidates . —  Republican  —  State 
Treasurer,  John  W.  Morrison,  of  Allegheny, 
412,994;  A'uditor  General,  David  M.  Gregg, 
of  Berks,  414,583. 

Democratic — State  Treasurer,  A.  L.  Til- 
den,  of  Erie,  358,(517;  Auditor  General,  Robt. 
E.  Wright,  of  Lehigh,  356,431. 

Prohibition — State  Treasurer,  George 
Dravton,  18,429;  Auditor  General,  William 
W.  Hague,  18,511. 

The  vote  of  Erie  county  was  as  follows  : 

MORRISO.N.      TII.DEN.      DRAVTON. 

State  Treasurer.  .  .  6,014         6,058  559 

GREGG.      WRIGHT.         HAGUE. 

Auditor  General 6,470  5,570  580 

Conn  I V  C(r//(//()'(?'/('.?.— Republican— Sheriff, 
J.    W.    Hunter,  of   Union    City,   5,220;    Jury 


Commissioner,  H.  M.  McLallen,  of  Washing- 
ton, (5.02(5;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Benjamin  E. 
Riblet,  of  East  Mill  Creek,  5,989. 

Democratic — .Sheriff,  Edward  C.  Siegel,  of 
Erie,  5,995  (elected)  ;  Jury  Commissioner. 
H.  L.  Spiesman,  of  Corry,  5,413  (elected)  ; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  O.  W.  Follett,  of 
Wayne.  5,422. 

Prohibition— Sherifi;  E.  S.  Crocker,  392  ; 
Jury  Commissioner,  Albert  H.  Moore,  984 ; 
Irving  Stark,  472  ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  John 
A.  Brace,  989  ;  L.   L.  Bliss,  494. 

CLEVELAND    AND    STEVENSON    ELECTED. 

1892 — Presidential  Candidates. — Repub- 
lican— President,  Benjamin  Harrison,  of 
Indiana;  Vice  President,  Whitelaw  Reid.  of 
New  York. 

Democratic — President,  Grover  Cleveland, 
of  New  York  ;  Vice  President,  A.  E.  .Steven- 
son,  of  Illinois. 

Prohibition — President,  John  Bidweil,  of 
California;  Vice  President,  J.  B.  Cranfel,  of 
Texas. 

People's — President,  James  B.  Weaver,  of 
Iowa;  Vice  President,  James  G.  Field,  of 
Virginia. 

Socialist-Labor — President,  Simon  Wing, 
of  Massachusetts;  Vice  President.  Charles  H. 
Matchett,  of  New  York. 

Pennsylvania  gave  516,011  votes  for  Har- 
rison, 452,264  for  Cleveland,  25,123  for  Bid- 
well,  8,714  for  Weaver  and  808  for  Wing. 

Cleveland  and  Stevenson  were  elected. 

Below  was  the  vote  of  Erie  county  : 

CLEVE-  BID- 

HARRISON.        LAND.  WELL.    WEAVER. 

Erie,  Ist  ward.  1st  dist T4  119  1  2 

Erie,  1st  ward,  2d  dist 100  113  3  4 

Erie.  1st  w.ir<l,  3d  dist  ....  49  1.58  1  3 

Erie,  1st  ward.  4th  dis  ....  12.5  134  2  5 

Erie,  1st  ward,  ,5th  dist  ...  6ti-  474        154- 6T8  ..-6  ..-14 

Erie.  2d  ward,  1st  dist 40  173                                  2 

Erie,  2d  ward,  2d  dist 131  135  4             3 

Erie,  2d  ward,  3d  dist 108  153 

Erie,  2d  ward,  4th  dist  ....      82  170  1             3 

Erie,  2d  ward,  5lh  dist  ....      91  169  ..3 

Erie.  2d  ward,  fith  dist  ....  104  141                                  4 

Erie,  2d  ward.  7th  dist  ....      40  144                                    4 

Erie,  2d  ward.  8th  dist  ....      84-    670         88-1,172  1-6        3-20 

Erie,  3d  ward,  1st  dist 167  149  1  3 

Erie,  31  ward,  2d  dist 156                    59  5  1 

Erie,  3d  ward,  3d  dist 138  101  2  2 

Erie,  3d  ward,  4th  dist  ....  81                    53  .1 

Erie,  3d  ward.  5th  dist  ....  109                    66  4  2 

Erie.  3d  ward.  6th  dist  ...  55                    77 

Erie.  3d  ward,  7th  dist  ....  110-816        115-    620  3-15  110 

Erie,  4th  ward,  1st  dist...  142  108                     17 

Erie,  4th  ward.  2d  dist....  177  83                    1              3 

Erie,  4th  ward,  3d  dist....  64  112                                  I 

Eric.  4th  ward,  4th  dist      .  119  173                                  4 

Erie,  4th  ward,  ,5th  di'st  ..  .  128  69                     4             -. 

Erie,  4th  ward,  6th  dist  ...  14.5-  775          77-  622         0-13      3-17 


AND  UISTOliWAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


259 


Erie,  5th  ward,  1st  dist 145 

Erie.  5th  ward.  2d  dist 97 

Erie.  5th  ward,  3d  dist  ....  52 

Erie,  5th  ward,  4th  dist....  73-    367 

Erie,  6th  ward,  1st  dist 177 

Erie,  6th  ward,  ed  dist  ....  93 

Erie.  6th  ward.  3d  dist....  113 

Erie,  6lh  ward.  4th  dist....  57-3.541 

Corry.  1st  ward 109 

Corry,  3d  ward 93 

Corry,  3d  ward,  1st  dist ...  115 

Corry,  3d  ward.  2d  dist.    . .  57 

Corry,  4th  ward.  1st  dist...  68 

Corry,  4th  ward,  2d  dist. . .  64     506 

Albion -  43 

Amity 75 

Concord 109 

Conneaut,  West 8H 

Conneaut,  East 57 

East  Springtield  borough..  69 

Elgin 30 

Edinboro 82 

Elk  Creek,  north 67 

Elk  Creek,  south 103 

Fairview  borough 47 

Fairview  township 168 

Franklin 138 

Girard  township 169 

Girard  borough 114 

GreenBeld 143 

Greene,  west 50 

Greene,  east 69 

Harbor  Creek,  east 141 

Harbor  CreeK,  west 67 

LeBceuf 140 

Lockport 31 

Mill  Creek,  east 79 

Mill  Creek,  middle 7£ 

Mill  Creek,  west 156 

Middleboro 31 

Miles  Grove 156 

Mill  Village 51 

McKean 162 

North  East  township,  east.  126 

North  East  township,  west  87 

North  East  borough,  east  .  141 

North  East  borough,  west.  146 

Summit 72 

Springfield  township 227 

Union  City.  1st  dist 133 

Union  City.  2d  dist 137 

Union  township 122 

Venango  township 137 

Washington,  east 147 

Washington,  west 128 

Wayne 114 

Wattsburg   58 

Waterford  borough 127 

Waterford  township,  east  .  109 

Waterford  township,  west.  126 

Totals 8,904  7.529 


178 

I 

3 

193 

0 

63 

1 

3 

70-  503 

1- 

3   2- 

126 

8 

1 

14S 

'J 

4 

143 

•> 

2 

182-1.181 

••- 

53   1 

125 

17 

4 

78 

10 

■> 

87 

23 

7 

76 

8 

6 

74 

9 

52-  492 

11 

78   6- 

31 

12 

3 

48 

26 

44 

47 

13 

54 

18 

16 

41 

42 

8 

43 

9 

1 

4 

3 

1 

61 

16 

4 

39 

10 

13 

62 

II 

8 

31 

4 

135 

1 

B 

36 

12 

17 

71 

■> 

88 

4 

1 

30 

107 

i 

i4 

61 

III 

10 

50 

1 

( 

61 

2 

131 

21 

18 

36 

4 

56 

13 

6 

121 

3 

3 

81 

1 

7 

15 

3 

1 

88 

15 

5 

31 

7 

1 

(H 

11 

40 

117 

7 

3 

50 

17 

■> 

63 

•> 

73 

6 

2 

97 

3 

■>i 

55 

29 

'J 

134 

50 

3 

92 

40 

3 

111 

KS 

9 

78 

16 

47 

37 

21 

3 

58 

17 

13 

.56 

'*7 

61 

23 

5 

3 

42 

6 

n 

55 

7 

3 

42 

4 

23 

682 


653 


State  Caiiiiidatc.'i. — The  Stiite  nominees 
of  the  several  parties  received  about  the  same 
vote  in  State  and  county  iis  the  Presidential 
candidates.     They  were  as  follows  : 

Republican — Supreme  Judge,  John  Dean, 
of  Blair  county  ;  Congressmen-at-large,  \Vm. 
Lilley,  of  Schuylkill  county,  Alex.  McDowell, 
of  Mercer  county. 

Democratic — Supreme  Judge,  Christopher 
Heydrick,  of  Venango  county  ;  Congressmen- 
at-large,  Geo.  A.  Allen,  of  Erie  county,  Thos. 
P.  Merritt,  of  Berks  county. 

Prohibition  —    Supreme     Judge,       Amos 


Briggs ;  Congressmen-at-large,  Simeon  B. 
Chase,  James  T.  McCrory. 

People's — Supreme  Judge.  R.  B.  Mc- 
Conibs;  Congressmen-at-large.  S.  P.  Chase, 
G.  \V.  Dawson. 

Socialist-Labor — Supreme  Judge,  N.  L. 
Criest ;  Congressmen-at-large,  J.  M.  Barnes, 
Thos.  Grundy. 

The  nominees  for  Presidential  Elector  from 
this  district  were  Matthew  H.  Taylor,  ot  Erie 
(Rep.),  Michael  Liebel,  of  Erie  (Dem.), 
James  P.  Thompson  (Pro.),  F.  M.  Windsor 
(People's),  and   P.  Totzhauer   (Soc. -Labor). 

SIBLEY    DEFEATS    FLOOD.  • 

Coiiffressioiiat. — The  candidates  for  Con- 
gress were  :  Theo.  L.  Flood,  of  Crawford 
county  (Rep.),  Joseph  C.  Sibley,  of  Venango, 
supported  by  the  opposition  generall)',  and  F. 
W.  Hirt,  of  Erie  (Lab.)  Below  is  the  vote  of 
the  district  : 

SIRLEV.  FLOOD.       HIRT. 

Erie  county 9,385  8,152  178 

Crawford  county 8,502  6,348  4 

Total 17,887  14,500  182 

Mr.  Sibley  was  not  a  resident  of  the  dis- 
trict, at  the  time  of  his  election,  and  never 
became  one. 

Citv  CauiliJatcs. — Assembly — Walter  W. 
Lyle.  Democrat,  8,597;  Henry  Butterfield, 
Republican,  3,772  (elected)  ;  Abraham  J- 
Louch,  Labor,  218:  John  W.  Ward.  Prohibi- 
tion, tive. 

Coiiiitv  Candidates. — Republican  —  State 
Senate.  David  B.  McCrearv,  8.585  ;  Assembly, 
Chas.  U.  Wheeler,  LeBwuf,  5,220,  J.  Ross 
Raymond,  Greenfield,  5,280 ;  County  Treas- 
urer, James  F.  Love,  Mill  Creek,  8,444;  Direc- 
tor of  the  Poor,  Joseph  Blenner,  Erie,  8,730  ; 
Coroner,  Geo.  J.  Russell,  Erie,  8,614. 

Democratic. —  State  Senate,  Cassius  L. 
Baker,  Erie,  8,223;  Assembly,  Henry  H.  Rus- 
sell, Mill  Creek,  Democrat  and  Populist,  4,813  : 
D.  B.  Hitchcock,  North  East,  Democrat  and 
Populist,  4,888;  County  Treasurer.  Garrett  G. 
Smith.  Union  City,  8,042 ;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  John  H.  PielTer,  Mill  Village,  Demo- 
crat and  Populist,  7,982;  Coroner,  Wm.  K. 
Andrews,  7,517. 

Labor. — State  Senate,  C.  L.  Mehler,  Erie, 
393;  Assembly,  Robert  Gampe,  501. 

Prohibition. — State  Senate,  Wm.  E.  Pitto- 
way,    183;    Assembly,     Amos     Burch,     173; 


26o 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


County  Treasurer,  Hugh  Wilson,  597;  Direc- 
tor of  the  Poor,  Irving  X.  Stark,  580 ;  Cor- 
oner, M.  A.  Dunning,  573. 

A    REPfnUCAN    '-TIDAL    WAVE."" 

1893 — State  Caiididatcs. —  Republican  — 
State  Treasurer,  Samuel  M.  Jackson,  Arm- 
strong county,  442.248;  Supreme  Juclge,  D. 
Newlin  Fell,  Philadelphia,  439,613  ;' Congress- 
man-at-large,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of 
Wm.  Lilly,  deceased,  Galusha  A.  Grow,  of 
Susquelianna  county,  485,804. 

Democratic.  —  State  Treasurer,  Frank 
Chew  Osburn,  307.102  ;  Supreme  Judge,  S.  G. 
Thompson,  of  Philadelphia,  306,032;  Congress- 
man-at-large,  James  D.  Hancock,  of  Venango, 
297,966. 

Prohibition.  —  State  Treasurer,  John  S. 
Kent,  21,358;  Supreme  Judge,  Herbert  T. 
Ames,  21,733  ;  Congressman-at-large.  Henry 
T.  ]Morrow,  11,180. 

Populist. — State  Treasurer,  F.  M.  "Windsor, 
6,979;  Supreme  Judge,  John  H.  Stevenson, 
7,268;  Congressman-at-large,  "Victor  A.  Lo- 
tier,  5,327. 

Independent  Democrat. — Congressman-at- 
large,  A.  D.  Markley.  Montgomerv  count)', 
2,823. 

County  Candidates.  —  Republican  —  Pro- 
thonotary.  E.  K.  Nason,  North  East,  6,206; 
Register  and  Recorder,  John  Depinet,  Erie, 
6,271 ;  District  Attorney,  U.  P.  Rossiter,  Gi- 
rard,  6,261  ;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  Henry  L. 
Rea,  Erie.  6,686;  County  Commissioners, 
Geo.  T.  Churchill,  Erie,  6.125,  C.  B.  Smith, 
Union  township,  6,271  ;  County  Auditors,  W. 
C.  Eaton,  Fairview,  6,398,  Geo.  Taylor, 
Waterford,  5,559  ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  Wm. 
Hopkins,  Girard,  6,309. 

Democratic — Prothonotary,  Wm.  H.  Cor- 
nell, Wattsburg,  8,028;  Register  and  Record- 
er, M.  V.  Blore,  Venango,  3,620  ;  Clerk  of  the 
Courts,  H.  L.  Moore,  Erie,  3,706;  District 
Attorney,  W.  G.  Crosby,  Erie,  4,375  ;  County 
Commissioner,  Thos.  H.  Mohr,  Mill  Creek, 
4,081  (elected)  ;  County  Auditor,  S.  D.  Saw- 
dey,  Conneaut,  3,843  (elected)  ;  Director  of  the 
Poor,  C.  H.  Heidler,  Fairview,  3,883. 

Prohibition  —  Prothonotary  —  Geo.  Van 
Riper,  370;  Register  and  Recorder,  Wm.  E. 
Pittoway,  388;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  Jesse 
Olds,  373;  Countv  Commissioners,  M.  J. 
Harrington,  388;  Wilbur  Titus,  336;  County 


Auditor,  J.  W.    Ward,    385;    Director  of  the 
Poor,  Amos  Burch,  381. 

Populist — Prothonotary,  A.  T.  Marsh, 
507 ;  Register  and  Recorder,  M.  R.  Sears, 
578  ;  Clerk  of  the  Courts,  H.  L.  Bullock,  653  ; 
County  Commissioner,  G.  W.  Spalding, 
1,183;  County  Auditors,  Chas.  Howard,  585  ; 
D.  D.  Turner,  501  ;  Director  of  the  Poor.  A. 
Prindle,    515. 

ANOTHER  KEPUBLICAX  SWEEP. 

1894 — This  was  one  of  the  most  extraor- 
dinary '"tidal-wave"  years  ever  known,  the 
Republicans  sweeping  every  Northern  State 
in  which  elections  were  held,  and  even  carry- 
ing several  Southern  States.  The  Democratic 
majority  of  147  in  the  U.  S.  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives was  changed  to  140  in  favor  of  the 
Republicans.  Only  two  Democrats  were 
elected  to  Congress  from  Pennsylvania.  Erie 
city,  for  the  first  time  in  years  at  an  import- 
ant election,  gave  a  majority  for  the  Republi- 
can State  ticket.  The  vote  was  as  follows  on 
Governor,  varying  but  a  trifle  on  the  other 
State  candidates.  In  the  State  at  large — 
Republican,  574,801  ;  Democratic,  333,404; 
Prohibition,  23,433 ;  Populist,  19,4(;4;  Social- 
ist-Labor, 1,733.  Hastings'  plurality,  241,- 
397,  being  the  largest  ever  received  bj'  any 
nominee  for  Governor  in  Pennsylvania.  Erie 
city — Republican  4,027,  Democratic  3,063, 
Prohibition  thirty-six.  Populist  310,  Socialist- 
Labor  thirteen.  Erie  city  and  county  com- 
bined— Republican  9,707,  Democratic  5,197, 
Prohibition  507,  Populist  1,049,  Socialist- 
Labor  fifteen.  John  S.  Rilling,  Democratic 
nominee  for  Lieut. -Governor,  a  resident  of 
Erie  city,  ran  318  votes  ahead  of  the  party 
candidate  for  Governor  in  the  city  and  388  in 
the  entire  county.  The  majority  against  him 
in  the  State  was  also  the  smallest  of  any  on 
the  Democratic  ticket. 

State  Candidates. — Governor — Daniel  H. 
Hastings,  Centre  county.  Republican;  Wm. 
M.  Singerly,  Philadelphia,  Democrat ;  Chas.  L. 
Havvley,  Prohibition ;  Jerome  T.  Ailman, 
Juniata  county.  Populist;  Thos.  H.  Grundy, 
Socialist-Labor. 

Lieut. -Governor — Walter  Lyon,  Alle- 
gheny county.  Republican  ;  John  S.  Rilling, 
Erie,  Democrat ;  Homer  L.  Castle.  Prohibi- 
tion ;  Jerome  B  Aitken,  Washington  county. 
Populist ;  Frederick  Long,  Socialist-Labor. 

Auditor   General — Amos    H.  Mylin,  Lan- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


261 


caster  county,  Republicnn  ;  David  F.  Magee, 
Lancaster  county.  Democrat  :  Cliarles  Palmer, 
Prohibition;  \V.  M.  Deisher,  Berks  county. 
Populist  and  Socialist-Labor  ;  Joseph  B.  Al- 
len, Socialist-Labor. 

Secretary  of  Internal  Atlairs — James  W. 
Latta,  Philadelphia,  Republican;  \V.  W. 
Greenland,  Clarion  county.  Democrat;  Le- 
Roy  Gleason,  Prohibition;  A.  J.  Louch,  Erie 
county,  Populist;  Wm.  H.  King.  Socialist- 
Labor. 

Congressman-at-Large — Galusiia  A. Grow, 
Susquehanna  county.  Republican  ;  George  F. 
Huff,  Westmoreland  county.  Republican ; 
Henry  Meyer,  Allegheny  county,  Democrat ; 
Thomas  Collins,  Center  county.  Democrat;  E. 
K.  Kane,  Populist;  L.  G.  Jordan,  Populist; 
V.  A.  Lotier,  Montour  county.  Populist;  B.  F. 
Greenman.  Bradford  county.  Populist ;  Ernest 
Kreft,  .Socialist-Labor  ;  Gottfried  Metzler.  So- 
cialist-Labor. 

Galusha  A.  Grow  received  242,308  plural- 
ity for  Congressman-at-large  over  Meyer,  the 
highest  Democratic  candidate,  being  the 
largest  ever  received  by  any  person  in  the 
State. 

SIBLEY    AND    GRISWOLD. 

Congressional. — The  candidates  were  Mat- 
thew Griswold,  of  Erie  county.  Republican  ; 
Joseph  C.  Sibley,  of  ^'enango  county,  endorsed 
by  the  Democratic,  Populist  and  Independent 
Republican  organizations,  and  W.  T.  Ever- 
son,  of  Erie  county.  Prohibition.  The  vote 
of  the  district  was  as  follows  : 

GRISWOLD.       SIKLEV.    EVERSON. 

Erie   county 9.229  6.875  330 

Crawford   county 6,500  6,390  410 

Total 15,729  13,265  740 

For  Assembly  the  city  gave  E.  P.  Gould, 
Republican.  3,818  votes;  Nicholas  Leuschen, 
Democrat,  3,002;  Charles  Heydrick,  Populist, 
510,  and   S.  S.  Caughey,  Prohibition,  52. 

CotDifv  C(?//<//(/(7/o-.— Republican — Assem- 
bly, E.  H'  Wilcox,  Washington,  5,550;  J.  Ross 
Raymond,  Greentield,  5.528;  .Sheriff,  Geo.  W. 
Evans,  Girard,  9,68(5;  Director  of  the  Poor, 
H.  M.  McLallen,  Washington,  <.),437  ;  Jury 
Commissioner,  N.   Waidley.  Fairview,  9,405. 

Democratic — Assembly,  Thos.  O.  Mar- 
shall, North  East,  2,049";  Sheriff,  James  D. 
Fiscus,  Erie.  4,804',  Jury  Commissioner,  O. 
F.  Follett,  Wayne,  5,005  "(elected). 


On  Democratic  and  Populist  tickets — 
Assembly,  F.  ^L  Spaulding,  Albion,  2,755; 
Director  of  the  Poor,  Stephen  Blatchle^', 
Concord,  (3,117. 

Prohibition — Assembly,  Cjeo.  Van  Riper, 
478:  A.  L.  Haskell,  444;"Sheriff,  Irvin  Stark, 
481 ;  Director  of  the  Poor,  E.  F.  Ilolden,  531  : 
Jury  Commissioner,  Chas.  Briggs,  515. 

'Populist— Sheriff,  John  T.  Brown.  Mill 
Village,  1.245;  Jury  Conmiissioner.  John  (i. 
vSchlendwein,  Erie  city,  1,117. 

THE     REPUni.IC.'XXS    STII.L    VICTORIOUS. 

1895 — This  was  empatically  a  Republican 
3-ear,  that  party  carrying,  in  addition  to  the 
usually  Republican  States  of  Pennsylvania, 
Massachusetts,  Kansas,  Iowa  and  Nebraska, 
the  doubtful  states  of  New  York  and  Ohio, 
and  the  Democratic  strongholds  of  New  Jersej', 
Maryland  and  Kentucky,  in  most  cases  by  un- 
expectedly large  majorities.  The  territory  of 
Utah  voted  to  become  a  State,  and  elected 
the  Republican  ticket.  Below  is  a  list  of 
the  candidates  in  Pennsylvania  and  Erie 
county : 

State. 

State  Treasurer — Benj.  J.  Haywood.  Mer- 
cer, Republican  ;  Benj.  F.  Meyers,  Dauphin, 
Democrat;  Geo.  W.  Dawson.  Beaver,  Popu- 
list ;  Wm.  H.  Berry,  Prohibition.  Mr.  Hay- 
wood's plurality  over  Mr.  Meyers,  the  next 
highest  candidate,  was  174,264,  being  the 
largest  ever  given  in  a  quiet  campaign. 

Judges  of  the  Superior  Court  (a  position 
created  by  the  Legislature  of  1895;  seven  to 
be  elected;  each  voter  to  cast  a  ballot  for  six 
only) — Republican — James  A.  Beaver,  Cen- 
ter: Edward  N.  Willard,  Lackawanna;  John 
J.  Wickham,  Beaver  ;  Chas.  E.  Rice,  Luzerne  ; 
Howard  J.  Reeder,  Northampton;  Geo.  B. 
Orlady,  Huntingdon.  Democratic — Herman 
Yerkes,  Bucks;  James  S.  Moorehead,  West- 
moreland ;  Chas.  H.  Noyes,  Warren;  Oliver 
P.  Bechtel,  Schuylkill;  Christopher  Magee, 
Allegheny;  Peter  P.  Smith.  Lackawanna. 
Populist  —  John  H.  Stevenson,  Allegheny; 
D.  O.  Couchlin,  Luzerne;  Wm.  C.  Rheeni. 
Franklin.  Prohibition — Edward  Campbell, 
Wm.  W.  Lathrop,  David  Sterrett,  Lewis  D. 
Vail,  F.  Harry  Hoffer.  Adie  A.  Stevens. 

All  of  the  Republican  nominees  were 
elected,  and  Judge  Smith,  Democrat, 

This  county  cast   5,645   votes   for  the  Re- 


262 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


publican  candidate  for  State  Treasurer,  2,357 
for  the  Democratic,  449  for  the  Populist  and 
418  for  the  Prohihiliou.  Judge  Xoyes  ran 
700  votes  ahead  of  the  next  highest  candidate 
on  the  judicial  ticket. 

The  city  of  Erie,  which  for  years,  was  re- 
liably Democratic  on  general  issues,  gave  Hay- 
wood a  majoritv  of  1.080. 

( \i/ll//v. 

Countv  Treasurer  —  Conrad  J.  Brown, 
Erie,  Republican,  5,244  ;  Samuel  S.  Waidler, 
Fairvievv  township.  Democrat  2,383;  Dennis 
E.  Johnson,  Wayne,  Populist,  430;  Oscar 
Glezen,  Prohibition,  516. 

Director  of  the  Poor — G.  S.  Beavis,  Corry, 
Republican,  5,619;  Chas.  H.  Gloth,  Erie, 
Democrat,  2,514 ;  David  Walmsley,  Erie, 
Populist,  449  ;  Henry  Port,  Prohibitionist,  415. 

Coroner — Jno.  A.  Steinnietz,  Erie,  Re- 
publican, 5,686  ;  Dr.  J.  T.  Clarke,  Erie,  Dem- 


ocrat, 2,363;   Benj.  Allen,    Greene,    Populist, 
447;  H.  L.  Stern,  Prohibition,  493. 

The   Socialists   ran   a   State  ticket,   whicii 
received  a  trifling  number  of  votes. 


COST  OF  ELECTIONS. 

The  cost  of  elections  in  the  county  was  as 
follows  in  1894,  as  given  by  the  County  Com- 
missioners in  their  annual  statement  : 

Pay  of  officers $  4.175.10 

Computing-  returns 42.00 

Constables'  attendance 546.80 

Registering  voters 3,981.00 

Copying  registries 364.98 

Sheriffs'  proclamations 1,286.65 

Printing  ballots 466.00 

Delivering  ballots 47.20 

Room  rent,  etc 1,235,75 

Furnishing  election  rooms 24.58 

Total $12,170.06 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 


List  of   United  State.s,   State,   District  and  Cointy  Officials. 


Democrats  in  Italic;  Opposition  in  Roman  type. 

The  figures  preceding  the  names  show  the  year  in  which  the  elections  were  held,   or  appointments 
made,  except  when  otherwise  stated. 


UNITED  STATES  OFFICERS. 
congress. 

1800  —  A/bcrf  Gallatin,  Washington 
county.  Resigned  to  become  Secretary  of  the 
Treasurv. 

1801 —  M'illiaiii  l/t\^'i\  ^\'ashington  count}'. 
Elected  to  serve  out  the  term  of  ^Vlbert  Gal- 
latin. 

1802 — John  B.  C.  Lucas,  Beaver  county. 
Re-elected  in  1804.     Resigned  in  1805. 

1805 — Samuel  Sm/l/i,  Erie  county.  Elect- 
ed to  serve  out  the  term  of  IMr.  Lucas ;  re- 
elected in  1806  and  1808. 


1810 — Abiier  Lacock,  Beaver  county. 
Elected  United  States  Senator  and  resigned 
his  seat  in  the  House. 

1813 — Thomas  Wilson,  Erie.  Elected  to 
serve  out  the  term  of  Abner  Lacock. 

1814 — Thomas  Wilson,  re-elected.  Dis- 
trict changed  by  leaving  off  Butler  and  Alle- 
gheny. 

ISltj — Robert  Moore.  Beaver  county.  Re- 
elected in  1818. 

1820 — Patrick  Farrelly,  Crawford  county. 
District  changed  by  leaving  off  Beaver.  Twice 
re-elected.  Died  in  Pittsburg,  February  12, 
1826,  on  his  way  to  Washington. 


AND  niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


263 


1826 — Thomas  H.  Sill,  Erie  county.  Spec- 
ial election  held  March  14,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  deatli  of  Patrick  Farrelly. 

182(5 — Slcp/icii  Barlo-M,  Crawford  county. 

1S28— Thomas  H.  Sill.  Erie  county. 

1830 — John  Banks,  Mercer  county. 

18g2 — yohn  Galbraith.  Venango  county. 
Re-elected.     Removed  to  Erie  in  1837. 

1836 — Arnold  Pluiiier,  Venango  county. 
District — Erie,  Crawford,  Venango  and  War- 
ren. 

1838 — yolui  CialhraitJi,  Eric  county. 

1840 — Arnold    Pliimcr.    Venango  county. 

1842 — No  election  on  account  of  a  failure 
to  pass  the  Apportionment  bill. 

1843 — Charles  M.  Reed,  Erie  county.  Dis- 
trict— Erie,  Warren.  Clarion,  McKean,  Potter 
and  Jefferson. 

1844 — jfaiiics  Thompson,  Erie  county. 
Served  six  years. 

1850 —  Carlton  B.  Curtis,  Warren  county. 
Elk  county  added  to  the  district. 

1852  —  John  Dick,  Crawford  county. 
Served  six  years.  District — Erie  and  Craw- 
ford. 

1858 — Elijah  Babbitt.  Erie  county.  Served 
four  years. 

1862 — Glenni  W.  .Scoheld,  Warren  county. 
Served  ten  years.  District — Erie,  Warren, 
McKean,  Elk,  Cameron,  Forest,  Jefferson  and 
Clearfield. 

1872 — Carlton  B.  Curtis,  Erie  county. 

1874 — Albert  C.  Egbert,  V'enango  county. 
District — Erie,  Warren  and  Venango. 

1876 — Lewis  F.  Watson.  Warren   county. 

1878 — John  H.  Osmer,  \'enango  county. 

1880 — Lewis   F.   Watson,  \\'arren  county. 

1882 — Samuel   M.   Brainerd,  Erie  county. 

1884 — M'ni.  L.  Scott.  Erie  county. 

188(3 — Wni.  L.  Scott,  Erie  county.  Dis- 
trict— Erie  and  Crawford  counties. 

1888 — Wm.  C.  Culbertson,  Erie  county. 

1890 — Matthew  Griswold,  Erie  county. 

1892 — Joseph  C.  Sibley,  Venango  county. 
(Independent. ) 

1894 — Matthew  Griswold.  Erie  county. 

POST.MASTEKS    OK     ERIE. 

jfanics  li'/lson,  commissioned  January  1, 
1801;  yo/in  Hay,  July  1,  18(>4 ;  John  Gray, 
January  1,  1809 ;  Robert  Knox,  October  14, 
1811;  James  Hughes,  May  21,  1828;  Robert 
Cochran,  February  26,  1833 ;  Smith  Jackson, 
June  20,  1840;  Andrew  Scott,  September  13, 


I 


1841 ;  Robert  Cochran,  July  23,  1845 ;  Thos. 
H.  Sill,  April  17,  1849;  B.  F.  Sloan,  May  13, 
1853;  Joseph  M.  Sterrett,  March  27,  1861; 
Isaac  B.  Gara,  April  8,  1869;  Thomas  M. 
Walker,  July  10,  1876:  Isaac  Moorhead, 
September  15,  1879  (died  in  office  June  4, 
1881);  E.  W.  Reed,  July  1,  1881;  Henry  C. 
Shannon.  April  9,  1885;  John  C.  Hilton,  May 

28,  1889;  Chas.  S.   Clarke,  May  10,  1894. 

ASSIST.WT    POSTMASTERS. 

S.  M.  Kellogg.  1847  to  January  25,  1895, 
w  hen  he  died  :  Jos.  B.  Dctzel.  appointed  Feb- 
ruary 1 ,  1895. 

COLLECTORS  OF  CUSTO.MS PORT  OF  ERIE. 

Thomas  Forstcr.  commissioned  March  26, 
1799;  Ed-Min  J.  Kelso.  July  1,  1836;  Charles 
W.  Kelso,  Julv  10,  1841  ;  "Murrav  Whallon, 
June  19,  1845:"  William   M.  Gallagher.   April 

29,  1849;  James  Lytic,  April  22.  1853:  John 
Bra-.vlev,  October  15,  1857:  Murray  Whal- 
lon. March  11,  1859:  Charles  M.' Tibbals, 
November  1,  1859;  Thomas  Wilkins,  June 
22,  1861;  Richard  F.  Gaggin,  May  7,  1869; 
James  R.  Willard,  February  19,  1874;  Hiram 
L.  Brown,  March  22,  1878 ;  Matthew  R.  Barr, 
December  11,  1880  (resigned);  H.  C.  Staf- 
ford, July  17,  1883;  Richard  H.  Arbuckle, 
MillCreek,  November  21,1885  :  Henry  Mayer, 
deputy,  December  1,  1885:  John  M.  Glazier. 
November  21,  1889;  Giles  D.  Price,  deputy, 
January  1,  1890;  Nelson  Baldzi.'in,  November 
29,  1893 ;  R.  St.  P.  Loivrv,  deputy,  February 

8,  1894.  [See  Chapter 'XVL,  General  His- 
tory.] 

COLLECTORS    OK     L\TERN.\L     KEVEXfE. 

John  W.  Douglas,  commissioned  Septem- 
ber 1(>,  1862:  Deputy,  H.  C.  Rogers;  Henry 
C.  Rogers,  April  1,  1869;  Deputy,  G.  P. 
Davis;  Wm.  S.  Brown,  April,  1871  ;  Deputy-, 
G.  P.  Davis;  Greenleaf  P.  Davis,  March  14, 
1872;  Deputy,  O.  P.  Gunnison  ;  O.  P.  Gunni- 
son (acting Collector,  Davis  having  died),  Oc- 
tober 8,  1875;    Charles   M.  Lynch,  November 

9,  1875;  Deputies,  J.  P.  Covert,  B.  F.  Butter- 
field,  John  Gilson  :  J.  F.  Wallher.  June  25. 
1883;  Deputies,  B.  F.  Butterfield,  John  F. 
Gilson,  E.  Cowan,  I.  D.  Beecher,  Robert 
Colbert,  J.  H.  Culbertson.  W.  C.  Alexander; 
F.  Schlaudecker,  1885. 

The  office  of  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue 
for  this  district  was   abolished   in    1887,  and 


264 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


the  business  for  Western  Pennsj-lvania  con- 
solidated in  the  Pittsburg  office.  The  Deputy 
Collector,  who  is  located  in  Erie,  has  jurisdic- 
tion over  Erie,  Crawford,  Mercer.  Venango, 
Forest,  Wairen,  McKean,  Cameron,  Elk  and 
Jefferson  counties.  Below  is  a  list  of  the  in- 
cumbents of  this  position,  with  the  dates  of 
their  appointment  : 

Frank  ScIdaHiicckcr,  July  1,  1887;  Frank 
J.  Steinmetz,  January  4,  1890;  James  D. 
Hay,  October  0,  1891;  John  J.  Rocmcr,  July 
81,  1893. 

DIVISION    DEPUTIES. 

[Duties  embrace  Erie,  Crawford,  Mercer  and  part  of   Lawrence 
county.] 

yohn  H.  Wilson^  of  Erie  county,  commis- 
sioned July  11,  1887;  James  D.  Hay,  of  Erie 
county,  January  1,  1890;  W.  S.  Rose,  Craw- 
ford county,  October  1.  1891;  Elmer  E. 
Humes,  Crawford  county,  August  10,  1893. 

ASSISTANT  ASSESSORS  OF  INTERNAL  REVENUE. 

William  C.  Kelso,  Erie  ;  O.  P.  Gunnison, 
Erie;  T.  C.  Wheeler,  Girard ;  Joseph  Sill, 
Union;  Thomas  Sill,  Erie;  W.  W.  Lyon, 
Erie;    Joseph  A.  Pain,  Corry. 

UNITED    STATES    COMMISSIONERS. 

Benjamin  Grant,  appointed  November  17, 
1858;  F.  F.  Afarshall,  April  9,  1861 ;  A.  B. 
Force,  July  20,  1871  ;  Frank  \V.  Grant,  No- 
vember 28,  1875. 

DEPUTY  CLERKS  OE  THE  U.  S.  COURTS. 

Circuit  Court — George  IV.  Gnnnison ,  ap- 
pointed July  6,  1868;  George  A.  Allen,  July 
5,  1809;  A. "B.  Force,  July  31,  1870;  Frank 
W.  Grant,  November  26,  1875.  District 
Court — George  W.  Gunnison,  appointed  July 
1,  1867;  Gcori^rc  A.  Allen,  January  3.  1870'; 
A.  B.  Force,  July  81,  \>>l()\'Frank  W.  Grant, 
January  15,   1878. 

OTHER     LNITED    STATES    OFFICERS. 

Register  in  Bankruftev. —  Samuel  E. 
Woodruff,  1867  to  1879. 

District  Attorney  for  Western  District  of 
Pennsvlvania. —  George  A.  Allen,  appointed 
December  4,  1880. 

Alarshal  for  the  Western  District  of 
Pennsvlvania. —  '^olin  W.  Walker,  appointed 
January  15,  1894. 

Light-House  Keepers. — [See  chapter  XVI , 
General  History]. 


AT    WASHINGTON. 

Commissioner  of  Customs. — .S.  V.  Holli- 
day,  1889  to  1893." 

Commissioner  of  Internal  Revenue. —  |ohn 
W.  Douglas,  1871  to  1875. 

First  Deputy  Commissioners  of  Internal 
Revenue. — John  W.  Douglas,  1869  to  1871  ; 
Henry  C.  Rogers,  1874  to  1893. 

Second  Deputy  Comn/issioner  of  Internal 
Revenue. — Henry  C.  Rogers,  1871  to  1874. 

Chief  Clerk  to  the  Sixth  Auditor  of  the 
Treasury.— G\A&ow  J.  Ball,  1851  to  1858. 

United  States  Consul  to  Naples — Edward 
Camphausen,  Erie,  1885  to  1889. 


STATE  OFFICERS  FROM    ERIE 
COUNTY. 

Members  Constitutional  Convention,  ISJT- 
-J.V. — Senatorial — David  vSaeger,  Crawford 
county.  Representatives — Thomas  H.  Sill, 
Erie  City;  James  Pollock,  Le  Bocuf township. 

President  Constitutional  Convention, 1873. 
—John  H.  Walker,  Erie. 

Members  Constitutional  Convention,  JS7S. 
— Delegate  at  Large — John  H.  Walker,  Erie. 
District  Delegates — C.  O.  Bowman,  Corry; 
Ras.^elas  Prozen,  Warren  ;  Thomas  Struthers, 
Warren. 

.Sceretary  of  the  Land  Office.  —  yohn 
Cochran,  Mill  Creek,  April  4,  "l809,  to  "Mav 
11,  1818. 

Surveyor  General. — Henry  Souther,  ap- 
pointed from  Elk  county  by  Gov.  Curtin  to 
fill  a  vacancy.  Served  from  December  27, 
1861,  to  the  fi'rst  Tuesday  in  May,  1868.  Re- 
moved to  Erie  in  the  fall  of  1872. 

Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs. — I.  B. 
Brown,  Corry,  January,  1895, "to  May,  1895. 

Deputv  Secretary  of  Itzternal  Affairs. — I. 
B.  Brown,  Corry,  1887  to  1895;  May  7,  1895, 
to  date. 

Quartermaster  General. —  M'ilson  Smith, 
Waterford,  1812  to  1814. 

Canal  Commissioners. — yohn  Phillips, 
Venango  township,  1826  to  1829;  P.  S.  \'. 
Hamot,  Erie,  1829  to  1832. 

State  Treasurers. — Gideon  J.  Ball,  Erie. 
1849;  Henry  Rawle,  Erie,  1876  "to  1878. 

Adjutant  Generals. — Edivin  C.  ll'ilson, 
Erie,  1858  to  1861  ;  appointed  from  Venango 
county  and  removed  to    Erie   during   his    term 


-'^^^g^ 

%1^ 


^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


265 


of  office ;  David  B.  McCreary,  Erie,  18G7  to 
1870. 

ymiffc  of  the  Supreme  Court. — Jauies 
Thompson,  Erie,  V^fTi  to  1872;  Chief  Justice 
from  November  25,  1867,  for  five  years;  Sam- 
uel G.  Thompson,  1893  to  1894. 

Presidents  of  the  State  Senate. — John  H . 
Walker,  Erie,  1852;  George  H.  Cutler, 
Girard,  1874-75. 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. — 
fames  Thompson,  Erie,  1835 ;  lived  in  Ve- 
nango county  at  the  time. 

Deputy  Secretary  of  the  Comtnonweallh. — 
Isaac  B.  Gara,  Erie^  1867  to  1870;  A.  L.  Til- 
den,  Le  Boeuf  township,  1891  to  1895. 

President  State  Agricultural  Socictv. — 
John  W.  Hammond,  Erie,  1^77-78:  Tanies 
Miles,  Girard,  1882-83-84. 

Executive  Commissioner  of  the  Board  of 
World' s  Fair  Managers  of  Pennsylvania. — 
Benjamin    Whitman,  Erie,  1892  to  1893. 

State  Bish  Commissioners. —  Charles  Por- 
ter, Corrv;  Louis  Streuber.  Erie. 

Trustees  Warren  Insane  Asylum. — G.  \V. 
Starr,  1880  to  1887  (President'of  the  Board 
for  two  jears)  ;  Charles  C.  Shirk,  1887  to 
date. 

State  Board  of  Public  Charities. — George 
VV.  Starr,  Erie,  February  19,  1887  to  date. 

State  Board  of  ^ledical  Examiners. — Dr. 
J.  E.  Silliman,  Erie;  Dr.  E.  Cranch,  Erie. 

IVustecs  of  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors' 
Home  at  Erie. — I.  B.  Brown,  Corry  ;    Charles 

C.  Shirk  and  E.  P.  Gould,  Erie. 

State  ^lanager  Dixmojit  Insane  Asylum. — 

D.  B.  McCreary,  Erie. 

Alembers  Cotton  States  Exposition  Com- 
mission.— D.  B.  McCreary,  M.  N.  Lowell, 
Erie. 

State  Board  of  Undertakers. — A.  P.  Bur- 
ton, Erie. 

PRESIDENTIAL     ELECTORS. 

For  the  Congressional    District    to    which 
Erie  county  has  been  attached  since  1816  : 
1816 — fames   Alexander,  Beaver  county. 
1820 — fames    Alexandfr,    Beaver  county. 
1824 — fohn  Boyd,  Erie  county. 
1828 — fames  Duncan,  Mercer  countv. 
1832 —  Wilson  Smith,  Erie  county. 
183(5 — fohn  P.  Davis,    Crawford  coimty. 
1840 — John  Dick,  Crawford  county. 
1844 — Christian  Meyers,  Clarion  county. 

1848 — Thomas  H.  Sill,  Erie  county. 
18 


1852 — fohn  S.  McCalmont,  Venango 
county. 

1856 —  Vincent  Phelps,    Crawford  county. 

1860 — John  Greer,  Erie  county. 

1864 — John  Patton,  Clearfield  county. 

1868 — James  Sill,  Erie  county. 

1872 — Charles  C.    Boyd,  Erie  county. 

187(» — ^William  P.  Wilbur,  Warren  county. 

1880 — C.  W.  Gilfilian,  Venango  county. 

1884 — L.  B.  Wood,  Warren  county. 

1888 — John  C.  Sturdevant,  Crawford 
county. 

1892 — Matthew  H.  Taylor,  Erie  county. 

STATE   SENATORS. 

1800 — fohn  Hamilton,  Washington  coun- 
ty. District — Allegheny,  Washington  and 
Greene  ;  Erie  then  formed  a  part  of  Allegheny. 

Wd\— William  McArthur,  Crawford 
county.     District — Erie,  Crawford,  Venango. 

1809 —  Wilson  Smith,  Erie  county.  War- 
ren substituted  for  ^'enango. 

1818 — foseph  Shannon.  District — Erie, 
Crawford  and  Warren.  Resigned  March  9, 
1816. 

1816— //<v//-j'  Hurst,  Crawford  county 
(formerly  of  North  East),  elected  to  fill  va- 
cancy, and  served  till  1821.     Same  district. 

1821 — facob  Herrington,  Mercer  county. 
District — Erie,  Crawford   and  Mercer. 

1825 — fohn  Leech,  Mercer  county. 

1829 — Thomas  S.  Cunningham.  Mercer 
county. 

1887 — Joseph  ^L  .Sterrett,  Erie  county. 
District — Erie  and  Crawford. 

1841 — John  W.  Farrel'}-,  Crawford  coun- 
ty.    Elected  as  an  Independent  Whig. 

1843 — Elijah  Babbitt,  Erie  county.  Dis- 
trict— Erie  county  ;  resigned. 

1845 — James  D.  Dunlap,  Erie  county. 
Elected  to'fill  the  place  of  Mr.  Babbitt. 

1846 — John  B.   Jo'inson,  Erie  county. 

1849— John  H.  Walker,  Erie  county. 

1852 — James  Skinner,  Erie  county.  Dis- 
trict— Erie  and  Crawford. 

1855 — Darwin.  A.  Finney,  Crawford 
county. 

1861— Morrow 

1870 — George 
county. 

1872 — George 


B. 
B. 

II. 


Lowry,  Erie  county. 
Delemater,     Crawford 


Cutler,  Erie  county  ; 
district  originally  Erie  and  Warren  counties, 
balance  of  the  time  Erie  county  alone.  Served 
three  years. 


266 


IfULSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


1875 — Henry  Butterfield,  Erie  city;  dis- 
trict— Erie  county;  elected  for  one  year.  Re- 
elected for  four  years  in  1876. 

188C» — Jamei^  Sill,  Erie  city  ;  district — 
Erie  county. 

1884— Emorv  A.  Walling,  Erie  city. 

1888 — David  B.  McCreary,  Erie  city. 


MEMBERS    OF     THE 
TIVES    OF 


HOUSE     OF     REPRESENTA- 
PENNSYLVANIA. 


1800 — Samuel  E-walt,  Pittsburg  ;  district — 
The  entire  Northwest. 

1801 — Alexander  Biicliana>i^  Meadville  ; 
district — Erie,  Crawford,  Mercer,  Warren 
and  Venango  counties. 

\'^2—John  Lytle,  Jr.,  Waterford  ;  same 
district ;  re-elected  in  1803. 

1804 — ]\'ilsoii  Siiiifh,  Waterford;  same 
district ;  re-elected  in  1805-6-7. 

1808 — JoJiH  Pltillips,  Venango  township, 
Erie  county  ;  same  district.  James  Harring- 
ton, Mercer  county;  same  district. 

1809 — Phillifs  and  Harrington,  re-elect- 
ed ;  same  district. 

1810 — yoJin  Phillips,  Venango  township, 
Erie  county ;  same  district.  Roger  Alden, 
Crawford  county  ;  same  district. 

1811 — "jfohn  P/iill/ps,  JLrle  county;  same 
district.  Patrick  Farrclly ,  Crawford  county  ; 
same  district. 

1812 — jfolin  Phillips,  Erie  county  ;  same 
district.  Patrick  Farrclly,  Crawford  county  ; 
same  district. 

1818 — y antes  Burckjichl ,  Crawford  coun- 
ty ;  same  district.  James  Weston,  LeBoeuf, 
Erie  count}';   same  district. 

1814 — B nrch field  anA  Weston,  re-elected; 
same  district. 

1815 — yacob  Herrington,  Mercer  county  ; 
yames  Weston,  LeBcEuf,  Erie  county  ;  Ralph 
Marlin,  Crawford  county  ;  same  district. 

1816 — Samuel  Hays,  Venango  county ; 
Ralph  Marlin,  Crawford  county;  yames 
Harrington ,  Mercer  county,  same  district. 

1817 — Thomas  Wilson,  Erie,  Erie  county; 
Ralph  Marlin,  Crawford  county;  Samuel 
Hays,  Venango  county  ;   same  district. 

1818 — yacob  Herrington,  Mercer  county  ; 
James  Cochran,  Crawford  county  ;  Joseph 
Hacknej-,  Venango  county;  same  district. 

1819 — Wilson  Smith,  Waterford,  Erie 
county;  James  Cochran,  Crawford  county; 
William  Connelly,  Venango  county ;  same 
district. 


1820 — yacob  Herrington,  Mercer  county  ; 
Wilson  Smith,  Waterford,  Erie  county;  Will- 
iam Connelly,  Venango  county;  same  district. 

1821 — David  Bro-xn,  Warren  county; 
James  Cochran,  Crawford  county ;  George 
Moore,  Erie  county;  same  district. 

l%22*— yames  Weston,  LeBo-uf,  Erie 
county. 

1823— Thomas  H.  Sill,  Erie. 

1824 — yohn  Phillips,  Venango. 

1825 — Stephen  Woolverton,  Mill  Creek  ; 
re-elected  in  1826-27. 

1828 — George  A/oore,  Erie;  re-elected  in 
1829. 

1830 — John  S.  Riddle,  Erie;  re-elected  in 
1831. 

1832— John  H.  Walker,  Erie;  reelected 
in  1833-3-^35. 

1836— Thomas  R.  Miller,  Springfield. 
Elijah  Babbitt,  Erie. 

1837— Charles  M.  Reed,  Erie.  David 
Sawdey,  Conneaut. 

1838— Samuel  Hutchins,  Waterford.  Will- 
iam M.  Watts,  Erie. 

1839 — Hutchins  and  Watts,  re-elected. 

1840 — Stephen  Skinner,  McKean.  James 
D.  Dunlap,  Erie. 

1841 — Stephen  C.  Lee,  Greene.  James 
D.  Dunlap,  Erie. 

1842 — Stephen  Skinner,  McKean.  Ly- 
man Robinson,  Wattsburg. 

1S43_ James  D.  Dunlap,  Erie.  David  A. 
Gould,  Springfield. 

1844 — Mark  Baldwin,  North  East.  James 
D.  Dunlap,  Erie. 

1845 — John  B.  Johnson,  Erie.  Lyman 
Robinson,  Wattsburg. 

1846 — William  Sanborn,  Amity.  David 
A.  Gould,  vSpringiield. 

1847— Gideon  J.  Ball,  Erie.  William 
Sanborn,  Amity. 

1848 — Theodore  Ryman,  Girard.  Gideon 
J.  Ball,  Erie. 

1849— James  C.  Reid,  Erie.  Leffert  Hart, 
Girard. 

1850 — James  C.  Reid,  Erie.  Alexander 
W.  Blaine,  North  East. 

1851 — Charles  W.  Kelso,  Erie  ;  Alexander 
W.  Blaine,  North  East. 

1852— Charles  W.  Kelso,  Erie  :  Humphrey 
A.  Hills,  Conneaut. 

■*Erie  county  has  been  a  Representative  District  by  itself 
since  18*2*2. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


267 


1853 — Gideon    J.    Ball,    Erie:   Humphrey 

A.  Hills,  Conneaut. 

1854— Gideon  J-  Ball,  Erie  ;  Jaiiies  Thonip- 
son,  Erie. 

1855 — Gideon  J.  Ball,  Erie;  Murray 
WhalloH,  Erie. 

1856 — Gideon  J.  Ball,  Erie;  Wareham 
Warner,  Venango. 

1857 — David  Himrod,  Waterford  ;  Ware- 
ham  Warner,  Venango. 

1858 — John  W.  Campbell,  Washington  ; 
Wilson  Laird.  Erie 

1859 — Jonas  Gunnison,  Erie;  Henry 
Teller,  Girard. 

I860 — Gideon  J.  Ball,  Erie  ;  Henry  Teller, 
Girard. 

1861 — John  P.  Vincent.  Erie  ;  Edwin  W. 
Twichell,  Edinboro. 

186:2 — Vincent  and  Twichell.  re-elected. 

1863 — John  R.  Cochran,  Erie;  Byron  S. 
Hill,  Wattsburg. 

1864 — Cochran  and  Hill,  re-elected. 

1865 — Orson  S.  Woodward,  Waterford  ; 
David  B.  McCreary,  Erie. 

1866 — McCreary  and  Woodward,  re- 
elected. 

1867 — George  P.  Rea,  Girard  borough; 
John  D.  Stranahan,  LeBa?uf. 

1868 — Stranahan  and  Rea,  re-elected. 

1869 — Charles  O.  Bowman,  Corry  :   David 

B.  McCreary,  Erie. 

1870 — George  W.  Starr,  Erie:  I.  Xewton 
Miller,  Springfield. 

1871 — Geo.  \V.  Starr,  Erie  ;  Chauucey  P. 
Rogers,  Erie. 

1872 — William  W.  Brown,  Corry;  Em- 
mettH.  Wilcox,  Edinboro. 

187.3 — Henry  Butterfield,  Erie  ;  Emmett 
H.  Wilcox,  Edinboro. 

*jl874 — M'illiain  Henry,  Erie;  William 
W.  Brown,  Corry;  Orlando  Logan,  Albion; 
Samuel  F.  Chapin,  Wattsburg. 

1876 —  William  Henry,  Erie  ;  Samuel  F. 
Chapin,  Wattsburg:  Charles  A.  Hitchcock, 
North  East  borough ;  Samuel  E.  Kincaid, 
Wayne. 

1878 — Gustav  Jarecki,  Erie  ;  Alfred  Short, 
North  East  borough  ;  Myron  H.  Silverthorn, 
Fairview  township;  Samuel  E.  Kincaid. 
Wayne. 

1880— Or<7«^r  Noble,   Erie   city;    M.    H. 

»l'nder  the  new  Conslitution.  members  of  the  Assembly  in 
1874  and  since  have  been  elected  for  two  years. 

tErie  Citv  has  been  a  separate  Representative  District  since 
874. 


Silverthorn,  Fairview  township;  A.  W. 
Hayes,  Wattsburg;   Isaac  B.  Brown,     Corry. 

1882 — John  W.  Walker,  Erie  city  ;  Isaac 
B.  Brown,  Corry;  A.  W.  Hays,  Wattsburg: 
H.  A.  Traut,  Girard  borough. 

1884 — James  R.  Burns,  Erie ;  I.  B. 
Brown,  Corry;  E.  K.  Nason,  North  East; 
Thos.  Osborn,  Elk  Creek. 

1886 — Same,  except  that  Warren  Chaffee, 
of  Amity,  took  the  place  of  I.  B.  Brown. 

1888 — W.  B.  Flickinger,  Erie;  B.  B. 
Whitley,  Mill  Creek;  J.  D.  Bentley,  Corry. 

189() — Same,  except  that  Chas.  M.Wheeler, 
of  LeBoeuf,  took  the  place  of  J.  D.  Bentley. 

1892 — Henry  Butterfield,  Erie;  Chas.  M. 
Wheeler,  LeBceuf  ;  |.  Ross  Raymond,  Green- 
field. 

1894 — E.  P.  Gould,  Erie;  J.  Ross  Ray- 
mond, Greenfield;  E.  H.  Wilco.x.  Washing- 
ton. 


DISTRICT  AND  COUNTY  OFFICERS. 

PRESIDENT    JUDGES. 

Appointed  by  the  Governor. — *  Alexander 
Addison,  Pittsburg,  August  17,  1791.  Fifth 
District — All  the  State  west  of  the  Allegheny 
river  and  north  of  Virginia. 

David  Clark,  Allegheny  county,  March 
1.8,  1800.      Same  district. 

Jesse  Moore,  Crawford  county,  April  5, 
1803.  Sixth  District— Erie,  Crawford,  Mer- 
cer, Venango,  Warren,  Beaver.  Died  at 
Meadville  December  21,  1824. 

Hcnrv  Shippen,  Huntingdon  county,  Jan- 
uary 24,'  1825.  District — Erie,  Crawford, 
Mercer  and  Venango. 

Nathaniel  B.  Eldred,  Wayne  county, 
March  23,  1839. 

Gavlord  Church,  Crawford  county.  April 
3,  1843. 

Elected — John    Galbraith,    Erie    county, 

November  6,  1851.     District — Erie,  Crawford 

I  and  Warren.     Died  in  office  June  15,  1860. 

'  Appointed  —  Rasselas     Brozcn,    Warren 

county,    June    29,    1860,  to    fill    the  vacancy 

caused  by  the  death  of  John  Galbraith. 

Elected — Samuel  P.  Johnson,  Wan  en 
[  countv,  December  3,  1860.  District — Erie. 
I  Crawford,  Warren  and  Elk. 

*Impeached  and  removed. 


268 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


*Lansing  D.  Wetmoie,  Warren  countj-, 
first  Monday  in  Januarj',  1870.  District — 
Erie,  Warren  and  Elk. 

John  P.  Vincent,  Erie  City,  April  17, 
1874.      District — Erie  count}-. 

I  WiUiain  A.  Galbraitli,  Erie  City,  first 
Monday  in  January,  1877. 

Frank  Gunnison,  Erie  City,  December  18, 
1886. 

DISTRICT    JUDGE. 

For  Erie,  Crawford,  Venango  and  Mer- 
cer counties.  —  yanics  Thompson,  Venango 
county,  appointed  Special  Law  Judge  May  18, 
1839,  by  Governor  Porter,  and  served  until 
May,  1845.     Removed  to  Erie  in  1842. 

ADDITIONAL    LAW    JUDGE. 

Elected  —  David  Derrickson,  Crawford 
county,  first  Monday  in  December,  185G. 
District — Erie,    Crawford,  Warren  and    Elk. 

John  P.  Vincent,  Erie  county,  first  Mon- 
day in  December,  1866.  Same  district.  Be- 
came President  Judge  of  Erie  county  by  the 
operation  of  the  new  constitution,  April  17, 
1874. 

ASSOCIATE    JUDGES. 

Appointed  by  the  Governor.  —  David 
Mead,  Crawford  county,  March  13,  1800. 
District — All  of  Pennsylvania  west  of  the  Al- 
legheny river  excepting  Allegheny  county. 

John  Kelso,  Erie  county,  March  14,  1800. 
Same  district. 

William  Bell,  Erie  county  (in  place  of 
Judge  Mead,  resigned),  December  20,1800. 
Same  district. 

All  following  for  Erie  county  alone  : 

John  Kelso,  Erie,  ']u\y  4,  1803.  Resigned 
December  21,  1804. 

jfohn  Cochran,  Mill  Creek,  appointed  July 
5,  1808. 

Samuel  Smith,  Mill  Creek,  July  6,  1808. 
Resigned  in  1805. 

William  Bell,  Erie,  May  9,  1805.  In 
place  of  John  Kelso,  resigned. 

yohn  Vincent,  Waterford,  December  28, 
1805.  In  place  of  Samuel  Smith,  elected  to 
Congress. 

♦The  new  constitution  allowed  the  President  Judge  of  each 
district  where  there  was  an  Additional  Law  Judge  to  elect  which 
of  the  districts  into  which  his  original  jurisciiction  had  been  di- 
vided he  might  be  assigned.  Under  this  provision  Judge  Wet- 
more  chose  tlie  Thirty-seventh  District,  consisting  of  Warren  and 
Elk,  and  Judge  Vincent,  chosen  in  1866  as  Additional  Law 
Judge,  became  President  Judge  of  Erie  county,  which  had  been 
constituted  a  district  by  itself. 

tElected  as  a  People's  candidate. 


Wilson  Smith,  Waterford,  March  15, 
1814.     In  place  of  William  Bell,  who  died. 

John  Gruhb,  Mill  Creek,  January  8,  1820. 
In  place  of  Wilson    Smith,  resigned. 

John  BrazL'ley,    North     East,    March    26, 

1840.  In  place  of  John  Vincent,  term  ex- 
pired according  to  the  terms  of  the  constitu- 
tion of  1838.  Re-commissioned  March  8, 
1845. 

Myron    Hutchinson ,     Girard,     March    13, 

1841.  In  place  of  John  Grubb,  term  expired 
as  above.      Re-commissioned  March  18,  1846. 

Joseph  M.  Sterrett,  Erie,  June  4,  1850.  In 
place  of  John  Brawley.  Re-commissioned 
January  28,  1851. 

James  Miles,  Girard,  April  1,  1851.  In 
place  of  M.  Hutchinson. 

Elected — Joseph  M.  Sterrett,  Erie,  No- 
vember 10,  1851. 

James  Miles,  Girard,  November   10,  1851. 

Samuel  Hutchins,  Waterford,  November 
12,  1856. 

John  Greer,  North  East,  November  12, 
1856.    Re-commissioned   November   23,  1861. 

William  Cross,  Springfield,  November  28, 
1861. 

William  Benson,  Waterford,  November  8, 
1866.      Re-commissioned  November  17,  1871. 

Hollis  King,  Corry,  November  8,  1866. 

Allen  A.  Craig,  Erie,  November  17,  1871. 

Office  abolished  by  the  Constitution  of 
1873. 

DEPUTY  ATTORNEY  GENERALS. 

[From  1800  to  1850  the  present  office  of 
District  Attorney  was  known  by  the  title  of 
Deputy  Attorney  General,  and  the  incumbents 
were  appointed  by  the  Attorney  General  of 
the  State.  The  oflice  was  made  elective  in 
1850,  and  the  name  changed  to  District  At- 
torney]. 

1804—  William  N.  Irvine,  Erie. 

William   Wallace,  Erie. 

1809 — Patrick  FarrcHv,  Crawford  county. 

Ralph  Marlin,  Crawford  county. 

1819— George  A.  Eliot,  Erie. 

1824— William  Kelly,  Erie. 

1833 — Don  Carlos  Barrett,  Erie. 

188.5— Galen  Foster,  Erie. 

1836— Elijah  Babbitt,  Erie. 

1888— William  M.  Watts.  Erie. 

1889 — Carson    Graham,  Erie. 

1845 — Horace  Ha-ves,  Erie. 

1846— W7///^w  A.  Galbraith,  Erie. 


AND  UISTOBWAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


269 


DISTRICT    ATTORNEYS. 

(Elected  by  the  people) — 185(") — Matthew 
Taylor,  Erie. 

1858 — Samuel  E.  Woodruff,  Girard. 

185(3 — G.  Nelson  Johnston,  Eric.  Died 
shortly  after  the  election. 

Appointed — 1850 — Charles  W.  Kelso, 
Erie,  till  the  October  election  in  1857- 

Elected — 1857 — James  Sill,  Erie. 

1860 — Samuel  A.  Davenport,  Erie. 

I860— T-  F.  Downing,  Erie. 

1866— Charles  M.  Lynch,  Erie. 

1869 — John  C.  Sturgeon,  Erie. 

1872 — Samuel  M.  Brainerd,  North  East. 

1875— A.  B.   Force,  Erie. 

1878 — Charles  E.   Lovett,  Erie. 

1881— E.  A.  Walling,  North  East.  Re- 
signed December  1,  1884,  and  C.  L.  Baker, 
of  Corry,  appointed  by  the  Court. 

1884 — C.  L.  Baker,  Corry. 

1887 — A.  E.  Sisson,  Erie. 

1893— U.  P.  Rossiter,  Girard. 

SHERIFFS. 

(Appointed  b)'  the  Governor) — Alexander 
Sfexvarf,  Crawford  county,  December  20, 
1800.  For  district  composed  of  the  North- 
western counties.  All  the  rest  for  Erie  county 
alone. 

Elected — Wilson  Smith,  Waterford,  Octo- 
ber 26,  180;l 

jfaeob    Car  mack.  Erie,  November  7,  1805. 

Jacob  Spang,  Erie,  November  10,  1808. 
Resigned  June  19.  1810,  and  succeeded  by 
John  C.  JFa/Zircr,  of  Erie,  Coroner-elect,  until 
the  ensuing  election. 

James  Weston,  LeBa>uf,  appointed  by  the 
Governor  (see  Election  Record  for  1810), 
October  27,  1810. 

David  Wallace,  Mill  Creek,  November  15, 
1818. 

.Stephen  IVoherton,  Erie,  October  28, 
1816. 

Thomas  Laird,  Erie,  December  1,  1819. 

Stephen  Wolvcrton,  Erie,  October  22, 
1822. 

Albert  Thayer,  Mill  Creek,  October  21, 
1825. 

Alexander  W.  Brewster,  Erie,' October  28, 
1828. 

William  Fleming,  Erie,  October  25,  1831. 

Thomas  Mehaffe^-,  Erie,  October  27,  1834. 

Andrew  Scott,  Erie,  November  7,  1837. 


Ephraim  W.  M.  Blaine,  North  East,  Octo- 
ber 30,  1840. 

William  E.  McNair,  Mill  Creek.  December 
4,  1848. 

Miles  W.  Caughey,  Fairview,  November 
12,  1846. 

Peter  E.  Burton,  Erie,  November  5,  1849. 

Thomas  B.  ^'incent,  Waterford.  Novem- 
ber 2,  1852. 

John  Kilpatrick,   Ilariior  Creek.    October 

28,  1855. 

John  W.  McLane,  Harbor  Creek,  October 
21,  1858. 

Allen  A.  Craig,  Erie,  November  16,  1861. 
Resigned  December  31,  1864. 

Joseph  W.  Swalley,  Erie  (appointed  to  fill 
vacancy). 

Hiram  L.  Brown,  Erie,  December  6,  1864. 

Andrew   F.    Swan,    Fairview,    November 

29,  1867. 

Thomas  M.  Walker.  Erie,  November  4, 
1870. 

John  L.  Hyner,  Waterford,  October  24, 
1873. 

Edward  E.  Sturznickel,  Erie.  January  1, 
1877. 

Henry  C.  Stafford,  Waterford.  January  1, 
1880. 

F.  E.  Staples,  Union  Citv.  January  2. 
1883. 

M.  V.  B.  GifTord,  \'enango,  elected  in 
1885. 

Wm.  O.  Mehl,  Erie,  elected  in  1888. 

Edv:ard  C.  Siegel,  Erie,  elected  in  189L 

George  W.  Evans,  Girard,  elected  in  1894. 

PIIOTIIONOIAKIES. 

Appointed  by  the  Governor. —  Thomas  P. 
Kennedy,  March  13,  1800. 

Callender  Irvine,  Erie,  Juh'  4,  1803. 

John  Kelso,  Erie,  December  1,  1804. 

James  E.  Herron,  Erie,  December  20, 
1805. 

John  Kelso,  Erie,  January  18,  1809. 

'Thomas  Wilson,  Eric,  March  15,  1819. 
Re-commissioned  Februarv  8.  1821,  and  Janu- 
ary 3,  1824. 

Edwin  J.  Kelso,  Erie,  October  21,  1824, 
in  place  of  Thomas  Wilson,  who  died.  Re- 
commissioned  December  21,  1826,  February 
22,  1880,  and  T^nuarv  21,  1833. 

William  Kelly,  Erie,  January  8,  1S36.  Re- 
commissioned  January  1,  1889. 


370 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


yaiiies  C.  Marsliall,  Giiard,  T'lm'^ry  19, 
1839. 

Elected — William  Kellv,  Erie,  November 
10,  1889. 

Wilson  King,  Erie,  November  \'l,  1842. 
Re-elected  and  re-commissioned  November  17. 
1845. 

James  Skinner,    Erie,    December   1,  1848. 

Samuel  Perley,    Erie,  November  13,  1851. 

Alfred  King,  Erie,  November  10,  1854. 

James  Skinner,  Erie,  November  10,  1857. 
Re-elected  and  rc-commissioned  November  10, 
1860. 

George  W.  Col  ton,  Erie,  November  19, 
1868. 

Chauncey  P.  Rogers,  Edinboro,  November 

16,  1806. 

Edward  L.  W'hittelsey,  Waterford,  Novem- 
ber 22,  1869.  Re-elected  and  re-commissioned 
November  19,  1872. 

Giles  D.  Price,  Venango,  December  28, 
1875.  Re-elected  and  re-commissioned  De- 
cember 81,  1878. 

S.  V.  Holliday,  Springfield,  elected  in 
1881.     Re-elected  in  1884. 

Joseph  W.  Loomis,  North  East,  elected  in 
1887.     Re-elected  in  1890. 

E.  K.  Nason.  North  East,  elected  in  1893. 

REGISTERS    AND    RECORDERS    AXD    CLERKS    OF 
THE    COURTS. 

[Previous  to  1889,  the  Prothonotary  per- 
formed all  the  duties  of  the  Register  and  Re- 
corder and  Clerk  of  the  Courts.  The  tiiree 
latter  were  constituted  a  separate  office  that 
j-ear.  In  1863,  the  office  of  Clerk  of  the 
Courts  was  separated  from  that  of  Register  and 
Recorder] . 

Appointed  by  the  Governor — Ebcnezer  D. 
Gt/n>iiso?t,  Erie,  January  19,  1889. 

Elected — Thomas  Moorhead,  Jr.,  Erie, 
November  14,  1839.  Re-elected  and  re-com- 
missioned November  14,  1842,  and  November 

17,  1845. 

Reuben  J.  Sibley,  Waterford,  November, 
25,  1848. 

David  McAllister,  Erie,  November  22, 
1851.  Re-elected  and  re-commissioned  No- 
vember 13,  1854. 

William  P.  Trimble,  Harbor  Creek,  No- 
vember 10,  1857. 

Samuel  Rea,  T''-.  Springfield,  November 
19,  1860. 


REGISTERS    AND    RECORDERS. 

Elected — Samuel  Rea,  Jr.,  Springfield,  No- 
vember 17,  1S(')8. 

Henry  G.  Harvey,   Springfield,   November 

16,  I860.      Re-elected     and   re-connnissioned 
November  10,  1809. 

Daniel  Long,  Fair\iew,  November  19, 
1872.  Re-elected  and  re-commissioned  No- 
vember 20,  1875. 

John  C.  Hilton,  Erie,  January  1,  1879. 
Re-elected. 

C.  L.  Randall,  Girard,  elected  1884.  Re- 
elected 1887. 

John  Depinet,  Erie,  elected  1890.  Re- 
elected 1898. 

CLERKS    OF     IHE    COl'RrS. 

Elected — John  C.  Hilton,  Erie.  November 

17,  1808.      Resigned. 

Appointed — Henry  Butterfield,Erie,March 
1,  1804,  to  fill  the   vacancy. 

Elected — Henry  Butterfield,  Erie,  Novem- 
ber, 1804. 

Charles  L.  Pierce,  Venango,  November  20, 
1807.  Re-elected  and  re-commissioned  No- 
vember 20,  1870,  and  November  14,  1878. 

*Frank  H.  Couse,  Erie,  November  80, 
1876.  Re-elected  and  re-commissioned  Janu- 
ary 1,  1880. 

Robert  S.  Moorhead,  Erie,  November 
1882.     Re  elected  in  1885. 

W.  H.  Hewitt,  Erie,  elected  in  1888. 
Died  soon  after  election. 

Henry  L.  Rea,  Erie,  appointed  by  the 
Court  in  1889.  Elected  in  1890.  Re-elected 
in  1898. 

TREASURERS. 

^Vppointed  by  the  County  Commissioners — 
yolm  Hay,  Erie,  1804. 

Joseph  J/.  Kratz,  Erie,   1805. 

John  Kelso,  Erie,  1806. 

ya/iies  E.  Hcrron,  Erie,  1807. 

Thomas   Wilson,  Erie,  1809. 

John   Warren,  Erie,  1812. 

Riif/is  Set h  Reed,  Erie,  1810. 

John   Warren,  Erie,   1817- 

Thomas  Laird,  Erie,  1818. 

Thomas  Stewart,  Erie,  1819. 

Thomas  Forster,  Jr.,  Erie,  1822. 

lliomas  Laird,  Erie,  January  28,  1820. 

*Tlie  duties  of  the  office  during  the  second  term  were  per- 
formed by  Robert  S.  Moorhead,  under  an  arrangement  with    Mr. 
i    Couse's  bondsmen. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


271 


Thomas  Moorhead,  Erie,  January  4,    1829. 
Gcoi-ij^c  Moore,  Erie,  January  2,  1832. 
John  A.  Tracv,  Erie,  January  7,  1835. 
Archibald  Miller.   Erie,  January  3,  1838. 
Julius    W.    Hitchcock,    Erie,    January    5, 

1841. 

Elected — James  Williams.  Erie.  January  3, 

1842.  '  ! 

Gideon  J.  Ball,  Erie,  January  5,  1845.  I 

John  S.  Brown,  Erie,  January  3,  1847. 
John  Hughes,  Erie,  January  4,  1849. 
Alfred  King,  Erie,  January  6,  1851.  : 

James  Chambers,  Harbor   Creek,  January  ' 

4,  1853. 

Mortimer    Phelps,    Edinboro,   January    (5, 

1855. 

Jeremiah  Davis,  Lockport,   December  31, 

185G.  ' 

Thomas  J.  Devore,  Springfield,   December  \ 

23,  1858.      '  1 

William  O.  Black,  Union  borough,  Decem-  . 

ber  20,  18()0. 

Egbert  D.  Hulbert,  Erie,  December  23, 
1862.  Re-elected  and  re-commissioned  Decem- 
ber 30,  1864. 

Cyrus  W.  Keller,  Union  borough,  Decem- 
ber 26,  1866.    Re-elected  and  re-commissioned  [ 
January   16,  1868.     Resigned.  ■ 

Appointed — Joseph  W.  Swalley,  of  Erie, 
appointed  March  10,  1870,  to  fill  out  the  term 
of  C.  W.   Keller. 

Elected — Logan  J.    Dvke,  Erie,    December 

23,  1870. 

Jacob  Yeagla,  Jr.,  Fairview  borough,  De- 
cember 27,  1872. 

A'ezL-fo//     T.  Hume,  W^attsburg,  December 

17,   1874. 

William  C.    Ilavs.   Fairview,    January    i, 

1878. 

James  P.  Crawford,  Erie,  January  1,  1881. 
\V.    J.  Robinson,  Mill  Village,  elected    in 

1886. 

Judson    Walker,     Waterford.     elected     in 

1889. 

James   F.     Love.    Mill   Creek,    elected    in 

1892. 

Conrad  J.  Brown,  Erie,  elected  in  1895. 

COKONERS. 

Elected — Abraham  Smith,  Erie  October 
26,  1803. 

John  Milrov.  Erie.  November  21,  1806. 
Resigned. 


Erie,    October 


Appointed — yohn      Gray, 

29,  1807. 

Elected — Johit  C.  Wallace,  Erie,  October. 
1809.  Acted  as  Sheriff  from  June  19,  to 
October  2,  1810,  in  accordance  with  the  law 
providing  for  vacancies   in  that  office. 

John  Mc Cord,  North  East,  December  21, 
1812. 

John  Morris,  Erie,  April  23,  1815. 

Samuel  Hays,    Erie,    November   5,  1818. 

Benjamin  Russell,  Mill  Creek,  January  8, 
1822. 

Jiufus  Seth  Reed,  Erie,  February  8,  1825. 

William  Fleming,  Erie,  December  6,  1827. 

David  Wallace,  Mill  Creek,  December  24, 

1830. 

David   McNair,    Mill  Creek,  December  4, 

1833. 

Samuel   W.     Keefer,   Erie,   February    21, 

1837. 

John  K.  Caldwell,  Mill   Creek,  December 

30,  1889. 

Hezekiah  Bates.  Erie,  December  21,  1842. 

Thomas  Dillon,  Erie,  November  15.  1845. 
Re-elected  and  re-commissioned  November  7, 
1857,  November  16.  1863,  and  December  7, 
1869. 

Samuel  L.  Forster,  Erie,  January  11,  1849. 

Simeon    Dunn,  Erie,    November  11,  1851. 

David  Burton,  Erie,  February  10,  1855. 

Richard  Gaggin,  Erie,  December  21, 1860. 

William  J.  Sterrett,    Erie.    November  16, 

1866. 

M.  S.  Vincent,  Erie,  November  19,  1872. 

James  E.  Silliman,  Erie,  December  20, 
187o.  Re-elected  and  re-commissioned  De- 
cember 31,  1878. 

A.    Z.   Randall,  Erie,  January   1,  1881. 

C.  Swalley,  Erie,  elected  in  1884. 
Samuel  Z"  Smith,  Erie,  elected  in  1887. 

D.  A.  Hendrick,  Erie,  elected  18^ 

Z.  B.  Baker,  Erie,  appointed  by  the 
Court  in  1891. 

Geo.  J.  Russell,  Erie,  elected  in  1892. 
John  A.  Steinmetz,  Erie,  elected  in  1895. 

I  COUNTY     COMMISSIONERS. 

Elected— 1803  to  1804— ;7<^////  Vincent, 
Waterford. 

1803  to  1804 — Abiathcr  Crane,  Conneaut. 
1808  to  1804 — James    Weston.  LeBa?uf. 

1804  to  1805 — William  Clark.  Erie. 
1804  to  1806 — James  Lo-cry,  North  East. 
1804  to  imi—John  Phillip,  Venango. 


=/- 


NELSOJ^'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


1805  to  1808— 7o//«  Hav,  of  Erie. 

1806  to  1809— 7'o/i«J/cC/v^;-)',Mill  Creek. 

1807  to  1810— 7()////  Bovci,  Waterford. 

1808  to  1811 — Francis'  Braichy,  North 
East. 

1809  to  1812— 7>5()Wff-v  Iwrstcr,  Erie. 

1810  to  1813 — John    Salsburv,    Conneaut. 

1811  to  1814 — Hoirv  Taylor,  North  East. 

1812  to  1815 — Thomas   Wilson,  Erie. 

1813  to  1816— 77/ow<7.?  Forster,  Erie. 

1813  to  1815 — John  Grubl),  Mill  Creek. 
Elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
resignation  of  Thomas  Wilson. 

1814  to  1817— //c«'-i'  Tavlor,  North  East. 

1815  to  1818— /?o/'<v"-^  McClelland,  Mill 
Creek. 

1816  to  1819 — Thomas  Forster ,  Erie. 

1817  to  miO— Robert  Broivn,  Erie. 

1818  to  \S2\—Georn^e  Moore,  Erie. 

1819  to  l'6-2-2— Stephen    VVolverton,  Erie. 

1820  to  1823 — Gro;-oc  A7c//oA()«,  Fairview. 

1821  to  18-2^— Thomas  Forster,  Erie. 

1822  to  m2b— Henry  Colt,  Waterford. 

1823  to  1826— ^/e.v.  McCloskev,  North 
East. 

1824  to  1827— >//«  Morris,  Erie. 

1825  to  1828— _7()//«    Salsburv,    Conneaut. 

1826  to  1828— William  Benso'n, Waterford. 
Resigned  April  25,  1828. 

1827  to  1880— James  M.  Moorhead,  Har- 
bor Creek. 

Appointed  —  1828  —  George  Nicholson , 
Fairview.  By  the  Court  August  6th,  in  place 
of  William  Benson,  resigned. 

Elected— 1828  to  1829— .1/ivw/  Hutchin- 
son, Girard.  Elected  to  serve  out  the  balance 
of  William  Benson's  term. 

1828  to  imi~Albert  Thayer,  Erie. 

1829  to  1831— Joseph  M.  Sterrett,  Erie. 

1830  to  1833— James  Pollock,  LeBoeuf. 

1831  to  1834— Thomas  R.  Miller,  Spring- 
field. 

1832  to  1835— John   McCord,  North  East. 

1833  to  1836— James  Love,  Mill  Creek. 

1834  to  1837 — Stephen  Skinner,  McKean. 

1835  to  1838— James  Miles,  Girard. 

1836  to  1839- Samuel  Low,  Harbor  Creek. 

1837  to  1839- Thomas  Sterrett,  McKean. 
Died  in  the  spring  of   1839. 

1838  to  1841— William  E.  McNair,  Mill 
Creek. 

1839  to  1840— Samuel  Low,  Harbor  Creek. 
Elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  Thomas  Sterrett. 


1839  to  1842— Lyman  Robinson,  Watts- 
burg. 

1S40  to  1843— Russell  Stancliff,  Washing- 
ton. 

1841  to  1844 — David  Sawdy,  Conneaut. 

1842  to  1815— Joseph  Henderson,  Mill 
Creek. 

1843  to  1846 — Robert  Gray,  Union  town- 
ship. 

1844  to  1847 — Isaac  Webster,  Fairview. 

1845  to  1848— William  E.  Marvin,  Green- 
field. 

1846  to  1849— William  Campbell,  Wash- 
ington. 

1847  to  IN50 — Humphrey  A.  Hills,  Con- 
neaut. 

1848  to  1851— George  W.  Brecht,  Mill 
Creek. 

1849  to  1852 — Simeon    Stewart,   Concord. 

1850  to  1853— Thomas  Dunn.  McKean. 

1851  to  1854 — Rodney  Cole,  Greene. 

1852  to  1855— Richard  R.  Robinson, 
Springfield. 

1853  to  1856 — William  Parker,  Greenfield. 

1854  to  1857— Flavel  Boyd,  Waterford 
borough. 

1855  to  1858— Josiah  J.  Compton,  Wash- 
ington. 

1856  to  1S59— William  \V.  Eaton,  Fair- 
view. 

1857  to  1860— Amos    Gould,   North  East. 

1858  to  1861— William  Putnam,  Union 
township. 

1859  to  1862— Joseph  Henderson,  Mill 
Creek. 

1860  to  1863 — Jacob  Fritz,  Venango. 

1861  to  1864— Seymour  Washburiie,  Mc- 
Kean. 

1862  to  1865 — Garner  Palmer,  Albion. 

1863  to  1866— Charles  C.  Boyd,  Water- 
ford borough. 

1864  to  1867 — James  Chambers,  Harbor 
Creek. 

1865  to  1868— Lemuel  M.  Childs,  Wayne. 

1866  to  1869— Stephen  J.  Godfrey,  "Elk 
Creek. 

1867  to  1870— William    B.  Weed,  Greene. 

1868  to  1871— Lemuel    M.  Childs,  Wavne. 

1869  to  1872— Garner  Palmer,  Albion." 

1870  to  1873— Myron  H.  Silverthorn,  Fair- 
view  township. 

1871  to  1874— Clark  Bliss,  North  East 
township. 

1872  to  1876— William  T.  Brown,  Corry. 


jsfc^ 


O-^iu/^H/H^-^^^'^--^'-^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTV. 


273 


1873  to  ISir — Myron  H.  Silvcrthorn,  Fair- 
view  township. 

1874  to  1876— Clark  Bliss,  North  East. 
The    Constitution  of    1873    provided    tiiat 

Commissioners  in  office  and  elected  in  the 
meantime  should  serve  till  January  1,  1876. 
A  full  Board  were  to  be  elected  in  1875  and 
everv  three  years  thereafter.  Xo  voter  is  al- 
lowed to  cast  a  ballot  for  more  than  two  can- 
didates, thus  insuring  a  representation  in  the 
Board  to  the  minority  party. 

1875 — Albert  B.  Gunnison,   Erie. 

1875 — Daniel  W.  Titus.  \'enango. 

l^lo—Iiic/iarJ  If.  Arbiicklc.  East  JNIill 
Creek. 

1878 — Albert  B.  Gunnison,  Erie. 

1878 — Daniel  W.  Titus,  Venango. 

\%1%—Adclbcrt  L.  Tlldeii,  LeBoeuf. 

\m\—AdcIbert  L.   Tilden,  LeBoeuf. 

1881— B.  B.  Whitley,  East  Mill  Creek. 

1881— Richard  Powell,  Elk  Creek. 

1884— B.  B.  Whitley.  Mill  Creek. 

1884— W.  R.  Wade,  Concord. 

1884 — A.  O.  GZ/A'//,  Union  City. 

1887 — George  C.  Mills,  Conneaut. 

1887— William  R.  Wade,  Concord. 

\2,^"^  — Walter   rr.  ZiA'.Erie. 

1890— George  T.  Churchill,  Erie. 

1890— George  C.  Mills,  Conneaut. 

1890— 77/c/;«<?5  H.  Mohr.  Mill  Creek. 

1893— George  T.  Churchill,  Erie. 

1893 — Clinton  B.  Smith,  Union  township. 

\%^%— Thomas  H.  Mohr,  Mill  Creek. 

CLERKS  TO  THE  COUNTV  COMMISSIONERS. 

Thomas  Wilkiiis,  appointed  when  the 
county  was  organized  in  1803. 

Robert  Cochran  became  Clerk  pro  tern. 
November  2,  1829. 

Jacob  Snavely,  appointed  February  I, 
1830. 

Archibald  Miller,  appointed  lanuary  1, 
1835. 

James  Skinner,  January  9,  1837. 

David  McAllister,  January  1,  1849. 

George  W.  Colton,  January  1,  1852. 

A.  J.  Sterrett,  January  1,  1863.  Died  in 
office,  February  15,  1881. 

Ora  P.  Gunnison,  March  1,  1881. 

Giles  D.  Price,  January  1,  1883. 

J.  A.  Robison,  January  1,  1890. 


COUNSEL     TO       BOARD      OF       COUXTY      COMMIS- 
SIONERS. 

1824-'41— George  A.  Eliot. 
1842-43 — Samuel  A.  Law. 
1844-'47— 1.  B.  Johnson. 
1848-50- John'P.  Vincent. 
1851-54 — [.  B.  Johnson. 
1855-'56— Elijah  Babbitt. 
1857-'G1— Chas.  \V.  Kelso. 
1862-'63— John  H.  Walker. 
1864-'66— John  P.Vincent. 
1867-69— Geo.  W.  Walker. 
1870 — Jonas  Gunnison. 
1871— Chas.  W.  Kelso. 
1872— D.  W.  Rambo. 
1873-'75— S.  E.  Woodruff. 
1876— '81 — Gunnison  &  McCreary. 
1882-83— John  P.  Vincent. 
1884— Vincent  &  Walling. 
1885-'86 — Frank  Gunnison. 
1887-88— Clark  Olds. 
1889-95— /?.  -J.  Sa-Jjdey. 

DIRECTORS  OF  THE  POOR. 

Elected — Previous  to  1840,  each  township 
took  charge  of  its  own  poor,  under  the  super- 
vision of  two  Overseers  elected  by  the  people. 

1840  to  1841 — James  Benson,  Waterford 
township. 

1840  to  1842— Thomas  R.  Miller.  Spring- 
field. 

1840  to  1843— George  \V.  Walker,  Harbor 
Creek. 

1841  to  1844 — Conrad  Brown,  Mill  Creek. 

1842  to  1845 — John  Evans,  Mill  Creek. 

1843  to  1846 — James  Anderson,  Water- 
ford  township. 

1844  to  1847— David  Kennedy,  Erie. 

1845  to  1848— Curtis  Heidler,  Fairview. 

1846  to  1849— William   Bracken,  LeBanif. 

1847  to  1850 — David  Sterrett,  McKean. 

1848  to  1851— David  Kennedy,  Erie. 

1849  to  1852— George  Fritts,  Waterford 
township. 

1850  to  1853— Melville  M.  Kelso,  Fairview 
township. 

1851  to  1854— William  E.  McNair,  Mill 
Creek. 

1852  to  1855 — Jolin  Parmeter,  McKean. 

1853  to  1856 — John  Hay,  Girard. 

1854  to  1857— George  W.  Brecht,  Mill 
Creek. 

1855  to  1858 — Samuel  W.  Keefer,  Erie. 


274 


NELSON'S  DIOGBAPmCAL  BICTWNAin' 


1856  to  1859— John  Spalding,  Springfield. 
Refused  to  serve. 

1856  to  1857— John  Hay,  Girard.  Ap- 
pointed by  the  Court  to  fill  vacancy  as  above 
until  the  ensuing  election. 

1857  to  1860 —Alexander  Nicholson,  Fair- 
view. 

1857  to  1859— William  Bracken,  LeBa>uf. 
Elected  to  serve  out  the  term  for  which  Mr. 
Spalding  was  chosen. 

1858  to  1861 — Thomas  Stewart,  Erie. 

1859  to  1862— William   Bracken,  LeBn^uf. 

1860  to  1868— Thomas   Willis,  Mill  Creek. 

1861  to  1864— Thomas  Stewart,  Erie. 

1862  to  1865— .4  ;-(•// /7)(7/(/  Diuican,  North 
East. 

1863  to  1866 — Thomas  Willis,  Mill  Creek. 
1863  to  1867 — Thomas  Stewart,  Erie. 

1865  to  1868 — Andrew  Thompson,  Union 
township. 

1866  to  1869— Thomas  Willis,  Mill  Creek. 

1867  to  1870 — Jacob  Hanson,  Erie. 

1868  to  1870 — Andrew  Thompson,  Union 
township. 

1869  to  1870 — Stephen   A.  Beavis,  Corry. 
Under  an  act  of  Assembly,  all   of   the  old 

Directors  went  out  in  1870,  and  a  full  board 
was  elected  in  the  fall  of  that  year. 

If^JC) — Louis  W.  Olds,  Erie. 

1870 — Stephen  A.  Beavis,  Corry. 

1870 — William  W.  Eaton,  Fairview  bor- 
ough. 

1872 — Michael  Henry,  Erie. 

1873 — Merrick  B.  Chamberlain,  Union 
borough. 

1874 — James  Dunn,  McKean. 

1875 — Michael  Henry,  Erie. 

187(5 — John  G.  Kincaid,  Wayne. 

1877 — Seymour  Washburne,  McKean. 

1878— George  W.  Riblet,  Erie. 

1879— Jefferson  Triscuit,  Union. 

1880— John  C.  Zuck,  West  Mill  Creek. 

1881 — Joseph  Henderson,  Erie. 

1882 — Jefferson  Triscuit,  Union. 

1883— b.  J.  McAllister,  Wattsburg. 

1884— F.  Willis,  Fairview. 

1885 — O.  J.  McAllister,  Wattsburg. 

1886 — Henry  Dunn,  Erie. 

1887— Daniel  Roberts,  Elk  Creek. 

1888— Benj.  E.  Riblet, .Harbor  Creek. 

1889— Henrv  Dunn.  Erie. 

1890— Win. 'Hopkins,  Girard. 

1891— Benj.  E.  Riblet,  Harbor  Creek. 

1892 — Joseph  Blenner.  Erie. 


1893— Wm.  Hopkins,  Girard. 
1894— H.  M.  McLallen,  Washington. 
1895 — G.  S.  Beavis,  Corry. 

STEWARDS  OF  THE    .\LMSHOUSE. 

(Appointed  by  the  Directors  of  the  Poor.) 

1840 — Freeman  Patterson,  Mill  Creek. 
1847 — Samuel  Fickinger,  Mill  Creek. 
1852— S.  P.  B.  Zuck,  Mill  Creek. 
1857 — Thomas  Love,  Mill  Creek. 
1858 — Thomas  Dunn,  McKean. 
1863— Calvin  Pool,  North  East. 
1872— George  W.  Griffin,  North  East. 
1880— William     M.     Brown,     West    Mill 

1890— George  W.  Mitchell,  LeBopuf. 
1892— M.  H.  Silverthorn,  Fairview. 

CLERKS  TO  THE  DIRECTORS   OF  THE   I'OOR. 

(Appointed  by  the  Board.) 

1840 — Thomas  Evans,  Erie. 

1849 — Thomas  Moorhead,  Erie.  Died  in 
office,  August  7,  1859. 

1859— Presley  Arbuckle,  Erie. 

1867—  William  M.  Arbuckle,  Erie.  Died 
in  office  December  27,  1874. 

1875 — Robert  H.  Henry,  Erie.  Died  in 
office  in  May,  1879. 

1879 — Daniel  W.  Nason,  Fairview. 

1886— W.  Barry  Smith,  Wattsburg. 

1888 — J.  A.  Robison,  Albion. 

1890— F.  E.  Wade,  Concord. 

ATTORNEYS  FOR  THE  DIRECTORS  OF  THE  POOR. 

1870-1— John  H.  Walker. 
1872-3—7.  Ross    Thompson. 
1874—5 — y.     Ross      Thompson     and    Wm. 
Benson. 

1876— Wm.  Benson. 
1877 — John  P.  Vincent. 
1878  to  '88— A.  T-  Foster. 
1888  to  '95— E.  P.  Gould. 

COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENTS  OF  PUBLIC 
SCHOOLS. 

Elected  by  the  School  Directors  in  County 
Convention — William  H.  Armstrong,  Watts- 
burg, July  5,  1854,  to  June,  1860. 

L.  W.  Savage,  Springfield,  June  8,  I860, 
to  June, 1863. 

D.  P.  Ensign,  Erie,  June  1,  1863,  to  Octo- 
ber 28,  1868. 


AND  UISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   VOUJSTr. 


275 


Julius  Degmier,  Erie,  October  28,  1863,  to 
October  1,  1864. 

L.  T.  Fisk,  Girard,  October  1.  1864,  to 
June  4,  1869. 

C.  C.  Tavlor,  Elk  Creek,  |une  4,  1869,  to 
June  6,  1878'. 

Charles  Twining,  Union  City,  June  6, 
1878,  to  June  2,  1884. 

James  M.  Morrison,  Girard,  June  2,  1884, 
to  October  25,  1889.  Resigned  and  Thos.  C. 
Miller  appointed. 

Thos.  C.  Miller,  Mill  Creek,  October  26, 
1889,  to  date. 

COUNTY    DETECTIVES. 

Appointed  by  the  Court .  .  Daniel  Mitchell, 
Erie,  January  1,  1876. 

Charles  y'l/s/ice,  Erie,  January  1,  1879. 
John  P.  Sullivan,  Erie,  September  1('),1883. 

COUNTY  SURVEYORS 

The  title  of  this  ofHce  was  Deputy  Sur- 
veyor, and  the  incumbents  were  appointed  by 
the  Governor  until  1851,  when  the  office  was 
made  elective  and  the  name  changed  to 
County  Surveyor. 

yo/i)/  Cochrati,  Mill  Creek,  Tam'^ry  10, 
18(X). 

Wilson  Smith,  Waterford,  April  25,  1800. 

John    Cochran,  Mill  Creek,  July  9,  1801. 

Thomas  Smith,  Erie,  May  4,  1809. 

Thomas   Wilson,  Erie,  May  11,   1812. 

Jonah  Coxi'gill,  Erie,  May  11,  1815. 

Wilson  King,  Waterford,   May  21,    1827. 

Hiram  Bu7nphrcy,  McKean,  March  4, 
1000 

Sylvcras  E.   Webster.  Erie,  July  30,  1833. 

Stephen  Skinner,  McKean,  Jul)'  18,  1836. 

James  Graham,  Erie,  July  9,  1839. 

Sylveras  E.    Webster,  Erie,  May  30,  1842. 

John  H.  Millar,  Erie,  May  2,  1844. 

Elected — David  Wilson,  Union,  bond  filed 
January  15,  1852. 

William  Benson,  Waterford,  January  17, 
1854. 

Robert  P.  Holliday,  Springtield,  Novem- 
ber 5,  1863. 

G.  W.  F.  Sherwin,  Harbor  Creek,  No- 
vember 12,  1866. 

Robert  P.  Holliday,  Fairview,  February 
22,  1869. 

George  Piatt,  Girard.  Elected  in  1872. 
[The  officers  at  Harrisburg  decided  tliat  he 
was  not  chosen  in  tlie  right   year,  and  refused 


to  send  him  a  commission.  Holliday  con- 
tinued till  the  Court  appointed  Piatt  Novem- 
ber 11,  1872,  who  held  the  place  till  October, 
1878.] 

George  M.  Robinson,  Springfield,  Octo- 
ber 22,  1878.  Resigned  May,  1879,  and 
George  Piatt  appointed  May  24  of  the  same 
year. 

Edward    Kocher,    appointed    January    14, 

1885. 

George  Piatt,  Girard,  appointed  in  March, 

1889. 

Irvin     Camp,    Erie,    appointed     in    May, 

1889. 

Dan  Rice,  jr.,  of  Girard,  appointed  Octo- 
ber 16,  1895,  in  place  of  Irvin  Camp,  resigned. 

COUNTY    AUDITORS. 

Three  elected  annually  until  1813,  after 
which  time  and  until  1875  one  was  elected 
each  year  to  serve  for  three  years.  There  is 
no  record  of  the  Auditors  previous  to  1809. 

Ig09 — Thomas  Robinson,  North  East; 
George  Nicholson,  Fairview;  William  Wal- 
lace, Mill  Creek. 

IglO — Charles  Martin,  Waterford;  John 
Griibb,  Mill  Creek;    John  McCrcary,  Erie. 

1811 — Robert  Knox,  Eiie;  Rn'fns  Scth 
Reed,  Erie  ;   Charles  Martin.  Waterford. 

1812 — Elisha  Marvin,  Greenfield  ;  John 
Lvtle,  LeBreuf;   Charles  Martin,  Waterford. 

\%\%—JohnLvtle,  Waterford;  Robert  Mc- 
Clelland, ^lill  Creek  ;  Robert    To-j.-nley,  Erie. 

1814— ^/«oj-  Judson,  Waterford. 

1816 — George  Nicholson ,  Fairview. 

1817 — John  Morris,  Erie. 

1818 — Thomas  Dunn,  McKean. 

1819— Thomas  H.  Sill,  Erie. 

1820— Thomas  H.  Sill,  Erie. 

1821 — Thomas  Rees,  Harbor  Creek. 

1822 — Thomas  Dunn,  McKean. 

1823 — Daniel  Sayrc,  Fairview. 

1824 — Thomas  Rees,  Harbor  Creek. 

1825 — James  M.  McKay,  Waterford 
borough ;  'William  E.  McNair,  Mill  Creek 
(one  year). 

1826 — Martin  Strong,  Waterford. 

1827 — David  H.  Ciiapman,  Fairview. 

1828 — Robert  Cochran,  Mill  Creek. 

1829 — Eli   Webster,  McKean. 

1830 — John  J.  Swan,  Fairview. 

1831 — James  Smedley,  North  East. 

1832 — Samuel  Low,  Venango. 

1833 — Mark  Baldwin,  Greenfield. 


N£:LSOJ!i'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONABT 


1834 — Russell  Stancliff,  Washington. 

1835 — William   Benson,  Waterford. 

1886— William  H.  Crawford,  North  East. 

1837 — Thomas  Nicholson,  Mill  Creek. 

1838— Alex.  W.  Brewster,  Erie. 

1889— Gideon  J.  Ball,  Erie. 

1840 — James  Miles,  Girard. 

1841 — Moses  Barnett,  Fairview. 

1842 — Benjamin  Gunnison,  Greene. 

1843— Wi'iiam  M.  Arbuckle,  Erie. 

1844 — Thomas  Pierce,  LeBcEuf. 

1845 — James  II.  Campbell,   Edinboro. 

1845 — Simeon  Hunt,  Waterford  (one year, 
to  serve  out  the  term  of  Mr.  Arbuckle,  who 
had  moved  from  the  county). 

184(5 — James  Chambers,  Harbor  Creek. 

1847— John  Wood,  LeBcpuf. 

1848 — John  Eagly,  Springfield. 

1S40 — John  L.  ^Vay,  Greene  (afterward 
Summit). 

1850 — Flavel   Boyd,  Waterford  township. 

1851 — Samuel  Reeder,  Washington. 

1852- Oren  Reed,  McKean. 

1853 — Robert  Gray,  Union  township. 

1854— George  W.  Brecht,  Mill  Creek. 

1855— N.  W.  Russell,  Mill  Creek. 

1856 — John  W.  Campbell,  Washington. 

1857— Elias  Brecht,  McKean. 

1858 — David  Nash,  Concord. 

1858 — H.  H.  Bassler,  Fairview.  To  serve 
out  the  term  of  ]Mr.  Campbell,  elected  to  the 
Legislature. 

1859 — John  L.  Way,  Summit  (one  year)  ; 
H.  H.  Bassler,  Fairview  (three  years). 

1860 — William  H.  Belknap,  Concord. 

1861 — Joseph  W.  Swalley,  Fairview. 

1862 — Henry  Gingrich,  ^lill  Creek. 

1868— Oren  Reed,  McKean. 

1864 — Philip  Osborn,  Girard  township. 

1865 — Oliver    H.   P.    Ferguson,   Fairview. 

1866— Mathias  Hartleb,  Erie. 

1867 — Francis  F.  Stowe,  Amity. 

1868 — Thomas  Evans,  Erie. 

1869 — Thomas  Woods,  Union  City  (three 
years)  ;  (Jeorge  W.  Griffin,  North  East  (one 
year,  in  place  of  Mr.  Stowe,  resigned). 

1870 — Jesse  Ebersole,  Harbor  Creek. 

1871— Clayton  W.  Lytle,  Erie. 

1872 — Daniel  W.  Titus,  Venango. 

1873— ^Villiam  W.  Thomas,  Erie. 

The  new  Constitution  provided  for  the 
election  of  three  Auditors  every  third  year, 
each  voter  to  have  the  right  of  voting  for  two 


only,  in  order  to  insure  minority  representa- 
tion. 

1874— Elijah  K.  Range,  LeBoeuf;  Will- 
iam E.  Hayes,  Greene  ;  WiU'tam  F.  Brock- 
way.  Conneaut. 

1877— William  E.  Hayes,  Greene;  Will- 
iam W.  Love,  West  Mill  Creek;  C.  R.  Gray, 
Venango. 

1880— William  L.  Arbuckle,  Erie  ;  Will- 
iam P.  Edwards,  Harbor  Creek  ;  George  Man- 
ton,  Elk  Creek. 

1884— E.  K.  Range,  LeBoeuf;  W.  L.  Ar- 
buckle, Erie;  L.    IV.  Savage,  Springfield. 

1887 — W.  B.  Flickinger,  Erie  (resigned  in 
1888  and  John  Goodwin,  of  Erie,  appointed 
in  his  stead);  J.  J.  McWilliams,  Edinboro; 
Frank  Sltaw,   Waterford. 

1889— H.  H.  Davis,  Erie  (to  fill  out  Mr. 
Flickinger's  term). 

1890— George  Taylor,  Waterford;  W.  C. 
Eaton,  Fairview;  //.  Z.  Moore,  Erie. 

1893 — W.  C.  Eaton,  Fairview;  George 
Taylor,  Waterford  ;  6'.  D.  Sazvdey,  Conneaut. 

JURY    COMMISSIONERS. 

Office  created  in  1867,  and  made  elective, 
two  persons  being  chosen  every  three  years. 
Each  voter  is  entitled  to  cast  a  ballot  for  one 
candidate  only,  thus  insuring  representation 
to  both  of  the  leading  parties. 

1867 — David  N.  Patterson,  Wattsburg; 
Perry  G.  Straiiahan ,  Union  borough. 

1870— William  W.  Love,  West  Mill  Creek; 
Horace  L.  Piniiev,  Greene. 

1878— William  Grant,  McKean;  Robert 
Leslie,  Wattsburg. 

1876— George  A.  Evans,  West  Mill  Creek; 
yoseph  I.  Tanner,  Erie.  , 

1879 — D.  L.  Bracken,  Corry ;  William 
Biggers,  Girard  township. 

1882— George  J.  Russell,  East  Mill  Creek  ; 
yanics  D.  Phillips,  Union  City. 

Mr.  Phillips  resigned  in  February,  1884, 
and  G.  G.  .Smith,  of  Union  City,  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Court. 

1885— Hartman  Fisher,  Mill  Creek  ;  H.  B. 
Brewster,  Conneaut. 

1888 — H.  S.  Barnes,  Lockport ;  yames 
Hallinan,  Mill  Creek. 

1891— H.  M.  McLallen,  Washington  ;  //. 
L.  Spies/nan,  Corry. 

1894— Noah  Waidley,  Fairview:  O.  I\ 
Follctt,  Wayne. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


=77 


COURT    CRIERS. 

Appointed  by  the  Court — David  Langley, 
Erie;  Basil  Hoskinson,  Eric;  Robert  Kin- 
caide,  Erie;  Joshua  Randall,  Erie;  Remras 
Baldwin,  Erie  ;  P.  D.  Bryant,  Erie  ;  Edward 
B.  Lytle,  Erie;  A.  E.  fi'V/Z/c  (since  I80I), 
Erie. 

MERCANTILE    APPRAISERS. 

Appointed  by  the  County  Commissioners  : 

1852 — Simon  B.  Benson,  Waterford  bor- 
ough. 

1853— Samuel  W.  Keefer,  Erie. 

1854— E.  C.  Hedden.  Springfield, 

1855— X.  W.  Russell,  Mill  Creek. 

1856 — James  T.  Ensworth,  Wattsburg. 

1857 — James   P.  Vincent,  Waterford. 

1858 — Samuel  Rea,  jr.,  Springfield. 

1859 — Johnston  Eaton,  Fairview. 

I860— John  B.  Mills.  North  East. 

1861 — Simon  B.  Benson.  Waterford  bor- 
ough. 

1862 — Perrv  Devore,  Springfield. 

1863— C.  W.  S.Anderson,  Waterford  bor- 
ough. 

1864 — James  W.  Crawford,  North  East. 

1865 — Libert}-  Salisbury,  Conneaut. 

1866— H.  R.  Whittelsey,  Waterford. 

1867— Tames  C.  Russell,  Mill  Creek. 

1868— b.  N.  Patterson,  Wattsburg. 

1869 — James  R.  Taylor,  Waterford. 

1870— Myron  E.  Dunlap,  Erie. 

1871 — Stephen  J.  Godfrey.  Elk  Creek. 

1872 — Liberty  Salisbury,   Conneaut. 

1873— Myron  E.  Dunlap,  Erie. 

1874— R."  L.  Pierce,  North  East. 

1875— L.  E.  Guignon,  Corry. 

1876 — James  McCreary,  Fairview. 

1877 — D.  W.  Hutch'nisoii ,G'wA.xA  borough. 

1878 — D.  N.  Patterson,  Wattsburg. 

1879— Oni  P.  (iunnison.  Mill  Creek. 

1880— William  T.  Brown,  Corry. 

1881— A'.  //.    Arhiickic,   East  Mill  Creek. 

1882— O.   T.  McAllister,  Wattsburg. 

1883— J^.  L.  Minium,  Mill  Village. 

1884— T.  F.  Love.  Mill  Creek. 

1885— Geo.  J.  Powell,  Elk  Creek. 

1886— fV/.v  'ff.  Trish.  Elk  Creek. 


1887— C.  C.  HolHday,  Springfield. 
1888 — John  C.  McLean,  Union  City. 
1889— John  C.  McLean.  Union  City. 
1890— J.  W.  Leech,  Corry. 
1891 — M.  Z.  Sherman,  Springfield. 
1892— .S'.  D.  Sa\^-dev.  Conneaut. 
1893— Chas.  J.  Eng'lehardt.  Erie. 
1884— J.  M.  Ball,  Girard. 
1895— r.    jr.  /"o/e,  Concord. 

CO.AI.   AND  OIL   INSPECTORS. 

1873— A.  S.  Hubbard,  Corry. 
1887— -1/.  -1/.  Moore,  Erie.  " 
1890— Wm.  H.  Sandusky,  Erie. 
1893— Wm.  H.  Sandusky.  Erie. 

SE.VLER  OF   WEIGHTS   AND    MEASURES. 

1874  to  1877— John  B.  Ruth,  Erie. 
1877  to  1880 — ^"Joseph  Reischscheidt,  Erie. 
1880  to  1883— W.  J.  Robinson,  Mill  Vil- 
lage. 

1883— W.  P.  Butterfield,  Edinboro. 
[Office  abolished  April,  1883]. 

SALARIES. 

The  salaries  and  fees  paid   to  some  of  the 
county  officers  in  1894,  were  as  follows: 

President  Judg-e  (paid  by  the  State) S  4,000.00 

District  Attorney  (fees) 1,101.00 

Assistant  District  Attorney  (fees.) 120.00 

County  Commissioners 

G.  T.  Churcliill.  Erie 1,057,00 

T,  H.  Mohr,  Mill  Creek 1.120.96 

C.  B.  Smith,  Union  township 1,247.15 

Commissioner's  Clerk  (salary) 1.320.00 

Commissioner's  Counsel  (salary) 100.00 

County  Treasurer  (fees) 2,304,00 

Jury    Commissioners  —  pay    allowed   by 

Count)-  Commissioners 

H.  M.  McLallen,  Washington  township  193.44 

H.  L.  Spiesman.  Corry. 202.21 

Clerk 49.80 

Auditors — pay  allowed  by   County   Com- 
missioners  

Georg-e  Taylor,  Waterford 215,40 

W.  C,  Eaton,  Fairview 195. S4 

S.  D.  Sawdey,  Conneaut 221.64 

Clerk 25.00 

Coroner  (fees) 252.11 

Acting  Coroners 47.38 

The  sum  of  S12S.00  was  also  paid  for  post  uior- 
tems. 


PART    IV. 


TOWNSHIPS  AND  BOROUGHS. 


INDEX  TO  TOWNSHIPS  AND  BOROUGHS. 


Albion  boroug-h Pag-e  285  to  Page  286 

Amity  township Pagfe  287  to  Page  289 

Concord  township Page  289  to  Page  291 

Conneaut  township Page  281  to  Page  285 

East  Springfield  borough ....  Page ...    350 

Edinboro  borough Page  367  to  Page  369 

Elgin  borough Page 291 

Elk  Creek  township Page  292  to  Page  294 

Fairview  township Page  295  to  Page  299 

Fairview  borough Page  299  to  Page  300 

Franklin   township .'Page  300  to  Page  302 

Girard  township Page  302  to  Page  306 

Girard  borough   Page  306  to  Page  309 

Greene  township Page  310  to  Page  312 

Greenfield  township Page  312  to  Page  315 

Harbor  Creek  township Page  315  to  Page  319 


Lockport  borough Page .... 

McKean  township Page  323 

Middleboro  borough Page. . . . 

Mill  Creek  township Page  327 

Mill  Village  borough Page  322 

North  East  township Page  336 

North  East  borougli Page  340 

Springfield  township Page  345 

Suniiiiit  township Page  350 

Union   township Page  352 

Union  City  borough Page  355 

Venango   township Page  359 

Washington  township Page  365 

Waterf ord  township Page  369 

Waterf ord  borough Page  372 

Wattsburg  borough Page  363 

Wayne  township Page  379 


309 

to  Page  326 

326 

336 


Ee  Boeuf  township Page  319  to  Page  322 

See  Map  for  Villages,  Postoffices  and  Railroad  Stations. 

See  Alphabetical  Index  for  Descriptive  Matter,  Special  Features,  Incidents, 


to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 
to  Page 

Etc. 


340 
345 
350 
352 
355 
358 
363 
367 
372 
378 
364 
383 


CHAPTKR     I. 


CONNEAUT  TOWNSHIP— ALBION  BOROUGH. 


CONNEAUT  TOWNSHIP  is  one  of 
the  original  subdivisions  of  Erie  coun- 
ty. It  is  the  extreme  southwestern 
township  of  the  county,  :ind  contains 
127.582  acres.  The  population  was 
m\  in  1810;  1,324,  in  1880;  1.74(5,  in  1840; 
1,942,  in  1850;  2,118,  in  18G0;  1,538,  in  1870; 
1,546,  in  1880;  and  1,38(5,  in  18'.X).  The  de- 
crease between  18G0  and  1870  was  due  to  the 
incorporation  of  Albion  as  a  borough  in  1861. 
The  township  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Springfield  and  Girard,  on  the  east  by  Elk 
Creek,  on  the  west  by  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio, 
and  on  the  south  by  Beaver  and  Spring 
townships,  Crawford  county.  Its  greatest 
length  is  about  eight  and  three-fourths  miles 
from  east  to  west,  and  its  greatest  widtii  si.x 
and  one-fourth  from  north  to  south. 

Conneaut  contains  five  postoffices,  viz.  : 
Pennside,  Keepville.  Tracy,  Cherry  Hill  and 
Wannetta  (Albion  station,  on  the  E.  &  P. 
R.  R.).  The  township  is  divided,  for  election 
purposes,  into  the  East  and  West  districts. 

The  township  received  its  name  from  Con- 
neaut creek,  its  principal  stream.  The  word 
Conneaut  is  of  Indian  origin,  signifying"  snow 
place,"  from  the  fact  that  the  snow  used  to 
lie  longer  upon  the  ice  of  Conneaut  lake, 
Crawford  county,  than  anywhere  else  the 
country  round. 

The  original  line  of  Conneaut  extended 
westward  parallel  with  the  southern  line  of 
Girard  township  to  Ohio,  taking  in  Conneaut 
creek  and  more  than  a  mile  of  country  north 
of  that  stream.  This  threw  the  whole  burden 
of  building  and  maintaining  bridges  upon  Con- 
neaut, and  about  1835  she  ceded  the  territory 
north  of  the  creek  to  Springfield,  in  consid- 
eration of  the  latter  township  paying  one  half 
of  that  item  of  expense.  Springfield  made  a 
considerable  gain  of  land,  and  Conneaut  re- 
lieved herself  from  burdensome  taxation. 

E.\RLIEST    SETTLER.S. 

The  first  settler  within  the  bounds  of  the 
township  was  Jonathan  Spaulding.who  reach- 


ed there  from  New  York  in  the  year  1795.  Two 
years  after  the  Population  Company  sent  Col. 
Dunning  McNair  on  as  agent,  who  establish- 
ed his  headquarters  at  what  became  known  as 
Lexington,  and  with  a  corps  of  assistants  sur- 
veyed the  country,  laid  out  roads,  and  made 
preparations  for  disposing  of  the  property. 
In  1798,  Abiather  Crane  and  his  brother 
Elihu,  from  Connecticut,  located  near  Col. 
McNair,  but  neither  remained  long,  the  form- 
er moving  to  Mill  Creek  in  18(J9,  and  the 
latter  to  Elk  Creek  in  the  spring  of  1800. 
Abiather  first  went  into  Conneaut  as  a  survey- 
or in  1797,  but  did  not  locate  there  until  the 
ensuing  year.  The  arrival  of  other 
pioneers  was  as  follows  :  In  1800,  Matthew 
Harrington,  from  Vermont;  George  GrifTey 
and  Andrew  Cole,  from  Onondaga  county, 
N.  Y.,  and  Stephen  Randall  and  his  son 
Sheffield,  from  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.;  in 
1801,  Robert  McKee,  from  Cumberland 
county.  Pa  ;  in  1802,  Henry  Ball,  from  Fred- 
ericksburg, Va.,  Patrick  Kennedy,  his  son 
Royal,  and  William  Payne,  from  Connecti- 
cut ;  in  1803,  Marsena  Keep  and  son  Marsena, 
from  Montgomerj-  county,  N.  Y.;  in  1804, 
Joel  Bradish  and  brothers,  from  New  York  ; 
in  18()ti,  Lyman  Jackson,  from  Otsego  county, 
N.  Y.  ;  in  1810,  Michael  Jackson,  son  of  Ly- 
man, who  remained  but  a  few  months,  return- 
ed to  New  York  and  came  back  five  years 
later. 

The  following  persons  settled  in  tiie  town- 
ship at  a  later  date  :  In  1815,  George  Stuntz, 
from  Barclay  county,  Va.,  and  his  son,  E. 
W.  Stuntz  ;  in  1816,  Medad  Pomeroy,  from 
Massachusetts,  with  his  sons,  Nathaniel, 
Uriah,  John,  Lj-man,  James.  George  and 
Horace,  and  three  daughters,  together  with 
James  \V.  and  G.  Spicer,  from  New  York;  in 
1817,  Benjamin  Sawdcy  and  Isaac  Pomeroy 
from  Massachusetts,  in  1818,  David  Sawdev. 
from  Massachusetts,  Abijah  Barnes,  from 
Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  and  Samuel  Brad- 
ish ;  in  1819,  Noah  Kidder  and  son 
Francis,  Edward    DeWolf  and    Daniel  Ross- 


282 


I^HLSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


iter,  from  New  York,  and  Samuel  Sawdey 
(father  of  David  and  IJeiijnmin),  with  his 
sons  John,  [ob  and  Daniel,  fiom  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass.  ;  in  ISi'O,  Rodolphus  Loomis, 
from  Chautauqua  county,  N.  V.  ;  about  1824 
or  1825,  Harrison  Parks;  in  1829,  Jonas 
Lewis;  in  1881,  Thomas  Bowman,  wife  and 
family  (including  Ralph),  from  Oneida  coun- 
ty, N.  Y. ;  in  1882,  William  Cornell  and  John 
Curtis;  in  1888,  Chester  Morley  and  Andrew 
and  Silas  Morrison  ;  in  1834,  Christopher 
Cross,  Edward  Dorrence  and  Hiram  (irifiis; 
in  1837,  Andrew  vSwap,  Daniel  Waters  and 
Joseph  Tubbs ;  in  1888,  Isaiah  and  Johnson 
Pelton  ;  in  1889,  Marcus  A.  Bumpus. 

Among  those  who  went  in  about  the  com- 
mencement of  the  century,  ■were  Bartholomew 
Forbes,  Howard,  John,  Nathan,  David  and 
Charles  Salsburv,  Thomas  Sprayue,  James 
Paul,  James  \Vhittiiigton, Thomas  Alexander, 
John  Stuntz,  Giles  Badger,  Ichabod  Baker  and 
Jacob  Walker.  A  large  portion  of  the  set- 
tlers whose  former  homes  are  not  given  were 
from  New  York,  principally  from  the  central 
counties.  Henry  Ball  was  a  captain  in  the 
war  of  1812,  aud  several  of  the  others  served 
against  the  British  as  privates.  Jonathan 
Spaulding's  sons,  David,  John  and  George, 
were  born  in  the  township,  the  first  in  1802, 
the  second  in  ISOC),  and  the  last  in  1816. 
William  Harrington,  the  oldest  son  of  Mat- 
thew, was  born  in  1805.  William  Paul  went 
into  Elk  Creek  with  Mr.  Colton  in  1797; 
returned  to  Connecticut,  and  came  back  about 
181(3.  Noah  Kidder  and  son  went  to  Spring- 
field in  1817,  but  moved  to  Conneaut  two 
years  after.  Medad  Pomeroj-  settled  on  Con- 
neaut creek,  about  a  mile  north  of  Albion, 
where  he  owned  several  hundred  acres,  ex- 
tending into  Elk  Creek  township. 

The  first  male  child  was  Henry  Wood, 
born  about  1798.  The  first  female  children 
were  Ruth,  daughter  of  Elihu  Crane  and  wife, 
and  Eliza,  daughter  of  Abiather  Crane  and 
wife,  who  were  born  in  the  same  house  near 
Lexington,  on  the  same  day,  April  20,  1799. 
Ruth  Crane  married  Isaac  Pomeroy,  and  be- 
caiTie  the  mother  of  two  sons — Alden  and  Je- 
rome— and  seven  daughters.  The  first  record- 
ed death  was  that  of  Mrs.  Thomas  Alexander, 
who  expired  in  1801.  The  oldest  ladies  who 
ever  lived  in  the  township  were  Mrs.  Thomas 
Bowman,  who  died  in  the  fall  of  1862.  aged 
nearly  92  years,  and  Mrs.  Elias    Palmer,  who 


died  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  94.  Elias  Palmer 
was  the  oldest  man.  His  death  occurred  in 
1878,  at  which  time  he  was  98  years  of  age. 

STKEAMS    AND    BRIDGES. 

The  chief  stream  of  the  township  is  Con- 
neaut creek,  which  rises  below  Conneautville, 
in  Crawford  county,  flows  in  a  general  north- 
erly course  to  the  Springfield  line,  then  turns 
abruptly  westward,  and  continues  into 
Ohio.  After  changing  its  course,  it  forms  the 
boundary  line  between  Conneaut  and  Spring- 
field, the  former  lying  on  the  south  and  the 
latter  on  the  north.  In  Ohio  it  continues  west- 
ward nine  miles  to  Kingsville,  then  makes  an- 
other sudden  bend  to  the  east,  and  comes  back 
eight  miles  to  Conneaut,  where  it  turns  again 
to  the  north,  and,  after  a  further  course  of 
about  a  mile,  empties  into  the  lake  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  the  boundary  of  Pennsylvania, 
forming  Conneaut  harbor.  It  is  the  most 
crooked  of  the  lake  shore  streams,  the  length 
from  head  to  mouth  by  its  windings  being 
from  seventy  to  seventy-five  miles,  while  the 
distance  by  an  air  line  is  not  more  than  twen- 
ty-five miles.  The  valley  of  the  creek  forms 
the  route  of  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R. 
through  Conneaut  township,  and  was  utilized 
for  the  same  purpose  in  laying  out  the  old 
canal  from  Albion  southward,  the  bed  of 
which  is  now  occupied  in  the  main  by  the 
Pittsburg,  Shenango  and  Lake  Erie  R  R. 
The  length  of  Conneaut  creek  througli  the 
township  is  fully  twelve  miles. 

The  West  branch  of  Conneaut  creek  rises 
in  Crawford  county,  near  the  Ohio  line,  runs 
in  a  general  northeasterly  direction  through 
the  south  part  of  the  township,  and  unites 
near  Keepville,  after  a  course  of  between  nine 
and  ten  miles.  The  East  branch  heads  in 
Crawford  county,  below  the  Elk  Creek  line, 
runs  past  Wellsburg  and  Cranesville,  and  en- 
ters Conneaut  township  a  mile  or  so  northeast 
of  Albion.  It  has  a  length  of  not  far  from  ten 
miles.  At  Wellsburg  it  is  joined  by  Frazier's 
run,  and  at  Albion  by  Jackson's  run.  The 
latter  takes  its  rise  on  the  Conneaut  and  Elk 
Creek  line,  near  Crawford  county,  flows  north, 
then  northeast,  and  is  from  four  to  six  miles 
long.  After  receiving  Jackson's  run,  the  East 
branch  continues  about  half  a  mile  further  be- 
fore merging  with  the  main  stream.  Marsh 
run  heads  in  the  west,  flows  eastward  and 
empties  into  the  Conneaut  about  a   mile   from 


^ct<o^cL  /3,  /n^C 


/>-o--a-'v-v:>^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


283 


Albion  depot,  having  a  length  of  four  or  five 
miles. 

The  dividing  ridge  between  the  waters  of 
the  lake  and  the  Allegheny  turns  to  the  south 
in  Fairview  townsliip,  and  follows  nearly  the 
line  of  Conneaut  creek  into  Crawford  county. 

The  frequent  streams  and  their  unusual 
crookedness  are  a  source  of  heavy  expense  to  the 
tax-payers,  the  number  of  bridges  and  the  cost 
of  keeping  them  up  being  greater  than  in  any 
other  township  of  the  county.  Not  to  name 
those  on  the  branches,  there  are,  on  Conneaut 
creek  alone,  the  Law,  Griffith,  Porter,  Perry 
and  Salsbury  bridges,  along  the  Springfield 
lin3  ;  and  the  Pomeroy,  Kennedy,  Harrington, 
Silverthorn,  Keepville  and  Spaulding  within 
the  township  proper.  These  include  the  pub- 
lic bridges  only.  All  of  the  township  bridges, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Kennedy,  which  is 
of  iron,  are  built  of  timber. 

I.ANDS    AND    LAND    LITIGATION. 

The  valley  of  Conneaut  creek  from  Craw- 
ford county  to  Springfield  varies  in  width 
from  a  third  of  a  mile  to  a  mile,  and  con- 
sists of  a  sand)"  loam,  which  is  very  fertile, 
producing  everything  that  can  be  raised  along 
the  lake  shore.  West  of  Lexington,  along  the 
Conneaut  and  Springfield  line,  there  are  oc- 
casional small  spots  of  bottom  land,  but  gen- 
erall)-  speaking  the  hills  run  almost  to  the 
water's  edge.  A  large  tract  of  country,  in  the 
southwest,  near  the  Ohio  and  Crawford  coun- 
ty line,  was  in  forest  until  a  comparatively  re- 
cent date,  when  large  companies  went  in  and 
cut  off  most  of  the  timber.  Fruits  of  nearly 
all  kinds  are  grown  readilv.  The  price  of 
land  varies  greatly,  being  as  low  as  fifteen 
dollars  an  acre  in  some  localities  and  as  high 
as   fifty  dollars  in  others. 

John  B.  Wallace,  of  Philadelphia,  located 
in  Meadville  at  an  early  day,  as  attorney  for 
the  Holland  Land  Company.  In  that  capacity 
he  took  up  tracts  in  various  places,  among 
them  being  one  of  10,0(M')  acres  in  the 
western  part  of  Conneaut  township.  This 
property  was  sold  on  an  execution  against 
Mr.  Wallace  in  1825,  and  purchased  by  or  in 
behalf  of  Stephen  Girard,  of  Philadelphia. 
It  was  Mr.  Girard's  design  to  make  extensive 
improvements  by  erecting  mills,  opening 
roads,  etc.,  but  while  his  agent  was  arranging 
to  carry  out  his  plans,  news  came  in  Tanuarv. 
1832,  of  the  millionaire's  death.  By  Mr. 
19 


Girard's    will,    the    Conneaut    lands,    with    a 

large  quantity  of  others,  were  left   in  trust  to 

the  city  of  Philadelphia  as  a  perpetual  fund  for 

■   the    maintenance    of    a   college    for  orphans. 

j  After  the  death  of  Mr.   Wallace,  in  1883,  his 

'  heirs    claimed    that    the    Conneaut  lands   had 

been  wrongfully  sold,  because  the  title  was  in 

Mrs.    Wallace    instead  of  her   husband.      Suit 

was  brought  in  the  name  of  the  Wallace  heirs 

to    recover    the  property    and    a    verdict    was 

rendered  against  the  Girard  estate. 

The  Moravian  grant  embraced  between 
400  and  500  acres  in  the  northwestern  corner 
of  Conneaut,  extending  over  from  Springfield, 
where  the  most  of  the  "  Hospitality  tract  "  lay.  ■ 

PREHISTORIC  REM.\1XS. 

On  the  John  Pomeroy  place,  upon  the  sec- 
ond flat  of  Conneaut  creek,  arc  the  traces  of 
i  an  ancient  circle,  such  as  exist  in  Girard, 
Springfield,  Harbor  Creek,  Fairview,  Wayne 
and  other  townships  of  the  county.  It  incloses 
about  three-fourths  of  an  acre.  The  embank- 
ment, when  the  country  was  cleared  up,  was 
about  three  feet  high  by  si.x  feet  thick  at  the 
base,  with  large  trees  growing  upon  it.  One 
of  these,  a  mammoth  oak,  when  cut  down,  in- 
dicated by  its  rings  an  age  of  five  hundred 
years.  Beneath  the  tree  the  skeleton  of  a 
human  being  was  taken  up  which  showed 
that  giants  lived  in  those  remote  ages.  The 
bones  measured  eleven  feet  from  head  to  foot, 
the  jawbone  easily  covered  that  of  a  man  who 
weighed  over  200  pounds,  and  the  lower  hone 
of  the  leg,  being  compared  with  that  of  a  per- 
son who  was  six  feet  four  inches  in  height, 
was  found  to  be  nearly  a  foot  longer.  Another 
circle  of  a  similar  character  existed  on  the 
Taylor  farm — later  owned  by  J.  L.  Strong. 
On  the  Pomeroy  place  is  also  a  peculiar 
mound,  about  100  feet  long,  fifty  wide  and 
twentj'-five  high.  It  stands  on  the  south  side 
of  a  small  stream,  upon  flat  land,  and  is  wholly 
detached  from  the  adjacent   blutT. 

THE    OLD    C.\XAL,    THE    RAILROADS    .VXD   .M.\IX 
COM.MOX    ROADS. 

The  Pennsylvania-Erie  canal,  one  of  the 
things  of  the  past,  entered  Conneaut  from 
Elk  Creek  at  a  point  between  Cranesville  and 
Albion,  and  continued  south  bv  nearly  the 
same  route  as  the  P.,  S.  &  L.  E."R.  R.  The 
once  noted  Eleven-Mile  Level,  the  longest  on 
its  line,  reached  from  near  Lockport,  through 


2^4 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONAET 


Albion,  to  Spring  Corners,  Crawford  county. 
North  of  Albion,  the  canal  crossed  the  East 
branch  by  a  culvert  forty-one  feet  high,  with 
a  span  of  between  thirty  and  forty  feet,  which 
still  stands  and  is  used  as  a  roadway. 

The  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.  runs  through 
the  whole  width  of  the  township,  from  Girard 
township  on  the  north  to  Crawford  county  on 
the  south.  The  ridge  between  Crooked  and 
Conneaut  creeks  is  overcome  by  a  deep  exca- 
vation that  is  usually  known  as  Sawdy's  Cut. 
After  that  the  road  follows  the  valley  of  the 
latter  stream  through  the  township  to  its  head 
in  Crawford  county.  The  stations  are  Lex- 
ington, Albion  Depot  and  Pennside. 

The  Pittsburg,  Shenangoand  Lake  Erie  R. 
R.  crosses  the  township  from  north  to  south, 
branching  at  Cranesville,  from  which  one  line 
extends  to  Erie  and  the  other  to  Conneaut 
Harbor.  Its  stations  are  Pennside,  Keepville 
and  Albion.  There  is  also  a  station  at  Cranes- 
ville, just  on  the  line  between  Conneaut  and 
Elk  Creek  townships. 

The  main  common  roads  are  the  Lex- 
ington, from  the  latter  place  to  Girard,  opened 
about  1797  ;  the  State  road  across  the  north 
part  of  the  township,  from  Elk  Creek  to  Ohio  ; 
theMeadville  road,  from  Lexington  into  Craw- 
ford county  ;  the  Albion  and  Cranesville  road  ; 
the  Albion  and  Wellsburg  road  ;  the  road  from 
Albion  due  west  to  Conneaut  Center;  the  Al- 
bion and  Keepville;  "Porky  street,"  from 
Cherry  Hill  south;  and  the  Creek  road  from 
Pomeroy's  bridge  to  Crawford  county. 

MILLS,   SCHOOLS  AND  GRAVEYARDS. 

The  mills  and  factories  are  :  The  Walnut 
Shade  cheese  factory,  on  the  State  road,  three 
miles  from  Cherrv  Hill  ;  Kennedv's  brick  yard 
and  tile  factory,  near  the  Kennedy  bridge,  and 
a  large  sawmill  at  Pennside. 

No  record  is  to  be  had  of  the  earliest  schools 
in  the  township.  A  school  was  held  in  a 
cabin  on  the  farm  of  Nathaniel  Pomeroy, 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  northwest  from 
Albion  about  1822.  About  1823,  a  log  school 
house  was  built  in  that  neighborhood.  A 
school  was  held  at  an  early  date  near  the  site 
of  Thornton's  gristmill,  in  Albion  borough. 
The  building  burned  down  about  1824. 

There  is  an  old  graveyard  at  Saulsbury's 
bridge,  where  a  number  of  the  early  settlers 
are  buried,  and  others  at  Keepville   and    near 


Kenned}''s  bridge.     Most  of    the  burials   take 
place  at  East  Springfield. 

PRINCIPAL    SETTLEMENTS. 

Albion  Depot  (Wunnetta  P.  O.)  is  on  the 
Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.,  twenty-six  miles 
from  Erie  city,  and  about  a  mile  west  from 
Albion  borough.  It  embraces,  besides  the 
depot  building,  a  grocery  and  twelve  or  fifteen 
houses,  most  of  which  are  occupied  by  em- 
ployes of  the  railroad. 

Keepville  consists  of  a  postofhce,  store, 
church  building,  school  house,  and  several  resi- 
dences, at  the  intersection  of  two  roads,  near 
Conneaut  creek,  two  and  a  half  miles  south- 
west of  Albion  borough.  It  was  named  after 
Marsena  Keep,  Sr.,  who  settled  there  in  1808. 
Keepville  Wesleyan  congregation  was  organ- 
ized in  1854,  Rev.  John  L.  Moore  being  the 
first  pastor.  The  church  building  was  erected 
the  same  year,  at  a  cost  of  .i!l,500. 

A  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  school 
house,  two  stores,  blacksmith  shop  and  twenty 
to  thirty  houses  constitute  the  village  of  Cherry 
Hill,  on  the  State  road,  about  half  a  mile  south 
of  the  Springfield  line,  and  five  miles  west  of 
Albion.  Porter's  grist  and  sawmill,  on  Con- 
neaut creek,  in  Springfield  township,  are  a 
little  north  of  the  village.  The  church  was 
organized  with  about  fifteen  members,  by  Rev. 
J.  W.  Wilson,  in  1858,  and  the  building  was 
erected  the  same  year  at  a  cost  of  .$1,250. 

When  Col.  McNair  established  his  agency 
for  the  Population  Company,  in  1797,  he  laid 
out  a  town  plat  of  1,600  acres,  at  the  big  bend 
of  Conneaut  creek,  near  the  present  Spring- 
field line,  to  which  he  gave  the  title  of  Lex- 
ington. Roads  were  laid  out,  and,  being  the 
center  of  the  company's  operations  in  the  west, 
Lexington  in  time  became  a  village  of  no  little 
pretension.  At  one  period  it  had  a  store, 
schoolhouse,  hotel,  distillery,  and  several  resi- 
dences. A  postoffice  was  established  in  1828, 
with  David  Sawdey  as  postmaster.  The  town 
went  down  and  the  postoffice  was  abandoned. 
All  that  exists  to  preserve  the  memory  of  the 
place  is  a  small  railroad  station  on  the  Erie 
and  Pittsburg  R.  R. 

Pennside,  on  both  of  the  railroads,  just 
north  of  the  Crawford  county  line,  consists  of 
a  station  house,  sawmill,  two  stores,  a  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  building,  a  school- 
house,  blacksmith  shop  and  some  twenty 
houses.     The  town  was  started  by  John  Avery 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


28! 


Tracy,  about  ten  years  ago.  The  church  was 
built  about  1890  and  the  congregation  is  at- 
tached to  Albion  circuit. 

Tracy,  once  a  bustliny  little  place,  named 
after  the  gentleman  above  referred  to,  has  lost 
its  former  glory.  It  consists  now  of  nothing 
but  a  schoolhouse,  grocery  and  a   few  houses. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  citizens  of  Con- 
neaut  township  who  have  been  elected  to 
Legislative  and  county  offices  :  Assembly — 
David  Sawdey,  1838;  Humphrey  A.  Hills, 
1853-54.  Commissioner — Abiather  Crane, 
1803  to  1805;  John  Salsbury,  1825  to  1828; 
David  Sawdey,  1841  to  1844;  Humphrey  A. 
Hills,  1847  to'  1850 ;  Garner  Palmer,  1802  to 
1865,  and  1809  to  1872;  Geo.  C.  Mills,  elected 
in  1877  and  1880.  Ji'r\-  Commissioner,  H. 
B.  Brewster,  elected  in  1885.  Mercantile  Ap- 
praiser, Liberty  Salsbury,  1872;  S.  D.  Saw- 
dey, appointed  for  1892.  County  Auditor, 
W.J.  Brockway,  1875  to  1878;  S.  D.  Saw- 
dey, elected  in  1893.  Hon.  George  H.  Cut- 
ler lived  in  Conneaut  township  for  a  time,  and 
taught  school  in  Albion.  He  moved  from 
there  to  Girard,  and  served  the  county  as 
State  Senator  from  1873  to  1870,  being  Presi- 
dent of  the  Senate  one  term.  D.  A.  Sawdey, 
Esq.,  the  well-known  Erie  attorney,  is  a 
native  of  the  township. 


BOROUGH  OF  ALBION. 

[see  conxeaut.] 

Albion  borough  occupies  an  elevated  site 
at  the  junction  of  Jackson's  run  with  the  East 
branch,  near  the  Elk  Creek  line,  a  mile  east 
of  Albion  depot,  and  t\venty-five  miles  south- 
west of  Erie  by  the  Shenango  R.  R.  The  first 
settlers  at  Albion  were  Thomas  Alexander, 
Patrick  Kennedy,  \\'illiam  Paine,  Ichabod 
Baker  and  Lyman  Jackson.  Michael  Jack- 
son, son  of  Lyman,  who  built  the  first  saw- 
mill, did  not  become  a  permanent  resident 
until  1815.  William  Sherman  settled  at  Al- 
bion in  1827,  coming  from  Herkimer  county, 
N.  Y.  Thomas  Thornton  came  from  Eng- 
land at  an  early  age,  and  settled  in  Albion 
about  1857.  Of  other  old  residents,  E.  W. 
Stuntz  settled  in  1815,  coming  from  Kings- 
ville,  Ohio;  Dr.  J.  S.  Skeels,  in  1848,  from 
Spring,  Crawford  county ;  Dr.  P.  D.  Flower, 
in  1855,  from  Harbor  Creek;  Dr.  L.  D, 
Davenport,  in    1850,  from   Ellington  Center, 


N.  Y.,  and  Jeduthan  Wells,  in  1857,  from 
Wellsburg. 

Amos  King  built  the  first  gristmill  and 
Lyman  Jackson  taught  the  first  school.  The 
town  was  long  known  as  Jackson's  Cross 
Roads,  and  the  postoflice  name  has  been  suc- 
cessively Jacksonville,  Juliet  and  Albion.  It 
is  one  mile  from  Albion  to  Cranesville  and 
Wellsburg  (the  three  places  forming  the 
points  of  an  equilateral  triangle),  six  to  East 
Springfield,  eight  to  Girard,  six  to  Spring  and 
nine  to  Conneautville.  The  canal  passed 
through  the  place,  and  to  the  business  that 
grew  out  of  it  Albion  owed  most  of  its 
growth.  The  Denio  fork  and  handle  factory 
was  located  at  Albion  until  its  destructioi  by 
fire  in  1873,  which  resulted  in  the  removal  of 
the  business  to  Miles  Grove. 

Albion  was  incorporated  as  a  borough  in 
1861,  taking  in  a  section  of  Conneaut  town- 
ship exactly  a  mile  square.  It  then  contained 
443  inhabitants.  The  population  in  1870  was 
452.  433  in  1880,  and  300  in  1890.  The  first 
borough  officers  ^vere  elected  in  March,  1861, 
Perry  Kidder  being  chosen  Burgess.  Albion 
is  an  important  station  of  the  P.,  S.  &  L.  E. 
R.  R.,  which  passes  through  the  borough. 

CHURCHES. 

The  religious  denominations  are  Methodist 
Episcopal,  Disciple,  Catholic  and  Congrega- 
tional. The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
in  this  vicinity  stood  about  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  west  of  Albion,  and  was  built  more  than 
sixty  years  ago.  It  was  occupied  until  about 
1855,  when  the  society  was  disbanded  and 
the  building  removed.  At  Albion  a  societ}- 
had  been  formed  previous  to  the  dismember- 
ment of  the  above  class.  It  held  services  in 
the  academy  until  about  1855,  when  the  pres- 
ent church  was  built.  It  cost  $2,000  and  was 
dedicated  by  the  famous  Calvin  Kingslej-. 
The  congregation  decided,  in  November,  1894, 
to  enlarge  and  improve  the  building. 

Catholic  services  have  been  held  at  Albion 
for  a  long  period.  Forty  years  ago  the  society 
was  an  old  one.  The  membership  includes 
about  twentv-five  families.  The  charge  has 
generally  been  supplied  by  priests  from  Cross- 
ingville  and  Conneautville.  The  congrega- 
tion has  no  building. 

A  Disciple  congregation  was  organized  in 
the  spring  of  1880  by  Rev.  Clarence  J.  Cush- 


286 


JSTELSOIf'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


man.      The   class    is    small,   but    has   a    frame 
church  edifice  partially  finished. 

A  Congregational  society  was  formed  Jan- 
uary 23,  1893,  and  has  taken  steps  toward  the 
erection  of  a  building. 

SCHOOLS,    SKCUET    SOCIETIES,    ETC. 

The  borough  contains  a  good  two-story 
school  building,  a  Masonic  Hall  and  an  Odd 
Fellows'  Hall. 

The  school  building  was  erected  in  18G"5 
at  a  cost,  inclusive  of  furniture  and  apparatus, 
of  $7,000.  Previous  to  that  the  borough 
schools  were  held  in  the  academy,  built  in 
1838. 

Albion  Lodge,  No.  37G,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was 
instituted  September  14,  1849,  with  eight 
charter  members.  A  fire  in  1851  destroyed 
its  hall,  charter  and  books.  A  second  hall 
was  erected,  which  al^o  burned  down  on  the 
night  of  February  10,  1884,  together  with  one 
store.      The  hall  was  rebuilt  about  1885. 

Western  Star  Lodge,  No.  304,  F.  &  A.  M., 
was  chartered  December  1,  185G.  It  owns 
the  second  floor  of  the  building,  built  in  1874, 
in  which  the  meetings  are  held. 

Albion  Lodge,  No.  88,  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  was  instituted  March  10, 
1875,  with  about  twenty  members. 

Albion  Union,  No.  101,  Equitable  Aid, 
was  chartered  with  thirty-one  members  May 
27,  1880. 

Mystic  Circle,  of  the  Protected  Home  Cir- 
cle, was  started  in  1894. 

Conneaut  Grange  commenced  holding 
meetings  in  Albion  in  the  spring  of  1893. 

Camp  67  of  the  State  Police  was  organ- 
ized in  1893. 

MILLS,    NEWSPAPERS,    HOTEL,  ETC. 

The  water-power,  once  quite  good,  has 
become  unreliable  since  the  clearing  up  of  the 
country.      The  llouring-mill  was  built  in  1828 


bv  Amos  King  and  was  purchased  by  Joshua 
Thornton.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  July  15, 
1889,  and  rebuilt  in  the  summer  of  1890.  The 
woolen-mill  was  erected  by  W.  H.  Gray  in 
1840,  burned  in  1876  and  rebuilt  in  1880  by 
Thomas  Thornton.  Michael  Jackson  built  a 
rake  factory  in  1846.  It  was  overhauled  and 
much  extended  by  George  Van  Riper  &.  Co., 
and  burned  down  in  the  fall  of  1894.  An  oar 
factory  was  built  by  Henry  Salisbury  and 
Reuben  McLallen  in  1859.  It  burned  down 
on  the  1st  of  March,  1868,  was  rebuilt  by 
Frank  Wells  the  same  year,  and  again  fell  a 
vict'm  to  the  flames.  The  creamery,  hoop 
and  lumber-mill  and  a  sawmill  were  started 
in  1895. 

The  Eric  Comity  Enterprise  was  started 
June  15,  1877,  but  failed  in  1880  for  want  of 
support.  Its  publishers  were  J.  W.  Britton 
and  F.  J.  Duinars. 

The  Albion  Blizzard,  a  weekly  newspa- 
per, was  established  by  two  of  the  young 
business  men  of  Albion  borough — E.  C.  Pal- 
mer and  E.  F.  Davenport— May  25,  1882.  It 
is  still  in  operation,  under  the  vigorous  man- 
agement of  Mr.  Davenport. 

The  Sherman  House  was  built  in  1828  by 
Benjamin  Nois.  It  passed  into  the  hands  of 
William  Sherman  some  time  after,  who  con- 
tined  as  its  proprietor  about  fifty  yiars.  The 
house  has  long  been  managed  by  his  son,  Mott 
Sherman. 

Albion  has  furnished  the  following  public 
officials  :  Assembly,  Orlando  Logan,  1875—6  ; 
Clerk  to  the  Directors  of  the  Poor,  J.  A.  Rob- 
ison,  appointed  January  1,  1888;  Clerk  to 
the  County  Commissioners,  J.  A.  Robison, 
appointed  January   1,  1890. 

The  borough  has  a  cemetery  for  general 
burial  purposes,  but  it  is  hardly  what  would 
be  expected  of  the  community.  Steps  were 
taken  in  September,  1895,  to  secure  a  cem- 
etery that  will  be  more  in  accord  with  the 
times. 


CHAPTKR    II 


AMITY   TOWNSHIP. 


AMITY  TOWNSHIP  was  created  in 
18:25,  being  wholly  taken  fiom  Union. 
It  liad  a  population  of  385  in  1830, 
560  in  1840,  739  in  1850,  1,016  in 
1860,  924  in  1870,  1,033  in  1880  and 
912  in  1890,  of  whom  all  were  whites  and  few 
if  any  of  foreign  birth.  The  township  lines 
are  straight  on  all  sides.  Its  length  from  east 
to  west  is  about  six  and  three-quarter  miles, 
and  breadth  from  north  to  south  about  four 
and  one-fourth  miles.  The  towrship  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Venango,  on  the  east 
by  Wayne,  on  the  south  by  Union,  and  on  the 
west  by  Le  Bceuf  and  Waterford.  Its  post- 
offices  are  Hatch  Hollow,  Arbuckle  (Mill- 
town)  and  Teller.  The  township  has  no  set- 
tlements of  any  size,  the  only  places  that  can 
be  called  villages  being  Milltown  and  Hatch 
Hollow.  There  is  no  railroad  within  the 
township,  and  the  nearest  station  is  at 
Union  City.  The  main  portion  of  Amity 
was  embraced  within  the  Tenth  Donation 
District. 

STREAMS    AN'D    15UIDGES. 

The  chief  stream  of  Amity  townsiiip  is 
French  creek,  of  which  all  the  others  within 
its  limits  are  tributaries.  The  East  and  West 
branches  unite  on  the  north  line,  just  outside  of 
the  borough  limits  of  Wattsburg,  and  the  joint 
stream  flows  across  the  township  in  a  south- 
westerly course  into  Waterford,  leaving  a  tri- 
angular strip  of  territory,  on  the  upper  side 
known  to  the  inhabitants  as  "  Canada."  Its 
total  length  within  the  township  is  nearly 
seven  miles.  The  most  important  tributaries 
on  the  north  side  are  the  Outlet  of  Lake  Pleas- 
ant, Jones'  creek  and  Henry  brook  ;  and  on 
the  south  side  the  Hubbell  Alder  run,  the 
Hatch  Hollow  Alder  run,  Deerlick  run  and 
Duncombe  run.  The  Outlet  of  Lake  Pleasant 
rises  in  the  lake  of  that  name,  in  the  southwest 
corner  of  Venango,  has  a  length  of  about 
three  miles,  and  empties  into  French  creek  oh 


the  Stow  farm.  Jones'  creek  heads  near  the 
south  line  of  Venango,  and  falls  into  the  chief 
stream  on  the  Ashton  place,  having  a  course 
of  about  four  miles.  Henrj-  brook  also  takes 
its  rise  in  Venango,  is  about  two  miles  long, 
and  joins  French  creek  on  the  Northrop  farm. 
The  Hubbell  Alder  run  begins  with  two 
branches,  close  to  the  Wayne  township  line, 
and  ends  near  W^attsbnrg,  after  a  course  of 
some  five  miles.  On  the  Maynard  farm  it  re- 
ceives Lowe  brook,  a  small  stream  which 
rises  in  the  northeast.  The  Hatch  Hollow 
Alder  run  heads  in  Union  township,  and  be- 
comes a  part  of  French  creek  on  the  Bald- 
win place,  close  to  tiie  mouth  of  the  outlet  of 
Lake  Pleasant.  It  has  a  length  of  about  six 
miles.  Duncombe  run  takes  its  rise  on  the 
McCullough  place  and  falls  into  French  creek 
on  the  farm  formerlj' owned  by  Eli  Duncombe. 
The  head  of  Deer  Lick  run  is  on  the  north 
edge  of  Union,  and  its  length  is  not  far  from 
four  miles.  It  unites  witli  the  main  stream 
on  the  old  Phillips  farm. 

The  only  bridge  over  French  creek  proper 
within  the  township,  is  the  iron  one  at  Bald- 
win's flats,  which  lias  a  span  of  100  feet  and 
cost  !|i2,340.  An  iion  bridge,  with  eighty  feet 
span,  crosses  one  stem  of  the  East  branch 
near  Wattsburg.  and  another,  the  West 
branch,  making  three  iron  btidges  in   all. 

MILLS    AND     UOADS. 

The  mills  and  factories  are  as  follows:  On 
the  Hatch  Hollow  Alder  run  a  sawmill;  on 
the  outlet  of  Lake  Pleasant,  at  Milltown,  a 
sawmill  and  shingle-mill,  a  gristmill,  two 
saw  mills  and  a  wagon  sliop  ;  on  the  McAllis- 
ter road  a  sawmill  and  shingle-mill.  There 
is  a  creamery  at  Milltown,  started  in  1888  or 
'89,  and  anotlier  at  Hatch  Hollow,  built  in 
1893. 

The  first  sawmill  in  Amity  was  put  up 
above  Milltown,  on  the  stream  which  runs 
through  the  Hatch  place,  and  empties  into  the 


288 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


Outlet  of  Lake  Pleasant.  The  second  mill 
was  erected  by  Capt.  James  Donaldson  on 
the  Outlet  at  Milltown  in  ]82l>  or  1823.  It 
was  a  grist  and  sawmill  combined.  The  dam 
of  this  mill  remained  till  some  five  or  six  years 
ago. 

The  main  roads  are  the  Waterford  and 
Wattsburg,  along  the  south  side  of  French 
creek ;  the  Lake  Pleasant  and  Wattsburg, 
which  is  merged  into  the  former  on  Baldwin's 
flats;  the  Union  and  Wattsburg;  the  Beaver 
Dam  and  Wattsburg ;  the  Corry  and  Watts- 
burg ;  the  Lake  Pleasant  and  Union  ;  and  the 
Lake  Pleasant,  Hatch  Hollow  and  Union. 
The  Erie  and  Lake  Pleasant  road  terminates 
at  the  .Stow  bridge  on  Frencii  creek,  and  is 
designated  above  that  as  the  Lake  Pleasant 
and  Wattsburg. 

SCHOOLS    AND    CHURCHES. 

Of  the  early  schools  mention  may  be  made 
of  a  log  schoolhouse  that  was  built  about  the 
year  1825,  and  stood  probably  one-half  of  the 
distance  between  the  residence  of  J.  Chaffee 
and  the  borough  of  Wattsburg.  Some  years 
later,  a  school  house  was  built  at  Hatch  Hol- 
low, which  was  replaced  by  the  present  build- 
ing. There  was  a  log  schoolhouse  on  Bald- 
win's flats,  near  Alder  run,  in  1885,  which 
burned  down.  Both  the  original  and  its  suc- 
cessor were  built  by  private  contributions. 
The  second  building  was  also  destroyed  by 
fire,  and  the  present  house  is  tiie  third  one  on 
the  site. 

The  M.  E.  Church  at  Hatch  Hollow  was 
built  and  dedicated  in  1859,  the  congregation 
having  been  organized  about  twentj-five  jears 
before. 

GENKR.M-   DESCUIPTION. 

Amity  is  in  general  a  hilly  township,  but 
there  are  some  splendid  flats  along  French 
creek,  the  Outlet  of  Lake  Pleasant,  the  Hatch 
Hollow  Alder  run  and  Deer  Lick  run.  The 
valley  of  French  creek  ranges  from  half  a  mile 
to  two  and  a  half  miles  in  width,  reaching  its 
greatest  extent  at  the  Outlet  of  Lake  Pleasant. 
The  township  as  a  whole  is  more  suited  for 
grazing  than  anything  else.  Great  quantities 
of  butter  are  made,  and  the  raising  of  cattle  is 
an  important  industry.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
as  much  wheat  is  reaped  as  the  people  con- 
sume, but  oats,  corn  and  potatoes  are  produced 


in  excess  of  home  needs.  Apples  thrive  vig- 
orously, but  other  fruits  do  not  succeed  as  well. 
Valley  lands  are  held  as  high  as  fifty  dollars 
an  acre,  but  some  swampy  spots  are  not  valued 
at  more  than  twenty  dollars.  On  the  hills, 
the  price  of  land  ranges  from  twenty  dollars 
to  thirty  dollars.  Perhaps  one-third  of  the 
township  is  still  covered  with  timber. 

Milltown  is  a  place  of  about  thirty  build- 
ings, and  nearl)'  a  hundred  people,  situated  on 
the  Outlet,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  below  Lake 
Pleasant,  and  fourteen  and  a  half  from  Erie. 
It  got  its  name  from  the  number  of  mills  located 
there.     Its  postoffice  title  is  Arbuckle. 

Hatch  Hollow,  on  the  Union  and  Watts- 
burg road,  derived  its  name  from  the  numerous 
Hatch  family  in  the  neighborhood.  It  is  the 
postoffice  of  the  south  part  of  the  township. 
Besides  the  church,  creamery,  etc.,  it  numbers 
probably  fifteen  houses. 

The  cemetery  at  Hatch  Hollow  embraces 
about  three  acres.  It  has  been  in  existence 
some  twentv-five  years.  There  is  a  burjing 
ground  of  about  an  acre  on  the  T.  Ashton  farm, 
and  a  number  of  family  graveyards  are  kept  up 
in  various  parts  of  the  township. 

Amity  has  hail  two  members  of  Assembly, 
viz.  :  William  Sanborn,  elected  in  1846  an^J 
1847,  and  Warren  Chaffee,  elected  in  1886 ; 
and  one  County  Auditor,  Francis  F.  Stow, 
elected  in  1867. 

THE    PIONEERS. 

The  first  lands  taken  up  in  Amity  township 
were  bj'  William  Miles,  the  founder  of  Watts- 
burg, who  located  1,2(X)  acres  on  the  outlet  of 
Lake  Pleasant,  in  1796;  but  made  his  home  in 
Concord.  Aljout  the  same  time  John  Fagan 
cleared  up  a  piece  of  land  near  Hatch  Hollow, 
and  a  man  named  McGahan  went  in  the  same 
year.  Fagan  remained  until  1807,  when  he 
changed  to  Mill  Creek.  Hazen  Sheppard 
and  wife  located  in  the  township  in  1812  ; 
John  Carron  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  per- 
inanant  settler,  but  the  year  he  went  in  is  un- 
known. In  1816,  Benjamin  Hinkston  settled 
in  Greere  township  from  Vermont,  but 
changed  to  Amity  in  1818.  In  1819,  Charles 
Capron  moved  in  from  New  Hampshire,  and 
was  joined  tiie  same  year  by  Seth  Shepardson 
and  Timothy  Reed.  Capron's  father  and 
mother  accompanied  him.  James  McCullough 
and  Capt.  James  Donaldson  became  residents 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUSTY. 


289 


of  the  township  in  18:20,  the  latter  locating 
near  Lake  Pleasant.  Capt.  Donaldson  was 
from  Cumberland  county.  Other  settlers  went 
in  as  follows  :  In  1829,  Jabez  G.  Hubbell,  of 
Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  with  his  wife  and  sons, 
Hiram  and  David,  Royal  D.  Mason  and  Jacob 


Rouse  ;  in  1830,  the  Duncombes,  Pliny  May- 
nard  and  Elias  Patterson;  in  1881,  William 
B.  Maynard,  son  of  Pliny  ;  in  1883,  George 
W.  Baldwin;  in  1847,  John  Allen,  from  Ot- 
sego county,  N.  Y. 


CHAPTER     III. 


CONCORD   TOWNSHIP— BOROUGH   OF   ELGIN. 


PREVIOUS  to  1821,  all  of  Erie  county 
from  the  eastern  boundary  of  Union 
and  Amity  to  the  Warren  county  line 
\vas  known  as  Brokenstraw  township. 
In  that  year,  the  name  was  changed 
from  Brokenstraw  to  Concord.  This  contin- 
ued until  1826,  when  the  township  was 
divided,  the  northern  portion  receiving  the 
name  of  Wayne  and  the  southern  retaining 
the  old  title.  The  three  names,  Union,  Amity 
and  Concord  were  suggested  by  William 
Miles.  As  constituted  in  1826,  Concord  con- 
tains 25,590  acres,  but  its  size  has  been  re- 
duced to  19,781  by  the  taking  off  of  a  slice  for 
Corrj'  borough  in  1863,  of  another  in  1866, 
when  that  place  was  incorporated  as  a  cit}', 
and  of  a  third  by  the  creation  of  Elgin 
borough,  in  1876. 

Concord  is  the  extreme  southeastern  town- 
ship of  the  county.  It  is  bounded  on  the 
north  bj'  Wayne  and  Corry  ;  on  the  east  by 
Warren  countj' ;  on  the  south  by  Craw-ford 
county  ;  and  on  the  west  by  L  nion  township. 
The  only  settlement  in  the  township  that  can 
lay  any  claim  to  be  styled  a  village,  since 
Elgin  was  made  a  borough,  is  the  small  col- 
lection of  buildings  at  Lovell's  Station,  which 
is  also  the  sole  postoffice.  The  population  of 
Concord  was  eighty-three  in  1820,  225  in  1830, 
052  in  1840,  882  in  1850,  1,255  in  1860,  1,112 
in  1870,  1,171  in  1880  and  991  in  1890.  IMost 
of  the  mail  for  the  township  is  handled 
through  the  postoffice  at  Corry,  which  city  is 
also  the  principal  trading  point. 


COUNTY    OFFICERS. 

The  county  officers  from  Concord  have 
been  as  follows  :  County  Commissioner, 
Simeon  Stewart,  elected  in  1849;  William  R. 
Wade  in  1884  and  1887.  County  Auditors, 
David  Nash,  1858;  Wm.  H.  Belknap,  1860. 
Mercantile  Appraiser  for  1895,  T.  W.  Pope. 
Clerk  to  the  Directors  of  the  Poor,  F.  E. 
Wade,  appointed  January  1,  1890.  Mr. 
Stewart  was  the  Commissioner  under  whose 
supervision  the  present  courthouse  at  Erie  was 
planned  and  erected.  While  the  township 
has  been  treated  so  sparingly  in  the  bestowal 
of  official  honors,  it  has  evened  the  matter  up, 
in  a  certain  sense,  by  turning  out  more  law- 
yers, doctors  and  editors  than  any  other  in  the 
county.  Hon.  M.  M.  Estee,  Republican  can- 
didate for  Governor  of  California  in  1894,  was 
a  native  of  the  township. 

EARLIEST    SETTLEMENTS. 

The  pioneers  of  Concord  township  were 
William  Miles  and  his  brother-in-law,  William 
Cook,  who  came  from  the  Susquehanna  val- 
ley with  their  families  in  June,  1795.  They 
first  located  just  north  of  the  Crawford  county 
line,  but  changed  to  a  short  distance  south  of 
the  line,  in  Sparta  township.  Mr.  Miles 
moved  to  Union  in  1800,  and  Mr.  Cook  the 
year  after.  No  other  permanent  settlements 
were  made  until  1800.  when  James  and  Robert 
McCray,  natives  of  Ireland,  took  up  homes 
for  themselves   in   the    township,  and  Joseph 


290 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Hall,  a  Virfjiniiin,  who  had  gone  to  Beaver 
Dam  ill  ITUT,  moved  over  to  the  present  site 
of  Elgin  borough.  From  tiiat  date  no  evidence 
exists  of  any  additions  to  the  colony  until 
1822  or  1823,  about  which  time  a  brisk  emi- 
gration set  in  from  New  '^'orit.  Among  the 
first  of  this  class  of  settlers  was  Elder  Jedu- 
than  Gray,  a  Baptist  minister,  with  a  family 
of  grown-up  children.  Deacon  Graves  went 
in  at  the  same  time  or  shortly  after,  and  was 
followed  between  1825  and  1835,  by  Ezekiel 
Lewis,  Jesse  and  Heman  Heath,  Simeon 
.Stewart,  William  Bugbee,  Abner  Lilly,  John 
B.  Chase,  T^'^'^s  Crowell,  Russell  Darrow, 
Hiram  Cook,  Paul  Hammond,  Stephen  HoUis, 
Buckingham  Beebe,  Elijah  Pond,  Oliver  D. 
Pier  and  others.  G.  J.  Stranahan  settled  in 
Concord  in  188(5,  having  formerl)-  resided  in 
Herkimer  county,  New  York.  His  sons,  John 
D.  and  P.  G.  Stranahan,  moved  to  LeBccuf, 
the  former  in  1849  and  the  latter  in  1850, 
from  which  place  P.  G.  changed  to  Union  in 
1859. 

GEN'EKAL  DESCRIPTION. 

Concord  is  in  general  a  hilly  township, 
but  contains  little  waste  land.  Bordering 
French  creek,  there  is  a  good  valley,  ranging 
from  eighty  rods  to  half  a  mile  in  width,  south 
of  Corry,  and  spreading  out  to  one  and  two 
miles  between  that  city  and  Union.  The  soil 
of  the  valley  is  much  better  than  that  of  the 
high  ground,  but  the  farmers  are  more  troubled 
by  the  frosts.  Corn  and  oats  are  produced  in 
all  parts  of  the  township,  and  most  of  the 
farmers  raise  their  own  wheat.  The  great 
industry,  however,  is  dairying,  for  which  the 
country  is  better  calculated  than  for  grain. 
All  kinds  of  fruits  are  raised,  except  peaches. 
The  value  of  land  varies  from  fifteen  dollars  to 
$100  per  acre,  according  to  its  situation  and 
quality.  The  loftiest  elevation  is  on  the  Darius 
Walton  place,  where  a  view  is  afforded  into  two 
States  and  four  counties,  viz.  :  Erie,  Crawford 
and  Warren,  Pa.,  and  Chautauqua,  N.  Y. 

PRINCIPAL   STREAMS. 

The  chief  stream  is  the  South  branch  of 
French  creek,  which  rises  in  the  southeast, 
runs  to  the  western  edge  of  Corry,  then  turns 
abruptly  to  the  west,  flows  in  a  westerly 
direction  across  the  northern  part  of  the  town- 
ship into  L^nion,  and  joins  the  main  stream  a 


few  rods  below  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R. 
R.  bridge  in  LeBii-uf.  It  has  a  course  of  fully 
twelve  miles  in  the  township,  and  a  total 
length  of  about  twenty-live  miles.  Its  valley 
forms  the  route  of  no  less  than  three  railroads, 
the  W.  N.  Y.  and  Pa.,  the  P.  and  E.  and  the 
N.  Y.,  P.  andO.  The  tributaries  of  the  South 
branch  in  Concord  township  are  Scotch  run, 
Slaughter  run,  Spencer  run,  Baskin  run. 
Spring  brook,  Lilly  run  and  Beaver  Dam  run. 
Scotch  rim  rises  on  the  Aiken  place,  and 
unites  on  the  Covell  place,  having  a  length  of 
over  two  miles.  Spring  brook  is  made  by  a 
number  of  large  springs  on  the  line  of  Con- 
cord and  \Vayne,  and  falls  into  the  South 
branch  on  the  Palmer  place,  after  a  course  of 
perhaps  a  mile.  The  State  Fish  Hatchery, 
west  of  Corry,  is  at  the  source  of  this  stream. 
The  head  of  Lilly  run  is  on  the  Hammond 
place,  and  it  terminates  near  Elgin,  having  a 
course  of  four  miles.  Beaver  Dam  run  takes 
its  rise  in  the  south  part  of  Amitv,  flows 
through  the  southwestern  corner  of  Wayne, 
and  combines  ^vith  the  South  branch  near 
Elgin  borough,  through  which  it  passes.  Its 
length  is  not  far  from  five  miles.  Slaughter, 
Spencer  and  Baskin  runs  all  come  in  from 
Wayne,  between  Elgin  and  Corry.  In  addi- 
tion to  tiiese  streams,  the  township  is  the  start- 
ing place  of  several  tributaries  of  Spring 
creek  and  Oil  creek,  which  rise  on  the  high- 
lands and  flow  to  the  east  and  south.  The 
headwaters  of  Oil  creek,  French  creek  and 
Spring  creek  are  all  within  a  few  rods  of 
each  other,  near  the  summit  of  the  W.  N.  Y. 
and  Pa.  R.  R.,  in  the  southeast. 

The  township  has  no  bridges  of  import- 
ance. 

A  flood  in  June,  1892,  did  much  dam- 
age in  Concord,  especially  along  the  valley  of 
the  South  branch. 

RAILROADS,   COMMON    ROADS,   ETC. 

The  N.  Y.,  P.  and  O.  and  the  P.  and  E.  K  .K  . 
run  through  the  northern  section  of  the  town- 
ship from  Corrj'  to  the  Lfnion  line,  following 
the  valley  of  the  .South  branch.  From  Corry 
to  LovelTs,  the  tracks  run  side  bj-  side,  but  at 
the  latter  place  they  diverge  somewhat  and 
continue  at  a  short  distance  apart  to  Union. 
Below  L^nion  the)'  separate  entirely,  the  N.  Y., 
P.  and  O.  running  to  the  west,  and  the  P.  and 
E.  to  the  lake  at  Erie.     The  old  Oil  Creek  R. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


291 


R.,  now  the  W.  X.  Y.  and  Pa.,  follows  the 
upper  channel  of  the  South  branch  from  Corry 
to  the  summit,  crossing  the  township  into 
Crawford  county. 

The  railroad  stations  are  Concord,  on  the 
N.  Y..  P.  and  O.,  and  Lovell's,  on  the  P.  and  E. 

Of  the  common  roads,  the  main  ones  are 
the  Meadville  and  Colinnbus — the  first  opened 
in  the  township — the  Union  and  Corr\%  which 
passes  through  Elgin,  the  Elgin  and  Sparta, 
the  Corry  and  Spring  Creek,  and  the  Corry 
and  Titusville. 

Lov-ell's  Station,  on  the  N.  Y.  P.  andO.  and 
P.  and  E.  roads,  is  three  miles  west  of  Corry, 
and  thirty-four  east  of  Erie.  A  water  mill 
was  started  at  this  point  by  James  Crowell  at 
an  early  date,  which  ran  down  ;  a  machine 
shop,  a  sawmill  and  a  planing-mill  were  also 
built  and  destroyed  bj"  fire.  The  sawmill  of 
D.  J.  Crowell,  built  in  1879,  has  been  aban- 
doned. The  only  bu-iness  establishment  at 
the  station  now  is  a  creamery. 

Concord  .Station,  on  the  "  Nypano  "  road, 
is  the  site  of  Caflish  Bros.'  sawmill. 

CHURCHE.'^   AXD  SCHOOLS. 

The  church  buildings  are  the  Wesleyan  and 
the  jMethodist  Episcopal.  The  Weslevan  was 
built  about  a  mile  south  of  Lovell's  Station, 
about  1840.  The  class  was  organized  several 
years  before  by  Rev.  John   Broadhead. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  building  was 
dedicated  in  July,  1879.  It  stands  near  the 
F.  S.  Heath  place. 

A  graveyard  is  attached  to  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Church,  and  the  Stewart  burial 
place  is  on  the  Bowers  farm.  Most  of  the  in- 
terments take  place  in  the  cemeteries  at  Corry. 

About  1823,  a  log  schoolhouse.  the  first  in 
the  township,  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Cook  School-building. 

The  township  is  without  a  gristmill  since 
the  incorporation  of  Elgin  borough.  A  cream- 
ery has  been  in  operation  for  fifteen  or  twenty 
years  near  the  Crawford  line.  The  one  at 
Lovell's  station  is  of  recent  origin.  Several 
wells  have  been  put  down  for  oil,  but  the 
fluid  has  never  been  discovered  in  a  profitable 
quantity. 


BOROUGH  OF  ELGLNT. 
[see  concord.] ^ 

Elgin  borough  was  incorporated  in  the 
winter  of  1870,  with  territory  about  a  mile 
square  taken  out  of  the  western  part  of  Con- 
cord township.  A  grist  and  sawmill  were 
established  by  Joseph  Hall,  on  Beaver  Dam 
Run,  at  an  early  day,  and  as  the  settlement 
grew  it  became  known  as  Halltown.  A 
grocery  was  started  about  1856,  but  the  village 
did  not  amount  to  much  until  the  opening  of 
the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.,when  its 
name  was  changed  to  Concord  Station.  The 
title  was  again  altered  when  it  was  made  a 
borough,  and  that  of  the  postoffice  was  chang- 
ed about  the  same  time.  Elgin  had  a  popula- 
tion of  154  in  1880, and  169  in  1890.  Beaver 
Dam  run  passes  through  the  town,  and  the 
south  branch  of  French  creek  cuts  through 
I  one  corner.  Elgin  has  the  advantage  of  two 
railroads,  the  New  York,  Pennsylvania  and 
Ohio  and  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie. 

The  borough  possesses  a  neat  cemetery. 
Elgin  gets  considerable  of  its  trade  from  west- 
ern Wayne  and  Concord.  It  is  thirty-two 
miles  east  of  Erie,  five  east  of  Union,  and 
five  west  of  Corry,  by  railroad  in  each  case. 

The  borough  contains  two  church  build- 
ings, Methodist  and  Disciple. 

The  Disciple  Church  was  erected  in  1867, 
largely  through  the  efforts  of  Mrs.  Yost,  of 
Corry.  A  society  of  this  denomination  had 
been  organized  a  short  time  before,  and  attain- 
ed a  membership  of  about  sixty.  The  con- 
gregation give  the  use  of  the  building  to  other 
denominations  when  not  required  for  their 
own  purposes. 

The  Methodist  congregation  was  organized 
in  1854  or  "55  in  the  schoolhouse,  one  mile 
south  of  Elgin.  The  place  of  meeting  was 
changed  to  the  Elgin  .school  house  in  1858, 
and  afterward  to  the  Disciple  Church.  The 
congregation  purchased  the  Presbyterian 
church  building  at  Beaver  Dam,  moved  it  to 
the  borough,  and  have  since  used  it  as  their 
place  of  worship. 

Catholic  services  are  held  both  in  Elgin 
borough  and  in  Concord  township,  which  are 
attended  bv  priests  from  Corry. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


ELK    CREEK    TOWNSHIP. 


ELI  COLTON,  the  first  settler  in  Elk 
Creek  township,  moved  in  from 
(jranby,  Conn.,  early  in  1797.  Dur- 
intr  the  spring  of  1798  or  1799  the 
settlers  were  George  Haj'barger 
and  his  brother-in-law,  John  Deitz,  from 
Maryland,  who  were  followed  by  their  fam- 
ilies in  the  succeeding  fall,  in  charge  of 
Arnestes  Deitz,  father  of  John.  Mr.  Haybar- 
ger  changed  to  Mill  Creek  in  1810,  where  his 
descendants  remain.  In  1800  Elihu  Crane 
took  up  the  tract  on  which  Craneville  stands, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death.  He  was 
from  Connecticut,  and  settled  in  Conneaut 
township  in  the  spring  of  1798,  from  which 
place  he  changed  to  Elk  Creek.  During  1800, 
or  a  little  before,  numerous  parties  located  in 
the  township,  among  whom  were  David  Ran- 
dall, Daniel  Akers,  Mr.  Odell  and  Mr.  Har- 
rington. In  1W):2  David  Sherrod  arrived  from 
Susquehanna  county.  James  MeCammon, 
with  his  sons,  James  and  Robert,  came  from 
Ireland  early  in  the  century,  locating  first  at 
Philadelphia  and  finally  in  Elk  Creek.  Other 
early  settlers  were  Jabez  Clark,  Charles  Scott, 
Ma.xon  Randall  and  the  Shieldses  and 
Spragues. 

Among  the  later  settlers  were  the  fol- 
lowing: In  1815  Daniel  Winchester,  from 
Stafl'ord  county,  Connecticut,  and  Samuel 
Wells,  with  his  sons,  Otis,  Obed,  Franklin, 
Samuel  and  Julius,  from  St.  Albans,  Vt.  ; 
in  1818,  Josiah  Steward;  in  1824,  the  Stew- 
arts, Rodgerses  and  Brookses,  from  New 
York;  in  1831,  Thomas  Bowman;  in  1832, 
Levi  and  William  Joslin  and  Edmund  Good- 
enow,  from  Oneida  county,  New  York  ;  Syl- 
vester Hubbard,  from  Tompkins  county.  New 
York;  Samuel  Sherman  and  family,  from 
Herkimer  county,  New  York;  John  Warner, 
from  Massachusetts,  and  Wilson  Cole,  from 
Chautauqua  county,  New  York ;  in  1833, 
John  Stafford,  from  Oneida  county.  New 
York,  and  William  Vorce,  from  Chautauqua 


county,  in  the  same  State ;  in  1834,  Orange 
and  Perley  Miller ;  in  1835,  Jeremiah  Crow- 
ley, a  native  of  Ireland,  and  Noah  Almey;  in 
183G,  David  Smith,  from  Vermont;  in  1838, 
Hiram  Irish,  from  Vermont,  and  Burr  L. 
Pulling,  from  Saratoga  county,  New  York. 
The  growth  of  the  township  was  slow  until 
1830,  but  it  filled  up  rapidly  from  that  date  to 
1840.  Samuel  Sherman  took  up  a  large  body 
of  land,  which  he  divided  among  his  boys. 
In  1840  Harley  Sherman,  son  of  Samuel, 
opened  a  grocery  store  at  Wellsburg,  where 
he  lived  until  his  death.  The  forefathers  of 
the  Shermans  came  to  America  froni  England 
in  1684,  settling  in  New  England,  from  which 
section  their  descendants  have  spread  into 
every  State  of  the  Union. 

GENERAL    DESCRIPTION. 

The  township  is  one  of  the  original  six- 
teen, and  received  its  title  from  the  stream  of 
Elk  creek,  several  branches  of  which  rise  in 
its  northern  portion.  It  originally  extended 
north  to  a  point  parallel  with  the  south  line  of 
Fairview,  and  was  then  nearly  square.  In 
1832  the  north  part  was  sliced  ofT  in  the  for- 
mation of  Girard,  leaving  a  short  handle  which 
now  constitutes  a  part  of  Franklin.  When 
the  latter  township  was  created,  in  1844,  an- 
other piece  was  taken  from  Elk  Creek,  re- 
versing the  shape  of  the  township  and  caus- 
ing it  to  stand  in  its  present  form,  which  is 
exactly  that  of  a  gothic  |_. 

Elk  Creek  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Girard  and  Franklin,  on  the  east  by  Franklin 
and  Washington,  on  the  south  by  Cussewago 
township,  Crawford  county  and  on  the  west 
by  Conneaut.  The  population  was  288  in 
1820,  5(32  in  1830,  1.045  in  1840,  1,535  in 
1850,  1,462  in  1870,  1.564  in  1880  and  1,325 
in  1890.  The  villages  are  Wellsburg,  Cranes- 
ville,  Pont  and  Pageville,  and  the  postofFices 
are  Lundy's  Lane  (Wellsburg),  Cranesville, 
Pont,  Little  Elk,  and  La  very. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


293 


The  lands  of  Elk  Creek  are  generally  roll- 
ing, witli  a  clay  soil,  except  a  narrow  belt  of 
gravel  along  the  East  brancii  of  Conneaut 
creek  and  its  tributaries.  The  hill  lands, 
which  include  about  two-thirds  of  the  town- 
ship, are  well  watered,  being  the  sources  of 
numerous  small  streams.  Land  ranges  in 
value  from  twenty  to  forty  dollars. 

The  mills  and  factories  outside  of  Wells- 
burg  and  Cranesville  are  as  follows  :  A  cheese 
factory  at  Population  Corners,  a  butter  fac- 
tory each  at  Pont  and  Lavery  and  a  sawmill 
near  the  "Devil's  Backbone." 

The  P.,  S.  &  L.  E.  R.  R.  runs  through 
the  northwestern  portion  of  the  township, 
having  a  station  at  Cranesville. 

For  election  purposes,  the  township  is  di- 
vided into  the  North  and  South  Districts. 

PUBLIC    OFFICERS. 

The  State  and  county  officers  have  been  as 
follows  :  County  Commissioner,  elected  in 
1866,  Stephen  J.  Godfrey;  Richard  Powell, 
elected  in  1881.  County  Superintendent  from 
1869  to  1878,  C.  C.  Taylor  (changed  to  Water- 
ford).  Assembly,  elected  in  1884— 6,  Thomas 
Osborn.  Director  of  the  Poor,  elected  in 
1887,  Daniel  Roberts.  Mercantile  Appraiser, 
1871,  Stephen  T-  Godfrey  ;  1885,  George  J. 
Powell;  1886,  6.  W.  Irish.  County  Auditor, 
elected  in  1881,  George  Manton.  George  W. 
Colton,  Clerk  to  the  Commissioners  from  1852 
to  November,  1863,  and  Prothonotary  from 
his  resignation  of  the  latter  office  to  1867,  was 
a  native  of  the  township,  but  removed  to  Erie 
before  he  was  chosen  to  the  first  position.  O. 
H.  Irish,  once  Superintendent  of  Government 
Printing  at  Washington,  was  also  a  native  of 
Elk  Creek. 

COMMON    ROADS    AND    STREAMS. 

The  main  thoroughfares  are  the  road  from 
Albion,  through  Wellsburg  to  Edinboro  ;  the 
old  road  from  (iirard.  through  Cranesville  and 
Wellsburg  to  Meadville;  and  the  Crane  road 
from  Albion  tlirough  Cranesxille  and  Frank- 
lin township  to  the  Edinboro  plank  road. 

Elk  Creek  township  has  no  large  streams, 
the  most  important  one  being  the  East 
branch  of  Conneaut  creek,  which  falls 
into  the  latter  about  half  a  mile  west 
of  Albion.  The  East  brancli  rises  in  Craw- 
ford county,  just  across  the  line.  It  is 
joined    by    Frazier's    run  at    Wellsburg,    by 


Crane  run  near  Cranesville,  by  Mormon  run 
at  Thornton's  dam,  near  Albion,  and  by  Jack- 
son run  within  the  latter  borough.  Mormon 
run  received  its  name  because  used  as  a  place 
of  baptism  by  that  sect,  who  were  once  nu- 
merous in  the  vicinity.  The  West  branch  of 
Elk  creek,  generally  known  as  Little  Elk,  has 
its  source  near  the  center  and  runs  north  into 
Girard,  where  it  connects  with  the  main 
stream  a  little  below  "  The  Devil's  Back- 
bone." In  the  southeast  are  the  headwaters 
of  the  Cussewago,  which  pursues  a  southerly 
course  and  joins  French  creek  near  Meadville. 
The  water-power  was  very  fine  in  the  early 
days,  on  account  of  the  steady  flo^v  of  water 
and  the  heavy  fall  in  the  streams. 

CHURCHES    AND    SCHOOLS. 

The  church  buildings  are  at  Wellsburg, 
Cranesville,  Pont  and  Pageville,  except  the 
Elk  Creek  Baptist,  near  the  Franklin  line,  and 
the  Little  Brick  or  Randall  Lhiited  Brethren, 
about  a  mile  north  of  Cranesville.  The  latter 
congregation  was  organized  about  1853.  A 
society,  known  as  the  Union,  which  has  been 
in  existence  many  years,  meets  in  a  school 
house  in  the  south  part  of  the  township.  The 
Elk  Creek  Baptist  Church  was  erected  in 
1867  or  '68.  It  is  located  at  the  intersection 
of  the  Population  and  Crane  roads,  the  former 
here  forming  the  boundary  between  Franklin 
and  Elk  Creek  townships.  The  society  was 
organized  in  1866. 

There  is  a  considerable  Catholic  popula- 
tion in  the  portion  of  the  township  bordering 
on  Crawford  county,  who  worship  at  the 
church  in  Cussewago.  They  are  mainly  of 
Irish  nativity  or  descent. 

Probably  the  first  school  in  the  township 
was  taught  by  Maxon  Randall,  in  his  log 
cabin  a  mile  north  of  Cranesville,  about  1815. 
One  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Wellsburg  stood 
a  log  schoolhouse  in  which  Miss  Becky  Ree.se 
taught  about  1817.  Immediately  south  of 
Wellsburg  a  Mr.  Higgins  taught  about  1820. 
The  Sawdey  schoolhouse.  in  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  the  township,  was  built  about  1823, 
but  has  been  slightly  changed  in  location.  A 
log  structure,  used  as  a  schoolhouse  stood  at 
Cranesville  in  the  early  days  on  the  site  after- 
ward u.sed  as  the  postoffice. 

There  is  an  independent  school  district 
composed  of  portions  of  Elk  Creek  and 
Franklin  townships. 


294 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


THE    VILLAGE    OF    WELLSBURG. 

Wellsburg,  in  the  narrow  valley  of  the 
East  branch  of  Conneaiit  creek,  is  situated  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Girard  and  Meadville  by 
the  Albion  and  Edinboro  road.  Samuel 
Wells,  after  whom  it  was  named,  settled  at 
this  point  with  his  five  sons  in  1815,  and  at  an 
early  day  his  son  Franklin  built  a  gristmill 
and  several  sawmills.  Samuel  drilled  a  salt 
well  about  a  mile  south  of  WelUburg,  on  the 
Clark  farm,  and  for  a  considerable  period  the 
neighborhood  was  supplied  by  him  with  a 
home-made  article.  This  continued  until  the 
opening  of  the  canal,  when  cheaper  salt  was 
furnished  from  Onondaga,  N.  Y.,  which  caused 
the  abandonment  of  the  well.  The  village 
was  laid  out  by  Otis  Wells.  Wellsburg  is 
twenty-five  miles  from  Erie,  nine  miles  south 
of  Girard,  one  each  from  Cranesville  and 
Albion,  and  two  miles  from  Albion  Station. 
It  contains  a  hotel,  a  good  school  building, 
two  flouring  mills  and  a  furniture  factory. 
The  place  was  of  a  good  deal  of  business 
and  importance  some  years  ago,  but  has  been 
injured  by  the  lack  of  railroad  facilities.  Its 
postoffice  name  is  Lundy's  Lane.  The  office 
was  established  in  185:?,  when  Gen.  Scott  was 
running  for  President,  and  named  in  honor  of 
one  of  his  battles  during  the  last  war  with 
Great  Britain. 

The  Free  Will  Baptist  congregation  was 
organized  May  5,  18*39.  Its  Sabbath-school 
has  been  in  continuous  operation  over  forty 
years.  The  denomination  has  a  good  build- 
ing, with  tower  and  bell. 

The  Universal ist  congregation  was  organ- 
ized in  June,  1888,  and  held  meetings  for 
a  while  in  the  academy.  Their  building  was 
erected  in  1855,  and  improved  in  1871. 

A  mission  of  the  Episcopal  Church  is  sus- 
tained, under  the  direction  of  St.  Paul's 
Church  of  Erie. 

A  Methodist  Episcopal  society  was  organ- 
ized at  Wellsburg  in  early  times.  About 
1885,  it  erected  a  frame  meeting  house  on  the 
summit  of  the  hill  between  Wellsburg  and 
Cranesville.  This  building  became  old  and 
unfit  for  services.  In  1875,  or  shortly  before, 
the  society  divided,  a  portion  going  to  Cranes- 
ville and  a  portion  to  Wellsburg;  the  latter 
held  services  for  a  short  time  in  the  school- 
house  ;  then  the  Pleasant  Valley  Church 
building,   several   miles  south   of    Wellsburg, 


was  removed  to  the  latter  village,  and  is  now 
used  as  the  house  of  worship.  Pleasant  Val- 
ley society  was  organized  in  1838.  Its  church 
edifice  was  erected  in  1854. 

The  W'ellsburg  Cemetery,  an  inclosure  of 
about  ten  acres,  on  a  knoll  in  the  north  part 
of  the  village,  is  the  principal  burying  ground 
of  the  township.  The  ^hermans  have  a  family 
burial  place  of  about  two  acres. 

CRANESVILLE,  PAGEVILLE,  PONT  ANDLAVEHV. 

Cranesville  was  founded  by  Fowler  Crane, 
son  of  Elihu  Crane,  the  first  seltler  on  the 
site,  who  laid  out  the  village,  and  put  up  a 
hotel,  store  and  ashery.  It  lies  in  the  valley 
of  the  East  branch  of  Conneaut  creek,  a  mile 
north  of  Wellsburg,  and  a  mile  northeast  of 
Ali)ion,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Crane  road  by 
the  Girard  and  Meadville  road,  and  almost  on 
the  Conneaut  line.  The  old  Erie  canal  passed 
through  the  village,  and  it  is  an  important 
station  of  the  P.,  S.  and  L.  E.  R.  R".  The 
culvert  between  Albion  and  Cranesville,  by 
which  the  canal  crossed  the  East  branch — 
an  "e.xcellent  pile  of  masonry — is  now  used  for 
a  township  roadway. 

The  M.  E.  Church  building  was  erected 
in  1874.  About  the  same  time  the  old  church 
that  stood  on  the  hill  between  Cranes\ille 
and  Wellsburg  was  removed  to  Springfield. 
Cranesville  society  was  detached  from  \\  ells 
burg  at  or  nearly  the  same  date. 

Four  miles  southeast  of  Wellsburg,  at  the 
forks  of  the  Crossingville  road,  is  the  once 
famous  place  of  Pageville,  the  scene,  a  num- 
ber of  years  ago,  of  quite  extensive  manufac- 
turing operations.  Being  on  the  edge  of  a  vast 
forest  of  ash  and  oak,  E.  Page  selected  it  as 
the  site  of  his  oar  factory,  which  shipped  goods 
to  all  parts  of  America  and  Europe.  On  its 
suspension  the  place  declined,  and  it  is  now 
not  much  more  than  a  recollection. 

The  Baptist  congregation  at  Pageville  was 
organized  m  1839,  and  put  up  its  building  in 
1875,  services  in  the  meantime  being  held  in 
the  schoolhouse. 

There  is  also  a  Methodist  Episcopal  congre- 
gation which  has  been  in  existence  many  years. 

Pont  is  quite  a  settlement  near  the  Craw- 
ford county  line,  having,  in  addition  to  other 
structures,  a  United  Brethern  Church  and  a 
butter  factory.    The  church  was  built  in  1894. 

Lavery  consists  of  a  butter  factory,  school- 
house,  store  and  a  few  houses. 


CHAPTER     V. 


FA[R\'IEW  TOWNSHIP— BOROUGH  OF   FAIRVIEW. 


AS  far  as  any  evidence  can  be  obtained, 
the  first  settlement  in  Fairview  town- 
ship wns  made  in  1797,  by  Francis 
Scott.  Xearlv  a  year  before  (on  the 
25th  of  July,  1796)  a  company  of  ten 
men  was  formed  at  Harrisbiirg,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  improvincj  and  populating  the  country 
near  and  adjoining  Lake  Erie.  Among  the 
number  were  1  homas  Forster,  Richard  Swan 
and  Wm.  Kelso,  Each  member  of  the  com- 
pany contributed  £200  (.fl, 000),  as  common 
stock,  for  the  use  of  the  organization,  and  the 
money  ^vas  agreed  to  be  used  in  the  purchase 
of  inlots  and  outlots  in  the  town  and  county 
of  Erie,  and  for  settling  such  lands  as  might  be 
bought.  The  association  was  styled  the 
Harrisburg  and  Presque  Isle  Company.  Fors- 
ter, Swan  and  Kelso  were  all  natives  of  Pax- 
tang,  in  what  is  now  Dauphin  county.  Kelso 
was  the  father  of  John  Kelso,  the  ancestor  of 
the  family  by  that  name  in  this  county.  At 
the  public  sale  of  town  lots  in  Erie,  Water- 
ford  and  elsewhere,  held  at  Carlisle  on  the  3d 
and  4th  of  August,  1796,  the  company  pur- 
chased numerous  tracts.  Among  other  pro- 
perty secured  was  a  large  piece  of  land  in 
Fairview  township,  where  Col.  Forster,  as 
agent  of  the  association,  built  the  first  grist- 
mill in  Erie  county  in  1798,  and  the  second 
sawmill  in  1797,  at  the  mouth  of  Walnut 
creek. 

Capt.  Swan  moved  his  family  to  Erie 
county  in  1802,  and  settled  on  Walnut  creek 
near  the  lake.  He  rented  the  company's  mills, 
and  managed  them  until  his  death  in  1808.  His 
widow  bought  a  farm  about  one  and  a  half 
miles  from  the  mills.  In  1817  her  son  Richard 
built  the  iirst  frame  house  in  Fairview  town- 
ship. When  Col.  Forster  and  Capt.  Swan 
first  arrixed  at  the  point  where  the  mills  were 
built,  they  were  standing  on  a  high  bluff  over- 
looking the  lake,  and  the  former  exclaimed, 
"  This  is  the  fairest  vie\v  I  have  seen  yet." 
The  expression  pleased  them,  and  they  named 


the  place  Fairview.  A  log  tavern  was  built 
in  1797,  of  peeled  hemlock  l")gs,  which  Capt. 
Swan  also  rented. 

Among  those  who  reached  the  township  in 
1797  were  John  and  George  Nicholson,  John 
Kelso,  Patrick  Vance.  Alexander,  Patrick 
and  John  McKee,  ^Villiam  Sturgeon, 
Jeremiah  Sturgeon  and  William  Haggerty. 
The  Nicholsons  were  born  in  Ireland,  but 
emigrated  to  Lancaster  county,  where  they 
remained  a  short  time  before  coming  to  the 
lake  shore.  Mr.  McKee  remained  in  Fairview 
a  few  years,  and  then  changed  to  Mill  Creek. 
Gen.  Kelso  moved  to  Mill  Creek  in  18tX),  and 
from  there  in  1804  to  Eric.  In  1798,  the 
colony  was  enlarged  by  the  arrival  of  John 
Dempsey,  of  Dauphin  county;  and  in  1800, 
by  that  of  Thomas  Kennedy,  James  Moor- 
head  and  Thomas  McCreary,  The  latter  was 
from  Lancaster  county,  his  brothers  having 
c.'ime  north  at  the  same  time  and  settled  in 
Mill  Creek.  The  settlers  during  1802  were 
S.  F.  Gudtner,  of  Franklin  county,  William 
and  James  Arbuckle,  of  Maryland,  and  Joseph 
M.  Kratz,  a  Frenchman,  who  afterward  re- 
moved to  Erie.  About  1801,  Jacob  Ebersole, 
of  Lancaster  county,  moved  in,  followed  in 
1805  by  James  Ryan,  of  Dauphin  poimty. 
Rev.  Johnston  Eaton  arrived  for  a  permanent 
residence  in  1806.  Among  other  early  set- 
tlers were  John  Caughey  and  Samuel  Mc- 
Creary, of  Lancaster  county.  Mr.  Caughey 
moved  to  Washington  county  in  1812,  but 
came  back  in  1822.  ]SIoses  Barnett,  from 
Dauphin  county,  went  in  about  1816;  Arthur 
One}-,  from  Otsego  county, New  York,  in  1820  : 
John  Silverthorn,  son  of  James,  who  located 
in  Girard  about  1801,  in  the  sameyear;  David 
Russell  about  1S22  ;  Samuel  P.  Allen,  from 
New  England,  and  Daniel  I^ear,  from  Lan- 
caster county,  in  1823:  and  Andrew  Sturgeon 
in  1830.  The  first  colonists,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Messrs.  Ebersole  and  Gudtner,  were 
of  Protestant  Irish  stock,  but  at  a  subsequent 


296 


KELSON'S  BIOQRAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


date  many  Pennsylvania  Dutch  moved  in, 
followed  still  later  by  numerous  foreign  Ger- 
mans. Of  the  Pennsylvania  Dutch,  Daniel 
Waidler,  from  Lancaster  county,  made  his 
settlement  in  1834. 

In  1805  occurred  the  llrst  death  of  a  grown 
white  person  in  the  township,  being  that  of 
John   (jordon. 

GENERAL    DESCRIPTION. 

Fairview  is  one  of  the  original  townships 
of  the  county.  Its  size  was  largely  reduced  by 
the  formation  of  Girard  townsliip  in  1832.  The 
old  west  line  ran  through  Girard  to  a  point 
near  Miles  Grove,  parallel  with  the  boundary 
between  Elk  Creek  and  Conneaut.  The 
south  line  ran  parallel  with  the  one  between 
Elk  Creek  and  Girard,  from  Springfield  on 
the  west  to  INIcKean  on  the  east,  embracing 
what  is  now  the  northern  portion  of  Frank- 
lin. Fairview  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Lake  Erie,  on  the  east  by  Mill  Creek  andMc- 
Kean,  on  the  south  by  Franklin  and  on  the 
west  by  Girard.  Its  greatest  length  is  eight 
miles,  with  a  breadth  in  the  widest  part  of 
about  six  and  a  half  miles.  The  population 
was  536  in  1820,  1,529  in  1880,  1,480  in  1840, 
1,760  in  1850,  2,181  in  1860,  2,157  in  1870, 
1,482  in  1880  and  1,295  in  1890.  The  post- 
offices  are  Swanvillc  and  Avonia,  and  most  of 
the  trading  is  done  in  Fairview  borough. 

Excepting  the  abrupt  gullies  along  Wal- 
nut and  Elk  creeks  and  their  tributary  streams, 
there  is  hardly  an  acre  of  worthless  land  in 
the  township.  The  lake  shore  plain  attains 
a  width  of  about  two  miles  and  a  half.-  Its 
soil  is  of  a  sandy  nature  along  the  lake,  merg- 
ing into  a  gravelly  formation  further  back, 
and  producing  every  kind  of  grain,  fruit  and 
vegetable  that  can  be  cultivated  in  this  sec- 
tion. The  back  lands  are  usually  clay  and 
loam,  varied  by  patches  of  gravel.  Wheat 
prospers  in  every  part  of  the  township.  Pota- 
toes are  cultivated  in  large  quantities.  Lands 
range  in  value  from  thirty  to  seventy-five  dol- 
lars on  the  lake  shore  plain,  and  from  fifteen 
to  thirty-five  dollars  in  the  back  districts. 

STREAMS. 

The  chief  streams  of  Fairview  are  Walnut 
creek  and  Elk  creek,  both  of  which  have  been 
described  in  the  general  sketch.  Walnut 
creek  enters  the  township  from  Mill  Creek, 
and,  taking  a    northwesterly    course,  empties 


into  the  lake  at  Manchester.  Elk  creek  comes 
in  from  McKean,  ilows  across  the  southern 
portion  into  Girard  and  unites  with  the  lake 
a  little  northwest  of  Miles  Grove.  The  deep- 
est part  of  the  Walnut  creek  gorge  is  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  culvert, 
where  the  banks  are  over  a  hundred  feet  high. 
A  short  distance  above  and  almost  on  the  site 
of  tlie  Nickel  Plate  bridge,  was  the  Walnut 
creek  acjueduct,  once  tiie  wonder  of  this  re- 
gion, built  to  carry  the  water  of  the  canal 
across  the  gully.  It  was  constructed  of  tim- 
ber and  was  104  feet  high  by  about  800  feet 
long.  The  railroad  culvert  and  embankment 
cover  a  space  of  about  600  feet,  with  width 
enough  for  three  tracks.  Bear  run  is  the 
principal  tributarj'  of  Walnut  creek  within  the 
township.  It  heads  on  the  J.  Rusterholtz 
place,  in  the  extreme  eastern  corner  of  Fair- 
vievs',  near  the  edge  of  Mill  creek,  and  falls 
into  the  main  stream  a  short  distance  south  of 
Weigle's  gristmill,  after  a  course  of  about 
four  miles.  Brandy  run  rises  near  the  center, 
on  the  farm  of  J.  A.  Kline,  and  after  flowing 
seven  or  eight  miles,  joins  Elk  creek  a  little 
south  of  Girard  borough.  Falls  run,  another 
branch  of  Elk  creek,  comes  in  from  Franklin, 
on  the  south  edge  of  the  township,  having  a 
length  of  some  five  miles.  It  received  its 
name  from  a  beautiful  cascade,  near  the 
Franklin  stone  quairy,  where  the  water  of  the 
creek  passes  over  a  ledge  fifty  feet  high. 
From  there  to  Elk  creek  its  banks  are  100 
feet  in  height  and  almost  perpendicular.  A 
considerable  stream  rises  in  Franklin  town- 
ship, runs  through  a  corner  of  McKean,  and 
falls  into  Elk  creek  on  the  Sterrett  place. 
Trout  run  is  an  independent  stream  which 
rises  on  the  east  line  near  McKean,  runs  in  a 
northwesterly  course  through  Fairview  bor- 
ough and  empties  into  the  lake  two  miles  be- 
yond. Its  length  is  between  six  and  eight 
miles.  Beaver  Dam  run,  a  rivulet  which 
tumbles  into  Walnut  creek  about  eighty  rods 
below  Bear's  mill,  received  its  name  from  an 
extensive  embankment  built  by  the  beavers 
which  formerly  existed  on  what  used  to  be 
termed  the  Barnett  farm.  Traces  of  their 
work  were  to  be  seen  until  recent  years. 

MILI-S    AND    BRIDGES. 

Like  most  of  the  townships  in  the  county, 
Fairview  had  more  mills  and  factories  ten  to 
fifteen  years  ago  than  it  has  now.     There  was 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


297 


once  quite  an  extensive  paper  mill  north  of 
Avonia,  which  burned  down  in  1883.  A 
gristmill,  tannery  and  tile  works,  all  of  which 
were  in  operation  in  1884,  have  gone  down. 
The  present  gristmills  are  Weigle's,  on  Wal- 
nut creek,  and  Lohrer's  and  Kernick's,  on 
Trout  run.  These  are  all  the  manufacturing 
institutions  that  remain  in  the   township. 

The  Walnut  Creek  mills  of  Mr.  Weigle 
were  established  at  a  very  early  day  by  S.  F. 
Gudtner.  In  1856,  the  flouring-mill  was  re- 
built by  Alexander  Nicholson.  After  Mr 
Weigle  obtained  possession  he  made  extensive 
improvements.  In  1815,  Samuel  McCreary 
erected  the  first  woolen-mill  in  the  county  at 
the  intersection  of  the  depot  and  Lake  roads. 
He  continued  to  operate  it  till  1841.  After 
that  the  mill  had  several  changes  of  ownership 
until  it  was  abandoned.  The  Lock  Haven 
woolen-mills,  on  the  bank  of  the  lake,  were 
established  by  the  Messrs.  Caughey  in  1842, 
who  had  built  a  sawmill  the  year  previous. 
They  disposed  of  the  woolen-factory  in  1850 
and  of  the  saw  mill  in  1864,  after  which  time 
they  had  various  owners.  The  property  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  October,  1878, 

The  principal  bridges  are  as  follows  :  On 
Elk  creek — The  Swalley,  Ryan  jiid  Brooks 
(iron).  On  Walnut  creek — Manchester,  Lake 
road  (iron),  N.  Y.,  C.  and  St.  L.  R.  R.  (iron). 
Ridge  road  (iron).  Cross  roads  and  Town  line, 
(built  jointly  b)-  Mill  Creek  and  Fairview 
townships). 

SCHOOL  HISTORY. 

The  first  schoolhouse  in  what  is  now  Fair- 
vie^v  township,  was  erected  in  1804,  and  stood 
about  a  mile  from  the  mouth  of  Walnut  creek. 
The  next  place  in  which  school  was  taught, 
was  on  land  of  Jeremiah  Sturgeon,  within  the 
present  limits  of  the  borough  of  Fairview. 
School  was  kept  at  this  place  two  winters,  as 
earl)'  as  1810.  William  Sturgeon  erected  a 
schoolhouse  about  1811  or  1812.  The  next 
schoolhouse  in  this  neighborhood  stood  about 
one  mile  west  of  the  residence  of  Thomas 
Sturgeon.  It  was  erected  about  the  year  1816 
or  1817.  Later  than  the  above,  another,  built 
of  logs,  stood  near  the  dwelling  of  Johnston 
Eaton.  There  was  a  schoolhouse  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  township,  near  the 
line  dividing  the  townships  of  Mill  Creek  and 
Fairview,  at  an  early  day. 


COMMON  ROADS,    RAILROADS  AND  CANAL. 

The  leading  thoroughfares  are  the  Lake 
and  Ridge  roads,  extending  across  the  whole 
width  of  the  township  from  east  to  west — the 
former  at  an  average  distance  of  three-fourths 
of  a  mile,  and  the  latter  from  one  and  a  half 
to  two  miles  back  from  the  lake ;  the  Depot 
road  from  the  borough  to  the  lake ;  the  Fair- 
view  and  Waterford,  running  southeast  into 
McKean  ;  and  the  Girard  and  Waterford, which 
intersects  the  latter  at  Sterrettania  A  route 
along  the  beach  of  the  lake  was  opened  be- 
tween Erie  and  the  mouth  of  Walnut  creek  as 
early  as  1797.  The  Ridge  road  crosses  the 
Walnut  creek  gully  at  Weigle's  mill  by  two 
quite  steep  inclines,  which  were  once  a  source 
of  considerable  anxiety  to  teamsters.  The 
side  hill  at  Walnut  creek  was  cut  down  for  a 
roadway  by  Arthur  Oney,  who  received  |100 
for  the  job.  He  also  built  the  first  bridge 
across  Walnut  creek  on  the  line  of  the  Ridge 
road. 

The  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  passes  through  the 
township  from  Mill  Creek  to  Girard  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  lake.  The  New  York, 
Chicago  and  St.  Louis  R.R.,  "  Nickel  Plate," 
crosses  the  township  a  little  south  of  the  Lake 
Shore  R.  R.  The  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R. 
uses  the  track  of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.,  and 
the  "Shenango"  that  of  the  Nickel  Plate 
through  the  township.  All  of  these  roads 
have  stations  at  Avonia  (Fairview  station) 
and  Swanville.  The  old  canal  traversed  the 
township  on  nearly  the  line  of  the  Nickel 
Plate  R.  R. 

STATE  AND  COUNTY  OFFICERS. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  citizens  of 
the  township  and  borough  who  have  held 
State  and  county  positions,  with  the  years  of 
their  election  or  appointment :  Assembly, 
Myron  H.  Silverthorn,  1879-83.  Sheriff, 
Miles  W.  Caughey,  1846  to  1849;  An- 
drew F.  Swan,  18('j7  to  1870;  Joseph  W. 
.Swalley  (by  appointment),  1864.  Deputy 
Sheriff,  Joseph  W.  Swalley,  1861-64.  Reg- 
ister and  Recorder,  Daniel  Long,  1872  to 
1879.  County. Treasurer,  Joseph  W.  Swalley 
(by  appointment),  March  10,  1870,  to  Decem- 
ber 23,  1870;  Jacob  Yeagla,  1872  to  1874; 
William  C.  Hay,  1878  to  1881.  County 
Commissioners,  George  Nicholson,  1820-23, 
also    by    appointment   from  August  6,    1828, 


298 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


until  the  ensuing  October  election ;  Isaac 
Webster,  181MT;  William  W.  Eaton,  1856- 
59;  Myron  H.  Silvortliorn,  1870-75.  Direc- 
tors of'the  Poor,  Curtis  Heidler,  1845-48;  M. 
M.  Kelso,  1850-58;  Alex.  Nicholson,  1857- 
(50;  William  W.  Eaton,  1870-78;  F.  Willis, 
1884-87  ;  Clerk  and  Treasurer  to  the  Directors 
of  the  Poor,  D.  W.  Nason,  1879  to  1890. 
County  Surveyor,  Robert  P.  Holliday,  1868 
10  1806,  and  1869  to  1872.  County  Auditor, 
George  Nicholson,  1809,  and  1816-19;  Dan- 
iel Savre,  18:^8-26;  David  II.  Chapman,  1827- 
30;  John  J.  Swan,  1880-38;  Moses  Barnett, 
1841-44:  H.  H.  Bassler,  1858-62;  Jos.  W. 
Swalley,  1861-64;  Oliver  P.  Ferguson,  1805- 
68;  Wm.  C.  Eaton,  1890.  Mercantile  Ap- 
praisers, Johnston  Eaton,  1859;  James  Mc- 
Crearj',  1876.  Jurv  Commissioner,  Noah 
Waidley,  1894-97.  "  Steward  of  the  Alms 
House,  jNI.^H.  Silverthorn.  January  1,    1892. 

CHlfRCH    ORGANIZATIONS. 

The  following-named  churches  are  located 
in  the  township  :  Salem  Church  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Association,  Christian  Church,  United 
Brethren,  St.  Jacob's  Evangelical  United,  and 
Evangelical. 

Salem  Church  is  the  outgrowth  of  the 
missionary  labors  of  Rev.  J.  Siebert,  whose 
labors  began  in  this  field  in  1833.  The  house 
of  worship,  located  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
township,  was  erected  about   forty  years  ago. 

St.  Jacob's  Evangelical  United  Church  is 
located  on  the  Ridge  road  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  east  of  the  business  part  of  Fairview  bor- 
ough. The  congregation  was  organized  in 
the  winter  of  1852,  and  the  church  was  built 
about  the  same  time.  The  first  pastor  was  the 
Rev.  Michael  Kuchler. 

The  Evangelical  Cliurch  southwest  of 
Sterrettania  was  started  in  1884. 

The  United  Brethren  Church  is  upon  the 
road  from  Franklin  Center  to  Sterrettania, 
five  miles  south  of  Fairview  borough.  The 
congregation  was  organized  about  1857,  and 
held  meetings  for  a  time  in  the  ^'an  Camp 
sckoolhouse.  The  church  liuilding  was  dedi- 
cated February  22,  1880. 

'I  he  Christian  Church  is  three  miles  south 
of  the  borough,  on  the  direct  road  from  Girard 
to  McKean  Corners.  The  congregation  was 
organized  by  Rev.  Asal  Fish,  first  pastor,  in 
1835-     The  building  was  erected  in  1845. 


VILLAGES,   ETC. 

As  before  stated,  the  first  settlement  at  the 
mouth  of  Walnut  creek  was  made  by  Col. 
Forster  and  Mr.  Swan,  who  gave  the  location 
the  name  of  Fairview.  John  M.  Kratz 
started  a  store  in  1802,  and  a  log  tavern  was 
kept  b}-  Richard  Swan,  who  was  followed  by 
James  Dunn.  The  latter  was  postmaster  in 
1822.  This  was  the  great  point  of  the  town- 
ship, till  1824.  The  elections  and  military 
trainings  were  held  there,  and  as  long  as  the 
stages  and  travel  I'an  down  to  the  mouth  of 
the  creek,  it  was  rather  a  lively  little  village. 
The  mills  fell  into  the  hands  of  Daniel  Lord 
in  1829,  who  changed  the  name  of  the  place 
to  Manchester  and  erected  a  paper  mill.  It 
burned  down  and  no  attempt  was  ever  made 
to  rebuild  it.  A  Presbyterian  congregation 
was  organized  at  Manchester  in  1806,  and  a 
building  erected  there  in  1810.  The  place  of 
worship  was  removed  to  Swanville  in  1882, 
and  afterward  to  West  Mill  Creek. 

Swanville,  on  the  Ridge  road,  nine  miles 
west  of  Erie,  and  about  a  third  of  a  mile  south 
of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.,  received  its  name 
through  John  J.  Swan,  who  built  the  first 
house  and  established  the  first  tavern  on  the 
site.  Mr.  Swan  opened  his  tavern  about  1882, 
and  soon  after  another  was  started  by  the 
Nicholsons.  These  continued  in  operation 
until  1858-54,  when  the  want  of  business  com- 
pelled their  closure. 

The  original  Westminster  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Mill  Creek  township  was  built  at 
Swanville  in  1832,  and  removed  in  1851.  This 
church  is  interesting  from  the  fact  that  Rev. 
Johnston  Eaton,  the  first  permanent  minister  of 
that  denomination  in  the  county,  began  and 
j  closed  his  career  as  its  pastor.  He  came  on  in 
}  1805,  remained  for  a  short  time,  and  returned 
in  1806  to  stay  permanently.  The  first  service 
held  by  Mr.  Eaton  was  in  Swan's  tavern  at  the 
mouth  of  Walnut  creek.  He  died  on  the  17th 
of  June,  1847,  in  the  seventj'-second  year  of 
his  age.  His  wife  lived  until  1872,  when  she 
departed  this  life  at  the  age  of  93. 

As  previously  stated,  the  first  church  build- 
ing was  erected  in  Manchester,  then  known 
as  Fairview.  This  was  abandoned  and  a 
new  building  put  up  in  1882,  in  Swanville, 
which  still  retained  the  name  of  the  Fairview 
Church.  About  1837  the  New  School  element 
of  the  congregation  seceded  and  established  a 


d 

\ 

M 

^it^ 

^ 

■yr-' 

) 

P^*^^ 

^k 

^#% 

•BP 

wi^ 

^ 

'^ 

^  - 

'^^'^^<?'Z^2-<2^tA-> 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


299 


church  in  Fairview  borough,  and  in  1845  they 
were  followed  by  a  number  who  belonged  to 
the  Old  School  side.  This  left  the  main  body 
of  worshipers  in  the  church  in  Swanville  liv- 
ing in  the  western  part  of  ISIill  Creek.  In 
order  to  have  their  place  of  worship  more  con- 
venient, they  removed  the  building  in  1851  to  a 
point  on  the  Ridge  road  in  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship, where  it  assumed  the  name  of  the  West- 
minister Church.  The  building  in  Swanville 
stood  where  the  schoolhouse  is  now. 

Fairview  Depot,  or  Avonia,  is  the  railroad 
station  of  Fairview  borough,  from  which  it  is 
about  half  a  mile  north. 

Lock  Haven,  at  the  mouth  of  Trout  run, 
is  nothing  more  than  a  name.  It  once  had  a 
woolen-factory  and  sawmill,  but  the  latter 
fell  into  ruin  and  the  former  burned  down. 

Mayside,  once  a  popular  pleasure  resort 
near  the  mouth  of  Walnut  creek,  was  partially 
burned  some  years  ago,  and  the  hotel  is  no 
longer  kept  up. 

QirARRIES,    ETC. 

Two  quarries  have  been  opened  in  Fair- 
view,  one  at  Manchester  and  the  other  on 
Trout  run,  just  below  the  depot.  From  the 
Manchester  quarry,  some  of  the  stone  were 
taken  for  the  locks  of  the  canal.  Neither  of 
the  quarries  proved  of  much  value,  and  they 
have  been  abandoned.  Most  of  the  stone  used 
in  the  township  and  borough  came  for  a  long 
time  from  Howard's  ([uarry  in  Franklin. 

For  an  account  of  the  Weiss  library,  an 
extract  from  Mr.  Weiss'  will,  etc.,  see  Mill 
Creek  township. 


BOROUGH  OF  FAIRVIEW. 

[see  fairview  tow>!ship]. 

The  borough  of  Fairview  was  incorporated 
in  1868,  covering  an  area  of  one  mile  square, 
and  including  a  population  at  that  time  of 
some  4(X).  It  stands  on  the  first  rise  of  the 
lake  shore  plain,  twelve  miles  west  of  Erie, 
a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  lake,  and  half  a 
mile  from  the  railroad  station.  The  Ridge 
road  forms  its  main  street,  and  Trout  run 
winds  through  its  limits.  The  churches  of 
Fairview  are  Presbyterian,  Methodist  Episco- 
pal, Lutheran  and  German  Evangelical,  the 
first  being  of  brick  and  the  others  of  frame. 
Its  schools  are  held  in  one  large  two-story 
building  erected  in  1866.  The  first  school- 
20" 


house  in  the  village  was  erected  some  time 
prior  to  1838.  The  Monitor  house — the  only 
hotel — has  not  had  license  for  some  j-ears. 
Fairview  borough  had  a  population  of  480  in 
1870,  425  in  1880,  and  305  in  1890. 

first  settlements-church  incidents, etc. 

The  earliest  settlers  upon  the  site  were  the 
Messrs.  Sturgeon,  in  honor  of  whoin  the  place 
was  long  known  as  Sturgeonville.  The  first 
tavern,  a  small  log  building  on  the  bank  of 
Trout  run,  along  tiie  Ridge  road,  was  built 
and  kept  by  William  Sturgeon.  This  was 
closed  some  years  when  Mr.  Sturgeon  erected 
another  tavern  near  by.  The  Monitor  house 
was  erected  by  S.  C.  Sturgeon.  Following 
the  tavern  came  a  store,  a  blacksmith  shop, 
etc. 

On  the  death  of  William  Sturgeon,  in 
1887,  he  directed  that,  after  the  demise  of  his 
wife,  some  fifty  acres  of  land  and  twenty  town 
lots  should  go  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Fairview.  A  congregation  was  to  be  organized 
and  a  building  erected  within  one  year  from 
the  time  specified  in  the  will,  otherwise  the 
property  was  to  be  donated  to  the  Presbyte- 
rian Board  of  Publication.  In  the  year  of  Mr. 
Sturgeon's  death,  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  church  separated  into  the  New  School  and 
Old  School.  Each  side  made  haste  to  get  up 
edifices  in  time  to  avail  itself  of  Mr.  Sturgeon's 
legacy,  and  the  question  as  to  which  it  be- 
longed had  to  be  settled  by  the  Courts.  After 
a  legal  tussle,  the  Court  below  decided  in  favor 
of  the  Old  School  branch,  and,  on  appeal  to 
the  Supreme  Court,  that  body  affirmed  the 
decision.  The  union  of  the  denomination  in 
November,  1869,  did  away  with  the  need  of 
two  buildings,  and  both  branches  now  worship 
together  in  harnionv.  The  building  at  present 
occupied  was  built  in  1874,  and  cost  $11,000. 
It  occupies  the  same  lot  on  which  both  the  Old 
and  New  School  edifices  stood  diiring  the 
days  of  contention.  The  first  Old  School 
church  in  Fairview  was  replaced  by  another, 
which  burned  down.  The  New  School  build- 
ing was  lemoved  and  is  now  occupied  by  the 
Evangelical   Association. 

methodist,    lutheran    and    evangelical 
societies. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  the 
outgrowth  of  a  class  formed  in  the  house  of 
Justice   Osborne    in    1817.     The   first  church 


300 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPEICAL  DICTION  ART 


edifice  was  built  in  1836  and  stood  outside  of 
the  village.  The  second  building  was  erected 
in  1854. 

Mt.  Nabo  Church  of  the  Evangelical  Asso- 
ciation owes  its  origin  to  the  missionary  labors 
of  Rev.  J.  Siebert,  who  began  preaching  in 
Erie  county  in  1888.  The  church  building  of 
the  society  was  formerly  occupied  by  the  New 
.School  Presbyterians,  of  whom  it  was  pur- 
chased in  April,  1872,  and  moved  to  its  present 
site. 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  was 
organized  in  1856.  This  congregation  and  the 
one  at  St.  Jacob's  on  the  Ridge  road  were 
originally  one  and  the  same  church  society, 
but  at  the  date  given  above  became  separate 
bodies.     The   Rev.   Michael   Kuchler  became 


the  first  pastor.  The  first  house  of  worship 
was  built  in  1857,  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
borough,  and  used  until  the  present  one  was 
erected  in  1878. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  Fairview  cemetery,  on  the  northwest 
edge  of  the  borough,  has  been  in  use  some 
twenty-six  years.  The  first  body  interred  was 
that  of  Mrs.  Milton  Sturgeon. 

Mr^.  Sarah  Green  died  in  Fairview  at  the 
extreme  age  of  104  years.  The  wife  of  Casper 
Doll  was  1)7  years  and  10  daj-s  old  at  the  time 
of  her  death. 

The  manufacturing  institutions  of  the 
borough  are  a  planing  and  sawmill,  a  cream- 
ery, a  cider  and  jell  mill  and  several  shops. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


FRANKLIN    TOWNSHIP. 


FRANKLIN  TOWNSHIP,  the  young- 
est in  the  county,  was  established  in 
1844  out  of  portions  of  McKean,  Wash- 
ington and  Elk  Creek,  and  named  after 
the  printer  patriot  of  the  Revolution. 
J.  P.  Silverthorn  was  the  main  person  in  work- 
ing for  its  creation.  Franklin  is  e.xactly  five 
miles  square.  The  population  was  686  in 
1850,  979  in  1860,  994  in  1870,  1,020  in  1880 
and  983  in  1890.  Franklin  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Fairview  and  McKean,  on  the  east 
by  McKean  and  Washington,  on  the  south  by 
Washington  and  Elk  Creek,  and  on  the  west 
by  Girard  and  lilk  Creek.  The  only  village 
is  Franklin  Center.  The  postoffices  are  Frank- 
lin Corners  (Franklin  Center),  and  Ivarea 
(Mohawk  Mills). 

As  a  rule,  the  people  of  Franklin  are  un- 
usually progressive  for  a  rural  district,  and  the 
township  has  improved  more,  proportionatelj-, 
within  twenty  years,  than  any  other  in  the 
county.  The  houses  and  barns  are  mostly  good, 
and  the  citizens  are  generally  free  from  debt; 
in  fact,  it  is  a  saying  that  the  farms  of  Frank- 


lin   have    fewer   "mortgage    blankets'"   upon 
them  than  any  of  the  surrounding  townships. 

EARLY  SETTLERS. 

The  remoteness  of  Franklin  township  from 
the  main  lines  of  travel  delayed  settlements 
till  a  later  period  than  in  any  other  portion  of 
the  county.  A  fe\v  adventurous  parties  lo- 
cated on  the  State  road  when  it  was  opened, 
about  1802  or  1803,  but  they  all  left  in  a  short 
time.  From  that  date  till  1829,  when  L.  D. 
Rouse  went  in  from  Connecticut,  it  cannot  be 
learned  that  any  permanent  settlement  was 
made,  and  as  late  as  1835  the  country  remained 
almost  an  unbroken  forest.  During  1832,  the 
colonists  were  William  and  Levi  Francis,  from 
New  York  ;  James  P.  Silverthorn,  from  Girard 
township;  Henrv  Howard,  from  Grafton,  Vt.  ; 
and  Messrs.  Goodban  and  Longlev,  from  Eng- 
land. To  these  were  added,  in  1888.  Thomas 
Spence  and  Thomas  ]McLaughlin,  from  Ire- 
land ;  William  Vorse,  from  Chautauqua 
county.  New  York;  Allen  Mead,  from  Sara- 
toga county,  New  York;  Ezra  Milks  and  his 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNT r. 


30 1 


son  Amos,  from  Rennselaer  county,  New 
York ;  Curtis  Cole  and  father,  from  Un- 
adilla,  N.  Y.  ;  and  Andrew  Proudfit, 
from  York  county,  Pennsylvania.  Isaac 
Fry,  from  Vermont,  and  John  Tuckey,  an 
Englishman,  took  up  land  in  18B4;  John  Loyer, 
from  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  in  1885;  Levi 
Howard,  from  \'ermont,  in  1840;  and  James 
P.  Robinson,  from  Pompey,  N.  Y.,  in  1844. 
Levi  Silverthorn  also  went  in  during  1844,  the 
year  the  township  was  created.  John  Gilbert 
married  Elizabeth  Gregory  in  Waterford  on 
the  22d  of  January,  184(3,  and  the  young 
couple  immediately  settled  in  Franklin. 
Among  other  early  settlers  were  Messrs.  Web- 
ster, Huff,  Gibson  and  Perry,  all  from  War- 
saw, N.  Y. 

THE    TOWNSHIP    GENERALLY. 

The  township  consists  of  high  rolling  land, 
with  few  of  the  ravines  and  broken  ridges 
which  prevail  in  other  summit  townships.  The 
soil  is  a  clay  loam,  varied  by  a  few  patches  of 
gravel.  Some  grain  is  raised,  but  the  land  is 
best  adapted  for  grazing  and  stock-raising. 
But  little  good  timber  remains.  Land  varies 
in  price  from  ten  to  thirty  dollars  an  acre. 

Being  on  the  top  of  the  hills  which  have 
theirbases  in  Washington,  McKean,  Fairview. 
Girard  and  Elk  Creek,  numerous  small  streams 
take  their  rise  in  Franklin,  and  flow  into  the 
creeks  of  those  townships.  Those  in  the  north 
are  all  tributary-  to  Elk  creek,  and  those  in  the 
south  mainly  to  the  Cussewago,  the  dividing 
ground  being  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of 
Franklin  Center.  Falls  run,  the  largest  stream 
in  the  township,  starts  about  a  mile  east  of  a 
cranberry  marsh  southeast  of  Franklin  Center, 
and  empties  into  Elk  creek,  in  Fairview.  Be- 
low the  cascade  at  Howard's  quarry,  the 
stream  winds  between  steep  banks  to  its  junc- 
tion with  Elk  creek.  The  West  branch  of  the 
Conneauttee  heads  in  the  same  marsh,  and, 
after  a  short  course  within  the  township, 
crosses  the  line  into  Washington. 

The  nearest  railroad  stations  are  at  (iirard 
and  Fairview  for  the  north,  at  Albion  and 
Cranesville,  for  the  west,  and  at  Cambridge 
for  the  south  and  southeast.  The  chief  pub- 
lic thoroughfares  are  the  old  State  road,  ex- 
tending across  the  township  from  Lockport  to 
McLane;  the  Population  road,  on  the  line 
between  Girard,  Elk  Creek  and  Franklin;  the 
Crane  road,  from  Cranesville  to  Edinboro  ;  the 


Sterrettania  road,  from  that  place  to  Cusse- 
wago, Crawford  county,  and  the  quarry 
road,  from  Franklin  Center  to  Fairview. 

MILLS,   STORES,  CHURCHES,  SCHOOLS,  ETC. 

The  mills  and  factories  of  Franklin  town- 
ship are  as  follows  :  A  creamery  each  at 
Franklin  Center  and  Silverthorn's  Corners;  a 
cheese  factory  at  Population  Corners  ;  a  saw- 
mill each  on  the  Crane  road  (known  as  the  Mo- 
hawk Mills),  and  a  mile  north  of  Franklin 
Center;  and  a  feed-mill  in  Franklin  Center. 

There  are  two  stores  in  Franklin  Center, 
one  at  Ivarea,  and  one  at  Population  Corners. 

The  small  and  thinly-settled  population 
prevented  the  township  from  having  any  early 
schools,  but  it  was  prompt  to  take  advantage 
of  the  State  school  law  after  organization. 
The  first  schoolhouse  in  Franklin  Center  was 
built  about  1840,  or  perhaps  a  year  or  two 
earlier.  It  occupied  the  site  of  the  present 
schoolhouse. 

In  Franklin  Center  is  a  Union  Church, 
erected  in  18G8,  at  a  cost  of  $1,500.  It  is 
occupied  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  and 
German  Lutheran  congregations.  The  for- 
mer was  organized  in  1866,  and  the  latter 
in  1871. 

The  Euieka  M.  E.  society-,  having  a  church 
on  the  Crane  road,  has  been  in  existence  since 
1867.  The  building  was  put  up  two  years 
later. 

The  Catholic  population  generally  attend 
church  in  Cussewago,  Crawford  count}-. 

The  main  cemetery  of  the  township  is  at 
the  Dawley  schoolhouse,  on  the  line  between 
Franklin  and  Girard  townships.  The  people 
in  the  southeast  mostly  bury  in  Edinboro,  in 
the  southwest  in  Cussewago,  and  in  the  north 
in  Sterrettania  and  Fairview. 

VILLAGE    AND    QUARRY. 

Franklin  Center,  or  Franklin  Corners,  as 
it  is  called  in  the  postofhce  directory,  is  on 
the  State  road,  eight  miles  each  from  Girard, 
Fairview  and  McKean,  live  from  Sterrettania, 
and  seventeen  from  Erie.  The  village  was 
founded  bv  Oren  G.  Wood,  who  started  a 
store,  and  induced  others  to  settle  around 
him.  John  Tuckey,  O.  G.  Wood  and  John 
Lover  were  the  original  owners  of  the  land. 
The  village,  which  is  a  small  but  pleasant  set- 
tlement, is   the  voting   and   meeting   place   of 


302 


]^ELSO:yS  BIOGRAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


the  township.      A  mail  is  received  daily  from 
Fairview. 

Franklin,  LeBoeuf,  McKean  and  Water- 
ford  enjoy  the  distinction  of  being  tiic  only 
townships  that  possess  important  quarries  of 
building  stone.  The  Howard  quarry,  in 
Franklin,  near  the  Fairview  line,  has  been 
\vorked  for  forty  years,  and  furnished  the 
stone  for  the  courthouse  in  Erie.  This  was 
for    a    long    period     the     only   quarry    in    tiie 


township,  but  in  recent  years  others  have 
been  opened.  Oil  has  been  running  out  of 
the  rocks  at  Howard's  quarry  from  the  earliest 
settlement,  and  in  former  times  was  gathered 
to  be  sold  as  medicine.  Three  wells  were 
put  down  along  Falls  run,  in  confidence  that 
a  large  deposit  of  the  greasy  lluid  would  be 
found,  but  only  a  trifling  amount  was  got,  and 
tlie  projects  were  abandoned. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


GIRARD   TOWNSHIP— BOROUGHS    OF   GIRARD   AND   LOCKPORT. 


GIRARD  TOWNSHIP  was  carved  out 
of  Elk  Creek,  Fairview  and  Spring- 
field in  1832,  receiving  its  name  from 
Stephen  Girard,  the  Philadelphia  mil- 
lionaire, who  held  a  large  body  of 
land  in  the  adjoining  township  of  Conneaut. 
The  old  line  between  Fairview  and  Spring- 
field ran  through  the  township  parallel  with 
the  present  line  dividing  Elk  Creek  and  Con- 
neaut. Girard  township  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Lake  Erie,  on  the  east  by  Fairview 
and  Franklin,  on  the  south  by  Conneaut  and 
Elk  Creek  and  on  the  west  by  Springfield.  In 
the  widest  part  it  is  six  and  a  quarter  miles 
from  east  to  west  by  seven  and  three-eighths 
from  north  to  south.  The  population  was 
2,060  in  1840,  2,443  in  1850,  2,458  in  1860, 
2,018  in  1870,  2,338  in  1880  and  2,280  in 
1890,  inclusive  of  Miles  Grove  in  the  latter 
year,  which  was  credited  with  570  inhabit- 
ants. The  villages  are  Miles  Grove  and 
West  Girard,  and  the  postoffices  are  Miles 
Grove,  Francis,  and  Fairplain.  The  township 
is  divided  on  the  line  of  the  "  Nickel  Plate" 
R.  R.  into  tv^'o  election  districts — the  north 
one  being  known  as  Miles  Grove  and  the 
south  one  as  Girard. 

EAKLV    SETTLERS. 

The    first    settlers   within   the  limits  of  the 
township  were  William   Silverthorn  and  his 


son,  Capt.  Abraham  Silverthorn,  who  came 
in  1798  from  Fayette  county.  About  1799 
Robert  Brown  located  at  the  mouth  of  Elk 
creek,  but  in  1804  he  moved  to  Weigleville, 
and  from  there  to  Erie.  These  parties  were 
followed  in  1800  by  Robert  Porter,  Isaac  Mil- 
ler and  John  Kelley.  Mr.  Kelley  moved  to 
West  Mill  Creek  in  1802.  In  1801  Jacob 
Coffman  came  from  Somerset  county  and 
located  on  the  site  of  Lockport ;  and  about  the 
same  time  Patrick  Ward  settled  on  tl  e  Lake 
road.  Mr.  Coffman,  who  was  from  Somerset 
county,  was  accompanied  by  his  four  sons. 
Conrad,  one  of  the  boys,  went  back  to  Somer- 
set county  about  1814,  married  there  and  did 
not  return  until  1836,  when  his  son  J.  C.  was 
a  voung  man  of  17.  William  and  Samuel 
McClelland  and  William  Crane,  natives  of 
Ireland,  took  up  lands  in  1802  ;  John  Miller, 
from  Fayette  countj',  the  same  year  ;  George 
Kelley,  from  Mifflin  county,  in  1803;  Joel 
Bradish  and  brothers,  from  Saratoga  county, 
New  York,  and  James  Blair,  from  Fayette 
county,  in  1804;  Martin  Taylor,  from  Chau- 
tauqua county.  New  York,  in  1813;  William 
Webber,  from  Genesee  county,  New  York,  in 
1814;  Cornelius  Haggerty,  in  1815;  Samuel 
Jenner  and  his  son  Peach,  from  Vermont, 
Justus  Osborn  and  his  son  Philip,  from  Fre- 
donia,  N.  Y.,  Abner  Boder,  from  Connecticut, 
and   Scott   Keith   and   wife,    from    Pittsford, 


AND  HI8T0BICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


303 


Vt.,  in  1816;  Elijah  Drury,  from  Genesee 
county,  New  York,  in  1817 ;  Ethan  Love- 
ridge  and  Nathan  Sherman,  from  Oneida 
county,  New  York,  in  1818;  Joseph  Long, 
from  Massachusetts,  in  18:^5 ;  Matthew 
Anderson,  from  Chenango  county.  New 
York,  in  1830;  George  Traut,  from  Columbia 
county,  New  York,  in  1831  ;  James  Miles, 
from  Union  township,  and  Titus  Pettibone, 
from  Wyoming  county.  New  York,  in  1832  ; 
William  Kirkland,  in  1833,  and  Joshua  Evans 
and  family  from  Summit  township  in  1837. 
Among  other  earU-  settlers,  the  date  of  whose 
arrival  is  not  ascertained,  were  Messrs.  Tag- 
gart,  Pickett,  Badger,  Martin,  Wells,  Clark, 
Laugh Hn  and  Wolverton.  The  last  four  were 
the  earliest  who  located  on  the  site  of  Girard 
borough,  Mr.  Wells  having  owned  inost  of  the 
land  embraced  within  the  corporate  limits. 
James,  Isaac  and  Abraham  Silverthorn  located 
among  the  first,  and  Thomas  Miles  about  1801. 
John  Ralph  kept  a  tavern  at  the  moutli  of  Elk 
creek  in  1804. 

John  R.  Ward  was  the  first  male  child,  and 
a  daughter  of  Robert  Brown,  who  married 
Geo.  A.  Eliot,  of  Erie,  the  first  female  child 
born  in  the  township.  The  country  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  cleared  up  very  rapidly, 
as,  according  to  Mr.  Long,  there  was  no  road 
along  Elk  creek  when  he  reached  there  in 
1825.  Girard  township  claims  the  honor  of 
having  had  the  second  oldest  person  in  the 
countv — Patrick  Ward,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  105. 

For  a  sketch  of  William  Miles,  the  pioneer 
of  the  Miles  family,  see  L^nion  City. 

TOWNSHIP    LANDS,    ETC. 

It  is  generally  agreed  that  the  land  be- 
tween Walnut  creek,  in  Fairview,  and  Crook- 
ed creek,  in  Springfield,  is  the  best  along 
Lake  Erie,  and  of  this  choice  section  Girard 
township  is  claimed  by  its  citizens  to  be  the 
very  cream.  The  lake  plain  is  from  three  to 
four  miles  wide,  running  back  by  a  succession 
of  steps  which  give  a  pleasing  variety  to  the 
country.  Near  the  lake  the  soil  is  sandy,  but 
on  the  ridge  it  becomes  gravelly  Back  of 
Girard  borough  the  land  continues  to  rise,  is 
much  broken,  and,  except  along  Elk  and 
Crooked  creeks,  where  there  are  some  fine 
valley  farms,  is  better  adapted  to  grazing  than 
grain,  though  this  is  to  be  stated  with  some 
notable  exceptions.     The  whole  township  is  a 


splendid  fruit,  grape  and  berrj-  country.  Land 
is  valued  at  from  .|100  to  |125  per  acre  along 
the  Ridge  road,  from  sixty  to  iJllOO  along  the 
Lake  road,  and  from  twenty-five  to  sixty  dol- 
lars in  the  south  part  of  the  township. 

The  main  thoroughfares  are  the  Lake  road, 
the  Ridge  road,  the  two  roads  between  ^Vliles 
Grove  and  the  borough,  the  road  through 
Lockport  and  Cranesville  to  Meadville,  and 
the  Lexington  road  into  Conneaut  township. 
The  Ridge  and  Lake  roads  are  thickly  settled, 
and  the  first  named  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
county,  having  a  row  of  shade  trees  on  both 
sides  almost  tlie  entire  distance  from  Girard 
to  Fairview.  The  stage  company  had  exten- 
sive stables  at  West  Girard,  which  were 
burned  in  January,  1832,  with  the  loss  of 
fifteen  horses.  After  the  opening  of  the  rail- 
road in  1852,  few  persons  cared  to  travel  by 
coach,  and  the  stage  line  was  soon  abandoned. 

RAILROADS  AND  CANAL. 

The  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  traverses  the  town- 
ship from  east  to  west,  crossing  Elk  creek  a 
short  distance  west  of  ]\Iiles  Grove.  The  old 
wooden  viaduct  over  this  stream,  built  for  the 
use  of  the  railroad  in  1852,  was  115  feet  high 
and  1,400  feet  long.  It  was  replaced  in  1858 
with  a  culvert  and  filling.  The  only  station 
of  this  road  is  at  Miles  Grove,  or  Girard  Sta- 
tion, as  it  is  more  generally  known  to  travelers. 

The  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R,  intersects 
the  Lake  Shore  almost  a  mile  west  of  Miles 
Grove,  running  north  and  south  across  the 
township,  parallel  to  and  not  far  from  the 
Springfield  line.  Aside  from  Miles  Grove,  it 
has  but  a  single  station  in  the  township,  the 
one  known  as  Cross's,  at  the  north  end  of 
Crooked  creek  bridge.  This  station  is  the 
depot  for  the  village  of  East  Springfield,  from 
which  it  is  a  mile  and  a  half  distant. 

The  New  York,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  R. 
R.  ("  Nickel  Plate")  passes  through  the  town- 
ship from  east  to  west,  crossing  the  Elk  creek 
valley  by  an  iron  bridge,  within  sight  from 
Girard  borough.  Its  station  is  between  the 
borough  and  Miles  Grove,  a  little  east  of  the 
latter  place. 

The  Pittsburg,  Shenango  and  Lake  Erie 
R.  R.  ("  Peasley  ")  comes  in  from  the  south 
and  connects  with  the  "  Nickel  Plate  "  north 
of  Girard  borougli,  through  which  it  passes 
and  which  is  its  station. 

The  old  Erie  canal  entered   Girard   on   the 


304 


jvjE'zsojv/S  biographical  dictionary 


east  from  Fuirview,  along  the  foot  of  the  first 
rise,  cut  through  the  ridge  to  Ell<  creek,  crossed 
that  stream  by  an  aqueduct  ninety-six  feet 
above  the  water,  and  500  long,  and  followed 
the  valley  of  Hall's  run  southward.  Its  route  ; 
in  the  main,  is  followed  by  the  "  Peasley " 
road  from  the  Lake  vShore  plain  southward. 

CREEKS.  VALLEYS  AND  NATURAL  CURIOSITIES. 

The  chief  stream  of  Girard  is  Elk  creek, 
which  comes  in  from  Fairview,  flows  nearly 
through  the  center  of  the  township  from  east 
to  northwest,  and  empties  into  the  lake  about 
a  mile  and  a  quarter  beyond  Miles  Grove, 
after  a  length  of  thirty  to  thirty-five  miles. 
The  Little  Elk  rises  in  Elk  Creek  township, 
runs  north  eight  or  ten  miles  and  unites  with 
the  main  stream  near  the  Fairview  line.  Hall's 
run  flows  through  Lockport  and  falls  in  a  lit- 
tle south  of  Girard  borough.  Brandy  run 
heads  in  Fairview  township  ;  and  Spring  run 
empties  into  Elk  creek  southwest  of  Miles 
Grove.  The  valley  of  the  chief  stream  is  nar- 
row and  precipitious  in  the  eastern  portion  of 
the  township,  but  further  west  and  north  it 
widens  out  with  steep  blufis  on  both  sides. 
At  the  junction  of  the  Little  Elk  there  is  a 
high  peak,  resembling  part  of  a  Roman  pro- 
file, with  its  base  at  the  water's  edge,  which 
has  received  the  title  of  "  The  Devil's  Nose." 
A  short  distance  south  is  the  natural  curiosity, 
famous  over  the  \vestern  portion  of  the  county 
as  "The  Devil's  Backbone."  The  Little  Elk 
runs  along  the  base  of  an  almost  perpendicular 
hill  for  a  (]uarter  of  a  mile,  then  rounds  the 
bluff  and  comes  back  to  a  point  opposite  the 
one  which  it  left,  forming  a  sort  of  loop.  At 
the  narrowest  place,  the  crest  or  backbone  is 
not  more  than  two  feet  across,  and  the  height 
is  over  100  feet.  The  other  streams  of  the 
township  are  Crooked  creek  and  several  rivu- 
lets flowing  into  the  lake  in  the  northeast. 
Crooked  creek  rises  near  Lockport,  runs 
through  the  southwestern  portion  of  Girard 
and  the  northeastern  part  of  Springfield,  and 
empties  into  Lake  Erie  about  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  beyond  the  village  of  North  Springfield. 
It  has  a  course  of  some  ten  miles. 

MOUTH    OF    ELK     CREEK. 

The  mouth  of  Elk  creek  figured  extensive- 
ly in  the  early  plans  of  public  improvement, 
as  well  as  in  the  Courts  of  the  county  and 
State.      When  the  canal  was  under  discussion, 


there  was  a  bitter  strife  as  to  the  adoption  of 
the  eastern  route  by  way  of  Waterford,  or  the 
western  one  by  way  of  Girard.  The  Legis- 
lature, by  recommendation  of  the  chief  engi- 
neer in  charge,  adopted  the  western  route. 
Next  came  a  dispute  as  to  whether  the  ter- 
minus of  the  canal  should  be  at  Erie  or  at  the 
mouth  of  Elk  creek,  which  was  settled  in  fav- 
or of  the  former.  On  the  third  of  March, 
1837,  pending  the  decision  in  regard  to  the 
terminus,  a  contract  was  entered  into  between 
James  Miles,  Thaddeus  Stevens,  and  Charles 
Ogle,  a  Congressman  from  this  State,  looking 
to  the  building  of  a  city  at  the  mouth  of  the 
creek.  Miles  was  to  dispose  of  200  acres  of 
land  on  both  sides  of  the  stream  to  Stevens 
and  Ogle,  in  consideration  of  lf5,000,  and 
$95,000  from  the  sale  of  lots  ;  Stevens  was  to 
work  for  the  adoption  of  the  site  as  the  ter- 
minus of  the  canal  ;  and  Ogle  was  to  obtain 
an  appropriation  from  Congress  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  harbor.  The  project  failing. 
Miles  sued  Stevens  and  Ogle  for  the  $5,000. 
The  case  was  carried  to  the  Supreme  Court 
and  decided  in  favor  of  the  defendants. 
Some  curious  testimony  came  out  in  the  course 
of  the  trial. 

While  the  country  was  being  cleared,  the 
mouth  of  Elk  creek  was  considerable  of  a 
shipping  place  for  staves  and  lumber.  A 
warehouse  formerly  stood  on  the  lake  shore 
for  the  convenience  of  trade.  Qiiite  a  fishery 
is  now  maintained  at  ihe  outlet  of  the  stream. 

MILLS   AND   .MOUNDS. 

The  mills  and  factories  of  the  township — 
not  naming  for  the  present  those  of  Miles 
Grove — are  as  follows :  On  Elk  creek — 
Nason's  gristmill,  at  the  mouth  of  Spring  run  ; 
the  West  Girard  grist,  saw  and  cider  mills, 
and  a  planing-mill,  sash  and  blind  factory  at 
the  same  place.  On  Spring  run,  Thornton's 
woolen-mill  and  Brown  Bros.'  hand  rake 
factory  and  cider-mill.  A  gristmill  is  said  to 
have  been  established  on  this  stream  by  Mr. 
Silverthorn,  as.  early  as  1799.  On  Brandy 
run,  Rossiter's  tannery;  on  one  of  the  lake 
streams,  Godfrey's  sawmill.  The  first  mill 
on  Elk  creek,  within  Girard  township,  was 
built  at  West  Girard  in  1814,  by  Peter  Wol- 
verton.  It  burned  down  while  owned  by  Mr. 
Rowley  and  was  rebuilt. 

Southwest  of  Girard  borough,  the  remains 
of  an  ancient  mound  are  or    were  lately  to  be 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COVHTY. 


305 


seen,  which  was  one  of  a  chain  of  four,  ex- 
tending in  a  southwesterly  direction  through 
E:ist  Springfield  toward  (3hio.  These  mounds 
are  exactly  alike,  consisting  of  round  earth- 
work inclosing  a  space  of  about  three-fourths 
of  an  acre,  with  apertures  at  regular  intervals. 
Similar  remains  are  to  be  found  in  Conneaut, 
Harbor  Creek,  W^ayne  and  Concord  town- 
ships. On  a  hill  between  Girard  and  Lock- 
port  was  an  Indian  burial  ground. 

In  188^  the  bones  of  a  mastodon 
were  plowed  up  on  the  farm  of  W.  H.  Pal- 
mer, some  of  which  were  in  an  excellent  state 
of  preservation.  The  animal  was  estimated  to 
have  been  fifteen  feet  long,  exclusive  of  tusks, 
and  about  thirteen  feet  high. 

CHURCHES     AND     SCHOOLS. 

The  churches  of  the  township,  outside  of 
Miles  Grove,  are  two  iSIethodist,  one  United 
Brethren  and  one  Christian. 

The  ^Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Fair 
Haven,  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  townsiiip, 
was  organized  January  7,  1815,  at  the  house 
of  Mr.  Webber,  and  reorganized  in  1860. 
The  building  was  put  up  in  1861. 

The  church  of  the  same  denomination  at 
Fairplain,  on  the  Lake  road,  was  organized  in 
1840  and  erected  its  building  in  1841. 

The  Church  of  the  United  Brethren,  on 
the  State  road,  near  the  Elk  Creek  township 
line,  was  organized  in  1870. 

The  Christian  Church  building  is  on  the 
Population  road,  on  the  line  between  Girard 
and  Franklin. 

The  cemetery  at  Girard  is  the  common 
burial  place  of  the  township,  but  a  number  of 
small  graveyards  exist  in  various  sections. 

A  loghouse  stood  in  the  southwestern  part 
of  the  township,  in  which  school  was  taught 
in  1819  or  1820.  This  building  was  destroyed 
bv  fire  and  another  was  erected  in  the  same 
locality.  Many  years  ago  there  was  a  log 
schoolhouse  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
south  of  the  village  of  Lockport.  About  1822 
school  was  taught  in  a  frame  building  on  the 
Ridge  road  at  the  foot  of  Girard  Hill.  An- 
other was  iield  in  a  private  house,  one  mile 
east  of  Girard  about  1823. 

WILES    GROVE. 

The  village  of  Miles  Grove,  or  Girard  Sta- 
tion, as  it  is  known  to  the  traveling  public,  is 
situated   on  the    Lake   Shore   R.   R.,  a   little 


over  a  mile  east  of  the  intersection  of  the 
Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.,  one  and  three-quarter 
miles  north  of  Girard  and  sixteen  by  rail 
west  of  Erie.  Its  population  was  471  by  the 
census    of    1880,    and    570    by    that    of   1890. 

The  place  was  named  after  Judge  Miles, 
who  iniluenced  the  erection  of  the  depot,  the 
ground  for  which  was  given  by  Austin  H. 
Seele)-,  who  laid  out  the  lots.  It  grew  slowly 
for  some  years,  but  received  an  impetus  by 
the  completion  of  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R., 
which  caused  it  to  be  made  a  general  stopping 
place  for  the  trains.  Another  start  was 
given  to  it  bj-  the  location  of  A.  Denio's  fork 
and  agricultural  works,  which  furnish  employ- 
ment to  about  seventy  persons.  These  works 
— now  known  as  the  Otsego  Fork  Mills — 
were  brought  to  Miles  Grove,  part  in  1874, 
and  the  balance  in  1876,  the  citizens  subscri- 
bing !i!4,000  to  $5,000  to  induce  their  removal. 
The  industry,  or  rather  a  portion  of  it,  was 
originall}-  established  at  Albion,  at  which 
place  a  fire  destroyed  the  handle  department 
in  1878,  when  the  entire  business  was  trans- 
ferred to  Miles  Grove. 

The  Novelty  Works  were  started  in  1883, 
being  owned  respectively  by  the  Novelty 
Manufacturing  Company  (limited),  and  the 
Keystone  Manufacturing  Company,  and  con- 
tinued until  1892,  when  the  business  was  re- 
moved to  Saginaw,  Mich.  The  buildings 
remain,  but  are  not  in  use  at  the  time  of 
writing. 

The  Ideal  Foundry  was  established  by  Mr. 
Hanchett  in  1890  or  '91,  and  has  done  a  good 
business. 

The  village  contains  an  Episcopal,  a  Pres- 
b\-terian  and  a  Methodist  Church,  a  fine 
schoolhouse,  a  copper  tempering  works,  a 
hotel — the  Lommer  House — built  by  A.  M. 
Osborn,  in  186-5,  and  a  number  of  stores  and 
shops.  The  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  has  valuable 
improvements  at  Miles  Grove. 

The  home  of  the  Miles  familv,  in  the  val- 
ley of  Elk  creek,  near  its  mouth,  about  a  mile 
north  of  west  from  IMiles  Grove,  is  a  stately 
brick  mansion.  When  Judge  Miles  died,  he 
owned  1,600  acres  in  one  body,  extending 
two  miles  or  more  along  the  lake.  He  was 
born  in  Northumberland  countj-,  Februarv  16, 
1792,  and  died  March  27,  1868. 

The  Episcopal  church  was  erected  in  1877, 
mainly  with  a  sum  of  money  left  by  Mrs. 
Bell,  a  daughter  of  Ji'dge  Miles,  on  a  tract  of 


3o6 


NELSON'S  BIOaiiAPUICAL  DICTIONARY 


land  donated  by  J.  Robert  Hall,  agent  of  the 
latter's  estate.  The  first  services  of  this  con- 
gregation were  held  in  1860,  but  there  was  no 
regular  rector  until  18(52. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was 
built  in  1867.  It  was  originally  used  in  part 
by  the  Presbyterians.  James  Sampson  do- 
nated the  land  on  which  the  building  stands. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  was  built  in  the 
winter  of  1885-G,  at  a  cost  of  $10,000,  all  but 
$1,600  of  the  sum  being  contributed  by  Mr. 
A.  Denio.  The  title  to  the  church  property 
is  vested  in  the  trustees  of  the  First  Presbyte- 
rian congregation  of  Girard  borough,  with  the 
condition  that  at  any  time  the  Miles  Grove 
congregation  feel  able  to  sustain  a  separate 
organization  and  minister  the  property  is  to 
become  their's.  For  twenty  years  the  pastor 
of  the  Girard  Church  has  officiated  at  Miles 
Grove,  the  latter  contributing  at  present  about 
one-third  of  the  sum  necessary  to  his  support. 

WE.ST    GIKARD. 

West  Girard  is  in  the  valley  of  Elk  creek, 
after  which  it  was  originally  named,  mostly 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  stream,  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  borough  of  Girard.  It  was 
rather  an  important  place  in  early  days,  being 
the  site  of  one  of  the  stage  company's  stables, 
and  a  changing  place  for  their  teams.  The 
village  then  boasted  a  number  of  stores,  four 
taverns,  two  tanneries,  an  oil  mill,  distillery, 
and  several  smaller  establishments,  all  of 
which  were  allowed  to  run  down.  It  received 
its  worst  blow  by  the  building  of  the  canal  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  which  caused  a 
transfer  of  the  business  to  the  present  bor- 
ough. Its  principal  establishments  now  are  a 
grist  mill,  a  planing  mill  and  sash  and  blind- 
factory,  and  a  sawmill.  The  village  contains 
thirty  houses,  and  185  inhabitants.  An  iron 
bridge  over  Elk  creek  marks  the  site  of  two 
or  three  other  bridges  which  have  been  washed 
away  by  the  destructive  floods  of  that  stream. 


BOROUGH  OF  GIRARD. 

[see    GIR.Md)     TOWNSHIP.] 

At  the  close  of  the  last  war  with  Great 
Britain,  the  site  of  Girard  borough  was  partly 
included  in  the  farm  of  Joiin  Taylor,  whose 
log  house  was  the  only  building  there.     At  a 


later  date  the  land  was  owned  by  Daniel 
Sayre,  sr.,  who  purchased  from  Mr.  Taylor. 
Mr.  Sayre  sold  to  Joseph  Wells,  who  erected 
the  first  frame  building  within  the  borough 
limits.  The  original  town  was  on  the  other 
side  of  the  creek,  now  known  as  West  Girard. 
When  the  canal  was  located  on  the  east  side 
of  the  stream,  several  parties  commenced 
building  on  the  present  site,  and  it  was  not 
long  until  a  town  was  laid  out.  The  first 
buildings  in  the  village  were  near  the  canal, 
and  the  first  tavern  occupied  a  site  a  little 
west  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In 
1846,  the  village  was  incorporated  as  a  bor- 
ough. Its  first  officers  were  :  Burgess,  Mason 
Kellogg  ;  Council,  John  McClure,  jr.,  LeITert 
Hart,  II.  McConnell,  George  H.  Cutler; 
Clerk,  L.  S.  Jones.  The  census  gave  Girard 
a  population  of  400  in  1850,  616  in  1860,  704 
in  1870,  703  in  1880,  and  626  in  1890. 

Girard  occupies  a  pleasant  site  along  the 
Ridge  road,  which  constitutes  its  main  street, 
on  high  ground  overlooking  the  lake  shore 
plain  and  the  valley  of  Elk  creek,  sixteen 
miles  west  by  public  road  from  Erie,  ten  east 
from  the  Ohio  line,  two  and  a  half  south  of 
the  lake  and  one  and  three-quarters  from  the 
railroad  station  at  Miles  Grove, »with  which 
it  is  connected  by  the  old  Depot  road  and  Rice 
avenue.  The  latter  thoroughfare,  which  was 
projected  by  Dan  Rice  while  in  the  height  of 
his  prosperity,  was  opened  in  the  winter  of 
1867-68.  The  old  Erie  canal  passed  through 
the  borough  bv  a  deep  cut.  Its  route  is  now 
mainly  occupied  by  the  ''Peasley  "  R.  R.,  of 
which  Girard  is  an  important  station. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Methodist  Church,  which  has  few 
superiors  in  this  county,  was  erected  in  1868 
at  a  cost  of  $80,000.  The  congregation  was 
organized  in  1815,  and  built  its  first  edifice 
in  1828. 

A  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which  a  grave- 
yard was  attached,  was  erected  in  1835,  the 
congregation  having  been  organized  May  16th 
of  that  year.  This  building  was  remodeled  in 
1893,  at  a  cost  of  $8,500. 

St.  John's  Catholic  congregation  was  or- 
ganized about  the  year  1853,  and  soon  after 
put  up  a  church  building.  The  congregation 
was  attended  bj-  visiting  priests  for  a  number 
of  years.  A  regular  pastor  was  supplied  in 
1870,  who  also  has  charge  of  the  congregation 


AND  EISTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


307 


at  North  East.  Rev.  Father  Briody  is  the 
present  pastor  in  charge. 

The  Universalist  society  was  organized 
some  years  previous  to  ]852,  in  which  year 
they  erected  their  church  building. 

St.  Johannis  congregation  of  the  Evangel- 
ical Lutheran  Church  was  organized  in  18(jt5, 
and  purchased  the  ground  and  building  occu- 
pied by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  society  prior 
to  that  date,  in  1869. 

CEMETERY    AND    SCHOOL.S. 

The  Girard  cemetery  is  a  tract  of  ten  acres, 
containing  many  costly  monumeuts.  The  or- 
ganization was  chartered  in  March,  1861,  and 
the  property  was  laid  out  the  same  year. 

The  Girard  Academy  was  built  by  sub- 
scription in  1850,  and  opened  in  1851.  It  had 
a  students'  boarding  house  attached,  and  for 
awhile  was  very  successful.  The  property  was 
transferred  to  the  school  board  about  twenty- 
five  vears  ago,  and  has  since  been  occupied  by 
the  common  schools  of  the  borough.  The  lat- 
ter were  graded  in  the  winter  of  1872-8. 

The  first  school  that  was  held  in  Girard 
township  was  taught  in  what  is  now 
Girard  borough  in  the  year  180'J.  In  1827, 
the  village  school  was  held  on  the  lower  floor 
of  a  log  building  that  stood  a  little  to  the  rear 
of  the  site  of  the  drug  store  of  Smith  &  Lowe. 

HOTELS    AND    FACTORIES. 

The  hotels  of  Girard  borough  are  the 
Avenue  House,  finished  in  1879,  and  the 
Rliodes  House,  which  has  been  in  operation 
forty  years.  Girard  has  been  unfortunate  in 
the  matter  of  hotel  buildings,  the  old  Girard 
House,  which  occupied  the  site  of  the  present 
Avenue  House,  and  the  Central  Hou^e  of 
Joshua  Evans,  which  stood  on  the  east  side  of 
the  public  square,  having  both  been  burned. 
In  the  days  of  stage  coaching  on  the  Ridge 
road,  the  locality  was  a  famous  one  for  taverns, 
there  having  been  no  less  than  eight,  within 
two  miles,  in  1835. 

The  wrench  factory  was  built  in  1874  by  a 
corporation  under  the  .State  laws, with  a  capital 
of  .^S.OOO.  the  people  of  Girard  subscribing 
half  the  stock.  It  failed  in  1875,  and  was  pur- 
chased at  sheriflf's  sale  by  C.  F.  Rockwell,  W. 
C.  Culbertson,  C.  F.  Webster  and  R.  S.  Bat- 
tles, forming  a  limited  ])artnership. 

Theo.  J.  Ely's  novelty  works  started  in 
1892,  using  the  old  furniture  factory  as  a  basis. 


The  establishment  burned  in  the  summer  of 
1894,  and  was  rebuilt  and  enlarged  the  same 
year. 

PUBLIC  SQUARE,  MONUMENTS,  ETC. 

The  public  square  was  a  gift  from  Joseph 
Wells,  when  the  town  was  laid  out.  Its  chief 
object  of  interest  is  the  soldiers'  monument,  a 
handsome  shaft  of  marble,  designed  by  the 
Chicago  sculptor,  Leonard  Volk,  inclosed  by 
an  iron  railing,  and  dedicated  November  1, 
1865.  It  cost  .^6,000,  the  whole  of  which  was 
paid  by  Dan  Rice.  The  principal  speakers  at 
its  dedication  were  Gov.  Curtin,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, Gov.  Todd,  of  Ohio,  and  Gen.  Alfred 
B.  McCalmont,  of  Franklin.  It  is  claimed 
that  this  was  the  first  monument  erected  to 
the  memory  of  the  L  nion  soldiers. 

The  Dan  Rice  property,  on  the  north  side 
of  the  square,  embraced  two  and  a  half  acres, 
inclosed  on  three  sides  by  a  heavv  brick  -ivall, 
and  ornamented  with  statuary,  walks,  arbors, 
trees,  shrubbery  and  flowers.  The  mansion 
was  a  large  frame  building.  Within  the  in- 
closure  was  a  fine  conservatory  and  a  brick 
barn  which  cost  .$26,000.  The  cost  of  the  wall 
around  the  grounds  was  $8,000.  Dan  Rice's 
first  purchase  in  Girard  was  in  1853,  when  he 
bought  the  original  premises  from  Col.  John 
McClure  for  |18,000.  In  1856  he  moved 
there,  and  from  that  date  continued  to  add  to 
his  purchase  until  he  had  possession  of  the  en- 
tire square,  at  a  cost  of  about  .'{;6(),()00.  He 
lost  the  property  through  financial  embarrass- 
ment and  it  is  now  owned  by  Carl  Jones,  who 
tore  down  the  old  house  and  built  another. 

PUBLIC    MEN. 

Girard  borough  and  township  have  fur- 
nished a  goodly  proportion  of  the  public  men 
of  the  county.  Among  the  number  have  been 
George  H.  Cutler,  State  Senator  from  1873  to 
1875,  Speaker  of  the  Senate,  then  the  second 
highest  office  in  the  Commonwealth,  from  the 
close  of  the  session  in  1874,  and  President  pro 
tem.  during  the  session  of  1875;  W.  C.  Cul- 
bertson, elected  to  Congress  in  1888 ;  Theo. 
Ryman,  member  of  Assembly  in  1848:  LefTert 
Hart  in  1849;  Henry  Teller'in  1860  and  1861  : 
George  P.  Rea  in  1868  and  1869  ;  H.  A.  Traut, 
from  1883  to  1885;  Myron  Hutchinson,  Asso- 
ciate Judge,  from  1841  to  1850;  James  Miles, 
from  1851  to  1856;  S.  E.  Woodruff.  District 
Attorney     from    1853    to    1856,    and    United 


3o8 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


States  Register  in  Bankruptcy  for  this  Con- 
gressional District  from  1867  to  1871);  U.  P. 
Rossiter,  elected  District  Attorney  in  1893; 
George  W.  Evans,  elected  Sheriff  in  1894; 
Calvin  L.  Randall,  elected  Register  and  Re- 
corder in  1884  and  '87;  James  C.  Marshall, 
Prothonotary  from  Januar)'  14,  1839,  to  No- 
vember 1(5,  1839,  and  Samuel  Perley  from 
1851  to  1854;  Jeremiah  Davis,  County  Treas- 
urer from  December  1,  185(5,  to  December  23, 
1858;  L.  T.  Fisk,  County  Superintendent  of 
Public  Schools  from  18'66  to  1869;  Myron 
Hutchinson,  County  Commissioner  from  1828 
to  1830,  and  James  Miles  from  1835  to  1838; 
D.  W.  Hutchinson,  Mercantile  Appraiser  in 
1877,  and  J.  M.  Ball  in  1894;  Win.  Biggcrs, 
Jury  Commissioner  from  January  1,  1880,  to 
January  1,  1883;  George  Piatt,  County  Sur- 
veyor many  years  and  present  City  Engineer 
of  Erie  ;  John  Hay,  Director  of  tiie  Poor  from 
1853  to  '57,  and  Wm.  Hopkins  from  1890  to 
1893;  James  Miles,  County  Auditor  from 
1840  to  1843,  and  Philip  Osborn  from  1864  to 
1867.  Senator  and  .Secretary  of  the  Interior 
Teller,  of  Colorado,  was  a  resident  of  Girard 
township  while  a  boy.  D.  W.  Hutchinson 
was  Register  of  the  United  States  Lanil  Office 
at  Bismarck,  Dak.,  during  the  first  Cleveland 
administration,  and  Marcus  N.  Cutler  held  a 
clerkship  at  Harrisburg  during  a  long  period. 
T.  C.  Wheeler  was  United  States  Assistant 
Assessor  for  nine  years,  being  appointed 
under  President  Lincoln.  Mr.  Osborn,  above 
named,  was  Keeper  of  the  Marine  Hospital  at 
Erie  for  several  j'ears,  ending  in  1883.  Mr. 
Marshall  moved  to  Erie  in  1844  and  Mr. 
Woodrufi"  about  1872. 

NEWSPAPERS    AND    BANKS. 

The  first  newspaper  was  the  Girard  Pree 
Press,  started  about  1845,  by  S.  D.  Carpen- 
ter, \vho  took  Horace  Greeley's  advice,  went 
West  and  became  a  prominent  politician.  The 
Express,  its  successor,  was  purchased  by  T. 
C.  Wheeler  and  William  S.  Finch,  November 
7,  1854,  and  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Rc- 
p7iblican.  It  bore  the  novel  motto,  "  Inde- 
pendent on  all  subjects,  rabid  on  none."'  In 
1855  Samuel  Perley  moved  to  Girard  from 
Erie,  merged  the  material  of  his  city  office 
with  that  of  the  Republican,  and  conducted  a 
paper  for  several  years.  From  that  date  sev- 
eral futile  efforts  were  made  to  establish  a 
paper  until   1867,    when  the    Cosmopolite  en- 


tered the  arena  as  the  successor  of  the  Crisis, 
which  had  been  founded  at  Conneautville  by 
T.  G.  Fields,  under  the  auspices  of  Dan  Rice, 
to  advocate  his  election  to  the  Presidency. 
Charles  Stow  became  editor  of  the  Cosmopo- 
lite, and  gave  it  a  reputation  the  country  over. 
After  a  brief  suspension,  it  was  bought  by  Ja- 
cob Bender  &  Bro.,  in  the  springof  1872.  In 
the  spring  of  1873  Charles  Bender  went  out 
of  the  concern,  but  returned  in  187('),  and  in 
188(J  purchased  the  interest  of  his  brother. 
The  office  passed  into  the  hands  of  Murphy  & 
Nichols  November  28,  1889,  who  have  con- 
ducted the  paper  since. 

The  first  bank  was  organized  in  1859  by  R. 
S.  Battles  and  C.  F.  Webster.  The  firm  dis- 
solved in  1876  and  Mr.  Battles  has  continued 
the  business.  The  First  National  Bank  was 
organized  in  1863,  and  kept  up  until  its  char- 
ter expired.  Mr.  Battles  was  cashier  during 
the  whole  period  of  its  existence,  managing 
both  the  National  and  private  banks. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  secret  societies  are  :  Lake  Erie  Lodge, 
No.  347,  F.  &  A.  M.,  a  Harugari  lodge,  a 
Mystic  Circle  and  a  lodge  of  the  United 
Workmen. 

The  old  State  line  passes  through  the 
borough,  running  within  six  feet  of  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  Avenue  House. 

The  adoption  of  Girard  as  the  residence  of 
Dan  Rice  had  the  effect  of  drawing  other 
caterers  to  the  public  amusement  there,  and  in 
course  of  time  it  became  known  far  and  wide 
as  a  "  show  town."  Among  the  famous  show- 
men who  made  it  their  residence  were  Dr. 
James  L.  Thayer,  who  started  as  an  employe  of 
Hice's  ;  Charles  W.  Noyes,  one  of  his  pupils  ; 
Abe  Henderson,  Agrippa  Martin  and  Sej'mour 
Pease,  all  at  one  time  owners  or  part  owners 
of  circuses.  No  less  than  five  shows  have 
been  organized  in  the  borough,  viz.  :  Dan 
Rice's,  Thayer  &  Noyes',  Rice  &  Forepaugh's, 
Anderson  &  Co. 's  and  G.  R.  Spalding  I't  Co. 's. 
Dan  Rice  wintered  his  shows  there  from  1856 
till  the  spring  of  1875. 

Henry  Ball,  Esq.,  who  died  on  the  12th  of 
March,  1895,  was  known  as  one  of  the  oldest 
Justices  of  the  Peace  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  first  elected  in  1852,  and  held  the  office 
from  that  date  until  his  death,  a  period  of 
forty-three  years. 

The  Robert  Wilcox    Library,   one   of  the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


309 


most  creditable  features  of  the  borough,  owes 
its  origin  to  the  liberality  of  Robert  Wilcox,  a 
native  of  Girard,  who  bequeathed  |5,000  for 
the  purpose.  The  building  was  dedicated  on 
the  3d  of  May,  1895. 

Denman  Thompson,  the  celebrated  come- 
dian, was  born  near  the  borough  of  Girard  on 
the  15th  of  October,  1S33,  of  Xew  Hampshire 
stock.  His  most  famous  part  was  in  the  play 
of  the  '■  Old  Homestead,"  which  he  partially 
wrote,  and  which  had  a  degree  of  popular 
favor  second  only  to  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 
He  closed  his  theatrical  career  in  New  York 
in  1895,  at  the  age  of  62,  after  being  on  the 
stage  nearly  forty-five  years. 


BOROUGH  OF  LOCKPORT. 
[see  girard  township.] 

The  postofiice  name  of  Lockport  is  Platea. 
The  town  started  about  1840,  during  the  con- 
struction of  the  canal,  and  derives  its  name 
from  the  fact  that  there  were  twenty-eight 
locks  within  a  distance  of  two  miles.  These 
had  an  average  lift  of  six  and  one-half  feet, 
and  were  used  to  overcome  the  rise  from  the 
lake  shore  plain  to  the  valley  of  Conneaut 
creek.  The  borough  is  about  four  and  a  half 
miles  from  Girard  and  four  from  Albion. 
The  town  owes  its  origin  to  the  enterprise  of 
Silas  Pratt,  who  had  a  contract  for  building 
the  locks  and  who  owned  the  land.  Foresee- 
ing that  a  town  must  grow  up  along  the  locks, 
he  started  a  store  and  built  a  church,  hotel 
and  several  houses.  Mr.  Pratt  failed  in  1848 
or  1849,  and  was  prevented  from  fully  carry- 
ing out  his  projects.  The  canal  caused  a  con- 
siderable trade  to  spring  up,  and  the  town 
was  once  quite  a  flourishing  place.  Ezekiel 
Page,  who  invented  a  way  of  turning  the 
blade  and  handle  of  an  oar  together,  erected  a 
building  four  stories  high   and   180  feet  long 


bv  eighty  wide.  He  became  embarrassed 
about  1855,  went  South  and  was  found  dead 
in  the  woods  of  Florida.  The  factory  build- 
ing was  moved  to  Erie  after  the  war.  A  fire 
in  1871  swept  away  one  hotel ;  some  two 
years  later  the  foundry  was  burned ;  and  in 
1876  the  second  and  last  hotel  fell  a  prey  to 
the  same  destructive  element. 

Lockport  was  incorporated  as  a  borough  in 
1870,  taking  in  about  1700  acres,  of  which 
the  chief  portion  is  farming  land.  Its  popu- 
lation then  was  estimated  at  500,  but  had 
been  reduced  to  345  in  1880,  and  was  only  240 
in  1890.  The  territory  included  in  tiie  borough 
limits  was  originally  a  portion  of  Elk  Creek 
township,  and  after  the  organization  of 
Girard  township,  formed  its  southern  central 
part. 

The  eleven  mile  level  of  the  canal  com- 
menced at  the  head  of  the  locks  at  Lockport, 
and  extended  to  Spring  Corners,  in  Crawford 
county.  Crooked  creek,  which  empties  into 
Lake  Erie  in  Springfield  township,  rises  in 
or  near  Lockport  borough. 

The  borough  contains  two  churches — the 
Disciple  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal — both 
built  in  1878. 

The  Disciple  Church  was  organized  in  the 
winter  of  1877.  No  regular  service  was  held 
for  some  years,  but  an  effort  is  being  made  to 
revive  the  congregation. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  congregation 
was  organized  about  the  year  1843,  and  soon 
thereafter  a  church  building  was  erected  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  Lockport.  This 
was  torn  down  and  partially  used  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  present  edifice. 

The  P.,  S.  and  L.  E.  R.  R.  runs  through 
and  has  a  station  in  the  borough. 

The  town  has  a  cheese  factory  (established 
in  1870),  a  planing  mill,  a  sawmill  and  a  cider 
mill.  A  tannery  was  started  by  Wm.  Aid- 
rich  in  1848,  and  an  oar  factory  by  Mr.  Row- 
ley in  1860.  both   of  which  have   gone    down. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


GREENE    TOWNSHIP. 


GREENE,  one  of  the  original  sixteen 
townships,  was  known  as  Beaver 
Dam  until  1840,  when  the  present 
name  w-as  adopted  in  honor  of  Gen. 
Nathaniel  Greene,  of  Revolutionary 
memory.  Its  western  boundary  has  been 
twice  changed — first,  b}'  adding  a  piece  to 
McKean,  and  second,  by  the  erection  of  Sum- 
mit in  1854.  Greene  township  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Mill  Creek  and  Harbor  Creek, 
on  the  east  by  Greenfield  and  Venango,  on 
the  souths  by  Waterford  and  on  the  west  by 
Summit  and  Mill  Creek.  Its  greatest  extent 
is  seven  miles  from  north  to  south,  and  six 
from  east  to  west.  It  contained  140  inhabit- 
ants in  1820,  448  in  1880,  1,081  in  1840,  1,542 
in  1850,  1,450  in  1860,  1,895  in  1870.  1,581 
in  1880  and  1,511  in  1890.  The  township  is 
divided,  for  election  purposes,  into  the  East 
and  West  districts. 

EARLIEST    SETTLERS. 

The  earliest  settlers  in  Greene  township 
were  Peter  Himebaugh  and  Conrad  Wine- 
man,  two  Pennsylvania  Germans,  who  took 
up  lands  in  1800  along  LeBtpuf  creek  and  re- 
mained there  the  balance  of  their  lives.  About 
1802  Jacob  ard  Samuel  Brown,  Thomas  Bun- 
nell and  John  and  Ambrose  Coover  settled  in 
the  LeBanif  valley.  In  the  spring  of  1802 
Thomas  Hinton,  with  five  sons  and  two 
daughters,  made  their  homes  in  the  northeast. 
The  Browns  built  mills  on  the  creek  and  for 
a  long  period  supplied  a  good  portion  of  the 
timber  used  at  Erie.  In  the  Welsh  settlement 
the  Hintons  were  followed  by  the  Joneses, 
Knoyles,  Morgans,  Wilkinses  and  others  of 
their  countrymen.  From  1804  on  a  number 
of  persons  went  in  and  left,  and  the  tide  of 
emigration  did  not  commence  again  until 
1816.  Between  that  year  and  1818  a  colony 
of  New  England  people  located  in  the  town- 
ship, among  whom  may  be  named  Cyril 
Drown   and  sons,    Martin    Hayes    and    sons, 


Isaac  and  David  Church,  Benjamin  Gunnison, 
Roger  Root,  David  Edwards  and  S.  T.  Rock- 
wood.  Weed's  Corners  was  settled  in  1828 
by  William  B.  Weed  and  William  Yaple, 
who  went  there  when  the  country  south  of 
Hayes's  to  Lake  Pleasant  was  a  continuous 
forest.  The  first  German  emigration  was  in 
1883,  when  the  Hirts,  Pringles,  Kellars  and 
others  settled  on  and  near  the  Wattsburg  road. 
Mr.  Kuhl  and  sons  removed  from  Mill  Creek 
in  1835.  The  Irish  began  settling  in  the 
township  about  1836,  mostly  on  the  Kuhl 
road.  Among  their  number  the  Barrys,  Gal- 
laghers, Morrisons,  McManuses,  Cosgroves 
and  McGinneses  were  first  on  the  ground. 
H.  L.  Pinney  bought  a  farm  in  Greene  in 
1843  and  moved  there  the  next  year.  E.  O. 
Pinney  first  rented  a  farm  in  1843,  and  pur- 
chased in  1846  ;  and  Martin  Pinney  made  the 
township  his  home  in  1851.  (Jriffith  Hinton, 
one  of  the  sons  of  Thomas,  above  referred  to, 
died  at  the  residence  of  his  son-in-law,  Sum- 
ner Bemis,  on  the  15th  of  March,  1880,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  96  years.  The  Hinton  fam- 
ily came  from  Wales  in  1801,  but  did  not  set- 
tle in  this  county  till  the  next  year. 

LANDS,    STRE.\MS    AND    MILLS. 

The  township  is  one  of  the  most  elevated 
in  the  county,  containing  the  dividing  ridge 
from  which  the  waters  of  Mill  creek,  Walnut 
creek,  Four-Mile  creek  and  Six-Mile  creek 
flow  into  the  lake,  and  of  LeBopuf  creek  to 
the  south.  The  main  body  of  the  land  is  clay 
and  gravel,  best  for  grazing.  There  is  a  good 
valley  along  LeBo'uf  creek,  in  the  southwest, 
ranging  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile  in  width. 
The  value  of  land  is  from  twenty  to  forty  dol- 
lars an  acre.  A  considerable  area  of  forest 
still  exists,  and  the  township  may  be  said  to 
be  the  main  supply  point  of  Erie  for  firewood. 

The  township  postoffices  are:  Boscobel, 
in  the  Wales  settlement  ;  East  Greene,  at 
Bogus    Corners ;     Hamot,     at    St,     Boniface 


AND  EISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


311 


Church ;  Clipper,  in  the  Church  and  Tate 
neighborhood;  and  West  Greene,  at  the  set- 
tlement of  the  same  name. 

Le  Boeuf  creek  rises  on  the  south  edge  of 
the  township,  and  empties  into  French  creek 
below  Waterford;  a  branch  of  Mill  creek 
starts  in  the  northwest;  Four-Mile  creek 
about  a  mile  northeast  from  St.  Boniface ; 
Six-Mile  creek  a  short  distance  south  of 
Wales,  and  Walnut  creek,  near  the  Greene 
and  Summit  line,  a  little  northeast  of  White- 
ford's  Corners.  The  great  gully  of  Four- 
Mile  creek  begins  nearly  at  the  head  of  the 
stream,  about  three  and  a  half  miles  south  of 
the  Harbor  creek  line,  and  continues  to  the 
crossing  of  the  Station  road,  belo^v  Cooper's 
mill. 

The  mills  of  the  township  are  the  saw  and 
feed-mill  of  Miles  Brown,  on  Le  Bocuf  creek  ; 
Kane's  sawmill,  near  the  north  boundary  ; 
Riple}''s  sawmill,  back  of  St.  Boniface  Church, 
both  on  Four-Mile  creek ;  a  sawmill  on 
Six-Mile  creek,  north  of  Wales;  and  one  near 
F.  &  M.  Cook's.  The  first  and  only  gristmill 
in  the  township  was  built  by  Jacob  Brown, 
early  in  the  century,  and  ran  until  1872,  when 
it  burned  down. 

COM.NrON     ROADS    AND    RAILROADS. 

The  leading  thoroughfares  are  the  Watts- 
burg  plank  road  ;  the  old  road  to  Wattsburg 
by  waj'  of  Phillipsville,  which  branches  off 
from  the  plank  road  at  the  Seigel  place  ;  the 
Lake  Pleasant  road ;  the  road  from  Harbor 
Creek  to  Waterford  ;  through  West  Greene  ; 
the  old  vShunpike,  from  Augustus  Graham's, 
in  Summit,  to  Waterford,  and  the  road  from 
the  Shunpike  to  West  Greene.  The  Watts- 
burg plank  was  completed  in  1853,  and  given 
up  as  a  toll  road  in  the  spring  of  1865.  The 
Lake  Pleasant  road  was  opened  from  Erie  to 
the  Martin  Hayes  place  in  the  winter  of 
1821-22,  and  extended  to  French  creek  in  the 
winter  of  1826-27,  through  what  was,  for  a 
good  part  of  the  way,  a  dense  wilderness. 
Both  of  these  roads  traverse  the  entire  width 
of  the  township  from  nortliwest  to  southeast. 
The  Shunpike  was  laid  out  in  1827-28,  to 
avoid  the  Waterford  turnpike,  growing  out  of 
a  quarrel  between  its  owners  and  the  stage 
company  over  the  rates  of  toll.  The  Harbor 
Creek  and  Wattsburg  road  was  opened  in 
1810,  and  the  one   which  branches  off    from 


the  Shunpike  has   been    in  existence   forty  to 
fifty  years. 

The  only  railroad  in  Greene  is  the  Philadel- 
phia and  Erie,  which  crosses  about  a  mile  of 
its  southwest  corner,  between  Summit  and 
Waterford.  It  has  no  station  in  the  township, 
and  the  nearest  stopping  places  are  at  Belle 
Valley,  Langdon's  and  Jackson's. 

HAMI.ETS,  CHURCHES,  ETC. 

Greene  township  has  no  incorporated 
towns,  and  no  settlements  that  can  strictly  be 
called  by  the  name  of  villages.  There  are, 
however,  several  thickly  settled  localities 
which  have  been  honored  with  special  names, 
such  as  West  Greene,  St.  Boniface,  Wales, 
Bogus  Corners,  Weed's  Corners  and  Six- 
Mile  Creek. 

Wales,  in  the  northeast,  on  the  Venango 
line,  derives  its  name  from  being  first  settled  by 
Welsh,  of  whom  the  Hintons  were  the  pio- 
neers. The  district  kno\vn  as  Wales,  includes 
a  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  Church,  a  school- 
house  and  a  few  farmhouses.  The  Presbyterian 
congregation  was  organized  in  1849,  by  Rev. 
G.  W.  Cleveland,  its  first  pastor,  and  erected 
a  building  in  1851  at  a  cost  of  $800.  A 
cemetery  adjoins  the  church.  The  Methodist 
congregation  has  been  in  existence  some 
forty-five  years.  A  creamery  was  started  at 
Wales  about  1891. 

St.  Boniface  is  a  German  settlement  on  the 
Wattsburg  plank  road,  seven  miles  from  Erie, 
whicii  derives  its  name  from  the  Catiiolic 
Church  there  located.  The  church  was 
organized  in  1857  by  Rev.  J.  A.  Oberhofer, 
with  a  congregation  of  some  forty  families. 
A  building  was  erected  the  same  year,  which 
burned  down  in  1867,  and  the  present  one 
was  erected  in  1873,  at  a  cost  of  !i!4.0LX). 
Meantime  a  separation  took  place  between 
the  German  and  English-speaking  members  of 
the  congregation,  which  led  to  the  construc- 
tion of  another  edifice  by  the  latter  in  1870. 
This  building,  known  as  St.  Peter's  Church, 
was  subsequently  removed  to  Kuhl's  Hill, 
where  it  has  a  graveyard  attached.  A  par- 
sonage and  a  graveyard  are  connected  with 
St.  Boniface's  Church.  The  parochial  school, 
which  has  an  average  attendance  of  eightv,  is 
in  charge  of  the  Benedictine  Nuns. 

Bogus  Corners  are  at  the  intersection  of  a 
cross-road  with  the  Wattsburg  plank,  not  far 
from  the  center  of  the   township.     The  post- 


312 


NELSON'S  mOGRAPHWAL  DICTIONARY 


office  was  established  about  1829.  Half  a 
mile  west  are  a  church  and  graveyard.  The 
building  was  erected  in  1857.  It  is  known  as 
St.  Paul's  United  Lutheran  and  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  the  congregation  was  organized 
several  years  previous.  In  1885  the  church 
was  rebuilt  at  a  cost  of  .$1,200,  C.  R.  Gray 
being  the  contractor. 

Weed's  Corners,  at  the  intersection  of  the 
road  from  W^est  (jreene  with  the  Lake  Pleas- 
ant road,  is  nothing  more  than  a  few  farm- 
houses. It  derives  its  name  from  William  B. 
W'eed,  who  was  the  first  settler. 

West  Greene  consists  of  a  small  collection 
of  buildings  at  the  meeting  of  two  roads  in 
the  south  part  of  the  township.  The  cheese 
factory  was  opened  May  12,  1878.  The 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  West  Greene 
was  organized  in  1827.  The  early  meetings 
were  held  in  dwellings  and  schoolhouses  un- 
til about  1848,  when  a  frame  church  was 
built.  It  was  superseded  in  the  autumn  of 
1883  by  a  new  structure,  erected  on  the  site 
of  the  old  church. 

Six-Mile  Creek  is  a  small  settlement  about 
a  mile  north  of  Wales. 

PIBLIC    OFFICERS. 

The   public   officers  furnished    by  Greene 


township  are  Capt.  Thomas  Wilkins,  Collect- 
or of  the  Port  of  Erie  from  1801  to  1869; 
Jonas  Gunnison,  a  prominent  Erie  attorney 
and  a  member  of  the  Assembly  in  1859  ;  Rod- 
nev  Cole,  County  Commissioner  from  1851  to 
1854;  William  B.  Weed,  from  1867  to  1870, 
and  Albert  B.  Gunnison,  from  1875  to  1881  ; 
Ora  P.  Gunnison,  Deputy  Sheriff  for  a  few 
months  ;  Assistant  Assessor  of  Internal  Rev- 
enue for  a  long  term  ;  Acting  Collector  of 
Internal  Revenue  from  October  8  to  No- 
vember 8,  1875;  Mercantile  Appraiser  in 
1879,  and  Clerk  to  the  County  Commissioners, 
from  1881  to  188B;  Horace  L.  Pinney,  Jury 
Commissioner  from  1870  to  1873 ;  E.  O. 
Pinney,  Trustee  of  Erie  Academy  from  1875 
to  1878,  and  William  E.  Hayes,  County  Audi- 
tor from  1874  to  1880. 

COMMON     SCHOOLS. 

Soon  after  1825,  a  schoolhouse  was  built 
on  lot  184,  in  the  east  part  of  the  township. 
A  second  was  erected  about  two  miles  farther 
south,  and  a  third  was  built  on  the  farm  of 
William  B.  Weed,  both  at  an  early  date. 

Lake  Pleasant  Independent  School  Dis- 
trict embraces  the  southwest  part  of  Greene 
township,  and  the  adjoining  corners  of  Venan- 
go, Waterford  and  Amity. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


GREEENFIELD  TOWNSHIP 


GREENFIELD  is  one  of  the  sixteen 
townships  established  by  the  Legis- 
lature when  the  county  was  created. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  North 
East  township,  on  the  east  by  Chau- 
tautjua  county,  New  York,  on  the  south  by 
Venango,  and  on  the  west  by  Harbor  Creek 
and  Greene.  The  boundary  lines  are  all 
straight,  excepting  a  jog  of  about  an  eighth  of 
a  mile,  commencing  at  the  Prindle  place,  on 
the  west  side,  and  extending  to  the  Plumb 
farm    on    the    south.     As    originally    formed. 


Greenfield  was  considerably  larger  than  now, 
a  long,  wedge-shaped  strip  having  been  taken 
off  of  its  northern  part  in  1841  and  added  to 
North  East.  The  township  as  thus  reduced  is 
about  seven  miles  in  length  from  east  to  west 
and  about  four  and  three-quarters  in  breadth 
from  north  to  south.  Greenfield  had  a  popu- 
lation of  281  in  1820,064  in  1830,862  in  1840, 
731  in  1850,  880  in  1860,  1,039  in  1870, 
1,020  in  1880  and  1,432  in  1890,  being  one  of 
the  few  rural  districts  that  increased  during 
the  last  census  period. 


AND  mSTOBICAL  REFETrENOE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


3'3 


The  surface  of  the  township  is  mainly  hilly; 
but  there  are  some  fine  flats  along  French 
creek  and  upon  a  triljutary  of  that  stream 
which  comes  in  from  New  York  at  the  south- 
east corner.  The  valley  lands  range  in  width 
from  a  half  mile  to  a  mile.  They  produce 
corn,  oats,  wheat  and  all  kinds  of  fruit,  except 
peaches,  but  are  much  troubled  with  frosts. 
The  hill  lands,  which  are  less  affected  by  the 
frosts  than  the  valleys,  are  a  clay  loam,  and 
yield  good  crops  of  corn,  oats  and  potatoes; 
but  are  best  adapted  for  grass  and  grazing. 
The  loftiest  elevation  is  at  the  Brown  farm  in 
the  southwest.  About  half  a  mile  southeast 
from  that,  in  Venango,  is  said  to  be  the  high- 
est point  in  Erie  county.  Land  ranges  in  price 
from  twenty  to  forty  dollars  an  acre. 

PIONEER  SETTLEMENTS. 

Greenfield  was  one  of  the  first  townships 
to  be  settled.  Among  those  who  were  im- 
pressed with  its  advantages  was  Judah  Colt, 
a  native  of  Lyme,  Conn.,  who  came  on  in 
1795.  He  made  the  Population  Company, 
which  claimed  most  of  the  lands  in  the  county, 
an  offer  of  one  dollar  an  acre  for  thirty  thou- 
sand acres  off  of  the  east  end  of  the  Triangle, 
which  they  declined.  They  were  so  much 
pleased  with  his  energy  and  shrewdness,  how- 
ever, that  they  appointed  him  their  agent  for 
Erie  county.  Mr.  Colt  took  up  a  permanent 
residence  in  Greenfield  in  1797,  having  been 
preceded  by  Elisha  and  Enoch  Marvin  (his 
brothers-in-law),  Cyrus  Robinson,  Henry  and 
Dyer  Loomis,  Charles  Allen,  Joseph  Berry, 
John  and  William  Wilson,  James  Moore, 
Joseph. Webster,  Philo  Barker,  Timothy  Tut- 
tle,  Silas  and  William  Smith,  Joseph  Shad- 
duck,  John  Daggett  and  John  Andrews. 
All  of  these  were  hardy  New  England  people. 
Mr.  Colt  established  his  headquarters  at  what 
came  to  be  known  as  Colt's  Station,  around 
or  near  which  most  of  the  emigrants  settled. 
The  same  year,  Mr.  Colt  cut  a  road  through 
from  the  lake  at  Freeport  to  the  Station  (the 
first  in  the  county  after  the  old  French  road), 
as  an  avenue  for  supplies,  which  were  brought 
by  lake  from  Bufi'alo.  This  road  was  extend- 
ed in  1798  to  French  creek,  near  what  is  now 
"  Little  Hope,"  or  Greenfield  village,  where 
Mr.  Bissell  had  established  a  landing,  and  later 
in  the  season  Mr.  Colt  and  William  Miles  con- 
tinued it  to  the  forks  of  French  creek  (now 
Wattsburg).     The   eastern   road    from   North 


East  to  Wattsburg  was  opened  about  1800; 
the  one  from  Colt's  Station  to  Waterford,  by 
way  of  Fhillipsville,  in  1804  or  ISOfj  ;  and  the 
Station  road,  from  Wesleyville,  by  way  of 
Colt's  Station  to  Mayville,  in  1818. 

Mr.  Colt  brought  his  wife  on  in  May, 
1798.  In  1803,  James  Taylor,  with  wife  and 
one  child,  from  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia, 
settled  in  the  township,  about  two  miles  north- 
east of  Colt's  Station.  Here  they  remained 
until  1812,  when  they  removed  to  New  York. 
Henry  Taylor  reached  the  township  about  the 
same  time,  but  changed  to  North  East  several 
years  later.  Nehemiah  Finn,  from  Orange 
county,  New  York,  located  on  the  State  line 
in  the  spring  of  1834. 

The  inducement  that  took  Mr.  Colt  and  his 
colony  to  Greenfield  was  the  belief  that  the 
hill  lands  were  preferable  to  those  of  the  lake 
shore,  which  were  densely  wooded,  swampy 
and  well-nigh  impenetrable.  In  a  short  time, 
Mr.  Colt  saw  his  error,  and  in  1804,  he  re- 
moved to  Erie,  where  he  remained  the  balance 
of  his  life.  He  died  suddenly  October  11,  1832, 
aged  71  years  and  8  months.  On  Mr.  Colt's 
departure,  the  greater  portion  of  the  colony 
left  also,  scattering  in  various  directions,  and 
most  of  them  taking  up  some  of  the  choicest 
lands  in  the  county.  Enoch  ISIarvin  became 
the  company's  agent  in  the  Beaver  valley, 
where  he  died  and  was  buried.  His  brother 
Elisha  was  one  of  the  few  who  remained,  and 
he  and  his  wife  both  died  at  Colt's  Station, 
the  first  in  1829  and  the  second  in  1858.  Their 
son,  William  E.,  continued  to  reside  at  Colt's 
Station  till  the  decease  of  his  mother,  when 
he  made  his  home  in  North  East. 

Col.  Joseph  Selden  opened  a  store  at  the 
Station  in  1820,  which  was  continued  for  some 
years  by  other  parties.  Morrow  B.  Lowry 
clerked  in  this  store  when  a  boy  of  16,  and  B. 
F.  Sloan  spent  a  portion  of  his  youthful  years 
in  the  locality.  A  tavern  was  established  about 
sixty  years  ago,  and  kept  up  till  1860  or  1865. 
The  first  celebration  in  Erie  county  of  the  Na- 
tion's Independence  was  near  Colt's  Station, 
on  the  4th  of  July,  1797.  The  first  military 
company  in  Eirie  county  was  organized  in 
Greenfield,  in  1801,  with  Elisha  Marvin  as  cap- 
tain. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  chief  stream  of  Greenfield  is  tlie  West 
branch  of  French  creek,  which  receives  many 


3^4 


NBLSON-S  BIOGRAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


small  tributaries  in  the  township.  It  heads  in 
or  near  FiiuUcy's  lake,  about  two  miles  from 
the  State  line  in  Chautauc[ua  county,  and  run- 
ning across  Greenfield  from  the  northeast  to 
the  middle,  and  through  the  entire  ^vidth  of 
Venango  from  north  to  south,  joins  the  East 
branch  in  Amity,  just  below  Wattsburg,  after 
a  course  of  eighteen  or  twenty  miles.  The 
headwaters  of  Six-Mile,  Twelve-Miie,  Six- 
teen-Mile, and  of  a  branch  of  Twenty-Mile 
creek,  are  all  in  Greenfield.  They  have  their 
rise  on  the  ridge  north  of  the  West  branch  of 
French  creek,  and  not  more  than  a  mile  or 
two  from  that  stream.  Some  of  the  tributaries 
of  the  West  branch  head  within  a  few  rods  of 
the  sources  of  the  lake  shore  creeks. 

The  first  sawmill  was  built  by  Leverett 
Bissell,  at  or  near  Little  Hope,  in  1799,  being 
among  the  earliest  in  the  count)-.  Another 
was  put  up  in  1824,  by  John  Whiteside,  in  the 
south  part  of  the  township. 

The  postoffices  are:  Greenfield,  at  the  vil- 
lage of  the  same  name  ;  Hornby,  at  .^hattuck's 
Corners  ;  Delhil,  near  the  Union  schoolhouse  ; 
and  Nasby,  on  the  Station  road. 

The  first  Protestant  religious  services  in  Erie 
county  were  held  at  Colt's  Station  on  July  2, 
1797.  About  thirty  persons  assembled  from 
Greenfield,  North  East  and  Venango,  to  whom 
a  sermon  was  read  by  Mr.  Colt.  The  old 
graveyard,  on  the  Erie  and  Mayville  road,  a 
little  east  of  the  Station,  was  the  earliest  (1801 ) 
of  which  any  record  has  been  preserved  in  the 
county. 

VILLAGE,  CHURCHES    AND    SCHOOLS. 

The  only  settlement  in  the  township  which 
approaches  the  dignity  of  a  village  is  Green- 
field, on  the  West  branch  of  French  creek,  just 
off  from  the  middle  road  between  North  East 
and  Wattsburg.  The  place  is  better  known 
by  its  nickname  of  "  Little  Hope."  The  site 
of  the  place  was  taken  up  about  1796,  b}'  Lev- 
erett Bissell,  on  a  soldier's  right  of  400  acres. 
He  built  a  sawmill  and  a  landing  on  the  creek, 
where  batteaux  came  up  loaded  with  supplies 
from  the  lower  country.  The  village  embraces 
a  feedmill,  sawmill,  two  cheese  factories,  two 
stores,  blacksmith  shop,  creamerv,  cheese  box 
factory,  a  shingle  mill,  schoolhouse  and  twenty 
or  thirty  houses.  There  is  a  cemetery  just  at 
the  outskirts  of  the  village. 

The  M.  E.  Church,  at  the  junction  of  the 


Wattsburg  and  Wildman  roads,  near  Little 
Hope,  was  organized  in  1886,  and  erected  its 
house  of  worship  in  1850,  to  which  a  parson- 
age was  added  in  1868. 

The  Free  Will  Baptist  congregation  was 
organized  in  1881,  and  put  up  their  church, 
which  stands  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
north  of  Shadduck's  Corners,  in  the  same  j-ear. 
The  dedicatory  sermon  was  preached  in  the 
spring  of  1882. 

The  L^nited  Brethren  congregation  was 
organized  about  1875.  Their  building,  known 
as  "  The  People's  Church,"  was  erected  in  the 
Walling  neighborhood  in  the  year  1893  or  '94. 
Before  that  they  held  service  in  the  school- 
houses  of  the  vicinit}' . 

There  was  a  school  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  township  at  an  early  date.  One  was  in 
existence  in  1816,  two  miles  east  of  the  present 
Miller  building,  in  what  was  known  as  the 
Wilson  schoolhouse.  School  was  taught 
during  the  winter  of  1820-21  in  a  log  house  at 
Colt's  Station.  The  township  adopted  the 
common  school  system  soon  after  the  general 
law  on  the  subject  was  enacted. 


IN    GENERAL. 

Greenfield  township  is  without  a  railroad, 
the  nearest  station  being  at  North  East. 

The  main  common  roads  are  the  east  road 
between  North  East  and  Wattsburg,  and  the 
Middle  road,  through  Colt's  Station,  between 
the  same  points  ;  the  Station  road  from  Wes- 
leyville  to  Mayville;  and  the  road  from 
Greene  past  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  Greenfield  Village  to  Findley's  lake.  All 
of  these  were  laid  out  on  a  straight  line,  but 
had  to  diverge  in  order  to  surmount  the 
ridges. 

The  State  and  county  officers  from  the 
township  have  been  :  County  Auditor,  Mark 
Baldwin,  1833  to  1836  ;  County  Commissioner, 
William  E.  Marvin,  1845  to  1848;  William 
Parker,  1853  to  1856;  Assembly,  J.  Ross 
Raymond,  elected  in  1892  and  '94. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  township  was 
that  of  Joseph  Shadduck  to  Betsy  Willard, 
and  the  first  child  born  was  their  son  Ira. 

The  first  frame  barn  was  built  by  Joseph 
Shadduck  about  1815. 

The  third  oldest  man  of  whom  there  is  any 


^ 


Eng^HAHRuAu- 


(jLrn\jc^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


315 


record  in  Erie  county,  was  James  Davis,  of 
Greenfield — tlie  very  oldest  having  been 
Michael  Hare,  who  died  in  Waterford  in  1843, 
aged  over  115  years.  Davis  resided  in  Green- 
field at  a  huddle  of  cabins  known  as  Log  City, 
a  mile  or  two  toward  North  East  from  Colt's 


Station.  When  about  100  years  old  he  moved 
to  Michigan,  where  he  died  in  the  105th  year 
of  his  age. 

The  East  Greenfield  cheese  factory  at 
Ashton's  Corners,  commenced  business  in 
March,  1895. 


CHAPTER     X. 


HARBOR  CREEK  TOWNSHIP. 


THOMAS  REES,  the  first  person  who 
located  land  in  Harbor  Creek  town- 
ship, took  up  a  large  tract  long  known 
as  the  Rees  Reserve,  in  1796.  He 
did  not  become  a  resident  of  the  town- 
ship, however,  until  some  years  after.  The 
first  actual  settlers  were  William  Salts- 
man,  Amasa  Priiidle  and  Andrew  Elliott, 
who  went  in  in  1797.  These  were  followed 
by  Hugh  McCann  and  Alex.  Brewster  in 
1800;  by  Thomas  Moorhead,  John  Riblet 
and  sons,  John,  Christian  and  Jacob  Ebersole 
and  the  Backus  family  about  1801,  and  by 
Ezekiel  and  Benjamin  Chambers  in  1802. 
Mr.  Moorhead's  father,  and  brothers  John, 
Robert  and  George,  came  in  at  intervals  run- 
ning from  1802  to  1806.  Robert  Scott, 
Thomas  Greenwood,  Robert  Jack,  John  Shat- 
tuck,  Aaron  Hoag,  Henry  Clark,  Andrew 
Culbertson,  Thomas  Bunnell  and  the  Caldwell 
brothers  were  among  the  earliest  settlers. 
Several  of  these  were  from  the  eastern  portion 
of  the  State;  the  others  were  mainly  fiom 
New  England  and  New  York.  Mr.  Saltsman 
was  from  Northumberland  county  ;  the  Rib- 
lets  and  Ebersoles  from  Lancaster  county  ; 
Mr.  Clark  from  New  England  and  Mr.  Elliott 
from  Ireland.  The  Riblets  and  Ebersoles 
were  the  first  of  the  "  Pennsylvania-Dutch" 
stock  that  settled  in  the  county.  A  man  by 
the  name  of  Jack  was  on  the  Jesse  Ebersole 
place  in  1802.  Dr.  Ira  Sherwin  made  his 
location  in  the  township  in  1825.  William 
Henx-y  and  brother  settled    in    Mill  Creek    in 

1803,    and    changed    from    there    to    Harbor 
21 


Creek.  Mr.  Brewster  cleared  thirtv  acres, 
which  he  abandoned  and  moved  to  Erie. 

Sarah  'Prindle  was  the  first  female  child 
born  in  the  township,  in  1799,  and  William 
Clark  the  first  male  child,  in  1801.  Thomas 
Rees  was  the  first  Justice,  and  Thomas  Green- 
wood and  Myron  Backus  held  the  same  office 
at  an  early  date. 

At  one  period  there  were  quite  a  number 
of  negroes  in  the  township,  mostly  descend- 
ants of  three  slaves  who  were  taken  in  by 
Thomas  Rees.  To  two  of  these,  Robert  Mc- 
Connell  and  James  Titus,  upon  reaching  the 
twenty-eighth  year  of  their  age,  when  they 
became  free  by  the  emancipation  act,  Mr. 
Rees  gave  fiftv  acres  of  land  near  Gospel  Hill. 
The  Moorhead  family  also  brought  in  a  slave, 
known  as  Ciesar,  who  was  emancipated  as 
above,  but  continued  to  live  with  his  former 
master  until  his  death. 

GENER.\L    DESCRIPTION. 

The  township  was  one  of  the  original  six- 
teen established,  and  has  retained  the  same 
limits  to  this  day.  Harbor  Creek  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  the  lake,  on  the  east  by  North 
East  and  Greenfield,  on  the  south  by  Greene 
and  on  the  west  by  Mill  Creek.  It  has  a 
frontage  on  the  lake  of  about  seven  miles,  its 
east  line  is  a  trifle  longer,  its  south  line  is 
about  four  and  a  half  miles  in  length,  and  its 
west  line  very  nearly  five  miles.  The  town- 
ship is  one  of  the  wealthiest  in  the  county, 
and  its  citizens  are  not  surpassed  as  a  moral, 
intelligent,  church-going  people.    It  maintains 


3i6 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


unusuallv  good  schools,  has  many  neat  houses 
and  burns,  and  its  farms,  as  a  rule,  are  under 
a  fine  state  of  improvement.  Of  late  years, 
the  farmers  have  given  much  attention  to  the 
culture  of  fruits,  berries,  grapes  and  melons. 
The  First  and  Second  ridges  extend  across  the 
entire  southern  portion  of  the  township  from 
east  to  west.  On  the  First  ridge  and  back  of 
it,  on  the  second  plain,  the  land  continues 
quite  good.  From  the  Second  ridge  south,  it 
is  broken,  cold  and  clayey,  being  better  suited 
for  grazing  than  grain. 

The  township  contains  three  villages — 
Wesleyvilie,  Harbor  Creek  and  Moorhead- 
ville — each  of  which  is  a  station  on  the  Lake 
Shore  and  Nickel  Plate  railroads.  These  are 
also  the  postoffices  of  the  township.  The  popu- 
lation has  been  asfollows:  555,  in  1820;  1,104, 
in  1830;  1,843,  in  1840;  2,084,  in  1850;  2,033, 
in  1800;  1,974,  in  1870;  1,781,  in  1880,  and 
1,660,  in  1890.  The  township  is  divided  into 
the  East  and  West  districts,  for  election  pur- 
poses. 

STREAMS    AND    GULMES. 

The  streams  are  Four  vSilx,  Eight  and 
Twelve-Mile  creeks  and  Elliott's  run,  all 
emptying  into  the  lake,  and  McConnell  run,  a 
branch  of  Four-Mile  creek.  Four  and  Six- 
Mile  creeks  head  in  Greene,  and  Twelve-Mile 
creek  on  the  edge  of  North  East  and  Green- 
field. All  the  rest  are  wholl)-  within  the 
township.  Elliott's  run  and  Eight-Mile 
creek  are  both  small  streams;  the  first  flows 
through  or  near  Harbor  Creek  village,  and 
the  second  is  the  next  stream  east.  McCon- 
nell's  run  joins  Four-Mile  creek  near  the  foot 
of  the  great  gully.  It  received  its  name  from 
a  mulatto,  who  built  a  cabin  at  an  early  day 
on  the  bank  of  the  stream. 

The  great  gully  or  gorge  of  Four-Mile 
creek,  commences  in  Greene  township,  and  ex- 
tends to  very  near  the  bridge  of  the  Station 
road,  about  half  a  mile  south  of  Wesleyvilie, 
gradually  becoming  shallower  as  it  reaches  its 
northern  terminus.  Its  length  is  about  six 
miles  and  it  varies  in  depth  from  fifty  to  a  150 
feet.  The  third  sawmill  in  the  county  was 
erected  by  Thomas  Rees,  near  the  mouth  of 
Four-Mile  creek,  on  the  Crowley  place,  in 
1798,  for  the  Population  Company.  In  the 
same  year,  Eliphalet  Beebe  constructed  the 
sloop  Washington,  of  thirty-five  tons,  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake,  near  the  mill,  for  the  use  of 


the  same  company,  being  the  first  sailing 
vessel  built  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie. 
The  gorge  of  Six-Mile  creek  extends  to  within 
a  mile  or  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  Buffalo 
road,  and  its  windings  must  be  nearly  five 
miles  long.  The  deepest  part  of  the  gorge  is 
at  the  Clark  settlement,  where  it  is  but  little 
short  of  150  feet  deep,  with  an  average  width 
of  not  more  than  100  feet. 

MILLS  AND  FACTORIES. 

The  mills  of  the  township  are  the  old 
Cooper,  near  the  foot  of  the  gully  of  Four- 
Mile  creek;  the  old  Neeley  gristmill,  at  the 
mouth  of  Twelve-Mile  creek,  now  owned  by 
Dietley  &  Son  ;  a  sawmill  on  the  same  stream, 
about  half  a  mile  south;  and  Dodge's  handle, 
shingle  and  sawmill,  and  Troop's  cider  and 
feedmill,  at  Harbor  Creek  station. 

A  small  gristmill  was  erected  in  1800  by 
James  Foulk,  at  the  cascade  of  Six-Mile 
creek,  near  its  mouth,  but  was  only  kept  up  a 
year  or  two.  Neeley's  mill  was  established 
in  1802  by  Captain  Daniel  Dobbins  and  James 
Foulk.  The  mill  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Joseph  Neeley  in  1816,  who  did  a  prosperous 
business  until  1841.  From  that  time  the  mill 
was  run  bv  his  son-in-law.  Gen.  John  W. 
McLane,  until  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  when 
it  was  sold  by  Mr.  Neeley.  Since  then  it  has 
changed  proprietors  several  times.'  The  old 
Cooper  mill  was  once  a  famous  landmark  of 
the  lake  shore  region.  William  Saltsman, 
first  built  a  sawmill  at  this  point  in  1815,  and 
added  a  gristmill  in  1826.  These  afterward 
became  the  property  of  William  Cooper,  sr. 
Mr.  Cooper  bought  the  propertv  in  1839,  and 
rebuilt  the  mills  in  1850.  The  mill  of  the 
Messrs.  Dodge  was  built  in  the  spring  of 
1870.  It  is  run  by  steam,  which  is  partially 
created  by  the  gas  from  a  well  on  the  prem- 
ises. Troop's  cider  and  feed-mill  was  started 
about  1878.  The  building  used  as  a  barn,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  road,  on  the  Joseph  Mc- 
Carter  farm,  was  once  a  gristmill,  the  power 
of  which  was  furnished  by  Elliott's  run.  The 
first  cargo  of  flour  and  pork  shipped  to  New 
York  from  Erie  county  was  taken  through  the 
Erie  canal  by  Joseph  Neeley  in  1826.  The 
flour  was  made  at  the  mill  near  the  mouth  of 
Twelve-Mile  creek. 

RAILROADS,   COMMON   ROADS,   ETC. 

The  Lake  Shore  and  Nickel  Plate  railroads 
pass    through    the    whole  width    of    Harbor 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


3'7 


Creek  township  from  east  to  west,  and  the 
Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  runs  through 
ahout  a  half  of  its  western  portion  in  a  semi- 
circular direction  at  the  gully  of  Four-Mile 
creek.  The  first  two  have  stations  at  Wes- 
leyville,  Harbor  Creek  and  Moorheadville. 
The  last  has  a  flag  station  at  Shannon's  Cross- 
ing- 

The  main  public  roads  are  the  Buffalo  and 
the  Lake,  in  the  north  portion,  crossing  the 
township  from  Mill  Creek  to  North  East,  and 
the  Station  road,  commencing  at  Wesleyville 
and  running  in  a  general  southeastern  course 
into  Greenfield.  The  Lake  road  extends 
through  the  township  at  a  distance  of  a 
quarter  to  a  half  mile  from  the  water's  edge. 
The  Buffalo  road  runs  at  an  average  distance 
ofamileanda  half  south  of  the  lake.  The 
Station  road  was  laid  out  through  Colt's 
Station  to  Mayville,  N.  Y.,  about  1818. 

Near  the  close  of  the  last  century  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania  made  a  donation  of  2,000 
acres  of  land  in  the  newly  purchased  Triangle 
to  Gen.  William  Irvine  for  his  services  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  giving  him  the  privilege 
of  making  his  own  selection.  In  1795  he 
took  up  a  mile  along  the  lake  from  Brawley's 
old  tavern  to  the  Greenwood  schoolhouse,  em- 
bracing the  mouth  of  Six-Mile  creek  and  run- 
ning back  a  proportionate  distance.  In  1880 
Gen.  Callender  Irvine,  son  of  William,  had 
800  acres  surveyed  on  both  sides  of  the  Buf- 
falo road  and  sold  it  off,  reserving  the  water- 
power,  which  was  still  regarded  as  of  great 
value.  About  1848  the  balance  of  the  reserve 
was  disposed  of  by  Dr.  William  A.  Irvine, 
son  of  Callender. 

VILLAGES. 

The  village  of  Wesleyville  is  situated 
about  four  miles  from  Central  park,  in  the 
city  of  Erie.  Of  late  it  has  grown  consider- 
ably, and  now  numbers  between  three  and 
four  hundred  people.  Four-Mile  creek  runs 
through  the  village,  and  the  Buffalo  road  is 
its  main  street.  The  schoolhouse,  a  fine  two- 
story  brick,  built  in  1894,  stands  near  the  cen- 
ter of  the  village  on  land  donated  by  Gen. 
Kilpatrick  to  the  public  for  that  purpose.  The 
Lake  Shore  and  Nickel  Plate  railroads  run 
just  north  of  the  place,  and  it  is  the  point  of  in- 
tersection of  the  Station  road  with  the  Buf- 
falo road.  The  allev  on  the  west  side  of 
Chaffee   &   Farnsworth's  store  is  the  line   be- 


tween Harbor  Creek  and  Mill  Creek  town- 
ships. Wesleyville  was  laid  out  in  1828  by- 
John  Shadduck,  who  owned  the  farm.  He 
built  a  gristmill  in  1823  and  a  sawmill  two 
years  later,  both  on  the  west  bank  of  Four- 
Mile  creek.  The  place  was  named  Wesley- 
ville after  John  Wesley,  the  founder  of  Meth- 
odism. Wesleyville  contains  a  Methodist 
and  a  Baptist  Church,  the  first  of  brick  and  the 
second  of  frame. 

The  village  of  Harbor  Creek  is  one  of  the 
pleasantest  in  the  county.  Besides  the  Pres- 
byterian and  Methodist  Churches  it  contains  a 
hotel,  two  factories,  two  stores,  a  wagon  shop, 
two  blacksmith  shops  and  perhaps  100  people. 
Both  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  and  Nickel  Plate  R. 
R.  have  stations  in  the  village.  The  postoffice 
at  Harbor  Creek  was  established  about  1832. 
It  is  fifteen  miles  from  Erie  to  North  East,  and 
Harbor  Creek  is  exactly  midway  by  the  Buf- 
falo road. 

Moorheadville,  on  the  Buffalo  road,  half 
a  mile  north  of  the  railroad  station  of  the 
same  name,  is  not  properly  a  village, 
but  a  cluster  of  neighborly  farm  residences. 
The  locality  received  its  name  from  the 
large  number  of  Mooi  heads  living  there. 
It  was  first  settled  by  Thomas  Moorhead 
in  1800,  who  was  soon  followed  bj-  oth- 
ers of  the  family  from  the  eastern  part  of  the 
State.  The  first  Sabbath  school  held  in  Erie 
county  was  established  in  1817  at  this  place 
by  Col.  James  M.  Moorhead  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Morton.  Moorheadville  is  ten  and  one-half 
miles  from  Erie,  and  four  and  one-half  from 
North  East  by  railroad. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Wes- 
leyville was  built  by  Mr.  Shadduck  in  1828, 
and  rebuilt  by  the  congregation  in  1866. 

The  Baptist  congregation  in  the  same  vil- 
lage was  organized  in  February,  1891,  as  a 
mission  connected  with  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Erie.  The  building  was  erected  in 
the  summer  of  1891  and  dedicated  in  May, 
1892.  The  organization  became  a  regular 
church  in  1893. 

The  land  was  donated  by  Dr.  Applebee. 
Rev.  W.  L.  Lemon  was  the  first  pastor  and 
W.  L.  Kelley  was  Superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day-school for  some  time.  The  property  is 
valued  at  |5,00(). 


3i8 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONABT 


The  Presbyterian  congregation  at  Harbor 
Creek  was  organized  May^G,  1882,  with  fifty- 
eight  members  set  off  trom  the  church  at 
North  East.  The  first  building  was  erected 
half  a  mile  east  of  the  present  site,  on  a  piece 
of  ground  donated  by  Judah  Colt.  It  was  of 
brick,  and  was  dedicated  in  183-4.  The  present 
beautiful  edifice  was  built  and  dedicated  in 
1871,  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  There  was  quite  a 
struggle  between  Harbor  Creek  and  Moor- 
headville  over  the  site  of  the  new  building, 
and  when  the  former  place  was  decided  upon 
some  of  the  congregation  withdrew  and  at- 
tached themselves  to  the  church  at  North  East. 
Rev.  G.  W.  Cleveland,  who  became  pastor  of 
the  chuich  in  1849,  continued  until  his  death 
in  1898. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
same  village  was  erected  in  1878,  on  ground 
donated  bv  Rev.  Noah  Sullivan,  at  a  cost  of 
about  !i!4,(>00 ;  it  was  dedicated  December  11 
of  that  year. 

The  South  Harbor  Creek  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  the  Walker  and  McGill 
neighborhood,  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  class  or- 
ganized in  that  vicinity  at  an  early  day.  An 
early  preaching  point  was  at  Lovvry's  Corners, 
in  a  schoolhouse,  which  was  the  main  place  of 
worship  until  the  building  of  the  church  in 
1841  or  1842. 

The  United  Brethren  congregation  in  the 
Clark  neighborhood  was  organized  in  1856. 
The  building  was  erected  the  same  year. 

Besides  the  above  places,  religious  services 
are  frequently  held  in  the  schoolhouse  at  Gos- 
pel Hill,  on  the  Station  road.  This  place  re- 
ceived its  name  because  most  of  the  early  citi- 
zens were  Methodists  who  were  very  devoted 
to  their  religion.  The  graveyard  on  Gospel 
Hill  has  been  in  use  for  more  than  seventy 
years.  The  first  bodies  interred  were  those  of 
two  girls  who  were  drowned  in  Six  Mile-creek 
in  1823. 

COUNTY  OFFICERS. 

The  county  officers  from  Harbor  Creek 
township  have  been  as  follows  :  Sheriff — John 
Kilpatrick,  October  28,  1855,  to  October  21, 
1858;  John  W.  McLane,  October  21,  1858,  to 
November  16,  1861.  Register  and  Recorder 
and  Clerk  of  the  Courts — William  P.  Trimble, 
November  10,  1857,  to  November  19,  1860. 
Clerk  of  the  Courts — Robert  S.  Moorhead, 
elected  in   1885    and    '88    (also    clerk    in  the 


Auditor  General's  office  at  Harrisburg  many 
years).  County  Treasurer — James  Chambers, 
January  4,  1853,  to  January  6,  1855.  Clerk 
of  tlie  Courts — Robert  S.  Moorhead,  January 
1,  1883,  to  January  1,  1886  (resident  of  Erie 
when  elected).  County  Commissioners  — 
James  M.  Moorhead,  1827  to  1880;. Samuel 
Low,  1836  to  1840;  James  Chambers,  1864  to 
1867.  Directors  of  the  Poor — George  W. 
Walker,  1840  to  1848;  Benj.  E.  Riblet,  elect- 
ed in  1888  and  '91.  County  Surveyor— G. 
W.  F.  Sherwin,  November  12,  1866,  to  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1869.  County  Auditors — Thomas 
Rees,  1821  and  1824;  James  Chambers,  1846; 
Jesse  Ebersole,  1870;  William  P.  Edwards, 
1880  to  1883. 

SCHOOLS  AND  SCHOOL  HISTORY. 

Early  in  the  century,  a  school  was  taught 
in  the  barn  of  Robert  Hurst,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Moorheadville.  On  the  Col.  Moorhead  farm, 
a  half  mile  east  of  the  Hurst  barn,  a  log 
schoolhouse  was  built,  where  the  next  school 
in  that  settlement  was  taught.  This  was  too 
far  for  the  Harbor  Creek  settlement,  which 
led  to  the  building  of  another  house  on  the 
farm  of  William  Wilson,  on  the  Buffalo  road, 
just  north  of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  In  1825, 
at  Harbor  Creek  settlement,  Miss  Elenor  Bur- 
gett  taught  a  school.  Where  Wesleyville  now 
is,  at  a  point  opposite  Kelley's  store,  a  school- 
house  stood  as  early  as  1811  or  1812. 

THE  OLDEST  JUSTICE,   ETC. 

The  venerable  James  Chambers,  who  was 
born  in  1805,  is  the  oldest  continuous  Justice 
of  the  Peace  in  the  county,  and  probably  in 
the  State.  He  was  first  commissioned  by 
Gov.  Ritner  in  1887,  and  has  held  the  office 
from  then  to  the  present  time,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  an  interval  of  six  years,  during  which 
he  served  a  term  each  as  County  Treasurer, 
Auditor  and  Commissioner.  To  show  their 
regard  for  Mr.  Chambers,  the  people  re-elect- 
ed him  for  another  term  of  five  years,  in  the 
spring  of  1895. 

The  value  of  land  in  Harbor  Creek  ranges 
from  $150  an  acre  on  the  lake  shore  plain  to 
twenty-five  dollars  on  the  high  ground  south. 
Several  valuable  gas  wells  have  been  drilled 
in  the  township,  but  most  of  them  have  ceased 
producing  except  in  small  quantities. 

Grapes,  melons,  fruits  and  berries  are  ex- 


AND  niSTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUliTY. 


3'9 


tensively  raised,  and  the  township  is  one  of 
the  main  producing  sections  for  the  Erie  mar- 
kets. Large  quantities  are  also  shipped  to 
the  oil  regions  and  to  the  cities  and  towns 
east  and  west.  The  raisers  of  these  crops 
generally    co-operate    with    the    North    East 


shippers  and  cultivators  in   finding  an  outside 
market  for  their  products. 

[For  an  account  of  the  railroad  war  in 
Harbor  Creek  see  the  General  History  of  Erie 
County.] 


CHAPTER    XI. 


lebceuf  township— borough  of  mill  village. 


THE  TOWNSHIP  OF  LeBCEUF  re- 
ceived its  name  from  LeBo^uf  creek, 
which  joins  French  creek  within  its 
limits.  It  is  one  of  the  original  town- 
ships of  the  county,  and  belongs  to 
what  is  known  as  "  the  Southern  Tier." 
LeBojuf  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Water- 
ford,  on  the  east  by  Union,  on  the  south  by 
Crawford  county,  and  on  the  west  by  Washing- 
ton. The  township  lines  are  all  straight  except 
two  slight  variations  in  the  northern  boundary, 
and  a  jog  or  handle  about  a  half  mile  square 
at  the  northeast  corner,  extending  into  Water- 
ford.  LeBrouf  is  six  and  one-half  miles  long 
from  east  to  west,  by  four  and  one-half  wide 
from  north  to  south.  The  population  was  505  in 
1820,  554  in  1830,  876  in  1840,  990  in  1850, 
1,483  in  1860,  1,748  in  1870,  1,420  in  1880, 
and  1,215  in  1890.  The  postoffices  are 
LeBoBuf,  on  the  P.  and  E.  R.  R.,  and  Mystic, 
in  the  Waterhouse  settlement. 

FIRST    WHITE    INHABITANTS. 

The  first  lands  were  selected  in  LeBoeuf 
townshio  in  1794,  by  Capt.  Robert  King, 
who  took  up  400  acres  at  the  present  Ford 
bridge.  Returning  to  his  home  in  Lycoming 
county,  he  brought  his  family  along  in  the 
spring  of  1795.  When  he  reached  LeBoeuf,  he 
found  William  and  Thomas  Black  located  on 
the  next  tract  east.  John  R.  Black,  son  of 
William,  ^vas  the  first  white  child  born  in 
Erie  county.  This  event  took  place  on  the 
29th  of  August,  1795.  In  1797,  the  little 
colony  was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  Francis 


Isherwood,  with  a  son  and  daughter,  and  of 
James,  Robert  and  Adam  Pollock.  William 
Mallory  located  in  1801,  and  John  Clemens, 
James  Biggers  and  Philip  Gregory  in  1802. 
Mr.  Biggers  came  from  Fayette  and  Mr. 
Gregory  from  Berks  county.  Among  other 
early  arrivals  were  James  Weston,  David 
Boyd  and  Mathias  Himebaugh.  Of  the  emi- 
grants who  entered  the  township  about  the 
beginning  of  the  century  many  left,  and  a 
new  set  came  in  between  1815  and  1820,  the 
descendants  of  whom  generally  remain.  The 
bulk  of  these  were  from  New  England  and 
New  York.  Between  1825  and  1830,  a  num- 
ber of  Pennsylvania  Germans  from  Lehigh 
county  settled  on  the  banks  of  French  creek, 
including  the  Burgers  and  others.  Capt. 
King,  the  pioneer  of  the  township,  had  been 
an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Mr. 
Isherwood,  like  Capt.  King,  came  first  to  lo- 
cate a  tract,  accompanied  by  a  son  and 
daughter,  and  went  back  the  next  winter  to 
his  old  home  in  Lycoming  county  for  the  pur 
pose  of  bringing  his  wife,  leaving  his  children 
to  keep  the  claim  good.  William  ]Miles,  the 
founder  of  Union  City,  built  a  log  storehouse 
at  an  early  daj'  at  the  mouth  of  the  South 
branch,  where  he  landed  provisions  and  other 
supplies  brought  up  from  Pittsburg  by  flat- 
boats  and  canoes. 

CREEKS,    MILLS    AND    BRIDGES. 

The  chief  streams  of  the  township  are 
French  creek  proper,  the  South  branch  and 
LeBoeuf  creek.     The  South  branch   comes  in 


320 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


from  Union  at  the  south  line  of  the  Conrad 
farm,  having  a  course  of  but  little  more  than 
a  mile  within  the  township.  French  creek 
proper  enters  from  Waterford  on  the  Moravian 
grant,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  town- 
ship. The  two  unite  a  few  rods  below  the 
Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  bridge.  From 
there  the  united  stream  meanders  to  the  west, 
across  the  northern  portion  of  the  township, 
until  the  junction  with  LeBteuf  creek,  when 
it  makes  an  abrupt  turn  and  flows  in  a  general 
southerly  course  to  Crawford  county.  Le- 
BiEuf  creek  comes  in  from  Waterford  and  joins 
French  creek  at  the  David  Boyd  place.  The 
Indian  name  of  French  creek  was  Toranadakon 
or  Innungah,  the  latter  of  which  was  cor- 
rupted by  the  French  into  Venango  or  Wee- 
nango.  The  tributaries  of  the  main  streams  are 
Trout  brook,  Colt  run  and  Mill  run,  on  the 
south  side,  and  Moravian  run.  Gill  brook  and 
Mallory's  run,  on  the  north. 

The  mills  are  the  Burger  gristmill,  on 
French  creek;  Waterhouse's  sawmill,  on  a 
small  stream  emptying  into  French  creek; 
Troup's  sawmill  at  Willey's  Corners;  Wheel- 
er's saw  and  feed-mill  and  cheese  factory,  near 
the  junction  of  Moravian  run  with  French 
creek;  a  sawmill  on  the  Burger  place,  near 
Mill  Village ;  Thompson's,  on  the  turnpike, 
at  the  foot  of  McLean  hill ;  and  the  Limburger 
cheese  factory,  near  the  Wheeler  settlement. 
The  Burger  mill  was  built  by  a  Mr.  McLene- 
han  fully  eighty  years  ago,  and  rebuilt  in 
1879.  It  was  long  owned  and  operated  by 
George  Burger.  The  Wheeler  sawmill  was 
started  in  1852,  and  the  feed-mill  about  1885. 
The  cheese  factory  has  been  in  operation  some 
thirty  years,  but  cheese-making  on  a  small 
scale  has  been  conducted  at  the  locality  for  at 
least  forty  years. 

The  township  once  contained  vast  bodies 
of  timber,  most  of  which  have  been  cut  off. 
Hon.  C.  M.  Wheeler  owns  the  largest  tract 
that  remains,  a  considerable  portion  of  wiiich 
is  pine. 

The  bridges  over  French  creek  are  the 
Stranahan,  on  the  Waterford  and  Union  road; 
the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  bridge,  near 
the  latter;  the  Q^uarry  bridge  at  the  stone 
quarry ;  the  Ford  bridge,  on  the  Waterfoid 
and  Mill  Village  road  ;  and  Pollock's,  leading 
from  the  turnpike  to  Mill  \'illage.  The  Town 
Line  bridge  crosses  the  South  branch  at  the 
Union  boundary,  and    the  Moore  bridge,  Le- 


Bocuf  creek,  near  the  residence  of  Monroe 
Moore.  Of  these,  the  Ford  and  Qiiarry 
bridges  are  constructed  of  iron. 


The  flats  along  French  and  LeB<ruf  creeks 
are  from  a  mile  to  two  miles  in  width,  and  the 
soil  is  not  exceeded  for  fertility  in  any  part  of 
the  county.  That  it  is  mostly  made  land  is 
apparent  from  the  fact  that  large  logs  are  fer- 
quently  met  with  at  a  depth  of  from  two  to 
three  feet  below  the  surface.  The  balance  of 
the  township  is  hilly,  but  there  is  very  little  if 
any  portion  but  what  is  tillable.  Two  ridges 
are  encountered,  at  the  Arter  place,  and  west 
of  the  LeBanif  flats,  which  attain  a  height  of 
almost  L'OO  feet  above  the  valley,  the  loft- 
iest elevations  in  the  township.  Wheat 
can  be  raised  in  every  part  of  the  township. 
The  valley  land  produces  big  crops  of  oats. 
The  great  business  of  the  township,  however, 
is  dairying,  and  large  amounts  of  butter  are 
made.  Land  ranges  in  value  from  thirty  to 
sixty  dollars  on  the  flats,  and  from  fifteen  to 
fortv  dollars  on  the  hills. 

MORAVIAN  GRANT,  ACADEMY  LANDS,  RESKRVE 
TRACT    AND    HOLLAND    LAND    COMPANY. 

On  the  17th  of  April,  1791,  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  granted  to  "  The  Society  of  the 
United  Brethren  for  Propagating  the  Gospel 
among  the  Heathen,"  commonly  known  as 
the  Moravians,  two  tracts  of  land  of  2,500 
acres  each,  with  allowance,  to  be  located  re- 
spectively on  "  the  River  Connought,  near  the 
northwestern  corner  of  the  State,"  and  "  on 
the  head  of  French  creek."  This  association 
had  long  maintained  inissionaries  at  its  own 
expense  among  the  Indians,  and  the  above 
generous  gift  wms  intended  by  the  State  as  a 
remuneration  in  part  for  the  service  it  had 
rendered  in  behalf  of  peace  and  good  will.  In 
locating  its  lands,  the  society  chose  2,875  acres 
within  the  limits  of  LeBoiuf  township,  and 
2,797  in  Springfield  and  Conneaut,  paying  for 
the  excess  in  money.  The  French  creek  tract 
was  given  the  name  of  "Good  Luck,"  and 
that  on  Conneaut  creek  the  title  of  "  Hospital- 
ity." The  agent  of  the  society  for  many  years 
was  William  Miles,  who  was  succeeded  on 
the  failure  of  his  health  by  his  son,  James 
Miles,  as  manager  of  the  "  Hospitality,  "  and 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


321 


by  John  Wood,  of  the  "Good  Luck"  tract. 
The  hind  was  occupied  on  lease  till  about  1850, 
when  it  was  bought  by  James  Miles  and  N. 
Blickensderfer,  cut  up  into  farms,  and  sold  in 
the  main  to  the  present  owners  or  their  prede- 
cessors. The  Moravian  grant  extended  from 
the  Conrad  farm  to  within  about  a  mile  of  Le- 
Boeuf  creek,  and  lay  principally  upon  the  north 
side  of  French  creek.  P.  G.  and  John  D. 
Stranahan  made  the  first  purchase  of  the  Mor- 
avian lands  in  1849,  the  latter  moving  from 
Concord  the  same  year,  and  his  brother  in 
1854,  both  locating  at  what  is  now  LeBanif 
Station. 

The  Academy  grant,  at  the  mouth  of  Le- 
BcEuf  creek,  embraced  500  acres,  donated  by 
the  State  for  the  support  of  Waterford 
Academy.  The  lands  were  sold  off  about 
1840,  having  been  previously  occupied  on 
lease. 

North  of  the  Academy  grant  was  a  large 
body  of  land  known  as  the  Reserve  tract,  from 
the  fact  that  the  State  reserved  or  withheld  it 
from  settlement  under  the  general  law  to  en- 
courage emigration.  Of  the  Reserve  tract, 
400  acres  extended  into  LeBojuf,  the  bulk  be- 
ing in  Waterford.  An  act  was  passed  in  1799 
throwing  the  land  into  market,  and  most  of  it 
was  sold  off  at  low  prices  about  the  commence- 
ment of  the  century. 

The  Holland  Land  Company  held  some 
400  acres  west  of  Mill  Village,  which  were 
sold  off  between  1802  and  1810. 

George  Fisher,  of  Dauphin  county,  took 
up  twenty-seven  400-acre  tracts  at  an  early 
period,  lying  within  the  limits  of  LeBrpuf, 
Waterford  and  Washington  townships.  This 
property  he  divided  with  Col.  McNair  in 
1824,  and  the  same  year  the  portion  belong- 
ing to  the  latter  was  disposed  of  at  Sheriff's 
sale.  The  remainder  fell  to  Mr.  Fisher's 
children  in  1845,  who  sold  it  off  at  intervals 
ending  in  1873. 

A  grove  that  once  stood  on  the  Flats  road, 
near  Ford's  bridge,  was  a  favorite  camping 
place  for  Indians,  and  numerous  Indian 
graves  and  relics  have  been  found.  Near  bj' 
was  a  circular  mound  sixteen  or  twenty  feet 
in  diameter  with  banks  four  to  six  feet  high, 
on  which  trees  were  growing  of  a  size  indi- 
cating an  age  of  150  or  2(X)  vears.  The  re- 
mains of  one  of  these  pre-historic  circles  are 
also  to  be  seen  near  the  home  of  Hon.  CM. 
Wheeler.  ' 


RAILROADS,  COMMON    ROADS    AND    QUARRIES. 

The  township  has  the  benefit  of  two  rail- 
roads— the  Philadelphia  and  Erie,  extending 
across  the  northeastern  part  for  about  three 
miles,  and  the  N.'  Y.,  P.  &  O.,  following 
French  creek  nearly  to  the  center,  where  it 
deviates  to  hit  Mill  Village ;  and  then  return- 
ing to  the  vallej'  further  south.  LeBoeuf,  on 
the  Philadelphia  and  Erie,  is  the  only  station 
in  the  township. 

The  principal  common  roads  are  the  old 
Waterford  and  Susquehanna  turnpike,  once 
the  great  highvva}-  between  Lake  Erie  and 
Eastern  Pennsylvania  ;  the  Erie  and  Warren 
road,  which  passes  through  the  township  by 
two  routes  that  unite  near  the  Stranahan 
bridge ;  the  Flats  road,  from  Mill  Village  to 
Waterford ;  the  road  from  Mill  Village  to 
Union  ;  and  the  road  from  Mill  Village  to  Pol- 
lock's  bridge,  connecting   with   the   turnpike. 

LeBopuf  possesses  the  largest  and  best 
quarries  of  building  stone  in  Erie  county. 
The  bluff  from  which  the  stone  is  taken  e.x- 
tends  along  French  creek  from  the  old  Dun- 
lap  place  to  opposite  the  farm  of  A.  L.  Tilden , 
a  distance  of  about  a  mile,  and  averages  some 
forty  feet  in  height.  The  material  is  a  blue 
sandstone  of  fine  ciuality,  more  durable  than 
the  Berea  stone,  but  saturated  with  oil,  which 
spoils  it  for  the  highest  class  of  work.  Three 
quarries  have  been  opened,  known  respect- 
ivel}'  as  Senger's,  Paskett's  and  the  Atlantic 
&  Great  Western. 

CHURCHES    AND    SCHOOLS. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  society  at  Eden- 
ville  was  organized  about  1839.  The  congre- 
gation began  by  worshiping  in  the  school- 
house,  and  continued  to  do  so  until  1855, 
when  the  Edenville  Church  was  built. 

The  Manross  Church  was  built  in  1869  by 
John  W.  Manross,  who  intended  it  to  be  used 
by  religious  bodies  generallv.  The  first  min- 
ister officiating  there  was  Rev.  Mr.  Barnhart, 
a  Methodist.  It  has  since  been  used  princi- 
pally as  a  Methotiist  preaching  place. 

The  United  Brethren  Church,  near  Ncav 
Ireland,  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  revival  held  in 
that  neighborhood  in  187(5.  Preaching  of  this 
denomination  had  vears  before  been  held  in 
the  neighborhood,  but  the  society  had  ceased 
to  exi'jt  until  it  was  re-established  as  above 
stated.     The  churcii  building  was  erected  in 


322 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


1877  and  dedicated  on  the  6th    of    January, 
1878. 

In  the  Ford  neighborhood,  some  two  and  a 
half  miles  north  of  Mill  Village,  a  schoolhouse 
was  standing  in  1820,  in  whjch  a  summer  school 
was  taught  by  Miss  Elizabeth  Strickland  ;  a 
later  summer  teacher  was  Hannah  Hall.  The 
winter  school  was  taught  by  James  Skinner. 
Other  teachers  in  the  building  at  about  this 
time,  and  perhaps  a  little  subsequent,  were 
Stephen  Skinner,  Paddy  McCiill,  Cyrus  Nutt 
and  Thomas  Graham.  This  was  known  as 
the  Smith  schoolhouse  and  it  served  that  por- 
tion of  LeBoeuf  township  for  many  years.  A 
log  schoolhouse  was  built  in  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  the  township,  west  of  French  creek, 
about  the  year  1822,  which  was  burned  after 
several  terms  of  school  had  been  taught  in  it. 
Another  building  was  erected  on  land  now 
owned  by  Adam  Yocum.  Among  the  teach- 
ers in  this  portion  of  the  township  about  the 
period  spoken  of  above  were  Sophia  Sackett, 
Mrs.  Ward  and  Mr.  Crownstar.  In  1825  a 
log  schoolhouse  was  built  by  the  people  liv- 
ing in  the  vicinity  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church  near  New  Ireland.  Early  instructors 
in  this  building  were  Nathan  Mallorv,  Mr. 
Reynolds  and  Miss  Emeline  Sloan. 

STATE   AND  COUNTY    OFFICIALS. 

The  citizens  of  LeBn?uf  and  Mill  Village, 
who  have  held  State  and  county  positions, 
are  as  follows  :  Delegate  to  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1887-38,  James  Pollock.  As- 
semblv,  James  Weston,  1813,  1814,  1815  and 
1822;"  John  D.  Stranahan,  1868-69;  Chas. 
M.  Wheeler,  elected  in  18Wand  1892.  Dep- 
uty Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth,  A.  L. 
Tilden,  1891  to  '95.  Sheriff,  James  Wes- 
ton, 1810-13.  County  Commissioners,  James 
Weston,  1803-04;  James  Pollock,  1830-33; 
A.  L.  Tilden,  1878-84.  County  Treasurer, 
elected  in  1886,  W.  J.  Robinson.  Director  of 
the  Poor,  William  Bracken,  1846-19  and  1859- 
62.  Auditors,  Thomas  Pierce,  1844 ;  John 
Wood,  1847;  E.  K.  Range,  1875-78  and  1884. 
Steward  of  the  Almshouse,  Geo.  K.  Mitchell, 
appointed  in  1890.  Mercantile  Appraiser,  H. 
L.  Minium,  1883.  Perry  G.  Stranahan,  Jury 
Commissioner  from  1867-70,  was  long  a  resi- 
dent of  LeBoeuf,  moving  from  there  to  Union 
about  1859.  In  addition  to  the  offices  held  by 
Mr.   Tilden,   he   was   the   People's  candidate  I 


for    Congress  in    1890.    and    the    Democratic 
nominee  for  State  Treasurer  in  1891. 

SETTLEMENTS. 

Edenville  consists  of  the  church  mentioned 
above  and  perhaps  a  dozen  dwellings.  Form- 
erly the  site  boasted  a  store,  postofUce,  saw- 
mill, oil  refinery,  etc.  The  village  went  down 
after  the  construction  of  the  A.  and  G.  W.  R. 
R.,  which  diverted  the  trade  and  travel  to 
Mill  Village.  The  settlement  is  on  the  road 
from  the  latter  place  to  Union,  in  the  south 
part  of  the  township. 

The  locality  known  as  New  Ireland  is  on 
the  road  from  Ford's  bridge  to  Lincolnville, 
about  a  mile  and  three-quarters  east  of  Mill 
Village.  A  church,  a  school  and  a  few  dwell- 
ings make  up  the  village. 

Qiiite  a  settlement  has  grown  up  around 
C.  M.  Wheeler's  mill,  in  the  northeastern  part 
of  the  township,  which  gives  the  site  much 
the  appearance  of  a  small  village.  Mr. 
Wheeler  alone  has  five  dwellings  and  eight 
barns,  besides  which  there  are  a  cheese  fac- 
tory and  some  farin  buildings. 

In  the  Waterhouse  settlement  (Mystic 
postoffice)  there  is  a  cheese  factory,  sawmill, 
schoolhouse  and  a  few  dwellings. 

LeBoeuf  station  consists  of  some  tenement 
for  railroad  men,  several  farm  houses,  and  a 
platform  for  handling  lumber  and  stone. 


BOROUGH  OF  MILL  VILLAGE. 
[see  lebceuf.] 

The  borough  of  Mill  Village  occupies  a 
site  nearly  in  the  center  of  LeBcpuf  township, 
from  which  it  was  taken,  and  about  a  mile 
from  French  creek.  The  town  owes  its 
origin  to  Mill  run,  which  flows  through  its 
limits,  and  unites  with  French  creek  a  short 
distance  bej-ond.  Three  sawmills  with  their 
attendant  buildings,  sprung  up  along  Mill 
run,  which  gave  the  settlement  the  name  of 
Milltown.  When  the  A.  and  G.  W.  R.  R.  was 
built,  the  station  was  called  Mill  \'illage,  and 
in  1870  was  incorporated  as  a  borough  by  that 
title.  Before  the  opening  of  the  railroad, 
there  was  nothing  on  the  site,  in  addition  to 
the  mills,  but  a  cooper  shop,  blacksmith  shop 
and  a  few  houses.  Now  it  is  a  brisk  town, 
with  a  population,  according  to  the  census  of 
1880,  of  388  and  by  that  of  1890,  of  320.    The 


AND  niSTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


323 


idea  of  laying  out  a  town  was  conceived  bj- 
William  Kingen,  and  the  survey  was  made  by 
Judge  Benson,  of  ^\'aterford  The  plat  in- 
cludes portions  of  the  farms  of  Mr.  Kingen,  P. 
H.  Colt,  John  Gregory,  H.  M.  Range,  E.  K. 
Range,  David  McKinley,  James  Hunter,  F. 
N.  Reynolds,  W.  C.  Ford,  M.  S.  Edmunds 
and  G.  VV.  Gillett. 

The  chief  manufacturing  interests  of  the 
borough  are  a  cheese  factory  (built  in  1870)  ; 
a  planing  mill;  a  cider,  feed  and  jelly  mill; 
a  steam  sawmill  and  a  wagon  shop. 

The  ^Methodist  Episcopal  Church  dates 
from  about  1810,  when  a  class  was  formed  at 
the  Ford  settlement,  on  French  creek.  This 
bod}'  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  church  organi- 
zation. Preaching  was  held  in  the  dwelling 
of  Capt.  Robert  King,  and  subsequently  in 
that    of  one  of  the  Fords.     The  first  church 


building  was  erected  in  1850,  about  one-half 
mile  south  of  the  village.  In  five  or  si.x  years 
this  edifice  was  destroyed  by  fire,  when  the 
one  in  the  village  was  erected,  which  was  en- 
larged in  1878. 

The  Presbyterian  congregation  was  organ- 
ized by  Rev.  J.  M.  Gillett,  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Union  Mills,  in  1870.  The  building 
was  erected  in  1872. 

The  Free  Methodist  Church  was  built  in 
the  fall  of  1894. 

Roman  Catholic  services  are  held  at  stated 
periods  by  a  priest  from  Union  City. 

The  Mill  Village  Herald  was  started  by 
C.  C.  Wright  in  January,  1876.  It  was  pur- 
chased in  October,  1882,  by  J.  S.  Ross,  who 
is  still  its  proprietor  and  editor. 

[For  a  list  of  public  men  see  LeBosuf 
township.] 


CHAPTER    XII. 


McKEAN   TOWNSHIP— BOROUGH   OF   MIDDLEBORO. 


THE  TOWNSHIP  OF  McKEAN  was 
established  by  the  act  creating  Erie 
county.  Its  limits  were  reduced  by 
the  taking  off  of  a  slice  for  Waterford 
about  1820,  for  Franklin  in  1844,  and 
another  for  Summit  in  1854.  These  curtail- 
ments of  its  territory  account  for  the  irregular 
shape  of  the  township.  McKean  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Fairview,  Mill  Creek  and  Sum- 
mit, on  the  east  by  Summit  and  Waterford, 
on  the  south  by  ^Vaterford,  Washington  and 
Franklin,  and  on  the  west  by  the  latter  town- 
ship and  Fairview.  It  has  a  breadth  in  the 
widest  part  of  about  eight  miles  from  east  to 
west,  and  about  seven  from  north  to  south. 
The  old  State  line,  before  the  purchase  of  the 
Triangle,  ran  a  little  north  of  the  center,  and 
cuts  the  borough  limits  of  Middleboro  into  two 
almost  exact  halves.  It  also  forms  the  north 
and  south  lines  of  many  of  the  farms.  The 
township  was  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Thomas 
McKean,  second  Governor  of  the  State,  after 


independence.  McKean  has  given  Erie  city 
a  number  of  its  best  known  citizens,  among 
whom  mav  be  mentioned  Hon.  Joseph  M. 
Sterrett,  A.  J.  Sterrett,  the  Crouch  brothers, 
the  Johnston  brothers,  the  Minnig  brothers, 
and  the  Stanclifi'  brothers.  By  the  United 
States  census,  McKean  had  a  population  of 
440  in  1820,  of  984  in  1880,  of  1,714  in  1840, 
of  1,921  in  1850,  of  l,G0O  in  1860,  of  1,426  in 
1870.  of  1,394  in  1880,  and  of  1,380  in  1890. 
The  postoffices  are  Sterettania  and  Sibleyville 
(on  the  Waterford  line). 

LANDS    AND    STREAMS. 

McKean  is  one  of  the  elevated  townships 
of  the  county,  and  its  surface  is  generally  hilly, 
with  numerous  deep  ravines  along  the  streams. 
The  vallev  lands  are  first-class,  and  grain  is 
easilv  raised.  Off  of  the  streams  tlie  country 
is  cold  and  claye^',  but  cultivation  makes  it 
fairly  productive.  As  a  grazing  and  dairying 
section  the   township  has    few    superiors.     In 


324 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPniOAL  DICTIONARY 


the  southeast  portion  is  a  ridge  known  as 
South  Hill,  which  is  said  to  attain  an  altitude 
of  800  feet  above  the  lake.  The  township 
contains  two  small  quarries,  viz.  :  Mays'  and 
Stafford's,  both  producing  a  fair  article  of 
building  stone.  Land  ranges  in  value  from 
ten  to  forty  dollars  an  acre. 

The  township  is  wholly  watered  by  Elk 
creek  and  its  branches,  with  the  exception  of 
a  small  district  in  the  southeast  containing  the 
headwaters  of  Little  Conneauttee  creek,  which 
empties  into  French  creek  below  Edinboro. 
Elk  creek  rises  in  Tamarack  swamp,  in  the 
western  portion  of  VVaterford  township,  and 
flowing  nearly  through  the  center  of  McKean, 
across  the  southern  portion  of  Fair\iew,and 
the  northeastern  portion  of  Girard,  falls  into 
the  lake  a  short  distance  north  of  Miles  Grove. 
Its  general  course  is  westerly  till  it  reaches  the 
Girard  township  line,  where  it  turns  to  the 
northwest.  The  South  branch  of  Elk  creek 
rises  in  Washington  township,  near  the  line  of 
McKean,  and  flowing  directly  north,  unites 
with  the  main  stream  one-half  mile  west  of 
Middleboro.  At  one  time  there  were  within 
the  township  eight  sawmills  and  two  grist- 
mills on  the  chief  stream,  and  two  sawmills 
and  one  gristmill  on  the  South  branch  ;  now, 
all  that  are  left  is  a  gristmill  on  the  former, 
being  the  one  at  Sterrettania.  The  valley  of 
Elk  creek  is  generally  narrow,  but  it  spreads 
out  just  above  Middleboro,  near  the  crossing 
of  the  Edinboro  road,  reaching  a  breadth  of 
about  two  miles.  Below  that  it  is  from  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  to  half  a  mile  in    width. 

MILLS    AND    F-\CTORIES. 

The  first  sawmill  in  McKean  township 
was  built  by  James  Sterrett,  on  Elk  creek,  in 
1810,  and  the  second  on  the  same  stream,  by 
Oliver  Dunn,  in  1812.  The  third  was  put  up 
by  Eber  and  Lemuel  Stancliff,  on  the  South 
branch,  about  1827. 

The  existing  mills  and  factories  of  the 
township  are  as  follows:  A  grist  and  saw- 
mill on  Elk  creek,  at  Sterrettania;  a  creamery 
at  Sterrettania,  with  cider  and  jelly-mill  at- 
tached;  a  saw  and  feed-mill,  about  a  mile 
south  of  Middleboro  ;  two  cider  and  jelly-mills 
at  Glazier's  Corners;  a  cheese- factor}- on  the 
Waterford  line;  a  shingle-mill  near  the  town 
house  ;  a  tannery,  one  mile  east  of  Sterrettania, 
in  a  building  formerly  used  as    a    woolen-fac- 


tory ;  and  a  saw  and    feed-mill  near  the  Sum- 
mit line. 

The  gristmill  at  Sterrettania  was  built  by 
David  S.  Sterrett  in  1839.  A  gristmill  was 
established  on  the  South  branch,  at  Branch- 
ville,  about  fortj'-five  years  ago,  was  burned 
down  and  rebuilt  twice,  and  was  finally  de- 
molished by  fire  on  October  19,  1882,  since 
when  it  has  never  been  revived. 

VILLAGES. 

The  villages  aie  Sterrettania  and  Branch- 
ville.  Sterrettania  is  on  Elk  creek,  near  the 
Fairview  line,  in  the  western  portion  of  the 
township,  twelve  miles  from  Erie.  It  re- 
ceived its  name  from  the  numerous  Sterrett 
family  living  in  the  village  and  vicinity. 
Robert  Sterrett,  the  pioneer  of  the  flock, 
came  from  Cumberland  county  and  located 
there  in  1804,  remaining  three  years,  when  he 
sold  out  to  his  brother  James.  The  village 
contains  a  Union  Church,  a  schoolhouse,  a 
gristmill,  a  sawmill,  a  creamery,  a  cider  and 
jelly-factory,  a  wagon-shop,  a  blacksmith  shop 
and  a  general  store.  The  residences  number 
fifteen  or  twenty,  and  the  population  is  about 
eighty.  Thomas  Sterrett,  a  resident  of  Ster- 
rettania, is  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most 
influential  men  in  the  county.  The  Sterret- 
tania school  was  taught  at  various  times  by 
Hon.  George  H.  Cutler  and  William  Benson, 
afterward  two  of  the  leading  members  of  the 
Erie  county  bar. 

Branchville  is  a  small  collection  of  houses 
along  the  Edinboro  plank  road,  in  the  south 
part  of  the  township.  It  embraces  a  United 
Brethren  Church,  a  schoolhouse,  a  grocery 
store  and  about  a  dozen  residences.  The 
South  branch  of  Elk  creek  runs  through  the 
hamlet,  giving  it  its  name. 

CHURCHES,  SCHOOLS,  CEMETERIES  AND  ROADS. 

The  religious  edifices  of  the  township  are 
a  Union  Church  at  Sterrettania,  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  at  .South  Hill,  and  a  United  Breth- 
ren at  I?ranchville. 

The  South  Hill  Church  was  dedicated  on 
December  9,  1880.  The  land  on  which  it 
stands  was  donated  by  Oren  Reed.  Previous 
to  the  erection  of  the  church  building,  the 
congregation  held  services  in  the  schoolhouse. 

The  Union  Church  at  Sterrettania  was 
built  in  1842.  It  was  jointly  erected  by  the 
Methodists,    who  had    organized    many  years 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


325 


before  and  by  the  Presbyterians,  who  had 
previously  met  in  the  schoolhouse.  For  a 
time  it  was  occupied  by  the  Congregational- 
ists,  and  it  is  now  in  common  use  by  all  the 
denominations  is  the  vicinity. 

The  United  Brethren  Church  at  Branch- 
ville  was  built  about  1865.  The  society  exist- 
ed for  a  number  of  years  previous. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  taught 
during  the  winter  of  1811-1:?.  Schools  were 
held  in  the  vicinity  of  Middleboro  from  1820 
to  1825.  One  was  kept  up  at  Sterrettania 
about  1880. 

A  cemetery  used  by  the  township  in  com- 
mon has  long  been  established  on  the  Water- 
ford  and  Girard  road,  a  short  distance  east 
of  Middleboro;  another  on  the  plank  road, 
about  a  mile  south  of  the  same  village  ;  one  at 
Sterrettania  ;  one  attached  to  the  old  Catholic 
Church  north  of  ^Middleboro  (soon  to  be  aban- 
doned), and  one  on  South  Hill.  The  Wis- 
wells,  Dunns  and  others  have  private  bury- 
ing grounds.  Land  for  a  Catholic  cemetery 
was  purchased  at  Sterrettania  in  1893.  It 
has  not  been  used  much  up  to  date,  but  is  in- 
tended to  be  the  general  burial  grouud  of  the 
denomination  in  the  township. 

The  main  roads  of  McKean  are  the  Erie 
and  Edinboro  plank,  running  through  nearly 
the  whole  width  of  the  township  from  north 
to  south,  and  the  Waterford  and  Girard  road, 
which  crosses  the  township  from  east  to  ■west, 
following  the  valley  of  Elk  creek.  A  mail 
route  was  established  between  Erie  and  Edin- 
boro in  the  winter  of  1835-36. 

FIRST    SETTLERS. 

The  first  settler  was  James  Talmadge,  who 
came  from  Genesee  county.  New  York,  in 
1795,  and  located  in  the  Dunn  neighborhood. 
His  wife  and  father  accompanied  him.  Mr. 
Talmadge  brought  in  the  first  bushel  of  wheat 
sown  in  Erie  county.  Thomas  and  Olixer 
Dunn  moved  into  McKean  in  the  fall  of  1707, 
having  been  preceded  by  Stephen  Oliver ; 
Lemuel  Stancliff,  a  New  Englander,  settled  a 
mile  south  of  Middleboro  in  1799;  Benjamin 
Grubb,  a  Lancaster  count)'  man,  on  the  John 
PefFer  farm  in  1800;  Benjamin  Grant,  from 
Connecticut,  in  !March  of  the  same  vear  :  Rob- 
ert Sterrett,  at  Sterrettania  in  1804,  and  Jas. 
Aubrey  about  1806.  Eliachim  Cook,  who 
accompanied  Mr.  Grant,  located  in  what  is 
now  Summit  townsliip,  but   removed  to    Wa- 


terford in  1890.  In  1807  Mr.  Sterrett  sold 
his  McKean  property  to  his  brother  James 
and  removed  to  the  bank  of  the  lake,  five 
miles  west  of  Erie.  John  Evans  came  from 
Maryland  in  1802,  and  first  took  up  land  on 
the  ^liil  Creek  and  Summit  line,  but  removed 
to  Mill  Creek  in  1811.  Among  other  early 
settlers  were  Russell  Stancliff,  Rufus  Trask, 
Benjamin  Cullom,  David  Weldon,  Joseph  S. 
Bush  and  the  Dunlaps.  The  Staffords,  a  New 
England  family,  settled  around  Aliddleboro 
about  1815.  Ansel  Crouch  went  in  from  New 
York  in  1817.  David  Sterrett  and  son  James 
settled  on  the  homestead  farm.  He  was  the  fath- 
er of  Robert  \V.,  Ennis.Brice,  Thomas,  James 
and  Andrew  J.,  and  of  Mrs.  \Vright,  Norton, 
Brockway  and  Hall.  Among  the  other  early 
settlers  were  the  following:  In  1809,  Ira 
Glazier,  from  Oneida  county.  New  York,  and 
Ezra  White;  about  1812,  Zachariah  Joiner, 
from  New  England  ;  in  1825,  the  Washburns, 
from  Massachusetts ;  about  1826,  Benjamin  F. 
Morey,  of  Berkshire,  Vt. ;  in  1831,  John 
Drown,  of  Lyons,  N.  Y. ;  about  1835,  the 
Marshes,  from  Nova  Scotia,  and  Peter  J.  Bar- 
ron, from  France;  in  1837,  Oren  Reed,  from 
Otsego  county,  New  York  ;  in  1840,  Lorenz, 
Anton)'  and  Daniel  Hauck,  all  from  Germany. 
Joseph  Weldon  was  the  first  male  child 
born  in  the  township,  and  Hannah,  daughter 
of  James  Talmadge,  the  first  female  child, 
both  events  occurring  in  1798,  or  thereabouts. 
Stephen  Oliver  was  97  years  of  age  when  he 
died,  January  14,  1857.  James  Steadman, 
who  died  in  1892,  was  six  months  older,  be- 
ing the  most  aged  man  that  ever  lived  in  the 
township. 

STATE    AND    COUNTY    OFFICERS. 

The  State  and  county  ofllcers  from  Mc- 
Kean township  have  been  as  follows  :  State 
Senate,  Joseph  M.  Sterrett,  1837  to  1841. 
Associate  Judge,  Joseph  M.  Sterrett,  1850  to 
1856.  Assembly,  Stephen  Skinner,  1840  and 
1842.  County  Commissioner,  Joseph  M. 
Sterrett,  1829  to  1831  ;  Stephen  Skinner,  1834 
to  1837;  Thomas  Sterrett,  1837  to  1839  (died 
in  office)  ;  Thomas  Dunn,  1850  to  1853.  Clerk 
to  Commissioners,  A.  J.  Sterrett,  1863  to  1881. 
Director  of  the  Poor,  David  Sterrett,  1847  to 
1850;  John  Parmeter,  1852  to  1855;  James 
Dunn,  1874  to  1877;  Seymour  Washburn, 
1877  to  1880.  Steward  of  the  Almshouse, 
Thomas  Dunn,  1858  to  1803.      Jury  Commis- 


326 


NELSON'S  BIOOBAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


sioner,  William  Grant,  1873  to  1876.  County 
Surveyor,  Iliram  Humphrey,  1883;  Stephen 
Skinner,  183G  to  1839.  County  Auditor, 
Thomas  Dunn,  1810  to  1821,  1822  to  1825; 
Eli  Webster,  1829  to  1832;  Oren  Reed,  1852 
to  1855,  1863  to  1865;  Elias  Brecht,  1857  to 
1860.  Joseph  M.  Sterrett  left  his  father's 
house  in  McKean  when  a  boy,  to  learn  the 
printing  trade.  He  founded  the  Erie  Gazette 
and  ever  after  resided  in  Erie.  VV'hen  elected 
to  the  offices  mentioned  above  he  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Erie.  A.  J.  Sterrett  was  born  in  Mc- 
Kean, but  left  home  at  an  early  age.  He  also 
lived  in  Erie  when  elected  Clerk  to  the  Com- 
missioners. [For  an  account  of  the  Weiss  Li- 
brary, extract  from  Mr.  Weiss'  will,  etc.,  see 
Mill  Creek   township.] 


BOROUGH  OF  MIDDLEBORO. 

[see  m'kean  township.] 

The  borough  of  Middleboro  was  created 
out  of  portions  of  McKean  township  in  1861, 
and  is  about  two-thirds  of  a  mile  square.  Its 
population  was  126  in  1870,  210  in  1880,  and 
195  in  1895.  The  borough  is  situated  on  the 
Edinboro  plank  road,  in  the  center  of  the 
township,  near  the  junction  of  the  South 
branch  with  the  main  stream  of  Elk  creek,  ten 
miles  south  of   Erie   and  eight  north  of  Edin- 


boro. Benjamin  Cullom  built  the  first  house 
in  Middleboro  in  1810. 

Middleboro  contains  a  Catholic  and  a 
Methodist  Episcopal  Cluirch,  a  schoolhouse, 
one  hotel,  a  carriage  works,  a  creamery  and 
cheese  factory,  several  stores,  two  blacksmith 
shops,  a  sawmill,  a  planing  and  feed-mill,  and 
other  establishments,  being  one  of  the  liveliest 
settlements  of  its  size  in  Northwestern  Penn- 
sylvania.    The  postoffice  name  is  McKean. 

The  Methodist  Church  was  organized  in 
1819,  about  one-half  mile  south  of  the  borough. 
Meetings  were  held  in  the  schoolhouses  until 
1857,  when  a  building  was  erected  within  the 
borough  limits.  This  was  enlarged  and  im- 
proved in  1869. 

St.  Francis's  Catholic  Church  was  built  in 
1876.  It  superceded  an  old  frame  building, 
which  stood  two  miles  north  of  Middleboro, 
and  was  dedicated  in  1833.  The  congregation 
was  organized  a  few  years  prior.  The  rector 
in  1895  was  Rev.  Francis  Aaron.  A  burial 
ground  has  been  connected  with  the  church 
from  the  first,  but  is  intended  to  be  aban- 
doned, the  denomination  having  purchased  a 
more  suitable  piece  of  ground  at  Sterret- 
tania. 

Middleboro  has  a  number  of  secret  socie- 
ties, of  which  the  G.  A.  R.  Post  started 
August  21,  1880;  A.  O.  U.  W.  Lodge,  No- 
vember 5th  of  the  same  year;  the  Equitable 
Aid  Union  in  1891  ;  the  Odd  Fellows'  Lodge 
in  1892;  the    Junior   Order  U.  A.  M.  in   1894. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


MILL    CREEK    TOWNSHIP. 


IVI 


ILL  CREEK  TOWNSHIP,  which 
was  created  by  the  bill  establishing 
the  county,  received  its  name  from 
the  stream  of  Mill  creek,  an  account 
of  which  is  elsewhere  given.  The 
length  of  its  east  line  is  four  and  three-cjuar- 
ter  miles  ;  of  the  south  line,  ten  and  a  half, 
and  of  the  west  line,  four  and  a  quarter.  The 
variation  of  the  east  line  is  due  to  a  4(K)-acre 
tract  at  the  mouth  of  Four-Mile  creek,  which 
it  was  thought  desirable  to  make  a  portion  of 
Mill  Creek  rather  than  Harbor  Creek,  to 
which  it  naturally  belongs.  The  original 
township  was  considerably  larger  than  the 
present  one,  the  reduction  being  caused  by 
the  extension  of  the  city  limits  of  Erie. 

In  1820,  Mill  Creek  contained  a  population 
of  1,017  ;  in  1830,  of  1 ,788  ;  in  1840,  of  2,082  ; 
in  1850,  of  3,004;  in  1870.  of  2,774;  in  1880, 
of  3,274,  and  in  1890,  of  3,279. 

Mill  Creek  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Lake  Erie,  the  Bay  of  Presque  Isle  and  Erie 
city  ;  on  the  east  by  Harbor  Creek  and  a  small 
part  of  Greene;  on  the  south  by  McKean, 
Summit  and  Greene ;  and  on  the  west  by 
Fairview.  The  township  was  divided  in 
1864  into  two  districts  for  election  purposes, 
which  were  known  as  East  and  West  Mill 
Creek.  Another  partition  ^vas  made  in  1892, 
when  the  township  was  divided  into  the 
East,  Middle  and  West  election  districts, 
being  numbered  from  east  to  west.  The  post- 
offices  are  West  Mill  Creek,  Belle  Valley  and 
Kearsarge. 

LAKE    SHORE    PLAIN,    VALLEYS     AND    RIDGES. 

Commencing  at  the  bay,  there  is  the  lake 
shore  plain,  about  two  miles  wide;  the  First 
ridge;  a  valley,  about  a  mile  in  width;  the 
Second  ridge,  and  finally  the  Walnut  creek 
valley,  also  about  a  mile  wide,  which  is  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Third  ridge.  From  the  bay  to 
the  Second  ridge,  the  land  is  comparatively 
level,  with   a   gentle   ascent  to  the  south,  but 


on  the  opposite  side  of  the  ridge  it  is  much 
broken,  especially  those  portions  which  lie 
beyond  Mill  creek  and  Walnut  creek.  The 
Second  ridge  has  obtained  special  names  at 
different  points,  such  as  Nicholson's  hill, 
where  it  is  crossed  by  the  Waterford  pike, 
and  Russell  hill  on  the  Wattsburg  road, 
between  Erie  and  Belle  Valley. 

A  valley  begins  in  Harbor  Creek  township 
and  extends  across  Mill  Creek  and  Fairview 
into  Girard,  a  distance  of  fully  fifteen  mile.s. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Second, 
and  on  the  south  by  the  Third  ridge, 
and  is  watered  in  different  sections  by 
Mill  creek.  Walnut  creek  and  Trout  run. 
The  two  streams  first  named,  after  travaers- 
ing  the  valley  in  a  western  direction,  turn 
abruptly  to  the  north,  break  through  the 
First  and  Second  ridges  by  narrow  chan- 
nels and  find  their  way  to  the  lake — Mill 
creek  within  the  limits  of  Erie  city,  and 
Walnut  creek  at  Manchester,  in  Fairview 
township.  Mill  creek  enters  the  valley  at  or 
near  Belle  Valley  and  Walnut  creek  just  east 
of  Kearsarge.  The  former  leaves  it  near  the 
old  Erie  County  Mills,  and  the  latter  at  or 
near  the  Schluraff  farm,  in  the  western  part 
of  the  township.  Among  the  residents  of 
this  valley  are  some  of  the  best  known  farm- 
ers in  Erie  county. 

The  farms  along  the  Lake  road,  west  of 
Erie,  from  the  fact  of  that  being  the  main 
drive  to  the  Head,  are  probably  the  most 
familiar  to  the  general  public  in  the  count}-. 
The  township  contains  some  of  the  best  grape, 
fruit  and  vegetable  farms  in  this  section. 

RESERVATIONS    AND    "GORE." 

The  tract  along  the  Waterford  pike  known 
as  the  Academy  lands  consists  of  500  acres 
set  apart  by  the  State  for  the  maintenance  of 
Erie  Academy.  Thev  commence  at  the  west 
line  of  the  Cochran  and  Evans  farms,  and  lie 
on  both  sides  of  the  road,  which  runs  through 


328 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


them  at  an  angle.  These  lands  were  originally 
let  out  to  tenants  for  ninety-nine  years,  but  in 
1851  or  1852,  legislation  was  secured  which 
authorized  their  sale,  and  most  of  them  have 
been  disposed  of  in  fee  simple. 

The  lands  from  the  city  limits  west  to  tiie 
Herrman  place  are  a  portion  of  the  tract  of 
2,000  acres,  less  100  for  the  support  of  the  poor, 
ceded  by  the  State  to  the  borough  of  Erie,  for 
the  construction  of  a  basin  at  the  harbor,  in 
contemplation  of  the  opening  of  the  canal. 
They  were  sold  at  public  sale  on  the  1st  of 
August,  1888,  and  brought  from  nine  to  twenty- 
two  dollars  per  acre. 

The  original  surveys  in  the  township  were 
made  in  1795  by  George  Moore,  under  the  di- 
rection of  Thomas  Rees,  the  first  State  Sur- 
veyor in  the  county.  In  laying  out  the  coun- 
try, as  directed  by  law,  a  reservation  was 
made  of  certain  lands  bordering  the  town  of 
Erie,  which  were  withheld  from  sale  and  set- 
tlement. This  tract  was  known  as  the  Erie 
State  Reservation.  It  commenced  at  the  head 
of  the  bay,  ran  southward  three  miles,  then 
parallel  with  the  lake  and  baj- eight  miles,  and 
from  there  to  the  shore  of  the  lake,  excluding 
the  portion  embraced  within  the  town  site  of 
Erie.  Outside  the  reservation,  all  the  terri- 
torv  in  the  township,  and  in  fact,  in  the  Tri- 
angle, was  laid  out  in  4CX)-acre  tracts,  with  an 
allowance  of  six  per  cent,  for  roads. 

By  some  mistake  of  the  surveN-ors  or  dis- 
parity in  their  instruments,  a  piece  of  land  was 
left  between  the  Erie  Reservation  and  the 
other  lands  of  the  township,  open  to  general 
settlement,  which  is  known  by  the  general 
name  of  the  "  Gore."  It  started  "at  nothing" 
at  the  head  of  the  bay,  ran  south  by  west,  about 
500  feet  out  of  the  way,  to  a  point  some  eighty 
rods  south  of  the  reservation  ;  thence  eastward, 
on  a  parallel  line,  to  the  F.  W.  Koehler  farm  ; 
and  thence  north  to  the  lake,  varying  from  400 
to  500  feet,  to  a  point  about  thirteen  rods  east 
of  the  reservation  line.  This  land  was  sold  in 
general  to  the  parties  owning  farms  bordering 
on  the  same. 

STREAMS    A.\D    BRIDGES. 

The  streams  of  the  township  are  Two, 
Three  and  Four-Mile  creeks,  east  of  Erie ; 
Mill  creek  and  Cascade  run,  emptying  into  the 
bay  within  Erie  city ;  the  Head  run,  Kelso 
run  and    Fassett    run,  on    the  west    side ;   and 


Walnut  creek  on  the  south,  with  its  branches, 
Thomas  run  and  Rhodes  run. 

Mill  creek  is  created  by  two  branches, 
which  unite  near  the  southeastern  line  of  the 
township.  The  creek  received  its  name  be- 
cause the  first  mill  in  the  county  was  built  at 
its  mouth.  As  late  as  1885  there  were  no  less 
than  four  gristmills  and  thirteen  sawmills 
along  this  stream,  all  propelled  by  water- 
power. 

Walnut  creek,  the  largest  in  the  township, 
rises  in  Summit  and  enters  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship near  Kearsarge,  where  its  valley  widens 
out  to  the  extent  of  a  mile.  From  there  it 
flows  through  the  south  part  of  the  township 
in  a  general  westerly  course  to  Fairview, 
where  it  suddenly  turns  to  the  nortii,  joining 
the  lake  at  Manchester.  Some  of  the  earliest 
settlements  in  the  county  were  made  in  the 
valley  of  this  stream  at  Kearsarge  and  west- 
ward. Near  the  Nece  milldam  it  receives 
Thomas  run,  which  is  joined  by  Rhodes  run 
about  a  mile  above.  Both  of  these  rise  in 
McKean  township,  the  first  having  a  length  of 
about  four  and  the  latter  of  three  miles. 

Two,  Three  and  Four-Mile  creeks  were 
named  because  oi'  their  supposed  distance  from 
Central  park  in  Erie.  The  first  two  are  small 
streams,  rising  near  the  central  eastern  portion 
of  the  township  and  flowing  directly  to  the 
lake.  Four-Mile  creek  rises  in  Greene  town- 
ship, runs  along  the  western  edge  of  Harlior 
Creek  township,  enters  Mill  Creek  at  Wesley- 
ville,  and  reaches  the  lake  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  north  of  that  village.  ' 

Cascade  creek  is  formed  by  two  branches 
which  unite  on  the  pioneer  farm  of  the  Scott 
estate.  The  creek  empties  into  the  bay  at  the 
Pittsburg  docks.  It  was  at  the  mouth  of  Cas- 
cade creek  that  Perry  built  the  brigs  Lawrence 
and  Niagara  in  1818.  The  little  stream  at  the 
Head  rises  in  a  swamp  south  of  the  Catholic 
Cemetery.  A  mill  once  stood  at  its  mouth, 
the  ruins  of  which  remained  until  fifteen  or 
twenty  years  ago.  Fassett  run,  which 
empties  into  the  lake  in  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  township,  was  a  fair-sized  stream  in 
the  days  of  the  canal.  It  at  one  time  gave 
power  to  a  sawmill.  Kelso  run  rises  in  what 
\vas  called  the  Tracy  swamp,  and  empties  into 
the  lake  above  the  Head.  Though  only  a  mile 
long,  it  is  quite  a  streain  in  rainy  seasons. 

The  township  has  within  its  limits  a  large 
number  of  bridges,  of  which  those  over  Wal- 


AND  mSTORWAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


329 


nut  creek  are  the  most  important.  The  one 
at  the  town  line  across  the  latter  stream  was 
built  jointly  by  the  Commissioners  of  Fair- 
view  and  Mill  Creek.  The  old  Philadelphia 
and  Erie  R.  R.  bridge  over  Mill  creek,  once 
quite  a  formidable  piece  of  trestle  work,  has 
been   replaced   by  a  culvert  and  embankment. 

COMMON  ROADS,   RAILROADS  AND  CANAL. 

All  of  the  great  highways  in  the  county, 
which  center  at  Erie  city  cross  Mill  Creek 
township.  The  most  important  of  these  are 
the  Lake  road  from  east  to  west,  the  Buffalo 
road  from  the  east,  the  Wattsburg  plank  and 
Lake  Pleasant  roads  from  the  southeast,  the 
Edinboro  plank  and  the  Waterford  pike  and 
plank  road  from  the  south,  the  McKean  road 
from  the  southwest  and  the  Ridge  road  from 
the  west.  The  Lake  road  extends  across  the 
township  from  Harbor  creek  to  Fairview, 
entering  Erie  by  Sixth  street  and  leaving  by 
Eighth,  a  variation  due  to  the  gullies  in  the 
western  part  of  the  city.  The  railroads  are 
the  Lake  Shore,  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie, 
the  Erie  and  Pittsburg,  the  Pittsburg,  She- 
nango  and  Lake  Erie  (commonly  known  as 
the  "Peasley"),  and  the  New  York.  Chicago 
and  St.  Louis  (abbreviated  into  "  The  Nickel 
Plate").  The  Philadelphia  and  Erie,  Erie 
and  Pittsburg,  and  Pittsburg,  Shenango  and 
Lake  Erie  terminate  at  Erie  ;  the  two  others 
are  through  routes  between  the  East  and 
West.  The  railroad  stations  in  the  township 
are  Belle  Valley  and  Shannon,  on  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Erie ;  the  Junction,  on  the  Erie 
and  Pittsburg;  and  West  Mill  Creek,  on  the 
Pittsburg,  Shenango  and  Lake  Erie. 

The  canal  between  the  Ohio  river  and  Erie 
traversed  the  township  from  the  Fairview 
line  to  the  bay  at  the  latter  city.  It  was 
opened  in  1844  and  discontinued  in  187L  The 
bed  of  the  canal  was  bought  by  the  farmers 
along  its  line,  and  only  slight  traces  of  this 
once  important  improvement  remain. 

The  Erie  Electric  road  extends  along  the 
line  of  the  Lake  road  from  the  city  limits  to 
the  Head,  and  is  a  great  comfort  and  conveni- 
ence to  those  who  have  occasion  to  visit  the 
numerous  places  of  public  interest  west  of  the 
city. 

CHURCHES  AND  SCHOOLS. 

The  churches  of  Mill  Creek  township  are 
the  Presbyterian   at   Belle  Valley,   tiie   West- 


minster (Presbyterian),  the  Asbury  (Metho- 
dist) and  St.  P'aul's  (Lutheran).  The  West- 
minster and  Asbury  churches  are  on  the  Ridge 
road,  west  of  the  almshouse ;  St.  Paul's 
Church  is  at  the  McKean  line  in  the  south- 
west part  of  the  township. 

The  Presbj-terian  Church  at  Belle  Valley, 
first  known  as  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
East  Mill  Creek,  was  organized  by  a  commit- 
tee consisting  of  the  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Lyon, 
D.  D.,  and  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  W.  West,  the 
second  Monday  of  December  184L  The  origi- 
nal members,  probably  thirty-eight  in  number, 
came  from  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Erie. 

The  organization  took  place  in  the  school- 
house,  which  served  as  the  general  place  of 
worship  for  the  congregation  till  1843,  when 
a  church  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
11,200,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  300. 

This  building  was  dedicated  on  the  6th  of 
Januarj-,  1843,  and,  being  substantially  con- 
structed in  the  beginning,  remains,  and  hav- 
ing been  remodeled  and  improved  several 
times,  notably  in  1885,  1892  and  1894,  it  con- 
stitutes an  attractive  and  suitable  house  of 
worship. 

The  ministers,  who  have  served  the 
congregation  as  pastors  and  supplies,  as  near- 
ly as  can  be  gathered  from  the  somewhat  de- 
fective records,  were  as  follows,  serving  in 
the  order  in  which  theirnames  appear:  Revs. 
N.  W.  West,  William  Fuller,  William  Smith, 
James  F.  Read,  D.  D.,  William  Ottinger, 
Joseph  Vance,  J.  Rodger  Wilson,  Hezekiah 
Webster,  Alexander  Koss,  J.  Bell,  H.  C. 
Foster  and  J.  P.  Irwin.  Those  who  served 
for  the  longest  periods  were  the  Rev.  ].  F. 
Read,  D.  D.,  pastor  from  1849  to  1852  ;  Rev. 
Joseph  Vance,  pastor  from  1854  to  1871  ; 
Rev.  H.  Webster,  pastor  from  1879  to  1885  ; 
and  Rev.  J.  P.  Irwin,  supply  from  1888  to 
October,  1895,  when  he  resigned. 

Lender  the  faithful  ministration  of  the  above 
pastors,  the  church  has  been  greatly  prospered. 
The  contributions  have  been  liberal  and  the 
number  of  accessions  to  the  membership  has 
been  constant  and  encouraging,  the  church 
having  on  several  occasions  enjoyed  seasons 
of  wonderful  spiritual  awakening.  Under 
the  ministry  of  Rev.  Joseph  Vance,  at  one 
time  ten,  at  another  eight,  were  received  on 
confession  of  their  faith.  Under  Rev.  H. 
\\'ebster,  in  1880,  eleven,  and  in  1882,  seven, 


33° 


NELSOIf'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


^ve^e  received,  most  of  them  on  examination  ; 
while,  during  the  ministry  of  Rev.  J.  P. 
Irwin,  thirty-one  were  received  on  confession 
at  the  same  communion.  Thus,  while,  owing 
to  unfavorable  location,  the  church  has  never 
attained  the  proportions  of  a  strong,  self-sup- 
porting body,  there  has  been  a  gradual  in- 
crease in  numbers  and  a  material  improvement 
in  facilities — a  parsonage,  quite  conveniently 
located  and  suitable,  having  been  purchased 
by  the  congregation  in  1888. 

The  membership  of  this  church  and  con- 
gregation has  comprised  many  of  the  best 
families  in  the  community,  and  the  session, 
which  originally  consisted  of  Messrs.  George 
Davison,  Samuel  Low  and  Hiram  Norcross, 
has  included  men  of  excellent  character,  such 
as  Messrs.  Converse  Clark,  Mvron  Hayes,  D. 
H.  Sanford,  W.  E.  Haves,  Clark  Wood,  W. 
M.  Hilborn,  John  Cook",  H.  H.  Miller,  F.  W. 
Perrin,  W.  W.  Conrad  and  A.  J.  Tate. 

An  interesting  Sabbath-school  has  been 
sustained  for  many  years,  and  the  women  of 
the  congregation  have  ever  been  active  in  all 
good  work,  having'maintained  missionary  and 
other  societies,  during  past  years,  while  at 
present  there  are  Home  and  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Societies,  a  Missionary  Aid  Society  and 
the  Senior  and  Junior  Christian  Endeavor 
Societies. 

Rev.  E.  B.  Russell,  and  Revs.  Edward  and 
Joseph  H.  Vance  have  gone  out  as  ministers 
from  this  church,  and  others  now  occupy 
prominent  and  useful  positions  in  the  churches 
and  localities  to  which  thej-  have  gone. 

The  congregation  of  Westminster  Church 
was  organized  by  Rev.  Johnson  Eaton  in 
1805  at  the  mouth  of  Walnut  creek,  in  Fair- 
view  township.  Worship  continued  at  that 
place  till  1833,  when  a  building  was  erected  in 
Swanville.  In  1845  a  portion  of  the  congre- 
gation was  set  apart  as  the  church  of  Stur- 
geonville,  and  erected  a  building  in  Fairview 
borough.  This  left  the  church  building  at 
Swanville  to  one  side  of  the  territory  in  which 
the  bulk  of  the  communicants  resided.  In 
1851  the  building  was  removed  to  the  western 
part  of  Mill  Creek  township.  The  name  of 
Fairview  Church  was  retained  till  1861,  when 
that  of  Westminster  was  adopted.  Mr. 
Eaton  continued  as  pastor  for  the  congrega- 
tion until  his  death  June  17,  1847.  A  new 
and  handsome  brick  building  was  erected  in 
1894,  and  formally  dedicated  November  80th 


of  that  year.  It  stands  on  or  nearly  upon  the 
site  of  the  original   structure. 

Asbury  Methodist  Church,  in  the  western 
portion  of  the  township,  was  built  in  1846, 
and  remodeled  in  1894.  The  congregation 
was  organized  in  the  first-mentioned  year. 

St.  Paul's  German  Lutheran  Churcii,  in 
the  southwest  part  of  the  township,  was 
erected  about  1837,  and  overhauled  in  1873. 
No  regular  services  have  been  held  in  the 
building  for  several  years. 

One  of  the  first  schools  was  opened  in  the 
southeastern  section  of  the  township  about 
1805  or  '6,  and  lasted  until  1821.  A  school 
was  established  about  the  same  time  as  the 
other  in  the  Love  neighborhood,  and  main- 
tained until  the  common  school  law  went  into 
operation.  School  was  taught  in  the  Reed 
residence,  at  or  near  Kearsarge,  in  1809.  In 
1812  the  neighbors  united  in  putting  up  a 
building  on  the  north  side  of  the  ridge,  on  or 
about  the  site  of  the  present  Lake  View 
school.  Other  schools  were  kept  up  by  private 
subscription,  previous  to  the  adoption  of  the 
common  school  system,  but  no  reliable  account 
of  them  is  at  hand.  Mill  Creek  was  the  first 
township  in  the  county  to  adopt  the  one-term 
school  system,  \\  hich  was  done  about  1868 
or  '64. 

VILLAGES,    POSTOFFICES,    ETC. 

Mill  Creek  has  no  settlements  of  much 
size.  Belle  Valley,  Weigeltown  and  Kearsarge 
being  the  largest.  Belle  Valley  is  a  scattered 
collection  of  houses  along  Mill  creek,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  .Second  ridge,  about  four 
miles  from  Erie.  This  place,  though  settled 
at  an  early  date,  never  attained  to  much  im- 
portance, having  at  present  not  over  1(X)  resi- 
dents. The  Presbyterian  Church  has  a  grave- 
yard connected  with  it  which  contains  the 
graves  of  some  of  the  most  worthy  of  the 
original  settlers.  The  Belle  Valley  postoffice 
was  established  in  1855,  being  long  supplied 
by  the  Wattsburg  stage. 

Kearsarge  was  formerly  known  as  Walnut 
Creek,  and  was  once  a  point  of  more  import- 
ance comparatively  than  at  present.  At 
Kearsarge  are  a  store,  hotel,  schoolhouse, 
brickyard  and  a  number  of  residences.  The 
settlement  is  on  the  Edinboro  road,  four  miles 
from  Erie.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest  settled  sec- 
tions in  Erie  county,  Col.  Seth  Reed  having  lo- 
cated on  the  site  in   1796.       The  postofiice  at 


y^^ 


***• 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


331 


Kearsarge  supplies  portions  of  Mill  Creek,  Mc- 
Kean  and  Summit  townships. 

The  first  frame  barn  in  the  county  was 
erected  by  Charles  J.  Reed,  on  the  Zimmerly 
place  at  Kearsarge,  in  1799,  and  the  first 
frame  house  on  the  same  farm  bv  the  same 
gentleman,  in  1800.  It  was  here  also  that  the 
first  white  couple  married  in  the  county  took 
up  their  residence.  Charles  J.  Reed,  son  of 
Col.  Seth  Reed,  was  united  in  matrimony  to 
Miss  Rachel  ^filler,  on  the  27th  of  December, 
1797.^ 

Weigeltown,  on  the  southwestern  edge  of 
Erie  city,  at  the  junction  of  Brown's  ayenue 
with  the  Ridge  road,  was  named  after  Geo. 
Weigel,  sr.,  who  bought  fifty  acres  at  the 
sale  in  1833,  and  laid  out  the  north  side  of  the 
Ridge  road  front  into  building  lots.  The  vil- 
lage was  then  a  mile  and  a  half  out  of  Erie, 
and  was  a  conyenient  stopping  place  for 
farmers  and  travelers. 

About  a  mile  \vestward,  on  the  Ridge 
road,  is  Warrentown,  a  small  collection  of 
houses  lining  the  south  side.  It  was  named 
after  John  M.  Warren,  whose  father  took  up 
a  large  tract  of  land  there. 

At  the  point  where  the  McKean  road  and 
the  road  from  the  Head  intersect  the  Ridge 
road,  are  the  Half-Way  House,  a  grocery, 
blacksmith  shop  and  a  number  o  f  dwellings. 
The  hotel  was  opened  by  Thomas  Willis  in 
1822  or  1823.  It  then  stood  about  half  a  mile 
west,  on  the  original  line  of  the  road.  The 
building  was  moved  about  the  time  the  road 
line  was  changed,  some  thirty-fiye  years  ago. 

In  1847  a  man  named  Frederick  Reidel 
was  convicted  :  t  Pittsburg  of  the  murder  of 
his  \vife,  but  the  night  before  the  date  fixed 
for  the  execution  he  cut  a  vein  in  his  arm  and 
bled  to  death.  His  body  was  delivered  to  his 
brother,  who  brought  it  to  Erie  county  and 
buried  it  secretly  in  a  graveyard  on  the  south 
line  of  Mill  Creek  township.  The  matter 
soon  leaked  out  and  the  indignation  of  the 
people  compelled  him  to  remove  the  remains, 
which  were  again  buried  on  the  east  side  of 
the  cross  road  between  the  Hulf-Wav  House 
and  the  Catholic  cemetery,  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  rods  north  of  the  Ridge  road.  In  No- 
vember, 1858,  George  Reidel  had  an  alterca- 
tion with  Buttennelly,  then  owner  of  the 
property  where  the  Half- Way  House  stands, 
and  shot  the  latter  dead  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  his  brother's  grave.  He  was  sen- 
22 


fenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  nine  years  and 
served  out  his  term. 

Between  Warrentown  and  the  Half- Way 
House,  a  short  distance  north  of  the  Ridge 
road,  is  the  Erie  County  Almshouse.  Less 
than  a  mile  west  of  the  Half-\Vay  House  is 
the  West  Mill  Creek  Hall.  Near  by  is  the 
Westminster  Church,  and  further  west  is  the 
Asbury  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The 
West  Mill  Creek  postoffice,  which  supplies 
the  vicinity  with  mail  matter,  is  about  one- 
fourth  of  a  mile  west  of  Westminster  Church. 

In  the  Mill  Creek  valley,  some  two  miles 
south  of  Erie,  was  a  considerable  settlement 
known  as  the  Erie  County  Mills,  which  once 
contained  a  grist  and  sawmill,  fulling-mill  and 
brewery,  all  of  which  have  gone  down. 

OTHER    PROMINENT    POINTS. 

Passing  over  from   the  Half-Way  House 
to  the  Lake  road,  the  first  point  of  interest  is 
Trinity    cemeterj-,    the    burial    place    of  the 
Catholics  of  "Erie   and  vicinity.     It   embraces 
thirty  acres  purchased   by  Rev.  J.  L.  Coady, 
Vicar-General  of  the  diocese,   of  Wilson  and 
Richard  Laird  in  June,    1867.     A   little  east 
of  the  cemetery  is  the  road  to  the  Head  of  the 
bay,  which  has  been  for  many  years  the  chief 
pleasure  resort  of  Erie.     The  hotel  and   other 
buildings  erected  at   this   point  were  burned 
down  in  December,  1882,  and  rebuilt  in  1885. 
At  the  junction  of  the  Lake  and  Head   roads 
is    the    Algeria   farm,   famous  as   a    breeding 
place   for  trotting  horses.     It  was  here    that 
Rayon  d'Or,  for  which  animal  Hon.  Wm.   L. 
Scott  paid  |40,0(X)  in   France,  was  kept  and 
begot  some  of  the  fastest   horses  in   America. 
Further  east,  on  the    bank  of  the   bav,   is  the 
site  of  the   Lone   Fisherman's   Inn,   afterward 
the   Tracy   Point    Hotel,    now   leased    by    the 
Sommerheim,   a    German   association,  organ- 
ized in  the   fall  of   1894.     Still   eastward  are 
the  buildings  of    the    Kahkwa    and  Cascade 
clubs,  the  Frontier  farm  of  the   Scott   estate, 
and  the  former  site  of  the    Mt.    Hickory  Iron 
Works.     The  latter  were  started  in  1872,  and 
the  mill  was  burned  December  9.    1883,   and 
never  rebuilt.     Across  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R. 
from  the  rolling-mill  site   was   the   old  Reed 
Garden,  once  a  favorite  resort.  It  was  opened 
as  a  public  garden   in    1840  or   1841,  and  was 
one  of  Gen.  Reed's  pet  enterprises.     Nearing 
the  city  the  old  fair  grounds   are  seen,  about 
half  a  mile  to  the   south   of   the   Lake   road. 


33* 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


These  grounds  were  first  opened  for  a  fair  by 
the  State  Agricultural  Society  in  1872.  In 
addition  to  the  above  the  Eaglehurst  club 
have  a  good  building  on  the  Marsiiall  farm, 
west  of  the  Head,  and  there  are  numerous  re- 
sorts and  summer  residences  all  along  the 
Lake  road  between  the  city  and  the  west  line 
of  the  township. 

East  of  the  city  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Buffalo  road  are  the  original  Erie  county  fair 
grounds,  now  owned  by  the  estate  of  H.  C. 
Shannon.  This  property  was  purchased  by 
the  Fair  Association  in  1860,  and  fairs  were 
held  there  in  'fiO  and  '61.  The  war  for  the 
Union  breaking  out  in  the  latter  year,  they 
were  taken  for  military  purposes,  and  the 
Eightj-third,  One  Hundred  and  Eleventh  and 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth  regiments  were 
organized  on  the  premises. 

On  the  Edinboro  road,  a  mile  or  so  south 
of  the  city  limits,  quite  a  village  has  sprung 
up  on  the  Evans  farm,  incident  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  colhn  factory.  This  enterprise 
was  originated  by  Robert  Evans,  who  sold  out 
at  a  heavy  loss.  Near  by  is  the  site  of  Glen- 
wood  Park,  embracing  the  Evans  farm  and 
the  valley  of  Mill  creek,  which  is  intended  to 
be  the  main  park  of  Erie  city.  It  is  an  ideal 
location  for  the  purpose,  and  if  the  plans  of 
its  projectors  are  carried  out  will  be  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  pleasure  resorts  in  the 
country. 

On  the  Lake  road,  east  of  the  city,  upon 
the  Reed  farm,  are  the  new  grounds  of  the 
Erie  Fair  Association,  organized  in  January, 
1895,  for  the  development  of  fine  trotting  and 
racing  stock.  A  short  distance  beyond,  at 
the  mouth  of  Four-Mile  creek,  is  the  Grove 
House,  a  favorite  summer  resort,  opened  to 
the  public  in  1887. 

Lakeside  Cemetery,  a  new  project,  is  lo- 
cated on  the  north  side  of  the  Lake  road, 
between  the  city  and  the  Reed  farm  last  re- 
ferred to. 

For  a  further  account  of  some  of  these 
places  see  Erie  city. 

MILLS    AND    FACTORIES. 

The  first  sawmill  in  Mill  Creek  township 
was  built  by  John  Cochran,  in  1800,  and  the 
first  gristmill  in  1801,  on  the  site  of  the  one 
known  later  as  the  Eliot  or  Denmore  mill. 
The  second  grist  and  sawmill  in  the  town- 
ship was  established   on    the  site  of    the   old 


Erie  County  Mills  in  1802,  one  mile  up  the 
creek  from  Cochran's  mill,  at  the  forks,  by 
Robert  McCullough.  A  sawmill  was  built  in 
1816  by  Foote  &  Parker  on  the  R.  H.  Arbuckle 
place,  wiiich  went  down  a  good  many  years 
ago.  The  first  sawmill  on  Walnut  creek  in 
Mill  Creek  township  was  built  bv  James  Love 
in  1816. 

The  present  mills,  factories,  etc.,  are  as 
follows  :  The  Glenwood  Paint  Works,  occu- 
pying the  site  of  the  Eliot  or  Densmore  mill ; 
the  coffin  factory,  on  the  Edinboro  road,  and 
a  brickyard  near  by  ;  Ball's  brewery,  on  the 
Lake  road,  west,  and  Voight's,  just  south  of 
the  city  limits;  a  planing,  saw  and  cider- 
mill  near  Kearsarge ;  a  brickyard  at  the 
latter  place;  a  shoe  factory  (idle)  east  of  the 
city  ;  a  glue  and  fertilizer  factory  (established 
in  1869)  near  the  Buffalo  road  between  Erie 
and  Wesleyville ;  a  sawmill  and  a  feed, 
cider  and  sawmill  on  Walnut  creek,  and 
a  grist,  saw,  shingle,  feed  and  cider-mill 
on  Thomas  run.  Some  of  the  most  impor- 
tant mills,  such  as  the  Erie  County  and  the 
Eliot  gristmills,  once  famous  in  the  county, 
have  gone  down  for  want  of  water-power  and 
support,  the  latter  being  chiefly  due  to  their 
proximity  to  the  city. 

EARLY   SETTLERS. 

The  first  settlers  within  the  township  were 
Col.  .Seth  Reed,  David  McXair,  George 
Moore,  James  Baird,  Capt.  Russell  Bissell, 
David  Dewey,  Francis  Randall,  J.  \V.  Rus- 
sell and  Thomas  P.  Miller,  who  contracted 
for  lands  in  1795,  but  did  not  locate  till  1796 
Their  number  was  increased  the  same  year  by 
John  Grubb,  Benjamin  Russell,  Anthony 
Saltsman  and  John  McFarland.  In  1797, 
William  .Saltsman,  John  Nicholson,  the  Mc- 
Kees,  Jacob  Weiss  and  Boe  Bladen,  a  free 
colored  man,  were  added  to  the  colony.  All 
of  the  above  were  New  Englanders,  except 
the  Saltsmans,  who  were  from  Northumber- 
land county,  Bladen,  who  was  from  Maryland, 
and  Weiss,  from  Cumberland  county,  in  this 
State.  Joseph  Henderson  made  his  location 
in  1798.  In  1800,  William  Bell  came  in  from 
Lycoming  county,  Joseph  F.,  William,  Sam- 
uel and  David  McCreary  from  Lancaster 
county,  and  James  Wilson,  John  M.  Warren 
and  John  Cosper  from  New  York.  William 
Bladen  and  Samuel  and  Joseph  Conrad,  from 
Maryland,  and  the  Ebersoles  and  the  Riblets, 


AND  mSTORtCAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


333 


from  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  settled  in  the 
township  in  1801;  Hamlin  Russell,  from  New 
England,  Andrew  Caughey  and  sons,  Joseph 

B.  McCreary  and  George  Reed,  all  from 
Lancaster  county  '  James  Love  and  the  Ar- 
buckles  from  Cecil  county,  Maryland  ;  John 
McCoy,  John  Robinson,  Robert  McClelland, 
John  Pherrin,  James  Dumars  and  William 
Henry,  in  1802.  The  Arbuckle  family  located 
first  in  Fairview,  but  Joseph,  Adam  and  John 
changed  to  Mill  Creek. 

The  date  of  the  arrival  of  other  pioneers 
is  as  follows :  In  1803  John  Kelley,  from 
Mifflin  county  ;  in  1804,  Christian  Ebersole, 
from  Lancaster  count}' ;  George  Bissell,  War- 
ren Foote  and  Andrew  Martin,  from  New 
England ;  Abraham  Wagner,  David  Robin- 
son and  John  Mosier,  all  from  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania;  in  1806,  James  B.  Wilson,  from 
Dauphin  countv ;  in  1807,  John  Fagan  ;  in 
1809,  John  Ryan;  in  1810,  George  Hay- 
barger,  Spencer  Shattuck,  William  Whitley, 
Alexander  Robinson  and  sons,  and  Andrew 
and  John  Norcross ;  in  1811,  John  Evans, 
John  Burton,  sr.,  James  Stewart,  John  Mc- 
Crea  and  Robert  Evans;  in  1812,  N.  W.  Rus- 
sell and  Calvin  Foote ;  in  1818,  Conrad 
Brown,  sr.,  James  Gill  and  I.  M.  Martin;  in 
1815,  Samuel  Flickinger,  Jonas  Parker  and 
George  and  Arthur  Davidson  ;  in  1816.  S.  B. 
\\^agner  and  Asa  G.  Olds;  in  1817,  William 
Miner,  Christian  Thomas,  James  Cronin  and 
Agnes  Herrman  ;  in  1818,  Robert  Davidson, 
J.  J.  Miller,  J.  A.  McCreary,  S.  S.  McCreary 
and  Nancy  McKee  ;  in  1819,  Jacob  Riblet ; 
in  1820,  E.  H.  Thompkins ;  in  1821,  S.  H. 
Caughey;  in  1822,  A.  G.  Gates  and  Thomas 
Willis;   in  1825,  Marcus  Lewis,  S.  C.  Pherrin, 

C.  K.  Riblet  and  Giles  Russell;  in  1826, 
Francis  Davidson ;  in  1829.  Chas.  Gal- 
liard;  in  1830,  G.  W.  Brindle,  John  Hess, 
H.  C.  Nick  and  A.  Sullivan;  in  1832,  \Vm. 
Berkencamp  and  James  Scouller;  in  1833.  E. 
Lewis  and  Uras  Schluraff;  in  1834,  S.  S. 
Caughey  and  Isaac  Wolf;  in  1835,  Artemus 
Martin  ;  in  1836,  J.  S.  Conrad,  Geo.  A. 
Evans,  Geo.  C.  Dunn  and  John  Nellis  ;  in  1838, 
S.  C.  Brown  and  Samuel  Oxer ;  in  1839,  John 
McKee,  Nelson  Sawdey  and  Mr.  Dighton  ;  in 
1840,  George  Reed  ;  in"l841.  Henry  G.  Hartt; 
in  1842.  T.  D.  Willis  ;  in  1844,  M'.  B.  Briggs 
and  J.  W.  Shenk ;  in  1845,  George  Beibel, 
Chas.  Herrman,  Leonard  Mong  and  A.  M. 
Powell;  in  1848,  Peter  Herrman. 


During  the  j'ear  1828,  a  colony  of  "  Penn- 
sylvania Dutch  "  reached  the  township  from 
Lancaster  county,  consisting  of  George  Wei- 
gel,  Martin  Warfel,  Samuel  Brenneman, 
Thomas  Mohr,  Jacob  Metzler  and  others,  fol- 
lowed by  Jacob  Charles  in   1829.     The  Davi- 

I  sons  and  Norcrosses  settled  first  in  Venango 
township,  in  1801  and  1802,  from  which  they 
moved  to  Mill  Creek.  George  Haybarger,  set- 
tled in  Elk  Creek  in  1802,  and  John  Evans  in 

j  McKean,  in  1802,  changing  to  Mill  Creek  as 
above.  Thomas  Willis  was  born  in  England, 
came  to  this  country  when  a  boy,  and  lived 
for  a  time  in  Lancaster  county.  W^illiam  Bell 
sold  his  farm  and  moved  into  Erie,  where  he 
built  the  old  frame  house  on  the  site  of  the 
Becker  block,  and  went  into  trade.  The  Zim- 
merman, Stough  and  three  Kreider  families 
came  in  from  Lebanon  or  Berks  county  at  the 
same  time  in  1805. 

The  Riblets,  Ebersoles,  Loups,  Zucks  and 
Browns  were  all  from  Lancaster  and  Berks 
counties.  Spencer  Shattuck  was  from  Litch- 
field county,  Connecticut.  James  Love  resided 
in  McKean  a  short  time  before  going  to  Mill 
Creek.  He  located  in  McKean  in  1802,  and 
changed  to  Mill  Creek  in  1806.  James  Barr 
settled  in  North  East  about  1800,  went  to 
Harbor  Creek  in  1S13,  and  from  there  to  Mill 
Creek  in  1830.  The  father  of  John  Fagan 
located  in  Amitv  township  in  1795,  moving  to 
Mil!  Creek  about  1S07.  Benjamin  Russell 
landed  at  Erie  on  July  4,  1796,  and  settled  at 
Belle  Valley,  on  almost  the  identical  spot  long 
occupied  by  his  nephew,  Capt.  N.  W.  Russell, 
where  he  built  a  cabin  and  located  1,000 
acres  of  land.  He  was  followed  in  1802  by 
his  brother  Hamlin,  who  purchased  150  acres 
from  Benjamin,  and  established  his  home  a 
little  further  west  on  the  cross  road. 

The  first  male  child  born  in  the  township 
was  David  M.  Dewey,  December  15,  1797, 
and  the  first  female  child  was  Matilda  Reed, 
born  November  14,  1798.  Martin  Stough 
died  in  West  Mill  Creek  on  the  2d  of  October, 
1881,  at  the  advanced  age  of  93  years,  3  weeks 
and  2  days.  Deacon  John  Cook,  one  of  the 
earliest  residents,  died  in  Belle  Valley,  October 
5,  1895,  at  the  unusual  age  of  97  years. 

FEDERAL,  STATE   AND  COUNTY  OFFICERS. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  citizens  of  Mill 
Creek  township  who  have  held  National, 
State  and  county  positions  :     Secretary  of  the 


334 


NELSON- S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Land  Office,  John  Cochran,  1809-18.  Con- 
gress, Samuel  Smith,  1805-12.  Assembly, 
Stephen  Wolverton,  182-5-26-27  ;  B.  B.  Whit- 
ley, elected  in  1889  and  1891.  Postmaster  of 
Erie,  Robert  Cochran,  from  February  26, 1833, 
to  June  20,  1840,  and  from  July  23,  1845,  to 
April  17,  1849.  Associate  Judges,  William 
Bell,  1800-03;  1805-14;  John  Cochran, 
1808-05;  Samuel  Smith,  1803-05;  John 
Grubb,  1820-41.  Sheriffs,  David  Wallace, 
1813-16;  Stephen  Wolverton,  1816-22;  Al- 
bert Thayer,  1825-28;  William  E.  McNair, 
1843-46.  Coroners,  Benjamin  Russell,  1822- 
25;  David  Wallace,  183()-33;  David  McNair, 
1838-37;  John  K.Caldwell,  1839-42.  County 
Commissioners,  Abiather  Crane,  1808-04 
(elected  from  Conneaut  township)  ;  John  Mc- 
Crearv,  180(5-09;  John  Grubb,  1818-15;  Rob- 
ert AicClelland,  1815-18;  Albert  Thayer, 
1828-81 ;  James  Love,  1833-36;  W^illiam  E. 
McXair,  1838-11;  Joseph  Henderson,  1842-45, 
and  1859-02;  Geo'rge  W.  Brecht,  1848-51; 
Richard  H.  Arbuckle,  1875-78;  B.  B.  Whit- 
ley, elected  in  1881  and  '84;  Thomas  II. 
Mohr,  elected  in  1890  and '93.  Clerk  to  the 
County  Commissioners,  Robert  Cochran,  No- 
vember 2,  1829,  to  February  1,  1830;  O.  P. 
Gunnison,  March  1,  1881,  to  January,  1888. 
Jury  Commissioner,  William  W^.  Love, 
1870-73;  George  A.  Evans,  1877-80;  Hart- 
man  Fisher,  elected  in  1885;  James  Hallinan, 
elected  in  1888.  County  Treasurer,  James  F. 
Love,  elected  in  1892.  Directors  of  the  Poor, 
Conrad  Brown,  1841—14;  John  Evans, 
1842-45;  William  E.  McNair,  1851-54;  George 
W.  Brecht,  1854-57  ;  Thomas  Willis,  1860-69 ; 
John  C.  Zuck,  1880-83.  Stewards  of  the 
Almshouse,  Freeman  Patterson,  1840—47:  Sam- 
uel Flickinger,  1847-52;  S.  P.  Zuck,  1852-57; 
Thomas  Love,  1857-58;  William  Brown,  1880, 
to  1890.  County  Surve^-or,  John  Cochran, 
1801-09.  Auditors,  William  Wallace,  1809; 
John  Grubb,  1810;  Robert  McClelland,  1813; 
William  E.  McNair,  1826;  Robert  Cochran, 
1828;  Thomas  Nicholson,  1837-40;  George 
W.  Brecht,  1854-57  ;  N.  W.  Russell,  1855-59  ; 
Henry  Gingrich,  1862-65;  W.  W.  Love, 
1871-74,  and  1878-81.  Mercantile  Appraisers, 
N.  W.  Russell,  18-55;  James  C.  Russell,  1867; 
O.  P.  Gunnison,  1879";  R.  H.  Arbuckle,  1881 ; 
James  F.  Love,  1884.  County  Superintendent 
of  Common  Schools,  Thomas  C.  Miller,  elect- 
ed in  1890  and  '93. 

A  number  of  persons  who  have   held   offi- 


cial positions  are  not  included  in  this  list,  be- 
cause, although  at  one  time  residents  of  the 
township,  they  were  not  such  when  elected. 
Among  the  number  is  Gen.  D.  B.  McCreary, 
a  native  of  Mill  Creek,  Colonel  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Forty -tifth  Regiment,  Assembly- 
man for  three  terms.  Adjutant  General  of  the 
State  from  1867  to  1870,  and  State  Senator 
for  two  terms;  G.  J.  Ball,  elected  State 
Treasurer  in  1849,  and  Assemblyman  in  1847 
and  1848,  and  1853,  1854,  1855,  1856  and 
1860;  A.  B.  Gunnison,  elected  County  Com- 
missioner in  1875  and  re-elected  in  1878; 
George  J.  Russell,  elected  Coroner  in  1892; 
and  Conrad  J.  Brown,  elected  County  Treas- 
urer in  1895. 

THE    SCOTT    FARMS. 

The  group  of  farms  owned  by  Hon.  \\'ni. 
L.  Scott  comprise  some  1,380  acres,  in  addi- 
tion to  which  he  purchased  the  Jesse  Eber- 
sole  place,  of  250  acres,  in  1888.  The  farms 
in  Mill  Creek  township  are  known  as  the 
Algeria  farm.  Frontier  place,  the  Cascade 
farm  (McNair  place),  the  Carter  farm  and 
Lake  View  farm.  The  nucleus  of  the  Algeria 
stud  farm,  which  became  celebrated  for  the 
horses  owned  and  reared  there,  was  formed 
in  1880,  with  four  mares  and  one  stallion, 
Algerine,  after  which  the  phice  was  named. 
Rayon  d'Or,  "  the  best  race  horse  of  his  day 
in  England  and  France,"  was  imported  in 
1882  at  a  cost  of  .1140,000.  His  total  winnings 
on  the  turf  before  he  was  brought  to  America 
were  .'i!122,145.  Nineteen  of  his"  get"  at  the 
Algeria  farm  were  sold  at  auction  in  Decem- 
ber, 1887,  for  .$44,275,  or  an  average  of 
$2,830  each.  Kantaka,  another  famous  horse, 
was  imported  in  1883,  and  the  old  race  horse. 
Wanderer,  joined  the  family  in  1886.  The 
five  frame  stables  on  the  Algeria  farm  were 
built  by  David  Burger  in  1880,  1881,  1883, 
and  1884,  and  the  Rayon  d'Or  stable,  of 
brick,  for  the  exclusive  use  of  that  valuable 
animal,  by  Henry  Shenk,  in  the  fall  of  1882. 
The  farms  were  long  in  charge  of  James 
Sampson,  now  a  resident  of  California.  Mr. 
Scott  gave  directions  that  after  his  death  the 
stock  of  blooded-horses  should  be  sold,  which 
was  done,  and  the  Algeria  was  abandoned  as 
a  stud  farm  in  1892. 

THE    WEISS    LIBRARY. 

The  late  John  Weiss  left  an  estate  worth 
about  $58,000,  the  whole  of   which— with  the 


AND  HI8T0BICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


335 


exception  of  a  bequest  of  $3,000  to  the  children 
of  his  deceased  sister,  Mrs.  Hinkle — by  tlie 
terms  of  his  will,  is  to  be  applied  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  free  public  library  for  the  use  of 
the  residents  of  West  jNIill  Creek,  McKean, 
Fairview  township  and  Fairview  borou<fh. 
The  section  of  his  will  relating  to  the  library 
is  as  follows  : 

Item  Tenth. — I  give  all  the  residue  of  iny 
estate,  real  and  personal,  to  Amos  Hinkle,  of  Mill 
Creek  township,  and  to  Levi  H.  Kreider,  of  Mc- 
Kean township,  and  to in  trust,  neverthe- 
less, for  the  purpose  and  use  hereinafter  described, 
and  I  direct  the  same  to  be  paid  said  trustees  in 
cash  or  securities  as  soon  as  my  executor  herein- 
after named  shall  be  able  to  properly  dispose  of 
ray  property  and  .settle  my  estate,  and  I  direct  that 
they  procure  by  purchase  or  otherwise  a  piece  of 
land  not  exceedinff  two  acres,  upon  which  they 
shall  erect  and  maintain  a  building-  to  be  used  for 
a  free  library  and  place  for  literary  and  mental 
improvement,  and  I  direct  said  trustees  to  pur- 
chase and  keep  up  a  library,  which  shall  comprise 
a  good  selection  of  books  for  reading-  and  mental 
improvement,  and  prescribe  rules  therefor.  This 
library  shall  be  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  any  and 
all  residents  of  Fairview  township  and  borough, 
McKean  township  and  so  much  of  Mill  Creek  as 
comprises  the  election  district  of  West  Mill  Creek; 
without  distinction  of  race,  color,  creed  or  sex. 

I  direct  said  trustees  to  erect  a  building  on 
said  lot,  which  I  desire  to  be  located  for  the  con- 
venience of  the  people  of  said  townships,  which 
building  shall  contain  a  librarj'  room,  a  hall  for 
literary  and  scientific  use,  and  such  other  apart- 
ments as  may  be  deemed  proper  by  said  trustees, 
which  building  and  ground  shall  not  exceed  in 
cost  $5,000,  and  shall  be  kept  insured,  and  if  de- 
stroyed be  replaced.  The  balance  of  said  fund, 
after  paying  for  ground  and  building,  and  library, 
shall  be  kept  at  interest  upon  real  estate  and  the 
interest  shall  be  applied  to  maintaining,  replen- 
ishing, care  and  attendance  of  said  library  and 
building,  repairs  and  taxes.  And  I  direct  said 
trustees  in  their  discretion  to  apply  from  said  in- 
creases for  the  education  of  some  young  person  or 
persons,  whom  they  deem  worthy,  meritorious  and 
needy,  a  sum  not  exceeding  SlOO  per  j-ear  to  each 
person  so  aided  to  assist  in  obtaining  a  liberal  or 
scientific  education.  But  this  provision  is  not  to 
interfere  with  or  prevent  the  free  execution  of  the 
direction  contained  in  this  item  of  my  will,  direct- 
ing the  erection  of  the  hall  and  library,  and  the 
purchase  and  maintenance  of  same,  and  any  in- 
come over  what  may  be  applied  to  the  foregoing 
purpose  shall  go  to  the  increase  of  said  fund. 

I  direct  that  an  annual  report  be  made  hy  said 
trustees  to  the  Auditors  of  Mill  Creek  township, 
and,  in  case  of  failure  to  make  such  report  for  six 
months  at  any  time,  after  being  requested  to  do 
so  by  any  three  resident  taxpayers  of  any  of  said 
townships,  I  request  the  Orphans'  Court  to  compel 
trustees  to  do  so.  and  in  case  of  second  failure  I 
empower  said  Court  to  appoint  new  trustees  who 
would    be     required   to   give   bail    iq   double   the 


I 


amount  of  the  fund,  and  serve  without  pay.  All 
of  the  foregoing  trustees  shall  serve  without  pay 
and  give  bail  to  be  approved  by  the  Court  before 
they  receive  the  money.  And  vacancies  shall  be 
filled  by  the  surviving  tru.stees  or  trustee,  and  if 
they  fail  to  qualify,  then  the  Court  to  appoint. 

The  site  selected  for  the  location  of  the  li- 
brary is  at  the  junction  of  the  Thomas  road 
with  the  Vallc}'  road,  near  the  corners  of  Mill 
Creek,  Fairview  and  McKean  townships,  on 
land  donated  by  Amos  Hinkle,  a  brother-in- 
law  of  Mr.  Weiss,  being  a  part  of  the  old 
Weiss  homestead.  When  the  library  is  in  full 
Operation,  Mill  Creek  township  will  have  one 
of  the  most  creditable  public  institutions  in 
the  county,  and  the  name  of  John  Weiss  will 
take  rank,  on  a  local  scale,  with  that  of  Gi- 
rard,  Astor,  Tilden,  Cooper,  and  other  great 
benefactors  of  their  race.  The  building  is  of 
brick  and  cost  some  |5,0(X). 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

From  Weigleville,  there  are  two  routes 
into  the  city,  the  one  by  way  of  Federal  Hill, 
and  the  other  by  Brown's  avenue.  The  latter 
is  due  to  the  foresight  of  the  late  Conrad 
Brown,  who  rightly  judged  that  a  more  direct 
route  from  the  western  part  of  the  city  to  the 
Ridge  road  would  be  a  popular  project. 
He  laid  out  the  avenue  eighty  feet  wide  in 
1868,  and  was  rewarded  by  selling  off  a  large 
portion  of  his  farm  for  city  lots  at  good  prices. 

The  cross-road  from  the  Pioneer  farm  to 
the  Ridge  road  was  opened  about  1833. 

A  formidable  swamp  once  extended  across 
Mill  Creek  township  from  east  to  west,  nearly 
midway  between  the  Ridge  and  Lake  roads. 
Within  Erie  city,  it  lay  between  Twelfth  and 
Eighteenth  streets,  and  was  so  gloomy  and 
impenetrable  that  the  land  was  regarded  by 
the  first  settlers  as  almost  valueless.  As  earlj' 
as  1810,  however,  William  Wallace,  who  own- 
ed a  strip  from  the  east  branch  of  Cascade 
creek  westward,  dug  a  ditch  which  had  the 
effect  of  reclaiming  a  portion  of  the  swamp. 
About  1840,  the  inhabitants  of  the  vicinity, 
alarmed  by  the  sickness  occasioned  by  the 
swamp,  formed  a  bee  and  dug  another  ditch 
across  the  Lake  road  through  the  farms  of  E. 
J.  Kelso  and  James  C.  Marshall,  which  still 
further  reclaimed  the  waste  land.  These  and 
other  measures  have  nearly  dried  up  the 
swamp,  and  in  a  few  years  no  trace  of  it  will 
remain.     The  latest  improvement  in   this    di- 


336 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTION  ART 


rection  was  made  by  D.  D.  Tracy,  whose 
ditches  have  nearly  removed  all  traces  of  the 
swamp. 

The  old  town  hall  on  Federal  Hill,  was 
sold  some  years  ago  to  the  city,  of  which  it 
became  a  part  by  the  extension  of  the  corpo- 
rate limits,  and  the  township  business  is  now 
done  in  Scliultz's   Hall,  nearby. 

The  Schwingel  farm,  near  Kearsarge,  was 
the  scene  of   a  dreadful  tragedj-  on  the  night 


of  Friday,  the  15th  of  October,  1880.  Charles 
Schwingel,  with  some  neighbors,  had  spent 
the  evening  drinking  hard  cider  and  playing 
cards.  Philip,  his  brother,  came  home  from 
Erie  late  at  night  very  drunk.  After  the 
neighbors  had  left,  Charles  and  Philip  fell  in- 
to a  dispute,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of 
the  former  by  a  pistol  shot  tired  by  the  latter. 
Philip  was  tried,  convicted  of  manslaughter 
and  sentenced   to  the  Alleghany  penitentiary. 


CHAPTBR    XIV. 


NORTH  EAST  TOWNSHIP— BOROUGH  OF  NORTH  EAST. 


NORTH  EAST  TOWNSHIP  received 
its  title  when  the  county  was  estab- 
lished, and  derived  its  name  from  its 
position  as  the  northeastern  township 
of  the  original  sixteen.  Its  limits 
were  extended  in  1841  by  adding  a  wedge- 
shaped  strip  from  Greenfield.  The  township 
has  a  frontage  upon  the  lake  of  more  than 
eight  miles,  a  breadth  of  over  seven  miles  in 
the  widest  part,  along  the  New  York  line, 
and  of  a  little  less  than  five  miles  on  the  Har- 
bor Creek  line.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Lake  Erie,  on  the  east  by  Chautauqua  county. 
New  York,  on  the  south  by  Greenfield  and 
on  the  west  by  Harbor  Creek.  The  lands  of 
North  East  township  average  as  well  as  any 
section  of  the  county.  The  lake  shore  plain 
is  about  three  miles  in  width,  rising  gradually 
from  a  height  of  about  seventy-five  feet  near 
the  water's  edge  to  about  !iO()  feet  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  borough.  An  abrupt  elevation 
takes  place  in  Harbor  Creek  township,  at 
Twelve-Mile  creek,  and  this  continues  across 
North  East  nearly  to  Twenty-Mile  creek, 
where  the  land  again  falls  to  the  general  level 
of  the  lake  shore.  The  greatest  height  is  on 
the  Bothwell  farm,  a  mile  east  of  North  East 
Station,  where  the  summit  of  the  railroad  is 
attained  detween  Buft'aloand  Erie.  The  lake 
shore  lands  readily  produce  every  kind  of 
grain,  fruit,  flower  and  vegetable  that  can  be 


raised  in  this  latitude.  East  of  Sixteen-Mile 
creek,  on  the  Lake  road,  they  are  usually  of  a 
sandy  loam.  West  of  that,  on  the  same  road, 
and  upon  the  Buffalo  load,  they  are  of  a  grav- 
elly nature.  The  hills  in  the  south  part  rise 
gradually  to  the  summit  in  Greenfield  and 
there  is  scarcely  any  waste  land  in. the  town- 
ship. The  hill  farms  are  clay,  loam  and  gravel. 
Land  ranges  in  value  from  forty  dollars  to 
$100  an  acre.  This  does  not  include  planted 
grapelands,  which  are  held  at  from  .$150  to 
$350  an  acre,  according  to  the  location. 

The  population  of  the  township  has  been 
as  follows:  1,068  in  1820;  1,70(5  in  1830; 
1,793  in  1840;  2,379  in  1850;  1,900  in  1800; 
2,313  in  1870;  2,152  in  1880,  and  2,124  in 
1890. 

The  only  postoiTice  in  the  township  is  at 
Northville,  most  of  the  mail  being  received  at 
North  East  borough.  The  township  is  divided 
into  the  East  and  West  election  districts. 

ORIGINAL    RESIDENTS. 

The  first  person  to  locate  land  in  the  town- 
ship was  Joseph  Shadduck,  who  came  from 
Vermont  and  took  up  a  tract  in  1794,  near  the 
center.  He  was  joined  in  a  few  months  by 
George  and  Henry  Hurst  from  New  Jersey. 
Although  these  parties  filed  an  application  for 
their  lands  in  that  year,  they  did  not  make  an 
actual    settlement  until   1795.     Henry   Hurst, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTr. 


337 


after  a  brief  residence,  moved  to  Meadville, 
and  was  elected  to  represent  the  district  in  the 
State  Senate.  Shadduck  also  changed,  going 
to  Greenfield,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death.  The  same  year  that  Shadduck  and  the 
Hursts  made  their  settlement,  George  Lowry 
took  up  a  tract  of  4(XJ  acres  in  or  near  the 
borough.  He  was  followed  in  1796  by  his 
mother,  Margaret  Lowry,  and  her  family, 
who  located  2,800  acres  more  in  the  vicinity 
of  George's  land,  of  which  they  paid  the 
State  for  2,000  acres.  Mrs.  Lowry  was  of 
Scotch-Irish  birth,  but  emigrated  to  Cumber- 
land county,  in  this  State,  and  came  from 
there  to  this  county.  She  was  the  mother  of 
ten  sons,  of  whom  four — Robert,  Andrew, 
George  and  Morrow — married  four  daughters 
of  James  Barr.  From  this  stock  descended 
Hon.  Morrow  B.  Lowry,  the  famous  poli- 
tician. James  and  Bailey  Donaldson  arrived 
in  1795;  Henry  and  Dyer  Looniis  in  1796; 
Thomas  Robinson,  Joseph  McCord,  James 
McMahan  (all  of  Perrv  county),  William 
Wilson,  James  Duncan,  Francis  Brawley  and 
Abram  and  Arnold  Custard  in  1797;  Thomas 
Crawford,  with  his  sons,  William,  James  and 
Robert,  Lemuel  Brown,  Mathew  Taylor, 
William  Allison,  Henry  Burgett,  and  John, 
James  and  Mathew  Greer  in  1797—98.  In  the 
summer  of  1800,  Robert  Hampson,  with  his 
wife  and  one  child,  from  Juniata  county,  set- 
tled in  the  township,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death.  Among  those  who  reached  the  town- 
ship about  1800  were  Alexander  T.  Blaine, 
John  and  Andrew  McCord,  Samuel  Graham, 

Robert    Burrows,    William    Dundas,    

Campbell,  Joel  Loomis,  James  Barr,  Timothy, 
Amos  and  Jerry  Tuttle,  Timothy  Xewton, 
James  Silliman,  Thomas  Mellen,  Cornyn 
Shadduck.  Tristram  Brown,  Robert  McNeill, 
Stephen  Sparrow,  Perrin  Ross,  Chas.  Al- 
len, John  Russell,  M.  Brown  and  Hezekiah 
Brown.  Of  the  later  settlers  Henry  Tajlor 
located  in  the  township  in  1802;  Wm.  Dick- 
son about  1805;  Wendell  Butt  in  1810;  Jesse 
Belknap  in  1812;  Cyrus  Robinson  in  1813; 
Justin  Nash,  Gilbert" Belknap  and  W.  E.  Ma- 
son in  1814;  Harmon  Ensign,  Buell  Phillips, 
Edmund  Orton,  Joseph  Force,  Joseph  Law 
and  Levi  and  Shubal  Atkins  in  1815;  Alex- 
ander Davidson,  William  Hall,  Dr.  Smedley, 
Clark  Putnam  and  John  Butt  in  1816;  Ar- 
nold Warner  in  1817;  O.  Selkrigg  in  1818; 
Hugh  Beatty  in    1819;    Clark   Bliss  in    1821; 


Bester  Town  in  1824 ;  James  Cole  in  1825 ; 
John  Scouller,  William  Graham,  D.  D.  Loop 
and  N.  C.  Remington  in  1830;  Amos  Gould 
about  1881  ;  E.  N.  Fuller  in  1835 ;  Calvin 
Spaflford  in  1836;  J.  S.  Haynes  in  1837;  Will- 
iam Griffith  and  R.  A.  White  in  1^40; 
Stephen  Griffith  in  1846;  Henry  Wolf  about 
1857;  William  E.  Marvin  and  Isaac  Wolf  in 
1859,  and  E.  K.  Nason  in  1860.  James  Barr 
finally  changed  to  Mill  Creek.  Levi  Atkins 
died  in  his  100th  year. 

Reference  is  made  in  the  general  land  his- 
tory to  the  litigation  between  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Population  Company  and  the  citizens 
who  claimed  title  by  virtue  of  mere  settle- 
ment. The  burden  of  these  troubles  largely 
fell  upon  the  settlers  of  North  East.  The 
Lowrys,  Wilsons  and  Barrs  fought  the  claims 
of  the  company  until  the  matter  was  settled 
by  the  decision  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court. 

EARLY     INCIDENTS. 

The  first  church  was  organized  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Presbytery  of  Ohio  in  1801. 
The  first  brick  house  in  the  county  outside  of 
Erie  was  erected  by  James  Silliman  in  1809, 
about  a  mile  east  of  the  borough,  and  is 
still  standing.  The  first  Justices  of  the 
Peace  were  Timothy  Tuttle  and  Thomas  Rob- 
inson. Mr.  Robinson  was  the  Justice  who 
married  the  parents  of  Gen.  C.  M.  Reed 
in  1801.  The  first  gristmill  in  the  township 
was  built  by  Col.  Tuttle  on  Sixteen-Mile 
creek  in  1807.  The  first  building  used  for  a 
schoolhouse  was  built  in  1798  on  "  the  north 
side  of  the  main  road  near  the  house  belong- 
ing to  the  Brookins  farm."  The  first  road  was 
cut  through  from  Freeport  to  Greenfield  in 
1797.  The  first  mail  route  between  Buffalo 
and  Erie  was  established  in  1806.  The  first 
regular  line  of  coaches  was  in  1820—21.  The 
first  telegraph  line  was  put  up  in  1847  or 
1848.  The  fiist  regular  passenger  train  passed 
through  from  the  State  line  to  Erie  on  the 
8th  of  January,  1852.  [For  further  informa- 
tion as  to  some  of  these  events  see  the  General 
Historj-  of  the  county.] 

COMMON    IJOADS    .\XD    R.MLROADS. 

The  common  roads  which  are  most  exten- 
sivelj-  traveled  are  the  Buffalo  road,  running 
across  the  township  at  an  average  distance  of 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  lake,  and 


338 


NELSON'S  BIOQRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


the  Lake  road,  which  approaches  the  water's 
edge  in  the  eastern  part  of  Harbor  Creek  and 
follows  the  bank  of  the  lake  through  North 
East  township  almost  to  the  mouth  of  Sixteen- 
Mile  creek.  From  there  to  Twenty-Mile 
creek  the  direct  road  has  been  abandoned,  biit 
another  road  further  back  from  the  lake  car- 
ries the  route  to  tlie  mouth  of  the  latter 
stream,  where  it  again  follows  the  water  east- 
ward through  New  York. 

The  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  runs  across  the 
township  from  east  to  west  at  an  average  of 
two  miles  from  the  lake,  in  nearly  a  straight 
line  and  with  a  light  grade.  The  New  York, 
Chicago  and  St.  Louis  R.  R.  crosses  the  town- 
ship in  the  same  direction  as  the  Lake  Shore 
R.  R.,  and,  generally  speaking,  at  a  distance 
of  scventy-tive  to  200  feet  south  of  it.  Both 
roads  have  stations  at  North  East  and  North- 
ville. 

PRINCIP.VL    STREAMS. 

The  township  is  one  of  the  best  watered 
in  the  county,  a  great  number  of  rivulets 
springing  out  of  the  high  land  in  the  south 
and  uniting  their  waters  before  reaching  the 
lake.  The  main  streams  are  Twelve-Mile  creek 
in  the  west,  Sixteen-Mile  creek  in  the  center 
and  Twenty-Mile  creek  in  the  east,  with 
Spring  creek,  Spafford  run  and  Averill  run 
between. 

Twelve-Mile  creek  rises  on  the  northern 
edge  of  Greenfield,  flows  in  a  general  north- 
eastern direction  and  falls  into  the  lake  in 
Harbor  Creek,  after  a  course  of  about  ten 
miles. 

Sixteen-lSIile  creek  takes  its  rise  in  Green- 
field township,  within  a  mile  of  French  creek, 
passes  the  borough  on  its  west  side,  and  enters 
the  lake  at  Freeport.  Its  length  is  about  ten 
miles  and  its  general  course  northwest.  About 
two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  the  borough  Six- 
teen Mile  creek  is  joined  by  Graham  creek, 
which  rises  in  New  York,  and  is  perhaps  four 
miles  long.  At  the  point  of  junction,  there  is  a 
"  hog's  back,"  which  is  nearly  perpendicular 
on  the  east  side.  The  gully  at  the  "  hog's 
back  "  is  not  far  from  150  feet  deep. 

The  heads  of  Twentv-mile  creek  are  in 
Westfield  and  Sherman  townships,  Chautau- 
qua county,  N.  Y.,  and  its  mouth  is  near  the 
northeast  corner  of  North  East  township,  just 
east  of  the  New  York  line.  It  enters  the 
State  about  a   mile  above  the  crossing  of  the 


Lake  Shore  R.  R.,  and  must  have  a  length  of 
ten  to  twelve  miles.  The  deep  gulf  of  this 
stream  begins  three  or  four  miles  south  of  the 
Lake  Shore  R.  R.  culvert,  and  continues  nearly 
to  the  lake,  some  two  miles  further  by  the 
windings  of  the  creek.  Its  depth  where  the 
railroad  crosses  is  about  110  feet.  The  cul- 
vert at  this  point  is  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of 
masonry  in  the  countrv.  The  Nickel  Plate 
R.  R.  has  an  iron  bridge  about  an  eighth  of  a 
mile  above,  which  is  a  skillful  piece  of  work. 
The  gully  on  the  head-waters  of  Sixteen- 
Mile  creek,  in  the  south  part  of  the  township, 
runs  out  in  the  vicinity  of  the  borough,  but 
begins  again  just  below,  and  continues  to  the 
lake.  It  is  nowhere  as  abrupt  as  that  of 
Twenty-Mile  creek,  except  at  the  junction 
above  referred  to.  Twelve  Mile  creek  has 
steep  banks  from  Moorheadville  to  its  mouth, 
but  above  that  the  gully  is  less  deep  and  strik- 
ing than  those  of  the  other  streams. 

MILLS    AND  FACTORIES. 

The  mills  and  factories  are  as  follows  :  A 
grist  and  sawmill  and  a  cider  and  vinegar- 
factory  in  the  "  gulf  "  of  Twenty-Mile  creek  ; 
a  paper-mill  (not  now  running)  on  Sixteen- 
Mile  creek  ;  a  furniture-factory,  a  grist-mill, 
a  cider-mill  and  vinegar-factory,  a  door,  blind 
and  sash  factory,  a  tannery,  a  saw-mill,  a 
basket-factory  and  a  brickyard,  all  near  the 
borough.  The  South  Shore  Wine  Company 
have  an  extensive  winery  north  of  the  bor- 
ough, and  Mr.  Mottier  has  another  near  by. 
A  number  of  mills  and  factories  which  were 
in  operation  ten  years  or  so  ago,  have  been 
burned  or  alloNved  to  run  down. 

The  paper-min,  once  oneof  the  best  known 
institutions  in  Erie  county,  was  established  by 
Steele,  Judd  &  Easton  in  1833,  and,  after 
passing  into  the  hands  of  William  L.  Hall, 
was  burned  in  1838.  It  was  immediately  re- 
built by  John  ScouUer  and  Chauncy  Easton, 
the  former  of  whom  soon  purchased  his  part- 
ner's interest.  Mr.  ScouUer  sold  the  mill  in 
1853  to  James  S.  Johnson,  who  was  the 
victim  of  another  fire  on  the  16th  of  August, 
1881,  which  almost  destroyed  the  property, 
By  July  2,  1872,  Mr.  Johnson  had  the  mill 
running  again  on  a  more  extensive  scale  than 
ever,  but  in  re-building  he  became  involved, 
and  was  obliged  to  succumb  to  the  financial 
pressure.  The  mill  was  sold  to  Cochran  & 
Young,  of  Erie,  who   ran   it  until  January  1, 


^-^l^^^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


339 


1883,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  West, 
Swaney  &  Jackson,  of  Pittsburg.  These 
gentlemen  failed,  and  the  mill,  after  passing 
through  several  managements,  finally  became 
the  property  of  the  Keystone  Bank  of  Erie. 
Operations  ceased  some  ten  years  ago. 

A    GREAT    GRAPE    SECTION. 

The  cultivation  of  grapes  was  commenced 
on  a  small  scale,  in  North  East  township, 
about  1850,  by  Messrs.  Hammond  &  Griffith, 
who  planted  their  first  vineyard  near  the 
establishment  of  the  South  Shore  Wine  Com- 
pany. It  was  soon  discovered  that  the  soil 
and  climate  were  peculiarly  favorable  to  the 
growth  of  this  luscious  fruit,  and  the  small 
beginningof  forty-five  years  ago  has  developed 
until  there  are  thousands  of  acres  under  culti- 
vation in  the  township.  The  South  Shore 
Wine  Company  was  forined  in  1860.  They 
built  a  large  cellar  on  the  road  between  the 
borough  and  lake,  and  have  done  an  extensive 
business  in  shipping  grapes  and  making  wine. 

For  a  while  it  was  thought  the  lake  shore 
lands  north  of  the  borough  were  the  only  ones 
suitable  for  the  purpose,  but  of  late  years  the 
vineyards  have  spread  all  over  the  township, 
even  to  the  hillsides  extending  into  Greenfield. 
The  grapes  are  sent  to  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, and  some  shipments  have  been  made  to 
Europe.  It  is  claimed  that  there  were  3,5C)0 
acres  of  grape  lands  in  North  East  township 
alone  in  1895,  and  that  450  carloads  of  grapes 
were  shipped  from  that  station,  at  North  East 
during  the  same  year.  [See  Miscellaneous 
chapter  in  General  History  of  Erie  county]. 

Besides  the  grape  culture,  the  township 
has  become  an  important  berry,  fruit,  melon 
and  vegetable  growing  region.  A  good  deal 
of  trucking  is  done  for  the  Erie  and  oil  coun- 
try markets. 

VILLAGES,     ETC. 

The  village  of  Freeport,  at  the  mouth  of 
Sixteen-Mile  creek,  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of 
the  borough,  though  now  nothing  more  than 
a  straggling  collection  of  houses,  was  once  ex- 
pected to  become  a  lake  port  of  considerable 
magnitude.  When  the  Population  Company 
established  their  headquarters  at  Colt's  Sta- 
tion, their  supplies  were  received  mainly  by 
boat  from  Buffalo  and  landed  at  Freeport. 
To  transport  these  goods  the  first  road  in  the 
county — with  the  exception  of  the  old  French 
road — was  opened  from  Freeport  to  Greenfield 


in  1797,  which  a  year  afterward  was  extended 
to  Wattsburg.  The  road  followed  generally 
the  same  route  as  the  one  which  now  runs 
from  the  depot  at  North  East  to  French  creek. 
Quite  a  trade  was  done  at  Freeport  till  1802, 
when  the  removal  of  the  company's  headquar- 
ters to  Erie  suspended  the  lake  traffic.  After- 
ward it  did  a  good  business  as  a  lumber  port, 
but  this  did  not  last  long.  The  village  is 
something  of  a  fishing  place  and  several  fami- 
lies are  supported  by  the  fisheries.  The  first 
foundry  in  Erie  county  was  established  at 
Freeport  in  182-4,  by  Philetus  Glass  and  others 
for  the  manufacture  of  cast  iron  plows. 

Northville  is  mainly  in  New  York,  but 
the  postoffice  is  in  Pennsylvania.  The  place 
embraces  two  stores,  a  hotel,  church  and 
twenty  or  thirty  dwellings.  The  Buffalo  road 
passes  through,  and  the  town  is  a  station  on 
the  Lake  Shore  and  Nickel  Plate  R.  R.'s 
The  Methodist  Episcopal  congregation  is  at 
least  seventy  years  old,  and  built  the  first 
church  in  1841.  The  second  one  was  erected 
in  1880,  and  was  replaced  by  a  third  one  in 
1894. 

The  little  settlement  of  Grahamville,  at  the 
cross  roads,  about  three  and  a  half  miles  south- 
east of  the  borough,  was  founded  by  Samuel 
Graham,  who  came  from  Centre  county  in 
1800,  his  brothers  James  and  Ebenezer  loca- 
ting at  the  same  time  in  Summit  township.  A 
tannery  was  established  there  in  1835  by 
Robert  Graham,  a  sawmill  by  James  Graham 
in  the  same  v'ear,  an  ashery  by  E.  N.  Fuller  in 
1842,  and  a  distillery,  wagon  shop  and  black- 
smith shop  some  time  between  1830  and  the 
latter  year.  The  place  was  at  the  height  of 
its  prosperity  from  1842  to  1846,  when,  for 
some  reason,  it  began  to  run  down,  the  store 
being  closed  in  1847,  and  the  ashery  and  dis- 
tillery soon  after.  It  consists  at  present  of  a 
schoolhouse  (in  which  religious  services  are 
sometimes  held),  a  blacksmith  shop,  wagon 
shop,  about  fifteen  houses  and  fifty  or  sixty 
inhabitants. 

North  of  the  borough,  and  near  the  bank  of 
the  lake,  is  the  Dill  Park  House,  a  pleasant 
summer  resort.  The  enterprise  was  started  by 
H.  S.  Southard  in  1875.  Robert  Dill  has 
owned  the  property  a  number  of  years. 

CHUUCUES    AND    CEMETERIES. 

In  addition  to  the  church  at  Northville, 
there  is  one  belonging  to  the  German   Luther- 


34° 


NELSOJ^'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


ans  on  the  north  side  of  the  Greenfield  line,  on 
the  Town  Line  road,  about  half  a  mile  east  of 
the  North  East  and  Wattsburg  road.  It  was 
built  in  1884  or  '85. 

The  township  contains  three  regularly 
incorporated  cemeteries,  besides  the  grave- 
yard at  North ville  and  one  near  the  woolen- 
mill.  The  one  known  as  the  North  East 
cemetery,  winch  is  used  by  the  borough  and 
township  in  common,  occupies  high  ground 
on  the  w-est  bank  of  Sixteen-Mile  creek,  along 
the  Bufl'alo  road,  a  short  distance  west  of  the 
borough  limits.  The  cemeterj'  company  was 
incorporated  April  15,  1882.  Twelve  and 
one-half  acres  were  purchased  from  the  heirs 
of  P.  S.  V.  llamot,  to  which  five  acres  were 
added  that  had  been  used  as  a  burial  ground 
for  fifty  years. 

The  cemetery  of  the  Phillips  Burial  Ground 
Association  is  on  the  Henry  Wolf  farm,  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  the  borough, 
along  the  Buffalo  road.  Although  there  had 
been  a  graveyard  on  the  site  for  many  years, 
the  management  was  never  regularly  incor- 
porated until  1863.  Mrs.  Buel  Phillips,  wife 
of  the  donor,  was  the  first  person  buried  there. 
Her  death  took  place  in  1822. 

The  Grahamville  Burying  Ground  Asso- 
ciation w-as  incorporated  in  the  spring  of  1879. 
The  society's  grounds  are  on  the  road  from 
North  East  to  Grahamville.  The  site  has 
been  used  as  a  graveyard  for  nearly  sixty 
j'ears. 

SCHOOI,    HISTORY. 

In  the  western  part  of  the  township,  about 
a  half-mile  north  of  the  track  of  the  Lake 
Shore  R.  R.,  was  what  was  known  as  the 
Hildebrand  house,  in  which  school  was  taught 
about  the  year  1811.  Not  long  after  a  log 
schoolhouse  was  built  eight)'  or  100  rods  south 
of  the  same  site,  in  which  the  first  school  was 
taught  about  1814.  In  the  early  historv  of 
the  township,  the  children  residing  east  of 
the  "  gulf,"  in  the  northeastern  portion,  at- 
tended school  in  New  York  State.  An  early 
school  was  taught  not  far  from  the  State  line 
in  a  vacant  building.  A  schoolhouse  was 
built  probably  one  mile  from  the  line  in  New 
York  as  soon  as  1816.  About  one  mile  south- 
west of  the  church  at  Northville,  in  the  Orton 
district,  a  schoolhouse  was  erected,  in  which 
school  w-as  opened  in  the  winter  of  1832-33. 
School   was  taught   in   the   Belknap    district, 


about  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  the 
Orton  school  in  the  winter  of  1833-34.  When 
the  common  school  system  went  into  force, 
the  township  was  prompt  to  avail  itself  of  its 
benefits.  [The  list  above  does  not  include 
the  first  schoolhouse  mentioned  in  the  "early 
incidents."] 


BOROUGH  OF  NORTH  EAST. 

[see  north  east  township.] 

The  borough  of  North  East  lies  nearly  in 
the  center  of  the  township,  between  its  east- 
ern and  western  lines,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
south  from  the  lake,  upon  the  highest  ground 
of  the  lake  shore  plain.  It  is  an  important 
station  on  the  Lake  Shore  and  the  Nickel 
Plate  R.  R.'s,  fifteen  miles  east  of  Erie 
and  sevent)--three  west  of  Buffalo.  The 
Buffalo  road  constitutes  its  main  street.  A 
branch  of  Sixteen-Mile  creek  runs  through 
the  place,  and  the  main  stream  waters  its 
southwestern  section.  North  East  is  justly 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  pleasant  and  en- 
terprising towns  in  the  county. 

The  land  covered  by  the  borough  was  pur- 
chased from  the  State  by  a  settler  named 
Brown,  who  sold  it  in  1804  to  an  Eastern 
man  by  the  name  of  Gibson.  The  earliest 
dwelling  w'ithin  the  borough  limits  was  a  log 
cabin,  built  by  William  Dundas,  a  little  to 
the  east  of  the  Presbyterian  parsonage.  In 
this  modest  abode  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  was  administered  for  the  first  time  in 
Erie  county,  according  to  the  Protestant 
form,  on  Sunday,  the  27th  of  September, 
1801.  The  Dundas  property  was  sold  in 
1806  to  Henry  Burgett,  who  converted  it  into 
a  tavern,  and  occupied  it  as  such  for  years.  A 
more  pretentious  tavern  was  erected  in  1808, 
by  Lemuel  Brown,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Haynes  House.  Previous  to  the  ventures  of 
Burgett  and  Brown,  a  tavern  had  been  kept 
by  George  Lowrv,  near  the  park.  The  first 
store  was  opened  in  1816,  by  Alexander  Mc- 
Closkey,  in  a  building  on  Main  street,  at  the 
foot  ot  Vine.  By  degrees  a  village  sprung 
up  around  the  taverns,  which  received  the 
title  of  Burgettstown,  after  Henry  Burgett, 
the  landlord.  In  1819  the  name  was  changed 
to  Gibson  ville,  in  honor  of  the  man  who 
owned  most  of  the  property,  and  donated  the 
park  to  the  use  of  the  public.     It  was  known 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTr. 


Z'i^ 


by  that  title  until  the  27th  of  February,  1834, 
when  the  village  was  incorporated  as  the  bor- 
ough of  North  East.  The  original  limits  were 
extended  in  1852,  and  again  at  a  quite  recent 
date.  The  postoffice  was  established  in  May, 
1812.  The  population  has  been  as  follows  : 
In  1840,399;  in  1850,387;  in  1860,  952;  in 
1870,  902;  in  1880,  1,396;  in  1890,  1,538.  The 
borough  is  separated  into  the  East  and  West 
wards. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Presbyterian  society,  the  oldest  relig- 
ious organization  in  Erie  county,  was  founded 
in  1801,  as  "the  Church  of  Lower  Green- 
field," under  circumstances  which  are  narrated 
in  the  early  chapters  of  this  book.  Thomas 
Robinson  and  John  McCord  were  ordained  as 
the  first  elders.  Services  were  held  in  the 
woods  and  in  the  barn  or  tan  bark  house  of 
Joseph  McCord  till  1804,  when  a  log  church 
building  was  erected  upon  a  tract  of  five  acres, 
given  for  the  purpose  by  Ilenry  Hurst,  which 
is  now  occupied  as  a  part  of  the  North  East 
cemetery.  A  Sabbath-school  was  established, 
and  a  day  school  was  also  maintained  in  con- 
nection with  the  church.  In  1818,  the  con- 
gregation commenced  the  erection  of  a  new 
frame  building  nearly  in  the  center  of  the 
present  p;irk,  and  finished  it  in  1822.  In  1832, 
fifty-eight  members  separated  from  the  con- 
gregation and  were  constituted  a  church  at 
Harbor  Creek.  A  second  building  was 
erected  in  1860,  and  the  old  one  in  the  park 
was  torn  down  in  1862.  The  big  fire  of  Au- 
gust, 1884,  destroyed  the  second  church,  and  a 
new  one.  better  than  either  of  the  others,  was 
put  up  immediately  after.  [For  fuller  particu- 
lars in  regard  to  this  charge,  see  the  General 
History.] 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  congregation  was 
organized  in  1812,  by  Rev.  Thomas  Branch, 
a  missionary  from  Connecticut.  The  orig- 
inal members  were -Tristam  Brown,  George 
Culver,  John  Russell,  and  two  others,  with 
their  wives.  For  ten  years  the  congregation 
were  without  a  house  of  worship.  In  1822,  a 
brick  building  was  erected  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  park,  facing  the  south.  The  present 
edifice  was  built  in  1852,  and  the  old  one  was 
torn  down  the  same  vear. 

The  first  Baptist  society  occupied  a  small 
log  structure  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town- 
ship.    In    1832    a  new  congregation   was  or- 


ganized, and  erected  a  building  on  the  Buffalo 
road,  about  two  miles  east  of  the  borough  in 
1833.  This  society  ceased  to  exist  about  1850. 
A  third  congregation  was  established  in 
1858.  The  present  church  building  was  put 
up  in  1859,  and  a  Sabbath  schoolroom  was 
added  in  1870.  A  split  in  the  congregation 
during  the  spring  of  1895  resulted  in  a  consid- 
erable loss  of  members.  In  April  of  that  year 
forty-seven  persons  withdrew  at  one  time. 

St.  Paul's  German  Evangelical  Lutheran 
congregation  was  organized  in  1864,  and  be- 
came a  separate  charge  in  1868.  The  first 
church  was  built  in  1867,  and  was  replaced 
by  a  new  one  about  1888.  The  original  build- 
ing is  used  as  a  parochial  school,  which  is 
quite  flourishing. 

The  Episcopal  Mission  of  the  Holy  Cross 
was  organized  in  1872.  The  society  placed  a 
building  under  roof  during  the  season  of  1879, 
which  was  completed  in  due  time. 

St.  Gregory's  Catholic  Church  was  erected 
about  the  year  1866.  For  j-ears  prior  to  this, 
the  Catholic  families  had  been  visited  by 
priests  from  Dunkirk  and  occasionally  from 
Erie.  In  July,  1870,  Father  Briody  entered 
upon  his  duties  as  pastor  in  connection  with 
the  one  at  Girard.  The  church  as  first  erected 
was  a  mere  shell  of  a  building,  but  has  been 
remodeled  and  improved.  A  parsonage  adjoins 
the  church. 

The  German  Church  of  the  Evangelical 
Association  of  North  America  was  organized 
in  1870.  Preaching  had  been  held  occasion- 
ally for  several  years  prior  to  that  time.  The 
corner-stone  of  the  present  building  was  laid 
October  2,  1870,  and  the  church  was  dedi- 
cated January  15,  1871. 

ST.  Mary's  college. 

St.  Mary's  College,  a  Catholic  educational 
institution,  is  situated  just  north  of  the  bor- 
ough, on  a  gently  rising  knoll,  which  com- 
mands a  view  of  Lake  Erie  and  the  surround- 
ing country.  This  college  was  built  at  great 
expense  by  the  Alethodist  denomination  in 
1869,  and  was  called  the  Lake  Shore  Semi- 
nary. Owing  to  financial  difficulties,  it  was 
obliged  after  a  few  vears  to  close  its  doors  to 
students.  The  building  stood  unoccupied  for 
several  vears,  when  it  was  purchased  bv  the 
Redemptorist  Fathers  of  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, a  congregation  of  missionary  priests. 

When  the   necessary  alterations  in  the  in- 


342 


NELSOIf'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


terior  of  the  building  had  been  made,  it  was 
dedicated  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Tobias  Mullen, 
Bishop  of  Erie,  on  the  2d  of  August,  1881, 
amid  a  great  concourse  of  priests  and  people. 
A  poiititical  high-mass  was  celebrated  in  the 
great  hall  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop,  assisted  by 
a  number  of  visiting  clergy,  after  which  the 
Very  Rev.  Wm.  Wayrich,  of  New  York, 
preached  a  sermon  on  Education,  explaining 
to  the  assembled  crowds  the  aim  and  scope  of 
the  college  that  was  thenceforward  to  be 
known  as  St.  Mary's. 

The  college  is  a  brick  structure,  three 
stories  high,  with  a  fine  basement,  the  latter 
containing  the  refectories  of  the  professors 
and  of  the  students,  kitchen,  store-rooms, 
bakery,  boiler-room  and  closets.  The  first 
room  is  taken  up  by  the  oratory,  recitation 
halls,  class-rooms,  infirmary  and  pharma- 
copoeia. The  second  floor  embraces  the  chapel, 
study  hall,  sacristy  and  professors'  rooms. 
Two  large  dormitories  occupy  the  whole  of 
the  third  floor.  Above  the  third  floor  is  a 
half-story,  which  has  been  utilized  for  lava- 
tory and  bath-rooms. 

In  1894  an  east  wing  was  added  to  the 
main  building  at  an  expense  of  $40,000.  This 
structure  had  been  contemplated  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  It  was  constructed  of  brick  and 
conforms  in  general  outline  with  the  main 
building.  The  new  building  embraces  study 
halls,  private  oratory  for  the  faculty,  dining- 
room,  kitchen  and  library  (containing  6,000 
volumes)  ;  also  handsomely  decorated  read- 
ing-rooms. The  faculty  now  have  in  con- 
templation a  chapel,  which  will  be  erected  to 
the  west  of  the  main  building.  This,  it  is 
expected,  will  be  added  to  the  college  build- 
ings within  the  next  few  years. 

When  the  college  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  Redemptorist  Fathers  the  grounds  were 
not  sufficiently  large  ;  they  therefore  bought 
two  pieces  of  land,  the  one  lying  on  the 
east  of  the  building,  the  other  on  the  west. 
A  large  sum  of  money  has  been  expended  by 
the  college  authorities  in  beautifying  the 
grounds,  with  the  result  that  the  college  and 
its  surroundings  form  one  of  the  finest  orna- 
ments in  the  borougii. 

As  the  aim  of  the  institution  is  to  fit 
young  men  for  the  priesthood  in  the  mission- 
ary congregation  of  the  Most  Holy  Redeemer, 
only  such  students  as  are  desirous  of  joining 
the  congregation  are  admitted.     After  a  six- 


years' course  has  been  completed,  the  gradu- 
ates proceed  to  Annapolis,  Md.,  where,  dur- 
ing the  space  of  one  year,  they  receive  a  spir- 
itual training  and  are  tried  in  various  wavs  to 
test  their  religious  vocation.  ^\t  the  expira- 
tion of  the  year  they  make  their  religious  pro- 
fession, thus  consecrating  themselves  to  God. 
They  then  begin  at  Ilchester,  Md.,  a  six- 
years  course  of  higher  studies.  Philosophy, 
Theology,  Sacred  Scripture,  Canon  Law, 
Church  History  and  Sacred  Liturgy.  Toward 
the  end  of  the  course  they  are  ordained  priests, 
and,  after  an  additional  training  of  six 
months,  for  the  special  work  of  the  missions, 
they  are  sent  forth  into  the  world  to  labor  in 
behalf  of  the  church. 

At  the  present  time  (September  1,  1895) 
the  faculty  consists  of  the  president,  Very 
Rev.  Aug.  Dooper,  and  nine  professors  :  Rev. 
Fathers  Autli,  Saftig,  Bausch,  Schautz,  De- 
Laad,  Tarr,  Cook,  Coughlan  and  Prof.  Aug. 
Messier.  The  average  number  of  students  is 
100.  The  course  of  studies  is  the  same  as 
that  pursued  in  the  ordinary  ecclesiastical 
college,  viz.  :  a  course  inGreek,  Latin,  English, 
German  and  French  languages,  rhetoric,  his- 
torv  (ancient,  mediaeval  and  modern),  mathe- 
matics (algebra,  geometrv  and  trigonometry). 
Christian  doctrine  and  plain  chant. 

THE     PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

A  day  school  was  taught  in  the  old  log 
meeting  house,  above  referred  to,  soon  after 
the  year  1804,  which  was  maintained  until 
about  1817,  when  a  log  schoolhouse  was  built 
not  far  from  the  center  of  the  park.  This  was 
the  regular  school  for  the  vicinity.  In  1824 
the  present  grounds  were  purchased  and  a 
small  brick  building  erected,  in  which  school 
was  taught  as  early  as  1826.  In  1818  a  sum- 
mer school  was  taught  in  the  ofiice  of  Dr. 
Dunlap,  the  site  being  just  in  front  of  the 
house  of  E.  Scouller. 

The  next  village  schoolhouse  was  a  large 
frame  building,  erected  in  1844,  on  the  site  of 
the  brick  house,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,  raised  by 
subscription.  This  was  replaced  by  the  pres- 
ent school  building,  erected  in  1878  at  a  cost 
of  $10,000,  and  enlarged  and  much  improved 
in  1893.  All  the  public  schools  of  the  bor- 
ough are  held  in  this  structure.  The  schools 
were  first  graded  in  1878,  and  the  first  com- 
mencement exercises  were  held  in   1881. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2^TY. 


343 


BANKS    AND    HOTELS. 

The  first  banking  institution  of  the  bor- 
ough was  estabHshed  by  A.  W.  Blaine  about 
the  year  1860,  at  the  corner  of  Lake  and 
Main  streets.  This  was  merged  into  the  First 
National  Bank  when  it  was  organized  in 
1805.  The  latter,  which  is  still  in  operation, 
opened  with  Wm.  Griffith  as  president  and 
A.  W.  Blaine  as  cashier. 

The  People's  Savings  Institution  was  in- 
corporated in  April,  1870,  and  commenced 
business  May  1  of  that  year.  The  firm  of 
Blaine,  Gould  &  Short,  which  subsequently 
became  Short,  Bhiine  &  Co.,  opened  in  1871. 
This  institution  stopped  business  May  14, 
1883,  and  the  People's  Savings  Bank  became 
its  successor.  The  latter  suspended  on  the 
23d  of  January,  1895.  Five  daj-s  after,  Jan- 
uary 28,  Sampson  Short  started  a  private 
bank  under  the  name  of  the  Short  Banking 
Company. 

W.  A.  Ensign  &  Co.  also  have  a  private 
bank. 

The  hotels  of  North  East  are  the  Brawley 
House,  built  in  1833;  the  Haynes  House 
(originally)  in  1852-3;  the  Palace  Hotel,  by 
Sampson  Short,  in  1877,  and  the  Earl  Hotel, 
started  in  1894.  The  first  hotel — or  more 
properly,  tavern — was  opened  by  George 
Lowry,  the  second  by  Henry  Burgett,  the 
third  by  Lemuel  Brown,  and  the  fourth  by 
the  latter's  son,  Hiram  L.,  who  erected  the 
house  once  owned  by  Miss  Davison  for  that 
purpose.  In  course  of  time,  the  two  Browns 
almost  monopolized  the  tavern  business  of  the 
town.  Hiram  L..  eventually  purchased  the 
Eagle  Hotel  property  at  the  corner  of  State 
street  and  the  northeast  side  of  the  Park  in 
Erie.  It  burned  down  and  he  erected  another 
house  on  its  site,  which  was  known  as  Brown's 
Hotel  until  its  purchase  bv  Col.  Ellsworth, 
when  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Ellsworth 
House.  The  Havnes  House  was  burned  in 
the  fire  of  1894  and  promptly  re-built. 

FACTORIES MILLS W.VTER  WORKS. 

The  manufacturing  institutions  of  the  bor- 
ough are:  The  Short  Manufacturing  Co.,  the 
Eureka  Tempered  Copper  Co.,  the  Scouller 
Milling  Co.,  a  large  fertilizer  and  chemical 
works,  the  Columbia  Novelty  Co.,  an  iron 
foundry  and  specialty    works,    a  carriage  and 


trimming  factory,  a  tub  and  firkin  factory,  a 
wire  goods  works,  a  number  of  grape  basket, 
fruit  and  cigar  bo.\  factories,  a  cod  liver  and 
emulsion  factory,  an  unfermented  wine  estab- 
lishment, and  various  smaller  concerns.  It 
will  be  seen  that,  for  a  place  of  the  size,  the 
manufacturing  interests  are  unusually  exten- 
sive. The  town  is  also  the  headquarters  of 
the  Lake  Erie  Grape  Growers'  Association, 
which  controls  most  of  the  Erie  county  grape 
shipments. 

North  East  has  a  fine  system  of  public 
water  supply.  The  works  were  commenced 
in  the  spring  of  1885  and  practically  comple- 
ted in  the  fall  of  that  year,  at  a  cost  of  about 
twenty  thousand  dollars.  The  water  is  col- 
lected into  a  reservoir  from  springs  on  the 
hills  southeast  of  the  borough  and  led  through 
pipes  into  the  streets,  furnishing  a  pressure 
which  avoids  the  necessity  of  fire  engines. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

The  first  attempt  to  establish  a  paper  was 
by  J.  J.  Barker,  who  commenced  the  North 
East  Guard  in  1855,  but  only  printed  it  a  few 
months.  In  August,  1867,  the  North  East 
Herald  was  started  by  S.  O.  Hay  ward,  who 
abandoned  its  publication  at  the  end  of  a  year. 
The  North  East  Star  was  commenced  Sep- 
tember 26,  1868,  by  Brainerd  &  Cushman, 
both  of  whom  are  now  practicing  lawyers. 
Mr.  Brainerd  sold  his  interest  in  1869  to  L. 
B.  Cushman.  The  name  of  the  paper  was 
changed  to  the  Sun  in  March,  1878,  and,  since 
that  date,  it  has  been  edited  by  the  Cushman 
Brothers.  May  2,  1883,  it  was  consolidated 
with  the  Advertiser,  started  by  W.  E.  Bel- 
knap &  Co.,  in  March,  1877. 

The  North  East  Advertiser  (a  different 
paper  from  the  one  above  referred  to)  was 
founded  by  George  W.  Moore,  as  an  inde- 
pendent journal,  December  20,  1884.  In  1890 
it  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Farmers' Alliance, 
and  continued  in  that  interest  until  the  death 
of  Mr.  Moore  in  November  1802.  The  paper 
was  then  purchased  by  Messrs.  M.  C.  Moore 
and  Thomas  O.  Marshall,  who  made  it  inde- 
pendent again,  and  remain  in  charge,  under 
the  firm  name  of  the  Advertiser  Printing  and 
Publishing  Company. 

The  North  East  Breeze  was  started  May 
8,  1898,  with  W.  H.  Sandborn  as  editor  and 
proprietor,  who  has  continued  ever  since. 


344 


2^ELS0JrS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


UNITED     STATES,    STATE     AND     COUNTY     OF- 
FICERS. 

The  United  States,  State  and  county  officials 
furnished  by  North  East  borough  and  town- 
ship are  as  follows  :  Presidential  Elector, 
John  Greer,  1860.  Congress,  S.  M.  Brainerd, 
1883-85  (resident  of  Erie  when  elected). 
State  Senator,  Henry  Hurst,  181(5-21  (resident 
of  Meadville  when  elected) ;  James  D.  Dunlap, 
1845  (resident  of  Erie  when  elected)  ;   Emory 

A.  Walling,  elected  in  1884  (resident  of  Erie 
at  the  time).  Assembly,  James  D.  Dunlap, 
1840-41  (resident  of  Erie  when  elected)  ; 
Mark  Baldwin,  1844  ;  A.  W.  Blaine,  1850-51  ; 
Charles  A.  Hitchcock,  1876-77  ;  Alfred  Short, 
1878-79;  E.  K.  Nason,  elected  in  1884  and 
'86.  Prothonotarv,  Jos.  W.  Loomis,  elected 
in  1887  and  '90 ;  E.  K.  Nason,  elected  in  1893. 
District  Attorney,  S.  M.  Brainerd,  1872-75  ;  A. 

B.  Force,  1875-81 ;  E.  A.  Walling.  1881-84. 
Sheriff,  E.  W.  M.  Blaine,  1840-43.  Coroner, 
John  McCord,  1812-15.  County  Commis- 
sioner, James  Lowry,  1804—06  ;  Francis  Braw- 
lev,  1808-11;  Henry  Taylor,  1811-17;  Alex. 
McCloskey,  1823-26;  John  McCord,  1832-35; 
Amos  Gould,  1857-60;  Clark  Bliss,  1871-75. 
County  Treasurer,  James  P.  Crawford,  1881-84 
(resident  of  Erie  when  elected).  Associate 
Judge,  John  Brawley,  1840-51  ;  John  Greer, 
i85(i-66.  Director  of  the  Poor,  Archibald  Dun- 
can, 1862-65.  Steward  of  the  Almshouse,  Cal- 
vin Pool,  1863-72;  George  W.  Griflin,  1872- 
80.  Mercantile  Appraiser,  John  D.  Mills, 
1860;  James  W.  Crawford^  1864;  R.  L. 
Pierce,  1874.  County  Auditor,  James  Smedle}', 
1831-34;  William  H.  CrawYord,  188(5-39; 
George  W.  Griffin,  1869  (one  year). 

Julius  C.  Burrows,  Member  of  Congress 
from  the  Kalamazoo  district  of  Michigan  a 
number  of  terms,  and  elected  United  States 
Senator  from  that  State  early  in  1895,  was 
born  in  North  East,  on  the  9th  of  January, 
1837.  Among  other  prominent  natives  of 
North  East  are  Rev.  Cyrus  Dickson,  the  emi- 
nent Presbyterian  preacher,  and  Rev.  Thomas 
H.  Robinson,  for  years  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  at  Harrisburg,  and  now  a 
college  professor  at  Sewickly.  Alfred  Short 
\vas  the  Democratic  and  Greenback  nominee 
for  Congress  in  this  district  in  1880,  and  Thos. 
O.  Marshall  was  elected  a  delegate  on  the 
Democratic  ticket  to  the  proposed  State  Con- 
stitutional   Convention     in     1891.     John     C. 


Brady,  ex-Mayor  of  Erie,  and  George  P. 
Griffith,  a  prominent  Erie  attorney,  regard 
themselves  as  "  North  East  boys." 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

North  East  furnished  one  captain  to  each 
of  the  Erie  countv  regiments  in  the  war  for 
the  Union,  viz.  :  "  N.  L.  Terrell,  Co.  K,  83d  ; 
John  Braden,  Co.  F,  111th;  Dyer  Loomis, 
Co.  C,  145th. 

The  borough  has  been  visited  by  four  de- 
structive fires.  One  on  Sunday  night,  the 
19th  of  December,  1858,  consumed  a  row  of 
buildings  extending  from  the  Presbyterian 
Church  to  the  Union  block.  Another  on 
May  23,  1872.  destroyed  a  number  of  wooden 
structures  on  Main  street.  The  third,  in  the 
summer  of  1874,  demolished  some  buildings 
that  occupied  the  present  site  of  the  opera 
house.  The  fourth  and  last  of  a  widespread 
nature,  occurred  on  August  13,1884.  It  burned 
the  Presbyterian  Church  and  a  large  portion 
of  the  business  section. 

Dyer  Loomis  was  elected  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  the  spring  of  1845,  and  held  the 
office  until  the  spring  of  1880,  a  period  of 
thirt)'-five  years. 

Most  of  the  secret  societies  in  vogue  in  this 
section  have  lodges  in  the  borough.  The 
Masonic  lodge  was  organized  in  1867  (E.  K. 
Nason  being  the  first  Master),  and  the  Odd 
Fellows'  lodge  in  1850. 

Dr.  Samuel  G.  Orton,  the  famous  Presby- 
terian evangelist,  resided  in  North  East  dur- 
ing the  closing  years  of  his  life. 

The  fourth  annual  grape,  fruit,  flower  and 
vegetable  Fair  and  Horticultural  Institute  was 
held  in  North  East  on  the  18th,  19th  and  20th 
of  September,  1895.  The  exhibit  was  one 
of  the  most  interesting  ever  given  in  the 
county. 

HOW  LINCOLN  CAME  TO  GROW  A  BEARD. 

The  following  communication  appeared  in 
the  New  York  Dailv  Press  of  January  24, 
1890 : 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Press:  The  true  history  of 
Mr.  Tyincoln's  beard  is  as  follows:  At  the  various 
stations  between  Springfield  and  Washington  in 
1861  he  delivered  some  thirty-eight  impressive  and 
carefully  worded  speeches,  wliich  were  at  that 
time  recorded.  At  North  East  station  Mr.  Lin- 
coln took  occasion  to  state  that  during-  the  cam- 
paign he  had  received  a  letter  from  a  3'oung  girl 
of  the  place,  in  which  he  was  kindly  admonished 
to  do  certain  things,  and  among  others  to  let  his 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


345 


whiskers  grow,  and  as  he  had  acted  upon  her  ad- 
vice he  would  be  glad  to  welcome  his  fair  corres- 
pondent if  she  was  present.  In  response  to  the 
call  a  lassie  made  her  way  through  the  crowd,  was 
helped  on  the  platform  and  was  kissed  by  the 
President. 

Some  eight  years  ago  this  same  young  girl, 
"  then  residing  with  her  husband  and  their  six 
children  in  Kansas,  to  correct  errors  which  had 
creeped  into  newspapers,"  gave  minutely  the  cor- 
respondence between  her  and  Abraham  Lincoln  in 
1860,  as  follows: 

"  In  1860,  while  on  iny  way  home  from  school, 
I  bought  with  a  penny  a  Lincoln  and  Hamlin  cam- 
paign badge.  That  evening  my  father  and  my 
brother,  who  were  both  stanch  Republicans,  on 
examining  the  Lincoln  side  of  the  badge,  said  that 
they  could  never  vote  for  such  a  homely  man.  "No, 
he  is  not  homely,'  said  I.  '  He  would  be  a  very 
handsome  man  if  he  would  only  let  his  whiskers 
grow.'  So  I  wrote  him  if  he  would  let  his  whiskers 
grow  that  I  could  get  my  father  and  mj'  brother 
to  vote  for  him,  and  asked  him  to  please  answer  my 
letter;    but   should   he   not  have   time   to  answer 


it  himself,  please  let  his  little  girl  answer  it  for 
him.  In  his  reply,  which  came  a  few  daj-s  after, 
he  said  that  he  was  very  sorry  that  he  hadn't  a 
little  girl  to  answer  my  letter  for  him;  that  his 
family  consisted  of  himself,  his  wife  and  three 
boys;  that  he  would  answer  it  himself,  and  that  he 
would  let  his  whiskers  grow.  On  the  16th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1861,  my  curiosity  to  know  whether  he  had 
actually  kept  his  promise  led  me  to  take  ray  place 
in  the  crowd  as  near  the  front  as  possible.  His 
first  appearance  on  the  platform  convinced  me 
that  the  promise  had  been  faithfully  kept.  And, 
to  my  surprise,  he  had  spoken  but  few  words  when 
he  alluded  to  me  and  my  letter  and  invited  me 
upon  the  platform.  Mustering  all  the  courage  at 
my  command  I  pressed  my  way  through  the  crowd, 
was  helped  to  the  platform,  and  as  the  great  Presi- 
dent took  mj'  hand  he  kissed  me  and  then  sup- 
ported me  down  the  steps.  As  the  train  moved  on 
he  waved  his  hand  at  the  crowd,  which  cheered 
until  it  had  passed  out  of  sight,  and  then  closed  in 
on  me  and  cheered  until  I  was  deaf." 

\   HOLLAND  PATENT  FARMER. 

New  York,  Jan.  22,  1890. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


SPRINGFIELD   TOWNSHIP— BOROUGH    OF   EAST    SPRINGFIELD. 


SPRINGFIELD  TOWNSHIP,  one  of 
the  original  sixteen,  is  the  most  north- 
westerly in  the  county.  It  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Lake  Erie,  on  the  east  by 
Girard  andConneaiit  townships,  on  the 
south  by  Conneaut,  and  on  the  west  by  Ash- 
tabula county,  Ohio.  Up  to  the  year  1835, 
the  south  line  was  a  mile  or  so  further  north 
than  now,  but  by  an  arrangement  with  Con- 
neaut the  latter  ceded  that  portion  of  her  ter- 
ritory lying  beyond  the  creek,  on  condition 
that  Springfield  should  pay  one-half  the  e.x- 
pense  of  maintaining  bridges  along  the  bound- 
ary. The  east  line  of  Springfield  extended  to 
Miles  Grove,  parallel  with  that  of  Conneaut 
and  Elk  Creek,  until  183:?,  when  the  township 
was  reduced  by  the  formation  of  Girard.  The 
first  officers  of  the  township  were  elected  in 
1811.  Springfield  contained  896  inhabitants 
in  1820,  1,520,  in  1830,  2,344  in  1840,  1,916  in 
1850,  1,742  in  1870,  1,792  in  1880  and  1,642 
in    1890,    inclusive    of    the    borough   of  East 


Springfield.  Its  greatest  length  is  about 
seven  and  a  half  and  its  greatest  width  about 
six  and  a  quarter  miles.  The  villages  of  West 
Springfield  and  North  Springfield  both  have 
postofiices  of  the  same  name.  East  Spring- 
field, the  most  populous  place  in  the  township, 
was  created  a  borough  in  1887.  The  old  State 
line  of  Pennsylvania,  before  the  purchase  of 
the  Triangle,  terminated  on  the  Hewitt  farm 
in  Springfield,  between  four  and  five  miles 
east  of  the  Ohio  boundary. 

E.\RLY   SETTLERS. 

Captain  Samuel  HolHday,  of  Franklin 
county,  the  first  settler  in  the  township,  came 
on  in  1796,  located  700  acres  at  the  mouth  of 
Crooked  creek,  built  a  cabin,  and  returned  to 
his  former  home  in  the  fall  of  the  year.  Soon 
after  his  arrival,  he  was  joined  by  John  De- 
vore,  of  Bedford  county,  John  Mershon,  of 
New  Jersey,  and  William  NIcIntyre  and  Pat- 
rick Ager,  natives  of  Ireland,  but  residents  for 


34'5 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


a  time  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  all  of  whom 
became  permanent  settlers.  Capt.  Holliday 
married  in  Franklin  county  in  April,  1797, 
and  the  young  couple  started  immediately  on 
a  wedding  tour  to  their  new  home,  Mrs.  H. 
riding  on  horseback  and  her  husband  walking 
by  her  side  with  his  gun  over  his  shoulder. 
Their  route  was  by  a  trail  tlirough  the  woods 
from  Pittsburg  to  Erie,  and  from  there  along 
the  beach  of  the  lake  to  the  mouth  of  Crooked 
creek.  During  the  year  1797,  the  little  colony 
was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  Oliver  Cross, 
from  Vermont,  and  of  Thomas  and  Oliver 
Dunn,  from  Ireland.  Tiie  Dunns  remained 
but  a  few  months,  when  they  changed  to  Mc- 
Kean.  Other  pioneers  reached  the  township 
as  follows  :  In  1798,  Nicholas  Lebarger,  of 
Bedford  county ;  in  1800,  Matthias  Brindle, 
of  Franklin  county,  and  a  Mr.  Bruce  ;  in  1801, 
Robert  McKee,  of  Cumberland  county,  and 
Oliver  Smith,  from  Massachusetts;  in  1802, 
Isaac,  Jesse,  John  D.  and  Thomas  R.  Miller, 
John  Eaton  and  John  Law,  all  of  Franklin 
county,  Henr}'  Adams,  of  Massachusetts,  John 
Hewitt,  of  Connecticut  and  John  Rudd,  Jr.; 
in  1803,  Andrew  Cochran  and  Abraham  Eag- 
ley,  of  Dauphin  county,  George  Ferguson,  of 
Cumberland  county,  and  William  Ferguson  of 
Ohio;  in  1804,  Samuel  Rea,  of  Franklin 
county,  and  John  Rudd,  sr.,  and  family;  in 
1806,  John  Hall,  of  MifHin  county;  in"l808, 
Erastus  DeWolf,  of  New  York';  in  1810, 
Joseph  Ware,  of  Vermont;  in  1813.  Zachariah 
Thomas,  of  Vermont;  in  1815,  William  Gould, 
of  Chautauqua  county.  New  York,  Anderson 
Hubbard,  of  Ohio,  and  Luke  Thayer,  of  Massa- 
chusetts; in  1816,  Benjamin  Carr,  of  Essex 
county,  New  York;  in  J817,  John  Albert,  of 
Cattaraugus  county.  New  York;  in  1818, 
David  Ellis,  of  Massachusetts,  and  Derby 
Walter  and  Ezekiel  Currier,  both  of  Lyme, 
New  Hampshire  ;  in  1819,  Andrew  and  Henry 
Mallory  and  Thomas  Ivory,  all  of  New  York  ; 
in  18'20,  James,  Benjamin  and  Lucius  Bond, 
of  Massachusetts,  John  S.  Sherman,  of  New 
York,  and  James  Anderson,  of  Virginia;  in 
1822  Wm.  Doty,  of  North  East;  in  1824,  A. 
Whiton,  of  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio;  in  ]82(), 
Jolin  MauseJl,  of  Otsego  county.  New  York, 
and  Peter  Simmons;  in  1829,  Geo.  Simmons, 
of  Saratoga  county.  New  York  ;  in  1880,  Lo- 
renzo Harvey,  of  New  York,  William  II. 
Townsend,  of  Washington  county.  New  York, 
and  Selah   Walbridge,  of  Vermont ;  in  1831, 


I.  Pond,  of  New  York,  and  Seymour  Deve- 
reaux,  of  North  East ;  in  1832,  Scott  Keith,  of 
Girard,  Pennsylvania,  Stephen  Warner,  of 
Genesee  county.  New  York,  and  Matthew- 
Gray,  of  Lockport,  N.  Y.  ;  in  1833,  R. 
R.  Robinson,  of  Sparta,  N.  Y.;  in  1834, 
William  Marsh  and  E.  Smitii,  both  of  Wyo- 
ming county,  N.  Y. ;  in  1835,  Clark  Bald- 
win, of  Vermont,  Thomas  Potter,  of  New 
York,  and  E.  R.  Hedden  and  William  Church, 
both  of  New  Jersey ;  in  183G,  Thomas  Web- 
ster, of  Washington  county.  New  York ;  in 
1839,  T.  S.  Cowles,  of  Connecticut;  in  1840, 
C.  Lindsey,  of  New  York;  in  1841,  Joseph 
Strong,  of  Massachusetts ;  in  1842,  Gilbert 
I  Hurd,  from  Rock  Stream,  N.  Y.  ;  in  1846, 
L.  W.  Savage,  of  Genesee  county.  New  York  ; 
in  1854,  Joel  Day,  of  Wyoming  county.  New 
York.  Mr.  Brindle,  like  Captain  Holliday, 
first  came  on  in  1800,  located  lands,  went 
back  and  brought  his  family  the  next  spring. 
Jesse  Miller  removed  to  Mercer  county  in  a 
few  3'ears. 

The  first  female  white  child  was  Elizabeth 
Holliday,  born  May  14,  1798;  the  first  male 
white  child  was  Joseph  Brindle,  born  March 
1,  1800;  and  the  first  funeral  is  said  to  have 
been  that  of  the  wife  of  Isaac  Miller,  whose 
grave  was  the  first  in  the  old  Presbyterian 
graveyard. 

PIONEER    TRI.\I,S. 

Mr.  Mclntyre,  who  died  in  1807,  at  the 
age  of  95,  brought  the  first  potatoes  planted  in 
the  township,  carrying  them  in  a  sack  thrown 
over  his  back,  the  entire  distance  from  Pitts- 
burg. In  1802,  a  barrel  of  salt  cost  Robert 
McKee  fifty  Spanish  dollars.  It  had  to  be 
brought  from  Buffalo  to  Erie  in  a  small  boat, 
and  from  the  latter  place  to  Springfield  on 
pack  horses.  In  1800  the  only  route  to  Erie 
was  along  the  beach  of  the  lake  or  by  a  bridle 
path  through  the  woods.  At  that  period  there 
was  a  wide  beach  along  the  whole  lake  front 
of  the  county.  Andrew  Cochran  was  captain 
of  a  company  of  soldiers  during  the  last  war 
with  Great  Britain.  It  was  frequently  called 
out,  but  was  never  in  an  engagement.  Some 
time  during  the  campaign,  a  rumor  that  the 
enemy  had  landed  at  the  mouth  of  Conneaut 
creek  created  the  utmost  consternation  in  the 
infant  settlement.  Several  families  fled,  and 
others  had  preparations  made  for  a  hasty  de- 
parture.  Luckily  the  report  proved  to  be  false. 


LL  LZ-'iyi^^^^t<i_^^r-yr^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


347 


TOWNSHIP    I-AXDS. 

The  lake  shore  plain  is  about  three  miles 
wide  in  Springfield,  and  while  there  is  a  good 
deal  of  high,  broken  land  in  the  south  part,  the 
township  is  less  marred  by  gullies  than  is  the 
case  further  east  in  the  county.  The  best 
portion  of  the  township  lies  along  the  Ridge 
road,  in  the  vicinity  of  East  Springfield.  A 
mile  or  less  west,  on  the  same  line  the  quality 
of  the  land  deteriorates,  though  some  excellent 
farms  are  found  at  and  around  the  village  of 
West  Springfield.  In  the  eastern  part  of  the 
township,  the  lake  shore  lands  are  generally 
good,  but  in  the  neighborhood  of  Raccoon 
creek,  they  become  sour,  and  from  there  on  to 
Ohio  are  below  the  average.  Numerous 
stretches  of  sand  are  met  with  that  hardly  pay 
for  cultivation,  and  other  parts  are  cold, 
swampy  and  difficult  of  drainage.  Back  of 
the  Ridge  road,  and  from  there  to  Conneaut 
creek,  the  soil  is  usually  clay,  with  here  and 
there  a  sand  hill,  which  forms  a  curious  feature 
of  the  topography.  As  there  are  exceptions 
to  all  rules,  so  there  is  to  this  statement.  A 
valley  commences  just  south  of  West  Spring- 
field and  extends  into  Ohio,  with  a  width 
ranging  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile,  which  is 
one  of  the  best  portions  of  the  township. 
Wheat  and  other  grainsare  raised evervwhere, 
but  the  back  country  is  best  adapted  for  graz- 
ing. Large  quantities  of  potatoes  are  pro- 
duced,and  many  carloads  are  shipped  annually. 
The  lake  shore  farms  are  valued  at  thirty  to 
•1100  per  acre,  the  Ridge  road  at  forty  to  iflOO, 
and  the  back  country  from  twenty  to  forty- 
five  dollars. 

The  Moravian  grant  embraced  !?,7U7  acres 
in  Springfield  and  Conneaut,  extending  from 
the  lake  to  a  short  distance  south  of  Conneaut 
creek,  and  taking  in  a  strip  about  a  mile  wide, 
e.xcept  at  the  Ridge  road,  where  it  narrowed  to 
fifty  or  sixty  rods.  The  reason  for  this  diver- 
sion was  that  the  surveyors  encountered  a 
formidable  beaver  swamp  at  that  point,  \vhich 
has  since  been  mostly  reclaimed  by  drainage. 
William  and  James  Miles  were  long  the 
agents  of  the  Moravians.  The  tract  was 
bought  in  a  body  by  N.  Blickensderfer  and 
James  Miles  in  1849,  who  sold  it  out  in  pieces 
from  1850  on. 

STREAMS    AND    MILLS. 

The  chief  stream  of   Springfield  is  Conne- 

23 


aut  creek,  which  forms  its  entire  southern 
boundarj'.  The  stream  does  not  receive  a 
single  tributary  in  the  township.  Ne.xt  in 
importance  is  Crooked  creek,  which  rises  in  or 
near  Lockport,  runs  in  a  general  northwester- 
ly course,  through  the  southern  portion  of 
Girard  and  the  northeastern  of  Springfield, 
and  falls  into  the  lake  about  half  a  mile  be- 
yond North  Springfield,  having  a  length  of 
some  ten  miles.  Raccoon  creek  heads  near 
Conneaut  creek,  and  flowing  north,  after  a 
course  of  about  six  miles,  reaches  the  lake  at 
Eagley's  Grove.  Turkey  run  takes  its  rise  a 
little  south  of  West  Springfield,  and  flows 
about  four  and  a  half  miles  within  the  town- 
ship and  a  mile  or  more  in  Ohio.  It  falls  into 
the  lake  east  of  Conneaut  harbor. 

Five  substantial  covered  bridges  span 
Conneaut  creek,  built,  owned  and  maintained 
by  the  two  townships.  The  Lake  Shore  R. 
R.  culvert  and  embankment  over  Crooked 
creek  at  North  Springfield  is  one  of  the  most 
solid  and  costly  pieces  of  work  in  the  county. 
The  embankment  is  ninety  feet  above  the 
water,  and  from  700  to  800  feet  long.  It  was 
through  this  culvert  that  a  house  was  washed 
in  the  fall  of  1878,  during  the  greatest  flood 
ever  known  on  the  stream.  The  Nickel  liate 
R.  R.  crosses  the  Crooked  creek  vallev  by  an 
expensive  iron  bridge. 

The  mills  are  as  follows:  Harrington's 
(formerly  Porter's)  grist  and  sawmill,  on  Con- 
neaut creek,  half  a  mile  north  of  Cherrv  Hill  ; 
Strong's  grist  and  sawmill,  on  Crooked 
creek,  north  of  East  Springfield;  Reed's  saw- 
mill, on  the  Ridge  road  near  West  Spring- 
field, and  a  planing,  cider  and  feed-mill,  about 
a  mile  northeast  of  the  latter  place.  The  first 
mill  owner  in  the  township  was  Capt.  Holli- 
day,  who  built  a  sawmill  about  1801  or  1802, 
and  a  gristmill  in  1803,  near  the  mouth  of 
Crooked  creek,  both  of  which  have  gone  down. 
The  .Strong  mills  were  built  by  .-Vndrew  Coch- 
ran about  1820  and  rebuilt  by  Thomas  Web- 
ster about  1841  or  1842,  who  ran  them  until 
his  death,  in  18(iO,  when  they  fell  into  the 
hands  of  Joseph  M.  Strong,  and  are  now  oper- 
ated by  his  son.  The  Harrington  mill  was  built 
by  Comfort  Hay  about  1828.  A  sawmill  on 
the  site  of  the  old  Lines'  mill  was  started  in 
1814  and  was  followed  by  the  gristmill  about 
1832.  A  cheese  factory  was  started  at  West 
Springfield  in  1874  and  burned  down. 


34S 


ifMLSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIOlfART 


SCHOOLS,    BURIAL    PLACES,    ETC. 

The  academy  in  West  Springfield  was 
founded  in  1855,  burned  down  in  December, 
1859,  and  rebuilt  of  brick  two  or  three  years 
subsequently.  The  one  in  East  Springfield 
was  built  as  a  rival  to  the  other,  in  1850. 
Both  were  at  one  period  quite  noted  schools 
and  had  a  large  attendance.  The  North 
Springfield  academy  was  established  in  1806, 
after  the  two  others  had  run  down.  All  are 
now  used  as  graded  common  schools. 

One  of  the  first  schoolhouses  was  built  at 
an  early  day  on  the  Eagley  place,  near  the 
lake.  The  material  was  logs,  with  chimney 
of  stones  and  sticks.  In  1818  a  log  school- 
house  was  standing  in  what  is  now  East 
Springfield.  About  the  year  1822  a  school 
was  held  in  a  vacated  log  cabin  located  in  the 
Ferguson  neighborhood,  some  three  miles 
southwest  of  East  Springfield.  Not  long 
after  this  another  school  was  held  in  a  similar 
building  probably  a  mile  east  of  East  Spring- 
field. About  tiie  _year  1827  a  frame  school- 
house  stood  in  the  Vandeventer  neighborhood, 
some  two  and  half  miles  southwest  of  East 
Springfield. 

The  cemetery  at  East  Springfield  is  the 
principal  burying  place  of  the  township, 
though  small  graveyards  are  attached  to  the 
Christian  Church  in  the  same  village,  in 
West  Springfield,  at  the  Town  House,  and  in 
other  localities.  The  inclosure  takes  in  eight- 
een acres  of  high  and  dry  gravel  and  loam  on 
the  north  side  of  the  village.  It  was  origi- 
nally the  burial  ground  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  to  which  other  land  was  added  by- 
purchase.  The  cemetery  was  surveyed  and 
graded  in  1864,  and  the  first  sale  of  lots  was 
in  October  of  that  year.  The  first  body  in- 
terred in  the  cemetery  proper  was  that  of 
Henry  Keith,  which  was  placed  in  the  in- 
closure in  August,  1864. 

In  the  northeast  part  of  the  cemetery  are 
still  to  be  seen  traces  of  one  of  the  series  of 
ancient  earthworks,  four  in  number,  which 
extended  from  the  western  part  of  Girard  to 
the  southern  portion  of  Springfield.  The 
other  mounds  in  Springfield  were  on  the 
One)-  farm,  about  a  mile  southwest  of  Ea-st 
Springfield,  and  on  the  McKce  place,  half  a 
mile  further  west.  They  were  all  in  a  direct 
line  from  northeast  to  southwest,  and  were 
similar  in  character,  each   one   covering  over 


half  an  acre,  being  circular  in  form,  and  hav- 
ing earthen  embankments  two  to  tliree  feet 
high  by  six  feet  thick  at  the  base. 

During  the  \var  for  the  Union  Springfield 
sent  about  150  men  into  the  army,  being  prob- 
ably excelled  by  no  other  township  in  the 
country. 

PUBLIC    MEN. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  citizens  of  Spring- 
field who  have  held  State  and  county  offices  : 
Assembly,  Thomas  R.  Miller,  18^0;  David 
A.Gould,  1848  and  1840;  I.  Newton  Miller, 
1870.  Associate  Judge,  William  Cross,  No- 
vember 22,  1861,  to  November  8,  1806. 
Prothonotary,  Maj.  S.  V.  Holliday,  elected 
in  1881  and  '84.  County  Superintendent  of 
Public  Schools,  L.  W.  Savage,  1860-68. 
Register  and  Recorder,  Samuel  Rea,  jr.,  No- 
vember 17,  1803,  to  November  10,  1800; 
Henry  G.  Harvey,  November  16,  1860,  to 
November  19,  1872.  County  Treasurer,  Thos. 
J.  Devore,  December  23,  1858,  to  December 
20,  1860.  County  Commissioner,  Thomas  R. 
Miller,  1831-84;  Richard  Robinson,  1852-55. 
Director  of  the  Poor,  Thomas  R.  Miller,  1840- 
42  (John  Spaulding  was  elected  in  1850, 
but  refused  to  serve).  County  Auditor,  John 
Eagley,  1848-51  ;  L.  W.  Savage,  elected  in 
1884.  Mercantile  Appraiser,  Samuel  Rea,  jr., 
1858;  Perry  Devore,  1802;  C.  C.  Holliday, 
1887;  M.  Z.  Sherman,  1891.  County  Sur- 
veyor, Robert  P.  Holliday, November  5,  1863, 
to  November  12,  1866,  and  February,  1809,  to 
November  11,  1872;  George  M.  Robison, 
January,  1879,  to  May,  1879. 

Humphrey  A.  Hills,  County  Commissioner 
from  1847-50,  Deputy  Marshal  for  taking  the 
census  in  1850,  and  Assemblyman  in  1852—58, 
became  a  resident  of  Springfield  in  181)8, 
moving  thei-e  from  Conneaut,  his  former 
home.  E.  B.  Ward,  the  Detroit  millionaire, 
was  a  native  of  the  township,  where  he  be- 
gan life  as  a  fisherman  and  sailor.  Among 
other  natives  of  the  township  are  A.  E.  Sis- 
son,  District  Attorney  from  1888  to  1894,  and 
Col.  E.  P.  (jould,  elected  to  the  Assembly  in 
1894,  both  being  residents  of  Erie  at  the  time. 
Maj.  Holliday  was  Commissioner  of  Customs, 
with  location  in  Washington,  during  the  last 
Harrison  administration. 

RAILROADS,     COMMON     ROADS,      HOTELS,     ETC. 

Springfield  has  the  advantage  of  two 
through  lines  of  railroad — the  Lake  Shore  and 


AND  UWTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


349 


the  Nickel  Plate — which  cross  the  township 
from  Girard  into  Ohio.  The  Lake  Shore  has 
a  station  in  North  Springfield,  and  the  Nickel 
Plate  one  each  for  East  and  West  Springfield. 
The  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.  branches  off 
from  the  Lake  Shore  in  Girard  township, 
half  a  mile  from  the  Springfield  line,  which  it 
follows  southward  into  Conneaut,  at  about 
the  same  average  distance.  Crosses'  Station, 
in  Girard  township,  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
East  Springfield,  was  established  for  tlie  ac- 
commodation of  the  township. 

The  principal  common  thoroughfares  are 
the  Ridge  road,  which  runs  nearly  through 
the  center  of  the  township,  forming  the  main 
streets  of  East  and  West  Springfield ;  the 
Lake  road,  which  follows  the  lake  front  to 
the  Ohio  line  ;  the  Middle  Ridge,  which  leaves 
the  Lake  road  not  far  from  North  Springfield, 
runs  southwest  and  strikes  the  Ridge  road  a 
mile  beyond  West  Springfield  ;  the  Kingsville, 
which  branches  oft' from  the  Ridge  road  two- 
thirds  of  a  mile  west  of  East  Springfield  and 
continues  to  Kingsville,  Ohio;  and  the  roads 
from  East  and  West  Springfield  to  Albion, 
which  come  together  at  Sherman's  Corners, 
near  Conneaut  creek,  in  the  southeast. 

Previous  to  the  opening  of  the  Lake  Shore 
R.  R.  the  travel  on  the  Ridge  road  was  very 
extensive,  requiring  numerous  hotels  for  its 
accommodation.  Scott  Keith  opened  a  pub- 
lic house  at  East  Springfield  in  183^,  which 
was  destroyed  by  fire  some  years  ago.  In 
1822  William  Doty  removed  to  East  Spring- 
field from  North  East,  and  took  charge  of  tiie 
old  Remington  stand,  which  he  kept  till  his 
death  in  hSIli.  It  is  no  longer  used  for  iiotel 
purposes. 

The  East  Springfield  postoffice,  the  first  in 
the  township,  was  established  many  years 
ago.  The  postoffice  at  West  .Springfield  was 
established  in  1838  or  1839,  and  the  one  at 
North  Springfield  some  time  after  18(50.  On 
the  night  of  the  0th  of  December,  1874,  the 
office  at  West  Springfield  was  broken  into 
and  robbed,  set  on  fire  by  the  burglars  and 
destroyed  with  the  store  to  which  it  was  at- 
tached. Two  of  the  guilty  parties  were 
caught,  convicted  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary. 

CHURCHES. 

The  churches  are  Presbyterian,  Methodist 
Episcopal  and  Christian  in   East  Springfield, 


and  Methodist  Episcopal  and  Baptist  in  West 
Springfield. 

The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  services  in 
the  county  were  held  in  the  house  of  John 
Mershon,  in  Springfield  township,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1800.  About  1804  a  church  building 
was  put  up  something  like  a  mile  south  of 
West  Springfield.  A  second  society  was 
formed  in  1815  in  what  is  now  Girard,  but  was 
then  a  part  of  Springfield,  which  has  since 
been  known  as  the  Fair  Haven  Church.  This 
congregation  divided  in  1821,  and  twenty-one 
of  the  members  formed  what  thej'  styled  a 
"  Reformed  Methodist  Church."  In  1825,  a 
fourth  society  was  organized  in  the  east  part 
of  the  town,  which  was  the  beginning  of  the 
church  in  East  Springfield.  The  Cottage 
Church,  which  stood  on  the  Ridge  road,  about 
half  a  mile  w-est  of  West  Springfield,  was 
commenced  in  1830,  but  was  not  finished  till 
1836.  The  present  church  in  West  Spring- 
field was  built  in  1854,  and  the  one  in  East 
Springfield  about  1866. 

The  first  Presbyterian  edifice  was  a  small 
log  building  which  stood  on  the  old  portion  of 
the  cemetery  grounds.  A  preaching  point  was 
established  in  Springfield  in  1804,  and  the 
building  referred  to  was  put  up  the  same  year. 
The  congregation  was  organized  in  1800,  and 
the  present  building  was  erected  in  1844. 

The  Christian  .Church  was  organized  in 
1820,  and  put  up  its  building  in  1839. 

The  Baptist  congregation  was  organized 
in  1826,  and  erected  a  church  in  1833.  This 
building,  which  stood  on  the  Ridge  road, 
about  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  East  Spring- 
field, was  sold  to  the  township,  and  a  new  one 
was  provided  in  West  Springfield  in  1858- 

The  Univer^alists  organized  a  congrega- 
tion in  West  Springfield  in  1848,  and  built  a 
house  of  worship  in  1850,  which  burned  down 
October  2,  1889.  Since  then  the  body  has 
practically  broken  up. 

VILLAGES. 

West  Springfield  at  the  junction  of  the 
Albion  with  the  Ridge  road,  is  three  miles 
east  of  the  Ohio  line,  four  west  of  East  Spring- 
field, and  twenty-five  by  common  road  from 
Erie.  The  Nickel  Plate  railroad  station  at 
this  place  is  known  as  Crayton. 

North  Springfield  has  sprung  up  within 
the  last  forty  years  on  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.. 
just  west  of  Crooked  creek  embankment,  about 


35° 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


half  a  mile  south  of  Lake  Erie,  and  twenty  by 
railroad  from  Erie.  The  railroad  company 
have  at  this  place  a  station  house,  two  water 
tanks  and  an  engine  house  to  pump  the  water 
up  from  Crooked  creek.  Its  station  was 
established  in  1852,  the  year  the  road  was 
opened. 

BOROUGH    OF    EAST   SPRINGFIELD. 

[see   SPRINGFIELD  township.] 

East    Springfield    was  created  a    borough 
Septembers,  1887.     It  cast  seventy-nine  votes 


in  1892,  and  is  thought  to  have  a  population 
of  between  400  and  450.  The  borough,  which 
is  a  station  on  the  Nickel  Plate  R.  R.,  occu- 
pies a  site  along  the  Ridge  road,  two  and  a 
half  miles  from  North  Springfield,  on  the  Lake 
Shore  R.  R..  one  and  a  half  west  of  Cross's 
Station,  on  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.,  and 
twenty-one  by  common  road  from  Erie. 

The  churches,  schools,  historical  events, 
etc.,  are  referred  to  on  the  pages  relating  to 
Springfield  township,  of  which  the  borough 
was  originally  a  part. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


SUMMIT  TOWNSHIP. 


SUMMIT  TOWNSHIP  was  the  last  one 
established  in  Erie  county,  and  is  the 
smallest  in  area.  It  \vas  formed  in 
1854, out  of  the  western  part  of  Greene, 
the  eastern  part  of  McKean,  and  a 
small  portion  of  Waterford.  The  name  of 
Summit  was  given  because  it  contains  the  di- 
viding ridge  between  the  waters  of  LeBoeuf 
and  VValnut  creeks,  the  former  flowing  into 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  the  latter  into  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  It  had  a  population  in 
18(30  of  1,038;  in  1870  of  1,047;  in  1880  of 
1,047,  and  in  1890  of  908. 

The  township  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Mill  Creek,  on  the  east  by  Greene,  on  the 
south  by  Waterford  and  on  the  west  by  Mc- 
Kean. The  north  line  dividing  it  from  Mill 
Creek  is  the  only  straight  one, and  has  a  length 
of  five  and  a  half  miles;  the  east  line,  includ- 
ing its  numerous  angles,  is  over  six  miles  long  ; 
the  south  line  three  and  a  half,  and  the  west 
line  about  five  miles. 

RAILROADS COMMON  ROADS. 

The  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  runs 
through  the  east  side  of  the  township  almost 
its  entire  length  from  north  to  south,  entering 
from  Mill  Creek  and  leaving  through    Water- 


ford. To  reach  the  township  it  crosses  the 
summit  between  Mill  creek  and  Walnut  creek 
by  a  heavy  grade,  passing  into  the  valley  of 
the  latter  stream  at  Langdon's  Station.  From 
there  it  follows  the  Walnut  creek  valley  to  the 
main  summit  at  Jackson's,  where  it  enters  the 
valley  of  LeBceuf  creek,  which  it  follows  to 
Waterford.  The  summit  of  the  road  at  Jack- 
son's is  a  little  over  650  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  lake.  The  railroad  stations  are  Langdon's, 
Jackson's  and  Sampsonville. 

The  main  public  roads  of  Summit  are  the 
Waterford  turnpike,  running  over  the  hills 
almost  through  the  center  of  the  township; 
the  Waterford  plank  road,  following  the  val- 
leys of  Walnut  and  LeBoeuf  creeks,  and  the 
Edinboro  plank  road,  which  passes  through 
its  northwestern  corner.  The  old  road,  by 
which  the  French  transported  goods  from 
Presque  Isle  to  Waterford,  and  over  which  the 
army  passed  that  defeated  Braddock  near  I'itts- 
burg,  in  1755,  crossed  the  township  from  north 
to  south,  and  most  of  it  is  still  used  as  a  public 
thoroughfare. 

Summit  township  has  no  villages,  and  but 
one  postoffice.  A  postofhce  was  kept  at  Jack- 
son's Station  some  years  after  the  opening  of 
the   railroad,  which   was   removed   to   White- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE   COUjSTY. 


35' 


ford's  Corners.  It  was  abandoned  and  again 
revived  under  the  name  of  Godard  in  1882. 
Another  was  maintained  for  a  time  at  the 
White  church,  on  the  Edinboro  plank  road, 
in  the  northwestern  section  of  the  township, 
but  it,  too,  proved  a  failure.  Most  of  the  mail 
for  the  township  goes  to  Erie  or  Kearsarge. 

CREEKS,   VALLEYS   AND   LANDS. 

Walnut  creek  and  the  West  branch  of  Le- 
BoBuf  creek  are  the  principal  streams,  both  be- 
ing quite  small  in  their  course  through  the 
township.  Walnut  creek  rises  on  the  western 
edge  of  Greene,  a  little  northeast  of  White- 
ford's  Corners,  runs  across  Summit  in  a  general 
northwestern  direction,  and,  crossing  the  south- 
western portion  of  Mill  Creek,  flows  through 
Fairview  into  the  lake  at  Manchester,  after  a 
course  of  about  twenty  miles.  The  West 
branch  of  LeBa3uf  creek  has  its  source  on  the 
farm  of  W.  A.  Bean,  but  a  few  feet  from  a 
tributary  of  Walnut  creek,  and,  flowing 
through  the  township  in  a  southeastern  course, 
unites  with  the  East  branch  in  Waterford 
township,  a  little  north  of  Waterford  Station. 
LeBreuf  creek,  measuring  from  its  usually  re- 
puted head,  on  the  edge  of  Greene  and  Ve- 
nango, to  its  mouth  at  French  creek,  has  a 
length  of  perhaps  twenty  miles. 

The  Walnut  creek  lands  are  the  cream  of 
the  township.  The  valley  has  an  average 
width  of  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile,  and 
produces  almost  everything  that  can  be  raised 
on  the  lake  shore.  The  LeBoeuf  valley  is 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  wide,  and  the  tillable 
land  is  perhaps  equally  good  with  that  of  the 
Walnut  creek  valley,  but  there  are  numerous 
swamps,  which  however,  are  being  gradually 
drained. 

On  the  hills,  the  land  of  the  township  is 
best  for  grazing,  and  large  quantities  of  butter 
are  produced.  The  whole  township  is  a  good 
fruit  country.  The  price  of  land  runs  from 
twenty  to  fifty  dollars  an  acre. 

EARLV  SETTLERS. 

The  first  settler  in  the  township  was 
George  W.  Reed,  a  son  of  Col.  Seth  Reed, 
who  located  about  1796.  In  a  few  years  he 
changed  to  Waterford,  where  he  died.  A 
tract  of  land  was  taken  up  in  the  Walnut 
creek  valley  by  Thomas  Rees  in  1797,  but  he 
never  resided  in  the  township.  Oliver  Dunn 
located  in   the  western  portion  of  the  town- 


ship the  same  year,  but  afterward  removed  to 
McKean  township.  In  1800,  James  and 
Ebenezer  Graham,  with  their  families,  came 
from  Centre  county  and  settled  what  has  since 
been  known  as  the  Graham  neighborhood. 
They  were  soon  followed  in  the  same  vicinity 
by  Eli  Webster  and  Abijah  Hull.  Eli  Rock- 
well went  in  in  1801,  and  Daniel  Lee  in  1802. 
Among  other  early  residents  were  Thomas 
Rees,  Jr. ,  and  John  Way.  P.  S.  Woolley 
made  his  location  about  1828,  and  James  Jack- 
son in  1825.  The  latter,  who  was  originally 
from  Herkimer  county.  New  York,  settled  in 
Erie  in  1818,  and  went  from  there  to  Summit. 
The  original  settlers  were  mostly  Americans, 
of  the  Protestant  faith.  Within  the  last  thirty 
years,  a  large  influx  of  Irish  and  German 
Catholics  has  taken  place,  and  that  denomina- 
tion now  numbers  fully  a  fourth  of  the  popu- 
lation. William  Dunn,  the  first  child  born  in 
the  township,  in  1798,  died  on  the  14th  of 
April,  1880. 

CHURCHES   AND   SCHOOLS. 

The  church  buildings  of  Summit  are  one 
Methodist  Episcopal,  one  Catholic,  one  United 
Prtsbyterian,  and  one  of  the  Evangelical  Asso- 
ciation. 

The  Hamlin  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
on  the  road  from  Whiteford's  Corners  to  W. 
A.  Bean's,  was  organized  in  1837,  and  the 
building  was  erected  in  1852. 

The  United  Presbyterian  Church  at  Five 
Points  \vas  organized  in  fanuary,  1842,  and 
re-established  in  1878.  Its  church  building 
was  erected  in  1848.  Services  of  the  same 
denomination  are  held  in  the  school  house  at 
Whiteford's  Corners,  the  congregation  having 
been  organized  in  1876. 

St.  Matthew's  Catholic  church  building 
was  put  up  in  1876  on  land  donated  by  George 
Reynolds.  The  congregation  was  organized 
about  the  same  time.  Services  are  attended 
by  a  priest  from  McKean. 

Emanuel's  Church  of  the  Evangelical  Asso 
ciation,  which  has  a  building  near  the  McKean 
line,  was  started  about   1838.     The  house  of 
worship  w^as  built  in  1868. 

A  school  was  held  about  two  miles  east  of 
the  house  of  Squire  \\'ebster,  in  a  vacated 
cabin,  as  early  as  1819.  In  1820  or  '21  there 
was  a  school  on  a  cross-road  which  intersected 
the  French  road.  About  the  same  time  schools 
were  taught  at  Hull's  Corners  and  on  Graham 


352 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Hill.  The  first  school  house  was  built  in  1822 
by  neighborhood  subscriptions.  This  was  for 
years  the  only  school  building  in  the  town- 
ship. During  the  winter  of  1841-2,  there  was 
a  school  about  a  mile  east  of  the  Webster 
farm.  All  of  these  were  kept  up  by  private 
contributions. 

MISCEI.I.ANKOUS. 

The  township  had  at  one  period  as  many 
as  four  sawmills  on  Walnut  creek,  all  of 
which  have  been  abandoned.  There  are  three 
sawmills  at  present  in  the  township,  viz  :  one 
near  W.  A.  Bean's,  one  near  Jackson's  Sta- 
tion, and  one  at  Sampsonville.  At  the  latter 
place  there  is  quite  a  settlement,  due  to  the 
lumbering  operations  in  the  vicinity. 

Whiteford's  Corners  embraces  a  store, 
schoolhousc  and  several  other  buildings.  Close 
by  is  a  favorite  picnic  grove,  on  the  line  of 
the  railroad. 

The  township  contains  two  cheese  facto- 
ries, the  Excelsior,  near  the  railroad,  on  the 
public  road  from  the  Lake  Pleasant  road  to  the 
Waterford  plank  road,  and  Bean's,  near  the 
residence  of  William  A.  Bean.  Both  have 
been  in  operation  about  nineteen  years. 

The    nearest    stone   quarry  to    the  city  of 


Erie  of  much  account  is  the  one  known 
as  Reynolds',  near  the  Catholic  church. 
It  has  iDeen  in  operation  many  years,  has  fur- 
nished quantities  of  good  stone,  and  an  abun- 
dance is  still  left.  Many  years  ago,  Col. 
Norris  gathered  considerable  oil  as  it  exuded 
from  the  rocks  at  the  quarrj'  and  sold  it  for 
medicine.  This  circumstance  led  to  the  drill- 
ing of  a  well  on  the  premises,  but,  although 
plenty  of  gas  poured  out,  oil  was  never  found 
in  paying  quantitv.  In  addition  to  the  Rey- 
nolds' (juarry,  William  Liddell  had  a  small  one 
near  the  turnpike. 

Summit  has  furnished  but  two  county 
officers — both  Auditors — viz.  :  Eli  Webster, 
from  1829  to  1832,  and  John  L.  Way,  from 
1849  to  1852,  and  from  1859  to  1862. 

In  1821,  James  McKee  was  convicted  of 
murdering  a  mariner  near  the  old  brewery, 
and  was  sentenced  to  seven  years'  solitary 
confinement  in  the  Philadelphia  Penitentiary, 
but  died  after  a  few  months'  imprisonment. 
John  A.  Hans,  also  at  one  time  a  resident  of 
the  township,  but  who  removed  to  Eiie,  was 
convicted  of  causing  the  death  of  his  wife,  at 
the  corner  of  State  and  Second  streets,  in  that 
city.  He  was  sentenced  to  Allegheny  Peni- 
tentiary, served  out  his  term,  returned  to  Erie 
and  died  soon  after. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 


UNION   TOWNSHIP— BOROUGH   OF   UNION    CITY. 


WHEN  Erie  county  was  organized  all 
that  portion  cf  its  territory  lying 
east  of  LeBoeuf  and  Waterford, 
to  the  western  line  of  Wayne  and 
Concord,  was  given  the  name  of 
Union  township.  From  1800  to  1821  Union 
and  Brokenstraw,  which  included  Wayne 
and  Concord,  formed  one  election  dis- 
trict. In  1825  Amity  was  taken  from  Union, 
leaving  the  township  lines  as  they  are  at  pres- 
ent. Union  township  is  almost  square,  hav- 
ing a  length  of  about  six  and  a   quarter  by  a 


breadth  of  about  five  and  three-quarter  miles. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Amity,  on  the 
east  by  Wayne  and  Concord,  on  the  south  by 
Crawford  countv,  and  on  the  west  by  Le- 
Boeuf.  The  population  was  2'.>0  in  1820,  235 
in  1830,  543  in  1840,  1,080  in  1850,  1,954  in 
1860,  1,334  in  1870,  1,337  in  1880,  and  1,366 
in  1890. 

The  township  contains  very  little  fiat  land, 
and  such  as  there  is,  embracing  a  few  farms 
only,  lies  wholly  along  the  South  branch  of 
French  creek.     The  balance  of   the  township 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


353 


is  rolling,  with  few  steep  hills  or  abrupt  ra- 
vines, almost  every  foot  of  ground  being  sus- 
ceptible of  cultivation.  Land  is  valued  at 
fifteen  dollars  to  )fl(Jl)  an  acre,  according  to 
the  location.  "  The  soil  is  generally  a  heavy 
clay,  with  an  underlying  strata  of  hard  pan, 
excepting  about  1,2()0  acres,  which  were  origi- 
nally covered  with  pine  timber,  and  are  a 
gravelly  loam,  underlaid  with  sand.  The  tim- 
ber, aside  from  the  pine  above  mentioned,  was 
principally  beech,  maple,  hemlock,  cucumber 
and  whitewood,  with  a  ridge  of  oak  and  chest- 
nut through  the  southwest  corner."  A  sink- 
hole, similar  to  the  one  near  Waterford,  but 
of  less  extent,  was  encountered  in  building 
the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.,  a  short  dis- 
tance east  of  Union  City.  The  only  postoffice 
in  the  township  is  that  of  Ferdinand. 

MAIN    STREAMS. 

The  chief  stream  is  the  South  branch  of 
French  creek,  or  Little  French  creek,  as  it  is 
sometimes  called,  which  rises  in  Concord, 
south  of  Corry,  flows  through  the  main  part  of 
the  latter  township,  across  L^nion  from  east  to 
west,  and  joins  the  main  stream  in  LeBoeuf,  a 
few  rods  below  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R. 
bridge,  after  a  course  of  not  far  from  twentv- 
five  miles.  From  Corry  to  LeBanif  it  furn- 
ishes the  route  of  the  New  York,  Pa.  and  Ohio 
and  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.'s.  Its  trib- 
utaries in  L'nion  township  are.  on  the  south 
side,  Scotchman's,  Wilson's,  Mulvin's  and 
Carroll's  runs,  and  on  the  north  side  Pine, 
Tolbert's  and  Benson's  runs,  all  small  streams. 
Scotchman's  run  rises  in  Bloomfield  town- 
ship, Crawford  county,  and  falls  into  the 
South  branch  on  or  near  the  Wade  farm,  hav- 
ing a  length  of  about  four  miles.  It  has  two 
branches,  known  as  Stewart's  and  Cochran's 
runs.  Wilson's  run  also  heads  in  Bloomfield, 
and,  after  a  length  of  five  to  six  miles,  ends 
at  Steenrod's  mill.  The  head  of  Mulvin's  run 
is  on  the  Shreve  farm,  its  mouth  is  on  the 
Mulvin  farm,  and  its  length  is  some  two 
miles.  Carroll's  run  ends  in  LeBcEuf  town- 
ship, just  across  the  line,  after  a  course  of 
about  seven  miles.  Pine  run  begins  near  the 
Amity  line.  Its  length  is  perhaps  three  and  a 
half  miles.  Tolbert's  run  has  its  head  on  the 
Church  place,  and  its  mouth  in  the  borough. 
Its  length  is  estimated  at  three  miles.  Ben- 
son's run  terminates  in  the  borough,  near  its 
western    boundary.      The    main  inlet  of   Oil 


Creek  lake,  in  Crawford    county,  rises  in  the 
southwest  near  the  LeBojuf  line. 

RAILROADS,    BRIDGES    AND    MILLS. 

The  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  has  five 
bridges  over  the  South  branch,  two  in  the 
township  and  three  in  the  borough,  while  the 
New  York,  Pa.  and  Ohio  R.  R.,  by  follow- 
ing a  higher  grade,  avoided  the  necessity  of 
crossing  the  stream  at  all.  The  township 
bridges  are  good,  but  not  expensive.  The  main 
thoroughfares  are  the  old  road  to  Wattsburg,the 
Smile)-  road  to  the  same  place,  the  Flats  road 
to  Waterford,  and  the  roads  to  Corry,  Con- 
cord, Titusville  and  Mill  Village.  The  Phil- 
adelphia and  Erie  and  New  York,  Pa.  and 
Ohio  R.  R.'s  both  cross  the  township  from 
LeBoeuf  to  Concord,  following  practically  the 
same  route,  by  way  of  the  .South  branch, 
though  at  different  elevations.  A  third  rail- 
road, the  L^nion  and  Titusville,  once  connected 
with  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  at  Union  City, 
but  has  been  abandoned. 

The  manufacturing  concerns  of  the  town- 
ship are  Steenrod's  saw  and  gristmill  on  the 
South  branch,  east  of  the  borough  ;  Fenno's 
sawmill  and  Seymour's  saw  and  shingle-mill; 
Kamerer's  sawmill,  north  of  the  borough  ;  the 
West  L^nion  or  Carroll's  cheese  factory,  south 
of  the  borough  on  the  Mill  Village  road ; 
Wager's  cider  mill,  south  of  the  borough; 
Vermilyea's  sawmill  on  the  Town  Line  road  ; 
Bentley's  sawmill,  northeast  of  the  borough  ; 
Miller's  sawmill,  in  the  south  part ;  Harrison's, 
in  the  Wilson  neighborhood;  Lyon's  mill, 
east  of  the  borough  ;  one  on  the  South  branch, 
between  the  N.  Y.,  P.,  and  O.  R.  R.  and  P. 
and  E.  R.  R.,  east  of  the  borough,  and 
ThoiTipson's.  southeast  of  the  borough.  The 
Carroll  cheese  factory  was  started  May  6, 
1872.  The  township  has  had  at  different 
periods  as  many  as  fifteen  sawmills,  the  men- 
tion of  which  indicates  the  immense  amount 
of  timber  that  has  been  cut  off  and  marketed. 

CHURCHES,    SCHOOLS,    ETC. 

The  Asbury  Methodist  Episcopal  chapel 
stands  near  the  Mill  Village  road,  almost  on 
the  line  of  LeBceuf,  three  miles  southwest  of 
the  borough.  The  congregation  was  organ- 
ized by  Rev.  John  Scott,  in  1840,  and  the 
building  was  erected  in  1862.  A  graveyard, 
the  only  one  outside  of  the  borough  cemeteries, 
is  attached  to  the  chapel. 


354 


NELSON' 8  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Most  of  the  burials  from  the  township  take 
place  at  Union  City. 

The  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church,  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  townsiiip,  was  organ- 
ized November  18,  1882.  A  building  known 
as  the  Church  at  Cottage  Hill,  was  erected  in 
1888,  and  dedicated  in  November  of  that  year, 
on  a  lot  donated  by  F.  M.  Devereaux,  the  en- 
tire cost  being  about  $1,800.  Services  are 
held  in   the  church  every  Sabbath   afternoon. 

One  of  the  earliest  schools  in  the  township 
was  taught  during  the  war  of  1812,  by  Will- 
iam Craig,  in  a  house  vacated  by  Thomas  Mc- 
Elhany.  Probably  the  next  school  was  taught 
by  Mrs.  Susanna  Pain,  during  the  summer  of 
1815,  in  a  log  cabin  built  by  Hugh  Wilson. 
The  first  house  built  for  a  school  which  was 
successful  was  erected  about  1818,  near  the 
mills,  now  Union  City.  William  Kelley,  an 
Irishman,  taught  in  it  two  winters.  Daniel 
Sacket,  who  hailed  from  the  East,  taught 
there  in  1825,  and  from  that  date  schools  were 
frequeni.  In  the  fall  of  1835,  a  second  house 
was  built,  two  and  one-half  miles  distant, 
where  David  Wilson  taught  for  four   winters. 

Smith's  quarry,  a  mile  north  of  the  bor- 
ough, on  the  Wattsburg  road,  and  Wellman's, 
in  the  Carroll  settlement,  near  the  LeBceuf 
line,  are  the  only  ones  in  the  township. 

EARLY    SETTLER.S. 

'1  ho  first  settler  in  Union  townshp  was 
Hugh  Wilson,  from  the  North  of  Ireland,  who 
came  early  in  1797  and  was  joined  the  follow- 
ing year  by  Andrew  Thompson,  wife  and 
four  children,  Matthew  Gray,  wife  and  son 
Francis  B.,  and  Robert  Smith.  Jacob  Shep- 
pard,  from  the  Susquehanna  valley,  went  in 
during  the  year  1708,  but  left  and  did  not  re- 
turn until  1820.  About  the  same  time  that 
Sheppard  first  came,  John  Wilson,  father  of 
Hugh,  arrived  direct  from  Ireland,  with  two 
grown  daughters.  Jolin  Fagan,  from  Frank- 
lin county,  settled  on  the  Russell  Church  farm 
about  1798,  but  changed  to  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship in  1808  or  1804.  William  Miles  and  his 
family  moved  over  from  what  is  now  Con- 
cord in  1800,  and  were  followed  by  Miles' 
brother-in-law, \\'illiam  Cook,  with  his  family, 
in  1801.  During  the  latter  year,  the  settlement 
was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  Abel  K. 
Thompson,  with  five  sons  and  two  daughters, 
and  of  Ferdinand  Carroll  and  family  from  Ire- 
land.    From  that  date  to  1816,  it  does  not  ap- 


pear that  any  permanent  acquisitions  took 
place,  but  in  the  latter  year  James  Smiley 
with  his  wife  and  six  children  were  added  to 
the  colony.  Of  later  settlers,  Richard  Shreve 
made  his  location  in  1820;  Levi  Barnes  and 
Abram  Emerson  in  1821,  and  Daniel  Dun- 
ham in  188(3.  Mr,  Shreve  had  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Crawford  county,  and  iMessrs.  Barnes, 
Emerson  and  Dunham  were  from  the  interior 
of  New  York.  Matthew  Gray  founded  the 
first  tannery.  Mr.  Smilej'  had  charge  of 
Miles'  mill  for  many  years.  The  colonists 
were  few  until  1830.  Most  of  the  families 
now  in  the  township  came  after  that  year. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  John  Wilson, 
father  of  Hugh,  who  departed  this  life  in  June, 

1799.  The  first  child  was  Martha,  daughter 
of  Hugii   Wilson  and  wife,  born  August   18, 

1800.  The  first  marriage,  and  the  first  in  the 
south  part  of  the  county,  was  that  of  William 
Smith  and  Elizabeth  Wilson,  in  1799,  and  the 
second  that  of  Thomas  King  and  Sarah  Wil- 
son in  1800,  both  ladies  being  daughters  of 
John  Wilson.  Mrs.  Smith,  ?iee  Elizabeth 
Wilson,  died  August  (5,  1875,  in  Wayne  town- 
ship, at  the  age  of  99  years,  being  the 
fourth  oldest  woman  who  has  lived  in  the 
count}-.  Hugh  Wilson  was  one  of  the  first 
Justices  of  the  Peace  in  Erie  county.  He 
was  commissioned  by  Governor  McKean  in 
1808,  and  held  the  office  till  1810  or  1817. 
While  he  held  the  ]5osition,  he  officiated  at 
most  of  the  marriages  in  that  part  of  the 
county. 

PUBLIC    OFFICERS. 

Union  City  and  Union  township  have  fur- 
nished the  following  county  officers  :  Sheriff, 
F.  E,  Staples,  January  1,  1880,  to  Januarv  1, 
1883.  County'Treasurer,  W.  O.  IBIack,  De- 
cember 20,  1800,  to  December  28,  1862;  C. 
W .  Keller,  December  20,  1800,  to  March  10, 
1870,  when  he  resigned.  County  Commis- 
sioner, Robert  Grav,  1843  to  1846;  William 
Putnam,  1858  to  1861  ;  A.  O.  Gillett,  elected 
in  1884;  Clinton  B.  Smith,  elected  in  1893. 
Jury  Commissioner,  P.  G.  Stranahan,  1807  to 
"1870;  James  D.  Phillips,  1882  to  February, 
1884  (resigned)  ;  G.  G.  Smith  (appointed  by 
the  Court  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Mr. 
Phillips),  February,  1884,  to  January,  1885. 
County  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools, 
Charles  Twining,  1878  to  1884.  Director  of 
the  Poor,  Andrew  Thompson,  1865  to   1870; 


*i;^ ,  ^J:/^^^2s^^L- 


AND  EISTOBIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


355 


M.  B.  Chamberlain,  1873  to  1876  ;  Jefferson 
Triscuit,  1878  to  1885.  County  Surveyor, 
David  Wilson,  1852  to  1854.  County  Audi- 
tors, Robert  Gray,  1852  to  1856;  Thomas 
Woods,  18G9  to  1872.  County  Detective, 
Daniel  Mitchell,  January,  1876,  to  January, 
1879.  Mercantile  Appraiser,  John  C.  Mc- 
Lean, 1888  and  '89. 

James  Miles,  who  left  Union  to  make  his 
home  at  the  mouth  of  Elk  creek  in  1832,  was 
a  County  Commissioner  from  1835  to  1838 
and  an  Associate  Judge  from  1851  to  1856. 
Newton  T.  Hume,  County  Treasurer  from 
January  1,  1875,  to  January  1,  1878,  though 
elected  from  Wattsburg,  was  long  a  resident 
of  Union  City.  Joseph  Sill  was  Assistant 
Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue  under  the  Uni- 
ted States  Government  for  several  years. 


BOROUGH    OF   UNION    CITY. 
[see  union  township.] 

The  borough  of  Union  City  stands  upon 
both  sides  of  the  South  branch  of  French 
creek,  very  nearly  in  the  center  of  Union 
township,  at  a  distance  of  twenty-seven  miles 
by  railroad  southeast  from  the  water's  edge  at 
Erie.  The  settlement  was  first  given  the 
name  of  Miles'  Mills,  which  was  changed  to 
Union  Mills  in  1863,  when  it  was  created  a 
borough,  and  finally  to  Union  City  July  4, 
1871.  The  earliest  buildings  were  erected  on 
the  flat  land,  in  the  valley  of  the  creek,  imme- 
diately around  the  mills,  from  which  point 
the  town  has  spread  to  the  ridges  north  and 
south.  The  Philadelphia  and  Erie  and  New 
York,  Pa.  and  Ohio  R.  R.'s  botli  pass  tlirough 
the  borough.  Its  population  was  1,500  in 
1870,  2,171  in  1880  and  2,261  in  1890.  The 
borough  is  divided  into  the  First  and  Second 
election  districts. 

l-OUNDER    OF    THE    TOWN. 

The  founder  of  Union  City  was  William 
Miles,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  was  brought 
to  this  country  when  8  years  of  age,  his 
parents  settling  in  the  eastern  part  of  Penn- 
.sylvania.  While  quite  young  he  volunteered 
as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution,  was  stationed 
at  Freeland's  fort  in  Northumberland  county, 
which  was  attacked  and  captured  in  1778  by 
the  Indian  allies  of  the  British,  was  sent  to 
Quebec  as  a  prisoner  of   war,  and    was    kept 


there  in  dreary  confinement  for  the  long  term 
of  five  years,  or  until  our  National  Indepen- 
dence was  acknowledged.  The  father  of  Mr. 
Miles  was  killed  in  the  fight.  On  his  release 
William  Miles  returned  to  the  Susquehanna 
valley,  and  in  1785  surveyed  the  Tenth 
Donation  district,  extending  from  near  Water- 
ford  borough  to  the  Warren  county  line,  and 
then  returned  east.  He  again  came  w'est  in 
1795  and  located  in  what  is  now  Concord 
township.  In  1796  Mr.  Miles  made  a  clearing 
and  built  a  storehouse  at  Wattsburg.  where 
for  some  years  an  extensive  trade  was  carried 
on  in  furs  and  supplies.  In  1800  he  moved 
his  family  to  Union,  where  he  commenced  the 
erection  of  a  grist  and  sawmill  combined, 
completing  it  in  1801.  The  mill  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1802,  rebuilt  in  1803  and 
again  burned  at  a  comparatively  recent  date, 
when  it  had  become  known  as  Cinirch's  mill. 
Added  to  his  other  business,  Mr.  Miles  cleared 
a  great  deal  of  land,  opened  roads,  secured  a 
mail  route,  and  had  a  postoffice  established, 
with  himself  as  Postmaster.  In  1822  he  es- 
tablished a  gristmill  and  sawmill  at  Watts- 
burg, and  in  1828  laid  out  that  town,  naming 
it  after  his  wife's  father,  David  Watts,  sr.,  of 
Carlisle.  Mr.  Miles  died  in  Girard  township 
in  1846  at  the  age  of  87.  William  Cook  fol- 
lowed Mr.  Miles  to  Union  with  iiis  family  in 
1801,  where  he  died  in  1830.  He  had  been  a 
surgeon  in  the  Revolutionary  army. 

A    PROSPEROUS    CAREER. 

Previous  to  18.55  the  settlement  consisted 
of  but  a  few  buildings  surrounding  the  mills, 
and  gave  no  promise  of  the  bright  future  that 
proved  to  be  in  store  for  it.  In  that  year  H. 
L.  Church,  A.  L.  Summerton  and  D.  M.  Mc- 
Leod  moved  over  from  Warren,  rebuilt  the 
mills,  started  a  store  and  sold  some  lots.  A 
town  was  laid  out  by  David  Wilson  under 
the  patronage  of  James  (a  son  of  William) 
Miles — who  owned  much  of  the  property- — 
which  included  only  a  trifling  part  of  the 
present  borough.  About  1856  Mr.  Summer- 
ton  surveyed  the  plat  since  known  as  Sum- 
merton Hill.  Prior  to  that,  in  1852,  James 
Miles  had  been  made  a  director  of  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Erie  R.  R.,  and  by  his  influence 
the  route  was  carried  to  Union  instead  of  by 
way  of  Wattsburg.  In  1858,  the  road  was 
opened  to  I'nion.  In  1859,  P.  G.  Stranahan, 
who  had  been  a  farmer  and   hotel-keeper   on 


356 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


the  Moravian  flats  in  LeBcEuf,  purchased  the 
Miles  homestead,  laid  out  an  addition  to  the 
town  on  the  south  side,  and  sold  off  a  large 
number  of  lots,  continuing  to  make  additions 
and  sales  for  ten  years.  The  Atlantic  and 
Great  Western  R.R.  being  built  through  Union 
in  1862,  gave  increased  value  to  property  on 
that  side  of  the  town,  and  in  1865  James  Sill, 
P.  G.  Stranahan  and  Joseph  Sill  bought  and 
laid  out  the  Black  farm  into  lots.  In  1866, 
James  Sill  purchased  the  Tourtellott  farm,  on 
the  north  side,  and  in  1878,  E.  W.  Hatch  the 
Smiley  farm,  adjoining,  both  of  which  were 
surveyed  and  a  large  number  of  lots  sold. 
Another  addition  was  made  by  T.  B.  Shreve, 
south  of  the  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  R.  R., 
about  the  latter  year. 

THE  OIL  ERA. 

The  first  strong  impulse  was  given  to 
Union  by  the  opening  of  the  Philadelphia  and 
Erie  R.  R.,  and  this  circumstance  was  followed 
by  another  in  the  summer  of  1859,  which  may- 
be said  to  have  been  the  making  of  the  town. 
•This  was  no  less  an  event  than  the  develop- 
ment of  natural  oil  as  an  article  of  commerce  at 
Titusville.  In  1862,  three  oil  refineries  and 
several  large  cooper  shops  were  running  to 
their  fullest  capacity.  The  completion  of  the 
Oil  Creek  R.  R.  during  the  latter  year  gave  a 
sudden  check  to  this  thrifty  condition  of 
affairs,  by  doing  away  with  the  hauling  by 
wagons  and  diverting  the  oil  traffic  to  Corry. 
The  town  had  a  live  population,  however,  and 
gradually  picked  up  again.  In  the  fall  of 
1870,  Woods  &  Johnson  started  the  largest 
barrel  factory  that  had  then  been  built  upon 
the  continent.  In  1865,  James  Sill  and  P.  G. 
Stranahan  originated  the  Union  and  Titusville 
R.  R.  It  was  not  completed,  however,  till 
February,  1871,  after  the  oil  center  had 
changed  from  Titusville,  and  never  realized  the 
hopes  of  its  projectors.  The  road  was  operated 
for  several  years  and  finally  abandoned. 

While  upon  the  subject  of  oil,  it  may  be 
stated  that  for  many  years — commencing  long 
before  Drake's  discovery  at  Titusville — the 
fluid  was  gathered  on  the  banks  of  the  creek 
at  Union.  The  most  prolific  yield  was  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill,  below  the  Stranahan  resi- 
dence. A  well  was  sunk  there  about  1859,  to 
a  depth  of  100  feet,  and  deepened  to  900  feet 
in  1864,  and  other  wells  were  put  down  along 
the  stream. 


CHURCHES  AND  CEMETERIES. 

Union  City  contains  Presbyterian,  Method- 
ist, Baptist,  Episcopal,  Catholic  and  United 
Brethren  church  buildings. 

The  Presbyterian  congregation  was  organ- 
ized with  nine  members,  by  Rev.  John 
Matthews  in  1811.  The  first  church  building 
was  erected  in  1831,  on  a  lot  donated  by  Will- 
iam Miles,  who  also  contributed  fifty  dollars; 
and  the  present  one,  which  cost  if  12,000,  was 
dedicated  February  24,  1874.  The  sheds  were 
built  in  1875,  and  a  fine  chapel,  the  gift  of 
Mrs.  Jane  Gray,  widow  of  Robert  Gray,  was 
added  in  1879.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gray  weVe  the 
only  original  members  who  lived  to  worship 
in  the  new  church. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  congregation 
was  organized  by  Rev.  Ira  Eddy  in  1817,  and 
had  Rev.  John  P.  Bent  as  its  first  pastor.  The 
first  church  was  built  in  1847,  and  the  second 
and  present  one  in  18(52,  costing  !i!l0,000.  A 
movement  is  in  progress  to  secure  a  new  and 
better  building. 

St.  Teresa's  Catholic  Church  was  organ- 
ized about  1857.  Catholic  families  settled  in 
Union  about  1854,  and  were  attended  for 
several  years  from  Pittsburg.  Father  Emer- 
and,  O.  S.  B.,  held  services  for  several  years. 
At  the  opening  of  the  rebellion,  he  enlisted  as 
Chaplain  of  a  regiment  under  General  Rose- 
crans  and  was  killed  in  service.  Rev.  T. 
Lonnergan.  of  Corry,  took  charge  of  the  con- 
gregation in  1860,  and  under  efforts  put  forth 
by  him  a  church  was  immediately  built.  The 
parochial  school  was  built  in  1866  and  enlarged 
in  1875,  and  the  parochial  residence  was  erect- 
ed in  1874.  The  school  has  an  average  at- 
tendance of  seventy.  It  is  in  charge  of  the 
Sisters  of  St.  Joseph.  Attached  to  the  church 
is  St.  Teresa's  Academy  and  Convent.  Rev. 
David  Hanley  is  the  present  rector. 

The  Baptist  Church  was  formed  with 
eleven  members  in  August,  1859,  by  the  with- 
drawal of  members  residing  in  Union  City  and 
vicinity  from  the  Wattsburg  Baptist  Church. 
In  1862  Rev.  A.  D.  Bush  accepted  a  call  to 
the  pastorate,  under  whose  labors  a  meeting- 
house was  erected. 

The  United  Brethren  society  was  organ- 
ized about  1872,  succeeding  an  old  class  which 
formerly  met  at  Kimball's  Hill,  two  miles 
northwest  from  the  borough.     Services   were 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUJSTY. 


357 


held  in  the  Presbyterian  church  until  1876, 
when  a  church  was  erected. 

The  first  Episcopal  services  were  held  in 
18G6,  in  the  old  town  hall,  and  continued  in 
various  places  for  many  years.  A  building 
lot  was  bought  in  1877,  and  the  foundation 
for  the  present  site  laid  in  1888.  The  build- 
ing was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Whitehead  on 
St.  Matthew's  day,  vSeptember  21,  1893.  On 
April  3,  1894,  the  mission  became  a  regularly- 
organized  parish,  connected  with  the  diocese 
of  Pittsburg. 

Evergreen  cemetery,  the  principal  burying 
place  of  town  and  township,  is  a  piece  of  high, 
dry,  gravelly  ground,  on  the  Concord  road, 
near  the  southeast  edge  of  the  borough.  It 
%vas  originated  by  David  Wilson,  who  laid 
out  the  plat  and  was  the  first  President  of  the 
company.  The  cemetery  was  dedicated  in 
September,  18(55. 

The  Catiiolic  cemetery,  near  the  other, 
was  consecrated  about  1860,  and  embraces 
about  two  and  a  half  acres. 

The  soldiers'  monument  in  Evergreen  cem- 
etery was  dedicated  on  May  30,  1884. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

The  earliest  newspaper  in  the  town  was 
the  Union  Mills  Bulletin,  started  by  William 
C  Jackson  in  1865,  and  continued  by  him  for 
one  year,  when  the  office  was  purchased  by 
H.  G.  Pratt  and  Fi.  Burrington,  who  changed 
the  name  to  the  Star.  These  gentlemen  held 
out  for  about  a  year  and  then  moved  to  Corry, 
where  the  establishment  was  merged  with  the 
Republican.  The  to^vn  was  without  a  jour- 
nal until  November,  1870,  when  the  Union 
City  Times  appeared  with  Robert  Troup  as 
editor.  The  Times  was  printed  in  the  Dis- 
patch office  at  Erie  for  about  two  years.  In 
August,  1873,  H.  D.  Persons  and  L.  B. 
Thompson  bought  the  office,  taking  possession 
September  1  ;  six  months  afterward,  Mr. 
Thompson  retired  from  the  firm.  Mr.  Per- 
sons continued  the  management  until  the 
spring  of  1875.  By  an  arrangement  with  the 
owners  of  the  Corry  Republican  the  two 
offices  were  moved  to  Erie  May  1,  1875,  and 
their  material  was  used  in  the  publication  of 
the  Argus,  which  had  a  brief  but  brilliant 
career.  After  the  failure  of  the  Argus,  Mr. 
Persons  took  his  office  back  to  Union  and  re- 
established the  l^iines  on  the  12th  of  August, 
1875,     The  establishment  was  purchased   by 


Dr.  D.  P.  Robbins  in  November,  1877,  who 
leased  it  to  McLean  &  Moore  November,  1879. 
In  May,  1880,  Mr.  Moore  sold  his  interest  to 
A.  F.  Moses,  who  in  turn  conveyed  it  a  year 
later  to  J.  C.  McLean  and  W.  G.  Lefevre. 
It  was  then  published  under  the  name  of  the 
Times  Publishing  Company  until  May,  1882, 
when  F.  E.  &  J.  C.  McLean  became  sole 
proprietors,  and  have  continued  ever  since. 
The  office  was  burned  out  in  the  great  fire  of 
April  24,  1879,  and  was  replaced  by  Dr.  Rob- 
bins  in  two  weeks — a  splendid  piece  of  enter- 
prise for  the  time. 

In  February,  1875,  Mr.  L.  B.  Thompson 
moved  the  Enterprise  from  Waterford  to 
Union  City,  and  issued  it  until  June  of  the 
same  year,  when  it  was  bought  by  Pratt  Bros. 
&  Hubbard.  Mr.  Hubbard  soon  retired  from 
the  firm,  and  Pratt  Bros,  continued  the  paper 
at  Union  until  November,  1877,  when  the 
office  was  moved  to  Corry  and  used  as  the 
basis  of  the  Corry  Herald. 

The  Union  City  Advertiser  was  begun  in 
the  summer  of  1874,  by  Hildreth,  Young  & 
Co.,  to  give  publicity  to  their  photocrome 
business.  The  work  was  done  in  the  Water- 
ford  Enterprise  office,  and  shortly  after  the 
removal  of  that  paper  to  Lfnion  Citv,  as  above 
stated,  the  Advertiser  was  discontinued. 

Early  in  1879,  M.  H.  Fenno  started  an 
edition  of  the  Corry  Herald  for  Union  circu- 
lation, calling  it  by  the  name  of  the  Record. 
Its  list  was  purchased  by  F.  E.  McLean  in 
November,  1879,  and  combined  with  that  of 
the   Times. 

FIRES    AND    FLOODS. 

The  most  extensive  fire  that  Union  has 
known  broke  out  in  the  Stranahan  Block 
about  half-past  3  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
April  24,  1879,  and  swept  down  both  sides  of 
Main  street  to  the  creek,  destroying  buildings 
and  goods  estimated  to  be  worth  $75,00(1,  not 
more  than  half  of  which  was  covered  \vith  in- 
surance. The  burnt  district  was  rebuilt  with 
a  better  class  of  structures  than  before. 

The  next  great  fire  occurred  on  IMonday 
night,  the  24th  of  July,  1882,  and  destroyed 
property  to  the  value  of  $50,(K)0.  It  origi- 
nated in  the  boiler-house  of  Hineman  & 
Cheney's  chair  and  furniture  factory,  and 
burned  down  eight  buildings,  besides  damag- 
ing two  others.  The  insurance  was  not  much 
more  than  one-fourth  of  the  loss. 


35S 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Another  fire  on  the  evening  of  Wednes- 
day, May  28,  1884,  burned  down  a  row  of 
frame  buildings  adjoining  the  Johnson  House, 
occupied  by  seven  business  firms.  The  loss 
was  about  $12,000. 

The  fourth  great  fire  occurred  on  the  after- 
noon of  January  9,  1895,  and  destroyed  prop- 
erty estimated  to  be  worth  127,000,  on  which 
there  was  an  insurance  of  about  $13,000.  It 
started  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Cooper 
block. 

Lhiion  City  was  visited  by  a  destructive 
flood  on  the  4th  of  February,  1882.  Another 
followed  in  June,  1892,  which  was  the  most 
disastrous  in  the  history  of  the  borough.  The 
track  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  was 
badly  cut  up  between  Corry  and  LeBoeuf  Sta- 
tion, numerous  bridges  were  injured  or  de- 
stroyed, and  portions  of  the  low  lands  in  the 
borough  were  overflowed,  inflicting  immense 
damage.  The  flood  of  the  latter  year  extend- 
ed over  a  large  portion  of  the  State,  being  due 
to  heavy  and  long  continued  rains. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  first  successful  school  was  established 
about  1820,  in  a  building  which  stood  on  High 
street.  The  first  tavern  was  opened  by  David 
Jones  in  1829.  The  first  store  was  started  in 
185^1  by  Fleming  &  Brewster,  of  Erie.  The 
old  portion  of  the  .Stranahan  residence  was 
built  by  William  Miles  in  1828. 

A  tavern  was  built  in  1832,  near  the  Miles 


mills,  by  Asa  Walton  and  Washington  Web- 
ber. The  property  was  purchased  in  1838  by 
Capt.  A.  Tourtellot,  who  rebuilt  the  house. 
D.  Dunham  &  Sons  started  a  tannerj'  in  183(), 
and  continued  until  1871. 

Union  City  has  an  ususual  number  of  man- 
ufacturing establishments  for  a  place  of  the 
size,  nearly  all  of  which  have  been  prosperous. 

The  borough  has  suffered  severely  fiom 
bank  failures,  but  the  energy  ot  the  citizens 
has  enabled  them  to  overcome  these  misfor- 
tunes as  well  as  the  fires  and  floods. 

The  date  of  organization  of  some  of  the 
secret  societies  was  as  follows  : 

Eureka  Lodge  No.  8(36,  F.  and  A.  M.,  in 
1865. 

Clement  Lodge  No.  280,  I.  O.  O.  F..  Au- 
gust 26,  1871. 

Nineveh  Encampment  No.  248,  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  May  18,  1874. 

LTnion  City  Grange  No.  89,  June  29,  1874. 

Israel  Lodge  No.  50,  Knights  of  Honor, 
December  11,  1874. 

Jno.  W.  McLane  Post  No.  102,  G.  A.  R., 
Tune  24,  1876. 

Union  City  Lodge  No.  1015,  I.  O.  G.  T., 
February  27,  1878. 

Banner  Union  No.  12,  E.  A.  U.,  August 
22,  1879. 

Union  Council  No.  198,  R.  A.,  May  3, 
1880. 

Star  Council  No.  58,  R.  T.  of  T.,  August 
5,  1880. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 


VENANGO   TOWNSHIP— BOROUGH   OF   WATTSBURG. 


THE  name  of  Venango  river  was  given 
by  the  French  to  the  stream  afterward 
called  by  the  English  and  still  known 
as  French  creek.  It  is  a  corruption  of 
the  Indian  word  Innungah,  which  is 
said  to  have  been  the  Indian  term  for  the 
stream.  Venango  was  one  of  the  original 
townships  of  the  county,  and  has  been  known 
by  the  same  title  from  the  beginning.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Greenfield,  on  the 
east  by  French  Creek  township,  Chautauqua 
county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  south  by  Amity,  and 
on  the  west  by  Greene.  The  township  has 
regular  lines,  and  is  nearly  square,  having 
a  width  of  about  six  and  a  quarter  miles  by  a 
breadth  of  seven.  The  population  was  490  in 
1820,  683  in  1880,  812  in  1840,  1,019  in  1850, 
1,301  in  1860.  1,650  in  1870,  1,445  in  1880, 
and  1,351  in  1890.  The  east  line  of  Venango, 
Greenfield  and  North  East  townships  forms 
the  boundary  between  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York,  which  is  exactly  on  a  parallel  with  the 
western  extremity  of  Lake  Ontario.  The 
south  line  of  Venango  is  a  part  of  the  original 
northern  boundary  of  the  commonwealth. 
The  villages  are  Lowville  and  Phillipsville, 
both  of  which  have  postoffices.  The  highest 
point  in  Erie  county  is  said  to  be  in  Venango 
township,  near  the  Greenfield  and  New  York 
lines.  The  only  postoffice  outside  of  the 
above  is  Lake  Pleasant,  near  the  lake  of  the 
same  name. 

FIRST    SETTLEMENTS. 

The  first  white  man  who  is  known  to  have 
visited  Venango  township  was  William  Miles, 
who  came  out  as  a  surveyor  with  David 
Watts  in  1785,  fell  in  love  with  the  flats  at 
the  junction  of  the  East  and  West  branches, 
and  returning  in  1795  took  up  1,400  acres, 
including  the  site  of  Wattsburg.  He  was  fol- 
lowed in  1796  by  Adam  Reed  and  his  son 
James,  who  located  400  acres  on  the  East 
branch,  and  at  a    later  period    built    the  first 


gristmill  in  the  township.  Thomas  Smith  set- 
tled in  Lowville  in  the  same  year,  and  was  soon 
followed  by  Burrell  and  Zalmon  Tracy.  In 
1797  John  and  David  Phillips  became  possessed 
of  1,100  acres  on  which  Phillipsville  now 
stands.  In  1798  William  Allison  and  wife,  from 
Northumberland  county,  with  their  son  James, 
a  boy  of  three  years,  settled  near  Lake  Pleas- 
ant. From  that  time  to  1800  a  number  of 
colonists  went  in  whose  names  will  be  found 
in  the  list  of  taxables  further  on.  In  1822, 
Lowville  was  settled  by  Samuel  Low  and  his 
brother-in-law.  Dr.  Wright,  both  from  Gene- 
see county,  Ne\v  York.  Timothy  Butler  and 
father  from  Onondaga  county.  New  York, 
made  their  settlements  in  1816,  John  R.  Smith 
about  1826,  David  Bailey  in  1828,  and  Dr.  D. 
T.  Bennett,  from  Delaware  countv,New  York, 
in  1829.  William  Blore,  the  Chapins,  the  Ti- 
tuses,  and  others  took  up  their  residence  in  the 
township  in  1830.  The  Norcrosses  and  the 
Davisons,  who  had  located  on  the  highlands 
west  of  Lake  Pleasant,  changed  to  Mill  Creek. 
John  Warren,  another  of  the  early  settlers, 
moved  to  Erie  in  1810.  During  the  interval 
between  1810  and  1820  there  was  little  in- 
crease ;  but  about  the  latter  year  a  new  popu- 
lation, mainlv  from  New  York,  commenced 
going  in,  whose  descendants  generally  re- 
main. 

The  taxable  citizens  of  the  township  in  1800 
were  as  follows  :  William  Allison,  Hezekiah 
Barker,  Philo  Barker,  Henry  Bontz.  John 
Boyd,  John  Carnahan,  William  Carnahan, 
Thomas  Carnahan,  John  Clark,  Thomas  Da- 
vison, sr.,  Francis,  Robert,  George,  Arthur 
and  Thomas  Davison,  jr.,  John  and  William 
Dickson.  Bailey,  John  and  James  Donaldson, 
John  Dickson,  jr.,  Samuel  and  Stuart  Hender- 
son, Stephen  Hazleton,  James  and  John  Hun- 
ter, Thomas  Hinton,  jr.,  Robert  and  Wilson 
Johnston,  John  B.  Jones,  Caleb  Lyon.  David 
McNair,  Joseph  McGahen,  William  Miles, 
Barnabus  McCue,    Andrew    Norcross,  John, 


360 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


James  M.  and  David  Phillips,  Thomas  Pren- 
tice, James  Perry,  James  M.,  Thomas  E.  and 
Robert  R.  Reed,  Ralph  SpafFord,  Thomas, 
Samuel  and  John  Smith,  Benjamin  Saxton, 
Zalmon  and  Burrill  Tracy,  Nathaniel  Wilson, 
John  Warren  and  John  Yost.  In  1817,  Will- 
iam Miles  was  assessed  for  2,400  acres  in 
Venango  township,  most  of  which  were  at 
Wattsburg  and  Lowville.  They  were  valued 
for  taxable  purposes  at  |3,400. 

The  first  child  was  Robert,  son  of  William 
Allison  and  wife,  who  was  born  in  1799,  soon 
after  his  parents  moved  into  the  township. 
The  first  death  was  that  of  Adam  Reed,  in 
1805.  Samuel  Henderson  came  with  William 
Miles  from  Carlisle  in  1795.  He  and  his 
brother,  Stuart,  located  400  acres  of  land  in 
the  spring  of  1798,  and  then  went  to  Fayette 
county  and  married. 

SOLDIERS     IN    THE    WAR   OF     1812-14. 

Below  is  the  muster  roll  of  Co.  E  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-sixth  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Militia,  at  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war  of  1812:  Captain,  William  Dickson; 
Lieutenant,  Robert  Davison  ;  Ensign,  Thomas 
Davison  ;  Sergeants,  Arthur  Davison,  John 
Dickson,  David  Phillips;  privates,  James 
Donaldson,  David  McNair,  Bailey  Donald- 
son, Thomas  Johnson,  John  Hunter,  Samuel 
Smith,  George  Davison,  John  B.  Jones, 
John  Smith,  James  Smith,  James  White, 
Thomas  Prentice,  Samuel  Henderson,  Thomas 
Henton,  Griffith  Henton,  William  Henton, 
Zalmon  Tracy,  Burrill  Tracy,  Thomas  E. 
Reed.  Capt.  Dickson  moved  from  the  county 
in  April,  1813,  and  Lieut.  Davison  assumed 
command,  continuing  during  the  war.  The 
company  was  called  out  in  June,  181B,  and 
for  some  time  guarded  the  shipyards  at  the 
mouth  of  Cascade  creek,  where  Perry's  fleet 
was  building.  They  remained  until  the  fleet 
sailed  and  were  then  sent  home,  but  were 
ordered  into  service  again  when  the  news 
came  in  January,  1814,  that  the  British  had 
taken  Buffalo. 

STATE    AND    COUNTY    OFFICERS. 

The  list  of  citizens  of  Venango  who  have 
held  State  and  county  positions  is  as  follows  : 
Canal  Commissioner,  John  Phillips,  1826  to 
1829.  Assembly,  John  Phillips,  1809,  1810, 
1811,    1812    and    1824;     Wareham     Warner, 


1856  and  1857.  Prothonotary,  Giles  D.  Price, 
December  28,  1875,  to  January  1,  1882. 
Sheriff,  M.  V.  B.  Gifford,  elected  1885.  Clerk 
of  the  Courts,  Charles  L.  Pierce,  November 
20,  1867,  to  November  14,  1873.  County 
Treasurer,  John  Warren,  1817  ;  elected  from 
Erie,  where  he  had  moved.  County  Com- 
missioners, John  Phillips,  1804  to  1807  ;  Sam- 
uel Low,  1836  to  1840,  elected  from  Harbor 
Creek,  where  he  moved  in  1834;  Jacob 
Fritts,  1860  to  1868  ;  Daniel  W.  Titus,"  1875 
to  1881.  Clerk  to  County  Commissioners, 
Giles  D.  Price,  chosen  in  January,  1883. 
Countv  Auditors,  Samuel  Low,  1832  ;  Daniel 
W.  Titus,  1872;  C.  R.  Gray,  1878  to  1881.  Mr. 
Price  served  about  four  years  as  Deputy  Col- 
lector of  the  United  States  at  Erie,  and  was 
prominently  named  as  a  candidate  for  Audi- 
tor General  and  State  Treasurer  on  the  Re- 
publican State  ticket. 

MAIN    PUBLIC    ROADS. 

The  chief  avenues  of  Venango  township 
are  the  Erie  and  Wattsburg  plank  road  ;  the 
old  Erie  and  Wattsburg  road  by  the  way  of 
Phillipsville.  which  branches  off  from  the 
former  at  the  Siegel  farm  in  Greene  township  ; 
the  Wattsburg  and  North  East,  up  the  West 
branch  and  through  Greenfield ;  the  Water- 
ford  and  North  East,  through  Phillipsville 
and  Colt's  Station  ;  the  Erie  and  Lake  Pleas- 
ant, by  way  of  French  creek  and  the  lake  ; 
the  Wattsburg  and  New  York,  up  the  East 
branch  to  Clymer  and  Sherman  ;  the  Union 
and  W^attsburg  ;  the  Wattsburg  and  Corry  ; 
and  the  cross  road  from  A.  N.  Woods'  to 
M.  S.  Rouse's.  The  old  Erie  road  was 
opened  in  1809,  partially  changed  in  1828, 
and  improved  in  1832;  the  Waterford  and 
North  East  in  1804;  and  the  Wattsburg  and 
North  East  in  1798.  The  latter  was  the  route 
for  conveying  goods  between  Lake  Erie  and 
the  Allegheny  until  the  road  was  opened  be- 
tween Presque  Isle  and  Waterford. 

The  Erie  and  Wattsburg  plank  road  was 
commenced  in  1852,  completed  in  1853  and 
abandoned  as  a  toll  road  in  1865,  after  the 
gates  had  been  torn  down  by  a  party  of  indig- 
nant farmers.  The  road  from  Erie  to  Lake 
Pleasant  was  opened  as  far  south  as  the  Mar- 
tin Hayes  place,  in  Greene,  in  1821-22,  and 
completed  to  French  creek  in  1826-27.  From 
Erie  to  Wattsburg  by  the  Lake  Pleasant  road 
is  eighteen  and  three-quarters  miles ;  by  way 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


361 


of  Phillipsville  eighteen  miles,  and  Ly  way  of 
Lowville  twenty  miles,  the  latter  route,  how- 
ever, having  the  advantage  of  better  grades. 
Venango  is  without  a  railroad,  the  nearest 
station  being  at  Union  City.  In  1853,  the 
Erie  City  Railroad  Company  was  chartered  to 
build  a  road  from  the  bay  of  Presque  Isle  to 
the  State  Line,  three  miles  from  Wattsburg, 
where  it  was  to  connect  with  an  extension  of 
the  New  York  and  Erie  from  Jamestown,  N. 
Y.,  giving  a  continuous  route  between  the 
lake  and  the  Atlantic  ocean.  Surveys  were 
made,  but  no  grading  was  ever  done,  and  the 
project  was  finally  given  up.  It  was  at  one 
time  proposed  to  build  the  P.  and  E.  R.  R  by 
way  of  Wattsburg. 

CREEKS,   LAKES   AND   BRIDGES. 

The  township  is  one  of  the  best  watered 
in  the  county.  The  West  branch,  which 
rises  in  Fmdley's  Lake,  N.  Y.,  enters  the  town- 
ship from  Greenfield,  and  crosses  its  entire 
width  from  north  to  south,  past  Lowville  and 
Wattsburg.  The  East  branch  takes  its 
rise  near  Sherman,  N.  Y.,  and  coming 
in  not  far  from  the  southeast  corner,  flows 
in  a  southwestern  course  into  Amity,  where 
the  two  unite  near  the  township  line,  just  out- 
side the  borough  limits  of  Wattsburg.  The 
West  branch  has  a  length  of  about  twelve 
miles  in  Venango,  and  the  East  branch  of 
about  four  miles.  The  tributaries  of  these 
streams  are  as  follows  :  Of  the  West  branch, 
Middlebrook,  Alder  and  Fritts  runs;  of  the 
East  branch,  Stafford  run.  Several  streams 
start  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Venango  and 
unite  with  French  creek  proper  in  Amity. 

Lake  Pleasant,  in  the  extreme  southwestern 
part  of  the  township,  near  the  corners  of  Ve- 
nango, Greene,  Amity  and  Waterford,  is  a 
beautiful  body  of  water,  about  two-thirds  of 
a  mile  long  and  a  third  of  a  mile  wide,  with  a 
depth  of  five  to  fifty  feet.  Its  outlet  is  a  fair- 
sized  stream  that  never  diminishes  except  in 
the  dryest  seasons.  It  falls  into  French  creek 
about    three   miles  south,  in  Amitv  township. 

The  township  owns  one  iron  bridge  over 
the  East  branch  at  the  Tanner  place,  and  a 
covered  wooden  bridge  over  the  West  branch 
at  Lowville.  All  of  the  other  bridges  are 
ordinary  open  wooden  structures.  The  one 
over  the  West  branch  at  Wattsburg  was  tlie 
first  in  the  county.  It  was  built  originallv  by 
the  County  Commissioners. 


LANDS,   MILLS,  ETC. 

The  valleys  of  both  branches  are  quite 
wide,  running  from  a  mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half, 
and  spreading  out  to  about  three  miles  at  Watts- 
burg, wiiere  they  come  together.  Along  Alder 
run,  Middle  brook  and  Stafford  run,  the  flats 
are  from  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  half  mile  in 
width,  and  upon  the  outlet  of  Lake  Pleasant 
they  are  very  similar  to  those  along  the 
branches.  The  value  of  farm  property  is  from 
thirty  to  sixty  dollars  an  acre  in  the  valleys, 
and  from  twenty  to  forty  dollars  in  the  hill 
region.  Most  of  the  marketing  is  done  at 
Wattsburg  and  Lowville. 

The  mills  and  factories  of  Venango  town- 
ship are  as  follows  ;  At  Lowville — a  grist- 
mill, sawmill  and  a  shingle  and  cider-mill. 
The  gristmill  was  built  in  1822,  but  has  been 
twice  remodeled.  In  other  sections — a  saw- 
mill near  Robinson's  Corners  ;  a  saw  and 
shingle-mill  on  the  Clymer  road;  a  cheese 
factory,  a  sawmill  and  a  saw  and  shingle- 
mill  at  Phillipsville.  There  is  a  creamery  just 
outside  of  Wattsburg,  where  much  of  the  milk 
in  the  south  end  of  the  township  is  disposed  of. 

The  last  white  pine  tree  in  the  township 
stood  on  the  Jamestown  road,  about  half  a 
mile  east  of  Wattsburg.  It  was  cut  down  in 
March,  1895.  The  butt  measured  four  feet, 
and  the  rings  indicated  an  age  of  175  years. 
In  early  days  the  country  was  full  of  white 
pine,  cucumber  and  cherry  timber. 

CHURCHES,  GRAVEYARDS  AND  SCHOOLS. 

The  Middlebrook  church,  the  first  house  for 
religious  worship  in  the  county,  stood  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  north  of  Lowville,  along  the 
Wattsburg  and  North  East  road.  The  first 
services,  held  in  August,  1801,  in  the  woods  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  West  branch,  near  a  spring 
on  the  Enos  Mann  place,  were  attended  by 
every  man  and  woman  in  the  township,  the 
young  men  having  previously  cleared  the 
ground  and  provided  a  pulpit  and  seats  by 
chopping  down  and  squaring  the  timber.  At 
their  conclusion,  a  motion  that  a  church  build- 
ing be  erected,  was  eagerly  adopted.  On  the 
next  Thursday,  all  of  the  able-bodied  men  and 
boys  met,  agreed  upon  a  site,  and  put  up 
a  structure — all  within  the  same  day — which, 
though  more  modest  than  modern  churches, 
doubtless  afforded  the  people  as  much  satis- 
faction.   The  first  church  was  replaced  in  1802, 


36: 


NBLSON-S  BIOORAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


by  another  of  more  pretentious  style,  built  of 
hewed  and  split  logs.  vServices  were  regularly 
held  in  this  building  until  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Wattsburg  was  erected,  about  1828, 
when  most  of  the  congregation  drop])cd  oft". 
The  congregation  at  IVIiddlebrook  continued  to 
decline  until  April  30,  1829,  when  it  was  dis- 
solved and  attached  to  the  one  at  Wattsburg. 
In  the  Middlebrook  graveyard  were  interred 
the  bodies  of  many  of  the  foremost  Presby- 
terian pioneers  in  the  county.  Most  of  the 
remains  have  been  taken  up,  and  the  old  bury- 
ing place  is  no  longer  interesting  except  from 
its  associations. 

The  old  building  was  torn  down  soon  after 
the  last  war,  and  some  of  the  logs  were  found 
to  be  perfectly  sound.  Those  that  could  be 
used  were  cut  into  lumber  and  employed  in 
building  the  Moore  schoolhouse  in  Greenfield 
township. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  congregation  at 
Lovvville  was  organized  in  1875,  and  built  its 
house  of  worship  in  1876.  That  of  the  same 
denomination  at  Phillipsville  was  organized 
some  years  prior  to  1848.  The  church  build- 
ing was  erected  in  1862.  on  land  deeded  to 
the  society  by  Norman  Chapin.  The  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  congregation  at  Macedonia  has 
been  in  existence  a  good  many  years.  The 
church  was  built  about  1890. 

The  United  Brethren  have  two  churches — 
one  on  the  Lake  Pleasant  road,  at  the  head  of 
the  lake,  near  the  Greene  township  line,  and 
the  other  about  half  a  mile  north  of  Wick's 
Corners.  The  congregation  first  mentioned 
was  organized  in  1871,  and  put  up  a  building 
in  1872;  the  second  building  was  erected 
about  1890. 

The  Advent  congregation  at  Lowville  has 
been  organized  five  or  six  years,  and  built  a 
church  edifice  in  1893. 

Tiie  cemeteries  and  graveyards  of  the 
township  are  the  Lowville  and  Phillipsville, 
the  old  Butler  burial  ground  on  the  James  W. 
Davis  place  and  some  family  inclosures.  The 
Wattsburg  cemetery  is  also  partly  within  the 
township. 

Not  far  from  the  year  1818,  a  school  was 
held  in  the  dwelling  of  B.  Tracy,  situated 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  east  of  the  present 
borough  of  Wattsburg.  In  the  Phillipsville 
settlement,  about  the  year  1833,  a  frame  school- 
house  was  erected  not  far  from  the  site  of  the 
school   building  now  at  that   village.     A  log 


schoolhouse  had  been  used  from  1828  In 
the  summer  of  1819,  there  was  a  school  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Middlebrook  church. 
Near  the  line  between  Venango  and  (ireen- 
field  townships,  stood  what  was  known  as  the 
Campfield  schoolhouse,  in  which  school  was 
taught  at  periods  during  the  decade  beginning 
with  1822. 

VILLAGES. 

Lowville  is  on  the  ^^\~sl  branch  of  French 
creek,  eighteen  miles  southeast  from  Erie,  and 
two  north  of  Wattsburg.  The  Wattsburg 
plank  road  runs  through  the  place  and  consti- 
tutes its  main  street.  Lowville  is  the  site  of 
the  town  house  of  Venango,  a  frame  building 
built  in  1872.  The  Lowville  cemetery,  a 
tract  of  four  acres,  on  the  bank  of  the  creek, 
contains  some  costly  monuments,  is  neatly  laid 
out  and  carefully  kept.  Lowville  owes  its 
origin  to  the  enterprise  of  Samuel  Low,  who 
moved  there  in  1822  from  Genesee  count)-. 
New  York,  and  established  a  grist  and  saw- 
mill and  a  woolen  factory.  In  1834  he  changed 
to  Harbor  Creek.  Col.  Wareham  Warner  car- 
ried on  a  tannery  at  Lowville  with  success  for 
some  years,  but  abandoned  it  about  1860  or 
1861. 

Phillipsville  was  founded  by  Gen.  John 
Phillips,  who  opened  a  tavern  about  1810  on 
the  Waterford  and  North  East  road,  a  few 
rods  west  of  the  corners.  The  village  is 
fourteen  miles  from  Erie  and  four  from  Watts- 
burg, at  the  crossing  of  the  Waterford  and 
North  East  road  by  the  old  Erie  and  Watts- 
burg road. 

RECOLLECTIONS    OF    A    NATIVE. 

The  following  interesting  reminiscences 
were  contributed  by  James  D.  Phillips,  a  son 
of  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Venango  township  : 

"  Thomas  Phillips,  with  his  sons  John, 
David  and  Thomas,  jr.,  and  his  daughters 
Lienor,  Hannah  and  Polly,  moved  from  North- 
umberland county,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year 
1797.  John  Phillips  took  up  1,400  acres  of 
land,  Thomas,  sr.,  200,  and  David  200  acres. 
Messrs.  Yost,  Donaldson  and  others  followed 
about  the  same  period.  James  Phillips,  son 
of  Thomas,  sr.,  and  brother  to  John,  David 
and  Thomas,  jr.,  moved  from  Lancaster  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  in  1827.      *     *     * 

"John  Phillips  was  Paymaster  General  in 
the  war  of   1812,  under   Gen.   Harrison.     He 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


363 


received  his  money,  to  pay  off  the  army,  in 
silver  at  Pittsburg,  and  carried  it  through  the 
wilderness  to  Fort  Meigs  on  pack-horses.  He 
served  for  years  as  the  Representative  of  this 
county  in  the  Legislature  ;  afterward,  he  was 
appointed  Canal  Commissioner  of  the  State, 
and  subsequently  was  appointed  and  served 
as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several  years.  He 
died  in  the  fall  of  1846. 

"  The  first  postoffice  at  Phillipsville  was 
established  in  1829,  James  Phillips,  being 
appointed  postmaster.  A  post  route  was  es- 
tablished from  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  via  Phillips- 
ville, to  Erie.  The  mail  was  carried  on  foot 
from  Jamestown  to  Erie,  with  nothing  from 
Phillipsville  to  Mill  Creek  township  to  mark 
the  way  through  the  wilderness  except  blazed 
trees.  The  county  at  that  time  was  a  iiome 
for  bear,  wolves  and  deer. 

"  Levi  Butler  and  sons  Jackson  and  Tim- 
othj',  from  Onondaga,  X.  Y.,  made  their 
.settlement  in  1828-2U." 


BOROUGH  OF  WATTSBURG. 

[see    VENANGO.] 

The  first  clearing  at  Wattsburg  was  made 
in  1796  by  William  Miles,  who  built  a  store- 
house as  a  depot  of  supplies  for  the  surround- 
ing countrv  and  for  the  purchase  of  furs.  At 
that  time  the  headquarters  of  the  Population 
Company  were  at  Colt's  Station,  and  all  the 
trade  between  the  lake  and  the  Allegheny  was 
carried  on  in  canoes  up  and  down  French 
creek.  The  first  road  was  opened  to  North 
East,  by  way  of  Greenfield,  in  1798.  In  1809, 
through  the  persuasion  of  Mr.  Miles  and  others, 
the  county  opened  a  road  from  Erie  to  the 
forks  of  French  creek,  as  the  site  was  then 
called,  which,  in  general,  followed  the  route 
of  the  old  Wattsburg  road,  though  it  was 
afterward  changed  in  some  places.  Previous 
to  1822,  the  West  branch  had  to  be  forded, 
but  in  that  year  Mr.  Miles  got  the  county  to 
build  a  bridge  on  the  same  site  used  for  the 
purpose  todaj-.  This  was  the  first  permanent 
bridge  erected  in  Erie  county.  During  the 
same  season  he  put  up  a  gristmill  and  sa\vmill, 
and  in  1822  he  induced  Lyman  Robinson,  a 
surveyor  at  North  East,  to  move  over  and 
build  a  tavern.  ISIr.  Miles  located  in  1795  on 
the  head- waters  of  Oil  creek,  near  the  Craw- 
ford county  line,  in  Concord  township,  where 
24 


he  remained  until  1800,  when  he  changed  to 
Union.  In  1828  he  laid  out  W^attsburg,  nam- 
ing it  after  his  father-in  law,  David  Watts,  of 
Carlisle.  In  February  of  the  same  year,  he 
had  a  postofiice  established  at  Wattsburg,  and 
}  at  the  same  time  a  weekly  mail  route  was 
opened  between  Erie  and  Jamestown,  by  way 
of  the  village.  The  mail  was  carried  for  j-ears 
on  the  back  of  a  man,  who  walked  the  whole 
distance.  Mr.  Robinson  acted  as  agent  at 
Wattsburg  for  William  Miles  for  many  years, 
and  after  his  death  served  in  a  similar  capac- 
ity for  his  son  James  Miles.  The  tract  of 
1,400  acres  taken  up  by  Mr.  Miles  was  not 
originally  in  his  own  name,  but  in  that  of 
Watts,  Scott  &  Co. 

Wattsburg  was  incorporated  as  a  borough 
in  18B3,  with  a  population  of  a  little  over  a 
hundred.  The  town  stands  on  the  wide  plain 
just  above  the  junction  of  the  two  branches  of 
French  creek,  twenty  miles  by  the  plank  road, 
eighteen  by  the  old  road,  and  eighteen  and 
three-fourths  by  the  Lake  Pleasant  road  from 
Erie,  and  eight  miles  from  Union  City. 

CHURCHES     AND    SOCIETIES. 

Wattsburg  contains  three  church  build- 
ings, Methodist  Episcopal,  Presbyterian  and 
Baptist. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  congregation 
was  organized  in  1827,  by  Elder  Knapp,  who 
went  there  as  a  missionary  in  1820.  The  first 
edifice  was  erected  in  1831,  and  the  present  one 
in    1861. 

The  Presbyterian  congregation,  organized 
in  1826,  is  the  successor  of  the  old  Sliddle- 
brook  society,  the  history  of  which  is  given  in 
the  sketch  of  Venango  township.  The  first 
church  was  built  in  Wattsburg  about  1828, 
and  the  second  in  1855.  In  November,  1833. 
the  Wattsburg  church  was  recognized  by  the 
Presbytery  as  a  separate   organization. 

The  Baptist  Church  was  organized  April 
6,  1850.  On  the  25th  of  that  month  the 
church  was  duly  recognized.  The  meeting- 
house was  erected  in  1851. 

The  Wattsburg  Agricultural  Society-  is  one 
of  the  most  successful  organizations  of  its 
kind  in  Northwestern  Pennsylvania.  It  held 
its  twelfth  annual  fair  during  the  first  week 
in  September,  1895. 

Wattsburg  Lodge  No.  533,  of  the  Masonic 
order,  was  instituted  in  March,  1875.  The 
lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Honor  was  organized 


364 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


in  1877  ;  that  of  tlie  Odd  Fellows  in  lycS'j  ;  the 
Grange  in  1874;  the  post  of  the  G.  A.  R.  in 
1882;  the  VV.  R.  C.  in  1882,  and  the  branch 
of  the  State  Police  in  1877- 

GENERAL    FEATURES. 

The  borough  has  a  number  of  mills  and 
factories  and  does  a  good  trade.  Among  its 
manufacturing  estahlislnnents  arc  a  gristmill, 
two  sash  and  blind  factories  and  two  lumber- 
mills.  The  water-power  afforded  by  the  two 
branches  of  French  creek  is  considerable,  and, 
with  railroad  facilities,  the  town  could  not 
fail  to  become  a  point  of  importance. 

VVattsburg  has  been  a  famous  butter  mar- 
ket for  thirty  years.  "  Wattsburg  butter," 
which  includes  tiie  product  mainly  of  Amity, 
Venango  and  Greenfield,  ranks  as  "Chautau- 
qua butter  ''  in  the  New  York  market  and 
brings  the  same  price. 

The  population  of  the  borougii  by  the 
United  States  census  was  286  in  1870,  389  in 
1880  and  382  in  1890. 

The  first  temperance  society  in  Erie  county 
was  organized  in  Wattsburg  in  1828.  In  1882 
a  ])roject  was  agitated  for  a  new  county,  to  be 
called  Miles,  with  Wattsburg  as  the  county 
seat. 

A  schoolhouse  stood  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  present  school  building  as  long 
ago  as  1821.  All  of  the  schools  in  the  bor- 
ough have  practically  been  held  on  the  same 
site.  The  present  building  was  erected  in 
1852.     The  schools  were  first  graded   in  1878. 

NEWSPAPERS    AND    PUBLIC    MEN. 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  Watts- 
burg was  styled  the  Chronicle,  begun  in  1878 
by  W.  A.  Moore  and  discontinued  in  about 
one  year.  In  1881,  the  Wattsburg  Occasional 
was  started  by  R.  P.  Holliday'  This  was 
succeeded  by  the  Sentinel,  established  by  Dr. 
S.  F.  Chapin  in  1884,  which  is  still  published 
by  that  gentleman. 

The    following    State   and  county  officers 


have  been  residents  of  Wattsburg  :  Assem- 
bly, Lyman  Robinson,  1842  and  1845;  Byron 
S.Hill,  1863  and  18()4;  Sanniel  F.  Cha'pin, 
1875  to  1878 ;  A.  W.  Hayes,  1881  to  1884. 
County  Superintendent  of  Common  Schools, 
William  H.Armstrong,  1851  to  1800,  the  first 
incumbent  of  the  office.  County  Connnis- 
sioner,  Lyman  Robinson,  1839  to  1842.  County 
Treasurer,  Newton  T.  Hume,  December  14, 
1874,  to  January  7,  1878.  Director  of  the 
Poor,  O.  }.  McAllister,  1883  to  1889.  Jury 
Commissioners,  D.  N.  Patterson,  1808  to 
1871 ;  Robert  Leslie,  1874  to  1877.  Mercan- 
tile Appraisers,  James  T.  Ensworth,  1856; 
D.  N.  Patterson,  "1808  and  1878;  O.  J.  Mc- 
Allister, 1882.  Clerk  to  the  Directors  of  the 
Poor,  W.  Harry  Smith  (living  in  Erie  at  the 
time),  1880  to  1888  inclusive.  Dr.  S.  F. 
Chapin,  Surgeon  to  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors' 
Home  in  Erie,  since  October  1,  1889,  was  a 
resident  of  Wattsburg  when  appointed. 
Among  the  ]5rominent  citizens  of  Erie  who 
have  lived  in  Wattsburg  and  Venango  town- 
ship, were  :  Joseph  Williams  (the  banker), 
P.  G.  Finn,  Heman  Janes,  Amos  C.  Williams, 
J.  I.  Town,  J.  J.  Town,  B.  F.  Sloan  and  the 
Warner  brothers,  Col.  W.  S.,  M.  Rush  and 
Joseph  R.  Outside  of  Erie,  the  list  of  former 
residents  of  Wattsburg  who  became  conspicu- 
ous numbers  Richard  Blore,  of  Colorado;  H. 
T.,  Wm..  Augustus,  and  Artemas  Clarke,  and 
L.  S.  and  H.  F.  Chapin,  of  Nebraska;  Hon. 
Mr.  Walling,  of  Ohio,  member  of  Congress  ; 
L.  C.  Chapin,  professor  in  Yale  College  for 
twelve  years  ;  Buchanan  and  Samuel  Nelson, 
of  Chicago  ;  David  Preston,  of  Detroit  ;  the 
well  known  Town  family,  W.  T.  Everson,  of 
Union,  and  Hector  McLean,  of  Rochester, 
N.  Y. 


AN     AGED     WOMAN. 


Miss  Rosina  Bliss  died  May  K),  1895,  at 
the  unusual  age  of  97  years  and  10  months, 
being  one  of  the  most  aged  persons  who  has 
ever  lived  in  the  county. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


WASHINGTON   TOWNSHIP— BOROUGH   OF   EDINBORO. 


WHEN  Erie  county  was  created  the 
territory  now  embraced  in  Washing- 
ton township,  together  with  portions 
of  Waterford  and  Franklin  since 
taken  off,  was  given  the  title  of  Con- 
neauttee,  after  its  lake  and  principal  stream. 
The  name  was  changed  to  Washington  in  1834, 
to  correct  the  inconvenience  caused  by  two 
very  similar  township  names  in  the  same 
county.  In  1844,  a  large  slice  was  cut  out  of 
the  west  side  in  the  formation  of  Franklin 
township,  and  another  reduction  was  made  at 
a  later  period  by  taking  a  piece  from  the  north- 
east corner  and  adding  it  to  Waterford. 

'I  he  township  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
McKean,  Waterford  and  Franklin,  on  the  east 
by  Waterford  and  LeB<Tuf,  on  the  south  by 
Venango,  Cussewago  and  Cambridge  town- 
ships, Crawford  county,  and  on  the  west  by 
Elk  Creek  and  Franklin.  It  contains  three 
small  villages — McLane,  McLallen's  Corners 
and  Draketown.  The  postoffices  are  McLane 
(sometimes  known  as  Compton's  Corners), 
McLallen's  Corners  and  Itley  (Draketown). 
The  population  of  the  township  was  488  in 
1820,  748  in  1880,  1,551  in  1840,  1,706  in  1850. 
1,948  in  lSG0,:i,744  in  1870,  1,880  in  1880,  and 
1,790  in  1890.  It  is  divided,  for  election  pur- 
poses, into  the  East  and  West  districts. 

K.\RI,Y    SETTLERS. 

In  1796  Alex.  Hamilton  and  William  Cul- 
bertson,  both  of  Lycoming  county,  visited  the 
site  of  Edinboro  and  selected  lands  with  the 
design  of  establishing  acolonv.  They  returned 
to  their  home  in  the  fall  and  spent  the  winter 
along  the  West  branch  of  the  Susquehanna 
enlisting  settlers.  In  the  spring  of  1797,  the)' 
came  back,  and  were  soon  followed  by  Job 
Reeder,  Samuel  Galloway,  Simeon  Dunn. 
John  and  James  Campbell,  Mathias  Sipps, 
John  Mc  Williams,  Phineas  McLenathan,  Mat- 
thew Hamilton,  James,  John,  Andrew  and 
Samuel    Culbertson,    Mrs.  Jane    Campbell  (a 


widow),  two  of  her  sons  and  daughter  Han- 
nah, and  the  wives  of  Alex.  Hamilton  and 
William  Culbertson.  Other  parties  arrived 
later  in  the  season,  making  about  fifty  colon- 
ists during  the  year  1797.  The  widow  Camp- 
bell retraced  her  way  to  the  Susquehanna  in 
the  fall,  and  returned  the  next  spring,  bring- 
ing her  other  three  children.  She  and  her 
family  took  up  over  1,000  acres,  building  sev- 
eral cabins  so  as  to  hold  the  land.  James 
Culbertson  located  on  the  Hardman  farm ; 
John  on  the  Lick,  Webster  and  Giles  places; 
Samuel  on  the  old  Perry  farm,  and  William  on 
the  old  Kinter  farm.  The  latter  soon  changed 
to  the  tract  now  covered  by  Edinboro,  and 
proved  himself  to  be  the  most  enterprising  man 
of  the  party.  He  built  the  first  house  in  Ed- 
inboro and  the  first  gristmill  and  sawmill  on 
Conneauttee  creek.  Mr.  Culbertson's  earliest 
residence  was  on  the  site  of  the  Vunk  house  in 
Edinboro  from  which  he  moved  to  a  building 
on  the  site  of  the  R.  C.  McLaughrev  store. 
Alexander  Hamilton  took  up  600  acres, 
including  the  Martin  Pratt  farm ;  Phineas 
McLenathan  settled  on  the  west  side  of  the 
lake,  and  Mathias  Sipps  near  the  Waterford 
road,  not  far  from  the  center  of  the  township. 
Below  are  as  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained 
the  years  in  which  other  pioneers  settled  in  the 
township  :  In  1798,  Peter  Kline  ;  1800,  James 
Graham;  1802,  Daniel  Sherod:  1805,  John 
Tanner  and  Davis  Pifer  ;  1814,  Simeon  Meach- 
am  ;  1816,  Judah  Wells  ;  1817,  John  C.  Reeder; 
1817  or  18"l8.  Robert  McLallen,  James  Port 
and  Nathaniel  Etheridge  ;  1819,  Isaac  Taylor; 
1819  or  1820,  Nathaniel  Gardner:  1822.  Sam- 
uel Reeder  ;  1824,  Moses  Reeder  ;  1825,  Moses 
Gleeton;  1825  or  1826,  Jesse  Lewis;  1827, 
Davis  McLallen  and  Henry  R.Terry;  1828, 
Jacob  Lefevre;  1880,  Charles  McLallen  ;  1882, 
Sherman  Greenfield  and  L.  B.  Goodel! ;  1833, 
George  Sweet.  Evi  Twichell  and  ^V'illard 
Wellman ;  1834,  J.  J.  Compton.  Benjamin 
White,    Jesse    Tarbell,  Wanton    Slocum,   the 


366 


NELSON- S  BIOOEAPHIC'AL  DICTIONARY 


Hawkinses  and  M.  M.  McLaughrey ;  1835, 
John  White,  the  Prouilfits  and  the  Potters; 
183G,  the  Shieldses.  Mr.  Sweet  was  from 
Cayuga  co\inty.  New  York,  and  Mr.  Comp- 
ton  from  Delaware  county,  New  York.  Dr.' 
J.  C.  \\'ilson  made  his  location  in  185(5,  com- 
ing from  Rucks  county.  Among  the  early 
settlers  in  Little  Conneauttee  valley  were  Zo- 
pher  Davis  and  John  Sherwood  (both  of  whom 
located  in  1819), Walter  Palmer,  Henry  Drake, 
Russell  Stancliff,  Ralph  D.  Phelps  and  Theo. 
Phelps. 

Wm.  Culbertson  was  the  first  and  Jacob 
Lefevre  the  second  Justice  of  the  Peace — the 
first-named  holding  the  position  forty  years. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Job  Reeder 
to  Nancy  Campbell,  March  1,  1800;  the  first 
death  that  of  Mrs.  William  Culbertson  in 
1804.  Jane  Culbertson  was  the  first  female 
child,  born  in  1790,  and  John  Augustus  Cul- 
bertson the  first  male  child,  l)orn  in  1800, 
though  this  was  disputed  by  William  Board- 
man,  of  Union  City,  who  claimed  to  have 
first  seen  the  light  in  the  Little  Conneauttee 
valley  in  1796. 

CREEKS,  LAKE  AND  LAND. 

Washington  township  is  well  watered  by 
Conneauttee  and  Little  Conneauttee  creeks 
and  their  branches.  The  East  branch  of  Con- 
neauttee creek  rises  near  McLane,  and  the 
West  branch  in  a  cranberry  marsh  in  Franklin 
township,  about  two  miles  from  the  Washing- 
ton line.  After  coursing  through  the  western 
and  central  portions  of  Washington  township 
from  the  north,  they  unite  their  waters  at  the 
head  of  Conneauttee  lake.  Flowing  through 
the  lake,  the  stream  continues  some  eight 
miles  further  to  a  point  near  Cambridge, 
where  it  joins  French  creek  after  a  total  length 
of  about  fifteen  miles.  Pratt  creek  unites 
with  the  East  branch  about  a  mile  north  of 
the  lake,  and  Herbert  creek  runs  into  the  main 
stream  two  miles  below  the  outlet.  The  Lit- 
tle Conneauttee  rises  in  McKean,  perhaps  a 
mile  north  of  the  township  line,  runs  across 
the  eastern  portion  in  a  southerly  course,  and 
empties  into  the  Conneauttee  a  short  distance 
above  its  mouth,  having  a  length  about  equal 
to  its  more  prominent  namesake.  Besides  the 
above  mentioned  streams,  the  north  part  of 
the  township  contains  the  headwaters  of  the 
South  branch  of  Elk  creek,  which  joins  the 
main  stream  near  Middleboro. 


Lake  Conneauttee  was  originally  about 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  long  by  half  a  mile 
wide,  but  was  somewhat  enlarged  by  the  con- 
struction of  the  dam  for  Culbertson's  mill 
across  the  outlet. 

The  lands  of  Washington  township  will 
average  as  well  as  any  of  the  southern  districts 
in  the  county.  There  are  no  abrupt  hills  or 
precipitous  gullies,  and  nearly  the  whole  face 
of  the  country  is  susceptible  of  cultivation.  A 
broad,  fertile  valley  extends  from  the  McKean 
line  across  the  entire  township,  along  Con- 
neauttee creek,  and  the  valley  of  the  Little 
Conneauttee,  though  narrower,  is  equally  pro- 
ductive. 

A  high  chestnut  ridge,  rising  gradually 
from  the  valleys,  lies  between  the  two  streams. 
There  is  another  ridge  on  the  west  side  of  the 
township,  extending  from  Franklin  to  tlie 
Crawford  line,  which  is  the  exact  counterpart 
of  its  eastern  neighbor.  The  price  of  land  is 
from  twenty-five  to  $100  an  acre,  averaging 
perhaps  thirty  dollars. 

COMMON    HOADS. 

The  principal  highways  are  the  Erie  and 
Meadville  plank  roads,  the  plank  road  from 
Waterford  to  Drake's  Mills,  Crawford  county; 
the  old  Waterford  road,  the  road  from  Cranes- 
ville  to  Waterford,  the  State  road  from  Lock- 
port  through  McLane  to  Waterford,  and  the 
Sherrod  Hill  road  from  Edinboro  to  Cusse- 
wago.  The  old  Waterford  road  was  estab- 
lished about  1802.  The  Erie  and  Edinboro 
Plank  Road  Company  was  formed  in  1850, 
and  the  Edinboro  and  Meadville  Company  was 
organized  the  same  year,  thus  making  provision 
for  a  continuous  route  between  Lake  Erie  and 
the  county  seat  of  Crawford  county.  Both 
roads  (now  known  as  one)  were  completed  in 
1852,  and  abandoned  by  the  companies  about 
18G8  or  1809.  The  plank  road  from  Water- 
ford to  Drake's  Mills,  built  about  the  same 
period,  was  allowed  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
the  township  authorities  when  the  others  were 
abandoned.  In  all  three  cases,  the  plank  was 
taken  up  or  allowed  to  decay,  and  the 
thoroughfares,  although  still  known  as  "  plank 
roads,"  do  not  dift'er  from  other  publjc  roads, 
except  that  they  have  better  grades  than  the 
average  in  the  south  part  of  the  county. 

There  is  no  railroad  in  the  township,  and 
the  nearest  railroad  station  is  at  Cambridge,  in 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


367 


Crawford  county,  where    most    of   the  freight 
to  and  from  Edinboro  is  received  and  shipped. 

VILLAGES   AND  CHURCHES. 

The  village  of  McLane  lies  upon  the  Erie 
and  Edinboro  plank  road,  at  the  crossing  of 
the  State  road,  on  the  summit  between  the 
head-waters  of  Conneauttee  creek  and  the 
South  branch  of  Elk  creek,  fourteen  miles  south 
of  Erie  and  six  miles  north  of  Edinboro.  The 
name  was  changed  from  Compton's  Corners 
to  McLane,  in  lienor  of  Gen.  John  W.  ]SIc- 
Lane,  the  gallant  first  colonel  of  the  Eight}-- 
third  Regiment.  There  is  a  union  cemetery  at 
the  village. 

The  Baptist  congregation  at  McLane,  until 
the  erection  of  their  church  edifice,  held 
services  in  McKean  township.  The  organi- 
zation was  effected  during  the  winter  of 
1838-9.  .Services  were  held  in  the  South  Hill 
and  Branchville  schoolhouses  until  1866,  when 
tiie  church  building  at  McLane  was  erected. 
It  was  dedicated  Januarj^  23,  1867. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  society  at  Mc- 
Lane was  organized  in  1863.  The  church 
building  was  erected  in  1867. 

McLallen's  Corners  (named  from  Wm. 
McLallen,  who  located  there  at  an  early  day) 
is  on  the  Little  Conneauttee,  at  the  crossing 
of  the  Waterford  and  Drake's  Mills  plank 
road  by  a  road  leading  to  Pollock's  bridge  in 
LeBceuf  township. 

The  Christian  church  at  McLallen's  Corners 
was  organized  in  the  spring  of  1828,  holding 
services  in  the  schoolhouse.  A  church  build- 
ing was  put  up  some  forty-five  years  ago,  and 
overhauled  and  enlarged  in  1893. 

About  a  mile  northwest  of  McLallen's 
Corners  a  religious  body  calling  themselves 
"  The  Saints"  hold  services  in  a  building 
erected  during  the  summer  of  1894.  They 
are  opposed  to  the  regular  church  organiza- 
tions and  to  secret  societies. 

Draketown  (called  after  the  Drake  family 
in  the  vicinity),  is  on  Little  Conneauttee 
creek,  about  two-thirds  of  a  mile  south  of  the 
State  road. 

The  Christian  Church  at  this  place  was 
organized  in  January,  1877.  and  erected  a 
building  about  the  same  time. 

There  is  a  Methodist  building  at  Ash's 
Corners,  north  of  Draketown,  and  another  of 
the  same  denomination  at  Sherrod  Hill,  in  the 
southwestern     part    of    the     township.     The 


building  at  Ash's  Corners  was  erected  in 
1867.  An  old  societj-  had  previously  existed 
in  the  locality  and  met  for  worship  in  various 
schoolhouses.  The  congregation  at  Sherrod 
Hill  own  a  frame  building. 

The  cemetery  at  Edinboro  is  the  general 
burial  ground  of  the  township,  but  a  number 
of  graveyards  are  scattered  about  the  country. 
The  most  prominent  are  those  at  McLane  and 
Draketown. 

SCHOOLS  AND  MILLS. 

The  first  sciiool  in  the  township  was  on  the 
west  side  of  Conneauttee  creek  in  what  was 
known  as  the  old  Plank  schoolhouse.  About 
1819,  school  was  taught  in  a  room  in  Isaac 
Taylor's  cabin,  located  one  and  a  half  miles 
southeast  of  Edinboro.  Soon  after,  a  log 
schoolhouse  was  built  on  the  east  line  of  Mr. 
Taylor's  farm.  The  northern  portion  of  the 
township  held  its  first  school  in  the  cabins  of 
the  pioneers .  A  large  schoolhouse  stood  in 
Edinboro  in  1821,  and  had  been  erected  years 
previous.  It  was  used  for  both  educational 
and  religious  purposes.  A  schoolhouse  was 
built  at  an  early  date  on  the  Perry  farm,  east 
of  Edinboro. 

The  factories  and  mills  of  Washington 
township  are  as  follows  :  A  steam  sawmill 
and  shingle  and  lath  factory,  north  of  McLane  ; 
a  cheese  factory  on  the  Crane  road,  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  northwest  of  Edinboro;  a 
creamery  and  a  butter  and  cheese  factory  at 
McLallen's  Corners;  a  saw  and  feedmill  near 
Draketown  ;  a  saw,  planing,  lath  and  shingle 
mill  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  south  of 
Edinboro  ;  a  sawmill  further  south;  a  factory 
on  the  Kinter  road  ;  a  cider  and  jell  mill  west 
of  Edinboro,  and  a  general  lumber  cutting 
mill  at  McLallen's  Corners. 

[See  Edinboro  for  list  of  public  men.] 


BOROUGH  OF  EDINBORO. 

[see    WASHINGTON   TOWNSHIP. 

Edinboro  was  incorporated  as  a  borough 
by  act  of  the  Legislature  in  1840,  and  includes 
some  500  acres  of  high,  gravelly  land  at  the 
foot  of  Lake  Conneauttee,  twenty  miles  south 
of  Erie,  seven  miles  north  of  Cambridge,  and 
two  miles  north  of  the  Crawford  county  line. 
The  valley  of  the  Conneauttee  is  aliout  a  mile 
wide  at  this  point,  and  the  country  around  the 


36S 


NELSON'S  BIOaiiAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


borough  is  one  of  the  finest  sections  of  Erie 
county.  The  corporate  limits,  which  cover  a 
portion  of  the  hike,  are  about  a  mile  from 
north  to  south,  and  about  two-thirds  of  a  mile 
from  east  to  west.  The  population  was  'I'i^'I 
in  1840,  863  in  1850,  474  in  18G0,  801  in  1870, 
870  in  1880  and  1,107  in  1890.  Wm.  Krlli- 
son  was  the  first  Burgess. 

The  third  gristmill  in  Erie  county — one 
each  having  been  previously  built  at  Union 
and  Walnut  creek — was  erected  on  the  outlet 
of  Lake  Conneauttee,  nearly  on  the  site  of 
the  present  mill,  in  1801.  by  William  Culbert- 
son,  who  added  a  sawmill  in  1802.  The 
property  fell  into  the  hands  of  Isaac  R.  Tay- 
lor and  James  Reeder  some  forty  years  ago, 
who  built  new  mills.  The  establishment  of 
the  mills  may  be  said  to  have  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  the  town.  By  degrees  a  number  of 
houses  sprung  up  around  them,  and  Mr.  Cul- 
bertson  finallv  concluded  to  survey  the  site 
into  lots.  The  sawmill  has  gone  down,  but 
the  gristmill  remains.  The  borough  contains 
a  cheese  factory,  established  in  1868,  and  three 
hotels.  The  old  Robinson  House  was  built 
in  1843,  on  the  site  of  a  hotel  that  burned 
down.  The  Butler  House  and  Biggers  House 
are  of  comparatively  recent  date. 

CHURCHES  AXD  CEMETERIES. 

A  Presbyterian  congregation  was  organ- 
ized in  Edinboro  prior  to  1810,  but  the  present 
one  dates  from  1829.  A  building  was  erected 
in  1836,  being  the  first  church  edifice  in  the 
place.  In  1887  or  '38,  the  denomination  split 
into  Old  and  New  School.  The  New  School 
branch  put  up  a  building  in  1854,  and  the  en- 
suing year  the  Old  School  branch  also  con- 
structed one.  On  the  Union  of  the  two 
branches  one  building  served  their  purpose, 
and  the  Old  School  building  was  sold  to  the 
Baptist  congregation. 

The  latter  body  was  organized  about  1838, 
and  held  services  in  the  schoolhouse  until 
1871,  when  the  building  above  stated  was 
purchased. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  society  was  or- 
ganized about  1829,  and  put  up  a  church 
building  in  1888.  This  was  sold  for  a  Town 
House,  and  the  present  building  erected 
in  1863. 

The  Advent  Christian  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  1863,  though   irregular  services  of  the 


denomination  had  been  held  for  twenty  years 
or  more.      The  building  was  erected  in  18(54. 

The  old  cemetery  of  the  borough  was  a 
gift  for  the  purpose  from  Wm.  Culbertson. 
It  has  been  in  u.se  about  eightv  years.  The 
new  cemetery,  established  two  or  three  years 
ago,  is  much  larger  than  \.\\c  first  one. 

NEWSPAPERS POST    OFFICE SECRET 

SOCIETIES. 

In  1855,  Edinboro  boasted  of  three  news- 
papers— the  .Xalivc  American,  a  monthly, 
and  the  Gem  and  Museum,  weeklies.  The 
\aiive  American  and  Gem  died  in  1856,  and 
the  Museum  was  moved  to  Walerford.  Henry 
Lick  established  the  Hxpress  in  1859,  which 
lived  until  December  29, 1860.  The  Edinboro 
Independent  was  started  in  February,  1880, 
by  the  Cobb  brothers.  It  is  now  published 
by  Chas.  Cooper.  The  Conneauttee  Wave 
was  started  in  June,  1898.  It  is  owned  by 
the  Wave  Publishing  Co.,  with  A.  F.  Moses 
as  editor  and  W.  J.  Britton  as  assistant. 

The  post  route  to  Erie  and  the  postofficc  at 
Edinboro  were  established  in  1887.  Dr. 
Stranahan  was  the  first  postmaster. 

Oasis  Lodge  No.  417,  F.  &  A.  M.,  was 
chartered  March  4,  1868.  Its  hall  was  dedica- 
ted on  the    12th  of    October,  1875. 

The  charter  of  Edinboro  Lodge  No.  80, 
A.  O.  U.  W^.,  was  granted  September  10, 
1877. 

The  Edinboro  Fair  Association  holds  an- 
nual exhibitions,  which  are  among  the  most 
successful  in  the  count)'. 

The  new  school  building  of  the  borough 
was  erected  in  1894,  and  dedicated  March  4, 
1895. 

THE    NORMAL    SCHOOL. 

The  most  conspicuous  institution  in  Edin- 
boro, and  the  one  which  has  contributed  most 
to  its  advancement,  is  the  Normal  School. 
The  original  Normal  School  structure  was  built 
by  subscription  in  1856,  at  a  cost  of  .$8,200,  and 
used  as  an  academy  in  1857-59.  Owing  to 
the  large  attendance  of  scholars,  two  addition- 
al buildings,  known  as  the  Assembly  Hall 
and  the  Ladies'  Boarding  Hall,  \vere  erected 
in  1858,  at  an  outlay  of  $11,000,  also  raised 
by  subscription.  During  the  winter  of  1859- 
60,  •1!10,000  more  were  collected,  and  in  1800  a 
fourth  building  was  erected,  known  as  the 
Gentlemen's  Boarding  Hall.     On  January  26, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTS. 


369 


18G1,  the  institution  was  formally  recognized 
by  the  State  Superintendent  as  a  State  Nor- 
mal School,  since  when  it  has  been  steadily 
enlarged  and  improved.  The  last  State  re- 
port inventoried  the  school  as  follows  :  Build- 
ings, 1150,000 ;  furniture,  |10,000  :  libraries, 
$6,tKX) ;  musical  instruments,  $5,000  ;  appara- 
tus, |4.0(I0  :  other  property,  .l!2,00(J  ;  making 
a  total  of  .f  177,<XH).  Prof.  J.  A.  Cooper,  who 
went  to  the  school  as  an  assistant  in  1861,  was 
made  principal  in  1863.  He  was  displaced 
February  5,  1892,  and  Prof.  Martin  G.  Bene- 
dict was  chosen  to  the  position  on  the  24th  of 
February  in  the  same  year.  A  long  and  cost- 
ly series  of  lawsuits  ensued,  and  much  bad 
feeling  grew  out  of  the  controversy,  which,  i 
for  the  welfare  of  the  school  and  the  town,  it 
is  to  be  hoped  may  soon   pass  away. 

STATE    AND     COUNTY    OFFICERS. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  public  officers 
furnished  bv  Edinhoro  and  Washington  town- 


ship :  Auditors.  Russell  Stancliff,  1834  to 
1837;  James  H.  Campbell,  1845  to  1848; 
Samuel  Reeder,  1851  to  1853  ;  John  W.  Camp- 
bell, 1856  to  1859;  J.  J.  McWiUiams,  1857  to 
'90.  County  Commissioners,  Russell  Stan- 
cliff,  1840  to"  1843;  William  Campbell,  1846 
to  1849 ;  Josiah  J.  Compton,  1S55  to  1858. 
Treasurer,  Mortimer  Phelps,  1855  to  1857. 
Protho'iotary,  C.  P.  Rogers,  1866  to  1869. 
Assembly,  John  W.Campbell,  1859;  E.  C. 
Twichelf,  "1862-63;  Chauncey  P.  Rogers, 
1872;  E.  H.  Wilcox,  1873-74  and  1895-96. 
Jury  Commissioner,  elected  in  1891,  and  Di- 
rector of  the  Poor,  elected  in  1894,  H.  H. 
McLallen.  Sealer  of  Weights  and  Measures, 
Wm.  P.  Butterfield,  appointed  in  18"<3. 

George  A.  Allen,  the  prominent  Erie  at- 
torney, and  W.  P  Clough,  a  leading  attorney 
of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  and  long  identified  with 
important  railroad  systems  in  the  Xorth-West, 
were  at  one  period  residents  of  Edinboro. 


CHAPTBR    XX. 


WATERFORD    TOWNSHIP— BOROUGH    OF    WATERFORD. 


WATERFORD  TOWNSHIP  was 
established  by  the  act  for  the  organ- 
ization of  Erie  county.  The  bound- 
ary lines  are  nearly  the  same  as 
when  the  township  was  formed,  the 
only  exceptions  being  a  small  district  annexed 
from  Washington;  and  another  from  Summit. 
The  latter  is  the  jog  or  handle  in  the  north- 
west, which  has  been  at  various  times  in  Mc- 
Kean,  Greene  and  Summit,  and  was  finally- 
attached  to  Waterford  through  the  exertions 
of  Capt.  Martin  Strong,  who  wished  to  close 
his  life  in  the  township  of  his  original  resi- 
dence in  the  county. 

Waterford  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Summit  and  Greene ;  on  the  east  by  Amity 
and  Union ;  on  the  south  by  LeBoeuf  and 
Washington,  and  on  the  west  by  Washington 
and   McKean.     The    greatest  breadth    of  the 


township  from  north  to  south  is  five  and  three- 
fourths  miles,  and  the  greatest  width  from 
east  to  west  nine  and  one-half  miles.  Its  popu- 
lation was  579  in  1820,  1,006  in  1830,  1,144  in 
1840,  1,545  in  1850,  1.950  in  1860,  1,884  in 
1870,  1.822  in  1880,  and  1,537  in  1890.  The 
township  is  divided  into  two  election  pre- 
cincts, known  as  the  east  and  ^vest  districts, 
and  contains  one  postoffice,  that  of  Juva,  at 
Newman's  bridge.  Most  of  the  mail  is  sent 
and  received  through  the  office  at  Waterford 
borough,  which  place  is  also  the  principal 
marketing  point  of  the  township. 


LANDS,      DONATION 


DISTRICT. 
ETC. 


RESERVATION, 


The  best  valley  lands  in  Waterford  town- 
ship lie  below  lake  LeBcpuf.  along  its  outlet. 
They  are  level  and   very  fertile,  and   have  an 


3/0 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


average  width  between  the  ridges  of  perhaps  a 
mile  and  a  half.  Above  the  lake  the  flats  range 
from  one  to  two  miles  in  widtii,  and  the  land 
is  of  a  good  quality,  but  a  great  deal  of  it  is 
swampy,  though  being  gradually  drained. 
Good  valleys  also  exist  along  Benson,  Boyd 
and  Trout  runs.  The  valley  of  French  creek 
becomes  narrow  as  it  courses  through  Water- 
ford  township,  not  reaching  more  than  half  a 
mile  in  the  widest  place. 

Aside  from  the  valleys,  which  embrace 
but  a  small  portion  of  the  township,  the  bal- 
ance of  the  land  is  hilly,  though  almost  every 
part  is  capable  of  cultivation.  The  hill  farms 
have  a  clay  soil,  and  are  more  free  from  frosts 
than  the  valleys.  The  hills  rise  in  some  places 
to  a  considerable  height,  the  loftiest  elevations 
being  at  Strong's,  in  the  northwest;  I.  Y. 
Lunger's,  in  the  south;  Robert  Hood's,  in  the 
east ;  and  at  Oak  hill  and  Cottrell's  hill,  in  the 
southeast.  A  good  deal  of  timber  is  still  left 
in  the  township.  The  price  of  land  ranges 
from  thirty  to  .$10f),  being  most  valuable  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  borough. 

The  Tenth  Donation  District  commenced 
in  Waterford  township  about  a  mile  east  of 
the  borough,  and  extended  across  Amity  and 
Wayne  townships  to  the  Warren  county  line. 

The  Reserved  Tract  was  a  body  of  1,800 
acres  in  Waterford  township,  and  400  in  Le- 
BcDuf,  all  lying  south  of  the  borough,  which 
was  set  apart  from  the  operation  of  the  general 
settlement  law  for  reasons  elsewhere  given.  An 
act  was  passed  in  1799  authorizing  the  land  to 
be  sold.  The  first  sale  took  place  in  1800,  and 
most  of  the  tract  was  disposed  of  by  1804. 

In  185(5,  during  the  construction  of  the 
Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.,  a  troublesome 
sink-hole  was  encountered  on  the  Benson 
farm,  about  a  mile  northeast  of  Waterford 
borough.  Tamarack  swamp  is  about  two 
miles  long  by  100  rods  wide.  About  two- 
thirds  of  the  swamp  are  in  Waterford  and  the 
balance  in  McKean.  The  swamp  is  being 
ditched  and  drained,  and  will  ultimately  be 
one  of  the  richest  parts  of  the  county- 

CREEKS,   RUXS   AND   LAKE. 

The  chief  streams  of  Waterford  township 
are  French  creek,  which  flows  through  its 
southeast  corner  for  about  three  miles,  from 
Amity  to  LeBcEuf ;  the  outlet  of  Lake 
Pleasant,  which  courses  for  about  a  mile 
through    its    northeast    corner,    from    A'enan- 


go  to  Amity;  and  LeBopuf  creek  with  its 
branches.  LeBrruf  creek — known  to  the 
French  as  the  River  aux  Bonifs,  and  named 
by  them  from  the  number  of  cattle  disco\ered 
on  tiie  flats  below  Waterford — runs  througii 
the  center  of  the  township  from  Greene  on  the 
north  to  LeBa^uf  township  on  the  south, 
where  it  joins  French  creek.  It  has  two  main 
branches,  one  rising  on  the  edge  of  Greene 
and  Venango,  and  the  other  in  Summit, 
which  unite  near  the  Greene  and  Waterford 
boundary,  almost  at  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie 
R.  R.  bridge.  Just  below  Waterford  borough 
the  creek  enters  Lake  LeBneuf,  and  after 
leaving  it  is  generally  known  by  the  natne  of 
"  The  Outlet."  Its  length  in  the  township  is 
not  far  from  ten  miles,  and  its  total  length 
about  twenty.  Boyd  run  and  Trout  run  rise 
in  the  west  part  of  the  township,  and  empty 
into  Lake  LeBreuf  on  its  north  side,  the  first 
being  about  five  and  the  second  about  two 
miles  in  length.  Trout  run  is  formed  by  the 
junction  of  Black  run  and  Bagdad  run,  the 
one  rising  in  Tamarack  swamp  and  the  other 
in  the  extreme  western  part  of  the  township, 
the  two  uniting  just  west  of  the  borougli. 
Benson  run,  after  a  course  of  some  two  miles, 
falls  into  LeBnpuf  creek  near  the  old  Brother- 
ton  mill,  Davis  run  empties  into  French 
creek  near  the  Newman  bridge,  and  Moravi- 
an run  joins  the  same  stream  in  LeBtPuf  town- 
ship. The  first  stream  rises  near  the  Colts 
Station  road,  and  is  about  four  miles  long. 
The  second  has  its  head  in  the  Ormsbee  set- 
tlement, and  a  length  in  Waterford  of  per- 
haps two  miles.  The  valleys  of  Benson  run 
and  Moravian  run  form  the  route  by  which 
the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  crosses  from 
LeBneuf  creek  to  French  creek. 

Lake  LeBanif  is  about  two-thirds  of  a  mile 
long  by  half  a  mile  wide,  with  an  almost 
round  island  near  its  center.  It  receives  Le- 
Boeuf  creek  and  Boyd  and  Trout  runs,  and 
its  outflow  is  apparently  greater  than  its  in- 
flow, from  which  it  is  surmised  that  the  lake 
must  be  fed  by  springs  in  the  bottom. 

French  creek  and  the  outlet  of  Lake  Pleas- 
ant are  described  in  the  chapters  on  Amity, 
LeBceuf  and  Venango  townships  and  in  the 
General  History  of  Erie  county. 

CHURCHES    AND    GRAVEYARDS. 

The  Free-Will  Baptist  Church  at  New- 
man's bridge  was  organized  in  18o2  or   1833, 


AND  UISTOllICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


but  was  allowed  to  go  down.  It  was  re- 
organized in  1853.  Until  the  erection  of  the 
pre.sent  house  of  worship,  the  congregation 
held  services  in  the  neighborhood  schoolhouses. 
The  building  was  erected  in  1860,  and  was 
dedicated  in  December  of  that  year. 

Another  Free-Will  Baptist  church  is  lo- 
cated in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  town- 
ship. The  building  was  erected  in  1877.  The 
congregation  is  nearly,  if  not  quite,  as  old  as 
the  one  above  named  and  its  history  is  almost 
identical. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Sharp's 
Corners  was  organized  in  1888  or  1839.  The 
church  building  was  erected  in  1868. 

The  Christian  congregation  at  Oak  Hill 
was  organized  in  1854.  Its  house  of  worship 
was  erected  in  1861. 

The  Roman  Catholic  congregation  at  East 
^Vaterford  (or  Waterford  Station)  dates  from 
the  building  of  the  church  edifice  in  1878. 
The  congregation  is  served  by  the  pastors  of 
the  church  at  Union  City.  It  is  known  as 
St.  Cyprian's  parish. 

Most  of  the  burials  take  place  in  the  cem- 
etery at  Waterford  borough,  although  there 
are  graveyards  at  each  of  the  above  churches, 
except  the  Catholic.  The  Walker  graveyard 
is  about  a  mile  south  of  the  Greene  line.  The 
Catholics   generally  inter  at  Union. 

SCHOOL    HISTORY. 

One  of  the  early  schools  of  Waterford 
township  was  held  in  a  building  which  stood 
near  the  residence  of  Webster  Hunt.  School 
was  taught  there  by  Russell  StanclifF  about 
the  year  18()6  or  1807.  Michael  Hare  taught 
a  school  about  the  year  1827,  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  the  township.  During  the 
same  year  a  schoolhouse  was  put  up  near  the 
site  of  the  present  Hare  schoolhouse,  being 
probably  the  first  regular  building  for  the 
purpose  in  the  township. 

WATERFORD    STATION,   ETC. 

Waterford  Station,  or  East  Waterford,  on 
the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.,  a  mile  east 
of  the  Diamond  in  the  borough,  and  eighteen 
and  one-half  miles  by  railroad  from  Erie  city, 
consists  of  a  station  building,  a  hotel  and 
grocery  combined,  a  cider  mill,  a  schoolhouse, 
a  Catholic  church,  about  two  dozen  good 
dwellings  and  a  number  of  shanties  for  rail- 
road employes.     The  railroad   company   have 


stockj-ards  at  this  point,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
important  stations  on  the  line.  Many  spikes, 
bullets,  cannon  balls  and  other  articles  have 
been  found  in  the  vicinity  of  the  depot,  where 
the  soldiers  were  encamped  during  the  war  of 
1812-14. 

In  the  southeast  corner  of  the  township, 
bordering  on  LeBfruf,  are  several  quarries  of 
sandstone,  which  have  furnished  some  of  the 
finest  llagging  in  Northwestern  Pennsylvania. 
Neither  are  operated  at  the  time  of  writing. 

UAII.KOADS,     COMMON     ROADS,     BRIDGES     AND 
MILLS. 

The  Philadelphia  and  Erie  is  the  only  rail- 
road in  Waterford  township,  entering  it  from 
Greene  by  the  valley  of  LeLceuf  creek,  and 
passing  across  into  LeBonif.  Its  only  station 
is  that  of  Waterford,  or  East  Waterford,  as  it 
is  often  called,  a  mile  east  of  the  Diamond  in 
the  borough. 

The  leading  public  roads  are  the  old  Erie 
and  Waterford  turnpike,  the  Erie  and  Water- 
ford plank,  the  Colt's  Station,  the  Waterford 
and  Wattsburg,  the  Flats  road  to  Mill  \'illage. 
the  Waterford  and  Meadville  pike,  the  old 
State  road  to  the  Ohio  line,  the  Edinboro  and 
Waterford,  the  Waterford  and  Meadville 
plank,  the  Waterford  and  McKean,  the 
Waterford  and  Union,  and  the  Station  road 
from  the  borough  to  the  railroad.  Some  of 
the  above-named  roads  were  among  the  earliest 
that  were  opened  in  the  county.  Their  his- 
tory will  be  found  in  the  General  Chapters 
and  in  the  articles  relating  to  Greenfield,  Ve- 
nango, North  East,  LeBreuf,  Amity,  Wash- 
ington, McKean  and  Union. 

The  important  bridges  are  as  follows  : 
Over  French  creek,  the  Newman  covered 
bridge,  on  the  Wattsburg  and  \V'aterford  road. 
Oyer  LeBoauf  creek,  the  Himrod  bridge,  on 
the  cross-road  from  Greene  to  the  plank  road  ; 
the  Benson,  near  the  sink-hole  ;  the  Lattimore, 
on  the  Colt's  Station  road ;  the  two  of  the 
Pennsylvania  and  Erie  R.R.,  one  at  the  Greene 
line  and  the  other  near  Waterford  station; 
the  Station,  on  the  Station  road;  the  Judson, 
on  the  Flats  roads ;  the  Outlet  bridge  on 
the  Meadville  pike;  and  the  Brotherton.  on  the 
road  leading  to  I'nion  and  Wattsburg. 

The  mills  and  factories  are:  A  gristmill 
and  a  sawmill  on  LeBd-uf  creek;  two  saw- 
mills on  Boyd's  run ;  a  sawmill  near  the 
McKean  line  ;  a  cheese  factory  each  at  New- 


372 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


man's  bridge,  Sharp's  corners,  Marsh's  mill 
and  the  Forest  Home  (four  in  all)  ;  and  a 
cider-mill  each  on  Oak  Ilill,  at  East  Water- 
ford  (or  Waterford  Station),  and  just  west  of 
the  borough  line  (three  in  all).  The  cheese 
factory  at  Newman's  bridge  was  started  in  the 
spring  of  1871. 

[For   early   history,    etc.,    see    Waterford 
borough  ;  also  General  History  of  the  county.] 


WATERFORD   BOROUGH. 

[see  waterkord  township.] 

On  the  arrival  of  the  French  in  North- 
western Pennsylvania  they  found  an  Indian 
village  where  Waterford  now  stands,  traces 
of  which  remained  some  fifty  years  ago.  The 
first  French  explorers  regarded  LeBn'uf  creek 
as  the  main  stream  of  French  creek,  and  called 
both  by  the  same  title.  At  a  subsequent 
period  thej^  changed  the  name  of  the  main 
stream  to  the  river  Venango  (or  Innungah) 
by  which  it  had  been  known  to  the  Indians, 
and  called  the  smaller  stream  LeBoeuf,  from 
the  number  of  cattle  that  roamed  on  the  flats 
below  the  lake. 

The  French  took  ])ossession  of  the  country 
in  1758,  their  purpose  being  to  establish  a 
chain  of  forts  between  Niagara  and  New  Or- 
leans— along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie, 
LeBoeuf  creek,  French  creek,  and  the  Alle- 
gheny, Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers.  That 
season  they  built  forts  at  Presque  Isle  and 
LeBfPuf,  now  Erie  and  Waterford.  They 
also  cut  a  wagon  road  between  the  two  places, 
which  is  still  known  as  tiie  old  French  road. 
On  the  11th  of  December,  LeBcruf  was  visited 
by  George  Washington,  to  protest  against  the 
French  invasion  of  the  country.  [See  Gen- 
eral Historj'.] 

I'KENCIt    AND   ENGLISH    l-OHTS. 

The  French  fort  LeBanif  is  described  in 
Washington's  journal  as  having  been  situated 
"on  the  West  fork  of  French  creek,  near  the 
water,  almost  surrounded  by  the  creek  and  a 
small  branch  of  it,  which  forms  a  kind  of  an 
island.  Four  houses  comprised  the  sides  ;  the 
bastions  were  of  poles  driven  into  the  ground, 
standing  more  than  twelve  feet  above  it,  and 
sharp  at  the  top,  with  port-holes  cut  for  can- 
non and  loop-holes  for  small  arms.  Eight 
si.x-pounders    were  mounted  on  each  bastion 


and  one  four-pounder  before  the  gate.  In  the 
bastions  were  a  guard  house,  chapel,  surgeon's 
lodgings  and  commandant's  private  store." 
Tradition  claims  that  Washington  camped  on 
the  high  land,  just  south  of  LeBcruf  creek  and 
the  main  business  portion  of  the  borough. 

After  the  French  retreated  before  the 
superior  force  or  prowess  of  the  English,  pos- 
session of  Forts  LeBcpuf  and  Presque  Isle  was 
taken  by  Maj.  Rogers,  with  a  body  of  English 
and  Colonial  troops,  in  171)". 

In  17r)3,  by  the  eloquence  and  ability  of 
the  celebrated  Pontiac,  all  of  the  Indian  tribes 
west  of  the  Alleghanies  were  united  in  a 
grand  confederacy,  whose  purpose  was  to  fall 
upon  every  English  fort  on  the  frontier  upon 
a  given  day,  and  sweep  them  and  their  occu- 
pants out  of  existence.  The  plan  was  so  far 
successful  that  by  the  middle  of  summer  all 
the  forts  were  taken  and  burned  except 
Niagara,  Pitt,  Bedford  and  Detroit.  LeBiruf 
was  assaulted  on  the  17th  of  June,  and  its 
blockhouse  fired  at  night.  While  the  Indians 
were  dancing  around  their  camp-fire  in  fiend- 
ish glee,  momentarily  expecting  the  surrender 
of  its  garrison,  the  ensign  in  command  and 
his  handful  of  men  crept  through  a  drain  lead- 
ing to  the  creek,  and  hid  themselves  in  the 
swamps  until  it  was  safe  to  venture  across  the 
country.  The  fort  at  Prescjue  Isle  was  taken  on 
the  22d  of  June.  The  drain  above  spoken  of  had 
its  mouth  on  the  side  hill  just  below  the  house 
of  Will  McKay,  and  immediately  adjoining 
the  spring  which  supplies  his  residence.  The 
spring  is  the  same  that  was  used  by  the 
French,  English  and  American  occupants  of 
the  fort.  [See  General  History  of  Erie 
County.] 

AMERICAN  SETTLEMENTS. 

Up  to  1796,  the  settlement  of  this  section 
went  on  slowly,  almost  all  of  the  white  resi- 
dents being  hunters  and  traders  with  the  In- 
dians. In  1785,  David  Watts  and  William 
Miles  came  on  under  the  auspices  of  the  Com- 
monwealth, to  survey  the  Tenth  Donation 
District,  returning  to  the  East  on  the  com- 
pletion of  their  labors.  A  committee  on  the 
part  of  the  State  was  sent  out  in  1790  to  ex- 
plore the  route  from  French  creek  to  Erie,  as 
a  result  of  whose  labors  an  appropriation  of 
$400  was  made  by  the  Legislature  in  1791  to 
improve  that  stream  from  Franklin  to  Water- 
ford, and  a   similar   sum  for   building   a   road 


AND  HISTORIOAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


373 


from  LeBcpuf  to  Presque  Isle.  The  Pennsyl- 
vania Population  Company  was  formed 
March  8,  1793,  and  immediately  advertised  an 
offer  of  150  acres  to  each  of  the  first  twenty 
families  who  would  settle  on  French  creek, 
and  of  100  acres  each  to  the  next  forty. 

April  8,  1794,  an  act  was  approved  by  the 
Goxernor  to  lay  out  towns  at  Presque  Isle,  Le- 
Ba'uf  and  Venango  (Franklin),  its  principal 
object  being  to  establish  a  line  of  defensive 
posts  for  the  frontier.  Williain  Irvine,  An- 
drew Ellicott  and  Albert  Gallatin  were  ap- 
pointed to  prepare  the  plans,  and  a  part  of 
their  mission  was  to  survey  a  road  from  Read- 
ing to  Pres(|ue  Isle.  State  troops  reached  Le- 
Bii'uf  in  May,  and  built  a  second  fort,  where 
they  remained  until  tiie  spiing  of  1795. 

The  American  Fort  LeBa>uf  consisted  of 
four  block-houses  surrounded  by  pickets,  with 
a  six-pounder  on  the  second  floor  of  each  build- 
ing, and  a  swivel  over  each  gate.  The  exact 
site  of  the  American  fort  is  a  matter  of  some 
dispute,  one  authority  fixing  it  on  the  spot 
occupied  by  the  old  French  fort,  while  some 
of  the  older  citizens  of  Waterford  contend  that 
it  was  a  little  to  one  side,  on  the  west  edge  of 
High  street,  south  of  the  Eagle  Hotel. 

While  the  troops  were  delayed  at  LeBoeuf 
in  1794,  Mr.  Ellicott  laid  out  a  town  at  that 
place,  to  which  the  name  of  Waterford  was 
given.  This  was  nearly  a  year  previous  to  the 
laying  out  of  Erie  by  the  same  gentleman. 
The  plan  made  by  Mr.  Ellicott  was  confirmed 
by  the  Legislature  in  1795.  On  the  25th  of 
Jidy,  1796,  a  sale  was  advertised  to  commence 
in  Philadelphia  of  lots  in  Erie,  Waterford, 
Warren  and  Franklin.  During  the  same  year, 
Elliott  located  the  Susquehanna  and  Water- 
ford turnpike,  from  Curwensville,  Clearfield 
county,  to  lake  LeBcruf,  by  way  of  Franklin 
and  Meadville. 

The  following  prices  were  paid  bv  the  Ilar- 
risburg  &  Presque  Isle  Companv  for  lots  in 
Waterford,  at  the  public  sale  lield  in  Carlisle 
on  the  3d  and  4th  of  August,  179(5 : 

IN  LOT,  PRICE. 

No.  11 $15 

No.  13 16 

No.  16 45 

No.  17 59 

No.  168 20 

In  1800,  James  Naylor  was  appointed 
Commissioner  for  the  sale  of  lands  in  Water- 
ford, in  place  of  D.  McNair,  resigned.     Feb- 


ruary 16,  1805,  John  Vincent  succeeded  Nay- 
lor, who  had  died.  Charles  Martin  was  ap- 
pointed in  the  place  of  Mr.  Vincent,  on  the 
29th  of  March,  1809,  and  James  Boyd  followed 
Mr.  Martin  in  1811. 

THE    PIONEERS. 

On  the  conclusion  of  peace  with  the  In- 
dians, a  full  account  of  the  incidents  leading 
to  which  will  be  found  in  the  General  History, 
some  of  the  State  soldiers  who  had  come  on  to 
protect  the  frontier  decided  to  settle  in  or  near 
Waterford,  and  emigration  began  to  flow  in 
from  Eastern  counties  and  New  England. 
Lieut.  Martin,  commander  of  the  post,  was 
among  those  who  became  permanent  residents, 
as  well  as  James  Naylor,  one  of  the  Commis- 
sioners for  the  sale  of  lands.  The  former 
opened  the  first  tavern,  and  the  latter  the  first 
store.  Capt.  Martin  Strong  came  on  from 
Hartford  county,  Connecticut,  in  the  spring 
of  1795,  and  eventually  located  on  the  crest  of 
the  ridge  north  of  Waterford.  Amos  Judson 
migrated  from  New  England  in  the  same  year 
and  started  a  store.  He  and  Col.  Scth  Reed 
came  up  Lake  Erie  together  in  a  small  coast- 
ing boat. 

The  arrival  of  other  settlers  was  as  follows  : 
In  1796,  John  Lytle,  from  Northumberland 
county;  Robert  Brotherton,  from  Franklin 
county;  John  Lennox  and  Thomas  Skinner; 
in  1797,  John  Vincent,  from  Northumberland 
county,  and  Wilson  .Smith,  from  L'nion  county; 
in  1798,  Aaron  Himrod  and  the  Lattimores  ; 
in  1801-02,  Capt.  John  Tracy,  William  Boyd, 
sr.,  and  son  David,  John  and  James  Boyd, 
with  their  three  sisters  and  James  Anderson  ; 
in  1804  or  1805,  James  and  William  Benson  ; 
in  1809,  Eliachim  Cook,  who  had  previously 
settled  in  McKean  township;  in  1799  or  ear- 
lier, Geo.  W.  Reed  ;  in  1812,  John  Henrj-  and 
Levi  Strong;  in  1813,  the  McKays:  in  1814, 
Simeon  Hunt;  in  1811).  William  Smith,  Will- 
iam \'incent  and  Judge  Ilutchins  ;  in  1822,  I. 
M.  White  ;  in  1824,  Seth  and  Timothy  Judson  ; 
in  1826,  Daniel  Vincent.  The  Boyds  and  Mr. 
Anderson  were  from  Northumberland  county  ; 
Mr.  Hunt  was  from  Orange  county,  Vermont ; 
William  Smith  and  wife  came  over  from 
Wayne  township  ;  Mr.  White  was  a  native  of 
Windham  county,  Vermont,  and  the  Judsons 
were  from  Connecticut.  Most  of  those  whose 
places  of  nativity  are  not  given,  hailed  either 
from  the  Susquehanna  valley  or  the  New  Eng- 


374 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


land  States.  In  1815,  Rev.  J.  Matthews,  Dr. 
William  Bacon,  Henry  Woodworth,  Henry 
Colt,  Jolm  Way  and  Archibald  \Vatson  were 
residents  of  the  village,  hut  the  precise  date  of 
their  arrival  cannot  be  given.  Dr.  Ira  Barton 
did  not  settle  in  Waterford  until  1^40. 

John  Vincent  settled  first  on  a  small  stream 
which  flows  into  French  creek  in  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  township,  where  he  remained 
two  years  before  becoming  a  resident  of  the 
village.  On  the  completion  of  the  turnpike, 
he  took  charge  of  the  toll  gate  about  a  mile 
above  \V^aterford,  and  afterward  went  into  the 
salt  trade,  which  made   him  wealthy. 

INCIDENTS  OF  THE  EARLY   DAYS. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  a  boy  named 
Rutledge,  who  died  of  wounds  received  in  the 
Indian  troubles  of  1795,  and  was  buried  just 
outside  the  fort.  The  first  white  child  was 
John  R.,  son  of  William  Black,  who  was  born 
in  Fort  LeBnnif,  August  8,  1T')'3.  The  second 
birth  was  that  of  Katiiarine,  daughter  of 
Aaron  Himrod  and  wife,  in  1799.  Robert 
Brotherton  built  the  first  sawmill  in  1797,  and 
the  first  grist  mill  in  1802,  near  Waterford 
.Station.  He  also  kept  a  tavern  from  1S15  to 
1817,  on  the  lot  occupied  by  his  son's  residence. 
The  second  sawmill  was  set  in  operation  by 
James  Boyd  on  Boyd's  run,  west  of  the  bor- 
ough. Mr.  Lattimore  started  a  mill  soon  after 
Boyd's,  the  date  of  both  having  been  very 
early.  George  W.  Reed  opened  a  tavern  in 
1810,  on  Union  street,  in  the  rear  of  the  Jud- 
son's  block,  which  burned  down.  Thomas 
King,  who  iiad  kept  a  public  house  corner  of 
First  and  Walnut  streets,  commenced  building 
the  stone  hotel  in  182(5,  and  opened  it  in  the 
winter  of  1827. 

Mrs.  Smith,  wife  of  William,  is  notable  as 
one  of  the  women  in  the  county  who  lived  to 
an  unusual  age.  She  died  in  Wayne  town- 
ship in  1875,  in  her  one  hundredth  year.  Mrs. 
Phelps,  another  venerable  lady,  died  in  Au- 
gust, 1879,  aged  95  years. 

Capt.  John  Lytle,  father  of  John  Lytle, 
jr.,  who  rose  to  be  prominent  among  the  early 
settlers,  was  commander  of  Fort  Freeland,  on 
the  West  branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  in  1779. 
It  was  attacked  by  a  body  of  British  and 
Indians,  and  capitulated  on  the  30th  of  June 
of  that  year,  among  the  prisoners  taken  being 
Capt.  Lytle,  William  Miles  and  four  of  the 
Vincents.     They  were  marched  through   the 


wilderness  to  Fort  Niagara,  in  Canada,  where 
they  were  detained  until  the  acknowledgment 
of  our  National  Independence.  During  the 
long  absence  of  Captain  Lytle  his  wife  re- 
mained on  the  farm  with  her  children,  employ- 
ing an  unmarried  man  to  do  the  work.  In 
course  of  time  this  person  made  proposals  of 
marriage  to  Mrs.  Lytle,  which  she  rejected. 
Determined  to  effect  his  object,  the  young 
man  put  letters  in  circulation,  stating  that  the 
Captain  was  dead,  and  the  unhappy  woman 
became  so  well  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the 
report  that  she  married  the  assiduous  lover. 
On  the  Captain's  return,  he  was  so  shocked 
and  mortified  to  learn  of  what  had  happened 
that  for  awhile  he  refused  to  see  his  wife,  but 
mutual  friends  having  acquainted  him  with 
the  facts,  he  was  reconciled  to  her,  took  her 
again  to  his  bosom  and  the  miserable  deluder 
was  compelled  to  fly  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
law.  His  son,  John,  was  the  originator  of 
the  Erie  and  Waterford  Turnpike  Company, 
and  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  county. 

Lafayette's  visit  in  1825  was  one  of  the 
most  memorable  incidents  in  the  history  of 
Waterford.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  son,  a 
companion  and  a  servant,  on  their  way  from 
Pittsburg  to  Erie.  The  nation's  distinguished 
guest  arrived  on  the  2d  of  June,  and  remained 
over  night  at  the  hotel  of  George  W.  Reed, 
which  stood  just  east  of  the  Judson  block,  on 
First  street.  A  barn  still  stands  on  the  Mead- 
ville  road  which  bore  an  inscription  until  re- 
cently signifying  that  it  was  built  the  year  of 
Lafayette's  visit. 

LIST   OF   TAXPAYERS    IN    1813. 

Below  is  a  list  of  taxpayers  in  1813,  em- 
bracing both  borough  and  township  :  James 
Anderson,  Nancy  Alexander,  Reuben  Alex- 
ander, E.  and  D.  Alvord,  Benjamin  Avery, 
Benjamin  Blythe,  William  Boyd,  John  Boyd, 
John  M.  Baird,  James  Boyd,  George  Buehler, 
Richard  Braden,  Robert  Brotherton,  Holbert 
Barnett,  William  Benson,  Ichabod  Brackett, 
Mathew  Blair,  James  Benson,  William  T. 
Codd,  Isaac  Craig,  George  Cochran,  Judah 
Colt,  James  Campbell,  D.  CoUison,  Henry 
Colt,  John  Cleminens,  Jeremiah  Curtis,  Will- 
iam Culbertson,  Ebenezer  Dwinnell,  John 
Eagleson,  Peter  Ford,  Philip  Gregorj-,  Samuel 
Grimes,  Carson  Graham,  John  Greenwood, 
Walter  How,  Aaron  Himrod,  Moses  Himrod, 
Anor  Hull,  Isaac  Hawley,  Samuel  Hewlings, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


375 


John  rieniy,  Francis  B.  Holmes,  Hugh  Ham- 
ilton, Thomas  Humphreys,  William  Hood, 
James  Hamilton,  William  Himrod,  Samuel 
Jewet,  Amos  Judson,  Thomas  R.  Kennedy, 
Daniel  King,  Thomas  King,  William  Knox, 
Thomas  Layland,John  Lattimore.  James  Latti- 
more,  John  Lenox,  John  Lytle,  Alex.  McElroy, 
David  Middleton,  Francis  Morrison,  John  Mc- 
Nair,  David  McNair,  John  ^Mullen,  Israel  Mul- 
len, John  Mace,  Charles  Martin,  James  Mc- 
Donald, Charles  Martin,  jr.,  James  McKay, 
Naylor&  Wilson,  Joseph  Osborn,  James  Oliver, 
Isaac  Fherron,  Adam  Pollock,  David  Phillips, 
Thomas  Prentiss,  Jabez  Parker,  Joseph  Rey- 
nolds, Rufus  S.  Reed,  George  W.  Reed, 
Thomas  Rees,  James  Ross,  Jonathan  Stratton, 
William  Simpson,  Lemuel  Stancliff,  ]VIartin 
Strong,  Andrew  Simpson,  Elizabeth  Skinner, 
Wilson  Smith,  Russell  Stancliff,  Solomon 
Snell,  Levi  Strong,  Rufus  Trask,  sr.,  Rufus 
Trask,  jr.,  James  Thomas,  Samuel  Trask, 
Turnpike  Company,  Robert  Townley,  jr., 
Joshua  Tilden,  John  Tracy,  William  Vankirk, 
John  Vincent,  Eli  Webster,  Ellis  William, 
Jacob  Watkins,  Archibald  Watson.  Henry 
Woodworth. 

The  total  tax  assessed  in  1813  was$410.25, 
and  the  militia  fines,  |384.  Farm  land  was 
assessed  at  from  !|!1.50  to  two  dollars  per 
acre,  inlots  at  twenty  dollars  to  thirty  dol- 
lars each  and  outlots  at  thirty  dollars  to  fifty 
dollars  each. 

THE     BOATING    TRADE. 

For  years  after  the  country'  began  to  settle, 
most  of  the  supplies  of  iron,  glass.  Hour,  bacon, 
whisky,  etc.,  came  from  Pittsburg,  and  nearly 
all  of  the  freight  was  carried  on  boats  poled 
up  and  down  the  Allegheny,  French  creek 
and  LeBa?uf  creek.  The  flat  boats  were 
roughly  built,  and  averaged  about  fifteen  feet 
in  width  by  seventy-five  in  length.  They 
were  sold  at  Pittsburg,  loaded  with  coal, 
floated  down  to  Southern  ports,  and  broken 
up  for  fire  wood  after  reaching  their  destina- 
tion. It  required  about  three  weeks  to  make 
the  trip  from  Waterford  to  Pittsburg  and  re- 
turn. The  keel-boats  were  of  better  construc- 
tion, and  were  used  for  bringing  freight  up  as 
well  as  carrying  them  down  the  streams,  their 
propelling  power  being  poles  pushed  bv  tlic 
crews. 

The  most  important  trade  in  the  earlv  days 
was  the    shipping   of    salt    for    the   Southern 


markets.  This  article  was  brought  to  Erie 
from  Onondaga,  X.  Y.,  hauled  bv  teams  to 
Waterford,  deposited  in  warehouses  there,  and 
floated  down  the  streams  whenever  they  were 
iij  suitable  condition.  The  trade  began  about 
1812,  and  the  last  load  was  taken  to  Pittsburg 
in  1819.  The  village  being  without  a  church 
edifice,  all  religious  services  in  those  days 
were  held  in  one  of  the  warehouses. 

During  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain, 
Waterford  was  a  busy  place,  most  of  the  sup- 
plies for  the  army  and  navy  being  brought 
there  by  boats,  and  hauled  across  the  country 
to  Erie.  A  brigade  of  Pennsylvania  troops 
was  organized  in  1812,  on  land  at  or  near  the 
Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  depot. 

CREATED    A    BOUOllill. 

The  borough  charter  dates  from  April  8, 
1833.  The  town  was  laid  out  on  the  same 
plan  as  Erie,  with  broad  streets  running  at 
right  angles,  and  a  park  or  Diamond  of  some 
five  acres  near  the  center.  The  borough 
covers  about  500  acres,  and  contained  a 
population  of  403  in  1840,  498  in  1850,  9(X)in 
1860,  790  in  1870,  781  in  1880,  and  838  in 
1890.  Measuring  from  the  Diamond,  half  of 
which  has  been  set  out  with  trees,  forming  a 
beautiful  park,  the  distance  is  fourteen  miles 
south  of  Erie  by  the  plank  road,  ninete.n  and 
and  a  half  by  railroad,  and  one  mile  from  the 
Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  depot. 

The  town  started  along  the  creek,  and,  for 
a  considerable  peiiod,  in  consequence  of  the 
boating  business.  Water  street  was  its  princi- 
pal avenue.  From  there  it  worked  back  to 
First  street,  which  contained  all  the  stores  and 
two  or  three  taverns.  At  that  date  High 
street,  now  the  business  thoroughfare,  was 
nothing  more  than  a  common  road.  In  laving 
out  the  streets,  all  were  made  sixt}'  feet  wide 
except  High,  Third  and  Water,  which  have  a 
width  of  100  feet.  There  was  no  church  edi- 
fice until  1884,  although  several  denomina- 
tions had  been  organized,  and  worship  was 
held  either  in  the  schoolhouse,  one  of  the 
warehouses  or  in  the  academy.  The  earliest 
school  building  was  a  log  structure  on  Walnut 
street,  between  Sixth  and  Seventh,  and  the 
second  stood  on  High  street  about  the  center 
of  the  Diamond.  The  first  structure  for  free 
school  purposes  ^vas  on  a  cornerof  the  academj- 
lot  and  was  removed  in  1840.  Among  the 
early  stores  were  those  of  Holmes  tS:  Harriott, 


376 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Samuel  Hutchins  and  Hart  &  Thompson.  The 
original  log  houses  of  the  town  have  mostly 
passed  away. 

WATERFOKD   ACADEMY. 

\i  the  sale  of  reserved  lands  in  1800,  500 
acres  were  set  apart  bv  the  State  near  Water- 
ford,  Erie,  Franklin  and  Warren  for  the  benefit 
of  schools  and  academies  in  the  several  places. 
The  Waterford  Academy  was  incorporated  in 
1811,  and,  besides  the  above  named  500  acres, 
embracing  the  flats  at  the  mouth  of  LeBoeuf 
creek,  was  endowed  with  fifteen  inlets,  to 
which  eight  others  were  added  in  18:21.  On 
the  24th  of  February,  1820,  an  act  passed  em- 
powering the  trustees  to  sell  the  500  acres  of 
the  reserved  tract  at  not  less  than  ten  dollars 
an  acre,  and  to  invest  the  proceeds  in  some 
productive  fund  for  the  compensation  of  teach- 
ers. They  were  disposed  of  about  1840.  The 
old  stone  building  was  completed  in  1822, 
the  same  year  as  the  academy  in  Erie,  and 
the  first  school  was  opened  in  1826.  A  brick 
addition  was  added  about  1859,  and  a  board- 
ing-house some  ten  years  later.  The  time  was 
when  Waterford  Academy  was  the  most  fa- 
mous and  prosperous  institution  of  learning  in 
the  county. 

W.VTEKKOrJD   CKMETERV. 

The  only  cemetery  or  graveyard  was  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  Second  and  West  streets 
until  1840,  when  the  first  part  of  the  present 
cemetery  was  laid  out  b}-  William  Benson,  sr., 
under  the  auspices  of  the  borough,  containing 
one  and  a  quarter  acres.  The  first  burial  in 
the  latter  was  that  of  a  child  of  Dr.  Banning, 
in  December,  1840.  This  section  became 
filled  up,  and  the  borough  in  1865  deeded  the 
property  to  the  Waterford  Cemetery  Com- 
pany, which  increased  the  cemetery  to  eleven 
acres.  Within  the  cemetery,  in  a  lot  appro- 
priated for  the  purpose,  lie  the  bones  of 
Michael  Hare,  the  oldest  man  who  ever  lived 
in  Erie  county,  and  perhaps  in  Pennsylvania. 
He  was  born  in  Ireland  on  the  10th  of  June, 
1727,  and  died  in  Waterford,  after  a  long  resi- 
dence there,  on  May  3,  1843,  at  the  almost  in- 
credible age  of  115  years,  8  months  and  22  days. 
Mr.  Hare  served  in  the  French  %vars,  was 
present  at  Braddock's  defeat,  fought  all 
through  the  Revolution,  and  wound  up  his 
military  career  by  taking  part  in  St.  Clair's 
expedition  against  the  Western  Indians.     At 


St.  Clair's  defeat,  he  was  left  on  the  field  for 
dead  and  lost  his  scalp,  which  did  not  seem  to 
cause  him  much  inconvenience  in  after  years. 
Mr.  Hare  was  one  of  the  original  settlers  of 
Wayne  township,  from  which  he  moved  to 
Waterford.  Besides  Mr.  Hare,  two  other 
Revolutionary  soldiers  are  buried  at  Water- 
ford— Capt.  John  Lytle  and  Neil  McKay — 
and  five  soldiers  of  the  last  war  with  Great 
Britain — M.  Himrod,  H.  Colt,  James  McKay, 
J.  Benson  and  J.  Leno.x. 

The  enlistments  from  Waterford  in  the  war 
for  the  Union  were  probably  not  exceeded  in 
number  by  any  community  of  equal  size,  and 
there  are  few  of  its  families  who  did  not 
mourn  the  loss  of  one  or  more  near  relatives 
in  that  bloody  struggle. 

CHURCHES. 

The  First  Presbyterian  society  was  organ- 
ized in  1809.  The  church  building  was 
erected  in  1834,  at  a  cost  of  !i>5,()00 — a  large 
sum  for  the  time. 

The  United  Presbyterian  congregation 
dates  from  October,  1812,  and  their  house  of 
worship  was  started  in  1885,  but  not  com- 
pleted until  1838.  It  was  enlarged  and  im- 
proved in  1859  and  1868,  and  a  chapel  was 
added  at  a  later  period.  Rev.  P.  W.  Free 
became  pastor  of  the  congregation  in  1870. 
Himself  and  wife  celebrated  the  25th  anni- 
versary of  their  marri.nge,  and  also  of  the  be- 
ginning of  his  pastorate,  on  the  2d  of  July, 
1895. 

St.  Peter's  Episcopal  congregation  was 
started  in  February,  1827.  The  corner-stone 
of  the  church  was  laid  in  the  fall  of  1881. 
Bishop  Onderdonk  consecrated  the  building  in 
November,  1832.  The  edifice  was  renovated 
in  the  fall  of  1871-2.  The  congregation  is 
supplied  at  present  by  the  rector  of  the  Union 
City  parish. 

The  Alethodist  Episcopal  congregation  was 
not  regularly  organized  until  1885,  though 
occasional  services  had  been  held  from  as  long 
back  as  1814.  The  meeting  place  for  some 
years  was  in  an  old  building  removed  from 
near  the  Eagle  Hotel  to  the  corner  of  High 
and  Sixth  streets.  The  present  structure  was 
built  in  1854. 

I'lBLlC    MEN. 

Up  to  forty  years  ago,  Waterford  borough 
and    township    shared    equally    with   Erie   in 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


political  influence,  and  there  is  hardly  a  posi- 
tion within  the  gift  of  the  people  of  the 
county  that  has  not  been  filled  bv  one  or  more 
of  their  citizens,  as  the  following  list  shows  : 
Qiiartermaster  General,  Wilson  Smith,  1812. 
Presidential  Electors,  John  Boyd,  lN24  ;  Wil- 
son Smith,  1832  ;  Charles  C.  Boyd,  1872.  State 
Senate,  Wilson  Smith,  1809  to  1812.  Assem- 
bly, John  Lytle,  1802  to  1805;  Wilson  Smith, 
1806  to  1808  and  1819-20;  Samuel  Hutchins, 
1838  and  1839;  David  Himrod,  1857;  O.  S. 
Woodward,  1865  and  18G6.  Associate  Judges, 
John  Vincent,  December  23.  1805,  to  March 
26,  1840;  Samuel  Hutchins,  November  12, 
1856,  to  November  23,  1861;  William  Ben- 
son, November  8,  1866,  to  November  8, 
1872.  Sheriffs,  Wilson  Smith,  1803  to 
1805;  Thomas  B.  Vincent,  November  2, 
1852,  to  October  28,  1855 ;  John  L.  Hyner, 
October  24,  1873.  to  January  1,  1877;  H.  C. 
Stafford,  January  1,  1880,  to  January  1,  1883. 
Prothonotarv,  E.  L.  Whittelsey,  November 
22,  1869,  to  December  28,  1875.  Register 
and  Recorder,  Reuben  J.  Sibley,  November 
25.  1848,  to  November  22,  1851.  Treasurer, 
Judson  Walker,  elected  in  1889.  Coroner, 
M.  S.  \'incent,  elected  in  1872.  County 
Commissioners.  John  Vincent,  1803  to  1804; 
John  Bovd.  1807  to  1810;  Henry  Colt,  1822  to 
1825;  William  Benson,  sr.,  1826  to  1828; 
Flavel  Boyd,  1854  to  1857;  Charles  C.  Boyd, 
1863  to  1866.  Directors  of  the  Poor,  James 
Benson,  1840  to  1841  ;  James  Anderson,  1843 
to  1846 ;  George  Fritts,"l849  to  1852.  County 
Surveyors,  Wilson  Smith,  1800  to  1801  ;  Wil- 
son King,  1827  to  1838;  William  Benson,  jr., 
1854  to  1863.  County  Auditors,  Charles 
Martin,  1810;  John  Lytle,  1813  to  1816; 
Amos  Judson,  1814  to  1817;  James  M.  Mc- 
Kay, 1825  to  1828;  Martin  S'trong,  1826  to 
1829  ;  William  Benson,  1835  to  1838  ;  Simeon 
Hunt,  1845  to  1846;  Flavel  Boyd,  1850  to 
1853;  Frank  Shaw,  elected  in  1887;  George 
Taylor,  elected  in  1890  and  '93.  Mercantile 
Appraisers,  S.  B.  Benson,  1852  and  1861 ;  J. 
P.  Vincent,  1857;  C.  W.  S.  Anderson,  1863; 
H.  R.  Whittelsey,  1866;  James  R.  Taylor, 
1869. 

Thomas  Wilson,  Congressman  from  1813 
to  1818,  had  been  a  resident  of  Waterford, 
but  removed  to  Erie  in  1805,  and  was  liv- 
ing there  when  elected.  Other  citizens  of 
Erie  chosen  to  public  positions,  who  were 
natives   of    Waterford   borough   or  township, 


are:  John  P.  Vincent,  Additional  Law  Judge 
from  December,  1866,  to  April  17,  1874,  and 
President  Judge  from  the  latter  date  to  Janu- 
ary', 1877;  T'l'ii*^*  Skinner,  State  Senator  from 
1852  to  1855,  and  Prothonotary  from  Novem- 
ber, 1857,  to  November,  1863;  Alfred  King, 
Prothonotary  from  November,  1854,  to  the 
same  month  in  1857 ;  and  John  A.  Tracy, 
County  Treasurer  from  1835  to  1838.  Among 
professional  and  business  men,  her  contribu- 
tion to  Erie  includes  William  Benson,  John 
Clemens,  A.  H.  Gray,  F.  F.  Adams,  David 
Himrod,  F.  F.  Farrar,  Dr.  P.  Hall,  Irvin 
Camp,  B.  B.  Vincent,  William  Himrod,  T. 
B.  Vincent,  Dr.  L.  Strong,  O.  S.  Woodward, 
and  others  whose  names  cannot  now  be  re- 
called. She  has  given  the  city  two  Mayors 
— F.  F.  Farrar  and  Alfred  King.  Mr.  Tracy's 
career  in  Erie  began  as  a  clerk  for  Reed  & 
ban  ford  in  1816.  He  was  the  father  of  John 
F.  Tracv,  the  famous  railroad  man  (deceased), 
and  father-in-law  of  the   late  Wm.    L.    Scott. 

BOROUGH    POSTMASTERS. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Postmasters 
of  the  borough,  with  the  years  of  their  commis- 
sions :  Charles  Martin,  1801;  Samuel  Hutch- 
ins, 1819;  Joseph  Derrickson,  1829:  John 
Marvin,  1831;  Henry  Colt.  1840;  Joseph  L. 
Cook,  1841;  Timothv  Judson,  1844;  John 
Curtis,  1847;  Thonias  B.  Vincent,  1849; 
Hugh  H.  Whitney,  1852;  Henry  Colt,  1853; 
John  Lvtle.  1861  ;  William  Vincent,  1861  ; 
Andrew"  W.  Tracy,  1865:  William  O.  Colt, 
1868;  James  P.  Vnicent,  1869;  Sarah  H.  Vin- 
cent, 1875;  I.  Lloyd  Benson.  February  ('), 
1890:  T.  M.  Judson,  May  1.   1894. 

XEWSP.^PERS. 

In  1851  or  "52,  Joseph  S.  M.  Young 
started  the  Waterford  Dispatch,  which  at- 
tained to  a  wide  circulation  by  its  sympathy 
with  the  '-Rippers"'  in  the  railroad  war.  He 
removed  it  to  Erie  in  1856,  and  it  became  the 
basis  of  the  present  Dispatch  establishment. 
B.  F.  H.  Lynn,  who  rose  to  distinction  as  an 
Erie  publisher,  was  employed  by  Mr.  Young 
.in  Waterford,  and  came  over  with  the  office. 
Not  long  after  the  change.  Mr.  Lewis,  who 
was  running  the  Edinboro  Museum,  went  to 
Waterford  with  his  office,  and  printed  a  paper 
for  a  short  time.  In  1857,  it  fell  into  the 
hands  of  Amos  Judson,  who  changed  the 
name  to  the  Enquirer.     That  paper  suspended 


378 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


for  a  few  months  in  1858,  but  was  re-estab- 
lished by  Jiidson  &  Lynn,  wiio  were  suc- 
ceeded by  C.  R.  H.  Lynn,  under  wiiose  ad- 
ministration it  went  out  of  existence.  The 
borougli  was  without  a  paper  till  May  7,  1874, 
when  L.  B.  Thompson  started  the  Water- 
ford  Enterprise.  Not  proving  as  successful 
as  he  anticipated,  the  office  was  moved  to 
Union  City  in  February,  1875.  Dr.  D.  P. 
Robbins  started  the  Waterford  Astoiiislicr  on 
the  26th  of  Januar}',  1878,  and  continued  his 
connection  with  the  same  until  December  16 
of  that  year,  when  A.  F.  Moses  took  charge, 
changed  the  naine  to  the  Waterford  Leader, 
and  continued  its  publication  until  April  1, 
1883,  when  it  was  purchased  by  W.  G.  Le- 
fevre.  Since  then  it  has  been  owned  and 
edited  by  H.  L.  Moore,  Gillett  &  Van  Al- 
stine  and  the  Bolard  Bros.,  the  latter  of  whom 
are  printing  it  at  present  with  more  than 
usual  success. 

FACTORIES,    MIl.I.S,    ETC. 

The  manufacturing  concerns  of  the  bor- 
ough are  a  cheese  factory  (opened  May  10, 
1870)  ;  a  tannery;  a  gristmill  (built  in  1894)  ; 
two  carriage  and  wagon  factories;  a  marble 
works;  a  carpenter  and  joiner  shop;  a  cooper 
shop;  two  sawmills;  a  shingle-mill;  and  four 
blacksmith  shops. 

The  borough  has  an  unusual  number  of 
good  stores.  It  also  boasts  quite  an  extensive 
cold  storage  building. 

The  secret  societies  in  1894  included  lodges 
or  organizations  of  the  F.  tS:  A.  M.,  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  I.  O.  G.  T.,  K.  O.  T.  M., 
K.  of  S.,  F.  &  I.,  P.  H.  C,  W.  R.  C,  G.  A. 
R.,  E.  A.  U.,  and  P.  of  H.  The  Odd  Fel- 
lows lodge,  the  first  secret  society  in  the  bor- 
ough, was  established  in  1840,  and  that  of  the 
Masonic  order  in  1868. 

MISCEI.L.\NE()U.S. 

Waterford,  for  a  place  of  its  size,  has  had 
more  than  its  due  proportion  of  destructive 
fires.  One  of  the  largest  occurred  on  the  Sth 
of  March,  1865,  sweeping  away  the  whole  of 
the    west    side   of    High  street,  from    .Second 


alley  to  Judson's  store,  and  running  north 
from  Second  alley  about  one  half  the  block. 
Another  on  the  last  day  of  December,  187*5, 
destroyed  the  Union  hotel,  a  large  three  story 
building,  and  two  other  structures.  The 
Bryant  &  Hayes  tannery  has  been  burned 
down  twice.  Qiiite  extensive  fires  took  place 
on  the  nights  of  February  4,  1881,  and  Feb- 
ruary 22,  188H.  The  first  destroyed  buildings 
belonging  to  A.  M.  Car.son,  the  heirs  of  David 
Boyd,  T.  W.  Whitney,  J.  W.  Willard  and  the 
heirs  of  A.  Oliver;  the  second,  A.  M.  Car- 
son's store,  P.  C.  Sedgwick's  meat  market, 
and  Hiram  Howlanil's  grocerv.  A  fire  in  the 
winter  of  188i5-84  burned  down  Wheeler  & 
Dewey's  grist,  saw  and  lath  mill  and  planing 
factory.  The  latest  and  perhaps  the  most 
damaging  of  all,  broke  out  about  five  o'clock 
Sunday  morning,  March  8,  1895,  and  swept 
the  entire  square  on  the  west  side  of  High 
street,  between  First  and  Second  streets,  with 
the  exception  of  one  brick  building,  causing  a 
loss  of  some  .i!45,00O.  With  an  energy  that  is 
deserving  of  much  commendation,  the  people 
went  to  work  almost  immediately  to  rebuild 
the  burnt  district,  and  by  August,  1895,  it  was 
covered  with  brick  store  and  office  structures 
of  a  much  better  style  than  before. 

The  Erie  and  Waterford  plank  road  was 
completed  in  1851,  and. the  \\'aterford  and 
Meadvillc  about  1852.  In  1856,  grading  for 
the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  commenced, 
and  it  was  opened  to  Warren  in  1859.  The 
first  postal  facilities  would  seem  to  have  been 
granted  to  the  town  about  1801.  From  then 
to  1828,  a  mail  was  carried  between  Pittsburg 
and  Erie  once  a  week  each  direction,  in  the 
beginning  on  horseback  and  after  the  war  by 
hack.  In  1826,  stages  ran  through  the  place 
three  times  a  week,  each  way,  carrying  the 
mails.  The  niunber  was  increased  to  a  daily 
stage  and  mail  from  both  ends  of  the  line, 
which  lasted  until  the  completion  of  the  rail- 
road. 

The  centennial  of  the  fotnuling  of  Water- 
ford was  celebrated  on  Tuesday,  September 
17,  1895,  with  interesting  exercises,  and  at- 
tended by  a  large  number  of  people  from  all 
points  t)f  the  compass. 


CHAPTER     XXI. 


WAYNE  TOWNSHIP. 


THE  section  of  Erie  county  now  em- 
braced in  ^^'ayne  and  Concord  town- 
ships was  originally  known  as  Broken- 
straw,  a  name  given  to  it  in  the  act  of 
organization.  In  1821  the  title  was 
changed  to  Concord,  through  the  influence  of 
William  Miles.  Wayne  was  set  off  from  Con- 
cord in  1826,  and  was  named  after  Gen.  An- 
thony Wajne,  the  Revolutionary  hero.  The 
township  of  Brokenstraw  (of  which  Wayne 
formed  a  part)  constituted  with  Union  one 
election  district  until  1821. 

Wayne  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Chau- 
tauqua county.  New  York,  on  the  east  by 
Columbus  township,  Warren  county,  on  the 
south  by  Corry  citv  and  Concord  township, 
and  on  the  west  by  Amity  and  Union.  It  has 
been  twice  reduced  in  size,  first  in  1863  by 
the  creation  of  Corry  as  a  borough,  and  second 
in  18G6  by  the  act  elevating  that  place  to  the 
dignity  of  a  citj'.  The  charters  of  Corry  took 
off  a  strip  about  one  mile  wide  by  two  and  a 
quarter  long,  from  the  southeastern  corner, 
but  %vhat  the  township  lost  in  territory  has 
been  more  than  made  up  in  the  increased  value 
given  to  the  balance  bv  the  growth  of  the  city. 
The  south  line  of  the  township  is  nearly  uni- 
form with  the  straight  portion  of  Smith  street 
in  Corry.  Wayne  has  an  average  width  of 
about  six  miles,  and  a  length  of  about  eight, 
with  a  regular  line  on  the  north  side,  two 
slight  jogs  on  the  east  and  west,  and  more 
considerable  ones  on  the  Concord  and  Corry 
sides. 

The  boundary  between  Pennsylvania  and 
New  York,  which  forms  the  north  line  of  the 
township,  was  established  bv  Commissioners 
on  the  part  of  the  two  States  in  1785,  who 
completed  their  work  in  1787.  The)-  surveyed 
the  entire  boundary  between  the  Delaware 
river  and  Lake  Erie,  marking  each  mile  with 
stones  on  which  figures  were  cut.  showing  the 
distance  from  the  first  named  stream. 

Wayne  township  contained    a   population 

25 


of  107  in  1830,  738  in  1840,  1,122  in  1850, 
1,224  m  1860.  1.295  in  1870,  1,306  in  1880  and 
1,124  in  1890.  The  postofKces  are  Ovid 
(formerly  known  as  Beaver  Dam),  Katan 
(formerly  known  as  Carter  Hill)  and  Whee- 
lock,  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  township.  A 
large  portion  of  the  mail  matter  for  the  town- 
ship is  handled  through  the  Corry  postoffice. 
Before  Corry  grew  to  importance,  Beaver  Dam 
and  Columbus,  Warren  county,  were  the  tra- 
ding places  of  the  township. 

LAND  .\XD  STREAMS. 

Generally  speaking,  Wayne  is  a  hilly  town- 
ship, but  it  contains  some  handsome  valleys 
along  the  South  branch  of  French  creek  and 
Hare  creek,  and  Scioto,  Beaver  Dam  and 
Spencer  runs.  Tiie  hills  attain  an  elevation 
of  200  to  400  feet  above  the  French  creek  val- 
ley, and  are  cut  by  deep  ravines  especially  in 
the  southern  portion,  which,  however,  have 
generallj-  sloping  sides,  admitting  of  easy  cul- 
tivation. The  summits  of  the  ridges  are  irregu- 
lar, but  there  is  little  waste  land  in  the  town- 
ship. The  character  of  the  soil  adapts  it  best 
for  grazing,  and  butter-making  and  cattle-rais- 
ing are  the  staple  industries.  The  principal 
timber  is  beech,  maple  and  hemlock,  though 
considerable  tracts  of  pine,  oak  and  chestnut 
once  existed  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town- 
ship. The  price  of  farming  land  ranges  from 
fifteen  to  sixtj-  dollars  per  acre. 

The  streams  are  Brokenstraw  creek,  with 
its  tributary.  Hare  creek  ;  Bear  creek,  Francis 
run  and  Scioto  run,  blanches  of  the  latter; 
and  Spencer  run,  Baskin  run.  Slaughter  run, 
Beaver  Dam  run  and  Spring  brook,  tributaries 
of  the  South  branch  of  French  creek.  The 
Brokenstraw  heads  in  Clymer  township,  Chau- 
tauqua county.  New  York,  runs  through  the 
northeast  corner  of  Wayne  township  into 
Warren  county,  and  joins  the  Allegheny  river 
at  Irvineton,  after  a  course  of  fifty  to  sixty 
miles,  only  a  small  part  of  which    is    in    Erie 


3So 


NBLSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


county.  Hare  creek  (named  after  Michael 
Hare,  the  oldest  man  that  ever  lived  in  Erie 
coiintv  and  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  town- 
ship) rises  in  French  Creek  township,  Chau- 
tauqua county.  New  York,  flows  across  the 
entire  width  of  Wayne  township,  and  empties 
into  the  Brokenstraw  in  Columbus  township, 
Warren  count}-,  about  three  miles  east  of 
Corr)-.  It  runs  through  the  latter  citj'  for  a 
short  distance,  and  has  a  length  of  about  fjfteen 
miles.  Bear  creek  falls  into  Hare  creek  with- 
in the  limits  of  Corry,  and  Scioto  run  north  of 
that  city.  Each  stream  has  a  length  of  per- 
haps five  miles.  Francis  run  rises  about  three 
miles  northwest  of  Corry,  and  emptie's  into 
Bear  creek  within  the  city  limits,  after  a  course 
of  about  three  miles.  Spencer  run  heads  near 
Carter  Hill,  Baskin  run  near  the  New  York 
line,  Slaughter  run  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  township,  and  Beaver  Dam  run  in  the 
southeast  part  of  Amitv,  all  uniting  with  the 
South  branch  in  Concord,  the  first  named  a 
little  west  of  Corry,  the  second  at  LovelTs  sta- 
tion, the  third  about  a  mile  above  Elgin,  and 
the  fourth  within  that  borough.  The  length 
of  each  of  these  streams  is  from  seven  to  nine 
miles.  Spring  brook  is  a  sparkling  stream 
formed  by  a  number  of  springs  that  burst  out 
of  the  hillsides  at  the  State  Fish  Hatching 
establishment,  a  short  distance  west  of  Corry, 
near  the  line  of  Concord  and  Wayne.  It 
unites  with  the  South  branch  after  a  course  of 
probably  half  a  mile.  Tw'o  or  three  large  beaver 
dams  existed  in  early  days  a  mile  or  so  north 
of  Elgin,  which  gave  name  to  Beaver  Dam 
run. 

VILLAGES,      POST      OFFICES,      CHUUCHES      AND 
SCHOOLS. 

Beaver  Dam  (known  as  Ovid  postoffice) 
is  situated  near  the  extreme  southeastern  cor- 
ner of  the  township,  on  the  run  of  the  same 
name,  at  the  junction  of  the  Erie  and  Warren 
with  the  Wattsburg  and  Spartansburg  roads, 
one  and  a  half  miles  noith  of  Elgin,  six  west 
of  Corry,  twenty-six  by  common  road  south- 
east of  Erie,  and  thirty-four  by  the  Philadel- 
phia and  Erie  R.  R.  The  valley  of  Bea\cr 
Dam  run  at  this  point  is  broad  and  beautiful, 
making  one  of  the  finest  stretches  of  country 
in  Erie  county.  The  village  is  supposed  to 
owe  its  origin  to  John  Bunker,  who  started  a 
store  and  ashery  at  the  cross-roads  at  an  early 
day.      Tills  was  followed  by  another  store  by 


Mr.  Foote,  and  the  place  about  1840,  boasted, 
in  addition,  two  taverns,  one  kept  by  Mr. 
Crook  and  the  other  by  Mr.  Ellis.  The  stages 
between  Erie  and  Warren  and  Jamestown  ran 
through  the  village  daily.  The  building  of 
the  I'hiladelphia  and  ImIc  R.  R.,  and  the 
growth  of  Corry  and  Union,  had  the  effect  of 
drawing  all  of  the  travel  and  most  of  the  trade 
from  Beaver  Dam  ;  the  taverns  were  aban- 
doned, and  only  one  store  is  left.  The  village 
consists  at  present,  besides  the  store,  of  one 
blacksmith  shop,  a  cheese  factory  (opened  in 
the  spring  of  18(')6) ,  two  church  buildings, 
and  some  twenty  or  twenty-five  residences. 
The  village  cemetery  contains  some  handsome 
monuments. 

An  Associated  Reformed  congregation 
was  organized  at  Beaver  Dam  about  18:20,  but 
was  soon  merged  into  the  Presbyterian  con- 
gregation. The  latter  erected  a  building  in 
1880  on  the  cemetery  site,  which  was  super- 
seded by  a  new  one  in  18(37.  The  congrega- 
tion broke  up  some  years  ago;  the  building 
was  moved  to  Elgin  and  is  now  used  by  the 
Methodists. 

The  United  Presbyterian  congregation  was 
started  in  1859,  and  put  up  a  building  in  1872. 
This  edifice  was  injured  by  lightning,  was 
never  i  cpaired  and  is  not  now  in  use. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  society  was  for- 
mally organized  in  1888,  though  services  of 
the  denomination  had  been  held  since  188:?. 
A  church  was  erected  in  1889,  and  the  present 
building  in  1872. 

A  short  distance  north  of  Beaver  Dam  is 
"  The  Wayne  Valley  Church  of  United  Breth- 
ren," organized  in  1880.  Their  Iiuilding  was 
erected  the  same  year. 

A  sawmill  is  in  operation  aijout  half  a 
mile  from  the  village. 

The  earliest  inhabitants  at  Beaver  Dam 
were  Samuel  Smith  and  William  Gray.  The 
latter  sub.sequently  removed  to  Waterford.  In 
the  old  Abolition  times,  the  village  was  an  im- 
portant station  of  the  "  undergrotmd  railroad." 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  .Smith  died  at  the  residence  of 
her  son-in-law,  James  D.  Smith,  in  Beaver 
Dam,  on  the  ()th  of  August,  1875,  in  the  99th 
year  of  her  age,  being  one  of  the  oldest  women 
known  to  have  lived  witiiin  the  county.  She 
emigrated  to  this  country  from  the  north  of 
Ireland  with  her  father,  John  Wilson,  and 
sister,  in  1798,  the  party  settling  in  what  is  now 
L'nion  township.     In    1799,  she    was    married 


AND  HISTORICAL  BEFERENCf:  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


3S1 


to  William  Smith,  of  Wayne,  their  wedding 
being  the  first  in  the  county  south  of  the  Tri- 
angle. About  1816,  they  removed  to  Water- 
ford,  where  Mr.  Smith  died  in  1855,  after 
which  she  made  her  home  as  above.  Mrs. 
Smith  was  the  mother  of  three  sons  and  eight 
daughters. 

A  temperance  society  was  formed  at 
Beaver  Dam  as  early  as  1832.  No  drinking 
place  has  been  maintained  in  Wayne  town- 
ship, except  in  184(>,  when  one  of  the  hotels 
of  the  village  received  a  license. 

Carter  Hill  (Katan  postofhce)  consists  of 
a  schoolhouse,  a  M.  E.  church,  a  butter  fac- 
tory and  several  farm  houses,  in  the  northern 
central  part  of  the  township.  It  derives  its 
name  from  Elijah  Carter,  who  moved  there 
from  Greenfield  when  the  country  was  still  a 
wilderness.  The  butter  factory  was  started 
many  years  ago  as  a  cheese  factorj-.  and  con- 
tinued as  such  until  the  latter  business  proved 
unprofitable.  The  postoffice  was  known  as 
Carter  Hill  until  it  was  abandoned  in  1883, 
and  has  only  recently  been  revived,  under  the 
name  given  above.  A  Methodist  Episcopal 
societv  has  been  in  existence  some  sixtv  years. 
The  church  building  was  put  up  in  the  fall  of 
1883. 

Hare  creek,  four  miles  north  of  Corry, 
consists  of  a  public  hall,  a  Christian  church, 
a  sawmill,  a  schoolhouse.  and  a  few  residences. 
The  religious  society  was  established  before 
1880,  and  dedicated  its  building  the  latter  year. 
The  Dutton  graveyard  is  near  the  church. 

The  first  school  instruction  in  Wayne  \vas 
given  by  Mrs  Elizabeth  Smith,  wife  of  the 
pioneer  William  Smith.  She  taught  her  own 
and  a  few  of  her  neighbors"  children  for  sev- 
eral years,  commencing  about  1808.  A  pri- 
vate school  was  held  for  a  term  or  two  about 
1822,  near  Beaver  Dam,  and  the  earliest 
schoolhouse  in  the  township  was  built  at  the 
latter  place  several  years  later. 

RAILROADS,    COMMON   ROADS,   ETC. 

The  only  railroad  is  the  Western  Xew 
York  and  Pennsvlvania,  better  known  as  the 
"  Cross-cut,"  which  runs  wholly  across  the 
township  from  Corry  to  Brocton,  N.  Y. 

The  main  common  roads  are  the  Erie, 
Waterford  and  Sugar  Grove  turnpike,  which 
passes  through  Corry,  Beaver  Dam  and 
Union;    the   Erie  and   Warren    road,     which 


runs  through  Carter  Hill  and  Wattsburg ;  the 
Corry  and  French  creek,  N.  Y.,  up  Hare 
creek  ;  and  the  Corry  and  Clymer,  up  Scioto 
creek. 

The  township  owns  two  good  bridges,  one 
across  the  Brokenstraw,  in  the  northeast,  and 
one  across  Hare  creek,  just  outside  the  city 
limits  of  Corry.  All  the  rest  are  ordinary 
structures. 

The  grave3"ards  not  previously  named  are 
the  old  Smith,  near  the  Spencer  farm,  and 
the  Jewish  cemetery  of  Corry,  on  the  Corrv 
road  near  the  north  line  of  the  city.  Most 
of  the  burials  take  place  in  the  cemeteries  at 
Corry  and  Beaver  Dam. 

PENNS-iLVANI.-V    FISH     HATCHERY. 

The  most  important  establishment  in  the 
township  is  the  Western  Fish  Hatchery  of  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the  Elgin  road,  in 
the  valley  of  the  South  branch  of  French  creek, 
about  a  mile  west  of  Corry.  At  this  point  a 
number  of  springs  burst  out  of  the  hillside, 
furnishing  a  regular  supply  of  cold,  pure  and 
healthy  water.  Several  thousand  fish  of  vari- 
ous kinds  and  sizes  may  be  seen  at  all  times, 
swimming  about  in  the  little  ponds  and  lakes. 
The  eggs  are  hatched  under  the  care  of  the 
superintendent,  and  when  the  young  fish  at- 
tain a  proper  size  thev  are  sent  to  different 
parts  of  the  State  and  put  in  streams  to  which 
they  are  adapted.  The  premises  consist  of 
nine  and  a  half  acres  of  land,  embracing  most 
or  all  of  the  springs,  a  dwelling  house,  a  com- 
plete modern  hatchery,  and  various  troughs, 
etc.,  speciallv  adapted  for  the  purpose. 

The  hatcher}'  was  started  as  a  private  en- 
terprise, in  the  fall  of  1873,  by  Seth  Weeks, 
the  noted  fish  culturist,  who  purchased  the 
property.  He  built  a  house  on  the  premises 
and  moved  into  it  in  the  spring  of  1874.  In 
1875  a  bill  was  passed  by  the  Legislature, 
through  the  efforts  of  Hon.  W.  W.  Brown,  of 
Corry,  to  establish  a  Western  Fish  Hatcherv. 
The  State  Commissioners  were  prompt  to  see 
the  advantages  of  Mr.  Week's  site,  and  bought 
the  property  in  1876.  Mr.  Weeks  was  ap- 
pointed Superintendent  and  remained  in  that 
position  until  January,  1885,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  William  Buller,  the  present  in- 
cumbent. The  hatchery  is  justly  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  eligible  sites  and  practical  es- 
tablishments of  the  kind  in  the  I'nion. 


382 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


PREHISTORIC  REMAINS. 

A  little  north  of  east  of  the  hatchery,  on  a 
slight  liill,  the  early  settlers  found  truces  of 
one  of  those  pre-historic  mounds,  reference  to 
Nvhich  has  been  made  in  other  township 
sketches.  It  has  been  plowed  down,  and  no 
sign  of  it  is  any  longer  apparent.  About  half 
a  mile  west,  on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  road 
from  Cony,  is  another,  the  outlines  of  which 
can  be  readily  followed.  It  consists  of  a  cir- 
cular embankment,  with  a  trench  on  the  out- 
side, from  which  the  dirt  was  evidently  dug, 
and  embraces  about  three  acres,  being  some- 
thing like  a  third  larger  than  the  easterly  one. 

E.MJI.V    SETTLERS. 

William  .Smith,  who  emigrated  from  the 
North  of  Ireland,  is  generally  understood  to 
have  been  the  first  settler  in  the  township,  but 
this  statement  is  denied  bv  an  old  resident, 
who  says  the  earliest  white  inhabitants  were 
Met^srs.  Mare,  Rihue  and  Call.  The  first  men- 
tioned of  these  was  Michael  Hare,  who  died 
in  \\  aterford  at  the  age  of  115 years,  8  months 
and  'I'l  days,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery 
at  that  place.  He  and  his  wife  lived  in  a  cabin 
on  the  east  side  of  Hare  creek,  about  a  mile 
north  of  Corry.  Hare,  Rihue  and  Call  left 
before  the  country  was  cleared  up,  the  former 
making  his  home  finally  at  \\'aterford.  [See 
Waterford.  J  Call's  location  was  on  the  farm 
owned  by  Amos  Heath,  and  Rihue's  where 
Mayor  Stanford  has  his  brickvard  in  Corry. 
During  1797,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Prosser 
went  in.  Joseph  Hall  settled  at  Beaver  Dam, 
in  the  same  year,  but  afterward  changed  to 
Elgin.  The  settlers  in  1798  were  William 
and  Samuel  Smith  and  Daniel  Findley ;  in 
1800,  William  Carson  and  John  Kincaide, 
with  his  five  sons,  several  of  whom  were 
grown;  in  1806,  William  Gray,  who  changed 
to  Waterford  ;  in  1817.  Joseph  Grant  (a  na- 
tive of  New  London,  Conn.),  who  moved  to 
Wesleyville  late  in  life;  from  1820  to  1824, 
Daniel  Yeager  and  Messrs.  [-"erkins,  Childs 
and  Doud.  The  Messrs.  Smith  were  followed 
at  an  early  date  by  their  brothers,  James  and 
Robert.  Samuel  located  originally  opposite 
the  Perkins'  place,  James  in  the  valley  of  the 
South  branch,  near  the  fish  establishment,  and 
Robert  on  the  hill  near  the  Abbey  place.  John 
Heath,  father  of  Amos,  purchased  the  Spen- 
cer place,  in  1827  or  1828,  when  Amos  was  a 


boy  of  four  or  five.  A  Mr.  Miller  had  previ- 
ously lived  on  the  farm  and  built  a  sawmill  on 
the  run  farther  up,  which  was  the  first  in  the 
township.  Matthias  Spencer  moved  to  what 
is  known  as  the  Spencer  place  in  March,  18iil. 
He  was  born  in  East  Iladdam,  Conn.,  changed 
from  there  to  Columbus,  Warren  county,  and 
then  to  Wayne  township.  In  1805,  he  went 
to  Erie  to  live  with  his  son.  Dr.  H.  A.  Spen- 
cer, where  he  remained  until  his  death.  Isaac 
Kennedy,  father  of  D.  C,  settled  on  the  farm 
where  his  son  resided  for  many  j-ears,  in  18*M. 
Chauncey  G.  Rickerson,  a  native  of  Wind- 
ham, Conn.,  moved  intothe  township  in  1885. 
Robert  Osborne,  from  Beaver  countv,  located 
on  the  Miller  farm  in  18i59.  D.  W."  Howard 
made  his  location  in  1840,  and  Philander 
Miller  about  the  same  time.  The  township  did 
not  fill  up  rapidly  until  after  1830.  John 
W.  Smith,  son  of  William,  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  the  township,  the  year  of  his 
birth  being  1800.  Joseph  Grant  commenced 
in  the  valley  of  Beaver  Dam  run,  near  the 
United  Brethren  church,  where  his  son,  Ben- 
jamin, the  famous  Erie  lawyer,  was  born  in  a 
log  house. 

PRO.MIXENT    MEN. 

The  citizens  of  Wayne  township  who 
have  been  honored  by  election  to  State  and 
county  offices  are  few  in  number,  as  will  be 
seen  by  the  following  list  :  Director  of  the 
Poor,  John  G.  Kincaide,  187fi  to  1879. 
County  Conmiissioner,  L.  M.  Childs,  1865  to 
1871.  Assembly,  Samuel  E.  Kincaide,  in 
187<)  and  1878,  for  two  years  each  time.  Jury 
Commissioner,  O.  S.  Follett,  elected  in  1894. 
Amos  Heath,  Dr.  Osborne  and  D.  W.  How- 
ard have  been  frequently  nominated  by  the 
Democrats  for  county  positions,  and  D.  C. 
Kennedy  has  been  prominent  in  political  and 
grange  circles.  Four  of  the  sons  of  Matthias 
Spencer  became  professional  men,  viz.  :  Two 
physicians,  Dr.  H.  A.  Spencer,  of  Erie,  and 
Dr.  E.  V.  Spencer,  of  Mt.  Vernon.  Iiul.  ;  and 
two  attorneys.  John  W.  Spencer,  of  Rising- 
Sun,  Ind.,  and  Elijah  M.  Spencer,  of  Mt. 
Vernon,  Ind.  Both  of  the  latter  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Indiana  Legislature,  and  John  W. 
was  a  Judge  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

THE    GREELEY    FAMILY. 

The  most  eminent  name  associated  with 
the  history  of  Wayne  township  is  that  of  Hor- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


383 


ace  Greeley,  the  great  editor  and  politician. 
Zaccheus  Greeley,  tlie  father  of  Horace,  com- 
menced life  as  a  farmer  on  a  small  scale  in 
Vermont.  Becoming  embarrassed,  his  farm 
was  sold  by  the  Sheriff,  and  he  worked  for  a 
time  as  a  laborer  in  New  Hampshire.  In  the 
year  1825,  having  saved  a  small  sum  of  money, 
he  started  to  search  out  a  home  in  the  wilds  of 
Pennsylvania,  making  his  way  to  Wayne 
township,  near  the  New  York  line,  where  his 
brothers,  Benjamin  and  Leonard,  had  gone 
some  two  years  before.  He  there  purchased 
200  acres  of  land,  to  which  he  afterward  added 
150  acres  more.  Returning  to  New  Hamp- 
shire, he  brought  his  family  on  in  1826,  the 
party  consisting,  besides  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Greeley,  of  Barnes,  their  eldest  son,  and 
three  daughters.  Horace,  who  had  appren- 
ticed himself  in  a  printing  office  in  Poultney, 
Vt.,  did  not  accompany  the  family,  although 
pressed  to  do  so.  During  the  ensuing  four 
years,  he  visited  them  twice  in  their  wilder- 
ness home,  walking  most  of  the  way,  and  re- 
maining about  a  month  each  time.  In  1830, 
he  came  on  again,  and  after  remaining  awhile. 


found  emi)loyment  for  a  short  period  at  James- 
town, and,  later,  in  the  Gazette  office  at  Erie. 
.Some  time  during  the  summer  of  ]8i51  he  left 
Erie,  called  to  see  his  parents  in  Wayne  for  a 
few  days,  and  then  started  on  foot  for  New 
York,  where  he  arrived  on  the  17th  of  August, 
with  exactly  ten  dollars  in  his  pocket.  Years 
after,  when  he  had  made  a  reputation  through 
tiie  jSJc~jj  Yorker,  he  again  paid  a  visit  to  the 
township,  remaining  for  a  brief  period  only. 
Zaccheus  Greeley  and  Mary,  his  wife,  both 
lived  the  balance  of  their  years  on  the  farm  in 
Wayne  and  were  buried  near  by.  Mrs. 
Greeley's  death  occurred  about  1854.  The 
father  died  in  1867,  at  the  age  of  87. 
Horace  Greeley  was  born  on  the  3d  of  Feb 
ruary,  1811i  in  Amherst,  Vt.,  and  died  in 
Pleasantville,  N.  Y.,  November  29,  1872.  He 
was  the  Liberal  and  Democratic  nominee  for 
President  in  1872.  Barnes  Greeley  remained 
on  the  homestead  farm,  where  he  died  on 
the  11th  of  December,  1894,  at  the  age  of  82 
two.  He  had  some  of  the  traits  of  his  dis- 
tinguished brother,  but  lacked  ambition  and 
energy. 


PART    V. 


6ITlg§  OF  ERIg  AND  60RRY. 


See  General  and  Alphabetical  Indexes. 

Also,  Map  of  Erie  County. 

Also,  Mill  Creek,  Wayne  and  Concord  Townships. 


INDEX  TO  CITIES. 


ERIE Page  387  to  Page  534 

CORRY Page  535  to  Page  540 


THE  CITY  OF  ERIE. 


CHAPTER    I. 


Founding  of    the    Town — The    Eakly    Settlers — Population  at  Various    Periods. 
—[See  Chapters  VH,  VIII,  IX,  X,  XI.  XII,  XIII,  General  History  of  Erie  County.] 


THE  act  of  April  8,  1792,  for  laying 
out  the  town  of  Presque  Isle,  as  Erie 
was  then  known,  read  as  follows  : 
"  Section  1.  Be  it  enacted,  etc.: 
Tliat  the  Governor  be  and  is  hereby 
empowered  to  cause  to  be  surveyed  the  tract 
reserved  at  or  near  Presque  Isle  by  the  act 
entitled,  'An  act  for  the  sale  of  the  vacant 
lands  within  this  Commonwealth,'  passed  the 
8d  day  of  April,  1792;  and  at  the  most  eligi- 
ble place  within  the  said  tract  he  shall  cause 
to  be  laid  out  and  surveyed  1,600  acres  of  land 
in  town  lots  of  not  more  than  one-third  of  an 
acre  each  ;  and  also  8,400  acres  adjoining  the 
same,  in  outlots,  not  less  than  five  acres  nor 
more  than  ten  acres  each.  Provided  ahcavs, 
That  the  Governor  shall  reserve  out  of  the  lots 
of  the  said  town  so  much  land  as  he  shall 
deem  necessary  for  public  uses ;  also,  so  much 
land,  within  or  out  of  the  said  town  as  maj-, 
in  his  opinion,  be  wanted  bj-  the  United  States 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  forts,  magazines, 
arsenals  and  dock  yards. 

"  Sec.  2.  That  the  first  200  persons  that 
shall  actually  inhabit  and  reside,  on  or  before 
the  1st  day  of  January  next,  within  the  said 
town,  shall  each  and  every  one  of  them  be  en- 
titled to  one  unappropriated  town  lot,  to  be 
ascertained  by  lotterj',  for  which  the)-  shall 
respecti\ely  receive  a  deed,  clear  of  all 
charges.  Provided,  That  such  persons  re- 
spectively, or  their  respective  representatives, 
or  assignees,  shall  inhabit  and  reside  in  the  said 
town  for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  also, 
within  the  said  town  build  or  cause  to  be 
built  a  house  at  least  sixteen  feet  square,  and 
containing  at  least  one  brick  or  stone  chimney, 
on  the  town  lots  to  be  granted  in  pursuance  of 
this  act. 


"  Sec.  8.  That  the  Governor  is  hereby 
authorized  to  sell  200  of  the  town  lots,  exclu- 
sive of  those  granted  by  the  next  preceding 
section,  and  the  whole  of  the  other  outlots 
in  such  a  manner  as  he  shall  think  most  to 
the  advantage  of  the  .State,  and  make  convev- 
ance  of  the  same;  excepting,  always,  such  as 
shall  be  made  upon  this  condition  :  that  the 
respective  purchasers  shall  and  do,  within  the 
term  of  three  years,  erect  and  build  one  house, 
at  least  sixteen  feet  square,  and  containing  at 
least  one  brick  or  stone  chimney,  on  each  and 
every  town  lot  by  them  purchased,  and  no 
deed  of  conveyance  shall  be  granted  by  the 
Governor  to  any  purchaser,  nor,  after  the  ex- 
piration of  the  said  term  of  three  years,  shall 
the  said  sale  be  deemed  or  construed  to  vest 
any  title,  claim  or  demand  in  any  purchaser, 
unless  satisfactory  proof  be  first  given  that  a 
house  has  been  erected  or  built  on  the  town 
lots  sold  as  aforesaid  ;  that  the  streets,  lanes, 
and  alleys  of  the  said  town  shall  be  common 
highways  forever,  and  that,  previous  to  the 
sale  or  sales  of  the  said  town  lots  and  outlots, 
notice  shall  be  given  of  the  same  in  at  least 
three  of  the  newspapers  of  the  State  at  least 
ten  weeks  previous  to  such  sale  or  sales." 

In  February,  1794,  the  State  provided  for  a 
detachment  of  soldiers  to  protect  the  settle- 
ment of  Presque  Isle.  Through  the  dupli- 
city of  the  English,  who  still  coveted  the 
post,  the  Indians  were  stirred  up  into  oppo- 
sing the  establishment  of  a  garrison  by  the 
Americans.  For  prudential  reasons,  which 
are  explained  in  the  General  Histor\'  of  the 
county,  operations  were  for  the  time  suspend- 
ed. The  victories  of  Wayne  inspired  such  a 
wholesome  terror  among  the  Indians  that  it 
hastened  the  treaties  of  1795,  through  which 


388 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTION  ART 


all  opposition  to  the  settlement  of  Presque  Isle 
was  swept  away,  and  the  title  of  Pennsylvania 
unreservedly  acknowledged  by  the  red  men. 

ANOTHER    LAW    EXACTED. 

On  the  18th  of  April,  1795,  the  (General 
Assembly  passed  an  act  somewhat  differing 
from  that  of  1792,  and  repealing  the  latter. 
The  Governor  was  authorized  to  appoint  two 
Commissioners,  who  were  instructed  to  survey 
1,600  acres  of  land  for  town  lots,  and  3,400 
acres  adjoining  for  outlets,  "  at  or  near 
Presque  Isle,  on  Lake  Erie,"  '■  the  said  lands 
"  so  surveyed  to  be  respectively  laid  out  into 
"  town  lots  and  outlots,  in  such  manner  and 
"  with  such  streets,  not  more  than  100  nor 
"  less  than  sixty  feet  wide,  and  such  lanes, 
"  alleys  and  reservations  for  public  uses  as  the 
"said  Commissioners  shall  direct;  but  no 
"  town  lots  shall  contain  more  than  one-third 
"  of  an  acre,  no  outlots  more  than  five  acres, 
"nor  shall  the  reservations  for  public  uses  ex- 
"  ceed  in  the  whole  twenty  acres;  and  the 
"  town  hereby  directed  to  be  laid  out  shall  be 
"called  '  Erie,'  and  all  the  streets,  lanes  and 
"  alleys  thereof,  and  the  adjoining  outlots 
"  shall  be  and  forever  remain  common  high- 
"  ways."  The  Commissioners  were  author- 
ized to  sell  one  third  of  said  town  lots  and  out- 
lots to  the  highest  bidders,  the  purcliasers  to 
erect  on  each  town  lot,  within  two  years  from 
the  date  of  purchase,  a  house  sixteen  feet 
square,  containing  one  stone  or  brick  chimney. 
Half  of  the  purchase  money  of  each  lot  had  to 
be  paid  within  three  months  from  the  date  of 
sale,  and  the  balance  within  one  year,  to- 
gether with  lawful  interest.  No  sale  was  to 
be  valid,  and  no  patent  was  to  be  issued,  until 
these  terms  were  complied  with. 

Reservations  were  to  be  made  of  sixty 
acres  on  the  south  bank  of  the  harbor  and 
near  the  entrance  thereof,  thirty  acres  on  the 
peninsula  at  or  near  the  entrance  to  the  har- 
bor, and  one  other  tract  of  100  acres  on  the 
peninsula,  for  the  use  of  the  United  States  in 
erecting  forts,  magazines,  arsenals,  dock- 
yards, etc.  It  was  further  provided,  "  That  if 
"the  mill  sites  on  the  creek  running  near  the 
"  ruins  of  the  old  French  fort  should  fall  within 
"  the  cessions  hereby  made  to  the  United  States, 
"  the  same  shall  nevertheless  be  and  hereby 
"  are  reserved  for  the  use  of  this  State,  with 
"the  right  of   erecting  mills  thereon,  but  no 


"  buildings  (mills  excepted),  shall  be  erected 
"  within  ()00  yards  of  the  center  of  ixny  fort 
•'  which  may  be  erected  by  the  United  States 
"  on  either  of  the  lots  ceded  to  them  as  afore- 
"  said." 

By  an  act  passed  February  19,  1800,  that 
portion  of  the  law  of  1795  which  made  it  ob- 
ligatory for  purchasers  of  lots  to  erect  houses 
thereon  before  becoming  bonafide  owners,  was 
repealed ;  and  lots  previously  forfeited  on  ac- 
count of  non-compliance  with  said  law  were 
allowed  to  be  pre-empted  by  their  former 
purchasers  at  the  original  price,  provided  ap- 
plication was  made  within  twelve  months 
froin  the  date  of  the  statute.  The  leniency 
here  adopted  was  continued  by  subsequent 
enactments,  thus  making  it  easy  for  the  first 
settlers  of  Erie  to  become  owners  of  real 
estate. 

FIRST    AMERICAN    SETTLERS. 

The  first  permanent  American  settlement 
effected  on  the  site  of  Erie  occurred  in  the 
spring  of  1795,  when  Thomas  Rees.  who  had 
been  appointed  Deputy  Surveyor  of  the  land 
district,  pitched  his  tent  near  the  mouth  of 
Mill  creek.  The  previous  year  he  had  done 
some  surveying  in  this  portion  of  the  State, 
but,  on  account  of  Indian  threats,  the  under- 
taking was  abandoned  for  the  time  being.  On 
the  31st  of  March,  1796,  he  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Mifflin  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  the 
district  consisting  of  "  the  township  of  Mead, 
in  the  county  of  Allegheny,"  which  then  em- 
braced all  of  the  territory  now  comprising 
Crawford  and  Erie  counties.  Mr.  Rees  and 
Wm.  Wilson,  of  Greenfield,  appointed  on  the 
same  day,  were  the  first  Justices  in  Erie  county, 
their  term  of  oftice  being  "  so  long  as  he  shall 
live  and  behave  himself  well." 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Rees,  a  de- 
tachment of  Wayne's  armv,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Capt.  Russell  Bissell,  landed  at 
Presque  Isle,  and  began  the  erection  of  two 
block-hou.ses  on  the  high  point  east  of  Mill 
creek.  The  work  was  completed  during 
1795-96. 

Gens.  William  Irvine  and  Andrew  EUi- 
cott,  the  State  Commissioners  appointed  to 
lay  out  the  town,  arrived  in  June,  1795,  ac- 
companied bv  a  corps  of  surveyors,  and 
escorted  by  a  company  of  State  troops,  com- 
manded by  Capt.  John  Grubb.  This  latter 
gentleman   located    permanently  in  Erie,  and. 


AND  UISTOBICAL  REFERENCE  ROOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


389 


though  subsequently  living  on  a  farm,  may  1ie 
called  the  second  settler  of  the  town. 

On  the  last  day  of  June  or  1st  of  July, 
1795,  Col.  Seth  Reed,  with  his  wife  Hannah, 
and  sons  Manning  and  Charles  J.,  dropped 
anchor  in  the  harbor  and  landed  on  the 
peninsula,  thinking  it  more  secure  from  In- 
dian attack  than  the  main  land.  The  family 
had  come  from  Buflalo,  in  a  sail  boat  owned 
and  operated  by  James  Talmadge.  Col.  Reed 
built  a  rude  one-story  log  cabin,  covered  with 
bark,  near  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek,  and,  con- 
cludmg  that  the  settlement  needed  a  public 
house,  put  up  a  sign  as  the  "  Presque  Isle  Ho- 
tel." This  was  the  first  building  erected  in 
Erie,  and  though  insignificant  in  appearance, 
was  provided  "  with  plenty  of  good  refresh- 
ments for  all  itinerants  that  chose  to  call." 
Mrs.  Hannah  Reed  was  the  first  white 
woman  to  locate  at  Erie,  and  as  such  her 
name  deserves  perpetuation  as  the  pioneer  of 
her  sex.  In  September,  1795,  Col.  Reed's 
sons,  Rufus  S.  and  George  W.,  came  on,  and 
with  them  Mrs.  Thomas  Rees  and  Mrs.  J. 
Fairbanks.  The  following  year  the  colonel 
erected  a  two-story  log  house  on  the  south- 
west corner  of  Second  and  Parade  streets, 
which  he  placed  in  charge  of  his  son  Rufus 
S.,  who  kept  a  tavern  and  store  in  it  until 
1799,  when  it  burned  down.  The  next  year, 
Rufus  S.  Reed  rebuilt  it,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  afterward  carried  on  business  at  that 
place. 

The  only  settlers  of  1795,  besides  those 
mentioned,  were  James  Baird  and  familv, 
and  George  and  John  T.  Moore.  The  Moores 
went  back  to  the  east,  but  returned  in  1798 
to  remain  permanently.  Doubtless  a  number 
of  persons  came  and  went,  but  investigation 
has  failed  to  find  the  names  of  any  others  who 
located  permanently  during  that  year. 

HOW   THE   TOWN     WAS    LAID  Ol'T. 

The  town  was  laid  out  in  three  sections, 
each  about  one  mile  square,  and  extending 
from  the  bay  south  to  Twelfth  street.  The 
First  section  ran  from  Parade  to  Chestnut  ;  the 
Second  from  Chestnut  to  Cranberry  ;  and  the 
Third  from  Cranberry  to  West  street.  The 
outlots  extended  south  to  Twentv  sixth  street, 
east  to  East  avenue,  west  to  the  western 
boundary  of  the  almshouse  farm,  and  north  to 
the  bay   of    Presque    Isle,  thus  embracing  the 


front    of    the    harbor    from     its     entrance     to 
within  a  short  distance  of  "  The  Head." 

The  streets  running  east  and  west  were 
laid  off  twenty  rods  apart,  with  State  street 
running  north  and  south  as  the  center  of  the 
first  section  ;  those  west  of  State,  and  paral- 
lel with  it,  being  named  after  trees,  and  those 
east  of  it  after  nationalities,  excepting  Parade, 
which  was  so  called  on  account  of  starting 
from  the  old  French  fort  and  parade  ground. 
Parade  street,  which  is  almost  identical  with 
the  French  road  to  Fort  LeBiruf,  was  for 
years  the  only  avenue  leading  into  the  town, 
except  the  Lake  road,  from  the  east  side  of  the 
county.  The  streets  running  parallel  with 
the  bay  were  numbered  from  one  to  twelve, 
though  First  street  was  called  Front,  and  has 
since  been  known  by  that  title.  At  the  cen-' 
ter  of  each  section,  a  plot  of  land  was  re- 
served for  public  uses.  That  in  the  First  sec- 
tion, now  Central  Park,  was  long  occupied  by 
the  court  house  and  market  house. 

The  town  was  incorporated  as  the  borough 
of  Erie  in  1805,  having  previously  formed  a 
part  of  Mill  Creek  township  for  official  pur- 
poses. 

In  1832,  the  Third  section,  both  in  and 
outlots,  was  donated  bv  the  Commonwealth  to 
the  borough,  divided  into  fiftj'  acre  lots  and 
sold  to  the  highest  bidder,  excepting  100  acres 
located  in  the  southwest  corner,  which  were 
reserved  for  an  almshouse  farm.  The  money 
obtained  from  this  sale  was  to  be  used  in 
building  piers  and  wharves,  and  constructing 
a  canal  basin  in  the  bay  of  Presque  Isle. 

E.XTENSION    OF    THE    TOWN    LIMITS. 

In  1884,  the  borough  limits  were  extended 
into  the  bay  1,800  feet,  and  four  years  after- 
ward the  sale  of  one  row  of  water  lots  in  the 
Second  section  was  authorized,  to  pay  the  ex- 
pense of  grading  and  improving  the  streets 
in  said  section.  By  the  act  of  March  10,  1848, 
the  borough  limits  were  extended  so  as  to  em- 
brace the  territory  bounded  on  the  east  by 
Ash,  south  by  Eighteenth,  and  west  by  Lib- 
erty streets,  the  northern  boundary  being  the 
north  shore  of  the  peninsula,  "  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  corporate  authorities  being  e.xtcnded  to 
the  island  of  Presque  Isle." 

The  borough  was  divided  into  the  East 
and  West  wards  in  1840,  State  street  being 
the  dividing  line. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1851,  a  city  charter 


390 


NELSON'S  B  TO  GRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


was  granted.  In  1858,  the  city  was  divided 
into  four  wards,  and  so  remained  for  twelve 
years.  Under  the  act  of  February  25,  1870,  a 
third  extension  of  the  city  limits  occurred, 
taking  in  the  borough  of  South  Erie  and  other 
territory.  Two  more  wards  were  erected  at 
that  time.  Since  then,  no  change  has  taken 
place  in  the  corporate  limits  of  the  cit}'. 

]5y  a  city  ordinance  of  March  18,  18()9,  it 
was  declared  that  •'  the  northern  boundary  of 
"  all  water  lots  in  the  bay  of  Presque  Isle  or 
"harbor  of  Erie,  lying  west  of  the  canal  basin, 
"shall  be  a  line  draw'n  from  the  northwest 
"corner  of  the  canal  basin  pier  westward, 
'•  parallel  to  Second  street,  to  the  western 
"  boundary  of  said  water  lots."  The  same 
ordinance  provided  that  "  all  the  streets  of  the 
"  First  and  Second  sections  of  Erie  that  cross 
"  Second  street  at  right  angles  are  extended 
"into  the  bay  at  the  northern  boundary  of 
"  said  water  lots." 

CITY    BOrXn.VRIES. 

The  city  hmits  e.xtend  on  the  cast  to  about 
1,750  feet  east  of  East  avenue  ;  on  the  zvest  to 
the  center  of  Cranberry  street;  on  the  south 
from  Cranberry  to  a  little  east  of  Holland 
street,  about  1,950  feet  south  of  Twenty-sixth 
street ;  and  from  a  little  east  of  Holland  street 
to  the  eastern  city  limits,  about  2,300  feet 
south  of  Twenty-sixth  street. 

SALE   OF   TOWN    LOTS. 

In  aildition  to  Erie,  Ir\ine  and  Ellicott  laid 
out  the  towns  of  Franklin,  Warren  and 
Waterford — the  latter  in  the  summer  of 
1794.  On  returning  to  the  east,  they  were 
appointed  State  agents,  in  conjunction  with 
George  Wilson,  for  the  sale  of  lots  in  tiie 
towns  named.  The  following  is  a  copy  of 
their  advertisement,  printed  in  1796: 

"  Agreeably  to  instructions  from  His  E.x- 
"  cellency,  Thomas  MiHlin,  Governor  of  this 
"  Commonwealth,  we  shall  offer  for  sale  the 
"  following  town  and  outlets  of  Erie,  Water- 
"  ford,  Franklin  and  Warren,  at  the  time  and 
"places  hereafter  specified,  viz.  :  The  sale  of 
"  tiiat  portion  of  town  and  outlots  of  the  sev- 
"  eral  towns  to  be  disposed  of  in  the  city  of 
"  Philadelphia  will  commence  on  Monday, 
"  the  25th  day  of  July  next.  That  portion  of 
"  the  town  and  outlots  of  the  several  towns  to 
"  be  disposed  of  at  Carlisle  will  commence  at 


"that  borough  on  Wednesday,  the  3d  of 
"  August  next ;  and  the  sale  of  that  portion 
"of  the  town  and  outlots  of  the  said  towns  to 
"  be  disposed  of  at  Pittsburg  will  commence 
"at  that  borough  on  Monday,  the  15th  day 
"  of  August  next. 

"  \ViLLi.\M  Irvink, 
"Andrew  Ellicott, 
"Geokck  Wilson, 

Affciits." 

In  all,  1()9  inlots  and  thirty-three  outlots 
in  Erie  were  disposed  of  at  Philadelphia, 
Carlisle  and  Pittsburg  in  1796,  from  which 
$4,165.20,  in  principal  and  interest,  were  re- 
alized. 

I'RICES   PAID   FOR    LOTS. 

The  following  statement  of  prices  paid  by 
the  Harrisburg  &  Presque  Isle  Land  Company 
at  the  public  sale  of  lots  in  the  town  of  Erie, 
held  at  Carlisle  on  the  3d  and  4th  of  August, 
1796,  will  be  of  interest  in  this  connection  : 

If/ lots. 

No.  1359,  corner  Seventh  and  Genua n $    7 

No.  1403,  Seventh,  near  State 18 

No.  1996,  Sixth,  between  German  and  Parade      8 

No.  2809,  corner  Fourth  and  Liberty 40 

No.  2810,  corner  Third  and  Liberty 41 

No.  2838,  Third,  near  mouth  of  Cascade 21 

No.  3277,  Second,    corner  Parade   on  road  to 

Fort 260 

No.  3292,  corner  Second  and  German 260 

No.  3420,  corner  Liberty  on  Lake 106 

Oiit/ots. 

No.  277  for $38  No.  418  for $45 

No.  278  for 33  No.  519  for SO 

No.  283  for 49  No.  523  for 57 

No.  378  for 56  No.  565  for 69 

OTHER    S.VLES   OF    LOTS. 

Later  sales  of  inlots  were  as  follows  : 
In  1796. 

Lots  2045-'46-'47  and  '48,  being  the  block 
bounded  by  State,  Peach  and  Fifth  streets  and 
North  Park  Row,  to  Thomas  Forster,  Thom- 
as Huling  and  Alexander  Berrvhill,  for  .'i!152. 
twenty-one  dollars,  seventy  dollars  and)f!ll2 
respectively. 

Lot  2050,  at  tlu-  northwest  corner  of  Sixth 
and  Peach  streets,  now  occupied  by  the  resi- 
dence of  Mrs.  Gen.  Reed,  to  Alexander  Addi- 
son  for  thirty-four  dollars. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


39' 


III  1S01. 

Lot  1402,  west  side  of  State  street,  be- 
tween Seventh  and  Eighth,  to  Thomas 
Hughes,  for  thirty  dollars. 

Lot  1399,  east  side  of  State  street,  be- 
tween Seventh  and  Eighth,  to  Wm.  G. 
Snyder,  for  thirty  dollars. 

Lots  1289  and  1290,  east  side  of  State 
street,  between  Eighth  and  Ninth,  to  Andrew 
Willock,  for  thirty  dollars  each. 

Lot  2049,  site  of  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
to  Thomas  Hamilton,  for  thirty  dollars. 

Lots  2041-"42-'43  and  '44,  the  Reed  and 
Ellsworth  House  properties,  to  Thos.  Forster 
and  David  McXair,  for  fifty-four  dollars, 
thirty  dollars,  ten  dollars  and  twenty-one 
dollars  respectively. 

In  1802. 

Lot  1401,  west  side  of  State  street,  be- 
tween Seventh  and  Eighth,  to  Samuel  Smith 
for  thirty  dollars. 

Lot  140(),  east  side  of  State  street,  between 
Seventh  and  Eighth,  to  Abraham  Smith,  for 
thirty  dollars. 

Lot  1936,  site  of  Wetmore  House,  to 
Abraham  Smith,  for  twenty-five  dollars. 

Ill  ISO 4. 

Lots  1287  and  1288,  west  side  of  State 
street,  between  Eighth  and  Xintli,  the  first  to 
John  Hay.  for  fifty-four  dollars,  and  the  second 
to    John  Vincent,  for  thirty-one  dollars. 

Lot  727,  east  side  of  State  street,  between 
Ninth  and  Tenth,  to  Samuel  McKelvey,  for 
twenty  dollars. 

Lots  729  and  730,  west  side  of  State  street, 
between  Ninth  and  Tenth,  to  Joseph  F.  Mc- 
Creary  and  Basil  Hoskinson.  for  twenty  dol- 
lats  each. 

Lot  1280,  site  of  the  Downing  block,  'to 
John  Leninger,  for  thirty  dollars. 

Lot  728,  east  side  of  State,  between  Ninth 
and  Tenth,  to  John  Lewis,  for  twenty  dollars. 

Lots  785  and  730,  site  of  the  Erie  Academy, 
to  Samuel  McKelvey,  for  twenty  dollars  each. 

In  1806. 

Lots  1937-'38-'39  and  '40,  between  State, 
Peach  and  Seventh  streets  and  South  Park 
Row,  to  Joseph  Kratz,  for  |ll(l;  and  lots 
3326   and  3827,  corner  of  State    and  Fourth 


streets,  to  the  same  party  for  eighty-eight  del 
lars. 

Ill  181.-,. 

Lot  753,  the  site  of  St.  Peter's  Cathedral, 
to  John  Gray,  for  twenty  dollars. 

ALSO    OF    OUT-LOTS. 

There  is  even  a  greater  difference  between 
the  prices  paid  for  out-lots  when  originally 
purchased  and  the  value  of  the  same  ground 
to-day  than  there  is  in  regard  to  the  in  lots. 
For  instance,  outlot  No.  875,  located  between 
Peach  and  Sassafras  and  Fourteenth  and 
Fifteenth  streets,  now  the  site  of  the  Union 
Depot,  was  bought  by  David  McNair.  March 
1.  l.'^Ol,  for  twenty  dollars.  Mr.  McNair  also 
purchased  on  the  same  date,  outlot  No.  876, 
bounded  b\'  Peach,  Sassafras,  Fifteenth  and 
Sixteenth  streets,  at  the  same  price  ;  and  out- 
lot 407.  comprising  the  block  h'ing  between 
Twelfth  and  Fourteenth  and  State  and  Peach 
streets,  for  twenty-five  dollars.  On  the  23d  of 
November,  1805,  William  Wallace  bought  for 
twenty-five  dollars,  outlot  No.  406,  extending 
from  Twelfth  to  I'ourteenth,  and  from  State 
to  French  streets.  Joseph  Kratz  purchased 
outlot  No.  540,  which  lies  in  the  eastern  part, 
between  Ninth  and  Tenth  streets,  January  28, 
1806.  for  twenty  dollars. 

THE     EARLY   ARRIVALS. 

In  1796  Capt.  Daniel  Dobbins  cast  his 
fortune  with  the  little  hamlet,  followed  in 
1798  by  ^^"illiam  Wallace,  George  Moore  and 
John  T.  Moore,  and  in  1799,  by  Jonas  Dun- 
can and  John  Teel.  From  the  latter  year  un- 
til 1815  the  following  persons  became  resi- 
dents of  the  place  :  Col.  Thomas  Forster,  John 
Gillespie,  Thomas  Hughes.  Thomas  Wilson, 
Robert  Irwin,  John  Gray,  Richard  Clemment. 
Judah  Colt,  Capt.  John  Richards,  John  Wil- 
son, John  Cummins,  Mary  O'Neill,  Robert 
Knox,  Stephen  Wolverton,  Giles  Sanford, 
\\'iiliam  Lattimore,  W.  \V.  Reed.  John  Dick- 
son, Capt.  William  Lee,  David  Cook,  P.  S. 
V.  Hamot,  Gen.  John  Kelso,  Barnabas  Mc- 
Cue,  Thomas  Wilkins,  George  Gossett,  Basil 
Hoskinson,  George  Landon.  Holmes  Reed, 
Hugh  Cunningham,  William  Lamberton,  Ar- 
chibald ^IcSparren,  James  Duncan,  George 
Leninger,  Willard  Cotton,  Thomas  Laird, 
Joseph  Kratz,  ^^rs.  Silverthorn,  Robert  L. 
Curtis,     Marmaduke     Curtis,    John     Lewis, 


392 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


George  Schantz,  Samuel  Hays,  Robert  Hays, 
John  McDonald,  James  Sydnor,  Robert 
Brotherton,  Jonathan  Stratton,  James  Wilson, 
George  Moore,  Thomas  Large,  Robert  Brown, 
Callender  Irvine,  Robert  Large,  Jonathan 
Baird,  Isaac  Austin,  B.  Rice,  Amos  Fisk, 
Peter  Grawotz,  (ieorge  Buchler,  Thomas 
Stewart,  John  E.  Lapsley,  John  Hay,  Rufus 
Clough,  David  McNair,  Ezekiel  Dunning, 
John  Woodside,  John  Miller,  James  Mc- 
Conkey,  William  Bell,  John  C.  Wallace, 
Thomas  II.  Sill,  Jacob  Spang  and  Rev. 
Robert  Rcid.  There  may  have  been 
others,  but  their  names  are  "  lost  'mid 
the  rubbish  of  forgotten  things."  Many 
of  the  pioneers  had  families,  and  the  children 
are  often  better  remembered  than  the  parents, 
whose  energies  were  spent  in  building  up 
homes  for  those  who  bear  their  names. 

CJKOWTH    OF    THE    TOWX. 

The  earliest  settlements,  as  before  stated, 
were  at  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek.  From 
there  the  place  grew  westward,  up  Second, 
Third  and  Fourth  streets,  to  French,  which 
was  long  the  main  business  avenue.  For 
many  years  the  town  was  almost  wholly 
north  of  Sixth   street,  and  the   territory  south 


of  that  was  looked  upon  as  being  in  the  coun- 
try. John  Teel,  who  made  his  home  at 
Ninth  and  Peach  streets,  used  to  relate  that  it 
was  a  common  occurrence  for  strangers  to 
stop  at  his  house  and  imiuire  how  far  it  was 
to  Erie. 

The  comparative  growth  of  the  town,  now 
citj-,  is  shown  by  the  following  figures  from 
the  United  States  census  reports  : 

YEAR.  POI-ri.ATION. 

1820 635 

1830 1,329 

1840 3,412 

1850 5,858 

1860 9,419 

1870— First  ward 3,364 

Second  "     5,031 

Third     "     3,730 

Fourth  "     ."..4,526 

Fifth      •'     1,497 

Sixth      "       1,498-19,646 

1880— First       "      4,629 

Second  "     6,583 

Third     "     5,378 

Fourth  "     5.799 

Fifth      "     2,348 

Sixth      "     3,000-27,737 

1890— First       "     6,492 

Second  "     9,925 

Third      "     7,318 

Fourth    "     7,292 

Fifth       '•     4,360 

Sixth      "     5,187-40,634 


CHAPTER     II. 


Brief  Description  of    Erie — Its    Streams,  Streets,  Buildings,  Etc. — Local    Divi- 
sions— City  Finances. 


E 


RIE  CITY  us  beautifully-  situated  on 
the  south  shore  of  Presque  Isle  bay, 
which  forms  its  harbor,  eightv-eight 
miles  west  of  Buffalo,  and  ninety-five 
miles  east  of  Cleveland,  in  the  midst 
very  garden  spot  of  the  Lake  Shore 
The  country  immediatelj-  adjacent 
city   is    a   famous  fruit,  grape,   grain 


of  the 

region, 

to   the 

and    berry    section,    and    the    climate    is    as 

healthful  as  can  be  found  anywhere  in  Amer- 


ica. The  bluff  on  which  the  city  stands  is 
from  fifty  to  seventy  feet  above  the  aver- 
age surface  of  the  bay,  and  from  there  the 
land  ascends  by  gentle  degrees  to  a  height  of 
over  200  feet  in  the  southern  portion.  The 
location  is  an  ideal  one  for  a  city,  affording 
as  it  does,  the  best  of  facilities  for  drainage 
and  sewerage,  combined  with  easy  access  to 
all  parts  of  the  country,  splendid  markets  and 
rare  opportunities  for  business  and  pleasure. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


393 


The  area  of  the  cit\"  is  given  in  Hanlon's 
Manual  as  nearly  seven  square  miles,  and  it 
contains  more  than  4, 4:2(54  acres. 

By  official  measurements,  the  elevation  of 
the  bluff  along  the  bay  front,  beginning  at 
Parade  street  and  running  west  on  Second,  is 
as  follows :  Parade  street,  nineteen  feet ; 
German,  fifty-eight ;  Holland,  fifty-nine ; 
French,  tifty-eight;  State,  fifty-six;  Peach, 
fifty-nine;  Sassafras,  sixty-three:  ]Myrtle, 
sixty-three  ;  Chestnut,  sixty-seven  ;  Walnut, 
seventy;  Cherry,  fifty;  Poplar,  sixty-one; 
Liberty,  seventy.  Starting  at  Second  street 
and  running  south  on  State,  the  following  are 
the  elevations  :  Second,  fiftj--six  feet ;  Third, 
sixty-five;  Fourth,  seventy-one  ;  Fifth,  seventy- 
five;  Sixth,  seventy -seven  ;  Seventh,  eight)'- 
t\vo  ;  Eighth, eightj'-five  ;  Ninth,  eighty-eight; 
Tenth, ninety.  Eleventh,  ninety  three;  Twelfth, 
ninety-five.  Crossing  over  from  State  to  Peach 
street  and  following  the  latter  southward. 
Thirteenth  street  has  an  elevation  above  the 
bay  of  100  feet;  Fourteenth,  104;  Sixteenth, 
120;  Eighteenth,  126;  Twenty-first,  144; 
Twenty-second,  157;  and  Twenty-fifth,  194; 
while  the  bottom  of  the  reservoir  on  Twenty- 
si.xth  street  is  210  feet. 

STREAMS    AND    RAVINES. 

The  site  is  divided  into  two  distinct  water- 
sheds by  the  stream  of  Mill  creek,  which  flows 
through  a  ravine  of  considerable  depth,  ex- 
tending the  entire  width  of  the  city  from 
north  to  south.  Other  streams  within  the 
city  liiTiits  are:  Garrison  run.  Cascade  run. 
Little  Cascade  run  and  the  Lighthouse  run. 
All  of  these  einpty  into  the  baj'  from  the  high 
lands  in  the  south,  and  have  cut  quite  formid- 
able ravines  in  the  blutf  at  and  for  some  dis- 
tance above  their  mouths.  Mill  creek  received 
its  name  because  it  furnished  water  for  the 
first  mill  in  the  county;  Garrison  run  because 
it  passed  through  the  militarv  reservation  or 
garrison  grounds;  the  two  Cascade  runs  from 
the  falls  in  their  course  just  before  entering  the 
bay,  and  Lighthouse  run  on  account  of  passing 
near  the  land  lighthouse.  Lee's  run  and 
Ichabod  run,  once  sparkling  little  streams,  have 
been  taken  into  the  sewers — the  latter  into 
the  one  which  follows  the  line  of  the  old  canal, 
between  Peach  and  Sassafras  streets,  and  the 
other  at  Seventeenth  street.  Ichabod  run, 
which  was  a  tributary  of  Mill  creek,  furnished 


motive    power   for  a  brewery,  distillery    and 
woolen  factory. 

STREETS    AND    AVENUES. 

The  city  has  nearly  106  miles  of  streets 
opened  and  in  use,  of  which  19.438  miles  had 
been  paved  up  to  August,  1895.  The  material 
used  in  paving,  not  including  the  work  done 
in  1895,  was  as  follows  :  Stone,  6.951  miles  ; 
sheet  asphalt,  9.274  miles;  vitrified  brick, 
2.409. 

The  names  of  the  thoroughfares  within  and 
adjacent  to  the  city  limits,  as  given  on  the 
map  at  the  water  office,  are  as  follows  : 

Niifth  and  South  Streets. 

Ash,  Gilson,  Perry. 

Brandes,  Harrison,  Plum, 

Brewster,  Hazel,  Poplar, 

Cascade.  Hess,  Raspberry, 

Caldwell  road.  Hickory,  Reed, 

Cedar,  Holland,  Ross, 

Cochran,  Kellogg,  Sassafras, 

Cherry,  Libert)',  Scouller, 

Chestnut,  North  avenue.  State, 

Cottage  avenue.  Maple  (E.  side),  V'ine, 

Cranberry,  Maple  (S.  Erie),  Wallace, 

Division,  Myrtle,  Walnut, 

East  avenue,  Newman,  Wayne, 

Elm,  Parade,  Wilson, 

Evans,  Payne,  Wood. 

French,  Peach, 

German,  Penn, 

East  and  West  Slreet», 

Front,  Eighteenth,  Atkins, 

Second,  Nineteenth,  Burton, 

Third,  Twentieth,  Canal, 

Fourth,  Twenty-first,        Center, 

Fifth.  Twenty-second,  Columbus. 

Sixth,  Twenty-third,      Eliott, 

Seventh,  Twenty-fourth,   Huron, 

Eighth,  Twenty-fifth.       Lake  road, 

Ninth,  Twenty-sixth,      McCarter, 

Tenth,  Twenty-seventh  Nagle, 

Eleventh,  Twenty-eighth,  Park  Place  (N.), 

Twelfth,  Twenty-ninth,     Park  Place    (S.). 

Thirteenth,  Thirtieth,  Prospect, 

Fourteenth,  Thirty-first,  Queen, 

Fifteenth.  Thirty-second,     Ritner, 

Sixteenth.  Thirty-third,        Short, 

Seventeenth,  Thirtv-fourth,     South. 


Diiignniil  Strtets. 


Brown's  avenue, 
Bluff  road, 
Buffalo  road. 
Chestnut  lane, 
Eliot  avenue, 
French  road, 
Horton. 
Hill  road. 
Marvin  avenue. 
Moorhead, 


Orchard  avenue, 
Railroad, 
Scott. 
Summit, 
Turnpike. 

Turnpike  road(S.Peach), 
Warfel. 

Waterford  plank  road, 
Waterford  avenue. 
Wattsburg  road. 


39'V 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


BrSINESS        AM>      RKSIDKNCE        STREETS        AND 
ITHIJC    PARKS. 

State  street,  including  North  ami  South 
I'ark  Places,  is  the  main  business  thoroughfare 
of  the  city.  The  next  in  importance  are 
Parade  street,  in  the  German  section,  Turn- 
pike street,  and  Peach  street,  from  Twelfth  to 
Twenty-sixth.  State  and  Parade,  being  wide, 
straight,  nearly  level  streets,  are  admirable- 
adapted  for  tliL'  ])urpose  to  which  tliey  have 
been  placed.  A  large  business  is  also  done  on 
nortli  French,  west  Eighth,  west  Eighteenth 
and  a  part  of  Sassafras  streets. 

'i'he  finest  residence  streets  are  .Sixtii, 
Seventh,  Eighth,  Xinth,  Tenth,  Eleventh  and 
Twenty-first,  running  east  and  west,  and  Sas- 
safras, Myrtle,  Chestnut  and  Walnut  extend- 
ing north  and  south,  on  which  are  some  as 
handsome  homes  as  can  be  found  in  any  city 
twice  the  size  of  Erie.  Elegant  residences, 
however,  are  to  be  found  on  a  number  of  other 
streets  ;  and  several  of  these  bid  fair  to  com- 
pete in  course  of  time  with  the  present  favor- 
ites. The  homes  of  the  middle  and  work- 
ing classes  are  generally  neat,  handsome  and 
comfortable.  Indeed,  it  is  a  subject  of  re- 
mark, that  an  untidy  or  unprepossessing  home 
is  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule  in  Erie, 
and  that  the  working  people  are  better  housed 
than  many  of  the  rich  in  other  communities. 
On  most  of  the  residence  streets  pretty  little 
grass  plots  line  the  outer  edge  of  the  side- 
walks, and  there  is  scarcely  a  locality,  apart 
from  the  business  sections,  that  is  not  bounti- 
fully shaded. 

The  city  contains  four  parks  within  its 
limits,  proper,  viz.  :  Central,  at  the  intersec- 
tion of  Sixth  and  State  streets ;  Cascade,  at 
West  Sixth  and  Liberty  streets;  Lakeside,  on 
Front,  between  Geiman  and  Sassafras  streets  ; 
and  the  park  surrounding  the  water-works. 
All  of  these  will  be  treated  of  at  more  length 
in  another  chapter. 

STREET    NAMES    CIIA.NGED. 

A  number  of  the  street  names  have  been 
changed  from  what  they  were  originally. 
These  are  as  follows — the  first  being  the  pres- 
ent name  and  the  last  the  original  : 

Fifth  (east  of  Parade),  Hickory  J^ane. 

Sixth  (east  of  Parade),  Birch  Lane. 

Seventh  (east  of  Parade),  Maple  Lane. 

Eighth  (east  of  Parade),  Ironwood  Lane. 


Ninth  (east  of  Parade),  Dogwood  Lane. 

Tenth  (east  of  I'arade),  Elm   Lane. 

Eleventh  (cast  of  Parade),  Locust  Lane. 

Twelfth  (east  of  I'arade),  Pear  Lane. 

Thirteenth,  Canal  street. 

Fourteenth,  Washington  street'. 

Fifteenth,  Penn  street,  also  as  Pearl  be- 
tween German  and  Parade. 

Sixteenth,  Court,  also  as  Sterrett  between 
French  and  Holland. 

Seventeenth,  Lafayette,  also  as  Ichabod. 

Eighteentli,  Buffalo  street  or  road. 

Nineteenth,  Cireen  street. 

Twentieth,  Monroe  street. 

Twenty-iirst,  Simpson  street. 

Twenty  second.  Brown  street. 

Twentj-third,  Washington  street. 

Twenty-fourth,  Franklin  street. 

Twenty-fifth,  Eagle  street. 

Twenty-sixth,  South  street,  also  as  liidge 
road. 

Twenty-eighth,  \\'ater  street,  also  as  Ar- 
bucklo. 

Ash  (south  of  Twenty-eighth),  Lemon 
street. 

Reed,  Maclay  street. 

East  avenue  (south  of  Twentyeiglitli ) 
Vine  street. 

Twenty-ninlh  (between  Ash  and  East  a\- 
enue),  Cameron  street. 

Wayne,  Beech  Lane. 

Wallace,  Hemli)ck  Lane. 

WIDTH     l>I-    STREETS,    ETC. 

The  map  in  the  water  ofllce  furnishes  the 
information  below  in  regard  to  tlie  width  of 
the  several  thoroughfares  in  the  city  : 

JSast  and  zees/  streets  (ire  all  sixty  feet 
wide,  except  the  follo-viiig: 

Lake  road,  fifty  feet. 

Sixth  and  Tentii  streets,  KMlfect. 

Seventh  street,  east  of  citv  limits,  tifty 
feet. 

Twelfth  street  to  East  avenue,  100  feet  ; 
east  of  East  avenue,  eighty  feet. 

Fourteenth  street,  from  Turnpike  to  Sas- 
safras, fifty  feet. 

Sixteenth  street,  fronr  Peach  to  State, 
forty-five  feet  ;  from  Raspberry  to  Cranberry, 
fifty  feet. 

Seventeenth  street,  from  State  west,  fifty 
feet. 

Eighteenth  street,  fifty  feet. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


395 


Twenty-first,  Twenty-second  and  Twenty- 
third  streets,  east  of  East  avenue,  fifty  feet. 

Twenty-sixth  street,  100  feet  at  west  line 
of  Peach,  tapering  to  seventy  feet  at  Sassa- 
fras ;  from  Sassafras  to  Chestnut  seventy  feet ; 
from  Peach  to  State,  ninety  feet. 

Canal  street,  fifty  teet. 

Qiieen  street,  forty-five  feet. 

Diago)ial  streets  arc  all  sixty  feet  wide, 
except  the  folloicii/g: 

Brown's  avenue,  eiglitv   feet. 

Eliot  avenue,  forty-five   feet. 

Orchard  and  Horton  streets,  fifty  feet. 

Hill  road,  Buff'alo  road,  old  French  road 
and  Wattsburg  road,  fifty  feet. 

Railroad  and  Summit  streets,  fifty  feet. 

Peach  street,  south  of  Tvventv-sixth,  sev- 
enty-five feet. 

W'aterford  avenue,  seventy-five  feet. 

Waterford  plank  road,  forty-five  feet. 

Marvin  avenue,  fifty  feet. 

North  and  south  streets  are  all  sixty  feet 
-vide,  except  the  foUozcing-: 

Liberty,  State  and  Parade  streets,  100  feet. 

Maple  (South  Erie),  Hazel,  Hickory, 
Division,  Wilson,  Newman,  Ross.  Brewster 
and  Elm  streets,  fifty  feet. 

Cedar  street,  forty  feet. 

Gilson  avenue,  eighty  feet. 

East  avenue,  from  the  lake  to  Twelfth 
street,  100  feet ;  south  of  Twelfth  to  the  Buf- 
falo road,  eighty  feet ;  south  of  the  Buffalo 
road  to  Twenty-eighth  street,  sixty  feet. 

STREET     NUMBERS. 

The  citv  ordinance  relating  to  the  number- 
ing of  streets,  provides  as  follows  : 

"  Beginning  on  Front  street  on  the  north, 
and  extending  to  the  city  limits  on  the  south, 
the  numbers  shall  be  placed  on  each  separate 
dwelling  and  business  place,  and  shall  begin 
at  Front  street  with  No.  101.  and  all  even 
numbers  shall  be  placed  on  the  west  side,  and 
all  odd  numbers  on  the  east  side  of  streets 
running  north  and  south,  and  each  square  on 
a  street  shall  include  100  numbers,  so  that  the 
first  number  on  each  square  shall  be  the  be- 
ginning of  hundreds  corresponding  to  the 
number  of  the  street  on  the  north  side  of  the 
square  or  block,  and  for  the  purpose  of  so 
numbering  twenty  and  seven-twelfths  feet 
shall  be  considered  a  lot  on  all  the  streets  in 
said  city. 

"  All  buildings  on  streets  running  east  and 


west  shall  be  numbered  beginning  at  State 
street  and  numbering  east  and  west  therefrom 
to  the  limits  of  the  city  ;  even  numbers  shall 
be  placed  on  the  north  side  and  odd  numbers 
on  the  south  side  of  said  street  and  shall  begin 
at  State  street  with  No.  one,  and  each  square 
shall  include   100  numbers."' 

STREET    LIGHTING. 

The  streets  and  public  grounds  of  the  city 
of  Erie  were  lighted  on  -Xugust  1,  18'.(5,  by 
478  gas  lamps  at  $21.50  each  per  annum,  and 
by  276  electric  arc  lamps  each  of  2,000  candle 
power  at  $02.05  per  annum.  The  electric 
lighting  has  been  furnished  from  the  begin- 
ning by  the  Edison  company,  Chas.  H. 
Strong,  president.  The  contract  for  1895  re- 
quires the  lights  to  be  supplied  from  dusk  to 
daylight  every  night  in  the  year. 

SEWERAGE. 

The  city  is  well  sewered,  and  is  steadily 
being  improved  in  this  respect.  Up  to  1894 
more  than  thirty-six  and  one-half  miles  of 
sewers  had  been  built,  over  ten  miles  of 
which  were  brick  and  the  balance  tile.  This 
was  increased  in  189-1—5  to  the  extent  of  2.876 
i  miles,  making  a  total  length  of  sewerage  in 
August,  1895,  of  nearly  thirty-nine  and  one- 
si.xth  miles.  The  cost  of  the  sewerage  has 
been  $(507,200. 

I  PUBLIC    BUILDINGS,    CHURCHES,  ETC. 

The  main  public  edifices  are  the  United 
States  building,  at  .State  street  and  North 
Park  row  (used  as  the  postotlice,  collector's 
office,  etc.)  ;  the  old  Custom  House  on  State 
street  near  Fourth,  the  Court  House,  the  City 
Hall  and  the  County  Jail. 

Of  church  buildings  there  are  three  Bap- 
tist, six  Lutheran,  five  Methodist  Episcopal, 
four  Presbyterian,  one  United  Presbyterian, 
four  Episcopalian,  ten  Roman  Catholic  and 
two  more  projected,  one  Universalist,  one 
Church  of  Christ,  (known  as  the  Tabernacle), 
one  Christian  and  one  Hebrew  synagogue. 
'  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  have 
a  good  building  at  Tenth  and  Peach  streets. 

The  structures  used  for  charitable  purposes 
are  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home,  tlieHome 
for  the  Friendless,  the  Ilamot  Hospital,  St. 
Vincent's  Hospital,  St.  Joseph's  Orphan  Asy- 
lum and  the  Old  Folks"  Ilome. 


39^ 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


There  are  three  academy  buildings  :  Vilhi 
Maria,  St.  Benedict's  and  the  Erie  academy. 

The  principal  places  of  amusement  are  the 
Opera  House  and  Wonderland,  but  there  are 
numerous  halls  for  public  enterlainment. 
Among  these  are  :  Music  Hall,  Wayne,  Ga- 
bel's,  Penn,  Liedertafel,  Maennerchor,  Wal- 
ther's,  Grand  Army,  J^irecki's  and  the  East 
Erie. 

The  public  school  buildings  are  unusually 
large  and  well-planned,  and  the  Central  School 
building  is  one  of  the  most  imposing;  in  the 
United  States. 

The  city  contains  four  very  line  market 
houses,  owned  by  private  companies  or  cor- 
porations. 

In  the  vicinity  are  numerous  pleasure  re- 
sorts and  club  houses,  some  of  which  have  a 
wide  reputation.  The  bay  and  lake,  the  well- 
paved  and  shaded  streets,  the  splendid  roads, 
the  pure  atmosphere,  and  the  rich  surrounding 
country,  combine  to  make  the  citv  one  of  the 
most  delightful  residences  that  can  be  im- 
agined. No  person  need  leave  Erie  in  order  to 
secure  health,  comfort  or  ])leasure. 

RAILROADS,       TRANSPORT.'VTION       FACII-ITIES, 
ETC. 

With  five  important  lines  of  railroad — the 
Lake  Shore,  the  New  York,  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis,  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie,  the  Erie  and 
Pittsburg,  and  the  Pittsburg,  Shenango  and 
Lake  Erie — reaching  ea't,  west  and  south; 
and  with  the  advantages  of  lake  navigation 
seven  to  eight  months  in  each  year,  Erie  has 
transportation  facilities  that  are  almost  un- 
rivalled. These,  and  the  convenience  to  the 
coal  regions,  render  it  a  profitable  point  for 
manufactures,  and  the  city  has  become  one  of 
the  leading  manufacturing  centers  in  the 
Union.  The  manufacturing  interests  are  of 
such  wide  diversity  and  the  business  facilities 
so  unusual  that  Erie  is  never  affected  by  panics 
or  hard  times  as  places  are  that  have  to  depend 
on  a  single  industry  or  limited  means  of  trans- 
portation. 

The  city  is  supplied  with  an  abundance  of 
pure  water,  has  an  excellent  electric  motor 
system,  and  is  lighted  with  both  gas  and  elec- 
tricity. Natural  gas  is  brought  in  from  the 
mountain  regions  of  Pennsylvania,  and  nearly 
every  store,  office  and  house  has  the  benefit  of 
this    great    convenience.      It    has    live    news- 


papers, an  able  bar,  an  earnest  pulpit,  and  a 
social,  intelligent  and  refined  population.  Take 
it  all  together,  few  places  have  the  advantages 
that  Erie  possesses,  and  the  person  who  cannot 
content  himself  within  its  limits  will  never  be 
satisfied  this  side  of  Paradise. 

[For  a  fuller  account  of  the  several  sub- 
jects referred  to  above  see  other  chapters  of 
this  work.] 

LOCAL     NAMES. 

In  early  years  the  outside  territory  now 
included  within  the  city  or  adjacent  to  it  was 
divided  into  various  small  settlements,  each  of 
which  had  a  local  title  that  in  some  cases  still 
adheres  to  it.  The  names  which  are  most 
frequently  heard  now-a-days  are  Cloughs- 
bui-g,  Stumptown,  New  Jerusalem,  or  Jeru- 
salem, Kingtown,  Federal  Hill,  Marvintown, 
South  Erie,  Warfeltown  and  Weigclville. 

Chii/o/tsbiiri^'  was  named  after  Rufus 
Clough,  who  located  on  the  southwest  corner 
of  Sixth  and  Parade  streets,  opened  a  black- 
smith shop  and  subsequently  a  grocery.  The 
house  of  Col.  Charles  M.  Lynch  was  the 
residence  of  Maj.  Clough  during  the  latter 
part  of  his  career. 

StumptoxL'ii  grew  up  during  the  last  war 
with  Great  Britain,  when  troops  were  called 
to  Erie  in  January,  1814.  A  number  of  cab- 
ins were  built  by  them  for  quarters,  extending 
from  Peach  street  to  the  gully  of  Lee's  run, 
and  that  part  of  Erie  became  known  by  the 
name  above  given. 

N'ev:  ycrusalcm  was  christened  by  Will- 
iam Himrod,  sr.,  who,  in  1828-':29,  bought  a 
tract  of  land  west  of  Sassafras  and  north  of 
Sixth  street.  At  that  time  there  were  but  two 
families  living  west  of  Lee's  run  and  north 
of  Sixth  street,  except  upon  the  bank  of  the 
bay,  where  a  few  scattering  houses  had  been 
erected.  Mr.  Himrod,  who  resided  at  French 
and  Second  streets,  called  his  own  home 
"  Jericho,"  because,  as  he  said,  it  was  on  the 
side  of  a  hill,  and,  upon  laying  off  his  new 
purchase,  he  named  it  "New  Jerusalem.''  A 
veteran  lady  of  the  city  says,  jokingly,  that  it 
received  the  title  "because  it  was  so  hard  to 
get  to,"  there  being  a  deep  ravine — that  of 
Lee's  run — between  the  settlement  and  the 
rest  of  the  town,  with  only  one  or  two  rickety 
bridges  crossing  the  stream.  One  of  the  con- 
ditions made  by  Mr.  Himrod  in  selling  lots 
was  that  each  purchaser  should  build   and   oc- 


^L^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


397 


cupy  a  house,    the   result  of   which    was    that 
quite  a  village  sprung  up  in  a  fe\v  years. 

Kiiifftown  was  laid  out  hy  Alfred  King,  on 
some  outlets  owned  by  him  a  little  southeast 
of  the  Garrison  ground,  now  occupied  by  the 
Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home. 

Federal  Hill  was  the  summit  of  the  ridge 
at  Peach  and  Twenty-si.xth  streets.  The  name 
was  given  to  it  by  George  Moore,  on  account 
of  the  number  of  "Federals"  who  resided 
there.  It  was  quite  a  settlement  as  early  as 
the  war  of  1812,  and  several  public  houses 
and  stores  were  located  at  that  point.  One 
of  the  hotels  was  the  "American  Eagle," 
from  which  it  also  came  to  be  known  as  Eagle 
Village.  The  settlement  was  a  great  stoppmg 
place  for  travelers,  being  the  terminus  of  the 
Waterford  pike  and  Ridge  road.  It  was  long 
the  voting  place  of  Mill  Creek  township. 
Sixty  years  ago  a  mile  of  woods  lay  between 
Federal  Hill  and  Erie,  from  the  business  part 
of  which  the  village  was  nearly  two  miles 
distant.  Among  those  who  resided  on  "'Fed- 
eral Hill"  were  George  Moore,  Capt.  John 
Justice,  Ira  Glazier,  Dr.  P.  Faulkner,  John 
Sweeney,  Simeon  Dunn  and  Dr.  Plara 
Thayer. 

Marvhito-Mu  was  the  home  of  Elisha  Mar- 
vin, who  lived  at  the  "  Sennett  place,"  near 
the  junction  of  Parade  street  and  the  Watts- 
burg  road,  and  owned  most  of  the  land 
around.  Being  the  intersection  of  two  roads, 
a  small  village  sprang  into  existence,  and  in 
1852-53  Mr.  Marvin  employed  Samuel  Low- 
to  lay  out  the  land  in  lots.  The  lots  were  sold 
principally  to  Germans,  and  finally  Mr.  Mar- 
vin disposed  of  his  home    to   Pardon   Sennett. 

South  Erie  grew  up  in  consequence  of  the 
building  of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.,  which 
was  finished  to  Eiie  January  10,  1852.  The 
place  was  incorporated  as  a  borough  in  186G, 
and  became  a  part  of  Erie  by  the  extension  of 
the  city  limits  in  1870.  The  borough  limits 
included  the  territory  bounded  by  Eighteenth, 
Twenty-sixth,  Parade  and  Cherry  streets. 

li'arfcllouit.  a  recent  cognomen,  embraces 
the  farm  of  M.  Warfel,  sr.,  on  the  southeast 
side  of  the  city,  along  the  Philadelphia  and 
Erie  R.  R.  It  was  laid  out  into  lots  by  Jacob 
Warfel,  and  has  grown  with  surprising  rap- 
idity. 

Weigeltoivn  or   Weigelvillc,  as  it   is   vari- 
ously  called,  at    the    intersection  of    Brown's 
avenue  with  the  Ridge  road,  was  named  after 
26 


George  Weigel,  sr.,  who  bought  fifty  acres  in 
1838,  and  laid  out  the  Ridge  road  front  into 
building  lots.  The  hotel  at  Weigletown  was 
long  a  famous  stopping  place  for  parties  com- 
ing to  and  driving  from  Erie.  The  village 
was  then  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  original 
borough  limits. 

WAHD    LI.MITS. 

The  city  is  divided  into  si.x  wards  and 
thirty-two  election  districts.  The  limits  of 
the  wards  are  as  follows  : 

Wards. 

First  Ward — All  that  portion  of  the  city 
east  of  State  and  north  of  Eighth  street. 

Second  Ward — East  of  State  from  Eighth 
to  Eighteenth  street. 

Third  Ward — West  of  State  from  Eighth 
to  Eighteenth  street. 

Fourth  Ward — West  of  State  and  north 
of  Eighth  street. 

Fifth  Ward — East  of  Peach  and  south  of 
Eighteenth  street. 

Si.xth  ^V^ard — West  of  Peach  and  south  of 
Eighteenth  street. 

Those  of  the  election  districts  are  as  fol- 
lows : 

EI.ECTIOX     DTSTRICTS. 

First   Hard. 

1 — East  of  Reed,  Eighth  to  Lake. 
2 — Fifth  to  Eighth,  State  to  Parade. 
i5 — State  to  Parade,  Lake  to  Third. 
4 — Parade  to  Reed,  Eighth  to  Lake. 
T) — Third  to  Fifth,  State  to  Parade. 

Second  Ward. 

1 — Twelfth  to  Eighteenth.  Ash  to  Parade. 

2 — Eighth  to  Tenth.  Parade  to  State. 

3 — Twelfth  to  R.  R.  tracks,  Parade  to 
State. 

-I — Eighth  to  Eleventh,  East  of  Ash. 

5— Eighth  to  Twelfth,  Ash  to  Parade. 

fj — Tenth  to  Twelfth,  Parade  to  State. 

7 — Eleventh  to  .  Eighteenth,  Ash  east  to 
city  limits. 

8 — R.  R.  tracks  to  Eighteenth.  Parade  to 
State. 


fras. 


7'liird    Ward. 
1 — Twelfth  to  Eighteenth,  State  to  Sassa- 


2 — Eighth  to  Tenth.  State  to  Chestnut. 


398 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


3 — Eighth  to  R.  R.  tracks,  Chestnut  to 
Liberty. 

4 — Twelfth  to  Eighteenth,  Sassafras  to 
Chestnut. 

5 — Tenth  to   Twelfth,  State  to   Chestnut. 

6 — Eighth  to  Eighteenth,  Liberty  street 
west. 

T — R.  R.  tracks  to  Eighteenth,  Chestnut 
to  Liberty. 

Fourth    Ward. 

1 — Fifth  to  Lake,  Chestnut  to  Pophir. 
2 — Fifth  to  Lake,  State  to  Chestnut. 
3 — Third  to  Lake,  State  to  Chestnut. 
4 — Poplar  west.  Eighth  to  Lake. 
5 — Fifth  to  Eighth,  Chestnut  to  Poplar. 
6 — Third  to  Fifth,  State  to  Chestnut. 

Fifth   Ward. 

1 — Eighteenth  south,  Peach  to  Holland 
and  Honecker. 

1' — Eighteenlii  south.  Parade  to  Wayne. 

8 — Eighteentii  south.  Parade  to  Holland 
and  Honecker. 

4 — Eighteenth  soutli,  Wayne  east. 
Sixth    Ward. 

1 — Eighteenth  to  Twenty -first.  Peach  to 
Cherry. 

2 — Twenty-first  to  Twenty-fifth,  Peach  to 
Cherry. 

3 — Cherry  west,  Eighteenth  south. 

4 — Twenty-fifth  south,  Peach  to  Cherry. 

[See  Political  Record  in  (ieneral  History 
of  Erie  county.] 

CITY     FINANCES. 

The  city  debt  December  81,  1883,  was 
•tl, 114,584,  of  which  $685,(377.06  were  incur- 
red in  constructing  the  water  system.  This 
had  been  reduced  on  August  1,  1895,  to  $841,- 
700.  The  interest  on  the  debt  for  the  year 
1882  was  .l!81,872;  that  on  the  present  debt  is 
only  $34,360,  or  less  than  half  of  what  it  was 
twelve  and  a  half  years  ago.  This  reduction 
is  due,  in  part,  to  the  refunding  of  a  large 
portion  of  the  debt  at  a  lower  rate  of  interest. 

The  taxes,  &c. ,  collected  in  1882  were  $286,- 
333  ;  in  1894  the  amount  collected  was  as  given 
below,  being  exclusive  of  paving  and  sewer 
assessments  : 


City  taxes  (regular) $216,407.83 

Delinquent  taxes 16,820.24 

Delinquent  penalty 2,175.56 

Costs  on  land  sold  for  taxes 84.20 

Rents  for  street    markets 4,250.00 

Rents  for  hay  and  wood  markets 708.00 

Licen.se  for  Central  Market  Company  100.00 

City  fines,  etc.,  from   Mayor '. .  2,264.40 

City  lines,  etc.,  from  Aldermen 12.00 

Liquor  licenses  for   1894 39,750.00 

Billiard  licen.ses  for  1894 327.75 

Moving   permits 85.00 

Building  permits 41.50 

Boat  house  rents 57,00 

Surveys,  etc.,  from  the   Engineer's  de- 
partment    336.85 

Premium  on  bonds  .sold 2,749.50 

Interest  on  bonds  sold 2,666.66 

Interest  on  deposits 1,734.72 

Total $290,571.21 

ASSESSMENTS. 

The   city    assessments   for   1888  and  1895 
compare  as  follows  : 

1883 
First  ward $2,164,980 


Second 

Third 

Fourth 

Fifth 

Sixth 


2,592,183 
3,518,936 

2,798,220 

963,024 

1,061,954 


1895. 

$2,315,473 
3,677,343 
4,595,546 
3,435,585 
1,719,382 
1,591,445 


Totals $13,099,297      $17,424,774 

TAX     RATE    FOR    TWENTY-SEVEN    YEARS. 

Below  are  the  tax  rates  in  Erie  for  a  per- 
iod of  twenty-seven  years,  beginning  in  1869 
and  ending  in  1895.  The  higher  rates  in  1860 
and  '61  are  explained  by  the  statement  that 
valuations  since  that  time  have  been  presum- 
ably made  on  a  cash  basis  : 


CITY 

COUNTY 

.SCHOOL 

TOTAL 

YEAR. 

MILLS. 

MILLS. 

MILLS. 

MILLS. 

1869 

67 

15 

'>o 

104 

1870 

62 

20 

25 

107 

1871 

8 

4 

4 

16 

1872 

10 

3 

4 

17 

1873 

10 

3 

5 

18 

1874 

•13 

3"/i 

5 

21^ 

1875 

11 

3 

4'., 

181.^ 

1876 

11 

3 

4!i 

18J^ 

1877 

14 

2>i 

5 

21>^ 

1878 

i5;4 

3 

4 

22K 

1879 

14 

2yz 

5 

21>4 

1880 

16 

-> 

5 

23 

1881 

16 

2yz 

5 

n>% 

1882 

17}^ 

2% 

8 

28 

1883 

\b% 

■2% 

h% 

24  "if 

1884 

17 

VA 

SK 

25 

1885 

17 

3 

6>i 

26>^ 

1886 

17 

3 

5 

25 

1887 

17 

3 

5 

25 

AND  UISTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


399 


1888 
1889 
1890 

17 

16>^ 

16>4 

2 

7 
7 
8 

26>^ 
26 

26^ 

BUILDING     PERMITS. 

The  number  of  permits  for  building  within 

1891 
1892 
1893 

1894 

16 

15 
15 

15 

2 

2 

8 

7 
8 

26 
24 
25 
24 

the  city  limits   were    as    follows  for  six  years 
preceding  January  1,  1895:    In  1889,  283;  in 
1890,333;  in  1891,  360;  in  1892,435;  in  1893, 

1895 

14 -4' 

2/4 

8 

243^ 

377;  in  1894,  352. 

CHAPTER    III. 


Borough    and  City    Governments — List  of  the   Principal    Officials  from   1805  to 
1895  Inclusive — Justices  of  the  Pe.\ce  and  Aldermen  Since   1823. 


THE  act  creating  Erie  a  borough 
was  passed  March  29,  1805,  the  town 
previous  to  that  having  formed  a 
part  of  and  voted  with  Mill  Creek 
township.  The  first  borough  election 
was  held  on  the  5th  of  May  in  the  same 
year,  and  resulted  as  follows  :  John  C. 
Wallace,  Burgess;  Judah  Colt,  Rufus  S. 
Reed,  George  Buehler,  Robert  Hays,  George 
Schantz,  Town  Council ;  Robert  Irwin,  High 
Constable.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the  coun- 
cil, the  following  officers  weie  chosen  :  Jas. 
E.  Herron,  Town  Clerk  ;  Thomas  Forster, 
William  Wallace  and  James  Baird,  Street 
Commissioners;  William  Bell,  Treasurer. 

From  that  time  until  the  incorporation  of 
Erie,  the  gentlemen  named  below  filled  the 
office  of  Burgess  : 

1807    Thomas    Wilson 

1808-09 George  Buehler 

1810-11 John  C.  Wallace 

1812    ■.  .  .  Samuel  Hays 

1813 Judah    Colt 

1814-15 George  Moore 

1816-17 Thomas  H.  Sill 

1818-19 George  Moore 

1820-21    Tiidah    Colt 

1822-24 John    Morris 

1825-27 Tolin   C.  Wallace 

1828 "  .  .    Tabor  Beebe 

1829 Thomas  H.    Sill 

1830 William    Johns 

1831 George  A.'Eliot 


1832  (elected) Thomas  Forster 

(Tabor  Beebe  acted  instead). 

1833 Thomas  H.  Sill 

1834-35 Joseph  M.    Sterrett 

1836-37 T-    B-  Langhead 

1838 James  L.  White 

1839 '.  William  Kelley 

1840 Mj'ron  Goodwin 

1841 Rufus  S.  Reed 

1842 Thomas  Stewart 

1843-44 Thomas  H.  Sill 

1845 Charles  W.   Kelso 

184()-17 William    Kelley 

1848 Charles  W.    Kelso 

1849  A.   W.  Brewster 

1850 B.    B.   Vincent 

1851 Thomas  G.  Colt 

(Until  he  took  the  office   of  mayor). 

ROLL     OK     MAYORS. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1851,  Erie  was 
chartered  as  a  city,  and  in  1870  South  Erie 
was  added  to  the  city  limits.  The  Mavor 
was  first  elected  for  one  year,  and  served  as 
president  of  the  Select  Council  until  1S(5(), 
when  the  law  was  changed  so  that  each 
branch  selected  its  own  presiding  officer. 
From  1879  to  1888,  inclusive,  the  term  of  the 
Mayor  was  two  years.  By  the  law  of  May 
23,  1889,  under  which  the  city  is  acting  at 
present,  his  term  was  extended  for  three 
years,  and  he  is  ineligible  for  re-election  to 
the  next  succeeding  term.      Up  to    1888,  the 


400 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Mayor  served  without  pay,  but  on  the  1st  of 
October  of  that  year  councils  passed  an 
ordinance  fixing  a  salary  for  the  ofKce,  and 
obliging  him  to  hold  a  Mayor's  court.  The 
following  have  been  the  incumbents  of  the 
office  : 

1851 .  Thomas  G.  Colt 

1852 Murray  Whallon 

1853-1854 Alfred  King 

1855-1850 Wilson  Laird 

1857 James  Hoskinson 

1858 Wilson  Laird 

1859-61    Sherburn  Smith 

18G2-1864 Prescott  Metcalf 

1865 F.  F.  Farrar 

1866 W.  L.  Scott 

1867-1870 Orange  Noble 

1871 W.  L.  Scott 

1872-1873 Charles  M.  Reed 

1874-1875 Henry  Rawle 

1876 John  W.  Hammond 

1877 Selden  Marvin 

1878-1880 D.  T.  Jones 

1881-1882 Joseph  McCarter 

1883-1884 P.  A.  Becker 

1885 F.  F.  Adams   (resigned) 

1886   .  .  .  .F.  A.  Mizener  (elected  by  Council) 

1887-1888 John'  C.  Brady 

1889-1893 Charles  S.  Clarke 

1893-1896 Walter  Scott 

Of  the  above  gentlemen  only  Messrs.  No- 
ble, Reed,  Rawle,  Jones,  McCarter,  Adams, 
Mizener,  Brad}-,  Clarke  and  Walter  Scott  aie 
living.  Ex-Mayors  Whallon,  Marvin,  Farrar, 
and  Hoskinson  all  died  in  1895. 

SELECT  AND  COMMON  COUNCILS TIIEIH   PRES- 
IDENTS AND  CLERKS. 

The  gentlemen  named  below  have  served 
in  the  Select  and  Common  Councils.  LTnder 
the  law  of  1889,  each  ward  elects  one  Select 
Councilman  for  four  j-ears  and  two  Common 
Councilmen  for  two  years.  Select  Council- 
men  are  required  to  be  25  and  Common  Coun- 
cilmen 21  years  of  age.  They  must  have  been 
citizens  of  the  State  four  years  and  residents 
of  the  ward  which  they  claim  to  represent  one 
year  next  before  their  election.  The  Clerk  of 
the  Borough  Council  acted  as  Town  Clerk, 
and  the  Clerk  of  the  Select  Council  has  offi- 
ciated as  City  Clerk  since  the  establishment  of 
the  city  government  : 

1851 — Thomas  G.  Colt,  j\fayor,  presiding; 


Select Courici I ,  Jonas  Gunnison,  Clerk  ;  C.  Mc- 
Sparren,  William  M.  Gallagher,  F.  Schneider, 
John  Zimmerly,  S.  M.  Carpenter.  A.  W. 
Brewster. 

Common  Council,  James  D.  Dunlap,  Pres- 
ident ;  William  P.  Trimball,  Clerk;  Wilson 
King,  James  Skinner,  Thomas  Dillon,  Samuel 
W.  Kecfer,  Daniel  G.  Landon,  Adam  Ache- 
son,  L.  Momeyer,  O.  D.  Spafford,  A.  A.  Craig, 
Prescott  Metcalf,  Josiah  Kellogg. 

1852 — Alurray  IV/iallon,  Mayor,  presi- 
ding; Select  Councit,W .  II.  Sherman,  Clerk; 
F.  Schneider,  D.  G.  Landon,  P.  Sennett, 
John    Zimmerly,  J.  B.  Smyth,  A.  P.  Durlin. 

Common  Council.  William  S.  Lane,  Presi- 
dent; William  Thornton,  Clerk  ;  S.  W.  Keef- 
er,  W.  B.  Hayes,  J.  H.  Riblet,  G.  J.  Morton, 
J.  W.  Duggan,  C.  Siegel,  F.  Mutterer,  D.  D. 
Walker,  J.  B.  Gunnison,  H.  P.  Mchaffey, 
John  Graham. 

1853 — Alfred  King,  Mayor,  presiding; 
Select  Council,  W.  H.  Sherman,  Clerk;  A.  P. 
Durlin,  J.  B.  Smyth,  D.  G.  Landon,  P.  Sen- 
nett, Joseph  M.  Sterrett,  Wm.  G.  Arbuckle. 

Common  Council,  John  .\.  Tracy,  Presi- 
dent;  Wm.  Thornton,  Clerk;  C.  B.  Wright, 
J.  M  Justice,  E.  A.  Bennett,  J.  \V.  Duggan, 
A.  Wild,  E.  J.  Ames,  M.  R.  Barr,  A.  Ache- 
son,  John  Hearn,  M.  Henry,  W.  C.  Braley. 

1854 — Alfred  King,  Mayor,  presiding; 
Select  Council,  W.  H.  .Sherman,  Clerk;  Jo- 
seph M.  Sterrett,  J.  B.  Smytli,  William  G. 
Arbuckle,  A.  P.  Durlin,  James  D.  Dunlap,  P. 
Sennett. 

Common  Council,  Malhew  R.  Barr,  Presi- 
dent; William  Thornton,  Clerk  ;  A.  Acheson, 
W.  C.  Braley,  M.  Henry,  W.  F.  Rinder- 
necht,  S.  .Smith,  E.  J.  Ames,  E.  A.  Bennett, 
John  S.  Carter,  J.  W.  Duggan,  Adam  Wild, 
Mathew  T:iylor. 

1855 — Wilson  Laird,  Mayor,  presiding; 
Select  Council,  Thomas  Moorhead,  Clerk  ; 
J:<mes  D.  Dunlap,  W.  G.  Arbuckle,  J.  M. 
Sterrett,  A.  P.  Durlin,  F.  Schneider,  William 
Hoskinson. 

Common  Council,  Mathew  R.  Barr,  Presi- 
dent ;  William  Thornton,  Clerk  ;  A.  Acheson, 
Robert  T.  Sterrett,  Moses  Koch,  S.  Smith, 
M.  Henry,  John  S.  Carter,  Adam  Wild,  David 
Kennedy,  John  ^V.  Hays,  C.  Graham,  John 
Goalding. 

1856 — Wilson  Laird,  Mayor,  presiding; 
Select  Coui.eil,  Thomas  Moorhead,  Clerk; 
W.  G.   Arbuckle,  John   S.  Carter,  James    D. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


401 


Dunlap,  William    Iloskinson,   J.  M.  Sterrett, 

F.  Schneider. 

Coiiimo/i  Council,  S.  Smith,  President  ; 
William  Thornton,  Clerk  ;  JacoS  Kneip,  Wm. 
Himrod,  Adam  Wild,  John  Goalding,  David 
Kennedy,  ^ohn  W.  Hays,  M.  Henry,  Moses 
Koch,  R.  f .  Sterrett,  A.  Acheson,  M.  R.  Barr. 

1857 — ya?iics  Ifoskiiisoit,  A/ayor,  presi- 
ding; Select  Cotincil,  Thomas  Moorhead, 
Clerk;  James  D.  Dunlap,  M.  R.  Barr,  F. 
Schneider,  J.  M.  Sterrett,  John  S.  Carter,  W. 

G.  Arbuckle. 

Common  Council,  Adam  Acheson,  Presi- 
dent; William  Thornton,  Clerk;  William 
Himrod,  David  Kennedy,  James  Sill,  W  C. 
Warren,  J.  W.  Hays,  J.  Kneip,  C.  Doll,  James 
Cotter,  M.  Henry,  John  Sweeney,  James  Skin- 
ner. 

1858 — Wilson  Laird,  A/avor,  presiding; 
Select  Council,  J .  F.  Downing,  Clerk  ;  J.  M. 
Sterrett,  John  S.  Carter,  Sherburn  Smith,  C. 
Sevin,  M.  Henry,  James  D.  Dunlap. 

Common  Council,  Adam  Acheson,  Presi- 
dent ;  William  Thornton,  Clerk;  Samuel  Cum- 
mins, James  Dunlap,  John  Ferrier,  J.  J.  Futss- 
ler,  Jonas  Gimnison,  William  B.  Hays, 
Mathias  Hartlcb,  E.  N.  Nason,  John  S^vee- 
ney,  L.  Strong,  T.  H.  Ste\vart. 

1859 Slicrburn  Smitli,  A/avor , presid i no- \ 

Select  Council,  J.  F.  Downing,  Clerk  ;  Jonas 
Gunnison.  F.  Schneider,  John  W.  Hays, 
Mathias  Mayer,  David  Shirk,  John  H.  Riblet, 
M.  Henry,  J.  M.  Sterrett. 

Common  Council,  Adam  Acheson,  Presi- 
dent;  William  Thornton,  Clerk  ;  William  B. 
Hays,  James  Dunlap.  T.  H.  Stuart,  H.  Pel- 
ton,  M.  Schlaudecker,  J.  V.  Boyer,  H.  B.  Hav- 
erstick,  J.  M.  Zuck,  James  Skinner,  John 
Hearn,  John  Ferrier. 

1860 — Sherburn  Smith,  Mayor, presiding; 
Select  Council,  David  Shirk,  President,  J.  F. 
Downing,  Clerk  ;  F.  Schneider,  John  H.  Rib- 
let,  Mathias  Mayer,  Charles  M.  Tibbals,  David 
McAllister,  Wilson  King,  W.  G.  Arbuckle. 

Common  Council,  Adam  Acheson,  Presi- 
dent; William  Thornton,  Clerk;  James  Skin- 
ner, John  Hearn,  J.  V.  Boyer,  J.  M.  Zuck, 
L.  Strong,  P.  Metcalf,  J.  Ferrier,  J.  Blenner, 
H.  B.  Hayerstick,W.  E.  Bell,  H.  Pelton. 

1861 — Select  Council,  Jonas  Gunnison, 
President  ;  J.  F.  Downing,  Clerk  ;  David  Mc- 
Allister. John  H.  Riblet,  George  W.  Starr, 
M.  Mayer,  Williaui  A.  Brown,  James  Dun- 
lap,  Wilson  King. 


Common  Council,  James  Skinner,  Presi- 
dent;  William  Thornton,  Clerk  ;  J.  Blenner, 
H.  B.  Haverstick,  L.  Strong,  H.  Pelton,  John 
Graham,  W.  B.  Hays.  James  O'Hanlon,  W. 
C.  Warren,  M.  Hartleb,  John  Hearn,  George 
W.  Colton. 

1862 — Select  Council,  Jonas  Gunnison, 
President ;  J.  F.  Downing,  Cleik  ;  George  W . 
Starr,  William  A.  Brown,  James  Dunlap, 
Wilson  King,  M.  Mayer,  John  Ferrier,  J.  H. 
Riblet. 

Common  Council,  James  Skinner,  Presi- 
dent; James  G.  Payne.  Clerk;  H.  Pelton, 
James  O'Hanlon,  W".  B.  Hays,  W.  C.  War- 
ren, John  Hearn,  J.  S.  M.  Young,  P.  A. 
Becker,  Jacob  Bootz,  H.  B.  Haverstick,  M. 
Hartleb,  M.  Henry. 

1868 — Select  Council,  William  A.  Brown, 
President;  J.  F.  Downing,  Clerk;  James 
Dunlap,  John  Ferrier,  M.  Mayer,  J.  H.  Rib- 
let. George  W.  Starr,  James  Skinner,  Charles 
M.  Tibbals. 

Common  Council,  Mathew  R.  Barr,  Presi- 
dent;  (jeorge  P.  Griffith,  Clerk;  M.  Hartleb, 
H.  B.  Haverstick,  M.  Henry,  Jacob  Bootz,  J. 
R.  Thompson.  John  W .  Shannon.  John  Carse, 
C.  Siegel,  J.  M.  Kuhn,  J.  J.  Rindernecht, 
John  Clemens. 

1864 — Select  Council,  James  Skinner, 
President ;  J.  F.  Downing,  Clerk  ;  John  Fer- 
rier, J.  H.  Riblet,  Charles  M.  Tibbals,  George 
W.  Starr,  Thomas  B.  Vincent,  H.  B.  Haver- 
stick, John  ^lonre. 

Common  Council.  Mathew  R.  Barr,  Presi- 
dent;  T.  J.  Wells,  Clerk  ;  John  Clemens.  J. 
M.  Kuhn,  J.J.  Rindernecht,  C.  Siegel,  Jolin 
W.  Shannon,  F.  Engkhart,  R.  J.  Pelton,  J. 
F.  Walther,  U.  Hartleb,  M.  Henry,  William 
S.  Brown. 

1865  —  Select  Council,  James  Skinner, 
President ;  R.  W.  Russell,  Clerk  ;John  Moore, 
H.  B.  Haverstick,  George  W.  Starr,  Thomas 
B.  Vincent,  Charles  M.  Tibbals,  John  !M, 
Kuhn,  ^.  Murphy. 

Common  Council.  M.  W.  Caugiiey,  Presi- 
dent;  George  P.  Griffith,  Clerk;  E.  P.  Ben- 
nett. J  S.  Jordan,  F.  Gingenbach,  J.  Reicht- 
scheit,  P.  B.  Honecker,  William  Bell,  jr.,  W. 
A.  Crawford,  M.  Hartleb,  M.  Henry,  R.  J. 
Pelton,  J.  F.  Walther. 

1866- — Select  Council.  George  W.  Starr, 
President;  A.  J.  Foster,  Clerk;  H.  B.  Hav- 
erstick, John  M.  Kuhn,  John  Moore^N.  Mur- 


403 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPUWAL  DICTIONARY 


phy,  Thomas  B.  Vincent,  Joseph  McCarter, 
Charle.i  H.  Loverien. 

Common  Council,  J.  C.  Spencer,  Presi- 
dent;  George  P.  GriHitii,  Clerk  :  William  Bell, 
jr.,  E.  P.  Bennett,  \V.  A.  Crawford,  F.  Gin- 
genbach,  P.  B.  Honecker,  J.  Reichtscheit,  D. 
G.  Ormsby,  F.  Schhiudecker,  A.  W.  ^'an 
Tassel,  F.  P.  Liebel,  M.  Henry. 

1867 — Select  Council,  John  M.  Kuhn, 
President ;  A.  J.  Foster,  Clerk  ;  Joseph  Mc- 
Carter, N.  Murphy,  Charles  H.  Loverien,  P. 
Crouch.  P.  A.  Becker,  M.  Ilartleb,  S.  E.  Ba- 
con. 

Common  Council.  M.  Henry,  President: 
P.  B.  Honecker,  Clerk;  F,  P.  Liebel,  D.  G. 
Ormsby,  J.  C.  Spencer,  F.  Schlaudecker,  A, 
W.  Van  Tasscll,  G.  F.  Brevillier,  John  Shen- 
field,  Joseph  Eichenlaub,  P.  B.  Honecker,  An- 
drew Burton,  John  O.  Baker. 

1868 — .Sclcci  Council,  Phineas  Crouch, 
President;  John  C.  Hilton,  Clerk  ;  S.  E. 
Bacon,  P.  A.  Becker,  M.  Hartleb,  Charles  H. 
Loverien,  George  M.  Smith,  Conrad  Shen- 
field,  A,  W.  Van  Tassell. 

Common  Council,  F.  Schlaudecker,  Presi- 
dent; P.  B.  Honecker,  Clerk;  G.  F,  Brevil- 
lier, John  O.  Baker,  John  .Shenfield,  Joseph 
Eichenlaub,  P.  B.  Honecker,  Robert  Ken- 
nedy, Joseph  Blenner,  J.  W.  Swalley,  John 
Hearn,  John  Dunlap,  J.  M.  Bryant. 

1869 — Scli'cl  Council,  Phineas  Crouch, 
President;  Daniel  .Sullivan,  Clerk;  S.  E.  Ba- 
con, P.  A.  Becker,  M.  Hartleb.  A.  W.  Van 
Tassell,  Jonas  Gunnison,  Joseph  Eichenlaub, 
W.  F.  Rindernecht. 

Common  Council,  F.  Schlaudecker,  Presi- 
dent;  William  Donald,  Clerk;  J.  M.  Bryant, 
Robert  Kennedy,  J.  W.  Swalley,  John  Hearn, 
Myron  E.  Dunlap,  John  O.  Baker,  Michael 
Hogan,  H.  J.  Conrath,  W.  S.  Brown,  Joseph 
Blenner,  H.  A.  Conrad. 

1870  —  Select  Council,  Phineas  Crouch, 
President;  Daniel  Sullivan,  Clerk;  Jonas 
Gunnison,  P.  A.  Becker,  Joseph  Eichenlaub, 
jr.,  M.  Hartleb,  Joseph  McCarter,  Samuel  E. 
Bacon,  William  F.  Rindernecht,  George 
Seiter,  Joseph  .Seelinger,  E.  Camphausen, 
William  Henrj'. 

Common  Coitncil,  F.  Schlaudecker,  Presi- 
dent ;  William  Donald,  Clerk  ;  J.  M.  Bryant. 
Robert  Kennedy,  J. W.  Swalley,  John  Hearn, 
Myron  E.  Dunlap,  John  O.  Baker,  Michael 
Hogan,  H.  J.  Conrath,  W.  .S.  Brown,  Joseph 
Blenner,  Orville    Johnson,   J.    Cronenberger, 


John  Strahl,  H.  Kalvelage,  F.    Franz,    J.   F. 
Decker,  George  Stritzinger. 

1871 — Select  Council,  E.  Camphausi'ii, 
President  ;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk  ;  John 
Boyle,  John  Carse,  P.  A.  Becker,  Joseph 
Eichenlaub,  jr.,  Jacob  Bootz,  M.  Hartleb, 
William  G.  Arbuckle,  William  F.  Rinder- 
necht, (jeorge  Seiter,  Joseph  Seelinger,  E. 
Camphausen,  William  Henry. 

Common  Council,  Myron  E.  Dunlap,  Presi- 
dent;  \\'illiam  Donald,  Clerk  ;  C.M.Conrad, 
Charles  D.  Sweeney,  Myron  E.  Dunlap,  H, 
J.  Conrath,  Ulrich  Schhiudecker,  John  Metz- 
ner,  George  Loyer.  W.  R.  Gray,  William  S. 
Brown,  C.  W.  Lytic,  John  O.  liaker,  M.  W. 
Hogan,  Henry  Kalvelage,  George  .Stritzinger, 
William  Loesch,  Michael  Liebel,  Michael 
Kress,  Fred'k  Franz. 

1872— .S'f/cr/  Council,  P.  A.  Becker,  Presi- 
dent;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk;  John  Boyle, 
John  Carse,  P.  A.  Becker,  William  H.  Dem- 
ing,  John  R.  Cochran,  M.  Hartleb,  William 
G.  Arbuckle,  William  F.  Rindernecht,  George 
Seiter,  W.  \\'.  Thomas,  William  Henry,  John 
Berst. 

Common  Council ,  W.  R.  Gray,  President  ; 
William  Donald,  Clerk;  C.  M.  Conrad, 
Charles  D.  Sweeney,  Charles  F.  Dunbar, 
Ulrich  Schlaudecker,  John  .Sutter,  John  Metz- 
ner,  W.  R.  Gray,  George  Loyer,  Charles  C. 
Shirk,  A.  P.  Burton,  Addison  Leech,  C.  W. 
Lytle,  William  Loesch,  Henry  Kalvelage, 
Jacob  Warfel,  Fred'k  Franz,  A"  Thayer,  M. 
Liebel. 

18755 — Select  Council,  P.  A.  Becker,  Presi- 
dent;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk;  John  Boyle, 
John  Carse,  P.  A.  Becker,  William  W.  Dem- 
ing,  John  R.  Cochran,  AI.  Hartleb,  Thomas 
H.  Carroll,  William  G.  Arbuckle,  W.  W. 
Thomas,  A.  B.  Gunnison,  John  Berst,  William 
Henry. 

Common  Council,  Michael  Liebel,  Presi- 
dent ;  William  Donald,  Clerk ;  Christian 
Kessler,  John  Walsh,  C.  F.  Dunbar,  John 
Metzner,  Ulrich  Schlaudecker,  John  Sutter, 
C.  C.  Shirk,  C.  .Swalley,  George  Loyer,  A. 
P.  Burton,  Addison  Leech,  Thomas  Brown, 
J.  Warfel,  H.  L.  Gloth,  Henry  Kalvelage,  A. 
Thayer,    Fred'k  Franz,  Michael  Liebel. 

1874 — Select  Council,  William  Henry, 
President;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk;  John 
Boyle,  William  P.  Atkinson,  Williani  IL 
Sandusky,  William  H.  Deming,  David  T. 
Jones,  John  R.  Cochran,  Thomas  H.  Carroll, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


403 


William  Christie,  W.  W.  Thomas,  A.  B. 
Gunnison,  John  Berst,  William  Henry. 

Coimiion  Council,  Michael  Liebel,  Presi- 
dent; William  Donald,  Clerk;  Christian 
Kessler,  H.  F.  McCarty,  John  Walsh,  John 
Sutter,  J.  A.  Moser,  Ulrich  Schlaudecker,  C. 
>S\valley,  George  Lover,  Adam  Brabender, 
Thomas  Brown,  Charles  Justice,  Frederick 
Schutte,  M.  Froclich,  H.  G.  Gloth,  W.  D. 
Feidler,  A.  Thayer,  C.  J-  Brown,  Michael 
Liebel. 

1875 — Select  Council,  David  T.  Jones, 
President;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk  ;  John 
Boyle,  William  P.  Atkinson,  \M!liam  Lerch, 
William  IL  Sandusky,  George  Loyer,  D.  T. 
Jones,  G.  T.  Churchill,  \\'illiam  Christie, 
John  Youngs,  A.  B.  Gunnison,  Michael 
Liebel,  Jacob  Bootz. 

Common  Council,  John  Sutter,  President ; 
William  Donald;  Clerk  ;  P.  T.  Donnelly,  E. 
McCall,  B.  F.  McCarty,  F.  Bauschard,  jr.,  J. 
A.  Moser,  John  Sutter,  F.  P.  Dippo,  J.  M. 
Zuck,  Adam  Brabender,  John  Constable,  sr., 
Charles  Justice,  F.  Schutte,  Martin  Froelich, 
W.  D.  Feidler,  William  Loesch,  Valentine 
Schultz,  C.  J.  Brown,  A.  Thayer. 

1876 — Select  Council,  Michael  Liebel, 
President ;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk  ;  Christian 
Kessler,  William  P.  Atkinson,  William  H. 
Sandusky.  William  Lerch,  George  Lover,  D. 
T.  Jones,  William  Christie,  George  T. 
Churchill,  John  Youngs,  William  T.  Smith, 
M.  Liebel,  A.  Thayer. 

Common  Council,  John  Sutter,  President; 
William  Donald,  Clerk ;  L.  L.  Lamb,  John 
A.  Beebe,  William  Stanton,  John  Sutter, 
James  McCarty,  Henry  Ackerman,  J.  M. 
Zuck,  Joseph  A.  Sterrett,  H.  J.  Howe,  John 
Constable,  sr.,  Henry  Mayo,  T.  F.  Noble, 
Martin  Frrplich,  William  Loesch,  C.  Klang, 
C.  J.  Brown,  Valentine  Schultz,  Henry 
Shenk. 

1877 — Select  Council,  Alvanus  Thayer, 
President  ;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk  ;  Christian 
Kessler,  Thomas  Flynn,  John  Sutter,  Henry 
Ackerman,  D.  T.  Jones,  J.  M.  Zuck,  J.  J. 
Hogan,  George  T.  Churchill,  William  T. 
Smith,  John  Youngs,  A.  Thayer,  Henry 
Shenk. 

{'onnnon  C(vc//r//,  John  A.  Beebe,  Presi- 
dent ;  William  Donald,  Clerk ;  John  A. 
Beebee,  William  Stanton,  John  A.  Reynolds, 
William  Nick,  sr.,  James  McCarty,  Peter 
Knipper,  W.  W.  Pierce,   H.  J.  Howe,  J.  B. 


Gunnison,  John  Constable,  sr.,  C.  Kolb,  E. 
I  Donnelly,  Adam  Obringer,  C.  Klang,  Will- 
j  iam  Loesch,  J.  F.  Decker,  F.  R.  Simmons, 
;  Valentine  Schultz. 

1878 — Select  Council,  Henry  Shenk,  Presi- 
dent;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk;  Thomas 
Flynn,  George  W.  Starr,  John  Sutter,  Henry 
Ackerman,  J.  M.  Zuck,  Joseph  Johnson,  jr., 
J.  J.  Hogan,  William  T.  Smith,  Joiin  Youngs, 
F.  R.  Simmons,  Henry  Shenk. 

Common  Council,  W.  W.  Pierce,  Presi- 
dent; William  Donald,  Clerk;  John  A. 
Beebe,  J.  F.  Siegel,  William  Stanton,  Will- 
iam Nick,  sr. ,  F.  A.  Clemens,  Irvin  H. 
Howard,  jr.,  J.    B.  Gunnison,   W.   W.  Pierce, 

E.  McK.  Whitley,  C.  Kolb,  William  Hard- 
wick,  Frederick  Salow,  Dean  Hawk,  John 
Ebei  ly,  Adum  Obringer,  A.  H.  Faulkner, 
C.  Kerner,  J.  F.  Decker. 

1879 — Select  Council,  George  W.  Starr, 
President ;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk  ;  George 
W.  Starr,  William  H.  Sandusky,  J.  F.  Down- 
ing, Joseph  Johnson,  jr.,  William   T.   Smith, 

F.  R.  Simmons. 

Common  Council,  B.  F.  McCarty,  Presi- 
dent;  William  Donald,  Clerk;  B.  F.  Mc- 
Carty, John  H.  Carey,  James  Hunter,  Charles 
Kelly,  P.  C.  Heydrick,  J.  J.  Sepple,  Charles 
Roesch,  L.  W.  Daly,  D'.  R.  Beck,  E.  McK. 
Whitley.  J.  R.  Sherwood,  J.  C.  Weaver, 
William  Hardwick,  Henry  G.  Warren, 
Thomas  Basket t,  William  Baas,  John  Eberly, 
Dean  Hawk,  John  Zurn,  Frederick  E.  Gloth, 
Frederick  Franz,  ^Villiam  O'Lone,  Jacob 
Stritzinger. 

IS80— Select  Council,  William  H.  San- 
dusky, President;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk; 
Christian  Kessler,  William  A.  Sandusky, 
J.  F.  Downing,  William  Hardwick,  William 
T.  Smith,  C.  J.  Blown. 

Common  Council,  D.  R.  Beck,  President; 
William  Donald,  Clerk;  John  H.  Carey,  Jacob 
Geib,  James  Hunter,  Jacob  Ostheimer,  C.  G. 
Clark,  P.  C.  Heydrick,  Dominic  Mayer, 
i  David  Walmsley,  "D.  R.  Beck,  L.  Koster, 
J.  R.  Sherwood,  J.  C.  Weaver,  William  Baas, 
Charles  M.  Briggs,  Robert  Dill,  Edward  Don- 
nelly, John  Eberly,  William  Loesch,  J.  R. 
Saltsman,  John  T.  Burns,  Frederick  Franz, 
Reinhard  Liebel,  Joseph  Sloan. 

1881 — Select  Council,  William  T.  Smith, 
President ;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk  ;  Christian 
Kessler,   George    Schlaudecker,    J.    R.    Sher- 


404 


JfELSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


wood,  William  Hardwick,  William  T.  Smith, 
C.  J.  Brown. 

Coiiimoii  Council,  Vhonwi^  I'askotl,  Presi- 
dent; William  Donald,  Clerk;  William  A. 
Besley,  Timothy  Mahoney,  Charles  Schuhart, 
W'illiam  Stanton,  C.  G.  Clark,  J.  C.  Fagan, 
J.  Felgemaker,  John  Shehan,  Conrad  Diehl, 
T.  P.  Metcalf,  Adam  Minnig,  J-  W.  Zuck, 
Robert  Dill,  D.  P.  Ensign,  Tho'mas  Paskett, 
Walter  Scott,  Charles  H.  Barth,  V.  D.  Eich- 
enlaub,  C.  P.  Haskins,  R.  Liebel,  A.  S. 
Lovett,  T.  M.  Skinner,  Xavier  Wolf. 

1882— ^f/cr/  Council,  William  T.  Smith, 
President;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk;  Frank 
Gunnison,  George  Schlaudecker,  J.  R.  Sher- 
wood, Thomas  Paskett,  \\'illiani  T.  Smith, 
R.  Liebel. 

Coniiiion  Co/iHcii,  ^\'alter  Scott,  President; 
William  Donald,  Clerk;  Frank  ^^'.  Grant, 
James  Hunter,  John  Mulcahey,  William  Stan- 
ton, M.  Bellentine,  S.  Kirschner,  Jacob  San- 
dusky. P.  J.  Schotten,  Conrad  Diehl,  J.  P. 
Metcalf,  A.  Minnig,  J-  W.  Zuck,  Frederick 
Diehl,  H.  F.  Kerber^  E.  L.  Pelton,  Walter 
Scott,  H.  W.  Dewitt,  Peter  Peterson,  John 
Zurn,  M.  Baumeister,  A.  S.  Lovett,  R.  T. 
W'alker,  Xavier  Wolf. 

1883— 5('/ff/  Council,  J.  R.  Sherwood, 
President;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk;  Frank 
Gunnison,  E.  C.  Siegel,  J.  R.  Sherwood, 
Walter  Scott,  \N .  T.  Smith^  R.  Liebel. 

Common  Council,  H.  W.  Dewitt,  Presi- 
dent; William  Donald,  Clerk;  Frank  W. 
Grant,  Timothy  Mahoney,  John  Mulcahey, 
John  A.  Reynolds,  C.  S.  Marks,  John  J.  Mc- 
Kinley,  P.  f.  Schotten,  William  J.  Watkins, 
Conra'd  Die'hl,  Frank  V.  Kepler,  J.  P.  Met- 
calf, J.  W.  Zuck,  R.  E.  Clemens,  Frederick 
Diehl,  William  Roward,  J.  D.  Tuohy,  H.  \\. 
Dewitt,  Jacob  Kaltenbach,  Rudolph  Phister, 
W^ilHam  Strieker,  N.  Blass,  C.  F.  Conrad, 
Jacob  Schultz,  Jacob  Stritzinger. 

1884 — Select  Council,  Walter  Scott,  Presi- 
dent ;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk;  F.  W.  Grant, 
E.  C.  Siegel,  J.  R.  Sherwood,  Walter  Scott, 
C.  P.  Haskins,  Edward  HolTman. 

Common  Cotmcil,  C.  S.  Marks,  President ; 
William  Donald,  Jas.  C.  Johnson,  John 
Dodge,  jr..  Clerks  {a)  ;  John  A.  Reynolds, 
John  Mulcahey,  John  A.  Gensheimer,  Igna- 
tius Bechtold,  C.   S.   Marks,    Chas.  Volland, 

(a)  Win,  Donald  (lied  August.  1884;  J.  C.  Johnson  was  ap- 
pointed Clerk  August  2.=jtli.  1884),  resigned  January  13tli.  1885;  and 
John  Dodge,  jr.,  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  Mr,  Dodge 
served  as  Clerk  until  April  6,  1885. 


P.J.  Schotten,  James'  Carney,  D.  Hartleb, 
F.  \ .  Kepler.  Jaines  F.  Casey,  D.  T.  Murray, 
F.  Diehl,  William  Roward,  Chas.  S.  Clarke, 
Joseph  Boyd,  Rudolph  Phister,  Joseph  Pfef- 
fer,  Chas.  .Sechrist,  S.  P.  Harple,  Joseph 
Sloane,  John  (i.  Grav,  Hobert  Hogan,  John 
M.  Skinner. 

1885 SV/er/  Council,  K.  C.  Siegel,  Presi- 
dent :  Thos.  Hanlon,    Clerk  ;    F.    W.    Grant, 

E.  C.  Siegel,  Henry  Mayer,  \\'alter  Scott, 
Charles  P.  Haskins,  Edward  HofTman. 

('ommoii  Council,  D.  T.  Murray,  Presi- 
dent: Eugene  Metz,  Clerk;  Ignatius  Bech- 
told, John  A.  Gensheimer,  Arthur  (^'Donnell, 
Thos.  J.  Paradine,  James  Carney,  John  Fries, 
jr.,  Chas.  Hays,  Jacob  Kaltenbach,  James  F. 
Casey,  D.  T.  Murray,  Wm.  Porsch,  David 
Schlosser,  Wm.  Bauman.  Joseph  Boyd,  C.  A. 
Constable,  James  P.  Hanley,  Chas.  Sechrist, 
Wm.  Flickinger,  Winand  Pesch,  Geo.  Schlind- 
wein,  James  E.  Graham,  J.  M.  Kalvelage, 
Henry  Hausman,  Wm.  ISI.  Zimmer. 

ISm— Select  Council,  Walter  Scott,  Pres- 
ident;  Thos.  Hanlon,  Clerk;  Arthur  O'Don- 
nell,  Henry  Mayer,  F.  P.  Magraw,  E.  C. 
Siegel,  Walter  Scott,  C.  J.  Brown. 

Common  Council,  James  P.  Hanley,  Presi- 
dent;  Eugene  Metz,  Clerk;  V.  G.  Hancock, 
Peter  L.  Leembuis,  James  Carney,  Chas. 
Hays,  S.  B.  McCord,  Wm.  Porsch,  August 
Bach,  C.  A.  Constable,  Chas.  Sechrist,  James 
O'Hearn,  A.  J.  Church,  J.  J.  Beichtold, 
Henry  Hausman,  John  F.  Hurley,  John  Theno, 
jr.,  Jacob  Kaltenbach,  H.  G.  Schabacker. 
David  Schlosser,  Joseph  Boyd,  James  P. 
Hanley,  Adam  Becker,  Philip  Schloss,  John 
Jerge,  Wm.  M.  Zimmer. 

1887— ^Wec/  Council,  V.  P.  Magraw, 
President;  Thomas  Hanlon,  Clerk;  Arthur 
O'Donnell,  E.  C.  Siegel,  Thos.  Pickering, 
Weaker  Scott,  F.  P.  Magraw,  T.  S.  Alber- 
stadt. 

Common  Council,  Chas.  Hays,  President  ; 
Eugene    Metz,  Clerk  ;   John    H.   Carey,  John 

F.  Hurlc}',  John  E.  Riblet,  Richard  Tanner, 
Chas.  Hayes,  John  F.  Grant,  Wm.  J.  Schaaf, 
Peter  J.  Schotten,  John  Craine,  S.  B.  McCord, 
Wm.  A.  Elliott,  Chas.  P.  .Strieker,  Joseph 
Boyd,  C.  A.  Constable,  David  Jones,  Geo.  D. 
Williams,  Wm.  Ackerman,  Chas.  H.  Runser, 
John  Youngs,  Philip  Schloss,  J.  J.  Berchtold, 
W.  R.  Barnes,  W.  V.  Nicholson,  John  Metz. 

1888 — Select  Council,  E.  C.  Siegel,  Presi- 
dent;   Thos.    Hanlon,  Clerk;    Arthur  O'Don- 


^^^^^zi^^/u^^  cvC 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


405 


nell,  E.  C.  Siegel,  Thos.  Pickering,  E.  D. 
Carter,  Jacob  Ktiltetibacli,  T.   S.   Albcrstadt. 

Common  Council,  R.  St.  P.  Lowry,  Presi- 
dent; M.  J.  Fogarty,  Clerk  ;  John  H.  Carev, 
H.  A.  Clark,  D.  Dougherty,"  jr.,  R.  St.  P. 
Lowry,  J.  J.  Carney,  John  Fries,  J.  C.  Klick, 
J.  P.  Rastatter,  Jacob  Sell,  J.  c!  Williams, 
W.  A.  Elliott,  A.  Karch,  Jolin  Leyerer,  S.  B. 
McCord,  J.  L.  Wells,  I.  T.  Bowen,  J.  T.  Da- 
vies,  G.  W.  Fassett,  R.  B.  Hough,  C.  W. 
Lamson,  Wni.  Ackernian,  C.  H.  Runser,  P. 
Hellmann,  Fred'lc  Hermann.  \\'.  \'.  Xichol- 
son. 

\m.)— Select  Council,  T.  S.  Alberstadt, 
President;  Thos.  Hanlon,  Clerk;  Arthur 
O'Donnell,  W.  A.  Elliott,  Jacob  Kaltenbach, 
J.  C.  Williams.  E.  D.  Carter,  T.  S.  Alber- 
stadt. 

Common  Council,  R.  T.  Brown,  President ; 
M.  J.  Fogarty,  Clerk  ;  John  H.  Carey,  P.  L. 
Leemhiiis,  Samuel  Althof,  John  C.  Klick,  R. 
T.  Brown,  Adam  Karch,  J.  T.  Davies,  R.  B. 
Hougii,  Adam  Becker,  Erie  O'Dell,  W.  R. 
Barnes,  Fred'k  Hermann,  Frank  Kern,  Mich- 
ael Smith,  John  Fries,  J.  P.  Rastatter,  Louis 
Gorenflo,  R.  G.  Newbegin,  G.  W.  Fassett,  C. 
W.  Lambson,  Frank  Blum,  John  Schneider, 
John  Hellmann,   John  Strauch. 

\%m— Select' Council— 1.  S.  Alberstadt, 
President;  Thos.  Hanlon,  Clerk:  T.  W. 
Shacklett,  R.  T.  Brown,  James  Carney,  J. 
L.  Sternberg,  J.  Kaltenbach,  T.  S.  Alberstadt. 

Common  Council,  John  Hamberger,  Presi- 
dent;  M.  J.  Fogarty,  Clerk;  Frank  Kern, 
J.  C.  Osborne,  John  Hamberger,  S.  B.  Ken- 
nedy, jr.,  Henry  Hausmann,  John  Hellmann, 
P.  L.  Leemhuis,  J.  P.  Rasta'tter,  E.  B.  Kel- 
ley,  E.  S.  Rockafeller,  Aug.  Younghans, 
W.  R.  Barnes. 

1891 — Select  Council,  Jacob  Kaltenbach, 
President;  Thos.  Hanlon,  Clerk;  T.  W. 
Shacklett,  James  Carney,  R.  T.  Brown,  J.  L. 
Sternberg,  J.  Kaltenbach,  T.   S.    Alberstadt. 

Common  Coitncil,  John  Hamberger,  Presi- 
dent;  M.  J.  Fogarty,  Clerk;  W.  J.  Q_uinn, 
P.  L.  Leemhuis,  J.  C.  Osborne.  J.  P.  Ras- 
tatter, John  Hamberger,  Peter  Blass,  S.  B. 
Kennedy,  jr.,  E.  S.  Rockafeller,  Erie  O'Dell, 
August  Younghans,  John  Hellman,  W.  R. 
Barnes. 

1892 — Select  Council,  James  Carney,  Presi- 
dent;  Thos.  Hanlon,  Clerk;  W.  J.  Qiiinn 
(elected  to  till  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  resig- 
nation  of  T.  W.  Shacklett),    James  Carney, 


R.  T.  Brown,  J.  L.  Sternberg,  Jacob  Kalten- 
bach, T.  S.  Alberstadt. 

Common  Council,  E.  vS.  Rockafeller,  Presi- 
dent;  M.J.  Fogarty,  Clerk;  P.  R.  Kelley, 
Isador  Sobel,  Edward  Mehler,  Charles  Huster. 
Peter  Blass,  John  Hamberger,  E.  S.  Rocka- 
feller, John  J.  O'Brien,  August  Younghans, 
Erie  O'Dell,  P.  E.  McCully  (resigned  July 
14,  and  John  Strauch  elected  to  fill  vacancy), 
Frederick  Hermann.  Messrs.  Quinn  and 
Leemhuis,  members  of  the  Common  Council, 
resigned  in  July,  and  Messrs.  Kelley  and 
Subel  were  elected  to  fill  the  vacancies. 

1893 — Select  Council,  J.  L.  Sternberg, 
President;  Thos.  Hanlon,  Clerk;  W.  J. 
Quinn,  James  Carney,  R.  T.  Brown,  J.  L. 
Sternberg,  Jacob  Kaltenbach,  T.  S.  Alber- 
stadt. 

Common  Council,  John  J.  O'Brien,  Presi- 
dent; M.  J.  Fogarty,"  Clerk;  P.  R.  Kelley, 
Isador  Sobel,  Chas.  Huster,  Edward  Mehler, 
John  Hamberger,  P.  P.  O'Brien,  E.  S.  Rocka- 
feller, J.  J.  O'Brien,  John  Schneider,  John 
Wehan,  John  Strauch,  John  Schneider, 
Frederick  Hermann. 

l^QA— Select  Council,  R  T.  Brown,  Presi- 
dent; Thos.  Hanlon,  Clerk;  W.  J.  Quinn, 
F.  Gingenbach,  R.  T.  Brown,  E.  S.  Rocka- 
feller. Jacob  Kaltenbach,  Thomas    Pickering. 

Common  Council,  Isador  Sobel,  President : 
M.  J.  Fogarty,  Clerk  ;  P.  R.  Kelley,  Isador 
Sobel,  Edward  Mehler,  Jacob  Sandusky, 
Geo.  W.  Fassett,  Thos.  Paskett,  John  Ham- 
berger, P.  P.  OBrien.  Peter  Wehan,  John 
Schneider,  John  Buettner,    Julius   Fuhrinann. 

ISdo— Select  Council,  E.  S.  Rockafeller, 
President;  Thos.  Hanlon.  Clerk;  W.  J. 
Qiiinn,  Fred'k  Gingenbach,  R.  T.  Brown,  E. 
S.  Rockafeller,  Jacob  Kaltenbach,  Thomas 
Pickering. 

Common  Council,  John  Hamberger,  Pres- 
ident ;  S.  B.  Kennedy,  jr..  Clerk  ;  J.  E.  Sher- 
wood, E.  B.  Tanner,  Edward  Mehler,  Jacob 
Sandusky,  John  Hamberger,  A.  B.  Aitken, 
Geo.  W.  Fassett,  Tiiomas  Paskett,  John  T. 
Brew,  Geo.  W.  Ileisler,  Jolin  Buettner, 
Julius  Fuhrinann. 

OTHER    CITY    OFFICERS. 

C//i'  Treasurer. — (Previous  to  1880  the 
Citj'  Treasurer  was  elected  by  Councils  ;  since 
then  he  has  been  chosen  by  the  people.  His 
term  of  office,  under  the  present  law.  is  three 
years).     R.    Huston,    1851 ;  G.    A.   Bennett, 


4o6 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


1852-58;  Jolin  Law,  1859-61;  H.  Pelton, 
18G2-(J();  L.  Dobbins,  1867-75;  M.  Hartleb, 
1876-7'.t;  Tohn  Boyle,  1880-84;  Andrew 
Burton,  1881-88;  James  P.  Hanley,  1889-90. 

Citv  Con/ro/lcr. — (Appointed  by  Coun- 
cils prior  to  1879;  since  then  elected  by  the 
people;  [iresent  term,  three  years).  Pressley 
Arbuckle,  1867-88;  Eugene  iMetz,  188*5-85 ; 
Chas.  S.  Clarke,  1885-89 ;  G.  F.  Brevillier, 
1889-96. 

Citv  Solicitor. — (Appointed  by  the  Coun- 
cils in  joint  session  ;  present  term,  two  years). 
E.  Babbitt,  1851-59;  C.  W.  Kelso,  1860; 
John  P.  Vincent,  1861-65;  D.  B.  J-  Sterrett, 
1866;  E.  Babbitt,  1867-70;  Jiimes' Sill,  1871; 
G.  A.  Allen,  1872;  G.  W.  Lathy  &  Son, 
1873-75;  Camphausen  &  Lamb,  1876;  T.  A. 
Lamb,  1877-89;  Jos.  P.  O'Brien,  1889-95. 

City  E)igi)iccr. —  (Appointed  by  the  Coun- 
cils). Samuel  Low,  1851-59;  R.  F.  Gaggin, 
1860;  Samuel  Low,  1861-68  ;  John  H.  Millar, 
1864;  Wilson  King,  1865;  G.  W.  F.  Sher- 
win,  1866-70;  A.  A.  Gray,  1871-74;  Irvin 
Camp,  1875-77;  W.  W.  Brigden,  1878-81; 
Geo.  L.  Moody,  1882-83;  Irvin  Camp,  1884; 
V.  S.  Dobbins",  1885-86 ;  Geo.  Piatt,  1887-95. 

(The  office  of  Superintendent  of  Streets 
and  Sidewalks  was  held  by  the  same  person 
until  1886,  when  it  was  separated,  as  shown 
below.  The  incumbent  is  appointed  by  tiie 
Mayor). 

S/ipcriiitc)tdciit  of  Streets',  and  Sideivalks. 
—Matthias  Detzel,  "1879-80  ;  John  Warren, 
1881-82;  James  Leask,  1883-85. 

Superintendent  of  Streets. — P.  J.  Schotten, 
1886:  R.  T.  Walker,  1888-89;  Edward  Mc- 
Call,  1890-93;  John  O'Hagan,  1894-95. 

.Superintendent  of  Sidewalks. —  John  J. 
Schweitzer.  1886-93;  John  T.  "Pressle'y. 
1894-95. 

High  Constable. — (Office  abolished  in 
1862).  Amos  C.  Landan,  l,s51-,52;  Joseph 
Deamer,  1853-58  ;  Thomas  Dillon,  1859-60; 
Joseph  Deamer,  1861-62. 

Harbor  Master — (Appointed).  Andrew- 
Scott,  1851  ;  George  Miles,  1852  ;  Daniel  Dob- 
bins, 1853;  George  Miles,  1854;  E.  J.  Ames, 
1855;  Joseph  Deamer,  1856;  Michael  Henry, 
1857;  James  Dunlap,  1858-62;  John  Carse 
(part  of  year)  1863;  Michael  Henry  (part  of 
year)  1868;  James  Dunlap,  18(54-70;  Harri- 
son Foster,  1871;  James  Dunlap,  1872-77; 
M.  W.  Hogan,  1878;  James  Atkinson,  1879; 
James   Dunlap,   1880-84;    J.  P.    Thompson, 


1885-87;  John  A.  Reynolds,  1888;  John 
Dunlap,  1889-96. 

Health  Ojfcer.  —  (Appointed  by  the 
Mayor).  Dr.  E.  W.  Germer,  1872-87;  Dr. 
A.  "a.  Woods.  1888-93;  Dr.  II.  E.  Flint, 
1894-95. 

Clerk  of  the  Street  Meat  and  I  'cgctable 
^Market. — (The  street  market  was  abolished 
by  Councils  April  1,  1895,  and  tiie  office  of 
Clerk  of  the  same  no  longer  exists).  Amos  C. 
Landan,  1851-52;  Joseph  Deamer,  1853; 
George  Miles,  1854";  E.  J.  Ames,  1855; 
Joseph  Deamer,  185(5-58  ;  John  Loyer,  1859  ; 
Thomas  Dillon,  18(50-61  ;  Wm.  L.  Lapsley, 
1862-65;  John  Wilkins,  18fJ(5-(58;  G.  D. 
Tinkcom,  i8(')9-80;  Adam  Hersch,  1881 ;  V. 
D.  Eichenlaub,  1882-90;  C.  W.  Brown, 
1891-93;  Central  Market  Company,  1894  to 
April!,  1895. 

City  Assessor. — (Office  created  recently; 
incumbents  elected  by  the  people  for  a  term 
of  three  years) .  John  B.  Gunnison,  John  Gen- 
sheimer,  L.  W.'Olds,  1891-93;  Martin  Sit- 
terle.  Perry  E.  McCully,  John  Sulliyan, 
1894-96. 

Seroeaiil-at-Ariiis. —  (Appointed).  W.  L. 
Lapslev,  1862-65;  Thomas  Wilkins,  1866; 
John  Wilkins,  1867-68;  G.  D.  Tinkcom,  1869- 
82;  John  Eberle,  1883,  to  September,  1890; 
J.  R.  Jordan,  September,  1890,  to  date. 

Citv  Electrician . — William  Crane,  May, 
1892,  t"o  date. 

Ihdldini^  Inspector. —  (Appointed  by  the 
Mayor)  Charles  N.  Spencer,  1895. 

Water,  Fire  and  Police  Officials. — A  list 
of  the  principal  officers  in  the  Water,  Fire  and 
Police  Departments  will  be  found  in  the  en- 
suing chapter. 

School  Officials. — For  an  account  of  the 
School  Board  and  public  schools  of  the  city, 
see  chapter  on  Schools  and  Academies. 

Park  .Superintendents. — A  list  of  the  Park 
Superintendents  will  be  found  in  the  chapter 
describing  the  Public  Parks. 

JUSTICES  OF  THE   PEACE  AND  ALDERMEN. 

The  following  is  a  full  list  of   the   persons 
whose  commissions  as    Justices  of   the   Peace 
and  Aldermen  within  the  city  limits  have  been 
recorded   at   the   courthouse  since    1823,    and 
j   the  dates  when  first  commissioned  : 
I         A — Adam  Acheson,  April  18,  1878. 
1         B— A.  W.  Brewster,  October  26,  1837. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


407 


Gideon  J-  Ball,  March  8,  1838. 
E.  P.  Bennett.  April  12,  1866. 
Geo.  D.  Buckley,  April  20,  1871. 
James  R.   Burns,  March  17,  1877. 
C— A.  A.  Craig,  April  16,  1853. 

E.  Camphausen,  April  13.  1859. 
Frederick  Curt/.e,  April   10,  1860. 
Samuel  Cummins,  April  11,  1865. 
Thos.  Crowlev,  March  18.  1875. 
Clark  M.  Cole,  April  8.  1886. 

D— J.  F.  Downing,  April  14,  1857. 

M.  Detzel,  April  20,  1871. 

P.  Diefenbach,  April  15,  1873. 

Albert  J-  Doerr,  April  16,  1895. 
E— G.  A.  Ebisch,  April  20,  1871. 
F— A.  B.  Foster,  March  3.  1838. 

John  Farrier,  April   11,  1876. 

A.  A.  Freeman,  April  9,  1881. 
G — E.  D.  Gunnison,  March  15,  1825. 

Henry  Gingrich,  April  13,  1853. 

Geo.  W.  Gunnison,  April   12,  1864. 

Geo.  P.  Griffith,  November  6,  1869. 
H— Richard  O.  Hulbert,  Julv  1,  1832. 

Christian  Heck,  April  14,  1840. 

P.  B.  Honecker,  April  14,  1868. 
Tos.  P.  Hollen,  May  18,  1892. 
y_(justav  Jarecki,  May  24,  1862. 
k— Wm.  Kellev,  August  1,  1828. 

Geo.  Kellogg.  April  14,  1840. 

F,  W.  Koehler,  April  14,  1863. 
Wilson  King,  March  14,  1874. 
Jos.  W,  Kelso,  July  6,  1878. 
fulius  Koenig,  September  21,  1885. 

L— Wilson  Laird,  May  10,  1852. 

F.  P.  Liebel,  April  25,  1871. 
M — George  Moore,  March  26.  1823. 
James  McConkev,  Nov.  27,  1835. 

^I.  M.  Moore,  Alarch  14,  1874. 

Daniel  McMahon,  December  3,  1883. 
P— Halsey  Pelton,  April  11,  1843. 
R — Louis  Rosenweig,  April  9,  1872. 
S_Giles  Sanford,  December  13,  1823. 

Jos.  M.  Sterrett,  January  15,  1886. 

James  Skinner,  April  20,  1871. 

S.  Merwin  Smith,  April  10,  1849. 

John  Sweeney,  June  25,  1850. 

F.  Schlaudecicer,  March  13,  1875. 


C.  Swallev,  April  11,  1876. 

H.  H.  Strieker,  April  5,  1888. 

Jacob  E.  Swap.  April  16,  1894. 
T— John  A.  Tracy,  April  10,  1849. 

Wm.  Thornton,  June  21,  1855. 
\V_Sam  Woods,  April   11,  1876. 
Z — Reinhard  Zimmer,  April  6,  1883. 

ANNUAL  SALARIES  OF  CITY  OFFICERS. 

The  City  Manual  for  1895  gives  the  follow- 
ing as  the  annual  salaries  of  the  city  officers 
and  employes  named  for  the  year  1895.  The 
salaries  paid  in  the  Water,  Fire  and  Police 
Departments  will  be  found  elsewhere  : 

Genera/  List. 

Mayor. : S2,000 

City  Controller 1,500 

City  Controller's  Clerk 480 

City  Treasurer 3,000 

City  Solicitor 1,500 

City  Solicitor's  Clerk 600 

City  A.ssessor  (51,200  triennial  year)  each...  600 

City  Health  Officer 1,200 

Health  Officer's  Clerk 600 

City  Clerk 1.140 

Assistant  City  Clerk 1,140 

Sergeant-at-Arms 780 

Harbor  Master 300 

Superintendent  of  Central  Park 540 

Pound  Keeper 540 

City  Electrician 720 

Building  Inspector "20 

City  Engineer's  Department. 

City  Engineer S2.2S0 

Deputy  City  Eng-ineer 1,300 

City  Engineer's  Clerk 1,080 

First  Assistant  Engineer 900 

Second  Assistant  Engineer 900 

Rodman 720 

Rodman 600 

Chainman 600 

Axeman 540 

Street  Department. 

Superintendent  of  Streets $    840 

Superintendent  of  Sidewalks 840 

Ward  Foreman,  20  cents  an   hour   while   actually 

engaged. 
Laborers,  17 '2  cents  per  hour   while   actually   en- 
gaged. 
Teams,  40  cents  per  hour  while  actually  engaged. 

\ 


CHAPTER     IV. 


Water,  Fire  and  Police   Departments. 


THE  earliest  step  towards  securing  a 
public  supply  of  water  for  Erie  was 
in  1S85,  when  the  borough  was  au- 
tiioi  ized  by  act  of  Assembly  to  borrow 
•+")(). 000  for  the  purpose.  The  pro- 
ject was  never  carried  out,  and  the  town 
continued  to  depend  for  fire  protection,  as  it 
had  for  a  number  of  years,  upon  wells  ortanks 
sunk  at  the  intersections  of  the  principal 
streets.  In  dry  seasons  men  with  carts  some- 
times supplied  the  citizens  with  water  from 
the  springs,  streams,  bay  or  lake,  according  to 
the  use  it  was  intended   for. 

In  1840  or  '41  the  city  constructed  its  first 
"  water  works,"  if  such  they  can  be  called. 
They  consisted  of  lines  of  pump-logs  laid  in 
some  of  the  most  thickly  built-up  streets.  The 
supply  was  taken  from  a  large  spring  on  the 
Reed  farm,  south  of  Eighteenth  street  and 
west  of  Parade.  Tliough  comparatively  in- 
significant, these  simple  gravity  works  were 
ver}'  useful  in  their  day.  They  gradually 
ceased  to  be  used,  and  were  totally  discontin- 
ued when  the  supply  of  the  Reed  House  was 
taken  from  the  present  works. 

THE    SECOND    STEP    FORWARD. 

In  185jJ  a  movement  was  made  in  Councils 
to  supercede  the  pum[)-log  system  with  some- 
thing more  in  accordance  with  the  demands  of 
the  people.  After  making  a  preliminary 
survey,  the  matter  was  allowed  to  rest  until 
1865,  when,  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  John 
W.  Shannon  and  certain  other  citizens,  were  in 
corporated  under  the  name  and  style  of  the 
"  Erie  Water  and  Gas  Company."  The 
company  shortly  afterward  organized  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  provisions  of  the  general 
la\v  of  the  State  relative  to  the  formation  and 
organization  of  gas  and  water  companies,  ap- 
proved ^^arcl^  11,  1857.  By  their  charter  the 
Erie  Water  and  Gas  Company  were  privileged 
to  have  a  capital  of  $100,000,  to  build  and 
maintain  gas  and  water  works,  to  increase  the 


capital  to  an  amount  sufficient  to  cover  the 
cost  of  erecting  works,  and  to  furnish  and 
contract  to  furnish  water  and  gas  to  individual 
persons,  corporations,  etc.  The  Mayor  and 
Councils  of  the  city  of  Erie  and  the  Commis- 
sioners of  Erie  county  were  authorized  to  con- 
tract witii  said  company  for  supplies  of  water 
and  gas. 

On  the  10th  of  July,  1860,  the  City  Coun- 
cils appointed  a  committee  to  engage  the  ser- 
vices of  a  competent  engineer  "  to  examine 
and  report  plans  for  both  sewerage  and 
water."  II.  P.  M.  Birkinbine,  of  Philadel- 
phia, was  secured,  and  made  a  report  Febru- 
ary 23,  1807,  whit  h  put  the  cost  of  erecting 
water  works  at  $350,000,  the  supply  to  be 
taken  from  the  bay.  March  9,  1867,  the 
Erie  Gas  Company,  then,  as  now,  supplying 
light  to  the  city,  secured  an  act  supplementary 
to  their  charter,  authorizing  them,  in  con- 
formitv  with  the  proxisions  of  the  gen- 
eral law  of  March  11,  1857,  to  introduce 
water  wherever  thev  were  authorized  to  in- 
troduce gas.  This  was  done  as  a  sort  of 
checkmate  to  the  new  company. 

a  contract   authorized. 

Two  days  after  this  act  had  been  approved 
by  the  Governor,  the  City  Councils  passed  a 
resolution  directing  tiie  ISIayor  to  enter  into  a 
contract  with  the  Erie  Water  and  Gas  Com- 
pany to  supply  the  city  with  water  for  fire 
purposes  for  twenty  years,  from  July  1.  1808, 
or  as  soon  thereafter  as  the  works  could  be 
completed,  provided  it  should  not  be  later 
than  two  years  from  the  date  of  said  contract ; 
if  not  completed  within  that  period  the  con- 
tract to  be  null  and  void.  By  this  contract  it 
was  to  be  stipulated  that  the  city  should  pay 
a  yearly  rental  of  $0,00()  for  fifty  fire  plugs, 
and  the  contract  was  to  be  further  subject  to 
the  following  conditions,  viz.  :  that  the  said 
water  and  gas  company  should  commence 
building  within  one  year  from  the  date  of  con- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


409 


tract;  and  that,  if  within  one  year  from  the 
date  thereof,  the  city  should  begin  the  con- 
struction of  water  works  of  sufticient  capacity 
to  supply  the  wants  of  the  community,  said 
contract  should  be  annulled.  The  city  was  to 
have  the  right  at  any  time  within  five  years 
to  purchase  the  works  of  the  companv  on  cer- 
tain specified  terms.  The  contract  thus  pro- 
posed was  duly  entered  into,  but  was  never 
carried  out. 

DIFFERENCES  OF  OPINION. 

The  scheme  of  taking  water  from  the  bay 
was  strongly  opposed  by  a  large  number  of 
citizens,  who  advocated  a  resoit  to  the  springs 
on  the  ridge  south  of  Erie,  and  other  streams 
rising  on  the  same  ridge  or  near  it,  or  to  Mill 
creek, or  to  the  head  waters  of  French  creek,  or 
to  Lake  Pleasant.  It  was  argued  that  the  water 
of  the  baj',  on  account  of  its  liability  to  con- 
tamination from  the  inflow  of  sewers  and  of 
the  canal,  then  in  operation,  was  not  fit,  or 
at  least  not  likely  long  to  remain  fit,  for  use 
for  drinking  and  culinary  purposes,  and  it  was 
further  urged,  as  a  great  objection  to  the 
plan,  that  the  cost  of  pumping  would  be 
large  and  continuous.  i 

The  other  side  contended  that  there  were  ] 
no  springs  of  sufficient  size  to  give  an  ade- 
quate supply ;  that  the  nearby  streams  were  I 
no  purer,  or  would  not  be  for  any  length  of 
time,  than  the  bav  water;  that  Lake  Pleasant 
was  a  small  body,  which  would  be  exhausted 
as  the  city  grew  in  size,  and  besides,  would 
require  a  pumping  station,  the  same  as  if  the 
supply  were  taken  from  the  bay  ;  and  that  the 
pumpage  from  the  bay  would  cost  no  more  in 
the  lorg  run  than  would  the  dams,  reservoirs, 
etc.,  which  it  would  be  necessarv  to  construct 
in  order  to  bring  in  and  render  available  by 
gravitv,  at  a  head  sufficient  to  serve  all  pur- 
poses, the  water  of  the  various  sources  named. 

The  strife  about  these,  and  questions  of  pav- 
ing, sewerage,  etc.,  was  carried  on  with  consid- 
erable feeling,  and  several  public  meetings 
were  held  to  discuss  the  points  in  dispute.  The 
Mayor's  election  of  ISGT.  when  Orange  Xoble 
was  chosen,  was  made  to  turn  mainly  upon 
this  issue.  It  resulted  in  the  triumph  of  the 
party  in  favor  of  immediate  and  e.xtensive 
city  improvement. 

NEW  LEGISLATION  SECURED. 

Strengthened  by  the  verdict  of  the  elec- 
tion,  the    friends    of    the    present    svstem    of 


water  works  immediately  applied  to  the  Leg- 
islature for  an  act  authorizing  their  construc- 
tion. The  act  of  April  4th,  1867,  followed. 
It  is  entitled  "  A  further  supplement  to  the 
charter  of  the  city  of  Erie,  to  provide  for  the 
appointment  of  Water  Commissioners,  and 
to  define  their  powers  and  duties."  This  act 
made  it  the  duty  of  the  Judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas  to  appoint  three  persons  as 
Commissioners  of  \Vater  Works — one  to 
serve  one  year,  one  two  years,  and  one  three 
years — and  one  to  be  named  annuallv  there- 
after at  the  May  term  of  Court.  The  first 
appointees  were  William  L.  Scott,  Henry 
Rawle  and  William  W.  Reed.     Un   June  29, 

1807,  the  Board  was  permanently  organized 
by  the  election  of  William  W.  Reed  as  Pres- 
ident, and  the  appointment  of  William 
Brewster  as  Secretary.  Mr.  Rirkinbine  was 
selected  as  the  engineer  to  plan  and  superin- 
.tend  the  construction  of  the  works.  After 
examining  the  plans  used  in  several  cities,  the 
Commissioners  adopted  that  in  operation  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  but  in  September  it  was 
abandoned  for  the  present  system. 

WORK    BEGUN. 

The  location  of  the  works  at  the  foot  of 
Chestnut  street  was  agreed  upon  in  Novem- 
ber, and  in  the  same  month  a  contract  for  a 
pair  of  "  Cornish  Bull "  engines  was  made 
with  the  West  Engine  Companj',  of  Xorris- 
town.  Pa.  In  December  the  contract  for  the 
stand-pipe  was  awarded  to  the  Erie  City  Iron 
Works,  and  early  in  1S()S  contracts  were  let 
for  the  buildings,  including  the  stand-pipe 
tower,  to  John  M.  Kuhn,  and  for  the 
crib  work  of  the  inlet  or  conduit  from  the 
bay,  to  James  Dunlap.  The  excavation 
for  the  foundation    was  commenced   April  7. 

1808,  and  from  that  time  the  work  of  con- 
struction made  steady  and  rapid  progress. 
The  raising  of  the  iron  stand-pipe,  a  straight 
wrought-iron  tube  five  feet  in  diameter  and 
217  feet  high,  was  a  feat  worthy  of  special 
record.  It  was  accomplished  in  a  way  sug- 
gested b)-  George  Selden,  of  the  Erie  City 
Iron  Works,  bj'  the  use  of  heavy  blocks  and 
tackle  rigged  on  a  derrick.  The  top  of  the 
pipe  was  first  raised  a  short  distance  and 
staved.  The  next  lower  section  was  then  put 
on,  and  so,  section  by  section,  until  the  full 
height  of  the  pipe  was  reached.  Around  this 
pipe  the  brick  tower  was  afterward  built.      It 


4IO 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


rests  on  a  very  heavy  foundation  of  stone, 
octagonal  in  shape,  whicli  extends  with  taper- 
ing sides  to  a  height  of  thirty-one  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  lake.  Its  base  area  is  a  circle 
of  twentv-four  feet.  Forty-five  feet  above  the 
top  of  this  foundation — the  intervening  dis- 
tance being  built  of  brick — is  a  belt  course  of 
stone  five  feet  high,  and  from  thence  the 
stand-pipe  is  a  circle,  inside  of  which  is  a 
spiral  staircase  to  the  top  of  the  platform, 
which  is  fourteen  feet  in  diameter,  enclosed  hy 
a  substantial  iron  railing  for  the  safety  of 
visitors.  The  tower  is  ligiited  by  nine  win- 
dows. It  is  claimed  that  the  stand-pipe  is  the 
highest  for  its  purpo.se  in  the  world.  By  ad- 
ditions made  since  the  original  stand-pipe  was 
erected,  its  height  above  the  zero  level  of  the 
bay  is  nearly  260  feet. 

A    RESERVOIR    ASKED    lOR. 

In  1870  the  Commissioners  called  the  atten- 
tion of  the  City  Councils  to  the  immediate 
necessity  of  purchasing  a  site  for  a  reservoir. 
This  recommendation  resulted  the  next  year  in 
the  purcha.se  of  about  seven  acres  of  land  from 
the  Cochran  estate,  on  the  south  side  of 
Twenty-sixth  street,  between  Chestnut  and 
Cherry.  The  work  was  completed  in  1874. 
The  bottom  of  the  reservoir  is  :210  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  bay  ;  tiie  heigiit  of  its  sides 
is  twenty-eight  feet  perpendicular,  and  it  holds 
about  84,(XK),(KX)  gallons,  or  enough  for  six 
days'  supply  to  the  city,  under  average  condi- 
tions, with  the  present  population.  The  water 
is  forced  to  the  reservoir  from  the  pumping 
station  through  two  pipes,  one  twenty  inches 
and  the  other  thirty  inches  in  diameter. 

THE   OLD    ENGINES    AND   THE   NEW. 

The  first  engines  purchased — two  in  num- 
ber— were  of  the  kind  known  as  the  "Cornish 
Bull  Engine,"  originally  designed  by  the 
celebrated  inventor,  James  Watt.  Their 
pumping  capacity  is,  single,  2,500,000  gallons 
per  day;  double,  4,000,(X)0. 

In  1885  the  Commissioners  became  con- 
vinced that  the  limit  of  safety  in  tlie  matter 
of  water  sup])Iv  had  been  almost  reached,  and 
that  an  additional  pump  must  be  provided. 
The  following  \ear  a  contract  was  made  with 
the  Hollv  Manu.acturing  Company,  of  Lock- 
port,  N.  Y.,  for  a  Gaskill  engine  of  5,000,000 
gallons    capacity     per    diem.     The    contract 


price  was  $24,850  for  engine  and  foundation. 
The  work  of  building  a  new  engine  house  and 
placing  the  new  pumping  engine  in  position 
was  completed  early  in  1887,  and  the 
machine  accepted  June  1 1  of  the  same  year. 
The  engine  is  one  of  the  most  wonderful  in 
existence,  having  performed  a  duty  that  has 
seldom  or  never  been  surpassed. 

In  1892,  the  demands  upon  the  works  re- 
quiring more  pumping  capacity,  the  Commis- 
sioners contracted  for  a  Worthington  hori- 
zontal compound  condensing  high  duty  en- 
gine, of  12, OOO.OOO  gallons  capacity,  the  price, 
set  in  place,  to  be  !i;4<),i)0(>.  An  additional 
engine  house,  to  accommodate  the  new  engine, 
was  built  in  1898,  and  the  engine  itself  was 
accepted  January  (j,  1894. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  original  intake  pipe  extended  but  a 
short  distance  into  the  bay.  In  the  fall  and 
winter  of  1895  a  new  and  larger  pipe  was 
laid  to  deep  water  in  the  bay,  with  the  ulti- 
mate purpose  of  carrying  it  through  the  pen- 
insula into  the  open  lake.  It  is  made  of 
wrought  iron  and  laid  in  a  trench,  dug  by 
steam  dredges,  in  the  bottom  of  the  bay. 
The  size  of  the  pipe  is  sixty  inches  interior 
diameter,  and  its  length  will  be  8,200  feet,  to 
twenty-three  feet  of  water  in  Big  Bend. 

The  improvement  of  the  grounds  around 
the  works,  resulting  in  a  beautiful  little  park, 
was  begun  in  1888,  under  Commissioners  Lie- 
bel,  Sherwin  and  Whitman. 

The  cost  of  constructing  the  works,  up  to 
December  81,  1894,  inclusive  of  street  piping, 
fire  hydrants,  house  connections,  etc.,  was 
$1,811,781,  of  which  !i!(585,C77,  in  bonds, 
were  advanced  by  the  city,  which  were  sub- 
ject, when  sold,  to  a  considerable  discount. 
The  balance  of  the  cost  has  been  paid  from 
the  net  earnings  of  the  works. 

The  gallons  of  water  pumped  each  year 
were  884,0(52,415  in  1878;  815,989,685  in 
1888;  and  1,816,596,518  in  1894. 

The  receipts  from  water  rents  were  $25,- 
500  in  1878;  $48,269  in  1888 ;  and  $1 11,822 
in  1894 — the  latter  sum  being  collected,  with 
slight  changes,  under  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions adopted  by  the  Board  in  1885. 

The  length  of  water  mains  in  the  streets  of 
the  city  was  a  little  over  89  miles  in  1894,  and 
the  number  of  fire  hydrants  set  in  place  479. 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


OFFICERS    OF    THE    DEPARTMENT. 

One  Water  Commissioner  is  appointed  bv 
the  Court  of  Erie  county  in  Ma\'  of  each 
year.  The  Commissioners  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  worlds  iiave  been  as  follows  : 

18G7  to  T)8— Wm.  L.  Scott. 

1867  to  'Tl'— Henry  Rawle. 
18(57  to  '79— Wm.  W.  Reed. 

1868  to  '72— John  C.  Selden. 

1876  to  '77— Matthew  R.  Barr. 
1872  to  '78 — John  Gensheimer. 

1877  to  '81— M.  Liebel. 

1878  to  '81— J.  M.  Bryant. 

1879  to  '85— G.  W.  F.'Sherwin. 
1881  to  '87 — Benjamin  Whitman. 

1885  to  '90— George  W.  Starr. 

1886  to  '91— C.  Kessler. 

1887  to  date — C.  J.  Brown. 

1891  to  date — Wm.  Hardwick. 

1892  to  date— T.  W.  Shacklett. 

The  Secretaries  and  Treasurers  of  the 
Board  have  been  as  follows  :  Wm.  Brewster, 
appointed  June  14,  18(57;  John  C.  Perkins, 
October  lilj,  18(58;  B.  F.  .Sloan,  January  1, 
1879;  William  Himrod,  Jmie  1,  1891  (present 
incumbent). 

The  official  who  has  been  longest  in  the 
employ  of  the  department  is  George  C.  Gens- 
heimer, who  was  appointed  Clerk  .\pril,  1877, 
and  promoted  to  be  Assistant  Secretary  in 
1883. 

SALARIES. 

The  salaries  paid  the  Water  Commission- 
ers and  their  principal  employes  in  1895  were 
given  as  below  in  the  City  Manual  for  that 
year : 

Cojnmissiotiers — Win.  Hardwick )  $4.00 

C.  J.  Brown ■  per  day, 

T.  W.  Shacklett \ 

Secretary  and  Treasurer— Wni.  Himrod.  $2,000.00 
Assistant     Secretary    -Geo.     C.     Gens- 
heimer   1.440.00 

Bookkeepers— John  Kolb 1,080.00 

R.H.  Bear 960.00 

\V.  W.  Todd 840.00 

Clerk— M.  L.  Whitley 660.00 

Inspectors— Jolrn  D.  'Spaiford 81.S.0O 

Wm.  McCleery 780.00 

P.   F.  Weinheimer 780.00 

Meter  Taker— Perry  E.  Thurber 780  00 

Supt.  of  Street  Work— R.  T.    Walker.  .  .  1.320.00 

per  day 2.75 

Foremen  of  Street  Work — Fred'k  Sim- 
ons and   Fred'k   D.    Gross,   each, 

per  day 2.75 

Chief  Engineer— F.  A.  Roth 1,320.00 


Assistant  Engineers — Geo.  R.  Miller.  . . 

John  Kelly 

Firemen- R.  W.   Simons 

Joseph  Burns 

Jacob  Mullen 

Watchman  at  Pumping  Station— Michael 

Flynn 

Janitor  at    Pumping    Station — Nathan 

Block 

Keeper  of  Reservoir — Samuel  Phister. . 


960.00 
960.00 
660.00 
660.00 
660.00 

660.00 

600.00 

480.00 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 

The  earliest  movement  of  which  there  is 
any  record  to  secure  tire  protection  in  Erie 
was  on  I'^ebruary  22.  1826.  when  the  Active 
Fire  Company  was  organized.  Its  roll  of 
membership  included  nearly  all  the  grown 
male  residents  of  the  borough.  R.  S.  Reed 
was  president  and  chief  engineer;  Daniel 
Dobbins,  second  engineer;  E.  D.  Gunnison, 
secretary,  and  John  Riddell,  treasurer.  The 
company  was  first  furnished  with  buckets,  but 
subsequently  the  town  purchased  a  small  fire 
engine,  which  did  service  for  some  years.  Its 
supply  of  water  was  taken  from  wells  and 
tanks  sunk  at  the  street  intersections. 

Other  companies  of  later  date  were  as  fol- 
low :  Red  Jacket  Fire  Company  No.  1,  or- 
ganized in  1837;  Perry  and  Eagle  Fire  Com- 
panies, in  1839;  Mechanics,  No.  3,  in 
1844;  Vulcan,  in  1S4S:  Phtrnix  Hook  and 
Ladder  Company,  in  1852  •.  Parade  Street 
Company,  in  1861. 

The  first  city  fire  organization  with  gen- 
eral officers  was  formed  in  1851,  but  was  not 
very  effective.  As  the  population  increased 
and  fires  became  more  numerous,  the  people 
grew  clamorous  for  a  more  efficient  fire  or- 
ganization. In  1861  the  steamer  "Keystone," 
a  third-class  Amoskeag,  was  purchased  and 
used  for  a  period  of  twenty  years  when  it  was 
sold  to  parties  inConneaut,  Ohio.  Some  time 
afterward  the  steamer  '•  McLane,"  named 
after  Erie's  gallant  soldier-citizen.  Col.  John 
W.  McLane,  was  procured.  This  was  ultimate- 
ly sold  to  the  Silsby  Manufacturing  Company, 
of  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y.,  in  part  payment  for 
the  steamer  "D.  T.  Jones,'"  of  that  make. 

THE    PAID    DEPARTMENT. 

The  fire  apparatus  of  the  city  was  operated 
under  a  volunteer  system  until  March,  1871. 
when  the  latter  was  replaced  by  a  paid  de- 
partment,   which  has  been    growing    in   effi- 


412 


IfELSON'S  BIOGRAPUICAL  DICTIONARY 


ciency  ever  since.  Under  the  system  then 
adopted,  it  has  increased  its  facilities  until  it 
embraced  the  followint;  appataUis  in  1895: 

STEAMERS. 

No.  1. — Style,  New  American  ;  located  on 
Fifth  street,  between  State  and  French.  Ac- 
cepted October  12,  1894. 

No.  2. — Amoskeag ;  located  on  Parade 
street,  between  Eleventh  and  Twelfth.  Ac- 
cepted September,  1898. 

No.  3. — Silsby;  located  on  I'eacli  street, 
between  Thirteenth  and  Fourteentli.  Ac- 
cepted June  2,  1882. 

No.  7. — LaFrance  ;  located  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  Twenty-sixth  and  Peach  streets. 
Accepted  January  12th,  1891. 

Two  steamers  in  reserve — one  a  remodeled 
Silsby  (the  old  D.  T.  Jones),  accepted  Febru- 
ary 1,  1894,  and  the  other  a  Manning,  accept- 
ed April  19,  1895,  are  located  temporarily  on 
Nineteenth  street,  between  Myrtle  and  Chest- 
nut. 

HOSE  WAGONS. 

One  located  on  Fifth  street,  between  State 
and  French. 

One  located  on  Parade  street,  between 
Eleventh  and  Twelfth. 

One  located  on  Peach  street,  between 
Twentieth  and  Twenty-first. 

One  located  on  Nineteenth  street,  between 
Myrtle  and  Chestnut. 

One  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Fifth  and 
Chestinit. 

One  at  tiie  southwest  corner  of  Twenty- 
sixth  and  Peach. 

HOSE   REEL. 

One  located  on  Peach  street,  between 
Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth. 

HOOK   AND   I.AnUER   TRICK. 

One  located  on  Peach,  between  Thirteenth 
and  Fourteenth  streets. 

CHEMICAL  ENGINE. 

One  of  Ilolloway's  make, located  on  Peach 
street,  between  Thirteenth  and   Fourteenth. 

Two  six  gallon  Babcock  fire  extinguishers 
and  a  twenty-five-foot  splice  ladder  have  been 
placed  on  each  of  the  hose  wagons,  and  an 
extinguisher  of  the  same  size  on  the  hose  reel. 


ENGINE  HOUSES. 

The  department  owns  six  brick  buildings, 
the  locations  of  which  are  sufficiently  indica- 
ted above.  The  house  on  Peach,  between 
Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth  streets,  is  the  de- 
partment headquarters.  The  iirst  floor  in  each 
building  is  used  for  the  apparatus,  and  the 
second  for  dormitories,  etc.  The  rooms  are 
neatly  furnished  with  comfortable  beds;  also 
with  tables,  chairs  and  other  necessary  articles. 
The  men  sleep  in  the  houses  and  are  ready  at 
any  moment  for  an  emergency.  When  an 
alarm  of  fire  is  sounded  the  firemen  do  not  wait 
to  reach  the  stairs,  but  spring  to  a  man-hole 
in  the  second  floor,  and,  giasping  an  iron  rod, 
slide  to  the  ground  floor.  The  poles  of  the 
steamers,  etc.,  are  elevated  with  the  harness 
attached.  The  intelligent  horses  are  so  well 
trained  that  they  rush  to  their  places  under 
the  harness  before  the  cart  or  engine,  and  by 
the  time  the  driver  reaches  the  floor  they  are 
in  position.  The  touch  of  a  spring  fastens 
the  harness  and  throws  the  door  wide  open  at 
the  same  time,  and  in  less  than  twenty  seconds 
they  are  on  their  way  to  the  fire  at  full  speed. 

The  several  engine  houses  were  built  as 
follows:  No.  1  about  1802  (remodeled  in 
1870)  ;  No.  2  in  1876;  No.  3  in  1878;  No.  4  in 
1872;  No.  5  in  1870;  No.  f)  in  1881  :  No.  7  in 
1890. 

FORCE     EMPLOYED,    ETC. 

The  department  as  now  organized  is  com- 
posed of  sixt\-five  officers  and  men,  thirty- 
two  being  uniformed  and  regular  members, 
and  thirty-three  minute  or  call  men.  Tiie 
force  is  made  up  as  follows  : 

One  chief,  salary $1,300 

One  assistant  chief 750 

Four  steamer   engineers,  each 900 

Four  steamer  stokers,  each 250 

Nine  captains,  each 720 

Thirteen    drivers,  each   720 

One  extra  man 720 

Three  retjular  men  (chemical  enf^finc)  each.  720 

Twenty-nine  minute  men  or  call  men,  each  200 

The  salary  list  for  1895  amoimted  to 
$29,780,  and  the  total  expenses  of  the  depart- 
ment for  the  year  \vere  expected  to  be  about 
$85,000.  The  department  has  thirty-five 
horses  and  12,600  feet  of  two  and  one-half 
inch  cotton-jacket,  rubber-lined  hose  in  fair 
condition. 


AM)  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COU^iTY. 


4 '3 


FIRES  AND    INCENDIARIES. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  need  of  an 
efficient  fire  system,  it  may  be  stated  that  in 
1894  alone  there  were  108  fire  alarms,  and 
that  the  loss  by  conflagration  within  the  city 
limits  was  |63,728.18.  That  the  damage 
would  have  been  much  greater  had  it  not 
been  for  the  prompt  and  skillful  efforts  made 
by  the  firemen,  no  one  will  question  who 
knows  the  workings  of  the  department. 

The  city  has  been  troubled  on  several 
occasions  by  the  malignant  or  mischievous 
acts  of  incendiaries.  One  of  these  periods 
was  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  1870.  Fire 
after  fire  occurred,  and  a  general  reign  of  ter- 
ror prevailed.  A  large  reward  for  the  detec- 
tion of  the  incendiaries  was  finally  offered, 
which  led  to  the  arrest  and  conviction  of 
several  members  of  the  volunteer  department, 
who  were  sent  to  the  penitentiary.  It  turned 
out  that  the  fires  were  started  in  order  that 
the  company  to  which  the  men  belonged 
might  have  the  glory  of  being  first  upon  the 
scene. 

Another  run  of  incendiary  fires  in  1888 
led  to  the  offering  of  a  reward  which  was 
never  claimed.  Still  another  occurred  in 
September,  1894,  which  caused  the  mayor  to 
appoint  "twenty  special  officers  to  patrol  the 
city  at  night,  and  engage  the  services  of  two 
detectives  from  abroad.  The  extra  men  were 
on  duty  about  two  weeks,  and  the  expense 
entailed  amounted  to  over  .$900."  The  sum- 
mer of  1895  was  marked  by  an  unusual  num- 
ber of  fires,  principally  hams  and  unoccupied 
buildings,  and  there  is  little  question  but  that 
they  were  caused  by  tiie  torch  of  the  incen- 
diarj'. 

FIRE     ALARM    SYSTEM. 

A  fire  alarm  system  was  introduced  in 
March,  1879.  This  did  not  prove  satisfactory, 
and  the  Gamewell  system  replaced  it  in  the 
fall  of  188(3.  The  latter  is  still  in  use.  The 
numbers  of  the  boxes  on  July  1,  1895,  ran  from 
three  to  ninety-one. 

HOARD    OF    FIRE    COM.MISSIONERS. 

The  affairs  of  the  Fire  Department  were 
managed  by  the  Mayor  and  Councils  until 
April  7,  1884,  when  they  were  placed  in  charge 
of  a  Board  of  Fire  Commissioners,  created  by 
city  ordinance  : 

The  members  of  the  Board  are  appointed 
27 


by  the  Mayor  and  Select  Council  for  terms  of 
three  j'ears,  the  term  of  office  of  one  member 
e.xpiring  annually  on  the  first  Monday  of 
April.  The  Clerk  of  the  Common  Council  is 
cx-officio  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Fire  Com- 
missioners. The  names  of  the  members  of  the 
Board  of  Fire  Commissioners  from  its  organi- 
zation in  1884  to  1895  inclusive,  are  as  fol- 
lows, the  first  named  for  each  year  being  the 
Chairman  : 

1884— J.  R.  Sherwood,  \V.  W.  Pierce, 
Otto  Germer. 

1885— W.  W.  Pierce,  Otto  Germer.  J.  R. 
Sherwood. 

1886— Otto  Germer,  Charles  Jarecki,  J.  R. 
Sherwood. 

1887 — J.  R.  Sherwood,  Charles  jarecki, 
R.  Liebel. 

1888— Charles  Jarecki,  R.  Liebel,  Thomas 
Brown. 

1889 — R.  Liebel,  Charles  Jarecki,  Thomas 
Brown. 

1890— W.  H.  Hill,  II.  R.  Barnhurst.  R. 
Liebel. 

1891— H.  R.  Barnhurst,  R.  Liebel,  W.  H. 
Hill. 

1892— R.  Liebel,  W.  M.  Hill,  Walter 
Scott. 

1893- W.  II.  Hill.  Charles  F.  Hummel,  F. 
A.  Mizener. 

1894— Charles  F.  Hummel.  F.  A.  Mizener, 
Thomas  G.  Morse. 

1895— F.  A.  Mizener,  Thomas  G.  .Morse, 
Henry  Beckman. 

Messrs.  Jarecki  and  Brown  resigned  and 
were  succeeded  by  Messrs.  Hill  and  Barn- 
hurst. 

CHIEFS    OF    THE     DEPARTMENT. 

The  Chiefs  of  the  department,  from  its  or- 
ganization to  1895,  inclusive,  are  named  be- 
low : 

1851— S.  T.  Nelson. 
1852— A.  P.  Durlin. 
1853— G.  A.  Bennett. 
1854 — James  Kennedy. 
1855 — T-  B.  Gunnison. 
1856— Thomas  Magill. 
1857-58— G.  A.  Bennett. 
1859-'61— William  Murrav. 
1862-()4 — G.  A.  Bennett." 
1865-66— J.  S.  StalTord. 
1867 — Fred'k  Gingenbach. 
1868— William  Murrav. 


4H 


NELSOWS  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


1869-70— G.  A.  Bennett. 

1871-'7'> — James  S.  Irwin. 

1877-'y;5— J.  A.  Moser. 

1894— John  J.  McMahon. 

A.  H.  Conkey  was  Assistant  Chief  for 
many  years.  The  present  Assistant  is  M.  J. 
Duerner. 

I'IRE   LIMITS. 

The  fire  district  is  embraced  within  the 
limits  described  below,  inside  of  which  no 
building  is  permitted  to  be  erected  or  placed, 
e-xcept  such  as  are  constructed  of  brick,  stone, 
iron  or  other  incombustible  material.  Ve- 
neered buildings  within  this  district  are  per- 
mitted to  be  erected  only  for  dwelling  house 
purposes  : 

"State  street,  from  Front  street  to  Seven- 
teenth street;  Peach  street,  from  Front  to 
Twenty-first  street;  French  street,  from  Sec- 
ond to  Twelfth  street ;  Sassafras  street,  from 
Fifth  to  Twelfth  street;  Second  and  Third 
street,  from  French  to  Peach  street ;  north 
side  of  Fourth  street,  from  French  to  Sassa- 
fras street;  south  side  of  Fourth  street,  from 
French  to  a  point  165  feet  east  of  Sassafras 
street ;  north  side  of  Fifth  street,  from  French 
to  a  point  165  feet  east  of  Sassafras  street ; 
south  side  of  Fifth  street,  from  French  to  Sas- 
safras street  ;  Sixth  street,  from  Holland  to 
Chestnut  street ;  Eighth  street,  from  a  point 
165  feet  west  of  HoHand  to  Sassafras  street  ; 
Seventh,  Ninth,  Tenth,  Eleventh  and  Twelfth 
street,  from  French  to  Sassafras  street ; 
North  and  South  Park  row  and  Turnpike 
street,  and  extending  back  from  said  streets 
165  feet,  except  on  Peach  between  Fifteenth 
and  Sixteenth  streets,  where  it  extends  west- 
wardly  from  said  street  330  feet.'" 


POLICE  DEPARTMENT. 

Although  a  Police  Department  has  been 
kept  up  since  1855,  it  did  not  assume  much 
consequence  until  the  outbreak  of  the  last  war, 
when  the  number  of  rough  characters  who 
flocked  to  the  city  called  for  increased  protec- 
tion to  the  general  public.  Prior  to  that 
period  the  slight  amount  of  police  duty  that 
was  required  was  mainly  done  by  the  consta- 
bles and   specials,  the   former  of   whom    were 


quite  formidable  officers  in  their  day.  The 
first  man  to  bring  "order  out  of  chaos"  was 
Thomas  Crowley,  a  giant  of  a  man,  appointed 
Chief  in  1863,  whose  very  appearance  was 
enough  to  strike  terror  to  evil  doers.  The 
police  force  is  named  by  the  Mayor,  with  the 
consent  of  Select  Council,  and  consisted  in 
1895,  of  one  Chief,  at  a  salary  of  !t!l,()()0  per 
year,  one  Captain  at  .^HK.),  anil  twenty-eight 
patrolmen,  each  of  whom  receive  .i!7-0.  During 
the  year  1894,  1,775  arrests  were  made,  820 
of  which  were  commonwealth,  and  the  bal- 
ance so-called  city  cases,  a  large  share  of 
which  were  for  vagrancy.  "  An  average  of 
twenty  tramps  are  lodged  nightly  at  the 
police  station,  none  being  refused  lodging,  as 
it  is  thought  better  to  have  them  under  lock 
and  key  than  roaming  the  streets.  The 
amount  of  fines  and  costs  collected  in  city 
cases  during  1894  was  $],544." 

The  patrol  wagon  was  introduced  in  the 
spring  of  1891,  and  the  Gamewell  police  call 
system  in  the  fall  of  the  same  vear. 

CHIEFS   AND  CAI'TAI.MS  OF    POLICE. 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  Chiefs  of  Police  : 

1855— S.  L.  Foster. 

1856-'5S— WiUard  Braley. 

1859— R.  M.  Butterfield." 

1860— H.  L,  Brown  (volunteer). 

1863-'69 — Thomas  Crowley. 

1870— W.  H.  Harris. 

1871— Walter  H.  Smith. 

1872-'76 — Joseph  Blenner. 

1877-83 — Thomas  Crowley. 

1884-85— Joseph  R.  Ferguson. 

1886-'87-"88— Alfred  King. 

1889— \Vm.  J.  Grant  (acting). 

1880-'94— Wm.  J.  Grant. 

1895— A.  E.  White. 

The  position  of  Captain  of  Police,  which 
is  a  later  office  than  that  of  Chief,  has  been 
filled  as  follows  : 

First — Adam  .Schneider. 

Second — Charles  Justice. 

Third — John  P.  .Sullivan. 

Fourth-^Daniel  Mitchell. 

Fifth — J.  Dudenhoefer. 

Sixth — Hubert  Golden. 

Seventh — Wm.  J.  Grant. 

Eighth — John  W.  Henry. 


CHAPTER   V. 


The    Peninsula,   Bay,   Harbor,   Docks,  Lake  Trade,  Fish    and    Fishing  Interests, 
Pleasure  Boats,  Etc. — [See  Chapters  VI  and  XVI,  General  History  of  Erie  County.] 


THE  Peninsula,  named  by  the  French 
Presque  Isle,  or  "  nearly  an  island,"  is 
a  low,  sand  formation  of  about  six 
miles  lon^,  varying  in  width  from  800 
feet  "  at  the  neck,  which  is  nearly 
two  miles  long  and  joins  the  body  of  the  penin- 
sula to  the  mainland  at  its  western  end,  to 
one  and  one-half  miles  at  its  widest  part." 
Inside  of  this  and  between  it  and  the  main- 
land, is  the  bay  of  Presque  Isle,  forming  the 
harbor  of  Erie,  a  body  of  water  "  about  four 
and  one-lialf  miles  in  length  b_y  one  and  one- 
half  miles  in  width,  aflording  a  land-locked 
anchorage  area  of  about  one  and  one-half 
bj'  two  miles,  with  eighteen  to  twenty-eight 
feet  of  water."  The  harbor  thus  created  by 
nature  is  probably  the  finest  on  the  entire 
chain  of  lakes.  It  is  entirely  land-locked, 
protected  from  the  heaviest  gales,  and  has 
the  best  character  of  bottom  for  anchorage. 

As  the  safety  and  welfare  of  the  harbor 
depend  upon  the  maintenance  of  the  Penin- 
sula, much  money  has  been  expended  by  the 
Government  in  closing  breaches  and  protect- 
ing it  from  heavy  seas.  No  one  has  a  right  to 
live  on  it,  save  the  watchman,  the  keepers  of 
the  light-houses  and  the  crew  of  the  life-sav- 
ing station.  It  is  covered  with  a  dense  growth 
of  timber,  shrubs  and  vines,  which  are  not 
allowed  to  be  cut  down,  and  is  penetrated  in 
every  direction  by  small  lakes  or  ponds  con- 
nected with  the  bay  by  channels  usually 
navigable  for  small  boats. 

In  1833,  when  the  Peninsula  was  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  State,  and  incitlentally 
of  the  Erie  authorities,  R.  S.  Reed  was  ap- 
]iointe(l  Su]5erintendent  for  five  years,  and  a 
tine  of  $.500,  or  imprisonment  for  a  term  not 
exceeding  six  months,  was  fixed  as  the  pen- 
alty for  cutting  timber  or  setting  fire  to  the 
shrubbery.  In  1835,  the  borough  resolved  to 
proceed    against    any   one    who    might    erect 


buildings  upon  it.  The  Legislature  passed 
an  act,  in  1841,  imposing  a  fine  of  not  less 
than  ten  dollars,  nor  more  than  twenty-five 
dollars,  on  any  person  who  should  gather 
cranberries  on  the  peninsula  between  July 
and  October.  The  1st  of  October  was  "  cran- 
berry day,"'  a  great  event  in  olden  times. 
Large  parties  would  cross  the  bay  the  night 
before  and  remain  until  morning.  The 
marshes  produced  cranberries  to  a  larger 
extent  than  at  present. 

historical  items. 

The  ruins  of  a  large  brick  house  or  fort, 
erected  near  the  east  end  of  the  peninsula, 
long  prior  to  American  occupation,  weie  still 
to  be  seen  in  1795.  In  1818  a  block-house 
was  built  at  Crystal  Point,  just  west  of  Misery 
Bay,  to  defend  the  harbor  entrance.  This 
bay  was  so  named  by  Lieut.  Holdup,  in  1814, 
on  account  of  the  prevailing  gloomy  weather 
and  the  comfortless  condition  of  the  vessels 
anchored  in  it  at  that  time.  Two  of  Perry's 
ships,  the  Lawrence  and  Niagara,  were  sunk 
in  its  waters — the  latter  remaining  there,  and 
the  former  having  been  raised  in  187(5,  and 
removed  to  Philadelpiiia,  to  be  exiiibited  at 
the  Centennial.  It  is  said  that  in  18:21  the 
peninsula  was  covered  with  timber,  from  the 
mainland,  at  the  head,  to  its  southeastern 
point. 

protecting  the  peni\sul.\. 

The  first  breach  recorded  in  the  peninsula 
appears  to  have  taken  place  near  "  The  Head  " 
during  the  winter  of  1828—21).  Its  extent  is 
not  reported,  but  the  entire  appropriation  of 
•157, 8110  was  used  in  closing  it.  In  the  winter 
of  1832-83,  another  breach  occurred  at  the 
same  point,  and  during  the  summer  of  1838 
Lieut.  Col.  J.  G.  Totten,  by  direction  of  the 
chief  of  engineers,  examined  the  condition  of 


4i6 


NELSON'S  BTOORAPnWAL  DICTIONARY 


affairs.  He  submitted  an  elaborate  report,  in 
which  he  suggested  the  possibility  of  main- 
taining entrances  at  both  ends  of  the  harbor, 
but  recommended  that  the  effect  of  the  breach 
should  be  studied  for  a  year  or  two  before  any 
complete  plan  was  decided  upon. 

In  1833,  Lieut.  T.  S.  Brown  submitted 
plans  for  an  entrance  at  the  west  end  of  Pres- 
que  Isle  Bay  tiirough  the  peninsula.  The 
breach  wiiich  had  commenced  in  183:^-*}8  had 
greatly  widened,  so  that  w'here  trees  thickly 
stood  when  work  began  in  1824,  there  was  in 
1835  an  opening  nearly  one  mile  wide  and 
daily  increasing,  so  that  the  whole  peninsula 
was  threatened.  Lieutenant  Brown's  plan  pro- 
vided for  partially  closing  the  breach  by  crib- 
work,  but  loft  a  channel  400  feet  wide,  so  that 
vessels  might  enter  or  depart  from  either  end 
of  the  bay.  In  1836,  work  was  commenced 
upon  the  plan  of  Lieutenant  Brown  ;  4:20  feet 
of  crib-work  break-water  was  completed, 
strengthened  by  piling  and  partially  filled  with 
stone;  barracks  were  erected  for  workmen, 
machinery  purchased,  and  arrangements  made 
for  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  work.  Work 
was  continued  in  1837,  1,920  feet  of  crib-work 
being  completed,  making  in  all  2,340  feet. 
The  progress  thus  far  in  partially  closing  the 
breach  was  reported  as  very  satisfactorv. 

In  1888,  under  Capt.  Williams,  of  the 
Topographical  Engineers,  1,035  linear  feet  of 
crib-work  was  built,  570  feet  being  north  of 
the  proposed  new  channel  piers  and  405  feet 
south  of  them.  In  1839,  work  was  continued  ; 
the  break-water  on  the  south  side  of  the  pro- 
posed new  channel  was  prolonged  690  feet, 
.and  150  feet  of  the  work  built  in  1838  was 
strengthened  ;  300  feet  of  crib-work  was  placed 
in  position  on  the  low  ground  at  the  northeast 
end  of  the  work,  north  of  the  proposed  new 
entrance,  to  prevent  the  lake  from  cutting 
through  at  that  point. 

No  appropriations  were  made  nor  work 
done  during  the  years  1840,  1841,  1842,  1848.- 
In  1841,  an  ofKcial  report  stated  that  tlie  lake 
was  making  rapid  encroachments  upon  the 
peninsula  north  of  the  works  and  threatened 
the  destruction  of  the  harbor.  The  proposed 
channel  for  vessels  at  the  west  end  of  the  bay 
seems  by  this  date  to  have  been  abandoned. 
During  the  time  the  channel  was  open  a  num- 
ber of  vessels  passed  through  it.  Among 
these,  as  shown  by  official  records,  were  the 
steamer  Ohio,  drawing  about  seven    and  one- 


half  feet  of  water,  on  J"ly  8,  1831,  and  the 
brig  \'irginia,  drawing  some  five  and  one-half 
feet  of  water,  in  1833  or  '34.  Capt.  John 
Fleeharty,  who  is  good  authority  on  lake  mat- 
ters, says  he  saw  the  revenue  cutter  Erie, 
which  drew  fully  five  feet  of  water,  go  through 
the  channel  about  1838  or  '89. 

FURTHER  OPERATIONS. 

In  1844,  the  gap  in  the  peninsula  had  been 
reduced  to  a  width  of  3,000  feet,  with  a  dehpt 
of  from  five  to  six  feet.  The  erosion  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  barracks  built  in  1836  threat- 
ened their  destruction,  and  470  linear  feet  of 
crib-work  were  built  for  their  protection. 
Nothing  further  was  done  at  this  locality 
until  1852.  An  examination  made  at  that 
time  by  Maj.  William  Turnbull  of  the 
Topographical  Engineers,  showed  that  the 
breach  in  the  peninsula  still  existed,  and  that 
the  crib-work  protection  built  in  previous 
years  had  been  almost  destroyed.  In  1853  and 
1854,  efforts  were  made  to  prevent  further 
erosion  by  protecting  the  shore  with  brush  and 
stone.  Operations  were  continued  during 
1855-5G,  with  such  success  that  there  were 
strong  prospects  of  restoring  tiie  original  water 
line. 

In  September,  1857,  Maj.  J.  D.  Graham 
reported  the  suspension  of  work  through  lack 
of  funds,  and  nothing  further  was  done  until 
1864,  in  which  j'ear  Col.  T.  J.  Cram  was 
assigned  to  the  charge  of  the  harbor.  His  re- 
port stated  that  the  breach  at  the  west  end  of 
tile  harbor  was  entirel)'  closed,  nature  having 
completed  the  work  during  the  interval  of 
seven  vears  of  suspended  labor,  although  about 
500  feet  of  the  peninsula  was  so  low  that  high 
seas  broke  clear  across  it.  This  weak  spot  was 
strengthened  in  1865,  but  a  breach  occurred 
during  a  heavy  gale  in  November,  1874.  This 
was  soon  closed,  under  the  superintendence  of 
Colonel  Blunt,  the  officer  then  in  charge,  by 
what  he  termed  "  a  bulk-head  protection," 
constructed  of  piles  and  plank,  the  experiment 
of  ]ilanting  yoinig  trees  on  the  neck  of  the 
peninsula  resorted  to  in  1871-72  having  en- 
tirely failed,  nearly  all  of  them  being  destroyed 
by  the  heavy  winter  gales.  Since  that  time 
Colonel  Blunt's  mode  of  protection,  together 
with  an  abatis  of  brush  and  stones,  has  been 
generally  followed,  but  it  has  taken  constant 
vigilance  to  keep  the  work  in  repair.  There 
are  two  places  where  the   neck   of  the   penin- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


417 


sula  is  quite  narrow  and  the  crest  only  a  few 
feet  above  the  level  of  tlie  lake,  and  where  at 
times  of  very  high  seas,  the  water  of  the  lake 
rolls  across  into  the  bay. 

DAMAGE   AND    WORK   DONE    IN    RECENT  YEAKS. 

The  winter  ot  1881-82  was  an  open  one, 
and  the  beach  was  deprived  of  its  usual  revet- 
ment of  heavy  ice.  A  number  of  furious  gales 
occurred  during  the  fall  and  winter,  and  upon 
the  opening  of  the  season  of  ISSl'  the  old 
bulkheads  were  found  to  be  seriously  dam- 
aged, and  the  beach  to  have  suffered  more  or 
less  from  the  heavy  seas.  The  water  of  Lake 
Erie  was  unusually'  high  during  the  spring  of 
1882,  and  on  March  21,  the  level  of  the  lake 
was  the  highest  recorded  at  Erie  for  a  number 
of  years.  A  strong  northwest  gale  was  blow- 
ing at  the  time,  and  the  heavy  seas  rolled 
clear  across  the  lowest  portion  of  the  penin- 
sula into  the  bay.  The  erosion  at  the  time 
was  still  not  sufficient  to  excite  apprehension 
of  immediate  danger,  but  some  steps  were  ab- 
solutely necessary  for  protection  during  the 
coming  fall  and  winter.  The  engineer  in 
charge  submitted  a  project  for  the  protection 
of  the  beach  line  with  piles  and  plank,  but 
afterward  amended  it  upon  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  local  engineer,  Capt  Adams,  and 
concluded  to  drive  short  intermediate  piles 
between  the  old  piles  still  standing,  which 
formed  a  portion  of  the  bulkhead  protection. 

A  severe  westerly  storm  on  October  28-29, 
1892,  caused  seas  to  wash  over  the  neck  from 
the  lake  into  the  bav.  Gullies  from  two  to 
ten  feet  wide  and  one  to  two  feet  deep  \vere 
cut  through  the  sand  on  the  crest  of  the  neck 
formation,  and  a  few  small  trees  and  bushes 
uprooted.  The  gullies  were.  ho\vever,  soon 
filled  up  by  drifting  sand  and  the  neck  prac- 
ticall)'  restored  to  its  normal  condition.  The 
remaining  sheet  piling  and  walings  of  the 
shore  protection  along  the  neck  were  carried 
away.  Another  westerly  storm,  on  August 
28,  1898,  did  some  damage,  which  was  soon 
restored  by  the  drifting  of  the  sand. 

NO  M.\TERI.VL  CHANGE  IN  GENERAL  FE.\TURES. 

The  earliest  chart  in  possession  of  the  gov- 
ernment is  that  of  Maj.  Anderson,  made  in 
1819,  which  shows  that  the  peninsula  then 
occupied  about  the  same  general  location  and 
direction  that  it  does  at  the  present  time.  A 
comparison    of    Maj.    Anderson's    map    with 


Maj.  McFarland's  map  of  1878  indicates  that 
for  about  three  miles  from  Massassauga  Point 
the  outer  shore  line  has  receded  some  1,500 
feet.  Some  errors  are  noticed  in  the  map  of 
1819,  however,  and  it  may  not  be  entirely  re- 
liable. A  comparison  of  Lieut.  Woodruff's 
map  of  18-39  with  McFarland's  map  of  1878 
shows  a  similar  retrograde  movement  of  the 
shore  line,  \vhile  that  of  tlie  lake  survey  map 
of  1805  with  McFarland's  map  of  1878  and 
Maj.  Wilson's  map  of  1879  shows  little  or  no 
variation  in  the  position  of  the  outer  shore 
line.  These  maps  seem  to  prove  that  from 
1819  to  1805  there  was  a  general  recession  of 
the  outer  shore  line,  while  from  1865  to  1895 
there  has  been  but  little  change.  A  compari- 
son of  Woodruff's  map  of  1839  with  McFar- 
land's of  1878  shows  that  the  mass  of  this 
part  of  the  peninsula  has  materially'  increased 
during  the  interval  of  time  between  these  sur- 
vevs,  for  the  distance  from  the  twelve-foot  or 
fifteen-foot  curve  outside  the  peninsula  to  the 
curve  of  corresponding  depth  inside  was  in 
1878  about  double  what  it  was  in  1839,  while 
no  very  great  change  appears  to  have  taken 
place  in  that  part  of  the  neck  which  lies  above 
the  water  level.  This  increase  in  width  ap- 
pears to  have  come  chieflv  from  the  shoaling 
of  the  \vater  inside  the  peninsula,  but,  from 
whatever  cause  it  may  arise,  it  indicates  that 
the  danger  of  the  formation  of  a  breach  at  this 
point  has  not  increased,  but  has  rather  de- 
creased in  the  last  fort}'  years. 

REPORTS  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT  OFFICERS. 

The  following  are  extracts  from  the  reports 
of  the  government  engineers  for  1893  and  '94  : 

"  The  preservation  of  the  peninsula  is  of 
vital  importance  to  Erie  harbor,  and  it  is  for 
the  purpose  of  preserving  the  harbor  that  the 
protection  of  the  weak  parts  of  the  peninsula 
formation  has  heen  deemed  necessary.  The 
weak  portion  is  the  long  narrow  neck  at  the 
western  end.  The  object  for  which  all  the 
works  of  protection  have  been  constructed  is 
the  prevention  of  a  "oreach  through  this  narrow 
neck.  This  danger  exists  during  severe  storms 
from  the  westward. 

'•Former  attempts  to  propagate  a  growth 
of  trees  on  the  barren  neck  of  the  peninsula 
did  not  prove  satisfactory.  In  order  to  obtain 
some  knowledge  of  the  feasibility  of  tree- 
planting,  a  lot  of  seventv  small  willow  and 
cottonwootl  trees  and   cuttings  were    set  oui 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


early  in  May,  1893,  some  being  planted  in  the 
sand  soil,  with  an  enrichment  of  vegetable 
mold,  and  others  planted  directly  in  the  sand, 
without  enriciiinent.  At  the  close  of  the 
fiscal  year  the  cuttings  were  all  dead  and  the 
small  trees  showed  little  promise  of  living. 
The  experiment  does  not  necessarily  prove 
that  tree  propagation  is  not  feasible.  It  does 
prove,  however,  that  cuttings  will  not  readily 
grow  and  that  planting  should  be  done  much 
earlier  in  the  spring. 

"In  a  report,  made  in  1885,  it  was  recom- 
mended that  the  neck  of  the  peninsula  be  pro- 
tected by  a  breakwater,  and  the  movement  of 
sand  around  the  eastern  end  of  the  peninsula, 
which  threatens  to  close  the  harbor  entrance, 
be  arrested  b)'  the  construction  of  jetties  per- 
pendicular to  the  shore  of  the  peninsula,  at  an 
estimated  cost  of  $178,044.50. 

"  Work  under  this  project  was  in  progress 
until  October,  1889,  when  it  was  abandoned, 
it  having  been  found  that  the  structures  built 
would  not  stand  against  the  violence  of  the 
storms.  No  further  work  is  at  present  (1894) 
contemplated,  but  the  sum  of  Jfi'O.OOO  has 
been  reserved  from  the  appropriation  for  the 
improvement  of  Erie  Harbor,  to  be  used,  in 
case  of  necessity,  in  closing  any  breach  which 
may  occur." 

Capt.  James  Hunter,  appointed  by  the  U. 
S.  authorities,  has  been  custodian  of  the  pen- 
insula since  1886. 

THE  TITLE  TO  THE   PENINSULA. 

In  the  fall  of  1895.  a  proposition  to  use  the 
peninsula  for  railroad  and  manufacturing  pur- 
poses led  to  some  discussion  over  its  control 
and  ownership.  The  question  was  submitted 
by  the  editor  of  the  Evening  N'c-vs  to  Judge 
Galbraith,  who  answered  in  the  following  clear 
and  conclusive  letter  : 

Erie,  Nov.  19,  1895. 

"  Answering-  your  question  as  to  the  ownership 
of  the  peninsvila  of  Presque  Isle,  I  find,  on  a  care- 
ful examination  of  the  various  acts  of  Assembly 
and  other  records,  that  while  the  right  of  occu- 
pancy and  control  is  vested  in  the  government  of 
the  United  States,  the  title  and  actual  ownership 
remain  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

"  On  February  4, 1869,  the  Legislature  of  Penn- 
sylvania passed  an  act  'supplementary  to  the  act 
incorporating  the  Marine  Hospital  at  Erie,'  which, 
after  a  preamble  reciting  that  'the  Councils  of  the 
city  of  Erie  have  so  neglected  the  management  and 
supervision    of    the   peninsula,   which   forms  the 


northern  boundary  of  the  harbor  of  Erie,  as  to 
prevent  any  adequate  revenue  arising  therefrom, 
therefore,  be  it  enacted,  etc..  That  section  14  of  the 
act  of  April  2,  1868,  entitled  '  A  further  supplement 
to  an  act  to  incorporate  the  city  of  Erie,'  be  so 
amended  as  to  place  the  supervision  and  control 
of  the  said  peninsula  in  the  power  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Marine  Hospital  of  Pennsylvania, 
*  *  *  *  and  the  said  Board  of  Directors  are 
hereby  empowered  to  exercise  such  supervision, 
disposition  and  control  of  same  by  leasing,  or  other- 
wise, as  to  them  shall  be  deemed  for  the  best  inter- 
est of  said  hospital.' 

"In  1871,  by  the  act  of  Assembly,  passed  May 
11,  of  that  year,  an  appropriation  of  $30,000  was 
made  to  the  Marine  Hospital  at  Erie, but  only  on  the 
condition  that  that  corporation  should  reconvey  to 
the  State  all  the  lands  granted  by  their  act  of  in- 
corporation in  1867,  ;.'.nd  on  the  further  condition 
that  said  Marine  Hospital  'shall  convey  to  the 
United  States  of  America  all  title  it  may  have  to 
the  peninsula  of  Presque  Isle,  *  *  *  *  to  be 
held  by  said  United  States,  as  near  as  may  be,  in 
its  present  condition,  and  only  for  the  purposes  of 
national  defense,  and  for  the  protection  of  the  har- 
bor of  Erie,  but  in  all  other  respects,  to  be  subject 
to  the  civil  and  criminal  jurisdiction  of  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania:  and  the  consent  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  is  hereby  given  to  such  transfer  of 
title  vnlji  fur  t/ii:  purposes  and  anihr  tin  hinUntions 
herein  before  mentioned.' 

"  An  act  of  Congress  was  passed  in  the  same 
year,  1871  (U.  S.  Statutes,  vol.  24,  page  312),  by 
which  the  Secretary  of  War  was  directed  to  receive 
and  accept  title  under  the  act  of  May  11,  1871,  just 
recited,  and  on  May  25,  1871,  a  deed  was  duly  exe- 
cuted by  the  Marine  Hospital  officers  and  direct- 
ors, and  accepted  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  and 
possession  was  taken  by  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment, which  has  ever  since  had  the  custody 
and  control  of  the  same,  although  the  actual  title 
and  ownership  still  remain  vested  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania. 

"  This  condition  need  not  hinder,  however,  the 
use  of  a  portion  of  the  peninsula  on  the  bay  front 
for  manufacturing  purposes,  as  it  will  no  doubt  be 
easy  to  secure  such  concurrent  legislation  by  Con- 
gress and  the  State  Legislature  as  may  be  neces- 
sary, in  case  public  opinion  should  favor  the  same, 
as  it  no  doubt  will,  should  there  be  a  strong  de- 
mand for  this  particular  location  by  those  seeking 
eligible  sites  for  the  manufacture  of  iron,  as  now 
appears  very  probable. 

"  The  popular  error  and  confusion  of  ideas  as 
to  the  ownership  of  the  peninsula  of  Presque  Isle 
has  no  doubt  arisen  from  the  official  letter  from  the 
chief  clerk  of  the  Interior  Department,  where  he 
speaks  of  the  'title 'to  said  peninsula  being  ten- 
dered to  the  United  States;  and  in  another  place 
he  refers  to  the  deed  conveying  title  being  accept- 
ed, etc. 

"  In  fact,  the  United  States  government  did  not 
acquire  any  title,  but  only,  as  you  see,  by  referring 
to  the  language  of  the  acts,  the  right  of  posses- 
sion and  occupancy,  and  that  for  a  distinctly  lim- 
ited purpose,  namely,  '  national  defense  and  for 
the  protection  of  the  harbor  of  Erie,'  and  in   all 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


419 


other  respects  to  be  subject  to  the  civil  and  crimi- 
nal jurisdiction  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

"Truly  yours, 
"William  A.  Galbraith." 

THE     BAY     AND    HARBOR. 

Immediately  after  the  war  of  1812-14  the 
Government  asked  Commodore  Perry  for  his 
opinion  as  to  the  feasibility  of  removing  the 
sandbar  which  blocked  the  entrance  to  the 
harbor,  and  he  reported  favorably  on  the 
project.  In  1819,  a  survey  was  made  by  the 
general  government,  but  nothing  further  was 
done  at  that  time.  The  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1822,  appointed  Thomas  Forster, 
Giles  Sanford  and  George  Moore,  of  Erie,  a 
committee  to  survey  the  bay  and  ascertain  the 
depth  of  water  on  the  bar,  and  the  anchorage 
outside  the  bar,  and  expended  $15,000, 
toward  improving  the  harbor.  The  project 
was  then  taken  in  hand  by  the  general  gov 
eminent,  which  has  since  continued  the  work. 

A  general  plan  of  harbor  improvement 
was  adopted  in  1823,  and  amended  from  time 
to  time,  as  the  demands  of  commerce  called 
for  an  increased  depth  of  water.  It  provided 
for  closing  all  of  the  eastern  end  of  the  har- 
bor by  means  of  a  breakwater,  in  which 
should  be  left  an  opening  200  feet  wide,  and 
for  extending  to  deep  water  in  the  lake  two 
parallel  piers,  one  on  each  side  of  the  open- 
ing. This  project  is  substantiallv  in  force  at 
the  present  time,  excepting  that  the  piers  are 
350  feet  apart.  The  total  sum  expended  at 
Erie  harbor  bj-  the  general  government,  up  to 
June  30,  1894,  was  1826,732.38,  including  the 
work  done  in  the  protection  of  the  peninsula. 

EFFECT  OF  THE    IMPROVEMENTS. 

When  this  undertaking  was  entered  upon 
the  channel  at  the  entrance  was  narrow  and 
tortuous,  with  a  depth  of  only  six  feet,  and 
the  depth  on  the  present  line  of  channel  was 
only  two  feet.  By  1827  vessels  of  ordinary 
draft  were  able  to  enter  the  harbor;  by  1829, 
the  depth  of  the  entrance  was  from  seven  and 
a  half  to  fifteen  feet  ;  and  in  1833  there  was  a 
good  channel  with  a  depth  of  twelve  feet 
from  the  lake  into  the  bay.  This  depth  was 
maintained  to  1839,  when  operations  were 
suspended,  [n  1844,  the  piers  were  going  to 
ruin  ;  there  was  a  depth  of  eighteen  feet  be- 
tween them,  but  shoals  were  forming  at  each 
end. 


The  original  project  contemplated  the  ex- 
tension of  the  piers  to  the  sixteen-foot  curve 
in  the  lake,  and  the  maintenance  of  a  channel 
of  navigable  width  sixteen  feet  in  depth  from 
the  harbor  inside  to  the  lake  outside.  The 
channel,  as  secured,  was,  in  1894,  275  feet 
wide  and  not  less  than  18  feet  deep,  and  is 
successfully  maintained  throughout  its  entire 
length  of  7,150  feet.  The  latter  distance  is 
made  up  as  follows : 

Feet. 
From  18-foot  contour  in   lake  to  the  east  or 
outer   end  of  the  north  pier,  outer  chan- 
nel    1.000 

Between  piers   2,750 

From  west  or  inner  end   of  piers   to    18-foot 

contour  in  harbor,  inner  channel 3,400 

The  length  of  channel  lying  between  the 
piers  is  kept  thorduglily  scoured  by  the 
strong  currents  which  run  in  and  out,  and  thus 
maintain  it  in  good  condition  at  all  times.  The 
outer  and  inner  channels  require  repeated 
dredging  in  order  to  maintain  them  at  the 
required  depth.  Since  the  bar  formation  be- 
gan to  threaten  the  channel,  in  1875,  the  pier 
has  been  extended  three  times,  viz  :  in  1880, 
242  linear  feet;  in  1891,  452.15  linear  feet, 
and  in  1893,  301.4  linear  feet.  The  pier  work 
in  all  of  the  extensions  is  twenty-four  feet 
wide  and  twenty-four  feet  high,  the  super- 
structure being  eight  feet   high   above   water. 

The  existing  project  provides  for  the  fur- 
ther extension  of  the  south  pier.  To  complete 
it  will  require  an  extension  of  1,000  feet,  at  a 
cost  of  $65,000. 

There  is  a  strong  current  setting  in  and 
out  of  the  harbor,  according  to  the  direction 
of  the  wind,  which  causes  a  variation  of  from 
one  to  three  feet  in  the  depth  of  water  in  the 
bay. 

UNITED    STATES    APPROPRIATIONS. 

The  following  is  a  statement  of  the  appro- 
priations made  by  the  United  States  for  im- 
proving Erie  harbor,  from  1823  to  1894  in- 
clusive : 

May  26,  1824 S  20,000  00 

March  25, 1826 7,000  00 

March  2,  1827 2.000  00 

May  19,  1828 6,223  18 

March  3.  1829 7,390  25 

March  2.  1831 1.700  00 

July  3,  1832 4,500  00 

March  2,  1833 6,000  00 

June  28,  1834 23.045  00 

March  3, 1835 5,000  00 

July  2,  1836 15,122  80 


^20 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONABY 


March  3,  1837 15,000  00 

July  7,  1838 30,000  00 

June  11. 1844 40,000  00 

August  30,  1852 30,000  00 

June  23,  1866 36,961  00 

March  2, 1867 25,000  00 

June  11,  1870 20,000  00 

March  3,  1871 29,000  00 

June  10,  1872    15,000  00 

June  23,  1874 20,000  00 

March  3.  1875 80,000  00 

August  14,  1876 40,000  00 

June  18,  1878 25,000  00 

March  3,  1879 25,000  00 

June  14,  1830 25,000  00 

March  3, 1881 20,000  00 

August  2,  1882 20,000  00 

July  5,  1884 50,000  00 

August  5, 1886 37,500  00 

August  11,  1888 23,000  00 

September,  19,  1890 40,000  00 

July  13, 1892 40,000  00 

1823  allotment 150  00 

1864  allotment 15,000  00 

1868  allotment 40,000  00 

1869  allotment 22,275  00 

1871  allotment 10,000  00 

Total $871,867  23 

Of  this  sum,  there  remained  a  balance  un- 
expended and  available,  July  1,  1894,  of  S)i45,- 
184.85.  The  sum  which  the  government  en- 
gineers reported  that  can  be  profitably  ex- 
pended in  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1896, 
is  .$25,000.  leaving  .$20,000  still  on  hand  for 
contingencies. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Qiiintus  assumed  charge  of  the 
Erie  harbor  work,  under  direction  of  the 
United  States  Engineering  Department,  Oc- 
tober 1,  1880.  His  headquarters  were  in  a 
private  office  until  December  3,  1888,  when 
he  changed  into  the  United  States  building. 
He  was  relieved  on  November  8,  1894,  by 
Mr.  C.  M.  Emmons,  and  transferred  to  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y. 

[For  an  account  of  the  interesting  histori- 
cal events  that  have  happened  in  Erie  harbor 
and  vicinity,  and  other  matters  of  interest, 
see  the  General  History  of  Erie  county-] 

DOCKS  AND  LAKE  BUSINESS. 

The  principal  docks  are  those  of  the  Anchor 
Line,  the  Hard  Coal  docks  of  the  Philadelphia 
and  Erie  R.  R.,  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  docks, 
the  Carnegie  docks,  Reed's  dock,  the  Public 
dock  and  the  \Vatson  dock. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  town's  gro^vth  all 
articles  of  commerce  were  landed  on  the  sand 
beach  near  the  mouth   of  Mill    creek,    where 


three  storehouses  had  been  erected  as  early  as 
1815.  Rufus  S.  Reed  was  oneof  the  pioneers 
in  the  lake  trade,  and,  to  facilitate  his  busi- 
ness, constructed  a  dock  near  the  foot  of  Sas- 
safras street,  which  has  ever  since  been  famil- 
iarly known  as  Reed's  dock.  The  pier  reached 
out  from  the  shore  to  a  depth  of  eight  feet  of 
water,  which  was  sufficient  to  float  the  lar- 
gest vessel  on  the  lakes  at  that  period. 

In  the  early  days  of  steam  navigation  boats 
landed  freight  and  passengers  at  the  light- 
house piers  to  avoid  loss  of  time.  As  no  coal 
could  then  be  obtained,  wood  was  the  only 
fuel  used,  and  an  immense  quantity  was  re- 
quired for  the  round  trip  from  Buffalo  to  De- 
troit and  Chicago  ;  this  was  "poled"  out  to 
the  piers  on  scows.  When  a  steamboat  ap- 
proached Erie  a  signal  gun  was  fired  on  deck. 
As  soon  as  the  cannon  was  heard  all  was 
bustle  and  activity  on  shore  until  the  transfer 
of  passengers  and  freight  was  effected.  When 
Mr.  Reed  engaged  in  the  steamboat  business 
he  reqifired  all  of  his  boats  to  come  to  his 
dock.  As  he  was  monopolizing  the  Erie 
trade  by  so  doing,  the  captains  of  other  boats 
trading  here  were  compelled  to  land  at  the 
dock  or  relinquish  the  trade  at  this  port. 

The  business  at  Reed's  dock  was  greatly 
increased  by  the  opening  of  the  Erie  Exten- 
sion Canal,  early  in  the  forties.  Long  lines  of 
canal  boats  and  sailing  vessels  were  almost 
constantly  moored  alongside  the  dock  during 
the  season  of  navigation,  discharging  and 
loading  cargoes  of  bituminous  coal.  The  dock 
was  leased  by  W.  L.  Scott  &  Co.  some  years 
ago,  when  its  facilities  for  handling  coal  were 
largely  increased. 

THE    PUBLIC    DOCK. 

The  opening  of  the  canal  led  to  the  build- 
ing of  a  series  of  docks,  extending  from  the 
foot  of  State  street,  east  and  west,  which,  in 
connection  with  the  roadway  and  dock  lead- 
ing thereto,  became  known  as  the  Public  dock. 
Inside  of  these  was  the  canal  basin,  now  nearly 
filled  with  sediment  from  the  sewers,  which 
was  a  very  busy  place  for  man}-  years.  The 
docks  on  each  side  of  State  street  were  owned 
in  the  main,  if  not  wholly,  by  private  parties, 
and,  in  the  days  of  canal  boating,  were  among 
the  most  valuable  property  in  or  about  Erie. 

HABD    COAL    DOCKS. 

The  water  lots  covered  by  the  Anchor  Line 
docks   and   the   I'hiladelphia   and   Erie  docks 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


4ZI 


were  a  gift  from  the  city  to  the  latter  corpora- 
tion, or  ratiier  to  its  predecessor,  the  Sunbury 
and  Erie  Compan}'.  The  contract  for  build- 
ing the  first  docks  was  awarded  to  George  J. 
Morton  &  Co.  Cribs  were  constructed,  but 
not  filled,  until  several  years  later. 

David  Burton  &  Sons  (Andrew  and  .\.  P. 
Burton),  who  were  the  first  shippers  of  anthra- 
cite coal  from  Erie,  and  also  the  pioneer  sliip- 
pers  of  that  kind  of  coal  to  supply  the  home 
demand,  utilized  the  docks  in  ISOti.  In  18(38 
David  Burton  withdrew,  and  the  firm  name 
became  Burton  Bros.  &  Co.,  S.  P.  Longstreet 
having  been  admitted  as  a  member  of  the  firm. 
The  new  companj'  continued  in  business  until 
1874.  Ever  since  the  latter  date  \V.  L.  Scott 
&  Co.  have  been  lessees  of  the  dock,  which 
has  been  greatly  enlarged  and  improved.  An- 
other extensive  and  very  convenient  dock  for 
handling  hard  coal  has  been  added,  east  of  the 
original  one. 

ANCHOR  LINE   DOCKS  AND  GRAIN  ELEVATORS. 

The  "Erie  and  Western  Transportation 
Company,"  better  known  as  the  '•  Anchor 
Line,"  commenced  business  in  1S68,  the  nucleus 
being  one  small  grain  elevator,  now  known  as 
elevator  A,  built  by  Messrs.  Noble,  Brown, 
McCarter  and  Shannon,  which  the  corporation 
purchased.  From  this  humble  beginning  the 
business  has  become  of  great  magnitude.  The 
company,  which  has  a  full-paid  capital  stock 
of  $;?,000,000,  and  an  issue  of  $750,000  five 
per  cent,  bonds,  secured  by  a  mortgage  on  its 
terminal  properties,  is  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R. 
Company's  lake  and  rail  line  between  the 
Eastern  seaboard  and  the  West.  It  was  in- 
corporated June  21,  1865,  under  the  laws  of 
Pennsylvania.  Besides  operating  chartered 
vessels  in  such  number  as  the  demands  of  busi- 
ness make  necessar\-,  the  company  owns,  clear 
of  incumbrance,  a  fleet  of  eighteen  steamers 
on  the  Great  Lakes,  having  an  aggregate  ton- 
nage of  about  85,000  tons.  At  Erie  the  com- 
pany has  forty  acres  of  dock  property,  on 
which  are  three  grain  elevators,  immense  ware- 
houses and  every  facility  for  the  rapid  and  sat- 
isfactory transaction  of  business.  The  tracks 
on  this  property  connect  with  the  Pennsyl- 
vania R.  R.  system  for  all  points  East  and 
South.  At  Buffalo  twelve  acres  of  dock  prop- 
erty are  owned,  on  which  are  erected  a  grain 
elevator  and  large  merchandise  warehouses, 
connecting  with  all  railroads  centering  in  Buf- 


falo. At  Chicago  the  Companv's  docks  and 
warehouses  constitute  the  most  permanent, 
extensive  and  advantageously  located  terminal 
of  anv  of  the  organized  lake  lines  at  that  port. 
At  Milwaukee  and  Duluth,  also,  valuable  ter- 
minal facilities  are  possessed  through  lease  or 
otherwise.  The  lamented  John  J.  Wadsworth 
was  the  agent  of  the  line  at  Erie  for  many 
years  before  his  death.  He  has  been  succeeded 
by  Charles  W.  Payne.  The  general  manager 
of  the  "Anchor  Line"  is  John  E.  Payne,  a 
former  citizen  of  Erie,  whose  headquarters 
are  in  Philadelphia. 

ERIE    AND    PITTSBURG    AND    CARNEGIE   DOCKS. 

The  Pittsburg  dock  Xo.  1,  extending  far 
out  into  the  bay  from  the  mouth  of  Cascade 
run,  and  No.  2,  facing  the  bay,  one  mile  west 
of  the  Public  dock,  at  the  foot  of  State  street, 
and  extending  westward,  were  completed  at 
the  time  of  the  opening  of  the  Erie  and  Pitts- 
burg R.  R.,  in  1865.  Although  a  small  quan- 
tity of  iron  ore  was  received  the  same  season, 
the  shipping  of  bituminous  coal  was  the  prin- 
cipal business.  The  Lake  Superior  iron  ore 
trade  increased  so  rapidly  that  it  became 
necessary  to  use  the  entire  dock  for  that  pur- 
pose and  build  a  new  coal  dock  a  few  rods  to 
the  westward,  which  was  completed  in  1867. 
In  1868  the  docks  were  connected  with  Reed's 
dock  bv'  a  railroad  track  built  along  the  foot 
of  the  bluff,  protected  on  the  bay  side  by  a 
wall  of  timbers  nearly  a  mile  in  length,  which 
was  eventually  extended  so  as  to  make  a  con- 
nection with  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R. 
Since  that  time  the  docks  and  trestle  work 
have  been  greatly  extended,  all  the  latest  im- 
provements for  handling  coal  and  iron  ore 
added,  and  dredging  done  to  an  extent  that 
enables  the  largest  vessels  on  the  lakes  to  lay 
alongside.  The  Carnegie  companv-  operates 
three  wharves,  which  handle  vast  cjuantities 
of  iron  ore  brought  down  the  lakes  in  ore 
carriers  and  vvhalebacks,  to  be  shipped  over 
the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.  to  the  furnaces 
and  manufacturers  of  Pittsburg  and  the  -She- 
nango  valley.  The  bituminous  coal  industry  is 
represented  by  the  W.  L.  Scott  Coal  Company 
and  the  Panhandle  Coal  Company.  During 
the  great  coal  famine  of  1894  Erie  was  about 
the  only  station  on  the  lakes  where  steamers 
could  get  fuel.  The  W.  L.  Scott  Company 
was  established  bv  the  wonderful  abilitv  and 
energy  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  it  bears. 


42J 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


and  is  perhaps  the   largest  shipper  of  coal  on 
the   lakes. 

The  Watson  dock  was  built  by  the  Erie 
Blast  Furnace  Company,  some  time  in  the 
sixties,  and  leased  in  1894  by  the  H.  F.  Wat- 
son Co.,  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the 
shipments  to  and  from  their  extensive  paper 
mills.  They  have  been  succeeded  by  the 
Erie  Dock  and  Transportation  Company,  an 
outgrowth  of  the  Watson  enterprise. 

OTHER   FEATURES. 

Lumber  is  brought  to  the  port  in  large 
([uantities  by  schooners  and  tramp  steamers, 
for  shipment  south  and  for  local  consumption. 
This  line  of  trade  is  represented  by  Carroll 
Brothers,  Bauschard  Brothers,  Lyman  Fel- 
heim,  David  Schlosser  and  others. 

The  Erie  Dock  and  Transportation  Com- 
pany have  gone  into  the  carrying  trade  be- 
tween Erie  and  New  York  to  a  considerable 
extent.  They  own  a  steamer  and  a  number  of 
barges.  The  barges  convey  coal  to  New 
York,  via  the  Erie  canal  and  the  Hudson 
river,  and  return  with  paper  stock,  etc., 
mainl)-  for  use  at  the  Watson  mill. 

In  addition  to  the  above  industries,  the 
trade  in  lime  rock  with  Kelley's  Island,  by 
Messrs.  Spooner  &  Rea,  and  the  extensive 
importations  of  vegetables,  fish  and  farm  pro- 
ducts from  Canada,  should  not  be  omitted. 

BUSINESS  OF  THE   PORT. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  report 
submitted  by  Douglas  Benson  ,  Secretary  of 
the  Erie  Board  of  Trade,  at  its  meeting  on  the 
28th  of  ALarch,  18U5,  are  of  value  for  refer- 
ence ; 

Imports  l>v  Lake. 

1884.  1894. 

Barley,  bushels 48.650  401,562 

Corn,  bushels 1,263,827  2,651,484 

Oats,  bushels 19,995  5,000 

Wheat,  bushels 2,222,108  2,254,752 

Rye,  bushels 265.020  94,863 

Flax  Seed ,  bushels 137, 618  73 ,416 

Total 3,957,218        5,481,077 

Flour,  barrels 557,022        2,065,357 

Flour  to  wheat,  bushels 2,785,110      10,326,785 

Total  Grain,  bushels 6,742,328      17,807,862 

Lumber,  feet   14,301,332        9,642,127 

Pig   iron,  tons 10.408  747 

Iron  ore,  tons 116,027  643,628 


Copper,  pounds 11,956,575  28,467,305 

Merchandise,  pounds 39,393,702  169,584,535 

Limestone,  cords 850  200 

Stone,  cords 800 

Plaster,  tons 14,728 

Pig^  leads,  pounds 22,476,920 

Lath,  pieces 3,863,100  309,600 

Shing-Ies,  bundles 16,000     

R.  R.  Ties 12,118 

Telegraph  Poles .  370 

Exports  by  Lake. 

1884.  1894. 

Coal,  tons 193,969  689,043 

Pig-  iron,  tons 3,012     

Merchandise,  pounds 120,191,120  76,630,127 

Vessels  entered  and  cleared              1,283  2,683 

Tonnage  on  same 1,083,507  3,069,737 

Of  the  coal  exported  in   1894,  424,000  tons 
were  anthiacite  and  2(55,037  bituminous. 

Coal  .S/iipmciits. 

The  shipments  of  coal  by  lake  were  as  fol- 
lows in  the  vears  named  : 

\V,.\R.  TONS. 

1874 217,500 

1875 174.672 

1876 233,012 

1877 232,326 

1878 224,653 

1879 271,035 

1880 200,298 

1881 207,702 

1882 279,155 

1883 204,755 

1884 193,969 

1885 188,860 

1886 235,255 

1887 230,845 

1888 405,248 

1889 410,403 

1890 515.609 

1891 586,990 

1892 567,347 

1893 620,859 

1894 689,043 

Grail!  Receipts —  W'liere  Prom. 

The  grain  received  in   1894  was  from  the 
following  ports  : 

BUSHELS. 

Chicago 4,135,087 

Milwaukee 364,778 

Duluth 155,968 

Washburn 169,326 

Canada  Ports 280,026 

Detroit 109,875 

Toledo 266,017 

Total  Bushels 5,481,077 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


423 


THE   FISHING  INDUSTRY. 

Fishing,  as  a  commercial  pursuit,  has  al- 
ways been  large  at  this  point,  and  at  the 
present  time  probably  excels  any  other  port 
on  Lake  Erie.  It  is  almost  entirely  controlled 
by  the  following  firms:  Erie  Fish  Associa- 
tion (Limited),  Sandusky  Fish  Company, 
Toledo  Fish  Company,  and  W.  G.  Rainey  & 
Co.,  all  well  equipped  with  outfits  for  the  busi- 
ness. The  Erie  Fish  Association  is  the  most 
complete  and  perfect  establishment  of  any  like 
concern  on  the  lakes,  and  the  quantity  of  fish 
handled  each  da}'  by  this  concern  is  accom- 
plished with  so  much  ease  and  celerity  that  to 
a  looker-on  it  would  appear  that  but  little  was 
being  done,  when,  on  the  contrary,  an  enor- 
mous amount  of  work  is  being  performed  in 
all  of  its  different  departments. 

In  a  paper  prepared  by  Capt.  John  Flee- 
harty  in  March,  189H,  for  the  Pennsylvania 
Fish  Commissioners,  for  circulation  during  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago, 
the  catch  of  the  different  varieties  of  fish 
taken  at  Erie  was  computed  for  the  season  of 
1892  at  12,786,579  pounds,  this  having  been 
the  first  time  that  accurate  statistics  had  been 
made  up.  "  The  increase  for  1894  was  about 
1,000,(XX)  pounds.  At  that  date  the  amount 
of  capital  invested  was  $200,000,  which  has 
been  increased.  The  number  of  men  em- 
ployed was  500,  with  twenty-eight  steam  fish 
boats,  fourteen  sail  fish  boats,  forty  pound 
nets,  boats,  gear,  etc.  It  is  not  unusual  that  \ 
fift}-  tons  of  fish  represent  a  day's  catch,  and 
it  frequently  goes  beyond  that  amount.  In 
fact,  to  those  who  are  unacquainted  with  the 
immensity  of  the  industry,  the  details  are 
astonishing. 

"  Prior  to  l<s80  all  fish  were  taken  with 
hook  and  line.  David  Fowzier  was  the  first 
to  resort  to  seine  fishing.  About  this  time 
Thomas  Horton,  William  Buckingham  and 
Abraham  Huntsbarger  began  drawing  the 
seine. 

"  The  first  white  fish  taken  in  Lake  Erie 
was  in  1852  at  Dunkirk,  X.  Y.,  by  Capt. 
Nash,  ^vho  came  from  Mackinac  with  two 
fish  boats  and  a  complete  outfit  as  an  experi- 
ment. The  taking  of  these  fish  created  con- 
siderable excitement  and  gave  great  impetus 
to  the  fishingindustry.  Sturgeon,  prior  to  1854, 
were  considered  useless,  and  when  caught  were 
taken  to  the  Peninsula  and  buried.  Thousands 


of  them  have  been  wasted  there.  Now, 
smoked  sturgeon  is  thought  to  be  full)'  equal 
to  smoked  halibut.  The  roe  is  very  fine, 
making  an  excellent  •  caviare."  Lake  trout 
weighing  sixty-five  pounds  are  not  uncom- 
mon, but  the  largest  ever  caught  in  this  vicin- 
ity weighed  seventy-five  pounds.  The  larg- 
est white  fish  ever  taken  at  Erie,  as  far  as 
known,  was  twentj'-one  andone-half  pounds.'" 

A   Fisherman  s  Paradise. 

"  Presque  Isle  Bay  and  vicinity  abound  in 
all  varieties  of  small  fish.  Perch  are  found  in 
abundance,  are  fine  to  the  taste,  and  aflbrd 
rare  sport  to  those  who  seek  them.  Grass 
pike  are  found  in  the  ponds  of  the  Peninsula, 
as  well  as  in  the  bay  in  large  numbers.  Her- 
ring are  here  in  abundance,  and  during  the 
winter  season  furnish  food  for  a  large  number 
of  families.  Perch  and  herring  are  caught 
in  great  numbers  through  the  ice,  when  the 
bay  and  lake  are  frozen  over,  and  almost  any 
day  during  the  winter  season  hundreds  of 
persons  may  be  seen  fishing  for  them.  It  has 
been  estimated  that  during  the  winter  of 
1S94-5.  for  over  sixty  days,  there  were  caught 
through  the  ice  on  the  bay  over  1,2C)0  pounds 
of  perch,  each  day,  without  mentioning  the 
amount  of  herring  taken,  which  would  prob- 
ably be  half  as  much  as  the  perch." 

"  Black  bass,  rock  bass,  muscalonge  and 
sunfish  are  not  as  plentiful  as  they  once  were, 
owing  to  the-number  of  seines  drawn  in  the 
bay  of  recent  years  by  fish  pirates,  but,  with 
the  efforts  that  are  making  to  enforce  the  fish 
laws,  it  is  believed  they  will,  in  a  few  years, 
be  as  numerous  as  ever.  Muscalonge  have 
been  caught  here  weighing  sixtj'two  pounds, 
and  six-pound  bass  have  unquestionably  been 
caught  in  the  bay,  but  a  four-pound  bass  will 
give  a  sportsman  all  the  sport  he  desires,  if  he 
knows  how  to  handle  his  fish,  and  fish  of  that 
size  are  common  here." 

The  following  additional  information  is 
gleaned  from  a  very  readable  article  in  the 
Herald  "  Souvenir  of  Erie,"  published  in 
1888: 

Gill-Net  Fishing. 

"  In  1854  the  gill-net  fishing  business  was 
in  its  infancy.  A  fisherman  named  Hitch- 
cock came  from  the  '  Islands  '  at  the  west  end 
of  Lake  Erie  and  set  a  few  nets,  making  good 
hauls.     The  news  of  his  success  was  heralded 


4-4 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPmCAL  DICriONARY 


far  and  wide.  Soon  afterward  Richard  P. 
Hurke  and  Mr.  Terry  embarked  in  the  busi- 
ness, followed  by  Daniel  Weeks,  Jolin  Dash, 
sr.,  and  his  two  sons,  Adam  and  John  Dash, 
jr.,  Larimer  &  Newton,  Clark  Jones  and  oth- 
ers. Heavy  hauls  of  white  tish  and  salmon- 
trout  were  often  made.  Frequently  the 
boats  brought  in  from  ten  to  fortj-  of  the  lat- 
ter at  a  'catch,'  averaging  fifteen  pounds 
apiece. 

"  Owing  to  meager  shipping  facilities 
there  was  not  much  demand  for  fresh  white 
fish,  which  could  be  purchased  from  the  boats 
at  one  cent  per  pound.  The  surplus  was 
salted  for  shipment.  After  railroads  to  the 
interior  were  built,  a  larger  market  was 
opened,  but  the  supply  was  generally  greater 
than  the  demand  until  the  freezing  process 
was  adopted. 

"The  firm  of  StanclifT  &  Larimer,  dealers 
in  salt  fish,  who  had  a  provision  store  on 
French  street,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth,  were 
also  engaged  in  the  gill-net  fishing  business 
in  LS54. 

Poinid-\et    Fishi/io-. 

"In  1872  Post  &  Durfee,  of  Fairport,  Ohio., 
set  the  first  pound-nets  off"  the  port  of  Erie  for 
the  purpose  of  catching  sturgeon.  Immense 
hauls  were  made,  several  tons  being  brought 
in  daily.  The  roe  was  removed,  salted,  and 
sent  to  Germany,  where  it  was  prepared  as  an 
article  of  food  called  '  caviar,'  regarded  -by 
epicures  as  a  great  delicacy.  After  the  roe 
was  removed  the  dead  sturgeon,  weighing 
from  sixty  to  100  pounds  each,  were  taken  out 
on  the  lake  and  thrown  overboard.  Of  late 
years  no  more  sturgeon  are  wasted,  the  de- 
mand being  greater  than  the  supply.  They 
are  salted  and  smoked,  finding  a  ready  market, 
often  being  sold  for  halibut. 

"Post  &  Durfee  were  followed  in  the  pound- 
net  fishing  business  successively  by  Heidt  & 
Wendall,  Slocum  cS:  Stuntz,  and  Slocum  & 
Meyers.  As  immense  quantities  of  game  and 
other  fish  were  caught  in  the  pound-nets,  over- 
stocking the  markets,  the  business  met  with 
persistent  and  determined  opposition  by  hook- 
and-line  as  well  as  gill-net  fishermen.  The 
Game  and  Fish  Association  secured  the  pass- 
age of  an  act  by  the  Legislature  prohibiting 
pound-net  fishing  in  the  waters  of  Penn.syl- 
vania,  and  no  nets  of  this  description  were  set 
for  eight  or  nine   years,  until  Captain  M.  E. 


Dunlap  engaged  in  tlie  business  in  1883.  He 
was  prosecuted  for  violating  the  fish  law,  atul 
a  running  legal  fight  of  three  years'  duration 
was  the  result,  culminating  in  a  \  ictory  for  the 
Captain. 

"  The  catch  for  April,  May,  Xovember  and 
December  comprises  principally  blue-pike, 
herring  and  perch,  with  a  few  white  fish  ;  the 
latter  being  caught  almost  exclusively  from 
June  to  October." 

Introdiictio)!  of  Steam  Fhhiiig  Boats. 

"Although  several  steam  fish-boats  were  in 
the  business,  none  were  owned  at  this  port 
until  1SS2,  when  Captain  M.  Maher  built 
and  launched  the  steamer  Frank  Mattison. 
Gill-net  fishing  before  the  advent  of  steamers 
was  an  extremely  hazardous  business.  The 
fishing  grounds  extend  all  the  way  from  a 
half-mile  off  shore  to  a  distance  of  ten  or  fif- 
teen miles  out.  As  the  fish  run  in  "  schools  " 
the  nets  are  placed  in  different  localities,  with 
varying  success  uniil  a  school  is  "  struck,"  when 
big  hauls  are  made.  Ever}'  boat  has  a  range 
of  its  own,  which  by  common  consent  must  not 
be   trespassed  on  by  other  boats. 

"  A  complete  history  of  the  fishing  indus- 
try at  the  port  of  Erie  would  chronicle  a  long 
list  of  disasters  and  an  appalling  loss  of  life. 
Sunday,  September  17.  187(5,  five  well-known 
Erie  fishermen  were  drowned  almost  within 
reach  of  help.  A  tremendous  sea  was  run- 
ning at  the  time,  and  when  less  than  half  a 
mile  from  the  harbor  entrance  the  boats 
swamped,  while  hundreds  of  horror-stricken 
citizens  stood  on  the  shore  unable  to  render 
any  assistance. 

"  The  wholesale  dealers  at  Erie  generally 
make  a  contract  with  the  fishermen  for  the 
season's  catch. 

"  The  product  of  the  Erie  fisheries  com- 
mands a  ready  sale  in  all  the  cities  on  the 
Atlantic  coast,  as  well  as  in  Pittsburg,  Cincin- 
nati, Louisville,  St  Louis  and  other  markets 
in  the  southern  and  western   states.'" 

Local  Amateurs. 

"  Erie  has  had  and  still  possesses  inany 
enthusiastic  anglers,  who  seldom  went  out 
without  returning  with  good  strings.  Among 
them  may  be  mentioned  the  following  :  Rev. 
Wm.  Flint,  Dr.  H.  A.  Spencer,  John  Ban- 
yard,  Tom  Crowley,  Wm.  L.  Scott,  Tim 
Lynch,  Alfred   King,   John    P.    Vincent,    J. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


425 


Ross  Thompson,  Jake  Graham,  John  C.  Hil- 
ton, J.  H.  McCracken,  Sam  Woods,  Frank 
Grant,  John  Dodge  and  Fred.  Knobloch. 
All  of  the  resident  fishermen  have  favorite 
spots  for  fishing,  the  secret  of  which  they 
guard  jealously.'' 

Pleasure   Boats. 

The  bay  is  a  great  resort  for  pleasure  seek- 
ers, and  there  are  few  points  where  so  many 
sail  and  row  boats  are  owned  hy  private 
parties  or  kept  for  hire.  On  a  pleasant  day 
in  the  summer  the  water  is  fairly  covered 
with  these  boats,  and  the  enjoyment  of  a  sail 
or  a  row  on  the  bay  is  only  equalled  by  its 
cheapness  and  healthfulness. 


The  Erie  Yacht  Club,  which  was  organ- 
ized in  the  fall  of  1894,  and  has  built  a  roomy 
and  handsome  club  house  near  the  water 
works,  \vhich  %vas  formallj-  opened  July  18, 
1895,  promises  to  still  further  popularize  the 
pastime  of  sailing.  Its  members  own  some  of 
the  fastest  and  staunchest  boats  on  the  lakes. 
The  club  took  part  in  the  yacht  races  at  Put- 
in-Bay in  the  early  part  of  August,  1895. 

(For  a  list  of  the  Collectors  and  Deputy 
Collectors  of  the  port,  an  account  of  the  light 
houses,  life  saving  service,  and  weather  and 
signal  stations,  with  a  list  of  the  parties  in 
charge  thereof,  and  other  matter  relating  to 
the  bay,  harbor  and  peninsula,  see  General 
History  of  Erie  county). 


CHAPTER    VI. 


Public  Pi.e.\sure  Resort.s — The  Parks,  The  Head,  Tracy  Point,  The  Cedars,  Grove 

House,  Fair  Grounds.  Etc. 


WITHIN  the  city  limits  are  two 
squares,  designed  in  the  original 
plan  of  Erie  for  public  parks — one 
at  the  intersection  of  State  and 
Sixth  streets,  the  other  at  the  junc- 
tion of  Sixth  and  Liberty.  The  first,  by  city 
ordinance,  has  been  given  the  name  of  Cen- 
tral Park,  and  the  second  that  of  Cascade 
Park.  With  the  exception  of  some  grading 
and  the  setting  out  of  a  number  of  trees  in  1890, 
the  latter  remains  unimproved.  In  addition  to 
these,  there  is  Lakeside  Park,  on  the  bay 
front,  between  Holland  and  Sassafras  streets, 
and  the  park  surrounding  the  water  works,  at 
the  foot  of  Chestnut  street.  Work  on  Lake- 
side Park,  which  is  handsomely  laid  out  and 
quite  attractive,  was  commenced  in  1890, 
under  the  direction  of  City  Councils.  Char- 
les H.  Xunn  has  been  its  keeper  froin  the 
start.  The  improvement  of  the  grounds  at 
the  water  works  was  begun  by  the  Commis- 
sioners in  office  in  1888,  and  the  plan  then 
adopted  has  been  carried  out  in  a  creditable 
manner  by  their  successors. 


central  park. 

Up  to  the  year  1808  the  ground  embraced 
in  Central  Park  was  covered  with  forest  trees, 
as  the  site  of  nearly  the  entire  cit}'  was  origi- 
nally. A  deep  ravine  ran  across  the  park, 
from  the  city  hall  to  the  old  Brown's  Hotel  or 
Ellsworth  House,  and  continued  from  there  to 
the  bay,  on  a  line  slightly  east  of  State  street. 
This  ravine  can  yet  be  seen  at  Second  and 
Third  streets.  People  passed  from  one  side 
of  the  town  to  the  other  by  going  into  the 
ravine  and  crossing  a  foot  bridge  that  spanned 
the  stream  which  ran  down  to  the  bay.  It 
was  gradually  filled  up  with  the  growth  of 
the  town,  and  the  old  court  house  was  built 
over  it,  ^vhere  the  west  park  intersects  State 
street,  opposite  the  Exchange  building.  By 
one  of  those  strange  freaks  that  affect  the 
human  mind,  it  was  decided  in  1808,  to  cut 
down  the  forest  gro%vth,  and  the  park  was 
cleared  of  trees  at  an  expense  to  the  town  of 
$42.  The  park  remained  bare  until  1846, 
when  it  was  resolved  at  a   public  meeting  to 


426 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


replant  it  with  trees.  B.  B.  Vincent,  Elijah 
Babbitt,  W.  C.  Lester  and  Clark  McSparren 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  co-operate 
with  the  town  authorities.  The  project  was 
carried  out,  and  June  2d  of  that  jear  a  meet- 
ing of  congratulation  over  the  event  was  held 
in  front  of  the  Reed  House.  The  square  had 
been  previously  known  as  the  "  Diamond," 
but  at  this  meeting  it  was  proposed  to  call  it 
"  Perry  Square,"  in  honor  of  the  victor  of 
Lake  Erie.  It  was  also  suggested  to  erect  a 
monument  to  Commodore  Perrv,  but  this  and 
all  other  efforts  in  that  direction  came  to 
naught. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  parks  were  sur- 
rounded by  a  fence,  which  \vas  removed  in 
1881.  The  walks  were  covered  with  asphaltum 
in  1881  and  1882. 

MONUMENT    AND    FOUNT.MNS. 

In  the  west  park  and  facing  State  street, 
is  the  monument  erected  "  In  memory  of  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  from  Erie  county  who  gave 
their  lives  to  save  the  L'nion.'"  The  bronze 
group  consists  of  a  soldier  and  sailor,  standing 
side  by  side,  mutually  supporting  the  National 
flag,  which  hangs  in  graceful  folds  between 
them,  the  foot  of  the  staff  resting  upon  the 
ground,  the  right  hand  of  the  soldier  grasping 
it,  while  his  left  is  holding  his  rifle  en  trailc. 
The  sailor  has  his  left  foot  upon  a  coil  of  rope  ; 
his  right  hand  is  on  the  pommel  of  his  sword, 
the  point  of  which  is  placed  upon  the  ground, 
while  his  left  hand  carelessly  rests  upon  the 
right.  The  scene  represents  the  mutual  rela- 
tion of  these  forces  in  sustaining  the  one  flag. 
This  group  occupies  a  granite  pedestal,  eight 
feet  square  by  twelve  feet  high,  from  the  no- 
ted works  at  Hallowell,  Me.  The  statuary 
was  executed  by  the  Ames  Companv,  of  Chi- 
copee,  Mass.,  after  a  design  by  Martin  Mil- 
more,  of  Boston.  On  the  west  side  of  the 
pedestal  is  inscribed  the  memorable  quotation 
from  Lincoln's  speech  at  Gettysburg:  "  We 
here  highly  resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not 
have  died  in  vain  ;  that  this  nation,  under  God, 
shall  have  a  new  birth  of  freedom  ;  and  that 
the  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people, 
and  for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  froin  the 
earth.'"  The  monument  was  erected  in  1872, 
at  a  cost  of  about  110,500,  mainly  collected  by 
the  persistent  efforts  of  Miss  Helen  Ball,  Miss 
Sarah  Reed  and   Mrs.  Isaac   Moorhead.     The 


foundation,  which  cost  !i>500,  was  contributed 
by  the  city. 

Immediately  south  of  the  monument  is  a 
handsome  drinking  fountain,  presented  to  the 
city  in  1883  by  Gearge  D.  Selden.  The  or- 
namental fountains; — one  in  the  center  of  each 
park — were  erected  in  18(58.  They  cost  .tS,- 
287.18.  exclusive  of  the  water  connections, 
which  were  supplied  by  the  water  department, 
free  of  charge  against  the  city.  The  drinking 
fountain  in  the  west  park  was  placed  there  in 
1894  by  the  Water  Commissioners. 

Thirty  to  fortj'  years  ago  the  vicinity  of 
the  parks  was  the  business  center  of  Erie,  and 
the  stores  on  North  anil  South  Park  Rows  and 
along  "  Cheapsidc,"  as  the  blocks  on  the 
French  street  side  _  were  known,  were  the 
largest  and  finest  in  the  city,  with  perhaps  a 
few  exceptions. 

The  keepers  of  the  parks  have  been,  in  the 
order  named,  Cornelius  O'Hearn,  Michael  Ti- 
mon,  Michael  Gallagher,  Stephen  Gallagher 
and  Patrick  Donahue. 

THE  HEAD,  (IK   MASSASSAUGA   POINT. 

This,  for  half  a  century,  the  favorite  resort 
of  the  people  of  Erie,  is  located,  as  the  name 
indicates,  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  where  the 
peninsula  connects  with  the  main  land,  about 
four  miles  west  of  the  city,  in  Mill  Creek 
township.  It  is  claimed  by  some  of  the  old 
residents  that  the  bay  does  not  extend  as  far 
west  as  when  the  town  was  laid  out,  the  pen- 
insula at  the  neck  having  gradually  receded 
toward  the  east.  They  allege  that  a  narrow 
sand  beach  commenced  at  the  mouth  of  the 
run  one  mile  above  "  The  Head,"  and  ex- 
tended down  the  lake  a  similar  distance,  from 
which  the  peninsula  jutted  out.  Much  higher 
up  than  is  now  enclosed  by  the  sand  beach  was 
a  long,  narrow  pond,  entirely  cut  off  from  the 
lake,  into  which  scows  frequently  ran  from 
the  bay,  as  late  as  1840,  to  gather  wood  for 
steamboats. 

In  1796,  some  twenty  or  thirty  Indian 
families  resided  at  the  head  of  the  bay.  The 
beach  was  larger  then  than  it  is  to-day,  and  a 
heavy  forest  covered  the  low  land  nearest  the 
shore.  The  Indians  had  corn-fields  southwest 
on  the  farms  owned  by  J.  C.  Marshall  and 
the  estate  of  E.  J.  Kelso.  This  was  the  last 
Indian  village  in  Erie  county.  The  Indians 
gradually  disappeared,  and  after  their  depart- 
ure the  site  was  occupied  for  awhile  by  a  half- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


427 


breed  negro  named  McKinney,  who  lived  by 
fishing.  The  Indians  were  of  the  Massassauga 
tribe,  from  which  comes  the  title,  Massassauga 
Point. 

It  is  due  to  the  truth  of  iiistory  to  add  that 
some  of  the  original  settlers  claimed  that  the 
Indians  were  not  Massassaugas,  and  that  the 
name  sprang  from  a  species  of  rattlesnake 
known  as  the  Massassaugas — short,  thick 
reptiles  that  were  numerous  when  Captain 
Bissell  erected  the  forts  in  1795— '96. 

"The  Head"  was  first  taken  up  under  the 
laws  of  the  State,  in  18CK),  by  Eiiphalet  Beebe, 
a  ship  carpenter,  who  looked  upon  the  site  as 
an  available  one  for  a  ship-yard.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  )'ear£,  it  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Thomas  Laird,  who  died  in  April,  1838,  and 
by  whose  heirs  it  was  held  until  its  pur- 
cha.se  by  William  L.  Scott  at  Sheriff's  sale. 

The  first  hotel  at  "  The  Head,"  a  small 
frame  structure,  was  built  by  Wilson  Laird,  a 
son  of  the  original  owner,  in  1874.  After 
Mr.  Scott  obtained  possession  of  the  property 
he  made  extensive  improvements.  A  large 
hotel  was  erected  in  1879,  a  better  roadway 
built,  the  wharf  extended,  the  grounds  graded 
and  beautified,  and  a  gas  well  put  down  that 
proved  to  be  one  of  the  best  in  Erie  county. 
The  hotel  burned  December  1,  1882,  while 
under  the  charge  of  Wm.  B.  Graham.  It  was 
replaced  in  1885  by  the  present  structure, 
which  has  been  recently  overhauled  and  made 
more  attractive.  There  is  a  large  dancing 
hall  on  the  grounds,  with  other  opportunities 
for  enjoyment,  and  the  place  is  pronounced  by 
all  strangers  who  visit  it,  one  of  the  choicest 
summer  resorts  in  the  country.  The  motor 
cars  from  the  city  run  almost  to  the  door  of 
the  hotel,  and  the  drive  to  "  The  Head"  is 
over  a  broad,  level  road,  lined  with  an  almost 
continuous  double  row  of  trees,  and  past  a 
series  of  farms  that  have  few  superiors. 

In  1832,  a  bed  of  bog  iron  ore  was  discov- 
ered on  the  south  line  of  the  Laird  farm,  which 
was  used  at  the  blast  furnace  of  Vincent,  Him- 
rod  &  Co.  for  several  years.  A  furnace  at  Con- 
neaut,  Ohio,  fell  short  of  ore  about  this  time 
and  sent  an  agent  to  quarry  the  ore  and  ship 
it  at  "  The  Head."  The  scow  schooners  Jack 
Downing  and  Olive  Branch  ran  in  tiie  iron-ore 
trade  for  three  seasons,  or  until  the  suppl)' be- 
came exhausted.  The  road  from  the  Lake 
road  to  the  shore  of  the  bay,  which  ran 
through  the  woods  and  down  the  side   of  the 


bank,  was  laid  out  for  the  purpose  of  haiding 
the  ore  to  the  vessels.  The  Jack  Downing 
wintered  in  1834-35  about  fifty  rods  above 
where  the  Massassauga  Hotel  was  built,  and 
there  tied  up  to  a  sycamore  tree,  where  now 
the  sand  and  sediment  render  the  approach  of 
a  vessel  impossible. 

TRACY    POINT. 

The  locality  now  known  as  Tracy  Point, 
long  went  by  the  name  of  the  "  Lone  Fisher- 
man's Inn."  As  originally  started,  it  con- 
sisted of  a  cheap  frame  building  on  the  Tracy 
farm,  at  the  mouth  of  a  pictures(]ue  glen, 
down  which  tumbled  a  sparkling  little  stream 
of  water.  The  only  way  to  reach  it  was  by 
boat  or  by  a  path  through  the  woods  or  along 
the  sand  beach  from  the  Head.  In  1870,  or 
thereabouts,  "  Jake"  Graham,  a  hotel  man  of 
long  experience  and  a  favorite  with  the  sport- 
ing fraternity,  secured  a  long  lease  of  the 
grounds  and  built  a  shanty  in  the  then  almost 
inaccessible  ravine,  appropriately  naming  the 
place  "  Lone  Fisherman's  Inn."  The  resort 
became  popular  from  its  inception,  and  was 
constantly  crowded  with  guests,  who  enjoyed 
fishing  and  shooting,  or  were  fond  of  a  "fish 
supper,"  for  which  the  "Inn"  soon  became 
famous.  Mr.  Graham  served  as  "mine  host" 
until  1875,  when  he  sold  out  his  interest  to 
Louis  Schumacher,  who  at  once  commenced 
the  improvement  of  the  premises.  Among 
other  work,  he  caused  a  carriage  road,  of  easy 
grade,  to  be  made  from  the  Lake  road 
to  the  mouth  of  the  ravine,  affording  a 
safe  "  overland  route ''  to  the  place  in 
inclement  weather.  Owing  to  impaired 
health,  he  disposed  of  the  premises  to  John 
Schaffer,  who  continued  some  time.  The 
buildings  were  destroyed  bv  lire  in  January, 
1892.  During  the  winteV  of  1892-3,  Mr. 
Trac}',  owner  of  the  property,  erected  a  fane 
new  hotel,  strengthened  the  wharf,  and  added 
other  improvements  which  better  adapted  the 
place  for  the  use  of  the  general  public.  The 
property  was  run  from  the  spring  of  1893  by 
Max  Raedisch,  as  lessee  under  ^Ir.  Tracy,  un- 
til April  1,  1895,  when  the  latter  gentleman 
leased  it  to  the  Sommerheim  Association,  a 
German  social  club,  which  now  conducts  it 
as  a  private  resort  for  the  families  tiiereof  and 
their  friends.  It  was  opened  by  the  associa- 
tion on  June  5,  1895. 

The    Sommerheim    was    organized    in  the 


428 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


fall  of  189-1,  and  has  the  following  oflicers  : 
President,  F.  Brevilier;  Vice  President,  P. 
Henrichs ;  Secretary,  P.  A.  Meyer;  Treas- 
urer, E.  C.  Siegel ;  Board  of  Governors,  F. 
Brevilier,  Chas.  S.  Marks,  Wm.  Reifel,E.  C. 
Siegel,  Wm.  B.  Flickiiiger,  P.  A.  Meyer, 
P.  Henrichs. 

GLEN  WOOD    PARK. 

In  l!S'.)l  an  organization  was  effected  for  tiic 
])urpose  of  buying  a  tract  of  land  which  would 
enable  a  park  to  be  established  on  a  more  ex- 
tensive scale  than  had  yet  been  undertaken. 
The  active  men  in  the  movement  were  W.  II. 
Nicholson,  F.  F.  Adams  and  J.  F.  Downing. 
These  gentlemen  secured  subscriptions  for  the 
purpose  to  the  amount  of  |27,000.  With  this 
sum  in  hand,  a  body  of  land  was  purchased  in 
Mill  Creek  township,  just  south  of  tiie  city 
limits,  embracing  about  105  acres.  The  tract 
includes  the  Evans  place  and  portions  of  the 
John  Eliot  and  H.  C.  Shannon  farms.  Prob- 
ably no  better  site  for  a  park  could  be  chosen, 
being  convenient  of  access,  and  combining 
every  variety  of  stream,  cascade,  hill,  ravine  and 
meadow  that  is  essential  for  the  purpose.  The 
Peacii  street  motor  line  runs  part  way  to  the 
park  and  will  undoubtedly  be  extended  as  the 
public  demand  warrants.  Considerable  im- 
provement has  been  made  on  the  park,  and  it 
is  already  a  favorite  resort.  It  is  understood 
to  be  the  object  of  the  organization,  as  soon  as 
their  plans  are  completed,  to  present  the  tract 
to  the  city,  on  condition  that  it  shall  lay  out 
the  grounds  as  a  public  park  and  maintain  it 
properly. 

THE   GROVE    HOUSE. 

The  Grove  House  property,  at  the  mouth 
of  Four-Mile  creek,  embracing  thirteen  acres 
of  the  Crowley  farm,  was  purchased  early  in 
the  spring  of  1887  by  J.  J.  Lang  and  C.  Rabe, 
with  the  object  of  building  up  a  new  summer 
resort.  The  place  contained  a  large  apple  or- 
chard, planted  by  Mr.  Crowley  in  1820.  The 
shade  afforded  by  the  orchard,  the  fine  outlook 
and  the  excellent  fishing  grounds  off  the  mouth 
of  the  creek,  had  long  made  the  site  a  resort  for 
picnic  and  camping  parties.  After  the  pur- 
chase by  Messrs.  Lang  and  Rabe,  a  force  of 
workmen  was  employed  and  a  broad  avenue 
was  graded  from  the  Lake  road,  along  the  east 
bank  of  the  creek,  to  the  lake  ;  a  pier  w'as  built 
from  the  shore  northward  into  deep  water,  and 


the  bank  was  cut  down  so  as  to  alTord  access 
for  visitors  by  boat.  A  dancing  hall  and  a  re- 
freshment hall  were  built,  and  the  place  was 
opened  to  the  public  in  June,  1887.  The  pat- 
ronage given  encouraged  the  building  of  a 
large  hotel  in  the  winter  of  1887-8,  which  has 
since  been  in  successful  operation.  The  pres- 
ent manager  is  A.  P.  Lang,  who  has  made  a 
number  of  additions  to  the  premises. 

THE  CEDAIIS. 

The  resort  known  as  The  Cedars,  on  the 
bluff  overlooking  the  sandbcach,  in  the  north- 
eastern portion  of  the  city,  has  been  a  ])ublic 
pleasure  ground  for  manj^  j-ears.  The  prop- 
erty was  bouglit  of  the  Kelso  estate  about 
1880  by  William  Newman,  who  built  the 
house  which  is  still  occupied,  and  lived  in  it 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  gave  it  the 
name  of  the  Cedars,  from  the  large  number 
of  trees  of  that  species  that  grew  on  the  prem- 
ises. The  fine  shade  and  the  beautiful  pros- 
pect made  it  a  popular  picnic  place,  and  Mr. 
Newman  encouraged  its  use  for  that  purpose. 
The  property  was  bought  b}'  Rev.  J.  H. 
Whallon,  in  connection  with  his  outside  dock 
scheme,  some  time  in  the  sixties,  and  through 
him  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  Wm.  L.  Scott  and 
Joseph  McCarter,  in  whom  the  title  still  re- 
mains. Mr.  McCarter  owns  three-fifths  and 
the  Scott  estate  two  fifths  of  the  premises. 
The  resort  has  been  managed  for  some  vears 
by  Joseph  Hcrrman. 

COCHUAn's  GROVE, 

Once  a  great  picnic  place,  adjoins  the  city 
reservoir  on  the  south.  It  was  part  of  the 
John  Cochran  farm,  and  has  been  owned  by 
members  of  the  family  for  nearly  a  century'. 
The  grove  once  contained  a  large  number  of 
very  fine  trees,  but  many  of  them  have  disap- 
peared. It  is  often  used  for  church  and 
societv  picnics. 

THE  MAPLES, 

Is  the  pretty  name  of  a  new  summer  resort  for 
the  public  at  Twenty-sixth  and  Poplar  streets, 
on  the  premises  which  long  went  by  the  name 
of  Uncle  Sam's  Garden.  The  place  was  re- 
fitted during  the  winter  of  1894  and  spring  of 
1895,  and  opened  the  same  year,  under  the 
charge  of  S.  E.  Wilder.  The  building  stands 
in  a  splendid  maple  grove,  and  affords  a 
grand  view  of  the  city,  bay  and  lake. 


---r-      -^*a- 


af^^ 


■it:  *?* 


^f 


Vl 


^ 


izTiv\2y0 


VJ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


429 


FAIR     GROUNDS,      RACE      TRACKS      AND      BASE 
BALI.  GROUNDS. 

The  first  ground  regularly  laid  out  in  Erie 
county  for  fair  purposes  was  part  of  the  Eber- 
sole  tract,  now  owned  by  the  H.  C.  Shannon 
estate,  on  the  Buffalo  road,  a  short  distance 
west  of  Wesleyville.  The  premises  were 
fitted  up  with  a  race  track  and  a  building  for 
exhibiting  agricultural  products  in  a  small 
way.  County  fairs  were  held  there  in  1859 
and  18G0.  The  excitement  of  the  war  caused 
the  fair  to  be  postponed  in  1861,  and  none 
were  held  on  the  premises  afterward. 

On  the  organization  of  the  Erie  County 
Agricultural  Society,  in  1869,  a  large  plot  of 
high  ground  at  the  western  terminus  of 
Twelfth  street,  belonging  to  the  Reed  estate, 
was  secured  for  its  use,  and  continued  to  be 
occupied  as  long  as  county  fairs  were  kept  up. 
The  State  fair  was  held  on  the  premises  in 
1872  and  '73,  and  1877  and  '78.  Some  of  the 
best  races  ever  seen  in  Northwestern  Pennsyl- 
vania have  taken  place  on  these  grounds. 

The  fair  grounds,  last  spoken  of,  were  also 
long  used  as  a  base  ball  park,  and  have  wit- 
nessed many  interesting  matches  of  this  popu- 
lar game.  For  some  reason,  the  base  ball 
managers  changed  their  location  a  number  of 


years  ago,  and  the  scene  of  their  games  is  now 
in  an  inclosed  space  at  Ninth  and  Cascade 
streets. 

In  1893  and  '94  Charles  M.  Reed  laid  out 
a  private  race  track  on  the  Reed  farm,  lying 
north  of  the  Lake  road,  between  the  city 
and  Four-Mile  creek.  Upon  the  organization 
of  the  Erie  Fair  Association  in  January,  1895, 
Mr.  Reed  tendered  it  the  use  of  the  grounds. 
It  was  the  intention  to  hold  a  summer  meet- 
ing iri  July,  1895,  which,  however,  was  post- 
poned, and  the  place  has  not  yet  been  opened 
to  the  general  public  as  a  race  course.  The 
track  and  conveniences  are  said  to  be  unusual- 
ly good. 

PRIVATE    PLEASURE    RESORTS. 

It  being  the  object  of  this  chapter  to  de- 
scribe only  resorts  of  a  public  nature,  no  men- 
tion will  be  made  of  the  various  club  houses  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  city — which  are  referred 
to  elsewhere — nor  of  the  numerous  summer 
houses  and  camping  places  that  line  the  bank 
of  the  bay  and  lake,  both  east  and  west.  These 
are  maintained  specially  for  private  enjoy- 
ment, do  not  depend  upon  general  patronage 
for  their  support,  and,  as  a  rule,  are  carefully 
guarded  against  the  intrusion  of  the  public. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


City  Buildings — Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home — Ch.vritahle  Institutions  and  Socie- 
ties.—  [For  United  States,  County  and  State  Buildings,  not  described  below,  see  Chapter 
XI.X,  General  History.] 


THE  most  important  structure  owned  by 
the  municipality  is  the  City  Hall,  a 
large  and  handsome  building  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  Central  Park,  and 
having  a  frontage  each  on  the  Park, 
Peach  street  and  Seventh  street.  Its  dimen- 
sions are  12-1  feet  on  Peach  street,  and  it  has 
a  width  of  si.xty-four  feet.  The  building  is  of 
pressed  brick,  three  stories  high,  with  a  base- 
ment partiallv  above  ground.  The  main 
28 


tower  is  156  feet  from  the  foundation  to  the 
top,  and  the  main  building  is  eighty-eiglit  feet 
in  height  to  the  ridge  of  the  roof.  The  base- 
ment is  occupied  by  the  police  station,  the 
health  officer  and  the  street  and  sidewalk 
superintendents.  On  the  first  floor,  above  the 
basement,  are  the  offices  of  the  mayor,  city 
treasurer,  city  solicitor,  controller  and  water 
and  fire  commissioners.  On  the  second  floor 
are    the    council    chambers,    the    city    clerks' 


430 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONABT 


offices  and  tlie  engineer's  department.  The 
third  floor  contains  two  halls,  one  5Gx56,  and 
the  other  32x88  feet  in  dimensions,  and  a  num- 
ber of  committee  rooms.  Tiie  plans  of  the 
building  were  drawn  by  D.  K.  Dean,  formerly 
a  well-known  Erie  architect,  and  all,  or  nearly 
all  of  the  work  was  done  by  home  contractors 
and  mechanics.  The  cost  of  the  edifice  has 
been  in  the  neighborhood  of  .$200,000.  It  may 
be  mentioned,  in  passing,  that  the  first  and 
second  stories  are  trimmed  with  brown-stone 
from  Twinsbiirg,  O.  This  stone  is  of  superior 
(luality,  and  the  quarry  from  which  it  was  ob- 
tained has  been  exhausted. 

The  corner  stone  of  the  City  Hall  was  laid 
with  Masonic  ceremonies  on  July  81,  1884, 
during  the  administration  of  Mayor  Becker, 
with  whom  the  erection  of  a  suitable  munici- 
pal building  had  long  been  a  pet  project.  The 
upper  stories  remained  unfinished  for  a  long 
time,  until  the  crowded  and  inconvenient 
condition  of  the  lower  rooms  became  actually 
unbearable.  A  contract  for  the  completion  of 
the  second  floor  rooms  was  made  in  the  fall  of 
1894,  and  the  building  was  formally  dedicated 
to  the  public  use  on  the  22d  of  February,  1895. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  few  cities  of  the  size 
possess  a  handsomer  or  more  convenient  City 
Hall  than  Erie  docs. 

The  bell  which  hung  in  the  Court  House 
for  many  years  was  placed  in  the  tower  of  the 
City  Hall  on  September  (3,  1895.  It  was 
cast  in  1854. 

CITY    HOSPITAL. 

A  small  building  for  the  care  and  treat- 
ment of  persons  suffering  with  contagious 
diseases  was  put  up  on  the  bluff  forming  part 
of  the  Garrison  grounds  in  1870.  It  was 
placed  under  the  care  of  Dr.  E.  W.  Germer, 
who  continued  in  charge  until  he  died.  When 
the  State  decided  to  convert  the  Marine  Hos- 
pital into  a  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home,  the 
"  pest  house,"  as  it  was  generally  called,  had 
to  be  removed,  and  it  was  a  long  while  before 
a  site  could  be  had  for  another,  none  of  the 
citizens  caring  to  have  it  in  their  neighbor- 
hood. A  location  was  finally  secured  in  1890, 
at  the  junction  of  Twelfth  street  (extended) 
with  the  Fagan  road,  in  East  Alill  Creek, 
where  a  good  frame  building  was  set  up,  ca- 
pable of  accommodating  sixteen  patients.  For- 
tunately for  the  public,  it  has  not  had  to  be 
used  to  any  extent,  though  it  may  prove  to  be 


very  iiandy  in  case  of  the  breaking  out  of  a 
contagious  disease.  The  hospital  is  under  the 
direction  of  the  City  Health  Officer. 

PENNSYLVANIA       SOLDIERs'        AND        SAILORs' 
HOME. 

Those  who  have  read  the  preceding  chap- 
ters will  remember  that  when  Erie  was  laid 
out  a  tract  of  land  was  set  aside  for  military 
purposes,  overlooking  the  bay  and  lake,  near 
the  mouth  of  Mill  creek,  on  its  east  side. 
This  property  became  known  as  Garrison 
Hill,  or  the  Garrison  grounds.  When  Hon. 
Morrow  B.  Lowry  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Senate  he  secured  a  State  appropriation  for 
the  establishment  of  a  jVIarine  Hospital  on  the 
site.  This  resulted  in  the  erection  of  a  large 
three-story  brick  building,  which  cost  some 
$90,000,  in  addition  to  $10,000  contributed 
by  the  citizens  of  Erie.  The  structure  was 
never  occupied  as  a  hospital,  and  was  gradual- 
ly falling  into  decav,  though  the  State  paid  a 
keeper  for  looking  after  it. 

At  various  times  after  the  war  for  the 
Union,  the  Grand  Armj-  of  the  Republic  call- 
ed the  attention  of  the  State  authorities  to  the 
fact  that  by  the  private  contributions  of  the 
different  posts  many  of  the  veterans  were 
supplied  with  funds  to  keep  them  and  their 
families  from  actual  want.  The  Legislature 
finally  acted  on  the  suggestion,  and  on  June 
3,  1885,  a  bill  which  was  introduced  by  Hon. 
Isaac  B.  Brown,  of  Corry,  was  approved  by 
the  Governor.  It  was  entitled  "  An  act  for  the 
establishment  and  maintenance  of  a  home  for 
the  disabled  soldiers  and  sailors  of  Pennsyl- 
vania," who,  as  citizens  of  the  commonwealth, 
enlisted  and  participated  in  the  war  for  the 
preservation  of  the  Union.  The  location  of 
the  Home  was  left  to  the  judgment  of  the 
Commission.  This  body  was  composed  of 
Governor  Robert  E.  Pattison,  Hon.  William 
Livsey,  Hon.  Jerome  B.  Niles,  Hon.  William 
F.  Aull,  Col.  Thos.  J.  Stewart,  Hon.  Charles 
R.  Centner,  General  James  A.  Beaver  (ex- 
Governor),  Col.  Robert  B.  Beath,  Hon.  Isaac 
B.  Brown,  Col.  John  M.  Vanderslice  and  Gen. 
Louis  Wagner.  After  considering  various 
sites,  they  concluded  to  make  use  of  the  Ma- 
rine Hospital — in  truth,  that  may  be  said  to 
have  been  the  object  of  the  movement  from 
the  Gtart.  The  only  condition  they  asked  of 
the  people  of  Erie  was  that  they  should  secure 
and  make  a  gift  to  the  State  of  a  small  piece 


AND  UISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


431 


of  hind  which  laj'  between  the  Garrison  tract 
and  Third  street,  in  order  that  the  premises  of 
the  Home  should  front  directly  on  the  latter 
thoroughfare.  This  was  done  through  private 
subscriptions. 

By  energetic  work,  the  building,  which  re- 
quired a  great  deal  of  repair,  was  ready  for  in- 
mates on  the  22d  of  February,  1886,  the  date 
set  for  its  dedication.  The  occasion  was  a 
gala  day  in  Erie.  All  of  the  Commission  were 
present,  witii  a  number  of  other  prominent 
citizens.  The  G.  A.  R.  Posts  turned  out  with 
full  ranks ;  the  companies  of  militia  acted  as 
escort  for  the  Governor,  who  presided  and 
made  the  opening  address.  General  Gobin 
delivered  the  dedicatory  address,  and  was  fol- 
lowed by  Judge  Galbraith,  Judge  Souther, 
Hon.  James  R.  Burns,  Gen.  Louis  Wagner, 
Hon.  I.  B.  Brown,  Senator  Walling,  J.  F. 
Downing,  Esq.,  and  others.  The  officers  of 
the  Home  had  been  previously  appointed,  and 
on  the  day  of  opening  eight  veterans  presented 
themselves  and  were  admitted.  Maj.  W.  W. 
Tyson,  one  of  the  verv  best  men  for  the  place 
that  could  possibly  have  been  chosen,  has  been 
the  principal  officer  in  charge  from  the  be- 
ginning. 

Since  the  institution  was  opened,  the  build- 
ing has  been  much  enlarged  and  improved, 
the  grounds  beautifully  ornamented,  an  in- 
firmary added,  and  everything  done  that  could 
be  asked  or  expected  to  make  the  Home  a 
comfortable  dwelling  place  for  the  aged  and 
indigent  veterans  of  the  late  war.  There  are 
107  acres  connected  with  the  institution,  sixty 
of  which  are  on  tlie  blufl's  and  forty-seven  on 
the  "sand  beach."'  The  "  sand  beach,"  how- 
ever, is  such  no  longer.  A  road  has  been  made 
all  around  the  edges  of  the  old  swampy 
grounds,  and  where  there  used  to  be  good 
duck  shooting,  crops  of  hay,  corn,  potatoes 
and  garden  stuff  are  growing.  The  grounds 
of  the  Home  are  dailv  visited  bj-  throngs  of 
people  who  are  justly  proud  that  such  an  in- 
stitution is  maintained  by  the  State,  and  loca- 
ted in  its  only  lake  city. 

The  Home  has  accommodations  for  about 
450  inmates,  and  is  kept  constantly  full. 
Numerous  applications  remain  on  file,  waiting 
their  turn  for  acceptance.  "In  no  sense, 
'•  though,  is  it  proper  to  speak  of  the  place  as 
"a  charity  institution.  It  is  a  •  home  '  in 
"  reality,  such  as  was  included  in  the  implied 
"promise  made  by  the  State  when  she  called 


"on  her  citizens  to  rally  in  defense  of  the 
"  Union.  The  men  gathered  under  its  roof  are 
"  worthy  of  care  and  protection,  and  a  study 
"  of  its  record  book  shows  that  the  services 
"  rendered  to  the  government  were  such  as 
"  ought  to  be  rewarded  in  a  fitting  manner. 
"  Inside  the  Home  the  general  appearance  is 
"  that  of  a  good  hotel  ;  carpets  or  rugs  are  on 
"  the  floors  ;  the  rooms  hold  from  two  to  six 
"  persons  ;  the  beds  are  made  of  woven  wire 
"springs,  with  fifteen-pound  mattresses  of 
"  pure  South  American  hair.  The  tempera- 
"  ture  of  the  rooms  in  winter  is  kept  at  a  pleas- 
"ant  warmth,  and  in  summer  the  cool  air  of 
"  Lake  Erie  keeps  away  malaria.  The  bed- 
"  steads  are  made  for  one  person  only,  and 
"  each  man  is  provided  with  a  bureau  in  which 
"  to  keep  his  linen  and  extra  clothing.  Each 
"  inmate  is  provided,  when  he  enters  the 
"  Home,  with  an  outfit,  which  includes  every- 
"  thing  necessary  for  his  comfort.  Ver}'  few 
"  have  been  discharged  for  ofTenses  against 
"the  rules  of  the  Home.  By  far  the  largest 
"  number  of  those  who  have  left  did  so  be- 
"  cause  thev  had  regained  their  health,  and, 
"  not  wishing  to  be  a  burden  to  the  State, 
"  when  they  could  procure  their  own  liveli- 
"  hood,  asked  for  and  received  an  honorable 
"  discharge,  and  took  their  places  again  in  the 
"  ranks  of  bread-winners." 

"  Each  inmate  is  placed  on  his  honor,  and 
"  is  expected  and  required  to  so  conduct  him- 
"  self  as  to  bring  no  reproach  on  the  Home. 
"  Services  are  held  in  the  chapel,  the  ministers 
"of  the  different  churches  in  Erie  taking 
"  turns  in  preaching  each  Sabbath  afternoon. 
"  On  Sunday,  church  passes  are  distributed, 
"and  every  inmate  is  given  the  liberty  to  at- 
"  tend  the  church  of  his  choice,  whatever  it 
"maybe.  There  are  no  guards  around  the 
"  place — no  high  fences  to  keep  the  men  in, 
"  but  thev  are  expected  to  conform  to  the 
"rules.  Intoxication  is  one,  among  other 
"  things,  that  is  prohibited,  and  while  no 
"  punishment  is  inflicted,  if  the  inmates  will 
"  not  conform  to  the  requirements  they  are 
"  discharged  from  the  Home." 

The  block-iiouse  on  the  bluff,  north  of  the 
Home,  was  built  by  the  State  to  commemor- 
ate the  memory  of  Gen.  Anthonj'  Wayne  and 
his  soldiers,  and  occupies  the  spot  where  he 
was  buried. 

A  short  distance  east  of  the  main  structure 
is  the  little  cemetery,  where  those  who  die  in 


432 


NJSLSON-S  BIOQRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


the  Home  are  buried  by  their  living  comrades, 
with  the  honors  of  war. 

Capt.  N.  W.  Lowell  was  appointed 
Quartermaster  of  tiie  Home  March  1,  1888; 
Dr.  S.  F.  Chapin  has  been  Surgeon  since 
October  1,  1889;  and  Dr.  David  Reinhold 
was  appointed  Resident  Physician  in  the  fall 
of  189r). 

HOME    lOltTIIE   FRIENDLESS. 

Although  the  establishment  of  a  Home  for 
the  Friendless  had  been  talked  over  at  various 
times  by  some  of  the  generous-hearted  men 
and  women  of  the  city,  the  first  practical  step 
in  that  direction  was  taken  at  a  meeting  held 
in  the  residence  of  Mrs.  James  C.  IMarshall  on 
the  17th  of  October,  1871.  This  resulted  in 
an  apjjlication  for  a  charter,  which  was 
granted  by  the  Court  of  Erie  county  on  the 
29th  of  November  ensuing,  the  following  la- 
dies being  named  as  incorporators  :  Mrs.  Gen. 
Reed,  Mrs.  M.  B.  Lowry,  Mrs.  I.  B.  Gara, 
Mrs.  W.  A.  Brown,  Mrs.  W.  W.  Dinsmore, 
Miss  A.  C.  Kilbourne,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Brown, 
Mrs.  William  Bell,  Mrs.  Henry  Jarecki,  Miss 
Laura  G.  Sanford,  Mrs.  W.  L.  Scott,  Mrs.  J. 
H.  Neill,  Mrs.  S.  P.  Longstreet,  Mrs.  G.  W. 
Starr,  Mrs.  W.  A.  Galbraith,  Mrs.  Bernard 
Hubley,  Mrs.  P.  Metcalf,  Mrs.  S.  S.  Spencer, 
Mrs.  I.  W.  Hart,  Mrs.  J.  P.  Vincent,  Mrs.  S. 
A.  Davenport,  Mrs.  J-  C.  Marshall,  Mrs.  E. 
W.  Pollock,  Mrs.  D.  S.  Clark,  Mrs.  L.  VV. 
Shirk,  Mrs.  P.  Crouch,  Mrs.  Miles  W. 
Caughey,  Mrs.  Robert  Evans,  Miss  Parkin- 
son and  Miss  Sarah  Reed.  The  first  officers 
were  as  follows:  Mrs.  C.  M.  Reed,  Presi- 
dent; Mrs.  I.  B.  Gara,  First  Vice  Presi- 
dent; Mrs.  W.  A.  Galbraith,  Second  Vice 
President;  Mrs.  W.  W.  Dinsmore,  Secretary; 
Miss  Kate  M.  Mason,  Treasurer;  Mrs.  Mary 
Chalfant,  Matron. 

Gen.  C.  M.  Reed  having  tendered  the  use 
of  the  old  family  residence,  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  State  street  and  South  Park  Row, 
where  the  Federal  building  now  stands,  it  was 
first  occupied  by  the  "  Home"  November  2, 
1871.  In  February,  1872,  the  Marine  Hos- 
pital Board  offered  the  managers  the  use  of 
their  building  imtil  such  time  as  the  State  au- 
thorities should  recjuire  it  for  other  purposes. 
The  offer  was  gladly  accepted,  and  in  the  early 
part  of  May,  1872,  the  "  family  "  removed  to 
that  building,  where  it  remained  until  the  oc- 
cupancy   of    the  "  Home  "  on    the    corner    of 


Twenty-second  and  Sassafras  streets  Novem- 
ber 2,  1875. 

After  serving  about  a  year,  Mrs.  Reed  re- 
signed the  presidency,  and  Mrs.  I.  B.  Gara 
was  chosen  to  fill  that  position,  which  she  held 
until  May  2,  1870,  when  she,  too,  resigned, 
and  Miss  Kate  M.  Mason  was  elected.  The 
latter  held  the  position  until  her  death,  April 
1,  1890,  when  she  was  succeeded  by  Miss 
Sarah  Reed,  who  still  continues. 

On  the  16th  of  September,  1875,  Hon.  M. 
B.  Lowry  presented  the  management  with  the 
Gaggin  property,  located  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  Twenty-second  and  Sassafras  streets. 
The  original  building  on  the  premises  included 
in  the  gift,  not  being  large  enough,  there  still 
remained  the  necessity  of  raising  a  fund  sutfi- 
cient  to  make  the  needed  improvements.  This 
task  was  undertaken  by  Mrs.  Gara,  tlie  presi- 
dent, and  it  is  largely  due  to  her  untiring  zeal 
that  the  money  was  pledged.  Ground  for  the 
addition  to  the  building  was  broken  Septem- 
ber 25,  1875,  and  the  corner  stone  laid  on  the 
18th  of  October  following.  The  family  re- 
moved to  the  property  November  2,  1875,  and 
on  the  25th  of  March,  187G,  the  addition  was 
finished,  free  of  debt,  at  a  total  cost  of  $(3,- 
820.48.  Mrs.  Gara  was  efficiently  aided  in 
procuring  subscriptions  by  Mrs.  J.  C.  Mar- 
shall, Mrs. J.  R.  Saltsman,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Brown, 
Miss  Kate  M.  Mason  and  Miss  Sarah  Reed. 
Since  that  date  the  building  has  been  further 
enlarged  and  improved. 

Among  other  liberal  gifts  to  the  institu- 
tion was  one  from  Hon.  Prescott  Metcalf  of  a 
lot  fronting  fifty  feet  on  Sassafras  street,  ad- 
joining the  (Jaggin  property,  and  an  endow- 
ment of  $5,000,  tendered  by' Hon.  William  L. 
Scott  as  a  Christmas  gift  in  1880.  When  the 
tenth  anniversary  was  celebrated  in  Novem- 
ber, 1881,  the  result  of  ten  years'  work  was 
shown  in  a  fine  property  worth  some  $18,000, 
free  from  debt,  and  in  a  building  planned  (o 
accommodate  seventy-fixe  children  and  a  dozen 
or  more  adults. 

A  special  building  for  old  people  was  con- 
templated from  the  start,  but  lack  of  funds 
prevented  the  accomplishment  of  the  plan  for 
some  years.  With  this  in  view,  the  house  and 
lot  of  Mr.  Dunning,  at  Sassafras  and  Twenty- 
fourth  streets,  were  purchased  in  1884.  The 
ladies  were  able  to  pay  onl}-  a  small  portion  of 
the  .$5,000  purchase  money,  and  while  tiiey 
were  asking  each  other  who  was  going  to  be 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


433 


brave  and  strong  enough  to  go  out  and  solicit 
the  amount  necessary  to  pay  for  and  improve 
their  last  venture,  Col.  Ellsworth  came  to  the 
rescue,  and,  unknown  to  tlie  board  of  mana- 
gers, raised  and  placed  in  the  treasury  of  the 
building  fund  over  $3,000.  The  work  of  im- 
proving was  at  once  connnenced,  and  on  the 
afternoon  and  evening  of  .September  8,  1887, 
the  completed  building  was  thrown  open  to 
the  public. 

The  Home  is  strictly  supported  by  the  gifts 
of  the  charitable,  but  it  has  been  fortunate  in 
securing  several  liberal  appropriations  at  the 
hands  of  the  State.  About  1,1'00  children 
have  found  shelter  under  its  roof,  and  from  it 
many  have  gone  to  private  homes,  where  they 
have  been  tenderly  cared  for,  while  many  oth- 
ers have  been  put  in  the  waj-  of  earning  an 
honest  living.  Quite  a  number  of  old  ladies 
have  found  it  a  safe  haven  for  their  declining 
years,  and  have  been  saved  from  that  horror 
of  respectable  poverty,  the  poor-house. 

As  a  provision  for  future  contingencies, 
the  managers,  in  the  spring  of  1895,  bought 
the  house  and  lot  on  Twenty-fourth  street, 
adjoining  the  Home  grounds  on  the  west,  at  a 
cost  of  $2,000. 

Tlie  matrons  have  been  as  follo^vs  :  Chil- 
dren's department — Mrs.  Chalfant,  Miss  Mey- 
ers (afterward  Mrs.  Wm.  Bell),  Mrs.  Aiken, 
Miss  Miller.  Old  ladies'  department — Mrs. 
Seymour,  Mrs.  Peirin. 

IIAMOT     irOSPITAI^. 

The  Hamot  Hospital  Association,  organ- 
ized mainly  through  the  efforts  of  Rev.  J.  T. 
Franklin,  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church, 
was  chartered  February  7,  1881,  and  the  first 
meeting  of  its  board  held  on  the  28th  of  the 
same  month.  It  occupies  the  old  home  of 
P.  S.  V.  Hamot,  on  the  bank  of  the  bay, 
at  the  intersection  of  State  with  Front  and 
Second  streets,  which  was  deeded  to  the  in- 
stitution by  his  heirs,  free  from  charge  and 
liabilities,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1881.  The 
deed  contained  certain  conditions  for  insuring 
the  perpetuity  of  the  hospital,  which  met  witii 
the  entire  approval  of  the  association.  The 
land  thus  generously  donated  embraced  216 
feet  on  State  street  by  165  feet  on  Front 
street,  and  105  on  Second  street,  which  was 
given  for  the  sole  uses  of  a  general  hospital, 
open  to  all  sects,  races  and  conditions  of  men. 
At  the  time  of  the  gift  the   property  was   val- 


ued at  $12,000.  Certain  alterations  were 
made  in  the  Hamot  homestead  to  fit  it  for  its 
future  use,  and  the  hospital  was  formally 
opened  on  the  1st  day  of  July,  1881.  It  re- 
ceived its  first  patient  on  the  lOtii  day  of  the 
same  month. 

The  original  structure  has  been  much  en- 
larged and  improved.  An  extensive  addition 
was  inade  in  1888,  and  formally  opened  Au- 
gust 23d  of  that  year.  The  contract  was  let  in 
June,  1895,  for  another  addition,  which  will 
cost  $30,000.  The  late  Geoige  Selden,  in  his 
will,  directed  the  executors  to  turn  over  to  the 
Hospital  Association  $15000,  providing  the 
charter  was  amended  to  make  the  institution 
non-sectarian.  The  Board  took  satisfactory- 
action  upon  this  requirement  in  1894,  and  the 
money  was  applied  to  the  erection  of  the  last 
mentioned  addition.  The  sum  left  by  Mr. 
Selden  not  biing  sufficient  to  carry  out  the 
plans  of  the  management,  the  family  of  the 
late  Wm.  L.  Scott  generously  stepped  for- 
ward and  contributed  an  equal  amount  to  that 
bequeathed  by  Mr.  Selden. 

The  corporators  of  the  hospital  are  :  Geo. 
W.  Starr,  Chas.  H.  Strong,  W.  W.  Reed, 
Wm.  Spencer,  Jno.  W.  Reynolds,  Chas.  C. 
Shirk,  Jno.  H.  Bliss,  Jno.  S.  Richards,  Geo. 
P.  Colt,  R.  T.  Williams,  Geo.  R.  Metcalf,  M. 
H.  Taylor,  W.  A.  Galbraith,  Chas.  Jarecki, 
H.  F.  Watson,  Frank  Gunnison,  Geo.  D.  Sel- 
den, E.  Camphausen,  E.  E.  Matthews,  Henry 
Shenk,  M.  Griswold,  F.  Brevillier,  Julius 
Levi,  John  Scarlett,  Emil  A.  Becker,  Jos.  M. 
Force,  R.  S.  VanCleve,  J.  F.  VV' alther,  Mar- 
tin Strong,  D.  D.  Tracy  and  C.  Kessler. 

The  institution  has  had  from  the  beginning, 
as  superintendent,  a  graduate  of  the  New 
York  Hospital  School  for  trained  nurses, 
aided  by  competent  and  experienced  assist- 
ants. The  present  superintendent  is  Miss 
Maude  Ardagh. 

An  auxilliarj-  societj-  of  ladies,  represent- 
ing everv  Protestant  church  in  the  city,  is  an 
important  adjunct  to  the  regular  Board  of 
Managers,  and  has  rendered  verv  effective  aid 
in  furnishing  and  constantly  looking  after  its 
internal  wants.  Of  this  society  Mrs.  Geo. 
W.  Starr  is  president. 

The  present  medical  board  consists  of  Dr. 
Charles  Brandes,  consulting  phvsician  and 
surgeon  ;  attending  physicians  and  surgeons, 
Drs.  James  H.  Montgomery,  D.  H.  Strickland, 
J.    E.    Silliinan,    J.    J.   Seward;    surgeon    in 


434 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPETCAL  DICTIONABY 


charge  of  the  eye  aiul  ear  ik-partiiient,  Dr.  D. 
N.  Dennis;  surgeon  in  charge  of  the  Marine 
Hospital  service,  Dr.  Wallace  Hunter. 

Over  8,0()0  persons  have  been  treated,  of 
whom  many  have  been  charity  patients,  and 
the  demands  are  constantly  beyond  the  capac- 
ity of  the  hospital.  W'itii  the  exception  of 
an  annual  income  of  ifoOO,  accruing  from  the 
gift  of  a  generous  citizen,  and  small  appro- 
priations b)-  the  State,  the  hospital  is  supported 
in  part  by  fees  from  patients  able  to  pay,  who 
seek  admission  for  the  special  care  afforded  ; 
but  principally  from  the  voluntary  subscrip- 
tions of  societies,  business  firms  and  individ- 
uals. The  good  it  has  done  and  is  doing  is  a 
silent  but  constant  appeal  to  the  better  feel- 
ings of  all  classes.  Minor  ditTerences  are  for- 
gotten in  a  friendly  rivalry  to  furnish  help 
and  hope  to  the  sick,  the  injured  and  the  suf- 
fering. 

The  payment  of  fifty  dollars  at  one  time 
constitutes  a  life  membership  in  the  associa- 
tion, and  e.\emption  thereafter  from  the  pay- 
ment of  yearly  dues. 

ST.  Joseph's  orimian    asylum. 

St.  Joseph's  Orphan  Asylum  had  its  incep- 
tion in  1804:,  when  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph 
occupied  a  small  frame  building  on  Fourth 
street,  close  to  St.  Patrick's  schoolhouse.  In 
April,  1866,  they  regularly  opened  an  asylum 
in  a  house  on  Second  street,  between  French 
and  Holland,  purchased  for  the  purpose  by 
Bishop  Young,  and  while  there  they  had,  gen- 
erally speaking,  care  of  sixty  orphans.  Land 
was  purchased  in  1870,  on  Third  street,  be- 
tween German  and  Holland,  and  in  1871-2 
the  present  commodious  brick  building  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $50,000.  It  is 
three  stories  high,  with  basement,  and  is 
heated  throughout  by  steam. 

The  institution  has  an  average  of  about 
175  orphans,  who  are  tenderly  cared  for  and 
instructed  in  the  precepts  of  the  Catholic 
faith,  while  at  the  same  time  they  receive  the 
benefits  of  a  common  English  education. 
Whenever  pupils  develop  a  special  talent  for 
music  they  are  instructed  in  that  branch,  and 
all  are  encouraged  to  cultivate  and  practice  in- 
dustrious habits.  Ten  or  a  dozen  Sisters  are 
connected  with  the  asylum,  and  perform  all 
of  the  duties  thereof.  The  institution  is  sup- 
ported by  the  industry  of  the  Sisters,  volun- 
tary   contributions    and    an    annual   collection 


taken  up  thnnighout  the  diocese.  All  classes 
are  received,  irrespective  of  creed  or  color,  and 
the  grand  work  which  the  Catholic  Church 
is  so  silently  performing  for  the  little  ones, 
under  this  noble  band  of  Sisters,  deserves  the 
highest  commendation  and  the  most  generous 
encouragement.  Being  under  the  exclusive 
control  of  the  Catholic  Church,  the  asvlum  is 
barred  by  the  Constitution  from  any  bounty 
on  the  part  of  the  State. 

The  noble  Sisters  have  found  good  homes 
in  families  for  many  helpless  waifs,  now 
growing  up  to  careers  of  honor  and  useful- 
ness, who,  if  neglected,  might  have  become 
moral  lepers  in  society.  .Sister  Eugenia 
Qiiirk  has  been  Superior  of  the  asylum  since 
1880.  On  August  (),  1895,  the  asylum  has 
185  children  in  charge. 

OLD    KOLKS'    HOME. 

Not  content  with  their  work  for  the  or- 
phans, the  Sisters  above  spoken  of  have  estab- 
lished at  Ash  and  Twenty-sixth  streets  a  home 
for  aged  and  indigent  persons  of  both  sexes, 
which  is  one  of  the  best  for  its  purpose  in  the 
country.  The  building,  a  large  three-story 
brick,  was  erected  in  1884-'5,  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  extensive  grounds.  Its  capacity 
is  for  about  100  inmates,  but  the  Sisters  hope 
to  enlarge  the  structure  in  the  near  future.  A 
number  of  venerable  persons,  once  in  better 
condition  in  life,  are  cared  for.  The  institu- 
tion, aside  from  small  sums  advanced  by  per- 
sons who  are  admitted,  depends  solely  upon 
the  voluntary  contributions  of  its  friends.  It 
is  in  charge  of  Sister  Jerome,  as  .Superior. 

ST.  Vincent's  hospital. 

Another  of  the  very  creditable  benevolent 
institutions  founded  by  the  Catholic  Church 
was  erected  in  187-1— '5,  on  a  large,  dry  and 
elevated  piece  of  ground  at  the  corner  of 
Twenty-fourth  and  Sassafras  streets,  over- 
looking the  main  portion  of  Erie  and  the  bay 
of  Presque  Isle.  It  is  a  hand.some  three-story 
brick  building,  with  a  high  basement.  The 
edifice  cost  about  17,000,  is  well  furnished, 
and  is  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph, 
a  number  of  whom  devote  their  time  to  the  in- 
stitution. St. Vincent's  is  open  to  all  classes, 
irrespective  of  creed,  color  or  previous  condi- 
tion. It  is  airy  and  finely  lighted  throughout, 
and  fitted  with  all  the  modern  appliances  and 
furniture  needed  in  such  an   institution.     The 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


435 


hospital  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  pa- 
tients in  September,  1875,  and  soon  became 
popular.  Dr.  J.  L.  Stewart  was  physician  in 
charge  until  his  death  in  1890,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Dr.  J.  E.  Silliman.  On  the  res- 
ignation of  the  latter,  he  was  followed  by  Dr. 
C.  W.  Stranahan,  in  January,  1895,  who  is 
assisted  by  Drs.  Foringer,  Hunter  and  De- 
laney.  All  other  physicians  in  good  stand- 
ing have  the  privilege  of  treating  patients  in 
the  institution.  The  hospital  is  in  charge  of 
Mother  Superior  Sister  Ambrosia.  The  aver- 
age number  in  care  of  the  institution  is  121. 

Being  sectarian  in  its  management,  the 
hospital  was  deprived  of  any  State  appropri- 
ation, and  had  to  depend  entirely  upon  volun- 
tary contributions,  aside  from  the  limited 
amount  received  from  patients.  This  made 
the  cost  of  supporting  it  a  heavy  burden  upon 
the  church,  and,  in  order  to  remedy  the  diffi- 
culty, the  Board  of  Directors  was  reorganized 
in  1894,  so  as  to  include  citizens  of  various 
religious  faiths.  As  a  consequence,  the  State 
granted  the  hospital  a  liberal  appropriation  in 
the  spring  of  1895,  the  first  it  ever  secured. 

The  hospital  has  cared  for  a  large  number 
of  inmates,  about  equally  divided  as  to  relig- 
ious belief,  and  is  highly  regarded  bv  all  who 
are  familiar  witii  its  operations. 

lion.  W.  L.  Scott,  shortly  before  his 
death,  placed  $10,000  in  the  hands  of  Bishop 
Mullen,  with  the  understanding  that  it  is  to 
be  used  in  building  an  addition  to  the  hospital. 
This  is  soon  to  be  commenced,  and  pushed  to 
an  early  completion. 

ERIE  BUREAU  OF  CHARITIES. 

This  popular  and  useful  association  was 
organized  on  March  18,  1893,  with  the  follow- 
ing officers  :  President,  Mrs.  Wm.  Brewster; 
First  Vice  President,  Mrs.  Chas.  H.  Strong; 
Second  Vice  President,  Mrs.  C.  M.  Briggs ; 
Secretary,  Mrs.  Frank  Kepler;  Treasurer, 
Mrs.  F.  A.  Mizener;  Executive  Board,  Mrs. 
Geo.  P.  Griffith,  Mrs.  F.  Burton,  Mrs.  C.  W. 
Brown,  Mrs.  H.  C.  Dunning,  Miss  Ida  Briggs, 
Miss  Julia  Crouch  and  Miss  Emma  Carroll. 
Sixt)'-five  ladies  were  appointed  as  district 
visitors,  each  having  several  city  squares  to 
look  after.  The  rooms  of  the  society  are  at 
609   and  Oil   French  street.     Its   objects  are  : 

"  1st.  To  systematize  and  bring  into  harmo- 
nious co-operation  the  charities  and  alms-giving 
of  the  city  of  Erie. 


"  2d.  To  reduce  and  prevent  pauperism  in 
the  city. 

"  3d.  To  detect  and  guard  against  impostors 
and  unworthy  applicants  for  assistance,  street 
beggars  and  persons  who  receive  charitable 
aid  from  two  or  more  distinct  sources. 

"  4th.  To  promote  by  all  lawful  means 
social  and  sanitary  reforms  and  habits  of 
thrift,  saving  and  self-dependence  among  the 
poorer  classes." 

The  first  active  work  of  the  society  was 
done  directly  after  the  Hood  in  Mill  creek,  in 
1893  (elsewhere  referred  to),  which  called 
for  all  of  its  energy  and  resources.  Its  receipts 
and  expenses  have  been  as  follows  : 

Receipts. 

From  May  17,  189,^,  to  April  17,  1894 $9,058.62 

From  April  17,  189-t,  to  April  23,  1895 750.56 

Total $9,809.18 

Expenses. 

From  May  17,  1893,  to  April  17,  1894 $  5,810.87 

From  April  17,  1894,  to  April  23,  1895.    .  . .     2,467.32 

Total   $8,278.19 

Balance  on  hand  April  23,  1895 $1,530.99 

The  above  does  not  include  the  net  receipts 
from  the  Elks'  Charity  Herald,  published 
April  28,  1895,  which  amounted  to  $2,420.50. 

Miss  Emma  Brevillier,  who  followed  Mrs. 
Kepler  as  Secretary,  was,  in  turn,  succeeded 
in  the  spring  of  1895,  by  Mrs.  F.  H.  Schutte. 

THE      NORTHWESTERN       PENNSYLVANIA        HU- 
MANE SOCIETY 

was  organized  January  10,  1891,  and  char- 
tered by  the  Court  on  the  14th  of  November, 
1892.  Below  is  a  list  of  its  first  officers : 
President,  F.  F.  Adams;  Vice-Presidents, 
J.  F.  Downing,  R.  J.  Saltsman,  L.  M.  Little; 
Secretary,  W.  B.  Flickinger;  Treasurer,  Mrs. 
F.  V.  Kepler;  Attorney,  F.  A.  Blila  ;  Agent, 
Dr.  Geo.  W.  Bell.  The  objects  of  the  society 
are  "  to  protect  children,  aged  persons  and 
the  lower  animals  from  cruelty,  and  to  enforce 
all  laws  for  their  protection."  The  associa- 
tion has  done  a  good  work  and  deserves  the 
hearty  support  of  the  public.  Dr.  Bell  served 
as  agent  until  October  7,  1895,  when  he  re- 
signed. He  was  succeeded  bv  Dr.  R.  T. 
Marks  November  14,  1895. 


436 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


LOCAL  BOARD  OF  PUBLIC  CHARITIES. 

The  object  of  this  organization  is  to  keep 
an  oversight  of  tlie  ahns-house,  jail  or  any  in- 
stitution under  the  supervision  of  the  State 
Board  of  Public  Charities,  and  to  call  the  at- 
tention of  the  latter  body  to  any  derelictions 
in  duty  on  the  part  of  the  officers  of  the  same 
and  to  any  cases  of  insane  persons  needing 
their  attention.  Its  members  are  appointed 
by  the  State  Board.  The  present  members  for 
Erie  county  are  Joseph  M.  Force  of  Erie  and 
H.  G.  Sweet  of  Union  City. 

i;kie  day  nuisserv. 

Tiie  Erie  Day  Nursery  was  organized  Oc- 
tober 26,  1892,  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  C.  V. 
Gridley,  its  object  being  "to  provide  at  a 
reasonable  charge,  shelter,  care  and  instruc- 
tion for  the  children  of  working  women,  during 
the  hours  they  are  employed  elsewhere  than  in 
their  homes."  Its  first  officers  were  :  President, 
Mrs.  C.  V.  Gridley;  First  Vice-President, 
Mrs.  W.  T.  Black ;  Second  Vice-President, 
Mrs.  John  T.  Boyd;  Secretary,  Mrs.  Wm. 
Brewster ;  Treasurer,  Mrs.  Chas.  \V.  Daven- 
port, with  managers  representing  the  different 
Protestant  organizations  of  the  city.  The 
nursery  was  originally  established  on  East 
Sixth  street,  and  has  been  removed  as  circum- 
stances required.  During  the  year  ending 
November  1,1893,  the  society  received  !i!831.29, 
and  during  the  year  ending  November  21,  1894, 
$1,415.26,  including  a  balance  of  !i!163,87 
on  hand,  which  left  a  very  small  sum  with 
which  to  begin  the  new  year.  The  nursery  is 
open  daily  from  6:30  a.  m.  to  6:30  i'.  M., 
and  five  cents  per  day  is  charged  for  eacti 
child.  A  school  was  organized  March  1,  1894. 
The  charge  for  membership  in  the  society  is 
one  dollar  ])er  year,  and  any  person  who  pays 
twenty  dollars  or  upward  becomes  a  life 
member. 


In  September,  1894,  a  free  kindergarten, 
with  trained  teachers,  was  established.  Miss 
Kate  Spencer  being  Superintendent,  and  Miss 
Ophelia  Pierce  assistant.  A  kindergarten 
year  consists  of  thirty-eight  weeks,  and  tiie 
age  of  children  admitted  is  from  3  to  7  years. 
A  kindergarten  training  class  is  also  sustained, 
which  is  organized  annuall)'  on  the  2d  Mon- 
day in  September. 

The  officers  of  the  association  in  1895  were 
Mrs.  Gridley,  President;  Mrs.  Black  and 
Mrs.  F.  M.  Crane,  Vice-Presidents;  Miss 
Jennie  Pressley,  Secretary ;  Mrs.  Dr.  Baker, 
Treasurer. 

ERIE    exchange    for    women's    work. 

The  Erie  Exchange  for  Women's  Work 
was  established  in  1882,  at  129  West  Sixth 
street.  The  object  was  to  conduct  a  place  where 
the  productions  of  women's  handiwork  could 
be  seen  and  exchanged  or  sold.  Mrs.  Addison 
Leech  was  President,  with  Mrs.  W.  L.  Scott, 
Mrs.  General  Reed  and  Mrs.  Judge  Souther 
as  Vice-Presidents.  The  Recording  Secretary 
was  Mrs.  Douglas  Benson  and  the  Correspond- 
ing Secretary  was  Mrs.  John  Fleeharty.  A 
large  advisory  board  and  board  of  managers 
assisted  the  principal  officers.  The  Exchange 
opened  April  15,  1882,  and  closed  in  April. 
1888.  During  its  continuance  it  did  good  serv- 
ice in  creating  a  field  for  women's  work, 

iiomceopathic  hospital. 

A  charter  for  a  Homoeopathic  Hospital, 
Training  School  and  Free  Dispensary  was 
granted  in  1894,  the  corporators  being  twelve 
well-known  physicians.  Up  to  this  date  the 
objects  of  the  organization  have  only  been 
realized  to  the  extent  of  establishing  the  Free 
Dispensary,  which  is  temporarily  located  in  a 
room  on  French  street,  opposite  the  Reed 
House. 


(2/  C^  /Ju.^^?^ 


^tv-^^ 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


Churches,  Sunday  Schools  and  Religious  Societies. — [See  Chapter   XVIII,  General 

History  of   Erie   County.] 


PRESBYTERIAN. 

FIRST    PRESBYTERIAN    CIIUUCll. 

An  effort  to  establish  a  Presbyterian  congre- 
gation in  Erie  was  made  as  early  as  1802,  but 
failed  of  success.  The  first  Presbyterian  min- 
ister who  preached  within  the  city  limits  was 
Rev.  Johnson  Eaton,  who  had  settled  at  the 
mouth  of  Walnut  creek,  in  charge  of  the 
Fairview  Church.  An  extract  from  his  jour- 
nal reads  thus:  "Preached  three  months  to 
"  the  congregations  of  Erietown,  Springfield 
"and  Mill  Creek,  beginning  July,  18()t),  at 
"  ninety  dollars  per  quarter."  After  this  there 
is  no  account  of  regularly  sustained  services 
at  Erie  for  several  years.  A  church  was  or- 
ganized in  September,  1815,  and  an  engage- 
ment entered  into  with  Mr.  Eaton  to  give  one- 
third  of  his  time  to  the  service  of  the  congre- 
gation, the  remainder  of  the  year  being 
divided  between  Fairview  and  North  East. 
Services  were  then  held  and  for  awhile  subse- 
quently in  the  old  court-house,  which  was  the 
general  rendezvous  for  public  exercises  of  all 
kinds.  Judah  Colt,  a  member  of  the  church, 
and  one  of  its  Elders,  had  erected  on  .Sassafras 
street,  where  Wm.  Bell  afterward  resided,  a 
frame  building,  which  was  used  in  part  for 
school  purposes.  This  became  the  first  regu- 
lar place  of  worship,  and  was  familiarly 
known  for  many  years  as  "  the  yellow  meet- 
ing house." 

Among  the  early  members  and  attendants 
of  the  church  were  Judah  Colt,  Giles  San- 
ford,  Thomas  Laird,  George  Kellogg,  John 
Evans,  John  Grubb,  William  Arbuckle, 
George  .Selden,  Samuel  Hays,  George  A. 
Eliot,  Thomas  H.  Sill,  Joseph  M.  Sterrett, 
the  McClellands,  Thomas  Rees,  Samuel  Low, 
Robert,  George  and  Arthur  Davison,  Warren 
and  Calvin  Foot,  Benjamin,  Giles  and  Ham- 
lin  Russell,  Adam,  Joseph  and   Pressley  Ar- 


buckle, Simeon,  Ambrose  and  James  Dunn, 
John  and  Andrew  Norcross,  Martin  and  Jo- 
seph Hayes,  William  Whitley,  Joseph  and 
Christian  Ebersole,  Michael  Riblet,  Abiather 
Crane,  W^m.  Saltsman,  John  Evans,  William, 
Robert  and  James  Henry,  John  Grubb,  John 
and  James  Gray,  John  Justice,  Joseph  Abel), 
John  Boyd,  John  Cochran,  Ebenezer  Graham. 
Joseph  Johnston,  John  Pherrin,  James  and 
Samuel  Love,  the  Reeds  of  Mill  Creek.  Sam- 
uel Haj'es,  Basil  Hoskinson,  Thos.  H.  Sill, 
Daniel  Dobbins,  P.  S.  V.  Hamot,  J.  C.  Wal- 
lace, Josiah  Kellogg,  Thomas  Mehaftey,  John 
and  James  Dunlap.  Thomas  and  Joseph  G. 
Mooihead,  William  Himrod,  J.  C.  Spencer, 
Jacob  Vosburg,  John  Kelso,  James  Lytle, 
John  Law,  John  Teel,  George  Moore,  Guy 
Loomis,  M^ron  Goodwin,  Wm.  Johns,  Samuel 
Brown,  Tliomas  Stewart,  Thomas  Wilkins,  E. 
D.  Gunnison,  Frederick  Wittich,  E.  C.  Ben- 
nett, Alanson  Sherwood,  A.  E.  Foster,  and 
Wm.  Beatty.  Otliers  of  a  later  date  were  C. 
F.  Perkins,  Augustin  Austin,  J.  D.  Clark,  D. 
S.  Clark,  Chester  B.  Jones,  Elihu  Marvin, 
Pardon  Sennett,  James  C.  Marshall,  Capt. 
Wm.  Davenport,  Prescott,  James  and  Charles 
Metcalf,  Ira  W.  Hart,  James  and  John  Will- 
iams, C.  M.  Tibbals,  Robert  T.  Sterrett, 
David  Shirk,  Joseph  Neeley,  Gates  and  Elam 
Bennett,  John  Zimmerley,  the  Hiltons,  Park- 
insons, Sampsons,  Bonnells,  McCrearys  and 
Caugiieys,  John  H.  Burton,  J.  F.  Downing, 
I.  B.  Gara,  M.  B.  Lowry  and  Julius  Morton. 
The  first  elders  were  Judali  Colt  and  George 
Selden,  sr. 

From  1818,  for  five  years,  Mr.  Eaton  gave 
one-half  of  his  time  to  the  Erie  church.  He 
was  succeeded  October  23,  1824,  by  Rev. 
David  McKinney,  who  was  ordained  and  in- 
stalled as  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Erie  April  13,  1825.  Meantime,  a 
brick  church  building  had  been  erected  on  the 


^^38 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


site  of  the  present  structure.  The  date  of  its 
construction  was  18:24,  and  it  was  dedicated 
September  1,  1825.  The  pastoral  relation  of 
Mr.  McKinney  was  dissolved,  at  his  own  re- 
quest, in  1829,  and,  on  tlie  2Uth  of  September 
of  the  sanie  year,  Rev.  George  A.  Lyon  was 
installed  in  charge  of  the  congregation,  a  posi- 
tion he  continued  to  hold  for  more  than  forty 
years.  Under  his  energetic  ministry  large  ac- 
cessions were  made  to  the  church  during 
1831— '82,  years  which  were  marked  by  great 
religious  interest  throughout  the  country.  In 
1857.  more  than  a  hundred  were  received  at 
one  time,  as  the  fruits  of  a  revival,  and,  in 
1865,  ninety  were  added  in  the  same  manner. 
At  the  great  division  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  1838,  the  First  Church  attached 
itself  to  the  New  .School  Assembly. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  present  church 
building  was  laid  on  June  14,  1859,  but  the 
edifice  was  not  completed  until  nearly  three 
years  later.  The  basement  lecture  room  was 
ready  for  occupancy  on  March  25,  1860,  and 
was  used  for  the  regular  services  of  the  con- 
gregation until  the  dedication  of  the  main 
audience  room  on  February  26,  1862. 

The  Selden  Memorial  chapel,  a  gift  from 
the  lamented  George  Selden,  in  memorvof  his 
wife,  Mrs.  Anna  L.  Selden,  was  erected  in 
1891,  and  dedicated  in  February,  1892,  the 
cost  being  !j!15,()00,  exclusive  of  the  ground 
and  furnishings,  which  were  supplied  by  the 
congregation.  ' 

A  new  organ  was  placed  in  the  church 
proper  July,  1894,  at  an  expense  of  $8,000. 

Rev.  Dr.  Lyon  died  on  March  24.  1871,  at 
Avon,  N.  Y.,  where  he  had  gone  for  the  sake 
of  his  health,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  A. 
H.  Carrier,  who  had  been  called  as  an  asso- 
ciate pastor  a  short  time  previous.  The  latter 
began  his  services  April  30,  1871,  was  installed 
December  7th  of  that  year,  and  resigned  in 
the  fall  of  1S79.  His  successors  have  been  as 
follows  :  Part  of  1879-'80,  Rev.  T.  C.  Easton ; 
fall  of  1880,  Rev.  William  S.  Fulton;  sum- 
mer of  1889,  Rev.  J.  H.  Selden ;  Decem- 
ber 5,  1889,  Rev.  Herbert  C.  Ross,  the 
present  incumbent.  Rev.  C.  C.  Kimball  was 
assistant  pastor  of  the  church  for  a  period  pre- 
vious to  the  death  of  Dr.  Lyon. 

At  the  semi-Centennial  Celebration  of  the 
church  held  in  1875,  Rev.  A.  H.  Carrier,  thus 
.spoke  : 

"  This  church — we  say  it  in  no  self-glory- 


ing spirit — has  been  by  force  of  its  position, 
at  the  foundation  of  the  present  religious  life 
of  this  citv.  The  Associate  Reformed,  now 
the  ITnited  Presbyterian,  shares  with  it  this 
pre-eminence.  This  church,  however,  has 
been  fruitful  in  colonies.  In  the  organization 
of  the  Episcopal  Church  you  meet  with  many 
of  the  same  names  which  you  had  before  met 
W'ith  upon  the  subscription  roll  and  church 
records  of  this  congregation.  In  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Baptist  Church  the  same  fact  is 
in  some  measure   true.  *  *  * 

"The  church  in  East  Mill  Creek  or  Belle 
Valley  was  a  child  of  this. 

"  Upon  the  rolls  of  Park  Church,  organ- 
ized in  1854,  recorded  there  as  its  founders, 
are  the  cherished  and  honored  names  of  man^- 
who  had  been  for  years  in  the  front  rank  of 
supporters  and  workers  here,  or  who  had  been 
baptized  at  its  font,  been  taught  in  its  Sab- 
bath-school and  had  grown  up  under  its  in- 
fluences. 

"  The  Central  Church,  organized  February, 
1871,  was  a  transplantation  at  once  of  officers 
from  its  session,  an  associate  pastor  from  its 
pulpit,  workers  from  its  Sabbath  school,  and 
members  from  its  community." 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

Women's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  or- 
ganized in  1870. 

Women's  Home  jSlissionary  Society,  or- 
ganized in  1883. 

Pastor's  Aid  Society,  organized  in  1885. 

Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor, organized  in  1887. 

Junior  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  or- 
ganized in  1892. 

The  Sunday-school  of  the  church  was  es- 
tablished in  1825,  and  has  always  been  well 
attended.  The  church  maintains  a  Sunday- 
school  mission  in  the  eastern  part  of   the  city. 

PARK      PRESBVTERIAX     CHURCH. 

Previous  to  the  spring  of  1855  several  un- 
successful attempts  had  been  made  to  establish 
an  Old-.School  Presbyterian  Church  in  Erie. 
Park  Church  dates  its  commencement  in  that 
year.  The  first  service  was  held  in  a  room  in 
the  fourth  story  of  Cadwell's  block  (now  Ba- 
ker &  Ostheimer's),  on  State  street,  Apiil 
29,  1855,  by  Rev.  William  Wilson  and  Rev. 
S.  J.  M.  Eaton.  About  thirty  persons  were 
present.  The  next  meeting  place  was  in 
Gensheimer's  hall,  where,  on  the  28th  of  June, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


439 


1855,  the  church  was  organized  by  a  commit- 
tee appointed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Erie. 
From  there  tlie  congregation  moved  into  a 
new  building  erected  bv  ^Ivron  Sanford,  ex- 
pressly for  their  use,  on  the  east  side  of  French 
street,  between  Sixth  and  Ses'enth,  known  as 
Park  Hall,  where  they  remained  until  the 
erection  of  a  church  building  as  hereinafter 
stated.  The  names  enrolled  as  members  were 
William  Arbuckle,  S.  S.  Spencer,  D.  B  Mc- 
Creary,  Dver  W.  Fitch  and  wife,  Mrs.  Mary 
Shattuck.'Miss  Sarah  Ward.  Mrs.  Mary  W. 
Fleury  and  Miss  ICate  M.  !Mason. 

A  Sabbath-school  was  organized  on  July 
15,  1855,  with  twent_v-five  or  thirty  scholars, 
S.  S.  Spencer,  Esq.,  being  elected  superin- 
tendent. Rev.  William  Wilson  supplied  the 
pulpit  till  May,  1856,  when  Rev.  William  M. 
Blackburn  was  invited  to  become  "  stated  sup- 
ply" of  the  church  for  one  year.  Mr. 
Blackburn  began  his  labors  May  25,  1856. 
The  church  then  numbered  only  twenty-four 
members.  During  the  following  year  the 
church  and  Sabbath-school  grew  rapidly ;  a 
large  Bible  class  was  organized  ;  the  congre- 
gation increased  ;  benevolent  operations  were 
carried  on  with  regularity  and  energv.  May 
27,  1857,  Mr.  Blackburn  was  installed  pastor 
of  the  church,  which  had  increased  to  thirty- 
five  communicants.  During  the  summer  and 
autumn  of  1867  the  present  house  of  worship 
was  erected.  It  was  dedicated  December  22, 
1857,  with  a  sermon  by  Rev.  Frederick  T. 
Brown,  of  Cleveland,  O.  In  1858,  forty-six 
persons  were  added  to  the  church  upon  a  pro- 
fession of  faith — the  largest  increase,  with  one 
exception,  which  Park  Church  has  yet  enjoyed. 

Mr.  Blackburn  resigned  after  seven  years 
of  labor,  and  on  the  22d  of  February,  1864, 
Rev.  George  F.  Cain  was  chosen  to  be  pas- 
tor. The  call  was  accepted  and  Mr.  Cain  was 
installed  Alay  11  of  that  year.  At  that  time 
there  were  127  communicants.  In  April, 
1872,  the  parsonage  on  the  corner  of  Sassa- 
fras and  Seventh  streets,  was  purchased.  The 
year  ending  April,  1866,  ninety-two  commu- 
nicants were  added  to  the  church,  of  whom 
sixty-eight  professed  for  the  first  time  their 
faith  in  Christ. 

March   29,  1870,  the   pastoral    relation   be- 
tween Mr.  Cain  and  the  church  was  dissolved,    1 
in  order  that  he  might   accept  a    call  to    Phila- 
delphia.     The  organization  at  the  close  of  his 
pastorate  numbered  2-42  communicants.     The 


pastors  following  Mr.  Cain  have  been  as  fol- 
lows, the  figures  being  the  dates  of  their  in- 
stallation :  February  8,  1871,  Rev.  J.  O. 
Denniston  ;  May  28,  1873,  Rev.  Thomas  Ful- 
lerton  ;  April  20,  1886,  Rev.  J.  G.  Patterson  ; 
January  27,  1891,  Rev.  J.  C.  Chapman.  The 
latter  resigned  February  3,  1895,  and  w^as  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  B.  Canfield  Jones  in  Novem- 
ber of  the  same  year. 

During  Mr.  Denniston's  pastorate  the  con- 
gregation built  a  chapel  costing  over  .$3,000, 
at  Seventeenth  and  Chestnut  streets,  which 
has  since  grown  into  the  Chestnut  Street  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

In  1877,  while  Dr.  FuUerton  was  pastor, 
the  home  chapel,  fronting  on  Seventh  street, 
and  connected  with  the  main  church  edifice 
by  a  corridor,  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  .$5,500; 
largely  through  the  generosity  of  Elihu  Mar- 
vin. It  was  dedicated  December  '2'2,  1877, 
being  the  twentieth  anniversary  of  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  church. 

The  interior  of  the  main  building  was 
frescoed  in  1882-3.  and  an  organ  put  in.  the 
entire  cost  being  .$9,000. 

The  church  erected  a  mission  chapel  in 
1889  on  Eighteenth  street,  between  German 
and  Parade,  the  congregation  of  which  is  in 
a  flourishing  condition.  The  chapel  cost 
nearly  |5,000,  inclusive  of  the  land,  and  the 
money  was  wholly  contributed  by  members  of 
Park  Church.  It  was  dedicated  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Patterson,  in  September,  1889.  Connected 
with  the  mission  is  a  Sabbath-school  and  a 
Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor, the  latter  organized  in  April,  1895. 
The  Sabbath-school  was  started  in  1884,  five 
years  before  the  mission  was  established. 

Mr.  Spencer  continued  as  Superintendent 
of  the  Park  Church  Sunday-school — with  the 
exception  of  two  years,  when  it  was  under 
the  care  of  H.  S.  Jones  and  C.  F.  AlHs — 
until  1891,  when  he  resigned  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  L.  M.  Little. 

Mr.  Cain,  pastor  from  18(>4  to  1870,  after 
leaving  Erie,  had  charge  of  churches  in  Phila- 
delphia, Springfield,  O.,  and  Albion,  N.  Y. 
He  dropped  dead  in  his  pulpit  at  the  latter 
place,  in  the  middle  of  his  morning  service,  on 
September  21,  1890. 

The  first  elders  and  trustees  of  the  church 
were  as   follows  : 

Elders — Samuel  S.  Spencer,  David  Ag- 
new. 


440 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Trustees — Giles  Sanford,  Joseph  Arbuckle, 
Ira  W.  Hart,  W'm.  C.  Curry,  J.  C.  Spencer, 
John  Moore,  D.  W.  Fitch. 

From  its  organization  until  1891  the  con- 
gregation raised  for  various  church  and  bene\o- 
lent  objects  the  large  sum  of  $257,436. 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

Ladies'  Aid  Society,  organized  in   ISTl. 

Foreign  Missionary  Society,  organized 
August  22,  1871. 

Women's  Home  Missionary  Society,  or- 
ganized in  1885. 

Young  People's  Ciirislian  Endeavor  So- 
ciety, organized  in  March,  188(5. 

funior  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.,  organized  July  21, 
1895. 

CENTRAL  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 

This  congregation,  the  second  offshoot  from 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  was  form- 
ally organized  on  February  23,  1871,  services 
then  and  for  a  brief  period  afterward  being 
held  in  Walther's  Hall.  The  original  mem- 
bership consisted  of  fiftj-four  persons.  David 
Shirk  and  Joseph  A.  French  were  chosen 
Elders.  Shortly  afterward,  the  church  ex- 
tended a  unanimous  call  to  Rev.  Charles  C. 
Kimball,  which  he  accepted,  and  May  11, 
1871,  was  installed  by  a  committee  from  the 
Presbytery.  After  the  installation,  the  regu- 
lar services  of  the  church  were  held  for  two 
years  in  Temperance  Hall,  on  the  third  floor  of 
the  present  Wayne  block.  State,  near  Eighth 
street. 

During  the  first  year  of  the  church's  exist- 
ence a  lot  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Tenth 
and  Sassafras  streets  was  purchased  for  $9,000, 
and  on  the  2d  of  August,  1872,  ground  was 
broken  for  the  erection  of  a  stone  church  edi- 
fice. Ihis  building  was  opened  for  worship 
Sabbath  morning,  Jiuie  8,  1873,  with  impres- 
sive ceremonies,  and  formally  dedicated  on  the 
evening  of  the  same  day.  The  ceremonies 
commenced  with  an  anthem,  followed  by 
prayer  and  the  reading  of  the  twenty-fourth 
Psalm  by  Rev.  Dr.  Stever.  The  pastor  then 
gave  a  sketch  of  the  history  and  cost  of  the 
building,  after  which  brief  remarks  were  made 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Stone,  Rev.  Dr.  Wheeler,  Rev. 
Mr.  Grassie,  Rev.  Capt.  Kitwood,  Rev.  Dr. 
John  H.  Vincent  and  Rev.  Dr.  Fullerton. 
The  building,  as  then  completed,  was  designed 
for  Sabbath  school  purposes,  the  congregation 
intending  to  add  a  main  church  structure.     It 


was  of  Ogdensburg  blue  limestone,  trimmed 
with  Amherst  sandstone,  and  cost  about 
$25,000.  Within  the  first  eleven  months,  the 
number  of  communicants  was  doubled,  and  in 
Dccendser,  1872,  was  157-  The  Sabbath- 
school  had  a  similar  rapid  growth;  it  was  or- 
ganized in  Walther's  Ilall  Fcliruary  11,  1871, 
with  an  attendance  of  thirty-five  scholars.  On 
May  14  of  the  same  year,  it  removed  to  Temper- 
ance Hall,  which  was  occupied  until  the  com- 
pletion of  the  chapel.  In  less  than  one  year, 
it  reached  an  average  attendance  of  227,  and 
contributed  for  its  own  purposes  and  bene\o- 
lence  the  handsome  sum  of  $1,009.47. 

The  chapel  building  above  mentioned 
burned  down  on  the  27th  of  January,  1888, 
inflicting  a  severe  loss  upon  the  congregation. 
May  22  of  the  same  year  a  contract  was  let 
for  a  new  structure,  being  the  one  now  in  use, 
which  was  completed  on  November  17,  1889, 
at  a  cost,  inclusive  of  the  organ,  of  some 
$42,000. 

October  12,  1878,  Rev.  Mr.  Kimball  was 
dismissed  from  the  pastorate,  at  his  own  request, 
to  accept  a  call  to  a  church  in  Kansas  City, 
Mo.  He  preached  for  the  congregation  until 
the  first  Sabbath  in  November  of  that  year. 
His  successor  in  the  pastorate  was  Rev.  Solon 
Coiib,  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  who  was  in- 
stalled on  the  evening  of  December  26,  1878. 
I'he  latter  gentleman  filled  the  place  until 
Januaiy,  1895,  when  he  resigned  to  take 
charge  of  the  Point  Breeze  Church  in  Pitts- 
burg. Rev.  Hugh  L.  Hodge  assumed  the  pas- 
torate October  15,  1895. 

This  congregation  is  notable  for  the  unity, 
harmony  and  cordial  fellowship  that  have 
marked  all  of  its  meetings  and  activities.  Con- 
stant increase  of  membership  at  each  and  every 
comniunion  season  has  been  as  unvarying  as 
•the  seed  time  and  harvest  of  the  natural 
world. 

The  Sabbath  school  has  been  under  the 
care  of  the  same  Superintendent,  Charles  C. 
Shirk,  ever  since  its  organization.  The  church 
sustains  two  mission  schools :  The  Central 
(average  attendance  120),  on  West  Fourth 
street,  near  Cascade,  organized  in  1888;  and 
the  Glenwood  (average  attendance  ninety- 
seven),  which  meets  in  Fronce's  hall,  near  the 
southern  limits  of  the  city,  organized  in  1892. 

The  membership  of  the  church,  in  August, 
1894,  was  711,  and  of  the  Sabbath-school  556. 
During  the  twenty-three  years  of  the  church's 


AND  UISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


441 


existence,  up  to  the  above  date,  it  had  paid 
out  about  $220,000  in  the  different  lines  of 
religious  work,  of  which  nearly  $8,000  were 
collected  in  the  year  1893—4. 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  ; 

Women's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  or- 
ganized in  1882. 

Womens  Home  Missionary  Society,  or- 
ganized in  1883. 

Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor, organized  in  1887,  succeeding  the 
Young  People's  Union,  organized  in  1875. 

Junior  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  or- 
ganized January  1(5,  1895. 

CHESTNUT     STREET     PRESBYTERIAN      CHURCH. 

A  Sabbath-school  was  opened  early  in 
July,  1870,  in  the  house  of  C.  W.  Brown, 
on  Eighteenth,  between  Chestnut  and  Walnut 
streets,  through  the  eft'orts  of  three  lay  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Presbyterian  and  Park  Pres- 
byterian Churches.  On  the  first  Sabbath  but 
one  scholar  was  present.  Two  Sabbaths  later, 
the  attendance  increased  to  seventy-five,  and. 
as  a  result,  a  school  was  organized  in  a  room 
fitted  up  for  the  occasion  near  the  present 
house  of  worship.  From  this  date  to  the  1st 
of  December  following,  the  school  was  nomi- 
nally under  the  care  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  when 
it  was  taken  under  the  charge  of  Park  Pres- 
byterian Church.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year, 
the  school  numbered  over  200  members.  In 
order  to  put  in  some  practical  and  useful  form 
their  quota  of  the  !i!5,000,()UO  memorial  fund 
which  the  Presbvteriun  Church  in  the  Lhiited 
States  had  agreed  to  raise  us  a  thank-offering 
to  God  for  the  cordial  re-union  of  its  dissevered 
branches,  the  people  of  Park  Church  resolved 
to  build  a  house  for  this  school.  A  building 
on  the  corner  of  Seventeenth  and  Chestnut 
streets,  was  completed  in  July,  1871,  and  dedi- 
cated on  the  2d  of  August  following. 

Rev.  J.  R.  Wilson  began  to  preach  in  the 
spring  of  1872.  A  church  was  organized  in 
January,  1873,  and  Mr.  Wilson  was  installed 
as  pastor  in  the  next  September.  He  was 
very  successful  in  his  ministry — the  church  in- 
creasing within  the  first  three  years  from  nine 
to  fifty-six  members,  and  the  Sabbath-school 
to  225.  Mr.  W^ilson  remained  with  the  church 
till  the  summer  of  1879,  when  he  resigned  to 
accept  the  chair  of  Greek  Professor  in  Parson 
College,  Iowa.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
A.  C.  Wilson,  who    was    installed    as    pastor 


December  80,  of  tiiatyear,  and  remained  until 
July,  1880.  From  February,  1881,  until  June, 
1883,  the  pulpit  was  filled  by  the  Rev.  J.  D. 
Kerr,  as  stated  supply.  He  was  followed  in 
the  latter  year  by  Rev.  W.  J.  Hazlett.  The 
latter  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Edwards, 
who  filled  the  pulpit  for  three  years.  In  No- 
vember, 188(5,  Rev.  R.  S.  VanCleve  assumed 
the  pastorate,  but  was  compelled  bj-  ill-liealth 
to  resign  in  the  fall  of  1888.  Rev.  Geo.  F. 
Reichel  then  served  as  a  supply  for  fifteen 
months.  In  January,  1891,  Rev.  Mr.  Van- 
Cleve again  assumed  charge  of  the  congrega- 
tion, as  acting  pastor,  preferring  that  arrange- 
ment, for  personal  reasons,  rather  than  to  be 
formallv  installed. 

A  new  brick  church  building  took  the 
place  of  the  original  structure  in  1891,  which 
cost  about  .$10,000.  It  was  dedicated  on  Octo- 
ber 29th  of  the  last  named  year. 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

The  Ladies'  Missionary  Society,  organized 
in  March,  1879. 

The  Young  People's  Literary  Union,  or- 
ganized in  May,  1883. 

The  Young  Ladies"  Missionary  Society, 
organized  in  June,  1885. 

The  Pastor's  Aid  Societv,  organized  in 
June,  1886. 

The  Young  People's  Society  of  Christian 
Endeavor,  organized  in  September.  1887. 

The  Aaron  and  Hur  Societv,  organized  in' 
March,  1895. 

UNITED    PRESBYTERIAN-    CHURCH. 

About  thirty  families,  members  and  adhe- 
rents of  the  Associate  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Church,  had  settled  in  Erie  and  the  immedi- 
ate neighborhood  previous  to  1811.  They 
were  chiefly  Scotch— Irish  and  the  descend- 
ants of  Scotch-Irish,  from  the  counties  border- 
ing on  the  Juniata  and  Susquehanna  rivers. 
In  1811,  the  Monongahela  Presbvter)-  appoint- 
ed Rev.  George  Buchanan  (pastor  of  a  con- 
gregation at  vSteubenville)  "  to  preach  two 
Sabbaths  in  the  borough  of  Erie  before  the 
next  meeting  of  Presbj-tery.''  Mr.  Buchanan 
filled  his  appointment,  probably  in  July  or 
August,  1811,  and  at  the  next  meeting  of 
Presbytery,  held  September  4,  1811,  a  peti- 
tion "  for  a  supply  of  seimons"  was  received 
"  from  persons  residing  in  and  near  Erie  and 
Waterford."'  He  returned  to  Erie  countj' and 
preached  in  these  places   in   the   fall   of    1811, 


442 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


being  accompanied  bj'  the  Rev.  Samuel  Weir, 
a  licentiate  of  the  same  Presbytery. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  Presbytery,  a  peti- 
tion for  the  moderation  of  a  call  in  the  borough 
of  Erie  and  at  W'aterford  was  presented.  Mr. 
Galloway  was  appointed  to  preach  in  Erie  on 
the  third  Sabbath  of  J-inii'Ty.  181l',  "  and 
preside  on  the  following  Monday  on  that 
business."  The  result  was,  that  a  unanimous 
call  was  made  for  Rev.  Robert  Reid  to  offi- 
ciate as  pastor,  which  was  accepted,  and  Octo- 
ber 21,  1812,  Mr.  Reid  was  installed  in  charge 
of  the  churches  at  Erie  and  Waterford.  The 
number  of  members  when  organized  was  about 
seventy.  Mr.  Reid  preached  one-fourth  of  his 
time  in  Waterford  and  the  remainder.in  Erie, 
until  1841,  after  which  his  entire  service  was 
given  to  the  work  in  Erie.  April  12,  1813, 
Archibald  McSparren,  Thomas  Hughes  and 
David  Robinson  were  ordained,  and  Alex- 
ander Robinson  installed,  ruling  elders  of  the 
Erie  Church,  and  James  Dumars  was  ordained 
a  deacon.  The  first  communion  was  held  Oc- 
tober 29,  1813,  and  forty-nine  members  par- 
ticipated. 

The  congregation  at  lirst  met  for  worship 
wherever  it  could  find  accommodation,  some 
times  in  the  old  courtiiouse,  some  times  in  a 
log  house  on  the  north  side  of  Fifth  street,  be- 
tw"een  French  and  Holland,  and  oftener  in  a 
log  schooliiouse  on  the  corner  of  Seventh  and 
Holland  streets,  upon  the  ground  now  occu- 
pied by  school  No.  2.  A  church  building  was 
erected  in  1816,  on  Eiglith  street,  a  little  west 
of  tlie  present  building.  It  was  a  frame 
structure,  33x45  feet,  and  was  removed  in 
1837  to  State  street,  between  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth  streets.  The  present  building  was 
completed  and  ready  for  occupancy  in  1887. 
and  the  basement  was  fitted  up  as  a  lecture 
room,  etc.,  in  1862. 

An  incident  which  occurred  at  the  distri- 
bution of  pews  in  the  new  church,  in  1837,  is 
worthy  of  record.  Rufus  S.  Reed,  whose 
wife  was  a  member  of  the  church  and  himself 
a  liberal  contributor  to  its  funds  and  an  at- 
tendant quite  regularly  upon  its  .services,  came 
in  after  considerable  progress  had  been  made 
in  the  selection  of  pews.  He  inquired  if 
there  was  a  pew  for  him,  and  he  was  informed 
that  they  supposed  that  one  of  the  two  square 
pews  on  each  side  of  the  pulpit  would  be  his 
choice,  and  that  one  had  been  assigned  to  the 
pastor  and  the   other   reserved  for  him.     He 


inquired  the  price,  which,  when  named,  was 
satisfactory.  The  building  committee  then 
said  :  ''Mr.  Reed,  \ve  owe  you  about  $300 
more  than  your  pew  amounts  to,  and  we 
would  like  to  turn  the  old  house  over  to  you 
for  as  much  of  the  debt  as  you  can  afVord  to 
allow  for  it."  He  replied  :  "  "  1  will  take  the 
house  and  give  you  a  receipt  in  full."  He 
sold  it,  to  be  removed,  for  $100,  and  gave  the 
money  he  received  for  it  to  the  Rev.  Robert 
Reid,  the  pastor,  as  a  present.  The  basement 
of  the  new  building,  containing  lecture  room, 
session  room,  infant  class  room,  etc.,  was  fin- 
ished in  18(52. 

September  12.  1814,  seventv-four  members 
communed,  and  June  9,  1825,  107  members, 
the  greatest  number  up  to  that  time  of  any 
one  year.  The  largest  number  of  new  mem- 
bers in  any  one  year,  up  to  1876,  was  thirty- 
seven,  which  occurred  in  1874.  In  1866 
and  in  1872  thirty-one  new  names  were  ad- 
ded to  the  membership.  These  years  of  un- 
usual accessions  to  the  church  resulted,  in 
1866,  from  general  interest  in  religious  mat- 
ters awakened  by  the  efforts  of  some  revival 
preachers  who  visited  Erie  that  year;  in  1872 
and  1874,  from  earnest  work  by  the  pastor 
and  members  in  prayer  ineeting  held  every 
evening  for  two  weeks  before  the  communion, 
in  July,  1872,  and  in   January,  1874. 

The  pastors  of  the  church  have  been  as 
follows  :  Rev.  Robert  Reid,  installed  Octo- 
ber 21,  1812— died  May  15,  1844;  Rev.  Jos. 
H.  Pressly,  installed  August  20,  1845 — died 
November  3,  1874;  Rev.  J.  C.  Wilson,  the 
present  incumbent,  installed  May  1,  1876. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Reid  became  pastor,  a 
Union  Sabbath-school  was  opened.  It  was 
held  variously  in  the  old  courthouse,  and 
in  a  house  on  French  street,  near  the  cor- 
ner of  Fifth  street.  Mr.  Reid  was  the  Su- 
perintendent at  first,  but  some  of  those  in- 
terested in  the  school,  from  other  churches, 
insisted  upon  introducing  into  the  school 
hymns  and  other  matters  which  Mr.  Reid 
could  not  approve,  and  he  withdrew.  Subse- 
quently he  organized  a  school  in  his  own 
church,  which  was  discontinued  after  a  few 
years,  and  there  was  no  successful  attempt  to 
revive  it  until  after  the  installation  of  Mr. 
Pressly.  Tiie  school  opened  on  the  first  Sab- 
bath of  January,  1846,  and  the  teachers  were 
John  Hughes,  James  E.  McNair,  James  L. 
Gray,    Miss    Mary    Warren,    Miss    Mary    A. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


443 


Lamberton  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Reid.  Fifty- 
one  scholars  were  present.  During  the  month, 
George  W.  Barr,  Edward  A.  Mehaffey,  James 
C.  Reid,  George  Hughes,  Miss  Margaret  Mc- 
Sparren,  Miss  Maria  Kennedy,  Miss  Marga- 
ret A.  Pollock,  Miss  Celia  Miles,  Miss  Mary 
Jane  Mehaffey  and  Miss  Eliza  McSparren 
were  added  to  the  list  of  teachers.  Dr. 
Pressly  acted  as  Superintendent  until  187-. 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

Women's  Missionary  Society,  organized 
November  28.  1875. 

Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor, organized  May  81,  1887. 

Junior  Societv  of  Ciiristian  Endeavor,  or- 
ganized Febi  uary  1,  18il5. 

Young  Women's  ^lissionary  Society,  or- 
ganized April  2,  1895. 

The  parsonage  of  the  church  was  com- 
menced in  the  fall  of  1876,  and  occupied  in 
June,  1877- 

The  mission  Sabbath-school,  for  quite  a 
while  under  the  care  of  this  church,  was  lo- 
cated on  Eighteenth  street,  east  of  German, 
and  continued  there  about  five  years.  After 
that  it  was  removed  to  Seventeenth  street, 
midway  between  German  and  Parade,  being 
under  the  direct  charge  of  the  congregation 
for  ten  jears.  It  was  conducted  independ- 
ently of  the  congregation  for  a  year  and  a  half 
more,  and  then  handed  over  to  the  care  of 
Park  Presbyterian  Church.  The  date  of  the 
beginning  of  this  school  was  May,  1874. 


PROTESTANT    EPISCOPAL. 


ST.     PAULS    P. 


CHURCH. 


The  first  services  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Erie  were  held  in  the  old 
courthouse,  in  1826,  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Hop- 
kins, afterward  Bishop  of  Vermont,  and  at 
that  time  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Pittsburg. 
The  records  show  that  seven  persons  were 
baptized  by  him  before  the  year  1827,  but  the 
dates  are  not  given.  The  organization  of  the 
parish  was  affected  at  a  meeting  held  at  the 
house  of  P.  S.  V.  Hamot  March  17,  1827. 
Rev.  Charles  Smith  was  appointed  rector,  and 
Messrs.  Tiiomas  Forster,  P.  S.  V.  Hamot, 
George  Miles,  George  A.  Eliot,  Tabor  Beebe, 
Charles  M.  Reed,  Thomas  Forster,  jr.,  D.  C. 
Barrett,  William  Kelle}',  Gilbert  Knapp  and 
John  A.  Tracy  %vere  elected  vestrj'men  for  the 


ensuing  year.  Col.  Thomas  Forster  was 
chosen  Church  Warden  ;  Tabor  Beebe,  Rec- 
tor's Warden  ;  and  P.  S.  V.  Hamot,  Secretary 
to  the  Vestry.  The  male  members  of  the 
original  vestry  and  congregation  who  were 
Episcopalians,  were  Col.  Forster  and  Capt. 
George  Miles.  Mrs.  Hamot,  and  perhaps  t\vo 
or  three  other  ladies  were  members  of  the 
church.  Several  of  the  men  were  previously 
Presbyterians. 

At  a  meeting  held  on  July  22,  1827,  Rev. 
Mr.  Smith's  resignation  was  tendered,  and  ac- 
cepted December  8,  ensuing.  Rev.  Benjamin 
Hutchins  ministered  to  the  congregation  for  a 
few  months.  It  appears  tVom  the  records  of 
a  meeting,  December  24,  1827,  that  Mr. 
Hutchins  had  been  acting  as  assistant  for  Mr. 
Smith  at  Erie  and  Waterford,  and  that  he  de- 
sired an  independent  charge  at  St.  Paul's,  but 
without  success. 

At  a  Diocesan  Convention  held  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1828.  an  application  was  made  to 
the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Christianity 
in  Pennsylvania  for  help  to  the  Erie  church, 
which  was  granted.  Messrs.  Reed  and  Wal- 
lace, the  Erie  delegates  to  the  convention, 
must  have  found,  or  heard  of,  the  Rev.  Ben- 
nett Glover,  at  Philadelphia,  for  a  correspond- 
ence was  opened  with  him  July  17,  1828.  with 
a  view  to  his  coming  as  rector.  The  war- 
dens were  instructed  ''  to  ascertain  from  Mr. 
McConkey  his  terms  for  boarding,  and,  if 
Mr.  Glover  will  remain  here  some  time,  to 
make  the  lowest  and  best  boarding  terms;  also, 
that  Messrs.  Kelley  and  Knapp  make  a  bargain 
with  some  person  to  keep  the  house  clean  and 
ring  the  bell  for  church."  Mr.  Glover  was 
called  during  the  year.  A  new  election  of 
wardens  and  vestrymen,  held  at  the  rooms  of 
Rev.  :Mr.  Glover,  November  22,  1880,  resulted 
as  follows  :  Thomas  Forster,  George  Nichol- 
son, Tabor  Beebe,  John  A.  Tracy,  William 
Kelley,  George  A.  Eliot,  Thomas  Forster,  jr., 
Elijah  Babbitt,  George  Miles  and  Alexander 
McKee,  Vestrymen ;  Thomas  Forster  and 
George  Nicholson, Wardens  ;  George  A.  Eliot, 
Treasurer  ;  P.  S.  \'.  Hamot,  Secretary.  Thos. 
Forster,  Tabor  Beebe,  P.  S.  \'.  Hamot  and 
Elijah  Babbitt  were  appointed  a  committee  to 
procure  a  plan  for  a  church.  At  the  next  meet- 
ing (December  1,  1830),  it  was — 

^'■Resolved,  That  we  accept  of  the  purchase 
made  bj-  John  B.  Wallace,  Esq.,  of  James 
Moore,    of    Lot    No.    1729    at    $250,  the  said 


444 


NELSON'S  BIOQltAPUICAI.  DICTIONARY 


Moore  subscribing  twenty-five  dollars,  and 
that  the  Treasurer  be  directed  to  pay  fifty  dol- 
lars and  receive  the  deed  and  give  the  bond 
and  mortgage."" 

The  deed  for  the  church  lot  was  made  to 
George  A.  Eliot,  Ciiarles  M.  Reed  and  John 
A.  Tracy  in  trust.  Among  those  making  pro- 
posals for  the  building  were  C.  G.  Howell  and 
Nlehafiey  &  Iloskinson.  B.  Tomlinson,  John 
Teel  and  John  Dunlap  also  submitted  bids  for 
parts  of  the  work.  The  contract  for  a  build- 
ing was  made  with  MehafTey  &  Iloskinson  for 
$3,8'J9.  they  being  required  "  to  use  brick 
from  Dunn  or  Sawtel's  yard,"  and  also  to 
"  take  an  account  of  subscriptions  in  brick, 
stone,  masonry  and  lime."  The  church  was 
duly  completed,  the  slips  sold  "  free  of  tax," 
and  the  debts  gradually  paid  ofT.  An  organ 
was  bought  and  paid  for,  and  a  bell  weighing 
four  or  five  hundred  pounds.  No  aid  was  re- 
ceived from  abroad  except  a  subscription  from 
J.  B.  \\'allace,  and  one  of  .floO  from  Rev. 
Mr.  Hopkins. 

The  church  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  On- 
derdonck  in  1834.  A  burial  ground  west  of 
Myrtle  street,  between  Seventh  and  Eighth 
streets,  had  been  previously  purchased,  and 
paid  for  by  subscription.  A  small  lecture 
room  was  built  in  the  rear  of  the  church  in 
1836,  for  use  chieflv  of  the  Sunday-school. 
The  school  had  been  organized  in  the  court 
house,  before  the  church  was  built,  by  Mrs. 
William  A.  Brown,  Mrs.    Hamot   and  others. 

The  church  was  enlarged  in  1847,  and  old 
residents  describe  the  pulpit  placed  in  the 
building  at  that  time  as  a  curiosity.  "  It  was 
\ery  high,  and  the  preacher  entered  it  from  a 
(light  of  stairs  opening  from  the  vestry  room 
in  the  rear.  \\  hen  in  it  his  head  was  in  an 
arch  in  the  wall,  in  shape  like  a  brick  oven. 
The  altar  and  reading  desk  on  the  top  of  it 
remained  till  the  Rev.  Mr.  Abercrombie 
had  a  new  desk  and  altar  made.  Rev.  Mr. 
Carstensten  induced  the  vestry  to  abolish 
the  'three  decker'  arrangement  on  taking 
charge  of  the  parish.  A  lecturn  then  took 
the  place  of  the  pulpit,  and  the  altar  was  put 
in  its   proper  place."' 

The  present  stone  church  edifice,  located  on 
the  south  side  of  West  Sixth,  between  Peach 
and  Sassafras  streets,  was  completed  in  1866, 
and  dedicated  in  1869,  clear  of  debt.  Its 
cost  was  something  over  ii!60,000.  W'hile  the 
building   was   in   course    of  erection   Sunday- 


services  were  held  in  Farrar  Hall  (now  the 
Opera  House),  and  week-daj-  meetings  in  pri- 
vate houses. 

Rev.  Mr.  Glover  continued  lo  serve  the 
parish  on  a  small  salary,  with  the  aid  of  the 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Christianity, 
till  his  death  in  1838,  when  Rev.  P.  Teller 
Babbitt  became  rector,  serving  until  1840. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Henry  Tullidge, 
who  continued  until  1846.  The  next  rector 
was  Rev.  William  Flint,  who  served  several 
vears.  Rev.  Charles  Arey  succeeded  Mr. 
Flint  in  January,  1853,  and  served  the  parish 
two  jears.  The  vestry  not  agreeing  u])on  a 
successor.  Bishop  Potter  sent  Rev.  John  A. 
Bowman  as  missionary,  who  remained  as  a 
temporary  supply  for  a  year  or  more.  Rev. 
D.  C.  Page  was  rector  of  the  parish  for  a 
short  time  after  Mr.  Bowman's  removal. 
Rev.  James  Abercrombie  became  rector  in  the 
summer  of  1857,  and  was  followed  by  Rev. 
John  F.  Spaulding  April  1,  1862. 

Mr.  Spaulding  was  elected  Missionary 
Bishop  of  Colorado  and  Wyoming  in  October, 
1878,  and  was  consecrated  in  St.  Paul's  Church 
December  31  of  that  year.  The  next  rector 
j  was  Rev.  W.  H.  Mills,  who  remained  until 
j  March,  1880.  when  he  resigned  to  accept  a 
call  to  St.  Paul's  Church,  Yonkers,  \.  Y. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  James  T.  Franklin 
in  April,  1880,  who  died  two  years  later. 
Rev.G.  A.  Carstensten  assumed  the  rectorship 
!  July  1,  1882,  and  remained  until  188'.).  In 
June  of  the  latter  year  Rev.  John  Iluske  be- 
came rector  and  continued  until  after  Easter, 
1803.  The  present  rector,  Rev.  Edward  E. 
Matthews,  was  sent  here  by  the  bishop  of  the 
diocese,  to  act  temporarily,  soon  after  Mr. 
Huske  resigned,  and  was  regularlj-  called  to 
the  charge  of  the  parish  in  October,  1893. 

August  11,  1881,  St.  Paul's  narrowly  es- 
caped destruction  by  fire,  the  south  end  being 
damaged  to  the  extent  of  $10,000.  The  build- 
ing was  promptly  restored  and  greatly  im- 
proved. A  fine  organ  was  presented  to  the 
church  at  the  time  by  Hon.  William  L.  Scott. 

The  parish  administration  in  1895  was  as 
follows  : 

Rector — Rev.  E.  E.  Matthews. 

Wardens— John  W.  Reynolds,  T.  W. 
Shacklett. 

Vestrymen — (arranged  in  the  order  of 
seniority  of  continuous  membership) —  1874, 
John  W.    Reynolds.    R.   T.Williams;    1875, 


y/^(2A^£^-  ^  ^ 


AND  EISTORIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C'OUJSTy. 


445 


W.  W.  Reed ;  1883,  T.  W.  Shacklett ;  1886, 
Geo.  W.  Starr,  Joseph  P.  Metcalf;  1887, 
John  S.  Richards;  1889,  John  E.  Ashby ; 
1892,  W.  B.  Brooks,  ].  S.  VanScoter;  1893, 
C.  M.  Tibbals;  1895,  G.  T.  Lewis. 

Treasurer — W.  B.  Brooks. 

vSecretary — T.  \V.  Shacklett. 

Choir  Master — Douglas  Benson. 

Organist — !Mary   Wheeler. 

Lay  Readers — Willis  S.  Bancroft,  Louis 
Leakey,  James  J.  Bassett,  T.  W.  Shacklett. 

The  surpliced  choir  was  organized  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Carstensen  in  1885.  Its  first  service  was 
on  the  second  Sunday  in  October  of  that  year. 

J//.?.v/o^/5  and  Soc/c/ics. 

Trinity  Mission. — In  1873  Trinity  Mission 
was  established  by  St.  Paul's  congregation  at 
the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Cascade  streets.  A 
chapel  was  erected  and  dedicated  the  same 
year.  Services  are  held  regularly  by  the  rec- 
tor of  the  parent  church.  A  .Sunday-school 
is  attached  to  the  mission.  Trinity  Guild 
takes  charge  of  the  mission  services. 

Grace  Mission. — Established  by  St.  Paul's 
congregation  at  Third  and  German  streets  has 
been  abandoned.  The  chapel,  erected  in  1874, 
was  sold  in  May,  1894,  to  the  congregation  of 
the  Luther  Memorial  Church,  and  moved  to 
Tenth  and  Wayne  streets,  where  it  is  in  use  as 
a  mission  chapel  of  the  latter  body. 

A  mission  under  the  direction  of  the  rector 
of  St.  Paul's  Church  is  maintained  at  Wells- 
burg,  in  tills  county.  It  is  known  as  Lundy's 
Lane  Mission,  from  the  name  of  the  postoffice. 

Societies — The  societies  of  the  church  are  as 
follows  : 

Parochial  Societ)',  organized  January  13, 
1862. 

St.  Agnes'  Guild,  organized  October,  1882. 

Ministering  Children's  League,  organized 
January,  1893. 

Chancel  Society,  organized  August,  1893. 

The  Parish  Visiting  Committee — Object, 
to  assist  the  rector. 

"  The  Circles'' — Object,  parish  house  fund. 

ST.  John's  p.   e.   church. 

During  the  winter  of  1866  Rev.  J.  F. 
Spaulding.  rector  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  held 
services  once  in  two  weeks,  on  week  day 
evenings,  at  the  houses  of  some  of  his  parish- 
ioners and  of  friends  of  the  church  in  the 
neighborhood  of,  and  a  little  south  of  the  depot. 
29 


In  March,  1867,  a  parish  organization  was 
formed,  with  David  T.  Jones,  William  Nich- 
olson, Samuel  B.  Barnum,  William  Bush,  R. 
A.  Fancher  and  A.  W .  VanTassel  as  \'estry- 
men.  The  vestry  elected  Rev.  J.  H.  Black, 
P-ector;  George  Burton  and  David  T.  Jones, 
Wardens;  S.  H.  Metcalf,  Secretary,  and  W. 
G.  Gardiner,  Treasurer. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  1867,  Urban's  Hall, 
on  Peach  street,  was  secured,  and  regular 
church  services  and  a  Sunday-school  com- 
menced, ^vhich  were  both  continued  with  in- 
creasing interest  and  attendance  during  the 
year.  A  year  later,  the  parish  lost  the  services 
of  their  rector,  he  having  removed  from  the 
city.  Sunday  services  were,  however,  con- 
tinued by  the  reading  of  morning  service  and 
a  sermon  by  the  wardens.  Evening  service 
was  conducted  by  Rev.  Mr.  Spaulding,  of  St. 
Paul's.  In  May  following,  Rev.  Calvin  C. 
Parker  was  elected  rector,  who  accepted  the 
call  and  entered  upon  his  duties  the  first  Sun- 
day in  July.  The  parish  was  duly  incorpora- 
ted and  admitted  into  union  with  the  conven- 
tion of  the  diocese  June  2. 

In  July,  plans  and  specifications  were  pre- 
pared for  a  church  edifice,  which  was  erected 
on  a  lot  on  Sixteenth  street,  between  Peach 
and  Sassafras.  The  coiner-stone  was  laid  on 
Tuesday  afternoon,  July  28,  1868,  at  6  o'clock, 
by  Bishop  Kerfoot,  of  the  Diocese  of  Pitts- 
burg. 

The  building  was  consecrated  June  20, 
1871,  by  Bishop  Kerfoot  and  Bishop  Cox,  of 
Western  New  York,  the  latter  preaching  the 
sermon. 

Rev.  Mr.  Parker  remained  as  rector  of  the 
church  until  September,  1872,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing November  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  S. 
D.  McConnell,  who  resigned  in  April,  1874, 
to  take  charge  of  a  church  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  has  become  one  of  the  leading  men 
in  the  denomination.  The  next  rector  was 
Rev.  S.  H.  Hilliard,  whose  term  of  service 
began  in  September.  1874,  and  terminated  in 
June,  1876.  The  following  August  he  was 
succeeded  by  his  brother,  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Hil- 
liard, who  served  the  congregation  until  Au 
gust,  1878.  Rev.  J.  M.  Benedict  became  the 
next  rector,  entering  upon  his  duties  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1879,  and  severing  his  connection  with 
the  charge  in  November,  1881.  Mr.  Bene- 
dict was  succeeded  in  April,  1882,  by  Rev. 
L.  C.  Rogers,  whose  rectorship  extended   un- 


446 


NJSL30:!^'8  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


til  July,  1883.  The  rectors  since  have  been 
as  follows:  1883-5  Rev.  W.  M.  Cook; 
1885-92,  Rev.  Andrew  Fleming;  1892-94, 
Rev.  Chas.  M.  Kimball  ;  1894,  Rev.  Henry 
B.  Jefferson;  June,  1894,  Rev.  Geo.  Win- 
throp  Sarjrent. 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

Parochial  Society,  organized  early  in  the 
history  of  the  church. 

St.  Cecilia  Guild,  organized  in  1894. 

Chancel  Society,  organized  in  1894. 

Boy's  Club,  organized  in  1894. 

[For  an  account  of  the  consolidation  of  St. 
John's  and  St.  \'incent"s  parishes,  see  ensuing 
matter.] 

ST.   Vincent's  p.  e.   church. 

In  May,  1868,  under  the  direction  of  Rev. 
J.  F.  Spaulding,  of  St.  Paul's,  a  small  Sun- 
day-school of  six  teachers  and  eight  scholars 
was  organized  at  the  public  schoolhouse  on 
East  Tenth  street,  near  Wayne,  and  placed 
under  the  superintendence  of  Boyd  Vincent, 
then  making  preparation  to  enter  the  ministry. 
The  neigiiborhood  was  thoroughly-  canvassed 
for  scholars  from  house  to  house,  and  a  men's 
Bible  class  soon  started.  In  October  follow- 
ing, lay  services  on  alternate  Sundays,  with 
the  reading  of  a  sermon,  were  begun,  and  at- 
tended by  a  dozen  or  fifteen  persons.  These 
and  the  Sunday-sciiool  were  soon  found  to  be 
mutually  productive  of  benefit.  At  Christ- 
mas, there  was  an  average  attendance  in  the 
school  of  sixty  scholars  and  eleven  teachers. 
Soon  after  a  woman's  Bible  class  was  added, 
and  mainly  from  the  members  of  this  and  tlie 
men's  Bible  class  the  attendance  at  the  weekly 
church  services  was  increased  to  thirty  or 
forty  persons. 

About  this  time  the  work  was  given  fresh 
character  by  assuming  the  name  of  "  'I  he 
Cross  and  Crown  Mission."  By  May  24,  the 
first  anniversary  of  the  school's  organization, 
the  average  attendance  of  scholars  was  eighty. 
In  June,  the  lay  services  were  superseded  by 
an  afternoon  clerical  service  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Spaulding. 

From  the  beginning  the  expenses  of  the 
mission  had  been  partly  met  by  the  contribu- 
tions of  tiie  members  themselves,  though  they 
were  mainly  defrayed  by  donations  from  St. 
Paul's  Sunday-school  and  from  a  few  inter- 
ested friends,  as  also  by  subscriptions   in  the 


mother  parish.  But,  in  October,  1869,  only 
eighteen  months  after  the  mission  was  started, 
the  number  of  adult  members  in  the  congre- 
gation and  Bible  class  was  such  that  they 
spontaneously  proposed  and  proceeded  to 
make  the  work  actually  self-supporting,  al- 
tiiough  still  formally  connected  with  St.  Paul's 
parish.  In  November,  the  original  Superin- 
tendent being  called  from  the  city,  William 
T.  Smith  was  elected  to  fill  the  place. 

In  January,  .$217  had  been  raised  bj-  sub- 
scription for  the  purchase  of  a  cabinet  organ 
and  a  small  librarv,  and  soon  after  steps  were 
taken  for  the  erection  of  a  chapel.  Out  of  five 
lots  generously  offered  for  the  purpose,  that  of 
William  M.  Watts,  of  Carlisle,  situated  at  the 
corner  of  Twelfth  and  Ash  streets,  was  ac- 
cepted. The  corner-stone  of  a  building  was 
laid  in  Julj',  1870,  and  in  February,  1871,  the 
edifice,  ready  for  use  and  free  from  debt,  was 
consecrated.  The  building  cost  $4,000,  of 
which  .$800  were  contributed  by  the  members 
of  the  mission,  and  the  balance  by  members 
of  St.  Paul's  parish. 

In  July,  1872,  Rev.  Boyd  Vincent,  as  as- 
sistant minister  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  work  at  the  Cross  and 
Crown.  The  same  month  the  church  was  ad- 
mitted into  union  with  the  convention  of  the 
diocese  as  an  independent  and  self-supporting 
parish,  Mr.  Vincent  becoming  its  lull  rector. 
His  rectorship  of  the  charge  was  dissolved  in 
the  spring  of  1874,  he  going  to  Pittsburg, 
from  which  city  he  was  elected  to  be  Bishop 
of  Southern  Ohio. 

His  successor  was  Rev.  Bernard  Schulte, 
who  remained  until  June,  1876,  when  he  was 
followed  bv  Rev.  S.  A.  McNulty,  whose  stay 
with  the  church  was  less  than  one  year.  In 
Julv,  1877,  Rev.  John  Graham  became  rector 
and  served  for  a  period  of  two  years.  The 
pulpit  was  then  vacant  for  some  months.  In 
January,  1880,  the  next  rector.  Rev.  W.  H. 
Rogers,  entered  upon  his  duties.  The  term 
of  his  rectorship  lasted  until  August,  1881, 
from  which  time  until  April,  1882,  the  church 
was  without  a  rector.  At  the  date  last  named, 
Rev.  L.  W.  Rogers  became  the  rector  and 
remained  until  July  1,  1883.  The  rectors 
since  have  been  as  follows  :  1884,  Rev.  Rob- 
ert II.  Neide;  1884  to  '88,  Rev.  David  Moer; 
1888  to '93,  Rev.  Wm.  Price;  1893  to  date, 
Rev.  Wm.  Johnson. 

The  name  of   the   church  was  changed  to 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


447 


St.  Vincent's  in  August,  1894,  when  it  be- 
came an  incorporated  body. 

The  societies  are  : 

The  Ladies'  Parochial  Society. 

The  Young  People's  Guild. 

The  Altar  Guild. 

On  the  evening  of  November  22,  1895, 
arrangements  were  perfected  for  tiie  consoli- 
dation of  St.  John's  and  St.  Vincent's  parishes 
into  one  organization,  to  be  known  by  the  lat- 
ter name,  and  to  be  under  the  joint  ciiarge  of 
their  respective  rectors.  Revs.  Wm.  Johnson 
and  Geo.  \V.  Sargent.  Vestrymen  were  cho- 
sen as  follows:  D.  T.  Jones,  J.  S.  Scobell, 
L.  F.  White,  A.  A.  Aldrich,  of  St.  John's; 
and  Walter  Nunn,  James  Gaskell,  John  Bur- 
gess, J.  H.  Bennett  and  George  Gardner,  of 
St.  Vincent's.  D.  T.  Jones  was  chosen  Senior 
Warden,  Walter  Nunn  Junior  Warden,  and 
J.  H.  Bennett  Secretary.  A  new  church 
building  is  to  be  erected,  and  the  two  old  ones 
disposed  of.  The  new  organization  comprises 
165  communicants  from  St.  Vincent's  and  130 
from  St.  John's. 

ST.  alban's  p.  e.  church. 

This,  the  latest  Episcopal  organization, 
was  established  as  a  mission  in  February, 
1894,  under  the  lead  of  Rev.  H.  B.  Jefferson, 
rector  in  charge.  A  charter  was  granted  in 
September,  1894,  and  the  following  executive 
committee  chosen:  Geo.  P.  Colt,  President; 
John  A.  Beebe,  Treasurer ;  Reed  Caughey, 
Secretary;  George  Burton,  Frank  L.  Arm- 
strong, Charles  D.  Herron,  A.  A.  Freeman, 
John  Fleeharty.  Tiie  present  rector.  Rev.  Wm. 
Wirt  Mills, was  called  in  February,  1895.  Meet- 
ings were  held  in  1894  in  the  Jewish  Syna- 
gogue. On  March  17,  1895,  Mr.  Mills  began 
services  in  the  old  Board  of  Trade  rooms  in 
the  Exchange  building,  which  had  been  fitted 
up  for  the  purpose.  The  church,  which  is 
ritualistic  in  its  services,  was  admitted  into 
union  with  the  Diocese  of  Pittsburg  in  1894. 

The  societies  are  : 

St.  Helen's  Guild,  organized  in  1894. 

St.  Mary's  Guild,  organized  in  1894. 

The  choir  provides  the  music  on  Sundays, 
and  the  acolytes  assist  the  priest  at  the  altar. 
A  singing  school  for  girls  and  a  cravon  class 
for  boys  are  maintained  by  the  congregation. 
The  Sunday-school  was  establisiied  at  the 
same  time  as  the  church. 


METHODIST  EPISCOPAL. 

FIRST    M.     E.    CHURCH. 

As  detailed  at  length  in  the  General  His- 
tory of  Erie  county,  meetings  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  denomination  were  held  in  Erie  by 
circuit  preachers  at  long  intervals,  commenc- 
ing in  1801.  W^orship  took  place  in  the  win- 
ter of  1810  and  1811  in  a  tavern  on  the  west 
side  of  French  street,  between  Sixth  and 
Seventh.  A  congregation  seems  to  have  been 
partially  established  soon  after  the  beginning 
of  the  century,  but  no  regular  permanent  or- 
ganization was  effected  until  the  year  1826. 
Rev.  Samuel  Gregg,  in  his  "  History  of  Metho- 
dism within  the  bounds  of  Erie  Conference," 
thus  alludes  to  the  church  at  Erie  in  1826  : 
"  Erie,  Pa.,  was  a  flourishing  village  in  which, 
though  Methodist  preaching  had  frequently 
been  enjoyed  by  the  people,  no  permanent 
organization  had  been  made  until  this  year. 
Mr.  James  McConkey  and  wife,  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Balti- 
more, moved  to  Erie  to  reside ;  and  Mr. 
David  Burton  and  wife  attended  the  meet- 
ing at  Harbor  creek,  and  were  there  con- 
verted, and  invited  Mr.  Knapp  to  establish 
an  appointment  in  Erie,  and  the  same  winter 
a  class  was  formed  composed  of  the  above- 
named  persons  and  a  few  others.  Mr.  Mc- 
Conkey was  appointed  leader,  and  soon  after 
secured  to  the  church  the  lot  on  Seventh 
street,  on  which  their  first  church  was  sub- 
sequently built ;  the  cost  was  $300."  The  Mr. 
Knapp  referred  to  was  Rev.  Henry  Knapp, 
who  was  in  charge  of  North  East  Circuit.  He 
died  in  Wesleyville,  May  20,  1827,  and  his  final 
resting  place  is  in  the  rear  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  that  village. 

The  ministers  who  traveled  the  circuit,  of 
which  the  First  Church  constituted  an  appoint- 
ment from  1826  until  1830,  were  Revs. 
Nathaniel  Reeder  and  E.  Stevenson,  in  1826; 
Revs.  Job  Wilson  and  J.  W.  Davis,  in  1827; 
Revs.  J.  W.  Davis  and'j.  Jones,  in  1828  ;  Rev. 
S.  AyeVsand  W.  C.  RichJy,  in  1829.  In  1830, 
the  appointment  was  on  Erie  Circuit,  which 
was  formed  that  year.  The  preacher  in  charge 
was  Rev.  J.  S.  Barris,  with  Rev.  A.  C.Young 
as  his  colleague.  Mr.  Barris'  salary  was  $167- 
December  26,  1830,  at  the  close  of  a  meeting 
in  the  court-house,  a  subscription  paper  was 
circulated  to  raise  money  to  pay  the  preacher. 
For  the  support  of  the  preachers  on  Erie  Cir- 


448 


JfSLSON-S  BtOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


cuit  in  1833,  the  First  Church  subscribed  fifty- 
five  dollars.  From  1830  until  1834,  the  circuit 
riders  were,  in  the  year  1831,  Revs.  J.  P. 
Kent  and  A.  Plimpton  ;  1832,  Revs.  J.  Chan- 
dler and  E.  B.  Steadman ;  1833,  Revs.  J. 
Chandler  and  S.  Gregg. 

Erie  charge  was  made  a  station  in  1834, 
and  the  appointment  given  to  Rev.  E.  P. 
Steadman,  which  he  did  not  fill,  and  the 
church  was  supplied.  During  the  following 
year  the  church  officers  were  as  follows  : 
Trustees,  James  McConkey,  E.  N.  Hulburt, 
John  Richards,  David  Burton ;  Stewards, 
James  McConkey,  E.  N.  Hulburt,  Daniel  B. 
Large,  James  Thompson ;  Class  Leaders, 
James  McConkey,  David  Burton  and  James 
Thompson. 

The  pastors  of  the  church  since  1834  have 
been  as  follows  :  A.  G.  Sturges,  1835;  R.  A. 
Aylworth,  1830;  J-  W.  Lowe,  1837-38;  B.  K. 
Maltby,  1830;  T-  J-  Steadman,  1840;  A.  Hall, 
1841;  A.  M.  Brown,  1842;  D.  Smith,  1843; 
Calvin  Kingsley  (afterward  Bishop),  1844—45; 
Lester  James,  1846;  T.  Stubbs,  1847-48;  E. 
Tones,  1849 ;  S.  Gregg,  1850-51;  J.  W.  Lowe, 
1852;  Hiram  Kinsley,  1853;  T-  E.  Chapin, 
1854-55;  W.  F.  Wilson,  1850-57;  D.  C. 
Wright,  1858;  G.  W.  Clark,  1859;  T-  D- 
Norton,  1859;  J.  Peate,  1800-01;  D.  C.  Os- 
borne, 1862-64;  E.  A.  Tohn.son,  1805-07;  A. 
S.  Dobbs,  1808-69;  E.  J.  L.  Baker,  1809;  W. 
W.  Wythe,  1870-71;  A.  Wheeler,  1872-73; 
^\.  W.  Ramsay,  1874-76;  J.  D.  Adams, 
1877-78 ;  D.  H.  Muller,  1879-81 ;  A.  N.  Craft, 
1882-83;  W.  H.  Pearce,  1884-85;  Lucien 
Clarke,  1880-87  ;  N.  Luccock,  1888-93  ;  H.  A. 
Cleveland,  1893  to  1894;  S.  D.  Hutsenpiller, 
October,  1894,  to  date. 

In  1838-39  a  frame  church  building  was 
built  on  Seventh  street,  and,  at  the  close  of 
the  conference  year,  1839,  the  first  official 
meeting  was  held  in  "  Wesley  Chapel."  In 
1844,  the  annual  Conference  was  held  in  this 
house,  and  the  church  had  so  increased  that  it 
was  found  necessary  to  enlarge  the  building, 
which  was  done  at  an  expense  of  $1,800.  In 
1851,  a  parsonage  was  built,  and,  in  the  3'ear 
following,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  select 
a  place  in  the  city  for  a  second  church.  The 
committee  organized  a  vSabbath-school  in  South 
Erie,  out  of  which  grew  Simpson  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

The  second  and  present  house  of  worship 
is  located  on  the  southeast   corner  of  Seventh 


and  .Sassafras  streets.  It  is  constructed  of 
brick,  and  was  erected  in  1859-00,  at  a  cost  of 
|14.(M)0.  The  architect  was  H.  M.  Wilcox, 
and  the  building  committee,  William  Sanborn, 
James  S.  Sterrett,  J.  Hanson,  John  Burton,  J. 
B.  Johnson,  William  C.  Keeler  and  A.  A. 
Craig,  The  building  was  completed  and  dedi- 
cated November  14,  1800,  Bishop  Simpson 
officiating. 

The  Sabbath-school  was  organized  in  the 
conference  year,  1829-30,  with  E.  N.  Hulburt 
as  Superintendent.  The  first  corps  of  teachers 
was  :  Miss  Mary  Converse,  Miss  Mary  Coo- 
ver,  Thomas  Ricliards,  Peter  Burton,  Thomas 
Stevens,  Miss  Amanda  Bowers,  Rebecca 
Watkinson,  Francis  Dighton  and  John  Dillon. 
The  school  was  held  originally  in  a  small  one- 
story  frame  building  on  East  Fourth,  between 
French  and  Holland  streets.  It  has  been  super- 
intended by  H.  A.  Strong  for  many  years. 

The  church  maintains  the  Brown's  avenue 
mission  on  Poplar  street,  between  Nineteenth 
and  Twentieth. 

The  organizations  connected  with  the 
church  are: 

Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  or- 
ganized September  5,  1874. 

Ladies'  Aid  Society,  organized  in  October, 
1884. 

Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  or- 
ganized April  10,  1880. 

The  Thoburn  Club,  organized  April  19, 
1890. 

The  Epworth  League,  organized  in  Octo- 
ber, 1890. 

SIMPSON    M.    E.    CHURCH. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  winter  of  1858,  a 
meeting  of  eight  weeks  was  held  by  the  pastor 
of  the  First  church,  Rev.W.  F.Wilson.  It  was 
wonderfully  blessed,  nearly  a  hundred  being 
added  to  the  church,  quite  a  number  of  whom 
resided  in  South  Erie.  The  brethren  of  the 
last  named  locality,  feeling  that  meetings 
could  be  held  with  profit  there,  besought  the 
pastor  to  organize  a  class,  which  he  did,  and 
appointed  Heman  Janes  the  leader.  Messrs. 
Janes,  Goodrich  and  Oliver  had  secured  a  lot 
and  erected  a  building  for  a  select  school  on 
Sassafras  street,  opposite  the  Nicholson  place, 
where  the  class  could  meet  for  prayer  meetings 
or  social  worship.  The  number  of  members 
thus  as.sociated  was  twenty-five.  Soon  after  a 
Sunday-school  was  organized  with  sixty-three 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


449 


attendants,  Capt.  Thos.  Wilkins  being  its  first 
superintendent.  The  school-house  continued 
to  be  the  main  rallying  place  till  the  new 
church  was  built,  when  it  was  moved  on  to 
the  church  lot,  and  became  part  of  the  par- 
sonage. Before  this  the  brethren  and  friends 
of  the  new  church  began  to  consider  the  pro- 
priety of  building  a  chapel.  A  board  of  trus- 
tees was  organized,  composed  of  Thomas 
Wilkins,  Heman  Janes,  Emanuel  Goodrich, 
Alvin  Thayer,  A.  K.  Miller,  E.  J.  Ames  and 
Adam  Acheson. 

In  the  meantime,  the  lot  where  the  present 
church  building  and  parsonage  stand,  at  the 
corner  of  Twenty-first  and  Sassafras  streets, 
was  purchased  by  Capt.  Thomas  Wilkins  and 
Heman  Janes  on  their  personal  responsibility, 
for  the  sum  of  $50U,  and  the^'  held  it  in  re- 
serve to  await  the  demands  of  the  church. 
A  subscription  paper  was  circulated  and  sums 
were  pledged,  some  of  the  largest  being  as 
follows:  Thomas  Wilkins,  $300;  E.Good- 
rich, .fi'GO;  Dr.  Dickinson,  $100;  A.  Acheson, 
$100;  A.  Yale,  |1(X);  Jacob  Hanson,  $100; 
H.  Janes,  $500  ;  in  all  about  $1,(3()0.  This  was 
the  situation  when  the  Annual  Conference 
came  in  1858.  Mr.  Wilson  having  filled  a  two 
years'  pastorate,  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  D.  C. 
Wright.  Soon  after  Bishop  Simpson,  whose 
health  was  impaired,  visited  Erie,  spent  some 
days  here,  and,  learning  the  conditions  in  the 
city,  bade  the  brethren  and  friends  in  South 
Erie  God  speed.  Having  secured  a  subscrip- 
tion to  justify,  on  August  3,  they  let  the  con- 
tract, and  the  work  began  in  earnest.  The 
building  was  completed  in  1859,  was  dedica- 
ted by  Bishop  Simpson  on  June  19,  and 
nained  Simpson  Church  in  his  honor.  The 
street  on  which  it  faced  was  also  long  known 
as  Simpson  street,  as  a  mark  of  the  good  will 
felt  by  the  people  of  Soutli  Erie  toward  the 
eloquent  and  famous  bishop.  The  church  was 
a  mission  until  18G(5,  when  it  became  self-sup- 
porting. 

The  regular  pastors  of  the  church  from  its 
organization  to  the  present  time,  with  their 
term  of  service,  are  given  below  : 

18()()-G1.  W.  P.  Bignell;  18(51-02,  R.  M. 
Warren;  lS6i-63,  R.  M.  Warren;  18(33-04, 
A.  C.  Tibbitts;  1804-05,  J.  H.  Tagg ;  1805- 
66,  J.  H.  Tagg;  18(56-()T,"j-  «•  Tagg;  18(57- 
68,  D.  Pressor  ;  18G8-(59,  F.  H.Beck  ;  1809-70, 
A.  N.  Craft;  1870-71,  A.  N.  Craft;  1871-72, 
R.  N.  Stubbs;  1872-78,  R.N. Stubbs  ;  1873-74, 


E.  H.  Yingling;  1874-75,  E.  H.  Yingling; 
1875-76,  P.  P.  Pinney ;  1876-77,  P.  P.  Pin- 
nev  ;  1877-78,  E.  A.  Squier ;  1878-79,  J.  A. 
Kummer;  1879-80,  J.  A.  Kummer;  1880-81, 
J.  A.  Kummer;  1881-82,  J.  C.  Scofield ; 
'1882-83,  J.  C.  Scofield;  1884-80,  Milton 
Smith ;  1887-90,  J.  Bovd  Espv ;  1891-95,  J. 
M.  Bray ;  September,'  1895, "  J.  B.  NefF. 
Among  others  who  preached  in  South  Erie 
before  the  organization  of  the  church  were 
Revs.  Clarke  and  Norton. 

The  parsonage,  adjoining  the  church,  was 
built  in  1859,  and  improved  in    1889. 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

Women's  Foreign  Mission  Society,  organ- 
ized bv  Mrs.  Rev.  J.  A.  Kummer  in  July, 
1880.  ' 

Epworth  League,  organized  by  Rev.  J. 
Boyd  Espy  in  1888. 

Rev.  Henry  Sims  was  elected  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday-school  in  October, 
1874,  and  re-elected  annually  until  and  inclu- 
ding the  year  1880.  He  resigned  in  July, 
1880,  and  was  again  elected  Januarj^  1,  1894, 
and  1895,  being  the  present  incumbent  of  the 
position. 

A  new  church  building,  of  brick  and  stone, 
was  erected  in  1893—4,  costing  $25,000,  which 
is  one  of  the  handsomest  and  best  arranged 
in  the  city.  The  Sunday-school  and  church 
each  have  a  membership  of  250. 

TENTH    STREET    M.    E.    CHURCH. 

Measures  looking  toward  the  organization 
of  a  third  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Erie  were  taken  during  the  year  1866.  A 
subscription  of  $3,000  was  raised  and  two  lots 
donated,  provided  the  church  was  built  with- 
in five  years.  It  was  not,  however,  until  Au- 
gust 30,  1871,  that  the  movement  passed  into 
the  actual  stage.  Rev.  R.  F.  Keeler  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Erie  Conference  of  that  year 
pastor  of  the  Erie  City  Mission,  with  an  as- 
sisting appropriation  of  $350.  The  Young 
]Men's  Christian  Association  in  September 
following  gave  him  permission  to  preach  in 
their  rooms  on  Eleventh  street,  east  of  Pa- 
rade, and  soon  after  resigned  their  Sunday 
school  into  his  hands.  On  the  8th  of  October 
of  the  same  year  a  class  was  formed  of  nine 
persons,  consisting  of  Seymour  Torrey,  Lead- 
er ;  John  S.  Grove,  Sarah  A.  Grove,  "SI.  F. 
Hope,  R.  Hare,  A.  Speckman,  Mary  Thomp- 
son, Charles  N.  and  Rose  W.  Wheeler, 


45° 


NELSONS  BIOGRAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


At  a  joint  meeting  of  the  official  boards  of 
the  First  and  Simpson  Churches,  held  on  Sep- 
tember 25,  1871,  a  building  committee  for  the 
Mission  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Revs. 
W.  W.  Wythe,  R.  N.  Stubbs,  and  R.  F. 
Keeler  ;  also  of  S.  P.  Ensign  and  S.  P.  Long- 
street,  of  the  First  Church;  T.  H.  Thurber 
and  R.  F.  Gaggin,  of  Simpson,  and  J.  S. 
Grove,  \V.  H.  Demming  and  H.  Davis,  of  tiie 
Mission.  A  site  on  which  to  build  a  church 
having  been  purchased,  the  Mission  began  to 
take  steps  toward  the  erection  of  a  house 
of  worship.  Subscriptions  for  a  church  were 
secured  in  187l',  but  the  edifice  was  not 
erected  until  1873.  The  corner-stone  was  laid 
with  appropriate  ceremonies.  May  15,  1873, 
by  the  Presiding  Elder,  D.  M.  Steever,  as- 
sisted by  Revs.  J.  Tribby,  R.  F.  Keeler  and 
others.  The  building  was  completed,  and 
opened  for  divine  worship  October  19,  1878, 
and  was  dedicated  January  25,  1874.  It 
stands  on  Tenth  street,  north  side,  between 
Wallace  and  Ash.  In  1893  extensive  addi- 
tions and  improvements,  costing  $2,300,  were 
made  to  the  church. 

The  pastors  have  been  as  follows,  their 
terms  of  service  dating  from  September  of 
each  year:  1871,  R.  F.  Keeler;  1872.  W.  W. 
Wythe;  1873,  R.  A.  Caruthers ;  1874,  D.  M. 
Steever;  1875,  R.  M.  Gwynn  ;  1876,  W.  G. 
Williams  ;  1877,  William  Martin  ;  1878-79,  W. 
M.  Martin  ;  lSSO-81,  P.  A.  Reno  ;  1882-84,  T- 
H.  Herron  ;  1885,  W.  W.  Wythe,  1886-90,  J. 
L.  Stratton  ;  1891,  J.  C.  Scofield  ;  1892-96.  E. 
M.  Kernick. 

A  prosperous   Sunday-school  is  supported. 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

Ladies'  Aid  Society,  organized  early  in  its 
iiistory. 

Senior  Epworth  League,  organized  Octo- 
ber 18,  1892. 

Junior  Epworth  League,  organized  July 
15,  1894. 

The  parsonage,  which  adjoins  the  church 
on  the  east  side,  stood  on  the  premises  when 
tiie  lots  were  purchased.  The  value  of  the 
church  property  is  estimated  at  $12,000. 

WAVNE  STREET    M.  E.  CHURCH. 

This  congregation  was  organized  on  the 
18th  of  August,  1889.  A  church  building 
was  erected  at  Wayne  and  Twenty-second 
streets  in  1890,  and  a  parsonage  in  1893.  An 
incendiary  fire  on  the  night  of  June  18,  1895, 


destroyed  the  church,  inflicting  a  serious  blow 
to  the  young  congregation.  The  corner-stone 
of  a  new  edifice  was  laid  October  22,  1895. 
The  church  maintains  a  prosperous  Sunday- 
school.  Rev.  Henry  Sims  was  in  charge  wiien 
the  congregation  was  established.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  Rev.  Mr.  Dobsoii  for  one  year,  by 
Rev.  A.  H.  Bowen  for  two  years  and  by 
Rev.  L.  II.  Eddlebute  for  two  years.  Rev. 
A.  A.  Horton,  the  present  pastor,  assumed 
charge  in  September,   1894. 

The  church  societies  are  : 

Epworth  League,  organized  in  October, 
1891. 

Ladies'  Aid  Society, organized  in  October. 
1892. 

Junior  League,  organized  November  17, 
1894. 

THE      METHODIST      EPISCOPAL     CHURCH     ALLI- 
ANCE OV  THE  CITY  OF  ERIE 

Was  organized  December  11,  1888.  It  em- 
braces members  of  the  churches  above  named. 
"Its  object  is  to  unite  the  M.  E.  Churches  of 
the  city,  and  to  plant  mission  churches  and 
Sunday-schools  wherever  the  same  can  be 
done." 

METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CONFERENCES. 

The  city  has  been  honored  twice  within  a 
few  years  by  being  selected  as  the  meeting 
place  of  the  Erie  Conference  of  the  M.  E. 
Church — first,  in  September,  1885,  and  second 
in  September,  1895. 

ST.   JAMES  AFRICAN    M.  E.  CHURCH. 

Fifty  years  ago  or  more  efforts  were  made 
to  promote  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  colored 
people  in  Erie'by  the  establishment  of  a  separate 
place  of  public  worship.  In  organizing  a  con- 
gregation, differences  of  faith  or  of  tenets  were 
manifest,  culminating  in  the  foundation  of 
two  congregations,  and  the  erection  of  two 
places  of  worship.  The  Wesleyan  M.  E. 
Church  was  built  on  Third  street  near  the 
corner  of  Chestnut,  and  the  African  M.  E. 
Church  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  German 
streets.  Both  churches  languished,  and  finally 
the  idea  of  a  distinct  place  of  worship  was 
abandoned  by  the  colored  people. 

The  A.  M.  E.  congregation  was  reorganized 
as  St.  James'  Church  in  1875.  Their  place  of 
worship  was  for  a  time  on  French  street, 
near  the  park.     Soon  after  the  formation   of 


AND  EISTORIOAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


45' 


the  new  society  they  came  into  possession  of 
their  present  cliurch  building,  which  then 
stood  on  Sixth  street,  near  Holland.  The 
church  was  a  partial  gift  by  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association.  It  was  dedicated  by 
Bishop  VV'ayman,  of  Pittsburg,  May  19,  1878.  | 
In  1881,  the  society  secured  a  lot  on  Seventh  ' 
street,  between  German  and  Holland,  where 
the  building  was  moved  soon  afterward.  In 
connection  with  the  church  is  a  Sunday-school 
with  an  average  attendance  of  fort}. 

The  oiilv  association  connected  with  the 
church  in  August,  1895,  was  the  Y.  P.  S.  C. 
E.,  organized  in  Februarj',  1895,  with  the 
following  officers  :  President,  Chas.  Franklin; 
Vice-President,  Rose  Rector;  Recording 
Secretary,  Anna  Powers  ;  Corresponding  Sec- 
retary, Elizabeth  Elmendorf;  Treasurer, 
Florence  Vosburg. 

The  pastors  have  been  Revs.  Wheeler, 
Phillips,  Ross,  Herbert,  Griffith.  Russell,  Pal- 
mer, Purrell,  Brown,  Till,  Pride,  West  and 
Wallace.  The  latter  assumed  charge  in  the 
fall  of  1895." 


BAPTIST. 

FIRST  BAPTIST  CIURCH. 

Among  the  converts  at  the  great  revival 
held  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  in  the 
spring  of  1831,  were  a  number  of  persons  of 
Baptist  faith  or  in  sympathy  with  the  views 
of  that  denomination.  These  met  together 
and  organized  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Erie,  which  was  recognized  by  a  Council  called 
for  the  purpose  on  the  10th  of  April,  18^51, 
having  the  following  constituent  members  :  By 
letter.  Rev.  E.  Tucker,  D.  D.,  pastor;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Orin  N.  Sage,  E.  D.  Gunnison,  Mrs. 
Soule,  Mrs.  Phillips,  Mrs.  Fross,  Miss  Will- 
iams ;  by  baptism,  Otis  G.  Carter,  Rowe  B. 
Rood,  Charles  T.  Sage,  Miss  Julia  Berry,  Miss 
Penelope  Mann,  Miss  Lillie  A.  Soule,  Miss 
Sophia  E.  Gunnison  and  Miss  Zilphia  B.  Cil- 
ley.  The  meetings  were  held  in  the  Academy 
building  and  in  the  court-house,  until  the  first 
church  edifice  was  erected,  in  the  year  1833, 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  Fifth  and  Peach  ! 
streets.  It  was  a  substantial  brick  building, 
having  galleries.  In  1865  the  structure  was 
rebuilt  or  rather  repaired  and  improved,  the 
rear  of  the  house  was  extended,  the  tower 
built,  the   galleries  removed,   etc.,  and  other 


improvements  made  at  a  cost  of  $10,000 
or  !|!l],000.  The  re-dedication  services  took 
place  on  the  14th  of  December,  1865,  Rev. 
Dr.  Strong,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  preaching  in 
the  morning,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Robinson,  of 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  the  evening.  Other  im- 
provements have  since  been  made,  especially 
in  1895,  which  add  to  the  comfort  and  con- 
venience of  the  congregation. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  pastors  of  the 
church  :  Rev.  E.  Tucker,  D.  D.,  April  10. 
1831;  Rev.  William  H.  Newman,  March  24, 
1832;  Rev.  Charles  Morton,  November  2, 
1833;  Rev.  Ried  S.  Witherall,  December  3, 
1836 ;  Rev.  James  A.  Keves,  April  1,  1837  ; 
Rev.  A.  \\.  Baker,  Jan  Jarv  3,  1837  ;  Rev. 
LaFayette  Baker,  June  1,  1838  (died  April  2, 
1839);  Rev.  Ira  Corwin,  Januarv  1,  1840; 
Rev.  Mr.  Haskell,  January  1,  1843:"  Rev.  Joel 
Johnson,  April  1,  1848;  Rev.  Zebina  Smith, 
October  1,  1844;  Rev.  J.  K.  Barrv.  Mav  1, 
1846;  Rev.  H.  Sillimaii,  August"  1,  18*48; 
Rev.  Charles  Sherman,  March  23, 1851  ;  Rev. 
Gilbert  L.  Stevens,  January  1.  1853;  Rev,  J. 
W.  Hammond,  September  18,  1856;  Rev. 
William  Haw,  December  18,  1858;  Rev.  Mr. 
Glanville,  October  20,  1861  :  Rev.  J.  L.  Hays, 
January  13,  1863;  Rev.  William  F.  Bain- 
bridge,  June  1,  1865;  Rev.  A.  W.  Tousev, 
December  1,  1868;  Rev.  C.  H.  Harvey,  De- 
cember 1,  1869;  Rev.  E.  A.  Stone,  August  1, 
1872;  Rev.  A.  J.  Bonsall,  June  22,  1875; 
Rev.  William  Gilkes,  June  18,^1879;  Rev.  E. 
T.  Fox.  Julv,  1884,  to  December  31,  1887 ; 
Rev.  J.  C.  Thorns,  1888  to  1892;  Rev.  H.  C. 
Hall,  present  pastor,  from  July,  1892. 

The  following  persons  have  been  ordained 
bv  the  church  : 

LaFayette  Baker,  June,  1838;  David  J. 
Lloyd,  September  12,  1838;  W^illiam  F.  Bain- 
bridge,  December  15,  18t)5  ;  Rev.  John  Stry- 
ker,  1894. 

The  following  have  been  licensed  by  the 
church  : 

O.  N.  Sage,  Julv  7,  1833;  D.  J.  Llovd, 
April  16,  1835;  LaFayette  Baker,\june' 3, 
1837;  Thomas  Mozley,  January  3,  1846; 
George  W.  Gunnison,  ^larch  3,  1848;  George 
Whitman,  December  9,  1866;  C.  A.  Gardner, 
1878;  V.  B.  Fisk,  1894. 

Under  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Bainbridge  the 
church  was  visited  by  a  gracious  revival,  when 
some  200  members  became  identified  with  it. 
Another   revival,  led   by  Mr.  Gilkes,  resulted 


452 


NELSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


in  fifty  accessions.  The  Sabbath-school  of 
the  church  was  started  at  an  early  date,  and 
is  well  attended. 

The  congregation  maintains  three  missions, 
besides  having  been  instrumental  in  founding 
the  church  at  Wesleyville,  the  Second  Baptist 
Church  of  Erie  (originally  known  as  Faith 
Mission),  and  the  Swedish  Baptist  Church,  on 
West  Seventeenth  street. 

North  Star  Mission,  on  the  south  side  of 
Sixth  street,  near  East  avenue,  was  established 
September  25,  1864,  largely  through  the  labors 
of  W.  J.  F.  Liddell  and  "Mrs.  Eliza  Crane. 
The  building  was  erected  on  a  lot  donated  by 
Hon.  James  Sill,  and  dedicated  May  26,  1867. 
A  great  revival  originated  within  this  struc- 
ture in  the  winter  of  1865-G,  which  spread 
througiiout  the  city. 

Hope  Mission  is  at  the  corner  of  Seventh 
and  Cascade  streets.  It  was  organized  in 
May,  1887  or  1888.  The  chapel  and  parsonage 
were  dedicated  September  11,  1892.  Among 
the  founders  of  the  mission  were  J.  W.  Reed, 
W.  W.  Harper,  Edward  Barry  and  P.  Har- 
lan. Mr.  Reed  was  the  first  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday-school. 

The  Wallace  Mission  is  on  the  north  side 
of  Eighteenth  street,  between  Poplar  and  Lib- 
ert}'. It  was  established  in  1887,  and  its  build- 
ing was  first  occupied  on  November  25  of  that 
year. 

The  societies  of  the  First  Church  are  : 

Women's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  or- 
ganized 1875. 

Ladies'  Social  Union,  organized  January, 
1891. 

Baptist  Y.  P.  U.  of  Christian  Endeavor, 
organized  April  14,  1892. 

Baptist  Musical  Association,  organized 
January  1,  1894. 

Young  People's  Home  and  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society,  organized  April,  1895. 

Junior  Baptist  Y.  P.  U.  of  Christian  En- 
deavor, organized  July  18,  1895. 

The  First-German  Baptist  Church  is  an 
outgrowth  from  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
having  been  started  largelv  through  the  efforts 
of  W.  F.  J.  Liddell  and  John  Gorr. 

SECOND    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

This  church,  at  the  corner  of  Reed  and 
Twenty-third  streets,  was  organized  and  rec- 
ognized as  the  Second  Baptist  Church  on 
June  27,  1891.     Previous  to  that  it  had  been 


known  as  Faith  Mission  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church.  The  congregation  was  incorporated 
July  26,  1893.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev. 
Jesse  Boswell,  and  the  present  one  is  Rev.  J. 
H.  Lowe.  The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  was 
organized  May  11,  1898,  and  the  B.  Y.  P.  II. 
of  Christian  Endeavor  on  August  8,  1895. 
The  Sunday-school  was  in  existence  previous 
to  the  mission,  having  been  started  by  Phi- 
lander Edson  and  Rev.  Mr.  Thoms  on  De- 
cember 1,  1888. 

FIRST     GERMAN     HAI'TIST    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  in  Judsonllall, 
on  Peach  street,  by  Rev.  A.  Van  Puttkammer, 
in  October,  1861.  It  started  with  twenty- 
two  members,  and  a  Sunday-school  number- 
ing from  thirty  to  thirty-five  scholars.  In 
July,  1863,  Rev.  Anthony  Hwnsler  was  chos- 
en pastor.  A  church  was  erected  in  1864  on 
Seventeenth  street  between  Peach  and  Sassa- 
fras, which  was  dedicated  on  the  first  Sunday 
in  July  of  that  year.  During  the  spring  of 
1866,  the  congregation  built 'a  parsonage 
back  of  the  church.  In  May,  1865,  Mr. 
Haensler  accepted  a  call  from  Attica,  N.  Y. 
In  June,  1865,  Rev.  John  Eisenmenger  was 
chosen  pastor,  and  was  ordained  in  the  fall  of 
the  same  year.  During  his  stay,  about  thirty- 
five  persons  were  added  to  the  church  upon 
profession  of  faith.  In  August,  1868,  Air. 
Eisenmenger  accepted  a  call  to  Canada.  The 
same  month,  the  church  called  Rev.  Adolf 
Ginins,  who  was  ordained  a  few  months  after. 
During  his  stay,  fifteen  persons  were  added  to 
the  church.  In  October,  1871,  he  accepted  a 
call  to  Scranton,  Pa.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  Henry  Kose,  in  December,  1871.  The 
latter  remained  four  years,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  C.  Martin,  until  1879,  and  by  Rev. 
G.  Koopman,  until   April,  1883. 

The  pastors  from  that  date  have  been  as 
follows:  Rev.  D.  Zwink  from  1883  to  1886; 
Rev.  P.  Rech,  from  1886  to  1887 ;  Rev.  D. 
Kester,  from  1888  to  1891 ;  Rev.  G.  A. 
Schneider,  from  1898  (present  incumbent). 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  as  follows  : 

Ladies'  Mission  Society,  organized  about 
1861  or  '62. 

Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor, organized  in  1894. 

A  lot  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Twentieth 
and  Sassafras  streets  was  purchased  in  Janu- 
ary,  1892,  at  a  cost  of  )i!3,(X»0.     The  church 


^^^^  y/a-^^^/ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


453 


and  parsonage  on  Seventeenth  street  were  sold 
in  1894,  and  a  handsome  brick  building,  with 
parsonage  attached,  completed  during  the 
spring  of  1895,  on  the  lot  last  mentioned,  cost- 
ing about  ll-, (•<)().  The  new  church  was  dedi- 
cated on  Sunday  forenoon,  June  15,  1895, 
with  impressive  exercises. 

The  congregation  also  own  a  house  for  the 
sexton,  on  the  north  side  of  the  church. 

SWEDISH    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

The  Swedish  Baptist  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  March,  1S95,  under  the  ministration  of 
Rev.  Wm.  Kohler.  It  numbered  thirty-seven 
members  at  the  time  of  organization.  The 
congregation  meet  in  the  former  building  of 
the  First  German  Baptist  Church,  on  Seven- 
teenth street,  between  Peach  and  Sassafras. 


LUTHERAN. 

ST.  John's  evangelical  Lutheran  and 

REFORMED    CHURCH. 

The  records  of  this  venerable  church  go 
back  to  the  beginning  of  the  century.  Ad- 
herents of  the  Lutheran  Church  were  among 
the  first  settlers  of  Erie  county.  They  were 
mostly  Pennsylvania  Germans  from  Berks, 
Lancaster  and  Dauphin  counties,  and  include 
such  well-known  families  as  the  Riblets, 
Browns,  Stoughs,  Ebersoles,  Gingrichs,  Zim- 
mermans  and  VVeigels.  When  the  first  serv- 
ices were  held  is  not  known,  but  it  was  by  a 
traveling  missionary.  Rev.  Mr.  Muckenhaupt, 
who,  from  1808,  did  pioneer  work  among  the 
Lutherans  in  Erie  and  Crawford  counties, 
with  Venango  as  his  headquarters.  The  first 
baptisms  are  recorded  August  17,  18,  and  19, 
1808,  when  twentv-four  children  were  bap- 
tized. Rev.  Muckenhaupt  was  succeeded  by 
the  well-known,  scholarly  Rev.  P.  W.  Colsen, 
who  was  sent  in  1816  as  a  missionary  to  the 
northwestern  counties  of  the  State  by  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Ministerium  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Rev.  Father  Hever,  the  pioneer  mis- 
sionary of  the  Lutheran  Church  of  this  coun- 
try to  India,  took  up  the  work,  when  Rev. 
Mr.  Colsen  succumbed,  December  28,  1816,  to 
sickness  contracted  while  on  one  of  his  mis- 
sionary tours  to  Erie.  After  Father  Heyer's 
departure.  Rev.  Messrs.  Ruppert  and  Meyer- 
hoeffer  looked  after  the  Lutheran  congrega- 
tion at  Erie,     In  1820,  the  first  class  of  cate- 


chumens, eight  in  number,  was  confirmed. 
From  1822  to  1829  there  are  no  records,  but 
the  congregation  was  probably  served  as  be- 
fore, by  the  traveling  missionaries  from  Craw- 
ford county.  During  the  period  from  1881  to 
1882,  Rev.  Mr.  Schulz  attended  to  the  spirit- 
ual wants  of  the  body.  He  w^as  succeeded 
in  1832-83  by  Rev.  Mr.  Heilig,  the  first  resi- 
dent Lutheran  pastor  at  Erie,  and  he  in  turn 
by  Rev.  Messrs.  Thanke  and  Beyer. 

On  Januarj'  1,  1835,  the  congregation 
was  reorganized,  and  a  constitution  adopted, 
with  100  male  charter  members.  Rev.  C.  F. 
Stohlmann,  D.  D.,  later  a  prominent  Lutheran 
divine  of  New  York  city,  w'as  elected  pastor. 
He  served  with  great  success  from  1835  to 
1838.  Up  to  1885  the  congregation  wor- 
shipped in  the  schoolhouse  on  Federal  Hill. 
In  that  3ear  it  was  decided  to  build  on  a  plot 
of  five  acres,  which  was  given  to  the  congre- 
gation by  Conrad  Brown,  sr.,  as  his  share 
toward  the  building  fund.  This  land  is  still 
in  possession  of  the  congregation.  A  frame 
church  costing  several  thousand  dollars  was 
completed  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Kuchler  (1838-'-44),  who  founded  the  congre- 
gations at  Fairview,  Girard  and  McKean.  In 
1843  the  charge  reported  430  communicants. 

The  frame  church  was  superseded  in  1861 
by  a  brick  structure  seating  1,000  persons.  It 
was  built  at  an  expense  of  |10,000,  and  fur- 
nished with  a  pipe  organ  costing  !i!3,8t)0.  This 
edifice  became  too  small  during  the  pastorate 
of  the  late  Rev.  A.  L.  Benze,  to  whose  efforts 
the  present  prosperity  of  the  congregation  is 
largely  due.  The  building  was  therefore  en- 
larged and  beautified  at  a  cost  of  $28,000. 
The  present  parsonage  was  built  in  1868. 
During  the  pastorate  of  the  present  pastor. 
Rev.  G.  A.  Benze,  the  ^fission  property  on 
Twenty-second  street,  near  East  avenue,  was 
acquired  and  a  chapel  erected  at  an  outlay  of 
13,500. 

From  1844  the  following  pastors  have  been 
in  the  service  of  the  church:  Rev.  F.  P. 
Feysel,  1845-48;  Rev.  C.  G.  Stuebgen,  1848- 
53;  Rev.  F.  W.  Weiskotten,  1853-54;  Rev. 
C.  A.  Brockmann,  1855-59;  Rev.  Jacob  Blass, 
1859-68  ;  Rev.  \V.  Schaefer,  1863-65  ;  Rev.  G. 
Beck,  1865—67  (died  while  pastor)  ;  Rev.  C. 
F.  Boehner,  1867-72.  April  7,  1867,  the  late 
Rev.  A.  L.  Benze  took  charge.  During  his 
pastorate  of  nineteen  years  he  exerted  a  wide 
influence  over  a  large  portion  of  Erie  county, 


454 


NELSON'S  BIOailAPniCAL   DIITIONARY 


and  the  congregation  grew  to  be  the  largest 
Protestant  organization  in  the  city.  At  his 
death.  January  IS,  1S91,  lie  was  one  of  the 
most  beloved  pastors  in  Erie.  His  son,  Rev. 
G.  A.  Benze,  A.  M.,  the  present  incumbent, 
was  elected  as  his  successor,  and  assumed 
charge  February  15  of  the  same  year. 

Although  the  mother  church  of  several 
others,  the  church  still  has  a  communicant 
membership  of  1,200,  with  900 children  in  the 
two  Sunday-schools.  Its  property  is  valued 
at  $87,000.  The  records,  though  incomplete, 
show  5, 88()  baptisms  from  1808;  1,413  wed- 
dings from  1889,  and  2,100  funerals  from 
1845. 

The  following  societies  are  connected  with 
the  church  : 

Ladies'  Society,  membership  800,  organ- 
ized about  1878. 

Young  People's  Union,  organized  in  1879, 
membership  285. 

Teacher's  Union,  membeiship  eighty-five, 
organized  about   1879. 

St.  John's  Society,  membership  200,  or- 
ganized in  1869. 

Work  was  commenced  September  18th, 
1895,  upon  an  addition  to  the  church  build- 
ing, which  is  expected  to  cost  some  $20,000. 

LUTHER  MEMORIAL  CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  on  the  15th  of 
August,  1861,  by  Rev.  J.  II.  W.  Stuckenberg. 
The  church  officers  first  chosen  were  Samuel 
M.  Brown  and  Henry  Gingrich,  elders;  John 
T.  Brown  and  Henry  Werther,  deacons.  The 
original  membership  numbered  forty-one. 
The  first  place  of  worship  was  in  a  school- 
house  in  South  Erie,  on  Peach  street,  near 
Twentv-sixth.  Here  the  congregation  con- 
tinued until  the  completion  of  a  frame  build- 
ing located  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Peach 
and  Eleventh  streets,  which  was  dedicated  on 
the  day  before  Good  Friday,  1864.  The 
ground  upon  which  the  building  stands  was 
deeded  to  the  Council  of  the  church,  June  18th, 
1862,  for  the  consideration  of  $1,200. 

The  old  building  becoming  unsuitable  for 
the  purpose  of  the  congregation,  was  sold  and 
removed  to  West  Nineteenth  street,  where  it 
does  duty,  in  two  or  three  parts,  as  abodes  for 
private  families.  The  present  handsome  brick 
edifice,  on  the  same  site,  was  dedicated  on 
June  5,  1887.  It  has  been  much  improved 
since.     The  pastors  of  the   church   have   been 


as  follows  :  1861-65,  Rev.  J.  H.  W.  Stuck- 
enberg (who,  however,  served  a  portion  of 
that  period  as  chaplain  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Forty-fifth  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteers, during  which  time  the  pulpit  was 
supplied)  ;  1866-71,  Rev.  J.  L.  Smith;  1872- 
74,  Rev.  J.  R.  GrofT;  1874-80,  Rev.  H.  H. 
Bruning;  1881  until  the  oresent  date,  Rev. 
Isaac  O.  Baker.  Mr.  Baker  preached  for  the 
congregation  during  the  summer  of  1880,  but 
did  not  assume  the  pastorate  until  June  12, 
1881. 

The  church  supports  a  mission  .Sunday- 
school  at  Tenth  and  \V'^ayne  streets,  known  as 
Grace  Mission.  It  occupies  the  old  building 
of  Grace  Mission  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
which  was  bought  and  removed  to  its  present 
site.  Another  mission,  known  as  Zion's,  is 
maintained  at  Poplar,  between  Nineteenth 
and  Twentieth  streets.  Zion's  Mission  was 
established  in  March,  1890,  and  Grace  Mission 
in  November,  1893; 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  as  follows  : 

Ladies'  Working  Association,  organized 
in  May,  1882. 

Little  Helpers,  organized  in  July,  1888. 

Mission  League,  organized  in  October, 
1891. 

Luther    League,  organized    in   Jul)',  1898. 

Rev.  Mr.  Fry  was  called  to  the  charge  of 
the  Tvlission  service  in  November,  1895. 

GERMAN  EVANGELICAL  TRINITY  LUTHERAN 
CHURCH. 

In  the  fall  of  1881,  Erie  was  visited  by  the 
ministers  of  a  conference  of  the  Eastern  Dis- 
trict of  the  Missouri  Svnod  at  the  request  of 
several  resident  Lutherans  of  this  city,  for 
the  purpose  of  establishing  a  mission.  They 
continued  their  visits  here  for  a  period,  preach- 
ing on  each  occasion  of  their  coming,  until  in 
December  of  that  j'ear,  a  congregation  com- 
posed of  five  members  was  formed,  by  Rev. 
John  vSieck,  of  Farnham,  N.  Y.,  and  a  call 
sent  to  the  Rev.  H.  Sieck,  of  South  Bend, 
Ind.  This  call  also  embraced  the  missionary 
field  of  Northwestern  Pennsylvania  and  West- 
ern New  York.  Mr.  Sieck  was  installed 
April  23,  1882,  and  at  once  commenced  his 
labors.  A  house  was  rented  on  the  corner  of 
Sixth  and  Myrtle  streets,  and  was  fitted  up 
both  for  a  pastor's  residence  and  place  of 
worship.  This  was  used  until  the  fall  of  the 
same  year,  when  a  lot   on  Eleventh,  between 


AND  UISTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


455 


Myrtle  and  Chestnut  streets,  was  purchased 
and  the  frame  building  now  standing  there 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  |1,000.  It  was 
dedicated  December  3,  1882.  The  property 
on  which  the  parsonage  stands  was  pur- 
chased in  August,  1885. 

Rev.  H.  Sieck  remained  until  May,  1886. 
He  has  been  succeeded  by  the  following  pas- 
tors: Rev.  C.  Morhart,  July  18,  1886,  to 
September  4,  1892;  Rev.  C.  Ruppel,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1892,  to  December  9,  1894;  Rev.  Geo. 
Johannes,  present  incumbent,  from  January 
15,  1895.  The  congregation  number.s  135  to 
140  members. 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

Ladies'  Aid  Society,  organized  by  Mrs. 
H.  Sieck,  Mrs.  John  Kuppler  and  Mrs.  J. 
Reinhard,  about  1882. 

Concordia  Societv.  organized  by  ]Mrs.  Ferd- 
inand Herhold,  E.  H.  Reinhard  and  Mrs.  E. 
H.  Reinhard  in  1884. 

The  church  is  attached  to  the  Missouri 
Synod  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  America, 
which  started  in  1845  with  thirteen  ministers. 
It  now  numbers  1,500,  representing  all  the 
States  of  the  LTnion,  Canada  and  part  of  Ger- 
many, with  between  600,000  and  700,000 
communicants.  The  Erie  Church  belongs  to 
the  Eastern  District,  which  embraces  all  of 
the  New  England  States,  Pennsylvania,  New 
York,  New  Jersey,  Virginia  and  Maryland. 

A  prosperous  Sunday-school  is  connected 
with  the  church,  which  was  started  about  the 
time  of  the  original  organization.  The  church 
added  a  fine  organ  in  September,  1895. 

SWEDISH  EVANGELICIlL  LUTHER.\N    BETHANY 
CHIRCH. 

This  church,  which  has  its  location  on 
Tenth  street,  near  German,  was  organized  in 
1885,  and  erected  its  building  in  1890.  The 
value  of  the  edifice  is  placed  at  $4,000.  Its 
creed  is  Evangelical  Lutheran,  and  it  belongs 
to  the  New  York  Conference  of  the  Augustana 
Synod.  The  church  numbers  about  150  com- 
municants, and  the  Sunday-school,  organized 
in  1891,  has  some  fifty  or  sixty  pupils.  Rev. 
C.  S.  Renins,  the  first  settled  pastor,  still  re- 
tains that  position.  The  church  publishes  a 
monthly  tract  in  the  Swedish  language.  In 
this  connection  it  may  be  stated  that  there  are 
about  1,200  Swedes  in  Erie  county,  who  rank 
among  the  most  industrious  and  peaceable  citi- 
zens.    The  church  societies  are  : 


.Sewing  Society,  organized  in  1885. 
Young  People's  Society,  organized  in  No- 
vember, 1891. 

Sick  Aid  Society,  organized  in  1892. 

EMANUEL  EVANGELICAL    LUTHERAN  CHURCH, 

The  youngest  Lutheran  congregation  in 
the  cit}',  was  organized  November  13,  1892. 
The  church  building  at  German  and  Twenty- 
third  streets,  was  erected  in  1893.  Rev.  H.  K. 
Miiller  has  been  pastor  since  the  organization 
of  the  congregation.  The  parsonage,  at  319 
East  Twenty-third  street,  is  his  personal  prop- 
erty. It  was  built  the  same  year  as  the  church. 
The  Sabbath  school  was  organized  October  8, 

1892,  and  the  Women's  Society  in  February, 

1893.  The  congregation  maintains  a  mission 
on  Twenty-fifth  street,  near  Penn  avenue, 
which  was  established  in  October,  1893. 


ROMAN  CATHOLIC. 

ST.  Patrick's  r.  c.  church. 

Years  before  the  erection  of  any  building, 
services  of  the  Catholic  Church  were  performed 
by  missionaries,  who  occasionally  visited  Erie 
in  order  to  give  the  few  Catholic  families  then 
residing  in  the  place  an  opportunity  to  prac- 
tice their  religion.  As  far  back  as  1837,  ihe 
Rev.  Father  McCabe  officiated  as  pastor,  the 
house  on  German  street  occupied  as  a  dwelling 
by  John  Sullivan  being  owned  and  used  as  a 
church  by  the  English-speaking  Catholics.  As 
there  are  no  authentic  records  to  show  the  pro- 
gress of  this  church,  a  space  of  some  years 
will  have  to  be  passed  over  until  1844,  at 
which  time  Father  R.  Brown  undertook  a 
work  which,  considering  the  circumstances 
and  poverty  of  his  small  congregation,  was 
looked  upon  as  no  small  task,  viz.  :  the  build- 
ing of  St.  Patrick's  church,  on  Fourth  street, 
between  French  and  Holland.  Father  Brown 
remained  in  charge  five  vears — long  enough  to 
see  the  building  of  which  he  laid  the  founda- 
tion inclosed.  He  was  succeeded  by  Father 
Reynolds,  under  whose  ministry  the  building 
was  completed.  Father  Rej-nolds  remained 
about  one  year,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
Joseph  F.  IDeane,  who  remained  in  charge  of 
the  congregation  until  Erie  became  an  Episco- 
pal See,  and  the  building  a  pro-cathedral 
church. 

In  1853,  the  thirteen  counties  now  belong- 


456 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


ing  to  the  Diocese  of  Erie  were  taken  from 
the  Diocese  of  Pittsburg,  and  Rt.  Rev.  M. 
O'Conner,  then  Bisliop  of  Pittsburg,  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  newly-erected  See  of  Erie,  and 
became  its  first  liisliop.  lie  governed  tlie 
Diocese  of  Erie  about  one  year,  and  was  again 
transferred  to  Pittsburg."  Rt.  Rev.  J.  M. 
Young  was  appointed  to  succeed  him,  and  on 
April  28,  1854,  took  charge  of  the  diocese. 
Rev.  Father  Deane  was  pastor  of  the  church 
until  Bishop  Young's  coming  to  Erie.  Imme- 
diately after  the  new  Bishop  took  charge  Rev. 
William  Pollard  was  appointed  pastor,  and 
after  his  time  the  list  of  priests  included  Rev. 
Thomas  Malone,  Rev.  Charles  McCallion, 
Rev.  William  Lambert,  Rev.  John  Ber- 
bequi,  Rev.  J.  O'Connor,  Rev.  Father  Kenny 
and  Rev.  Father  Tracy.  Father  Tracy  con- 
tinued some  five  or  six  years,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Clearfield  ciiurch,  and  the  Very 
Rev.  John  D.  Coady,  Vicar  General  of  the 
Diocese,  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  congre- 
gation. Father  Coadv  remained  until  the  oil 
regions  rose  into  importance  and  called  him  to 
that  held.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Father 
Carroll,  who  is  well  remembered  for  his  efforts 
in  the  cause  of  temperance.  It  was  he  who 
founded  the  Father  Mathew  Society,  which 
worked  wonders  among  the  people  of  his  na- 
tionalit}-. 

Bishop  Young  died  September  18,  1860,  at 
the  Episcopal  residence  adjoining  the  church. 
His  funeral  cortege  contained  nearly  10,(X)0 
people,  who  sadly  followed  the  remains  to  the 
grave.  Bishop  Young  was  born  at  Sanford, 
Me.,  in  August,  1808,  ordained  a  priest  in 
1837,  and  consecrated  Bishop  of  the  Diocese 
of  Erie  in  1854.  Very  Rev.  John  D.  Coady, 
V.  G.,  was  appointed  administrator,  and  for 
nearly  two  years  governed  the  diocese. 

On  the  2d  of  August,  18(58,  tiie  present 
bishop,  Rt.  Rev.  Tobias  Mullen,  of  Pittsburg, 
was  consecrated  and  took  charge  of  the  dio- 
cese, making  his  offici.-.l  home  in  the  building 
which  had  been  occupied  by  Bishop  Young, 
on  Fourth  street,  adjoining  St.  Patrick's 
Church. 

Father  Thomas  A.  Casey  became  pastor  of 
St.  Patrick's  congregation  in  18(59,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  relation  imtil  his  transfer  to  St. 
Peter's  Cathedral,  in  October,  1893.  From 
1869  to  1875,  he  was  assisted  by  Rev.  James 
A.  McCabe;  from  1875  to  1877,  by  Rev.  E. 
T.  Murohv  ;   from  1879  to  1880   bv  Rev.  J.  J. 


Calligan ;  and  from  1880  to  1890,  by  Rev. 
William  Dwyer,  who  was  given  charge  of  St. 
Andrews'  in  tiie  latter  year.  Father  Dwyer 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  John  P.  McCloskey, 
who  was  first  assistant  until  September,  1893. 
Revs.  B.  J.  Raycroft,  Thomas  Graham  and 
A.  B.  Mechura,  acted  as  second  assistants  for 
a  short  period  during  1890.  They  were  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  S.  E.  Aaron  until  October, 
1893.  On  the  latter  date  Rev.  Hugh  Mullen 
was  appointed  pastor,  with  Rev.  P.  McGov- 
ern  as  assistant.  They  served  until  Novem- 
ber 20  of  the  same  year,  wiien  Rev.  P.  M. 
Cauley,  the  present  pastor,  received  iiis  ap- 
pointment. January  1,  1894,  his  brother,  Rev. 
Joseph  M.  Cauley,  was  appointed  assistant. 

The  following  are  the  societies  of  the 
church : 

St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Society,  organized  in 
1862. 

Father  Mathew  Total  Abstinence  Societv, 
organized  in  1!S()6. 

Rosary  Society,  organized  in  1868. 

The  Sodality  of  Young  Ladies,  organized 
in  1868;   reorganized  in  July,  1894. 

Children  of  Mary,  organized  in   1882. 

Third  Order  of  St.  Francis,  organized  May 
21,  1891. 

The  Temperance  Cadets,  organized  Au- 
gust 15,  1894. 

St.  Patrick's  Branch,  No.  12,  C.  M.  B.  A., 
organized  March  25,  1879. 

St.  Patrick's  Branch,  No.  145,  C.  M.  B. 
A.,  organized  May  31,  1895. 

Branch  No.  10,  L.  M.  C.  B.  A.,  organized 
March  5,  1890. 

In  March,  1894,  extensive  improvements 
were  undertaken,  both  on  the  exterior  and  in- 
terior of  the  church.  They  were  completed  by 
May  of  the  same  year,  at  an  outlay  of  about 
,1:5,000. 

St.  Patrick's  Auditorium,  a  beautiful 
pressed  brick  structure,  with  wiiite  stone  trim- 
mings, was  commenced  March  19,  1895.  The 
foundation  alone  cost  $4,000.  The  contract 
price  for  enclosing  the  superstructure  was 
•1>14,734.  This  institution,  when  completed, 
will  be  thrown  open  to  the  general  public.  It 
will  be  fitted  up  with  a  large  gymnasium,  a 
spacious  auditorium,  meeting  rooms,  reading 
room  and  library,  and  will  be  under  the  direc- 
tion of  an  experienced  instructor,  who  will 
devote  his  time  to  the  physical  and  intel- 
lectual training  of  young    men   from  6  to  9 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


457 


every  evening.  The  building  occupies  a  full 
city  lot,  running  from  Fourth  to  Fifth  street, 
fronting  on  both  streets.  Part  of  the  outer 
wall  of  this  structure  was  blown  down,  during 
a  severe  gale,  early  in  the  forenoon  of  Novem- 
ber 26,  1895,  causing  a  loss  to  the  contractors 
of  some  12,000. 

St.  Patrick's  parochial  school  was  estab- 
lished in  1863.  The  building  in  which  it  is 
held,  on  Fourth  street,  between  Holland  and 
German,  was  erected  in  1805.  It  is  in  charge 
of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph,  and  has  an  aver- 
age attendance  ol  4()0  children.  A  Sunday- 
school  is  also  maintained  by  the  church. 

ST.   Peter's   r.   c.   cathedral. 

The  pro-cathedral  building  on  Fourth 
street  (St.  Patrick's)  having  become  too  small, 
it  was  decided  by  Bishop  Mullen  to  build  a 
new  edifice,  which  should  be  the  cathedral 
church  of  the  diocese.  A  lot  was  purchased 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  Tenth  and  Sassa- 
fras streets,  one  of  the  choicest  locations  in 
the  city.  Ground  for  the  new  structure  was 
broken  in  February,  1878,  and  the  corner-  j 
stone  was  laid  on  St.  Peter's  day,  August  1, 
1875,  with  the  largest  demonstration  of  a  re- 
ligious character  the  city  of  Erie  had  wit- 
nessed up  to  that  date.  Mass  was  first  cele- 
brated at  St.  Patrick's  pro-cathedral,  after 
which  the  procession,  composed  of  numerous 
societies  of  Erie,  Meadville,  Corry,  Union 
Cit}'  and  olher  places,  and  a  large  concourse 
of  people,  proceeded  to  the  site  of  the  build- 
ing, where  the  ceremonies  were  conducted  by 
Rt.  Rev.  Tobias  Mullen.  An  address  was 
delivered  in  English  by  Bishop  Mullen,  and 
one  in  German  by  Rev.  Father  George  Meyer, 
of  Meadville. 

The  building  was  not  completed  until 
August  2,  1893 — more  than  twenty  years 
after  its  commencement — when  it  was  for- 
mally dedicated  as  St.  Peter's  Cathedral  with 
exercises  of  a  very  interesting  nature. 

The  Cathedral  is  gothic  in  style  and  of 
massive  and  imposing  appearance.  The 
famous  C.  C.  Keely,  of  Brooklj-n,  N.  Y.,  was 
its  architect.  It  is  constructed  of  Medina, 
N.  Y.,  red  sandstone,  trimmed  and  orna- 
mented with  white  sandstone,  in  part  from 
Amherst,  Ohio,  and  in  part  from  Mercer 
county,  Pa.  The  Cathedral  is  220  feet  in 
length,  and  112  wide  at  the  transepts.  The 
main  portion  of  the  building  is  eighty-five  feet 


wide  and  tiie  height  of  its  ceiling  in  the  center 
aisle  is  seventy-five  feet.  Its  towers  are  solid 
stone  from  base  to  top.  The  main  one  of  the 
three  is  surmounted  by  a  copper  cross,  gilt, 
eleven  feet  high.  The  distance  from  the  street 
to  the  top  of  the  cross  is  265  feet.  The  seat- 
ing capacity  of  the  Cathedral  is  2,500.  Its 
cost  to  September  1,  1895,  was  i?250,000. 

Adjoining  the  Cathedral,  on  the  north,  is  a 
handsome  three-story  Episcopal  residence,  of 
pressed  brick,  trimmed  with  stone,  which  is 
occupied  by  the  bishop  and  priest  wlio  officiate 
in  the  Cathedral. 

The  institutions  attached  to  the  Cathedral 
are  :  St.  Joseph's  Orphan  Asylum  and  St. 
Vincent's  Hospital,  an  account  of  which  will 
be  found  in  another  chapter. 

The  societies  of  the  Cathedral  are  as  fol- 
lows : 

St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Society,  for  the  relief 
of  the  poor,  organized  in    1893. 

Rosary  Society,  organized  at  St.  Patrick's 
Church  in  1868. 

St.  Peter's  Branch,  No.  20,  C.  M.  B.  A., 
organized  March  12,   1892. 

Young  Ladies'  Sodalitv,  organized  in  Sep- 
tember, 1893. 

Branch  No.  7,  L.  C.  M.  B.  A.,  organized 
March  5,  189(.). 

Branch  No.  49,  L.  C.  M.  B.  A.,  organized 
April  17,  1892. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Cathedral,  Rev. 
Father  Casey,  Vicar  General,  was  appointed 
rector,  with  Rev.  John  McCloskey  and  Rev. 
S.  E.  Aaron  as  his  assistants.  Upon  the  death 
of  Father  Casey,  Father  Aaron  became  rec- 
tor, and  Rev.  F.  J.  Bender  assistant  rector. 
These  priests  are  assisted  by  Rev.  Hugh  Mul- 
len, who  is  also  in  charge  of  St.  Ann's  con- 
gregation. 

In  March,  1894,  the  Bishop  purchased  a 
large  piece  of  land  on  Eleventh  street,  be- 
tween Peach  and  Sassafras,  upon  which  a 
school  building  for  the  Cathedral  congrega- 
tion is  to  be  erected.  The  contract  for  the 
building  was  let  September  24,  1895,  at 
$15,570. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  add  in  this  con- 
nection that  Bishop  Mullen  was  born  in  Ty- 
rone, Ireland,  in  1818,  and  consecrated  to  the 
charge  of  the  Erie  Diocese  August  2,  1868 
(see  General  Church  History),  ^'ery  Rev. 
Thomas  A.  Casey,  late  \'icar  General,  was 
born  in  St.  Catherine's,  Canada,  son  of  James 


45S 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIOlsARY 


Casey,  the  well-known  Erie  contractor.  He 
was  ordained  a  priest  in  1861),  appointed 
Vicar  (Jeneral  December  1'5,  1M80,  and  died 
February  9,  1894.  In  November,  1894,  Rev. 
P.  J.  Sheridan,  of  Clearfield,  was  appointed 
to  succeed  him  as  Vicar  General. 

ST.  Mary's  r.  c.  church. 

As  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  first  Ger- 
man family  of  the  Catholic  faith  to  locate  in 
Erie  was  that  of  Wolfgang  Erhart  in  1830. 
Others  of  this  nationality  soon  followed, 
and  these  families  conceived  the  idea  of 
uniting  in  a  congregation  in  1883,  when 
mass  was  said  bj-  Father  ]SIosquelette  in  a  log 
house  which  stood  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
State  and  Tenth  streets,  belonging  to  Mr. 
El  hart.  The  following  year  the  same  mis- 
sionarv  father,  accompanied  by  Rt.  Rev. 
Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  Bishop  of  Philadel- 
phia (to  which  diocese  Erie  then  belonged), 
again  visited  this  people.  Services  that  year 
were  held  in  a  frame  house  which  was  also 
the  property  of  Mr.  Erhart,  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  French  and  Fourth  streets.  The 
Bishop  confirmed  a  number  to  whom  the  sac- 
rament had  not  yet  been  administered.  In  1837 
the  congregation,  as  it  may  now  be  called, 
bought  a  lot  on  the  south  side  of  Ninth  street, 
between  Parade  and  German,  and  built  a 
small  frame  church,  where  St.  Mary's  edifice 
now  stands.  At  the  next  visit  of  the  Bishop 
to  Erie,  arrangements  were  made  which  led 
him  to  send  the  first  pastor  for  the  German 
Catholics  of  the  city.  Rev.  Ivo  Levitz,  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Francis.  On  his  voyage  to 
America,  Father  Levitz  had,  during  a  severe 
and  threatening  storm,  promised  that  the  first 
church  he  would  have  the  happiness  of  bless- 
ing in  America  should  be  dedicated  to  the 
"  Blessed  Mary  conceived  without  sin."  As 
his  field  for  missionary  labor  contained  a 
church  already  built  but  not  yet  blessed, 
Father  Levitz  on  the  2d  day  of  August,  1840, 
with  the  consent  of  the  members  of  the  young 
congregation,  dedicated  it  as  St.  Mary's 
Church.  He  also  blessed  the  graveyard  ad- 
joining the  church,  on  the  present  site  of  St. 
Benedict's  Academy. 

In  1841,  Father  Levitz  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  A.  Steinbacher,  who,  after  a  short  term, 
was  followed  by  Rev.  R.  Kleineidam,  Rev. 
P.  Frederick  Brwnner,  of  the  Carmelite 
Order,    was   the   fourth   pastor,  succeeded  in 


1847  by  Rev,  John  Evang  Mosctizh.  The 
latter,  in  1848,  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Nicolas 
Haeres,  who  in  the  same  year  handed  over  tiie 
pastorate  to  Rev.  N.  Steinbaclier,  S.  J.,  who 
built  an  addition  to  the  church  and  bought 
grounds  for  a  gravej-ard  on  West  Twenty- 
fourth  street. 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  F.  J-  Hartmann, 
afterward  of  St.  Joseph's  Church.  The  frame 
church,  though  enlarged,  was  insufficient  for 
the  growing  congregation.  It  was  diflicult  to 
decide  wiiat  action  to  take,  as  the  members 
were  generally  poor.  The  clear-sighted  pas- 
tor perceived  that  to  build  on  a  small  scale 
would  only  be  providing  for  a  few  years.  In 
consequence,  he  undertook  and  successfully  ac- 
complished a  task  wMiich,  at  the  beginning, 
seemed  too  burdensome  for  the  small  congre- 
gation; it  was  the  building  of  the  grand  St. 
Alary's  Church  as  it  now  stands  on  Nintii 
'  street.  It  was  put  under  roof  in  1854,  and 
dedicated  in  1855,  and  was  then  the  finest 
church  edifice  in  Erie,  In  1873,  some  ^7, 0(H) 
were  expended  in  improving  both  the  interior 
and  exterior,  the  former  being  nicely  frescoed 
in  blue  and  gold,  the  columns  marbled  and 
their  caps  heavily  gilded,  elegant  gas  fixtures 
introduced,  and  a  new  altar,  handsome  in  de- 
sign, placed  therein.  One  of  the  exterior  at- 
tractions was  the  addition  of  an  expensive 
piece  of  statuary  over  the  main  entrance. 
Since  then  the  church  has  been  largely  added 
to  and  improved. 

Father  Hartmann,  with  the  consent  of  the 
Bishop,  transferred  the  charge  in  1858  to  the 
Benedictine  Fathers  of  St.  Vincent's  Abbey, 
who  have  since  retained  it.  So  numerous  have 
been  the  fatiiers  of  this  order  who  have  min- 
istered to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  congre- 
gation, that  it  is  impracticable  to  name  them. 

The  pastors  and  assistant  pastors  since  1882 
have  been  as  follows  : 

Pastors — Revs,  Amandus  Kramer,  S.  De- 
martean,  Emilian  Wendel,  Lambert  Kettner, 
Paulinus  Wenkmann  and  Cassimer  Elsesser, 
the  present  incumbent,  who  has  held  the  posi- 
tion since  September  7,  1892. 

Assistant  Pastors — Revs.  Boniface  Wint- 
ner,  Isadore  Fuesel,  Emeran  Singer,  Wilfred 
Frins,  Adolph  Robrecht,  Cyril  Rettger, 
Macarius  Schmitt,  Marinus  Ferg,  Celestini 
Englebrecht  and  Alto  Heer. 

The  congregation  numbers  over  3,000  per- 
sons. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


459 


A  prosperous  Sunday-school  and  a  large 
parochial  school  are  supported.  The  boys  of 
the  parochial  school  are  taught  by  four  Broth- 
ers of  Mary,  and  the  girls  by  the  Benedictine 
Sisters  of  St.  Benedict's  Convent. 

The  first  parochial  school  in  connection 
with  St.  Mary's  Church  was  opened  by  Rev. 
Father  Steinbacher  in  1850,  in  a  small  frame 
building,  long  since  removed.  In  1855,  after 
the  present  brick  church  edifice  was  com- 
pleted. Father  Hartmann  fitted  up  the  old 
wooden  churcli  building  for  school  purposes. 
In  18G6,  largely  through  the  efforts  of  Rev. 
Father  Benno,  the  large  three-story  brick 
building  on  Tenth  street,  between  German 
and  Parade,  was  erected.  The  average  attend- 
ance of  children  is  GOO. 

Connected  with  the  church  are  the  follo\v- 
ing  institutions  and   societies  : 

St.  Mary's  Priory,  Benedictine  ]\Ionks,  es- 
tablished in  1859.  Building  erected  in  1870; 
added  to  later. 

House  of  Brothers  of  Mary. 

St.  Benedict's  Convent,  organized  June 
21,  185G;  building  completed  in  1861. 

St.  Benedict's  Academy,  established  about 
1864,  in  charge  of  Benedictine  Sisters. 

St.  Boniface's  Society,  organized  in   1867. 

St.  George's  Society,  organized  in  1852. 

St.  Benedict's  .Society,  organized  in   1867. 

St.  Mary's  Commander}-,  No.  208,  R.  C. 
U.,  Knights  of  St.  John,  organized  November, 
1891. 

Men's  Rosary  Society  and  Women's  Ro- 
sary Society,   organized  in  1857. 

Young  Ladies'  .Society,  organized  in  1858. 

Children  of  Mary. 

St.  Aloysius'  Society  for  Young  Men,  or- 
ganized June  18,  1894. 

St.  Mary's  Branch,  No.  9,  C.  M.  B.  A., 
organized  December  5,  1879. 

St.  Mary's  Branch.  No.  140,  C.  M.  B.  A., 
organized  February  24,  1895. 

Branch  No.  11,  L.  C.  M.  B.  A.,  organized 
March  26,  1890. 

St.  Benedict's  Convent  gives  a  home  to 
fifty-six  sisters  of  that  religious  order. 

ST.  Joseph's  r.   c.   church. 

This  congregation  dates  from  the  year 
18.55,  when  a  number  of  Catholic  families  in 
what  is  now  the  southern  part  of  the  city, 
built  a  small  schoolhouse  by  subscription  on 
the  north  side  of   Eighteenth   street,  between 


Peach  and  Sassafras,  to  which  the)'  sent  their 
children  for  an  education.  Religious  services 
were  held  in  this  building  occasionally,  con- 
ducted as  a  rule  by  priests  from  St.  Mary's 
Church.  In  due  time  a  parish  was  regularly 
organized,  which  was  placed  in  charge  of 
Rev.  Joseph  Stumpe.  The  first  church  build- 
ing, a  frame  structure,  was  built  in  1866,  on 
Twenty-fourth  street,  south  side,  between 
Peach  and  Sassafras.  Father  Stumpe's  suc- 
cessors in  the  pastorate  have  been  Father  John 

B.  Kuehn,  Father  E.  J.  Reiter,  S.  J.,  Father 
Mink,  Father  J.  A.  Oberhoferand  Father  Ber- 
nard Kloecker,  the  present  incumbent.  The 
assistant  priests  have  been  Fathers  Deckin- 
brook,  Frank,  Hasse,  Hartmann  and  Kloecker. 
Two  of  the  pastors  of  the  church  have  died 
while  in  its  service,  viz.  :  Father  Reiter,  on 
Maj-  5,  1873,  and  Father  Oberhofer,  on  Janu- 
ary 16,  1889.  Father  Kloecker  assumed  charge 
direct!)'  after  the  death  of  Father  Oberhofer. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  present  splendid 
church  was  laid  on  July  2,  1882,  and  the 
building  was  dedicated  on  October  2,  1887, 
having  cost  about  $45,000.      Its  architect  was 

C.  C.  Keelv,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  the  same 
gentleman  who  planned  St.  Peter's  Cathedral. 

St.  Joseph's  parochial  school  was  started, 
as  above  stated,  before  the  congregation  was 
regularly  organized.  A  school  building  ad- 
joining the  church  was  built  in  1866.  After 
the  new  church  was  finished  the  old  church 
structure  was  taken  for  school  purposes,  and 
continues  to  be  used  as  such.  The  school  oc- 
cupies seven  rooms,  and  is  taught  by  the  Sis- 
ters of  St.  Joseph.  It  has  an  average  attend- 
ance of  nearly  400  pupils. 

The  societies  of  St.  Joseph's  Church  are  : 

St.  Joseph's  Mutual  Relief  Society,  organ- 
ized June  11,  1865. 

St.  Alphonsus'  Relief  Society,  organized 
October  18,  1868. 

The  Rosary  Society  for  Married  Women, 
organized  in  1866. 

The  Young  Ladies'  Society. 

St.  Joseph's  Branch,  No.  9,  C.  M.  B.  A., 
organized  February  17,  1879. 

Branch  No.  96,  L.  C.  M.  B.  A.,  organized 
December  10,  1891. 

ST.   JOHX'S    R.   C.   CHIRCH. 

This  congregation  was   formed   late  in  the 

year  1869.     The  first   baptism  recorded  bears 

!  date   January   1,    1870.     The  first  pastor  was 


460 


NELSON'S  BIOQRAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


Rev.  Bernard  Mauser,  O.  S.  B.  The  church 
building,  on  Twenty-sixth  street,  between 
VVaUace  and  Ash,  was  built  in  18G'J-70,  and 
dedicated  on  the  28th  of  August,  1870.  A 
parsonage  adjoins  the  church  ;  also  a  large 
schoolhouse,  all  built  at  the  same  time.  The 
former  was  enlarged  in  1877.  Father  Mauser 
was  succeeded  March  19,  1873,  by  Rev.  E.  A. 
Reiter,  S.  J.  From  March  19  to  May  4, 
1873,  this  charge  and  St.  Joseph's  were  to- 
gether. The  present  pastor,  Rev.  Father  M. 
|.  Decker,  assumed  the  position  May  4,  1878, 
when  the  church  became  an  independent 
charge,  and  has  ever  since  sustained  that  re- 
lation. 

The  parochial  school  of  St.  John's  was 
established  on  Twenty-sixth  street  in  1870. 
A  large  two-story  brick  building  was  erected 
south  of  the  church  in  1887,  in  one  of  the 
finest  locations  in  Erie.  It  is  under  the  care 
of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph. 

The  church  societies  are  : 

St.  John's  Benevolent  Society,  organized 
October  23,  1870. 

Ladies'  Rosary  Society,  organized  Sep- 
tember, 1873. 

Third  Order  of  St.  Francis,  organized  Sep- 
tember 11,  1887. 

St.  John's  Branch  No.  18,  C.  M.  B.  A., 
January  15,  1881. 

St.  John's  Branch  No.  123,  Ladies'  C.  M. 
B.  A.,  April  14,  1898. 

St.  Maurice  Commandery,  K.  of  St.  J., 
organized  in  December,  1892. 

The  church  celebrated  its  silver  anniversary 
with  imposing  exercises  on  Sunday,  August 
25,  1895. 

A  new  brick  and  stone  church  building  is 
in  contemplation. 

Rev.  Father  Deitrich  was  appointed  assist- 
ant to  Father  Decker  during  the  summer  of 
1895. 

ST.  ANDRKWS'    H.    C.    CHURCH. 

The  English-speaking  Catholic  people  re- 
siding in  the  western  part  of  the  city  were 
formed  into  a  parish,  under  the  name  given 
above,  by  Rev.  Father  J.  A.  McCabe,  in  the 
summer  of  1871.  A  frame  church  was  erected, 
which  was  dedicated  July  16,  1871,  by  Rt. 
Rev.  Tobias  Mullen.  It  stands  at  the  corner 
of  Sixth  and  Raspberry  streets.  The  pastor's 
residence,  adjoining  the  church,  was  built  in 
1874. 


After  a  service  of  nearly  twenty  years. 
Father  McCabe  was  succeeded,  in  January, 
1890,  by  Rev.  Wm.  F.  Dwyer,  the"  present 
pastor. 

The  church  societies  in  September,  1895, 
were  as  follows  : 

The  Rosary  Societv,  established  Mav  23, 
1873. 

Portugese  Trinity  Society,  established  May 
81,  1874. 

St.  Andrews'  Branch  No.  25,  C.  M.  B.  A., 
established  August  20,  1883. 

Society  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  established 
August  2,  1892. 

St.  Andrews'  Commandery  No.  230, 
Knights  of  St.  John,  organized  in  January, 
1898. 

St.  Andrews'  Mutual  Relief  Society,  or- 
ganized in  1874. 

Branch  No.  128,  L.  C.  M.  B.  A.,  organ- 
ized August  22,  1893. 

ST.   STANISLAUS    R.    C.    CHURCH. 

This  congregation,  composed  almost  en- 
tirely of  Polish  people,  was  organized  in  1883, 
and  immediately  entered  upon  the  erection  of 
a  church  building  at  Wallace  and  Thirteenth 
streets.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  by  Bishop 
Mullen  October  10,  1884.  When  the  edifice 
was  partly  completed,  in  the  winter  of  1884— 
'85,  the  building  was  wrecked  by  a  severe 
wind-storm.  Not  to  be  discouraged,  the  con- 
gregation raised  money  for  a  new  structure, 
which  w'as  finished  in  the  summer  of  1885, 
and  dedicated  in  September,  of  that  year. 
Rev.  Father  Ignasiak,  who  still  remains  the 
pastor,  reached  Erie  August  21,  1886,  and  at 
once  assumed  the  leadership  of  the  congrega- 
tion, it  being  his  first  charge.  A  frame  par- 
sonage was  erected  under  his  supervision,  in 
1887. 

When  the  church  was  started  it  embraced 
about  eighty  families.  Within  five  years  it 
had  increased  to  more  than  300.  The  origi- 
nal church  was  found  too  small  for  their  accom- 
modation and  preparations  were  made  for  a 
larger  building.  The  old  church  was  moved 
in  1894  to  an  adjoining  lot,  and  a  new  edifice 
started  on  the  original  site.  Of  this,  the 
foundation  walls  are  now  constructed,  and  it 
will  be  erected  by  degrees,  as  the  money  is 
raised  for  the  purpose.  The  structure  will  be  of 
brick,  with  stone  trimmings,  having  two 
towers,  each    150  feet    high,    will  cost    about 


"^^onj-LA- 


AND  UISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


461 


$50,000,  and  will  be  one  of  the  handsomest 
churches  in  the  city.  Its  seating  capacity 
will  be  1,200.  The  corner-stone  of  the  new 
church  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  ]VIullen  on 
Sunday  afternoon,  September  21,  1895. 

The  pastoral  residence  was  burned  on 
February  8,  1895,  and  promptly  replaced  by 
a  fine  brick  building. 

St.  Stanislaus  parochial  school  started 
September  1,  1888,  with  an  attendance  of 
sixty  scholars,  and  has  now  an  average  of  more 
than  325.  Prof.  John  Xowak  became  princi- 
pal in  1888.  He  is  assisted  by  three  other 
teachers,  Felician  Sisters  from  Detroit,  Mich. 

Connected  with  the  church  is  a  hall  for 
literary  entertainments  and  amusements, which 
was  built  in  1891 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

The  Sacred  Heart  Benevolent  Society,  or- 
ganized vSeptember  22,  1885. 

The  St.  Stanislaus  Benevolent  Society,  or- 
ganized in   1889. 

The  iMatki  B.  Cz.  Benevolent  Society,  or- 
ganized in  1893. 

The  Women's  Rosary  Society,  organized 
October,  188(3. 

The  Young  Ladies'  Society  of  the  Immac- 
ulate Conception,  organized   in  1890. 

The  Yoimg  Men's  Society  of  St.  Stanis- 
laus Kostka,  organized  in  1893. 

The  Society  of  Women,  under  the  name  of 
Apostleship  of  Prayer,  organized  in  February, 
1893. 

The  Knights  of  ,St.  Casimer,  organized  in 
the  spring  of  1892. 

The  ISIoniuszko  Dramatic  Society,  organ- 
ized in  1892.  This  association  owns  a  library 
which  is  free  to  all.  It  also  has  a  musical 
branch  known  as  the  Moniuszko  Band.  The 
congregation  have  a  burial  place  of  their  own, 
for  an  account  of  which  see  the  chapter  re- 
lating to  the  Erie  cemeteries. 

ST.  Michael's  r.  c.  church. 

October  28,  1883,  the  corner-stone  of  St. 
Michael's  Catholic  Church,  a  fine  brick  struc- 
ture on  .Seventeenth  street,  between  Cherry 
and  Poplar,  was  laid  with  imposing  cere- 
monies. The  church  was  dedicated  in  Sep- 
tember, 1885.  The  first  pastor  Rev.  James 
Lachermaier,  still  serves  in  that  capacity. 
The  parochial  school  was  first  opened  Decem- 
ber 1,  1885.  It  occupies  pleasant  quarters 
and  is  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph. 
30 


The  pastor's  residence,  the  church,  and  every- 
thing connected  with  the  same  are  attractively 
built  and  well  kept  up. 

The  church  societies  are: 

Knights  of  St.  George  No.  222,  organized 
April  G,  1885. 

Rosary  Society,  organized  in  1885. 

Young  Ladies' Sodality,  organized  in  1885. 

St.  Alichael's  Benefit  Society,  organized 
April  4,  1895. 

St.  Michael's  Branch  No.  99,  C.  M.  B.  A., 
organized  March  24,  1891. 

Branch  No.  72,  L.  C.  M.  B.  A.,  organized 
April  23,  1891. 

Sacred  Heart  Confraternity. 

ST.   Paul's  r.  c.   church. 

composed  mostly  of  Italian  people,  was 
organized  in  1891,  and  erected  its  church 
building  on  Walnut  street,  between  Sixteenth 
and  Seventeenth,  with  parsonage  attached, 
in  the  same  year.  Rev.  Francis  Becherini 
was  pastor  until  about  July,  1894.  He  was 
succeeded  on  January  6,  1895,  by  Rev.  F.  J. 
Bender,  who  continues  in  charge  of  the  con- 
gregation. The  societies  of  the  church  are 
the  Rosary  and  St.  Paul's  Benevolent,  both 
of  which  were  established  in  1891. 

ST.  joachi.m's  r.  c.  church. 

was  organized  in  1894.  It  has  erected  the 
basement  part  of  a  new  building  at  Twenty- 
sixth  and  Plum  streets,  in  which  services 
have  been  held  since  January  6,  1895.  The 
pastor  is  Rev.  F.  J.  Bender,  who  has  been  in 
charge  from  the  beginning.  The  societies 
of  the  church  are  : 

Sacred  Heart  Commandery,  Knights  of  St. 
John,  organized  in   March,  1894. 

Rosary  Society,  organized  in  1894. 

Sacred  Heart  Benevolent  Society,  organ- 
ized in  April,  1895. 

Sacred  Heart  C.  M.  B.  A.,  No.;i43,  or- 
ganized April   13,  1895. 

Branch  No.  191,  L.  C.  M.  B.  A.,  organ- 
ized May  10,  1895. 

ST.  Ann's  r.  c.  church. 

The  contract  was  let  on  July  18,  1895, 
for  a  new  Catholic  church  building  at  Tenth 
street  and  East  avenue,  the  congregation  to 
be  known  as  St.  Ann's  Cinirch.  The  edifice 
will  be  of  brick  veneering,  and  the  contract 
price  is  about   !i!8,000.      Rev.  Father    Mullen, 


,63 


JV^XSOif- 5  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONART 


one  of  the  assistants  at  St.  Peter's  Cathedral, 
is  the  priest  in  charge.  The  corner-stone  of 
the  church  was  laid  on  Sunday  afternoon, 
September  15,  1895,  with  impressive  cere- 
monies. 

St.  Ann's  Branch,  No.  152,  L.  C.  M.  B. 
A.,  was  organized  October  25,  1895. 

IIOMAN    C.\l'HOLIC    CHAPELS. 

Bishop's  chapel,  Bishop's  residence.  Tenth 
and  Sassafras  streets,  attended  from  St.  Peter's 
Cathedral. 

St.  Benedict's,  St.  Benedict's  Convent,  at- 
tended from  St.  Mary's  Church. 

St.  Joseph's,  at  Orphan  Asylum,  attended 
from  St.  Patrick's  Church. 

St.  Vincent's,  St.  Vincent's  Hospital,  at- 
tended from  St.  Joseph's  Church. 

Villa  Maria,  attended  from  the  Cathedra!. 

St.  John's,  Old  Folk's  Home,  attended 
from  St.  John's  Church. 

[For  further  particulars  in  regard  to  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  see  General  Church 
History.] 


OTHER  DENOMINATIONS. 

GERMAN  ST.  Paul's  evangelical   church. 

The  German  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  con- 
gregation was  organized  in  December.  1850. 
Rev.  H.  F.  Hartmann  was  installed  as  the  first 
pastor.  In  its  incipiency  it  comprised  twenty 
members,  who  had  separated  from  the  Ger- 
man St.  John's  Lutheran  Church  in  all 
amity.  These  energetic  GL-rmans  decided  to 
erect  a  church  at  a  cost  of  )ii4,000,  in  the  year 
following  (1851),  whicii  was  subsequently 
known  among  the  public  as  the  "  brick 
church."  The  church  belongs  to  the  German 
Evangelical  Synod  of  North  America,  of  the 
New  York  District,  of  which  the  present 
pastor.  Rev.  Val.  Kern,  has  been  President 
for  six  years.  He  has  labored  for  the  church 
more  than  nineteen  years.  Under  his  admin- 
istration an  addition  to  the  church  was  built 
in  1879,  at  an  expense  of  .fTiClOO.  The  re- 
dedication  took  place  on  June  13,  1890.  A 
parsonage  was  added  in  1882,  which  cost 
|8,(j00.  The  year  1893  saw  the  congregation 
able  to  erect  a  beautiful  Sunday-school  chapel, 
at  a  sum  aggregating  over  110,000.  Beauti- 
ful ornamental    windows  of  the   best  quality 


will  soon  be  added  to  the  decorations  of  the 
church. 

The  congregation  consists  of  130  voting 
members  and  380  families.  The  Sunday-school 
has  an  average  attendance  of  400  children. 
The  Ladies'  Society,  working  in  the  interest 
of  home  missions  and  various  charitable  ob- 
jects has  a  membership  of  118.  It  was  organ- 
ized in  December,  1858.  The  Young  People's 
Society,  with  about  150  enrolled  members, 
was  organized  in  1891.  It  is  a  strong  influence 
in  behalf  of  the  welfare  of  the  church  and  the 
advancement  of  Christian  life  among  its  mem- 
bers. 

The  names  of  the  pastors  of  the  church  from 
its  organization  are  as  follows  :  Rev.  Mr.  Hart- 
mann, December  1,  1850,  to  April  15,  1852; 
Rev.  C.  Goehling,  December  5,  1852,  to  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1856;  Rev.  W.  Hasskarl,  April  14, 
1856,  to  April  14,  1857;  Rev.  Z.  Faber,  June 
10,  1857,  to  February  21,  1858  (died)  ;  Rev. 
F.  R.  Ludwig,  March  21,  1858,  to  June  1, 
1859;  Rev.  J.  W.  Semler,  March  15,  1859,  to 
June.  1809  (died)  ;  Rev.  J.  Keller,  September 
1,  1869,  to  November,  1871  ;  Rev.  E.  Young, 
December  1,  1871,  to  May  6,  1876;  Rev.  Val. 
Kern,  May  30,  1876,  until  the  present. 

The  German  Evangelical  Synod  of  North 
America  was  organized  in  1840  with  seven 
ministers.  It  now  numbers  between  860  and 
870  preachers  and  over  1,100  congregations. 
The  New  York  district  embraces  forty-seven 
ministers  and  fifty-eight  congregations.  The 
one  above  described  is  the  only  congregation 
in  Erie  county  that  is  attached  to  tiie  district 
and  synod. 

ANSHE  CHESED  HEBREW  REFORMED  CONGKE- 
GATION. 

August  12,  1853,  some  eight  or  ten  persons 
of  the  Hebrew  faith  formed  themselves  into  a 
congregation,  and  met  for  religious  services  in 
the  Lyons  property,  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and 
French  streets,  occupying  a  room  up  stairs. 
Among  these  were  Moses  Koch,  the  first  He- 
brew person  to  settle  in  Erie  (about  1845), 
Isaac  and  John  Rosenzweig,  I.  W.  Neuberger, 
Jacob  Koch,  H.  Meyer,  15.  Baker  and  Henry 
Frank.  Their  first  Rabbi  was  Mr.  Weil,  who 
was  engaged  in  1861  and  remained  with  the 
congregation  about  one  year.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rabbi  M.  Wurzel,  whose  term  of 
service  in  all  (he  having  twice  ministered  to 
the  congregation),  extended  over  a  period  of 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


463 


about  fourteen  )-ears.  The  succeeding  Rabbis 
have  been  Revs.  Fuld,  Fleugel,  Brandes, 
Stenple,  Levi,  Farber  and  Rosenau,  the  pres- 
ent incumbent.  The  several  places  of  worship 
have  been  (other  than  the  one  above  named), 
on  Holland,  between  Eighth  and  Ninth 
streets,  in  Metcalf  block  on  State  street,  and 
in  Becker's  block  on  French  street ;  thence  to 
the  synagogue  of  the  congregation  on  the 
north  side  of  Eighth  street,  between  Myrtle 
and  Sassafras.  This  latter  was  erected  in 
1882,  at  a  cost  of  $13,000,  including  the 
ground  upon  which  it  stands.  The  founda- 
tion stone  was  laid  by  Mr.  B.  Baker,  the  first 
President  of  the  congregation  and  one  of  its 
oldest  members.  The  congregation  hold  reg- 
ular services  every  Friday  and  Saturday. 

The  societies  are  : 

Ladies'  Hebrew  Auxiliary  Aid  Society, 
organized  in  1888. 

Ladies'  Temple  Aid  Society,  organized 
more  than  fifteen  years. 

The  Willing  Workers  (a  children's  organ- 
ization). 

A  Sabbath  and  Sunday-school  are  main- 
tained by  the  congregation,  of  which  Jacob 
Ostheimer,  J.  Strauss  and  M.  Schaffner  are 
the  board  of  managers. 

UNITED    BRETHREN    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  April  2,  1878, 
at  the  house  of  John  Reed,  with  a  membership 
of  twenty-two  persons,  by  the  Rev.  John 
Hill,  who  was  then  preaching  in  the  city,  in 
the  house  of  worship  now  owned  by  the  de- 
nomination. In  August,  1879,  the  property 
was  purchased  by  the  newly  organized  church. 
The  building,  which  had  been  used  as  a  Pres- 
byterian mission,  stands  at  the  corner  of  Tenth 
and  Cherry  stieets.  The  church  struggled  for 
a  long  time  under  a  load  of  debt,  from  which 
it  was  finally  freed  in  1895. 

The  church  has  been  served  in  succession 
by  the  following  pastors :  W.  W.  Fringle, 
W.  Kingsley,  J.  A.  Thomas,  S.  Evans,  W. 
Rittenhouse,  E.  F.  Amy,  Owen  O.  Wiard, 
D.  H.  Christ)-  and  J.  C.  Sims,  the  pre.sent 
pastor. 

The  Sabbath-school  had  forty-five  enrolled 
scholars  in    1895. 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

The  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  organized  in  Jan- 
uary, 1894. 


The  Children's  Missionary  Band,  organ- 
ized in  the  spring  of  1895. 

THE    FIRST    CHRISTIAN    CHURCH 

Was  organized  November  19,  1888,  bought 
its  lot  at  Seventh  and  Chestnut  streets  the 
same  year  and  erected  its  house  of  worship  in 
1890-91.  Its  pastors  have  been  :  Rev.  T. 
W.  Howard,  1888  to  1890;  Rev.  Myron  Ty 
ler,  1890  to  1895;  and  the  present  incumbent, 
Rev.  Henry  Crampton,  who  assumed  charge 
March  1,  1895. 

The  Sabbath-school  has  had  for  its  super- 
intendents, Herman  Eldridge,  1888  to  1893, 
and  A.  B.  Kendall,  1893  to  date. 

The  church  building  has  recently  been 
decorated  and  improved. 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

Ladies'  Aid  Society,  organized  January 
10,  1889. 

Young  People's  .Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor, organized  July  1,  1890. 

Junior  Young  People's  Society  of  Chris- 
tian Endeavor,  organized  April  1,  1892. 

Boys'  Brigade,  organized  June  1,  1895. 

FIRST    UNIVERSALIST    CHURCH. 

The  first  meetings  of  this  society  in  Erie 
were  held  at  the  old  court-house  in  the  year 
1842,  conducted  by  the  Rev.  John  GifTord. 
The  regular  organization  was  effected  about 
two  years  later.  The  present  church  struc- 
ture, situated  on  the  north  side  of  Ninth 
street,  between  Peach  and  Sassafras  streets, 
was  erected  in  1844,  upon  ground  given  to 
the  society  by  Judge  John  Galbraith.  Among 
the  early  members  were  Henr)-  Cadwell, 
William  Beatty,  John  Dodge,  Clark  and 
Wenlock  McSparren,  Porter  Warren  and 
John  Galbraith.  Mr.  Gifford  was  followed 
by  the  Rev.  A.  G.  Laurie,  of  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  who  entered  upon  his  duties  in  N\)- 
yember,  1846,  and  filled  the  pulpit  until 
April,  1849.  Next  came  Rev.  John  Cainp- 
bell,  who  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  G.  B. 
Maxham.  He  was  followed  by  Rev.  J.  E. 
Forrester,  whose  p.istorate  extended  over  a 
period  of  about  one  decade.  In  the  year  1865 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Laurie  again  became  pastor  and 
remained  ten  years.  Rev.  A.  A.  Thayer  was 
pastor  for  five  years,  beginning  in  1876.  His 
S;iccessor  was  Rev.  H.  A.  Westall,  of  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  whose  pastorate  began  in 
April,    1882.     The    pastors    since    then    have 


464 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


been  Rev.  L.  D.  Fisher,  who  occupied  the 
pulpit  about  a  year;  Rev.  C.  A.  Knicker- 
bocker, who  came  in  September,  18S9 ;  Rev. 
Margaret  Brennan.  who  began  in  1891,  and 
Rev.  Howard  McQueary,  whose  ministry  in 
Erie  commenced  in  December,  1S93.  The 
latter  closed  his  pastorate  on  Sunday,  October 
27,  1895. 

The  Sunday-school  is  held  in  the  church 
parlors,  and  there  is  a  vigorous  Young  Peo- 
ple's Christian  Union,  organized  in  1891. 
The  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  one  of  the  main 
supports  of  the  congregation,  was  established 
in  1876  or  '77. 

SALE.M    EVANGELICAL    ASSOCIATION. 

In  the  year  1883,  the  Rev.  J.  Seibert,  who 
subsequently  became  a  bishop,  came  to  Erie 
county  as  a  missionary  of  the  Evangelical  As- 
sociation to  preach  to  the  Germans  of  this  lo- 
cality. In  after  years.  Revs.  E.  Sta^vers,  D. 
Brickley  and  J.  Ncecker,  ministers  of  the  As- 
sociation, labored  here  with  more  or  less  suc- 
cess. A  number  of  Germans  residing  in  Erie 
and  vicinity  were  moved  by  these  visits,  and 
the  families  of  J.  Steele,  S.  Zinn,  P.  Fenden- 
heim  and  A.  Scheurer  united  with  the  Evan- 
gelical Association. 

In  1830  the  Rev.  J.  Boos,  as  preacher  in 
charge  of  the  Erie  circuit,  visited  this  little 
flock,  which,  under  his  ministration,  was  in- 
creased by  the  addition  of  Conrad  Doll  and 
wife.  The  following  year  Rev.  H.  Bucks 
was  appointed  to  the  Erie  circuit  charge,  un- 
der whose  superintendence  the  several  fami- 
lies were  organized  into  a  class,  with  Philip 
Fendenheim  as  their  leader.  In  1838  Rev. 
H.  Bucks  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Jam- 
bert.  Further  accessions  to  the  class  were  the 
families  of  M.  Doll,  J.  Goeppert,  F.  Stoll  and 
others.  The  following  year  Rev.  P.  Wagner 
was  appointed  to  the  circuit,  who  was  suc- 
ceeded in  18-40  by  Revs.  P.  Goetz  and  C. 
Augenstein,  the  circuit  then  embracing  the 
counties  of  Erie,  Crawford  and  Mercer.  The 
former  remained  two  years,  and  the  latter  but 
one,  when  Rev.  J.  Schaefer  became  the  col- 
league of  Mr.  Goetz.  In  1842  these  gentle- 
men were  succeeded  by  Revs.  A.  Niebel  and 
C.  Lindner,  and  they  in  1843  bj-  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Heiss. 

Up  to  this  date  the  services  were  held  al- 
ternately in  the  dwellings  of  C.  Doll,  P.  Fen- 
denheim,   and    latterly  almost    exclusively   in 


that  of  Mr.  Doll.  During  the  year  1848  the 
congregation  erected  a  small  frame  church  on 
Fourteenth  street,  between  Peach  and  Sassa- 
fras. In  1849  a  parsonage  was  built  ad- 
joining the  house  of  worship.  Subsequently 
a  lot  was  purchased  on  the  corner  of  Peach 
and  Twelfth  streets,  and  in  1854  the  church 
building  and  parsonage  were  removed  to  it. 
This  building  became  too  small  for  the  in- 
creasing congregation,  and  the  little  frame 
structure  gave  way  in  the  year  1868  to  the 
present  brick  edifice,  whicli  stands  on  the 
same  lot,  and  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $7,000. 
It  was  considerably  changed  and  improved  in 
1881—2,  and  a  brick  parsonage  took  the  place 
of  the  original  one  in  1883,  which  latter  cost 
$2,800. 

Up  to  the  year  1849  the  society  at  Erie 
was  connected  with  the  Erie  circuit,  saving  a 
short  period  ;  but  in  the  year  following  (1850), 
by  action  of  the  Conference,  the  city  was  sep- 
arated therefrom  and  taken  up  as  a  mission. 
The  charge  at  Erie  remained  a  mission  for  a 
number  of  jears,  but  was  again  attached  to 
the  adjoining  circuit,  with  which  it  remained 
until  1861,  when  it  became  a  separate  charge. 

Among  the  pastors  of  the  church  since 
Mr.  Ileiss  have  been  Revs.  P.  Hahn,  P. 
Wist,  T-  Rockert,  ].  Nicolai,  C.  G.  Koch,  I. 
G.  PfJifTer,  A.  Niebel,  G.  W.  Fischer,  P. 
Schnilly,  J.  Reihm,  W.  Schmitt,  J.  Bern- 
hart,  A.  Staehlv,  C.  F.  Harting,  M.  Zirkel, 
H.  W.  Hampe,'  J.  Dick,  D.  J.  Honecker, 
Thomas  Luhr,  J.  Lany,  G.  F.  Spreng,  G. 
Nerstecher,  H.  Wisgand,  George  Goetz  and 
Ernest  Koehne,  present  incumbent.  Under 
the  early  rules  of  the  Association,  a  minister 
could  not  remain  in  one  charge  longer  than 
two  years  ;  this  has  been  changed  so  that  the 
limit  is  three  years. 

The  societies  of  the  church  are  : 

\\"omen's  Society,  founded  about  1875. 

Ladies'  Orphan  Society,  founded  about 
1875. 

Young  People's  Alliance,  founded  in 
1891. 

THE  NEW  CHURCH. 

This  is  an  organization  based,  in  the  be- 
lief of  its  members,  "  upon  the  Divine  Reve- 
lation made  through  Emanuel  Swedenborg, 
who  w^as  thus  the  herald  of  the  Second  Com- 
ing of  the  Lord,  which  took  place  with  the 
completion  of  that  revelation,  June  19,  1770." 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


465 


Its  first  adherents  in  Erie  county  were  among 
the  families  of  Knodel,  Mohr,  Evans,  Rau, 
Metzler  and  Stearns  of  Erie  and  vicinity, 
commencing  about  1850.  The  only  resident 
pastor  ever  in  Erie  county  was  Rev.  Mr. 
Goodner,  who  removed  in  1873.  A  new  or- 
ganization was  effected  in  1875,  by  the  pres- 
ent Bishop,  Rt.  Rev.  W.  H.  Benade,  and 
regular  pastoral  visits  were  made  by  the  Bish- 
op's assistant,  Rev.  L.  G.  Jordan,  of  Phila- 
delphia. Meetings  are  held  at  houses  of  mem- 
bers. The  present  secretary  in  Erie  is  Dr. 
Edward  Cranch,  109  West  Xinth  street, 

CHURCH  OF  CHRIST   (tHE    TABERNACLe). 

The  first  preaching  services  of  this  con- 
gregation were  held  at  Jarecki's  Hall,  Janu- 
ary 27,  1889.  An  organization  was  com- 
pleted March  3,  1889,  with  Rev.  E.  L.  Fra- 
zier  as  pastor,  and  thirty-six  charter  members. 
The  first  action  of  the  church,  as  an  organized 
body,  was  a  collection  for  foreign  missions, 
amounting  to  )f  10.00. 

Meetings  were  held  regularly  at  the  above 
hall,  each  "Lord's  day"  until  January  12, 
1890,  when  their  church  building  was  dedi- 
cated, a  lot  for  which  was  purchased  from  the 
Teel  estate  during  the  year  1889.  The  build- 
ing is  known  as  "  the  Tabernacle,"  and  stands 
on  the  west  side  of  Peach  street,  between 
Ninth  and  Tenth. 

Mr.  Frazier  remained  as  pastor  until  Jan- 
uary 1,  1892,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  B. 
H.  Hayden,  who  continued  until  January  1, 
1895.  Rev.  A.  B.  Chamberlain,  the  present 
pastor,  took  up  the  work  on  the  latter  date. 
The  membership   in   October,   1895,  was  162. 

A  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  composed  of  mem- 
bers of  this  religious  body,  was  organized 
August  17,  1886.  It  grew  into  a  Sunday- 
school  on  East  Eighteenth  street,  bej-ond 
Peach.  This  became  a  "  Bible  school"  April 
8,  1888,  and  its  quarters  have  since  been  the 
same  as  those  occupied  by  the  congregation. 
It  has  an  attendance  each  Sundav.  ranging 
from  eighty  to  190. 

Connected  with  the  church  are  the  follow- 
ing societies  : 

The  C.  \V.  B.  M.  Auxiliary,  organized  No- 
vember 1,  1889. 

The  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  organized  August 
17,  1886. 

The  Young  People's  Societj-  of  Christian 
Endeavor,  organized  June  27,  1889. 


The  Junior  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor, 
organized  February  28,  1895. 

The  Boys'  Brigade,  organized  in  June, 
1895. 

A  member  of  the  congregation  furnishes 
the  statement  given  below  of  its  belief  and 
practice  : 

"  The  Tabernacle  Church  of  Christ  is 
connected  with  a  religious  body  in  this  coun- 
try now  numbering  nearly  1,000,000  com- 
municants. They  claim  to  be  undenomina- 
tional and  non-sectarian.  Their  purpose  from 
the  beginning  has  been  the  union  of  Christians 
on  the  word  of  God.  They  discard  all  human 
creeds  and  confessions  of  faith.  The  only 
confession  required  of  applicants  for  baptism 
(immersion)  and  church  membership  is  that 
'  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God' 
— Matthew  xvi.,  16.  They  claim  that  this 
divine  confession,  obeyed,  makes  Christians 
disciples  of  Christ.  They  insist  on  making 
the  Bible  in  fact,  as  well  as  in  theory,  the  only 
rule  of  faith  and  practice ;  in  using  Bible 
words  in  their  Bible  sense,  so  that  a  Scriptural 
terminology  may  bring  Christians  together  in 
name  as  well  as  in  faith  and  holy  living.  They 
urge  Protestants  to  be  consistent,  by  return- 
ing to  New  Testament  conditions  of  church 
membership,  as  recorded  in  the  book  of  Acts, 
and  say  that  all  Evangelical  Christians  can 
unite  without  sacrifice  of  conscience  when  this 
is  done. 

"  In  church  government  they  are  congre- 
gational. They  use  Paul's  instructions  to 
Timothy  and  Titus  in  their  appointment  of 
church  officers.  They  partake  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  every  Lord's  Day,  claiming  that  this 
was  the  New  Testament  practice,  and  that  the 
Lord's  Supper  on  the  Lord's  Day  commem- 
orates the  death  of  Christ  for  man"s  sins,  and 
his  resurrection  for  man's  justification.  "The 
law  ^vas  given  by  !Moses,  but  grace  and  truth 
came  by  Jesus  Christ." — (John  i.,  17.)" 

CHURCH    OV    CHRISTIAN     SCIENTISTS. 

"  Christian  Science"  was  first  brought  to 
Erie  in  the  year  1889.  During  July,  1890,  a 
Sundaj-  service  was  instituted  by  five  students, 
Bible  study  being  the  form  of  service.  A 
class  for  children  was  also  established  at  the 
same  time.  This  service  \vas  held  at  the 
home  of  one  of  the  students.  In  Septemb  er 
following  a  suitable  room  was  rented  and  a 
dispensary  opened   for    the    further    work    of 


466 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Christian  Science.  September,  1894,  a  church 
\vas  organized,  with  ten  mcnihers,  since  which 
time  SIX  have  been  added.  Services  are  held  on 
Sunday'  morning  at  the  usual  hour  for  church  ; 
also  a  week  dav  meeting  is  held  on  Thursday 
evenings.  The  attendance  at  Sunday  morning 
service  average  thirty.  During  the  week 
each  day,  a  student  is  in  attendance  at  the 
dispensary. 

The  first  tenet  of  the  Cluirch  of  Christian 
Scientists  is  that  "  as  adherents  to  truth,  we 
take  the  Scripture  for  our  guide  to  eternal 
life."  The  only  text  books  of  this  church  are 
"  the  Bible  and  Science  and  Health  ;  "  by  the 
Rev.  Mary  Baker  Eddy,  discoverer  and 
founder  of  "  Christian  Science."  They  be- 
lieve in  the  command  of  Christ  :  "  As  ye  go, 
preach,  saving  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at 
hand  ;  "  "  heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the  leper, 
cast  out  devils,  raise  the  dead;  freely  ye  have 
received,  freely  give." — Matt,  x.,  7,  8. 

FIRST    SPIRITUAL    SOCIETY. 

The  earliest  announcement  of  spirit  rap- 
pings  as  a  new  and  strange  development  was 
made  in  the  Erie  papers  about  1851.  An  in- 
terest was  soon  after  awakened,  and  frequent 
meetings  were  held  in  private  houses  and 
small  halls  to  investigate  the  mystery.  From 
that  time  on  various  societies  of  believers  in 
spiritualism  have  been  organized,  but  none 
were  of  long  life.  The  first  of  these,  it  is 
thought,  was  in  1852.  Of  late  the  efforts  to 
establish  a  permanent  organization  have  been 
quite  earnest,  and  have  resulted  in  a  charter 
for  the  society  above  named.  This  was 
granted  in  June,  1895.  The  meeting  places 
of  the  society  have  been  in  Jarecki's  iiall  and 
a  room  in  tlie  Wayne  block.  Steps  are  being 
taken  to  organize  a  Sunday-school. 

THE  GERMAN  TEMPLE  CONGREGATION. 

This  society  was  organized  in  \\iirtemberg, 
Germany,  in  1854.  The  central  idea  is  the 
gathering  of  the  people  of  God  and  the  fol- 
lowers of  Christ  into  one  fold,  laying  aside  all 
denominational  strife.  Their  doctrine  is,  that 
Palestine  is  the  land  of  Promise  and  Jerusa- 
lem the  headquarters  thereof.  The  society 
has  1,500  to  1,600  members  in  Palestine, 
about  4,(X*0  in  Europe  and  some  400  in  Amer- 
ica. Each  countrv  has  an  organization,  under 
tiie  control  of  the  Bishop  of  Jerusalem  and 
his  representatives,  subject   to  the  control  of 


the  local  hoards.  The  Erie  society  \vas  found- 
ed November  14,  18SS,  with  Mr.  Henry  Kess- 
ler  as  elder  of  the  congregation.  The  society 
started  with  eight  members,  and  has  increased 
to  about  twenty.  Meetings  have  been  held 
at  various  places,  and  a  church  building  is 
contemplated  as  the  society  increases  in 
strength. 

VOVNG    men's    CHRISTIAN    ASSOCIATION. 

This  important  religious  society  was  organ- 
ized at  a  meeting  held  August  20,  18()0,  in 
Park  Hall,  over  which  E.  L.  Pelton  presided. 
A.  McDowell  Lyon  was  the  first  president  of 
the  Association,  and  was  succeeded  by  A.  H. 
Caughey.  The  meetings  were  held  for  a  year 
in  the  basement  of  dift'erent  Protestant 
churches.  In  1861  rooms  were  procured  in 
the  Beatty  block,  on  North  Park  Row.  A 
small  library  was  established  in  June  of  that 
year,  and  soon  after  the  old  Irving  Library  of 
700  volumes  was  entrusted  to  the  care  of  the 
Association.  A  reading  room  was  started, 
and  a  course  of  lectures,  embracing  some  of 
the  most  eminent  talent  in  the  country,  was 
maintained  for  several  years.  In  September, 
1878,  the  Barr  homestead,  at  Tenth  and  Peach 
streets,  was  purchased  and  fitted  up  for  the 
use  of  the  Association.  This  was  added  to 
and  greatly  improved  about  1888-9,  and  the 
Association  now  has  fine  quarters,  embracing 
a  good-sized  hall,  a  gynasium,  a  respectable- 
sized  library  and  a  reading  room,  well  sup- 
plied with  papers  and  magazines.  The  origi- 
nal library,  it  should  have  been  stated  before, 
was  much  enlarged  in  1864,  in  1867  and  1887, 
by  subscriptions  from  liberal  citizens. 

Among  the  Presidents  of  the  Association 
have  been  W.  R.  Davenport,  C.  C.  Shirk, 
Geo.  D.  Selden,  N.  J.  Clark,  W.  W.  Todd 
and  L.  M.  Little,  and  among  its  general 
secretaries  have  been  Orlin  Stockwell,  W.  E. 
Wayte,  F.  A.  Hatch,  J.  L.  Gordon,  J.  C. 
Sims  and  W.  D.  Fellows  the  present  incum- 
bent. 

A  Ladies'  Auxiliary  Society  was  organ- 
ized June  6,  1885.  Its  Presidents  have  been, 
in  the  order  named  :  Miss  Kate  Shirk,  Mrs. 
F.  A.  Mizener,  Miss  Emma  Brevillier,  Mrs. 
J.  E.  Patterson  and  Miss  S.  B.  Whitehill. 
Mrs.  W.  W.  Ross  has  been  Secretary  from  the 
beginning,  and  Miss  Mary  Selden  and  Mrs. 
Ira  E.  Briggs  have  been  the  Treasurers. 

The  Stale  Convention  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


467 


of  Pennsylvania  was  held  in  Erie  October  24 
to  October  27,  1895.  About  800  delegates 
were  in  attendance. 

ERIE    BETHEL    ASSOCIATION". 

The  Erie  Bethel  was  established  by  Wm. 
Hinirod,  sr.,  about  1800,  in  an  old  building 
which  occupied  the  site  of  Wm.  J.  Sell's  pres- 
ent residence,  at  Peach  and  Front  streets.  In 
course  of  time  the  work  was  turned  over  to 
the  Western  Seamen's  Friend  Society,  which 
purchased  the  Himrod  property,  embracing 
the  old  family  homestead,  on  French  street, 
between  Front  and  Second,  May  31.  1873. 
The  society,  after  building  a  chapel  and  mak- 
ing other  improvements,  became  embarrassed, 
and  the  property  was  sold  on  a  mortgage,  and 
bought  in  by  some  of  its  friends.  It  is  now 
held  by  the  organization,  the  proper  name  of 
which  is  the  Erie  Bethel  Association  of  the 
Western  Seamen's  Friend  Society.  J.  F. 
Downing  is  President  and  G.  E.  Barger 
Secretary. 

THE    HIMROD   MISSION   SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

Was  Started  by  Wm.  Himrod,  si.,  on  De- 
cember 22,  1839,  in  his  home  on  the  west  side  of 
French  street,  between  Front  and  Second,  and 
has  been  in  continuous  existence  ever  since. 
During  its  long  life  it  has  had  but  two  super- 
intendents, viz.:  Win.  Himrod,  sr.,  and  his 
son,  Wm.  Himrod,  jr.  The  latter  who  had 
been  assistant,  became  superintendent  on  his 
father's  death,  June  21,  1873.  The  school, 
which  is  held  in  the  chapel  of  the  Erie  Bethel 
Association,  but  a  few  steps  from  the  place 
where  it  started,  has  an  average  attendance  of 
eighty-five.  A  Young  People's  Society  of 
Christian  Endeavor  was  organized  in  connec- 
tion with  the  school,  on  September  9,  1894, 
which  has  about  si.xty-five  members. 

CHRISTIAN     ENDEAVOR    UNION    OF     ERIE  CITY. 

This  association  was  organized  December 
15,  1887,  with  L.  M.  Little  as  President,  C. 
E.  Bacon  as  Secretary  and  R.  Beebe  as  Treas- 
urer. The  officers  in  1895  were  :  President,  A. 
B.  Kendall ;  Secretary,  Miss  Clara  L.  Smith; 
Treasurer,  H.  L.  Eggleston.  It  is  composed 
(July  20,  1895)  of  the  following  societies,  for 
the  dates  of  tiie  organization  of  whicli  see  the 
several  church  histories  : 


First  Presbyterian  Church — Y.  P.  S.  C. 
E. ;  Junior  S.  C.  E. 

Park  Presbyterian  Church — Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.; 
Junior  S.  C.  E. 

Park  Presbyterian  Mission  (Eighteenth 
street)— Y.  P.  S.  C.  E. 

Central  Presbyterian  Church — Y.  P.  S. 
C.  E. ;  Junior  S.  C.  E. 

Chestnut  Street  Presbyterian  Church — Y. 
P.  S.  C.  E. 

United  Presbyterian  Church — Y.  P.  S.  C. 
E. ;  Junior  S.  C.  E. 

First  Baptist  Church— Y.  P.  S.  C.  E. 

German  Baptist    Church — Y.    P.  S.    C.  E. 

German  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Church — 
Y.  P.  S.  C.  E. 

African  M.  E.  Church— Y.  P.  S.  C.  E. 

Himrod  Mission  Sunday-school — Y.  P.  S. 
C.  E. 

The  Tabernacle  (Church  of  Christ) — Y. 
P.  S.  C.  E.  ;  Junior  S.  C.  E. 

First  Christian  Church — Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.  ; 
junior  S.  C.  E. 

THE    W-QMEn's    CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION 

Was  organized  January  11,  1895,  by  a  num- 
ber of  ladies  representing  the  several  Protest- 
ant Churches  of  the  city.  Its  object  is  the 
spiritual,  moral,  mental,  social  and  physical 
welfare  of  tiiose  of  the  female  sex  who  need 
sympathy  and  help.  The  general  office  of 
the  association  is  at  918  French  street,  where 
a  boarding  home  is  kept  up  for  self-support- 
ing women.  Miss  Elizabeth  Pollock  is  Presi- 
dent of  the  society. 

MINISTERIAL    ASSOCIATION. 

The  Ministerial  Association  of  Erie  was 
organized  by  Rev.  Dr.  Pressly,  aided  by  Rev. 
Drs.  Fullerton  and  Carrier,  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Ramsey,  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  in  1874  or  1875.  Its  objects  are  : 
First,  to  increase  sociability  among  the  sev- 
eral clergymen  of  the  city  ;  second,  to  estab- 
lish good  feeling  between  the  several  denomi- 
nations ;  third,  to  teach  these  ideas  through 
the  pulpit,  the  press,  and  the  several  congre- 
gations ;  fourth,  to  further  the  welfare  of  all 
the  churches  of  the  citv,  leaving  out  questions 
of  creed,  church  or  nationality.  The  society 
is  made  up  of  the  various  Protestant  clergy- 
men of  the  city,  and  holds  meetings  at  stated 
periods,  which  are  quite  interesting  to  the 
members. 


468 


NELSOyS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


A    GRAND    GATHERING. 

Nothing  that  ever  occurred  is  more  worthy 
of  being  recorded  as  a  feature  of  local  history 
than  the  State  convention  of  the  Christian 
Endeavor  Societies  of  Pennsylvania,  held  in 
Erie  from  Thursday  evening,  August  22,  to 
Sunday  evening,  August  25,  1895.  No  hall 
in  the  city  being  large  enough  to  hold  the 
audiences  that  were  expected,  a  mammoth  tent 
was  brought  on  from  Boston,  which  was  beau- 
tifully trimmed  with  flags  and  emblems,  and 
fitted  up  with  seats  for  4,000  persons.  1  his 
was  crowded  daily  during  the  sessions  of  the 
convention,  and  on  one  or  two  evenings  more 
persons  were  unable  to  secure  admission  than 
found  a  place  underneath  the  canvas.  Pre- 
ceding the  convention,  on  Tuesday  evening, 
August  20,  a  concert  was  given  in  the  tent 
which  was  the  most  largely  attended  ever 
known  in  Erie.  A  striking  incident  of  the 
convention  was  a  chorus  of  250  voices,  under 
the  direction  of  Prof.  Re(Jman.  The  proceed- 
ings of  the  convention,  which  was  pre- 
sided over  by  Rev.  J.  T.  McCrory,  of  Pitts- 
burg, consisted  of  sermons,  addresses,  the 
reading  of  reports,  singing,  prayer  and  recita- 
tion of  personal  experiences.  Many  very 
touching    incidents   occurred    during   the  ses- 


sions of  the  convention,  and  it  will  long  be  re- 
membered as  perhaps  the  most  interesting 
assemblage  of  a  religious  nature  held  in  Erie. 

RELIGIOUS    STATISTICS    FOR    1890. 

The  United  States  census  report  for  1890 
gave  the  following  statistics  of  religious  mat- 
ters in  the  city  of  Erie.  Some  of  the  figures 
are  very  much  out  of  the  way,  but  the)'  are 
presented  exactly  as  they  appear  in  the  gov- 
ernment records  : 

Church-  Val.  ofprop-        No. 

es.  arty.  Com. 

Adventists 1  $        75  14 

Baptists 1  .5.=;, 000  557 

Catholics  (Roman) 7  l.'52,000  12,030 

Disciples  of   Christ 1  13.000  67 

Evang-elical  Association.   1  13,000  190 

German   Evang-elical 1  15,000  700 

Jewish 1  15,000  122 

Lutherans 4  99,200  1.483 

Methodists 4  55,200  898 

Methodists  (colored) 1  3,000  27 

Presbyterians 4  103,500  1,158 

Protestant  Episcopal 3  80,200  612 

United   Presbyterians...   1  21,000  224 

United  Brethren 1  1,500  42 

Universalists 1  10,000  65 

Various   bodies 3  .',500  131 

Total   36        $603,175  18,320 


CHAPTBR     IX. 


Cemeteries  and  Early  Graveyards. — [See  Chapter  XVIII,  General  History.] 


THE  first  burial  place  in  Erie  after  the 
American  occupanc}-,  was  on  the  bluff 
overlooking  the  bay  between  Parade 
street  and  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek. 
This  site  being  deemed  unsuitable,  was 
abandoned  in  1805,  and  three  city  lots  secured 
for  a  graveyard  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
Eighth  and  French  streets.  The  latter  vvas 
used  in  common  by  all  religious  denomina- 
tions until  1827,  when  it  was  absorbed  by 
what  became  known  as  the  United  Presbyte- 
rian  congregation,  whose   house  of   worship, 


erected    in    1816,  stood  then,  as   it  does  now, 
on  the  adjoining  lot  upon  the  east. 

The  Presbyterian  denomination  purchased 
four  lots  on  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Myrtle 
streets,  about  1826-27,  and  many  bodies  were 
removed  there  from  the  old  ground  soon  after 
it  was  opened.  The  Episcopalians  started  a 
graveyard  about  1827,  on  Myrtle  street,  be- 
tween Seventh  and  Eightii.  .St.  Paul's  Ger- 
man Evangelical  Church  opened  a  burial 
ground  in  1859,  and  St.  John's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  established  one  many  years 


(^d^ 


^ 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


469 


ago  on  Sassafras,  between  Twenty-second  and 
Twenty-third  streets.  By  a  provision  in  the 
conveyance  of  their  property,  the  hitter  con- 
gregation are  obliged  to  keep  up  a  burial 
place  there,  or  lose  the  land  that  was  given  to 
them,  and  they  have  accordingly  enclosed  a 
small  space  for  that  purpose,  which  may  be 
expected  to  remain  for  an  indefinite  period. 
All  of  the  above,  except  the  last  one  noted, 
were  abandoned  from  thirtj'  to  forty  years 
ago,  and  most  of  the  remains  were  taken  up 
and  reinterred  in  the  Erie  Cemetery. 

During  the  stay  of  the  French  in  this  sec- 
tion, from  1753  to  1759,  they  had  a  graveyard 
somewhere  near  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek,  but 
its  exact  location  is  unknown.  This  was  the 
earliest  Catholic  burial  place  in  the  countv. 
The  first  one  of  that  denomination,  after  the 
American  settlement,  was  located  on  the  site 
of  St.  Benedict's  Academy,  on  East  Ninth 
street.  The  ground  was  purchased  in  1837, 
and  consecrated  by  the  Rev.  Ivo  Levitz,  Au- 
gust 2,  1840.  This  graveyard  was  used  until 
1848,  when  Father  Steinbacher,  pastor  of  St. 
Mary's  congregation,  bought  a  piece  of  ground 
on  Chestnut,  between  Twenty-fourth  and 
Twenty-fifth  streets,  to  which  the  bodies  of 
those  interred  on  Ninth  street  were  removed. 
The  latter  was  used  by  the  German  Catholics 
until  the  consecration  of  Trinity  Cemetery, 
when  it  was  closed  for  interments.  Most,  if 
not  all,  of  the  remains  have  been  taken  up  and 
reinterred  in  the  latter  cemetery. 

In  1838,  St.  Patrick's  congregation  bought 
a  lot,  40x160  feet  in  size,  on  Third  street,  be- 
tween German  and  Parade,  which  was  the  first 
graveyard  owned  by  that  parish.  Father 
D^ane  purchased  five  acres  in  1852,  on  the 
corner  of  Twenty-fourth  and  Sassafras  streets, 
when  the  old  ground  was  abandoned  and  the 
bodies  changed  to  the  new  location.  Upon 
the  consecration  of  Trinity  Cemeterv,  this 
second  graveyard  was  closed  and  most  of  the 
dead  removed.  St.  Vincent's  Hospital  oc- 
cupies a  portion  of  the  ground. 

When  the  German  and  Irish  graveyards 
were  located  in  South  Erie,  they  were  far  out 
of  town,  and  few  persons  in  the  early  days 
had  the  least  idea  that  the  growth  of  the  city 
would  compel  their  removal. 

The  Hebrews  established  a  burial  place  in 
1858  on  Twenty-sixth  street,  west  of  Cherry, 
which  is  still  in  use. 


ERIE    CEMETERV. 

The  Erie  Cemetery,  the  principal  burial 
ground  of  the  city,  had  its  inception  in  Octo- 
ber, 1846,  when  a  paper  was  drawn  up,  and  a 
few  citizens  agreed  to  furnish  $1,500,  with  the 
view  of  purchasing  the  piece  of  land  on  which 
the  cemetery  was  subsequently  laid  out. 
Those  who  subscribed  were  Charles  M.  Reed, 
George  A.  Eliot,  John  H.  Wulker,  John  A. 
Tracy,  William  Kelley,  Smith  Jackson,  John 
Galbraith,  B.  B.  Vincent,  Thomas  G.  Colt, 
Milton  Courtright,  C.  M.  Tibbals  and  J.  C. 
Spencer.  No  decisive  measures,  however, 
^vere  taken  at  that  time  to  secure  the  desired 
site,  on  account  of  the  increased  price  de- 
manded ;  yet  the  object  \vas  never  abandoned, 
and  in  December,  1S49,  the  first  effective 
movement  was  made  to  accomplish  the  design. 
In  that  month,  a  subscription  paper  was  again 
circulated,  by  which  the  signers  agreed  to 
unite  in  purchasing  seventy-five  acres  of  land 
at  $100  per  acre,  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Nineteenth  street,  on  the  east  by  Chestnut,  on 
the  south  by  Twenty-sixth,  and  on  the  west 
by  Cherry.  Thirty-one  signatures  were  ob- 
tained, and  the  following  amounts  subscribed 
toward  purchasing  the  ground  : 


C.  M.  Reed 

William  Himrod. . . 
George  A.  Lyon  .  .  . 

A.  W.  Brewster 

J.  C.  Spencer 

J.  H.  Williams.    . . . 

Irvin  Camp 

William  Nicholson  , 
J.  C.  Marshall 


.$100 
.  100 
.  100 
.  100 
.  100 
.  100 
.  100 
.  100 
.    100 

T.  G.  Colt 100 

James  Skinner 100 

P.  Metcalf 100 

John  Galbraith SO 

William  Kelley SO 

William  W.  Reed SO 

Walter  Chester 50 


George  A.  Eliot SlOO 

H.  Caldwell 100 

Elijah  Babbitt 100 

J.  A.  Tracy 100 

Joseph  M.  Sterrett.  100 

Milton  Courtright..  100 

C.  M.  Tibbals 100 

William  A.  Brown.  .  100 

B.  B.  Vincent 100 

P.  Arbuckle 100 

S.  Jackson 100 

John  Hughes 100 

P.  E.  Burton SO 

F.  Schneider SO 

M.  W.  Caughey 50 


These  gentlemen  constitute  the  original 
corporators,  who,  and  their  successors,  were 
authorized  by  law  to  fill  all  vacancies  ■'  from 
among  the  lot  hoklers  "  in  the  cemetery.  The 
sum  subscribed  by  the  corporators  not  being 
sufficient  to  carry  out  the  object  immediately, 
the  following  persons  assisted  by  advancing 
money,  which  was  credited  to  them  in  the 
sale  of  lots:  Mrs.  R.  S.  Reed,  $50;  John 
Evans.  $50;  M.  B.  Lowry,  $50:  T-  C.  Beebe, 
$25 ;  Thomas  H.  Sill,  $25  ;  John  P.  Vincent, 
$25  ;  John  Moore,  $25  ;  Andrew  Scott,  $10. 


4/0 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


January  29,  1850,  the  Legislature  passed 
an  act  incorporating  "  Tiie  Erie  Cemetery,  in 
the  county  of  Erie,"  and  May  24th  of  that 
year,  a  majority  of  the  incorporators  met  and 
elected  seven  managers,  viz.  :  Charles  M. 
Reed,  George  A.  Eliot,  William  Kelley,  John 
Galbraith,  Elijah  Babbitt,  William  Ilimrod 
and  A.  W.  Brewster.  George  A.  Eliot  was 
elected  President,  William  A.  Brown,  Secre- 
tary and  J.  C.  Spencer,  Treasurer.  A  deed 
of  conveyance  was  made  to  the  corporation 
March  28,  1850,  and  the  sum  of  $1,500  was 
paid  down  as  required  by  the  contract,  a  ma- 
jority of  the  incorporators  signing  a  judgment 
bond  to  secure  the  remaining  !i!6,000,  which 
they  agreed  to  pay  in  four  equal  annual 
payments,  together  with  interest  thereon,  re- 
lying with  confidence  that  the  sale  of  lots 
would  fully  indemnify   them. 

In  procuring  a  suitable  person  to  lay  out 
the  grounds  the  managers  found  no  little  diffi- 
culty. They  succeeded  at  last  in  engaging 
the  services  of  H.  Daniels,  who  proved  to  be 
the  right  man  for  the  place.  He  was  assisted 
by  Samuel  Low,  who  became  the  first  Superin- 
tendent of  the  cemetery.  Not  much  work  was 
accomplished  until  April,  1851 ,  but  after  that  it 
went  along  rapidly.  Walks  and  driveways  were 
constructed,  the  grounds  cut  into  harmonious 
sections,  and  trees  and  shrubbery  planted  wher- 
ever they  would  add  beauty  to  the  natural  land- 
scape. Among  other  things  done  at  that  time 
was  the  setting  out  of  the  splendid  row  of  trees 
which  lines  the  west  side  of  Chestnut  street. 
The  tract  purchased  was  mainly  covered  with 
forest  trees,  and  these,  with  rare  exceptions, 
made  necessary  by  the  opening  of  the  avenues, 
were  wisely  allowed  to  remain  as  nature  had 
placed  them. 

It  was  a  strange  coincidence  that  A.  W. 
Brewster,  who  had  been  so  active  in  promoting 
the  enterprise,  should  be  the  first  one  interred 
in  the  new  cemetery.  Two  others  of  the  cor- 
porators— W.  W.  Reed  and  John  Hughes — 
died  before  the  annual  meeting  in  January, 
1852.  The  deceased  members  were  succeeded 
by  Joseph  H.  Pressl)-,  John  Evans  and  Wilson 
King. 

The  formal  opening  of  the  cemetery  took 
place  May  20,  1851.  An  address  was  deliv- 
ered by  the  president  of  the  board,  Geo.  A. 
Eliot,  and  the  dedicatory  address  was  made 
by  Rev.  (ieorge  A.  Lyon,  other  ceremonies 
taking  place  usual  on  such  occasions. 


Since  the  cemetery  was  opened  it  has 
undergone  steady  improvement,  until  it  ranks 
as  one  of  the  handsomest  resting  places  for  the 
dead  in  the  entire  countrj\  Among  the  most 
important  of  these  were  the  enclosing  of  the 
grounds  bv  a  high  iron  fence,  the  placing  of  a 
neat  porter's  lodge  at  the  main  entrance,  and 
the  erection  of  a  fine  chapel  with  receiving 
vault  connected.  The  latter,  which  was  built 
in  1887,  is  cruciform  in  shape,  measuring 
40x80  to  the  extremes,  and  is  fifty  feet  from 
the  ground  to  the  top  of  the  roof.  The  build- 
ing is  of  hammer-dressed  Medina  stone.  The 
vault  portion  contains  eighty-four  crypts  for 
coffins. 

The  Superintendents  of  the  cemetery  have 
been  as  follows  :  .Samuel  Low,  from  its  open- 
ing until  his  death  in  June,  1809  ;  Cassius  W. 
Low,  his  son,  until  December  4,  1871  ;  Joseph 
Vance,  until  October  1,  1889;  Henry  W. 
Hay,  until  his  death,  in  1892;  Mrs.  E.  E. 
Hay,  his  wife,  appointed  February  1,  1892. 
It  is  due  to  this  lady  to  say  that  the  responsi- 
ble duties  of  the  position  were  never  per- 
formed with  more  judgment  and  faithfulness, 
nor  more  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  public  and 
corporators. 

The  interments  in  the  cemetery  up  to  July 
1,  1895,  were  12,837. 

The  annual  report  for  the  year  ending 
May  6,  1895,  shows  that  $128.50  were  re- 
ceived in  that  period  for  removals ;  $858  for 
the  use  of  the  vault  and  chapel  ;  $1,815  for  the 
making  of  graves,  and  $0,027  from  the  sale  of 
lots.  The  association  held  mortgage  securities 
to  the  value  of  $88,000,  the  interest  of  which 
is  applied  to  the  improvement  of  the  ceme- 
tery. 

The  act  of  incorporation  provides  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Sec.  5.  That  the  corporators  thus  created 
shall  derive  no  personal  pecuniary  advantage 
or  profit  thereby  ;  they  shall  make  no  dividends 
of  the  corporate  property  among  themselves, 
and  shall  not  receive  any  pay  or  compensa- 
tion for  services  as  such.  The  whole  proceeds 
of  the  sale  of  lots,  and  other  income,  are  hereby 
declared  and  directed  to  be  devoted  to  ceme- 
tery purposes  alone,  and  to  such  outlays  and 
expenditures  as  are  incident  thereto,  unless  in 
case  of  a  surplus  not  needed,  in  which  con- 
tingency it  shall  be  in  the  power  of  the  cor- 
porators at  their  annual  meeting  to  direct  such 
surplus,  or  any  part  thereof,  to  be  appropriated 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


47' 


to  charitable  purposes  under  the  direction  and 
supervision  of  the  board  of  managers. 

"Sec.  6.  The  corporation  shall  be  capa- 
ble of  holding  property  to  such  an  amount  as 
may  be  necessary  for  the  purposes  of  its  crea- 
tion, and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  corpora- 
tion, at  the  end  of  five  years  from  the  passage 
of  this  act,  and  forever  thereafter,  to  set  apart 
ten  per  cent,  of  the  purchase  money  received 
from  the  sale  of  lots,  and  to  invest  the  same  in 
ground  rents  or  mortgages,  as  a  permanent 
and  perpetual  fund,  the  income  of  which  is  to 
be  devoted  to  the  perpetual  maintenance  of 
the  cemetery." 


TRINITY     CEMETERY 


Trinity  Cemetery,  the  burial  place  of  the 
Catholic  people  of  Erie  and  vicinity,  is  on  the 
Lake  road,  four  miles  west  of  the  city,  and  is 
reached  by  a  fine  drive  through  some  of  the 
most  charming  scenery  to  be  found  in  the  lake 
region.  The  Erie  motor  line  extends  beyond 
the  cemetery  and  cars  run  almost  to  its  entrance 
every  few  minutes  during  the  summer  and  at 
convenient  intervals  during  the  balance  of  the 
year.  Special  trains  are  also  made  up,  w^hen 
ordered  for  the  convenience  of  funeral  parties. 
The  cemetery  contains  thirty  acres,  nicely  laid 
out  in  walks  and  driveways,  and  planted  with 
trees.  Many  handsome  monuments  adorn  the 
grounds,  and  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when 
the  cemetery  will  be  ranked  among  the  most 
beautiful  cities  of  the  dead. 

The  ceremony  of  consecrating  Trinity  Cem- 
etery took  place  on  Sunday  afternoon.  May  23, 
1869,  and  was  witnessed  by  thousands  of 
spectators.  The  procession,  including  the 
several  Catholic  societies,  headed  by  four 
bands,  formed  on  Eighth  street  and  marched 
to  the  cemetery,  escorting  Bishop  Mullen  and 
the  clergymen  present.  A  large  wooden 
cross,  the  emblem  of  Christ  crucified,  had  been 
placed  in  the  middle  of  the  cemetery,  around 
which  the  societies  formed  a  hollow  square, 
with  the  Bishop,  clergy  and  choir  in  the  cen- 
ter. Bishop  Mullen  delivered  a  brief  address, 
followed  by  a  sermon  in  the  German  language 
by  Father  Wenderlein,  of  St.  Mary's  Church. 
At  its  conclusion,  the  usual  beautiful  cere- 
monies ordained  by  the  Catholic  Church  on 
such  occasions  were  performed,  and  the  pro- 
ceedings were  brought  to  a  close  with  a  prayer 


for  the  repose  of  the  soul  of  Bishop  Young, 
whose  remains  had  been  removed  to  the  ceme- 
tery. 

The  cemetery  received  its  name  because  it 
was  consecrated  on  Trinity  Sunday. 

The  title  to  the  ground,  as  is  usual  with 
Catholic  cemeteries,  is  in  Bishop  Mullen  and 
his  successors,  and  the  Bishop  exercises  full 
control  over  its  management.  All  of  the  re- 
venue from  the  sale  of  lots,  etc.,  is  sacredlj- 
devoted  to  the  improvement  of  the  premises. 
The  land  was  purchased  bj-  Bishop  Young, 
being  a  portion  of  the  Laird  estate. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  cemetery  it  has 
filled  up  with  a  rapidity  that  is  surprising  and 
sorrowful,  and  it  will  be  but  a  short  time, 
comparatively,  until  the  boundaries  will  have 
to  be  greatU"   extended. 

Joseph  Scheloski  was  the  first  Superintend- 
ent, and  continued  ten  years,  until  his  death. 
During  his  term  the  interments  were  2,258. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Joseph  Haas,  sr.,  who 
remained  until  April  1,  1887,  and  was  fol- 
lowed by  his  son,  Joseph,  jr.,  who  continues 
in  the  position.  ^Ir.  Haas,  sr.,  buried  2,316 
persons,  and  his  son  had  buried  3,393  up  to 
July  1,  1895 — making  altogether,  7,907. 

POLISH    CEMETERY. 

The  congregation  of  St.  Stanislaus  Church 
owns  a  tract  of  two  acres  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  Trinity  Cemetery,  which,  while 
really  forming  a  part  of  the  latter,  is  used  as 
an  exclusive  burial  place  for  Polish  people. 
The  land  was  purchased  October  15,  1889,  and 
dedicated  November  2  of  the  same  year. 

L.VKESIDE  CEMETERY  ASSOCIATION'. 

This  is  the  name  of  an  organization  formed 
May  15,  1895,  with  the  object  of  establishing 
a  new  cemetery  for  the  use  of  the  general  pub- 
lic. The  Association  has  secured  control  of 
135  acres  upon  the  bank  of  the  lake,  a  short 
distance  east  of  the  city,  which  it  is  proposed 
to  lay  out  according  to  the  most  approved 
modern  ideas.  The  officers  are  as  follows : 
President,  Henry  C.  Duval ;  Vice-President, 
George  Piatt;  Secretary,  R.  Caughey  ;  Treas- 
urer, Wm.  H.  Piatt ;  Auditor,  Walter  Scott ; 
Controller,  Wm.  H.  Piatt.  The  laying  out  of 
the  cemetery  into  roads,  walks  and  burial  plots 
was  begun  in  August,  1895. 


CHAPTER    X. 


Social    Clubs — Secret,  Protective,   Religious  and  Other    Societies — Benevolent 
Organizations,  Etc. — [See  Chapter  VIII,  Erie  City,  for  Church  Societies  Generally.] 


BELOW  is  a  list  of  the  several  clubs, 
societies,  etc.,  in  the  city,  with  their 
places  of  meeting,  and  the  dates  of 
their  organization,  as  nearly  as  the 
same  could  be  ascertained,  after  dili- 
gent effort,  up  to  December  1,  1895: 

clubs. 

Erie  Caledonian  Club,  June,  1881. 

Erie  Club,  Seventh  street,  between  Peach 
and  Sassafras,  January  10,  1S8;2. 

Cascade  Club,  Ball  farm,  on  the  Lake  road, 
west,  about  1887. 

Elks'  Social  Club,  Ninth  and  State  streets, 
1888. 

Erie  Wanderers'  Cycle  Club,  925  French 
street,  September  4,  1890. 

Penn  Club,  618  Peach  street,  1890. 

Presque  Isle  Rifle  Club,  505  French  street, 
October,  1891. 

Erie  Independent  Club,  716  State  street, 
November  17,  1891. 

Kahkwa  Club,  Tracy  farm,  north  of  Lake 
road,  1893. 

Reed  House  Pearl  Club,  26  East  Fifth 
street,  February  2,  1898. 

Unique  Club,  Dime  Bank  Building,  Sep- 
tember 31,  1893. 

Sommerheim  Society,  Tracy  Point,  fall  of 
1894. 

Erie  Yacht  Club,  bay  front,  near  water 
works,  September  20,  1894. 

Presque  Isle  Club,  Penn  Building,  January 
24,  1895. 

Merchants'  Club,  Kneib  block,  spring  of 
1895. 

Erie  Athletic  Club,  September,  1895. 

Coterie  Club,  October  2,  1895. 

Erie  Cycle  Club,  November,  1895. 

West  Side  Cycle  Club,  November  14,  1895. 


societies — secret,  religious,  benevolent, 
protective,  etc. 

Ancient  Order  of  United   IVorkinen. 

Rising  Sun  Lodge,  No.  4,  Seventh,  be- 
tween State  and  French  streets,  August  23, 
1871. 

Erie  Lodge,  No.  44,  Peach  and  Sixteenth 
streets,  February  23,  1873. 

Alexander  Lodge,  No.  56  (German),  1309 
State  street,  1873. 

Active  Lodge,  No.  61,  Keystone  Bank 
Building,  October  4,  1873. 

Garfield  Lodge,  No.  197,  730  State  street, 
October  6,  1882. 

Benevolent  Societies. 

German  Independent  Benevolent  Associa- 
tion, July  4,  1842. 

German  Friendship  Benevolent  Associa- 
tion, 1862. 

German  Benevolent  Association  of  West 
Erie,  Plum  and  Fourth,  1868. 

German- American  Benevolent  Association, 
Peach  and  Twenty-sixth  streets,  January  6, 
1875. 

Hessen-Darmstadtischer  Unterstuetzungs 
Verein,  Sassafras  and  Eighteenth  streets,  Octo- 
ber, 1877. 

Erie  and  Pittsburg  Shops  (Section  No.  1) 
Mutual  Benefit  Association,  1868  (re-organ- 
ized August,  1879). 

Bavarian  Benevolent  Society,  Ma^nnerchor 
Hall,  1887. 

German-American  Brotherhood,  Kessler's 
Block,  1891. 

Catholic  Societies. 

Catholic  Knights  of  America  (Branch  98), 
Englehart's  Hall,  November,  1876. 

Erie  Catholic  Casino,  1305  State  street, 
May  14,   1893 ;   incorporated  March  19,  1894. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


473 


Legion  Club,  Downing  Block,  organized 
in  February,  1893. 

Catholic  Benevolent  Legion. 

Erie  Council,  No.  367,  Peach  and  Twenty- 
sixth  streets,  December,  1891. 

Paulinus  Council,  No.  392,  Nagosky's 
Hall,  July  28,  1892. 

Presque  Isle  Council,  No.  393,  Downing 
Building,  August  17,    1892. 

Erie  Council  Relief  Association,  Peach 
and  Twenty-sixth  streets.  May  14,  1895. 

Roman  Catliolic  l^nion  of  the  Knights  of  St. 
John. 

Battalion  No.  1,  of  Northwestern  Penn- 
sylvania, Roman  Catholic  Union,  January, 
1892. 

St.  George's  Commanderv,  No.  222,  St. 
Michael's  School  Hall,  April,"  1886. 

St.  Mary's  Commandery,  No.  208,  St. 
Mary's  School  Hall,  November,  1891. 

St.  Casimer  Commandery,  St.  Stanislaus 
Hall,  spring  of  1892. 

St.  Maurice  Commandery,  No.  227,  Parade 
and  Twenty-sixth  streets,  December,  1892. 

St.  Andrew's  Commander}',  No.  230,  Plum 
and  Fourth  streets,  January,  1893. 

Sacred  Heart  Commandery,  No.  266, 
March,  1894. 

Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Association. 

St.  Joseph's  Branch,  No.  9,  Peach  and 
Twenty-sixth  streets,  February  17,  1879. 

St.  Patrick's  Branch,  No.  12,  727  State 
street,  March  25,   1879. 

St.  Mary's  Branch,  No.  15,  Nagosky's 
Hall,  December  5,  1879. 

St.  John's  Branch,  No.  18,  Parade  and 
Twenty-sixth  streets,  January  15,  1881. 

St.  Andrew's  Branch,  No.  25,  727  State 
street,  August  20,  1883. 

St.  Michael's  Branch,  No.  99,  St.  Michael's 
schoolhouse,  March  24,  1891. 

St.  Peter's  Branch,  No.  20,  Downing 
Building,  March  12,  1892. 

St.  Mary's  Branch,  No.  140,  Nagosky's 
Hall,  February  24,  1895. 

Sacred  Heart  Branch,  No.  143,  rear  of 
St.  Joachim's  Church,  April  31,  1895. 

St.  Patrick's  Branch,  No.  145,  727  State 
street.  May  31,  1895. 

St.  Ann's  Branch,  No.  152,  instituted  Oc- 
tober 25,  1892. 


Ladies'  Catholic  Mutual  Benevolent  Associ- 
ation . 

Branch  No.  7,  Cathedral,  727  State  street, 
March  5,  1890. 

Branch  No.  10,  St.  Patrick's  parish, 
Downing  Building,  March  5,  1890. 

Branch  No.  11,  St.  Mary's  parish,  Nagos- 
ky's Hall,  March  26.  1890. 

Branch  No.  72,  St.  Michael's  parish,  base- 
ment St.  Michael's  Church,  April  23,  1891. 

Branch  No.  96,  St.  Joseph's  parish. 
Twenty-sixth  and  Peach  streets,  December  10, 
1891. 

Branch  No.  49,  St.  Peter's  parish.  Down- 
ing Building,  April  17,  1892. 

Branch  No.  128,  St.  John's  parish.  Wal- 
lace and  Twenty-seventh  streets,  April  14, 
1893. 

Branch  No.  128,  St.  Andrew's  parish,  717 
State  street,  August  22,    1893. 

Branch  191,  Sacred  Heart  parish.  Hall  of 
Sacred  Heart  Church,  May  10,  1895. 

Mrs.  J.  A.  Royer,  of  Erie,  was  elected 
Supreme  Recorder  of  the  Supreme  Council, 
L.  C.  M.  B.  A.,  at  the  foundation  of  the 
order,  April  3,  1890,  and  has  remained  con- 
tinuously in  the  position  to  this  date. 

Catholic  Beneficial,  Literary  and   Other 
Societies. 

St.  George's  Society,  St.  Mary's  Church, 
1852. 

St.  Alphonsus  Relief  Society,  St.  Joseph's 
Church,  October  18,  1868. 

St.  Joseph's  Mutual  Relief  Society,  St. 
Joseph's  Church,  June  11,  1865. 

St.  Benedict's  Society,  St.  Mary's  Church, 
1867. 

St.  Boniface  Society,  St.  Mary's  Church, 
1867. 

St.  Aloysius  Society,  St.  Mary's  Church, 
January,  18,   1894, 

St.  John's  Benevolent  Society,  St.  John's 
Church,  October  23,  1870 

Third  Order  of  St.  Francis,  St.  John's 
Church,  September  11,  1887. 

Trinity  Portuguese  Benevolent  Associa- 
tion, St.  Andrew's  Church,  May  31,   1874. 

St.  Andrew's  Mutual  Relief  Society,  St. 
Andrew's  Church,  1874. 

St.  Stanislaus  Benevolent  Society,  St. 
Stanislaus  Church,    1889. 

Young  Men's  Society  of  St.  Stanislaus 
Kostka,  St.  Stanislaus  Church,  1893. 


474 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Moniu^ko  Dramatic  Society,  St.  Stanislaus 
Church,  1892. 

Matki  B.  Cz.  Benevolent  Society,  St.  Stan- 
islaus Church.  1803. 

Sacred  Heart  Benevolent  Society,  St.  Jo- 
achim's Church,  ,\pril,  1895. 

St.  Michael's  Benefit  Society,  St.  Michael's 
Church,  April  4,  1895. 

Sacred  Heart  Benevolent  Society,  St. 
Stanislaus  Church,  September,  22,  1885. 

St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Society,  St.  Patrick's 
Church,  organized  in  1802. 

Father  Mathew  Total  Abstinence  Society, 
St.  Patrick's  Church,  organized  in  18(5(3. 

Third  Order  of  St.  Francis,  St.  Patrick's 
Church,  organized  May  21,  1891. 

The  Temperance  Cadets,  St.  Patrick's 
Church,  organized  August  15,  1894. 

St.  Vincent  de  Paul  Society,  Cathedral, 
organized  in  1893. 

Society  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  St.  Andrews' 
Church,  August  2,  1892. 

vSt.  Paul's  Benevolent  Society,  vSt.  Paul's 
Church,   1891. 

Colored  Masons. 

Bay  City  Lodge,  No.  68,  Eichenlaub's 
Hall,  1872. 

Presque  Isle  Chapter,  No.  19,  Eichenlaub's 
Hall,  August,  1889. 

Pvthaurus  Commandery,  No.  11,  Eichen- 
laub's Hall,  1889. 

Colored  Odd  Fclloivs. 

Erie  City  Lodge,  No.  3,509,  G.  U.  O.  of  O. 
F. ,  State,  between  Sixth  and  Seventh  streets, 
January  11,  1892. 

Daughters  of  Liberty. 

True  American  Council,  No.  40,  728  State 
street,  April  9,  1890. 

Equitable  Aid   Union. 

Erie  Star  Union,  No.  50,  Keystone  Bank 
building,  March  10,  1880. 

South  Erie  Union,  No.  62,  1220  State 
street,  March  30,  1880. 

Providence  Union,  No.  328,  780  State 
street,  June  29,  1883. 

Presque  Isle  I'nion,  No.  656,  626  State 
street.  May  25,  1888. 

Massassauga  Union,  No.  600,  Sixteenth  and 
Peach  streets,  June  1,  1888. 


Gem  City  Union.  No.  822,  Keystone  Bank 
building.  May  10,  1890. 

Good  Cheer  Union,  No.  879,  Zuck's  block, 
January  8,  1892. 

East  Erie  Union,  No.  670,941  East  Twen- 
ty-first street,  August  5,  1892. 

Eclectic  Assembly. 

Lake  Erie  Council,  September  3,  1895. 

n.  P.  O.  Elks. 

Erie  Lodge,  No.  07.  Ninth  and  State 
streets.  May  28,  1887. 

Fraternal  Mvstic  Circle. 

Echo  Ruling,  No.  439,  Zuck's  Hall,  Jan- 
uary 31,  1894. 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Strong  Vincent  Post,  No.  67,  1305  State 
street,  July    21,  1867. 

Ladies'  Auxiliary  to  Post  67,  1305  State 
street,  April  21,  1890. 

Robert  Wainwright  Scott  Post,  No.  4(54, 
Keystone  Bank  building,  January  24,  1885. 

U.  S.  Grant  Circle,  No  13,  Keystone  Bank 
building,  January  24,  1885. 

Sons  of  I  'etcrans. 

Charles  II.  Riblet  Camp,  No.  67,  April, 
1884. 

Wonien^ s  Relief  Corps. 

Strong  Vincent  Corps,  No.  8,  730  State 
street,  April  17,  18&4. 

Harugaris. 

Mozart  Lodge,  No.  139,  Kessler  block, 
October  26,  1867. 

Bismarck  Lodge,  No.  151,  Kessler  block, 
October  26,  1867. 

Erie  Mannie,  No.  24,  Kessler  block,  August 
1,  1809. 

Erie  Lodge,  No.  290,  Kessler  block,  Sep- 
tember 12,  1872. 

Germania  Degree  Lodge,  No.  47,  Kessler 
block,  March  22,  1874. 

Life  Insurance  of  D.  O.  II.,  Sixth  Dist.  of 
Penn'a,   January  1,  1870. 

Fritz'Reuter  Lodge,  No.  560,  D.  O.  IL, 
Kuch's  Hall,  April  9,  1888. 

Elizabeth  Lodge,  No.  22  (Hertha  Degree), 
Kessler  block.  May  19,  1891. 


AND  HISTORIC AL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTr. 


475 


Hebre-Jti  Societies. 

Erie  City  Lodge,  No.  107,  K.  S.  B.,  724 
State  street.  May,  1873. 

Kasher  Lodge,  Metcalfs    Hall,  May,  1873. 

Sons  of  Benjamin,  Metcalfs  Hall,  Decem- 
ber 23,  1877. 

Standard  Club,  October,  1879. 

Lake  Erie  Lodge,  Xo.  63,  I.  O.  S.  B.,  724 
State  street,  1883. 

Iiiiproved  Order  o J"  lied  J/t'«. 

Gen-nun-de-\vah  Tribe,  Xo.  167,  February 
23, 1878. 

I)idcpendcnt  Order  of  Foresters. 

Court  of  Pennsylvania,  Xo.  768,  780  State 
street,  March  27,  1891. 

South  Erie  Court,  Xo.  1122,  1006  Peach 
street,  July  1,  1892. 

Junior  Order    United  American   MccJianics. 

Erie  Council,  No.  181,  Dewitt  block,  Sep- 
tember, 1887. 

Lake  City  Council,  Xo.  347,  728  State 
street,  1889. 

Massassauga  Council,  Xo.  608,  over  Wil- 
co.x  House,  April  30.  1891. 

Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle. 

Perry  Castle,  No.  73,  1309  State  street, 
February  12.  1886. 

Phil.  Sheridan  Castle,  No.  283,  Wallace 
block,  September  4,  1888. 

Sheridan  Commandery,  Walther's  Hall, 
October,  1889. 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Maccabees. 

AlphaTent,  No.  1.  626  State  street,  March 
17,  1884. 

Germania  Tent,  No.  2,  1118  State  street, 
April  17,  1884. 

Erie  City  Tent,  No.  185,  21  Xorth  Park, 
July  12,  1893. 

Presque  Isle  Tent,  Xo.  243,  626  State 
street,  fall  of  1893. 

Lounsbury  Hive,  Ladies  of  Maccabees, 
G.  A.  R.  Hall,  1893. 

Lotus  Hive,  Ladies  of  Maccabees,  Xovem- 
ber,  1894. 

Gem  City  Tent,  No.  248,  626  State  street, 
January  10,  1895. 

Schiller  Hive  Ladies  of  Maccabees,  620 
State  street,  1895. 


Knights  of  St.  fohn  and  Alalia. 

St.  Elmo  Preceptory,  No.  8,  College  of 
Ancients,  Wallace  block.  May,  1892. 

Arragon  Encampment,  No.  52,  G.  R.  A., 
Wallace  block,  September  2,  1892. 

Knights  of  Honor. 

]Mystic  Lodge,  No.  99,  Keystone  Bank 
building,  April,  1875. 

Barbarossa  Lodge,  No.  686,  Kessler's  Hall, 
July  7,  1877. 

Presque  Isle  Lodge,  No.  3,530,  716  State 
street,  April  8,  1890. 

Knights  of  Malta. 

Mt.  Sinai  Commandery,  No.  127,  918 
State  street,  Januarj-  27,  1893. 

Knights  of  Pythias. 

Erie  Lodge,  No.  327,  Pythian  Temple,  722 
State  street,  December  20,  1871- 

Endowment  Rank,  Section  No.  103,  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1878. 

Lake  City  Division,  No.  20,  Uniform 
Rank,  Walther's  Hall,  August  13,  1884. 

Linton  Temple,  No.  2,  Rathbone  Sisters, 
March  17,   1893. 

Athens  Lodge,  No.  455,  Pythian  Temple, 
722  State  street,  January  29,1894. 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor. 

Enterprise  Lodge,  No.  1,355,  726  State 
street,  1888. 

Good  Will  Lodge,  No.  1,401,  726  State 
street,  March,  1889. 

Robert  Blum  Lodge,  No.  1,676,  726  State 
street,  December,  1891. 

Lake  City  Lodge.  No.  1,873,  726  State 
street,  May  24,  1894. 

Knights  of  Labor. 

Lake  Shore  Assembly,  No.  8,773,  716  State 
street,  1886. 

Masonic. 

Tyrian  Lodge,  Xo.  362,  chartered  Decem- 
ber 27,  1865. 

Perry  Lodge,  No.  392,  chartered  June  0, 
1867. 

Keystone  Lodge,  No.  455,  instituted  Jan- 
uary 18,  1870. 

Temple  Chapter,  No.  215.  R.  A.  M..  char- 
tered July  19,  1807. 


4;6 


ITELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


y,li.  Olivet  Commandery,  No.  80,  K.  T., 
organized  October  20,  18C7. 

Presque  Isle  Lodge  of  Perfection,  A.  A.  S. 
R.,  chartered  September  22,  1887. 

Terusalein  Council,  No.  33,  R.  and  .S.  M., 
chartered  June  10,  18(38. 

All  of  the  above  meet  in  Masonic  Hall, 
912  State  street. 

J/)'i//V  Slirine. 

ZemZem  Temple,  Micnnerchor  Hall,  char- 
tered August  15,  1892. 

Musical  Societies. 

Erie  Liedertafel,  Berst's  block.  State  street, 
September  2,  1862. 

Erie  M;cnnerchor,  own  building  on  State 
south  of  railroad  bridge,  January,  1872. 

Orpheus  Society,  November,  1878. 

CiEcilian  Qiuntette  Club,  1891. 

Workingmen's  Singing  Society,  1118  State 
street,  December  1(3,  1891. 

Schuman  Qiiartette,  1893. 

Erie  Church  ]Music  Society,  First  Presby- 
terian Chapel,  September   14,  1894. 

Erie  Vocal  Society,  First  M.  E.  Church, 
October,  1894. 

German  Labor  Singing  Society,  fall  of 
1895. 

Medical  Societies. 

Erie  County  Medical  Society,  organized 
1829;  reorganized  1849. 

Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  July  1, 
1891. 

Homeoepathic  Hospital  and  Dispensary 
Association  of  Erie,  incorporated  1894. 

New  Erie  County  Medical  Society,  No- 
vember, 1895. 

Miscellaneous  Societies. 

Auditorium   Association,  1895. 

Citizens'  Association  (to  promote  munici- 
pal reform),   spring  of   1895. 

Commercial  Travelers'  Association  of 
Erie,  summer  of  1886;  reorganized  January, 
1894. 

Druggists'  Protective  Association,  May  14, 
1881.  _ 

Erie  Lodge,  No.  7,  N.  A.  Stationarv  En- 
gineers, 1220  State  street,  September  18,  1886. 

Erie  Retail  Liquor  Dealers'  Association, 
Keystone  Bank  building,  April  17,  1895. 

Erie  Bar  Association,  about  1876. 


Erie  Centennial  Association,  October  3, 
1895. 

Erie  Society  of  Dentists,  February  (5,  1895. 

Erie  County  Horticultural  Societv,  Sep- 
tember 12,  1888. 

Erie  Natural  History  Society,  February 
18,  1879. 

Erie  Branch,  No.  28,  National  Association 
of  Letter  Carriers,  Federal  building,  Decem- 
ber 28,  1891. 

N.  W.  Penn'a  Game  and  Fish  Association, 
incorporated  November  19,  1875. 

N.  W.  Penna.  Humane  Society,  organized 
January  10,  1891,  incorporated  November  14, 
1892. 

N.  W.  Penna.  Poultry,  Pigeon  and  Pet 
Stock  Association,  fall  of  1894. 

National  Union. 

North  Star  Council,  No.  266,  Keystone 
Bank  building,  February,  1887. 

Odd  Felloxvs. 

Presque  Isle  Lodge,  No.  107,  Wittich 
block,  June  23,  1845. 

Phillalelia  Lodge,  No.  299,  Wittich  block, 
February  28,   1848. 

Henosis  Adelphon  Encampment.  No.  42, 
Wittich  block,  August  7,  1846;  reorganized 
August  9,  1866. 

Lake  Shore  Lodge,  No.  718,  Wittich 
block,  July  5,  1870. 

Erie  City  Lodge,  No.  871  (German), 
Wittich  block,  March  81,  1874. 

Luellah  Rebekah  Lodge,  No.  90,  Wittich 
block,  April  30,  1874. 

Order  of  United  Friends. 

Siegel  Council,  No.  64,  Kessler  block, 
1890. 

Protective  Trades  and  Labor    Organizations. 

Bakers'  Union,  No.  40,  Gabel  block,  Au- 
gust, 1886. 

Bakers'  Protective  Association,  Novem- 
ber 26,  1894. 

Brewers'  Union,  Peach  and  Twenty-sixth 
streets,  February,  1891. 

Bricklayers'  Union,  No.  28,  716  State 
street,  April,  1890. 

Central  Labor  Union,  (iabel  block,  Feb- 
ruary, 1888. 

Cigar  Maker's  Union,  No.  107,  Gabel 
block,  1881. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2)Tr. 


477 


Custom  Cutters'  Society  of  Erie,  1008  State 
street,  1890. 

International  Association  of  Machinists. 
No.  101,  716  State  street,  Marcli,  1890. 

International  Brotherhood  of  Brass  Work- 
ers, Union  Xo.  11,  Xo.  8  East  Seventh  street, 
February,  1890. 

Iron  Moulders'  Union,  No.  38,  Gabel 
block,  March,  1869. 

Local  Union,  No.  64,  National  League  of 
Musicians,  Siegel  block,  November  1,  1892. 

Metal  Polishers'  and  Buffers'  L'nion,  Gabel 
block,  April,  1894. 

Muscians'  Union,  Dime  Bank  building, 
November,  1891. 

Painters'  and  Decorators'  Union,  Xo.  ^9, 
716  State  street,  March  15-16,  1887. 

Presque  Isle  Lodge,  Xo.  151,  Brotherhood 
of  Boiler  Makers  and  Iron  Ship  Builders,  1894. 

Tailors'  Union,  No.  64,  Gabel  block.  May. 
1888. 

Typographical  Union,  No.  77,  Gabel  block, 
1864. 

Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America. 

Washington  Camp,  No.  476,  Dewitt's 
block,  November  16,1889. 

Protected  Home    Circle. 

Erie  Circle,  No.  88,  Wallace  block,  Au- 
gust, 1889. 

South  Erie  Circle,  Xo.  94,  1305  State 
street,  October  30,  1889. 

Good  Cheer  Circle,  Xo.  137,  Wallace 
block,  February  1,  1894. 

Pacific  Circle,  No.  189,  G.  A.  R.  Hall, 
April  9,  1894. 

East  Erie  Circle,  Xo.  174,  Eighteenth 
street  and  East  avenue,  October  15,  1894. 

Political  Societies. 

Lincoln  Club  (Republican).  Penn  build- 
ing, August  5,  1889. 

Democratic  Societ}-  of  Erie,  Wayne  block, 
February  21,  1894. 

Erie  Reform  Club,  716  State  street,  De- 
cember 9,  1894. 

Railroad   Societies. 

Brotherhood  of  Railroad  Trainmen,  724 
State  street,  1883. 

Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  W. 
L.  vScott  Division,  No.  298,  1220  State  street, 
October  18,  1885.  I 

31 


Switchmen's  Mutual  Aid  Association,  E. 
Gallup  Lodge,  Xo.  Ill,  724  State  street,  May 
17,  1890. 

Locomotive  Firemen,  Lake  City  Lodge, 
No.  462,  724  State  street,  July  18,  1891. 

Switchmen's  Union  of  Xorth  America, 
Gem  City  Lodge,  Xo.  80,  1220  State  street, 
February  27,    1895. 

Royal  Arca/iu»i. 

Keystone  Council,  Xo.  108,  Wittich's  Hall, 
June  19,  1878. 

Royal  Templars  of  Temperance. 

Erie  Council,  No.  16,  Metcalf  Hall,  Octo- 
ber 81,  1878. 

Regular  Army  a)td  I^avy  Union. 

Henry  F.  Picking   Garrison, No.    8,    1890. 

Religions  Societies  [other  tlian  Jiercin). 

(See  Chapter  VIII,  Erie  Citj- ;  also  Gen- 
eral Histor}'  of  Erie  County.) 

Sons  of  St.   George. 

George  Stephenson  Lodge,  Xo.  68,  728 
State  street,  November  12,  1881. 

Daughters  of  St.  George,  728  State  street, 
January,  1890. 

Turners. 

Erie  Turnverein,  1868. 

South  Erie  Turnverein,  Peach  and  Twen- 
ty-eighth streets,  August  11,  1878. 

East  Erie  Turnverein,  Ninth  and  Parade 
streets,   January  12,  1880. 

Benevolent  Section  South  Erie  Turnver- 
ein, January  1,  1881. 

Union    \  'cteran  Legion. 

Erie  Camp,  No.  18,  second  floor  \A'avue 
block.  May  21,  1887. 

Ladies  of  the  Union  Veteran  Legion,  No. 
6,  Auxiliary  to  Camp  18,  same  place,  June  27, 
1889. 

Woodmen  of  the    World. 

Charter  Oak  Camp,  Xo.  17,  Kevstone 
Bank  building,  August  2,  1892. 

Evergreen  Camp,  Xo.  28,  716  State  street, 
December  7,  1894. 

[For  church  societies  not  included  above, 
see  Chapter  VIII,  Erie  City.] 


CHAPTER    XI. 


Banks,    Brokers'    Offices,    Insurance    Companies — Street    Car    Lines — Building 
Associations — Gas  and  Electric  Light  Companies,  Etc. 


ERIE'S  first  banking  institution  was 
'•The  Erie  Bank,"  incorporated  by 
act  of  the  Legislature  in  the  winter 
of  18:28.  It  began  business  in  Janu- 
ary, 1829,  on  a  capital  of  156,000, 
though  privileged  to  increase  its  capital  stock 
to  1200,000.  Its  first  officers  were  :  R.  S. 
Reed,  President ;  P.  S.  V.  Hamot,  Cashier; 
J.  A.  Tracy,  C.  M.  Reed,  Samuel  Brown, 
William  Fleming,  Thomas  Moorhead,  jr.,  E. 
D.  Gunnison  and  D.  Gillispie,  Directors.  The 
bank  suspended  in  May,  1848,  but  only  a  slight 
loss  was  sustained  by  the  holders  of  its  issue, 
as  the  notes  were  subsequently  redeemed  at  a 
small  discount.  Gen.  C.  M.  Reed  liolding  him- 
self personally  responsible  for  their  retlemp- 
tion. 

The  United  States  Bank  of  Philadelphia 
established  a  branch  at  Erie  in  1836,  with 
Thomas  H.  Sill  as  President;  Peter  Benson 
as  Cashier;  and  Josiah  Kellogg,  C.  M.  Reed, 
W'illiam  Kelley,  (j.  A.  Eliot,  Samuel  Hays, 
William  Fleming,  J.  G.  Williams  and  H.  J. 
Iluidekoper  as  Directors.  The  fine  building 
on  State  street,  long  occupied  as  the  custom 
house  and  postofiice,  was  erected  by  this  bank, 
as  well  as  the  building  adjoining  it  on  the 
south  for  the  cashier's  residence,  now  owned 
by  Mrs.  Woodruff.  With  the  failure  of  the 
parent  institution,  the  Erie  branch  also  went 
down,  and  W.  C.  Curry  was  appointed  to  set- 
tle up  its  affairs.  In  1849,  the  bank  building, 
which  cost  170,000,  was  sold  to  the  United 
States  Government  for  $29,000,  while  the 
cashier's  residence  subsequently  sold  for 
$4,000,  less  than  one-half  of  its  original  cost. 
The  bank  building  was  used  as  a  postoffice 
from  18r)i3  to  1807.  and  as  a  custom  house  from 
the  time  of  its  purchase  by  the  Government 
until  the  removal  of  the  latter  to  the  newFed- 
eral  building. 

The    third    banking    institution   was    The 


Erie  City  Bank,  incorporated  in  1853,  with  a 
capital  stock  of  .$200,000.  It  lasted  only  four 
years,  suspending  business  in  1857.  Its  first 
officers  were:  Smith  Jackson,  President;  J. 
P.  Sherwin,  Cashier;  S.  E.  Neiler,  Teller; 
Brua  Cameron,  Book-keeper  ;  C.  M.  Tibbals, 
W.  A.  Brown,  D.  S.  Clark,  C.  Seigel,  John 
Brawley,  James  Webster,  J.  H.  FuUerton,  Ira 
Sherwin,  J.  D.  Clark,  Charles  Brandes  and  J. 
C.  Beebe,  Directors.  The  Brua  Cameron 
above  named  was  the  eldest  son  of  Gen.  Simon 
Cameron  and  a  brother  of  the  present  Senator 
Cameron.  He  remained  in  Erie  Init  a  few 
months. 

The  Bank  of  Commerce  succeeded  the  Erie 
City  Bank  in  April,  1858,  but  soon  succumbed, 
closing  its  doors  in  December,  1860.  Its  first 
officers  were  as  follows :  Benjamin  Grant, 
President ;  C.  B.  Wright,  Vice  President ;  G. 
J.  Ball,  Cashier;  A.  W.  Guild,  Teller;  W.  F. 
Rindernecht,  James  Hoskinson,  B.  F.  Sloan, 
Charles  Metca'lf,  A.  W.  Blaine,  G.  F.  King 
and  J.  W.  Douglass,  Directors.  Mr.  Wright 
removed  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  became  a 
millionaire  several  times  over.  He  is  still 
living  in  that  city. 

From  the  period  of  the  suspension  of  the 
Bank  of  Commerce  until  1863  there  was  no 
bank  of  issue  in  Erie,  the  banking  and  broker- 
age business  being  wholly  transacted  by  pri- 
vate firms,  of  which  the  following  were  in 
operation  in  1861  :  W.  C.  Currv,  capital 
$100,0C)0;  M.  Sanford  &  Co.,  capita'l  $50,000; 
Vincent,  Bailey  &  Co.,  capital  $25,000;  Clark 
&  Metcalf,  cap'ital  $12,000;  Neiler  &  Warren, 
capital  $5,000  ;  total  banking  capital,  $192,000. 

The  business  of  Neiler  &  Warren  was 
started  by  W.  C.  Warren  in  1854.  Mr.  Neiler 
entered  the  firm  some  time  previous  to  the 
war,  and  withdrew  from  it  Januarv  1st,  1866, 
going  to  Minneapolis,  where  he  organized  a 
prominent   national   bank.     Mr.   Warren  was 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2^TY. 


479 


obliged  to  suspend  business  late  in  1869  or 
early  in  1870. 

The  firm  of  Clark  &  Metcalf  was  originally 
Clark  &  Goodwin,  consisting  of  J.  D.  Clark 
and  John  S.  Goodwin.  It  was  organized  in 
1868.  Mr.  Goodwin  retired  and  was  succeeded 
by  Charles  Metcalf.  The  business  was  wound 
up  by  the  voluntary  action  of  the  firm. 

The  other  private  banks  referred  to  merged 
their  capital  in  the  First,  Second  and  Marine 
National  Banks. 

DEFUNCT  BANKS  OF  A  LATER  DATE. 

The  German  Savings  Institution  of  Erie 
was  organized  February  8,  1867,  with  a  capi- 
tal of  $200,000.  John  Gensheimer  was  Presi- 
dent; Mathew  Schlaudecker,  Treasurer  ;  and 
Frederick  Schneider,  Secretary.  These  officers 
continued  to  hold  their  several  positions  until 
October,  1875,  when  Lloyd  G.  Reed  became 
President,  and  John  Eliot  Manager  and 
Treasurer.  The  building  now  occupied  by  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  State  and  Eighth  streets, 
was  erected  by  the  bank.  The  bank  closed  its 
doors  on  the  18th  of  August,  1885,  and  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver. 

The  Humboldt  Safe  Deposit  and  Trust 
Company  began  business  July  4,  1869,  with  a 
capital  of  $100,0(X).  Its  first  President  was 
Uras  Schlurafl',  and  its  first  Secretary  and 
Treasurer,  Charles  Metcalf.  The  bank  erected 
and  occupied  the  biiikiing  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  State  and  Ninth  streets,  now  owned 
by  Otto  Germer.  In  May,  1872,  the  capital 
was  increased  to  $200,000,  and  the  bank  went 
into  new  hands.  It  suspended  operations  on 
February  2,  1885,  while  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Gustave  Jarecki  as  President  and  J. 
J.  Sturgeon  as  Secretarv  and  Treasurer.  The 
depositors  received  only  a  portion  of  their 
money. 

The  Erie  County  Savings  Bank  was  organ- 
ized in  the  autumn  of  1871,  with  a  capital  of 
$150,0(X):  President,  N.  J.  Clark;  Vice- 
president,  J.  L.  Stewart;  Cashier,  M.  H. 
Burgess.  Dr.  Stewart  afterward  became 
president,  and  Adam  Brabender  Vice-Presi- 
dent. The  next  President  of  the  bank  was 
William  W.  Reed,  succeeded  in  1879  by- 
Adam  Brabender.  In  the  latter  year  R.  Pettit 
became  Vice-President  and  in  1882  took  the 
place  of  F.  G.  Schlaudecker  as  Cashier.  The 
bank  succumbed    on    May    19,    1884,  and    its 


aflFairs  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver. 
Mr.  Brabender,  the  President  at  the  time  of 
the  failure,  was  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary, 
and  Mr.  Pettit,  the  Cashier,  found  it  conve- 
nient to  settle  in  Canada.  The  location  of  the 
bank  was  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Peach 
and  Fourteenth   streets. 

The  firm  of  John  Eliot  &  Co.,  private 
bankers,  was  established  in  1866,  having  its 
office  on  Peach  street,  just  south  of  the  Union 
depot.  Its  members  were  John  Eliot,  Wm. 
F.  Rindernecht,  Wm.  A.  Brown,  A.  H.  Gray 
and  M.  C.  Mayer.  The  firm  wound  up  in 
1875.  merging  its  business  with  that  of  the  Ger- 
man Savings  Bank. 

EXISTING    BANKS. 

First  National  Bank. — The  First  National 
Bank    of    Erie    was    organized    in    February, 

1863.  with  a  capital  of  $150,000,  being  the 
twelfth  institution  of  the  kind  that  was  char- 
tered under  the  national  banking  law.  The 
first  officers  were  :  President,  Judah  C. 
Spencer ;  Cashier.  Myron  Sanford.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1883,  the  bank  was  reorganized  ^vith 
the  following  officers  :  President,  J.  C.  Spen- 
cer ;  Cashier,  J.  L.  Sternberg;  Directors, 
William  Spencer,  C.  M.  Reed,  Matthew 
Griswold,  William  E.  Marvin,  Thomas  C. 
Wood,  J.  L.  Sternberg.  J.  C.  Spencer  died 
in  1885,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Will- 
iam Spencer,  as  President.  The  bank  long 
occupied  a  room  on  the  first  floor  of  the  Reed 
House,  at  the  intersection  of  North  Park  Row 
with  French  street.  Its  present  location  is  on 
State  street,  east  side,  between  Seventh  and 
Eighth,  in  a  building  erected  by  the  bank  in 
1886.  The  statement  of  the  bank,  on  July 
11,  1895.  showed  its  resources  to  be  $1,351,- 
370.20.  It  had  a  surplus  fund  of  $170,000 
and  held  deposits  to  the  amount  of  nearly 
$960,000. 

Keystone  JVational  Bank. — The  Keystone 
National  Bank  was   organized   in    the  fall  of 

1864,  with  a  paid-up  capital  of  $250,000. 
Orange  Noble  was  its  first  President,  and 
John  J.  Town  its  first  Cashier.  The  bank 
erected  the  building  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
State  and  Eighth  streets  in  186(5,  into  which  it 
moved  immediately  upon  its  completion.  Mr. 
Town,  the  original  Cashier,  moved  to  Des 
Moines,  la.,  in  1871,  and  was  succeeded'by 
his  brother,  J.  I.  Town.  The  charter  of  the 
bank  expired  in  1884,   when    it   was   reorgan- 


480 


NELSON'S  BIOQRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


izcd  tor  another  term  of  twenty  years.  The 
bank  has  a  present  capital  of  II ;!(),( )()0,  and  its 
resources  on  Jul)-  11,  1895,  were  !i!8i58,yG5.16. 
Mr.  Town  resigned  as  Cashier,  and  F.  V. 
Kepler  was  chosen  in  his  stead  on  the  14th  of 
January,  1898,  at  which  time  F.  M.  Lamb 
was  also  named  as  Assistant  Cashier. 

Second  National  Bank. — December  V2, 
1864,  tile  Second  National  Bank  of  Erie  was 
organized  with  a  capital  of  IgtKMJOO  :  Will- 
iam L.  Scott,  President ;  Joseph  McCarter, 
Vice-President;  W.  C.  Curry,  Cashier.  Mr. 
Curry  lost  Iiis  life  in  the  terrible  railroad  dis- 
aster at  New  Hamburg,  on  the  Hudson  river, 
February  (3,  1871,  and  was  succeeded  by  C.  F. 
Allis.  Joseph  McCarter  became  President  of 
the  bank  in  1882.  Both  of  the  officers  last 
named  continue  in  their  positions.  The  bank 
located  in  its  present  quarters,  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  State  and  Eighth  streets,  in 
1808.  The  July,  1895,  statement  of  the  bank 
showed  resources  of  $1,934,044.72.  Its  sur- 
plus fund  was  $250,000,  and  it  held  oyer  $1,- 
300,(K)0  of  deposits. 

Marine  N^ational  Bank. — The  Marine  Na- 
tioml  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  $150,t)00,  was 
organized  March  9,  1865,  its  fiist  President 
being  B.  B.  Vincent,  and  its  first  Cashier  F. 
P.  Bailey.  Its  location  from  the  beginning 
has  been  at  the  northwest  corner  of  State 
street  and  North  Park  Row,  in  the  Exchange 
building.  James  C.  Marshall  became  Presi- 
dent in  January,  1807,  and  Ciiarles  E.  Gunni- 
son Assistant  Cashier.  The  former  died  on  the 
5th  of  May,  1880,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  F.  F.  Marshall.  Mr.  Bailey  died  Decem- 
ber 17,  1888,  and  his  place  was  taken  by  Mr. 
Gunnison.  On  July  11,  1895,  the  bank,  which 
was  re-chartered  in  1885,  held  resources  to  the 
amount  of  $1,479,087.  Its  surplus  fund  was 
$185,000,  and  it  had  deposits  exceeding 
$900,< » 10. 

Dime  Savings  Bank. — The  Erie  Dime 
Savings  and  Loan  Company  was  chartered 
April  1(),  1800,  under  a  special  State  law.  It 
was  organized  June  8,  1867,  with  Selden 
Marvin  as  President,  and  John  H.  Bliss  as 
Secretary.  These  officers  resigned  April  25, 
1868,  and  the  following  gentlemen  were 
chosen  :  L.  L.  Lamb,  President;  George  W. 
Colton,  Secretary  and  Treasurer;  Selden  Mar- 
vin, Attorney.  The  bank  did  business  in  the 
ba,sement  of  the  Keystone  Bank  building  until 
January,    1876,  when  it   moved    into    its    own 


block,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  South  Park 
Row  and  State  street.  On  the  retirement  of 
Mr.  Lamb  as  President,  he  was  succeeded, 
December  8,  1873,  by  William  A.  Galbraith, 
who  has  held  tiie  position  and  overseen  the 
business  of  the  bank  ever  since.  Mr.  Colton 
was  followed  as  Secretary  and  Treasurer  by 
Geo.  E.  Barger,  and  he,  in  turn,  by  F.  F. 
Curtze,  the  present  incumbent,  April  1,  1888. 
F.  F.  Schutte  became  Teller  at  the  same  time 
that  Mr.  Curtze  was  elected  Cashier.  The 
bank  has  a  paid  up  capital  of  $150, 0(A),  and  a 
surplus  fund  of  $50,000.  Its  charter  was  re- 
newed April  20,  1880,  for  a  period  of  twenty 
years.  The  statement  issued  by  the  bank 
May  15,  1895,  showed  its  resources  to  be 
$724,130.85,  with  a  deposit  account  of  over 
half  a  million  dollars.  The  "old  Dime"  is 
justly  regarded  as  one  of  tiie  soundest  savings 
banks  in  the  country.  It  has  gone  through 
two  general  panics  and  several  serious  local 
convulsions  without  a  blemish  on  its  record. 

Jiall  d-  Colt. — This  firm  of  private  bankers 
was  organized  in  July,  1807,  and  has  been  in 
continuous  operation  since.  The  office  of  the 
firm  is  in  the  Dewitt  block,  at  State  and  Sev- 
enth streets,  and  the  members  are  P.  II.  ]?all 
and  Geo.  P.  Colt.  The  firm  iiave  a  capital  of 
$50,000,  and  tiie  average  deposits  are  from 
$00,000  to  $75,000. 

It  has  been  well  said  that  "  nothing  shows 
more  clearlj'  the  rapid  progress  in  the  wealth 
and  enterprise  of  Erie  than  the  present  amount 
of  capital  invested  in  banking.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  1803  there  was  not  a  single  incorpo- 
rated bank  in  tiie  city,  the  whole  of  the  bank- 
ing business  being  done  by  a  few  private  firms 
on  a  combined  capital  of  less  than  $200,000. 
The  capital  and  deposits  of  the  banks  of  1895 
run  into  the  millions,  and  each  year  shows  a 
large  increase  in  their  business." 

KIRE   INSURANCE  COMPANIES. 

The  Erie  County  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company  was  incorporated  March  26,  1839, 
the  following  persons  being  stockholders  : 
John  A.  Tracy,  William  Kelley,  Peter  Pierce, 
Julius  W.  Hitchcock,  James  Williams, 
Smith  Jackson,  Samuel  Low,  Conrad  Brown, 
B.  B.  Vincent,  Bester  Town,  Jabez  Wright, 
David  G.  Webber  and  .Stephen  .Skinner.  It 
has  ever  since  conducted  a  successful  business, 
confining  its  operations  in  the  main  to  lines 
of    insurance   on    which    there   is  a   moderate 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


481 


risk.  It  is  doubtless  the  oldest  home  corpora- 
tion doing  business  in  Erie  county,  which 
speaks  well  for  its  stability.  The  office  of  the 
company  is  at  26  North  Park  Row.  L.  W. 
Olds  is  President,  Walter  Scott,  Secretary,  and 
Henry  Beckman,  Treasurer.  The  Executive 
Committee  consists  of  L.  W.  Olds,  F.  F.  Mar- 
shall, John  Gensheimer  and  Martin  Warfel. 

The  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany, of  Harbor  Creek,  was  chartered  May  6, 
1857,  John  Dodge,  G.  \V.  Wagner,  John  W. 
McLane,  J.  Y.  Moorhead  and  G.  A.  Elliot 
being  the  active  parties.  The  law  required 
the  company  to  get  $100,000  of  insurance  be- 
fore issuing  any  policies,  which  was  complied 
with  in  August,  1858,  when  the  fiist  policy 
was  issued.  The  business  grew  rapidly,  being 
wholly  confined  to  farm  property.  A  year  or 
so  ago  the  company  decided  to  extend  its  field 
and  now  accepts  moderate  risks  on  town  build- 
ings. Its  principal  office  is  at  703  State  street. 
The  officers  are  :  President,  James  A.  Moor- 
head;  Vice-President,  J.  H.  Phillips;  Treas- 
urer, W.  E.  Hayes;  Secretary,  S.  H.  Willis; 
Adjuster,  Geo.  A.  Evans;  Executive  Com- 
mittee, vS.  E.  Kincaide,  S.  S.  Robinson,  George 
Reed 

The  city  has  had  two  other  fire  insurance 
companies,  viz.  :  The  German  and  Alps. 
The  former  was  organized  in  1867,  and  lasted 
until  1874,  when  it  failed.  Its  office  was  on 
the  second  floor  of  the  German  Bank  building, 
and  the  two  institutions  were  practically  owned 
by  the  same  parties.  The  Alps  Insurance 
Company  began  business  in  1868.  It  had 
placed  considerable  insurance  on  property  in 
Chicago,  and  when  the  great  fire  almost  swept 
that  city  out  of  existence,  the  Alps  incurred 
heavy  losses.  These  it  paid,  but  the  big  fire 
in  Boston  and  later  severe  losses  in  Chicago 
were  too  much  for  its  resources.  The  mana- 
gers concluded  to  wind  up  its  business,  and 
did  so  with  credit  to  themselves  and  general 
satisfaction  to  their  policy  holders. 

THE   ERIE    GAS  COMPANY. 

The  Erie  Gas  Company  was  chartered 
March  5,  1852,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $60,- 
000.  Ground  was  bought  on  Seventh  street, 
betwe.en  Myrtle  and  Chestnut,  upon  which 
the  works  were  erected.  The  tank  or  gas  re- 
ceiver had  a  capacity  of  30,000  cubic  feet ; 
three  and  one-lialf  miles  of  pipe  ^vere  laid,  and 
all  necessary    buildings  erected.     The   works 


were  completed  by  the  22d  of  August,  1853, 
and  on  that  date  the  city  of  Erie  first  enjoyed 
gaslight.  The  patronage  at  that  time  com- 
prised thirty-two  consumers,  but  by  the  close 
of  the  year  the  number  had  increased  to  150. 
The  coinpany  at  present  has  an  authorized  capi- 
tal of  $300,000,  and  owns  more  than  thirty-five 
miles  of  gas  mains.  In  the  autumn  of  1883  a 
new  gas  tank  was  erected  with  a  holder  ca- 
pacity of  100,000  cubic  feet,  which  was,  in 
1887,  increased  by  the  erection  of  another 
holder,  to  300,000  cubic  feet,  on  Front,  be- 
tween Sassafras  and  Peach  streets.  During 
the  spring  of  1887  the  former  location  on 
Seventh  street  was  abandoned  and  the  works 
removed  to  the  bay  front. 

The  new  telescope  holder  is  covered  with 
brick,  with  a  conical  roof.  The  massive 
structure,  standing  on  a  blufl",  presents  a 
sightlv  appearance  from  the  public  dock.  In 
1886  an  addition  of  a  water  gas  plant  was 
made  to  the  coal  gas  works,  giving  the  whole 
works  a  manufacturing  capacity  of  about  750,- 
000  cubic  feet  of  gas  daily. 

The  Secretary  and  Treasurer  for  many  years 
was  Miles  W.  Caughey,  upon  whose  death, 
in  the  fall  of  1883,  Walter  Scott  became  his 
successor.  The  latter  was  followed  as  Secre- 
tary in  January,  1893,  by  Paul  Mueller,  the 
present  incumbent.  The  other  officers  in  1895 
were :  President,  C.  M.  Reed ;  Treasurer, 
George  R.  Metcalf ;  Superintendent,  W.  H. 
Hill.  The  office  of  the  company,  for  many 
j'ears  in  the  Wetmore  block,  is  now  on  West 
Seventh  street,  between  State  and  Peach. 

PENNSYLVANIA  GAS  COMPANY. 

During  the  period  between  1860  and  1890 
numerous  wells  were  put  down  in  the  city  and 
vicinity — first  for  oil,  and,  later,  when  the 
production  of  the  latter  article  in  paying  quan- 
tities was  given  up,  for  natural  gas.  With 
scarcely  an  exception,  every  well  that  has  been 
bored  has  yielded  considerable  gas,  and  quite 
a  number  of  residences  and  some  of  the  fac- 
tories have  at  times  been  wholly  or  partially 
supplied  with  it.  The  gas  wells,  as  a  rule, 
have  been  short-lived,  but  several  that  began 
yielding  years  ago  are  still  emitting  in  reduced 
cjuantities.  The  best  well  ever  struck  in  or 
near  Erie  is  the  one  at  the  Head,  which  still 
affords  a  liberal  supply  of  gas,  and  the  one 
which  caused  the  most  disappointment  was 
the  test  well  sunk  in  1888-89.     This  latter,  to 


482 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


which  our  citizens  contributed  nearly  .$15,000, 
for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  what  could  be 
found  in  the  rock  strata  beneath  Erie,  was 
bored  upon  the  Reed  lots,  near  Fifth  street 
and  Mill  creek.  It  reached  a  depth  of  4,585 
feet,  without  meeting  any  sign  of  gas  in  pay- 
ing quantities,  according  to  the  statements  of 
those  who  had  the  financial  part  of  the  enter- 
prise in  charge. 

The  Pennsylvania  Gas  Company,  which 
now  supplies  the  city  with  fuel  gas,  was 
started  bv  F.  P.  Hays  and  his  associates  as  a 
local  company  at  Warren,  and  first  extended 
from  there  to  Jamestown,  N.  Y.  About  the 
time  the  company  reached  the  latter  place, 
they  were  joined  by  the  Standard  combina- 
tion, and,  with  fresh  capital,  it  was  soon  de- 
cided to  run  their  lines  to  Erie.  Upon  asking 
for  permission  to  lay  down  their  pipes  in  the 
city,  thev  were  met  with  a  sharp  competition 
on  the  part  of  a  rival  company  headed  by 
Charles  W.  Macke)-.  The  Pennsylvania 
Company,  however,  prevailed  upon  Councils 
to  grant  them  the  exclusive  franchise,  and 
were  busy  in  laying  down  their  pipes  in  the 
season  of  1880-7.  Since  then  they  have  piped 
a  large  number  of  the  principal  streets,  and 
are  supplying  more  than  one-half  of  the  stores, 
offices  and  residences.  The  main  gas  field  is 
in  the  vicinity  of  and  beyond  Ludlow,  War- 
ren county,  and  the  gas  reaches  Erie  through 
an  eight-inch  main  via  Corry.  The  company 
are  at  great  expense  to  keep  up  the  supply, 
having  laid  out  $100,000  for  this  purpose 
alone  in  a  single  year.  They  have  already 
exhausted  half  a  dozen  fields,  and  are  con- 
stantlj'  exploring  for  profitable  new  territory. 
When  the  gas  was  first  introduced  into  Erie, 
the  charge  was  estimated  to  the  consumer, 
but  it  was  not  long  until  they  changed  to  the 
system  of  meter  measurement.  The  uniform 
price,  up  to  October  1,  1895.  was  twenty-five 
cents  per  thousand  feet,  with  a  discount  of 
ten  per  cent,  if  paid  within  ten  days.  This 
was  changed  on  the  above  date  to  twenty- 
seven  cents,  a  discount  of  ten  per  cent,  being 
allowed  for  prompt  payment.  W.  A.  \\'alker 
has  been  the  manager  at  Erie  from  the  be- 
ginning. 

WELSBACH  GAS  COMPANY. 

This  is  the  name  of  a  companj'  for  the 
furnishing  of  light,  with  the  use  of  either 
natural  or  artificial  gas,  by  means  of  a  special 


burner  patented  by  a  German,  whose  name  it 
bears.  The  company  has  its  headquarters  in 
Philadelphia,  with  branches  in  numerous  cities 
of  America  and  Europe.  The  Erie  branch, 
which  is  really  an  outgrowth  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Gas  Company,  is  the  lessee  of  the  Wels- 
bach  patents  for  the  cit}-.  It  buys  its  gas  from 
the  latter  company,  but  is  not  otherwise  iden- 
tified with  it.  The  officers  are  :  President, 
John  C.  Brady;  Secretary,  John  S.  Rilling; 
Treasurer,  George  P.  Colt;  Manager,  W.  A. 
Walker. 

ELECTKIC    LIGHT    AND    I'OWER    COMPANIES. 

The  Edison  Electric  Light  and  Power  Com- 
pany was  organized  soon  after  tiie  electric 
light  was  proved  a  success  and  incorporated 
in  1887,  with  an  authorized  capital  of  $(50,(KX). 
Charles  H.  Strong,  William  Spencer  and 
Henry  A.  Clark  were  the  active  men  in  the 
enterprise  from  the  start,  and  the  former  has 
always  been  President  of  the  company.  The 
first  building  was  erected  on  the  east  side  of 
Peach  street,  between  Tenth  and  Eleventh, 
and  the  djnamos  were  set  in  motion  on  the 
7th  of  November,  1887.  The  company  soon 
outgrew  its  original  quarters,  and,  on  the  1st 
of  August,  1891,  changed  to  the  corner  of 
Twelfth  and  French  streets,  where  it  has  an 
extensive  plant.  In  connection  with  the 
Brush  high-tension  s3-stem,  the  company  fur- 
nishes Swan  incandescent  lights  to  the  public 
for  office,  store  and  residence  lighting.  Im- 
provements have  gone  on  steadily,  as  new  in- 
ventions or  the  necessity-  of  the  case  demand- 
ed. Thomas  O'Dea  has  been  manager  of  the 
company  since  February,  1891 .  The  company, 
in  July,  1895,  supplied  276  street  lights  to  the 
city,  of  2,000  candle-power  each,  at  seventeen 
cents  per  light  each  night. 

The  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  Elec- 
tric Light,  Heat  and  Power  Company  was 
chartered  June  22,  1893,  and  turned  on  the 
lights  for  the  first  time  October  1,  1894.  1  be 
incorporators  were  E.  D.  Carter,  Louis  Streu- 
ber,  E.  C.  Siegel,  John  ,S.  Rilling  and  J.  B. 
Arbuckle.  Mr.  Carter  is  President,  Mr.  Rill- 
ing, Secretary,  and  Mr.  Siegel,  Treasurer. 
The  power-house  of  the  company  is  at  the 
foot  of  French  street.  The  company,  on 
August  1,  1895,  were  supplying  104  arc  and 
about  1.200  incandescent  lights.  It  uses  the 
Western  Electric  system  and,  with  shrewd  in- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUJUTr. 


483 


corporators,  promises  to  become  an  important 
feature  in  the  business  life  of  the  city. 

ERIE    ELECTRIC     MOTOR     COMPANY. 

The  Erie  Cit\-  Passenf^er  Railway  Com- 
pany was  chartered  by  a  Legislative  act,  ap- 
proved March  1,  1867,  to  carry  passengers 
through  the  streets  of  Erie  by  means  of  cars 
drawn  by  horses.  The  main  stockholder  was 
Anthony  J.  Drexel,  of  Philadelphia,  who  was 
represented  in  Erie  by  E.  J.  Cowell.  Among 
others  interested  originally,  or  who  afterward 
became  interested  were  the  Berst  familv,  W. 
W.  Reed  and  J.  C.  Spencer.  In  1868  the 
main  line  was  built  from  Second  street  south 
on  State  to  Turnpike  ;  thence  across  to  Peach  ; 
thence  south  on  Peach  to  Twentj'-sixth  street, 
and  in  December  of  that  year  opened  for  travel. 
Up  to  May,  1878,  the  fare  charged  was  seven 
cents.  On  that  date  it  was  reduced  to  five 
cents.  The  line  was  soon  extended  down 
State  street  to  the  public  dock.  In  1880,  the 
company  erected  the  stables  at  Second  and 
State  streets ;  and  in  the  fall  of  1883  it  ex- 
tended its  lines  out  Eighth  street,  from  State 
to  Raspberry  ;  out  Eleventh  street,  from  State 
to  Parade,  and  up  Parade  to  Fourteenth  street. 
Afterward,  tracks  were  put  down  on  East  and 
West  Eighteenth  streets;  the  Eighth  street 
track  was  run  to  the  city  limits;  and  the 
Eleventh  street  line  to  Wayne  street,  the  Pa- 
rade street  line  being  abandoned.  The  cars 
were  operated  under  the  charge  of  the  drivers, 
without  conductors,  and  the  fares  were  de- 
posited by  passengers  in  a  cash  box  designed 
for  the  purpose. 

On  the  28th  of  July.  1888.  all  of  the  stock 
of  the  Erie  Passenger  Railway  Company  was 
purchased  by  J.  S.  Casement,  S.  T.  Everett 
and  associates,  who  organized  the  Erie  Elec- 
tric Motor  Company.  The  venture  was  some- 
what of  an  experiment,  as  there  were  at  the 
time  not  more  than  a  dozen  electric  roads  in 
the  country.  The  Motor  Company  leased  the 
franchise  of  the  old  company  for  999  years, 
and  on  the  22d  of  September,  having  received 
authority  from  Councils,  went  to  work  to  fit 
up  the  line  for  electric  power.  The  horse  car 
stables  at  Second  and  State  streets  were  con- 
verted into  a  motor  house,  and  the  first  elec- 
tric car  appeared  on  the  streets  of  Erie  on  the 
29th  of  June,  1889. 

Since  then  the  company  has  built  lines  on 
East  Sixth  street  to  East   avenue ;   on    West 


Twelfth  street  to  Cranberry ;  on  Eleventh 
street  to  East  avenue ;  on  East  avenue  to 
Twelfth  street ;  on  Twelfth  street  east  to  the 
city  limits  ;  on  French  street  to  Twenty-sixth  ; 
on  Twenty-sixth  east  to  Wayne  ;  on  Wayne 
north  to  Twenty-fifth  ;  on  Peach  street  from 
Twelfth  to  Eighteenth  ;  and  from  Twentv- 
sixth  to  the  city  limits  ;  on  Twenty-sixth  from 
Peach  to  Libert)- ;  and  on  the  Lake  road  from 
the  city  limits  to  the  Head.  The  line  last 
mentioned  was  built  to  Trinity  Cemetery  in 
1890,  and  to  the  water's  edge  in  1891.  In 
1892  the  power  house  \vas  changed  to  the  foot 
of  Peach  street,  and  the  old  building  wholly 
converted  into  a  storage  place  for  cars.  The 
companv  represents  .'i>70(),(X)0  capital  and  em- 
ploys about  150  men.  Its  officers  are  :  Presi- 
dent, J.  S.  Casement ;  Vice-President,  John  C. 
Brady;  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  J.  L.  Stern- 
berg; Directors,  J.  S.  Casement,  S.  T.  Ever- 
ett, John  C.  BradV  and  W.  W.  Reed.  J.  F. 
Pfetch  was  Superintendent  until  August,  1893, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  H.  F.  Wilber.  It 
is  but  just  to  add  that  no  city  in  the  country 
has  a  better  street  car  system  than  Erie,  and 
no  public  corporation  exists  that  has  shown  a 
more  progressive  and  obliging  spirit  than  the 
Erie  Electric  Motor  Company. 

ERIE    TRANSFER     COMPANY. 

This  corporation  was  chartered  by  act 
of  Assembly  of  April  25,  1873,  with 
a  capital  of  $15,(X)0,  and  the  privilege  of 
increasing  it  to  !f!50,0(!)0.  Its  object,  as  stated 
in  the  law,  is  "  the  transacting  of  express 
business  in  the  city  and  county  of  Erie,"  and 
the  carrying  of  passengers  and  baggage  to  and 
from  the  hotels,  private  houses  and  railroad 
depots  of  the  city.  Among  the  early  stock- 
holders were  W.  A.  Baldwin,  Theo.  X.  Ely, 
Jno.  W.  Revnolds,  J.  Louis  Linn,  G.  J.  Ball, 
S.  B.  Kennedy,  Jno.  E  Payne,  J.  J '  Wads- 
worth,  Geo.  V.  Maus,  J.  S.  Scobell, 
Dr.  J.  L.  Stewart,  John '  Eliot  and  H. 
Souther.  Dr.  Stewart  was  President  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  S.  B.  Kennedy  was 
Superintendent.  The  stable  on  Fifth  street 
was  established  in  1880,  and  the  office  on 
Ninth  street  in  January,  1887.  Most  of  the 
original  parties  have  withdrawn,  and  the 
bulk  of  the  stock  is  now  owned  bj-  L.  Kester, 
John  Eliot  and  F.  J.  Kester.  L.  Kester  has 
been  President  and  Superintendent,  and  F. 
J.    Kester   Treasurer    for    about    nine   years. 


484 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


The  company  have  a  large  number  of  hacks 
and  other  conveyances,  employ  a  great  many 
men  and  horses,  and  do  a  prosperous  business. 

ERIE    REAL    ESTATE    TITLE    COMPANY. 

The  object  of  this  organization  is  to  make 
abstracts  of  real  estate  titles  in  the  county  and 
preserve  a  record  of  the  -same.  It  was  char- 
tered May  5,  188G,  with  the  following  incor- 
porators :  Henry  Souther,  Eben  Brewer,  John 
C.  Brady,  E.  L.  Whittelsey,  W.  E.  Roach 
and  R.  St.  P.  Lowry.  The  abstractors  have 
been:  W.  E.  Roach,  until  fanuary  1,1891; 
M.  N.  Cutler,  until  his  death,  July"  29,  1894  ; 
Miss  B.  P.  Beckers  since.  Its  ofhce  is  in  the 
courthouse.  The  present  officers  of  the  com- 
pany are  :  President,  Geo.  P.  GritTith  ;  Secre- 
tary, John  C.  Brady;  Treasurer,  E.  L.  Whit- 
tclse)-. 

BUILDING    AND    LOAN    ASSOCIATIONS. 

The  ilrst  Building  and  Loan  Association  in 
Erie  was  the  Erie  City,  incorporated  March  10, 
1873.  Benjamin  Whitman  was  the  first  Presi- 
dent and  Geo.  A.  Allen  tiie  lirst  j\ttorney.  The 
Erie  City  was  followed  by  the  Ben  Franklin, 
the  Erie  Saving  Fund  and  the  Presque  Isle, 
all  started  shortly  after.  Unfortunately  for 
the  associations  of  that  period,  the  panic 
came  on  in  the  fall  of  1873,  and  they  did  not 
work  out  as  satisfactorily  as  had  been  an- 
ticipated. 

The  present  associations  are  the  Working- 
men's,  incorporated  July  10,  187(i,  under  a 
perpetual  charter,  and  the  Mutual,  organized 
in  1880. 

TELEGRAPH, TELEPHONE, EXPRESS    AND  GEN- 
ERAL CARRYING  COMPANIES. 

The  O'Reilly  telegraph  system  commenced 
operations  in  Erie  January  1,  1848,  and  soon 
became  merged  in  the  Western  Union  system. 
For  more  than  twenty  years  Erie  possessed 
but  one  telegraph  line,  but,  about  1868,  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Telegraph  Company 
opened  an  ofHce  in  opposition  to  the  Western 
Union.  Finally,  the  Western  Union  bought 
out  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  and  consolidated 


the  lines.  The  Mutual  Union  Telegraph 
Company  began  business  at  Erie  in  1881, 
but  it,  too,  was  absorbed  by  the  Western 
Union.  The  city  at  present  enjoys  the  bene- 
fits of  two  systems — the  Western  Union, 
W.  J.  Hunter,  Manager,  and  the  Postal 
Telegraph    Cable,    C.   J.  Goalding,  Manager. 

The  Erie  Telephone  Exchange  was  estab- 
lished August  1,  1879,  and  was  owned  by  a 
local  company  until  the  latter  part  of  1883, 
when  it  was  purchased  by  the  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania  Telephone  and  Telegraph 
Company,  doing  business  in  the  southern  tier 
of  counties  of  New  York  and  the  northern 
tier  of  counties  of  Pennsylvania.  ).  H. 
Francis  was  placed  in  charge  and  remained 
several  years,  when  he  was  succeeded  as 
business  manager  by  W.  Barry  Smitii.  The 
Exchange  reaches  every  place  of  any  size  in 
this  section  of  the  country,  and  is  in  commu- 
nication, by  the  long  distance  system,  with 
most  of  the  important  cities  in  the  Union.  Its 
first  location  was  in  the  Reed  block,  corner  of 
Seventh  and  State;  but,  since  its  change  of 
ownership,  it  has  been  located  in  the  Noble 
block,  now  known  as  the  Penn   building. 

The  American  Express  Company  opened 
an  office  at  Erie  in  184(3,  with  O.  D.  Spaflford 
as  agent.  He  was  succeeded  by  J.  J.  Lints, 
and  in  1858  J.  Harper  was  appointed  to  fill 
the  position,  which  he  has  held  continuously 
up  to  the  present  time.  The  American  and 
Adams  Express  Companies  ran  a  "  union 
office  "  until  June  1,  1883,  when  the  latter 
company  opened  a  separate  office.  The  city 
has  the  advantage  of  four  competing  compa- 
nies at  present,  viz.  :  The  American,  J.  Harper, 
agent;  the  Adams,  C.  W.  Low,  agent;  the 
National,  J.  Harper,  agent ;  and  the  W'ells- 
Fargo,  E.  D.  Myers,  agent.  The  Merchants' 
LTnion  Express  and  Union  Line  Express  had 
offices  in  the  city  in  1868. 

Besides  the  express  companies,  the  city  is 
favored  with  agencies  of  the  Anchor  Line, 
Empire  Line  and  the  Merchants'  Dispatch, 
all  general  carriers.  Charles  E.  Payne  is 
agent  of  the  first,  Davis  Rees,  of  the  second, 
and  John  A.  Beebe  of  the  third. 


(^  f^^^  ^^^ 


^4^ 


CHAPTER     XII. 


Public    Schools.    School    Officers,    Parochial  Schools,  Academies,  Business  Uni- 
versity,  Etc. 


THE  first  schcolhouse  built  in  Erie  was 
in  the  year  1806,  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  Seventh  and  Holland  streets, 
where  school  building  No.  2  now 
stands.  It  was  of  hewed  logs, 
about  18x20  feet  in  size  and  was  built  for 
the  sum  of  thirty  dollars,  which  was  paid  by 
contributions  of  the  citizens.  This  first  temple 
of  learning  was  surrounded  bv  the  native  for- 
est, a  foot-path  leading  to  the  school  from  the 
village,  which  was  mostly  collected  in  the 
vicinity  of  German  street,  below  Fourth  street. 
The  roll  of  the  school  during  the  year  1812  is 
preserved  as  a  historic  relic.  It  contains  the 
names  of  thirty  girls  and  fort}-  boys,  as  follows  : 
Girls — Hannah  Rees,  Sarah  Brown,  Betsy 
Dobbins,  Julia  Bell,  Eleanor  Stuart,  Ann 
Laird,  Mary  Wilkins,  Sarah  Bell,  Eliza  Wil- 
son, Mary  Wallace,  Mary  Curtis,  Jane  Hughes, 
Ann  Teel,  Mary  Wilson.  Eliza  Hoskinson, 
Rebecca  Rees,  Kate  Oiler,  Harriet  Rees,  Sarah 
Forster,  Mary  Brewster,  Mary  McSparren, 
Mary  McNair,  Dorcas  McDonald,  Caroline 
Kelso,  Eliza  Cummings,  Adeline  Kelso,  Elea- 
nor Lapsley,  Zebinia  Schantz,  Mary  Ann 
Lapsley  and  Catharine  McFarland. 

Boys — Alexander  Brewster,  Dunning  Mc- 
Nair, John  McSparren,  Zedekiah  Curtis, 
Daniel  Gillespie,  Edward  Hildebrand,  Charles 
Reed,  William  Brown,  Harry  Rees,  Edwin 
Kelso,  George  Dunn,  Cyrus  Reed,  John  Dunn, 
William  Bell,  John  Teel,  Albert  Kelso,  James 
Gra^-,  Samuel  Irwin,  James  Wilson.  Robert 
Erwin,  Henrv  Schantz.  William  ^V.  Dobbins, 
William  Hoskinson,  Laird  Forster,  John 
Hughes,  Charles  Wilkins,  Alexander  Irwin, 
Jacob  Snavely,  George  Gallagher,  Barney 
Gillespie,  Johnson  Laird,  Samuel  Brown, 
William  McDonald,  James  Hughes,  Thomas 
Growotz, Benjamin  Wallace,  John  McFarland, 
Charles  Growotz,  Archibald  Stuart  and  Rich- 
ard McCreary. 


Lot  No.  1878,  upon  which  the  school  house 
was  built,  was  bought  from  the  State  August 
4,  1804.  by  James  Baird,  for  the  sum  of 
twenty-five  dollars.  It  was  afterward  pur- 
chased by  means  of  contributions  collected  by 
Capt.  Daniel  Dobbins,  and  was  patented  in 
the  name  of  the  "Presque  Isle  Academy." 
This  name  appears  to  have  been  informally 
given  by  the  contributors,  as  no  record  can  be 
found  of  a  corporation  having  been  formed 
with  that  title.  For  the  next  quarter  of  a 
century,  nothing  occurred  of  special  impor- 
tance connected  with  the  schools  of  Erie,  ex- 
cepting the  establishing  of  the  Erie  Academy, 
which  will  be  referred  to  hereafter.  The 
schools  that  \vere  kept  up  during  the  interval 
were   all  maintained  by  private  contributions. 

PUBLIC    SCHOOL    SYSTEM     .\DOPTED. 

The  school  act  of  1834  allowed  each  dis- 
trict to  decide  for  itself  whether  or  not  it 
should  adopt  a  public-school  system,  to  be 
maintained  by  a  tax  upon  the  citizens  gen- 
erally. Erie  was  one  of  the  first  places  in  the 
State  to  avail  itself  of  the  provisions  of  the 
new  law.  A  meeting  of  the  citizens  of 
Erie  was  held  at  the  court  house  No- 
vember 22,  1834,  which  was  presided  over 
by  Dr.  William  Johns,  William  Kelley  acting 
as  Secretary-.  On  motion  of  Elijah  Babbitt 
and  George  Kellogg,  it  was  voted  to  collect 
$1,000  as  additional  local  tax  to  that  raised  by 
the  united  action  of  the  School  Directors  and 
Commissioners  of  the  county.  On  tiie  7th  of 
September,  1836,  through  the  recommenda- 
tion of  a  special  committee,  the  borough  of 
Erie  was  divided  into  four  sub-districts,  and 
during  the  next  year  four  frame  houses  were 
erected  on  leased  ground,  at  a  cost  of  $310 
each,  the  directors  not  thinking  it  advisable  to 
purchase  real  estate.  At  that  time  340  pupils 
were    enrolled.     The  text  books    were  "The 


486 


N^ELSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


English  Reader,"  "Cobb's  Spelling  Book," 
"Goodrich's  and  Parley's  Geographies,"  "Kirk- 
ham's  Grammar"  and  "Daboll's  Arithmetic," 
all  of  which  would  be  curiosities  to  the  teach- 
ers and  cliildrcn  of  to-day. 

In  1844  the  small  frame  buildings  were  in- 
ade(|uato  to  the  wants  of  the  schools,  and,  as  a 
desire  sprang  up  to  attempt  something  in  the 
way  of  gradation,  lots  were  purchased,  a 
new  plan  of  buildings  adopted,  and  in  the  year 
1848  two  brick  houses,  each  capable  of  ac- 
commodating five  teachers  with  their  pupils, 
were  erected  and  the  sub-districts  abolished. 
These  two  schools  were  called  the  "East 
ward"  and  tlie  "West  ward,'"  each  school 
having  the  same  number  ot  teachers,  and  the 
same  advantages  for  scholars.  The  "East 
ward"  building  was  on  the  corner  of  Seventh 
and  Holland  streets,  now  occupied  by  building 
No.  2,  while  the  "West  ward"  schoolhouse 
stood  on  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  ]SIyrtle,on 
a  lot  included  in  the  grounds  attached  to  the 
present  residence  of  William  A.  Galbraith.  A 
portion  of  tiie  latter  building  is  yet  standing 
in  the  form  of  a  ruin,  gracefully  covered  with 
a  heavy  growth  of  ivy. 

The  first  public  examination  was  held  on 
May  8,  1849,  and  the  first  school  for  teaching 
the  German  language  was  started  in  the  year 
1853. 

On  the  8th  of  June,  1854.  the  directors  or- 
ganized under  the  new  law,  which  went  into 
operation  the  first  Monday  in  June  of  that 
year.  This  increased  the  number  of  boards 
from  one  to  three,  "East  ward,"  "West 
ward"  and  "Board  of  Controllers,"  the  special 
duties  of  the  ward    boards   being    the    raising 


and  expending  of  a  fund  for  building  pur- 
poses; those  of  the  Board  of  Controllers  the 
raising  and  expending  of  a  fund  for  .school 
and  teaching  purj)oses.  This  system  existed 
until  June,  1870,  at  which  time  the  city  was 
enlarged  and  made  into  one  district,  for  all 
purposes  pertaining  to  schools,  umler  a  special 
act  of  Assemby. 

LARGER    SCHOOL    BUU.mNGS. 

In  1855  the  East  Ward  Board  resolved  to 
erect  a  large  building  on  the  corner  of  .Seventh 
and  Holland  streets  equal  to  the  best  in  the 
country.  Considerable  opposition  to  the  pro- 
ject was  manifested,  and  the  board  was  pe- 
titioned, in  strong  terms,  praying  that  the  res- 
olution levying  a  tax  for  a  new  building  be  re- 
scinded. As  the  board  moved  on  in  the  line 
of  action  begun,  efforts  were  made  to  have 
them  legally  enjoined  from  proceeding  fur- 
ther. The  opposition  weakened,  but  existed 
for  some  time.  The  new  building  was  finally 
completed,  and  occupietl  October,  ]8()0.  The 
West  Ward  Hoard  held  to  a  difi'erent  policy — 
that  a  number  of  small  houses  were  better 
t.'ian  one  large  building,  and  in  18(58,  they 
caused  to  be  erected  No.  3,  a  small  four- 
teacher  house,  on  the  corner  of  Sixteenth  and 
Sassafras  streets,  and  in  1865  No.  4,  after  the 
same  plan,  on  West  Fifth  street,  near  Chest- 
nut. In  1805  the  East  Ward  Board  built  No. 
5on  East  Twelfth  street,  near  German,  a  house 
similar  to  Nos.  3  and  4,  but  somewhat  larger. 
In  18(59  the  West  Ward  Board  erected  No.  (5, 
a  six-teacher  house,  on  the  corner  of  Tenth 
and  Sassafras  streets,  which  was  enlarged  in 
1878-74. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


487 


PRESENT  BUILDINGS. 


The  following  table  shows  the  present  school  buildings,  the  years  in   which    they    were 
erected,  and  other  matters  of  value  : 


0) 


QC 


S  " 


Central. 
1.. 
2.. 


No. 
No. 

No.     3 

No.     4 

No.     5 

No.     6 

No.     7 

No.     8 

No.     9 

No.  10 

No.  11 

No.  12 

No.  13 

No.  H 

No.  15 

No.  16 

No.  17  (lot) 
No.  18  (lot) 


Location. 


11th  and  Sassafras 

231  3d  and  French 

400>th  and  Holland 

364  I6th  and  Sassafras 

aiS  5th  and  Chestnut 

400  12th  bet.  Holland  &  German 

18"]36th  and  Clierry 

440,21st  and  Sassafras 

4S6l  17th  and  Poplar 

400  27th  and  Peach 

477  5th  and  Plum 

181  1 1th  and  French 

407  6th  and  East  Avenue 

496 


431 
482 


10th  and  Ash 

2Ist  and  German. 

23d  and  Ash 


,8th  and  Walnut.  .. 
10th  and  Cascade. 
27th  and  Wayne.,. 


139l   6.603 


330 
165 
165 
123 
165 
165 
264 
325 


165 
123 
165 

158 

247;4 

248 

165 
206'X 


206^ 

165 

20614 

128 

165 

165 

330 

135 


247J^    205 
165       250 


165 

160 

165 

160 
170 

128 

165 
165 

acre. 


5 
2 
2 
12-5 


62-5 
4 

35i 
3 


an 


49  2-5 


Value  of 
Lots. 


$  30.000 
6.000 
10,000 
8,000 
8,000 
8,000 
3.=S00 
16  000 
10,000 
6.000 

4,000 

8,000 

4,000 

6,500 
6200 


10,000 

4.200 

600 


Value  of 
Buildings. 


|;155,300 


»l  15,000 
10,000 
20  000 
15  000 
27,000 
40,000 
1.700 
18,  00 
18  000 
40  000 

30,000 

15.000 

30,000 

IH  (RHI 

•;7,ooo 

18,000 
18,000 


$460,700 


(11 13 

V  a 


»  6, 


1, 


,000jl890 
350!1877 
..500{l858 
,0OOll8S5 
,8001895 
..500,1891 
200,1892 
,800  1875 
.500  1875 
,500  1891 
1871 
1893 
,500  1873 

-^"  1893 
.000  1881 
.8(K.I  1K95 

•■™,1890 
,550  1883 


,200 


Contractors. 


$35,900 


Henry  Shenk 

C.  Kerner 

John  Constable 

F.  W.  Miller 

F.  W.  Miller 

S    Kirschner  &  Sons. . 

H,  HimberKer. 

r  J.  Hogan 

Constable  vSc  Ramsey. 
S.  Kirschner  &  Sons.. 
H.  Shenk  / 

G.  W.  Fassetl     )' 

Constable  &  Ramsey. 
John  Hendry  / 

G.  W.  Fassett  f 

S-  Kirschner 

I-.  W.  Miller 

Henry  Shenk  /_ 

C.  Kerner         l' 

C.  Kerner 


Where  two  dates  occur,  they  indicate  that  the  building  has  been  remodeled,  added  to  or  replaced  by  a  new  structure.  House 
No.  4  was  seriously  damaged  by  fire  on  the  11th  of  February,  1895.  The  ruins  had  to  be  taken  down  and  a  new  building  erected. 
House  No.  1  is  heated  by  a  furnace;  No.  13  by  a  furnace  and  stove;  No.  6  by  stoves ;  Nos.  2,  4,  7,  11  and  16  by  steam;  all  the  rest  by 
the  Smead  system. 

The  buildings  in  general  are  a  credit  to  the  city,  and  the  Central  schoolhouse,  in  particular,  will  compare  favorably  with  the 
finest  in  the  country. 


THE    HIGH    SCHOOL. 

The  High  School  was  established  on  the 
26th  of  June,  1866,  and  has  been  popular 
from  the  beginning.  It  was  held  in  house 
No.  2  at  Seventh  and  Holland  streets,  until 
September  1,  1875,  when  it  was  moved  to  the 
Academy,  under  a  plan  for  turning  over  the 
latter  property  to  the  School  Board.  Litiga- 
tion ensued,  which  resulted  in  the  retention 
of  the  Academy  by  the  Trustees  thereof,  and 
the  removal  of  the  High  School,  in  March, 
1877,  to  its  former  location.  It  remained 
there  until  its  final  and  permanent  change  to 
the  Central  building  in  September,  1891. 

The  principals  of  the  school  have  been  as 
follows  : 

J.  M.  Wells,  from  186G  to  1870. 

Wm.  Reed,  jr.,  from  April,  1870,  to  1873. 

H.  C.  Missimer,  from  January,  1878,  to 
1890. 

John  C.  Diehl,  from  September,  1890.  to 
the  present  time. 


The  enrollment  of  the  school  was  166  in 
1870;  245  in  1880;  311  in  1890;  491  in  1894- 
5  ;  and  500  at  the  beginning  of  the  term,  Sep- 
tember 2,  1895. 

The  first  graduating  class,  in  18(59,  consist- 
ed of  two  pupils.  The  total  number  of  grad- 
uates, 1869  to  1895  inclusive,  has  been  614, 
of  whom  158  were  males  and  456  females. 

CITY   SUPERINTENDENT. 

In  July,  1865,  the  Board  of  Control  elect- 
ed Prof.  H.  S.  Jones,  principal  teacher,  to 
perform  the  usual  duties  of  a  School  Superin- 
tendent. In  June,  1867,  he  was  duly  elected 
City  Superintendent,  under  the  act  of  that 
year.  Prof.  Jones  was  succeeded  by  Prof. 
H.  C.  Missimer  in  May,  1890.  The  city, 
being  a  separate  district  from  the  county,  has 
no  connection  with  the  latter  in  school  matters. 

MEMBERS  OF    THE   SCHOOL  BOARD. 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  members  of  the 
School  Board    from   the    organization    of  the 


488 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


public  schools  to  October,  1895,  with  the  years 
in  which  they  served.  The  stars  (*)  indicate 
those  who  have  officiated  as  President  of  the 
Board : 


Adam  Aclieson 1859-62, 

A.  K.  Acheson .  .    

J.  Ackerman 

E.  J.  Ames 

J.  B.  Arbiickle 

P.  Arbuckle 

J.  E.  Ashby 

Elijah  Babbitt 1834-38, 

*Isaac  Baker 

Chas.  Barth 

*M.  R.  Barr 

T.  M.  Bates 

Win.  Baumann 

F.  Baiischard 

C.  Becker 

P.  A.  Becker 1866-68, 

*Henry  Beckinan 

E.  P.  Bennett 

G.  A.  Bennett 

J.  H.  Bli.ss 

J.  V.  Boy-r 

F.  Brevillier 1868-72, 

G.  F.  Brevillier 

A.  W.  Brewster 

*Wm.  S.  Brown 

M.  W.  Caug^hey 

J.  D.Clark 

N.  Clemens 1870-77, 

W.  L.  Cleveland 

J.  R.  Cocliran 

Geo.  P.  Colt 

E.  J.  Cowell 

*P.  Crouch 1866-67, 

F.  J.  Detzel 

*H.  W.  DeWitt 1889-90, 

C.  K.  Dickinson 

Robert  Dill 

John  Doll 1884-85, 

J.  F.  Downing- 

Wellington  Downing 

Gustave  Dumbeck 

J.  D.  Dunlap 

G.  A.  Ebi.sch 

J.  A.  Eichenlaub 

G.  A.  Eliot 

John  Elliott 

John  Fairbairn 

Peter  Felbinger   

Jerome  W.  Ford 

A.  E.  Foster 

Galen  Foster 

*A.  A.  Freeman 

J.  J.  Fuessler 

Anthony  Geiger 

John  Gensheinier 1860-63, 

E.  W.  Germer 

J.  M.  Glazier 

Chas.  A.  Gloth 

H.  H.  Gloth 

Felix  Graf 

Geo.  P.  Griffith 


1874-77 
1893-97 
1870-73 
1856-59 
1892-95 
1854-56 
1882-86 
1840-43 
1888-97 
1883-92 
1866-74 
1878-81 
1893-96 
1882-85 
1870-72 
1871-73 
1878-87 
1862-65 
1854-62 
1860-63 
1863-66 
1873-76 
1858-62 
1837-43 
1860-72 
1870-73 
1854-58 
1881-84 
1867-71 
1857-60 
1878-81 
1867-68 
1871-82 
1887-90 
1892-94 
1895-98 
1885-88 
1886-89 
1858-62 
1887-90 
1893-96 
1852-58 
1876-82 
1878-81 
1856-62 
1870-71 
1879-82 
1882-94 
1887-93 
1854-55 
1839-42 
1889-92 
1874-77 
1893-96 
1871-74 
1870-74 
1882-85 
1874-76 
1893-96 
1890-93 
1872-75 


Frank  Gunnison 1872-75 

J.  B.  Gunnison 1862-68 

O.  C.   Gunnison 1894-97 

Wni.  Hard  wick 1890-93 

M .  Hartleib 1862-65 

J.  P.  Hartman 1895-98 

L.  H.  Raskins 1846-48 

Samuel  Hays 1838-41 

C.  Heck 1841   44 

*Samuel  Heiss 1885-93,   1895-98 

John   Hill 1848-54 

J.  J.  Hogan 1887  90 

T.  J.  Hoskinson 1871-77 

John  Hughes .1851-54 

R.  O.  Hulbert 1841-56 

Smith  Jackson 1834-39 

G.  Jarecki 1858-70 

J.  B.  Johnson 1844-48 

J.  M.  Justice 1863-66 

Adam  Karch 1890-95 

George  Kellogg 1837-40 

Wm.  Kellv 1834-37 

C.  W.  Kelso 1848-62 

E.  J.  Kelso 1834-35 

David  Kennedy 1843-46 

Alfred  King 1847-49 

F.  Koehler 1887-90 

C.  Kolb 1854-61 

Henry  Kneib 1881-87,  1893  !I6 

J.  Knipe 1854  57 

*J.  M.  Kuhn 1862-68,  1877-83 

D.  G.  Landen 1857-59,  1866-68 

W.  J.  F.  Liddell 1859-60 

John  W.   Little 1894-96 

J.J.  Love 1880-83 

R.  St.  P.  Lowry 1890-93 

George  Lover 1868-72 

W.  F.  Lut j'e 1871-78 

W.  W.  Lyle 1881-87 

M.  Lvsaght   1889-95 

Jas.  Lytle : 1844-47,1854-57 

M.  Mauer 1888-93 

*Henry  Maver 1878-81 

Henrv  Mavo •. 1877-80 

P.  Metcalf' 1862-67 

Eugene  Metz 1870-74 

Linus  Metz 1885-93 

T.  E.  Metzgar 1883-84 

George  P.  Miller 1889-92 

James  S.  Miller 1890-93 

M.  M.  Moore 1880-83 

Thos.  Moorhead,  jr 1846-49 

W.  F.  Momeyer 1883-89 

Paul  Mueller 1894-98 

N.  Murphy 1865-68 

Dennis  McCarty 1886-89 

E.  McConiber 1870-71 

D.  B.  McCreary 1860-63 

C.  McSparren 1849-51 

J.  A.  Near 1877-78 

R.  G.  Newbegin 1893-94 

Thos.  O'Dea 1885-91 

John  O'Hagan 1875-87 

*L.  W.  Olds 1862-71 

C.  L.  Pierce 1873-76 

Peter  Pierce 1842-44 

W.  W.  Pierce 1883-86 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


489 


Thos.  Pickering- 1890 

W.  F.  Price 1872-78 

W.  J.  Reed 1885-88 

Jas.  C.  Reid 1846-51 

W.  S.  Riblet 1877-83 

J.  H.  Roach 1889-91 

Louis  Rosenzweijr 1880-83,  1885-6 

*W.  W.   Ross 1881-87 

J.  S.  RuUnd 1893-97 

J.  \V.  Ryan 1872-75 

W.  J.  Sands 1876-79 

C.  Savin 1855-58 

H.  C.  Shannon 1866-67 

C.  C.  Shirk 1890-92 

David  Shirk 1857-58 

R.  J.  Sibley 1850-54 

T.  H.  Sill 1835-41 

*B.  A.  Smith 1884-93 

S  .Z.  Smith 1866-70 

Henry  Stahl 1870-79 

Georg-e  Steiner 1886-89 

*J.  L.  Sternberg-   1879-85 

James  M.  Sterrett 1842-45,  1849-56 

Joseph  M.  Sterrett 1842-50 

J.  Q.  A.  Sterrett 1873-75 

Dr.  J.  L.  Stewart 1855-60 

Thomas  Stewart 1845-46 

Chas.  E.  Strick 1892-88 

E.  E.  Stuerznickel 1866-67 

Matthew  Taylor 1851-52 

C.  M.  Tibbals 1854-55 

Thos.  Tidman 1871-77 

J.  Towner 1854-57 

J.  A.  Tracy 1834-39 

F.  Vogel 1879-82 

*J.  J.  Wadsworth 1883-89 

B.  J.  Walker 1893-97 

J.  F.  Walther 1868-78 

Jacob  Warf el 1876-85 

J.  H.  Welsh   1374-80 

H.  L.  Wilkins 1874-80 

Jos.  H.  Williams,  sr 1839-42 

*Jos.  H.   Williams 1891-97 

B.  S.  Witherell 1876 

C.  B.  Wuenschel 1892-98 

Whole  number,  173. 

The  school  board,  as  at  present  constituted, 
is  composed  of  eighteen  members,  three  from 
each  ward,  elected  for  a  term  ot  three  years, 
taking  otKce  the  first  Monday  of  June. 

\Vm.  G.  Arbuckle  was  appointed  Super- 
intendent of  School  Buildings  on  February  1, 
1882,  and  has  served  continuously  from  that 
date. 


SCHOOL  BOOKS,  COURSE  OF  STUDY,   ETC. 

In  accordance  with  the  school  book  law  of 
1893,  requiring  public  school  boards  to  furnish 
books  and  supplies  to  eacli  pupil  free  of  cost, 
the  Board  purchased  for  the  year  1893-94 
books  amounting  to  $11,695.80.     On  the  basis 


of  the  total  enrollment  of  6,850  for  1893-94, 
the  cost  per  pupil  for  the  first  supply  of  such 
books  was,  therefore,  $1.71.  For  the  year 
1894—95  the  Board  made  additional  purchases 
to  meet  the  deficiencies  of  the  previous  year 
and  the  increased  enrollment  of  the  current 
year,  and  supply-  books  lost  or  destroyed  on 
account  of  contagious  diseases,  amounting  to 
$3,935.83,  at  a  cost  of  fifty-seven  cents  per 
pupil  of  the  total  enrollment.  The  cost  of 
books  to  the  Board  is  about  one-third  less  than 
it  would  be  to  individuals. 

The  course  of  study  extends  through  eleven 
"  years,"  seven  of  which,  below  the  High 
school,  are  divided  into  "  half--sears."  Each 
"half-year"  is  distinctly  outlined,  and  each 
scholar  below  the  High  school  is  graded  in  one- 
half  of  some  year,  as  "  first  year,  first  half;" 
third  year,"  "  second  half,"  etc. 

The  studies  of  the  course  below  the  High 
school  embrace  numbers  and  arithtnetic,  lan- 
guage—  English  and  German — composition, 
grammar,  geography,  history,  music  and  in- 
dustrial dra\ving. 

The  High  school  is  broad  and  liberal,  allow- 
ing great  freedom  in  the  selection  of  studies, 
and  enabling  students,  who  so  desire,  to  pre- 
pare with  honor  for  the  highest  institutions  of 
learning  in  the  country. 

The  fall  and  winter  term  begins  Septem- 
ber 2,  1895,  and  ends  January  31,  1890.  The 
spring  term  begins  February  3,  1896,  and  ends 
June  26,  1896. 

It  has  been  the  policy  of  the  board  to  keep 
the  school  buildings,  out-houses,  yards  and  sur- 
roundings up  to  a  high  standard  of  neatness 
and  cleanliness,  thus  preventing,  in  large 
measure,  the  spread  of  epidemic  diseases. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  outer  sections 
of  the  city  are  as  well  supplied  with  school 
accommodations  as  the  central  and  more 
wealthy  portions. 

Pupils,  as  a  rule,  are  assigned  to  the  school 
nearest  their  homes,  until  they  are  ready  for  a 
higher  department. 

TEACHERS   AND  TEACHING. 

The  Teachers'  Institute  has  been  a  source 
of  power  in  the  improvement  of  the  schools 
since  1858.  The  sessions  are  well  attended 
and  much  interest  is  shown.  The  outline  of 
work  is  to  improve  teachers  as  individuals  and 
as  instructors. 


49° 


IfELSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Out  of  the  186  teachers  in  1895  all  were 
women  but  7. 

In  1882  the  primary  departments  were  ma- 
terially strengthened  by  the  appointment  of  a 
supervisor  of  primary  instruction. 

The  Board,  by  special  action  in  March, 
1883,  made  it  impossible  for  persons  without 
successful  experience  or  professional  training 
to  be  engapfed  as  teachers,  and  established  the 
policy  that  a  teacher's  promotion  and  salary 
shall  depend  upon  the  efficiency  shown  in  the 
school-room. 

The  Mechanical  Drawing  School  was  or- 
ganized in  January,  18S4.  Drawing  was  in- 
troduced into  the  evening  schools,  however,  as 
long  ago  as  October,  187'5. 

The  Teachers'  Training  Class,  organized 
in  September,  1883,  was  composed  of  gradu- 
ates of  the  High  school  of  good  standing,  and 
any  others  who  had  passed  through  a  similar 
course  of  study  with  credit,  who  wished  to  be- 
come teachers.  It  was  abolished  in  July,  18U5, 
with  the  understanding  that  it  is  to  be  revived 
in  the  fall  of  1896,  under  the  control  of  an  ex- 
pert training  teacher. 

Although  music  was  on  the  progranmie 
of  the  schools  prior  to  1868,  in  many  depart- 
ments little  or  nothing  was  done.  In  No- 
vember, 1868,  a  special  teacher  was  engaged, 
and  soon  the  singing  in  the  schools  assumed  a 
creditable  phase. 

Evening  schools  were  organized  in  1867. 

A  school  for  deaf  mutes  was  opened  Jan- 
uary, 1875,  which  lasted  for  several  years. 

German  was  made  a  special  optional 
branch  of  study  in  1877.  It  has  been  taught 
in  the  schools  to  a  more  or  less  extent,  since 
1858. 

TEACHERS      WHO      HAVE      GIVEN'      TEN      YEARS* 
SERVICE. 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  teachers  who  have 
been  employed  for  ten  years  or  more — the  fig- 
ures  showing  the  years  of  their  appointment : 

Minnie  Atkins,  1876. 

Amy  Barnette,  1871. 

Lizzie  Bryan,  1874. 

James    R.  Burns,  1877. 

Millie  Brown,  1883. 

Jennie  Brown.  1888. 

Daisy  Boyd,  1885. 

Susie  Culver,  1879. 

Lena  Coughlin,  1885. 

Jennie  Douglass,  1876. 


Mrs.  Susan  Fean,  1875. 
Maria  Farlev,  1881. 
Mrs.  Fisk,  1883. 
Sarah  Fletcher,  1885. 
Sophia  Gaggin,  1870. 
Mary  Golden,  1871. 
Matilda  Gaskell,  1881. 
Celestia  Hershey,  1873. 
Libbie  Hanlon,  1874. 
Sarah  Hubley,  1874. 
Estelle  Hutciiins,  1879. 
Madalena  Hay,  1884. 
Anna  Hamilton,  1885. 
Elizabeth   Johnson,  1877. 
Clara  Johannessen,  1884. 
A.  C."Kilbourne,  1866. 
Lucinda  Kelsey,  1876. 
Margaret   King,  1879. 
Emma  Kerber,  1881. 
Ada  Love,  1874. 
Susie  Love,  1878. 
Jennie  Leo,  1884. 
Hattie  Moorhead,  1878. 
Emma  Miller,  1884. 
Sophronia  Olds,  1877. 
Mary  O'Dea,  1885. 
Mary  Payne,  1869. 
Mrs.  Pierce,  1881. 
Lizzie  Probert,  1882. 
Mary  Presslv,  1885. 
Mattie  Rudd,  1S67. 
Emma  Seav,  1867. 
Mrs.  L.  M."  Smith,  1872. 
Anna  Sterrett,  1874. 
Ida  Salisbury,  1876. 
Nettie  Stiles,  1879. 
Lillian  Slocum,  1879. 
Julia  Siegel,  1881. 
Jennie  Sullivan.  1881. 
Carrie  Sturgeon,  1884. 
Adelia  Smith,  1884. 
Inez  Torrev,  1877. 
Frances  Taylor.  1882. 
Getta  Taylor,  1885. 
Henrietta  Taylor,  1885. 
Mary  Wagner,  1878. 
Belle  Winchell,  1879. 
Rose  Whitney,  1879. 
Rose  Willing,  1880. 
George  Zwilling,  1884. 

teachers'  SALARIES. 

The  annual  salaries    paid    to  teachers   per 
year  in  1894-'5  were  as  follows  : 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COU^iTY. 


491 


Hig-h  School $400  to  $1,600 

Primary  Grades — 

First  Year  Teachers 350  to  500 

Assistant 250  to  350 

Second  Year  Teachers 300  to  400 

Assistants 250  to  300 

Third  Year  Teachers 320  to  420 

Grammar  Grades — 

Fourth  Year  Teachers 350  to  450 

Fifth  Year  Teachers 380  to  480 

Sixth  Year  Teachers 400  to  500 

Seventh  Year  Teachers 430  to  530 

Assistants 250  to  300 

Principals,  4  rooms 500  to  550 

Principals,  6,  7  and  8  rooms,  non-Gram- 
mar   570  to  620 

Principals,  8  rooms.  Grammar 600  to  700 

German 270  to  500 

Music 650 

Drawing- 500 

Mechanical  Drawing-  School 450 

COMPARATIVE    TABLE. 

The  following  table  of  comparisons  is  of 
value  as  showing  the  growth  of  the  schools 
and  the  relative  cost  of  the  same  : 


Population  of  city 

Number  of  pupils  enrolled 
Average  daily  attendance  . 

Pupils  in  High  School 

High  school  Graduates.. . . 
No.  of  teachers  employed. 
Amount  of  tax  collected.  .  .¥47 
Amount  State  appropriat'n    '.■ 
Value  of  school  property. .    . 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

On  Columbus  Day,  October  :?1,  1892,  the 
entire  schools  of  the  cit}- — public,  private  and 
parochial — turned  out  in  procession,  and,  led 
by  the  National  Guard  and  the  veterans  of  the 
war,  marched  through  the  principal  streets, 
preliminary  to  the  more  formal  exercises.  It 
is  computed  that  7,944  children  were  in  line, 
and  the  scene  was  one  that  will  never  be  for- 
gotten by  those  who  witnessed  it. 

The  National  Flag  is  hoisted  on  the 
schools  regularly  in  each  year  on  the  days  be- 
low mentioned  :  The  Fourth  of  July,  Labor 
Day,  Opening  of  Schools,  10th  of  Septem- 
ber, October  19th,  Thanksgiving,  Christmas, 
New  Year's,  12th  of  February,  22d  of  Febru- 
ary, 19th  of  April,  Decoration  Day  (half- 
mast),  14th  of  June. 

The  afternoon  of  the  21st  or  28d  of  Feb- 
ruary of  each  year,  as  may  be  determined  by 
the  Superintendent,  is  set  apart  for  special 
exercises  under  the  head  of  "  The  Nation's 
Day,"  at  which  time  the  life  and  services  of 
Washington  and  his  compeers,  are  commemo- 


1870. 

1880. 

1890. 

1895. 

I9.&16 

27.737 

40  6»I 

48  000 

3. TOO 

4.244 

5.440 

7  223 

■3.046 

2.911 

4.-!53 

5  058 

im 

245 

311 

491 

11 

17 

29 

62 

58 

100 

1.54 

188 

999.6.=)  <S3..i78  08  *9.=i  051.13  if 

25.276.90 

00-J93 

5.732  02 

8529  30 

36.336.96 

293.000 

440,000 

651,900 

rated  by  music,  recitations,  declamations  and 
compositions. 

PUBLIC   LIBRARY. 

The  School  Board  of  Erie  in  office  at  the 
beginning  of  1895,  are  entitled  to  the  honor 
of  taking  the  lead  in  securing  the  Free  Public 
Library  law,  which  forms  a  portion  of  the 
statutes  of  Pennsylvania.  The  law,  substan- 
tially as  enacted,  was  drafted  by  a  citizen  of 
Erie,  aided  by  a  former  well-known  school 
director,  submitted  to  the  Board  on  February 
7,  1895,  unanimously  endorsed  by  that  bodj', 
and  forwarded  to  Harrisburg,  with  a  circular 
from  the  Board  to  each  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature, asking  him  to  support  its  passage. 
Through  the  influence  of  Senator  McCrearey 
and  Representative  Gould,  both  of  Erie,  it 
passed  both  Houses  by  a  handsome  vote,  and, 
on  being  laid  before  Governor  Hastings,  re- 
ceived his  prompt  and  hearty  approval.  Few 
measures  have  ever  been  enacted  in  Pennsyl- 
vania that  reflect  more  credit  upon  the  State, 
and  it  is  a  matter  of  pride  to  know  that  it  had 
its  birth  in  Erie,  and  owes  its  passage  mainly 
to  the  efforts  of  Erie  people. 

The  School  Board,  on  the  evening  of  De- 
cember 5,  1895,  elected  the  following  gentle- 
men Trustees  of  the  Library  proposed  to  be 
established  in  Erie  under  the  law  referred  to  : 

For  one  year — Louis  Rosenzweig,  Dr.  M. 
C.  Dunigan  ;  for  two  years — J.  F.  Downing, 
L.  M.  Little  ;  for  three  years — Charles  Jarecki, 
Benjamin  \Vhitman. 

ERIE    ACADEMY. 

This  venerable  place  of  learning  was  in- 
corporated by  the  Legislature  March  25,  1817, 
Rev.  RobertReid,  R.  S.  Reed,  Robert  Brown, 
Thomas  Forster,  Thomas  Wilson,  John  C. 
Wallace,  Judah  Colt,  Thomas  H.  Sill  and 
Giles  Sanford  being  its  first  trustees.  It  was 
endowed  by  the  state  with  500  acres  of  land 
set  apart  at  the  sale  of  the  "  Reserved  Tracts," 
adjoining  Erie,  for  the  use  of  schools  and 
academies.  To  this  was  subsequently  added 
fifteen  lots  between  Fourth,  Fifth,  Myrtle  and 
Chestnut  streets  as  a  site  for  the  Academy. 
In  1820  an  appropriation  of  $2,00(>  was  made 
by  the  State  for  the  erection  of  suitable  build- 
ings. Later,  by  permission  of  the  Legislature, 
the  site  was  changed  to  its  present  location  on 
Peach,  between  Ninth  and  Tenth  streets, which 


492 


IfELSOJTS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


was  purchased  by  the  trustees  from  Enoch 
Marvin. 

The  institution  was  incorporated  as  "  an 
academy  or  public  school  for  the  education  of 
youth  in  the  English  and  other  languages,  in 
the  useful  arts,  sciences  and  literature."  On 
the  11th  of  December,  1822,  a  stone  school 
building,  commenced  the  previous  year,  was 
finished  and  accepted.  It  cost  $2,500,  and 
was  opened  in  April,  1823.  Upon  the  burn- 
ing of  the  courthouse  in  March,  1823,  this 
building  was  used  by  the  Courts  until  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  courthouse.  In  1849,  1850, 
1851  and  1852  a  fair  was  held  on  the  academy 
grounds. 

The  Academy  reached  the  zenith  of  its 
prosperity  about  1844,  while  in  charge  of  the 
well  remembered  principal,  Reid  T.  Stewart. 
The  attendance  in  that  year  was  203,  em- 
bracing pupils  from  a  wide  scope  of  country. 
Below  is  a  list  of  those  from  Erie  county  : 

Females — Ella  Babbitt,  Antoinette  M. 
Brown,  Mary  and  Sarah  Brewster,  Catherine 
Benedict,  Eliza  P.  Ball,  Sophia  M.  and 
Harriet  M.  Chester,  Sarah  Dillon,  Sarah 
Davenport,  Jane  Dickson,  Charlotte  Downes, 
Catherine  E.  Fleming,  Annette  J.  Gunnison, 
P.  M.  Hutchison,  Emily  K.  Hallock,  Hannah 
and  Isabella  Heck,  Anna  Hughes,  Mary  E. 
Hancock,  Catherine  R.  Johns,  Louisa  Jones, 
Margaret,  Sarah  J.  and  Lavinia  S.  Jackson, 
Marv  y.  Kelley,  Ellen  Kain,  Lavinia  Klinken- 
broomer,  Martha  A.  and  Jane  E.  Lapham, 
Martha  M.  Lambcrton,  Susan  Lytle,  ]Malvina 
Look,  Mary  J.,  Margaret,  Emeline  and  Susan 
Mehaffey,  'Adelaide  P.  and  Harriet  A.  Mc- 
Allister, Margaret  McCracken,  Jane  Moore, 
Mary  Jane  McClelland,  Frances  C.  Newton, 
Susannah  Neely,  Virginia  W.  Ottinger, 
Maria  Pogson,  Jennette  L.  Reid,  Adelaide 
Ross,  Anna  Rhodes,  Sarah  A.  Reynolds, 
Harriet  G.  Reed,  Mary  Jane  and  jSIelvina 
Spencer,  Elizabeth  W.  .Shirk,  Caroline  Snow, 
Sarah  Slocum,  Lucy  E.  and  Eleanor  Spafford, 
Elizabeth,  Mary  E.  and  Frances  Scott,  Matil- 
da M.  and  Anna  M.  Tracy,  Sarah  G.  Thomp- 
son, Blanche  Vincent,  Caroline  M.,  Helen 
M.,  Cordelia  L.  and  Sarah  Jane  Williams, 
Rosina  M.  Winchell,  Susan  and  Josephine 
Warren. 

Males — Samuel  M  Anderson,  Andrew 
Adams,  Henry  W.  Babbitt,  Wm.  Brewster, 
Geo.  C.  Bennett,  Ebenezer  Backus,  Elias 
Bayle,  Asa  Battles,  Carneal,  Frederick,  Henry 


and  John    Benson,  John  Berriman,    Hiram  L. 
and     James    Brown,     Patrick    and    Thomas 
Brunker,  William  Blaine,   Depello  R.  Bales, 
Andrew  Caughey,    Wm.    N.    Couse,    Ezekiel 
Chambers,    Patrick    Crawter.     Andrew    and 
Wm.  Culbertson,  Wm.Camp,  Norman  Court 
right,    Amos    and    Thos.     Dillon,    Joh'i      W 
Douglass,   Marcus  D.    Dobbins,  Wm.  Daven- 
port, Jos.   G.   Ebersole,   John    Eliot,  Wm.  F 
Fleming,  Richard  F.  Gaggin,  James  Graham 
Jas.  L.  Gray,  Abijah    George,  Hiram  Green 
wood,  Henry   Giflford,  Mj-ron   A.    Hays,  Au 
gustus  F.,  Frederick  and  Henry  Harvev,  T.   J 
Hoskinson,  G.  W.  and  Samuel  Hinirod,  Alex 
and  George    Hamilton,  ^Vlbert    Hardv.  James 
C.    Hart,    Thos.   S.    Heck,   John   and   James 
Hancock,  William  and    Samuel    Johns,   James 
Jackson,  Geo.    F.   King,  Ralph    R.    Kellogg, 
Dennis   Kelsey,  David   Kendall,   Johnson  and 
Nixon  Kennedy,  John   Kelley,  Wilson  Laird, 
Henry  Law,  James  Lyndes,  John  L)-tle,  James 
and  F.  F.  Marshall,  Isaac  Moorhead,  Edward 
A..  Charles  and  Thomas  Mehaffey,  John  Mel- 
horn,  Hugh  D.  and  Dwight   J.  McCann,  David 
McCreary,    Neal  and    Archibald    McFadyen, 
Thomas      McConkey,      James     McCracken, 
Wheeler    and   Charles   Pollock,   Oscar  Park, 
John    Quinn,    Edward     Reynolds,    John    W. 
Riddell,  John  C.    Reid,    James    and    Joseph 
Sill,  George  Selden,  James  W.   Shirk,  .Samuel 
Sterrett, Charles  C.  Spafford,  Albert  and  Brad- 
ley  Sennett,    Benjamin    Stevens,  Charles  and 
William   Sherwood,    William     and     Winiield 
Scott,  J.  Ross  Thompson,  Charles  Tracy,  Geo. 
W.     Taggart,      Joseph    S.    Tuttle,    Alvanus 
Thayer,  Abram   VanTassel,    Strong  Vincent, 
Charles  and  Edward  Vosburgh,  John  W.  and 
Thomas  M.  Walker,  John  H.  Warren,  Thos. 
P.    Wight,   Ephraim    Willard,    Francis  Win- 
chell, John  Youngs. 

In  1878  the  academy  buildings  were  re- 
modeled and  modernized.  The  old  stone  and 
brick  structure  gave  place  to  an  edifice  sur- 
mounted with  a  Gothic  mansard  roof,  making 
the  building  three  stories  high.  The  building 
is  heated  by  the  "  Rutan  General  System," 
which  supplies  both  heat  and  ventilation. 

The  academy  is  managed  by  a  board  of 
nine  trustees,  who  have  heretofore  been 
elected  by  the  entire  people  of  the  county. 
By  an  act  passed  at  the  session  of  1895  this 
feature  has  been  changed  so  that  the  board  in 
office  at  the  time  will  name  their  successors. 

The  academy  grounds  are  not  only   large 


■^^KU/i^^. 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


493 


and  centrally  located,  but  are  finely  shaded  by 
grand  old  trees  that  were  planted  by  the  citi- 
zens of  many  years  ago. 

The  school  has  had  numerous  principals, 
who,  in  the  main,  have  conducted  it  to  the 
satisfaction  of  its  patrons.  It  aims  to  fit  stu- 
dents for  college,  as  well  as  to  give  a  thorough 
English  education.  Under  Prof.  Louis  Leakey 
and  his  wife,  Jennie  Drake  Leakey,  the  pres- 
ent principals,  who  took  charge  July  1,  1894, 
the  Academy  shows  evidence  of  renewed 
vigor  and  prosperity. 

ERIE  FEMALE   SEMCNARY. 

An  institution  under  the  above  title  was 
incorporated  in  1838  and  went  into  operation 
soon  afterward,  having  an  annual  appropria- 
tion of  $3t)0  from  the  Legislature  for  several 
years.  It  never  possessed  an)'  buildings  of  its 
own,  its  last  location  being  the  building  now 
occupied  by  the  original  structure  of  the 
Hamot  Hospital.  The  seminar^'did  not  have 
a  continual  existence,  but  at  one  time  ceased 
operations,  was  again  revived,  and  finally 
went  down  about  1866. 

ST.  Benedict's  academy, 

Which  adjoins  St.  Marv's  Church  on  East 
Ninth  street,  is  in  charge  of  the  Benedictine 
Sisters,  five  of  whom  came  to  Erie  in  1856 
from  the  town  of  St.  Mary's,  Elk  county,  the 
cradle  or  nursery  of  the  order  in  America. 
They  first  occupied  a  small  frame  house  west 
of  the  church,  bearing  many  inconveniences 
for  four  years,  at  the  expiration  of  whicii  time 
they  were  domiciled  in  a  commodious  brick 
building  on  the  east  side  of  St.  Marv's  Church. 
About  1864  they  established  St.  Benedict's 
Academy,  and  in  1870  they  erected  next  to 
the  convent  a  spacious  academy  building  and 
boarding-school,  for  the  education  of  young 
ladies  and  children,  to  which  was  added,  four 
years  after,  a  large,  handsome  chapel  for  the 
use  of  the  religieuse  and  pupils.  The  convent 
has  increased  largely  in  numbers,  and  the 
academy  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the  most 
prospeious  schools  in  the  city.  Additions  and 
improvements  have  been  made  to  the  academy 
buildings  until  thev  rank  with  the  best  for  the 
purpose.  Although  under  Catholic  auspices, 
pupils  are  received  without  regard  to  creed  or 
nationalitv.  Sister  M.  Clara  is  the  directress 
of  the  sisterhood. 
32 


VILLA    MARIA    ACADEMY. 

This  splendid  edifice,  one  of  the  finest  in 
the  Erie  diocese  of  the  Catholic  church,  occu- 
pies the  entire  square,  bounded  by  Eighth, 
Ninth,  Liberty  and  Plum  streets.  The  build- 
ing was  commenced  March  9,  1891,  and  com- 
pleted and  dedicated  May  9,  1892.  The 
ground  was  a  gift  from  the  late  lamented 
Father  Casey,  who  also  furnished  all,  or,  at 
least,  a  large  part  of  the  money  for  its  erec- 
tion out  of  the  private  fortune  left  to  him  by 
his  father.  The  building  and  grounds  are 
owned,  controlled  and  managed  by  the  Sis- 
ters of  St.  Joseph,  acting  under  the  supervi- 
sion of  Bishop  ^lullen.  They  have  no  means 
for  the  support  of  the  academy  other  than  such 
as  are  contributed  by  friends  and  derived  from 
the  tuition  of  its  pupils.  The  Sisters  intend 
to  add  to  the  present  building  as  occasion  may 
require,  and,  no  doubt,  in  time  it  will  be  one 
of  the  largest  educational  institutions  in  the 
State.  Besides  the  regular  branches  of  an 
academical  training,  the  young  lady  students 
are  taught  music,  deportment  and  the  several 
acquirements  specially  pertaining  to  their  sex. 
Sister  M.  Theresa  was  the  directress  of  the 
institution  until  August,  1895,  when  she  was 
succeeded  by  Sister  Ernestine. 

CATHOLIC    PAROCHIAL    SCHOOLS. 

The  first  Catholic  school  in  Erie  was  con- 
nected with  St.  Marj-'s  Church,  and  opened 
in  a  small  frame  building  immediately  east  of 
the  present  church,  on  Ninth  street,  in  1850, 
under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  N.  Steinbacher. 
In  1851  the  attendance  numbered  some  forty 
children.  When  the  new  church  was  com- 
pleted, in  1855,  the  old  one  was  fitted  up  by 
Father  Hartmann  for  a  schoolhouse.  In  the 
course  of  time  this  became  insutHcient  to  ac- 
commodate the  growing  congregation,  and  in 
1866  the  Rev.  Father  Benno  caused  the  large 
brick  school  building,  on  Tenth  street,  be- 
tween German  and  Parade,  to  be  erected  for 
the  children  of  the  parish.  It  has  a  capacity 
for  700  scholars,  and  contains  a  neatly  fur- 
nished hall  adapted  to  miscellaneous  purposes. 
The  school  is  under  the  charge  of  the  Broth- 
ers of  St.  Mary  and  the  Benedictine  Nuns. 

St.  Patrick's  School  was  established  in 
1863,  in  a  small  building  at  the  rear  of  the 
church  on  Fourth  street.  The  school  was 
taught  by  one  lay  teacher,    and   opened    with 


494 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


about  fifty  scholars.  In  18G7,  the  two-story 
brick  schoolhouse  on  Fourth,  between  Holland 
and  German  streets,  was  opened  for  the  re- 
ception of  the  Catholic  children.  The  Sisters 
of  St.  Joseph  are  in  charge  of  the  school. 

St.  Joseph's  .School  was  established  by 
St.  Joseph's  Association  in  1867,  in  a  small 
building  on  Eighteenth  street.  During  that 
year,  the  congregation  of  St.  Joseph's  parish 
erected  a  two-story  frame  schoolhouse  on 
Twenty-fourth  street,  between  Peach  and 
Sassafras,  adjoining  the  old  church  on  the 
east,  which  was  occupied  in  1868.  Up  to 
1871,  the  school  was  tauglit  by  laymen,  but  in 
that  year  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph  assumed 
charge,  and  have  continued  ever  since. 

St.  John's  School  was  opened  for  the 
reception  of  scholars  in  1870,  the  erection  of 
the  building  on  Twcnty-si.xth  stieet,  between 
Wallace  and  Ash,  being  identical  with  that 
of  St.  John's  Church.  This  school  was  taught 
by  one  male  teacher  until  September  1,  1883, 
when  a  small  frame  building  was  obtained  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood  and  the  school 
was  divided.  In  18()7,  a  huge  two-story  brick 
school-building,  one  of  the  finest  for  its  ob- 
ject in  Erie,  was  erected  at  the  corner  of 
Twenty-seventh  and  Wallace  streets.  The 
school  is  taught  by  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph. 

St.  Michael's  School,  under  the  care  of  the 
same  Sisters,  was  opened  December  1,  1885. 
The  school  building  adjoins  the  church  on 
Seventeenth  street,  between  Cherry  and  Pop- 
lar. 

St.  Stanislaus  School  opened  September  1, 
1888.  It  occupies  two  frame  buildings  at 
Twelfth  and  Wallace  streets.  Prof.  John 
Nowak  is  the  lay  teacher  in  charge.  He  is 
assisted  by  the  Felician  Sisters. 

The  parochial  schools  of  the  Catholic 
Church  make  a  specialty  of  religious  instruc- 
tion, aside  from  which  the  same  branches  are 
taught  and  about  the  same  methods  followed 
as  in  the   public  schools. 

The  Catholic  Directory  for  1895  gives  the 
following  as  the  attendance  of  children  in  the 
several  parochial  schools  of  the  city  : 

St.  Patrick's 400 

St.   Mary's 600 

St.  Michael's 175 

St.  John's 200 

St.  Joseph's 380 

St.  Stanislaus' 300 

Total 2,055 


ERIE    BUSINESS    UNIVERSITY. 

The  birth  of  this  institution  came  with  the 
starting  of  a  school  in  penmanship  and  book- 
keeping by  H.  C.  Clark,  in  1883,  which  de- 
veloped into  the  institution  familiarly  known 
as  Clark's  Business  College.  For  a  number 
of  years  its  work  was  carried  on  in  the  Wayne 
block,  on  State  street,  east  side,  near  Eighth 
street,  from  which  it  was  removed  to  rooms 
specially  fitted  up  for  the  school  in  the  Down- 
ing building.  In  18'.)(),  the  institution  was 
incorporated  and  a  number  of  leading  citizens 
became  interested  in  its  welfare.  H.  C.  Clark 
was  elected  President  and  A.  E.  Scheithe 
Secretary  and  Treasurer,  with  seven  gentlemen 
as  Directors.  In  January,  180-1,  Prof.  Clark 
resigned  and  J.  F.  Downing  was  elected 
President  and  S.  M.  Sweet  Secretary  and 
Treasurer. 

In  April,  1894,  in  response  to  the  desire 
to  co-operate  more  successfully  in  methods 
and  objects,  the  management  consolidated  its 
work  with  the  Erie  Business  College  and 
Short-Hand  School,  which  came  into  existence 
in  1888  in  response  to  the  demands  for  a  short- 
hand training.  The  latter  was  first  known  as 
the  Erie  Short-Hand  School,  and  was  opened 
by  the  law-reporting  firm  of  Briggs,  Fish  & 
Bochner.  Shortly  after  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  M.  D.  Fletcher,  who  conducted  it 
until  1891,  when  E.  J.  Coburn  became  prin- 
cipal. The  training  it  gave  students  produced 
so  favorable  a  reputation  that  it  was  devel- 
oped into  a  fully-equipped  business  college. 
From  Mr.  Coburn's  control  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  John  M.  Glazier,  who  conducted  it 
until  the  consolidation  with  Clark's  Business 
College. 

The  united  schools  started  with  the  fol- 
lowing directors:  J.  F.  Downing,  President; 
J.  P.  Byrne.  Secretary  and  Treasurer;  John 
M.  Glazier,  General  Alanager;  J.  F.  Hill,  C. 
F.  McClenathan,  Wm.  B.  Trask,  L.  M.  Lit- 
tle, Wm.  Hardwick  and  Giles  D.  Price,  Di- 
rectors. 

Among  its  incorporators  are  some  of  the 
best  known  men  in  the  community.  The 
school  has  had  a  good  degree  of  prosperity, 
and  gives  promise  of  being  one  of  the  grow- 
ing institutions  of  the  city. 

THE    KINDERGARTEN    SYSTEM. 

As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained  at  the 
time    of   writing,    the    earliest    kindergarten 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


495 


work  in  Erie  was  introduced  by  Miss  Anna 
Kelsey,  later  a  missionary  in  Alaska.  Some 
years  after,  the  work  was  taken  up  by  Miss 
Sarah  W.  King,  whose  school  for  the  last  few 
years  has  been  held  in  an  upper  room  of  the 
Erie  Academv  buildinsr.   The  first  free  kinder- 


garten was  opened  in  the  spring  of  1894  by 
Miss  Clara  L.  Smith,  on  West  Twelfth  street. 
The  present  movement,  which  is  on  a  more 
extended  scale  than  any  heretofore  attempted, 
was  inaugurated  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year 
by  Miss  Kate  Spencer. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


Manufactures — Brief  Sketch  and  Historv  of  the  Leading  Manufacturing  Enter- 
prises IN  Erie. — [See  Chapter  XIV,  General  History  of  Erie  County.] 


THE  early  history  of  mills  and  manu- 
factures in  Erie  is  so  fully  given  in 
Chapter  XIV  of  the  General  History 
that  it  would  be  superfluous  to  repeat  it 
here.  It  is  sufficient  to  state,  that,  al- 
though various  attempts  had  been  made  to  es- 
tablish manufactures  in  the  city,  the  great 
movement  in  that  direction  did  not  take  place 
till  about  1860.  Previous  to  that  date  the 
citizens  still  looked  to  the  lake  trade  as  their 
leading  industry,  and  boasted  that  their  pos- 
session of  the  "best  harbor  on  the  lakes,"  was 
sure  to  make  Erie  some  day  an  important  cit)-. 
When  they  finally  waked  up  to  the  sad  truth 
that,  even  with  our  advantage  in  the  matter 
of  a  harbor,  it  was  impossible  to  rival  Buffalo, 
with  its  great  canal  and  superior  railroad  fa- 
cilities, the  effect  was  somewhat  startling, 
but  none  the  less  beneficial.  They  soon  saw 
that  the  only  way  to  make  up  for  the  defi- 
ciency in  location,  distances,  grades  and  other- 
wise was  to  engage  in  manufactures,  for 
which  the  proximity  of  the  city  to  the  coal 
fields,  and  the  more  recent  extensions  of  its 
railroad  facilities  give  it  peculiar  opportuni- 
ties.    The  result   is,  that   within   a   compara- 


tively brief  period,  Erie  has  become  one  of 
the  leading  manufacturing  cities  in  the  Union, 
with  a  reputation  that  is  not  confined  to  the 
American  continent.  As  will  be  seen  by  the 
list  below,  the  manufactures  of  the  city  are  of 
unusual  variety,  so  that  it  is  next  to  impos- 
sible for  a  depression  or  panic  to  occur  that  will 
seriously  affect  every  interest.  It  was  a  matter 
of  common  remark,  during  the  late  financial 
revulsion,  that  Erie  was  less  einbarrassed  or 
injured  than  any  city  of  its  size  in  the  land. 

Most  of  the  manufactures  in  the  city 
started  from  small  beginnings,  and  have  been 
extended  as  the  increase  of  trade  demanded 
and  warranted.  The  owners  and  managers 
are,  therefore,  as  a  rule,  fully  versed  in  their 
business,  know  how  to  carry  it  on  with  the 
least  expense,  and  are  free  from  the  disadvan- 
tages of  men  who  start  with  large  capital  and 
resources,  which  they  have  not  the  experi- 
ence or  ability  to  properly  handle.  "That 
labor  is  remuneratively  rewarded  is  proven  by 
the  fact  that  strikes  of  any  magnitude  are  un- 
known. Labor  and  capital  work  mutually 
too^ether.  The  seeds  of  communism  or  an- 
archy do  not  take  root  in  Erie." 


496 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


MANUFACTURING    STATISTICS. 


The  table  below,  compiled  from  the  reports  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  shows  the  progress  of 
the  manufacturing  interests  from  1880  to  1894,  inclusive: 


Iron  and  Brass  Manufactories.. 

Flouring   Mills 

Car  Works 

Stove  Manufactories 

Boots,  Shoes  and  Leather 

Oils 

Breweries  and  Malt  Houses 

Sash,  Blinds  and  Planing  Mills, 

Pumps 

Organs  and  Pianos 

Woodenware.  Chairs,  etc 

Miscellaneous  Manufactures,,. 


Totals . 


1890, 


1894. 


$  1.935.500 

24.1,000 

1  04.5. 6(XI 

375,000 

220  000 

75.000 
400,000 
215,000 

35,000 
125,000 
200,000 
775,000 


MEN, 


1,61 

4S 

1,050 

312 

170 

25 

75 
102 

21 
120 
183 
510 


»5,6«,000  '4,2.32      »9,606,000; 


PRODUCT. 


»  3.ii23.000 
990.0(10, 
1,950,000 
398,000 
245.000 
200  000 
485,000 
375,000 
40,000 
300,000 
345,000 
9.55  000 


PRODUCT. 


if  4,481,700:    3  3421    *  7,944,000 


39(1 
1.080, 

()(KI 

1,50, 
.50, 

77U. 

579. 
50. 

158, 

431, 
1,715, 


(HHl, 
1,000, 
(HMI 
,000, 
000, 
000 
,(KX) 
0(X)' 
(Xtol 
000,' 
,0001 


83 
5lHi 
425 
100 

25 
122 
484 

23 

177 

325 

1,192 


»10,452,700!   8,798     $17,827,600 


1,18,5,00(J 

l,(iOO0O0 

530,000 

17,5,000 

100,000 

1,000,000 

1,470  000 

42.000 

443.000 

595  000 

2,653  000 


i  5.070. 
345, 
500 
7.50, 
130. 
100, 
884. 
785, 
40 
439. 
441 
2,074 


!,794 

97 

2.50 

440 

57 

35 

159 

692 

15 

299 

325 


1,! 


»11„562.800    6.528     $12,903,200 


PRODUCT. 


*  4,681,700 
892,800 
4(K),(KI0 
■KH  1,000 
13(1  IKH) 
125  000 

1,080,000 

9.50.000 

25.000 

6.56,000 

421.500 

3.191,200 


The  decrease  in  men  and  products  in  1894  shows  the  effect  of  the  hard  times  which  struck  the  country  in  1893.  and  of  the  reduc- 
tion in  values  that  followed.  An  improvement  in  nearly  every  branch  of  Erie's  manufactures  has  taken  place  this  year  (1895),  and  the 
prospects  are  that,  within  a  year  or  two,  a  large  increase  will  be  shown  in  every  branch  of  tlie  manufacturing  business. 


LIST    OF    MANUFACTORIES. 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  principal  manufac- 
tories in  Erie,  with  a  brief  historical  sketch  of 
each  establishment,  the  space  to  which  the 
writer  is  limited  not  permitting  of  an  account 
in  detail  : 

ABATTOIRS     AND     PACKING     ESTABLISHMENTS. 

Bush  Provision  Company,  pork  packers,  etc., 
State  and  I'vvcnty-first  streets.  Aaron  F. 
Bush,  proprietor.  Business  started  in  1872 
by  Wm.  Loesch.  Conducted  by  various 
parties  until  the  fall  of  1879,  when  it  was 
taken  by  John  C.  McCrea.  Property  and 
business  purcha.sed  by  above  named  com- 
pany in  the  spring  of  1890.  Capacity 
1,000  hogs  a  week.  Pack  for  general 
market.  Besides  hogs,  slaughter  about  100 
head  of  cattle  a  week  for  Erie  and  the 
general  market.  Have  also  a  retail  store 
at    1105    State    street. 

Erie  Stock  Yards,  old  Fairgrounds.  Owned 
by  John  J.  Rindernecht,  who  succeeded 
Wm.  F.  &  John  J.  Rindernecht.  Build- 
ings burned  May  2,  1895,  and  replaced  on  a 
modern  scale  in  September  of  the  same 
year.  Slaughter  beef  for  the  city  trade 
and  surrounding  country.  Capacity  100 
head  of  cattle  per  week. 

Schafl'ner  Brothers  (Morris  and  Jacob), 
Eleventh  and  Wayne  streets.  Plant  es- 
tablished in  1891.  Slaughter  for  Erie 
trade  and  surrounding  country.  Capacity 
150  head  of  cattle  a  week. 


BAKERIES. 

Sands  Bakery  of  the  United  States  Baking 
Company,  Fourth  and  French  streets.  W. 
J.  Sands,  jr.,  manager.  Bakery  estab- 
lished in  1842.  Long  operated  by  W.  J. 
Sands  and  W.  J.  Sands  &  Sons.  Premi.ses 
largely  extended  in  1894.  Sold  by  the 
Messrs.  Sands  to  the  United  States  Ba- 
king Company,  June  1,  1895. 

BREWERIES. 

Ball,  C.  E.  (West  End  Brewery),  Lake  road, 
west  of  city.      Established  in  189B. 

Conrad,  C.  M.  (National  Brewery),  Fifth 
and  Sixth  streets,  near  Parade.  Founded 
by  Jacob  Fuess  about  1848.  Inherited  by 
Mr.  Conrad  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Fuess. 
New  buildings  on  Fifth  street,  erected  in 
1895. 

Downer  &  Howard  (ale  brewery).  Parade 
and  Seventeenth  streets.  E.  J.  Howard, 
proprietor.  Business  established  by  Mr. 
Deitz  many  years  ago.  Conducted  for  a 
time  b}'  Chas.  Koehler  and  Alfred  King. 
Bought  by  Downer  &  Howard  in  1872. 

Koehler,  F.  &  Co.  (Fred'k  Koehler  and  A.  L. 
Curtze),  Holland  and  Twenty-fifth  streets. 
Founded  by  Jacob  Deitz,  who  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1860  by  Charles  Koehler,  father 
of  Fred'k  and  Jackson.  Operated  by  the 
brothers  after  their  father's  death.  The 
firm  of  F.  &J.  Koehler  dissolved  in  1882. 
A.    L.    Curtze    became   a   member  of   the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


497 


firm  about  the  time  of  the  dissolution. 
Business  and  facilities  much  extended  since. 

Koehler,  Jackson  (Eagle  Brewery),  State 
street,  between  Twenty-first  and  Twenty- 
third.  Founded  by  Fry  &  Schaaf  in  1846, 
who  were  succeeded  by  Henry  Kalvelage 
in  18'S4.  Purchased  by  Jackson  Koehler 
in  1888.     Largely  added  to  since. 

Vogt,  Frank,  State  and  city  limits.  Estab- 
lished about  1880-81. 

BICYCLE   WORKS. 

Black  Manufacturing  Company,  Nineteenth 
and  Liberty  streets.  W.  T.  Black,  Presi- 
dent;  L.  B.  Gay  lor,  Vice-President;  Geo. 
I.  Black,  Treasurer.  Establiihed  in  1894. 
New  buildings  erected  in   1894—5. 

Erie  Cycle  Works,  No.  15  West  Seventh 
street.  F.  M.  Slocum  and  W.  W.  Hunt. 
Established  in  1892. 

BLANK   BOQKS,   PRINTING,   PAPER   BOXES. 

Ashby  &  Vincent,  423  State  street.  John  E. 
Ashby  and  Harry  Vincent.  Established  in 
1867.  Do  a  general  book  binding  and 
printing  business. 

Dispatch  Printing  and  Engraving  Company, 
Seventh  street,  just  east  of  State.  W.  J. 
Robinson,  Daniel  McCarty,  W.  C.  Kra- 
mer, A.  F.  Moses.  Book  binding,  print- 
ing and  engraving.  Business  established 
in  Wateiford  in  1851.  Office  moved  to 
Erie  in  1856.  Above  firm  organized  in  the 
fall  of  1894.  (See  newspapers  in  General 
History). 

Erie  Lithographing  and  Printing  Company. 
F.  J.  Walker,  Jesse  Roberts.  No.  14  to  18 
West  Fourth  street.  Established  in  1883 
by  Walker  &  Gallagher.  Present  firm 
formed  January  1,  1891.  Lithographing 
department  added  in    1892. 

Herald  Printing  and  Publishing  Company, 
Tenth  and  State  streets,  railroad  and  gen- 
eral printing,  stationery,  paper  boxes,  &c. 
William  P.  Atkinson,  General  Manager; 
William  Wallace,  Treasurer.  Office  es- 
tablished in  1878.  Purchased  by  William 
L.  Scott  the  same  year,  who  converted 
it  into  a  joint  stock  concern.  Publish 
the  Evening  Herald,  Weekly  Herald, 
Sunday  Messenger  and  Lake  Shore  Vis- 
itor. (See  newspapers  in  General  His- 
tory.) 


BRICK  WORKS. 

Dudenhofer,  Frank,  Mill  Creek  township,  near 
Kearsarge.      Established  in  1872. 

Dunn,  H.  C,  Lake  road,  east  of  East  avenue. 
Started  in  1892.  New  yard  opened  in 
September,  1895,  on  East  Twelfth   street. 

Hogan,  Hobart,  Twenty-eighth  and  Holland 
streets.      Established  in  1895. 

McCarty,  James  (Standard  works),  foot  of 
Parade  street.  Started  about  1888  by 
Paradine  &  McCarty,  the  latter  becoming 
sole  proprietor  in   1898. 

Paradine,  Thomas  J.,  Waterford  plank  road, 
vitrified  shale  brick.     Established  in  1893. 

Selden  Brick  Company,  foot  of  East  avenue. 
E.  P.  and  Samuel  F.  Selden.  In  opera- 
tion since  1868.  J.  C.  Selden  &  Co.  took 
charge  about  1871,  since  which  time  the 
works  have  been  continuously  operated  by 
members  of  the  Selden  family.  . 

BRASS   WORKS. 

Columbia  Brass  Works,  Sixteenth  and  Ger- 
man streets.  T.  M.  and  B.  B.  Nagle, 
Joseph  Jungbluth,  W.  E.  Kennedy,  E.  C. 
Robinson.      Works  erected  in  1892. 

Hays  Manufacturing  Company,  Eleventh 
street,  between  State  and  Peach.  Started 
byG.  and  F.  Jarecki  in  1865.  The  Messrs. 
Hays  admitted  to  the  firm  in  1870.  Pres- 
ent name  adopted  in  1887. 

Jarecki  Manufacturing  Companj-,  Ninth, 
Tenth  and  Holland  streets  ;  also  Twelfth 
and  Chestnut.  Charles  Jarecki,  Chair- 
man; Albert  H.  Jarecki,  Secretary;  Oscar 
Jarecki,  Treasurer;  Alex.  J.  Jarecki,  Su- 
perintendent. Founded  bv  Henry  Jarecki 
in  1852  at  824  State  street.  Incorporated 
in  1872.  Buildings  at  Ninth  and  Holland 
streets  erected  in  1865 ;  greatly  extended 
from  time  to  time,  especially  in  1872  and 
1888.  Buildings  at  Twelfth  and  Chestnut 
streets  erected  in   1886. 

Keystone  Brass  Company  (brass  and  iron 
work),  1017  to  1019  Peach  street,  C.  F. 
Bostvvick,  Manager,  and  Louis  Mertens, 
Superintendent.  Started  on  Eleventh 
street  March  1,  1887,  by  C.  F.  Bostwick, 
E.  S.  Noyes,  jr.,  and  John  McConnell. 
Present  firm  organized  in  April,  1892. 
Moved  to  quarters  now  occupied  Decem- 
ber 7,  1892. 

Pennsylvania    X3rass    Works,  Twelfth   street, 


498 


IfELSOIf'S  BIOGRAPmCAL  DICTIOHART 


between  Myrtle  and  Chestnut.  H.  L. 
Chaplain,  J.  C.  Clifton  Sewell.  Estab- 
lished in  1885. 

BUTTOX    WOKKS. 

Erie  Button  Works,  Sixteenth  and  State 
streets.  N.  A.  Watson,  proprietor  since 
August,  1892.  Established  in  December, 
1891,  by  Siniinonds&  Co. 

Keystone  Button  Works,  Tvventy-lifth  and 
Ash  streets.  W.  S.  Clark,  E.  Clark. 
Started  in  1893.  Present  location  secured 
in  the  winter  of  1894. 

CARRI.\GE  AND    WAGON-MAKERS. 

Fries  Brothers,  Tenth  and  Holland  streets. 
Frank,  George  B.  and  John  J.  Fries. 
Works  started  in  spring  of  1891  ;  moved  to 
Tenth  and  Holland  streets  in  1893. 

Keystone  Carriage  Works,  Eighth  and  Hol- 
land streets.  P.  L.  and  Frank  Leemhuis. 
Established  in  1870  by  Harrison  &  Leem- 
huis. Leemhuis  Bros,  became  sole  proprie- 
tors in  1880. 

Totman  &  Jacobson,  Twelfth  and  French 
streets.  Henry  M.  Totman,  C.  M.  Jacob- 
.son.     Established  in  April,  I893. 

FLOURING  MILLS. 

Crouch  Bros.  &  Co.  (Merchant  Mills),  1519 
Holland  street.  O.  B.and  Phineas  Crouch. 
Originally  a  feed  mill,  built  in  1858. 
Burned  first  in  18(38,  and  again  in  1891  and 
rebuilt;  the  last  time  in  1893.  Have 
operated  a  flouring  mill  since  December, 
1873. 

J.  B.  Crouch  &  Co.  (Erie  Roller  Mill), 
Eighth  street  between  German  and  Hol- 
land. J.  B.  and  H.  L.  Crouch.  Owned 
by  .some  member  or  members  of  the  Crouch 
family  since  1859.  Present  tinn  dates 
since  1872. 

Densmore  Wm.  &  Co.  (City  Mills),  Six- 
teenth and  State  streets.  William,  Park 
and  Fred'k  A.  Densmore.  Formerly  the 
Erie  City  Mills,  started  many  years  ago. 
Rebuilt  by  the  Densmores. 

Gingrich  &  Ohmer  (Hopedale  Mills),  State 
and  Twenty-seventh  streets.  W.  H.  Ging- 
rich, J.  T-  Ohmer.  Mill  built  originally  in 
1850.' 

Oliver  &  Bacon  (Canal  Mills),  Myrtle,  be- 
sween  Fifth  and  Si.xth  streets.  John  Oli- 
ver, S.  E.    Bacon.      Original   mill   built    in 


1848,  to  use  the  water  of  the  Erie  and 
Beaver  canal.  Owned  by  present  firm 
since  1865.  Remodeled  in  1883. 
Strieker  &  Gingrich,  Nineteenth  and  Liberty 
streets.  H.  H.  Strieker,  L.  E.  Gingrich. 
Established  in  1894. 

Fl'RNITURE   AND  FINE  WOOD  WORK. 

E.  J.  Riblet,  Twelfth  and  Peach  streets.  Rib- 
let  Bros,  succeeded  their  father  in  1879. 
The  latter  had  long  been  engaged  in  the 
furniture  business.  The  firm  occupied  the 
present  building  March  1,  1887.  Firm 
dissolved,  A.  K.  retiring,  October  23, 
1889. 

Johannessen  Manufacturing  Co.,  Eleventh 
and  French  streets.  Andrew,  Conrad  and 
Loucas  Johannessen.  A.  Johannessen 
started  with  the  Art  Novelty  Works  in 
1884.  Present  firm  established  in  Septem- 
ber, 1887. 

IRON    WORKS. 

Ball  Engine  Co.,  Twelfth  and  French  streets. 
James  Mcl^rier,  President ;  D.  N.  McBrier, 
Vice-President ;  H.  I^.  McBrier,  Secretary 
and  Treasurer.  Established  in  1881.  In- 
corporated as  above  in  1883. 

Bay  State  Iron  Works  (engines  and  boilers) , 
Third  and  Peach  streets.  F.  C.  Burton, 
Chairman;  Theo.  F.  Noble,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer.  Started  by  Orange  Noble  and 
L.  H.  Hall  in  IStJS. 

Brown  Folding  Machine  Co.,  16  West 
Eleventh  street.  Wellington  Downing, 
Manager.  Started  in  1883.  Mr.  Downing 
became  interested  in  the  business  in  1885. 
R.  T.  Brown's  connection  with  the  con- 
cern was  dissolved  Januarj-  1,  1894. 

Coates  Jolin,  (Hydraulic  Iron  Works),  1227 
State  street.      Started  about  1853. 

Davis-Farrar  Co.  (engines,  boilers  and  pump- 
ing machinery).  Front,  near  State  street. 
C.  W.  and  W.  T.  Farrar,  L.  D.  Davis. 
Started  as  the  Humboldt  Iron  Works  in 
18GG.  Bought  by  L.  D.  Davis  in  188(5. 
Present  firm  organized  in  August,  1891. 

Dietly,  P.  W.  (Erie  Machine  Shop)  engines, 
boilers,  steam  rollers,  etc..  Thirteenth  and 
Peach  streets.  Established  in  1885.  Pres- 
ent building  erected  in  11S94. 

Erie  City  Iron  Fence  Works,  1318  Turnpike 
street.  Wm.  Bass,  Henry  Althof.  Estab- 
lished by  Gorr  &  Althof  in  1855.     Original 


AND  inSTOIilCAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


499 


firm  dissolved  in  18G5.  Wm.  Bass  entered 
into  partnership  with  John  Gorr  in  1870. 
In  1874  Henry  Althof,  son  of  the  original 
member  of  the  firm,  became  a  partner,  and 
in  1880  he  bought  out  John  Gorr's  interest. 

Erie  City  Iron  Works  (engines  and  boilers) , 
East  avenue  and  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  John 
H.  Bliss,  President;  Geo.  D.  Selden,  Vice- 
President;  E.  P.  Selden,  Treasurer;  Geo. 
T.  Bliss,  Secretary;  H.  R.  Barnhurst,  Gen- 
eral Superintendent.  Established  in  1838. 
After  numerous  changes,  purchased  by 
George  Selden  and  John  H.  Bliss  in  1864. 
These  gentlemen  organized  the  present 
company.  Original  works  at  State  and 
Twelfth  streets.  Present  site  purchased  in 
1880.     Buildings  erected  same  j-ear. 

Erie  City  Machinery  Co.  (paper  folding  ma- 
chinery and  mowers).  Fourteenth  and  State 
streets.  T.  Meyerhofer,  R.  T.  Brown, 
Chas.  D.  Van  Etten.    Started  April  1,  1894. 

Erie  Engine  Works  (engines  and  boilers). 
Thirteenth  and  W^alnut  streets.  Wm. 
Hardwick,  President  and  Manager;  F.  L. 
Cleveland,  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  Suc- 
cessors to  Cleveland  &  Co.,  established  in 
1808.      Present  shops  built  in  1886. 

Erie  Manufacturing  and  Supply  Co.,  1207 
Peach  street.  J.  W.  Hardwick,  President  ; 
C.  J.  Jackson,  Vice-President;  P.  A. 
Himrod,  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  Estab- 
lished in   1890. 

Erie  Forge  Co.,  Fifteenth  and  Cascade  streets. 
Geo.  W.  Starr,  President;  J.  P.  Harring- 
ton, Vice-President ;  Chas  R.  Dinkey, 
Treasurer;  H.  C.  McLaughlin,  Secretary; 
T.  F.  Judge,  salesman.  Organized  in 
1872.  Works  burned  in  1874.  Rebuilt 
on  a  larger  scale.  Large  additions  made 
in  1880. 

Erie  Malleable  Iron  Co.  (malleable  and  grey 
iron  castings),  Thirteenth  and  Cherry 
streets.  J.  P.  Metcalf,  Chairman  ;  B.  J. 
Walker,  Secretary  ;  G.  R.  Metcalf,  Treas- 
urer. Organized  in  1880  by  John  Clemens, 
Prescott   Metcalf  and  others. 

Erie  Torsion  Spring  Co.,  345  West  Ninth 
streets.  A.  T.  Marsh,  manager.  Estab- 
lished in  1868. 

Erie  Foundry  Co.,  site  of  old  Fair  grounds. 
Incorporated  October  29,  1895.  Corpo- 
rators, Chas.  M.  Reed,  Jno.  R.  McDonald, 
F.  C.  Clark,  Geo.  A.  Gaither,  H.  C.  Kel- 
sey.     Buildings  erected  in  1895. 


Globe  Iron  Foundry  Co.,  Fifteenth  and  Myr- 
tle streets.  F.  F.  Curtze,  F.  Carrick. 
Present  firm  established  in  March.  1888. 

Griswold  Manufacturing  Co.  (light  castings, 
stove  furniture,  aluminum  ware,  etc.), 
Tenth  street,  between  Chestnut  and  Wal- 
nut. Established  by  J.  C.  and  Samuel  Sel- 
den and  AL  Griswold,  sr.,  in  1868.  Works 
severely  damaged  by  fire  August  8,  1895. 
Repaired  and  remodeled  same  year. 

Hollands  Manufacturing  Co.  (natural  gas 
burners,  vises,  machinists'  and  plumbers' 
tools).  Twelfth  street,  between  Myrtle 
and  Chestnut.  Caleb  Hollands,  President ; 
H.  L.  McWhorter,  Secretary  ;  E.  S.  Rock- 
afeller.  Manager;  R.  B.  Hough,  Superin- 
tendent.    Established  in  1890. 

Hurley  Manufacturing  Co.  (special  machin- 
ery and  tools),  Twefth  street,  between 
Chestnut  and  Myrtle.  Started  in  1893. 
Moved  to  present  location  in  1895. 

Kelley,  John  L.  (machine  shop),  1115  State 
street.      Established  May  4,  1885. 

Lake  City  Machine  Shop,  1219  Peach  street. 
Started  in  March,  1892. 

Liley  Machine  Works  (engine  builders),  1323 
State  street.  James  and  Joseph  H.  Liley. 
Established  in  1861  ;  changed  to  Liley  & 
Son  in  1893. 

Link  ^Machinery  Company  (heating  and  ven- 
tilating apparatus,  sawmill  machinery,  en- 
gines, boilers,  etc.),  1311  State  street.  E. 
M.,  W.  D.,  H.  N.  and  F.  S.  Link.  Char- 
tered December  3,  1890. 

Lloyd  &  Sterrett  (machine  shop),  324  West 
Twelfth  street.  A.  Lloyd,  O.  G.  Sterrett. 
Business  started  in  1885. 

Metric  Metal  Company  (natural  gas  stoves, 
gas  meters,  &c.,).  Tenth  street  and  Payne 
avenue.  C.  N.  Payne,  President  ;  F.  H. 
Payne,  Secretary  and  Treasurer;  J.  B. 
Wallace,  Superintendent.  Works  erected 
in  1891. 

T.  M.  Nagle  (steam  engines  and  boilers) ,  Six- 
teenth and  Holland  streets.  Commenced 
business  in  September,  1879.  Brick 
foundry  on  Sixteenth  street  built  in  1883. 
Other  buildings  added  as  the  business  in- 
creased. 

Pennsylvania  Boiler  Works,  East  Twelfth 
street,  between  East  and  Penn  avenues. 
T.  M.  Nagle,  President ;  B.  B.  Nagle,  Sec- 
retary and  Treasurer,  Plant  erected  in 
1890. 


5<x) 


NELSON-8  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Skinner  Engine  Company  (engines,  boilers, 
etc.),  Twelfth  and  Chestnut  streets.  L.  G. 
Skinner,  Piesident ;  Frank  Connell,  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer.  Started  by  L.  G. 
Skinner  in  1873.  Huildin<r.s  erected  in 
1880-81.      Present  firm  organized  in  1885. 

South  Erie  Iron  Works  (stoves  and  general 
iron  work),  1917  Peach  street;  branch 
foundry  Twenty-sixth  and  Maple  streets. 
R.  Liebel,  President;  J.  G.  Liebel,  Secre- 
tary ;  A.  K.  Acheson,  Treasurer.  Estab- 
lislied  by  Adam  Acheson  and  William 
Henry  on  Peach  street,  in  1858.  Incor- 
porated under  present  name  in  18(38.  Build- 
ings on  Peach  strtet  erected  1871  to  1891  ; 
buildings  at  Twenty-sixth  and  Maple 
streets  erected  1885  "to  1887.  Principal 
stockholders,  R.  Liebel,  J.  G.  Liebel,  A. 
K.  Acheson,  D.  S.  Clark,  T.  S.  Alber- 
stadt,  H.  Kalvelage,  D.  T.  Jones,  Mrs. 
Wm.  Henry,  Ph.  Deifenbach,  James  Leask. 

Stearns  Manufacturing  Company  (sawmill 
machinery,  boilers,  engines,  etc.),  Four- 
teenth and  Wayne  streets.  T.  M.  Will- 
iamson, General  Manager.  Founded  on 
Tenth  street,  between  Holland  and  Ger- 
man liy  E.  H.  Stearns  in  1855.  Present 
buildings  erected  in  1888. 

Union  Iron  Works  (steel  boilers,  etc.).  Lake 
Shore  R.  R.,  between  Fifteenth,  Cascade 
and  Raspberry  streets.  Wm.  Hard  wick. 
President ;  Frank  Connell,  Treasurer;  Wes- 
ley G.  Hard  wick.  Secretary  and  Manager; 
F.  F.  Curtze,  Wm.  Hardwick,  L.  G.  Skin- 
ner, Directors.  Established  in  March, 
1890;   new  buildings  erected  in  1898. 

Walker  Foundry  Company,  Cherry  street  and 
Lake  Shore  K.  R.  B.  A.  Walker,  Secre- 
tarj'  and  Treasurer;  Charles  H.  Urick, 
Superintendent.  Established  in  1893.  Ad- 
ditional building  put  up  in  the  fall  of 
1895. 

Noyes  &  Ryan  (foundry) ,  .Sixteenth  and  State 
streets.     Started  in  1894. 

MME    AND    CEMENT    Wl)RKS. 

Erie  Lime  and  Cement  Co.  (lime,  cement  and 
building  stone),  foot  of  French  street.  H. 
W.  Spooner,  Samuel  Rea.  Established  by 
H.  W.  vSpooner  and  S.  E.  Nt-iler  in  180::^. 
Present  name  adopted  in  1804.  Business 
moved  to  present  location  in    1807. 


tUMBER    AND    BUILDING    MATERIAL. 

Althof  Bros.,  Eleventh  and  French  streets. 
Jacob,  George  and  Samuel  Althof.  Es- 
tablished by  W.  H.  Demming  on  Peach 
street  in  1870.  Mr.  D.  erected  the  pres- 
ent mill  in  1874.  Althof  Bros,  took  charge 
in  1882. 

Hauschard  Manufacturing  Co.,  Eightii  and 
Ninth  streets,  between  Wayne  and  Perry. 
F.  Bauschard,  President;  F.  E.  Baus- 
chard.  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  Founded 
by  Bauschard,  Gloth  &  Co.  in  1866.  Mill 
built  by  the  Bauschards  at  Tenth  and  Hol- 
land streets  in  1868.  Burned  down  in 
September,  1891.  Mill  erected  on  present 
site  the  same  year. 

Carroll,  George  &  Bro.  Co.,  foot  of  French 
street.  George,  Edwin  R.,  George  H. 
and  Thomas  H.  Carroll  and  T.  W.  Creys. 
Business  established  in  1866. 

Constable  Brothers,  Fifth  and  Sassafras 
streets.  E.  W.  and  C.  A.  Constable. 
Business  established  by  Constable  (John) 
&  Jones  in  1849.  Mills  burned  November 
17,  1888,  and  promptly  replaced. 

Felheim,  Lyman,  Sixteenth  and  State  streets. 
Business  founded  by  D.  Schlosser  in  1873 ; 
succeeded  by  Schlosser  &  Felheim  in  1882. 
Mills  burned  in  1885,  and  immediately  re- 
built. Firm  dissolved  in  1887,  when  Mr. 
F.  became  sole  owner. 

Gunnison  Brothers,  233  East  Twenty-second 
street.  M.  L.  andO.  C.  Gunnison.  Busi- 
ness established  in  1872  as  a  pump  work.s, 
by  A.  B.  Gunnison  ;  planing  mill  added  in 
1885.  At  the  death  of  A.  B.  Gunnison 
passed  into  the  hands  of  his  sons,  who 
formed  the  present  partnership  in  1885. 

Johnson.  Curtis,  Nineteenth  and  Parade 
streets.  Mill  erected  by  Siegel  &  Althof 
in  1890;  leased  by  Mr.  Johnson  in  April, 
1892;  partiallv  destroved  by  fire  Septem- 
ber 17,   1895.  " 

Schlosser,  David,  Sassafras  and  Lake  Shore 
R.  R.  Began  business  at  Fourteenth  and 
French  streets  in  1873.  Started  present 
mills  in  1891. 

Shenk,  Henry  &  Co.,  Twelfth  and  Sassafras 
streets.  Business  started  bv  Henry  Shenk 
about  1803.  Present  mills  built  in  18^7. 
Firm  consists  of  Henry  Shenk  and  sons. 

Shroeck,  Adolph,  902  East  Eleventh  street. 
Business  established  and  mill  built  in  1890. 


^/^^^X../-;^^ 


AND  UISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


5°' 


MALT  HOUSE. 

Weschler's  Malt  House,  Parade  and  Six- 
teenth streets;  D.  D.  Weschler,  Manager. 
Founded  by  Jacob  Weschler,  who  built 
the  malt  house  on  West  Ninth  street  in 
1859.  First  building  at  Parade  and  Six- 
teenth streets  erected  in  1883.  Largely 
added  to  since. 

NICKEL  WORKS. 

Erie  Nickel  Works,  Thirteenth  and  Parade 
streets.  F.  E.  Mertens,  proprietor.  Es- 
tablished by  A.  McArthurin  1880.  Bought 
by  Mertens  &  Stephenson  in  1885. 

Keystone  Nickel  Plating  Works,  Twelfth, 
between  Myrtle  and  Chestnut  streets.  Wm. 
Linberger,  Clark  C.  Middleton.  Estab- 
lished in  March,  1895. 

OIL  REFINERS. 

Atlantic  Refining  Co.,  Sixteenth  and  French 
streets.  D.  T.  Jones,  Manager.  Estab- 
lished by  D.  T.  Jones  in  1860,  on  present 
site,  as  the  Union  Oil  Co.  Passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  Standard  Oil  Co.  in  the 
summer  of  1877,  by  whom  the  works  are 
now  operated. 

Eclipse  Lubricating  Oil  Works,  Tenth  and 
Wayne  streets.  D.  T.  Jones,  Manager; 
T.  C.  Lewis,  Superintendent.  Founded 
by  Wright  &  Hatch  in  1863 ;  later,  'J  hos. 
Brown  became  proprietor.  Sold  in  1875 
to  the  Standard  Oil  Co.,  who  now  operate 
the  works. 

PAINT   WORKS. 

Glen  wood  Paint  Co.,  Eliot  street  and  Water- 
ford  plank  road.  J-  Hellmann,  J.  Metz, 
N.  Blass,  B.  E.  Stephens,  F.  Vogt.  Or- 
ganized in  1893. 

PAPER  MILL  AND  CHEMICAL  WORKS. 

H.  F.  Watson  Co.,  Sixteenth,  Holland 
and  French  streets.  H.  F.  Watson, 
President  ;  R.  W.  Potter,  Secretary  ;  J.  H. 
Armstrong,  Treasurer.  Established  by  H. 
F.  Watson  in  1874.  Present  location  pur- 
chased in  1882.  Largely  extended  since 
the  original  works  were  erected. 

PIANO  MANUFACTURERS. 

Burdett  Piano  Co.,  Twelfth  and  Walnut 
streets.    Incorporated  September  13,  1895  ; 


capital,  $80,000.  Incorporators,  John  R. 
Brown,  Geo.  A.  Webb,  John  F.  Brown, 
James  W.  Crooks,  Jacob  Christie.  Use 
the  buildings  of  the  defunct  Burdett  Or- 
gan Co.      (See  factories  discontinued). 

Colby  Piano  Co.,  Twenty-fifth  and  Ash 
streets.  W.  J.  McCarter,  Secretary;  J. 
E.  Patterson,  Treasurer;  C.  C.  Colby, 
Superintendent.  Incorporated  August  15, 
1888. 

Shaw  Piano  Co.,  Twelfth  and  Raspberry 
streets.  M.  Griswold,  sr..  President;  M. 
Griswold,  jr.,  Vice-President;  H.  J.  Ray- 
more,  Secretary;  M.  E.  Griswold,  Treas- 
urer.    Established  in  March,  1890. 

PUMP   M.VKERS. 

Olds   Pump    Co.,    115    West   Twelfth   street. 

L.  W.  Olds,  George  Olds.   Started  by  L.  W. 

Olds,    in    1845,    in   Mill  Creek    township; 

moved  to   Erie   in    1853.     Incorporated  in 

1881. 
Reifel,  Wm.  &  Sons,  Twelfth  street,  between 

Chestnut  and  Myrtle.    Established  in  1878. 

Moved  to  present  location  in  1888.     Since 

enlarged  and  remodeled. 

RUBBER    WORKS. 

Keystone   Rubber   Works,  Twelfth   and  East 

avenue.   Chas.  Whitehead,  President;  N.J. 

Whitehead,  Treasurer;     Chas.   Campbell, 

Secretary.    Founded  in  the  spring  of  1882. 

Original  factory  burned  in  the  fall  of  1887. 

Present    works   erected    in   the   spring   of 

1888. 
Lake  Shore  Rubber  Co.,  East   Twelfth   street 

and  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.     W.   H. 

Whitehead,  President.   Established  in  1887. 

STONE   CUTTING,    MONUMENTS,    ETC. 

Dunning,  The  New  Marble  and  Granite  Co., 
1901  Peach  street.  James  Wellman,  J.  F. 
Lawrence,  Henry  Dunn.  Business  origi- 
nally started  by  M.  A.  Dunning   in    1863. 

Pelton,  E.  L.  &  Son,  405  State  street.  E.  L. 
and  Tiiy  R-  Pelton.  Business  founded  by 
R.  P'elion  in  1845.  E.  L.  Pelton  became 
associated  with  his  father  in  1855. 

Stohlman,  E.  T.,  Nineteenth,  near  Chestnut 
street.  Works  started  by  M.  A.  Dunning 
at  present  location  in  1887  or  "88.  Mr. 
Stohlman  became  proprietor  in  1890. 


502 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


STOVE  MANUFACTURERS. 

Black  &  Gcriner  (Radiant  Home  .Stoves  and 
Furnaces),  Sixteenth  and  German  streets. 
Business  started  at  Eleventh  and  State 
streets,  b^-  Hinkley,  Sennett  &  Co.  After 
several  changes,  the  firm  title  became  Barr, 
Johnson  &  Co.  In  1,S72  -M.  R.  Barr  sold 
out  to  Grove  II.  Johnson  and  W'm.  T. 
Black.  The  latter  associated  with  them 
Otto  Germer.  In  1878  the  firm  became 
Black  &  Germer.  The  works  at  State  and 
Eleventh  streets  were  abandoned  in  1884 
for  the  present  location. 

Chicago  and  Erie  Stove  Co.,  Twelfth  and 
Sassafras  streets.  Established  by  Johnson, 
Ilimrod  &  Co.  in  1840.  Became  a  stock 
concern  in  187G,  with  David  Shirk,  Chas. 
M.  Tibbals  and  \V.  H.  Whitehead  as  the 
principal  owners.  On  the  death  of  Messrs. 
Tibbals  and  Shirk,  managed  by  W.  H. 
Whitehead  and  Chas.  C.  Shirk  until  the 
fall  of  1895,  when  the  works  went  into 
the  hands  of  a  Receiver. 

South  Erie  Iron  Works,  1917  Peach  street 
and  Twenty-sixth  and  Maple  streets  (See 
Iron  Works). 

TANNERIES. 

Gunnison,  C.  E.  &  Co.,  238  West  Eighteenth 
street.  C.  E.  and  J.  B.  Gunnison.  Es- 
tablished in  the  winter  of  1857.  Original 
building  enlarged  in  1886.  Oldest  manu- 
facturing firm  doing  business  in  Erie. 

Simmons,  F.  R.,  182  East  Ninth  street. 
Started  by  Luther  P.  Searles  about  1835, 
who  was  followed  about  1845  or  1847  by 
J.  J.  Fuesler.  Purchased  by  Mr.  Simmons 
in  the  spring  of  1880.  New  buildings 
erected  in  1881,  and  largely  extended  since. 

Streuber,  Emil,  State  street,  near  Nickel 
Plate  R.  R.  Business  started  by  John 
Streuber  in  1861.  Emil  Streuber  entered 
the  firm  in  1871 . 

VINEGAR   AND  PICKLING  WORKS. 

Werner  Company,  Twentieth  and  Holland 
streets.  G.  Werner,  R.  Toepfer,  M.  Soth, 
T.  M.,  B.  B.  and  E.  A.  Nagle.  Started  in 
1884 ;  reorganized  in  1894,  when  present 
plant  was  built. 


MANUFACTURERS  NOT  CLASSIFIED. 

American  Fusee  Company  (fusee  matches), 
Seventeenth  and  Cascade  streets.  C.  W. 
Davenport,  President;  E.  W.  Sheldon, 
Secretary  and  Treasurer.  Started  in  1874. 
Present  building  erected  in    1888. 

American  Wringer  Company  (hardware  spe- 
cialties and  household  articles).  Fifteenth 
and  Walnut  streets.  W.  T.  Farrar,  Man- 
ager. Founded  by  F.  F.  Adams  and  M. 
N.  Lovell  in  1869.  Factory  burned  De- 
cember 13,  1880,  and  promptly  rebuilt. 
Business  long  conducted  by  the  F.  F. 
Adams  Company.  Consolidated  with  the 
General  Wringer  Combination  in  1891. 

Bacon,  C.  E.  &  Co.  (wooden  boxes).  Twelfth 
street  and  P.  &  E.  R.  R.  C.  E.  Bacon  and 
W.  C.  Short.     Started  November  3,  1891. 

Curtze,  C.  A.  (Lake  City  Spice  Mills),  529 
French  street.  Established  by  E.  S.  Rice 
&  Co.  in  1878.     Mr.  Rice  retired  in    1883. 

Erie  Burial  Case  Co., factory  Peach  and  Thirtv- 
second  streets  ;  office  and  warehouse  1210 
to  1214  Peach  street.  Works  started  in 
1873.  A.  K.  McMuUen  became  sole  propri- 
etor in  August,  1887.  Finishing  department 
burned  May  2,  1888.  Premises  on  Peach 
street  bought  in  June  of  same  year  and  re- 
modeled directly  after. 

Erie  Chemical  Co.  (manufacturers  of  chemi- 
cals). West  Eighteenth  street  and  city 
limits.  Thos.  H.  Carroll,  President  ;  R. 
E.  Clemens,  Vice-President ;  S.  O.  Beck- 
man,  Secretary  and  Treasurer;  James  C. 
MacKenzie,  Superintendent.  Established 
in  1894. 

Erie  City  Fertilizing  Works  (manufacturers 
of  fertilizers).  East  Mill  Creek  township. 
Started  by  Jacob  Schall,  in  1867.  Busi- 
ness transferred  to  his  sons  in  1884. 

Erie  City  Pail  Factory,  Twelfth  and  Poplar 
streets.  R.  T.  McClure,  Chairman  ;  T. 
W.  Shacklett,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
Established  in  1873.  Burned  in  1894,  and 
rebuilt  on  a  larger  scale. 

Erie  Show  Case  Co.,  21  North  Park  Row. 
Geo.  W.  Brown,  Manager.  Started  in 
1887  by  Brown  &  Murphy  ;  conducted  by 
Mr.  Brown  since  1889. 

Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.  Shops,  Twelfth 
street,  between  Sassafras  and  Myrtle. 
Started  as  a  private  enterprise  by  McCar- 
ter  &  Scoville,   in  1864.      Sold  to    the  rail- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   C0U2iTY. 


503 


road  company  in  1866.  Round  house 
built  in  1865. 

Erie  Specialty  Manufacturing  Co.  (hardware 
and  advertising  specialties) ,  845-351  West 
Twelfth  street.  Established  bv  Brown  & 
Thomas  in  1889  ;  reorganized  February  12, 
1892,  with  Z.  T.  Brindley  and  E.  Walker 
as  proprietors. 

Erie  Steam  Bending  Works,  Twelfth  and 
Cherry  streets.  Started  by  Hartleb, 
Metz  &  Co.,  in  1868.  H.  G.  Fink  became 
proprietor  in  1878. 

Exhibition  Show  Case  Co.  (sectional  show 
cases).  Nineteenth  and  German  streets.  P. 
Henrichs,  W.  J.  Churchill.  Started  in 
1877. 

Felgemaker,  A.  B.  (pipe  organs).  Nineteenth 
and  Sassafras  streets.  Business  removed 
from  Buffalo  in  1871.  Present  plant 
built  in  1887. 

Flickinger  Roofing  and  Cornice  Co.,  424 
West  Nineteenth  street.  C.  Flickinger, 
Chairman  ;  W.  P.  Schutte,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer;  U.  D.  Sweigard,  Superintend- 
ent.     Established  in  1892. 

Gem  City  Manufacturing  Co.  (machinery, 
engines  and  flour  mill  rolls).  Fourteenth 
and  Holland  streets.  S.  A.  Ross,  E.  G. 
Skinner.  Works  established  by  Thos. 
Brown  in  1892 ;  present  organization 
eflfected  in  February,  1894. 

Kej-stone  Electric  Co.  (dynamos  and  motors). 
Twelfth  and  Cranberry  streets.  J.  F. 
Downing,  President ;  C.J.  Sturgeon,  Vice- 
President  and  Manager;  F.  B.  Downing, 
Assistant  Manager ;  J.  W.  Leech,  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer.  Organized  in  1890. 
Works  first  located  on  Peach  street  ;  next 
moved  to  the  corner  of  Fourteenth  and 
State  streets.      Present  plant  built  in  1893. 

Lake  Shore  R.  R.  round  houses.  Western 
built  in    1862;   Eastern   in    1863. 

Lovell  Manufacturing  Co.  (electrical  motors, 
dynamos,  clothes  wringers,  etc.).  Thir- 
teenth street,  between  French  and  Holland. 
Business  started  by  M.  N.  Lovell  in  1879. 
Company  incorporated  in  1882.  Present 
factory  built  in  the  fall  of  1883. 

Marz,  John  (matresses),  1304  Peach  street. 
Established  1875. 

Mauer  Manufacturing  Co.,  business  started  by 
M.  Mauer  in  1870  ;  company  incorporated 


in  1885,  and  plant  materially  enlarged; 
leased  to  U.  S.  Baking  Co.,  June  4, 
1895. 

Patterson,  J.  E.  (sheet  metal  work  and  fur- 
naces), Twelfth  and  French  streets. 
Business  established  by  Patterson  Bros., 
in  1868.     New  works  erected  in  1891. 

Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  shops,  Eighteenth 
and  Wayne  streets.  Operated  by  the 
Pennsvlvania  R.  R.  Co.  Established  in 
1859  o'r  '60. 

Reno  Manufacturing  Co.  (neck  yokes),  10 
East  Twelfth  street.  Frank  Reno,  Man- 
ager. Established  by  Reno  &  Wager,  in 
1894. 

Standard  Saw  Mill  Machinery  Co.,  Twelfth 
street  and  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R. 
Organized  in  November,  1889;  incorpo- 
rated Tanuarv.  1890.  T.  M.  Nagle,  Presi- 
dent;  'B.  B.'  Nagle,  Treasurer;  F.  E. 
Quinn,  Secretary. 

Taper  Sleeve  Pulley  Works  (pulleys,  clutches, 
etc.).  Twelfth  street,  near  Peach.  A.  H. 
Gray,  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  Started 
by  A.  B.  Cook  &  Co.  in  May,  1873. 
Bought  by  A.  H.  Gray  in  May,  1877.  In- 
corporated June  1,  1888. 

Thayer,  H.  JN.  &Co.  (baby  carriages).  Eight- 
eenth street,  between  Holland  and  Ger- 
man. H.  N.  Thayer,  J.  A.  Lang.  Start- 
ed as  the  Erie  Chair  Co.  in  1874.  Became 
the  Downing  Carriage  Co.,  January  1, 
1882.  Name  changed  as  above  at  a  later 
date.  In  April,  1892,  the  plant  was  de- 
stroyed by  frre  and  soon  rebuilt. 

Watson,  N.  A.  (boiler  feeders),  Sixteenth 
and  State  streets.  Established  in  October, 
1885. 

FACTORIES   THAT    HAVE    BEEN    DISCOXTIXUED. 

Burdett  Organ   Works,  West  Twelfth  street. 

Established  in  Erie  October,   1871,  having 

been  burned  out  in  Chicago. 
Erie    Boot    and     Shoe      Factory,     Ash     and 

Twenty-fifth  streets.      Started  in  1870. 
Erie  Blast  Furnace,   foot  of    Sassafras  street. 

Built  in  1869. 
Erie  Car  \Mieel  and  Erie  Car  works.     Wheel 

works  started  by    Davenport   iS:    Fairbairn 

in    186  ;   car  works  in  1868.     Burned  night 

of  September  24,  1894. 
Erie    Car   Heating    Companv.     Incorporated 

February  16,  1888. 


504 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Eureka  Manufacturing  Company,  West 
Twelfth  street.      Started  in  January,  1881. 

Jarecki  Chemical  Co.,  East  Twelfth  street. 
Started  in  1880. 

Keystone  Boot  and  Shoe  Company,  East 
Twelfth  street. 

Mt.    Hickory  Iron    Company,    west    of    city. 


Started    in    1879.       Burned    December   9, 

1888. 
Noble    Sewing    Machine     Company,      West 

Eighteenth  street.      Started  in   1881. 
Penns3'lvania     Paint     Works,     Boyer    block. 

Started  in  1886.     Moved  to  Cleveland. 
Thayer  pottery,  erected  in  1863. 


CHAPTER     XIV. 


The  Board  of  Trade — Business  Matters  Generally — Business  Firms  and  Blocks. 


THE  Erie  Board  of  Trade  was  organized 
in  1874  in  rooms  over  the  entrance  to  the 
Opera  House.  Since  then  its  headquar- 
ters have  been:  First,  in  one  of  the 
first  floor  rooms  in  the  Reed  House 
block ;  second,  in  the  corner  rooms  on  the 
second  floor  of  the  Exchange  building ;  and 
thiid,  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Fenn  building, 
where  they  were  removed  about  the  1st  of 
April,  ]895.  The  Board,  from  the  beginning, 
has  numbered  many  of  the  prominent  busi- 
ness and  professional  men  of  the  city,  and  its 
influence,  taken  altogether,  has  been  healthy 
and  beneficial.  The  charter  members  of  the 
Board  were  as  follows  : 

Henry  Rawle,  Thomas  H.  Carroll,  Orange 
Noble,  Wm.  L.  Scott,  JohnE.  Payne,  George 
Carroll,   J.   J.    Wadsworth,   J.   M.    Kimball, 

E.  T.  Scott,  J.  Eichenlaub,  jr.,  R.  O'Brien, 
Joseph  Johnston, William  M.  Deming,  Charles 

F.  Dunbar,  Sam'l  E.  Bacon,  Henry  Beckman, 
Charles  D.  Hill,  F.  F.  Marshall, 'George  V. 
Maus,  Robert  J.  Saltsman,  W.  T.  Smith,  L. 
H.  Hall,  Addison  Leech,  C.  C.  Converse,  J. 
P.  Metcalf,  Theodore  F.  Noble,  F.  Brevillier, 
William  Varnum,  John  Clemens,  H.  W. 
Spooner,  J.  C.  Sturgeon,  John  Eliot,  F.  P. 
Bailey,  F.  A.  Mizener,  W.  W.  Dinsmore,  C. 
J.  Caughey,  William  Christie,  S.  A.  Daven- 
port. C.  Englehart,  William  P.  Hayes,  John 
Dunlap,  E.'W.  Reed,  M.  R.  Barr,  A.  P. 
Burton,  William  A.  Galbraith,  G.  '1'.  Church- 
ill, S.  P.  Longstreet,  C.  H.  Walbridge,  J.  E. 
Ashby,  J.  S.  Warner,   W.    S.   Locke,   Joseph 


McCarter,  D.  B.  Callander,  George  Burton, 
Davis  Rees,  Lloyd  G.  Reed,  J.  F.  Down- 
ing, George  Selden,  Michael  Liebel,  L.  L. 
Lamb,  J.  L.  Stewart,  Eben  Brewer,  P.  A. 
Becker,  O.  E.  Crouch,  Charles  Jarecki,  M. 
Rush  Warner,  Jacob  Bootz,  J.  A.  Kohner, 
James  L.  Ketcham,  J.  C.  Spencer,  Thomas 
McConkey,  S.  P.  Kepler,  E.  L.  Pelton,  H. 
T.  Jarecki,  N.  Murphy,  James  Sill,  Henry 
Souther,  T.  H.  Orton,  W.  'W.  Pierce,  A.  T. 
Loomis,  W.  S.  Warner,  Thomas  Brown,  W. 
W.  Reed,  P.  Metcalf,  C.  Swalley,  R.  E. 
Clemens,  John  H.  Bliss,  Joseph  Fuess  and 
Hugh  Jones. 

Below  is  a  complete   list  of  its  presidents  : 

1874— William  L.  Scott. 

1875 — John  E.  Payne. 

1876 — George  Carroll. 

1877— S.  E.  Bacon. 

1878 — George  Selden. 

1879— T.  H.  Carroll. 

1880 — John  Clemens. 

1881— ].   T-  Wadsworth. 

1882— J.  F.  Downing. 

188.B— George  V.  Maus. 

1884— M.  Griswold. 

1885— O.  E.  Crouch. 

1886— F.  A.  Mizener. 

1887— M.  X.  Lovell. 

1888— H.  Beckman. 

1889— F.  F.  Adams. 

1890_A.  K.  McMullen. 

1891_W.  T.  Black. 

1892— W.  J.  Sands. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


505 


1893— Charles  Jarecki. 

1894 — Tames  McBrier. 

1895— William  B.  Trask. 

The  first  Secretary  was  John  J.  Wads- 
worth,  who  was  succeeded  in  1881,  after  a 
service  of  seven  years,  by  Douglas  Benson, 
who  continues  to  fill  the  position.  The  Secre- 
tary prints  a  report  each  year  showing  the 
industrial  and  commercial  conditions  of  the 
city,  which  is  a  valuable  handbook  of  infor- 
mation for  all  who  take  an  interest  in  its 
growth  and  general  welfare. 

HOW     THE    BUSINESS    CEXTER     H.\S     CH.\XGED. 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing  chapters 
that  the  business  of  Erie  started  at  the  mouth 
of  Mill  creek,  and  from  there  gradually  moved 
up  Second,  Third  and  Fourth  streets  to 
French.  For  several  years  Third  street  was 
the  chief  business  thoroughfare  of  the  city, 
until  it  was  supplanted  by  French  street. 
Sixty  or  seventy  vears  ago  French  street  was 
the  busiest  and  most  important  in  the  city.  The 
postoffice,  the  principal  hotels  and  the  leading 
business  houses  were  upon  or  convenient  to 
that  street,  and  it  continued  an  important 
business    thorouglifare    until   some  time    after 

1860.  When    the    writer    came    to    Erie,    in 

1861,  Frencli  street  still  had  quite  a  number  of 
prominent  hotels  and  business  places,  and  was 
looked  upon  as  only  second  in  importance  to 
State  street.  The  movement  in  the  direction 
of  State  street  commenced  directly  after  the 
erection  of  the  United  States  bank  build- 
ing, so  long  occupied  as  the  custom-house  and 
postoffice.  In  1861  the  main  business  portion 
of  Erie  was  from  Fourth  to  Eighth  streets  on 
State,  and  on  iSiorth  Park  Row  from  Peach  to 
French  streets.  The  corner  of  Fifth  and 
State  streets  was  regarded  as  the  heart  of  the 
city,  and  the  best  stores  were  in  that  vicinitv. 
There  is  no  reason — natural  or  artificial — whv 
business  should  have  moved  away  from  the 
neighborhood  of  the  parks,  and  the  only  ex- 
planation is  to  be  found  in  the  indifference 
of  property  holders,  who  supposed  thev  had  a 
"  sure  thing,"  and  the  activitv  of  those  who 
had  property  to  sell  south  of  the  location 
named.  To-day  the  men  who  own  land  and 
buildings  on  the  west  side  of  State  street  are 
quite  as  sanguine  that  they  cannot  be  dis- 
placed as  the  property  owners  north  of  Cen- 
tral park  were  many  years  ago.     The   fact  is 


self-evident,  however,  that  some  of  the  best 
buildings  and  the  finest  stores  are  going  up 
and  being  started  on  the  east  side  of  the  street, 
and,  unless  the  property  owners  on  the  west 
side  wake  up  in  good  time,  the)'  will  find 
that  the  prize  has  slipped  from  their  grasp, 
just  as  was  the  case  on  the  north  end  of 
the  street  and  the  north  side  of  the  park. 
State  street  will  always  be  the  main  busi- 
ness avenue  of  Erie,  and  when  the  city 
reaches  a  population  of  75,000  to  100,000 
it  will  make  very  little  difference  whether 
a  store  is  on  the  east  or  west  side,  provided 
the  proper  accommodations  are  offered.  Per- 
sons who  are  familiar  with  Chicago,  Buffalo, 
Cleveland,  or  any  of  the  larger  cities  of  the 
country,  will  readily  see  the  force  of  these 
conclusions. 

BUSINESS   MEX   OF   VE.\RS   AGO. 

Among  the  men  and  firms,  not  otherwise 
mentioned,  who  were  engaged  in  trade,  manu- 
facturing or  general  business  in  Erie  in  the 
year  past  were  those  named  below.  The 
names  include  only  those  who  are  dead  or  re- 
tired from  active  business ;  or  where  the 
firm  names  have  changed  or  the  parties  have 
engaged  in  other  lines.  The  list  is  not 
claimed  to  be  complete,  and  it  is  doubtful  if 
a  reall}-  full  one  could  be  obtained  at  this  late 
date  : 

A 

Adams,  A.  A.,  wholesale  boots  and  shoes, 
cigars,  tobacco,  etc. 

Adams  &  Russell,  wholesale  boots  and 
shoes. 

Adams,  F.  F..  fruit  and  confectionery, 
manufacturer. 

Austin,  Augustin,  silversmith. 

Austin,  T.  M.,  jeweler. 

Acheson,  Adam,  manufacturer. 

Abell,  Joseph,  butcher. 

Atkinson,  James,  boat  house. 

Abell,  John,  meat  shop. 

Arbuckle,  Pressley  &  Wm.  M.,  general 
store. 

Arbuckle  &  Clark,  wholesale  boots  and 
shoes. 

Armstrong  &  Follansbee,  coal. 

Ayers,  J.  W.,  furniture. 

Arbuckle,  Wm.  G.,  builder. 

Anthony,  John,  iiotel-keeper. 


5o6 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTION  ART 


B 

Barr  &  Kelsey,  wholesale  boots  ami  shoes. 

Bell,  William,  general  store. 

Bell,  William,  jr.,  dry  goods. 

Banyard,  John,  grocer. 

Bener  &  Burgess,  confectioners. 

Burgess,  J.  C.  &  Co.,  wholesale  grocers. 

Brawley  &  Ball,  lumber. 

Bliss,  James  A.,  grocer. 

Becker,  P.  A.,  grocer. 

Brewer,  F.  B.  &  Co.,  bookstore. 

Beebe,  John  C,  dry  goods. 

Burton  &  Sons,  wholesale  dealers  in   coal. 

Burton  Bros.  &  Co.,  wholesale  dealers  in 
coal. 

Burton  &  Griffith,  grocers. 

Brown,  Samuel,  general  store. 

Brabender,  Adam,  grocer. 

Beatty,  William,  tinner. 

Bliley,  A.  W.,  builder,  grocer. 

Baldwin,  H.,  eating  house. 

Baldwin,  Wm.  A.,  superintendent  Phila- 
delphia and  Erie  R.  R. 

Black,  Samuel  A.,  supt.  P.  &  E.  R.  R. 

Bates,  Hezekiah,  auctioneer. 

Bates,  T.  M.,  train  dispatcher. 

Bennett,  E.  A.,  pail  factorj',  oil  refiner. 

Berriman,  Capt.  Geo.,  lake  man. 

Blenner  &  Johnson,  livery. 

Bone,  Capt.  Wm.,  brick  yard,  etc. 

Bootz,   Jacob,  planing  mill,  etc. 

Bovd,  Joseph,  painter. 

Bovle,  John,  hotel-keeper. 

Brigden,  J.  W.,  coffee  and  spice  mill. 

Briggs,  Lyman,  blacksmith. 

Brown,  C.  W.,  grocer. 

Burger,  Jonas,  builder. 

Beecher.  S.  P.,  gardener. 

Bennett,  E.  C.  carriage  builder. 

Booth,  Kepler  &  Co.,  dry  goods. 

Booth  &  Stewart,  dry  goods. 

Boyce  &  Tennant,  coal,  etc. 

Brown,  Wm.  S.,  railroad  operations,  real 
estate,  etc. 

Boyer,  John  V.,  hardware. 

Brown,  Thomas,  oil  refiner,  oil  operator,  etc. 

Boyer  &  Fuess,  hardware. 

Burger,  Jtmas  &  David,  builders. 

Berst,  John,   florist. 

Brevillier,  G.  F.,  soap  manufacturer. 

Barr,  M.  R.,  manufacturer. 

Barr  &  Johnson,  manufacturers. 

Baker,  B.,  clothing. 


Brown,  George,  butcher. 
Brown,  John  S.,  contractor,  dealer  in  oils. 
Brown,  Wm.  A.,  general  store. 
Bennett,  G.  A.,  gunshop,  crockery. 
Bennett,  E.  C,  wagonmaker. 
Baldwin,  Remus,  grocer. 
Bryant,     J.      M.,     contractor,      manufac- 
turer, etc. 

Burton,  J.  H.,  druggist. 

Bonnell,  Joseph    &   James,   general  store. 

Booth,  Sidney  M.,  clothing. 

Brewster,  A.  W.,  merchant,  manufacturer. 

Brewster,  William,  nursery. 


Clemens  &  Caughey,  wholesale  grocers. 

Caughey  &  Clark,  wholesale  grocers. 

Clemens,  Caughey  &  Co.,  wholesale  gro- 
cers. 

Caughey,  Burgess  &  Walker,  wholesale 
grocers. 

Caughey,  Walker  &  Co.,  wholesale  gro- 
cers. 

Clark,  N.  J.,  boots  and  shoes,  wholesale 
and  retail. 

Craig  &  Marshall,  grocers. 

Crawford,  Christian  &  Craig,  grocers  and 
ship  chandlers. 

Crawford  &  Caughey,  grocers. 

Caughey,  McCreary  &  Moorhead,  book 
store,  pictures,  frames. 

Carter,  John   S.,  drugs,  patent  medicines. 

Carter  Brothers,  drugs,  patent   medicines. 

Curtis  &  Boyce,  coal  dealers. 

Claus,  II.  v.,  groceries,  liquors. 

Calkins,  W.  J.  &  Co.,  wall  paper  and 
paints. 

Carver,  J.  B.  &  Co.,  drugs. 

Carver,  J.  &  J.  B.,  leather  store. 

Clemens,  F.  A.,  Fulton  Market. 

Canty,  J.  H.,  contractor. 

Clark,  David  S.,  grocer,  oil  refiner. 

Cadwell,  Henry,  dry  goods,  crockery. 

Cole,  E.  M.,  bookbinder. 

Casey,  John  &  James,  contractors. 

Colton,  Geo.  \V'.,  banker. 

Cochran,  John  R.,  miscellaneous. 

Cochran  li  Young,  paper,  rags,  etc. 

Campbell,  Henry,  hotel. 

Carlisle  J.  &  Co.,  dry  goods. 

Carse,  John,   warehouseman. 

Carver,  J.  &  Co.,  broom  makers. 

Cavanagh,  Thos.,  contractor. 

Christian,  E.  F.,  ship  broker. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


507 


Clark  &  Goodwin,  bankers. 

Deming  &  Davis,  lumber. 

Clark  &  Metcalf,  bankers. 

Decker,  George,  dry  goods. 

Cleveland,    W.    L.,    oil   refiner,    manufac- 

Decker, J.  P.,  general  store. 

turer. 

Davis,  G.  P.,  grocer. 

Cohen,  N.,   hoop  skirt   factory,  etc. 

Deming,  \V.  H.,  planing-mill,  &c. 

Colton  &  Kendig,  grocers. 

Dolph,  0.  A.,  photographer. 

Conrath  Bros.,  builders. 

Douglas,  J.  J.,  boots  and  shoes,  oil  refiner. 

Cooper,  Frederick,  grocer. 

Drumgool,  James,  boots  and  shoes. 

Coughlin  E.,  shoe  shop. 

Drodzewski  &  Jarecki,  jewelers. 

Crooks,  J.  P.  &  Son,  sash  factory,  etc. 

Dunbar,  Chas.  F.,  contractor. 

Cummins,  S.  &  J.  M.,  grocers. 

Doll,  M.  &  Co.,  boots  and  shoes. 

Cummins,  Samuel,  grocer. 

Dudley,  R..  oil  refiner. 

Curry,  \V.  C,  banker. 

E 

Conrad,  C.  M.,  cigar  factory. 

Clark  &  McCord,  boots  and  shoes. 

Ensign,  D.  P.,  bookstore. 

Crouch  &  Bro.,  flour  and  feed  store. 

Ensign,  S.  P.  tS;  Co.,  books,  wall  paper,  etc. 

Cooper,  William,  flour  and  feed. 

Edson,  Churchill  &  Co.,  drv  goods. 

Constable,  John,  builder,  planing  mill. 

Eichenlaub,  Joseph,  boots  and  shoes. 

Chevalier,  L.  B.,  art  room. 

Englehart,  C.  &  Co.,  boots  and  shoes. 

Caughey,  David  B..  clothier. 

Erhart,  .Stephen,  harness. 

Craine,  Abiather,  contractor. 

Eliot,  John  &  Co..  bankers. 

Caughey,  Miles  W.,  forwarding  and   com- 

Englehart, F.,  contractor. 

mission. 

Ely,  Hervey,  oil  refiner. 

Colt,  Judah,  capitalist. 

Eichenlaub,  Ferdinand,  butcher,  grocer. 

Chase,  Edward  H.,  general  store. 

Evans  &  Brown,  grocers. 

Clark,    James     S.,     first     landlord     Reed 

Evans  &  Bennett,  grocers. 

House. 

Ellsey,  G.  W.,  furniture. 

Clark,  Jos.  D.,  general  store,  banker. 

Evans  &  Strong,  boots  and  shoes. 

Campbell,  Jno.  R.,  general  store. 

F 

Cathcart,  Hugh,  tinner. 

Cowell,  E.  J.,  real  estate. 

French  &  McKnight,  grocers. 

Chester,  Walter,  merchant,   manufacturer. 

FoUansbee,  Joshua,  coal  and    commission. 

Callender,  D.  B.,  manufacturer. 

Forster,  E.  S.,  tea  store. 

D 

Fuess,  Joseph,  hardware. 

Fry-,  Geo.  E.,  plumbing. 

Diefendorf,  Gross  &  Foster,  dry  goods. 

Fross,  Abijah,  grocer. 

Dreisigaker,  Jacob,  groceries,  liquors. 

Fairbairn,  John,  manufacturer. 

Dill  &  Lackie,  paints,  wall  paper. 

Fleming,  Wm.,  general  store. 

Dill.  Robert,  paints,  wall  paper. 

Farrar,  F.  F.,  wholesale  grocer,  manufac- 

Dickinson, Dr.  S.  and  Dr.  John,  drugs. 

turer. 

Deitz  &  Haas,  butchers. 

Flickinger,  Tobias,  miller. 

Dunn,  Geo.  C,  photographer. 

Finn  &  Stearns,  lumber,  barrel-makers. 

Davenport,  Wm.  R.,  manufacturer. 

Flynn,  Thomas,  stonecutter. 

Dobbins,  Leander,  insurance. 

Flynt,  Levi  R.,  insurance. 

Dunlap,  James  &  John,  contractors. 

Foote,  Samuel  E.,  leather  store. 

Doll,  Conrad,  shoe-shop. 

Foster,  John  T.,  ticket  agent. 

Densmore,  \V.  W.,  malster,  etc. 

Friday,  G.  L.,  grocer. 

Downing  &  Gaggin,  insurance. 

Finch,  Silas  E.,  blacksmith. 

Decker,  J.  F..  grocer. 

Ferguson,  Jos.  R.,  livery,  &c. 

Deitley,  Joseph,  grocer. 

G 

Disbro,  J.  Q^,  railroader. 

Diefenthaler,  Jacob,  ice  dealer. 

Gallagher,  Wm.  M.,  coal,  contracting. 

Deitly,  Joseph,  jr.,  restaurant. 

Gallagher,  George,   forwarding  and  com- 

Dean, D.  K.,  architect. 

mission. 

5o8 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Gaggin,  Richard,  chemist, 
(joodwin.  P.,  restaurant. 
Griswold,  Wm.  A.,  dry  goods. 
Gray  &  Farrar,  wholesale  grocers. 
Goodrich,  Geo.  W.,  confectioner. 
Graham,  John,  clothing. 
Graham,  W.  B.,  confectioner. 
Goodwin,  S.  E.,  merchant,  hoarding-house. 
Gensheimer  &  Tanner,  clothing. 
Guckenbeihl    &    .Schlaudecker,    boots   and 
shoes. 

Glazier,  Jno.  M.,  job  printing. 
Gunnison,  E.  B.,  merchant,  real  estate. 
Glazier,  P.  P  ,  painter. 
Gilson,   James,  sewing  machines. 
George,  Clinton,  hatter. 
Goodells  (The),  painters. 
Goff,  Azro,  grocer,  publisher. 
Gallagher,  Geo.  W.,  auctioneer. 
Goodwin,  Myron,  general  store. 
Gaggin,  James  P.,  insurance. 
Glenny,  W.  H.,  crockery  store. 
Gloth,  Schutte  &  Co.,  planing  mill. 
Goodrich  &  Brown,  variety  store. 
Gray,  Geo.  W.,  oil  refiner. 
Gabel  &  Henrichs,  dry  goods. 
Griswold,  James  H.,  lumber. 
Gans,  Moses,  miscellaneous. 

II 

Hamot,  P.  S.  V.,  general  store. 

Haverstick,  H.  B.,  flour  and  feed. 

Hearn,  John  cS:  Co.  (W.  L  Scott),  coal  and 
shipping. 

Hanson,  Jacob,  grocer. 

Hall  &  Warfel,  drugs. 

Hoskinson  &  Williams,  commission  mer- 
chants. 

Harris,  W.  H.,  restaurant. 

Hofsies,  A.,  ship  chandler. 

Hayes  &  Kepler,  real  estate. 

Hulbert,  Henry,  job  printer. 

Hughes,  James,  general  store. 

Harlow,  John,  restaurant. 

Hubbard  Bros.,  tinners. 

Hunter,  R.  S.,  hats  and  caps. 

Hartleb,  M.,  grocer. 

Hartleb,  D.,  grocer. 

Hummel,  M.,  boots  and  shoes. 

Horrell,  R.  A.,  contractor. 

Haller,  Jacob,  grocer. 

Humphrey  &  Jones,  slate  roofers. 

Hart,  Ira  \V.,  stage  and  railroad  agent. 

Henry,  William,  manufacturer. 


Henry,  Robert  H.,  lime,  boots  and  shoes,  etc. 

Hughes,  John,  general  store. 

Hughes,  Alex.,  general  store. 

Hughes,  Thos.,  saddler. 

Hughes  (George)  &  Moorhead  (Thos.), 
general  store. 

Hills,  Rufus,  drugs. 

Hitchcock,  Julius  W.,  grocer. 

Hulbert,  Richard  O.,  grocer. 

Hays,  Samuel,  tanner. 

Hays,  W.  B.  &  Co.,  tanners. 

Hulbert,  Wm.  C,  general  store. 

Hilton,  A.  C,  harness  shop. 

Hart  &  Burd,  liyery. 

Hoskinson,  Wm.  &  James,  masons,  brick- 
yard. 

Harlow,  Wm.  H.,  confectioner. 

Hatch,  Ira  G.,  oil  refiner. 

HefFner,  Julius,  boots  and  shoes. 

Henrichs,  P.,  dry  goods. 

Henry,  Bryant  &  Co.,  Eagle  foundry. 

Hill,  John,  architect  and  builder. 

Hubbard,  Geo,  L.,  plumber. 

Hallock  &  Richmond,  patent  agents. 

Hayes,  Wm.  P.  &  Co.,  dry  goods. 

Hammond,  John  W.,  oil  refiner,  real  estate. 

Hearn  &  Scott,  coal  and  iron  ore. 

Himrod,  Wm.,  sr.,  manufacturer. 

Himrod,  Wm.,  jr.,  shoe  factory. 

Hubley,  Bernard,  coppersmith. 

Hoskinson,  T.  J.,  civil  engineer,  brickyard. 


Irish,  O.  W.,   insurance. 

J 
Justice,  John  M.,  clothing. 
Johnston,  Jos.  &  Bro.,  wholesale   grocers. 
Jarecki,  Henry,  brass  works. 
Jarecki  &  Metz,  brass  founders. 
Jarecki,  Gustave,  jeweler,  banker. 
Johnson,  R.  M.,  livery. 
Jones,  Daniel,  clothing. 
Jones  &  Lytic,  clothing. 
Johnston,  J.,  sr.,  groceries. 
Johnston,  IBooth  &  Co.,  oil  refiners. 
Justice,   Joseph,  gents'  furnishing. 
Jones,  Hugh,  contractor. 
Jackson,  Smith,  general  store. 
Joy,  Miles,  coal  and  shipping. 
Johnson,  Grove  H.,  manufacturer. 
Jones  &  White,  builders. 
Jones,  Mallorj-  &  Co.,    planing  mill. 
Jacobi,  Wm.,  brewer. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


509 


Johnson  &  Lufkin,  pliotographers. 
Janes,  Heman,  lumber,  oil,  real  estate. 


Keene,  Galen  and  Henry,  tailors. 

Kelsey  &.  Co.,  ice  dealers. 

Kalvelage,  Henry,  brewer. 

Kennedy,  D.,  oil  refiner,  brick  maker. 

Kinf^sbury,  Chas.  R.,  sewing  machines. 

Knipper,  M.  &.  P.,  grocers. 

Koehler,  Chas.,   brewer. 

Kimball,  J.  M.,  superintendent  Erie  and 
Pittsburg  R.  R. 

Koster  &  Lehman,  merchants. 

King,  Rrown  &  Co.,  contractors. 

Kelse)-,  S.  H.,  boots  and  .shoes. 

King,  Alfred,  maltster,  brewer,  etc. 

King,  Wilson,  contractor. 

Kolb,  C,  barber. 

Koster,  L.,  carpets,  etc. 

Kurtis  &  Gross,  grocers. 

Kunz,  J.,  hats  and  caps,  etc. 

Koch,  Moses,  clothing. 

Koch,  Jacob,   clothing. 

Knobloch,  Daniel,  hotel   and  restaurant. 

Kepler  &  Liddell,   drj-  goods,  etc. 

Kirschner,  Sebastian,  contractor. 

Kohmiller,  J.,  Ayar. 

Kellogg,  Josiah,  coal  and  shipping. 

Kellogg,  Philander,  coal  and  shipping. 

Kellogg,  George,  general  store. 

Kellogg,  Geo.  H.,  forwarding  and  com- 
mission. 

Kellogg,  Aaron,  general  store. 

Kellogg,  Sidney,  potter\'. 

Keefer,  S.  \V.,  hotel-keeper. 


Lamb  &  Co.,  lumber,  coal. 

Lamb,  L.  L.,  banker. 

Locke,  W.  S.  &  Co.,  dry  goods. 

Lee,  A.  R.,  coal  and  shipping. 

Lytle,  James,  clothing. 

Lytle,  C.  W.,  clothing. 

Loomis  &  Tyler,  Brown's  Hotel. 

Loomis  &  Ross,  Brown's  Hotel. 

Liebel,  F.  P.,  grocer. 

Laird  &  Rust,  general  store. 

Lester,  Sennett  &   Co.,  general   store    and 
stove  works. 

Lintz.  J.  J.,  insurance,  etc. 

Loomis,  Guy,  jeweler. 

Lowry,  ^L  B.  &  Co.  (\\ .  L.  Scott),  coal 
and  shipping. 
33 


Lowry,  AL  B.,  capitalist. 

Lorei  &  Eppley,  dry  goods. 

Lyle,  W.  W.,  contractor. 

Lennon,  Thomas,  livery. 

Louch,  Abraham,   sailmaker. 

Luce,  W.  H.,  dentist,  furniture. 

Loomis,  \V.  W.,  sr.,  forwarding  and  com- 
mission. 

Loomis,  W.  \V.,  jr.,  shipyard. 

Loesch  &  Matthews,  boots,  shoes,  etc. 

Lynch,  Charles,  painter. 

Lytle  &  Constable,  builders. 

Landon  &  Riblet,  grocers. 

Lantz  &  Mayo,  saddlers. 

Law,  John,  saddler. 

Leland,  Alvan,  general  store. 

Leeds,  James  S,,  general  store. 

Littell,  A.  L.,  paper  dealer. 

Liddell,  W.  F,  J.,  manufacturer. 

Liddell  &  Kepler,  Erie  City  Iron  Works. 

Laird,  Thomas,  hotel-keeper. 

Laird,  Johnson,  general  store. 

Low,  Samuel,  civil  engineer. 

Lander,  Fred.,  restaurant. 

Lawrence,  J-  T--  superintendent  E.  &  P. 
R.  R. 

Leonard,  W.  E.,  grocer. 

Liebel,  A.  &  P.,  clothiers. 

Liley  &  Son,  machinists. 

Loverin,  Charles  H.,  manufacturer. 

Lowry,  L.  L.,  oil  operator. 

Low,  Merrick,  pump  manufacturer. 

M 

Morrison  &  Densmore,  wholesalers. 
McConkey  &   Shannon,  hardware,  plumb- 
ers. 

Murphy,  N.,  stoves,  tinware,  etc. 
Morton,  George  J.,  coal  and  shipping. 
Metcalf,  Prescott,  coal,  shipping,  etc. 
Moore,  John,   steamboating   and   railroad- 


ing. 


Moore,  Richard  T.,  undertaking. 
Marks  &  Meyer,  clothing. 
Messenkopf  &  Bittig,  barbers. 
Merrill  &  Co.,  dry  goods. 
Metz,  Eugene,  hardware. 
Morrison,  R.  S,  &.  Sons,  dry  goods. 
Mehl,  Michael,  barber. 
Mehl,  ^L  W.,  restaurant. 
Moffet,  R.  S.,  crockery  store. 
Meng,  J.  H.,  sign  painter. 
Mack,  C,  grocer. 
McCarter,  Joseph,  grocer. 


5>o 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


McCarter  &  Liddell,  Erie  City  Iron  Works. 

Nelson,  C.  B.,  general  store. 

Morand,  W.  A.,  photographer. 

Nelson,  James,  general  store. 

Moorhead    &    McCreary,  boolis,  pictures. 

Neiler  &  .Spooner,  lime,  etc. 

Mayer,  Matiiiast"t  Son,  stoves  and  tinware. 

Neiler  &  Warren,  bankers. 

Mullanc,  Antiiony,   contractor. 

Neubauer,  II.,  grocer. 

Mullane,  Dennis,  contractor. 

Noonan,  Jeremiah,  boots  and  shoes. 

Metzner,  John,  butciier. 

Meyer,  X.,  butcher. 

O 

Meuser,  F.,  butcher. 

Oxtoby  &  Duflield,  jewelers. 

Morgan,  F.  VV.,  grocer. 

Oliver,  Perry  H.,  livery. 

Miller  &  Henry,  boots  and  shoes. 

Ohlwiler,  I.  &  E.  H.,  photographers. 

Millar,  Jno.  II.,  civil  engineer. 

Orton,  Thos.  H.,  coal  and  iron  ore. 

Moseley,  Thos.,  wagon-maker. 

P 

Metcalf,  Samuel  II.,  contractor,  etc. 

McBrier,  James,  lumber,  etc. 

Perkins,  John  B.,  confectioner. 

Mead,  Alex.  J.,  architect. 

Patterson  &  Avery,    stoves,    tinware,    etc. 

Maj-er,  Henry,  stoves,  tinware. 

Patterson  &  Bro.,  stoves,  tinware,  etc. 

Moore,  Thomas  W.,  railroad  eating-house. 

PfefTer,  Francis  &  Son,  boots  and  shoes. 

Motsch,  Michael,  wagon  maker. 

Pierce,  W.  W.  &  Co.,  hardware. 

Miller,  Egbert,  milk  dealer. 

Paasch,  J.  D.,  boat  house. 

May  &  Sell,  newsdealers. 

Peflfer,  John  E.,  sewing  machines,  etc. 

McCann,  John,  grocer. 

Preuss,  N.,  baker. 

Moorhead,  Thomas,  genera!  store. 

Paulson,  ,  photographer. 

MehafTey,  Alex.  &  H.  P.,  furniture. 

Pelton,  Halsey,  lime,  etc. 

Mehaffey,  Thos.,  builder. 

Pelton  &  Son,  marble  shop. 

Mains,  Walter,   furniture. 

Payne,  John  E.,  manager  Anchor  Line. 

Marvin,  Elihu,  capitalist. 

Parkinson,  Aaron,  dry  goods. 

McCord,  Simeon,  boots  and  shoes. 

Parkinson,  M.  C,  watchmaker. 

Minium,  B.,  boarding  house. 

Pierce,  Albert,  general  store. 

McSparren,  A.  J.  &  W.,  millers. 

Pierce,  Peter,  general  store. 

McSparren,  Clark,  real  estate,  etc. 

Perkins,  R.  L.,  druggist,  manufacturer. 

McCarter    &    Shannon,    commission    mer- 

Perkins, C.  F.,  drugs. 

chants. 

Perkins,  John  C,  paper  manufacturer. 

Marsh  &  Low,  pump  manufacturers. 

Parsons  &  Co.,  oil  refiners. 

Maus,  Geo.  V.,  general  freight  agent. 

Peckham,  Hoag&  Co.,  lumber. 

Mehan,  Wm.,  blacksmith. 

Plattman  &  Sprague,  nurserymen. 

Metcalf  &  Pelton,  coal,  shipping. 

Palmer,  O.  B.,  photographer. 

Marsh  &  McCarter,  manufacturers. 

Miller,  F.  W.,  builder. 

R 

Miller,  John,  sr.,  builder. 

Reed.  Rufus  S.,    general   store,   capitalist. 

Moore  &  Riblet,  undertakers. 

Reed,  Chas.  M.,  shipping,  capitalist. 

McGrath,  B.,  clothing. 

Reed  &  Co.,  coal,  etc. 

Mackintosh  &  Co.,  hardware. 

Reed,  Rufus,  hardware. 

Magill  Brothers,  crockery. 

Reed,  W.  W.,  civil  engineer,  etc. 

N 

Riblet,  J.  H.  &  Co.,  furniture. 

Riblet,  Wm.,   furniture. 

Newberger,  Isaac,  clothing. 

Riblet,  Geo.  W.,  tax  collector. 

Nick,  Wm.,  drugs. 

Rechter,  Wm.,  barber  shop,  saloon. 

Noble,  Orange,  capitalist. 

Rindernecht,  Wm.  F.,  grocer,  hat  store. 

Noble  &  Hall,  Bay  State  Iron  Works. 

Rindernecht  &  Beckman,  grocers. 

Noble,  Brown  &  Co.,  coal,  etc. 

Reed,  E.  W.  &  Co.,  coal,  etc. 

Neimeyer,  Henry,  florist. 

Rosenzweig,  Isaac,  clothing. 

Nunn,  Chas.  II.,  restaurant. 

Rosenzweig,  John,  clothing. 

Neely,  Jo.seph,  miller,  capitalist. 

Rosenzweig,  Louis  &  Co.,  dry  goods. 

AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


5" 


Russell,  R.  W.  &  Co.,  insurance,  coal,  etc. 

Sanford,  Giles,  general  store. 

Richards,   Rawle  &   Co.,   coal    and    ship- 

Suerken, B.  J.  and  J.  B.,  jewelers. 

ping. 

Schabacker,  H.  G.,  grocer. 

Ruth,  John  B.,  grocer. 

Schuster,  Jacob,  junk  dealer. 

Ross,  W.  W.,  paints,  wall  paper,  etc. 

Sobel,  Semel,  dry  goods. 

Rust,  Lucien,  oil  refiner. 

Sherwood,  Alanson,  painter. 

Riddle,  J.  S.,  maltster. 

Smith,  Wm.  H.,  boots  and  shoes. 

Rabe,  C,  grocer. 

Scott,  Wm.  L.,  coal  and  railroad  operator. 

Roemer,  August,  restaurant. 

Sherman,  Wm.  H.,  photographer. 

Rockwell,  P.  K.,  hatter. 

Sloan,  B.  F.,  oil  refiner. 

Record,  Geo.  J.,  hardware. 

Sterrett,  J.  Q.  A.,  livery. 

Richards,  Win.  L.,  vessel  owner. 

Schutte,  Fred'k  cS:  Bro.,  planing  mill. 

Rawle  &  Co.,  coal  and  iron  ore. 

Schutte,  Wm.,  grocer. 

Rawle  &  Richards,  coal  and  iron  ore. 

Selden,  George,  general  store. 

Rawle  &  Tennant,  coal  and  iron  ore. 

Sanford.  JNI.  &  Co..  hankers. 

Rea,  Samuel,  lime  and  cement. 

Selden,  George,  jr.,  manufacturer. 

Reichscheidt,  Jos.,  tanner. 

Selden,  Samuel,  manufacturer. 

Ristine,  Geo.  W. ,  agent  Empire  Line. 

Sanford,  Myron  &  Co.,  bankers. 

Robinson,  J.  &  Co.,  millers. 

Spencer,  Judah  C,  banker. 

Ruth  &  Beatty,   grocers. 

Sennett,  Pardon,  manufacturer. 

Rutherford,  Jesse,  auctioneer. 

Shirk,  David,  manufacturer,  general  store. 

Rogers  &  Bennett,  crockery. 

Sterrett,  Robert  T.,  grocer. 

S 

Stearns.  E.  H.,  inventor,  manufacturer. 

Sherwin,  G.  W.  F.,  civil  engineer. 

vSouthard  &  McCord,  wholesale  dry  goods. 

Salsburv  &  Goodwin,  restaurant. 

Scott,  Andrew,  coal  and  shipping. 

Selden  &  Bliss,  barrel  factory,  engines  and 

Scott  &  Rankin,  coal  and  shipping. 

boilers. 

Schlaudecker,  Frank,  groceries. 

Sampsons  (The),  gardeners. 

Strong,  Dr.  L.,  drugs. 

Schaal,  Jacob,  glue,  fertilizers. 

Slocum,  Hiram,  flour  and  feed. 

Shabackers  (The),  boots  and  shoes,  grocers. 

Schlaudecker,  George,  sewer  pipe,  etc. 

Schlaudecker,  Urban,  auctioneer. 

Schlaudecker,  M.,  grocer. 

Selden  &  Griswold,   manufacturers. 

Steubgen.  C.  G.,  insurance. 

Smith,  Zebina,  music  store. 

vSterrett,  James  S.,  groceries. 

SneJl,  D.  F.,  billiard  room. 

Sterrett,  Wm.  J.,  livery. 

Stahl,  H.,  insurance,  oil,  real  estate. 

Schaff,  P.,  grocer. 

Stearns,  Clark  &  Co.,  manufacturers. 

Siegel,  C,  grocer. 

Sterrett,  Jos.  A.,  furniture. 

Schultz,  V.  &  Bro.,  grocer. 

Sterrett,  S.  T.,  tinner. 

-Saltsman,  John  R.,  coal. 

Schaaf  &  Knoll,  grocers. 

Sherwood,  Wm.,  baker. 

T 

Sloan,  Booth   &    McCrearv,   grocers,    ship 

chandlers. 

Tanner,  Jos.  I.,  tinner. 

Starr  &  Payne,  shipping,  coal,  etc. 

Tibbals,    Shirk    &  Co.,  general   store   and 

Swalley,  C,  spice  mills. 

stove  manufacturers. 

Swalley,  J.  W.,  soap  factory,  etc. 

Tibbals  &  Hayes,  dry  goods. 

Scott  &  jMiles.  grocers. 

Tracy,  John  A.,  general  store,  contractor. 

Stark  &  Franz,  furniture. 

Tibbals,  L.  N.,  insurance. 

Smith,  Geo.  M.,  wholesale  liquor  dealer. 

Teel,John,  builder. 

Shannon,  John  W.  and  Henry  C,  grocers. 

Thornton,  J.  M.,  clothing. 

Selden,  Jolin  C,  hardware. 

Thayer,  Alvanus,  livery. 

Spafford,  O.,  book-binder,  book  store. 

Truesdall  &  Goodwin,  general  store. 

Sevins,  J.  T.,  pictures  and  frames. 

Truesdall,  William,  contractor. 

Schneider,  Fred'k,  grocer. 

Thayer,  R.  H.  &  Bro.,  oil  refiners. 

Smith.  Sherburn,  hat  store,  wool  buyer. 

Thayer  &  Price,  pottery. 

5'- 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONART 


Tuttle,  A.  C,  general  store. 
Thayer  &  Brown,  oil  refiners. 
Thompson,  V.  M.,  oil  operator. 
Tibbals,  Shirk  &  Whitehead,  stove   manu- 
tacturers. 

Towner,   Jehiel,  sewer  pipe,  tlour  and  feed. 
Tvler,  A."L.,  gen.  siipt.  W  8c  E.  R.  R. 
Todd,  W.  W.,  coal  dealer. 
Todd  &  Thomas,  coal  dealers. 

U 

Ulrich,  Dr.  G.,  drugs. 

Upson  &  Dobbins,  Reed  House. 


Viers  &  Elliott,  drugs. 

Vosburg,  Albert,  barber. 

Van  Scoter,  J.  C,  dry  goods,  shipping, 
oil  refiner. 

Vincent,  Bailey  &  Co.,  bankers. 

Vincent,  Tibbals,  Shirk  &  Co.,  stove  fac- 
tory. 

V^incent,  Thos.  B.,  insurance. 

Volk,  Andrew  &  Co.,  Humboldt  Iron 
Works. 

VanTassel,  A.  W.,  Morton  House. 

W 

Whallon,  J.  H.,  &  Son,  coal. 
Wagner,  Frank,  clothier. 
Watkins,  W.  J.,  oil  refiner. 
Webber,  F.  A   iS:  Co.,  grocers. 
W'elshman,  E.  R.,  tobacconist. 
Weschler,  Jacob,  brewer,  maltster. 
White,  L.  F.  &  Co.,  planing  mill. 
W^alker  &  Armstrong,  coal,  iron  ore. 
AVarren,  William  C,  banker. 
M'ebb  &  Kellogg,  stone^vare. 
Woellmer,  A.  C.  H.,  leather  store. 
Wright,  Hatch  &  Perry,  oil  refiners. 
Wadsworth,  Jno.  J.,  Anchor  Line,  salt,  etc 
Wager,  S.  D.,  photographer. 
W'elsh,  John  H.,  wholesale  liquors. 
Wittich,  Frederick,  carriage  shop. 
VV'alker  &  Gilson,  coal  and  shipping. 
Walker,  D.  D. ,  commission  merchant. 
Walther  &  Streuber,  dry  goods. 
Wild,  Adam,  butcher. 
Wilkins  &  Doll,  drugs. 

\Varner,  M.  Rusli,  J.  S.  and  Joseph,  in- 
surance. 

Wicks,  D.,  gunshop. 
Woellmer,  A.,  coal. 


Williams,    John    and     James,    boots    and 
shoes. 

Winchell,  Frank  &  Co.,  auctioneers. 

Waltiier,  Jacob,  shoemaker. 

Walther,  J.  F.,  dry  goods. 

Willing,  Wm.,  music  store. 

Williams,  J.  H.,  dry  goods,  banker. 

Wright,  Chas.  B.,   general   store,   banker. 

Whitley,  Morris,  coal  dealer. 

Williams  &  Hoskinson,  coal  and  shipping. 

Woods,  Geo.  L.  &  Eli,  livery. 

Walker.  W.  \.,  hotel-keeper,  etc. 


Yale,  A.  &  Son,  carriage  makers. 
Yale  it  Breeze,  carriage  makers. 


Zeigler,  E.  D  ,  music  store. 
Zurn,  George,  boots  and  shoes. 
Zimmerly,  John,  grocer,  etc. 

MEIICANTILE  AGENCIE.S. 

The  Erie  branch  of  R.  G.  Dun  &  Co.'s 
Mercantile  Agency  was  established  in  1872, 
and  has  been  kept  up  in  the  city  ever  since. 
Among  the  managers  of  the  Erie  office  have 
been  Messrs.  Goalding,  Love,  Price  and  New- 
begin.  The  latter,  after  a  long  service,  went 
to  New  York  in  October,  1894,  and  was  im- 
mediately succeeded  b)-  R.  R.  Hopkins,  the 
present  manager.  W^.  J.  Young  has  been 
attorney  for  the  agency  since  June,  1889. 

Bradstreet's  agency  has  never  had  a  branch 
in  Erie,  but  has  long  been  represented  here  in 
connection  with  the  Buffalo  district.  R.  L. 
Perkins,  its  representative  for  many  years, 
has  been  succeeded  by  Walter  Reitzell. 

I,.\KE     AXn    l{.\ILRO.\D   BUSINESS. 

The  imports  and  exports  by  lake  are  given 
in  detail  in  a  preceding  chapter.  More  than 
ninety  per  cent,  of  the  lumber  and  grain 
and  all  of  the  iron  ore  received  at  Erie 
come  by  lake.  The  grain  goes  east  by 
the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.,  which 
also  carries  the  bulk  of  the  lumber  that  is 
shipped  to  the  interior.  The  latter  road 
brings  in  anthracite  coal  from  the  Luzerne, 
Schuylkill  and  Shamokin  regions,  while  the 
principal  amount  of  bitum.inous  coal  comes 
over  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.  from  the 
southern  counties.  The  iron  ore  goes  east 
and  south  over  both  roads,  thougii  by  far  the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


5'3 


largest  amount  is  used  in  the  Shenango  valley' 
and  at  Pittsburg  and  vicinity.  As  nearly  as 
can  be  ascertained,  the  following  ligures 
show  the  coal  trade  for  1894  : 

NET  TONS.  NET  TONS. 

Ship/n-nft:  to  Erie:                  anthracite,  bituminous,  totai-. 

By  Philadelphia  &  Erie  R.  R. . .      580,2(M  35  1)81  (51.5.94.5 

By  Erie  and  Pittsburg 317.000  317.000 

By  L.  S.  &  M.  S 50.000  50  000 

By  P.,  S.  <{■  L.  E 21,000  21.000 

.5S0.264  423.fi81  1.003,945 
Shipvienis  from  Erie 
aiHl  Local  Trade: 

By  Lake 424.006  2(55.073  t!89,(M3 

By  Rail 121, lai            121,135 

LocalTrade 35,123  158  ft44  193  7B7 

580,264  123,681         1,003,945 

BUSINESS  BLOCKS,   ETC, WHEN  ERECTED. 

The  following  shows  the  years  when  some 
of  the  principal  hotels  and  buildings  on  North 
and  South  Park  Rows,  State,  Peach,  Turnpike, 
Parade,  Eiglith,  Eighteenth  and  other  streets 
were  erected — only  brick  or  stone  business 
structures  being  included.  It  will  surprise 
most  readers  to  learn  how  much  of  the  best 
property  in  Erie  is  owned  by  Germans  and 
citizens  of  German  descent  : 

A 

Ashby  &  Vincent  block,  State  street,  be- 
tween Fourth  and  Fifth,  1840-41. 

Austin  &  Moore  block,  Xorth  Park  Row, 
1857-58. 

Arcade  Hotel,  State  street,  between  Sev- 
enth and  Eighth,  1870-71. 

Alberstadt  block,  southeast  corner  Peach 
and  Twenty-sixth  streets,  built  in  1860,  re- 
modeled in  1882. 

Abell  block.  Peach  street,  near  Lake  Shore 
R.  R.,  1895. 

B 

Beatty  block.  North   Park    Row,   1841-42. 

Baker  li  Ostheimer  block,  southeast  corner 
State  and  Fifth  streets,  built  in  two  parts, 
1848-49—1852-53. 

Beckman  block.  State  street,  near  Fifth, 
1859. 

Bliley  block,  northeast  corner  State  and 
Tenth  streets,  1865. 

Berst  block.  State  street,  near  Eighth,  north 
building,  1807;  south  building,  1870. 

Becker  block,  northeast  corner  French  and 
Sixth  streets.  1871-72. 

Blass  (L.  &  P.)  block,  1610  and  1612  Peach 
street,  1872. 


Bloeser  (C.)  block,  northwest  corner  Hol- 
land and  Eighteenth  streets,  first  building, 
1874 ;  second  building,  1884. 

Brown  block,  French  street,  opposite  Cen- 
tral Park,  remodeled  in  1882. 

Bloeser  (J.  S.)  block,  Myrtle  and  Eight- 
eenth streets,  18&1. 

Blass  (A.)  block,  Sassafras  and  Eighteenth 
streets,  1888-89. 

Beck  block,  1008  State  street,  1891. 

Bass  block,  1318  Turnpike  street,  1891-92. 

Blum  block,  southwest  corner  State  and 
Seventeenth  streets,  1890-91  ;  1617  Peach 
street,  1893;  1621  Peach  street,  1894. 

Bush  block,  1105  State  street,  built  in 
1868  ;  remodeled  in  1894. 

Berriman  &  Fisher  block,  southwest  corner 
State  and  Thirteenth  streets,  front  building. 
1893;  rear  building.  1895-96. 

Bach  block,  410  West  Eighth  street,  about 
1870;  412  West  Eighth  street,  1893. 


Carter  block,  Xorth  Park  Row,  1859. 

Cronenberger  block,  southwest  corner 
Peach  and  25th  streets,  1861. 

Cooper  (F.)  block.  State  street,  south  of 
Thirteenth,  about  1870. 

Conrad  block,  1406  Turnpike  street,  1876; 
State  street,  south  of  Twelfth,  1891  ;  State 
street  (new  one),  built  in  1891;  State  street 
(old  one),  remodeled  in  1894. 

Cohen  block,904and  906  State  street,  1880 ; 
State  street,  near  Eleventh,  1891. 

Clemens  block.  State  street,  near  Ninth, 
1882. 

Claus  block.  State  street  between  Eleventh 
and  Twelfth,  1885. 

Camphausen  block,  1513  and  1515  Peach 
street,  1885. 

Christoph  block,  2518  Peach   street,  1890. 

Cantlon  block,  southwest  corner  State  and 
Twelfth  streets;  rear  building,  1891;  corner 
building,  1895. 

Central  Market  House,  1892-3. 

D 

Dime  Bank  block,  southwest  corner  State 
street  and  .South  Park  Row,  1875;  1527  Peach 
street,  1858-9. 

Dewitt  block,  southeast  corner  State  and 
Seventh  streets,  1880. 

Downing  building,  northwest  corner  Peach 
and  Ninth  streets,  completed  spring  of   1883  ; 


5H 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPmCAL  DICTIONART 


northeast  corner  State  and  Ninth  streets,  com- 
pleted sprin;^  of   1892. 

Dunn's  livery  stable,  Peach  and  Tenth 
streets,  1883. 

Demuling  block,  Twelfth  street,  between 
State  and  Peach,  1884;  Parade  and  Eleventh 
streets,  1898. 

Dispatcii  l)uil(lin<r,  Seventh  street,  near 
State,  1886. 

Disterdick  block,  State  street,  between 
Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth,  about  1874. 

Doll  block,  1512  Peach  street,  1808. 

Decker  block,  452  West  Eighteenth  street, 
1883;  450  West  Eighteenth  street,  1887;  454 
West  Eighteenth  street,  1893;  440  and  442 
West  Eighteenth  street,  1895. 

Detzel  (M.)  block,  1306  Parade  street, 
1887. 

Detzel  (F.  J.)  block,  northwest  corner 
Parade  and  Thirteenth  streets,  1893. 

Dickson  block.  Seventh  street,  between 
State  and  Peach,  1870. 


Elliott  block,  18  East  Seventh  street, 
1875. 

Elliott  block.  State  street,  between  Fifth 
and  North  Park  Row,  1857. 

Ellsworth  House,  State  street  and  North 
Park  Row,  northeast  corner,  1851-2;  torn 
down  in  1891. 

Exchange  buiUling,  northwest  corner 
State  street  and  North  Park  Row,  built  in 
1857;  remodeled  in  1880. 

Eichenlaub  (Joseph)  block.  State  street, 
between  Sixth  and  Seventh,  1850;  Parade 
and  Tenth  streets,  1882. 

Eichenlaub  (J.  A.)  lilock.  State  street, 
near  Ninth,  1878. 

Eichenlaub  (Ferdinand)  block,  northwest 
corner  State  and  Twelfth  streets,  1882. 

Eichenlaub  (V.  D.)  block,  State  and 
Eighteenth  streets,  1884'. 

Erhart  block,  1012  State  street,  1809; 
State  street  betweeen  Eighth  and  Ninth, 
1880. 

Englehart  (F.)  block,  northwest  corner 
State  and  Eleventh    streets,  1856. 

Englehart  (C)  block, .State  street,  between 
Seventh  and  Eighth,  1S56. 

Eppley  &  Buerer  block,  1114  and  1116 
Parade  street,  1895. 

Erie  Burial  Case  Co.'s  office  and  store  room, 


Peach  street,  between  Twelfth  and  Thirteenth, 
built  about  1805;  remodeled  in    1888. 

Esser  block,  414  West  Eighth  street,  1884. 


First  National  Bank  buililiiig,  .State  street, 
between  Seventh  and  Eighth,  1886. 

Forman  block,  State  street,  between  Tenth 
and  Eleventh,  1895. 

Fisher  block,  northwest  corner  State  and 
Eleventii  streets,  1880. 

Fink  block,  southwest  corner  Ciiestiiut 
and  Eighteenth  streets,  1894-5. 

Fargo  block,  1708    Peach  street,  1801. 

G 

Griffith  block,  northwest  corner  State  and 
Eighth  streets,  1870. 

Gensheimer  block,  northwest  corner  State 
and  Seventh  streets,  1854. 

Germer  block,  southwest  corner  State  and 
Ninth   streets,  1872. 

Gahel  block,  State  street,  between  Eigiith 
and  Ninth  streets,  1874;  Peach  and  Four- 
teenth streets,  1885. 

Grant  &  Metcalf  block,  French  street, 
opposite  Reed  House,  originally  built  in  1800. 

Gloth  block.  Twenty-fifth  and  Peach 
streets,  1860  or  '67 ;  Eighteenth  street,  near 
Holland,  1885. 

Gross  block,  Peach  street,  near  Thirteenth, 
1872. 

H 

Hughes  block,  southwest  corner  State  and 
Seventh  streets  :  first  part  in  1834,  second  part 
in  1838. 

Herald  block,  southeast  corner  State  and 
Tenth  streets:  main  building,  in  |S73;  1(KI5 
State  street  in  1887. 

Hall  block,  State  street,  near  Seventh,  1854. 

Hicks  block,  1216  State  street,  1894;  1218 
State  street,  1892. 

Haller  block,  1225  State  street,  1887. 

Heigel  block,  southeast  corner  Chestnut 
and  Eighteenth  streets,  1895. 

Ilengstler  block,  Cherry  and  Eighteenth 
streets,  1892-3. 

Ileidt  block,  1711  Peach  street,  1884. 

Hamberger  block,  1701  Peach  street,  1854. 

Hartleb  block,  northeast  corner  Peach 
and  Sixteenth  streets,  1800. 

Hoffman  block,  1508  and  1510  Peach 
street,  remodeled  in  1882. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


5'5 


Heidt  block,  Peach  and  Twenty-fourth 
streets,  about  1886. 

I 

Illig  block,  1524  Peach  street,  1868;  1106 
State  street,  1887  ;  northwest  corner  Peach  and 
Twentieth  streets,  1876. 

J 

Jarecki  (G.  &  II.  T.)  block.  State  street, 
between  Seventh  and  Ei<rhth,  1870. 

Jarecki  (A.  11.)  block,  1010  State  street, 
1888. 

Jarecki  (Henry)  block,  822  and  824  State 
street,  about  1858. 

Jarecki  (Charles  and  Henry)  block,  922 
State  street,  about   1888-84. 

Jarecki  (August)  block,  622  State  street, 
1835. 

Jarecki  (August)  block.  1525  Peach  street, 
1800-151. 

Jones  &  vSandusky  block,  northeast  cor- 
ner State  and  Fourteenth  streets,  1890. 


Krug  block,  912  Parade  street,  1883. 

Kessler  (C.)  block:  Southeast  corner  of 
State  and  Fourth,  1846  and  '48;  730  State 
street,  1873  ;  1 118  and  1 120  State  street,  1876  ; 
southwest  corner  State  and  Fourth  streets, 
1895. 

Keystone  Bank  building,  nortiieast  corner 
State  and  Eighth  streets,  1806. 

Klick  block,  1007  State  street,  enlarged 
1894-5. 

Koehler  (L.)  block,  northwest  corner  State 
and  Thirteenth  streets,  1893. 

Kneib  block.  State  street,  near  Ninth, 
1894-5. 

Kessler  (Henry)  block.  Eighteenth  street, 
between  Walnut  and  Ciierry,  1887. 

Kalvelage  block,  southwest  corner  Peach 
and  Twenty-fourth  streets,  1880. 

Kraus  block,  810  and  812  Parade  street, 
1890. 

Kern  block.  Peach  street,  between  Twent\- 
fourth  and  Twenty-iifth,  18()6. 

Keller  block,  Peach  street,  between  Twen- 
ty fifth  and  Twenty-sixth,  1880. 

Kuntz  block.  Peach  street,  between  Twen- 
ty-third antl  Twenty-fourth,  about  1871-2. 

L 

Liebel  House,  1886. 

Loeb  block,  927  State  street,  1890. 


Levi  block,  929  State  street,  1884-5. 

Levi  Bros.'  block.  North  Park  Row,  1862. 

Lytle  block,  1523  Peach  street,  1865. 

Loesel  block,  1718  and  1722  Peach  street, 
1891  ;  southwest  corner  Eighteenth  and  Hol- 
land s^treets,  1883. 

Loesch  building,  1706  Peach    street,  1854. 

Lyons  block,  Peach  street,  between  Ninth 
and  Tenth,  1895. 

Link  block,  1124  Parade  street,  1877. 

M 

Minnig  (P.)  block.  State  street,  betw'een 
Fourth  and  Fifth,  1840-41. 

Minnig  (A.)  block.  State  street,  between 
Eighth  and  Ninth,  1867. 

McGrath  block.  State  street,  between 
Seventh  and  Eighth,  1870-71. 

Metcalf  block,  State  street,  between 
Seventh  and  Eighth,  1872. 

Murphy  block.  North  Park  Row,  1857. 

Masonic  block.  State  street,  between  Ninth 
and  Tenth,  1884. 

Metzner  block,  Seventh  street,  between 
State  and  Peach,  1890. 

Maya  (F.  C.)  block,  State  street,  near 
Eleventh,  built  in  1867,  remodeled  in  1887. 

Miennerchor  Hall,  State  street,  south  of 
railroad.      Corner  stone  laid  in  1889. 

Moore  block.  State  street,  adjoining  First 
National  Bank,  1856. 

MuUane  block,  southeast  corner  Chestnut 
and  Eighth  streets,  1875—6- 

Mission  block  :  North  Park  Row  and 
Peach  street,  1861-2  (rear  portion  1865); 
Northwest  corner  Peach  and  Fourteenth 
streets,  1872. 

Mauer  block.  Seventh  street,  between  State 
and  Peach,  built  about  1864-5,  remodeled  in 
1882  and  1890. 

Meyer  (A.)  block.  Parade  street,  between 
Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth   streets,  1894. 

Minnig  (John)  block,  northwest  corner 
Peach  and  Eighteenth  streets,  1875. 

McCarter  block,  1511  Peach  street,  1894. 

Morton  House,  about  1849  or  1850. 

Mayer  (Henry)  block:  State  street,  be- 
tween Twelfth  and  Thirteenth.  South  build- 
ing in  1855,  remodeled  about  1880;  North 
building,  1888. 

Metropolitan  Hotel,  .State  street,  near  Six- 
teenth, 1892-8. 

Meehan  block.  Peach  street,  between  Tenth 
and  Eleventh,  about  1864, 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Magill  block,  Peach  street,  near  Tenth, 
1868. 

McCalUip  block,  7,  9  and  11  East  Seventh 
street,  1883. 

N 

Neubauer  block  (Colbv  Hall),  State  street, 
near  Thirteenth,  \mi. 

Ncimyer  block,  1108  State  street,  1892. 

Nicholson  (formerly  Boyer)  block,  State, 
near  Fourteenth,  18T'5-4. 

Nicholson  block,  4l'2  and  424  West  Eighth 
street,  1890. 

Newberger  block.  State  street,  between 
Fifth  and  North  Park  Row,  1857. 

Nagosky  block,  northwest  corner  Parade 
and  Tenth  streets,  1891. 

Nick  block.  Seventh  street,  between  State 
and  Peach,  187(5. 

Neid  block.  1208  Parade  street,   1875. 


O 


Olds  block.  State  street,  between  Seventh 
and  Eighth,  1870. 

Ostheimer  block,  1000  State  street,   1891. 

O'Brien  block,  southwest  corner  Chestnut 
and  Eightli  streets,  about  1870. 

O'Brien  block.  404  and  406  West  Eighth 
street,  1887. 


Perrv  block.  State  street,  between  Seventh 
and  Eighth,  1837. 

Park  Opera  House,  remodeled  from  Farrar 
Hall  in  1872-3 ;  partially  burned  September 
23,  1894;  reopened  March  17,  1895. 

Penn  building  (formerly  Noble  block), 
southeast  corner  State  and  Eighth  streets, 
built  in  1866;  remodeled  in  1894-5. 

Palace  Hotel,  southeast  corner  Sassafras 
and  Fifteenth  streets.    1891. 

Pfleuger  block.  1216and  1218  Peach  street, 
1891. 

Parade  Street  Market  House,  Parade  and 
Tenth  streets,  1895. 

People's  Market  House,  State  and  Fourth 
streets,  1895. 

Pinney  block,  1520  and  1522  Peach  street, 
1866. 

Pfister  block.  Peach  street,  between  Twen- 
ty-fourth and  Twenty-sixth,   1893. 

Park  View  Hotel  (brick  part),  in  1834. 


R 

Rosenzweig  (L.)  building.  South  Park 
Row,  built  in  1835,  remodeled  in  1886. 

Reed  House  (burned  three  times),  rebuilt 
in  1839-40,  1864-65,  1872-73. 

Rindernecht  block,  southwest  corner  State 
and  Fifth  streets,  1858. 

Riblet  block,  926  State  street,  1869;north- 
west  corner  Peach  and  Twelftii  streets,  18S(>-7. 

Ri'os  block,  State  street,  between  Seventh 
and  Eighth,  1856. 

Reed  block,  northeast  corner  State  and 
Seventh  streets,  1871-2. 

Reidel  block,  1324  State  street,  built  in 
1880,  remodeled  in  1894. 

Reavelev  block.  Parade  street,  between 
Ninth  and  tenth,  1891. 

Rauper  block,  1517  and  1519  Peach  street, 
1866 ;  northeast  corner  French  and  Seven- 
teenth streets,  1894. 

Rosswog  block,  southeast  corner  Peach  and 
Fourteenth  streets,  1892. 

Rastatter  (L. )  block,  northeast  corner  Pa- 
rade and  Fifteenth  streets,  1870. 


Selden  block,  920  and  922  State  street,  re- 
modeled from  residence  in  1880. 

vSimon  block,  1014  State  street, about  1875; 
1022  State  street,  1890. 

Smith  (Z.)  block,  815  State  street.  1870. 

Suerkenblock,810  State  street,  1855-6;  924 
State  street,  1869. 

Scott  block,  northwest  corner  .State  and 
Tenth  streets,  1873-5. 

Schaaf  &  Knoll  block.  State  street,  be- 
tween Eighth  and  Ninth,  about  1860. 

Sevins  block.  State  street,  between  Ninth 
and  Tenth,  1884;  Seventh  street,  between 
State  and  Peach,  1873. 

Seigel  (E.  C.)  block.  State  street,  between 
Eleventh  and  Twelfth,    1894. 

Schlosser  block,  1220  State  street,  1892; 
State  street,  opposite  Central  Market  House, 
1895-96. 

Schneider  block.  State  street,  near  Four- 
teenth, north  building  about  1867;  south 
building  1879. 

Strieker  block,  1104  State  street,  1856. 

Schlaudecker  (Geo.)  block,  northwest 
corner  State  and  Ninth  streets,  1860;  Ninth 
street,  between  State  and  Peach,  1878. 

Stancliff  block,  1116  State  street,  1870. 


7U/.J.VkL^^?u.2r. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


Shannon,  (H.  C.)  block,  814  and  816  State 
street,  1855. 

Sterrett  block,  French  street,  opposite 
Reed  House,  1851. 

Schlaudecker  block  (owned  bv  Giicken- 
beil,  Weiss,  Rastatter)  908,  91(5  and  912 
Parade  street,  18n8. 

Siegel  (Geo.  L. )  block,  1119  to  1123  Peach 
street,  built  in  1881,  remodeled  in  1894. 

Scarlett  block,  southwest  corner  Parade 
and  Tenth  streets,  1894. 

Second  Ward  Market  House,  southeast  cor- 
ner Parade  and  Twelfth  streets,  1895. 

Stern  block,  .State  street,  between  ,Se\enth 
and  Eighth,  1870-71. 

Strauss  block,  1320  Turnpike  street,  1873; 
1322  Turnpike  street,    1885-6. 

Stuhlfad  block,  1404  Turnpike  street,  1886. 

Swift  block,  1501  Peach  street,  1893. 

Semel  block,  1710  Peach  street,  1869. 

Smith  (Ur.)  block,  northwest  corner 
Peach  and  Eighteenth  streets,  1875. 

Shannon  (Mrs.  J-  W.)  block,  1518  Peach 
street,  1866. 

Schultz  Bros.'  block,  northwest  corner 
Peach  and  Twenty-si.xth  streets,  1873. 

Schulze  block,  northeast  corner  Peach  and 
Twenty-sixth  streets,  1890-91. 

Saltsman  block,  Peach  street,  near  Twelfth  : 
first  building,  1883;   second  building,  1889. 

Schabacker  block,  northwest  corner  Peach 
and  Thirteenth   streets,  1874. 

Schuster  block.  Peach  street,  between 
Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth,  1891. 

Steiner  block,  northeast  corner  State  and 
Eighteenth  streets,  1885. 

Smith  block,  1620  Parade  street,  1878. 

Shalkman  block,  1210  and  1212  Parade 
street,  1891. 

Schneider  block,  910  Parade   street,   1885. 

Sedelmyer  block,  908  Parade  street,  1887. 


Trask  block,  817  and  819  State  street, 
1873. 

Troy  Steam  Laundry,  State  street,  be- 
tween Fourth  and  Fifth,  remodeled   in    1892. 

Tonson  block,  southwest  corner  Eight- 
eenth and  Holland  streets,  1885. 

U 

Union  block  (Reed,  Gunnison,  Gallagher), 
North  Park  Row,  1861-62. 


Union  Railroad  Depot,  1864. 

Ultsch   block.  Eighteenth  street,  between 

Walnut  and  Chestnut,  1883. 

\^ 

Vollmer  block,  1521  Peach  street,  1861. 
W 

Walther  (J.  F.)  block,  southwest  corner 
State  and  Eighth  streets,  1867. 

Walther  (F. )  block,  southeast  corner 
State  and  Eleventh  streets,  1867. 

Walther  (F.  G.)  block,  1620  Peach  street, 
1892. 

Wilcox  House  block,  two  south  buildings, 
in  1873  ;   north  building,  1876. 

Wheeler  &  Williams  block.  Eighth  street, 
between  State  and  French,  1886. 

Wright  (now  Harlan)  block,  northeast 
corner  State  and  Fifth  streets,  1838-9. 

Wayne  block,  725  and  727  State  street, 
1870;   remodeled  in  1894. 

Wilson  House,  State  and  Turnpike  streets, 
1887-8. 

Wittich  block,  southwest  corner  State  and 
Tenth  streets,  1890. 

Walker  (T.W.)  block,  1305  State  street, 
1869-70. 

Wetmore  block  (Kimberly  House),  cor- 
ner building,  1879;  old  Foster  mansion  re- 
modeled in  1885. 

Warfel  (J.)  block,  northeast  corner  Peach 
and  Sixteenth  streets,  1857. 

Warfel  (M.)  block,  12  West  Seventh 
street,  1854. 

Wingerter  block.  Peach  street,  between 
Twenty-fourth  and  Twenty-sixth,  1895. 

Willis  block,  630  Parade  street,  1884. 

Y 

Yantzer  &  Greiner  block,  southwest  cor- 
ner Peach  and  Tw-enty-fifth  streets,  1870. 

Yochim  block.  Peach  street,  between 
Twenty-third  and  Twentv-fourth,  1878  or 
1874. 

Z 

Zeigler  block,  1012  State  street,  1890. 

Zuck  block,  southwest  corner  Peach  and 
Sixteenth  streets,  1872;  southeast  corner 
Peach  and  Sixteenth  streets,  1892-3. 

Zepfel  block.  Peach  street,  near  Four- 
teenth, 1887. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


Hotels,  Ancient  and  Modern — Markets  and  Market  Houses — Public  Halls — Tmk 
Military. — [See  Chapter  XV,  General  History.] 


IT  has  already  been  stated  that  the  first 
public  house  in  Erie  was  started  by  Col. 
Seth  Reed,  the  pioneer  of  the  Reed  fam- 
ily, in  a  one-story  log  cabin  which  he 
built  at  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek.  This 
was  in  17'J5,  and  the  establishment  was  digni- 
fied with  the  high-sounding  title,  "  Prescjue 
Isle  Hotel."  The  following  j'ear  the  Colonel 
erected  a  large  two-story  log  house  on  the  soiith- 
w-est  corner  of  Second  and  Parade  streets, 
which  he  placed  in  charge  of  his  son,  Rufus 
S.,  who  kept  a  tavern  and  store  in  it  until 
1799,  when  it  burned  down.  The  next  season 
Rufus  S.  Reed  rebuilt  it,  and  for  some  years 
afterward  carried   on  business  at  that  place. 

The  third  public  house  was  built  by  George 
Buehler,  in  1800,  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
French  and  Third  streets,  which  became 
known  at  a  later  date  as  the  Rees  House  and 
the  McConkey  House,  from  the  name  of  its 
respective  landlords,  Thomas  Rees,  jr.,  and 
Thomas  ISIcConkey.  This  was  the  headquar- 
ters of  Perry  during  his  stay  in  Erie. 

Later  hotels  or  taverns  were  as  follows  : 

The  Bell  House  at  Sixth  and  French 
streets,  built  by  William  Bell  in  1805,  and 
kept  in  succession  by  himself,  William  Hughes 
and  John  W.  Bell.  It  was  torn  down  in 
1871,  to  make  room  for  the  Becker  block. 

The  American  Hotel,  on  the  site  of  the 
Dime  Bank  building,  a  stone  structure,  which 
stood  until  1875,  built  by  Robert  Brown  in 
1811,  and  kept  by  him  until  18:29,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Joseph  Y.  Moorhead. 

Dickson's  Hotel,  at  Second  and  French 
streets,  built  by  John  Dickson  just  before  the 
last  war  with  Great  Britain. 

The  Dobbins  House  at  State  and  Third 
streets,  in  which  Lafayette  was  entertained, 
built  by  Capt.  Daniel  Dobbins  in  1815,  and 
still  standing. 

The  Farmer's  Hotel,  at  Fifth   and  French 


streets,  built  in  1820  by  James  Duncan,  and 
kept  by  Capt.  Dewey,  John  Duncan,  and, 
in  comparatively  recent  years,  by  John  Boyle. 

The  Laird  House,  whicii  occupied  the  lot 
now  covered  by  the  Walther  block,  at  State 
and  Eighth  streets,  built  by  Thomas  Laird 
in  1829,  and  removed  in  18(57. 

The  Park  House,  on  the  site  of  the  City 
Hall,  built  by  John  Morris  in  1829. 

STILL    later    public     HOUSES. 

The  Erie  House,  at  Front  and  French 
streets,  kept  by  John  Zimnierly  (now  used  by 
the  Bethel  Association). 

The  Lafayette  House,  on  tiie  west  side  of 
French  street,  near  Fifth,  kept  by  Mr.  Dut- 
linger. 

The  United  States  Hotel,  a  large  brick 
building,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Second 
and  French  streets,  kept  by  George  W.  Reed, 
Capt.  D.  P.  Dobbins,  H.  L.  Brown,  sr.,  and 
others. 

The  Canal  House,  at  Fourth  street  and  the 
canal,  kept  at  various  times  by  Mr.  Diefen- 
bach. 

The  Cronenberger  House,  on  Fifth  street 
and  the  canal,  kept  by  John  Cronenberger. 

The  Franklin  House,  at  Second  and  State 
streets. 

The  Sunbury  House,  on  the  east  side  of 
French  street,  near  Second,  opened  by  Mr. 
Schafer. 

Keefer's  Hotel,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Liebel  House,  kept  by  S.  W.  Keefer,  a  fa- 
mous landlord  in  his  day. 

The  Western  Hotel,  kept  by  A.  M.  Tar- 
bell,  at  Eighth  street  and  the  canal. 

A  hotel  on  the  site  of  the  present  Park 
View  Hotel,  which  was  built  about  1838. 

The  Commercial  House,  near  the  depot, 
kept  b}'  John  Anthony  (now  the  Pittsburg 
House). 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


5«9 


In  1835,  Hiram  L.  Brown  came  from 
North  East,  purchased  of  Joshua  Beers  the 
brick  block  erected  by  the  latter  in  1827-28, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1836  opened  the  Eagle 
Hotel.  He  carried  on  the  hotel  business  in 
that  building  until  its  destruction  by  fire  April 
1,  1851.  Mr.  Brown  immediately  erected  a 
five-story  structure  on  the  site  of  the  old  build- 
ing. This  was  kept  by  Mr.  Brown  until  his 
death  in  March,  1853.  It  was  long  called 
Brown's  Hotel,  but,  on  falling  into  the  con- 
trol of  Col.  Ellsworth,  in  1869,  the  name  was 
changed  to  the  Ellsworth  House.  Among 
the  managers  during  tiie  interval  between  Mr. 
Brown's  death  and  Col.  Ellsworth's  purchase, 
w'ere  \Vm.  Walker,  Gen.  H.  L.  Brown, 
Loomis  &  Ross  and  Loomis  &  Tyler.  Col. 
Ellsworth  sold  the  property  in  1883,  and  it 
was  abandoned  as  a  hotel.  The  premises 
were  bought  by  Wm.  L.  Scott,  who  had  the 
building  torn  down  in  the  spring  of  1891, 
with  the  intention  of  erecting  a  handsome 
structure  upon  the  site.  Unfortunately  for 
the  city,  he  died  before  his  plans  were  com- 
pleted, and  the  lot  remains  vacant. 

Of  public  houses  in  what  may  be  called 
the  outskirts  of  the  incipient  city,  there  were 
the  American  Eagle  Hotel  (afterward  the 
South  Erie  House),  and  the  Western  Pros 
pect  House,  both  on  Federal  Hill,  and  the 
Saltsman  House,  kept  by  Anthony  Saltsman, 
at  the  elbow  of  the  Buffalo  road,  opposite  the 
John  R.  vSaltsman  place.  The  American 
Eagle  Tavern,  or  South  Erie  House,  once  a 
famous  hostelry,  was  built  by  Nathan  Mc- 
Cammons,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Peach 
and  Twenty-sixth  streets,  in  the  winter  of 
1817—18.  It  was  purchased  by  Capt.  John 
Justice  in  April,  1821,  and  in  1824  passed  into 
the  hands  of  James  Parks.  It  was  subse- 
quently kept  by  George  Kelly,  Abraham 
Shank,  M.  B.  Mills,  James  Gray,  John 
Wile)'  and  George  Tabor.  During  the  specu- 
lation of  1837  this  property  sold  for  $17,500. 
The  Western  Prospect  House  was  kept  at 
various  times  by  George  Moore,  Thomas 
Laird,  Ira  Glazier,  George  Kellv,  Thomas 
ChiUls,  N.  M.  Manly,  Simeon  Dunn  and 
others. 

PRESENT    HOTELS. 

The  Mansion  Hou>e,  occupying  part  of  the 
site  of  the  present  Reed  House,  was  built  by 
Rufus  S.  Reed  in  1826,  and   immediately  be- 


came the  leading  hotel  of  Erie.  On  the  22d 
of  February,  1839,  the  town  was  visited  by 
the  most  destructive  fire  that  had  yet  oc- 
curred, and  the  Mansion  House,  together  with 
all  the  outbuildings,  containing  stage  coaches, 
horses,  etc.,  also  several  frame  houses  and 
stores,  were  consumed.  It  was  all  the  prop- 
erty of  Mr.  Reed,  excepting  the  stages,  stock, 
etc.,  which  were  principally  owned  by  Messrs. 
Hart  and  Bird.  With  his  usual  energy  and 
public  spirit,  Mr.  Reed  covered  the  burnt  dis- 
trict with  a  new  hotel,  known  as  the  Reed 
House,  which  was  burned  in  March,  1864,  re- 
built and  again  destroyed  by  fire  in  Septem- 
ber, 1872.  The  present  building,  erected  by 
the  Reed  estate  soon  after  the  third  fire,  is 
therefore  the  fourth  hotel  structure  on  the 
site.  Among  its  best  known  landlords  have 
been  Messrs.  Guild,  Keith,  Griswold,  Elliott, 
Upson,  Wadsworth,  Johnson,  Ellsworth  and 
Coleman,  the  latter  being  in  charge  at  present. 

Col.  Ellsworth,  the  veteran  hotel  manager, 
came  to  Erie  in  1869,  as  proprietor  of  Brown's 
Hotel,  the  name  of  which  he  changed  to  the 
Ellsworth  House.  After  some  seven  years, 
he  went  into  the  Reed  House,  but  continued 
to  operate  the  Ellsworth  House.  He  remained 
in  the  Reed  House  until  1883,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  D.  M.  Johnson,  who  was  its  land- 
lord about  five  years.  A  Mr.  Eldridge  was 
in  charge  a  short  time.  He  was  followed  by 
Maj.  W.  B.  Coleman,  who  has  been  the  land- 
lord some  seven  years. 

The  Liebel  House,  built  by  Michael  Liebel 
on  the  .site  of  the  old  Keefer  House  (also 
known  as  the  United  States  Hotel),  was  first 
opened  to  the  public  January  1,  1887.  It  was 
originally  called  the  Arlington,  but,  after  sev- 
eral years,the  name  was  very  properly  changed 
in  honor  of  its  owner  and  builder.  It  is  fitted 
up  with  all  of  the  modern  appliances,  and, 
next  to  the  Reed  House,  is  the  largest  hotel 
of  the  city. 

The  Wilcox  House  occupies  the  second 
and  third  floors  of  three  buildings  on  the 
east  side  of  State  street,  between  Eighth  and 
Ninth,  twoof  which  were  erected  respectiveh' 
bv  Mr.  Wilcox,  of  Girard,  and  Mr.  W.  E. 
Haves,  of  Erie,  in  1873.  and  the  third,  or 
north  one,  by  W.  B.  &  J.  W.  Hayes,  in  1876. 
The  hotel  was  established  by  George  B.  Kim- 
berly  in  1880,  who  continued  as  host  until 
1887.     One  peculiarity  of  the   house  is,  that, 


520 


NELSON'S  BIOQRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


although  well  patronized  from  the  start ,  it  has 
never  had  a  bar. 

The  Arcade  Hotel,  on  State  street,  east 
side,  adjoining  the  Keystone  Bank  and  Wayne 
block,  was  built  by  Henry  Neubauer,  who  re- 
mains its  owner,  in  1870.  After  carrying  on 
a  grocery  business  in  the  building  for  eight 
years,  Mr.  Xeubauer  formed  a  partnership 
with  Jacob  Geib,  in  1878,  and  tiiey  opened  a 
restaurant  and  hotel.  Mr.  Geib  withdrew 
in  1882,  and  Frank  Neubauer  became  asso- 
ciated with  his  father,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Neubauer  &  Son,  who  conducted  the  business 
until  1889,  when  Frank  became  proprietor, 
which  he  still  remains. 

The  Wilson  House  was  built  by  M.  Knob- 
loch  in  1887-88,  on  the  triangle  formed  by  the 
intersection  of  State.  Turnpike  and  Fourteenth 
streets.  It  was  opened  by  J.  H.  Wilson  as 
landlord,  who  remains  in  charge. 

The  Kimberl)-,  originally  known  as  the 
Wetmore  House,  is  kept  by  George  B.  Kim- 
berly,  on  the  upper  floors  of  the  Wetmore 
buildings,  at  Seventh  and  Peach  streets.  The 
corner  structure  was  erected  in  1879  by  J.  W. 
Wetmore,  who  enlarged  and  remodeled  the 
Foster  mansion  adjoining  in  188G.  Mr.  Kim- 
berly  took  charge  as  landlord  in  1891,  and 
named  the  hotel  as  above.  He  has  never  had 
a  bar,  and  does  not  believe  that  one  is  neces- 
sary to  succeed  in  the  hotel  business. 

The  Moore  House,  at  the  northwest  corner 
of  State  and  Eighth  streets,  was  long  con- 
ducted by  Darius  Northrup.  Arthur  O'Don- 
nell  became  landlord  January  7,  1893,  and  as- 
sociated John  Delaney  with  him  in  1895. 

The  Livingston,  at  Eighteenth  and  Peach 
streets,  is  one  of  the  oldest  hotel  stands  in  the 
city.  It  was  long  known  as  the  New  Moore 
Hou.se,  but  changed  its  name  when  Charles 
Livingston  became  the  landlord. 

The  Park  View  House,  on  South  Park 
Row,  between  State  and  French  streets,  has 
been  in  charge  of  James  D  Allen  since  1884. 
Mr.  Allen  purchased  the  premises  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1895,  and  intends  to  put  up  a  larger 
building  on  the  site. 

The  Union  Depot  Hotel,  in  the  Union 
Depot,  has  been  in  operation  since  the  erection 
of  the  latter  structure  in  1864.  It  was  opened 
by  John  Moore,  and  subsequently  kept  by  D. 
M.  Johnson.  Charles  Kepner  is  its  present 
landlord,  who  has  had  control  a  number  of 
years. 


The  Moiton  House,  opposite  the  Union 
Depot,  has  been  in  existence  since  some  time 
previous  to  the  opening  of  the  Lake  Shore 
road,  probably  about  1849  or  1850.  It 
was  built  by  Daniel  Knobloch  and  opened 
by  a  Mr.  Sessions,  and  for  many  years 
has  been  in  charge  of  Ciiarles  Holcomb. 
Among  its  best  known  landlords,  in  the  olden 
days,  was  A.  W.  Van  Tassel,  best  known  as 
"  Sandy,"  who  was  an  influential  man  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  years  ago. 

The  Massassauga  Hotel,  the  Tracy  Point 
Hotel,  the  Grove  House  and  the  Maples  are 
described  under  the  heading  of  Pleasure  Re- 
sorts. 

The  Metropolitan  Hotel,  on  State  street, 
near  Sixteenth,  was  built  by  David  Schlosser, 
and  completed  in  April,  1893. 

The  Palace  Hotel,  at  the  corner  of  Fif- 
teenth and  Sassafras  streets,  was  erected  dur- 
ing the  spring  of  1891,  by  A.  Blenner,  who 
withdrew  from  its  management  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1895.  It  was  originally  known  as  the 
Central  House  and  the  name  was  changed  by 
the  new  proprietor. 

The  South  Erie  Hotel,  on  Peach,  near 
Twenty-sixth  street,  occupies  in  part  the  site 
of  one  of  the  oldest  hotel  stands  in  the  city. 

Other  public  houses  are  as  follows: 

Arlington,  149  East  Eighth  street. 

Beck's  Hotel,  502  West  Twelfth  street. 

Brown's  Avenue  Hotel,  Eighteenth  and 
Cherry  streets. 

Carpenter  House,  140G  Turnpike  street. 

Erie  and  Pittsburg  House,  949  West 
Third  street. 

European  House,  1219  State  street. 

East  Erie  Hotel,  249  East  Sixteenth  street. 

Erie  Hotel,  1321  Peach  street. 

Germania  House,  1319  Peach  street. 

Globe  Hotel,  Fourteenth  and  Peach  streets. 

Grant  Hotel,  138  West  Fourteenth  street. 

Grabowski  House,  1425  Parade  street. 

Herbert  House,  Sixteenth  and  Holland 
streets. 

Link  House,  1128  Parade  street. 

Morgan  House,  1117  Peach  street. 

Ninth  Avenue  House,  20  West  Ninth 
street. 

Pittsburg  House,  1505  Peach  street. 

Railroiid  House,  1331  Holland  street. 

Sailors'  Home,  foot  of  State  street. 

Vollmer's  Hotel,  1521  Peach  street. 


AND  niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


5^' 


Weigeltown  Hotel,  Twenty-sixth  street, 
near  Brown's  avenue. 

White's  Hotel,  Fourteenth  and  Sassafras 
streets. 

PUBLIC   HALLS   AND    PLACES     OF     AMUSEMENT.     ! 

The  principal  public  halls  at  the  beginning 
of  the  war  for  the  Union  were:  Farrar  Hall, 
now  the  Opera  House;  Wayne  Hall,  on  the 
third  floor  of  the  building  at  present  occupied 
by  Johnston  &  Brevillier,  and  Park  Hall,  on 
the  second  floor  of  a  frame  building  on  the 
French  street  side  of  Central  Park.  For  a 
number  of  years  all  lectures,  dramatic  enter- 
tainments and  political  meetings  on  a  large 
scale  were  held  in  one  or  the  other  of  these 
places.  Wayne  Hall,  though  on  the  third 
floor,  was  at  one  time  quite  a  popular  resort. 
Edward  Everett  delivered  his  famous  address 
on  Washington  within  its  walls,  and  it  was 
the  scene  of  Artemas  Ward's  first  appearance 
in  Erie  as  a  lecturer.  At  a  later  date,  Dreisi- 
gaker's  Hall,  in  the  present  Wayne  block,  on 
State  street,  near  Eighth,  and  the  Academy 
of  Music,  now  Gabel's  Hall,  took  the  place 
of  Wayne  Hall  and  Park  Hall  as  auditoriums 
for  gatherings  of  a  public  and  semi-public 
nature. 

Previous  to  the  erection  of  the  above  places, 
all  concerts,  entertainments  and  public  assem- 
blies were  held  in  the  Court  House  or  in  the 
dancing  rooms  of  the  Reed  House  and  Ameri- 
can Hotel.  Forrest,  the  great  actor,  once  gave 
a  dramatic  performance  in  the  large  room  of 
the  Reed  House,  under  the  management  of 
W.  H.  Harris. 

Farrar  Hall  (named  after  F.  F.  Farrar), 
which  was  a  long,  narrow  room,  with  a  stage 
at  the  Fifth  street  end  of  the  same,  was  con- 
verted into  the  Park  Opera  House  during  the 
winter  of  1872-B.  The  latter  was  opened  to 
the  public  March  17,  1873,  and,  for  the  period, 
was  a  handsome  and  creditable  place  of  amuse- 
ment. The  owners  and  builders  were  F.  F. 
Farrar,  A.  H.  Gray,  John  Clemens  and  Wm. 
M.  Caughey.  The  Opera  House  was  seriously 
damaged  by  fire  on  the  23d  of  September, 
1894,  promptly  rebuilt  in  better  style  than  be- 
fore, and  reopened  as  the  New  Park  Opera 
House,  on  March  17,  1895,  the  twenty-second 
anniversary  of  its  original  dedication  to  the 
use  of  the  public. 

The  history  of"  Wonderland  "'  is  briefly  as 
follows  :     The  idea   of  a    place    in   Erie   that 


should  furnish  attractions  for  the  public  at  a 
low  price  of  admission  was  conceived  by- 
Walker  &  Gallagher,  who  were  then  together 
in  the  printing  business.  They  opened  in  the 
Claus  block  in  the  fall  of  1888,  and  ran  a 
variety  of  cheap  entertainments  for  about  a 
year,  at  a  heavy  loss.  Some  time  after.  Col. 
McClure  started  a  museum  in  the  store  room 
now  occupied  by  Straus  Bros.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  months  he  moved  to  the  Claus  block, 
and  built  up  considerable  of  a  patronage.  The 
institution  passed  into  the  hands  of  Joseph  E. 
Gerard  and  Frank  E.  Woods,  who  opened 
during  the  first  week  in  September,  1892. 
They  remained  in  partnership  some  time, 
when  the  former  became  sole  owner,  which 
he  still  continues  to  be.  The  same  season  Col. 
McClure  started  a  rival  show,  called  the  Crys- 
tal Dime  Museum,  in  the  Cohen  block,  near 
by,  but  was  only  able  to  keep  it  in  operation 
a  few  months. 

Below  are  the  principal  halls  for  dancing, 
concert  and  secret  society  purposes  at  present 
in  the  city  : 

Becker's  Hall,  Becker  block.  Sixth  and 
French  streets. 

Brown's  Hall,  21  North  Park  Row. 

C.  M.  B.  A.  Hall,  McGrath's  block.  State 
street. 

East  Erie  Turn  Hall,  Tenth  and  Parade 
streets. 

Elk's  Hall.  Ninth  and  State  streets. 

Eichenhiub's  Hall,  (520  and  (528  State  street. 

Gabel's  Hall,  Gabel  block,  State  street. 

Grand  Army  Hall,  1305  and  1307  State 
street. 

Harugari  Hall,  1118  State  street. 

Hays'  Hall,  State  street  near  Ninth. 

Jarecki's  Hall,  728  State  street. 

Liedertafel  Hall,  Walther  block.  State 
street. 

Ma;nnerchor  Hall,  State  street,  between 
Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth. 

Masonic  Hall,  914  and  916  State  street. 

Metcalf's  Hall,  726  State  street. 

Music  Hall,  Scott  block.  State  street. 

Nagosky's  Hall,  Tenth  and  Parade  streets. 

Odd  Fellows'  Hall,  Tenth  and  State  streets. 

Penn  Hall,  Penn  building,  State  and 
Eighth  streets. 

Pythian  Hall,  Olds  block.  State  street. 

South  Erie  Turn  Hall,  Twenty-eighth  and 
Peach  streets. 

Sterrett's  Hall,  515  French  street. 


522 


ITELSOIf'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


WaltluT"s  Hall,  Eifrhth  and   State  streets. 

Wayne  Hall,  NN'ayne  block,  east  side  of 
State  street,  near  Eighth. 

Zuck's  Hall,  .Sixteenth  ami    I'cach  streets. 

THE   PUBLIC    MAUKKT. 

As  long  ago  as  1807  steps  were  taken  by 
the  town  Council  looking  to  the  erection  of  a 
public  market  house.  The  building  was  not 
completed,  however,  till  late  in  1814.  It  was 
constructed  under  the  supervision  of  Tiiomas 
Laird,  Robert  Brown  and  Ebenezer  Dwinnell, 
a  committee  named  by  Councils,  and  tiie  cost 
was  limited  to  $250.  The  ordinance  provided 
that  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays  should  be  the 
market  days,  and  that  the  Burgess  should  have 
charge  of  the  sale  of  stalls.  A  iiay  scales  was 
built  by  pri\ate  parties  at  the  corner  of  the 
market  liouse  in  1819.  That  the  business  was 
not  very  heavy  in  either  case  is  proven  by  a 
record  in  the  Council  books  which  shows  that 
the  general  market  was  leased  to  Jos.  M.  Ster- 
rett  in  1882  for  the  sum  of  twenty  dollars,  and 
the  ha)'  scales  for  six  dollars. 

In  18i57  provision  was  made  by  Councils 
for  the  buikling  of  a  new  market  house,  to 
have  "  brick  walls  and  be  100  feet  long,  with 
an  attic  story."  The  contract  for  the  brick 
work  was  let  to  Thomas  MehafFey  at  two  dol- 
lars per  day,  and  one  dollar  per  daj'  for  any 
hands  he  might  employ;  and  for  the  joiner 
work  to  A.  J.  Mead  on  the  same  terms.  This 
building  stood  in  the  center  of  the  west  park, 
fronting  State  street,  and  was  rather  impo- 
sing for  the  time.  It  had  six  columns  in 
front,  was  without  partitions  and  was  well 
lighted.  The  first  sale  of  the  meat  stalls,  on 
March  28,  1839,  realized  $375,  as  follows: 
Stalls  numbered  one,  two  and  three,  to  Peter 
E.  Burton  for  $100,  ninety  dollars  and  sixty- 
one  dollars  respectively;  number  four,  to 
Henry  Heethman  for  forty-five  dollars;  num- 
ber five,  to  Jones  and  Salsbury  for  thirty- 
eight  dollars;  number  six,  to  Henry  Heeth- 
man for  fortv-one  dollars.  During  the  same 
month  the  hay  scales  became  town  property, 
in  consideration  of  the  payment  by  Councils 
of  $250.  G.  J.  Ball,  City  Clerk,  was  ap- 
pointed Market  Master,  at  a  salary  of  $100 
per  year.  This  position  was  afterward  filled 
by  Edward  B.  Lytle  and  Samuel  L.  Foster, 
and  it  is  evident  that  there  must  have  been  a 
struggle  for  the  place,  as  the  yearly  pay  was 
cut   down    to    fifty   dollars.      Sherburn    Smith 


filled^the  post  of  Weigh -master  for  a  number 
of  years. 

The  market  house  was  torn  down  in  1866, 
as  a  part  of  the  general  plan  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  parks,  and  from  that  year  on  all 
of  the  public  markets  in  the  citv  proper  were 
held  in  the  open  air  along  the  east  side  of 
State  street.  At  the  beginning  they  were 
mainly  limited  to  the  shady  part  of  the  street, 
fronting  on  the  east  park,  but  they  frequently 
lapped  over  so  as  to  reach  to  Fifth  and  Sev- 
enth streets.  In  due  time  Councils  voted  to 
move  them  further  up  town,  designating  Sev- 
enth street  as  the  starting  point.  From  there 
they  reached  at  first  up  to  'I'enth  and  Eleventh 
streets,  and  finally,  as  the  population  in- 
creased, it  was  not  an  unusual  sight  to  see  a 
string  of  teams  and  benches  stretching  from 
Seventh  street  to  the  Lake  Shore  railway 
bridge. 

When  South  Erie  became  a  borough  a 
a  market  house  was  built  on  Peach  street 
between  Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth  streets, 
which  is  still  standing.  Although  well  plan- 
ned, it  never  "took"  with  the  market  people, 
who  preferred,  for  some  reason,  to  go  to  the 
outdoor  market  on  State  street. 

The  hay  and  wood  market,  which  was 
long  held  around  the  park,  was  removed  to 
Twelfth  street  about  twenty  years  ago,  and 
from  there  was  again  changed  to  Parade 
street.  About  three  years  ago.  Councils  es- 
tablished a  general  market  on  the  west  side  of 
the  latter  thoroughfare,  which  continued  till 
the   abolishment  of   the  street  market   .system. 

THE    MODEnX    MARKET    HOUSES. 

In  1893  a  party  of  gentlemen  living  south 
of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.,  conceived  the  plan 
of  building  an  extensive  market  house  in  that 
part  of  the  city.  A  company  for  the  purpose 
was  incorporated  May  23  of  that  year,  with 
an  authorized  capital  of  $100,000.  The  cor- 
porators were  William,  Fred'k  and  Park  Dens- 
more,  John  Depinet  and  Jacob  Warfel,  the 
three  gentlemen  first  named  taking  more  than 
nine-tenths  of  the  stock.  The  plot  of  ground 
on  the  west  side  of  State  street,  between  Fif- 
teenth and  Sixteenth,  was  selected  as  the  site 
of  the  building,  and,  by  January,  1894,  it  was 
ready  for  occupancy  The  Elks  Charity  Fair 
was  held  in  it  during  the  latter  month,  and 
the  building  was  regularly  opened  as  a  market 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUJfiTY. 


523 


place   in   Febiiiary,    IS'.)4.      It    was   given    tlie 
name  of  the  Central  Market  House. 

Contrary  to  the  expectations  of  the  pro- 
jectors, the  market  did  not  meet  with  favor 
by  the  country  people,  who  were  in  the  habit 
of  attending  the  street  market.  The  Messrs. 
Densmore  were  naturally  anxious  that  their 
enterprise  should  not  be  a  failure,  and  as  nat- 
urally concluded  that  the  surest  way  to  secure 
patrons  for  the  building  was  to  get  rid  of  the 
street  market.  Their  first  step  was  to  obtain 
the  street  market  privilege  from  the  citj',  by 
outbidding  all  competitors.  They  then  entered 
upon  an  ingenious  campaign  to  have  the 
street  market  abolished,  which  did  credit  to 
their  shrewdness  and  energy,  whatever  may 
be  thought  of  their  methods  or  the  result  they 
effected.  In  consequence  chiefly  of  their  ef- 
forts, Councils  voted,  against  tiic  protest  of  a 
large  number  of  citizens,  to  abolish  the  street 
market  upon  State  and  Parade  streets  on  and 
after  April  1,  1895.  When  this  action  was 
taken  the  city  was  receiving  a  net  profit  of 
$4,500  per  year  from  the  market  privileges, 
with  a  prospect  of  a  still  larger  revenue. 
Those  who  opposed  the  abolishment  of  the 
market  argued  that,  as  State  street  had  for 
years  been  in  a  most  disgraceful  condition,  and 
as  the  city  treasury  was  short  of  funds  for  its 
improvement,  sound  business  policy  required 
that  the  money  realized  from  the  market 
privileges  should  be  retained  for  a  few  j-ears 
and  applied  toward  laying  down  a  decent 
pavement  on  the  main  business  avenue  of  the 
city. 

MARKET      HOUSES    ON     PARADE     AND     FOURTH 
STREETS. 

The  people  of  Parade  street,  and  the  east 
side  generally,  were  very  indignant  over  the 
action  of  Councils,  and  decided  at  once  that 
they  would  have  a  market  upon  that  street  in 
spite  of  the  citv  authorities.  Measures  were 
promptlj-  taken  to  organize  a  market  company 
and  a  lot  was  secured  at  the  corner  of  Tenth 
nnd  Parade  streets.  About  the  same  time 
another  company  was  formed  to  build  a  mar- 
ket liouse  at  Parade  and  Twelfth  streets. 
Both  organizations  were  quite  determined  in 
favor  of  tiieir  respective  localities,  and,  as  a 
consequence.  Parade  street  has  two  handsome 
market  houses  in  close  proximity  to  each  other. 

The  Second  Ward  Market,  as  tlie  building 
at  Twelfth   and    Parade    is    known,  was    first 


opened  to  the  public  on  Wednesday,  May  29, 
1895.  It  was  planned  by  A.  F.  Myers,  a 
Cleveland  architect,  and  cost  about  |7,500, 
exclusive  of  the  ground,  which  is  valued  at 
$9,500.  The  main  stockholders  are  Charles 
Huster,  M.  Detzel,  Stephen  Grabowski,  Max 
Bosch,  C.  M.  Conrad,  F.  Koehler,  Jackson 
Koehler,  Eugene  Loesch,  Frank  Link,  F.  J. 
Detzel  and  John  Knoechel. 

The  Parade  Street  Market  House,  at  Tenth 
and  Parade  streets,  was  not  formally  opened 
until  July  27,  1895,  but  an  out-door  market 
was  held  on  the  premises  and  upon  the  side- 
walk adjoining,  in  defiance  of  the  cit)' officials, 
all  of  the  time  from  April.  The  company  was 
incorporated  on  April  8,  1895,  with  a  capital 
of  $15,0(10.  Its  officers  are  :  President,  John 
Scarlett;  Secretary,  Geo.  B.  Conrath  ;  Treas- 
urer, J.  G.  Krug;  Directors,  Alois  Nagosky, 
C.  M.  Conrad,  Jacob  Weiss,  J.  G.  Krug,  John 
Scarlett  ;  and  its  principal  stockholders,  aside 
from  these  parties,  are  Dr.  Reaveley,  Edward 
Heuer,  Edward  Krauss,  Wilh'am  C.  Smith,  A. 
Flath.  Jackson  Koeiiler,  Fred'k  Koehler,  Wm. 
F.  Momeyer,  Felix  Graf,  P.  Dutlinger,  \\'m. 
Schneider,  F.  Wm.  Webber,  WiUiam  Lang. 
Kirschner  Brothers,  A.  Kneib,  George  Hein, 
John  S.  Ruland  and  P.  J.  Rastatter.  The 
architect  was  Charles  P.  Cody,  of  Erie.  The 
building  stands  on  leased  ground  with  the 
privilege  of  purchase.  It  cost  between  $12,- 
000  and  $15,000. 

It  soon  became  evident  to  the  down-town 
merchants  and  property  owners  that,  in  order 
to  hold  the  trade  which  bade  fair  to  be  divert- 
ed by  the  movements  above  described,  a  mar- 
ket in  the  north  part  of  the  city  was  a  neces- 
sity. Chierty  through  the  efforts  of  C.  Kessler 
and  W.  J.  Sands,  a  large  piece  of  land  fronting 
on  State,  Fourth  and  French  streets  was  se- 
cured, and  an  association  incorporated  under 
the  name  of  the  People's  Market  House  Com- 
pany, with  a  capital  of  $50,000.  This  amount 
was  promptly  subscribed  by  the  following  gen- 
tlemen :  George  W.  Starr,  Charles  M.  Reed, 
Charles  C.  Kolb,  W.  J.  Sands,  C.  Kessler,  J. 
F.  Downing,  Baker  &  Ostheimer,  W.  A.  Gal- 
braith,  CM.  Conrad,  Jackson  Koehler.  Mar- 
tin Higgins,W.  F.  Weiblein,  P.  Harlan,  Fred'k 
Koehler,  F.  A.  Mizener,  Benjamin  Whitman, 
Henry  Beckman,  Erie  Dime  Bank,  Joseph 
Johnston,  P.  Minnig,  Frank  Neubauer,  C.  A. 
Curtze,  Henrj-  Herbst,  George  D.  Williams, 
Dr.  John  Bryce,  Walker  &   Roberts,   Robert 


524 


IfELSON-S  BIOQRAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


Hunter,  Wm.  B.  Trask,  C.  B.  Wuenschell,  E. 
C.  Schmidt,  F.  F.  Curtze,  Mrs.  W.  F.  Rin- 
dernecht,  Edward  Heuer,  Henrj'  Mayo,  John 
Gensheimer,  Joseph  P.  O'Brien,  W.  W.  Lyle, 
C.  Englehart,  James  T.  Xoonan,  Philip  Kiich, 
C.  Rabe,  sr.,  D.  F.  Matthews,  P.  A.  Becker's 
Sons,  E.  S.  Rockafellcr.  H.  R.  Dunning  is 
the  architect  of  the  building,  which  was  com- 
menced about  July  1,  1895,  and  regularly 
opened  on  Thursday,  Oct.  31  of  the  same 
year.  The  excellent  plan  and  convenient  lo- 
cation of  this  market  house  assure  it  a  liberal 
patronage. 

M  II.ITA  I!  V    Ct).M  PANIES. 

An  account  of  the  military  organizations 
in  the  city  and  county  previous  to  the  war  for 
the  Union  is  given  in  the  General  Chapters  of 
this  book,  to  which  those  are  referred  who  de- 
sire information  on  the  subject.  After  the 
war  the  military  spirit  was  dormant  until 
1871,  when  the  Erie  Guard,  Co.  B,  Seven- 
teenth Regiment,  was  organized,  with  C.  W. 
Lj'tle  as  Captain.  His  successors  in  command 
were  Adam  Kurtis,  J.  W.  Burns,  J.  J.  Bax- 
ter and  O.  S.  Riblet.  Two  of  its  Captains, 
Lytle  and  Kurtis,  became  Colonels  of  the  Sev- 
enteenth Regiment.  The  company  went  out 
of  service  in  the  summer  of  1887  or  1888. 

Captain  J.  S.  Riddle  organized  the  Mc- 
Lane  Light  Guard,  Co.  C,  Seventeenth  Regi- 
ment, in  March,  1875.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Captain  John  Dodge  after  the  misfortune 
which  caused  Captain  Riddle  to  lose  his  leg. 
The  company  was  mustered  out  at  the  expira- 
tion of  its  term  of  service.  Both  of  these 
companies  responded  to  the  call  of  the  State 
during  the  riots  of  1877. 

The  Sheridan  Guard,  Co.  G,  Seventeenth 
Regiment,  was  organized  in  1873.  Its  Cap- 
tains, in  succession,  were  Charles  D.  Sweeney, 
John  Craine  and  John  H.  Wilson.  The  com- 
pany disbanded  in  1880,  at  the  same  time  the 
regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service. 

The  Noble  Light  Guard,  an  independent 
company,  was  recruited  in  1880  by  Captain 
Elzie,  and  had   an  existence  of  several  years. 

The  Governor's  Guard,  Co.  E,  Seventeenth 
Regiment,  was  organized  in  1880,  with  C.  C. 
Hearn  as  Captain,  who  soon  retired.  His  suc- 
cessors have  been  F.  M.  Lamb,  elected  in 
1880;  D.  S.  Crawford,  elected  in  1882  and 
1887;  Charles  N.  Dinkey,  elected  in  1891; 
and  Harry  C.  Mabie,  elected  in  1893.  Messrs. 


Lamb  and  Crawford  were  promoted  to  be  Ma- 
jors, and  Mr.  Dinkey  resigned  for  business 
reasons.  When  the  Seventeenth  Regiment 
was  mustered  out  in  1880,  this  organization 
became  Co.  C,  of  the  Fifteenth  Regiment. 
The  present  Lieutenants  are  :  First,  j.  Wil- 
son Hall  ;  second,  Philip  Ilockenbury.  The 
armory  of  the  company  is  in  the  Becker  block, 
which  they  have  occupied  since   1882. 

Company  A,  Fifteenth  Regiment,  is  the 
outgrowth  of  a  political  marching  club  organ- 
ized during  the  campaign  of  1888,  and  known 
as  the  Culbertson  Zouaves.  The  "boys" 
rather  enjoyed  the  military  drill  in  which 
they  had  been  exercised,  and,  after  the  elec- 
tion, learning  that  there  was  a  vacancy  of  one 
company  in  the  Fifteenth  Regiment,  otTered 
to  fill  it,  and  were  mustered  into  the  State 
service  May  10,  1889.  Their  armory  was  in 
the  Noble  block  (now  Penn  building)  until 
May  1,  1894,  when  they  changed  to  the 
Wayne  block.  The  principal  officers  have 
been  as  follows  :  Captains,  John  B.  Bovd 
and  James  H.  Hoskinson  ;  First  Lieutenants, 
W.  W.  Reed,  C.  C.  Middleton  and  Ralph  B. 
Sterrett ;  Second  Lieutenants,  Frank  W. 
Bailey,  John  D.  Sullivan,  James  H.  Hoskin- 
son, Ralph  B.  Sterrett  and  Charles  E. 
Spencer. 

Companies  A  and  C  were  called  upon,  in 
connection  with  the  entire  Fifteenth  Regi- 
ment, to  do  very  hard  and  unpleasant  service 
during  the  Homestead  riots,  in  1892.  They 
left  Erie  at  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  July 
11,  and  did  not  return  until  the  19th  of  Sep- 
tember. On  their  arrival  home  they  were  en- 
thusiastically received  by  the  citizens  and  a 
banquet  was  provided  for  them. 

The  Fifteenth  Regiment,  to  which  the 
Erie  companies  are  attached,  is  a  part  of  the 
National  Guard  system  of  Pennsylvania.  Its 
chief  officers  are  :  Colonel,  W.  A.  Kreps,  of 
Mercer  county;  Lieutenant-Colonel,  W.  A. 
Mechling,  Butler  county  ;  Majors,  D.  S.  Craw- 
ford, of  Erie  county,  and  W.  W.  Hanna,  of 
Mercer  county.  Other  officers  of  the  regi- 
ment from  Erie  are  :  Dr.  Wallace  R.  Hunter, 
Lieutenant-Surgeon  on  Col.  Krep's  staff,  and 
Louis  G.  Brown,  Adjutant  on  the  staff  of 
Maj.  Crawford. 

NATIONAL    GUARD. 

The  National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania  con- 
sists of   one  di\ision,  under   the   command   of 


AND  IIISTORiCAL  REFERENCE  ROOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


sn 


Maj.  Gen.  George  R.  Snowden,  of  Philadel- 
phia, acting  under  the  orders  of  the  Governor, 
who  is  Commander-in-chief.  The  divis-ion  is 
composed  of  three  brigades,  commanded  as 
follows  : 

First  Brigade,  Brig.  Gen.  John  \V.  .Scholl, 
of  Norristown. 

Second  Brigade,  Brig.  Gen.  John  A. 
Wile}',  of  Franklin. 

Third  Biigade,  Brig.  Gen.  J.  P.  S.  Gobin, 
of  Lebanon. 


The  Second  Brigade  embraces  the  Fifth, 
Tenth,  Fourteenth,  Fifteenth,  .Sixteenth  and 
Eighteenth  regiments,  division  A  of  the  naval 
reserves,  the  Sheridan  Troop  of  Tyrone  and 
Battery  B  of  Pittsburg— in  all  about  3,000 
men. 

Each  regiment  is  divided  into  two  battal- 
ions. The  First  Battalion  of  the  Fifteenth 
Regiment  is  commanded  by  Maj.  Crawford, 
of  Erie,  and  the  second  by  Maj.  Hanna,  of 
Mercer  county. 


CHAPTER     XVI. 


MlSCELL.A.NEOUS INFORMATION    ON     A   VARIETY  OF    SUBJECTS CeNTENNI.\L   CELEBRATION 

OF     1895. 


THE  most  interesting  and  impressive 
event  in  the  recent  history  of  Erie  was 
the  celebration,  on  the  9th,  KJth  and 
11th  of  September,  1895,  of  the  one 
hundredth  year  of  the  city's  existence. 
At  no  time  since  Erie  was  founded  has  the 
city  been  so  generally  and  handsomelj-  deco- 
rated, nor  the  interest  and  enthusiasm  of  the 
people  so  universal  and  hearty.  On  State, 
Peach,  Parade  and  other  business  streets 
nearly  every  building  was  elaborately  trimmed 
with  fiags,  streamers  and  appropriate  designs, 
while  there  was  scarcely  a  business  house  or 
private  residence  in  any  part  of  the  city  that 
did  not  exhibit  some  beautiful  emblem.  Four 
very  fine  arches  were  erected  in  prominent 
locations,  viz.  :  One  at  Peach  and  Twenty- 
sixth  streets,  in  memory  of  Washington  and 
Lafayette;  one  on  Peach  street,  near  the 
Union  depot,  extending  a  generous  welcome 
to  all  ;  one,  as  a  testimonial  to  Anthony 
W'a^-ne,  across  State  street,  between  Tenth 
and  Eleventh  ;  and  one  on  State  street,  oppo- 
site the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  monument,  in 
remembrance  of  the  services  of  Perrj'  and 
Dobbins.  Central  Park  was  brilliantly  illu- 
minated each  night  of  the  festivities,  and  even 
the  street   cars,    hacks,    drays,   many    private 

34 


carriages  and  the  boats  in  the  harbor  were 
gaily  fitted  up  in  honor  of  the  occasion.  Erie 
never  saw  such  vast  crowds,  nor  such  a  bounti- 
ful display  of  home  pride  and  genuine  good 
will  among  its  citizens  as  was  witnessed  dur- 
ing the  three  days  of  the  Centennial  celebra- 
tion. 

On  Monday  evening,  the  9th,  there  was  a 
splendid  bicycle  parade,  in  which  some  five 
hundred  riders  took  part,  each  machine  being 
more  or  less  decorated  for  the  purpose  Many 
novel  and  effective  features  were  shown  that 
called  forth  continual  applause  from  the  tens 
of  thousands  who  lined  the  route. 

Tuesday,  the  lOlh,  was  ushered  in  with  a 
salute  of  one  hundred  guns,  and  the  ringing 
of  bells  throughout  the  city.  At  10  :30  in  the 
morning  there  was  a  parade  of  seven  thousand 
Sunday-school  children,  including  all  classes, 
creeds  and  colors.  Each  child  carried  a  small 
American  flag,  and  each  of  the  five  divisions 
in  the  procession  was  led  by  a  brass  band  or  a 
drum  and  fife  corps.  The  children  were  ac- 
companied by  their  pastors  and  teachers,  all 
being  under  the  marshalship  of  Major  Craw- 
ford, of  the  State  National  Guard.  The 
parade  halted  before  the  City  Hall,  where  the 
children  joined  in  singing  '    The  Star  Spangled 


;26 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


Banner"  and  "My  Country,  'Tis  of  Thee." 
An  inspiring  incident  of  the  morning  was 
'■  The  Living  Flag,"  formed  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  little  girls,  suitably  dressed  and  ar- 
ranged upon  an  inclined  stage  built  up  against 
the  front  of  I'ark  Presbyterian  Church.  Com- 
mencing at  1  p.  iM.,  the  Pennsylvania  League 
of  American  Wheelmen,  which  held  its  an- 
nual session  in  the  city,  gave  a  number  of  ex- 
citing bicycle  races  upon  the  Reed  track,  on 
tlie  Lake  road.  At  2  o'clock  the  literary  ex- 
ercises of  the  day  were  begun  on  a  platform 
upon  the  north  front  of  the  City  Hall.  His- 
torical addresses  were  delivered  by  J.  F. 
Downing,  James  Sill  and  H.  C.  Missimer, 
and  a  Centennial  poem  was  read  by  Henry 
Catlin.  Judge  Vincent  presided,  and  the 
proceedings  were  opened  with  prayer  by  Rev. 
J.  C.  Wilson,  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  closed  with  a  Pontifical  benedic- 
tion bj-  Bishop  Mullen,  head  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  diocese  of  Erie.  Later  in  the  after- 
noon tlie  corner-stone  of  a  proposed  free  pub- 
lic library  was  laid  bj'  the  Masonic  fraternity 
on  a  lot  upon  Seventh  street,  just  east  of 
Fre.ich,  donated  by  Mrs.  M.  Sanford  and  Miss 
Laura  G.  Sanford.  The  official  program  of 
the  day  ended  with  a  grand  jubilee  concert  in 
the  Opera  House,  which  was  participated  in 
by  all  of  the  musical  societies  in  the  city.  One 
of  the  incidents  of  the  evening  was  the  sing- 
ing of  a  Centennial  ode,  composed  by  Rev. 
A.  H.  Caughey,  and  set  to  music  by  H.  X. 
Redman. 

On  Wednesday,  at  sunrise,  one  hundred 
more  guns  were  fired,  and  the  bells  were  rung 
as  before.  From  9  a.  m.  until  late  in  the  af- 
ternoon a  spirited  series  of  boat  races  took 
place  on  the  bay.  At  10  o'clock  the  historical 
and  industrial  parade,  the  largest  and  finest 
ever  seen  in  Erie,  began  its  course  through  the 
principal  streets,  marshalled  b)-  E.  J.  Riblet 
and  a  number  of  aids.  It  was  five  miles  long, 
and  took  about  two  hours  to  pass  a  given 
point.  In  the  afternoon  the  civic  societies, 
military  and  naval  organizations  marched  in 
procession,  under  the  same  leadership,  forming 
a  line  two  or  three  miles  in  length,  and  onlv 
exceeded  in  interest  by  the  parade  of  the  fore- 
noon. Among  the  participants  were  the  Fif- 
teenth Regiment,  National  Guard  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, with  a  full  force  of  officers  and  about 
five  hundred  men.  The  celebration  ended 
with  a  magnificent  display  of  fireworks  on  the 


bay,  which  was  witnessed  from  the  front  of 
the  city  by  the  largest  audience  ever  brought 
together  in  Erie. 

During  the  three  days'  festivities  there  was 
a  dailj-  Lafavette  reception  in  the  historic 
Dobbins  house,  and  the  ladies  also  conducted 
a  museum,  art  gallery,  old  folks'  concert  and 
old-time  kitchen  in  the  People's  Market  House, 
at  State  and  Fourth  streets,  all  of  which  were 
well  attended. 

A  tribe  of  Indians,  numbering  over  a  hun- 
dred, from  the  Cattaraugus  Reservation  in 
New  York,  gave  exhibitions  daily  of  aborigi- 
nal customs,  amusements,  modes  of  life,  etc., 
on  the  base  ball  grounds. 

The  daily  press  of  the  citv  did  their  whole 
share  in  aiding  the  celebration,  by  printing 
very  creditable  special  editions,  and  the  occa- 
sion was  not  only  widely  noted  by  the  papers 
of  other  cities,  but,  in  several  instances,  ele- 
gantly illustrated. 

The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Centen- 
nial, which  had  the  appointment  of  the  sub- 
committees and  general  charge  of  the  arrange- 
ments, was  composed  of  the  following  gentle- 
men :  F.  F.  Adams,  Chairman  ;  Walter  Scott 
(Mayor),  E.Camphausen, W.  J.  Sell,  F.  P.Ma- 
graw,  S.  W.  Bolles,  E.  J.  Howard,  J.  P.  Han- 
ley,  F.  Brevillier,  W.  J.  Sands,  M.  Liebel, 
Joseph  II.  Williams,  John  Fleeharty,  J.  F. 
Downing,  Harry  Vincent  and  A.  B.  Felge- 
maker. 

THE    TANNING    1NDU.STKV. 

The  pioneer  tannery  of  Erie  was  built  by 
Ezekiel  Dunning,  on  Holland  street,  between 
Fifth  and  Sixth.  It  fell  into  the  hands  of  J. 
M.  Sterrett  and  was  kept  up  until  1852.  Sam- 
uel and  Robert  Hays  started  a  tannery  in 
1805,  near  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and  French 
streets,  which  finally  became  the  sole  prop- 
erty of  Samuel.  It  was  conducted  until  187() 
or  '77  by  his  sons,  W.  B.  and  J.  W.  Hays. 
The  next  tanneries  were  started  by  William 
Arbuckle  in  1820,  on  Eighteenth  street,  west 
of  Myrtle,  and  by  Luther  P.  Searles,  some 
years  later,  on  the  bank  of  Mill  creek,  where 
the  stream  crosses  Ninth  street.  The  first 
mentioned  was  given  up  in  1880,  and  the  sec- 
ond became  the  property  of  J.  J.  Fuezler,  who 
took  John  Sanner  into  partnership.  C.  E. 
Gunnison  &  Co.  started  their  tannery  on 
Eighteenth  street,  between  Sassafras  and 
Myrtle,  in  the  winter  of  1857.     A  tannery  was 


And  mstoBiCAL  reference  book  of  er'ie  cou2irr. 


527 


established  in  1862  or  '63  by  Joseph  Richt- 
scheit,  on  Eleventh  street,  between  German 
and  Parade,  and  discontinued  in  1880.  About 
1840,  Abraham  Johnson  and  John  H.  Walker 
built  a  larjre  tannery  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
Eighth  and  Holland  streets.  '1  hey  discon- 
tinued the  business  after  a  few  years.  For  a 
year  or  so  the  building  was  leased  by  Mr. 
Fuezler.  It  was  consumed  bj-  fire  in  1859  or 
1860.  The  Streuber  tannery,  on  State  street, 
near  the  New  York,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis 
R.  R.,  was  started  in  1867,  by  John  Streuber. 
F.  R.  Simmons  bought  the  Fuezler  tannery 
in  1880,  put  up  new  buildings  in  1881,  and 
has  added  largely  to  the  property  since.  Most 
of  the  leather  manufactured  in  Erie  in  the 
earl)-  days  was  sold  to  home  dealers  ;  now  it 
is  mainly  disposed  of  to  the  large  factories  in 
other  cities.  [See  Chapter  XIV,  General 
History.] 

NATURAL    GAS. 

Indications  of  natural  gas  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  city  were  observed  long  before  it  began 
to  be  bored  for  as  a  source  of  heating.  The 
most  remarkable  flow  was  on  the  Knox  farm, 
just  outside  of  the  southern  city  limits,  on  the 
line  of  State  street,  where  gas  emanated  at 
times  in  sufficient  quantity,  when  lighted,  to 
create  a  brilliant  illumination.  From  some 
cause,  the  supp!}'  has  almost  or  entirely 
ceased.  Emissions  of  natural  gas  are  quite 
observable  at  certain  periods  along  the  south 
side  of  the  bay,  between  the  Pittsburg  docks 
and  Tracy  Point.  It  has  been  lighted  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  the  flame  would  last 
at  times  for  several  seconds.  Impelled  by  the 
belief  that  where  there  is  gas  there  must  be 
oil,  Clark  McSparren,  in  1864,  put  down  the 
first  well  at  Erie  in  search  of  the  latter  fluid, 
which  he  failed  to  find  in  paying  quantities 
A  similar  experience  attended  later  experi- 
ments, but  gas  was  almost  invariably  found  to 
an  extent  that  would  have  proved  fairly 
profitable  had  its  value  been  known  at  the 
time.  The  boring  of  wells  to  secure  gas  for 
fuel  did  not  commence  until  a  later  date.  It 
is  estimated  by  some  that  enough  gas  has 
been  allowed  to  run  to  waste  in  the  various 
efforts  to  find  oil  in  and  about  Erie  to  have 
supplied  the  entire  city  for  a  long  period. 

John  J.  Roemer  claims  to  have  been 
the  first  person  in  Erie  to  apply  natural  gas 
to  practical  use.     Fully  thirty  years  ago  he 


piped  gas  from  a  well  along  Mill  creek  to  his 
office,  and  used  it  for  lighting  and  wanning 
the  same. 


TEST  GAS  WELL. 


It  is  almost  forgotten  by  most  of  our  citi- 
zens that  the  deepest  and  perhaps  the  costliest 
well  in  the  country  was  put  down  at  Erie  for 
the  purpose  of  testing  whether  gas  could  be 
found  to  a  permanent  and  profitable  extent. 
An  organization  for  the  purpose,  under  the 
name  of  the  Presque  Isle  Natural  Gas  Co., 
was  formed  at  the  Board  of  Trade  rooms  in 
June,  1887.  During  the  boring  of  the  well 
two  sets  of  tools  were  lost,  and  the  subscribers 
finally  became  discouraged  early  in  1889.  The 
well,  which  was  on  the  Reed  tract,  near  the 
intersection  of  Fifth  and  German  streets, 
reached  a  depth  of  4,585  feet,  and,  in  all,  the 
large  sum  of  $14,790  was  expended  upon  the 
enterprise.  This  amount  was  furnished  by  135 
stockholders,  who  are  deserving  of  great  credit 
for  their  willingness  to  aid  in  the  experiment. 
At  the  depth  of  4,380  feet  the  temperature  at 
the  bottom  of  the  well  was  ascertained  to  be 
100  degrees  Fahrenheit,  and  the  tools  when 
brought  up  were  too  hot  to  be  safely  handled. 
It  is  claimed  by  the  managers  of  the  company 
that  at  no  time  was  sufficient  gas  found  to  in 
dicate  a  valuable  supply — in  fact,  that  no  gas 
was  met  with  that  was  worth  talking  about. 
This  was  so  diflerent  from  most  of  the  other 
wells  put  down  in  the  city  that  it  indicates 
either  an  unfortunate  site  for  the  experiment, 
or  that  the  gas-producing  rock  lies  deeper  at 
that  point  than  elsewhere  in  Erie  county.  Some 
of  the  stockholders  still  believe  that  the  com- 
pany would  have  been  warranted  in  going 
500  or  1,000  feet  further  into  the  bowels  of 
the  earth. 

DESTRUCTIVE    FLOODS   IN    MILL   CREEK. 

The  usually  insignificant  stream  of  Mill 
creek,  which  flows  nearly  through  the  center 
of  the  city,  is  subject  to  sudden  and  sometimes 
destructive  floods. 

In  1878,  James  Dodsworth  and  daughter, 
who  lived  near  the  creek  on  Seventh  street, 
were  drowned  by  an  extraordinary  rise  in  the 
stream. 

In  May,  1898,  an  unprecedented  fall  of 
rain  swelled  the  creek  into  a  torrent.  The 
bridges  and  culverts  became  clogged,  and  the 
stream  was  forced  out  of  its  channel  in  several 


528 


NELSON-S  BIOORAPHIGAL  DICTIOJSARY 


places.  On  the  night  of  May  Kjth,  il  broke 
over  Eighteenth  street,  and  a  large  body  of 
water  ran  down  French  street  nearly  to 
Eleventh,  tearing  up  the  asphalt  paving  and 
the  sidewalks  and  driving  many  families  out 
of  their  homes.  A  boy  named  Jacob  Heberle 
was  drowned,  and  various  persons  narrowly 
escaped  death.  It  was  estimated  that  the 
damage  to  property  along  the  stream  amounted  I 
to  !flOO,(X>U.  Thecity  suf^'ered  a  loss  of  quite 
$15,000  in  injuries  to  bridges,  culverts  and 
streets.  A  number  of  people  had  to  be  re- 
lieved by  the  public  and  were  generously 
cared  for  by  the  ladies  of  the  Erie  Bureau  of 
Charities  and  other  kind-hearted  citizens. 

GRAND  EFFORTS  FOR  CHARITY. 

Probably  the  two  greatest  eflbrts  for  char- 
ity in  the  history  of  the  city  were  made  by  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks — the 
Hrst  in  tlie  form  of  u  fair,  and  the  second  in  the 
shapeof  a  charitv  edition  of  the  /hiilv  Herald. 
The  fair  was  held  in  theCentral  Market  House 
during  the  month  of  January,  1894,  and  the  So- 
ciety was  aided  by  the  ladies  of  a  number  of  the 
city  churches.  The  cash  receipts  were 
$r),i:50.r)l,  and  the  disbursements  $451.58, 
leaving  a  net  profit  of  $4,678.98,  which  was 
placed  in  the  treasury  of  tlie  Bureau  of  Chari- 
ties. Donations  of  packages  for  tiie  worthy 
poor  were    received,  in   addition,  to   the  value 

of  $i,oa).oo. 

The  Elks'  Charity  Herald  was  printed  on 
April  23,  1895,  and  reached  a  circulation  of 
some  50,000  copies.  It  embraced  thirty-two 
pages  of  tlie  usual  size  of  the  Daily  Herald, 
all  of  the  matter  in  which  was  written  and 
edited  by  the  Elks  and  their  friends.  The 
Treasurer  of  tlie  Erie  Bureau  of  Charities  re- 
ceived a  check  for  $2,420.50,  the  net  proceeds 
of  the  enterprise. 

The  Order  of  Elks  is  entitled  to  unusual 
credit  for  inaugurating  and  carrying  out  to  a 
successful  conclusion  the  most  notable  charity 
undertakings  ever  known  in  the  city. 

MUSICAL  ORGANIZATIONS. 

The  earliest  musical  convention  in  Erie  of 
which  an)-  record  is  at  hand  was  held  in  1855, 
under  the  direction  of  W.  H.  Bradbury.  Later 
ones  were  conducted  by  Profs.  Taylor,  Emer- 
son, Webster,  Palmer  and  Root.  The  Erie 
Liedertafel  was  organized  September  2,  1862, 
being  an  outgrowth  of  the  Arion  Society,  a 
small    German    organization.      Prof.    Charles 


Diefenbach  was  the  first  Director  of  the  Lieder- 
tafel. The  Union  Musical  Association,  or- 
ganized in  1868,  and  conducted  in  succession 
by  L.  M.  Little  and  G.  F.  Brierly,  was  a  no- 
table institution  in  its  day.  The  Orpheus 
Society,  still  in  existence,  was  founded  in  No- 
vember, 1878,  with  Henry  Catlin  as  President 
and  G.  F.  Brierly  as  Director.  An  association 
under  the  name  of  the  Harugari  M^nnerchor 
was  started  in  January,  1872,  which  was 
changed  to  the  Erie  Mamnerchor  in  1875.  The 
Ladies'  society,  in  connection  therewith  was 
formed  in  1885.  The  lot  on  State  street  upon 
which  the  building  of  the  Miennerchor  stands 
was  bought  about  1887,  and  the  corner  stone 
laid  in  1889.  Among  other  musical  societies 
have  been  the  Teutonia,  with  Prof.  John 
Eckert  as  Director,  and  the  Schurzo,  of  which 
F.  Brevillier  was  President. 

The  latest  musical  organizations  of  promi- 
nence (not  otherwise  noted)  have  been  the 
Erie  Conservatory  of  Music,  organized  in 
June,  1898,  with  G.  \V.  Hunt  as  Director  and 
Miss  l^aura  Carroll  Dennis  as  vocal  teacher; 
the  Erie  Church  Musical  Society,  organized 
September  14,  1894,  with  H.  N.' Redman  as 
Director;  and  the  Erie  \'ocal  Society, organized 
in  October,  1894, with  H.  J.  Fellows  as  Director. 
The  Conservatory  of  Music,  which  atone  time 
seemed  quite  flourishing,  was  discontinued  in 
August,  1895.  During  its  short  career  it  de- 
veloped some  of  the  finest  musical  talent  now 
in  the  city. 

Two  other  well-known  organizations  were 
in  existence  in  1895,  viz.  :  The  Ca'cilian 
Qiiintette,  formed  in  1891,  composed  of  Mrs. 
Geo.  B.  .Swaney,  Mrs.  P.  E.  Eggleston,  Mrs. 
C.  C.  Colby,  jr.,  H.  R.  Barnhurst  and  Geo.  E. 
Barger;  and  the  Schumann  Quartette,  formed 
in  1898,  with  Mrs.  J-  P-  Covert,  Mrs.  C.  W. 
McKean,  Mrs.  VV.'  H.  F.  Xick  and  Miss 
Louisa  Whitehead  as  its  members. 

Of  the  early  bands,  the  best  remembered 
was  that  led  by  M.  W.  Mehl,  which  was  in 
existence  when  the  war  broke  out,  and  accom- 
panied the  troops  to  the  front.  Sometime  dur- 
ing the  war  or  soon  after,  Anton  Knoll  started 
his  famous  band,  and  long  remained  its  leader. 
It  was  allowed  to  run  down,  but  was  reorgan- 
ized in  the  fall  of  1895. 

PRICES   AND   WAGES    IN   THE   EARLY   DAYS. 

A  contract  was  made  by  the  County  Com- 
missioners on    the  27th  of   October,  1829,  for 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUJSTY. 


y-9 


twenty  to  eigiity  cords  of  stone  at  $5  per  cord. 
David  Kennedy,  on  the  date  last  mentioned, 
offered  to  furnish  1(X).()(X)  brick  for  the  pro- 
posed new  jail  at  .i<8.2o  per  thousand.  Thisoffer 
was  thought  to  be  too  high  and  was  not  ac- 
cepted. On  the  24th  of  September,  1835,  the 
County  Commissioners  contracted  for  KX) 
cords  of  "good,  dry,  hard  wood,'"  at  .$1.12i 
per  cord.  Subsequent  contracts  were  made 
as  follows  :  %\J^)  per  cord  in  1837:  $1.45  in 
1840;  |1.l'5  in  the  fall  of  1841  ;  iiil.OGi  in  the 
fall  of  1842.  The  brick  for  the  courthouse 
were  furnished  in  1852,  by  Daniel  Youngs,  at 
.|3.87i  per  thousand. 

When  Gunnison's  tannery  was  built,  in 
1857,  wages  were  much  lower  than  now. 
Common  laborers  receiyed  from  fifty  to  sev- 
enty-five cents  per  day.  and  carpenters  $1.25. 
Bricklayers  received  $1.75  per  thousand  for  lav- 
ing brick.  It  may  be  safely  stated  that  wages 
and  salaries  have  advanced  in  Erie  since  1860 
from  twenty-five  to  fifty  per  cent. 

A  noteworthy  feature  of  the  iron  manu- 
facture in  Erie  is  the  difference  in  prices  be- 
tween the  early  60's  and  to-day.  "  The  class 
and  capacity  of  engine  and  boiler  that  twenty 
years  ago  commanded  .l!2,8(K)  to  $3,(XK)  as  the 
purchase  price  can  now  be  bought  of  equal 
capacity  and  superior  finish  for  $450  to  $500. 
The  difference  in  cost  is  the  result  of  cheaper 
material,  better  facilities  for  manufacturing, 
and  the  more  general  application  of  machin- 
ery- in  all  processes  of  manufacture." 

"  The  extremes  in  prices  of  flour  reached 
within  the  last  thirty-five  years  have  been 
equally  remarkable.  Within  that  time  a  bar- 
rel of  flour,  of  average  grade,  has  been  sold 
for  twenty-two  dollars,  and  the  same  grade 
for  $3. GO.  The  high  price  was  of  course 
largely  owing  to  the  war,  while  the  low  price 
was  the  result  of  general  business  depression 
and  abundant  crops." 

CRANBERRIES  AND  CRANBERRY  DAY. 

Up  to  twenty  or  twenty-five  years  ago  the 
peninsula  abounded  in  cranberries,  the  pro- 
tection of  which  was  carefully  looked  after. 
An  act  of  Assembly  imposed  a  fine  of  not  less 
than  ten  dollars,  nor  more  than  twenty-five 
dollars,  on  any  person  who  should  gather 
cranberries  between  July  and  October.  The 
first  Tuesday  of  October  was  ''Cranberry 
day,"  a  great  event  in  olden  times.  Large 
parties  would  cross  the  bay  the   night  before 


and  remain  until  morning.  The  event  was 
regarded  as  a  general  holiday,  and  awaited  as 
eagerly  as   the  Fourth   of    July  or  Christmas. 

I 

I  PIONEER    MECHANICS. 

I  The  following  were  the  pioneers  of  Erie  in 
their  respective  trades:  Jonas  Duncan  and 
John  Teel,  carpenters;  Peter  Growotz,  mason 
and  bricklayer  ;  Robert  Kendall,  cooper  ;  John 
Morris,  hatter :  Thomas  Stewart  and  Archi- 
bald McSparren,  tailors.  There  was  no  regu- 
lar copper  or  brass  smith  until  1822,  when 
Charles  Lay  opened  a  shop  on  the  south  side 
of  East  Park. 

TAXES   IN    1820. 

The  total  borough  tax  in  1820,  as  shown  by 
the  duplicate  of  that  year,  was  $175-20.  Rufus 
S.  Reed  stood  highest  in  valuation  of  real 
estate,  viz.  :  $6,798,  followed  by  the  heirs  of 
John  Kelso  with  $3,740;  P.  S.  V.  Hamot, 
$3,120;  Tudah  Colt.  $2,940;  John  W.  Bell, 
$2,052  ;  Giles  Sanford,  $2,012  ;"Thomas  Laird, 
$1,579:  Samuel  Hays,  $1,552;  Benjamin  Wal- 
lace, $1,461 :  heirs  of  William  Wallace,  .$985; 
Thomas  H.  Sill,  $730.  The  corner  where  the 
Dime  Savings  Bank  stands,  with  the  build- 
ings then  occupying  it,  was  valued  at  $1,600; 
the  four  lots  occupied  by  the  Reed  House  and 
Ellswort4i  House,  at  $656 ;  the  Teel  House 
with  two  lots,  on  Peach,  from  Ninth  to  Tenth 
streets,  at  $290;  house  and  two  lots,  corner  of 
Seventh  and  Sassafras,  at  forty-nine  dol- 
lars; Farmers"  Hotel,  Fifth  and  French 
streets.  $587:  lot  corner  French  and  Sec-- 
ond,  $850;  Dobbins"  house  and  lot,  $575; 
two  lots  of  George  A.  Eliot,  corner 
of  Peach  and  Sixth,  present  site  of  Mrs. 
Strong's  house,  $300  ;  the  lot  on  which  Carter's 
and  ]Murphy's  stores  stand,  $150;  house  and 
two  lots,  northeast  corner  of  State  and  Tenth, 
$164  ;  sixteen  lots,  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Par- 
ade, on  the  west  side  of  the  latter  street, 
sixty-four  dollars  ;  thirty-two  north  of  these, 
$172.  The  lots  on  which  the  Exchange.  Rin- 
dernecht  and  other  blocks  stand,  were  pur- 
.  chased  by  John  Warren  in  1824  for  $300.  Tax 
was  then  collected  by  the  High  Constable. 

THE     ORIGIN.\L    TOWN    OF     ERIE. 

Erie  was  originally  nearly  all  at  the  mouth 

of  Mill  creek.     Travelers  from  the  east  entered 

by  Parade    and  East    Sixth  streets,  the   latter 

!  intersecting  the   Lake   road  near   the   eastern 


530 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


limits   of   the    town.      From    Mill   creek,    the  i  tership  of  Judge  Sterrett.     The    first   carriers 

town  gradually   extended    up  Second,    Third,  were    Phineas    Wheeler,  Jacob    Rindernecht, 

Fourth,  Fifth    and    Sixth    streets    to   French,  Peter  W.    Smith,  Thomas   Lee,   George   Mo- 

which  was  long  the  main  business  artery.  j  meyer,  George  Mallory  and  Spencer  H.  Booth. 


A  CURIOUS  CUSTOM. 

A  custom  prevaileil,  prior  to  ISIO,  which 
required  every  man  to  spend  each  Saturday 
afternoon  in  grubbing  out  stumps  from  the 
streets.  There  was  also  an  ordinance  in  opera- 
tion until  June,  1846,  recjuiring  every  person 
who  got  on  a  spree  to  dig  three  stumps  from 
the  highway  as  a  penalty.  Whether  it  had  a 
tendency  to  decrease  intemperance,  the  ancient 
chronicles  fail  to  relate. 

DKIVE   ALONG   TUP:    BEACH. 

1 

In  1813  there  was  a  fine  drive  on  the  sand 
beach  of  the  bay,  from  State  street  to  the 
mouth  of  Cascade  creek.  It  had  been  used 
for  several  years,  and  was  a  favorite  resort 
among  those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to 
possess  a  saddle  horse  or  suitable  turnout. 
With  all  the  talk  of  late  years  about  low  water 
in  the  lake,  it  is  doubtful  if  it  has  been  worse 
than  in  seasons  long  ago.  The  average  depth 
of  water  in  both  bay  and  lake  depends  very 
much  upon  the  rainfall  along  the  entire  upper 
chain. 

ERIE     IIORTICI'LTURAL    SOCIETY. 

This  popular  organization  ^vas  founded  on 
the  12th  of  September,  1888,  by  a  number  of 
gentlemen  living  in  the  city  and  neighboring 
townships.  Its  first  exhibition  was  held  on 
that  date,  and  it  continued  giving  displays  of 
fruits  and  flowers  at  intervals  of  one,  two  or 
three  months  until  1891.  In  the  latter  year  it 
organized  an  annual  chrysanthemum  exhibit, 
and  continued  the  same  till  1894,  when  a  gen- 
eral display  of  flowers  was  made.  L.  H.  Couse 
has  been  President  and  G.  Lyman  Moody 
Secretary  of  the  society  from  its  organization. 

AN     ANCIENT    STRUCTURE, 

The  ruins  of  a  large  brick  structure,  erected 
near  the  eastern  end  of  the  peninsula  long 
prior  to  American  occupation,  were  still  to  be 
seen  in  1795.  Who  its  builders  were,  or  what 
the  purpose  of  its  erection  was,  is  unknown. 

LETTER    CARRIER    SYSTEM. 

The  letter  carrier  system  was  introduced 
into  Erie  on  April  1,  1867,  under  the  postmas- 


ERIE    CITY     DIRECTORY. 

This  \aluablc  publication,  which  may  be 
said  to  be  one  of  the  "  institutions  "  of  Erie, 
was  commenced  by  W.  P.  Atkinson  in  June, 
1871,  and  has  been  printed  by  the  same  gen- 
tleman ever  since.  It  is  issued  regularly  in 
June  of  each  year.  The  first  Directory  of  the 
city  was  published  in  the  spring  of  1860,  by 
H.  W.  Hulbert,  who  conducted  a  small  job 
office. 

MASONIC     KELIEK     .\SSOCI  ATION. 

The  Lake  Shore  Masonic  Relief  Associa- 
tion was  organized  April  16,  1872,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  more  effectually  assisting  the  widows 
and  orphans  of  worthy  brethren.  By  the  pay- 
ment of  a  small  assessment,  the  family  of  each 
deceased  member  received  a  considerable  sum 
in  case  of  his  death.  Its  secretaries  (who  were 
the  executive  officers)  at  various  periods  were  : 
E.  A.  Simons,  A.  A.  Adams,  Dr.  W.  H.  Luce 
and  Wm.  Ilimrod.  The  association  was  dis- 
solved by  the  action  of  its  board  of  directors 
in  the  latter  part  of   1891. 

ART    AND    ARTISTS. 

Among  the  best  known  artists  have  been 
Moses  Billings,  who  was  long  the  leading 
portrait  painter,  Mrs.  I.  B.  Gara,  Mrs.  John 
Abell,  Miss  Ella  Babbitt,  C.  A.  Prescott 
and  Miss  Sara  II.  Woodruff.  Miss  Rosina 
Hayt  was  long  emploved  as  teacher  of 
drawing  in  the  High  school.  The  first  regular 
art  school  was  established  by  MissL.  O.  Card, 
now  Mrs.  Henrj-  Catlin.  The  Sevins  Art  Store, 
started  in  1850,  by  J.  T.  Sevins,  father  of  the 
Sevins  Bros.,  present  owners,  has  been  largely 
instrumental  in  fostering  a  taste  for  fine  paint- 
ings and  engravings.  F.  J.  Bassett  has  been 
longest  in  the  photographic  business  of  any 
person  now  in  the  city.  L.  B.  Chevalier  was 
for  years  the  leading  "general  utility"  artist. 
He  was  a  man  of  a  good  deal  of  skill  in  his  line, 
and  gave  his  attention  to  all  classes  of  work. 

MASONIC    HISTORY. 

The  first  Masonic  society  in  the  city  was 
constituted  September  1,  1814,  and  was 
known  as  Lodge  No.  124.     Its  officers  were  : 


Airj)  HISTORICAL  REFEIiENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


531 


W.  M.,  Giles  Sanford:  S.  W..  Rufus  S. 
Reed;  J.  W..  John  C.  Wallace.  The  war- 
rant of  the  Lodge  was  vacated  for  delinquency 
March  7.  18:?ii.  Presque  Isle  Lodge,  No. 
235,  the  second  in  order,  was  constituted 
March  IJ-},  1849,  having  for  its  officers  :  W. 
M  ,  \Vm.  Flint;  S.  \V.,  James  C.  Marshall: 
J.  W.,  W.  \V.  Reed;  Secretary,  C.  G.  How- 
ell ;  Treasurer,  Smith  Jackson  ;  Senior  Dea- 
con, Wm.  Wyatt  ;  Junior  Deacon.  Daniel 
Dobbins;  Tyler,  John  Lantz.  It  disbanded 
May  3,  1864.  The  dates  of  organization  of 
the  later  lodges  will  be  found  under  the  head- 
ing of  societies. 

SISTERS    OF    ST.    JOSEPH. 

The  ladies  comprising  this  Order  number 
110  in  the  Erie  diocese.  Besides  the  paro- 
chial schools  previously  referred  to,  they  have 
charge  of  the  Villa  Maria  Academy,  St. 
Joseph's  Orphan  Asylum,  St.  Vincent's  Hos- 
pital and  the  Old  Folk's  Home.  At  their 
annual  retreat  held  in  Erie  on  August  14, 
1895,  Sister  Eugenie  was  elected  Mother  Su- 
perior for  the  fourth  time.  The  Mother  Su- 
perior is  chosen  every  three  years  by  a  vote  of 
the  sisterhood. 

BEER,    ALE    A.ND    MALT. 

For  manv  years  Alfred  King  was  the 
largest  buver,  seller  and  shipper  of  barley  in 
Erie.  He  established  an  ale  brewerv  near 
Twenty-sixth  street  and  the  cemetery,  and  a 
malt  house  on  Parade  street,  between  Seven- 
teenth and  Eighteenth,  which  was  afterward 
operated  by  Birdsall  &  Parsons,  Wm.  Dens- 
more,  the  Straus  Brothers  &  Bell,  of  Balti- 
more, and  by  Jacob  Weschler.  The  property 
is  at  present  owned  by  the  Straus  estate,  of 
Baltimore.  After  closing  out  the  Parade 
street  malt  house,  Mr.  King  stalled  one  at 
Fourteenth  and  Holland  streets,  which  was 
subsequently  operated  bv  the  Messrs.  McCar- 
ter,  J.  S.  Riddle  and  others.  It  is  now  used 
as  a  machine  shop. 

Mr.  Weschler,  who  was  formerly  an  em- 
ploye of  Mr.  King's,  built  a  malt  house  on 
West  Ninth  street  in  1873,  and  erected  the 
original  building  of  the  mammoth  enterprise 
at  Parade  street  and  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  in 
1883.  He  was  the  most  successful  person  in 
Erie  who  ever  engaged  in  the  malt  business, 
which  was  probably  due  to  his  familiarity  with 
all  of  its  details.     Following  Mr,  King  in  ale 


brewing  came  Downer  &  Howard,  who  have 
always  done  a  prosperous  business.  An  ac- 
count of  the  earlier  breweries  will  be  found  in 
the  General  Chapters  devoted  to  manufac- 
tories, and  the  history  of  the  brew'eries  at  pres- 
ent in  operation  is  briefly  given  under  the  ap- 
propriate heading  in  the  portion  of  the  work 
relating  to  Erie   city. 

THE   LUMBER    l.NTEREST. 

Among  the  early  lumber  dealers  in  Erie 
were  George  Selden,  William  Truesdale, 
Henry  Jaques,  Janes  &  Sanborn  and  William 
Walker.  The  dealers  of  those  days  bought 
most  of  their  material  from  the  country  people 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  city,  and  shipped  large 
quantities  by  lake  and  canal  to  Hudson  river 
points.  Some  of  the  merchants  also  took 
lutnber  from  the  farmers  in  exxhange  for 
goods,  money  being  scarce  then,  a  man  con- 
sidering himself  very  fortunate  if  he  could  get 
enough  to  pay  his  taxes.  When  the  canal 
was  opened  southward,  great  quantities  of 
lumber  caine  to  Erie  from  Girard,  Lockport, 
Albion,  Conneautville,  Spring  Corners,  Harts- 
town  and  other  places  along  its  line. 

Heman  Janes,  who  continued  the  business 
after  Mr.  Sanborn  retired,  sold  out  to  Finn  & 
Stearns.  The  latter  firm,  in  1860,  bought  the 
first  cargo  of  pine  lumber  ever  imported  into 
Erie  from  Canada.  George  and  Thomas  H. 
Carroll  located  in  Erie  in  1866,  and  have  con- 
tinued the  business  ever  since.  They  removed 
to  their  present  site  in  1871.  Other  lumber 
firms  were  Ketcham  &  Bannister,  who  started 
about  1867;  Wheeler  &  Hill,  in  1869  or  1870, 
and  Clemens,  White  &  Co.,  in  1871.  Mr. 
White  withdrew  from  the  latter  firm  in  1873, 
and  finally  it  fell  solely  into  the  hands  of 
James  McBrier,  who  remained  in  the  business 
until  the  spring  of  1888. 

The  first  planing  mill  in  Erie  was  fitted  up 
in  an  old  building  on  Eleventh  street,  near 
Holland,  by  the  three  Carter  brothers,  about 
the  year  1844.  It  was  a  sad  and  curious  cir- 
cumstance that  two  of  the  brothers  each  had 
a  hand  cut  off  by  the  rip-saw  in  the  mill. 
The  next  firm  to  start  a  planing  mill  was 
Constable  &  Jones,  whose  business  is  contin- 
ued by  the  Constable  Bros. 

EFFECTS    OF    RAILRO.VDS. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  affinity  of  pop- 
ulation for  the  lines  of  travel.      Before  the  era 


532 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


of  railroads  Wattsburg,  Waterford  and  Edin- 
boro  were  the  principal  business  marts  out- 
side of  Erie  city.  The  operation  of  the  canal 
built  up  Albion,  Lockport,  Girard  and  Fair- 
view,  but  when  that  thoroughfare  was  aban- 
doned their  growth  ceased.  It  is  true  they 
had  railroads  near  them,  but  not  through 
them.  Corry,  North  ICast,  Union  City  and 
Mill  \'illage  have  been  created  within  a  com- 
paratively short  time  by  railroads. 

ERIE    CAPITAL    ABROAD. 

A  large  amount  of  Erie  county  capital  is 
employed  in  other  counties  and  States.  Will- 
iam L.  .Scott,  William  A.  Galbraith,  J.  F. 
Downing,  Addison  Leech,  W.  B.  Trask,  T. 
M.  Walker,  the  Reeds,  John  C.  Brady  and 
others  of  Erie  ;  L.  Hammond  and  T.  A.  Allen, 
of  Corrv  ;  Samson  and  Alfred  Short,  of  North 
East ;  W.  C.  Culbertson  and  R.  S.  Battles, 
of  Girard  ;  and  C.  M.  Wheeler,  of  LeBojuf, 
have  large  investments  in  various  portions  of 
the  United  States,  and  some  in  Canada. 

A      HEALTHY     CITY. 

That  Erie  is  a  remarkably  healthy  locality 
was  strikingly  manifested  in  its  comparative 
exemption  from  the  ravages  of  cholera  in  18t52 
and  again  in  1849,  when  neighboring  cities 
suffered  so  severely.  The  death  rate  is  low 
and  epidemics  are  unknown.  The  late  Dr. 
Gernier,  City  Health  Officer,  used  to  take  par- 
ticular pride  in  claiming,  and  showing  the 
figures  to  prove  his  claim,  that  Erie  was  one 
of  the  healthiest  if  not  the  very  healthiest  city 
in  America. 

LIME    AND    CEMENT    TRADE. 

Benjamin  Soules  was  the  first  person  to 
establish  a  lime  kiln  in  Erie  in  1834,  near  the 
foot  of  French  street.  Prior  to  that,  all  lime 
was  brought  from  Buffalo  or  the  western  end 
of  the  lake.  At  a  later  date  lime  kilns  were 
established  at  various  points  by  Smith  Jack- 
son, Halsey  Pelton,  Dr.  Seymour  and  per- 
haps others,  all  of  which  were  abandoned. 
Henry  &  Ormsbee  started  a  kiln  about  1860, 
and  about  1862  another  was  built  by  Spooner 
&  Neiler.  These  gentlemen,  in  1864,  bought 
out  the  Henry  &  Urm^bee  plant,  took  John 
R.  Cochran  into  partnership,  and  founded  the 
Erie  Lime  and  Cement  Company.  In  due 
time  the  concern  was  purchased  by  Spooner 
Re.i,  who    conducted  it    until    1895.     The 


latter  gentlemen  moved  the  plant  to  the  foot 
of  French  street,  where  they  had  kilns  and  a 
dock.  The  limestone  used  was  from  Kelly's 
Island,  and  the  gypsum  from  (irand  river, 
Ontario. 

COUNCIL    I'ltOt'EKDINGS. 

The  following  are  extracts  from  the  records 
of  the  borough  councils  : 

June  28,  1817—"  Resolved,  That  Giles 
Sanford  and  John  Teel  be  a  committee  to  re- 
ceive proposals  from  Gen.  Kelso,  Capt.  Dob- 
bins and  Major  Wallace  to  work  on  certain 
streets  to  the  amount  of  their  respective  taxes." 

May  19,  1832—"  Resolved,  That  a  public 
meeting  be  held  bv  citizens  of  the  borough  of 
Erie  regarding  the  prevalence  of  cholera  mor- 
bus and  for  the  adoption  of  preventive  meas- 
ures. Meeting  held  Saturday  morning,  June 
23d,  Capt.  Daniel  Dobbins  Chairman,  Edwin 
J.  Kelso  Secretary.  Two  hundred  hand  bills 
were  circulated  announcing  the  meeting." 

March  25,  1842— "Tax  rate  fixed  at  live 
mills  on  the  dollar  " 

Xovember  24,  1843 — "  Resolution  passed 
to  pay  James  Duncan  five  dollars  for  keeping 
fires  for  the  town  watch." 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Weighmaster  shall 
receive  all  of  the  receipts  from  his  office  as 
compensation  for  his  services." 

GROWTH  OF  THE  BOTTLING  BUSINESS. 

The  Eagle  Brewery  Bottling  ^\'orks,  cor- 
ner of  Twenty-second  and  State  streets,  was 
purchased  December  1,  1892,  by  its  present 
proprietor,  Edward  Ileuer,  the  inventory 
valuation  being  at  that  time  .l!l(J,0(JO.  All  of 
the  newest  bottling  appliances  and  machinery 
generally  have  been  added,  and  the  plant  had, 
in  1895,  an  inventory  valuation  of  $25,000. 
Eight  men  were  employed  in  the  works  in 
1893 ;  twenty  are  now  employed.  In  1893, 
2,436  barrels  of  beer  were  bottled,  or  more 
than  60,000  dozen  bottles;  in  1894,  3,(583  bar- 
rels—over 92,000  dozen  bottles  ;  in  1895,  5,000 
barrels  —  125,000  dozen  bottles.  The  only 
beers  bottled  by  this  concern  are  Jackson 
Koehler's  "  Export"  and  "  Special  Brew." 

LARGEST  PICNICS  AND  FAIRS. 

Probably  the  greatest  picnic  ever  held  in 
Erie  was  that  of  the  Railroad  Firemen  and 
Trainmen,  held  at  the  Head,  on  Saturday, 
August  17,  1895.     The  reports  of  the  railroad 


^ 


/r[~^^n^a^iXLr/n£J 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


533 


companies  show  that  9.500  persons  came  to 
Erie  by  rail  on  that  day,  and  this  number  was 
certainly  increased  by  5,000  or  more  from  the 
city  and  vicinit}'. 

The  picnics  of  tlie  Harvest  Home  Associa- 
tion have  alwavs  been  well  attended,  and  some 
of  them  liave  only  been  second  in  size  to  the 
above-mentioned.  Tliese  gatherings  have  al- 
ways been  held  at  the  Ilead,  usually  or  in- 
variably in  August  of  each  year. 

Some  of  the  picnics  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church,  for  charitable  purposes,  which 
have  been  generally  held  in  Cochran's  Grove, 
have  been  remarkable  gatherings.  It  is  no 
uncommon  thing  for  these  picnics  to  realize  a 
net  profit  of  .$2,500  to  .i!:?,000. 

The  Elks'  Fair,  in  the  People's  Market 
House,  from  Monday,  October  21,  to  Satur- 
day, October  26, 1895,  was  attended  by  17,872 
persons,  and  the  gross  receipts  were  about 
14,000.00. 

COAI.  DEALERS   AND  DOCK    BUILDERS. 

Capt.  John  Dunlap,  whose  memory  goes 
back  as  far  as  anj'  person  who  is  familiar  with 
the  lake  business,  is  of  the  opinion  that  the 
first  to  establish  a  coal  trade  at  Erie  were  the 
Renos,  one  of  whom  was  the  father  of  the  la- 
mented Gen.  Reno.  Soon  after  they  start- 
ed, Joy  &  Webster  went  into  the  same  line  of 
business,  and  they  were  succeeded  by  others 
whose  names  are  better  known. 

Capt.  James  Dunlap  was  for  vears  the 
principal  dock  builder  at  the  harbor.  When 
his  son,  Capt.  John  Dunlap,  grew  up,  he 
took  him  into  partnership,  and,  for  a  long 
period,  the  firm  built  and  repaired  all  the 
docks  in  Erie  harbor.  In  due  time  Mr.  Bow- 
ers, a  son-in-law  of  Capt.  James  Dunlap, 
engaged  in  the  business  and  has  continued  it 
since. 

A     ME.MORABLE    EVENT. 

Probably  the  most  important  event,  in  its 
effect  upon  the  reputation  of  the  city  through- 
out the  State,  was  the  visit  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Editorial  Association  in  1888.  The 
members  of  the  Association,  with  their  ladies, 
in  all  numbering  some  three  hundred  persons, 
reached  Erie  by  special  train  on  the  evening 
of  June  2(5,  and  remained  three  days.  Their 
treatment  was  so  cordial,  and  the  city  was  so 
handsomely  decorated  in  honor  of  their  pres- 
ence, that    every  person   in   the  party  formed 


the  most  pleasant  impression  of  Erie  and  its 
citizens.  On  returning  home  the  editors  took 
special  pains  to  sound  the  praise  of  Erie 
through  the  columns  of  their  respective  jour- 
nals, and  the  citv  became  known  far  and  wide 
as  one  of  the  most  handsome,  prosperous  and 
hospitable  in  the  country. 

LOW   WATER   IN  THE  LAKE. 

The  prevalence  of  low  water  in  Lake  Erie 
for  several  seasons  has  led  to  innumerable  sug- 
gestions and  arguments  as  to  its  cause.  Some 
persons  think  the  lakes  are  gradually  drying 
up,  while  others  contend  that  the  low  stage  of 
water  is  due  to  the  small  amount  of  rainfall 
over  the  section  of  country  tributary  to  these 
bodies.  It  will  be  well  to  remember,  in  dis- 
cussing the  question,  that  stages  of  low  water 
were  noted  a  hundred  years  ago,  and  that  they 
have  occurred  at  various  periods  during  the 
century.  When  the  pioneers  came  into  Erie 
county,  there  was  a  wide  beach  along  the  en- 
tire front  of  the  lake  from  Buffalo  to  Elk 
creek,  which  was  used  as  a  road,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  anv  thoroughfare  through  the  woods. 
This  would  indicate  a  lower  stage  of  water 
than  has  been  known  for  a  long  time,  as  the 
beach  could  not  have  existed  had  the  lake  been 
at  its  average  height  in  recent  years.  Whether 
the  amount  of  water  that  falls  and  flows  into 
Lake  Erie  is  less  than  it  formerly  was,  or  not, 
it  is  beyond  question  that  there  have  been 
various  periods,  within  the  last  hundred  years, 
when  the  level  of  the  lake  was  as  low  as  it  is 
now  or  has  been  recently. 

In  a  symposium  of  opinions  relating  to  the 
level  of  the  lakes,  in  the  Chicago  Timcs-Hcrahl 
of  vSeptember  — ,  1895,  Capt.  Robert  Hunter, 
of  this  citv,  is  quoted  as  saying  that  the  water 
in  1880  was  at  a  high  stage.  This  year  (1895) 
il  has  averaged  three  feet  below  the  gauge  of 
that  year,  while  in  1886  it  was  two  to  three 
feet  above  zero.  Capt.  John  Flesharty  stated 
that  a  pier  mark  he  established  eight  or  nine 
years  ago  shows  a  fall  of  about  four  feet  since 
that  time.  He  had  observed  that  the  periods 
of  high  and  low  water  extended  all  the  way 
from  seven  to  twelve  years.  The  United  States 
assistant  engineer,  in  charge  of  the  govern- 
ment works  at  this  port,  reported  that  "  the 
highest  average  stage  of  water  is  in  June.  In 
June,  1893,  Lake  Erie  was  nine  inches  above 
the  mean  level  of  that  month  ;  in  June,  1894, 
it  was  a  few  inches  below  the  mean  level.  He 


534 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


has  found  the  periods  of  rise  and  fall  to  be 
irregular,  although  there  are  such  periods, 
varying  from  seven  to  twelve  years,  with  no 
apparent  system  or  regularity." 

The  water  in  Presque  Isle  bay  on  Tuesday 
night,  November  lit,  1895,  was  one  foot  lower 
than  the  zero  mark,  being  the  lowest  witiiin 
the  recollection  of  Capt.  Hunter. 

TliK    NIAGARA. 

It  has  already  been  explained  that  Perry's 
famous  vessel,  the  Niagara,  was  sunk  in  Mis- 
ery bay,  where  a  portion  of  her  hulk  still  re- 
mains. The  e.xact  location  of  the  venerable 
relic  is  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  bay  "  on 
a  line  south  by  east  of  the  little  house  at  the 
head  of  the  latter,  and  not  much  more  than  a 
hundred  yards  distant  from  said  building." 
The  fragments  of  the  vessel  lie  north  and 
south,  in  ten  feet  of  water.  During  the  week 
of  the  Centennial  celebration  in  18U5,  the  site 
was  marked  with  a  spar,  so  that  those  who  are 
curious  to  visit  the  hulk  can  easily  find  the 
place. 

lONNAtJE       IN       1894      THKOIKJII       THE      "   .SOO  " 
CANAI,. 

The  following  information,  furnished  by 
a  writer  in  Harper'. •!  ]]eckl\\  is  of  local  inter- 
est:  "  The  tonnage  passing  last  year  (1894) 
through  the  .Sault  Ste.  Marie  was  twice  that 
passing  Suez,  while  that  of  St.  Mary's  Flats 
Canal  (Detroit  river)  was  five  times  that  of 
Suez.  The  round  figures  are  :  Suez,  7,000,- 
000  tons  ;  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  12,(K)0,()0() ;  De- 
troit river,  85,000,000  tons." 

EAKLV    POSTOFFICE   SITES. 

The  postoftice  was  kept  in  1837—40  in  the 
frame  building  adjoining  Allen  Si.  Rosen- 
zvveig's  office  on  South  Park  Row,  in  the  rear 
of  the  present  postoffice. 

It  was  also  held  for  a  long  time  in  the  old 
brick  structure  at  the  northwest  corner  of 
French  and  Third  streets. 

EARLY   DOCTOR.S   AND    DENTISTS. 

Among  the  doctors  and  dentists  during  the 
early  sixties,  who  have  died  or  moved  out  of 
the  city,  were  the  following  : 

Doctors — Geo.  C.   Bennett,  Peter,  Robert 


and  William  Faulkner,  E.  J.  Frazer,  J.  S. 
Whillden,  E.  W.  Germer,  C.  Sevin,  II.  A. 
Spencer,  J.  L.  Stewart,  W.  M.  Wallace, 
Thos.  H.  Stuart,  Chas.  Aiciiner. 

Dentists— M.  Chapin,  O.  L.  Elliott,  C.  1). 
Price,  Thompson  &  Ratiiliurn,  T.  J.  Elliot. 

citizens'    ASSOCIATION. 

The  Citizens'  Association  was  organized 
on  April  29,  1895,  with  the  following  officers  : 
President,  R.  S.  VanCleve  ;  Vice-Presidents, 
H.  P.  Sullivan,  George  D.  Selden  ;  Secretary, 
E.  M.  Foye  ;  Treasurer,  W.  D.  Fellows.  Its 
"object  is  to  bring  together  all  good  citizens, 
on  a  non-partisan,  non-sectarian  basis,  who 
want  to  see  our  affairs,  of  every  name  and 
nature,  administered  in  an  enlightened  spirit, 
in  the  interest  of  public  morals  and  municipal 
economy  and  against  vice  and  lawlessness  in 
all  of  their  forms.  The  means  employed  are 
education  and  organization,  the  latter  aiming 
to  combine  and  direct  the  best  forces  of  the 
city  for  the  betterment  of  municipal  life." 
The  Association  has  commenced  a  series  of 
lectures  by  leading  advocates  of  Municipal 
Reform,  and  gives  promise  of  doing  a  good 
work  in  its  line. 

GRAND    ARMY   OK    THE    REPUBLIC. 

The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  num- 
bers about  475  active  members  in  Erie  city, 
1,450  in  the  entire  county,  and  48,000  in  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania.  Below  is  a  list  of  the 
posts  in  Erie  county  : 

No.     67,  Strong  N'incent  Post,  Erie. 

No.    70,  J.  J.  Andrews  Post,  Corry. 

No.  10l>,  J.  W.  McLane  Post,  Union  City. 

No.  235,  Gen.  H.  L.  Brown  Post,  Watts- 
burg. 

No.  240,  Col.  J.  W.  Lytle  Post,  Lundy's 
Lane. 

No.  309,  Maj.  W.  W.  Miles  Post,  Girard. 

No.  345.  John  F.  Rice  Post,  Waterford. 

No.  359,  Lieut.  II.  F.  Lewis  Post,  Fair- 
view. 

No.  41(),  Proudfit  Post,  Edinboro. 

No.  4(54,  R.  W.  Scott  Post,  Erie. 

No,  479,  Capt.  John  M.  Sell  Post,  Wes- 
leyville. 

No.  488,  John  Braden  Post,  North  East. 

No.  583,  Capt.  Deveraux  Post,  East  Spring- 
field. 


THE  CITY  OF  CORRY. 


CHAPTKR    I. 


Origin    and    Growth — General    Description — Schools,  Churches    and    Factories, 

Newspapers,  Societies,  Etc. 


CORRY  owes  its  origin  and  growth  to 
the  circumstance  of  its  being  adopted 
as  the  point  of  junction  of  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Erie  and  the  Atlantic  and 
Great  Western  R.  R's.  The  Philadel- 
phia and  Erie  R.  R.  (then  the  Sunbury  and 
Erie)  was  opened  from  Erie  to  this  point  in 
185!->,  and  to  Warren  in  1859.  In  June,  1861, 
the  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  (now  the  New 
York,  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio)  was  completed 
from  Jamestown  to  the  junction,  and  the  next 
year  it  was  continued  through  to  Ohio.  The 
Oil  Creek  R.  R.,  with  a  broad  gauge  track  to 
correspond  with  the  Atlantic  and  Great  West- 
ern reached  Corry  from  Titusville  in  1862 
and  the  Cross-Cut  road  was  built  to  Brocton 
in  1867.  These  roads  were  consolidated  and 
are  now  a  part  of  the  Western  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania  R.  R.  system. 

For  awhile,  the  little  huddle  of  shanties 
that  sprung  up  at  the  intersection  of  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Erie  and  Atlantic  and  Great 
Western  R.  R.'s  was  known  as  "  Atlantic  and 
Erie  Junction."  In  October,  1861,  a  piece  of 
land  was  purchased  by  the  Atlantic  and  Great 
Western  R.  R.  Company,  from  Hiram  Corry, 
who  owned  the  tract  at  the  junction,  and,  in 
consideration  of  his  liberal  dealing,  Mr.  Hill, 
General  Superintendent  of  the  road,  named 
the  station  in  his  honor. 

The  first  building  was  a  small,  wedge- 
shaped  ticket  office  and  eating  house,  directly 
in  the  angle  between  the  Philadelphia  and 
Erie  and  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  R.  R.'s, 
on  the  east  side.  Beginning  at  this  point,  the 
settlement  spread  out  during  1861  along  Main 
street,  and  to  some  extent  along  Cross  street. 
There  was  little  or  no  improved  land  in  the 
immediate   vicinity,   and  a  gootl   part  of  the 


tract  since  covered  by  the  eastern  part  of  the 
city  was  a  swamp,  grown  up  with  pine  and 
hemlock  trees.  A  less  promising  location  for 
a  town  than  Corry  was  at  that  time  could  not 
be  conceived  by  the  most    lively    imagination. 

FROM    nothing    TO    7,000    IN    A      FEW    YEARS. 

Samuel  Downer,  a  wealthy  Boston  oil  re- 
finer, conceived  the  notion  that  by  erecting  a 
refinery  at  some  point,  adjacent  to  the  oil 
fields,  and  convenient  for  shipping,  he  would 
possess  an  immense  advantage  over  his  rivals, 
who  had  to  carry  the  crude  oil  over  hundreds 
of  miles  of  railroad.  With  this  end  in  view, 
W.  H.  L.  Smith  was  sent  from  Boston  in  the 
summer  of  1861,  to  prospect  for  a  favorable 
site.  His  choice  fell  upon  the  junction,  and 
he  purchased  fifty  acres  from  Mr.  Corry,  for 
what  would  now  seem  a  "  mere  sorg."  This 
tract  he  laid  out  in  town  lots,  and  it  was 
cleared  under  the  superintendence  of  Eugene 
Wright,  of  Boston. 

By  fall,  a  frame  building  had  been  put  up, 
as  the  office  of  the  Downer  Oil  Company,  a 
post  otlice  had  been  established,  with  C.  S. 
Harris  as  Postmaster,  and  a  small  refinery, 
known  as  the  "  Frenchman's,"  had  been  set 
in  operation,  in  the  rear  of  the  present  Radia- 
tor works.  By  this  time  it  had  dawned  upon 
the  minds  of  a  good  manj-  people  that  Corry 
was  destined  to  become  a  place  of  more  than 
ordinary  importance.  The  summer  of  1862 
witnessed  the  erection  of  the  Downer  &  Kent 
Oil  Works,  several  other  factories,  the  Boston 
Hotel  and  Gilson  House,  and  a  number  of 
store  buildings  and  residences.  People  from 
every  section  flocked  in,  many  of  them  men  of 
uncommon  dash  and  fertility  of  resource. 
Money  was  plenty  and  real  estate  sold  readily. 


53^ 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


The  founders  of  the  town  realized  a  small  for- 
tune from  the  sale  of  lots,  and  several  parties 
wlio  owned  land  adjoining  the  plot  were  also 
made  wealthy.  From  that  period  on  to  the 
panic  of  1878.  Corry  continued  to  grow  at  a 
rate  that  encouraged  its  citizens  to  think  that 
it  would  some  day  be  a  formidable  competitor 
with  Erie  for  the  leading  position  in  North- 
western Pennsylvania. 

GEXEK.M.    l>ESCKIPTION. 

Looking  down  upon  Corry  from  the  hills 
which  surround  the  city,  three  valleys  are 
seen  extending  in  as  many  separate  directions, 
the  one  to  the  west  being  that  of  the  South 
branch  of  French  creek,  the  one  to  the  north 
that  of  Hare  creek,  and  the  one  to  the  east, 
which  is  the  widest  and  most  important,  that 
of  the  Brokenstraw.  The  central  portion  of 
Corry  is  built  on  the  low  summit  land  between 
these  streams,  but  the  residence  and  manufac- 
turing sections  have  spread  out  east,  north 
and  west,  until  they  reach  into  each  of  the 
valleys.  The  South  branch  of  French  creek 
almost  touches  the  southwestern  edge  of  the 
city,  while  the  Brokenstraw  is  two  or  three 
miles  beyond  its  eastern  boundary.  Bear  creek 
— so  named  from  the  number  of  those  animals 
that  gathered  in  the  swamp  on  the  north- 
western verge  of  the  city — flows  through  it 
from  west  to  east,  rising  in  Wayne  township, 
and  emptying  into  Hare  creek.  The  latter 
stream,  which  cuts  across  the  northeastern 
corner  of  the  cit}%  was  named  from  Michael 
Hare,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Wayne 
township,  and  died  at  Waterford,  at  the  most 
advanced  age  attained  by  any  citizen  of  the 
county.  It  rises  in  French  Creek  township, 
Chautauqua  •  counry.  New  York,  crosses 
Wayne  township,  and  joins  the  Brokenstraw 
in  Columbus  township,  Warren  county,  about 
three  miles  east  of  the  city.  Hare  creek  was 
once  navigable  for  rafts  as  far  up  as  Corry.  A 
smaller  stream  than  any  of  the  above  rises  on 
the  high  land,  in  the  south  part  of  the  city, 
and  enters  Hare  creek  on  or  near  the  north- 
eastern boundary. 

The  town  as  laid  out  by  Mr.  Smith  did 
not  cover  more  than  a  third  of  its  present 
dimensions.  Since  then,  additions  have  been 
made  which  render  the  city  lines  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  in  width  from  east  to  west, 
and  nearly  three  miles  in  length  from  north 
to  south.     The  original   owners  of   the  land, 


besides  Mr.  Corry,  were  Amos  Heath,  H.  D. 
Francis,  Mr.  Crandall,  Anson  Johnson,  Hollis 
King,  Lorenzo  Dow  and  Mr.  Dunham.  In 
laying  out  the  place,  a  portion  was  taken  from 
both  Wayne  and  Concord  townships,  the 
straight  portion  of  Smith  street  marking  the 
old  homulary  bet  ween  them. 

noii()U(;n   and  iitv  ch.\htkrs. 

A  charter  for  a  borough  was  secured  in 
J803,  and  the  Hrst  election  hekl  in  August  of 
that  year.  In  1866  the  borough  was  created 
a  city  with  two  wards,  the  dividing  line  be- 
ing the  track  of  the  Atlantic  and  Great  West- 
ern R.  R.  The  first  citj'  election  was  held  in 
the  spring  of  18G0.  The  city  was  divided  into 
four  wards  twenty  years  later. 

The  Mavors  of  the  city  have  been  as  fol- 
lows :  W.  H.  L.  Smith,  18(50-07;  S.  A.  Ben- 
nett, 1867-68;  R.  A.  Palmer,  1868-69;  F.  S. 
Barney,  1869-70  ;  M.  Crosbv,  1870-72  ;  F.  A. 
Phillips,     1872-7B;    A.    F.'Kent,     1873-74; 

B.  Ellsworth,  1874-75;  T.  A.  Allen,  1875- 
79;  F.  Stanford,  1879-81;  J.  D.  Bentley, 
1881-82;  T.  A.  Allen,  i'882-83 ;  Isaac 
Colegrove,   1884-85;    ^.\..  Hatch,  1886;  W. 

C.  Shields,  1887;  W.  E.  Marsh,  1888;  A. 
F.  Bole,  1889;  Eli  Barlow,  1890;  T-  M. 
Lambing,  1891-92;  A.  B.  Osborne,  1893-94; 
R.  N.    Seavor,   1895. 

POPULATION. 

The  population,  by  the  United  States 
census  reports,  has  been  as  follows  at  the 
periods  named  : 

tUXl.         18S0.  189U. 

First  ward 3,559        2,758  957 

Second  ward 3,250        2,519  1,357 

Third  ward 1,737 

Fourth  ward 1,626 

Total 6,809        5,277        5,677 

FACTORIES    AND   BUSINESS     INSTITUTIONS. 

As  a  railroad  center  and  shipping  point, 
Corry  has  few  equals  and  no  superiors  among 
the  inland  cities  of  Pennsylvania.  With  three 
railroads  passing  through,  giving  direct  con- 
nection with  the  oil  regions,  the  anthracite 
and  bituminous  coal  fields  and  the  markets 
east,  west,  north  and  south,  the  city  possesses 
rare  advantages  as  a  manufacturing  center. 
Among  the  leading  industries  of  Corry  are  the 
following  : 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


537 


Howard  tannery,  erected  in  1867 — one  of 
the  best  equipped  plants  in  the  countr)-. 

Weisser's  tannery,  erected  by  Mr.  Auer  in 
1862,  and  purchased  by  the  present  owner  in 
1871. 

The  Corry  Radiator  Works,  started  in 
1892,  which  supplies  power  to  three  other 
concerns.  These  establishments  occupy  the 
site  of  the  old  Downer  Works,  which  were 
discontinued  as  a  manufactory  of  oil  in  1882, 
but  run  two  or  three  years  later  on  a  process 
for  distilling  tar. 

The  Corry  Chair  Co,  with  a  capital  of 
•l!40,000.  This  concern  bought  the  works  of 
the  Wooden  Ware  manufactory  in  1889.  The 
latter  was  started  in  1865—6. 

The  Lever  Engine  Company,  occupying 
the  buildings  formerly  owned  by  Harmon, 
Gibbs  &  Co.,  and  the  Ajax  Iron  Works,  erect- 
ed in  1877.  The  latter  works  were  damaged 
by  fire  on  the  morning  of  December  1st,  1895, 
to  the  extent  of  $15,000. 

The  Climax  Machinery  Company,  formerly 
known  as  the  Gibbs  &  Sterrett  Works,  started 
some  twenty  years  ago. 

The  Corry  Novelty  Works,  started  in  1870. 

The  Corry  Electrical  Works,  started  in 
1894. 

Other  important  industries  are  as  follows  : 
One  specialty  factory,  six  cigar  factories,  two 
brush  block  factories,  three  planing  mills, 
three  feed-mills,  one  flouring-mill,  one  broom 
factory,  one  creamery,  one  garment  factory, 
one  bed-spring  works,  one  bedstead  works, 
three  bottling  works,  two  mineral  waterworks, 
one  novelty  works,  F.  Stanford's  extensive 
brickyard,  one  cigar-box  factory,  one  brewery, 
two  pail  and  tub  works  and  one  copper  tem- 
pering works. 

There  is  also  an  extensive  killing  and  pack- 
ing establishment,  and  a  large  supply  depot, 
the  latter  under  the  auspices  of  the  Grange. 

The  hotels  and  stores  of  the  city  are  gen- 
erally creditable  and  one  of  the  latter  enjoys 
the  reputation  of  carrying  the  largest  stock  of 
its  class  in  the  county. 

Corry  has  been  unfortunate  in  having  two 
serious  bank  fiiilures — the  First  National  hav- 
ing suspended  September  14,  1887,  and  the 
Corry  National  November  7,  1891.  M.  Crosby 
was  appointed  receiver  of  the  former  and  J. 
W.  Sproul  of  the  latter. 

The  present  banking  institutions  are  the 
Citizens'  National,  organized    December    18, 


1890,  with  a  capital  of  ii;lOU,000,  and  the  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Corry,  organized  December  12, 
1892,  capital  $50,00(). 

SCHOOLS. 

The  schools  of  the  city  are  held  in  four 
large  buildings — one  in  each  ward — known 
respectively  as  the  Hatch,  Fairview,  Wash- 
ington street  and  Concord  schools.  The  first- 
named  is  used  as  a  High  school,  as  well  as  for 
minor  school  purposes. 

The  first  school  under  the  control  of  the 
Corry  board  was  held  in  a  building  on  Con- 
cord street,  which  had  been  ceded  by  the 
school  directors  of  Concord  township,  in  the 
winter  of  1863.  In  1865,  an  acre  of  ground 
was  purchased  at  the  corner  of  Washington 
and  Essex  streets,  and  the  building  erected 
thereon,  designated  the  Union  schoolhouse,was 
completed  in  March,  1866.  In  1865,  the  board 
leased  a  building  on  East  Main  street,  near  the 
Philadelphia  and  Erie  crossing,  where  school 
was  held  until  1870.  In  1806,  the  old  red 
schoolhouse  on  the  Columbus  pike  became  city 
property,  was  re-named  Wayne  school,  num- 
ber four,  and  used  until  the  completion  of  the 
Hatch  school.  In  1869,  a  building  was  leased 
on  Pleasant  street.  This  burned  down  in 
March,  1869;  but  a  room  was  engaged  on  the 
corner  of  Main  street  and  Second  avenue  and 
the  school  re-comnienced  in  a  few  days.  It  was 
continued  until  the  completion  of  the  Fair- 
view  schoolhouse.  In  1869  a  tax  was  levied 
to  erect  a  new  brick  schoolhouse  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Second  avenue  and  Fairview  street,  the 
lot  having  been  purchased  two  j'ears  previous. 
The  building  was  dedicated  April  2,  1870.  A 
new  frame  building  was  erected  in  1869.  on 
Concord  street,  for  the  accommodation  of  pri- 
mary pupils,  and  lots  were  purchased  between 
Congress  and  Bond  streets,  east  of  Wright,  for 
the  erection  of  a  large  brick  edifice.  A  spe- 
cial act  of  Legislature  was  obtained  in  187(^ 
authorizing  an  additional  tax  of  seven  mills. 
The  building  was  completed  in  1871,  and,  in- 
cluding heating,  seating  and  furnishing,  cost 
130,000.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  J.  L. 
Hatch,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the  board 
since  its  first  organization.  The  schoolhouse 
on  Washington  street  was  destroyed  by  tire 
December  12,  1871,  and  replaced  in  1872. 
The  Concord  street  school  building  was 
erected  about  1885. 

The  Superintendents  of  Schools  have  been 


53S 


NMlLSOlf'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  blCflOifARf 


A.  B.  Crandall,  elected  in  1872 ;  V.  G.  Cur- 
tis, elected  in  1873;  and  A.  D.  Colegrove, 
elected  in  1883,  who  still  holds  the  position. 

In  addition  to  the  public  schools,  there  is 
a  prosperous  business  college,  established  in 
1889  by  Charles  A.  Twining,  and  a  well-at- 
tended Conservatory  of  Music,  started  some 
ten  years  ago.  The  business  college  was  pur- 
chased in  June,  1895,  by  W.  E.  Tooke,  who 
proposes  to  make  it  one  ot  the  best  institu- 
tions of  the  kind. 

CHURCHES. 

The  earliest  Methodist  Episcopal  class  was 
organized  in  Wayne  township  about  fifty  3'ears 
ago  and  erected  a  meeting  house  in  1800,  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Con  v.  The  society 
was  reorganized  in  1870,  and  the  house  of  wor- 
ship moved  to  Pike  street  in  Corry,  where  the 
body  has  since  been  known  as  the  North  Corry 
Methodist  Episcopal  congregation. 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  congregation 
was  organized  in  September,  18()2.  Its  build- 
ing was  erected  during  the  summer  of  1865, 
and  dedicated  October  l'7th  of  that  year. 

St.  Thomas  Catholic  congregation  (Irish) 
was  established  by  Rev.  Father  Lonergan  in 
1860.  A  frame  church  building  was  dedicated 
in  September,  1862.  The  cornerstone  of  the 
present  structure  was  laid  in  1872,  and  the 
building  was  ready  for  occupancy  in  1884. 
Connected  with  the  church  is  a  large  parochial 
school  and  St.  Thomas"  Academy,  both  being 
in  charge  of  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph.  The 
parochial  school  has  an  average  attendance  of 
800.  Rev.  Thomas  Lonergan,  the  original 
pastor,  is  the  present  rector,  assisted  bv  Rev. 
Patrick  McGovern. 

St.  Elizabeth's  Catholic  Church  (German) 
was  organized  in  April,  1875.  The  congre- 
gation completed  their  building  in  1876,  and 
it  was  consecrated  in  September  of  the  same 
year.  Rev.  E.  Franck  is  the  present  rector. 
The  parochial  school  has  an  average  attend- 
ance of  fifty-five. 

The  first  Baptist  services  were  held  No- 
vember 28,  1862.  A  congregation  was  organ- 
ized October  18,  1862.  The  church  building 
was  dedicated  April  26,  1865.  This  was  torn 
down  in  1894  and  the  foundation  has  been 
laid  for  a  larger  and  better  structure  on  the 
old  site. 

The  First  Presbyterian  congregation  was 
organized    January    18,    1864,    and  erected  a 


frame  structure  in  the  winter  of  1865-6.  The 
present  building  was  put  up  in  1883—4,  and  the 
old  church  sold  to  the  Hebrew  congregation. 

Emanuel  Episcopal  congregation  laid  the 
corner-stone  of  their  building  in  September, 
1865.  Their  first  services  were  held  in  a  pri- 
vate hall  July  10,  18()4.  The  original  struc- 
ture was  remodeled  in  1894. 

A  United  Brethren  class  was  organized  in 
1864,  and  a  building  commenced  in  1865.  The 
site  was  changed  in  1866,  and  a  church  erected 
on  the  turnpike.  This  burned  down  in  1872, 
and  the  present  building  was  put  up  immedi- 
ately. 

The  First  Congregational  society  was  or- 
ganized in  1864,  and  purchased  the  building  of 
the  Christian  denomination,  in  which  they 
had  worshipped  for  some  time,  in  1878.  It 
was  enlarged  and  repaired  in  1882. 

The  German  Lutheran  Church  was  dedi- 
cated June  3,  1877.  The  congregation  was 
organized  several  years  previous. 

The  Hebrew  congregation  was  started  some 
twenty  years  ago,  and  purchased  the  old  Pres- 
byterian church  in  the  autumn  of  1883,  which 
is  still  their  place  of  worship. 

The  Universalist  congregation  are  without 
a  building  of  their  own.  The  society  was  or- 
ganized March  7,  1877. 

A  Danish  Lutheran  church  was  established 
in  the  fall  of  1890,  by  Rev.  A.  L.  Benze,  of 
Erie.  It  started  with  eighty  members.  The 
congregation  worship  in  the  German  Lutheran 
church. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

The  earliest  newspaper  venture  was  by 
Stebbins  &  Larkins,  who  started  the  Corry 
City  Neivs  on  the  22d  of  October,  1863.  A 
half  interest  in  this  paper  was  purchased  by 
]oseph  A.  Pain  in  November,  1865.  The 
Petroleum  7\Iegrapli,  a  daily,  had  been  start- 
ed by  Baldwin  &  Day  a  short  time  before. 
This  was  discontinued  in  1867.  Under  Mr. 
Pain's  management  the  office  became  one  of 
the  best  equipped  in  the  country.  The /A///)' 
Itcmizer  was  started  in  1868,  and  fell  into  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Pain  January  1,  1869,  who 
changed  its  name  to  the  Daily  Blade.  This 
succumbed  to  the  hard  times  in  1875.  Mr. 
Pain  continued  the  publication  of  the  weekly 
Telegrapli,  which  has  been  in  existence  ever 
since.  The  office  was  burned  out  on  election 
night,  1884,  but  was  promptly  renewed.     The 


AND  BISTORIGAL  REFERENCE  ROOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


539 


following  fall  Mr.  Pain  started  another  daily, 
under  the  name  of  the  Carry  Leader,  which 
has  been  continuously  published  from  that  date. 

The  Daily  Flyer  was  started  April  3,  1885, 
by  W.  C.  Plumb,  who  has  always  been  its 
editor  and  publisher.  In  1887.  the  Flyer 
office  absorbed  the  Herald ,  established  in  No- 
vember, 1867,  which  is  still  kept  up  as  the 
weekly  edition  of  the  paper. 

All  of  the  above  papers  are  Republican  in 
politics. 

The  Saturday  Democrat,  a  weekly  journal, 
the  name  of  which  indicates  its  politics,  was 
established  December  1,  1890,  with  the  Trim- 
ble Bros,  as  publishers,  and  D.  M.  Colegrove 
as  editor.  The  paper  passed  into  the  control 
of  C.  T.  Trimble  in  1891,  who  remains  editor 
and  proprietor. 

Among  journals  that  have  died  out,  after  a 
lingering  illness,  as  the  obituary  writers  say, 
were  the  daily  and  weekly  Review,  Commer- 
cial Advertiser ,  Democratic  Press,  Democrat, 
Daily  Whetstone,  Temperance  J'indicator, 
Weekly  Republican ,  Daily  Republican  and 
Enterprise. 

SECRET     SOCIETIES. 

Probably  no  city  of  the  same  size  in  the 
United  States  exceeds  Corry  in  the  number  of 
its  secret  societies.  Almost  every  secret  or- 
ganization in  the  Union  is  represented,  as  will 
be  seen  by  the  following  list  : 

Jonathan  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  insti- 
tuted January  19,  1870;  Corry  Encampment, 
of  the  same  order,  July  26,  1873. 

Corry  Lodge,  F.  &  A.M.,  March  19,  1866: 
Columbus  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  instituted  at 
Columbus,  Warren  county.  May  10,  1866; 
removed  to  Corry  January  13,  1870.  Clar- 
ence   Commandery,  K.  T.,   January  22,  1874. 

Corry  Union,  E.  A.  U.,'May  2^  1879. 

J.  J."  Andrews  Post,  G.  A.  R'.,  June,  1867. 

Corry  Grange,  P.  of  H.,  December  23, 
1873. 

Corry  City  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  October  16, 
1880. 

Lincoln  Council,  R.  A.,  April  10,  1878. 

Teutonia  Lodge,  D.  O.  H.,  August  17, 
1867. 

St.  Joseph  Branch,  C.  M.  B.  A.,  April  24, 
1878. 

Aharath  Sholem  Lodge,  B'nai  Brith,  May 
30,  1871. 


Bliss  Council,  R.  T.  of  T.,  April,  1879. 
Hope  Council,  March  15,  1880.  Humboldt 
Lodge,  February,  1874. 

Ely  Lodge,  K,  of  H.,  November,  1874. 

Washington  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  Janu- 
ary, 1870. 

Lafayette  Council,  G.  K.,  December  8, 
1879. 

Evening  Star  Lodge,  K.  &  L.  of  H., 
March,  1878.  Germania  Lodge,  March  26, 
1878. 

Other  lodges  were  established  as  follows  : 
K.  O.  T.  M.,  October  20,  1884 :  L.  O.  T.  M., 
August,  1894;  Woodmen  of  the  World,  May 
20,  1892;  National  Union,  July,  1886;  L.  C, 
B.  A.,  March,  1890;  C.  B.  L.",  February  12, 
1887 ;  C.  K.  of  A.,  June  15,  1885. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  there  are  other 
societies,  the  date  of  organizing  which  had  not 
been  secured  at  the  time  of  preparing  this 
matter. 

STATE    AND     COlfXTV    OFFICERS. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  citizens  of 
Corry  who  have  held  State  and  county  offices  : 
Associate  Judge,  Hollis  King,  November  8, 
1866,  to  November  17,  1871.  Delegate  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1873,  C.  O. 
Bowman.  Assembly,  C.  O.  Bowman.  1869; 
W.  W.  Brown,  1872  to  1874;  Isaac  B.  Brown, 
1881-82,  and  1883-84;  J.  D.  Bentley,  elected 
in  1889.  District  Attorney,  C.  L.  Baker, 
elected  in  1884.  County  Commissioner,  W. 
T.  Brown,  elected  in  1872.  Jury  Commis- 
sioner, D.  L.  Bracken,  elected  in  1879;  H.  L. 
Spiesman,  elected  in  1891.  Director  of  the 
Poor,  S.  A.  Bevis,  elected  in  1869;  G.  S. 
Beavis,  elected  in  1895.  Mercantile  Ap- 
praiser, L.  E,  Guignon,  1875;  Wm.  T.  Brown, 
1880;  John  W.  Leech,  1890.  Oil  Inspector, 
A.  J.  Hubbard,  appointed  in  1873. 

W.  W.  Brown,  chosen  to  Assembly,  as 
stated  above,  moved  to  Bradford,  and  repre- 
sented the  !McKean  district  in  the  Forty- 
eighth  and  Forty-ninth  Congresses. 

Isaac  B,  Brown  was  Deputy  Secretary  of 
Internal  Affairs  from  May,  1887,  to  Januarj', 
1895,  and  was  appointed  Secretaiy,  to  fill  a 
yacanc3-,on  the  latter  date.  He  served  as  Sec- 
retary until  May  7,  1895,  and  was  then  ap- 
pointed to  his  former  position  as   Deputy. 

Charles  Porter  was  State  Fish  Commis- 
sioner for  a  number  of  years. 


54° 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


POSTMASTERS. 

Below  is  a  list  of  the  postmasters  of  Corry 
since  the  office  was  established,  with  the  dates 
of  their  appointments  and  the  time  they  took 
charge  of  the  office,  as  nearly  as  the  same  can 
be  ascertained : 

C.  S.  Harris,  Republican,  appointed  18G1. 

James  Foreman,  Republican,  appointed 
April,  18G8. 

J.  Guy  Foreman,  Republican,  appointed 
August,  1867. 

OlifF  E.  Gleason,  Republican,  appointed 
April,  1877. 

Frank  H.  Button,  Republican,  appointed 
February  24,  1885,  took  charge  March  3,  1885. 

Max  Cameron,  Democrat,  appointed  Sep- 
tember, 1888,  took  charge  September  8,  1888. 

Frank  H.  Button,  Republican,  appointed 
January  0,  1891,  took  charge  February  1,  1891. 

John  B.  Patterson,  Democrat-Populist,  ap- 
pointed March  1,  1895,  took  charge  April  1, 
1895. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  Corry  Water  Company  began  its  sup- 
ply in  September,  1886.  The  water  was  origi- 
nally taken  from  •  Hare  creek,  but  is  now 
drawn  from  artesian  wells.  A  reservoir  of 
5,000,000  gallons  capacity,  at  an  elevation  of 
287  feet,  furnishes  a  pressure  that  avoids  the 
necessity  of  steam  fire  engines.  The  company 
has  put  down  fourteen  miles  of  pipe  and  set 
sixty-one  fire  hydrants.  For  some  reason  con- 
siderable opposition  to  the  company  has 
arisen,  and  on  March  25,  1895,  the  citj^  Coun- 
cils let  the  contract  for  another  plant,  to  cost 
$80,000  This  became  a  matter  of  very  ani- 
mated litigation.  The  Court  of  Erie  county, 
on  August  13,  1895,  issued  a  permanent  in- 
junction restraining  the  Councils  from  carry- 
ing out  the  contract  and  the  contractor  from 
going  ahead. 

A  system  of  sewerage  was  commenced  in 
October,  1891,  and  finished  in  August,  1894, 
as  far  as  its  general  features  were  concerned, 
at  a  cost  of  !fG4,000,  raised  by  assessment  on 
the  property  thought  to  be  benefited.  The 
main  sewer,  which  empties  into  Hare  creek, 
east  of  the  city,  is  four  feet  in  diameter  and 
8,CKJ0  feet  long".  Of  this,  1,200  feet  are  iron 
pipe  and  the  balance  is  brick.  The  system 
begins  on  .Spring  street,  at  the  intersection   of 


Church,  and  passes  through  the  business  por- 
tion of  the  city.  A.  number  of  lateral  sewers 
are  under  course  of  construction. 

The  great  rainfall  and  Hood  of  June,  1892, 
the  severest  ever  known  in  I{!rie  county,  did  a 
great  deal  of  damage  in  Corry  and  its  vicinity, 
especially  to  the  railroads  and  iniblic  roads. 

Corry  has  four  cemeteries,  viz.  :  PineGrove, 
St.  Thomas  (Irish  Catholic),  St.  Elizabeth 
(German  Catholic)  and  the  Jewish.  The  first 
named,  which  is  the  general  burial  ground  of 
the  city  and  vicinity,  embraces  ten  acres,  and 
was  started  in  1866. 

The  principal  public  halls  are  the  Week's 
Opera  Ilouse  and  the  Armoiy  of  the  National 
Guard  of  Pennsylvania. 

In  1895,  the  city  commenced  a  general 
system  of  street  paving,  which  is  intended  to 
be  carried  along  until  all  the  principal  streets 
are  properly  paved.  During  the  year  named 
Center  street  was  paved  from  First  to  Wash- 
ington. The  material  used  up  to  date  (Sep- 
tember 1,  1895)  is  vitrified  brick. 

"The  Park,"  an  enclosure  of  between 
four  and  five  acres,  was  donated  to  the  city  by 
W.  H.  L.  Smith.  It  is  surrounded  by  hand- 
some residences. 

The  Corry  Hospital  Association  was  or- 
ganized in  1895,  and  its  property  purchased 
the  same  year. 

Natural  gas  was  introduced  into  the  citj* 
in  1886  through  the  mains  of  the  Pennsyl- 
\ania  Gas  Company,  bringing  the  article  from 
Warren  and  Elk  counties.  The  same  com- 
pany supplies  Erie,  Jamestown    and  Warren. 

A  Board  of  Trade  was  organized  Septem- 
ber 4,  1895. 

A  fair  has  been  held  at  Corry  regularly 
each  fall  for  many  years,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  farmers  of  the  surrounding  townships, 
who  receive  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the 
people  of  the  city.  It  has  always  been  well 
patronized  and  the  society,  which  was  organ- 
ized in  1870,  is  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

Capt.  Edward  Dow,  formerly  an  officer  in 
the  merchant  sea  service,  died  in  Corry  on 
November  26, 1895,  aged  92  years.  He  located 
there  in  1851. 

For  an  account  of  the  Slate  Fish  Hatchery 
see  Wayne  township  ;  and  for  a  list  of  Corry 
physicians,  lawyers  and  dentists,  see  Chapters 
XX  and  .XXI.  General  History. 


PART  VI. 


FAMILY  HISTORIES  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 


36 


Family  Histories  and  Biograpliical  SIcetclies. 


The  Reed  Family  are  closely  and  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  the  history  of  Erie  county,  from  the  very 
beginning,  and  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  pioneers 
in  its  development.  Col.  Seth  Reed,  the  founder  of 
the  family  fortune,  was  a  physician  at  Uxbridge,  Mass. 
When  the  Revolution  began  he  was  given  command 
of  a  regiment,  and  fought  at  Bunker  Hill.  After  the 
Revolutionary  War  he  finally  located  in  Ontario 
county.  New  York,  where  he  became  possessed  of  a 
tract  of  land  eighteen  miles  in  extent  by  a  trade  with 
the  Indians.  Impressed  with  the  favorable  location  of 
the  then  new  town  of  P>ie,  and  believing  that  it  was 
destined  to  become  an  important  commercial  center, 
he  Sold  out  his  Ontario  county  estate,  and,  with  his 
wife  and  sons — Charles  John  and  Manning — started 
for  the  frontier.  At  Buffalo  he  met  James  Talmadge, 
who  had  fitted  out  a  sailboat  to  run  between  that  place 
and  Erie,  with  whom  a  contract  was  made  to  bring 
the  party  and  the  few  goods  they  had  along  with  them 
to  their  destination.  They  reached  the  harbor  of  Erie 
on  the  evening  of  the  last  day  of  June  or  1st  day  of 
July,  1795,  and  camped  on  the  peninsula  for  fear  of  the 
Indians.  Thos.  Rees  and  a  company  of  State  militia, 
under  the  command  of  Capt.  John  Grubb,  with  some 
friendly  Indians,  were  quartered  upon  tlie  Garrison 
ground.  On  seeing  the  fire  in  Mr.  Reed's  camp,  they 
were  greatly  alarmed,  thinking  a  hostile  band  had 
landed  there  preliminary  to  an  attack.  Sentinels 
were  kept  on  watch  all  night,  and  the  troops  were 
ordered  to  be  ready  at  any  moment  to  meet  the  ex- 
pected foe.  In  the  morning  a  boat,  with  men  well- 
armed,  carrying  a  flag  of  truce,  and  accompanied  by  a 
canoe-load  of  friendly  Indians,  was  sent  over  to  the 
peninsula  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  alarm.  Land- 
ing with  extreme  caution,  they  were  surprised  to  find 
a  white  man  and  his  family  equally  anxious  and 
alarmed.  Mutual  explanations  ensued,  and  all  fear 
was  allayed.  Soon  after  his  arrival.  Col.  Seth  Reed 
proceeded  to  erect  a  place  of  shelter,  choosing  a  loca- 
tion at  the  mouth  of  Slill  creek.  The  building  w-as  a 
one-story  log  cabin,  roofed  with  bark;  it  had  no  floor, 
strips  of  bark  serving  for  carpets.  This  was  the  first 
building  on  the  site  of  Erie,  and,  primitive  as  it  was,  it 
was  called  the  "  Presque  Isle  Hotel,"  and  used  by  Col. 
Reed  as  a  public  house.  Martin  Strong,  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Erie  county,  on  a  visit  to  the  locality,  said 
the  house  was  provided  "with  plenty  of  good  refresh- 
ments for  all  itinerants  that  chose  to  call."  In  Sep- 
tember, Col.  Reed's  sons — Rufus  S.  and  George — 
came  on  by  the  way  of  Pittsburg,  with  Mrs.  Thos. 
Rees  and  I\Irs.  J.  Fairbanks.  The  following  year  a 
larger  and  better  building  was  constructed  for  hotel 
purposes,  which  was  placed  in  charge  of  Rufus,  when 
the  Colonel  moved  to  a  farm  he  had  located  on  the 
Walnut  creek  flats,  on  the  present  site  of  Kearsarge. 
Here  he  remained  in  a  rough  cabin,  until  his  death,  on 
the  19th  of  March,  1797,  at  the  age  of  53.    There  being 


no  burying  ground,  the  remains  of  Col.  Reed  were 
temporarily  interred  on  the  Walnut  creek  farm  and 
were  later  successively  removed  to  the  United  Presby- 
terian graveyard,  corner  Eighth  and  French  streets; 
then  to  the  Episcopal  graveyard,  and  finally  to  the 
family  lot  in  the  beautiful  Erie  cemetery.  Hannah, 
his  wife,  died  December  8,  1821,  in  her  74th  year. 
Chas.  J.  Reed,  who  had  moved  with  his  father  on  the 
Walnut  creek  farm,  remained  there  after  his  father's 
death.  On  the  27th  of  December,  1797,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Rachel  Miller,  Thomas  Rees,  perform- 
ing the  ceremony,  as  a  justice  of  the  peace.  This  »  as 
the  first  wedding  in  Erie  county.  Their  bridal  trip 
was  taken  in  a  plain  sled  from  the  fort  to  their  home 
on  Walnut  creek.  Mr.  Reed  died  in  18."30,  and  his 
wife  survived  until  1851.  George  W.  Reed,  another  of 
the  sons,  went  two  miles  further  up  the  creek,  in  Sum- 
mit township,  and  located  a  farm.  From  there  he 
moved  to  Waterford  and  opened  a  public  house.  In 
1823  he  changed  to  Erie,  where  he  continued  in  the 
hotel  business  a  number  of  years.  Returning  to 
Waterford  in  1844,  he  died  there  three  years  later. 
Rufus  S.  Reed,  the  most  prosperous  and  best-known 
of  the  sons,  always  remained  in  Erie.  He  was  born  at 
Uxbridge,  Mass.,  on  the  11th  of  October,  1775.  While 
the  rest  of  the  family  took  to  farming,  his  taste  was 
altogether  for  business,  in  which  he  had  extraordinary 
success.  He  started  a  store  in  179t>,  which  did  a  large 
trade  with  the  Indians,  the  soldiers  and  the  settlers. 
In  1797  he  began  an  extensive  fur  trade  with  the  In- 
dians which  was  very  profitable.  His  boats  ran  con- 
stantly on  the  lake,  loaded  with  store  goods  one  way 
and  furs  the  other.  He  secured  large  government 
contracts  for  supplying  the  Western  posts  with  beef, 
pork,  flour  and  whisky.  His  business  becoming  too 
large  for  him  to  conduct  alone,  he  associated  Giles 
Sanford  in  the  mercantile  branch,  and  the  partnership 
continued  many  years.  In  1817-18  he  erected  a  grist- 
mill and  distillery  on  Parade  street,  near  Fifth,  and 
seven  years  later  he  built  another  distillery  on  his 
farm,  near  the  corner  of  Parade  street  and  the  Buffalo 
road.  He  purchased  large  bodies  of  land  and  fed 
many  cattle,  which  he  killed  or  drove  to  the  Eastern 
market.  He  became  an  extensive  owner  of  lake  ves- 
sels, and  was  the  foremost  man  in  enterprise  in  the 
whole  lake  country.  To  illustrate  his  shrewdness: 
The  law  forbade  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits  to  the  In- 
dians by  the  gill,  quart,  or  barrel.  Mr.  Reed  evaded 
the  statute,  and  preserved  the  peace  of  his  conscience, 
by  having  a  hollow  stick  made,  and  selling  the  liquid 
by  the  yard.  Rufus  S.  Reed  was  married  twice,  his 
first  wife  being  Dolly,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Oaks,  of 
Palmyra,  X.  V.  The  ceremony  was  characteristic  of 
the  man.  In  1798,  he  left  Buffalo  by  lake  with  a  lot  of 
goods  in  small  boats.  The  party  stopped  in  the  eve- 
ning at  the  mouth  of  Smoke's  creek  (now  Hamburg, 
N.  v.),  where  Mr.  Reed  informed  the  men  that  he  had 


544 


NMLSOirS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DIOTIONART 


a  matter  of  business  to  attend  tn  smiiu  three  miles 
back  in  the  country.  He  wasKuni;  all  night,  and  re- 
turned in  tlie  mornini;  accompanied  by  his  wife.  She 
died  the  same  year,  and  was  buried  by  the  side  of  Col. 
Seth  Reed,  at  Walnut  creek.  In  1801  he  married 
Agnes,  daughter  of  Gen.  William  Irvine,  who  bore 
him  one  son,  the  well-known  Gen.  diaries  M.  Reed. 
The  marriage  ceremony  was  jjerforined  by  Thomas 
Robinson,  a  justice  of  the  peace  at  North  East.  Rufus 
S.  Reed  died  at  the  age  of  70,  on  the  1st  of  June,  1846, 
leaving  the  largest  fortune  that  had  been  accunuilated 
up  to  that  time  in  the  lake  shore  region.  Gen.  Charles 
M.  Reed,  the  only  child  of  Rufus  S.  Reed,  inherited 
his  father's  great  business  abilities.  He  was  born  in 
Erie,  in  1803;  after  receiving  the  best  education  the 
schools  of  the  time  afforded,  he  was  sent  to  college  at 
Washington,  I'a.,  and  from  there  went  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1821. 
Returning  to  Erie,  he  almost  inuuediately  engaged  in 
business  with  his  father,  and  developed  such  aptitude 
for  money-making  that  it  was  a  question  which  was  the 
more  skilltui  of  the  two.  He  early  foresaw  the  ad- 
vantages of  steam  navigation,  and  became  the  largest 
owner  of  steamboats  on  the  lakes.  Some  of  his  boats 
were  fitted  up  magnificently,  eiiualing  the  finest  of  the 
present  day.  While  the  canal  was  at  the  height  of  its 
prosperity,  he  realized  all  the  benefits  of  that  enter- 
prise, and  when  the  time  came  for  building  railroads, 
he  quickly  grasjied  their  imiiortance.  In  his  early 
years  he  was  fond  of  military  dis]ilay,  and  became  a 
brigadier  general  of  militia.  He  served  a  year  in  the 
State  Legislature  and  a  term  in  Congress.  In  politics 
he  was  first  a  Whig  and  then  a  Republican.  He  died 
in  the  (iflth  year  of  his  age,  December  18,  1871,  in  the 
mansion  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  street  and  the  West 
Park.  His  fortune  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  vari- 
ously estimated  at  jio.OOO.UOO  to  Sl."),OO0,000.  None  but 
the  family  and  a  few  intimate  friends  knew  the  exact 
amount,  tint  it  was  certainly  not  less  than  the  sum  first 
named.  Gen.  Reed  was  married  in  September,  1888, 
to  Miss  Harriet  (iilson,  of  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  who  is 
still  living.  They  had  a  number  of  children,  of  whom 
only  two  sons,  Charles  M.  and  Lloyd  G.,  survive.  Har- 
riet, one  of  the  daughters,  married  Hon.  Henry  Rawle, 
and  at  her  death  left  two  children,  who  are  heirs  to 
their  mother's  portion  of  the  large  estate.  It  will  be 
seen  from  the  above  that  Charles  M.  and  Lloyd  G.  are 
the  fourth  generation  of  the  Reeds  in  Erie.  All  of  the 
members  of  Col.  Seth  Reed's  family  are  buried  in  the 
Reed  lot  in  the  Erie  cemetery'.  Hon.  Charles  M.  Reed 
has  served  as  mayor  of  Erie  two  years,  having  been 
twice  elected,  in  1872  and  1873.  He  is  a  director  of 
the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  .Southern  R.  R.,  and  has 
been  often  and  strongly  urged  as  a  Republican  candi- 
date for  Congress.  Mr.Charles  M.  Reed  married  .Miss 
Ella  M.,  daughter  of  the  late  R.  S.  Morrison,  one  of 
the  leading  merchants  of  Erie,  who  came  to  the  county 
about  1800.  His  widow  survives  and  resides  in  Erie. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  M.  Reed  have  two  children,  Carl 
Morrison  and  Harrison.  Mr.  Reed  is  one  of  the 
largest  stockholders  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Erie,  a  member  of  its  board  of  directors,  and  since  the 
decease  of  his  father  is  second  vice-president  of  the 
board.  He  and  his  brother,  Lloyd  G.,  and  their  mother 
(Mrs.  Gen.  Reed)  reside  in  Erie,  the  latter  in  the  fine 
family  mansion,  at  the  corner  of  West  Sixth  street  and 
the  park;  Hon.  Charles  M.  Reed  in  a  magnificent  resi- 
dence on  West  Sixth  street,  and   Llovd  G.  Reed   has 


just  completed  a  fine  country  residence  near  Massas- 
sauga  Point. 

Captain  Daniel  Dobbins  (deceased),  was  born 
in  Lewiston,  Mitilin  county.  Pa.,  January  5,  1776,  and 
was  married  to  Miss  Marv  West,  near  Cannonsburg, 
Pa.,  April  1,  1800.  She  was  born  October  26,  1779. 
They  had  eight  children;  William  W.  (deceased); 
Jane  S.  (deceased),  wife  of  the  late  John  A.  Tracy,  of 
Erie;  Ste|)hen  Decatur  (deceased);  Mary  Ann;  David 
Porter;  Leander;  Eliza  M.,  wife  of  the  late  Cajitain 
John  Fleeharty,  and  Marcus  (decea.sed).  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dobbins  came  to  Erie  on  horseback,  in  compjany 
with  '.Squire  Rees'  party  of  surveyors  in  the  year  1795. 
Soon  after  his  arrival,  Captain  Dobbins  engaged  in 
the  merchant  service,  and  was  part  owner  and  master 
of  the  schooner  Harlequin,  which  he  saile<l  for  .some 
time.  In  July,  1812,  he  .sailed  the  schooner  Selina, 
and  while  he  was  lying  at  Mackinac,  the  British 
landed  on  the  island,  took  ])ossession  of  the  fort,  caj)- 
tured  his  vessel  and  took  him  and  his  passengers, 
Rufus  S.  Reed  and  William  W.  Reed,  of  Erie,  pris- 
oners. They  were  all  soon  after  released  on  parole 
and  returned  to  their  homes  in  Erie.  This  was  the 
first  intimation  that  war  had  been  declared.  Capt. 
Dobbins'  experience  in  lake  navigation,  and  his 
thorough  knowleilge  of  the  harbors  of  the  lake  render- 
ing him  well  (pialified  for  the  position,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  government,  in  lSi;i,  as  sailing  master 
in  the  United  States  navy,  and  given  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  construction  and  equipnu-nt  of  the 
fleet  of  war  vessels  then  being  budt  at  Erie  (an 
account  of  which  appears  in  another  part  of  this  his- 
tory), and  it  was  through  his  efforts  and  indontitalile 
perseverance  that  Erie  was  made  the  L'nited  States 
naval  station.  While  connected  with  the  navy  he 
was  also  engaged  in  the  merchant  service.  He  ha<l 
commanded  the  schooner  Washington  in  1816,  which 
the  same  year  conveyed  troojis  to  Green  Hay,  and  his 
was  the  first  vessel  to  enter  that  harbor,  it  then  being 
considered  a  difficult  task  to  navigate  it.  On  his  first 
visit  some  of  the  harbors  in  that  locality  were  named 
and  .still  retain  the  names  given  them  by  Capt.  Dob- 
bins and  the  army  officers  who  accompanied  him. 
In  182()  he  was  ordered  to  sea  in  a  vessel  fitted  out  to 
bring  home  the  remains  of  Commod<ire  Perry,  and 
resigned  his  commission.  In  1827  he  was  engaged  in 
constructing  piers  at  .Ashtabula,  O.  In  1>^29  Gen. 
Jackson  appointed  him  to  the  conunand  of  the  revenue 
cutter  Rush,  and  he  was  reappointed  in  \iiAh  by 
President  Polk  to  the  command  of  the  revenue  cutter 
Erie.  He  left  active  service  in  the  revenue  depart- 
ment in  1849.  Capt.  Dobbins  possessed  many  sterling 
qualities,  and  having  been  a  close  observer,  was 
enabled  to  relate  many  interesting  and  exciting  in- 
cidents connectetl  with  the  early  navigation  of  the 
lakes  and  life  on  the  frontier.  Ca|)t.  Dobbins  died  in 
Erie,  February  29,  1856,  aged  85  years.  His  wife  died 
January  27,  1879,  in  her  100th  year.  The  remains  of 
both  now  lie  buried  in  the  Erie  cemetery. 

John  A.  Tracy  (deceased)  was  born  in  Scipio, 
Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  February  16.  1798.  His  father, 
Capt.  John  Tracy,  was  a  descendant  of  Lieut.  Thomas 
Tracy,  who  came  to  Salem,  Mass.,  from  Tewkesbury, 
England,  in  the  year  1636.  Capt.' John  Tracy,  with  his 
family,  removed  to  Little  Conneauttee  (now  Washing- 
ton township,  Erie  county,  Pa.)  in  1799,  and  thence,  in 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


545 


1801,  to  Waterford.  Here  John  A.  Tracy  attended 
school  for  a  few  years,  under  Rev.  Russell  Stancliff. 
He  commenced  as  a  boy  in  the  active  business  of 
teaming  for  his  father  between  the  head  of  navigation 
on  French  creek  and  Erie.  This  business  was  active 
in  1812-113-14,  during  the  war,  as  army  and  navy  stores 
for  Gen.  Harrison's  army  and  Commodore  Perry's  fleet 
were  carried  on  this  route  from  Pittsburg  to  Erie,  and 
he  thus  took  his  first  lesson  in  inland  transportation 
with  ox  teams,  over  .stump  roads  cut  through  the  woods. 
Mr.  Tracy  came  to  Erie  when  18  years  of  age,  as  clerk 
in  a  store,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  French  and  .Sixth 
streets.  He  afterwards  became  a  partner  of  P.  S.  \'. 
Hamot  for  several  years,  and  later  with  Jonas  Harri- 
son in  a  general  mercantile  business.  He  was  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  U.  S.  branch  hank  of  Erie,  and  also 
of  the  old  Erie  Bank.  He  took  an  active  interest  in 
the  Erie  Extension  Canal  from  the  Ohio  river  to  Erie 
and  was  a  contractor  in  building  the  Walnut  creek  ac- 
([ueduct,  and  was  subsequently  a  director  for  many 
years.  Mr.  Tracy  was  one  of  the  contractors  on  the 
New  York  and  Erie  R.  R.  in  the  early  efforts  to  build 
it,  and  again  about  the  year  1848,  when  the  efforts  to 
resume  and  finish  it  from  New  York  to  Dunkirk  were 
successful.  He  was  among  the  first  and  active  work- 
ers to  start  the  Erie  and  North  East  R.  R.,  the  first 
railroad  built  to  the  city  of  Erie,  and  was  one  of  the 
contractors  in  its  construction  in  1850-51.  When  com- 
pleted he  continued  to  be  a  director  until  1863,  when 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  company,  and  so  con- 
tinued until  the  company  was  consolidated  with  the 
Buffalo  and  State  Line  company,  under  the  name  of 
the  Buffalo  and  Eriecmnpany,  and  when  this  company 
was  consolidated  with  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan 
Southern  company,  making  one  corporation  from  Buf- 
falo to  Chicago,  he  became  a  director  and  continued  in 
that  office  until  his  death.  He  was  also  a  director  of 
the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.Co.  After  the  conclusion 
of  his  more  active  duties  of  railway  construction,  he 
gave  much  attention  to  farming;  his  large  farms  in 
West  Mill  Creek  and  Fairview  were  models  in  their 
thorough  cultivation.  He  married  Susan  Jane  Dob- 
bins, daughter  of  Captain  Daniel  Dobbins,  in  1826. 
She  died  in  1867.  Mr.  Tracy  died  at  his  residence  in 
Erie,  February  26,  1875,  leaving  seven  children;  John 
F.  Tracv,  Mrs'.  Mary  ^L  Scott,  wife  of  the  late  Hon. 
W.  L.  Scott;  Mrs.  Anna  M.  McCollum,  wife  of  Mr.  J. 
V.  McCollum;  Charles  Tracy,  Mrs.  Eliza  T.  Griswold, 
wife  of  Wm.  A.  Griswold;  Daniel  D.  Tracy,  and  Will- 
iam A.  Tracy.  Mr.  Tracy  controlled  men  by  the  gen- 
tle force  of  his  nature,  but  was  inflexible  for  right  and 
truth.  Though  mild  in  his  manners,  he  was  firm  when 
it  was  proposed  to  drive  him  from  the  right.  Plain  and 
unpretending,  he  disliked  shams  and  false  pretenses. 
Social,  friendly,  and  with  an  extensive  acquaintance, 
he  continued  a  favorite  until  the  day  of  his  death.  His 
remains  and  those  of  his  wife  rest  side  by  side  in  the 
cemetery  in  Erie. 

Johti  F.  Tracy  (deceased),  son  of  John  A.  Tracy, 
was  born  in  Erie,  Pa.,  January  7,  1827.  He  received 
his  education  at  the  Erie  Academy.  While  his  father 
was  building  the  acqueduct  of  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg 
Canal  at  Walnut  creek  he  had  his  fir.st  experience  as 
superintendent  of  large  engineering  enterjirises,  and 
develojied  marked  cajiacity.  Subsequently  he  was 
engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  Buffalo  and  State 
Line,  the  New  York  and   Erie   and   North   East   rail- 


roads, and  although  not  25  years  of  age,  almost  the  en- 
tire management  of  these  enterprises  was  confided  to 
his  care.  Shortly  after  tlie  completion  of  the  latter 
road  he  was  appointed  its  superintendent,  where  he 
did  his  full  share  in  devising  the  j)lans  for  the  practi- 
cal operating  <jf  railroads.  When,  in  18.''];j,  it  was  de- 
cided to  change  the  gauge  of  this  road  and  make  it  a 
part  of  a  through  line — a  deternunation  which  was 
violently  opposed  by  a  large  portion  of  the  citizens  of 
Erie,  and  which  resulted  in  the  famous  "  Railroad 
War" — Mr.  Tracy  held  his  post  with  firmness  and  a 
courageous  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  road,  and 
never  for  a  moment  yielded  to  the  pressure  of  the 
mistaken  and  overwhelming  pjopular  sentiment  which 
sought  to  maintain  a  break  in  the  continuous  line  of 
what  was  destined  to  become  a  great  continental  high- 
way. Mr.  Tracy  completed  this  change  of  gauge  de- 
termined on  by  his  company  in  1854,  and  then  accepted 
the  office  of  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Chicago 
and  Rock  Island  R.  R.,  then  in  process  of  construc- 
tion. He  was  soon  promoted  to  the  position  of  general 
superintendent;  was  next  made  vice-president,  and 
finally  president  of  the  road,  which  office  he  held  for 
many  years,  until  ill  health  necessitated  his  resigna- 
tion in  1877.  L'nder  Mr.  Tracy's  management  the 
Chicago  and  Rock  Island  R.  R.  was  extended  through 
Iowa  to  the  Missouri  river  and  across  Iowa  and  Mis- 
souri to  Leavenworth,  Kan.  He  built  the  first  rad- 
road  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  river,  which  first 
raised  the  question  of  the  right  to  build  railway  bridges 
across  navigable  rivers.  The  controversy  was  exceed- 
ingly bitter,  and  the  river  interests  even  resorted  to  the 
expedient  of  burning  the  spans  of  the  bridge  to  pre- 
vent its  completion.  But  Mr.  Tracy's  determination 
was  not  to  be  balked,  and  he  persevered  with  the  same 
firmness  that  characterized  his  conduct  during  the 
"  Erie  Railroad  War,"  and  success  finally  crowned  his 
efforts.  At  finst  the  Federal  Court  decisions  were 
averse  to  the  construction  of  the  bridge,  but  in  the  end 
the  United  States  Government  became  joint  owner 
with  the  road  in  a  first-class  iron  bridge.  Iri  1870, 
while  maintaining  his  position  as  president  of  his 
favorite  corporation,  the  Rock  Island,  he  secured  con- 
trol of  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern  R.  R.,  its  active 
competitor,  and  became  its  president,  which  office  he 
held  till  1875,  when  he  resigned  by  reason  of  failing 
health.  Mr.  Tracy  was  the  first  capitalist  that  fully 
recognized  the  importance  of  the  New  York  rapid 
transit  movement,  and  liberally  aided  it.  and  in  con- 
junction with  his  brother-in-law,  Hon.  W.  L.  Scott, 
fought  the  battle  of  rajiid  transit  through  years  of  leg- 
islative, legal  and  (lopular  antagonism,  until  ever)- 
point  in  dispute  was  settled  and  the  problem  solved. 
Mr.  Tracy  was  the  equal,  if  not  the  superior,  of  any 
man  in  the  country  in  his  expert  and  invarial)ly  suc- 
cessful management  of  railroad  combinations.  He  was 
reticent,  determined,  and  above  all,  self-reliant.  One 
of  his  marked  traits  was  the  great  tenacity  with  which 
he  adhered  to  any  opinion  he  had  formed  after  mature 
consideration,  and  the  resolute  manner  in  which  he 
championed  and  executed  his  favorite  projects  in  de- 
fiance of  all  difficulties  and  opposition.  In  his  private 
life  he  was  one  of  the  least  ostentatious  and  most  kind- 
hearted  of  men.  His  large  wealth  was  bestowed  gen- 
erously in  the  direction  of  ]niblic  and  private  charity. 
Mr.  Tracy's  health  began  to  fail  at  the  age  of  .50 years, 
bv  reason  of  his  very  active  life,  but  he  had  done  his 
work  well,  and  lived  long  enough  to  make  himself  one 


546 


N^ELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  BICTIONART 


of  the  fathers  of  the  "American  Railway  System."  He 
remained  unmarried,  and  died  at  the  residence  of  his 
brother-in-law,  Hon.  W.  I,.  .Scott,  in  Erie,  February  13, 
1878.  His  remains  rest  by  the  side  of  his  father  and 
mother  in  the  Erie  cemetery. 

Hon.  William  L.  Scott.  The  busy  and  eventful 
life  of  Hun.  William  L.  Scott  was  spent  in  Erie. 
Here  were  his  home  and  family,  and  here  his  affec- 
tions were  centered.  To  him  it  was  "dear  Erie,"  as 
feelingly  expressed  in  one  of  that  series  of  masterly 
and  statesmanlike  addresses  made  in  his  Congres- 
sional cam]jaign  of  1886.  He  sought  to  make  it 
"beautiful  Erie,"  and  his  efforts  towards  its  embellish- 
ment in  their  wide  scope  (worthy  of  a  Baron  Hauss- 
man  or  Christopher  \Vren)  embodied  not  only  the 
city  with  its  blocks  and  mansions,  its  churches,  parks 
and  avenues,  but  the  construction,  development  and 
adornment  of  Massassauga  Point,  and  the  improve- 
ment of  the  cluster  of  highly  cultivated  farms,  which, 
with  tht-ir  elegant  surroundings,  ample  ajiproaches 
and  unexcelled  roads,  surprise  and  delight  those  who 
spend  their  sunmiers  on  the  shores  of  Presque  Isle 
Bay.  Mr.  Scott's  life  was  one  of  wide  activity.  It 
was  characterized  by  methodical  and  systematic  plan- 
ning, intense  thought,  alert  action  and  energetic  liv- 
ing. These  enabled  him  to  accomplish  those  vast  re- 
sults, which  in  a  review  of  his  life  so  amaze,  when  an 
attempt  is  made  to  comprehend  the  extent  of  his  plans, 
the  directnt-.ss  of  action,  and  his  dazzling  success  in 
the  execution  of  that  which  only  genius  could  have 
originated  and  an  inexorable  will  performed.  William 
L.  Scott  was  of  ancient  lineage  and  of  Scotch-Welsh 
descent.  His  great  grandfather,  Rev.  James  Scott, 
of  the  Church  of  England,  graduated  at  Aberdene 
University,  and  was  ordained  and  licensed  to  preach 
in  \'irginia  by  the  Bishop  of  London  in  1735.  His 
grandfather,  Gustavus  Scott,  was  educated  at  .A-ber- 
deen  and  completed  his  law  studies  in  London  in  1771. 
Returning  to  America  he  resided  in  .Annapolis  or 
Baltimore.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress  and  held  many  offices  of  distinction  in  Mary- 
land. The  family  name  is  indelibly  associated  with 
the  illustrious  \'irginians  whose  patriotic  deeds  in 
Revolutionary  days  are  interwoven  with  the  brightest 
and  most  honored  pages  of  .American  history.  In 
recognition  of  this  sentiment,  in  1794,  President  Wash- 
ington appointed  Gu.stavus  .Scott  one  of  the  first  board 
of  commissioners  to  lay  out  the  City  of  Washington. 
Accepting  this  trust,  Mr.  Scott  built  and  occupied  until 
his  death  the  noted  "  Kalorama  "  residence  at  the  site 
of  the  future  Federal  City.  Maj.  Robert  L.  Scott,  son 
of  Gustavus,  was  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  and  served 
with  distinction  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  the  fa- 
ther of  William  L.  .Scott,  and  died  when  the  latter  was 
quite  young,  leaving  six  children.  Of  these  William 
L.  Scott  achieved  a  commanding  position  in  public 
affairs;  Robert  Wainwright  .Scott  (deceased I,  entered 
the  navy,  served  through  the  late  war,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  be  commander;  and  Miss  Ann  Eliza  Scott, 
a  resident  of  Erie,  is  now  sole  survivor  of  the  family. 
Hon.  William  L.  Scott  was  born  in  Washington  City 
July  2,  1828.  He  received  a  common  school  education. 
He  was  first  appointed  a  page  in  Congress  about  the 
year  of  1840.  While  serving  as  such  he  attracted  the 
notice  of  Gen.  Reed,  representative  of  the  Erie  Dis- 
trict of  the  Twenty-eighth  Congress,  by  whom  in  1840, 
at  the  age  of  16  years,  he  was  brought  to  Erie.    Gen.  I 


Reed  was  then  in  the  zenith  of  his  commercial  career, 
with  his  fleet  of  steamers  and  vessels  on  the  lakes,  his 
numerous  clerks,  agents  and  warehouses.  In  one  of 
the  latter  the  young  southerner  was  placed,  to  receive 
those  first  le.ssons  in  conmierce  and  modes  of  trans- 
portation, which,  then  in  their  infancy,  were  yet  to  be 
so  vastly  developed  by  the  master  mind  of  Gen.  Reed's 
youthful  protege.  The  celebrated  Howell  Cobb,  after- 
wards Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under  President 
Buchanan,  served  in  the  same  Congress  with  Gen. 
Reed  from  184.'^  to  1H4.").  .At  that  time  it  was  a  (|ues- 
tion  whether  the  young  page  would  go  with  Mr.  Cobb 
to  his  -Southern  home  to  imbibe  his  tiery  idea  of  South- 
ern rights,  the  assertion  of  which  drove  him  from 
President  Buchanan's  cabinet  into  the  Rebel  army,  or 
to  the  care,  the  tuition  and  patronage  of  Gen.  Reed, 
the  noted  capitalist,  steamboat  owner  and  master  mind 
of  lake  commerce.  A  destiny  was  involved.  Fate 
decided,  and  William  L.  Scott  came  to  Erie.  It  was 
the  pivotal  point  in  the  orphan's  career.  To  him  the 
commission  house  and  office  of  Gen.  Reed,  with  their 
network  of  transportation,  was  as  important  a  school 
as  was  the  Military  College  at  Brienne  in  the  career  of 
the  Corsican  orphan  who  there  commenced  the  studies 
the  fruits  of  which  were  developed  at  Marengo,  at 
Austerlitz  and  at  Jena.  Mr.  Scott's  progre.ssive  steps 
were  rapid.  In  this  sketch  but  the  merest  mention 
can  be  given  of  them.  In  1850  he  made  his  first  ven- 
ture in  the  coal  and  shipping  business  with  the  late 
Hon.  Morrow  B.  Lowry.  This  firm  continued  in  busi- 
ness but  one  year.  In  1851  he  engaged  in  the  coal 
business  with  Mr.  John  Hearn,  the  firm  continuing  un- 
til Mr.  Hearn 's  death,  when  it  was  succeeded  by  W.  L. 
Scott  &  Co.  This  company,  eventually,  did  the  largest 
business  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  It  controlled  mines 
in  Pennsylvania,  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Missouri.  Mr. 
Scott  owned  upwards  of  70,000  acres  of  coal  land.  He 
gave  employment  to  12,(X)0  people.  He  was  the  con- 
trolling owner  of  the  stock  of -the  Youghiogheny 
Coal  Company  of  Pennsylvania,  .Spring  \'alley  Coal 
Company  of  Illinois  and  L'nion  C<ial  Comjiany  of 
Pennsylvania.  If  his  coal  investments  were  large,  his 
railroad  interests  were  on  an  equally  grand  scale.     In 

1861  Mr.  Scott  built  that  portion  of'  the  Erie  &  Pitts- 
burg R.  R.  which  extends  from  Girard  to  New  Castle, 
and  in  1863-64  constructed  the  completing  link  from 
New  Castle  to  the  Fort  Wayne  R.  R..  becoming  a 
large  owner  of  the  same.  He  was  president  of  the 
Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.  Company  up  to  his  death, 
and  during  the  war  located  and  constructed  the  Pitts- 
burg Docks  at  the  mouth  of  Cascade  run,  in  Erie.     In 

1862  he  and  his  brother-in-law,  John  Y .  Tracy,  extended 
the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific  R.  R.  from 
Grinnell,  Iowa,  to  the  Missouri  river,  being  the  first 
railroad  built  to  that  waterway.  Prior  to  his  death  he 
was  the  president  and  director  of  22,000  miles  of  rail- 
road, being  more  miles  of  track  than  any  one  man  has 
been  the  central  figure  in  operating.  He  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  in  rapid  transit  in  New  York  City,  and 
with  John  F.  Tracy  was  interested  in  building  the  first 
elevated  road  in  that  city.  Mr.  Scott  was  one  of  the 
builders  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Norfolk  R.  R.,  in 
1884,  which  was  the  first  railroad  on  the  peninsula  of 
Virginia.  He  aided  to  develop  the  Canada  .Southern 
and  Canadian  Pacific  Railroads.  He  was  at  his  decease 
the  oldest  director  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan 
Southern  R.  R.,  director  and  member  of  the  Chicago 
and  Northwestern  R.  R..  director  in  the  Pittsburg, 


Aim  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


547 


Cincinnati,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  and  New  Castle  and 
Beaver  \'alley  Railroads;  Michigan  Central  R.  R.and 
Albermarle  and  Chesapeake  Canal  Company.  He 
was  a  manufacturer  of  iron  in  the  Shenango  valley 
and  in  Missouri.  He  was  the  controlling  owner  of  the 
Northwestern  Fuel  Company  of  St.  Paul,  and  had  in- 
terests in  the  Missouri  Iron  and  Coal  Company  of  Mis- 
souri, the  Sligo  Furnace  Company  of  .Missouri  and  the 
What  Cheer  Coal  Company  of  Iowa. 

The  memorials  of  his  presence  in  Erie  are  abiding. 
He  built  the  Scott  Block,  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
State  and  Tenth  streets,  in  1872,  costing  about  S180,- 
000.  His  elegant  home  residence  was  ample  and 
luxurious.  Seemingly  averse  to  change  from  his 
original  residence,  he  had  enlarged  and  adorned  the 
old  homestead  until  its  size,  commodiousness  and  ele- 
gance were  in  keeping  with  his  position.  The  vast 
and  imposing  three-story  mansion  erected  for  a  resi- 
dence for  his  daughter,  on  West  Park,  at  a  cost  of  four 
to  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  for  which  Mr.  Scott 
was  so  long  in  consultation  with  architects,  will  con- 
tinue to  manifest  his  grandeur  in  design  and  munifi- 
cence in  execution.  He  owned  2,000  acres  of  land  in 
Erie  county.  The  utilization  of  this  land  for  use  as 
stock  farms,  and  the  creation  of  beautiful  Massassauga 
Point,  with  its  approaches  and  surroundings,  involved 
the  exercise  of  artistic  judgment  and  the  expenditure 
of  vast  sums.  The  result  has  been  the  addition  of  a 
permanent  attraction  to  Erie  and  a  wider  use  of  the 
t)ay  as  a  pleasure  resort,  which  before  was  but  imper- 
fectly realized. 

His  civil  and  political  career  was  remarkable; 
especially  so  when  the  great  influence  he  exerted 
upon  the  counsels  of  his  party  and  the  moulding  of 
its  policy  are  concerned;  for  aside  from  his  service  as 
mayor  of  Erie,  he  never  held  a  political  office  until  his 
election  to  Congress  in  1884,  a  position  he  held  but 
four  years.  He  had  become  one  of  the  trusted  lead- 
ers of  the  Democratic  party  and  his  influence  in  their 
National  conventions  was  most  potential  and  some- 
times irresistible.  He  was  mayor  of  Erie  in  1866  and 
again  in  1871,  serving  two  full  terms.  He  was  nom- 
inated for  Congress  in  1866  and  in  1876,  but  took  no 
part  in  the  campaign.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Na- 
tional Democratic  Conventions  of  1868,  1876,  1880  and 
1888.  He  was  representative  of  Pennsylvania  on  the 
Democratic  National  Committee  from  1876  to  1884. 
He  was  in  1884  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Erie  dis- 
trict. In  Congress  his  surroundings  were  most  con- 
genial and  agreeable.  They  could  hardly  have  been 
more  so.  It  was  his  lot  to  have  the  fullest  confidence 
and  personal  friendship  of  the  President  and  Speaker 
of  the  House  during  his  successive  terms  of  service; 
with  very  much  of  influence  in  shaping  the  course  of 
the  administration.  In  this  respect  it  is  doubtful  if 
any  member  of  the  cabinet  had  more  fully  the  confi- 
dence of  the  President.  He  introduced  and  put  upon 
their  passage  the  Chinese  Exclusion  bill  and  the  Oleo- 
margarine bill,  both  of  which  were  enacted.  His  posi- 
tion in  the  modification  of  the  Tariff  was  in  advance  of 
that  of  many  of  the  Pennsylvania  Democrats;  a  posi- 
tion to  which  many  of  the  party  came.  He  took  a 
leading  part  in  the  preparation' of  the  Mills  bill,  in 
the  Fiftieth  Congress,  in  1888.  After  its  passage  by 
the  House  and  its  amendment  by  the  Senate,  he  pre- 
pared a  masterly  article  for  a' leading  publication, 
calling  in  question  and  assailing  the  constitutional 
right  of  the  Senate  to  modify  a  bill  for  "raising  rev- 


enue" which  by  the  Constitution  was  required  to 
originate  in  the  House.  His  speech  in  Congress  upon 
the  silver  question  was  most  elaborate  and  exhaustive, 
indicating  remarkable  study  and  research  and  involv- 
ing a  mass  of  facts  and  array  of  figures  and  tabulated 
statistics  not  often  placed  together.  Later  events  have 
shown  its  predictions  to  have  been  prophecy.  While 
his  views  and  wishes  on  the  revenue,  owing  to  the 
adverse  action  of  the  Republican  Senate,  were  not 
then  enacted  into  laws,  yet  the  large  number  of  ap- 
pointments made  upon  his  recommendation  evinced 
his  sagacity  in  selection  and  his  consideration  for 
friends,  which  was  one  of  his  most  pleasing  character- 
istics. His  domestic  relations  were  of  the  happiest 
character.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Erie  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Miss  Mary  M.  Tracy,  daughter  of  John 
A.  Tracy,  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  public- 
spirited  citizens  of  Erie,  and  grand-daughter  of  the 
noted  Captain  Daniel  Dobbins,  whose  fame  as  an 
early  lake  navigator  and  one  of  the  commanders  in 
Perr\'s  renowned  fleet  has  connected  his  name  with 
histor\'.  With  tastes  so  congenial,  and  purposes  so 
much  in  unison,  their  marriage,  September  19th,  1853, 
became  a  union  of  hearts  and  of  hands.  It  was  more: 
for  the  large  experience  of  Mr.  John  A.  Tracy  in  rail- 
road construction  and  the  bent  of  mind  of  his  son, 
John  F.  Tracy,  destined  to  so  much  of  distinction,  in 
the  extension  of  Chicago's  great  system  of  railroads, 
doubtless  tended  materially  to  encourage  and  develop 
the  early  efforts  of  Mr.  -Scott,  in  the  commencement 
and  prosecution  of  his  railroad  career,  which  assumed 
such  large  proportions.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  had  two 
children:  5lrs.  Richard  H.  Townsend,  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  and  Mrs.  Charles  H.  Strong,  of  Erie.  His 
personal  appearance  was  striking,  and  in  social  inter- 
course his  manners  were  bland  and  winning.  Of 
blonde  complexion  and  penetrating  glance,  his  voice 
was  soft  and  his  utterance  rapid,  earnest  and  em- 
phatic. His  movements  were  quick.  His  mind  was 
active  and  his  examination  of  any  subject  in  hand 
most  exhaustive.  He  had  a  large  and  valuable  library 
in  which  his  investigations  of  any  matter  under  con- 
sideration were  studiously  concentrated.  As  a  result 
his  after  treatment  of  his  subject  was  masterful.  It 
was  his  habit  to  make  most  thorough  investigation  of 
a  matter  in  hand,  and  it  was  this  comprehensive  prep- 
aration that  made  his  influence  in  conference  or  in 
public  meetings  so  great.  During  the  war  he  equipped 
and  fitted  out  at  his  own  expense  Capt.  Miller's  bat- 
tery of  artillery  and  sent  it  to  the  front.  Many  resi- 
dents of  Erie  in  widely  separated  walks  of  life  were 
gladdened  by  the  flow  of  charity  emanating  from  him- 
self or  his  household;  this  was  further  manifested  in 
substantial  aid  to  worthy  religious  and  charitable  or- 
ganizations. These  it  would  be  impracticable  to  spe- 
cify at  length,  as  his  giving  was  as  unostentatious  as  it 
was  generous.  Vet  these  maybe  mentioned:  A  gift 
of  §10,000  in  interest  bearing  bonds  to  St.  \'incent 
Hospital;  a  like  sum  to  the  Hamot  Hospital,  Home 
for  the  Friendless,  St.  Joseph's  Orphan  Asylum,  and  a 
church  organ  to  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church  of  Erie, 
while  all  through  the  community  in  which  he  dwelt 
there  were  perennial  streams  from  the  same  inex- 
haustible source.  But  Mr.  Scott,  never  phvsically 
strong,  was  unequal  to  the  great  strain  involved  in 
the  conduct  of  so  much  business.  He  sank  under  his 
arduous  labors,  in  the  Fiftieth  Congress.  Repeated 
attacks  or  shocks  continued  to  remind  him  of  bis  wan- 


548 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


ing  strength.  Finally  under  most  eminent  medical 
advice,  he  sought  rest  and  recuperation  in  the  pure  air 
and  sea  breezes  of  Xewjiort.  But  his  heeding  was  too 
late.  He  was  never  to  see  Krie  again.  On  the  liHh 
of  September,  ISill,  while  still  at  the  seaside,  he  sank 
into  his  tinal  sleep.  His  death  was  a  startling  and  sad 
event  for  Erie.  His  funeral  was  most  notable.  Di.s- 
tinguished  men  gathered  from  various  parts  of  the 
country,  from  Chicago  to  New  York,  magnates  of 
civic,  of  political  and  of  railroad  celebrity.  These 
with  all  classes  of  the  conuuunity  gathered  at  the 
darkened  home.  The  President  of  the  I'nited  States 
(then  in  the  interim  of  his  exalted  servicel,  the  (jov- 
ernor  of  I'ennsyl\ania,  railroad  magnates  and  Krie's 
be.st  citizens,  stood  around  the  bier  containing  the 
honored  dead,  to  bid  a  last  farewell  to  him  who  lay  in 
the  calm  repos<;  of  eternal  sleep.  f)n  the  beautiful 
afternoon  of  the  Thursday  following  his  death,  a 
typical  Se|)tember  day,  amid  crowded  .streets  and 
masses  of  sympathetic  friends  and  townsnu-n,  reach- 
ing from  his  home  to  the  cemetery,  the  remains  of 
Krie's  most  honored  and  distinguished  citizen  were 
borne  to  tlieir  last  ri'sting  place,  the  President  and 
(iovernor  heading  the  ]]all-bearers.  The  casket  was 
placed  in  the  splendid  mausoleum,  designed  for  the 
resting  place  of  Mr.  Scott  and  his  family. 

The  Galbralth  Family,  of  Pennsylvania,  came  of 
-Scotch-Irish  stock,  so  prominent  in  the  early  history 
of  the  Commonwealth.  James  Cialbraith,  the  founder 
of  the  familv  in  this  St.ite,  emigrated  from  tlie  North 
of  Ireland  and  settled  at  Donegal,  in  what  is  now 
Lancaster  county,  in  1712  ;  he  bought  large  tracts  of 
land  from  William  Penn  proprietary;  his  son,  James 
(iaibraith,  jr..  great-grandfather  of  \Vm.  A.  Galbraith, 
married,  in  17;3.5,  Elizabeth  Bertram,  who,  with  her 
father.  Rev.  William  Hertram,  came  from  Edinburgh, 
Scotland.  These  people  were  all  Presbyterians  in 
their  religious  faith,  and  the  old  stone  church  at  Done- 
gal, where  they  worship]i<-d,  has  in  its  churchyard  the 
bones  of  many  of  the  family.  James  Galbraith,  jr., 
was  elected  sheriff  of  Lancaster  county  in  1742  ;  he 
was  made  Judge  of  the  Common  Pleas  in  174.5,  and 
was  for  many  years  a  justice  of  the  peace  ;  he  removed 
to  Cumberland  county  in  17(iO.  and  in  1763  was  ap- 
pointed judge  in  that  county.  He  took  an  active  part 
in  the  French  and  Indian  war  in  17.5.5-.5fi,  and  during 
the  Revolution,  in  1777,  was  appointed  colonel  for 
Cumberland  county,  being  then  73  years  of  age  ;  he 
was  obliged,  however,  to  resign  after  a  twelve-month's 
service,  on  account  of  advanced  years  and  bodily  in- 
firmities. In  Egle's  History  of  Pennsylvania,  the 
writer  says  :  "The  Galbraiths  of  Cumberland  county 
all  came  from  James  Galbraith,  jr.;  every  one  of  his 
sons  became  prominent  in  the  Revolutionary  war  on 
the  side  of  the  patriots.  Bertram  Galbraith,  first  lieu- 
tenant in  Lancaster  county,  was  his  son,  and  did  no- 
ble service  in  the  cau.se  of  his  country.  .Andrew  Gal- 
braith, another  .son,  served  with  distinction  as  an  offi- 
cer in  the  Revolution.  Chief  Justice  John  Bannister 
Gibson  marrie<l  one  of  his  daughters.  John  Galbraith, 
the  youngest  son,  was  a  .soldier  of  the  Revolution;  he 
was  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  and, 
with  many  others,  suffered  great  hard.ships  in  the 
British  prisons  in  Xew  York  city.  After  the  war  he 
removed  to  Huntingdon  county,  and  from  there  to 
Butler  county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death.  In 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  old  Derry  churchyard,  on 


the  line  of  the  Lebanon  Valley  R.  R.,  at  Derry  sta- 
tion, is  a  stone  slab  bearing  the  following  inscription  : 
'Here  lieth  the  remains  of  the  Rev.  \Vm.  Bertram, 
fust  pastor  of  this  congregation,  who  departed  this 
life  ye  2d  Feb.,  A.  D.  HIH),  aged  eighty-live  years.' 
Immediately  beside  it  is  another  slali  with  this  in- 
scription:  'Here  lieth  the  remains  of  James  Gal- 
braith, who  departed  this  life  ye  23d  .August,  1744, 
aged  seventy-eight  years;  also  James  Galbraith,  F,S(|., 
the  younger,  on  ye  11th  June,  1787,  aged  eighty-three 
years,  who  dwelt  beloved  by  all,  in  rational  [)iety, 
modest  hope  and  cheerful  resignation.' "  .Andrew 
Galbraith,  brother  of  James  Galbraith.  jr..  was  the  first 
Coroner  of  Lancaster  county.  In  17.'!(l  lie  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  the  jmlges  of  the  Court  of  Connnon 
Pleas,  a  position  he  held  tmtil  174().  He  was  created  a 
member  of  Assembly  in  1730,  and  for  eight  consecu- 
tive sessions  thereafter.  In  I7.'!2,  when  ,i  candidate 
for  Assembly,  he  had  a  m<ist  extraordinary  canv.iss; 
his  wife,  mounting  her  mare,  Nelly,  with  spurs 
strapped  to  her  heels,  rode  out  among  the  .Scotch- 
Irish  in  Donegal  and  collected  more  than  100  voters, 
at  whose  head  she  rode  into  Lancaster  borough, 
where  the  elections  were  held,  and  in  Penn  Scpiare 
haranged  them  with  such  effect  that  her  husband  was 
returned  elected  by  two  or  three  votes.  This  incident 
is  thus  referred  to  in  a  biographical  sketch  of  Madanu: 
Patterson  Bonaiiarte  in  Lippincott's  Magazine  for 
Se]itember,  1877  (Mrs.  Patterson,  Madanu-  Bonaparte's 
mother  being  the  grand-daughter  of  the  successlul 
feminine  electioneeri:  "  Mrs.  Patt<-rson  came  of  that 
.sturdy,  independent,  Scotch-Iri.sh  race  that  has 
peopled  Pennsylvania's  pros]ierous  valley.s.  Her 
grandmother,  Mr.s.  Galbraith,  was  of  considerable 
force  of  character,  taking  a  prominent  part  in  Revo- 
lutionary stir  and,  on  one  occasion,  traversing  on  horse- 
back the  then  almost  wilderness,  canvassed  votes  for 
her  hu.sband's  election  to  the  .Assembly,  which  she 
won,  whether  by  robust  argument  or  in  the  felicitous 
way  of  the  beautiful  Duchess  of  Devonshire,  is  not  re- 
corded." Robert  Galbraith,  one  of  the  sons  of  James 
(iall)raith,  jr.,  was  appointed  prothonotary  for  Bedford 
county,  March  21,  1777;  he  was  also  justice  for  the 
same  county.  In  1778  he  removed  to  York  and  there 
])racticed  law;  he  was  member  of  the  Assembly  from 
that  county,  and  was  appointed  agent  to  sell  the  con- 
fiscated estates  of  the  Tories;  he  returned  to  Bedford 
county  in  1784,  and  was,  in  1788,  ;ip|iointcd  President 
Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  Huntingdon 
county;  he  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolution,  and  served 
with  honor  to  himself  and  country.  The  late  Judge 
John  fJalbraith,  the  .son  of  the  John  Galbraith  above 
referred  to,  was  born  in  Huntingdon,  Pa.,  in  17'.t4. 
His  father  moved  to  Butler  county  about  the  begin- 
ning of  the  nineteenth  century,  where  the  son  was 
reared  on  a  farm.  Long  before  he  was  of  age  he  was 
in  charge  of  a  school,  and  in  due  time  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  printing  business  in  the  same  office 
in  Butler  where  James  Thompson,  afterward  Chief 
Justice,  was  employed.  Tiring  of  printing,  he  studied 
law  with  General  '\Villiam  Ayres,  of  Butler,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  at  the  age  of  24.  Soon  after  he 
married  Miss  Amy  Ayres,  daughter  of  Rev.  Robei't 
Ayres,  an  Episcopal  mini.ster,  long  resident  at  Browns- 
ville, Pa.,  brother  of  General  .Ayres.  About  the  same 
time  he  moved  to  Franklin,  Pa.,  where  he  rose  rapidly 
both  in  his  profession  and  in  popular  esteem.  Hisfir.st 
official  position  was  as  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  to 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


549 


which  he  was  thrice  elected;  was  elected  to  Congress 
as  a  Democrat  in  1832-34-38,  serving  on  inii)ortant 
committees.  In  1837  he  moved  to  Erie  and  was  ever 
after  a  resident  of  that  city.  On  retirinfj  from  Con- 
gress he  practiced  law  until  the  fall  of  1851,  when  he 
was  elected  President  Judge  of  the  Sixth  judicial  dis- 
trict, running  as  Democratic  candidate  in  a  district 
which  usually  gave  a  Whig  majority  of  1,100.  His 
death  occurred  June  15,  1860,  near  the  close  of  his  ju- 
dicial term.  Judge  Galhraith  was  one  of  the  foremost 
men  in  promoting  the  various  public  enterprises  that 
gave  the  first  strong  impulse  to  Erie  county;  he  was  the 
pioneer  in  l)uilding  the  railroad  to  the  Ohio  line;  was 
the  largest  stockholder  in  the  Erie  and  Edinboro  plank 
road,  and  aided  greatly  in  reviving  the  long  projected 
railroad  from  Erie  to  Sunbury.  One  of  his  favorite 
ideas,  the  e.stablishment  of  a  reform  school  for  youth- 
ful offenders,  has  been  adopted  by  the  State  in  the  in- 
.stitutions  at  Hunting<lon  and  elsewhere.  Mrs.  Gal- 
hraith died  in  PhiUulel|ihia,  March  2,  18H8.  Their 
children  were:  William  A.,  and  Elizabeth  Ann,  inter- 
married with  William  S.  Lane,  for  some  time  a  prac- 
ticing lawyer  in  Erie,  and  later  of  Philadelphia. 

William  Ayres  Galbraith,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Franklin,  \enango  county.  Pa.,  May  9,  1823,  and 
came  to  Erie  with  his  ])arents  in  1837.  He  is  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  most  noted  families  during  two 
centuries  of  Pennsylvania's  history,  whose  annals,  in- 
clusive of  the  personal  hi.story  of  the  late  Judge  John 
("ralbraith,  the  father  of  William  A.  Galbraith,  are  con- 
tained in  this  volume,  under  the  caption,  "The  Gal- 
braith Family."  William  Ayres  Galbraith  received 
\uu  early  schooling  in  Allegheny  College,  Mead- 
ville,  Pa.,  and  upon  the  removal  of  the  fanuly  to  Erie, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  he  entered  Erie  academy,  from 
which  institution  he  was  duly  graduated.  Studying 
law  under  the  preceptorship  of  his  father,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  biir  on  the  21st  anniversary  of  his  birth, 
May  9,  1844.  In  .September  of  the  same  year  he  en- 
tered Dane  Law  -School  of  Harvard  L'niversity,  of 
which  Professors  Joseph  Story  and  Simon  Greenleaf 
were  the  in.structors,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in 
1846.  Returning  to  Erie,  he  entered  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  com])any  with  his  brother-in- 
law,  William  S.  Lane.  In  1846  he  was  appointed 
deputy  attorney  general  for  Erie  county  (an  office 
ecpiivalent  to  the  present  one  of  district  attorney)  by 
Judge  Kane,  the  attorney  general  of  the  State,  which 
position  he  continued  tci  fill  until  1850,  under  John  M. 
Reed  ami  Benjamin  Champneys.  From  his  return  to 
general  ]iractice  until  1856  his  clientage  steadily  grew, 
assuming  such  ]iroportions  by  the  latter  year  that  his 
health  failed  and  he  was  compelled  tem])orarily  to 
abandon  his  |iractice.  Under  the  advice  of  his  physi- 
cian, to  engage  in  out-door  occupation,  he  took  an  in- 
terest with  General  Herman  Haupt  and  others  in  the 
Hoosac  Tunnel,  the  building  of  which  re(|uired  his 
]>ersonal  jiresence  for  the  major  portion  of  two  years 
in  Massachusetts.  Returning  in  1858,  he  wasapjiointed 
attorney  for  the  .Sunbury  and  V.utt  R.  R.,  and  (piickly 
re-entered  upon  a  large  practice.  From  his  early 
manhood  he  was  actively  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic 
.State  Convention  in  1846  and  of  numerous  others.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National  Convention 
in  Charle.ston  in  1860,  and  in  Chicago  in  1864.  In  1861 
he  was  nominated  as  a  L^nion  candidate  for  State  Sen- 


ator against  Morrow  B.  Lowry,  the  regular  Republican 
nominee,  and  was  only  defeated  by  about  100  votes  in 
Erie  county,  which,  the  preceding  year,  had  been  car- 
ried by  the  Rei)ublicans  by  a  majority  of  3,700.  In 
1876  he  was  elected  President  Judge  of  the  Sixth 
Judicial  district  of  Pennsylvania,  as  a  people's  nomi- 
nee, though  the  Repulilican  candidate  for  President 
carried  the  county  by  a  majority  of  nearly  3,000.  His 
term  of  office  expired  January  1,  1887,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  F.rie.  Judge  Galbraith  has  contributed  ma- 
terially to  the  growth  and  development  of  this  com- 
munity. He  was  director  of  the  railr()a<l  to  the  Ohio 
line,  a  director  of  the  Sunbury  and  Erie  K.  R.  Com- 
])any,  and  was  actively  identified  with  the  establish- 
ment of  the  car  works,  the  car  wheel  works,  the  Bur- 
dett  organ  factory  and  other  manufacturing  establish- 
ments. He  was  one  of  the  original  stockholders  of 
the  Erie  Dime  Savings  and  Loan  Company,  of  which 
he  is  now  president.  He  was  married  May  25,  1846. 
to  Fanny,  daughter  of  the  late  Capt.  William  Daven- 
port, of  Erie,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  con- 
tained in  this  volume.  Judge  and  Mrs.  Galbraitli 
have  had  four  children,  of  whom  but  two  survive. 
One  child  died  in  infancy,  and  the  eldest.  Fanny,  wife 
of  Dr.  Arnold  P.  Gilmore,  of  Chicago,  son  of  the  late 
Judge  Gilmore  of  the  Washington  (Pa. I  district,  died 
May  30,  1893.  The  surviving  children  are:  Daven- 
port and  Jiihn  W.  Galbraith,  attorneys-at-law,  asso- 
ciated in  the  practice  with  their  father  in  Erie.  Daven- 
port Galbraith  was  married  June  15, 1S,S5,  to  Winifred, 
daughter  of  J.  F.  Downing,  of  Erie.  Jdhn  W.  Gal- 
braith was  married  April  25,  1S88,  to  Mary,  daughter 
of  the  late  Matthew  Henning,  banker,  of  Evansville, 
Ind.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  |ohn  W.  Galbraith  have  one  child, 
William  A.  Galbraith. 

Colonel  Thomas  Forster  (deceased),  .son  of 
John  Forster,  born  near  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  May  16,  1762; 
brought  up  as  a  surveyor;  served  during  the  Revolu- 
tion in  defense  of  the  frontier,  was  a  colimel  of  volun- 
teers during  the  whisky  insurrection;  appointed  as.so- 
ciate  judge  of  Dauphin  county  in  1793;  member  of 
the  a.ssembly  one  term;  came  to  Erie  county  as  agent 
of  the  Harrisburg  and  Pres<iue  Isle  Land  Company  in 
1796  or  1797;  moved  his  family  to  the  county  in  the 
spring  of  1799,  settling  in  Erie;  conunissioned  collector 
of  the  ])ort  of  Erie  in  March,  1799,  a  position  he  filled 
until  his  death  in  1836,  meanwhile  .icting  as  govern- 
ment agent  for  the  construction  of  the  breakwater  in 
FIrie  harbor;  serving  as  captain  and  brigade  inspector 
in  the  war  of  1812,  and  holding  numerous  town  and 
county  offices.  He  married,  October  5.  1786,  Sarah 
Pettit,  daughter  of  Rev.  Joseph  Montgomery,  who  was 
a  chajilain  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  the  first 
member  of  Congress  from  Lancaster  county  under 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  She  died  in 
Erie,  July  27,  1808.  Among  her  chililren  were  the 
wives  of  General  ¥..  \' .  .Sumner,  General  George  W. 
Wright,  Colonel  John  Harris,  Major  Herron  and  Cap- 
tain Bailey,  L'.  S.  army.  Colonel  Forster  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Montgomery  were  both  educated  at  Princeton 
College,  New  Jersey. 

Thomas  Forster,  Jr.  (deceased),  son  of  Colonel 
Thomas  Forster  and  .Sarah,  his  wife,  horn  near  Harris- 
burg, Pa.,  in  1796,  came  to  I'rie  with  his  father;  carried 
on  a  forwarding  and   commission   business  at   Erie 


55° 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


harbor  several  years;  captain  of  a  military  company, 
and  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's  Church;  moved  to  Dun- 
kirk, X.  v.,  about  1828,  from  which  date  he  was  gov- 
ernment afjent  for  the  construction  of  breakwaters  at 
the  various  harbors  on  Lake  Erie  between  Erie  and 
Buffalo,  until  his  death;  moved  to  Westfield,  X.  Y., 
about  1802,  where  he  (Hed  in  1864.  He  married,  in 
1821,  Juliet  M.,  daughter  of  Hon.  William  Bell,  of 
Erie,  a  settler  of  180O,  officer  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  and  associate  judge.  Mrs.  Forster  died  in  West- 
field  in  186(i.  Their  children  were  as  follows:  John 
H.  and  .Sarah  P.,  residents  of  Michigan;  William  T.; 
Theodore  M.;  Annie  M.;  and  E.  S.,  residents  of  Erie 
city. 

John  P.  ViBCent,  of  Erie,  Pa.,  is  the  great-great- 
great-great-grandson  of  Levi  Vincent,  who  was  with 
his  family  driven  from  p'rance  by  the  revocation  of 
the  edict  of  Xantes,  and  went  to  England.  He  came 
with  his  family  to  America  during  the  reign  of  Charles 
II,  probably  about  the  year  IGTti.  and  settled  at  or 
near  Bergen,  in  Xew  Jersey.  His  son,  John,  also 
lived  in  Xew  Jersey.  His  son,  Cornelius,  left  Xew 
Jersey  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  Warrior's  run,  about 
four  miles  from  the  present  town  of  Milton,  in  Xorth- 
uniberland  county,  and  was  living  there  about  the 
beginning  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  His  father, 
John  Vincent,  came  with  him  to  Pennsylvania.  The 
settlers  in  that  vicinity  built  a  .stockade  fort  called 
"Vreeland's  P'ort.  "  "I'his  fort  was  invested  by  the 
English  and  Indians  in  1779,  and  after  a  sturdy 
resistance  by  the  settlers,  was  captured,  the  P'nglish 
commander  agreeing  that  if  they  surrendered  they 
would  be  protected  from  the  Indians,  which  he  assured 
them  fie  could  not  do  if  the  fort  was  taken  by  storm, 
or  after  so  long  a  resistance  as  to  seriously  anger  the 
Indians.  One  of  the  sons  of  Cornelius  X'incent  was 
killed  in  one  of  the  skirmishes  around  the  fort.  Cor- 
nelius \'incent,  with  his  family  and  his  old  father, 
were  taken  prisoners,  hut  were  all  liberated  excejit 
two  of  his  sons,  Benjamin  and  Bethuel,  the  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  the  present  sketch.  Benjamin, 
though  quite  a  young  man,  was  married  when  cap- 
tured. After  tfiey  reached  Canada,  Benjamin  was 
claimed  by  a  s<iuaw  who.se  hu.sband  had  been  killed 
during  the  fights  at  the  fort,  and  was  adopted  into  her 
tribe.  He  was  skillful  with  his  rifle,  and  after  a  time 
he  was  permitted  to  go  hunting,  but  always  accom- 
panied by  two  young  Indians.  He  was  determined  to 
make  his  escape,  if  possible,  and  return  to  his  family, 
and  for  that  purpose  studied  the  geography  of  the 
country  carefully,  while  seemingly  contented  with  his 
lot.  On  one  of  his  hunting  expeditions  he  lured  his 
comi)anions  towards  the  border  as  far  as  he  could, 
until  they  became  uneasy,  and  at  last  attempted  to 
compel  him  to  return  to  the  tribe.  He  then  turned 
upon  them,  killed  both,  and  after  much  hardship 
joined  his  family  in  Xew  Jersey,  where  his  father  had 
returned  after  being  released  by  the  English  after  the 
capture  of  the  fort.  Bethuel  \'incent  was  exchanged 
at  the  end  of  the  war,  and  returned  to  Milton,  where 
he  died.  He  was  postmaster  for  a  great  many  years. 
He  married  Martha  Himrod,  an  aunt  of  the  late 
William  Himrod  of  Erie.  She  was  of  Dutch  ancestry, 
and  was  possessed  of  many  of  the  staunch  and  in- 
domitable characteristics  of  that  nation.  Their  eldest 
son,  William,  was  born  in  1791.  In  the  latter  part  of 
1816  he  came  to  Erie  county  and  settled  in  Water- 


ford.  In  February,  1817,  he  married  Elsie  Jackson 
Xichols  of  Lycoming  county.  She  was  of  Scotch 
descent.  William  X'inccnt  held  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  was  ])ostmaster  for  several  years.  He 
died  in  1872.  His  wife  died  in  1886.  Jiihn  P.,  his 
eldest  son,  was  born  December  2,  1817,  in  Waterford. 
He  was  educated  at  Waterford  Academy,  securing  a 
thorough  English  and  classical  education,  under  the 
instruction  of  Robert  W.  Orr,  James  Park,  John 
Livingston  and  Eilward  A.  (leary.  In  1881)  he  began 
the  stvidy  of  law  with  Hon.  Elijah  Babbitt,  aud  was 
admitted  to  practice  February  2,  1841.  In  1862-3  he 
was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  1863  was  the  candidate  of  the 
Rejiublicans  for  Speaker.  He  was  an  active  Repub- 
lican from  the  formation  of  the  party.  Before  that  he 
cast  his  first  vote  for  Gen.  William  H.  Harrison  for 
President.  In  1866  he  was  elected  additional  law 
judge  of  the  .Sixth  judicial  district,  comijosed  of  the 
counties  of  Erie,  Crawford  and  Warren,  and  subse- 
ipiently  of  Erie,  Warren  and  Elk.  I'nder  the  pro- 
visions of  the  constitution  of  1874  the  State  was  re- 
districted,  and  Erie  remained  in  the  Sixth  district. 
Judge  X'incent  was  then  commissioned  as  the  Presi- 
dent Judge  of  the  district  until  the  first  Monday  of 
January,  1877.  He  then  resumed  the  practice  of  the 
law,  and  is  still  in  practice.  He  is  now  the  senior 
member  of  the  bar. 

Strong  Viticetit  was  born  in  Waterford,  Erie 
county,  June  17,  1837.  He  was  the  oldest  son  of 
Bethuel  B.  X'incent,  and  a  grandson  of  Judge  John 
Vincent,  of  this  county,  both  of  whom  are  referred  to. 
His  mother  was  Sarah  Ann  (Strong)  X'incent,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Cajitain  Martin  Strong,  of  Summit  township, 
one  of  the  earliest  jiioneers,  and  in  his  day  one  of  the 
foremost  citizens  of  the  county.  In  1843  his  jiarents 
removed  to  the  city  of  Erie.  His  school  days  were 
passed  chiefly  at  the  old  Erie  academy.  Here  he 
formed  many  boyish  friendshijis,  which,  notwithstand- 
ing his  long  absences  afterward  from  his  native  town, 
were  warmly  cherished  by  him  as  long  as  he  lived. 
When  he  was  about  14  years  old  he  was  nut  to  work  in 
his  father's  iron  foundry.  For  six  months  he  worked 
as  a  day  laborer.  He  was  then  taken  into  the  office  of 
the  concern.  After  being  thus  occupied  for  a  year  or 
more,  he  left  home  and  entered  the  scientific  school  at 
Hartford,  Conn.,  to  secure  a  scientific  education.  De- 
siring later  a  full  collegiate  education,  he  entered 
Trinity  College.  Harvard  College  had  a  great  charm, 
and  he  persuaded  his  father  to  allow  him  to  enter  it  as 
a  sophomore  in  the  class  of  1859.  A  college  friend, 
afterward  an  intimate  army  friend  (Major  W.  W. 
.Swan)  thus  speaks  in  the  "Harvard  Memorial  Biog- 
ra])hies"of  his  college  career:  "  \'incent  was  a  man 
of  mark  in  his  class,  and  in  the  college.  His  ])ersonal  ap- 
pearance was  in  his  favor.  There  was  not  a  student 
from  SDjihomore  to  senior  who  did  not  on  first  seeing 
him  seek  to  learn  who  he  was.  Physically  he  seemed 
fully  developed.  Of  rather  above  medium  height,  he 
had  a  well-formed,  powerful  frame,  and  his  face  was 
remarkably  striking  and  handsome.  He  looked  many 
years  older  than  he  really  was,  and  in  every  respect 
his  mind  corresponded  with  his  body.  One  would 
have  said  on  hearing  him  converse  that  he  was  25 
years  old.  He  was  not  a  hard  student.  And  yet 
when  the  class  of  1869  graduated,  if  the  professors  had 
been  asked  to  name  those  whom  the  college  would 


AND  EISTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


551 


afterward  delight  to  count  among  her  children,  Vin- 
cent would  have  been  high  on  the  list."  Graduating 
in  1859,  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
William  S.  Lane,  Erie.  In  fifteen  months  he  had 
been  creditably  admitted  to  the  bar,  became  Mr. 
Lane's  partner,  was  taking  an  active  interest  in  the 
public  affairs  of  the  city  and  county,  and  stood  high  in 
the  estimation  of  his  fellow  citizen.s.  In  1861,  on  the 
day  after  the  President's  first  call  for  volunteers,  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  with  his  company,  the  "  Wayne 
Guards,"  in  the  "  Erie  regiment "  of  three  months' 
men.  As  his  Harvard  biograjiher  says:  "  His  motive 
was  pure  patriotism.  Manhood  and  patriotism  made 
him  a  soldier."  He  was  at  once  married  to  a  lady  to 
whom  he  had  been  sometime  engaged — Miss  Elizabeth 
Carter,  of  Newark,  N.  J.  Vincent  was  elected  the 
second  lieutenant  of  his  company  (A)  before  it  left 
Erie,  was  soon  afterward  appointed  adjutant  of  his 
regiment,  and  on  arrival  at  Pittsburg,  Colonel  McLane 
of  the  Erie  regiment  became  post  commander,  and 
\'incent  post  adjutant.  His  efficient  discharge  of  the 
duties  began  to  attract  attention.  On  the  mustering 
out  of  the  three  months'  men,  he  at  once  re-enlisted  in 
the  83d  Reg.  P.  V.  I.  for  three  years;  was  again  ap- 
pointed acting  adjutant  of  the  new  regiment,  and  was 
elected  its  major  before  leaving  Erie.  On  its  arrival 
at  Hall's  Hill  Camp,  near  Washington,  he  was  elected 
and  commissioned  its  lieutenant  colonel.  Just  after 
leaving  home  he  wrote  to  his  wife:  "  Surely  the  right 
will  prevail.  If  I  live,  we  will  rejoice  over  our  coun- 
try's success.  If  I  fall,  remember  that  you  have  given 
your  husband  a  sacrifice  to  the  mo.st  righteous  cau,se 
that  ever  widowed  a  woman."  During  that  fall  and 
winter  (1861 -62 1  Vincent  rendered  frequent  service  as 
brigade  inspector.  Before  Yorktown  he  was  inces- 
santly in  the  saddle  in  charge  of  working  parties  in 
the  trenches.  He  made  the  siege  a  constant  study. 
His  first  battle  was  that  of  Hanover  Court  House. 
Shortly  after  that  he  was  prostrated  by  the  poisonous 
air  of  the  Chickahominy  swamps,  so  that  his  life  was 
despaired  of.  While  in  tliis  condition  the  terrible  bat- 
tle of  Gaines'  Mill  took  ]ilace,  in  which  over  half  of 
his  regiment  were  either  killed  or  wounded.  The 
colonel  and  major  were  both  killed.  The  news  was 
kept  from  him,  but  the  preparations  for  retreat  revealed 
the  truth.  Sick  as  he  was,  he  forced  his  attendants  to 
let  him  go,  and  mounting  his  horse  he  led  his  regiment 
until  he  fell  hel]:iless  from  the  saddle.  Carried  for  a 
long  distance  on  the  back  of  his  faithful  servant,  John 
Hickey,  he  knew  nothing  more  until  he  found  himself 
on  board  a  sick  transport  on  the  James  river.  He  was 
met  by  his  wife  and  father  in  New  York,  and  taken 
home,  where  he  remained  until  October  1,  when  he 
returned  to  his  regiment.  During  his  absence  he  had 
been  chosen  and  commissioned  its  colonel.  In 
December  this  brigade  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg.  Here  he  gained  the  enthusiastic  and 
lasting  confidence  of  his  men  and  fellow-officers  by 
his  example  of  personal  bravery,  and  the  command  of 
the  brigade  falling  tem])orarily  to  him,  he  proved  his 
generalship  when  ordered  to  fall  back,  by  rescuing  his 
troops  from  their  perilous  position. 

Socially,  he  was  an  unusually  attractive  man,  and 
his  quarters  at  Acquia  Creek  during  the  following 
winter  were  always  a  popular  resort.  Major  Swan's 
article  says  of  him:  "As  a  general  thing  his  compan- 
ions were  older  than  himself;  for  though  \"incent  was 
but  twenty-five  years  old,  his  decisive  countenance 


and  confident  address  made  him  seem  the  cornpeer  of 
men  of  forty.  Among  his  associates  were  officers  of 
the  highest  rank.  He  could  adapt  himself  to  all;  could 
talk  with  the  politicians  on  questions  of  history,  with  a 
general  officer  on  military  evolutions,  or  with  a  sport- 
ing man  on  the  merits  of  horses,  and  all  respected  his 
opinion." 

For  several  weeks  \'incent  was  president  of  a  court 
martial,  and  later  was  offered  the  position  of  judge 
advocate  general  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  This 
he  declined.  "  I  enlisted  to  fight,"  he  said  laughingly, 
when  urged  to  take  the  staff  position.  In  Ajiril,  1863, 
he  was  regularly  appointed  as  ranking  colonel  to  the 
command  of  the  brigade.  Shortly  after  this  he  ren- 
dered signal  service  with  it,  in  support  of  General 
Pleasanton's  cavalry  at  the  battle  of  Aldie.  He  there 
received  the  special  thanks  and  commendation  of  the 
Commander-in-Chief,  General  Meade.  From  Aldie 
his  brigade  marched  to  Gettysburg.  "  As  we  rode 
slowly  through  the  town  (Hanover)  \'incent  had  the 
torn  colors  of  the  old  83d  unrolled  and  brought  to  the 
front  of  the  brigade.  As  they  rustled  in  the  moon- 
light before  him,  he  reverently  bared  his  head,  and 
said  to  one  of  his  staff  in  tones  that  w-ill  never  be  for- 
gotten: "  What  death  more  glorious  can  any  man  de- 
sire, than  to  die  on  the  soil  of  old  Pennsylvania,  fight- 
ing for  that  flag!  "  As  his  command  lay  quietly  on  the 
field  at  Gettysburg  awaiting  orders,  he  said:  "  To-day 
will  either  bring  me  my  stars  or  finish  my  career  as  a 
soldier."  On  the  afternoon  of  the  2d,  orders  arrived 
for  a  brigade  of  their  division  to  move  to  the  support 
of  General  .Sickle's  Third  Corps.  \'incent  (so  says  an 
eye  witness)  in  the  absence  of  his  superior  officer,  took 
the  responsibility  of  taking  his  own  brigade  to  the 
front,  and  posting  them  so  as  to  hold  "  Little  Round 
Top."  This  was  the  real  key,  as  it  afterward  appeared, 
to  the  position  of  our  army  in  that  day's  fight,  and  the 
rebels  strove  desparately  all  that  afternoon  to  take  it, 
in  order  to  turn  our  flank,  and  so  drive  us  certainly 
from  our  position.  This  hill,  since  known  as  \'incent's 
Spur  (and  now  marked  by  a  marble  slab  erected  by 
"  Strong  \'incent  Post,"  G.  .\.  R.,  of  Erie),  was  held 
by  this  brigade,  though  at  fearful  loss.  The  disposi- 
tion of  these  troops  was  afterward  cited  in  the  class 
room  at  West  Point  as  one  of  the  most  signal  instances 
in  the  war  of  first-class  military  strategy  by  a  volun- 
teer officer.  But  it  cost  \'incent  his  life.  While 
standing  on  a  conspicuous  rock,  encouraging  his 
troops,  he  was  shot  by  a  sharp-shooter,  and  died  five 
days  afterward.  The  appointment  of  brigadier  gen- 
eral was  sent  him  the  day  after  he  was  wounded,  but 
it  reached  him  too  late.  He  was  buried  at  Erie  with 
military  honors.  A  little  girl  was  born  to  him  three 
months  after  his  death.  She  lived  only  a  year  and 
then  was  buried  in  the  same  grave  with  "  the  hero  of 
the  Little  Round  Top." 

Bethuel  Boyd  Vincent. — The  earliest  ancestor 
of  the  \incent  family  in  this  country  was  a  French 
Huguenot  of  the  name,  who  fled  from  religious  perse- 
cution in  France  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, and  settled  in  New  Jersey.  In  1772  part  of  his 
descendants  removed  and  settled  near  what  is  now 
Milton,  Pa.,  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Susquehanna. 
During  the  Revolutionary  war  they  suffered  greatly 
from  attacks  by  the  Indians  and  British,  some  being 
killed  and  others  carried  as  prisoners  of  war  to  Que- 
bec.   Other  families  afterward  settling  in  Erie  county 


552 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


(the  Himrods,  Mileses,  Boyds,  Lytles  and  others),  had 
A  like  experience.  Three  relatives  of  the  name  John, 
William  and  Daniel  removed  to  W'aterford.  in  F.rii- 
countv,  at  different  times,  about  the  year  180(1.  .Anionir 
the  cliildren  of  William  are  the  Hon.  John  I'.  \'incent, 
lawyer  and  ex-County  Judge,  of  Krie,  and  Mi.ss  Sarah 
X'incent,  present  |)ostmi,stress  in  W'aterford;  and  of 
Daniel,  T.  D.  Vincent  and  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Dr.  Will- 
iam Faulkner),  of  V.r'w. 

John  Vincetit  canu-  to  I'.rie  county  in  1707,  and 
settli-d  in  Kort  I.eBa'uf  (now  W'aterford)  when  the  re- 
gion was  still  a  howling  wilderness.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  natural  intellect,  sound  common  sense  and  in- 
flexible integrity.  These  (jualities,  though  he  had  but 
a  limited  education,  jirocured  his  appointment  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  in  IWK!,  and  in  1805  as  associate  judge 
of  Erie  county.  This  latter  jiosition  he  filled  with  en- 
tire satisfaction  to  the  jiublic  for  forty  years.  He 
married  twice  (tir.st  Nancy  Boyd  and  afterward  Nancy 
Anderson),  an<i  his  children  were  15ethuel  Boy<l,  John 
A.  (now  of  Cleveland,  Ohio),  Phebe  W.  (Mrs.  John 
Wood),  Henry  R.,  Cornelius  H.  and  James  P.  He 
died  in  February,  18(>0,  in  the  old  home.stead  in  W'ater- 
ford. Bethuel  Boyd  \'incent  was  the  oldest  son  of  the 
Judge,  an<l  was  born  in  W'aterford  August  4,  1803.  He 
helped  his  father  on  the  farm  and  in  the  salt  trade, 
I)icking  up  such  education  as  he  could  at  a  country 
schoolhouse.  Later,  he  studied  surveying  at  the 
W'aterford  Academy.  In  June,  182(>,  he  was  employed 
as  assistant  to  Col.  James  Kearney,  I'.  S.  A.,  in  mak- 
ing surveys  for  a  Government  canal  from  the  Ohio  to 
the  lakes  at  F'rie.  He  was  aftt^rward  some  seven  years 
in  the  State  service  in  Meadville,  as  civil  engineer.  In 
18;S4  he  returned  and  lived  as  a  merchant  in  W'ater- 
ford until  1848.  He  tlien  removed  to  Erie,  where  he 
had  previously  formed  a  partnership  (Vincent,  Him- 
lod  iV  Co.)  with  William  and  David  Himrod  and  Will- 
iam H.  Johnson,  in  the  business  of  an  iron  foundry  and 
machine  shop.  In  18(i0  he  retired  from  this  firm  and 
formed,  with  others,  the  banking  house  of  \'incent, 
Bailey  &  Co.;  and  w'hen  this  was  converted,  in  18(i5, 
into  the  Marine  National  Bank  of  Erie,  he  became  its 
first  president.  In  18H(;  he  joined  in  building  "  The 
National  "  grain  elevator,  of  Chicago  (burned  in  the 
great  fire  of  1871 — rebuilt,  1878),  and  was  a  jiartner  in 
this  concern  at  the  time  of  his  death,  July  21,  187(). 
Mr.  \'incent  was,  like  liis  father  and  otliers  of  his  an- 
cestors, a  man  of  marked  indi\iduality  of  character. 
He  had  a  clear,  vigorous,  well-informed  mind;  an  in- 
domitable, almost  imperious  will;  thorough  indepen- 
dence and  unwearied  energy  of  spirit;  yet,  withal,  a 
tenderly  affectionate  and  hearty  social  disposition.  He 
was  active  in  the  church  of  liis  choice.  From  his 
earliest  residence  in  Erie  he  was  connected  with  St. 
Paul's  Church  as  a  vestryman  and  warden,  and  was 
for  thirty  years  the  superintendent  of  its  Sunday- 
school.  He  had  a  great  fondness  for  children  and  a 
great  faculty  for  winning  their  confidence  and  affec- 
tion. His  means  were  generously  given  to  the  build- 
ing of  the  [iresent  beautiful  St.  Paul's  Church  and  of 
its  four  chapels.  He  was  almost  always,  too,  a  repre- 
sentative of  this  parish,  both  in  the  diocesan  and  gen- 
eral councils  of  the  Church.  A  beautiful  memorial 
tablet  in  St.  Paul's  testifies  to  the  active  blessedness  of 
Mr.  Vincent's  Christian  life,  and  to  the  gratitude  of 
those  whom  he  helped  to  teach  and  lead  in  the  same 
way.     Mrs.  \'incent  was  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Martin 


Strong,  of  this  county,  and  still  lives  (1896)  with  her 
only  surviving  children.  Bishop  Boyd  Vincent  and 
Ward  \incent,  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  I'hree  daugh- 
ters—Blanche, Bell  and  Kate  died  in  early  life,  and 
two  sons  Strong  (Gen.  \incent)  and  Reed  in  early 
manhood.  One  daughter,  .Mrs.  George  A.  Lyon,  still 
survives. 

Harry  Viticent,  of  the  firm  of  A.shby  S:  \'in- 
cent,  printers,  stationers  and  binders,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Waterford,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  June 27, 1847. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  Erie's  historic  families, 
particulars  of  which  are  contained  elsewhere  in  the 
volume.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
academy  of  Erie,  and  at  Eastman's  Business  College, 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  His  fir.st  business  connection 
was  with  Clemens,  Caughey  &  Burgess,  wholesale  gro- 
cers, Erie,  with  whom  he  remained  two  years.  He  was 
then  for  two  years  connected  with  the  business  depart- 
ment of  the  l'>ie  Dupateh.  On  May  1, 1870,  he  formed 
his  iiresent  partnership  association  with  J.  F^  Ashby, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Ashby  iV  \'incent,  printers, 
binders,  stationers  and  blank  hook  manufacturers.  He 
is  unmarried  and  resides  at  l(i4  West  Seventh  street. 
Mr.  \'incent  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity 
and  Royal  Arcanum. 

The  Wallace  Family. — This  well  known  family 
furnished  both  the  first  resident  physician  and  attor- 
ney to  ICrie  after  its  settlement.  Both  were  learned 
and  able  men  and  did  much  towards  the  advancement 
of  F.rie,  while  the  families  of  each  continut'd  to  identify 
the  name  with  ICrie's  progress.  Mention  is  now  made 
of  both  of  these  able  and  accomplished  brothers, 
whose  early  homes  erected  in  the  wilderness  still 
stand-  associated  as  each  is  with  Erie's  earlier  history, 
and  the  part  its  distinguished  occupants  took  therein. 

Dr.  John  C.  Wallace  (deceased)  was  the  first  resi- 
dent physician  in  FIrie  county,  and  the  onlv  one  until 
a  short  time  before  his  death.  He  was  born  in  Dauphin 
county,  Pennsylvania,  February  14,  1771,  and  died  in 
Erie,  December  8,  1827.  He  graduated  at  Philadel- 
jihia  under  Dr.  Rush  and  other  celebrated  medical 
men.  He  was  appointed  surgeon  in  the  L'nited  States 
army,  and  in  1794  accompanied  Gen.  Wayne  in  the 
Indian  war.  During  the  war  he  visited  F^rie  for  a 
short  time.  Some  years  later  he  resigned  his  position 
in  the  army,  and  after  residing  in  F'ranklin,  Pa.,  for 
three  years,  came  to  F'rie  with  his  family  in  180,8. 
Professionally  he  was  identified  with  the  entire  county, 
his  professional  calls  often  taking  him  far  beyond  its 
bounds.  In  1806  he  was  elected  the  first  burgess  of 
Erie,  and  al.so  held  the  offices  of  justice  of  the  peace, 
county  commissioner  and  coroner.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  war  of  1812,  he  commanded  an  Erie  county 
regiment,  and  after  the  battle  on  Lake  F>ie  assisted 
Dr.  Parsons,  of  the  navy,  in  attending  the  wounded. 
Dr.  Wallace  was  married  in  Franklin,  in  1801,  to  Miss 
Margaret  Heron,  daughter  of  Ca]it.  James  Heron  of 
the  army.  They  had  seven  children:  Eleanor,  Ben- 
jamin, Elizabeth,  Gordon,  Jane,  Mary  Ann  and  Will- 
iam Perry,  of  whom  only  tw'o  are  now  living,  tiordon 
W'allace  lives  in  Missouriton,  Mo.,  and  Jane  (now  a 
widow),  who  married  Capt.  Wheeler,  late  of  the  army, 
lives  in  Troy,  Mo.  The  only  one  who  remained  in 
Erie  county  was  Elizabeth,  who  married  Charles  Pol- 
lock, March  8,  1831.    They  had   nine  children:  John, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COVTiTY. 


553 


Wheeler,   Charles,   Benjamin,  James,   Robert,    Jane, 

Elizabeth  and  Ellen.  Five  are  still  living:  Wheeler, 
Charles,  James,  Robert  and  Elizabeth.  Wheeler  has 
three  children:  Hurt,  Josephine  and  Winnie.  Charles 
has  two  children:  Annie  and  Robert.  Several  of  this 
family  were  noted  anil  specially  merit  mention.  Ben- 
jamin was  a  volunteer,  with  the  rank  of  major,  in  the 
Te.xan  army  in  their  war  against  .Mexico  for  inilepend- 
ence  in  1835-36.  He  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  .\le.\i- 
cans,  and  by  order  of  Santa  Anna,  with  other  prisoners 
was  murdered  in  cold  blood  at  the  massacre  of  Goliad. 
O.  Wheeler,  son  of  Elizabeth  Pollock,  is  a  captain  in 
the  23d  infantry  U.  S.  regular  army.  Their  family 
home,  stately  and  of  a  quaint  linish,  as  occupied  by 
the  family  up  to  1827,  still  stands  with  but  little  change, 
the  third  house  east  of  French  on  the  north  side  of 
Ea.st  Fifth  street. 

William  Wallace  was  a  lawyer.  He  came  from 
Harrisburg  in  1800  as  attorney  for  the  Pennsylvania 
Po|Julation  Company.  His  first  wife  (Rachael  Forrest) 
died  in  Erie  in  1804.  In  180li  he  married  Eleanor, 
daughter  of  Hon.  Wm.  Maclay,  one  of  the  first  U.  S. 
Senators  from  Pennsylvania.  He  made  his  home  on 
East  Sixth  street,  in  the  wooden  dwelling  near  Holland 
street,  which  afterwanis  was  enlarged  and  has  been 
long  known  as  the  Sill  homestead.  He  remained  in 
Erie  until  1810.  His  daughter,  Mary  Eleanor,  was 
long  conspicuous  in  Harrisburg  as  Mrs.  Rev.  Dr.  W. 
R.  UeWitt,  and  his  son.  Dr.  William  Maclay,  whose 
extended  career  in  Erie  as  a  physician  and  president 
of  the  .State  Mctlical  Society  made  him  so  widely 
known,  died  in  lfS78.  Mr.  Wallace  returned  to  Har- 
risburg with  his  family  in  1810,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  interred  in  the  old  Paxtang  churchyard.  His 
younger  son,  Irwin  .M.  Wallace,  was  an  esteemed  cit- 
izen of  Erie  until  his  death  in  1894,  and  another,  Mr. 
Benjamin,  was  a  gifted  and  successful  minister  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  an  editor.  William  Maclay, 
son  of  Irwin  M.  Wallace,  is  assistant  cashier  of  the 
Seconil  National  Bank  of  F.rie,  and  his  sister,  Eleanor, 
is  the  wife  of  Rev.  John  DeWitt,  a  |jrofessor  in  the 
Theological  Seminary  in  Princeton,  and  Miss  Julia  A. 
DeWitt  is  the  author  of  several  works;  Kate  is  the 
wife  of  Mr.  George  Sterry,  of  New  York.  Though 
but  few  of  the  family  remain  in  Erie,  the  name  is  in- 
dissolubly  connected  with  the  settlement,  early  strug- 
gles and  the  defense  and  advancement  of  Erie. 

Jerome  Francis  Downitig,  a  prominent  business 
UKUi  ami  reiiresentative  citizen  of  Erie,  was  born  in 
Hampshire  county,  .Massachusetts,  March  24,  1827. 
His  lather,  James  Downing,  was  born  in  Boston  in 
1775,  and  his  mother,  Roxana  Forbush,  belonged  to  a 
Roxbury  family  of  that  name.  They  settled  first  in 
Roxbury,  now  a  part  of  Boston,  but  removed  about  the 
year  1810  to  the  town  of  Enfield,  in  the  county  above 
named,  and  took  up  their  abode  on  a  farm  (still  in 
possession  of  one  of  the  children),  where  they  reared 
a  large  family  of  seven  sons  and  four  daughters,  Jerome 
being  the  youngest  child.  Like  many  young  men  who 
have  become  useful  and  influential  citizens,  young 
Downing  was  accustomed  to  hard  work,  either  on  the 
farm  or  in  some  one  of  the  factories  or  machine  shops 
then  established  in  the  neighborhood.  In  this  manner 
he  obtained  the  means  of  securing  a  better  education 
than  the  common  school  afforded;  and  in  1848  entered 
the  freshman  class  of  Amherst  College.    Two  years 


later  he  became  the  editor  of  a  newspaper  in  Holyoke, 
Mass.,  which  position  he  .soon  relinquished  for  the 
chief  editorship  of  the  Troy  (N.  Y.)  Daily  Post,  where 
he  remained  for  some  time;  his  next  move  being  in 
the  direction  of  the  legal  ]>rofession.  Having  been 
admitted  to  the  bar,  Mr.  Downing  settled  in  Erie,  Pa., 
in  the  fall  of  1855,  and  in  1863  was  elected  district  at- 
torney of  the  county.  The  following  year  a  new  de- 
parture in  life  was  presented  to  him:  The  old  Insur- 
ance Company  of  North  America,  of  Philadelphia, 
then,  as  now,  one  of  the  most  prominent  fire  and 
marine  insurance  companies  in  the  country,  was  look- 
ing about  for  a  suitable  person  to  extend  its  operations 
into  the  Western  .States.  The  choice  fell  upon  Mr. 
Downing,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  had 
not  been  brought  up  to  the  business  of  fire  in- 
surance. With  much  reluctance  and  many  mis- 
givings the  position  offered,  of  general  agent  tor  the 
Western  States  for  the  company  named,  was  accepted, 
headquarters  to  be  established  in  Erie  for  the  time 
being.  This  position  Mr.  Downing  has  now  (1895) 
held  for  over  thirty  years;  an  era  of  remarkable  suc- 
cess for  the  company's  Western  business.  Indeed,  it 
can  be  said  that  no  one  in  the  same  line  of  effort  has 
been  more  successful.  Mr.  Downing's  fiekl  of  opera- 
tions embraces  the  States  of  Ohio,  West  X'irginia, 
Michigan,  Indiana,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Illinois, 
Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  North  and  South  Dakota,  Iowa, 
Missouri,  Nebraska,  Kansas  and  Wyoming,  and  the 
Territories  of  Oklahoma  and  New  Mexico,  in  which 
field  over  3,000  agencies  have  been  established.  The 
headquarters  of  the  department  still  remain  at  Erie, 
where  Mr.  Downing  occupies  one  of  the  finest  and 
best  a])pointed  general  insurance  offices  in  the  country. 
A  business  of  such  importance,  spread  over  so  large  a 
field,  demands  a  large  force  of  experienced  assistants, 
both  in  the  office  anil  in  the  field,  all  of  whom  look  to 
Mr.  Downing  for  instruction  and  direction  in  their 
various  duties.  It  is  only  ju.stice  to  say  that  no  de])art- 
ment  office  of  any  of  our  most  prominent  underwriting 
in.stitutions  during  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  has 
been  conilucted  more  successfully  or  more  conscienti- 
ously, Mr.  Downing's  business  motto  being  the  Golden 
Rule.  Just  and  honorable  dealing  with  all  the  patrons 
of  the  companies  represented  by  Mr.  Downing  in  the 
settlement  of  losses  or  in  other  business,  has  created 
an  unusually  friendly  sentiment  and  led  to  a  patronage 
of  very  large  proportions.  The  writer  of  a  sketch  of 
Mr.  Downing,  jjublished  in  the  "History  of  Erie 
County,  "  says:  "From  the  general  features  of  Jerome 
F.  Downing's  business  career  here  outlined,  it  appears 
that  the  profession  of  fire  underwriting,  in  the  widest 
sense  of  the  term,  has  been  his  main  life-work,  and  is 
likely  to  so  continue  for  the  remainder  of  his  business 
career.  But  it  will  be  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  .Mr. 
Downing  has  confined  himself  exclusively  to  the 
duties  of  his  profession.  "  The  same  writer  referred 
to  above  describes  Mr.  Downing  as  a  citizen  in  these 
words:  "He  has  not  simply  been  a  successful  busi- 
ness man;  he  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
promoting  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  city 
where  his  home  has  been  for  so  many  years;  has  in- 
vested liberally  in  manufacturing  enterprises  and  in 
the  erection  of  a  large  number  of  fine  dwelling  houses 
for  the  accommodation  of  such  as  do  not  own  their 
own  homes,  as  well  as  other  buildings,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  his  new  office  building,  one  of  the 
finest  structures  for  the  purpose  designed  in  the  State. 


554 


NELSOirS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


As  a  school  director  and  a  member  of  the  City  Coun- 
cils he  has  done  his  share  of  public  duties,  but  his  in- 
fluence and  example,  whether  in  or  out  of  office,  is 
always  on  the  side  of  projjress  and  improvement. 
Possessed  of  talents  which  eminently  fit  him  for  legis- 
lative halls,  he  has  no  ambition  for  office  and  a 
decided  aversion  to  office-seeking.  In  politics  he  was 
first  a  Whig  and  then  a  Republican,  but  is  not  a  strong 

f)artisan,  holding  to  no  extreme  views  on  any  of  the 
eading  jioiiticai  cjuestions  of  the  day.  Mr.  Downing 
has  long  been  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  a  liberal  supporter  of  that  society,  as  well 
as  of  the  charitable  and  benevolent  enterprises  con- 
nected therewith.  The  same  may  be  said  of  his 
contributions  generally  for  objects  of  benevolence  and 
public  welfare — they  have  been  liberal  and  unostenta- 
tious. "  In  this  connection  should  be  mentioned  the 
fact  that  the  establishment  of  the  new  park  adjoining 
the  city  on  the  south,  and  christened  "  Glenwood 
Park,"  owes  its  inception  to  Mr.  Downing,  who,  .so 
far,  has  been  its  most  liberal  supjjorter.  Other  citi- 
zens are  entitled  to  nuich  credit  for  the  success 
achieved  in  the  securing  of  the  beautiful  grounds  com- 
l^rising  the  park,  but  it  is  only  fair  to  say  that  without 
the  impetus  given  to  the  project  by  Mr.  Downing, 
nothing  would  have  been  accomplished.  In  1892  Mr. 
Downing  erected  the  largest  and  finest  business  build- 
ing in  the  city,  situated  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
State  and  Ninth  streets.  The  building  is  eighty-two 
and  one-half  by  165  feet  and  six  stories  high,  exclusive 
of  the  basement.  It  is  a  massive  structure,  the  heavy 
brick  walls  being  faced  with  the  finest  quality  of 
pressed  brick.  A  large  dry-go<"ls  store  occupies  the 
first  floors,  and  the  balance  of  the  building  is  devoted 
to  offices.  Heated  by  steam  and  lighted  by  gas  and 
electricity,  with  passenger  and  freight  elevators  and 
every  modern  convenience,  it  is  one  of  the  finest  busi- 
ness buildings  in  Northwestern  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
first  large  office  structure  erected  in  Erie  with  all  the 
modern  conveniences.  But  .Mr.  Downing's  enter|)rise 
is  not  confined  to  the  locality  in  which  he  lives.  He 
has  inve.sted  largely  and  successfully  in  Chicago  real 
estate,  and  also  in  farm  jjroperty  in  the  Northwe.st. 
He  carries  on  two  wheat  farms  in  North  Dakota,  one 
of  2,500  acres  and  one  of  5,000  acres,  all  under  cultiva- 
tion. Of  course  the  management  of  these  large  farms 
has  to  f)e  confided  to  experienced  and  trusty  superin- 
tendents, who  have  the  unmediate  direction  of  affairs, 
subject  to  the  general  plans  adopted  by  the  owner. 
The  results  have  fully  justified  the  outlay,  demon- 
strating the  fact  that  money  can  be  made  in  judicious 
farming.  Mr.  Downing  also  carries  on  a  small  farm 
just  outside  the  city  limits  of  Erie,  but  in  this  case 
farming  is  conducted  for  the  pleasure  of  it  rather  than 
for  profit.  It  affords  another  illustration  of  the  fact, 
often  referred  to,  that  a  majority  of  successful  men 
who  spent  their  boyhood  days  on  a  farm  are  inclined 
later  in  life  to  indulge  in  the  recreation  of  owning  and 
running  a  farm.  Mr.  Downing's  home  is  one  of  the 
attractions    of    Erie;   his     residence    and     adjoining 

f rounds  compare  favorably  with  the  best  in  the  city, 
'his  home,  attractive  as  it  is,  owes  much  of  its  real 
charm  to  the  wife  who  has  for  so  many  years  been  its 
loving  center  and  directing  spirit.  Although  the 
devoted  mother  of  seven  children,  Mrs.  Downing, 
aside  from  her  domestic  obligations,  has  found  time  to 
administer  to  the  needs  of  the  unfortunate  and  make 
their  pathway  in  life  brighter  and  happier,  exempli- 


fying the  truth  that  it  is  our  duty  to  make  our  lives  a 
blessing  to  others  as  well  as  to  ourselves.  Mrs. 
Downing's  early  home  was  in  Western  Massachu- 
setts, in  the  town  of  Worthington,  where  she  was  born 
in  1880.  .She  is  a  lady  of  cultivation,  of  much  natural 
artistic  talent,  a  great  admirer  of  the  beauties  of 
nature,  and  fond  of  travel,  having  seen  much  of  the 
Old  World  as  well  as  the  New.  Their  children  are 
mostly  grown  up  and  settled  in  life,  their  homes  being 
near  the  parental  roof.  The  career  of  Mr.  Downing 
is  an  emphatic  illustration  of  the  success  which  attends 
earnest,  persistent  and  well-directed  effort  in  any 
chosen  field  of  labor.  It  presents  an  example  worthy 
of  emulation  by  all  who,  without  adventitious  sur- 
roundings, start  on  the  road  to  success,  firmly  resolved 
to  battle  bravely  and  unceasingly  for  the  achievement 
of  the  grandest  and  best  possibilities  of  life.  In  the 
words  of  Mr.  Downing,  in  one  of  his  numerous 
addresses  to  young  men :  "  Let  a  boy  start  out  with  a 
right  ambition,  and  no  matter  what  !iis  environments 
may  be,  good  habits,  industry,  patience,  perseverance, 
fidelity  and  devotion  to  duty,  coupled  with  good  busi- 
ness education,  will  bring  success  in  due  time;  though 
possibly  not  wealth,  which  is  not  essential  to  true  suc- 
cess in  life."  In  this  connection  it  may  not  be  out  of 
place  to  allude  to  Mr.  Downing's  usefulness  as  a  pub- 
lic speaker,  he  being  frequently  called  upon  to  serve 
in  such  capacity  on  some  occasion  or  other  of  local  in- 
terest. He  is  fluent,  versatile,  easy  in  manner, 
mature  in  thought,  his  language  direct  and  pointed — 
qualities  hardly  to  be  expected  in  one  who  is  so 
deeply  engrossed  in  business  cares  and  responsi- 
bilities. On  theoccasionof  the  celebration  of  "  Colum- 
bus Day "  in  Erie,  the  committee  of  arrangements 
selected  Mr.  Downing  as  one  of  the  four  speakers  to 
be  invited  to  deliver  brief  addresses;  the  subject 
assigned  to  him  being  the  "  Development  of  Four 
Centuries. "  The  address  was  earnest  and  eloquent, 
and  filled  with  the  wisdom  of  a  practical  man. 
Equally  impressive  and  valuable  was  his  address  as 
Erie's  Centennial  orator  cm  the  occasion  of  the  cele- 
bration of  the  100th  anniversary  of  Erie's  existence, 
delivered  Se])tember  11,  1895.  As  a  fitting  conclusion 
to  this  brief  sketch,  the  following  tribute  to  Mr.  Down- 
ing and  his  life-long  companion,  from  the  pen  of  one 
of  Erie's  most  respected  and  cultured  citizens,  a  com- 
peer of  a  third  of  a  century,  is  here  given:  "  Coming 
from  the  hills  of  New  England,  with  a  community  of 
thought,  of  needs  and  of  hopes,  their  toils  and  trials 
have  been  mutual.  As  the  way  was  opened  and  their 
position  in  life  became  secure,  each  advance  found 
both  equal  to  all  the  requisites  which  their  surround- 
ings imposed.  Whether  in  church  or  state,  at  home 
or  abroad,  in  the  whirl  of  society  or  in  the  graver  exac- 
tions of  organized  effort  for  the  alleviation  of  misery 
or  mitigation  of  distress,  their  means,  their  influence, 
and  their  time  could  be  counted  as  a  factor.  To  all 
such  calls  a  deaf  ear  was  never  turned.  And  now  in 
the  serenity  of  a  fully  rounded  career,  each  can  review 
with  a  complacency  unalloyed  with  selfishness  the  full 
fruition  of  their  early  hopes,  the  complete  accomplish- 
ment of  each  one  of  their  noble  as])irations.  " 

The  Kelso  Family.— There  is  hardly  a  name 
more  intimately  associated  with  the  settlement  of  Erie 
city  and  county  from  its  very  first  start  than  that  of 
the  Kelso  family.  Identified  as  it  is  with  the  landed 
interests,  the  military  occupation   and   protection   of 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


555 


Erie,  and  the  social,  political,  official  and  business  an- 
nals of  Erie's  first  half  century,  some  space  is  properly 
devoted  to  this  old  Erie  family,  especially  as  the  record 
of  but  one  other  seems  to  reach  so  far,  or  to  be  so  in- 
dissoluhly  linked  with  Erie's  early  history.  The  early 
family  home  on  the  lake  bank,  as  it  is  recalled  in  all  its 
naturalness  and  floral  grace,  illustrates  how  the  love  of 
flowers  and  vines  came  with  the  first  settlers  from  the 
Susquehanna  valley  to  the  banks  of  Lake  Erie,  and 
thus  gave  the  "Gem  City"  the  picturesque  beauty  for 
which  it  has  since  become  renowned.  Gen.  John 
Kelso,  son  of  William  Kelso  (who  was  the  son  of  Jo- 
seph and  Margaret  Kelso,  of  Scotch  descent),  was 
born  in  1766,  in  Paxton  township,  Dauphin  county. 
Pa.,  the  home  of  the  family  being  at  the  old  Kelso 
Ferry  House,  on  the  banks  of  the  Susquehanna,  where 
William  died  May  22,  1807.  About  17%  the  Harris- 
burg  and  Presque  Isle  Company  was  formed  in  that 
vicinity  by  ten  persons,  each  contributing  .£200,  for 
the  purchase  of  land  near  Erie.  In  August,  1796,  the 
company  purchased  thirty-seven  inlots  and  outlots  at 
the  public  sale  at  Carlisle,  and  obtained  430  acres  at 
the  mouth  of  Walnut  creek.  John  Kelso  was  reared 
on  a  farm,  educated  at  the  common  schools  of  the  vi- 
cinity, and  married  Miss  Sarah  Willis  Carson.  After 
their  marriage  Gen.  and  Mrs.  Kelso  came  to  Erie 
county,  settling  in  what  is  now  Fairview  township,  and 
afterwards  removed  to  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Presque 
Isle,  settling  on  what  is  still  land  of  the  family.  Their 
coming  to  the  county  was  about  1797  or  1798,  and  after 
five  years'  residence  in  Fairview  and  Mill  Creek  they 
moved  to  Erie.  They  had  seven  children:  Albert  J., 
Edwm  J.,  Harry,  William,  Caroline  C,  wife  of  the  late 
Hon.  E.  Babbitt,  and  Adaline,  wife  of  the  late  Rev. 
Dr.  James  H.  Whallon.  All  are  deceased.  As  an 
incident  of  Gen.  Kelso's  residence  in  Mill  Creek,  it 
can  be  stated  that  thefirst  schoolhouse  in  that.township 
was  erected  probably  during  his  time,  and  on  the 
Kelso  land.  It  was  of  hewn  logs.  The  whole  side 
formed  the  fire-place.  It  was  visible  a  few  years  ago, 
a  quaint  ruin  at  the  foot  of  that  high  and  narrow  bluff 
known  as  the  "Devil's  backbone."  Nothing  now  re- 
mains of  it  more  than  a  broken  foundation  and  black- 
ened hearth  stones.  Gen.  Kelso  was  appointed  asso- 
ciate judge  for  Erie  county  in  March,  1800.  Court  was 
held  for  Erie  county  at  Meadville  for  some  time.  He 
resigned  as  judge  to  accept  the  appointment  of  pro- 
thonotary,  register  and  clerk  of  courts  December,  1804; 
was  reappointed  January  18, 1809;  was  appointed  treas- 
urer in  1806;  and  \\ir\\  18,  1800,  he  was  made  commis- 
sioner for  the  sale  of  lots,  and  later  brigadier  general, 
and  placed  in  command  of  the  troops  defending  Erie. 
In  1805  he  removed  from  a  dwelling  at  the  mouth  of 
Garrison  run  to  a  new  residence  owned  by  Capt.  Will- 
iam Lee,  near  the  navy  yard,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
spot  where  the  government  vessels  were  constructed. 
When  the  county  was  opened  for  settlement  the  dense 
forest  abounded  in  game.  Fish  were  so  plentiful  that 
the  settlers  with  hook  and  line  obtained  large  quanti- 
ties. The  following  items  are  from  Mrs.  James  Hos- 
kinson's  historical  notes;  In  1804  Mr.  Kelso  com- 
menced to  build  at  the  foot  of  State  street;  trees  were 
cut  down  and  converted  into  logs;  a  square  log  house 
was  put  up;  later  wings  were  added  and  the  logs 
weather-boarded;  there  were  five  rooms,  two  halls, 
kitchen  and  servants'  sleeping  apartments;  the  large 
grounds  fronting  the  entrance  to  the  house,  as  the 
writer  remembers,   was  a  lawn  of  velvety  softness; 


trees  were  planted  and  roses  climbed  upon  the  sides 
of  the  windows,  giving  it  a  picturesque  effect.  Mrs. 
Kelso  was  a  woman  of  cultivated  tastes,  having  re- 
ceived many  advantages  in  early  life.  She  was  a  wor- 
shiper at  nature's  shrine,  and  her  garden  was  a  marvel 
of  beauty,  entered  by  an  arched  gateway,  which  was 
covered  by  that  delicate  and  graceful  climber,  the 
woodbine;  in  the  center  was  a  summer  house,  divided 
into  four  parts,  and  at  each  corner  were  large  apple 
trees;  their  branches  were  tastefully  trained,  and, 
meeting  in  the  center,  formed  a  dense  shade,  where  a 
ray  of  sunshine  could  hardly  peep,  and  when  in  bloom, 
the  summer  house  was  covered  with  flowers  of  rich  and 
varied  hues;  it  was  exquisitely  beautiful  and  of  unsur- 
passed loveliness;  from  the  arbor  diverged  four  walks, 
dividing  the  garden  into  squares,  surrounded  by  neat 
railings;  all  varieties  of  flowers  grew  here  most  pro- 
fusely; there  were  several  varieties  of  roses,  hyacinths, 
tulips,  columbines,  pinks,  sweet  williams,  chrysanthe- 
mums, and  a  beautiful  collection  of  primroses,  not  to  be 
found  now;  lilacs  were  abundant  and  also  the  beautiful 
golden  laburnam  tree.  Mrs.  Kelso  first  brought  the 
althea  and  sweet  briar  to  Erie.  When  Gen.  and  Mrs. 
Kelso  came  to  Erie  county  slavery  still  existed  in 
Pennsylvania.  They  brought  with  them  Charley  Lo- 
gan and  his  wife,  Fira  (a  slave),  with  her  three  sons, 
who  were  by  law  servants  until  28  years  of  age.  Mrs. 
Kelso,  finding  it  difficult  to  control  so  large  a  family, 
agreed  to  part  with  her  colored  boys.  George  was  ex- 
changed for  100  barrels  of  salt  to  Rufus  S.  Reed; 
Briston  to  Mr.  Brown.  After  their  freedom  Briston  be- 
came the  widely-known  ice  cream  caterer,  and  served 
at  many  fine  entertainments.  Fira  lived  to  be  101 
years  old,  and  grew  to  be  an  immense  fat  negress. 
She  died  at  her  son  George's  after  the  breaking  up  of 
Mrs.  Kelso's  home.  Fira  was  the  wife  of  Charles 
Logan,  and  to  her  culinary  skill  was  due  the  hospita- 
ble dinners  and  open  house,  and  woe  to  t^e  urchins 
who  invaded  her  domicile.  So  utterly  defenseless  was 
Erie  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  of  1812  that  the  Brit- 
ish could  easily  have  captured  it.  The  only  fortifica- 
tion was  a  small  block  house  on  the  eastern  part  of  the 
peninsula,  which  was  without  any  kind  of  guns  or  am- 
munition. The  most  formidable  instrument  of  war 
was  a  small  boat  howitzer  (owned  by  Gen.  Kelso), 
which  was  used  to  celebrate  the  Fourth  of  July  and 
other  great  occasions.  It  was  found  by  Gen.  Kelso  on 
the  beach  at  Mill  creek,  where  it  had  been  left  by  the 
wrecking  of  an  armed  French  batteau.  Subsequently 
it  was  borrowed  by  a  lake  captain  and  reported  lost 
overboard.  In  the  war  of  1812,  Erie  county  militia 
formed  a  part  of  the  western  division,  which  was  com- 
manded by  Brig.  Gen.  John  Kelso.  Before  the  close  of 
June  Gen.  Kelso  ordered  out  his  brigade  for  the  de- 
fense of  Erie;  August  25th  expresses  were  sent  over 
the  county  stating  that  the  enemy's  vessels  had  been 
seen  and  would  make  a  descent  upon  Erie;  Septem- 
ber 4th  the  government  directed  that  the  State  field 
pieces  be  sent  to  Erie;  September  l.Mh  the  secretary 
of  war  was  notified  by  the  governor  that  Gen.  John 
Kelso  had  transmitted  him  a  communication  signed  by 
respectable  gentlemen  of  Erie,  requesting  that  some 
efficient  action  for  the  protection  of  Erie  may  be 
speedily  taken;  September  16th  Gen.  Kelso  was  noti- 
fied that  one  brass  piece  and  four  4-pounders  were  on 
their  way  to  Erie;  October  21st  Governor  Snyder  or- 
dered Gen.  Kelso  to  employ  volunteers,  if  practicablej 
for  the  defense  of   Erie.    The  summer's  campaigir 


556 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


along  the  lakes  was  disastrous  to  the  Americans,  and 
it  became  apparent  to  those  who  knew  the  situation 
that  without  a  fleet  to  co-operate  with  the  western  and 
New  York  armies,  the  cause  of  our  country  in  this  di- 
rection was  hopeless.  So  little  account  of  land  opera- 
tions of  the  day  has  been  preserved,  through  loss  of 
records,  that  it  is  briefly  stated:  It  was  ordered  that 
Erie  should  be  a  navy  yard;  in  October  work  was  com- 
menced on  two  gunboats;  the  British  menaced  the 
new  station  to  retard  the  building  of  the  boats;  several 
times  the  enemy's  vessels  anchored  in  the  roadstead, 
and,  but  for  the  shallow  water,  would  have  entered  the 
harbor;  Mrs.  Kelso  and  other  ladies  fled  to  IJuncan's 
tavern  for  protection;  at  another  time  they  .sought 
safety  in  Waterford  at  George  \V.  Reed's  tavern;  July 
UHh  six  of  the  enemy's  vessels  were  in  sight  outside 
of  the  harbor,  where  they  lay  becalmed  for  two  days; 
all  this  time  the  meager  land  force  was  kept  busy 
marching  u])on  the  bank  of  the  lake  to  give  the  enemy 
an  imjjression  of  a  much  larger  force  or  army  being 
present;  after  the  burning  of  the  villages  of  Black 
Rock  and  Buffalo  by  the  liritish  and  Indians,  the  most 
terrifying  rumors  were  circulated;  .May  1.5th  the  wild- 
est alarm  was  created  by  a  false  report  that  000  or  700 
British  and  Indians  were  coming  to  Erie  to  destroy 
and  burn  the  village;  the  troops  at  Erie  only  num- 
bered 2,000  men,  and  the  hostiies  were  ;i,000  .strong; 
the  first  brigade  of  Gen.  Mead's  command  was  ordered 
into  .service  to  increase  the  defensive  force  to  aliout 
4,000;  hap])ily  the  alarm  was  false,  but  a  considerable 
body  of  troo]is  was  kejit  at  Erie  during  the  winter; 
many  of  these  men  were  ])oorly  furnished  with  arms 
and  equiimients;  .so  destitute  were  the  stores  of  com- 
fortable supplies  that  Mrs.  Kel-so  was  obliged  to  cut 
up  her  blankets  to  make  clothing  for  her  boys.  Fol- 
lowing the  war,  Mr.  Kel.so  and  citizens  were  kept  busy 
restoring  and  rebuilding  tratle,  laying  out  roads  and 
clearing  land.  Gen.  Kelso's  son  remembers  holding 
the  plow  behind  a  yoke  of  o.xen,  breaking  the  mad  to 
Massassauga.  In  181(S  Gen.  Kel.so  donated  the  bluff 
for  the  land  light  hou.se,  being  a  part  of  the  tract  given 
to  the  United  States  government  for  the  purpose  of 
a  lighthouse,  the  ab.nidonnient  of  it  in  March,  1881, 
caused  a  question  of  title  between  the  ])urchaser,  Myron 
.Sanford,and  William  Kelso, which  was  amicably  settled. 
Later,  the  government,  through  the  pressure  brought  to 
bearby  lakemen,  repurchased  from  .\lr.  Sanford,  giving 
double  the  aniciunt  it  cost  him,  that  is.  S4,000.  (ien. 
Kelso  died  in  181SI,  in  the  ]irime  of  life,  leaving  his 
widow,  Mrs.  Sarah  Willis  Carson  Kelso,  and  seven 
children,  two  daughters  and  five  sons.  Her  great  wish 
and  ambition  was  to  live  to  see  the  Erie  canal  com- 
pleted. She  was  an  interesting  conversationalist,  and 
could  tell  much  of  the  society  of  Erie,  which  was  of 
the  army  and  navy  (the  best  of  the  county),  and  most 
delightful.  Gen.  Kelso's  descendants  own  and  reside 
on  200  acres  of  land  on  the  bank  of  the  bay,  near  the 
head  upon  which  he  once  lived  and  llie  home  at  the 
foot  of  State  street. 

Edwin  J.  Kelso  (deceased),  second  son  of  Gen. 
Kelso,  was  born  .Vjiril  10,  1800,  in  Fairview  town.ship, 
Erie  county.  He  came  to  Erie  a  boy,  and  as  his 
father  was  in  the  discharge  of  public  trusts,  he  was 
early  instructed  in  the  modes  and  duties  of  official 
routine.  It  was  with  experience  thus  in  advance 
acquired  that  he  accepted  the  position  of  prothonotary 
and  register  and  recorder,  to  which  he  was  appointed 


by  Gov.  Shultze  in  1824,  upon  the  death  of  Thomas 
Wilson.  These  duties  were  ably  and  satisfactorily 
performed  for  about  twelve  years,  when  relieved  by  a 
change  of  administration,  in  188.5.  In  188(1  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Jackson  collector  of  the  port  of 
Erie,  to  succeed  Col.  Thomas  For.ster,  who  soon  died, 
after  having  filled  the  position  of  collector  for  thirty- 
five  years.  Mr.  Kelso  was  the  seconti  collector  of  the 
port,  and  having  been  re-apjiointed  by  President  \'an 
Buren,  held  the  office  till  1841,  when  he  was  disjilaced 
by  a  change  of  parlies,  after  which  he  held  no  office. 
For  some  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  forwarding 
business  in  Erie,  wherein  his  large  and  early  accjuaint- 
ance  was  utilized.  Mr.  Kelso  was  married,  in  1828,  to 
Miss  Malvina  Atkins,  of  Buffalo,  whose  elegant  tastes 
and  genial  manners,  as  evinced  in  her  surroundings, 
will  l)e  kindly  remembered.  Mrs.  Kelso  died  in  1871. 
The  inheritor  of  a  large  landed  property  in  and  near 
Erie,  anti  connected,  with  its  public  business,  jiromi- 
nent  as  a  citizen,  and  politician,  Mr.  Kelso  became 
widely  kniiwn  and  trusted.  He  was  an  earnest  mem- 
ber of  the  Democratic  party,  and  shared  in  its  tri- 
um|)hs,  yet  was  loyal  to  its  teachings  under  adversity, 
as  in  its  palmier  days.  To  have  filled  his  public  posi- 
tions satisfactorily,  to  the  appointing  power  and  to  the 
people,  to  have  been  faithful  to  all  these  trusts;  and 
laid  down  his  functions  without  a  stain  U])on  his 
record,  was  the  pleasing  contem]ilation  of  Mr.  Kelso 
during  the  evening  of  his  life.  1-le  died  February  10, 
187'.t,  leaving  one  son,  John,  and  two  daughters,  Enuna 
S.,  married  in  1805,  to  C.  C.  Eddy,  a  resident  of  Erie 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  Mary;  they  live  on  the  old 
homestead.  C.  C.  Eddy  was  born  in  Rhode  Isl.unl 
January  27,  1829,  son  of  Sylvester  and  Thamer  H. 
(Luther)  Eddy,  natives  of  Rhode  Island,  of  English 
e.xtraction.  Mr.  Eddy  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
navy  in  New  York  in  1862,  and  in  the  same  year  was 
appointed  second  lieutenant.  He  serveil  five  years 
and  six  months  on  the  United  States  .steamer  Mich- 
igan during  the  civil  war.  In  1878  he  resigned  his 
]>osition  and  embarke<l  in  the  lumber  business;  he  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics. 

Albert  J.  Kelso  was  born  September  7,  1802,  in 
this  county,  son  of  Gen.  John  Kelso.  His  wife  used  to 
ride  home  to  Cumberland  county  on  horseback  to  visit 
friends.  Mr.  KeLso  was  educated  in  Erie,  success- 
ively by  Mr.  Eastman,  Prof.  Blossom,  Mr.  Reed  and 
Mr.  Gunnison.  He  was  married  January  20,  1842,  to 
FMizabeth  .Sullivan,  who  bore  him  the  following  chil- 
dren: .Sarah,  wife  of  Edwin  Tenny,  of  Crawford 
county,  Pennsylvania;  Albert  C,  marrieil  to  Livonia 
(ireen.have  fcnu'  children,  Philo  K.,  Frankie,  IClla  and 
Harry;  .Annie,  wife  of  E.  DeWolf,  have  six  childre'u, 
reside  in  Iowa,  and  Edwin  J.  Mrs.  KeLso  dying  in 
1850,  he  married,  January  25,  18,53,  Maria  L.  Fales,  a 
native  of  Massachusetts.  By  this  union  were  born 
five  children,  four  now  living:  Susan  M.,  wife  of  J. 
Benson,  have  one  daughter,  Grace;  Caroline  A.,  Alice 
A.  and  Charles  H.  I\Ir.  Kelso  resided  in  Erie  city 
fifty  years,  and  on  his  present  farm,  located  on  the 
LaKe  road  in  West  Mill  Creek  township  thirty  years. 
He  was  at  one  time  in  business  in  Erie  city  with  .Mr. 
Kellogg.  He  was  a  thorough  tj;iiiperanc_e  man,  de- 
clining even  to  sell  barley  for  distilling  purposes.  He 
died  some  years  since. 

Melviu  M.  Kelso,  born  in  Erie  city  September  1, 
181(i,  married   Martha   S.  Johnson,  born   in   Fairview 


^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


557 


May  3,  1817,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Ann  (Barnett) 
Johnson,  natives  of  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania. 
They  had  eight  children,  of  whom  Richard  B.,  Melvin 
M.  and  Effie  B.  are  now  living. 

Melvin  M.  Kelso,  sr.,  was  a  son  of  (nn.  John 
Kelso.  In  early  life  he  was  a  sailor,  then  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  was  clerk  in  the  Erie  postoffice.  Inherit- 
ing from  his  father  130  acres  on  Ridge  road  in  Fair- 
view,  he  eventually  adopted  agricultural  ])ursuits,  in 
which  he  was  very  successful,  owning  474  acres  of 
farm  property.  He  was  a  prominent  citizen,  filling 
the  offices  of  director  of  the  poor,  township  road  com- 
missioner, justice  of  the  peace,  etc.  He  was  an  ad- 
herent of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which  with  all 
other  good  causes,  he  contributed  liberally.  He  died 
November  18,  1866. 

Richard  Barnett  Kelso  now  owns  the  home 
farm,  which  he  is  greatly  improving,  and  on  which  he 
is  erecting  fine  buildings.  Politically  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. Harry  Kelso  moved  in  early  life  to  the  vicinity 
of  Green  Bay,  where  he  died  many  years  since. 

William  C.  Kelso,  the  last  of  his  family,  died 
Ai)ril  24,  1892.  He  was  of  refined  and  gentle  nature, 
a  true  Christian,  was  a  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's  Church 
for  over  fifty  years,  and  many  years  of  that  time  rec- 
tor's warden. '  Among  his  effects  was  an  English  side 
dagger,  belonging  originally  to  an  officer  of  the  Brit- 
ish fleet  and  surrendered  to'  an  officer  of  Perry's.  Mr. 
Kelso  was  very  much  of  a  collaborature  in  old  books 
and  relics.  William  C.  Kelso  was  assistant  assessor  of 
internal  revenue  tn  1863  and  served  for  some  years. 
Adaline  (Kelso)  Whallon,  wife  of  Rev.  James  H. 
Whallon,  D.  D.,  was  married  about  1829  and  spent 
most  of  her  life  in  Erie.  Her  home  was  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Second  and  Sassafras  streets,  on  her  patrimonial 
estate.  Her  husband  was  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
minister  and  actively  engaged,  serving  several  terms 
as  presiding  elder.  He  was  sent  by  President  Grant 
as  consul  to  Port  Mahon,  in  Meditterranean.  Dr.  Whal- 
lon died  about  1877,  and  Mrs.  Whallon  survived  him 
some  time.  Of  their  large  family  only  Melvin  and 
Isabella  survives.     Both  reside  in  Ohio. 

A.  C.  Kelso,  farmer,  Mill  Creek  town.shiji,  post- 
office  Erie,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Erie  in  1848,  son  of 
Albert  J.  and  Elizabeth  (Sullivan)  Kelso.  The  former 
was  a  native  of  Erie  county  and  was  born  in  Man- 
chester, Fairview  township.  The  latter  was  a  daughter 
of  Rev.  Mr.  Sullivan,  a  Methodist  clergyman,  and  for 
many  years  a  resident  of  Harbor  Creek,  After  her 
death  he  was  again  married  to  Marie  Fales,  who  now 
survives  him,  residing  in  Mill  Creek  townshi]).  Albert 
J.  Kelso  was  a  resident  of  the  same  town.ship  during 
his  life  time,  and  the  last  forty  years  was  spent  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  A.  C.  He  died  in  1890, 
at  the  age  of  87  years.  Mr.  A.  C.  Kelso  is  the  third  of 
a  family  of  four  children:  Sarah,  wife  of  L.  E.  Tenny, 
Lincohiville.  Crawford  county.  Pa.;  Anna,  wife  of 
Ezra  DeWolf,  resident  of  Iowa;  Albert  and  Elizabeth, 
of  Erie.  15v  the  second  marriage  there  were  also  four 
children:  Susan,  wife  of  B.  J.  Benson,  L'nion  City,  Pa.; 
Caroline,  Mill  Creek  township;  .Alice,  Mill  Creek,  and 
Charles,of  Riceville,  Pa.  September  10, 1873,  Mr.  Kelso 
was  married  to  Miss  Livonia,  daughter  of  Philo  H.  and 
Betsey  L.  (Gleason)  Green,  of  Harbor  Creek.  The 
former  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  township,  where 
36 


he  resided.  He  died  November  8,  1872,  aged 47  years. 
His  widow  still  survives,  at  the  age  of  78  years,  and  re- 
sides in  Harbor  Creek.  Their  children  were:  George 
(deceased),  Livonia,  wife  of  Mr.  Kelso;  Ellen  L.,  wife 
of  G.  P.  Gifford,  of  Harbor  Creek;  Charles,  of  Buffalo; 
Clarinda,  wife  of  William  H.  Gray,  Harbor  Creek; 
Albert  (deceased!,  and  Andrew  Greene,  of  Harbor 
Creek.  The  children  of  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  C.  Kelso  are: 
Philo,  Frank,  Ella,  Harry  and  Bessie.  John  Kelso, 
grandfather  of  A.  C,  was  a  general  in  the  war  of  1812 
(of  whom  a  complete  sketch  is  published  in  this  work). 
Charles  H.  and  Catherine  (Bovvers)  (ireene,  grand- 
parents of  Mrs.  Kelso,  were  natives  of  New  York 
State,  and  came  to  Erie  county  about  fifty  years  ago. 
William  Gleason,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Kel.so,  was  a  life 
long  resident  of  Chautauqua  county.  New  York.  His 
wife  was  Polly  Smith.  Noah  Sullivan,  grandfather  of 
Mr.  Kelso,  died  in  Harbor  Creek.  Mr.  Kelso  is  one  of 
the  progressive  farmers  and  influential  citizens  of  Mill 
Creek  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelso  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

The  Miles  Family.  In  June,  1795,  William  Miles 
and  William  Cook  came  with  their  wives,  who  were 
sisters,  to  what  is  now  Concord  township,  Erie  county, 
before  the  organization  of  the  township  or  county, 
and  a  month  or  so  before  the  arrival  of  Colonel  Seth 
Reed  and  his  family  to  Erie.  They  are  deemed  the 
first  white  settlers  in  the  county,  as  Mrs.  Miles  and 
Mrs.  Cook  were  the  first  white  women  to  become 
residents.  The  Miles  and  Cook  families  first  set- 
tled in  Concord,  but  in  1801  came  to  L'nion,  where 
Mr.  Miles  erected  both  saw  and  gristmills.  He  was  a 
very  prominent  and  noted  man,  and  in  his  lifetime 
witnessed  many  changes.  Born  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Susquehanna,  not  far  from  the  junction  of  the  North 
and  West  branches,  where  the  border  warfare  with  the 
British  and  Indians  might  well  have  caused  it  to  be 
called  "  The  dark  and  bloody  ground,"  he  was  taken 
prisoner  during  one  of  those  furious  raids  to  which  the 
valley  was  subjected  from  the  savages  and  their  allies, 
under  Brant,  or  warriors  of  like  infamous  character. 
When  a  child,  he  was  taken  to  Canada  and  there  de- 
tained as  a  prisoner  for  some  time.  During  this  period 
he  was  instructed,  and  upon  his  return  to  his  home, 
was  fitted  for  the  remarkable  career  to  which  he  was 
destined.  He  was  the  brother-in-law  of  David  Watts, 
of  Carlisle,  both  of  whom  came  to  the  Northwest  wil- 
derness in  connection  with  the  survey,  allotment  and 
sale  of  a  large  part  of  Erie  county,  the  survey  of  the 
Tenth  Donation  district,  laying  out  for  settlement  nu- 
merous bodies  of  huul,  as  well  as  the  village  of  Watts- 
burg,  which  was  named  for  David  Watts,  ^lr.  Miles 
became  possessed  of  a  vast  body  of  land  in  Union 
township  and  its  vicinity.  His  son,  James,  afterward 
purchased  1,600  acres  in  Girard  townshiii,  embracing 
the  mouth  of  Elk  creek.  Mr.  Miles  wasa  conspicuous 
and  influential  citizen  in  the  settlement  of  Erie  county 
for  nearly  half  a  century.  He  had  a  strong  will,  great 
versatility  and  unyielding  jnirpose.  He  acquired  a 
very  large  land  estate  and  left  many  memorials  of  his 
life.  In  the  laving  out  and  building  of  roads  and 
bridges,  and  naming  townships  and  fixing  places  for 
voting,  he  exercised  a  large  influence.  He  built  mills 
at  Union  City,  which  place  was  long  called  Miles' 
Mills.  He  had  several  children,  among  whom  were: 
Hon.  James  Miles,  associate  judge  of  Erie  county 
from  1851  to  1856;  Frederick  Miles  and  Mrs.  Bemis. 


55S 


NJELSON'S  BIOGRAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


James  Miles,  in  1832,  settled  on  his  large  tract  of  land 
at  the  mouth  of  Elk  creek.  There  he  resided  in  almost 
baronial  style.  He  also  purposed  the  laying  out  of  a 
city  antl  the  formation  of  a  harbor  at  the  mouth  of  Elk 
creek,  to  be  accompanied  with  an  effort  backed  by 
powerful  support  to  make  it  an  outlet  fcir  the  Erie  and 
Pittsburg  Canal.  He  also  offered  the  Agricultural 
College  of  Pennsylvania  the  gift  of  one  or  more  hun- 
dred acres  of  this  land  for  its  location,  after  his  char- 
acteristic activity  in  the  organization  of  the  college. 
Judge  Miles  co-operated  with  Judge  John  Galbraith 
and  Hon.  Alfred  Kelley  in  the  building  of  the  railroad 
from  Erie  to  the  Ohio  line,  now  part  of  the  Lake  Shore 
R.  R.  Into  this  he  entered  with  great  zeal,  and  was 
long  a  director  of  the  Cleveland,  PainesviUe  and  Ash- 
tabula R.  R.  Co.,  and  among  the  most  prominent  in 
the  movements  touching  the  railroad  system  of  Erie 
county  in  the  stirring  period  from  1850  to  1864.  Judge 
Miles,  towards  the  close  of  his  life,  built  an  imposing 
mansion  on  the  banks  of  Elk  creek,  and  Miles'  Grove 
was  laid  out  at  the  station  of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R. 
The  village  of  .Miles  Grove,  with  the  fjusy  hum  of  in- 
dustry, and  the  constant  arrival  and  departure  of  cars 
on  several  railroads,  perjietuate  the  name  of  its 
founder.  Mrs.  Bemis  and  Frederick  Miles  died  many 
years  ago.  Judge  James  Miles  died  at  his  home  near 
Miles  Grove  in  1809.  His  father,  William  Miles,  died 
about  half  a  century  since.  Of  the  Judge's  family, 
\Villiam  Miles,  who  made  a  brilliant  record  as  a  cav- 
alry officer,  gave  his  life  for  his  country.  James  Miles, 
Jr.,  died  about  four  or  five  years  since,  and  John  F. 
Miles  and  Mrs.  Hall  and  one  unmarried  sister  are  the 
surviving  chililren  of  Judge  Miles. 

The  Marvin  Family.— Elisha  Marvin,  eldest 
son  of  Elisha  Marvin  and  Elizabeth  Selden,  his  wife, 
was  born  at  Lyme,  Conn.,  Novenilier  22,  1768;  brought 
up  on  a  farm.  About  1792,  in  company  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  Judah  Colt,  and  his  brother  Enoch,  he  settled 
in  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.  In  1796,  IVlr.  Colt  having  l^een 
appointed  agent  for  the  Population  Com]iany,  both 
brothers  removed  with  him  to  Erie  county,  and  settled 
at  Colt's  .Station,  in  Greenfield  township,  where  Elisha 
bought  a  large  tract  of  land.  He  was  justice  of  the 
peace  in  Greenfield  for  many  years,  and  long  one  of 
the  most  prominent  surveyors  and  farmers  in  the 
county.  He  married  Minerva  Prendergast,  of  James- 
town.'N.  Y.,  May  18,  1812;  died  September  29,  1829. 
Mrs.  Marvin,  who  was  a  woman  of  more  than  usual 
culture,  died  April  1,  18.')8.  Their  children  were  Will- 
iam V..,  born  IVIarch  21,  1814;  and  Elizabeth  Susan, 
born  November  29,  1818,  died  in  the  fall  of  1878. 
William  still  survives,  in  North  East  borough.  Enoch 
Marvin,  brother  of  I^lLsha,  was  born  in  Lyme,  October 
19,  1774;  after  spending  a  number  of  years  at  Green- 
held  and  Erie,  he  went  to  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania, 
as  agent  of  a  land  company,  where  he  died  March  81, 
1840,  leaving  a  large  estate,  much  of  which  was  in  Erie 
county.  He  married  Eliza  Hull  in  1820.  Shesurvived 
him  a  number  of  years.  They  had  one  child  which 
died  in  infancy.  Elihu  Marvin,  youngest  brother  of 
Elisha  and  Enoch  Marvin  above  named,  was  born  at 
Lyme,  Conn.,  August  1,  1791.  He  early  developed  a 
taste  for  business  pursuits,  and  became  associated  with 
General  David  Humphreys,  of  Derby,  Conn.,  in  the 
woolen  manufacture.  September  10,  1818,  he  mar- 
ried Ann  Humphreys,  a  niece  of  the  general.  After 
several  years  of    active  prosecution  of    the  woolen 


business,  his  health  failed  and  he  withdrew  from  the 
concern.  About  1828,  he  moved  to  Ripley,  N.  Y., 
where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  devoted  him.self  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  In  1842,  changed  to  Erie,  living 
for  a  number  ol  years  on  a  farm  which  iiuluded  the 
site  of  .Marvintown.  About  1854  or  18.56,  he  laid  out 
I)art  of  his  farm  in  town  lots,  and  sold  off  a  large 
number.  About  1864,  he  built  a  residence  on  Tenth 
.street,  where  he  resided  until  death.  He  was  influen- 
tial wherever  he  lived,  liut  had  a  great  repugnance  to 
holding  office;  was  an  enthusiast  in  favor  of  schools 
and  as  a  fruit  grower;  a  liberal  giver  to  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  with  which  he  early  associated  himself. 
Mrs.  Marvin  died  April  30,  187.5.  Mr.  Marvin  died 
August  29,  1878,  having  acquired  an  extensive  ])rop- 
er«y.  Thev  had  two  children — Susan,  born  in  1816, 
died  in  18;i4;  Sarah,  born  |anuarv  29,  1820,  married 
Rev.  L.  G.  Olmstead,  December  20,  18:«,  died  May  25, 
1843,  leaving  an  only  child  —Sarah  L.,  born  May  18, 
1840,  who  married  Matthew  Griswold,  January  8,  1806, 
and  died  in  February,  1871,  leaving  tw-osons — .Matthew 
Griswold,  jr.,  and  Elihu  Marvin  Griswold. 

Hob.  Seidell  Marvin  (deceased),  formerly  city 
recorder  and  city  attorney,  Erie,  only  child  of 
Dudley  and  Mary  (Whalley)  Marvin  (brother  of 
Elisha,  Enoch  and  Elihu),  was  born  in  Canandaigua, 
N.  Y.,  June  9,  1819,  named  after  his  grandmother,  who 
was  of  the  Connecticut  family  of  Seldens;  received 
his  education  mainly  at  Canandaigua  academy,  and  at 
Jefferson  college,  Cannonsburg,  Pa.;  spent  one  year  in 
printing  office  in  Boston.  Parents  moved  to  New 
York  city  in  the  summer  of  1837,  where  he  read  law 
until  1841  in  the  office  of  his  father,  who  was  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  attorneys  in  the  State,  and  for 
eight  years  a  member  of  Congress.  In  1841,  removed 
to  Rii)ley,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was 
exclusively  engaged  in  farming  until  1846;  in  the  latter 
year  entered  upon  the  [iractice  of  law  at  Jamestown. 
In  1847,  was  married  to  .Miss  Sarah  Wilson  Dinsmore, 
of  Ripley,  and  returned  to  the  farm.  A  year  or  so 
later  formed  a  connection  with  Hon.  Geo.  W.  Parker, 
now  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  resumed  the  legal 
profession  at  Westfield,  N.  Y.;  in  the  fall  of  18.52,  was 
elected  special  county  judge,  and  in  18.55  county  judge 
of  Chautauqua  county,  serving  in  the  latter  [)osition 
until  January  1,  1860;  moved  to  FIrie  in  June,  1860;  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm  of  .Spencer  &  Marvin,  and 
practiced  law  until  1877.  Was  the  Uemocratic  can- 
didate for  Assembly  in  1862;  Democratic  nominee  for 
Congre.ss  in  1870,  coming  within  .500  votes  of  an  elec- 
tion; Democratic  candidate  for  elector  at  large  in  1872; 
mayor  of  F"ne  city  in  1877;  the  same  year  elected  city 
recorder  for  five  years;  was  re-elected  in  1882.  The 
marriage  of  Judge  Marvin  and  his  wife  has  been 
bles.sed  with  five  children,  three  of  whom  survive,  viz.: 
Charles  Dinsmore  Marvin,  engaged  in  the  banking 
business  in  the  city  of  New  York;  Anna  Humphreys, 
wife  of  William  1).  Lewis,  and  Elizabeth  Selden  Mar- 
vin, wife  of  Robert  W.  Neff,  of  Boston,  Mass.  Judge 
Selden  Marvin  died  in  Erie,  December  26,  1894. 

William  Elisha  Marvin  was  born  in  Chautaucjua 
county.  New  York,  .March  21,  1814.  He  is  a  son  of 
the  late  Col.  Elisha  and  Minerva  (Prendergast)  Mar- 
vin, the  former  a  native  of  Lynne,  Conn.,  and  of 
English  descent,  the  latter  of  New  York  birth  and 
Irish  parentage.     Col.  Marvin  settled  in  Erie  county 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


559 


in  1796,  and  was  engaged  in  business  as  a  surveyor 
and  farmer  until  his  decease,  in  1829.  He  was  a  valu- 
able citizen  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  local  affairs 
generally,  holding  numerous  official  trusts  in  the 
county.  His  title  was  conferred  through  his  command 
of  a  regiment  of  militia.  His  wife  survived  until  1858. 
William  Elisha  Marvin  received  a  common  school 
education,  learned  surveying  and  followed  that  busi- 
ness and  farming  jointly  for  twenty-tive  or  thirty  years, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  exclusively  engaged  as 
an  agriculturist.  Politically  he  was  an  old  line  Whig, 
latterly  a  Re[iublican.  He  was  for  twenty-one  years 
a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Greenfield  township,  has  held 
all  the  township  offices,  filling  those  positions  with 
ability,  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  commun- 
ity. He  served  acceptably  as  county  commissioner, 
and  was  a  candidate  for  the  State  Legislature.  He 
has  been  one  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Erie  since  1880.  He  was  married 
November  2,  1848,  to  Catherine  F.,  daughter  of  the 
late  William  S])encer,  of  Had-Lynne,  Conn.  .She  died 
in  September,  1892.  Mr.  Marvin  has  been  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  since  May  1,  18t)i{, 
and  has  been  an  elder  of  the  congregation  at  North 
East  since  November  8,  1868.  He  was  for  many  years 
a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees,  and  has  always 
been  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  support  of  the  congre- 
gation. He  was  one  of  the  original  stockholders  and  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  North  East. 

John  H.  Bliss,  president  of  the  Erie  City  Iron 
Works,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Fort  Howard,  Wis., 
October  4,  1823,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Letitia  (Elli- 
cott)  Bliss,  both  of  English  ancestry.  The  Bliss  fam- 
ily settled  in  New  England  about  1680,  and  the  Elli- 
cott  family  in  Maryland  about  1730.  Major  Andrew 
Ellicott,  who  was  a  grandfather  of  Mr.  Bliss,  was  born 
in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  January  24,  1754,  and 
devoted  the  greater  [jart  of  his  life  to  the  service  of 
his  country.  Though  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  he  commanded  a  battalion  of  Maryland 
militia  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  In  1784  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  State  of  \'irginia  in  fixing  the  boundary 
between  that  State  and  Pennsylvania.  In  1786  he  was 
commissioned  by  the  supreme  executive  council  of 
Pennsylvania  to  run  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
State.  Two  years  later  he  was  directed  to  make  a 
survey  of  the  islands  of  the  Allegheny  and  Ohio  rivers 
within  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  This  occupied 
about  a  year,  after  which  he  was  commissioned  by  the 
United  States  government  to  locate  the  western 
boundary  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  ascertain  the 
validity  of  the  claim  of  that  .State  to  the  territory 
which  is  now  the  northern  portion  of  Erie  county. 
After  nuich  labor  antl  hardshiii  he  succeeded  in  locat- 
ing the  present  lioundary.  In  this  im])ortant  and 
responsible  duty  his  services  seem  to  have  been 
highly  appreciated,  for  about  the  time  of  its  comple- 
tion he  writes:  "General  Washington  has  treated  me 
with  attention.  The  Speaker  of  the  House  and  the 
Governor  of  the  State  have  constantly  extended  to  me 
the  most  flattering  courtesies."  The  next  imi^ortant 
service  which  he  rendered  to  his  country  was  that  of 
surveying  District  of  Columbia  and  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington, which  lie  began  in  1790.  In  1796  the  govern- 
ment was  again  in  need  of  one  in  whom  it  could  place 
ex])licit  confidence,  and  Washington,  seemingly  ever 


conscious  of  Major  Ellicott's  sterling  qualities,  ap- 
pointed him  commissioner  to  fix  the  boundary  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  the  .Spani.sh  American 
possessions.  During  the  very  first  month  of  Jeffer- 
son's administration  the  "  Father  of  Democracy"  ten- 
dered to  Major  Ellicott  the  Surveyor  Generalship  of  the 
United  States,  which  he  accepted,  subject  to  conditions 
of  his  own  dictation.  On  September  1,  1813,  he  was 
appointed  professor  of  mathematics  in  the  West  Point 
Military  Academy,  to  which  place  he  soon  afterward 
removed  with  his  family,  and  where  he  died  August 
28,  1820,  leaving  a  widow  and  nine  children.  The  in- 
telligence and  active  ability  of  Major  Ellicott  were  of 
inestimable  value  in  the  settlement  and  develoi)ment 
of  this  new  country,  and  one  important  duty  followed 
another  for  a  period  of  over  forty  years,  in  which  he 
was  constantly  employed  in  some  public  capacity  of 
responsibility  and  trust,  and  he  was  never  found  want- 
ing. Chief  among  his  characteristics,  touching  upon 
his  public  life,  were  his  true  sense  of  duty,  well  de- 
fined conception  of  personal  responsibilities,  and  his 
general  upright  character.  It  was  these,  rather  than 
shrewd  political  diiilomacy,  which  won  for  him  the 
exalted  honors  which  were  conferred  upon  him. '  The 
name  of  Major  Ellicott  will  go  down  in  American  his- 
tory an  honor  to  his  country,  to  his  family  and  to  his 
posterity.  Mr.  Bliss'  grandfather,  Joseph  Bliss,  was  a 
captain  of  artillery  in  the  regular  Continental  army  of 
the  United  Colonies  during  their  struggle  for  indepen- 
dence. His  father  entered  the  regular  army  of  the 
United  State  in  the  war  of  1812  as  lieutenant,  reached 
the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel,  and  was  wounded  at 
Lundy's  Lane;  he  died  December  22,  1854.  Of  the 
children,  Mr.  John  H.  Bliss  was  the  one  who  reached 
majority.  He  was  educated  in  the  Cincinnati  College, 
studied  civil  engineering  and  was  for  two  years  em- 
ployed in  the  survey  of  the  Erie  extension  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Canal.  He  then  entered  upon  the  study 
of  law  at  Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  later  continued  his 
studies  in  Buffalo,  attended  a  course  of  lectures  at 
Harvard  University,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Albany,  January  15,  1847.  He  afterwards  returned  to 
Buffalo,  but  gave  up  the  practice  of  law.  In  1855  he 
came  to  Erie,  where  he  soon  formed  a  partnership 
with  Mr.  George  Selden,  in  the  establishment  of  a 
bending  works,  which  they  operated  three  years. 
They  then  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  oil  barrels, 
at  that  time  in  great  demand,  which  they  continueil 
until  1864,  when,  in  company  with  Mr.  W.  J.  F.  Liddell, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Liddell,  .Selden  iS:  Bliss,  they 
purchased  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works.  This  institu- 
tion, upon  whose  fame  and  whose  products  it  may  be 
truly  said  that  the  sun  never  .sets,  was  founded  in 
1840  by  (B.  B.  and  J.  H.)  \'incent,  (David  and 
William)  Himrod  &  Co.  In  1860,  the  proprie- 
tors became  (W.  J.  F.)  Liddell  &  (Joseiih)  McCarter, 
who  sold  to  the  present  company  in  18t>4.  The  origi- 
nal plant  was  located  at  the  corner  of  State  and 
Twelfth  streets,  and  there  continued  until  1880,  when 
the  rapid  increa.se  of  business  made  the  <iemand  for 
greater  facilities  imperative,  and  a  lot  200x()00  feet, 
located  on  the  east  side  of  East  avenue,  a<ljoining  the 
L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  was  purchased.  Later  a  lot 
;^i0x618  feet,  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  L.  S.  &  M. 
S.  R.  R.,  and  on  the  west  by  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.,  was 
added  to  the  space  necessary  to  contain  this  gigantic 
institution.  This  va.st  area  is  entirely  occupied  by  the 
various  buildings  of  the  concern  and   the   yards   and 


560 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  BICTIONARY 


tracks  necessary  for  the  successful  operation  of  the 
same.  The  boiler  shop  is  100x600  feet,  the  foundry 
104x280  feet,  the  machine  shop  80x  IBO  feet,  the  fl  a  nix- 
ing shop  40  X  180  feet,  the  engine  room  30x50  feet,  the 
oftice  room  40x50  feet,  and  a  pattern  and  general 
storehouse  each  60  x  150  feet.  There  are  besides  those 
mentioned,  almo.st  innumerable  minor  shops,  and 
power,  pump  and  storehouses.  All  buildings  except 
the  flanging  shop,  are  substantial  stone,  brick  and  iron 
structures,  and  are  supplied  throughout  with  the  latest 
and  mo.st  improved  machinery.  The  company  was 
incorporated  January  1,  18il4,  with  John  H.  Bliss,  presi- 
dent; George  U.  .Selden,  vice  president;  E.  P.  Selden, 
treasurer,  and  George  T.  Bliss,  secretary.  The  capital 
stock  is  Sl,0OO,00O.  "From  188!)  to  1892  inclusive,  the 
output  was  over  a  million  dollars  a  year,  some  years 
reaching  nearly  a  million  and  a  half,  which  is  un- 
doubtedly the  largest  of  any  similar  institution  in  the 
world.  The  products  of  the  concern  include  all  kinds 
of  stationary  and  portable  horizontal  and  upright 
boilers  and  engines,  for  the  sale  of  which  depots  have 
been  e.stablished  in  all  the  great  business  centers  of 
the  United  States,  also  in  Paris,  Glasgow  and  Mexico. 
It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  sketch  to  advertise  this 
world-renowned  institution  and  its  products,  but  to 
give  to  coming  generations  some  conception  of  it,  in 
order  to  properly  identify  the  gentleman  who  has 
made  its  establishment  and  development  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  work,  and  who  has  been  to  a  great 
extent  responsible  for  its  wonderful  success,  he  havmg 
had  charge  of  the  office  and  works,  while  Mr.  George 
Selden  conducted  the  sales  department,  and  brought 
the  institution  into  the  recognition  of  the  markets  of 
the  world.  Mr.  Bliss  was  first  married  in  1848  to  Miss 
Mary  Lovering.  His  second  wife  was  Miss  Ellen 
Christie,  daughter  of  Dr.  Christie,  surgeon  in  the 
United  States  navy,  to  whom  he  was  married  October 
1,  1850.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  was  four  children; 
Anna  (Wife  of  the  Rev.  S.  D.  McConnellof  the  Episco- 
pal Church  of  Philadelphia),  Horace  John  (who  died 
in  childhood),  Louise  (widow  of  the  late  Wallace  De- 
Witt,  Esq.)  and  Mr.  George  T.  Bliss.  Mr.  Bliss  and 
family  attend  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  He 
belongs  to  that  class  of  truly  benevolent  people  who 
are  daily  doing  something  to  relieve  the  poor  and  un- 
fortunate, but  who  do  not  allow  the  name  of  the  donor 
to  be  known,  even  to  those  who  are  recipients  of  their 
benefaction.  Indeed,  it  is  doubtful  whether  Erie  has 
a  greater  or  more  conscientious  worker  in  the  field  of 
charity  than  Mr.  IMiss.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a 
life-long  Democrat,  but  with  a  sense  of  justice  stronger 
than  party  allegiance,  with  the  best  interests  of  the 
community  always  at  heart,  and  with  a  conviction  that 
the  welfare  of  the  nation  .should  be  paramount  to  the 
success  of  any  jiarty;  he  is  never  in  sympathy  with  the 
trickery  of  unscrupidous  politicians  whose  ambition  is 
that  of  personal  emulation  rather  than  the  prosperity 
of  the  country.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the 
Revolution,  to  which  he  is  justly  entitled  by  both  his 
paternal  and  his  maternal  ancestors. 

George  Truscott  Bliss,  secretary  and  assistant 
superintendent  of  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works,  Erie  City, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  May  21,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of 
Mr.  John  H.  Bliss  (whose  sketch  appears  in  this  work). 
He  received  his  early  education  in  the  private  schools 
of  Erie,  and  during  a  year  and  a  half,  in  1875-6,  while 
his  parents  lived  in  Charlotte,  N.  C,  he  attended  the 


Carolina  Military  Institute  of  that  city.  After  return- 
ing to  Erie  he  attended  the  academy,  and  later  a 
l)rivate  school  for  about  three  years.  In  1870  he  en- 
tered I)e  \'aux  College,  there  he  remained  one  year, 
after  which  he  attended  Harcourt  .-Vcademy,  a  boys' 
boarding  school  in  Gambier,  Ohio,  for  about  two  years. 
He  next  entered  the  Polytechnic  Institute  at  Troy, 
N.  Y.  In  1883  he  entered  the  machine  shop  of  the 
Erie  City  Iron  Works  to  learn  the  trade  of  machinist. 
For  three  years  he  worked  ten  hours  a  day,  and  in  al- 
most every  position  about  the  shop,  all  the  time  study- 
ing steam  engine  construction,  and  making  himself 
familiar  with  the  practical  part  of  the  work.  He  be- 
came assistant  superintendent  in  May,  1803,  and  upon 
the  incorporation  of  the  company,  January  1, 18il4,  was 
elected  secretary.  Mr.  Bliss  takes  great  intere.st  in 
boating,  and  is  a  skillful  yachtsman.  It  was  largely 
due  to  his  efforts  that  the  regatta  on  the  bay,  Saturday, 
.September  8,  18il4,  was  a  success.  He  was  the  mov- 
ing spirit  in  the  organization  of  the  Erie  Yacht  Club  in 
Se|)tember,  1804,  of  which  he  was  made  the  first  ])resi- 
dent;  he  was  made  Commodore  of  the  club  November 
14,  1894.  Mr.  Bliss  was  married  January  16,  1894,  to 
Miss  Grace,  daughter  of  Mr.  I.  A.  Forman,  of  Erie, 
by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Miriam.  Mr.  and  Mrs 
Bliss  are  members  of  -St.  Paul's  Episcojial  Church;  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  a  charter  member  of 
the  Kahkwa  Club.  Politically  Mr.  Bliss  has  no  party, 
and  thinks  the  time  has  arrived  foreshadowed  in 
"Washington's  Farewell  Address,"  w-hen  party  lines 
are  a  menace  to  the  country. 

The  Gunnisons  of  Erie  county  trace  their  gen- 
ealogy to  Hugh  Gunnison,  who  came  from  Sweden 
some  time  before  1631,  and  finally  settled  in  Boston, 
Mass.  He  was  born  about  1610,  and  died  at  Kittery, 
Maine,  September  21,  1658.  Among  his  descendants 
was  William  Gunnison,  who  was  the  immediate  pro- 
genitor of  the  Erie  county  Gunnisons.  He  was  twice 
married,  and  was  the  father  of  twenty-two  children. 
Ebenezer  Uearing  Gunnison  was  the  eighth  child  of 
William  by  his  first  wife,  Hannah  Grant,  and  was  born 
in  Kittery,  Maine,  March  27,  1790.  His  education  was 
mainly  obtained  at  the  Salisbury  (N.  H.)  Academy, 
where  he  was  a  fellow-pupil  with  Daniel  Webster, 
Levi  Woodbury  and  John  A.  Dix.  He  was  trained 
for  a  surveyor,  but  taught  school  in  Xew  Ham]ishire 
several  years.  On  the  14th  of  February,  1815.  he  mar- 
ried Miss  .Sophia  Baker,  and  in  October  of  the  same 
year,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  brother,  Benjamin, 
he  came  to  Erie.  He  was  employed  as  a  .school 
teacher  for  ten  years,  a  year  and  a  half  of  the  time  as 
principal  of  the  Erie  academy.  In  1825  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace,  and  held  that  position 
until  1840;  in  the  meantime  he  also  did  business  as  a 
merchant.  The  financial  crisis  of  1837  strijiped  him 
of  most  of  his  earnings.  In  1839  he  was  ajipointed 
register  and  recorder  by  the  Governor;  in  1840  he  was 
clerk  to  the  engineer  on  the  canal;  in  184L  2  was 
bookkeejjer  for  Walker,  Williams  &  Co.;  in  1843  he 
was  chosen  as  confidential  business  agent  for  the 
Reed  estate,  a  place  he  held  during  the  balance  of  his 
long  life.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Erie,  and  was  always  one  of 
its  leaders.  Mr.  Gunnison  died  March  17,  1873;  his 
widow  August  15th  of  the  same  year.  Their  children 
were  as  follows:  Sophia  Elizabeth,  born  July  3,  1816, 
married  Dr.  Charles  T.  Sage,  July  20,  1845;  Dr.  Sage 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


561 


died  November  18,  1874.  They  had  four  children, 
Eugene  J.,  Marv  Jane,  Eben  C.  and  S.  Mimsie. 
Elvira  Jane,  born  July  22,  1818,  died  February  13,  1835; 
Mary  Baker,  born  October  28,  1820,  married  George 
J.  Morton  September  30,  1845;  Mr.  Morton  died 
February  28,  1868;  they  had  three  children,  -Sylvia 
Cook,  Blanche  and  George  Julius.  George  \V.,  born 
.May  8,  1823,  a  prominent  educator,  died  in  Boston 
May  14,  1878  (he  was  twice  married:  first  to  Sarah  L. 
Pattison,  second  to  Harrietta  L.  Boynton,  and  was  the 
father  of  six  childreni.  John  B.,  born  April  16,  1826, 
educated  at  Erie  academy,  learned  the  trade  of  tanner 
and  currier  at  Hays's  tannery  in  Erie,  was  in  the  book 
trade  a  number  of  years;  in  1859,  associated  with  his 
brother,  Charles  E..  built  and  has  since  operated  the 
Gunnison  tannery  in  Erie;  has  served  on  the  school 
board  and  city  councils  and  held  various  other  public 
trusts;  married  Eleanor  Spafford  February  5,  1851 
(they  have  had  four  children,  Charles,  Alfred,  Anna 
and  Rolla;  Charles  married  May  Evelyn  Gunnison 
March  12,  1878;  Alfred  married  Josephine  Springer 
July  12,  1877;  Anna  is  the  wife  of  Chas.  L.  Thayer  and 
resides  in  Minnesota!.  Charles  E.,  born  August  9, 
1829,  educated  at  Erie  academy;  in  his  early  years 
was  engaged  in  a  general  store;  clerk  in  1851  in  the 
banking  house  of  J.  H.  Williams  (afterwards  Williams 
&  Wright);  cashier  of  the  Southern  Bank  of  Indiana 
in  Terre  Haute  in  1853;  partner  in  the  banking  house 
of  C.  B.  Wright  &  Co.  from  1854  to  1859;  assistant 
cashier  Marine  National  Bank  of  Erie  from  1866  to 
1884;  married  Jane  T.  Welsh  September  1,  1852;  they 
had  three  children,  Emma,  Harrv  and  Carrie.  Emma 
married  Dr.  D.  H.  Strickland  October  16,  1878;  have 
two  sons,  Clvde  C.  and  Charles  G.;  Carrie  married 
Frank  T.  Kimball,  September  8,  1881.  Annette  Julia, 
born  December  31,  1832;  married  Gen.  David  B.  Mc- 
Crear\-  September  17,  1851;  they  had  three  children, 
Sophia  Gertrude,  Annette  and  Wirt.  Sophia  Ger- 
trude married  Henrv  Alden  Clark  July  18,  1878; 
Annette  died  October  16,  1854;  Wirt  was  in  1884  a 
naval  cadet  at  .Annapolis,  now  of  the  firm  of  Thomp- 
son &  Co.,  dealers  in  guns  and  sporting  supplies. 
Benjamin  Gunnison,  brother  to  Ebenezer,  was  born  in 
Kittery,  Maine,  May  24,  1796,  and  came  to  Erie  at  the 
same  time.  He  first-settled  on  one  of  the  Love  farms 
in  Mill  Creek  township,  but  in  two  years  removed  to 
Greene  township,  where  he  continued  on  the  same 
farm  for  thirty-five  years;  he  then  moved  to  Erie,  but 
in  six  years  went  to  Mill  Creek;  remaining  there  twelve 
years,  he  again  returned  to  Erie,  where  he  died 
August  18,  1879.  He  was  married  July  1, 1819,  to  Miss 
Clarinda.  daughter  of  Jonas  Parker;  their  children 
were  three  sons,  as  follows:  Ora  Parker,  born  .April 
27,  1822,  married  Elmira,  daughter  of  Cyril  Drown,  of 
Greene  township,  April  30,  1848;  they  have  had  no 
children.  .Mr.  Gunnison  has  been  a  farmer,  assistant 
assessor  of  internal  revenue,  deputy  collector  and 
collector  of  internal  revenue  and  clerk  to  the  county 
commissioners.  Jonas,  second  son  of  Benjamin,  born 
December  25,  1824,  married  Charlotte  A.  Spafford 
May  9,  1847,  died  July  21,  1871;  their  children  were 
Frank,  Nerr,  Clara,  .Marv  and  Marion;  Nerr  died 
November  20,  1851,  and  'Mary  February  24,  1863. 
Jonas  Gunnison  was  educated  at  the  Erie  academy; 
studied  law  with  John  Galbraith,  and  was  very  suc- 
cessful in  his  practice;  for  a  number  of  years  was 
associated  with  Gen.  D.  B.  McCreary;  ser\'ed  in  the 
Select  Council  of  Erie;  was  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 


ture in  1860;  for  many  years  was  trustee  of  the  Erie 
academy;  frequently  represented  Erie  county  in 
Republican  State  conventions,  and  was  on  the  Repub- 
lican State  committee.  Frank,  son  of  Jonas,  was  fjorn 
in  Erie  February  2,  1848;  married  Lila,  daughter  of 
Hon.  M.  B.  Lowry,  September  5,  1872,  by  whom  he 
had  two  children,  M.  B.  and  infant  son;  studied  law 
with  his  father;  admitted  to  practice  in  1870;  was 
associated  for  a  time  w'ith  Gen.  McCreary;  was  a 
member  of  the  Select  Council  of  Erie  and  trustee  of 
the  Erie  academy,  and  is  now  President  Judge  of  the 
Sixth  judicial  district  of  Pennsylvania.  Albert  B., 
third  son  of  Benjamin  Gunnison,  was  born  September 
1,  1830,  married  Olive  A.  Low,  May  19,  18.53;  their 
children  have  been  May,  Evelyn,  .Albert,  Merrick 
Low,  Ora  C,  Paul,  Olive  Albertine,  Marv  Edith  and 
Jennie  Clarinda;  Albert  died  March  21,  ifeO,  and  Paul 
January  27,  1863;  Mary  Evelyn  married  Charles,  son 
of  J.  B.  Gunnison,  March  12,  1878;  have  two  children, 
Arthur  and  Carl.  Merrick  Low  married  Blanche 
Fairbairn  in  April,  1879;  have  one  child,  Florence. 
Ora  C.  married  Mary  Loyer  in  1883.  Mr.  Gunnison 
started  in  life  as  a  farmer,  then  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  wooden  pumps  and  pipes,  in  which  he 
was  engaged  up  to  1884;  he  was  also  engaged  in 
lumber  dealing  with  W.  W.  Love;  he  has  been  road 
commissioner,  county  commissioner,  and  prominent  in 
public  life  generally. 

Charles   E.  Gunnison,   cashier  of  the   Marine 

National  Bank,  Erie,  Pa.,  w  as  born  August  9,  1829,  at 
Erie.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  E.  D.  Gunnison,  whose 
historj-  and  genealogy  are  contained  in  this  volume, 
under  the  caption,  "  The  Gunnison  Family."  Charles 
E.  Gunnison  completed  his  education  at  the  Erie 
academy,  and,  at  the  age  of  14,  found  employment  as 
clerk  in  the  general  store  known  as  the  "  Canadian 
Store,"  located  in  the  original  Reed  House  Block,  on 
North  Park  Row.  From  1847  to  the  spring  of  1851  he 
was  engaged  in  a  clerical  capacity  In  the  Reed  store, 
owned  by  the  late  General  Charles  M.  Reed.  His 
banking  career  commenced  .April  1,  1851,  when  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  with  J.  H.  Williams,  banker,  Erie. 
In  1853  he  went  to  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  to  assume  the 
cashiership  of  the  Southern  Bank  of  Indiana,  where 
he  remained  for  nearly  a  year,  returning  thence  to 
Erie  to  become  a  member  of  the  banking  firm  of  C. 
B.  Wright  &  Co.,  the  members  of  which  were  Charles 

B.  Wright,  Frank  P.  Bailey  and  Charles  E.  Gunnison. 
This  firm  was  dissolved  in'l858.  In  18.59,  Mr.  Charles 
E.  Gunnison  associated  with  his  brother,  John  B.  Gun- 
nison, established  the  tannery  business  which  has  ever 
since  been,  and  is  still,  conducted  under  the  name  of 

C.  E.  Gunnison  &  Co.,  and  is  one  of  the  most  import- 
ant and  successful  industries  of  Erie.  Mr.  Charles  E. 
Gunnison  re-entered  the  banking  business  in  the  spring 
of  1866  as  assistant  cashier  of"  the  Marine  National 
Bank,  of  Erie,  with  which  he  has  ever  since  been  con- 
nected, and  of  which  he  became  cashier  in  January, 
1889.  .Aside  from  his  active  identification  with  the 
business  interest  of  his  native  city  as  banker  and 
manufacturer,  Mr.  Gunnison  has  contributed,  in  asso- 
ciation with  his  brother,  in  a  very  material  way  to  its 
growth  by  the  erection  of  the  several  large  structures 
connected  with  the  tannery  plant  on  West  Eighteenth 
street,  and  nineteen  dwelling  houses,  all  of  which  they 
still  own.  Mr.  Charles  E.  Gunnison  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Erie  Board  of  Trade  for  many  years,  and 


562 


NELSON- 8  BIOGRAPUICAL  DICTIONARY 


acted  as  vice-president  of  that  body  for  one  year.  He 
was  marrifd  Septfiiihcr  1,  18.V2,  to  Jane  T.  Welsh,  a 
native  of  the  Isle  of  Man.  Thi-ir  children  are;  Emma, 
wife  of  Dr.  David  H.  .Strickland,  of  Erie;  Harry, 
assistant  cashier  of  the  Marine  National  I5ank,  who 
married  Lucy,  daughter  of  the  late  R.  .S.  Morrison,  of 
Erie,  and  Carrie,  widow  of  the  late  Erank  T.  Kimliall, 
former  chief  clerk  of  Superintendent  |.  M.  Kimball, 
of  the  Erie  and  Pitt.sburt,'  R.  R.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  E. 
Gunnison  reside  at  151  West  Seventh  street,  and  are 
members  of  the  Park  Presbyterian  Church. 

Albert  BeujainlH  Gunnison  (deceased),  one  of 
Erie's  wi'll-known  and  successful  manufacturers,  was 
born  in  Heaver  Dam  (now  Greene  township),  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  September  1,  IMO,  a  son  of  I5enjamin  and 
Ciarinda  (Parker)  Gunnison.  .She  was  a  daughter  of 
Jonas  Parker  of  Mill  Creek  township.  Benjamin  (jun- 
nison  was  born  in  Kittery,  Me.,  May  24,  17%,  and 
came  to  Erie  county  in  Wlh,  locating  in  Mill  Creek 
township  on  a  farm,  where  he  lived  two  years;  he  then 
purchased  a  property  in  Greene  township,  where  he 
followed  farming  for  thirty-live  years,  when  he  moved 
to  Erie,  still  operating  his  farm  in  Greene  township  six 
years  longer;  he  tlien  sold  it  to  his  sons  and  [lurchased 
a  fine  property  in  East  Mill  Creek,  where  he  resided 
and  continued  farming  for  twelve  years,  then  selling 
his  land  and  moving  to  Erie,  where  he  died  August 
18,  1878.  He  was  a  son  of  William  and  Hannah 
(Grant)  Gunnison,  to  whom  were  born  fourteen  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Benj.amin  was  tenth  in  order  of  birth. 
William  ("lUnnison  was  twice  married,  and  took  for  his 
second  wife  VMy  Tandy,  and  to  them  were  born  eight 
children.  He  was  a  farmer  bv  occu]iation,  was  horn 
at  Kittery,  Me.,  March  1,  WA,  and  died  at  Eishers- 
field.  Me.,  March  9,  1881.  He  was  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  (Crocker)  Ciunnison,  to  whom  were  born  eleven 
children,  William  being  seventh  in  order  of  birth. 
Joseph  Gunnison  was  a  shipwright  by  trade,  was  born 
in  Kittery,  Me.,  October  3,  1713,  where  he  died  De- 
cember h,  17f)n.  He  was  a  son  of  Elihu  and  Mary 
(Rollins)  Gunni.son,  to  whom  were  born  six  children, 
of  whom  Joseph  was  fourth.  Elihu  was  twice  married, 
his  second  wife  being  Mrs.  Marjorie  Whittemore,  by 
whom  he  had  no  children.  He  was  a  shipwright  by 
trade,  was  born  in  Kittery,  Me.,  about  1675,  and  died 
at  said  ])lace  about  1754.  He  was  a  son  of  Elihu  and 
Martha  (Trickee)  Gunnison,  to  whom  were  born  four 
children,  Elihu  being  the  eldest.  Elihu,  sr.,  was  twice 
married,  and  by  his  second  wife  had  two  children. 
Elihu,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Roston,  Mass.,  February  12, 
1(5.5(J,  was  a  shi|iwright  by  trade,  and  died  in  Kittery, 
Me.,  the  latter  pain  of  March,  1729.  He  was  a  son  of 
Hugh  Gunnison,  who  was  born  in  Sweden  about  1610, 
and  came  to  America  about  1630.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, his  first  wife  liore  him  four  children.  His  second 
wife  was  Mrs.  Sarah  Lynn,  who  bore  him  two  children, 
of  whom  Elihu,  sr.,  was  the  youngest.  Hugh  departed 
this  life  about  1658  at  Kittery,  Me.  Albert  Benjamin 
Gunnison  received  his  education  in  the  log  school- 
house  of  his  native  township,  and  when  17  years  of  age 
shipped  as  cabin  boy  on  a  large  passenger  steamer  on 
Lake  Erie;  he  was  soon  promoted  to  wheelman,  and 
was  so  employed  for  about  four  years.  He  then  came 
back  home  and  took  the  contract  to  build  a  section  of 
the  Erie  and  Wattsburg  plank  road,  after  completing 
which  he  followed  farming  for  two  years  on  the  home- 
stead farm.     He  then   purchased  a  mill  property  in 


Mill  Creek  township,  comprised  of  sawmill  and  woolen 
mill,  and  a  year  later  sold  the  sawmill  and  rebuilt  the 
woolen  mill  into  a  i)ump  factory,  where  he  resided  and 
conducted  business  till  1872.  He  then  n)oved  to  I-Jie, 
continuing  the  ]iun)p  works  for  several  years,  finally 
building  a  plant  at  233  Ea.st 'I'wenty-second  street,  and 
moving  the  machinery  to  Erie,  whei'e  hecontinut-d  the 
business  for  .several  years,  and  later  added  a  complete 
set  of  planing  mill  machinery,  and  was  about  to  branch 
out  in  building  and  contract  work  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  February  5,  1886.  Mr.  Gunni- 
son was  a  man  of  .sterling  integrity,  a  high  sense  of 
honor,  sujireme  loyalty  to  his  friends,  generous  kind- 
ness to  the  needy,  and  marked  devotion  to  his  family. 
I'"ew  men  ])ossessed  a  ri])er  and  sovtnder  judgment  in 
private  anil  [lublic  business.  During  his  residence  in 
Mill  Creek  townshiji  he  was  long  entrusti'd  with  the 
township's  most  important  official  duties.  After  com- 
ing to  Erie  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Select  Coim- 
cil.  He  was  trustee  of  the  Erie  academy  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  was  county  commissioner  for  six  years. 
In  all  these  he  exhibited  the  same  care  and  prudence 
and  constant  watchfulness  for  the  people's  interest 
that  characterized  him  in  the  management  of  his  own 
affairs.  L'nassuming  in  his  manner,  and  faithful  to 
every  trust,  he  had  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all 
who  knew  him.  Mr.  Gunnison  was  married  May  19, 
1853,  to  Miss  Olive  M.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Olive 
Low.  She  was  born  in  Lowville,  Venango  townshi|), 
Erie  county,  October  27,  1831.  The  union  was  ble.ssed 
with  eight  children:  May  E.,  wife  of  Charles  Gunni- 
son, of  Erie;  Alhei't  (deceased),  Merrick  L.  (see  sketch), 
Ora  C.  (see  sketch),  Paul  (deceased),  Olive  A.,  ;it 
home;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  Park  Densmore,  of  Erie,  .ind 
Jessie  C,  at  home.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
L'niversalist  Church,  of  which  Mr.  (iunnison  was  a 
trustee  and  liberal  supporter.  He  left  a  fine  estate, 
actjuired  by  careful  management  and  energetic  busi- 
ness habits.  The  family  residence  is  at  259  East 
Twenty-second  street. 

Merrick  l.ow  Gunnison,  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Ciunnison  Bros.,  planing  mill,  contractors  and 
builders,  and  dealei'S  in  lumber,  233  East  Twenty-sec- 
ond street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Mill  Creek  township, 
January  14,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Albert  B.  and  Olive 
M.  (Low)  Gunnison.  Merrick  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town.ship,  and 
when  14  yeai's  of  age  his  parents  moved  to  Erie  and 
he  completed  his  education  at  the  I'!rie  Academy.  He 
then  entered  the  office  of  Judge  Gunnison  forthe  study 
of  law,  I'emaining  two  years,  when  he  entered  with  his 
father  in  the  jiresent  business,  continuing  till  February, 
1885,  when  the  father  died  and  the  business  went  into 
the  hands  of  Merrick  and  O.  C,  his  sons,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Gunnison  Bros.,  since  which  it  has  been 
enlarged  and  successfully  conducted.  Mr.  Gunnison 
marrietl,  April  29,  1879,  Miss  Blanche,  daughter  of 
John  Fairbairn,  of  Erie,  and  to  them  has  been  born  one 
child,  Florence  Edith,  born  March  25,  188.3.  Mrs.  Gun- 
nison is  a  niember  of  the  Park  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Perry  Lodge,  No.  392,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  The  family 
reside  at  No.  125  West  Twentieth  street. 

Ora  C.  Gunnison,  of  Gunnison  Bios.,  manufac- 
turers and  dealers  in  lumber,  was  born  in  Mill  Creek 
township,  Erie  county,  August  26,  1860,  and  is  a  son  of 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUJSITy. 


563 


Albert  B.  (whose  sketch  appears  in  this  work).  Mr. 
Ora  C.  Gunnison  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Erie,  and  then  engaged  in  business  witli  his  father, 
who  continued  to  manufacture  ]>unips  until  188.'i,  and 
then  changed  to  the  |)laning-mill  and  lumber  business, 
which  he  has  since  continued.  Mr.  Gunnison  was  mar- 
ried September  20,  1883,  to  Miss  May  Loyer,  daughter 
of  Mr.  George  Loyer,  of  Erie.  They  have  one  child, 
Olive.  Mr.  and  Airs.  Gunnison  are  members  of  the 
Universalist  Church;  he  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  school  board  in  1894. 

William  Saltsitian  (deceased),  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  1777,  came  to  Erie  county  in  1796  with 
.Squire  Rees,  and  assisted  in  surveying  the  county. 
His  father,  .'Vnthony  Saltsman,  was  killed  by  the  In- 
dians on  the  Susquehanna.  He,  with  other  men,  was 
on  the  ice  on  the  river  when  they  discovered  they  were 
jnirsued  by  the  Indians.  The  others  wore  moccasins, 
and  therebv  escaped,  but  Mr.  Saltsman  had  on  a  new 
pair  of  boots  which  prevented  him  from  getting  away, 
and  so  he  met  his  death.  William  was  married  in 
1800  to  Jane  Stephenson.  They  had  ten  children,  only 
one  living,  Jane,  the  youngest  daughter,  a  widow.  She 
married  Andrew  .Scott,  whose  sketch  appears  in  this 
volume.  Mr.  Saltsman  received  his  education  in  the 
subscription  schools  of  Centre  county.  He  perma- 
nently settled  in  Erie  county  in  1800,  near  Wesleyville, 
where  he  built  a  sawmill  and  afterwards  a  gristmill, 
which  is  still  standing.  Of  the  deceased  children  were 
Mrs.  John  Brawley,  Mrs.  Samuel  Brown  (mother  of 
William  S.  Brown),  Mrs.  Alexander  McClelland,  An- 
thony, William,  Jesse,  George,  Mrs.  Horace  L.  Pin- 
ney.  Mr.  Saltsman  was  successful  in  ,his  pursuits. 
In  his  politics  a  Democrat.  He  died  in  Mill  Creek 
township  in  1829. 

John  R.  Saltsman,  son  of  Anthony,  was  promi- 
nent in  business  circles,  and  connected  with  the  W.  L. 
Scott  &  Co.  business.  He  died  December  11,  1894, 
leaving  two  sons.  The  elder,  Harry,  died  February 
28,  1895. 

R.  J.  Saltsman  was  born  in  Erie  county,  April 
24,  1842,  son  of  Jesse  Saltsman  (deceased),  who  was 
born  in  Erie  county,  January  6,  1814,  son  of  William 
Saltsman.  Jesse  was  a  farmer  and  miller  for  many 
years  in  Erie  county,  where  he  died  in  187(3,  on  his 
farm.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Polly  A. 
Shadduck,  is  still  living.  They  had  two  children, 
R.  J.  and  Rose  J.  R.  J.  was  educated  in  the  Erie 
Academy,  and  also  in  .\llegheny  College.  He  was 
connected  with  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  from  1862  to 
1865.  He  then  engaged  in  the  coal  trade,  which  he 
has  since  continued  with  success.  He  was  married 
in  Erie  city,  A[)ril  2.5,  1865,  to  Anna  A.,  daughter  of 
Thomas  M.  Austin,  whose  great-grandfather,  also  his 
father,  were  officers  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Andrew  Scott  (deceased)  was  born  in  Harbor 
Creek,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  May  27,  1811,  and  became  a 
permanent  resident  of  Erie  when  14  years  of  age.  As 
a  business  man  he  prospered,  and  as  a  citizen  he  was 
always  ]>ublic-S])irited,  aiding  with  liberal  hand  and 
hearty  effort  all  [jrojects  calculated  to  enhance  i)ublic 
welfare.  His  private  benevolence  was  as  unostenta- 
tious as  widespread;  the  poor  and  suffering  appealed 


to  no  one  oftener,  and  never  in  vain;  his  genial  nature 
and  original  humor  were  proverbial.  Mr.  .Scott  was 
high  sheriff  of  Erie  county  from  18138  to  1841,  and 
po.stmaster  from  1841  to  1845;  afterward,  and  until  his 
death,  he  was  actively  engaged  in  commercial  busine.ss 
at  the  harbor.  He  died,  September  25,  1868,  leaving 
his  widow,  Jane  (a  daughter  of  William  .Saltsman), 
two  sons,  Walter  and  John  R.,  and  three  daughters, 
Isabel  (widow  of  Mr.  Reitzel,  who  has  two  sons,  Wal- 
ter and  Charles,  F.),  Mary  and  Hattie.  His  remains 
lie  in  the  Erie  cemetery.  His  funeral  was  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  impressive  ever  witnessed  in  Erie, 
and  at  his  grave  the  whole  connnunity  were  sincere 
mourners.  In  politics  Mr.  Scott  was  an  old-time 
Whig  until  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party, 
when  he  united  with  it.  His  father,  Robert  Scott, 
born  in  Ireland,  came  to  this  country  when  21  years  of 
age,  locating  in  Lancaster,  Pa.  He  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  farmers  of  Erie  county,  having  settled  in 
Harbor  Creek  tf)wnship  in  1801.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Isabella  Allen,  of  Lancaster.  They  had  .seven 
children:  James,  John,  Martha,  Elizabeth,  Andrew, 
Thomas  and  Harriet.  Robert  Scott  departed  this  life 
May  6,  1841,  his  wife  surviving  till  December  20,  1845. 

Walter  Scott,  former  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Erie  Gas  Company,  mayor  of  the  city  of  Erie,  and 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Walter  Scott  &  Co.,  insur- 
ance agents,  office  No.  26  North  Park  Row,  Erie,  Pa., 
born  in  Erie,  July  21,  1846,  is  a  son  of  .A.ndrew  and 
Jane  (Saltsman)  Scott,  natives  of  Erie  county.  He 
attended  the  graded  schools  and  academy  in  Erie.  He 
first  engaged  in  the  coal  business  with  his  father,  in 
which  business  he  remained  until  1864,  and  then  em- 
barked in  the  wholesale  grocery  trade.  This  he  car- 
ried on  four  years.  After  his  father's  death  he  took 
charge  of  the  deceased's  business,  until  1873,  when  he 
abandoned  it,  and  entered  the  insurance  business  with 
Mr.  Arbuckle,  under  the  firm  name  of  Scott  &  Ar- 
buckle,  and  on  the  death  of  his  partner  Mr.  .Scott  con- 
tinued the  business,  taking  as  a  partner  Mr.  Frank  V. 
Kepler.  The  style  of  the  new  firm  is  Walter  Scott  & 
Co.  This  agency  is  the  oldest  and  one  of  the  largest 
in  Northwestern  Pennsylvania.  It  represents  fifteen 
very  strong  companies,  some  of  them  the  strongest  in 
the  world,  embracing  fire,  marine  and  accident.  .Mr. 
Scott  was  elected  cashier  of  the  Erie  Gas  Works  in 
1879,  and  secretary  and  treasurer  in  1883.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  in  1880  to  Alice,  daughter  of  Dr. 
E.  P.  Hall,  an  old  and  respected  citizen  of  Erie,  and 
a  druggist  of  long  standing.  This  union  was  blessed 
with  two  children,  Winfield  Hall  and  Carl  Andrew. 
Mr.  Scott  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  city  of  Erie. 
Twice  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  Select  Council, 
and  was  also  chairman  of  the  Common  Council,  of 
which  bodies  he  was  a  member  for  seven  years.  In 
February,  1893,  he  was  elected  mavor  of  the  city  of 
Erie  by  a  Republican  majority  of  2(56,  and  when  It  is 
stated  that  his  predecessor  was  elected  by  a  Demo- 
cratic majority  of  1,400,  his  standing  in  public  estima- 
tion may  be  better  understood.  His  incumbency  has 
been  a  rnarked  period  of  progress  in  municipal  growth, 
and  improvement  in  executive  and  administrative  con- 
duct. During  his  term  as  mayor  the  city's  interest  ac- 
covmt  was  reduced  from  S80,000  to  S40,000  annually, 
and  marked  improvement  was  efifected  in  the  fire  and 
police  departments.     Mr.  Scott  is  one  of  the  trustees 


564 


NELSON'S  BIOQRAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


of  the  Erie  academy,  and  in  many  ways  has  made  his 
influence  felt  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  general  ad- 
vancement of  the  city.  He  stands  higli  in  fraternal 
circles.  He  is  a  member  of  the  1-llks.  In  the  Masonic 
order  he  belongs  to  Perry  lodge,  Temple  Chapter,  Mt. 
Olivet  Commandery,  Jerusalem  Council  and  Zem  Zem 
Shrine.  A  noteworthy  incident  of  Mr.  Scott's  public 
life  is,  that  while  he  was  a  member  of  the  Select 
Council  the  first  steps  were  taken  toward  the  erection 
of  the  present  fine  city  hall,  and  he  labored  hard  for 
the  inauguration  of  the  (iroject  -was  in  fact  one  of  the 
most  active  spirits  in  the  work.  \ru\  as  mayor  he 
finally  presided  at  its  dedication,  several  years  after 
the  inauguration  of  the  work,  in  which,  as  a  member 
of  the  council  committee,  he  took  so  jirominent  a  [lart. 

The  Seidell  Family.  There  are  in  all  communi- 
ties families  whose  ])eculiar  characteristics,  modes  of 
thought  and  habits  of  life,  become  so  identified  with 
their  name,  as  to  be  always  looked  for  and  relied  upon, 
as  forming  their  inir]ioses,  moulding  their  aspirations 
and  determining  their  actions.  Sometimes,  through 
successive  generations,  these  characteristics  or  idio- 
syncrasies become  fixed  and  clear;  standing  out  with 
the  brightness  of  the  north  star  as  it  guides  the 
tempest-tossed  mariner;  or,  like  the  course  of  the  pelu- 
cid  mountain  stream,  can  be  traced  through  succes- 
sive lives.  It  is  thus,  that  the  biography  of  such  a 
family  becomes  interesting,  for  it  instructs  and  de- 
lights the  young,  refreshes  and  brightens  the  memory 
of  the  old,  and  causes  the  rec(jrd  of  the  lives  oi  the 
dead  to  be  doubly  precious  to  the  living.  The  life  of 
Judah  Colt,  almcst  the  first  settler  of  Erie  county,  is 
elsewhere  told.  That  of  his  nephew,  George  Selden, 
and  his  family,  form  a  fitting  continuation  of  the  life 
of  one  whose  influence  for  good  ujion  the  community 
has  been  so  lasting. 

George  Seldeti,  son  of  Samuel  and  Deborah  (Ely), 
was  born  in  Hadlyme,  New  London  county.  Conn., 
September  28,  1790.  He  belonged  to  that  branch  of 
the  Selden  family  which  came  from  England  to  Had- 
lyme about  16.50,  where  some  of  the  descendants  still 
reside.  His  grandfather,  Samuel  Selden,  organized 
the  first  coinpany  and  was  elected  colonel  of  the  first 
regiment  equipped  by  his  native  county  for  General 
Washington's  Continental  army.  He  was  wounded  in 
the  .service,  and  died  while  a  prisoner  in  New  York, 
shortly  before  the  evacuation  of  that  city.  George 
Selden,  when  about  15  years  of  age,  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  his  uncles,  Charles  and  Joseph  D.  Selden, 
merchants  in  Troy,  N.  Y.  About  1819  he  came  to 
Erie,  where  his  uncle,  Judah  Colt,  was  successfully  lo- 
cated, bringing  his  fanu'ly  of  a  wife  and  two  sons.  He 
conunenced  a  general  merchandise businesson  French 
street,  near  .Sixth,  which  was  continued  by  himself  or 
sons,  on  that  .street  until  his  death.  May  22,  1857.  He 
was  married  October  14,  181;-!,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Grace 
Card,  daughter  of  |ose]ih  and  Hannah  Card,  of  Troy, 
_N.  Y.  Mrs.  Seidell  died  in  Erie,  September  26,  1827. 
Their  children  were  Charles  Town.send,  Jo.seph,  Sam- 
uel, Martha.  Elizabeth  (who  married  Mr.  Samuel  M. 
Fellowes,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  both  <leceased);  John  C.  and 
George.  He  was  remarried  June  12,  1888,  to  Miss 
Emily  Marvin,  who  <lied  in  May,  1856.  One  of  Mr. 
.Selden's  chief  characteristics  was  his  activity  in  church 
work  and  benevolent  enterprises,  to  which  he  gave 
hearty  and  substantial  support.     He  early  united  with 


the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Erie,  of  which  his 
uncle,  Judah  Colt,  was  an  elder  and  main  sup])orter. 
.After  the  death  of  Mr.  Colt,  in  1882,  Mr.  Selden  was, 
on  December  29,  1882,  elected  an  elder  and  so  con- 
tinued until  his  death  in  May,  1857.  As  described  by 
one  who  knew  him  well,  "George  Selden  was  tall, 
slender,  dignified,  and  always  commanded  the  res]>ect 
of  the  community.  He  was  mild  and  reticent  in  liis 
manners,  and  while  an  active  business  man,  had 
always  time  to  attend  to  the  business  of  the  Church, 
and  was  found  in  his  [)lace  at  the  |irayer  meetings  an(l 
other  public  services.  Mr.  Selden  impressed  one  as 
being  a  very, good  man,  with  a  wealth  of  serling 
qualities  covered  up  beneath  his  modesty  and  retiring 
disposition.  He  was  a  valuable  counselor.  His  judg- 
ment could  always  be  relied  on,  not  only  in  the  inter- 
est of  the  Church,  but  in  that  of  his  friends."  .Another 
describes  him:  "A  man  of  like  S]>irit  to  that  of  his 
relative,  Judah  Colt,  active  in  every  good  word  and 
work.  A  ])ioneer  in  establishing  .Sunclay-school  work 
in  this  city,  although  the  first  im|)ulse  came  from  the 
Christian  heart  of  Mrs.  E.  .M.  Colt,  long  the  superin- 
tendent of  our  Sunday-school,  the  leader  likewise  for 
some  time  of  our  church  choir.  His  memory  is  fra- 
grant in  the  church  of  his  choice.  None  name  him 
but  to  praise  him."  His  children:  Charles  Townsend, 
son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  .Selden,  was  born  .August 
16,  1815,  and  died  .April,  1825;  Joseph  Selden,  the  sec- 
ond son,  was  born  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  August  16,  1817.  In 
1840,  he  engaged  in  business  with  his  father  until  his 
death  in  Erie,  January  18,  1852.  He  was  married 
April  27,  1841,  to  Miss  Joanna  Lanman,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Thomas  H.  Sill.  They  had  four  children,  three 
of  whom  are  living;  George  Dudley,  vice  president  of 
the  Erie  City  Iron  Works,  and  for  several  years  the 
president  of  the  Young  i\Ien's  Christian  .Association; 
Joanna  and  Emma  Josephine;  Elizabeth  Grace,  a  young 
lady  of  charming  manners  and  rare  excellence,  who 
died  March  2,  1864.  Samuel  Selden,  who  at  the  time 
of  his  death  was  managing  partner  of  the  Selden  & 
Griswold  Manufacturing  Company,  was  born  in  Erie, 
Pa.,  July  9,  1821.  When  a  young  man  he  lived  for 
several  years  on  the  Island  of  Cuba,  where  he  had 
charge  of  a  plantation  for  Dudley  Selden,  of  New 
York,  after  which  he  returned  to  Erie  and  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  paper,  and  afterwards  in  fruit  cul- 
ture at  .\Iayside,  Erie  county.  In  18()8  he  removed  to 
Erie,  and  having  perfected  some  valuable  inventions, 
he  united  his  interests  with  his  brothers  and  .Mr.  Mat- 
thew Griswold,  and  established  the  manufacturing 
business,  which  he  followed  until  his  death,  June  25, 
1882.  The  company  still  exists,  under  the  name  of  the 
"Griswold  Manufacturing  Company."  Mr.  Selden 
was  married  in  Erie,  August  12,  1851,  to  Miss 
Caroline  M.,  daughter  of  Dr.  C.  F.  Perkins,  of  Erie. 
They  have  five  children:  .Mary  L.;  Caroline  E., 
now  Mrs.  F.  B.  Brewer;  Edward  P.,  treasurer  of 
the  Erie  City  Iron  Works;  Dr.  Charles  C,  who  mar- 
ried Gertrude  Twing;  and  .Samuel  F.,  of  the  .Selden 
Brick  Co.,  who  married  Miss  Sarah  Carroll.  Mr.  Sel- 
den was  from  January,  1866,  until  his  death,  an  elder 
and  prominent  member  and  sup|)orter  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church.  Of  his  children,  Edward  P., 
has  for  some  years  been  an  elder  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  of  which  since  1878  he  has  been  a 
member.  He  fills  a  place  as  elder,  before  occupied 
by  his  grandfather  and  father,  each  of  whom  served 
long  and  faithfully. 


c 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


565 


Dr.  Charles  C.  has  been  for  some  years  fitting 
for  the  mission  work  in  China.  In  this  he  will  be 
joined  by  his  wife,  Gertnide,  daughter  of  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  E.  i'.  Twinp,  who  have  been  in  the 'mission  in 
China,  as  has  their  daughter,  whose  education  and  ac- 
([uirements  have  qualified  her  for  the  same  field  of  life 
m  which  she  commenced  before  her  marriage. 

Samuel  F.  was  for  .several  years  superintendent  of 
the  church  Sabbath  school,  and  is  now  connected  with 
the  mission  school  in  the  same  capacity. 

Martha  Elizabeth,  the  only  daughter  of  George 
and  Elizabeth  Selden,  was  Ixirn  in  1823.  .She  was  of 
uncommon  beauty,  of  charming  manners  and  queenly 
grace.  She  was  married  in  -September,  1841,  to  Samuel 
M.  Fellowes,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  whither  she  removed. 
They  had  one  .son,  James,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
Fellowes  became  the  victim  of  a  jjulmonary  complaint, 
and  she  passed  away  in  all  her  youth  and  loveliness  at 
the  home  of  her  father  in  Erie  at  the  age  of  21  years. 
As  memory  reverts  to  her  so  young  and  beautiful,  an 
only  daughter  in  a  loving  household,  a  l)ride,  a  mother 
and  again  childless,  and  stricken  with  death  in  but 
little  more  than  three  years,  it  seems  almost  like  a 
dream,  yet  as  recalled,  a  most  charming  vision. 

John  Card  Selden,  who  for  nearly  twenty  years 
was  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  his  native  city, 
was  born  in  I--rie  November  H,  1825.  In  November, 
1844,  he  went  to  Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  as 
clerk  in  a  store  and  remained  until  1860,  when  he 
joined  his  brother  George,  in  California.  He  returned 
to  Erie  in  1863  and  became  associated  with  his  father 
in  business.  He  afterward  purchased  his  father's  in- 
terest and  changed  the  line  of  business  to  that  of  hard- 
ware and  manufacturing  supplies,  which  he  continued 
until  1872,  when  he  retired.  In  1868  he  assi.sted  in  the 
establishment  of  what  is  now  the  Griswold  Manufac- 
turing Comjiany,  and  until  his  withdrawal  from  active 
business  was  associated  with  his  brother  George  in  the 
Erie  City  Iron  Works.  He  was  a  water  conniiissioner 
of  Erie  city  a  number  of  years.  He  was  always  more 
or  less  identified  anii  deejily  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  Erie's  manufacturing  industries.  He  labored  for 
the  moral  and  religious  advancement  of  the  com- 
munity where  he  was  born.  His  contriliutions  to  this 
end  were  continuous  and  liberal.  His  home  abounded 
in  hos])itality,  and  his  manners  were  gentle  and  pre- 
possessing. His  adherence  to  the  right  was  a  tenacity 
worthy  of  his  Puritan  ancestry.  For  years  he  was 
connected  with  the  Bible  Society.  He  was  married 
February  28,  1855,  to  Miss  Lydia  'M.,  daughter  of  Mr. 
Matthew  Griswold,  of  Lyme,  Ct)nn.  (sister  of  Hon. 
.Matthew  Griswoldi.  They  had  two  children,  Marion 
(deceased),  and  Grace  Card,  wife  of  Mr.  Fred  L. 
Chapin,  of  the  United  States  navy.  Mr.  Selden  was 
long  a  |)rominent  member  and  liberal  su])i>orter  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Erie,  with  which  he 
united  in  1842.  He  dieii  May  12,  1888,  with  the  deep 
respect  of  the  community  and  the  devoted  attachment 
of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  seemed  destitute  of 
faults  and  died  without  an  enemy.  George  Selden  (at 
the  time  of  his  death  president  of  the  Erie  City  Iron 
Works)  was  the  youngest  son  of  Georgeand  I'.lizabeth 
Card  Selden.  His  education  was  obtained  at  the  Erie 
Academy,  but  was  completed  by  private  study,  read- 
ing and  especially  by  his  extensive  travels.     At  the 


early  age  of  17  he  manifested  a  desire  to  see  the  world, 
and  gomg  to  New  York  he  .shipped  on  board  a  mer- 
chant vessel  (Captain  Griswold  connnanding),  bound 
for  the  East  Indies  and  China.  After  four  years  of 
.seafaring  he  returned  to  Erie,  where  he  remained  a 
short  time.  Recognizing  the  wide  i>ossibilities  of  the 
California  gold  fields,  he  went  thither  in  1849,  and  for 
four  years  ])articipated  in  the  well-rememl)ered  excite- 
ment at  that  time.  He  was  fairly  successful.  Re- 
turning to  his  native  city  he  soon  became  associated 
with  Col.  John  H.  Bliss  in  the  manufacture  of  petro- 
leum barrels  and  in  other  lines  of  business.  In  18H6 
they  purchased  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works,  in  which 
business  he  was  engaged  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  made  and  patented  many  improvements  in 
steam  engines,  boilers  and  sawmill  machinery;  and 
the  world  celebrity  and  markets  of  the  works  are 
largely  due  to  his  efforts  and  ability  as  an  inventor 
and  a  business  man  of  tremendous  energy  and  sterl- 
ing integrity.  As  Mr.  John  H.  Bliss,  his  worthy  col- 
league in  the  ujibuilding  of  this  va.st  institution,  re- 
marked of  him  in  conversation:  "  Mr.  .Selden  was  a 
very  uncommon  man.  He  was  the  greatest  man  I 
was  ever  thrown  in  contact  with.  He  would  have  been 
sure  to  make  a  success  of  any  line  of  busine.ss  which 
he  might  choose  to  follow.  He  would  have  made  a 
most  excellent  lawyer;  had  he  followed  .seafaring  he 
would  certainly  have  risen  to  the  command  of  the  best 
ocean  steamers;  he  would  have  made  a  great  soldier; 
he  feared  nothing;  he  would  have  made  a  s[)lendid 
governor  of  a  State,  etc."  Mr.  Selden  died  November 
19,  1893.  He  was  married  March  4,  18.67,  to  Miss 
Anna  M.  (deceased),  daughter  of  .Mr.  Charles  Lawton, 
of  Pottsville,  Pa.  She  died  in  Erie  in  March,  1871. 
Mr.  Selden  was  for  thirty-five  years  a  member  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  one  of  its  most 
earnest  workers  and  generous  supporters.  It  will  fitly 
close  this  sketch  of  a  noted  family  to  give  an  extract 
from  the  discourse  of  his  ])astor.  Rev.  H.  C.  Ross,  at 
the  funeral  of  George  .Selden,  whose  sudden  death 
saddened  the  community  in  which  he  was  so  generally 
loved  and  had  been  .so  great  a  iM'nefactor.  "How  ap- 
propriate the  language  of  scripture,  '  Know  ye  not 
that  there  is  a  prince  and  a  great  men  fallen  this  tiay 
in  Israel? '  Yet  when  one  is  ready  to  depart,  sudden 
'death'  means  sudden  'glory.'  Who  could  wish 
wasting  consumption,  the  long  fevers,  the  slow  and 
sure  but  successive  strokes  of  i^aralysis?  It  is  a 
peculiar  fact  that  it  was  on  Sunday  that  his  father  and 
three  of  his  brothers  passed  'through  the  gates  into 
the  city,'  and  it  is  worthy  of  more  note  that  they  stand 
an  unbroken  family  before  the  throne,  (ieorge  .Selden 
was  a  native  of  Erie,  born  on  East  .Sixth  street  on  the 
26th  of  September,  1827,  the  youngest  and  the  last  of 
the  family  to  survive.  At  17  he  launched  forth  on  a 
three  years'  trip  to  the  Chinese  seas.  Attracted  by 
the  gold  fields  of  California  he  went  out  to  seek  his 
fortune,  and  remained  for  some  years,  not  without  a 
considerable  success.  His  love  of  travel  thus  early 
evinced  never  waned;  he  was  at  home  anywhere,  as  I 
sui)pose  true  travelers  should  be,  and  had  the  de- 
light of  seeing  the  world's  great  countries  and  famous 
cities.  His  late  home  tells  the  story  of  foreign  travel 
and  exhibits  works  of  art  from  the  dreamy  East  and 
lands  of  cla.ssic  .story.  It  was  in  Erie  that  he  and  Col. 
Bliss  built  up  an  extensive  business  under  the  name 
of  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works.  These  works  are  among 
the  largest,  if  not  the  very  largest,  of  the  kind  in  the 


566 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


world,  and  employing  hundreds  of  men;  and  have  car- 
ried tlie  name  of  Erie  far  and  wide.  Their  letters  tco 
through  all  the  earth  and  their  works  to  the  en<l  of  the 
wt)rkl.  His  generosity  was  lavish  and  graceful.  He 
did  not  sountl  a  trumpet  hefore  him;  he  did  not  wait, 
as  so  many  do,  to  e.\erci.se  a  postmortem  liberality, 
liut  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  distributing  with  his  own 
hand.  The  atmosphere  was  fragrant  with  his  good 
deeds.  The  chapel  in  wliirh  we  meet  to-day  s[)eaks 
of  his  loving  liberality.  Many  mourn  his  loss,  but  re- 
member gratefully  that  to  them  his  hel|:iing  hand  was 
as  the  hand  of  Christ.  .Sucli  giving  is  not  strained.  It 
dropeth  as  the  gentle  rain  from  Heaven  upon  the 
place  beneath;  it  is  twice  blessed;  it  blesseth  him  that 
gives  and  him  that  takes.  How  many  good  ciualities 
clustered  and  cry.stalized  in  his  life  and  what  a  dowry 
of  blessing  God  gave  to  him.  He  had  abounding 
health,  almost  unbroken  through  his  sixty-six  years, 
he  had  business  sagacity,  the  wi.sdom  that  plans  and 
the  wisdom  that  executes,  capacity  to  manage  great 
affairs  with  eminent  succe.ss.  He  was  frequently  con- 
sulted on  commercial  matters,  and  men  were  glad  to 
get  the  results  of  his  ex])erience  and  thoughtful  con- 
sideration. He  had  a  (|uiet  self-])ossession,  a  calm 
dignity,  with  an  easy  and  graceful  courtesy.  His  was 
a  massive  strength  as  of  the  granite  hills,  and  a  kindli- 
ness S[)arking  like  a  crystal  rill,  and  as  fragrant  as  the 
bloom  of  flowers.  He  was  a  re]jresentative  man;  and 
men  of  all  classes  and  creeds  admired  and  loved  him 
for  his  sterling  qualities  of  head  and  heart.  Friends, 
you  know  he  was  a  Christian.  In  Christ,  and  in  Christ 
alone,  can  be  found  in  harmonious  .symmetery  at  once 
the  righteous  man  high  in  the  ]iractice  of  all  social  vir- 
tues, stern  in  his  inflexible  adhesion  to  the  utter  right 
and  the  good  man  who  has  won  for  himself  a  revenue 
of  affection,  at  the  mention  of  whose  name  men's  spirit 
glow  as  if  a  sunbeam  glided  in.  That  was  the  secret 
of  George  Selden's  life.  He  was  true  to  Christ.  For 
thirty-flve  years  he  was  a  meml)er  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  while  she  has  l)een  enriched  by  his 
princely  gifts,  she  counts  as  greater  riches  the  Christ- 
like  character  which  was  matured  beneath  her  amjile 
folds.  Men  boast  of  ancestry;  surely  it  is  something 
to  be  descended  from  men  who  for  successive  genera- 
tions have  been  noted  for  their  adherence  to  truth,  to 
right,  to  Christ.  Such  is  the  heritage  of  those  who 
were  nearest  to  him  and  mourn  him  mo.st." 

Judah  Colt  Spencer,  president  First  National 
Bank,  Erie,  was  born  hily  1,  1K18,  in  Hadlyme,  New- 
London  county,  Conn.,  son  of  William  and  Deborah 
(Selden)  Spencer;  he  married  Lavinia  .Stanley  .San- 
ford.  To  this  union  were  born  William,  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Richards  Du  Puy,  of  Philadelphia,  have 
one  daughter,  Maude,  and  one  son,  Judah  Colt; 
Lavinia  D.,  wife  of  Bishop  Spaulding,  now  residing  in 
Colorado;  Frances  L.;  Catherine,  wife  of  Rev.  Robert 
S.  Van  Cleve,  a  Presbyterian  minister  now  residing  in 
Erie.  Mr.  .Spencer  is  the  nejpliew  and  namesake  of 
Judah  Colt,  one  of  the  ])ioneers  of  Erie,  of  whom  men- 
tion is  made  in  other  portions  of  this  volume.  When 
fifteen  years  of  age  (1829),  Mr.  .Spencer,  then  residing 
with  his  parents  in  Connecticut,  received  and  accepted 
an  invitation  to  join  his  uncle,  and  from  this  date  be- 
gins his  citizenship  in  Erie.  He  supjjiemented  the 
schooling  he  had  received  in  Connecticut  by  an  attend- 
ance of  one  year  at  the  Erie  Academy,  when  his  uncle 
deemed  him  fit  to  enter  upon  his  business  career,  so 


he  was  inducted  into  the  office  and  field  work  devolv- 
ing upon  the  agency  of  the  Pennsylvania  Population 
Comjiany.  Upon  the  death  of  ^ir.  Colt  in  1H:!2.  the 
entire  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  company  de- 
volved u|ion  Mr.  Spencer.  Other  pursuits  engaged 
him  for  a  while.  In  1852  he  began  banking  (from 
about  this  date,  until  its  con.solidation  with  the  lUiffalo 
and  State  Line  R.  R.,  he  filled  the  office  of  .secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Erie  and  Nortli  East  li.  R). 
He  was  among  the  fir.st  to  apply  for  privileges  under 
the  law  authorizing  national  banks,  and  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Erie,  over  which  he  ]iresi(le(l  since  its 
foundation  imtil  his  death,  was  the  twelfth  bank  incor- 
])orated  under  the  new  legislation.  Mr.  Spencer  was 
an  original  stockholder  in  many  other  of  Erie's  re]m- 
table  enterprises.  For  twenty  consecutive  years  he  had 
served  as  president  of  the  Erie  Cemetery  Company, 
and  for  years  he  was  treasurer  of  the  Agricultural 
Association  of  the  county.  Mr.  Spencer  early  took  the 
stand  of  a  Christian,  and  for  more  than  two  decades 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Park 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  one  of  the  building  com- 
mittee of  that  edifice  when  in  course  of  construction. 
His  son  inherits  the  leading  characteristics  of  his 
father,  and  acceptably  fills  the  position  of  president,  so 
long  occupied  IJy  his  father,  but  vacated  by  his  death 
in  1885.     Mrs.  Spencer  died  September  30,  1886. 

Prescott  Metcalf,  decea.sed,  was  iirominent 
among  the  self-made  men  of  Erie,  who  took  an  active 
part  in  the  development  of  the  city.  No  one  individ- 
ual is  more  indelibly  stamped  upon  the  community. 
He  was  a  son  of  the  late  Joseph  Metcalf,  who  was 
born  in  Putney,  Windham  county,  Vt.,  January  25, 
1813,  the  evening  of  whose  life  was  spent  in  Erie. 
Prescott  Metcalf  was  one  of  a  family  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, and  at  the  age  of  8  years  he  commenced  to  pro- 
vide for  himself,  being  employed  by  an  uncle,  with 
whom  he  remained  for  a  number  of  years.  During 
this  jieriod  he  attended  for  three  months  in  the  year, 
through  three  years,  the  common  schools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. Attheageof  22hecame  to  Erieand engaged 
with  his  brother-in-law,  Ira  W.  Hart,  as  manager  of  a 
livery  stable  on  Fifth  street,  where  he  remained  five 
years.  While  thus  employed  he  attracted  the  favora- 
ble notice  of  Rufus  S.  Reed,  the  leading  businessman 
and  capitalist  of  Erie— whose  intuitive  judgment  of 
the  character  and  capacity  of  men  was  seldom  at 
fault.  Mr.  Reed  engaged  him  to  take  charge  of  a 
branch  of  his  immense  business.  Soon  afterward  the 
position  of  steamboat  agent  at  Erie  became  vacant, 
which,  by  the  request  of  his  employer,  was  added  to 
Mr.  Metcalf's  other  duties.  Having  for  some  years 
performed  these  double  duties,  he  was  then  entrusted 
with  the  general  management  of  their  entire  shijiping 
and  vessel  interests  at  Erie.  These  trusts  were  dis- 
charged with  fidelity,  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  em- 
[iloyer.  This  was  so  manifest,  and  his  services  so  in- 
dispensible  to  his  employer,  that  when  another  situa- 
tion, with  an  increase  of  salary,  was  offered  to  Mr. 
Metcalf,  Gen.  Reed  candidly  admitted  that  it  was  out 
of  the  question  to  dispense  with  his  services;  that  he 
might  make  his  salary  whatever  he  chose.  He  re- 
mained in  Gen.  Reed's  employ  from  1840  to  18G2, 
which  embraced  the  closing  years  of  Rufus  .S.  Reed's 
career  an<l  the  most  im|)ortant  part  of  the  business  life 
of  Gen.  C.  M.  Reed.  In  these  years  their  steamers 
and  sailing  vessels  coursed  all  the  lakes  from  Buffalo 


AND  mSTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNT r. 


567 


to  Chicago,  and  all  the  vessels  were  built,  equipped, 
provisioned,  cargoed,  furnished,  kept  afloat  and  made 
to  pay  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Mr.  Metcalf. 
Steamers  of  national  repute,  as  the  Pennsylvania, 
Jefferson,  Madison,  t>ie,  Buffalo,  Missouri,  Niajjara, 
Ohio,  Louisiana,  Keystone  State  and  Queen  City,  with 
the  brigs  Clarion,  America,  Susquehanna,  .St.  Paul,  .St. 
Anthony,  etc.,  were  mostly  built  in  those  years.  There 
were  no  railroads  to  Erie  until  Januarv,  1862,  and  the 
canal  from  Erie  to  Beaver  (left  unfinished  by  the 
State)  was  taken  up  by  a  company  of  which  Mr.  Reed 
was  president  and  Gen.  Reed  contractor.  When  com- 
pleted the  building,  equipment  and  running  of  boats 
was  added  to  their  already  gigantic  shi[jping  interests. 
In  1843  Gen.  Reed  was  elected  to  Congress,  and  while 
in  Washington,  his  father  being  in  poor  health,  Mr. 
Metcalf  was  required  to  take  entire  charge  of  the 
business.  Although  Mr.  Metcalf  left  Gen.  Reed's  em- 
ploy in  1862  and  went  into  the  coal  business  for  him- 
self, for  years  he  was  frequently  consulted  on  matters 
of  importance.  During  and  after  his  connection  with 
the  Reeds,  he  was  identified  with  many  leading  enter- 
prises, both  in  and  out  of  the  city.  Of  these  we  may 
name  the  running  of  a  line  of  stages  between  Erie 
and  Pittsburg  from  1840  to  1848,  the  construction  of 
the  Northern  Canada  R.  R.,  in  which  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  Gen.  Reed  and  .Milton  Courtright,  the  Erie 
Extension  Canal,  the  Erie  and  North  East  R.  R.,  of 
which  he  was  director  for  many  years.  He  was  one 
of  the  originators  and  incorporators  of  the  Erie  Cem- 
etery, in  the  purchase  of  the  grounds  for  which,  with 
others,  he  gave  his  personal  guarantee.  To  him,  as 
one  of  the  principal  projectors  of  the  Erie  Gas  Works, 
in  which  he  was  a  large  stockholder  (carrying  the 
stock  when  it  paid  but  one  per  cent  on  the  investment) 
was  the  success  of  that  very  essential  public  improve- 
ment largely  due.  During  the  early  years  of  the  oil 
trade  he  was  manager  of  its  shipment  for  various  rail- 
roads. He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Dime 
Savings  Bank,  trustee  of  the  Erie  Academy,  director 
of  the  public  schools,  mayor  of  the  city  from  1862  to 
1865,  and  an  organizer,  trustee  and  liberal  contributor 
to  the  Park  Presbyterian  Church.  Among  other  of  his 
enterprises  was  the  erection  of  the  Burdett  Organ  fac- 
tory, begun  January  2,  1872,  and  completed  and  occu- 
pied in  ninety  days.  It  was  operated  successfully  for 
a  number  of  years,  but  was  discontinued  in  1890.  In 
1880,  associated  with  Capt.  Douglass  Ottinger,  Joseph 
P.  Metcalf  and  John  Clemens,  he  built  the  Malleable 
Iron  Works.  In  company  with  Col.  Benjamin  Grant, 
he  built  the  Wayne  block,  on  PVench  street,  in  1860, 
and  rebuilt  it  after  its  destruction  by  fire  in  1868.  In 
1872  he  built  the  block  on  the  west  side  of  State  street, 
between  Seventh  and  Eighth,  and  in  1866  his  elegant 
residence,  corner  Sassafras  and  Ninth  streets — his 
home  until  his  death,  which  occurred  October  16,  1891 
(having  survived  his  wife,  who  died  August  30th  of 
that  yean.  It  has  since  been  rebuilt,  and  is  now  occu- 
pied by  Mr.  J.  P.  Metcalf.  Mr.  Metcalf  was  married 
June  9,  1846,  to  Miss  Abigail  R.  Wilder,  a  schoolmate, 
from  Putney,  \'t.  They  had  five  children:  Joseph  P., 
William  Wilder  (who  died  in  infancy),  Frederick  W. 
(who  died  September  2,  1890,  at  the  age  of  39  years), 
Nellie  (who  died  in  infancy  I,  and  George  R.  Sir.  Jo- 
seph .Metcalf  made  his  home  with  his  son,  Prescott, 
for  the  last  twentv  years  of  his  life,  where  he  died  in 
1868,  at  the  age  of  94  years,  being  then  reputed  to  be 
the  oldest  Mason  in  the  United  States.     This  venera- 


ble man,  a  type,  in  habit  and  deportment,  of  the  old 
school,  was  a  link  connecting  us  with  the  past,  for  he 
remembered  distinctly  some  of  the  events  of  Shay's 
insurrection  in  1794.  In  politics  Mr.  Prescott  Metcalf 
acted  with  the  Whigs  during  that  party's  existence, 
and  then  with  the  Republican  party.  In  his  political 
associations  he  manifested  all  his  characteristic  force 
and  energy.  While  never  a  candidate  for  other  than 
municipal  office,  he  exerted  a  marked  influence. bring- 
ing to  the  support  of  his  favorite  candidate  all  his  in- 
tensity of  purpose  and  energy  of  action.  The  war, 
with  its  large  levies  of  men  for  the  army  and  navy, 
furnished  full  scope  for  the  exercise  of  his  versatile 
abilities.  The  large  reinforcements  sent  forward  from 
Erie  during  his  occupancy  of  the  mayor's  office  were 
largely  due  to  his  ceaseless  efforts.  He  had  three 
brothers  who  were  in  business  in  Erie — Samuel  H. 
(who  died  about  I88O1,  Charles  (long  in  the  mercantile 
and  banking  business  in  Erie,  later  in  Toledo,  O.,  and 
now  residing  in  North  East,  Pa.),  and  James  (who  has 
been  dead  several  years).  He  had  also  three  sisters: 
Eliza  (Mrs.  Ira  W.  Hart,  who  died  in  1839),  Lucy  (Mrs. 
Ira  W.  Hart,  who  died  in  1842l,  and  Mary  (Nlrs.  Jo- 
seph D.  Clark,  who  died  in  1892).  To  all' these  Mr. 
Metcalf  was  the  counselor  and  firm  friend,  and  man- 
aged with  success  numerous  trusts  confided  to  his 
charge.  Such  was  his  career,  such  the  record  of  his 
active  and  successful  life.  He  always  lent  a  helping 
hand  to  all  those  enterprises  which  in  church  or  state 
merit  assistance. 

Joseph  P.  Metcalf,  chairman  of  the  Erie  Mallea- 
ble Iron  Company,  Limited,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Erie  April  16,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Prescott  .Metcalf. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  academy 
of  Erie,  the  Cleveland  Institute  of  Cleveland,  O.,  and 
the  Eastman  Commercial  College.  He  followed  rail- 
roading in  various  capacities  in  and  about  Erie  until 
1870,  when  he  went  to  Nebraska  City,  Neb.  There  he 
formed  a  partnership  in  the  banking  business,  which 
was  soon  reorganized  into  the  Nebraska  City  National 
Bank,  of  which  he  was  cashier.  He  remained  there 
about  two  and  a  half  years,  when  he  returned  to  Erie 
and  engaged  in  business  with  his  father.  When  the 
Erie  Malleable  Iron  Works  was  organized  he  became 
a  member  of  the  firm,  and  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  John 
Clemens,  became  chairman  of  the  company.  The 
plant  covers  three  and  one-half  acres,  the  main  build- 
ing being  .586x80  feet,  and  has  a  capacity  which  gives 
employment  to  350  men.  The  products  of  the  con- 
cern include  all  kinds  of  cast  malleable  iron,  the  work 
being  done  to  order.  This  is  one  of  the  large.st,  if  not 
the  largest,  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  Mr. 
Metcalf  was  married  October  11,  1877,  to  Miss  Celia 
W.  Fletcher,  of  Lockport,  N.  Y.  The  issue  of  this 
marriage  was  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living: 
Francis  F.,  Mary,  Ruth  and  Celia  Margaret.  The 
family  attend  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church,  of  which 
.Mr.  Metcalf  is  a  member.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar 
Mason,  and  a  member  of  the  V.ua.  Kahkwa  and  Cas- 
cade Clubs.  Politically  .Mr.  Metcalf  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party  and  has  served  several  terms  as  a 
member  of  the  City  Council. 

George  Ralph  Metcalf,  treasurer  of  the  Erie 
Malleable  licm  Cniiipany  (Limited)  and  of  the  Erie 
Gas  Works,  was  born  in  Erie.  September  26,  1858,  and 
is  a  son  of  Prescott  Metcalf,  whose  sketch  and  portrait 


568 


NELSON- S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


appears  in  this  work.  His  early  education  was 
obtaineil  in  the  Erie  academy  and  hitch-school,  after 
which  he  attended  a  boarding  school  in  Clinton,  X.  V., 
for  two  years.  About  a  year  after  com|ileting  his 
education  he  went  to  Coliuiibus,  ().,  where  he  became 
interested  in  the  coal  niining  business,  which  he  con- 
ducted one  year.  He  then  returned  to  Erie,  where  he 
became  a  partner,  and  accepteil  a  position  as  secretary 
of  the  Malleable  Iron  Works,  where  he  remained 
eight  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  his  father's 
health  having  failed,  he  .severed  his  active  identilica- 
tion  with  the  Malleable  Iron  Works  in  order  to  take 
charge  of  his  father's  business,  which  he  continued 
until  after  his  father's  death.  He  then  resumed  active 
association  with  the  Malleable  Iron  Works  in  his 
present  capacity.  He  succeeded  his  father  as  a 
director  of  the  Erie  Gas  Company,  of  which  he  became 
treasurer  in  1892.  Mr.  Metcalf  was  married  Septem- 
ber ;{,  1885,  to  Miss  Marv',  daughter  of  Capt.  J.  S. 
Richards  of  Erie.  This  happy  union  has  been  blessed 
with  two  children,  John  Richards  and  George  Ralph, 
jr.  Mr.  Metcalf  is  an  active  member  of  the  various 
social  clubs  and  societies  of  Erie,  and  is  president  of 
the  Kahkwa  Club.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a 
steadfast  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party. 

Martin  Strong,  born  in  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  in 
the  year  1770,  having  for  that  day  received  a  good 
common  school  education,  and  full  of  energy,  left  his 
native  place  early  in  the  spring  of  179.5  to  seek  anil 
make  a  home  for  himself  for  life.  His  outfit  was  a 
compa.ss  and  chain,  being  determined  to  be  ready  for 
a  new  country  in  any  capacity.  On  foot  he  first 
directed  his  course  to  the  Wyoming  X'alley,  on  the 
North  Branch  of  tlie  territory;  but  not  being  satisfied 
with  the  prospects  of  surveying  or  jirocuring  land 
there,  he  resolved  to  foot  it  to  Presque  Isle,  and  got  to 
the  Indian  village  at  the  mouth  of  Buffalo  creek 
(where  the  city  of  Buffalo  now  stands)  in  July,  179.5. 
But  one  white  man  was  then  living  there,  and  nothing 
inviting  him  to  remain,  he  pu.shed  on,  and  arrived  at 
Presque  Isle  the  last  day  of  July,  179.5.  On  his  arrival 
there  he  ft)und  Thomas  Rees,  Esq.,  land  agent,  and 
Col.  Seth  Reed  and  family  living  in  self-made  habita- 
tions. Those  two  tents  were  the  only  evidences  of 
settlement.  A  company  of  United  States  troops  were 
cutting  down  the  forest  on  Garrison  Hill  to  build  a 
stockade  fort,  under  Cajit.  Russell  Bissell.  Gens. 
Ellicott  and  Irvine,  with  a  corps  of  surveyors  and 
engineers,  were  about  to  lay  out  the  town  of  Erie, 
escorted  and  protected  by  a  comjiany  of  State  militia 
commanded  by  Capt.  John  Grubb.  The  Rutledges 
having  been  shot  but  a  few  days  before,  by  the 
Indians,  as  was  alleged,  it  was  deemed  unsafe  to  be 
out  much  except  when  prepared  for  defense.  Mr. 
Strong  hired  out  at  once  to  one  of  the  residents  at  50 
cents  a  day,  and  was  set  at  work  in  the  woods  to  cut 
and  hew  planks  (puncheons  they  were  then  calledl  to 
make  a  tl<«ir  for  a  house,  which  he  continued  at 
several  days  until  hnished,  and  then  found  he  must 
pay  for  his  board,  which  was  75  cents  a  day,  leaving 
him  in  debt  25  cents  per  day!  He  refused  to  pay  the 
difference,  and  his  compass  and  chain  were  taken  and 
secreted  until  he  would  pay  his  bill,  which  soon 
brought  him  to  terms,  and  he  redeemed  them.  He 
then  changed  to  the  Holland  Land  Company's  sur- 
veys, south  of  the  old  State  line,  since  known  as  the 


"  triangle  line, "  where  he  soon  got  into  employment 
as  a  surveyor.  A  misunderstanding  existed  between 
the  "Population"  and  the  "Holland"  conifiany  as 
to  their  rights  adjoining  the  said  line.  He  was  assured 
by  Maj.  .Alden  that  to  locate  a  tract  of  land  in  that 
district  would  be  safe  (which  proved  correct).  He 
located  there  for  life,  made  a  rude  habitation,  and 
became  a  resident  on  the  Summit,  840  feet  above  the 
level  of  Lake  Erie,  ten  miles  south  of  Pre.s(|ue  Isle. 
There  were  not  half  a  dozen  families  then  living  in 
what  is  now  Erie  county,  and  none  near  his  location. 
He  determined  not  towinter  there  alone.  In  the  month 
of  November,  he  left  his  rude  home  and  started  in  a  log 
canoe  made  by  himself  at  LeBoeiif  creek  (now  Water- 
ford),  and  went  down  with  the  current  to  Erench 
creek,  and  down  that  to  the  Allegheny  to  Pittsburg, 
and,  nothing  offering  to  suit  him,  he  offered  himself  at 
auction  to  the  highest  bidder  to  work  faithfully,  and  he 
assured  them  he  knew  how  to  work,  and  asked  who 
would  give  him  the  highest  wages  and  board  him! 
A  good,  honest  yeoman  was  declared  the  highest  bi<lder, 
der,  at  three  dol  lars  a  month  and  board,  for  three  months, 
which  he  cheerfully  accepted,  and  served  so  well  that  his 
employer  kindly  offered  him  fifty  cents  a  month  more 
to  remain  six  months  longer.  But  he  declined  the 
advance  in  wages,  and  returned  by  the  way  he  had 
gone  to  his  rude  hut  where,  in  the  spring  of  1796,  he 
commenced  his  ])ioneer  life  again,  and  in  surveying 
and  clearing  land  was  unceasing  in  his  efforts  to  pro- 
cure a  home  for  himself.  In  1810  he  purchased  the 
tract  north  of  him  adjoining,  and,  by  simply  building 
an  addition  to  his  original  cabin,  removed  on  to  that, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Mr.  Huide- 
koper,  the  agent  of  the  Holland  Land  Company, 
always  employed  Capt.  Strong  to  survey,  sub-divide 
and  set  off,  or  designate  old  lines  among  their  lands 
in  this  county  as  long  as  he  was  able  to  attend  to  it, 
and  ever  to  his  death  had  entire  confidence  in  his 
ability  and  judgment  and  knowledge  of  the  original 
lines  and  surveys.  The  early  opening  of  the  salt 
trade,  and  vast  amount  of  hauling  incident  thereto, 
made  his  location  on  the  Summit  a  sort  of  depot  and  a 
public  house  desirable  and  necessary.  The  location 
and  construction  of  the  Erie  and  W'aterford  turnpike 
past  his  door  greatly  added  to  the  business,  and  during 
the  war  of  1812  he  enjoyed  a  fair  trade  there.  His 
j  never-tiring  industry  and  unceasing  energy  extended 
his  domains,  and  he  cleared  land  far  ahead  of  others. 
His  intelligence  and  social  qualities  made  him  friends, 
and  his  industry  and  good  management  as  early  as 
1830  placed  him  in  possession  of  some  8(J0  acres  of 
land,  on  which  were  substantial  improvements  and 
good  buildings,  while  he  had  more  money  at  interest 
than  any  other  farmer  in  Erie  county.  When  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  was  built,  Capt.  Strong  was 
the  only  man  in  the  county  that  could  lend  the  neces- 
sarj-  money,  S800.  Capt.  Strong  was  married  to  a 
Miss  Trask  in  1805,  who  died  a  few  years  after,  leav- 
ing one  daughter,  who  lived  until  May,  1K23.  He  again 
married,  and  at  his  death  left  three  sons  and  two 
daughters,  all  married  and  settled  in  life — Mrs..  B.  B. 
\'incent,  Mrs.  T.  B.  X'incent,  Martin  Strong,  F.  I). 
Strong  and  Landaff  Strong.  He  was  always  a  great 
reader,  and  always  ready  to  impart  from  his  well- 
stored  mind  in  conversation.  He  had  a  regular 
system  of  industry,  economy  and  leisure  in  their 
proper  places,  and  though  his  body  long  suffered  and 
became  impaired,  the  mind  continued  clear,  bright  and 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


569 


undisturbed  to  the  end.  After  a  residence  of  sixty- 
three  years  on  the  same  farm  where  he  located  when 
there  were  not  ten  faniihes  living  in  the  county,  he 
died  March  24,  1S.58,  in  his  88th  year.  He  had  lived 
to  see  the  jiopulation  increase  to  over  .50,000  inhabit- 
ants, and  all  prosperous,  and  died  respected  and 
esteemed  by  a  very  large  circle  of  friends  and 
acquaintances.  Capt.  Strong,  in  conversation  in  a 
circle  of  friends  ten  years  before  his  death,  remarked 
"that  any  person  would  think  him  a  fool  to  make  the 
selection  he  did,  when  the  whole  county  was  open 
to  him.  "  He  said  :  "  That  was  a  mistake;  he  was  not 
a  fool,  but  he  misjudged  in  his  selection,  like  many 
others,  and  spent  the  prime  of  his  life  in  making  him 
a  home,  and  he  thought  it  folly  at  that  time  of  life  to 
pull  up  and  begin  anew  somewhere  else. " 

Charles  Hamot  Strong  was  born  in  Erie,  March 
14,  1853.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Landaff  and  Catherine 
Cecialia(  Hamot)  Strong,  the  personal  histories  of  whose 
paternal  ancestors,  the  late  Slartin  .Strong  and  P.  S.  \'. 
Hamot,  are  contained  in  this  volume.  Charles  H. 
Strong  attended  the  Erie.\cademy,  and  was  graduated 
from  Vale  College  in  the  class  of  'T7.  His  business 
identification  is  in  representing  the  estate  of  the  late 
W.  L.  .Scott  in  various  interests.  He  was  married 
September  8,  1881,  to  .^nna  Wainwright  Scott,  second 
daughter  of  the  late  William  L.  Scott,  whose  personal 
memoirs  are  contained  herein.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Strong 
have  one  child,  Matilda  Thora  Wainwright  Strong. 
The  family  residence  is  at  Sixth  and  Peach  streets, 
Erie. 

P.  S.  V.  Hamot  (deceased),  was  born  in  Paris, 
France,  November  28,  1784.  His  father  was  a  captain 
in  the  French  army  and  a  Royalist,  and  left  France 
for  Russia,  where  he  resided  during  the  "reign  of 
terror."  Returning  to  France,  after  the  establishment 
of  the  "  Republic,"  he  offered  to  procure  for  his  son  a 
lieutenancy  in  the  army,  but  such  a  position  not  being 
in  accordance  with  his  tastes,  his  attention  having  been 
turned  to  the  Xew  Republic  of  the  West,  he  preferred 
to  come  to  America  and  try  his  fortune  in  a  new  and 
strange  land.  His  father  consenting,  he  came  to  Phil- 
adelphia in  1802,  with  the  French  consul,  as  "L  Homme 
de  confiance,"  as  expressed  in  his  passport.  The  con- 
sul died  soon  after  his  arrival,  leaving  Mr.  Hamot  a 
friendless  youth,  and  among  a  people  in  whose  language 
he  was  little  versed.  His  self-reliance,  peculiarly  a 
trait  of  his  character,  did  not  allow  him  to  despond.  A 
mercantile  situation  offering,  he  started  for  the  West, 
as  the  clerk  of  a  French  house,  in  charge  of  a  stock 
of  merchandise.  The  vessel  on  which  the  stock  was 
shipped  was  wrecked  on  Lake  Ontario;  but  part  of 
the  goods  were  recovered,  with  which  he  opened  a 
store  at  Niagara,  Canada;  from  there  he  removed  to 
Lewiston,  and  in  1805,  came  to  Erie.  In  1810  he 
formed  a  i)artnership  with  Messrs.  E.  &  D.  Alvord,  of 
Saline,  who  dealt  largely  in  salt.  This  business  con- 
nection continued  many  years.  He  was  also  engaged 
in  general  mercantile  business  on  his  own  account, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  and  most  successful  merchants 
in  Erie.  Mr.  Hamot  held  responsible  and  honorable 
offices  under  the  government,  being  at  one  time  canal 
commissioner  of  the  state,  and  at  another  superintend- 
ent of  the  United  States  Public  Works  in  Erie.  He 
was  the  first  cashier  of  the  Erie  Bank,  anil  one  of  the 
principal   stockholders.     As  a   business  man  he  was 


fortunate  and  noted  for  his  activity  and  energy  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  plans,  which  evinced  sound  judg- 
ment. He  engaged  warmly  in  politics,  his  sympathies 
and  feelings  being  with  the  IJemocratic  party.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  and  principal  stockholders  in 
the  Erie  Obseri-er.  His  politeness  and  hearty  hos- 
pitality won  for  him  many  attached  friends.  .Mr. 
Hamot  was  twice  married;  to  Adeline  Woodruff,  of 
Lewi.ston,  N.  Y.,  in  1818,  who  died  in  1821;  and  to 
Elizabeth  Coltrin,  widow  of  Dr.  Asa  Coltrin,  and 
daughter  of  George  Keefer,  of  Thorold,  Canada,  in 
182.5.  Mr.  Hamot  died  in  Erie,  October  17,  1846.  .Mrs. 
Hamot  died  in  December,  IStJO.  Mr.  Hamot  left  four 
daughters;  .Mrs.  Catherine,  wife  of  Landaff  Strong, 
M.  D.,  Mrs.  Mary,  wife  of  Hon.  G.  W.  Starr,  and  Hor- 
tense  L.  Hamot.  These  survived  their  brother  Eugene 
who  died  young. 

George  William  Starr,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at 
Burlington,  \"t.,  April  14,  1822.  His  parents  were 
Jesse  J.  and  Harriet  (Hall)  Starr,  both  of  whom  were 
descendants  of  pioneer  settlers  of  New  England. 
The  founder  of  the  Starr  family  in  theL'nited  States 
settled  in  Connecticut,  from  Wales,  in  1633.  Elias 
Hall,  the  maternal  grandfather  of  Mr.  .Starr,  was  an 
officer  in  the  Colonial  army,  and  was  wounded  at 
Castleton,  Vt.,  in  the  skirmish  with  Burgoyne's  in- 
vading troops,  prior  to  the  latter's  defeat  at  Saratoga. 
Jesse  J.  Starr  was  a  hardware  merchant  at  Burlington, 
\'t.,  where  he  resided  for  more  than  fifty  yea'rs.  He 
died  in  1860,  surviving  his  wife  several  years.  George 
W.  Starr  attended  the  schools  of  Burlington;  prepared 
for  college  at  the  academy  of  the  same  city,  and  was 
graduated  from  Union  College,  Schenectady,  N.  V.,  in 
1842.  He  began  the  reading  of  law  under  the  pre- 
ceptorship  of  Stephen  G.  Austin,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
and  continued  with  the  law  firm  of  Talcott  &  Hough- 
ton (John  L.  Talcott  subsequently  became  Judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York,  and  George  Hough- 
ton, Judge  of  the  Recorder's  Court  of  Buffalo  I,  and 
was  admitted  to  practice  by  the  Supreme  Court  of 
New  York  in  1845.  He  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
his  profession  at  Buffalo,  N.'  Y.,  and  pursued  it  in  that 
city  for  several  years,  when  he  accepted  a  position  as 
clerk  with  his  friend.  Captain  Stephen  Chaniplin,  of 
the  United  States  steamer  Michigan.  After  sailing 
for  nearly  two  years,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law 
at  Buffalo.  In  1852  he  came  to  Erie.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  the  coal  business  for  some  years.  In  1877  he 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Erie  Forge  Company, 
has  been  one  of  its  board  of  directors  since  its  estab- 
lishment, and  the  president  of  that  board  since  1887. 
Since  the  organization  of  the  Erie  Dime  Bank  under 
its  present  management,  Mr.  Starr  has  been  a  member 
of  Its  directory.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Erie 
Cemetery  Association;  was  most  active  in  the  founding 
of  the  Hamot  Hospital,  and  was  one  of  the  incorpo- 
rators of  that  in.stitution.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
first  board  of  trustees  of  the  State  Hospital  for  the 
Insane,  located  at  Warren,  by  the  ai)poinlnient  of 
Governor  Hoyt,  February,  1880,  and  served  on  the 
board  of  that  in.stitution,  and  the  Hamot  Hospital, 
until  his  acceptance,  February,  1887,  of  Governor 
Beaver's  appointment  to  the  Board  of  Commissioners 
of  Public  Charities  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Starr  was, 
for  six  consecutive  terms,  a  member  of  the  Select 
Council  of  Erie,  and  was  presiding  officer  of  that  body 
during  the  last  year  of  that  period,  and  subsequently 


570 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


served  two  additional  years  in  the  same  capacity, 
being  again  president  during  the  latter  year.  He  was 
married  October  7,  18.")1,  to  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  the 
late  P.  S.  \ .  Hamot,  memoirs  of  whose  antecedents 
and  personal  history  are  contained  in  this  voUinic. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Starr  reside  at  140  East  .Sixth  street,  and 
attend  St.  Paul's  Episcojial  Church,  of  which  Mrs. 
Starr  has  been  a  communicant  since  her  girlhood. 

The  Sturgeon  Family.— Of  the  pioneers  of  Erie 
county  who  became  identified  with  its  early  settlement, 
there  are  family  names  that  continue,  through  their 
descendants,  to  have  honorable  mention  by  reason  of 
their  participation  in  local  and  county  government,  the 
affairs  of  church  and  stale,  and  who  in  war  and  in 
peace,  at  home  and  abroad,  worthily  maintain  the 
family  name,  honored  and  conspicuous.  Of  these  the 
Sturgeon  family  deserves  notice.  This  family,  accord- 
ing to  the  early  traditions,  show  that  their  origin  was 
an  English  Presbyterian  family  of  that  name  in  the 
north  of  England,  near  the  border  of  Scotland;  that 
they  had  intermarried  considerably  with  the  Scotch; 
that  during  the  religious  ]iersecutions  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  the  ancestors  of  the  Sturgeon  family  in 
America  emigrated  to  the  north  of  Ireland.  Some 
time  between  1720  and  1730  several  brothers  of  one 
family  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  what  is 
now  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania.  One  of  these 
brothers  was  a  soldier  in  Capt.  .Smith's  company  of  the 
Pennsylvania  contingent  of  the  army  during  the  French 
and  Indian  war,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  t^ue- 
bec.  A  son  of  one  of  the  Sturgeon  brothers  who  orig- 
inally emigrated  to  America  was  named  Samuel  Stur- 
geon, first  married  to  Margaret ,  who  died 

March  2,  1780,  and  by  whom  he  had  four  sons.  He 
died  October  2,  1801.  William  Sturgeon,  born  July 
10,  1768,  was  the  father  of:  John  M.,  Margaret,  Eleanor, 
Samuel,  Maria,  William,  Thomas  J.,  judah  H.,  and 
Jane.  He  emigrated  to  Erie  county  from  Lancaster 
about  1797,  and  founded  Sturgeonville  (now  Fairviewi. 
Jeremiah  Sturgeon,  born  ."Xugust  10,  1770,  was  the 
father  of:  Samuel  C,  Robert,  Jeremiah,  Margaret, 
Martha  and  Elizabeth.  He  emigrated  to  Erie  county 
about  17'J7,  and  .settled  land  adjoining  Sturgeonville 
(now  part  of  Kairview  borough).  James  Sturgeon,  born 
October  27, 1772,  moved  to  New  York  State.  His  fam- 
ily were:  Andrew  .Sturgeon,  born  .August  Iti,  1779,  em- 
igrated to  Erie  county  about  1880,  and  settled  land  at 
Fairplain,  in  Girard  township,  father  of  Margaret  Stur- 
geon (married  to  Thomas  .Sturgeon);  Thomas  H.,  Jane 
F.,  Samuel  and  Andrew  (married  to  Eliza  Jane 
Caughey),  father  of  J.  C,  Carson  J.  and  Mrs.  Mary 
Piatt  of  Erie;  Jeremiah  and  William.  The  above- 
named  William,  Jeremiah  and  Andrew  Sturgeon  are 
the  ance.stors  of  all  the  .Sturgeon  family  in  Erie  county. 
Samuel  Sturgeon,  sr.,  married  a  second  wife,  antl  by 
her  had  five  more  children,  but  none  of  them  emigrated 
to  Erie  county,  and  but  little  is  known  of  them. 

J.  C  Sturgeow,  attorney  (patent  law  practice), 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Fairview  township,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  in  1841.  Facts  entering  into  the  genealogy  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  are  contained  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  He  received  a  common  school  education, 
then  entered  Allegheny  College,  where  he  took  a  lit- 
erary cour.se.  In  1863  he  left  college  to  enlist  in  the 
United  States  navy,  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
when  he  was  honorably  discharged;  and  subsequently. 


in  1876,  Allegheny  College  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  A.  Pvl.  "  honoris  causa."  After  the  war  he 
attended  Harvard  law  school,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  in  18f)8.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  located  in  Erie,  and  entered  upon  thf  ]>ractice  of 
his  ]irofession.  .Shortly  thereafter  he  was  elected  to 
the  oflice  of  di.strict  attorney  of  Erie  county.  On  the 
expiration  of  his  ofiicial  term  he  resumed  tlie  general 
])ractice  and  continued  therein  until  1877,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Bradford,  McKean  county.  Pa.,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  looking  after  his  oil  interests  until 
1881,  then  returning  to  Erie.  Ten  years  ago  he  with- 
drew from  the  general  law  practice  and  has  since  de- 
voted himself  exclusively  to  patent  law  ]iracticc.  1  It- 
has  always  been  an  active  member  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  was  in  1880,  while  a  resident  of  Bradford,  a 
candidate  before  the  Republican  convention  for  the 
State  Senate.  He  is  a  Knight  Temjilar,  and  was  for  a 
number  of  years  commander  of  Post  67,  G.  .\.  R.  He 
was  married  in  1878  to  Eda,  daughter  of  Albert  lilake- 
slee, manufacturer  of  Du  Quoin,  111.  Mrs.  Sturgeon 
died  in  February,  1882,  leaving  two  children,  Ralph 
A.  and  Berry  .\.  The  family  reside  at  323  West  .Sev- 
enth street,  and  attend  the  Park  Presbyterian  Church. 

Carsow  J.  Sturgeon,  vice  president  of  the  Key- 
stone Electric  Company,  was  born  in  Girard,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  April  6,  1845.  He  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and 
Eliza  J.  (Caughey)  Sturgeon,  natives  of  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania,  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  His  |iarents 
are  both  deceased.  His  father,  who  was  a  farmer  and 
mechanic,  reared  a  family  of  four  sons  and  two 
daughters,  and  hve  of  the  children  are  still  living: 
John  C,  attorney,  Erie;  Sheldon  F.,  farmer,  Woodhull, 
III.;  Carson  J.,  Mary  J.  (Mrs.  George  Piatt,  of  Flrie)  and 
George  A.,  attorney,  Pittsburg,  Pa.  Car.son  J.  .Stur- 
geon was  educated  in  the  ])ublic  schools  and  academy 
of  Girard,  after  which  he  learned  the  trade  of  ma- 
chinist, ami  was  for  several  years  employed  at  the 
Grant  Locomotive  Works,  Paterson,  N.  J.  Returning 
to  Girard,  he  s|)ent  two  years  in  ]>erfecling  and  patent- 
ing a  lawn  mower.  In  1883  he  helped  organize  and 
was  made  vice  president  and  general  manager  of  the 
Novelty  Manufacturing  Company,  located  at  Girard. 
They  manufactured  chiefly  woodenware  for  household 
use.  In  1890  the  Keystone  Electric  Company  was 
formed.  J.  W.  Leech,  C.  J.  Sturgeon,  Geo.  Piatt  and 
J.  C.  -Sturgeon  being  the  proprietors.  In  April,  1891, 
the  company  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  slock  of 
S2o,0(K_).  The  officers  were;  J.  W.  Leech,  ]iresident; 
ami  C.  J.  Sturgeon,  secretary  and  treasurer.  One  year 
later  the  stock  was  increased  to  §50,000,  with  J.  F. 
Downing,  |iresident;  C.  J.  Sturgeon,  vice  president  and 
general  manager;  and  J.  W.  Leech,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  plant  was  first  located  on  Peach  street, 
near  Foiuteenth,  but  within  a  year  they  were  obliged 
to  lease  the  building  at  the  corner  of  Fourteenth  an<l 
State  .streets,  which  building  is  now  occupied  by  the 
Erie  Machinery  Company.  This  building  was  built 
especially  for  their  use  and  leased  for  five  years,  but 
the  business  grew  so  rapidly  that  in  1893  they  were 
obliged  to  ])urchase  a  site  and  build  the  present  plant, 
which  will  have  to  be  again  enlarged  in  1896.  The 
main  building  is  50x100  feet,  the  engine  and  testing 
room  30x40  feet,  and  the  boiler  room  20x40  feet. 
The  buildings  are  constructed  of  stone,  brick  and  iron, 
and  are  thoroughly  equipped  with  modern  improve- 
ments.    The  products  of  the  concern  are  chiefly  elec- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  HOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


571 


trie  motors  and  dynamos,  and  of  these  the  reversible 

motor  for  use  in  elevators  propelled  by  electricity,  and 
the  automatic  rheostat  for  controlling  the  same  (in- 
vented by  Mr.  Sturgeon),  form  a  large  proportion  of  the 
output.  Mr.  .Sturgeon  was  married  August  29,  1875, 
to  Miss  Eliza  A.  Camjibell,  of  Girard,  and  has  five 
children:  Carl  J.,  Lynn  C,  Lloytl  B.,  Harry  R.  and 
Delia  G.  Mr.  Sturgeon  and  family  attend  the  Pre.s- 
byterian  Church.  In  jiolitics  he  is  an  active  Repub- 
lican. 

George  Piatt,  city  engineer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  New  Milford,  Richfield  county.  Conn.,  December 
17,  1824.  He  is  the  son  of  the  late  William  and  Polly 
(Allen)  Piatt,  the  former  a  native  of  I^uchess  county, 
N.  v.,  the  latter  of  Fairfield  county,  Connecticut,  and 
both  of  English  descent.  William  Piatt  was  a  coach- 
maker,  an  old-line  Democrat,  and  was  for  one  term  a 
member  of  the  Connecticut  State  Legislature.  He 
died  in  1888,  at  Girard,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  where  he  had 
taken  up  his  residence  in  1855.  George  Piatt  com- 
pleted his  education  at  the  academies  in  New  Milford, 
Westport  and  Wilton,  Conn.  He  then  went  to  sea, 
and  was,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  in  command 
of  the  Sally  Magee,  a  nautical  school-ship  belonging 
to  the  Eagleswood  academy.  This  vessel  was,  in  the 
summer  of  1862,  chartered  by  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment as  a  transport  to  carry  stores  to  the  army  at 
seaboard  points,  and  Captain  Piatt  was  retained  in  its 
command.  After  one  year  of  this  service  he  was  put 
in  charge  of  the  compilation  of  fractional  interest  in 
the  United  States  treasury  department,  and  in  June, 
1864,  was  made  acting  assistant  register,  with  author- 
ity to  sign  United  States  bonds.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  was  employed  in  special  service  in  the  coast 
survey,  and  during  this  period  began  the  study  of 
marine  and  general  engineering.  His  first  imjiortant 
engineering  work  was  the  building  of  a  railroad. 
Captain  Piatt  located  in  Erie  county  in  1869,  making 
Girard  his  place  of  residence.  He  was  appointed 
county  surveyor  October  12, 1872,  and  held  that  position 
until  1885.  At  the  expiration  of  his  last  term  as  sur- 
veyor he  was  made  civil  engineer  of  the  city  of  Erie, 
and  is  still  the  incumbent  of  that  office.  Captain 
Piatt  has  been  twice  marrie<l;  in  1847  to  Sarah  A., 
daughter  of  Gould  Jelliff,  of  Westport,  Conn.;  .-Xugust 
1,  1888,  to  .Mary,  daughter  of  the  late  Andrew  Stur- 
geon, of  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania.  The  family  re- 
side at  823  West  Seventh  street,  and  are  members  of 
St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church.  Captain  Piatt  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  iMasonic  order. 

Andrew  Caughey.  The  Caugheys,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, are  of  Protestant  Scotch-Irish  stock.  Their  an- 
cestors left  Scotland  during  the  times  of  religious  per- 
secution, and  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  Donegal, 
in  the  north  of  Ireland.  But  the  new  world  had  greater 
attractions  than  the  Green  Isle,  an<i  one  of  thi-ir  de- 
scendants, Francis  Caughey,  with  hundreds  ol  his  co- 
religionists, emigrated  about  the  year  1750  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  found  a  home  with  his  family  in  Lancaster 
county.  He  bore  an  active  part  in  the  w'ar  of  the 
Revolution;  and  after  serving  his  country  and  his  gen- 
eration well,  he  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  98.  He 
was  the  father  of  five  children,  two  sons  and  three 
daughters,  namely;  Andrew,  John,  Ella,  Jane  and 
Elizabeth.     Andrew  was  horn   in  the  year  1756,  and. 


like  his  father,  served  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution, 

participating  in  the  severely-fought  battle  of  Brandy- 
wine,  in  .September,  1777.  He  married  about 
the  year  17X1,  and  removed  with  his  family  to  F>ie 
county  in  18U3,  locating  upon  a  farm  in  what  is  now 
West  Mill  Creek,  some  five  miles  west  of  Erie  on  the 
Ridge  road.  He  died  in  1828,  at  the  age  of  72.  One 
of  his  grandsons  is  still  occupying  the  same  farm,  An- 
drew Caughey,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in 
1791,  and  came,  with  his  grandfather's  family  to  this 
country.  In  1818  he  married  .Martha  Canon,  daughter, 
of  Daniel  Canon,  of  Fayette  county,  and  niece  of  John 
Canon,  the  fcnmder  of  Cannonsburg,  Pa.  Six  children 
were  born  to  them,  namt-ly:  Nancy  C,  Samuel  S., 
Daniel  C,  Francis  E.,  Andrew  H.  and  a  daughter  that 
died  in  infancy.  Nancy  remained  unmarried.  Shediedin 
1891,  at  the  age  of  71.  Samuel  .S..  who  was  born  in 
1821,  married  Nancy  D.  Davidson,  by  whom  he  had 
four  children;  Alfred  K.,  Martha  E.,  Frank  T.  and  a 
daughter  that  died  in  infancy.  Alfred  died  in  1888, 
and  Martha  E.  at  an  early  age,  some  years  before. 
Frank  resides  in  Detroit,  where  he  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness. Samuel  S.  Caughey  removed,  in  1855,  to  Kings- 
ville,  Ohio,  where  he  made  his  home  for  eleven  years. 
On  the  death  of  his  father  and  mother,  in  the  winter  of 
1865,  he  returned  to  the  farm  in  West  Mill  Creek,  on 
which  his  father  had  resided  for  forty-seven  years. 
Here  his  wife  died  in  1868.  Afterwards  he  married 
Mrs.  Susannah  Brown,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Neeley. 
They  removed  to  Erie  in  1882,  and  five  years  afterward 
death  claimed  his  wife.  He  still  resides  in  Erie. 
Daniel  C,  the  second  son  of  Andrew  anti  Martha 
Caughey,  married  .Martha  Jane  McCreary,  daughter  of 
David  McCreary.  They  removed  to  Kingsville,  Ohio, 
in  1856,  w'here  they  have  since  lived.  Six  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  namely:  DeWitt  C,  now  liv- 
ing in  Iowa;  Helen  (Mrs.  Shanki,  residing  in  Milling- 
ton,  Tenn.;  Emma,  Isadore,  Jessie  A.  and  Charles. 
The  latter  died  young.  Francis  E.,the  third  son,  died 
in  1845,  at  the  age  of  20;  Andrew  H.,  the  fourth  son, 
married  in  1851,  Elizabeth  .A.  Reed,  daughti-r  of  Will- 
iam W.  Reed,  sr.,  and  great-granddaughter  of  Col.  Seth 
Reed,  the  first  settler  of  the  town  of  Erie.  Two 
children  were  born  to  them,  Lizzie  Romaine,  who 
died  young,  and  Reed,  now  connected  with  the  city 
engineer's  office  in  Erie.  Andrew  H.,  after  spending 
much  of  his  life,  first  as  a  newspaper  editor,  and  then 
as  a  teacher  in  the  Erie  Academy  and  Lafayette  Col- 
lege, studied  for  the  ministry,  and  was  ordained  in 
1888.  He  is  now  preaching  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Kingsville,  Ohio.  His  wife  died  in  1889.  John 
Caughey,  brother  of  Andrew,  sr.,  was  the  oldest  mem- 
ber of  the  family.  He  resided  mo.st  of  his  life  on  a 
farm  in  Fairview  township,  F>ie  county,  and  had  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  namely:  Andrew  Miles 
Wilson,  Francis,  William,  John,  David  \'.,  Samuel  G., 
George,  Eliza  Jane  (.Mrs.  Andrew  Sturgeon),  Nancy 
(Mrs.J.  B.  Johnsoni,  Mary  (Mrs.  .Matthew  Johnson), 
Sarah  (Mrs.  N.J.Clark),  and  Susan  (.Mrs.  Jackson), 
Samuel  Caughey,  a  third  son,  left  three  sons,  lohn  F., 
who  resides  on  the  farm  fir.st  occupied  by  the  family  in 
1808;  Sanmel  Henry,  living  on  a  farm  on  the  Lake 
road,  west  of  F>ie,  and  Lewis,  who  died  in  Erie  a  few 
years  ago.  Other  members  of  the  family  who  came 
to  this  country  in  1808  were:  Francis,  who  was  killed 
accidentally  in  1816;  Jane,  who  never  married;  Nancy, 
wife  of  Samuel  McCreary,  and  Eliza,  wife  of  William 
McCrearv. 


57^ 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


William  Ward  Reed,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Ash- 
tabula, Oliio,  Aj)ril  1,  1824.  He  is  a  .son  of  tlie  lateW. 
W.  Reed,  the  first  white  child  born  within  the  present 
corjiorate  limits  of  Krie.  \V.  W.  Reed,  sr.'s  father 
was  Charles  John  Reed,  a  son  of  Col.  Seth  Reed,  the 
founder  of  the  family,  who  was  before  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  a  physician  at  L'xhridge,  .Mass.  Col.  Seth 
Reed  won  his  title  in  the  war  for  American  independ- 
ence, and  was  in  command  of  a  resjiment  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill.  Col.  Reed,  with  his  wife  and  two 
sons,  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Erie,  remov- 
ing thence  from  Ontario  county.  New  York,  in  the 
summer  of  179.").  The  first  marriage  in  the  county 
was  that  of  Charles  John  Reed  to  Rachael  Miller,  on 
the  27th  of  December,  1797.  The  young  cou|ile  rode 
to  their  Walnut  Creek  home  on  a  sled  kept  at  the  fort. 
He  died  in  1««,  and  his  wife  in  1851.  \V.  \V.  Reed, 
sr.,  married  Elizabeth  Ingram,  daughter  of  James 
Smith,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who  removed  to 
Oneida  county.  New  York,  where  she  was  born.  W. 
W.  Reed,  sr.,  and  wife  located  in  .'\shtabula,  where  he 
was  for  a  number  of  years  a  prominent  and  success- 
ful merchant.  He  failed  in  the  panic  of  1837,  re- 
moved to  Erie,  Pa.,  in  1846,  where  he  was  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  F>ie  Canal  Company  until  his 
death,  September  9,  18,")1;  his  wife  survived  until  1888. 
William  Ward  Reed  received  his  education  at  the 
academies  of  Ashtabula  and  Erie.  Leaving  school, 
he  w-as  first  a  clerk  for  a  short  time  in  an  .-Ashtabula 
(O.)  warehouse,  and  was  then  for  four  years  in  vari- 
ous positions  in  the  lake  service.  Quitting  the  water, 
he  was  clerk  in  the  general  store  of  the  Reed's  fur- 
nace on  the  Big  Sandy,  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1849,  when  he 
began  the  practice  of  civil  engineering  on  the  Erie 
and  North  East  R.  R.  (now  the  L.  S.'&  M.  S.  R.  R.) 
One  year  later  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  as- 
sistant civil  engineer.  In  -September,  1851,  he  went 
to  Canada,  where  he  was  for  four  years  engaged  in 
civil  engineering  on  the  then  Ontario,  Sinicoe  and 
Huron  R.  R.,  between  Toronto  and  Collingwood. 
For  one  year  following  this  he  was  engaged  in  the 
construction  of  the  harbor  at  Collingwood,  and  was 
next  in  charge  of  the  construction  of  the  Niagara 
road  from  Clifton  to  Niagara-on-the-Lake.  During 
the  next  two  years  he  was  contractor's  engineer  on  the 
Sarnia  branch  of  the  Great  Western  R.  R.,  and  next 
built  the  acqueduct  of  the  canal  near  Girard,  Pa.  In 
1859  he  was  elected  general  superintendent  of  the 
Pennsylvania  and  Erie  Canal,  and  served  in  that 
capacity  until  the  canal  was  abandoned.  In  1867  he 
was  chosen  president  of  the  Erie  board  of  water 
commis.sioners,  and  served  on  that  board  for  twelve 
years.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  original 
stockholders  of  the  Second  National  Bank  of  Erie, 
and  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  directory,  and,  for 
a  part  of  the  time,  vice  president  of  that  board.  In 
187ti,  1878  and  188U  Mr.  Reed  was  supported  by  a  large 
majority  of  the  Republicans  of  Erie  county  for  the 
Republican  nomination  for  Congress  in  the  Twenty- 
seventh  district,  but  having  incurred  the  hostility  of 
the  other  counties  of  the  district  by  his  tight  against 
the  Pennsylvania  system  o{  giving  all  counties,  large 
and  small,  the  same  number  of  delegates  in  a  Con- 
gressional convention,  he  always  failed  to  get  the  dis- 
trict nomination.  He  was  one  of  the  board  of  mana- 
gers of  the  Hamot  Hospital,  and  has  long  been  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and   I. 


O.  O.  F.  He  resides  at  17  East  Tenth  street,  and  is  a 
member  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church,  of  w-hich  he 
has  been  vestryman  for  more  than  thirty  years. 

Thomas  Rees.  Few  names  were  more  familiar 
to  early  settlers  than  "  Squire  Rees."  None  more  iden- 
tified with  Erie  county's  settlement.  He  was  a  native 
of  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  though 
he  did  not  bring  his  family  to  Erie  as  early  as  some  of 
the  other  pioneers,  still,  he  was  the  first  to  begin  busi- 
ness in  the  lake  region.  Mr.  Rees,  after  taking  an 
active  sliare  in  the  stirring  events  of  the  Revolution, 
was  appointed  deputy  State  surveyor  as  .soon  as  the 
northwest  was  thrown  open  to  settlement.  The  com- 
mission was  dated  May  10,  1792.  He  o|iened  an  office 
in  Northumberland  county,  and  in  the  following  year 
.struck  out  through  the  forest  and  reached  an  Indian 
village  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Erie,  a  site  now  occupied 
by  the  city  of  Buffalo.  In  1794  he  visited  Prescpie 
Isle,  and  made  a  survey  on  about  400  warrants  issued 
to  him  for  survey.  In  the  spring  of  the  following  year 
Mr.  Rees  went  to  his  district  with  surveyors  and  oth- 
ers, who  wanted  to  take  up  land.  .Mr.  Rees  was  then 
agent  for  the  Pennsylvania  Population  Company,  and 
the  first  sales  were  all  articled  by  him.  He  had  a  tent 
on  the  bank  of  the  bay,  which  was  the  first  real  estate 
office  established  in  Erie.  Mr.  Rees  was  the  first  justice 
of  the  ])eace  appointed  in  Erie  county.  In  1802  he  re- 
moved from  Erietohis  place  in  Harbor  Creek.  He  termi- 
nated his  land  agency  and  laid  out  his  land  in  farms. 
They  have  since  been  known  as  the  Rees  reserve. 
There  he  resided  until  his  death  in  May,  1848.  Mrs. 
William  A.  Brown,  late  of  Erie,  was  his  niece  and  a 
part  of  his  household  until  his  death.  It  was  one  of 
the  pleasing  reminiscences  of  the  -Squire  to  tell  of  his 
entertainment  of  Louis  Phillipp  in  his  tent  or  cabin  on 
the  bank  of  Lake  Erie,  when,  as  Duke  of  Orleans,  he 
was  traversing  tlie  United  States.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  frcnn  1880  to  1848,  the  year  of  Squire  Rees' 
death,  Louis  Phillipp  was  u|)on  thethroneof  France — 
and  in  his  conversations  with  Gen.  Cass,  the  .American 
minister  at  his  court,  dwelt  with  emphasis  on  the  de- 
tails of  that  trip,  including  his  route  through  Erie,  the 
king  show'ing  a  map  on  which  his  route  or  itinerary 
was  traced  by  the  pen  of  Gen.  Washington  at  .Mt. 
Vernon 

Hon.  James  D.  Duulap  was  among  the  jiromi- 
nent  and  influential  men  of  Erie  who  have  by  their 
ijuiet  and  steady  efforts,  in  their  day  and  generation, 
hel|)ed  to  lay  the  foundations  of  our  city  broad  and 
deep.  Of  these  the  name  of  James  D.  Dunlap  deserves 
mention.  Even  though  his  career,  with  all  its  record 
of  useful  ])ublic  •  service  in  the  past,  with  much  of 
promi.se  for  the  future,  was  cut  short  by  death,  it  is 
gratifying  to  his  friends  to  review  his  unselfish  work 
and  note  the  results  he  obtained;  for  the  public  acts  of 
none  of  Erie's  prominent  men  seemed  freer  from  the 
taint  of  selfishness.  .As  Representative,  Senator  and 
councilman,  school  director  and  author,  his  work  was 
almost  continuous;  as  Sunday  school  superintendent, 
he  was  also  efficient  and  widely  known;  as  an  attorney 
at  the  bar,  though  his  practice  was  much  interrupted 
by  public  service  at  the  State  capitol,  yet  his  masterly 
Book  of  Forms  will  long  perjietuate  his  name;  for  it 
shows  his  familiarity  with  the  ]jractical  and  business 
part  of  the  profession  he  struggled  to  acquire.  His 
career  was  connected  with  the  initiation  or  forwarding 


^L.^  I 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COVSTY. 


573 


of  some  of  Erie's  greatest  improvements.  It  is  due 
to  his  memory  that  the  main  fact  of  his  useful  h'fe 
should  be  collated  and  sketched  as  one  of  Erie's  bene- 
factors. He  was  the  son  of  Dr.  James  and  Xancy 
Dunlap.  His  father  was  a  physician.  The  ancestral 
records  of  his  family,  formerly  spelled  Dunlop,  show 
a  Scotch  origin,  and  a  descent  from  the  Campbells  and 
Wallaces  of  that  historic  land.  The  family  went  from 
Scotland  to  the  ^'orth  of  Ireland.  William  Dunlap, 
great-grandfather  of  James  D.  Dunlap,  having  a  grant 
of  land  in  the  Colonies,  came  to  Philadelphia  before 
the  Revolution.  He  had  four  sons,  William,  James, 
John  and  Samuel.  James  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Oriskaney,  under  General  Herkimer.  All  the  brothers 
were  in  that  battle.  One  of  these  had  four  sons: 
James,  William,  Robert  and  Livingston.  James  was 
a  physician,  and  married  Nancy  Tuttle  daughter  of 
Col.  Timothy  Tuttle,  a  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary 
army.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  was 
of  Pilgrim  stock.  Of  their  three  children,  ail  but  James 
D.  died  very  young.  The  Tuttle  family  was  eariy  and 
honorably  connected  with  the  settlement  of  Erie 
county.  They  went  to  Indiana  Territory  soon  after 
their  marriage.  There,  in  the  town  of  Karkaskia, 
James  Dunlap  was  was  born  on  the  1.5th  of  January, 
1809.  Indiana  Territory  was  remote,  with  neither 
steam  navigation  or  railroad  facilities.  The  return  of 
Mrs.  Dunlap  with  her  infant  son  was  by  the  way  of 
the  Mississippi  river  to  New  Orleans,  and  thence  by 
steamer  through  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  ocean  to 
New  York,  and  thence  overland  to  Erie  county.  The 
traditional  account  of  this  trip  seems  more  like  romance 
than  reality;  but,  in  it  all,  is  the  figure  of  the  lone, 
heroic  woman,  who,  with  her  infant  son,  endured  so 
much  in  this  long  and  circuitous  journey  home  to  the 
hamlet  of  North  East.  .Amid  difificulties,  which  were 
bravely  overcome,  Mr.  Dunlap,  as  the  companion  of 
his  mother,  reached  the  bar,  for  which  he  zealously 
toiled.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  October,  1837. 
Soon  afterwards  he  removed  from  North  East  to  Erie, 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  Hon.  Elijah  Babbitt, 
which  continued  for  some  time.  He  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature  from  Erie  county  in  1840,  in  the  noted 
Tippecanoe  camjiaign,  and  re-elected  in  1841-43  and 
44.  He  was  afterwards,  in  184.5,  elected  .State  Senator. 
While  in  the  House  he,  by  special  exertion,s,  secured 
the  incorporation  of  the  Erie  and  North  East  Railroad 
Company,  the  first  link  in  Pennsylvania  in  the  line  of 
the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  Afterwards  he  aided  in  secur- 
ing the  charter  of  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R..  with 
branches,  a  franchise  most  gladly  utilized  when  adverse 
influences  sought  to  hinder  the  chartering  of  roads 
through  Northwestern  Pennsylvania.  He  was  for 
years  a  school  director  of  Erie,  and  seemed  among  the 
first  to  grasp  the  idea  of  placing  the  Erie  schools  upon 
the  elevated  plane  they  have  since  reached.  He  was 
the  originator,  or  most  prominent  supporter,  of  the 
building  of  the  High  school  building,  at  the  corner  of 
Holland  and  Seventh  streets,  and  had  the  satisfaction 
of  witnessing  its  erection,  though,  for  a  while,  ob- 
structed by  an  attempted  injunction.  The  potential 
character  of  his  vote  on  an  important  occasion,  when 
the  educational  system  of  Pennsylvania  hung  in  the 
balance,  during  his  Legislative  or  Senatorial  -career, 
was  significantly  alluded  to  as  "the  casting  vote,"  by 
one  of  the  educational  functionaries  of  the  Common- 
wealth in  an  address  from  the  platform  on  an  occasion 
of  state  at  Erie.  For  about  thirty  years  succeeding 
37 


his  death  his  gifted  widow,  and  for  much  of  the  time 
one  or  both  of  his  accomplished  daughters,  were  em- 
ployed as  teachers  in  the  educational  establishment 
with  which  he  was  identified  as  a  founder.  These 
facts  caused  an  association  of  his  family  with  the 
schools  for  almost  half  a  century,  his  earnest  advocacy 
of  the  educational  interests  in  the  Legislature  by  Mr. 
Dunlap  being  taken  into  account.  In  no  other  family  in 
Erie  city  was  there  such  a  public  school  record  as  in 
his.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Seventh 
Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  Erie.  Prior 
to  his  coming  to  this  city,  that  congregation  had  no 
place  of  public  worship,  except  in  the  court  house.  It 
was  his  happiness,  in  1839,  to  see  their  church  dedi- 
cated, and  the  following  year  to  welcome  to  its  portals 
the  annual  session  of  the  Erie  Conference.  For  years 
he  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school. 
His  wide  reputation  in  such  service  was  emphasized 
in  the  fitting  commemorative,  or  funeral  address,  of 
Rev.  W.  F.  Wilson,  after  his  lamented  death.  In  1854 
Mr.  Dunlap  brought  out  his  first  edition  of  "  Dunlap's 
Book  of  Forms."  It  had  involved  much  care  and 
thought,  and  was  a  complete  succes.s.  Its  adaptation 
of  forms,  its  aid  in  the  conduct  of  business  and  its 
consequent  prevention  of  litigation,  were  most  com- 
mendable. Two  improved  and  enlarged  editions 
were  brought  out  by  him  in  his  lifetime.  The  work 
has  since,  in  its  wide  circulation,  become  a  standard 
authority  and  monument  to  the  author's  care  and 
ability.  He  was  most  hajipy  in  his  domestic  relations. 
Having,  in  1840,  purchased  the  sightly  and  attractive 
"  Kellogg  homestead,"  on  East  Sixth  street,  which,  em- 
bowered within  its  trees,  its  vines  and  flowers,  could 
be  made  so  beautiful,  he  embellished  it  yet  more  by 
the  addition  of  fruits,  vines  and  lawns,  all  cultivated 
with  the  most  sedulous  care.  There,  for  some  years, 
he  and  his  mother  made  their  home,  which  was  a 
delightful  and  pleasant  resort.  On  the  first  day  of 
Februarj',  1844,  his  mother  died,  aged  64  vears. 
Afterwards  Mr.  Dunlap,  on  the  11th  "of  .May,' 1853, 
married  Miss  Marian  Finley  Russell,  a  lady  of  Scotch 
parentage,  from  Belfast,  Ireland.  Her  zeal  in  church 
work,  and  aptness  and  ability  in  teaching,  had,  before 
her  marriage,  drawn  around  her  a  host  of  friends. 
They  had  three  children:  Emma,  of  most  cultured 
intellect,  and  of  charming  beauty  of  character.  She 
died  March  23,  1877,  after  some  years  of  successive 
service  as  teacher.  Her  funeral,  on  the  following 
Sunday  afternoon,  from  the  Seventh  Street  M.  E. 
Church,  was  a  memorable  scene.  There  teachers  and 
scholars,  representative  citizens  an<i  friends  gathered 
from  every  part  of  the  city,  while  the  eUnjuent 
tribute  of  her  pastor,  Rev.  William  W.  Ramsey,  is 
remembered  as  one  of  his  most  feeling  addresses 
during  his  remarkable  pastorate.  Mary,  after  several 
years  of  successful  teaching  in  the  city  schools,  was 
married  to  Mr.  Davis  Rees,  freight  agent  of  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Erie  R.  R.;  and  Wallace,  also  in  the 
railroad  service,  who  married  Grace  Sedelmeyer. 
Such  are  the  outlines  of  the  life  of  one  who  labored 
long  and  diligently  for  Erie's  advancement,  and  from 
the  benefit  of  whose  efforts  Erie  has  long  ago  derived 
important  fruits.  In  the  long  and  patient  effort  to 
revive  the  Sunbury  and  Erie  (now  Philadelphia  and 
Erie)  R.  R.,  between  its  commencement  in  18;i7  and 
its  revival  in  1851,  Mr.  Dunlap  was  a  patient  toiler;  in 
the  negotiations  and  meetings  preceding  the  building 
of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.,  he  was  a  faithful  worker;  in 


574 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


all  of  this  preliminary  work  his  conciliatory  manners 
and  wide  acquaintance  with  public  men  made  him 
efficient.  His  keen  preception  forsaw  the  Gem  City 
yet  to  come  on  the  south  shore  of  Presque  Isle  Bay; 
though  he  was  not  destined  to  realize  the  fruition  of  his 
hopes.  Like  Moses,  he  saw  from  afar  the  promised 
land,  but  did  not  live  to  enter  in.  His  death  was  sadly 
pathetic.  While,  with  other  citizens,  struggling 
through  the  panic,  which,  in  October,  1857,  had 
paralyzed  the  industries  and  deranged  the  finances  of 
our  country,  he  was  in  March,  IS.'iH,  stricken  with  a 
fatal  malady,  the  result  of  which  no  skill  could  avert. 
He  rapidly  sank  under  its  withering  touch,  and,  in  the 
maturity  of  his  powers  and  with  his  hopes  on  life  still 
buoyant,  he  sank.  He  died  on  the  28th  day  of  March, 
1858.  Of  his  three  children,  the  eldest  was  but  four 
years  of  age.  In  the  confusion  and  embarrassment  of 
the  depression  all  of  his  financial  plans  were  frustrated; 
though  happily  the  rearing  and  education  of  his  chil- 
dren were  committed  to  competent  hands,  by  whom 
the  work  laid  down  by  him  was  most  successfully  ac- 
complished. 

Nathaniel  Willard  Russell,  the  first-born  of 
Hamlin  and  Sarah  (Norcross)  Russell,  was  born  in 
Erie  county  March  11,  1812.  His  father  came  to  this 
county  from  Connecticut  in  1802,  and  was  married 
here  in  1811;  had  but  limited  educational  oii|iortuni- 
ties,  and  did  not  attend  school  after  he  was  15.  He 
remained  with  his  father  (his  mother  having  died  when 
he  was  19  years  old)  until  March  10,  1833,  when  he 
began  to  earn  money  for  himself  by  working  on  a 
neighboring  farm  and  teaching  school.  His  first  pur- 
chase of  land  was  forty  acres  from  his  father  at  $10  per 
acre.  October  lit,  183(5,  he  left  for  Harrisburg,  Pa., 
where  he  obtained  a  ])Osition  as  clerk  in  Buehler's  Ho- 
tel. In  April,  183<i,  by  the  aid  of  Gen.  Simon  Cameron, 
he  was  appointed  a  conductor  on  the  railroad  between 
Harrisburg  and  Philadelphia,  and  in  June  following 
was  promoted  to  United  .States  mail  agent  at  an  in- 
creased salary.  During  the  winter  of  1838  he  was  in- 
duced to  return  to  Buehler's  Hotel  and  given  general 
charge  of  the  house.  This  was  during  the  period 
known  as  "  the  buckshot  war,"  one  of  the  most  event- 
ful in  Pennsylvania's  history.  March  23,  1839,  Mr. 
Russell  was  made  captain  of  the  packet  boat,  Thomas 
Jefferson,  of  the  fast  passenger  line  between  Pittsburg 
and  Philadelphia,  a  position  he  held  for  four  seasons. 
During  his  residence  in  the  east  he  made  annual  visits 
to  his  parents.  The  winter  of  1840-41  he  spent  in  Erie 
county,  and  during  this  period  was  married  to  Miss 
Eleanor  S.  Osborn,  of  Erie,  January  14,  1841.  March 
1st  he  resumed  his  place  on  the  canal,  Mrs.  Russell 
accompanying  him  to  Harrisburg,  and  spending  the 
summers  with  Mrs.  Buehler.  While  there  she  was 
seized  with  bilious  fever,  which  terminated  in  quick 
consumption,  and  Mr.  Russell  was  obliged  to  bring 
her  back  to  Erie,  where  she  died  on  the  6th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1842.  In  November  of  the  same  year  he  resigned 
his  place  on  the  canal  and  returned  permanently  to 
his  old  home.  Soon  after,  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
ninety  acres,  within  three  miles  of  Erie.  September 
1,  1843,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Frances  A.  Hubbell, 
of  Troy,  N.  Y.  A  son  whs  born  in  July,  1844,  to  whom 
the  name  of  Henry  Buehler  was  given.  Mrs.  Russell 
died  on  the  30th  of  January,  1849,  and  in  January,  1851, 
he  was  married  (for  the  third  time)  to  Miss  Emily  Da- 
vison, of  Mill  Creek.     Their  only  child  is  a  daughter. 


born  May,  1853,  who  was  named  Ella  Frances  Russell 
(now  Mrs.  Burton).  In  April,  1855,  Mr.  Russell  pur- 
chased and  moved  on  the  tract  of  land  where  he  was 
born,  and  on  which  he  died.  The  postoffice  at  Belle 
Valley  was  mainly  established  through  his  efforts.  In 
1849  he  was  appointed  aid  to  Gov.  Johnston,  with  the 
rank  of  lieutenant-colonel,  and,  in  1868,  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  an  office  he  held  continuously. 
Mr.  Russell  was  known  in  every  part  of  Erie  county  as 
one  of  its  wealthiest  farmers  and  most  intelligent  citi- 
zens. He  was  remarkable  for  his  wonderful  memory 
and  was  the  standard  authority  on  all  matters  con- 
nected with  the  early  settlement  of  Erie  county. 

George  J.  Russell,  brother  of  the  late  Capt.  N. 
W.  Russell,  was  born  in  Belle  \'alley,  Erie  county, 
February  14,  1824,  son  of  Hamlin  Russell  and  Sarah 
(NorcrossI  Russell.  His  father  came  to  Pennsylvania 
from  W'instead,  Conn.,  in  the  year  1802.  They  were 
of  English  parentage,  having  settled  in  Connecticut  in 
the  year  1664,  the  first  of  the  family  who  settled  in 
this  country  being  William  Russell,  who  came  here  at 
that  date  (1664).  Benjamin  Russell,  an  elder  brother 
of  Hamlin  Russell,  came  to  Erie  county  in  179t').  The 
family  have  all  been  farmers,  and  being  above  the 
average  farmer  in  general  education,  and  of  unusual 
energy,  have  succeeded  in  becoming  important  factors 
in  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of  Erie  county.  Mr. 
George  Russell,  late  coroner,  and  Benjamin  .S.  Russell, 
a  real  estate  dealer,  now  living  at  Jamestown,  Dak., 
are  the  only  living  children.  Their  father  was  promi- 
nent among  the  first  Abolitionists  of  the  country,  and 
died  September  19,  1852;  their  mother  February  11, 
1831.  ("reorge  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools,  and  engaged  in  farming  until  April  1,  1890. 
He  also  taught  school  winters,  lietween  the  age  of  20 
and  24  years.  He  has  held  the  [losition  of  tax  collector 
in  Erie  county  for  seven  years,  ami  the  office  of  coro- 
ner three  years,  and  the  office  of  jury  commissioner 
three  years.  He  was  married  January  26,  1854,  to 
Arniinda  J.  Hayes,  daughter  of  Lester  and  Mary 
(Graham)  Hayes;  her  father  was  of  English  parentage 
and  her  mother  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Three  chil- 
dren were  the  result  of  this  union:  Minnie  M.,  wife  of 
Rev.  H.  Webster;  Lester  Hayes  and  George  B.  The 
family  are  all  ardent  Presbyterians.  Mr.  George  J. 
Rus.sell  is  a  staunch  Republican.  He  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming,  and  has  accumulated  sufficient 
wealth  to  insure  him  comfort  the  balance  of  his  days. 
The  summer  of  1850  he  went  the  overland  route  to 
California;  leaving  Independence,  Mo.,  May  27,  1850, 
he  reached  the  gold  mines  in  Nevada  county,  Cali- 
fornia, September  27,  1850,  remaining  at  the  mines  un- 
til the  month  of  June,  1853,  when  he  returned  home  by 
way  of  San  F'rancisco  and  the  Nicarauga  route  to  New 
York,  arriving  in  Erie  July  29,  1853,  bringing  with  him 
a  sufficiency  of  gold,  dug  by  himself  from  the  mines 
of  California,  to  buy  a  fine  farm.  To  the  Russell  fam- 
ily P>ie  county  is  indebted  for  a  great  deal  of  the  re- 
corded history  of  the  county,  and  much  of  the  knowl- 
edge we  have  of  the  family  history  of  many  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  county. 

Rev.  Robert  Reid  was  the  first  resident  minister 
in  the  city  of  Erie,  his  home  from  1811  to  1844.  He 
was  pastor  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church,  the 
first  regularly  organized  in  Erie,  and  for  years  its 
strongest    religious    organization.      Mr.    Reid's    high 


AND  HISTOBiCAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


SIS 


character  as  a  minister,  his  ability  as  a  theologian  and 
celebrity  as  an  author  merit  more  than  passing  notice, 
especially  as  he  labored  with  untiring  zeal  for  a  third 
of  a  century  in  laying  deep  and  broad  the  foundations 
of  Evangelical  religion  on  the  wilderness  shores  of 
Lake  Erie;  seeking  to  transplant  the  faith  and  tenets 
he  had  imbibed  on  the  hills  of  Ireland  from  his  an- 
cestors, who,  before  that,  came  with  their  Bibles  and 
their  plighted  faith  from  "the  solemn  league  and  cov- 
enant "  in  the  mountains  of  Scotland.  The  life  of  such 
a  man,  recounted,  and  his  efforts  to  found  a  church,  as 
reviewed,  will  familiarize  the  reader  with  the  trials  and 
toils  of  those  faithful  men  who  builded  better  than  they 
knew.  Rev.  Robert  Reid  was  born  at  Reid's  Hill  bor- 
ough, near  Belfast,  Ireland,  November  .5, 1781.  He  came 
with  his  father's  family  to  Philadelphia  in  1798.  He 
entered  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1801,  and 
graduated  in  180-5,  and  later  from  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church  at  New 
York.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1809.  He  trav- 
eled over  much  wild  countrv",  preaching  in  many 
neighborhoods,  sometimes  with  a  sermon  each  day  in 
the  week.  He  came  to  Erie  in  1811,  and,  in  1812,  was 
ordained  and  installed  as  pastor  of  the  .Associate  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  Church,  then  the  only  organized 
religious  association  in  Erie.  .Afterwards  a  church  of 
kindred  faith  was  organized  in  Waterford,  to  which  he 
ministered  for  years  a  part  of  the  time.  He  officiated 
as  chaplain  to  Perry's  squadron,  and  to  the  land  forces 
at  Erie  in  time  of  war.  At  the  incorporation  of  the 
academy,  in  1819,  he  was  elected  president  and  so  con- 
tinued for  twenty-five  years,  until  his  death.  For 
some  time  he  was  principal  of  the  academy,  and  for 
years  afterwards  aided  as  a  special  teacher.  He  was 
married,  in  181B,  to  Elizabeth  Calhoun,  who  died 
young.  In  182K  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Matthew  Lind,  pastor  of  the  Paxtang  Church, 
near  Harrisburg,  Pa.  He  had  six  children:  James 
Craig,  a  scholar,  engineer  and  teacher,  attorney-at-law 
ami  legislator:  Dr.  Robert  King,  who  located  in  Cali- 
fornia; John  C,  of  Stockton,  Cal.;  Mrs.  Ellen,  widow  of 
R.  T.  Stewart  (deceased);  Elizabeth,  the  deceased 
wife  of  Irwin  .M.  Wallace,  of  Erie,  and  Jeannette  L., 
the  deceased  wife  of  Hon.  George  F.  Carpenter,  of 
.Mansfield,  O.  (mother  of  Frank  Carpenter,  the  noted 
traveler).  He  was  the  author  of  a  number  of  books, 
indicating  learning  and  research.  Rev.  Mr.  Reid's 
long,  useful  and  successful  life  terminated  at  Erie  May 
10,  1844,  where  truly  his  memory  was  embalmed  in  the 
hearts  of  his  people. 

Craig  James  Reid  was  born  in  Erie,  Pa.,  June 
18.  18-54,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  James  C.  and  Louisa 
Charlotte  (IngersoHi  Reid,  the  former  a  native  of  Erie 
county,  Pennsylvania,  of -Scotch-Irish  descent,  the  latter 
a  native  of  St.  Lawrence  county,  Xew  York,  and  of 
English-Welsh  extraction.  Their  children  are:  Jessie 
Louisa,  wife  of  John  Livingstone  Dinwiddle  Borth- 
wick,  A.  M.,  chief  engineer  United  .States  navy. 
[Lieut.-Com.  John  Livingstone  Dinwiddle  Borthwick, 
l)orn  in  Philadelphia  .August  11, 1840;  educated  in  that 
city  and  receiveil  the  degree  of  A.  M.;  is  a  member  of 
the  First  Troop  Philadelphia  City  Cavalry,  and  with 
it  served  in  the  first  Shenandoah  campaign  in  1861; 
was  present  at  the  engagement  of  Falling  Waters,  Ya.; 
on  being  mustered  out  of  the  L'nited  States  service 
was  offered  and  declined  a  commission  as  cai)tain  in 
the  Pennsylvania,   and    a  lieutenancy  in  the  regular 


cavalry;  entered  the  navy  as  a  third  assistant  engineer 
October  8,  1861,  and  was  ordered  to  the  U.  S.  S. 
"Itasca";  in  that  vessel  he  participated  in  the  pre- 
liminary engagements  below  Forts  Jackson  and  St. 
Phillip;  the  removal  of  the  obstructions  below  those 
forts;  the  passage  of  the  forts  and  the  capture  of  \ew 
Orleans;  also  in  the  engagements  at  \'icksburg.  Grand 
Gulf,  East  Feliciana,  Port  Hudson,  Baton  Rouge, 
Pass  Manchac,  Donaldsonville,  College  Point  and  Red 
Church,  all  on  the  .Mississippi  river;  at  Yelasco,  coast  of 
Texas,  and  in  the  preliminary  engagements  and  passage 
ot  Forts  Morgan  and  Gaines,  Mobile  Bay;  detached  from 
the  "  Itasca  "  and  ordered  to  the  "  .Arizona,  "  flagship  of 
the  West  Gulf  squadron,  as  engineer  in  charge,  the  same 
position  he  held  on  board  the  "  Itasca, "  January,  1865; 
detached  and  ordered  to  the  "  Lackawanna  "  on  the 
tlestruction  of  the  "Arizona"  by  fire;  detached  from 
the  "Lackawanna "  and  ordered  to  the  "  Kineo " 
.March,  1865,  as  engineer  in  charge;  detached  and 
placed  on  waiting  orders  -May,  1865;  served  on  board 
of  the  "Shamokin,"  "Kansas"  and  "Huron"  in  the 
West  Indies,  South  Atlantic  squadron  and  \Yest  Coast 
of  Africa  from  June,  1865,  till  October,  1868;  at  the 
Xaval  Academy  as  instructor,  and  in  charge  of 
machinery  afloat  from  .April,  1869,  till  July,  1871;  on 
board  of  the  ".Michigan"  from  July,  1871,  till 
July,  1873;  on  board  the  "Alaska,"  European 
squadron,  from  August,  1873,  till  January,  1874; 
at  the  Xaval  .Academy  as  instructor  and  in  charge  of 
machinery  afloat  from  January,  1874,  till  January',  1877; 
on  board  of  the  "Alliance,"  "X'andalia"  and  "Tren- 
ton," European  squadron,  from  March,  1877,  till  July, 
1880;  on  board  of  the  "Michigan"  from  December, 
1880,  till  July,  1883;  on  board  of  the  "Trenton"  and 
"Alert,"  Ea.st  India  squadron,  from  August,  1883,  till 
September,  1886;  at  the  Xew  York  navy  yard  from 
April,  1887,  to  January,  1888,  as  chairman  of  the 
Experimental  Board,  member  of  the  Board  of  In- 
spection and  Statutory  Board;  on  board  of  the 
"  Swatara, "  flagship  of  the  South  Atlantic  squad- 
ron, and  in  the  East  India  squadron,  from  Janu- 
ary', 1888,  till  February,  1891;  ordered  to  the  Xew 
York  navy  yard.  May,  1891,  as  a  member  of  the 
Experimental  Board;  July  2,  1892,  detailed  for  special 
duty  in  the  inspection  of  the  tubes  for  the  U.  S.  S. 
"  Chicago, "  at  the  Syracuse  Tube  Co.,  Syracuse,  N. 
Y.,  and  as  inspector  of  the  construction  of  the  boilers 
of  the  \J.  S.  .S.  "Michigan"  at  the  Lake  Erie  Boiler 
Works,  Buffalo,  X.  Y.;  t)rdered  to  duty  on  board  of 
the  vessel  November  19,  1892;  while  in  Chicago, 
attached  to  the  Xaval  Exhibit;  served  as  a  delegate  to 
the  Boiler  .Makers'  Convention  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  and  to  the  Boiler  Inspectors'  Convention 
of  the  same.  Promoted  to  be  second  assistant  en- 
gineer August  3,  1863;  to  a  first  assistant  engineer 
October  11,  1866;  to  a  past  assistant  engineer  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1874;  to  a  chief  engineer,  with  the  rank  of 
lieutenant-commander,  September  7,  1885.]  Robert 
Ingersoll  Reid,  who  was  educated  at  the  Erie  academy, 
graduated  from  the  Xational  Academy  at  Annapolis 
in  1876,  and  has  been  successively  promoted  to  his 
[iresent  position,  assistant  engineer,  United  States 
navy;  and  Craig  J.  Reed,  who  was  educated  at  the 
Erie  .Academy,  and  graduated  from  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  Union  L'niversity,  at  .Albany,  X.  Y.,  with 
the  degree  of  L.L.  B.,  in  May,  1877.  He  continued 
the  reading  of  law  under  the  preceptorship  of  the  late 
Hon.  Judge    Henry   Souther,   and    was    admitted   to 


576 


IfELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTT01M.RT 


practice  in  September,  1877.  He  pursued  the  practice 
of  law  for  several  years,  and  had  during  that  period 
editorial  connection  with  the  Murninrj  Dupalr/i, 
Weekli/  Qnzette  and  Krtniug  Ihrald,  of  Krie.  He 
resides  at  719  French  street.  During  the  spring  and 
summer  of  1884,  while  engaged  in  his  legal  practice, 
Mr.  Reid  became  suddenly  aware  that  the  vision  of 
his  left  eye  had  become  slightly  affected.  He  thought 
little  of  it  at  the  time,  l)ut  as  the  trouble  showed  no 
signs  of  abating  for  several  weeks,  he  was  finally 
forced  to  consult  an  oculist,  from  whom  he  learned 
with  anything  but  pleasure  that  an  atrophy  of  the 
optic  nerve  had  set  in  and  that  in  all  pmliability  he 
was  destined  for  a  very  serious  ojjtical  contest.  The 
loss  of  eyesight  to  one  of  his  temperament  and  bookish 
habits  was  a  far  from  inviting  outlook.  When  the 
autumn  of  that  year  arrived,  bringing  with  it  the 
presidential  election,  election  day  spent  as  challenger 
at  the  polls  pursuaded  him  that  if  anything  could  be 
done  to  fully  restore  his  vision  it  was  time  to  have  it 
done.  Hence  immediately  thereafter  he  went  to  New 
York  to  get  what  light  he  could  on  the  subject.  He 
got  it  in  abundance.  The  diagnosis  of  a  celebrated 
metropolitan  specialist  left  him  no  doubt  that  he  was 
not  only  booked  for  permanent  blindness,  but  that 
even  other  scarcely  more  welcome  physical  short- 
comings were  in  store  for  him.  In  short,  he  learned 
that  the  eye  trouble  was  the  forerunner  of  a  latent 
spinal  difficulty  which  must  sooner  or  later  involve 
the  power  of  locomotion.  Thus  fortified  against  the 
future,  he  returned  home.  ."Vs  he  was  at  this  time 
engaged  to  be  married,  his  state  of  mind  can  be  better 
imagmed  than  described.  The  outlook  as  to  that 
auspicious  consummation  began  to  partake  of  the 
general  gloom.  It  was  certainly  asking  a  good  deal 
of  any  sensible  woman  to  join  forces  in  so  lop-sided  an 
enterprise.  But  the  sprite  that  is  said  to  laugh  lock- 
smiths to  contempt  proved  adequate  to  the  occasion, 
and  the  wedding  day  and  total  blindness  engaged  in  a 
neck-and-neck  contest  and  came  out  just  about  even. 
The  blind  goddess  was  no  metaphor  in  this  case.  The 
quondam  vestal  who  was  to  supply  the  perennial  light 
for  the  unequally  illuminated  twain  was  MissHattieA. 
Landon,  a  native  of  Erie.  It  goes  without  saying 
that  a  woman  courageous  enough  to  venture  upon 
such  an  alliance  could  not  be  of  the  scriptural  foolish 
virgin  type — lacking  in  oil— however  she  may  have 
been  otherwise  lacking  in  the  eyes  of  the  prudent 
world. 

Returning  from  the  metropolis  thus  dismally  en- 
lightened, he  lost  but  little  time  in  fruitless  lamenta- 
tion. Procuring  the  services  of  a  reader,  he  pursued 
the  even  tenor  of  his  professional  way,  very  much  as 
if  nothing  had  taken  place.  This  continued  for  about 
two  years,  when,  with  but  little  warning,  the  second 
part  of  the  medical  prognosis  put  in  its  appearance, 
leaving  him,  so  to  say,  with  no  legs  to  speak  of.  In 
other  words,  the  nerve  trouble  took  a  downward  turn 
and  rendered  his  limbs  useless  for  the  purpose  of 
locomotion,  thereby  putting  him  into  a  wheel-chair, 
apparently  to  stay.  Upon  the  arrival  of  this  latter 
catastrophy,  he  was  forced  to  abandon  his  active  pur- 
suits, and,  in  the  language  of  the  superannuated  Elia, 
he  "went  home  forever." 

If  was,  therefore,  at  his  quiet  home,  in  which  he  is 
always  "at  home  to  his  friends,"  that  the  interview 
here  published  was  had.  Replying  to  a  variety  of 
questions,  having  reference  to  the  daily  habits  and 


methods  of  the  efficient  blind  man,  Mr.  Reid  made 
answer:  "I  cordially  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity 
presented.  It  is  really  quite  astonishing,  the  density 
of  the  popular  ignorance  respecting  the  blind,  their 
resources  and  methods.  In  the  decade  of  my  expe- 
rience as  such,  I  have  met  a  vast  number  of  persons, 
and  these  chiefly  of  the  more  intelligent  classes,  and  of 
them  all  I  do  not  now  recall  a  single  instance  of  an  indi- 
vidual possessing  so  much  as  even  the  most  elementary 
knowledge  of  the  educational  or  other  practical  metli- 
ous  of  daily  use  to  the  blind.  At  furtherst  some  hazy 
notion  is  entertained  of  the  use  of  the  embossed  or 
raised  letter  method  of  instruction.  Now,  the  fact  is, 
that  the  raised  letter  anti  its  uses  bear  about  the  same 
practical  relation  to  the  blind  education  as  does  the 
wooden  plow  of  the  middle  ages  to  the  magnificent 
steam  mechanism  of  the  agriculture  of  to-day.  All 
these  clumsy  systems  are  now  supplanted  by  what  is 
known  as  the  '  punctograph,'  or  point  writing.  The 
especial  merit  of  this  method  is  that  it  can  be  used  in- 
lerchangably,  as  writing  or  printing,  and  is,  in  fact,  at 
present  so  employed  in  all  the  institutes  for  the 
blind  at  home  and  abroad.  It  consists  of  points  or 
perforations  through  paper  sheets,  producing  a  series 
of  readable  characters.  It  is  written  by  means  of  a 
stylus  held  in  the  hand  after  the  manner  of  a  pencil. 
By  placing  the  paper  in  the  point  slate,  which  consists 
of^a  wooden  frame  with  a  fastener  at  the  u])])er  end,  the 
writing  is  produced  by  the  use  of  steel  tablets  on  the 
ujjper  and  under  sides  of  the  paper,  the  lower  half  con- 
taining the  rows  of  perforations  and  the  upper  half  a 
corresponding  number  of  lines  of  cells  through  which 
the  stylus  passes  in  making  the  point  characters.  In 
this  manner  an  alphabet  of  arbitrary  point  signs  is 
created,  which  the  blind  student  soon  becomes  famil- 
iar with,  and  is  thus  able  to  write  matter  which  he  him- 
self can  read.  The  .American  Printing  House  for  the 
Blind  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  is  now  turning  out  a  variety 
of  text  and  other  books  in  punctograph  and  the  days  of 
the  raised  letter  are  certainly  numbered. 

"There  are  extant  two  systems  of  punctograph, 
known  respectively  as  the  Braille  and  the  New  York, 
the  latter  being  the  invention  of  Supt.  Wm.  B.  Wait, 
the  able  and  scholarly  head  of  the  Xew  York  Insti- 
tute, and  by  him  patriotically  named  after  that  bene- 
ficent institution.  This  last  is  rapidly  becoming  the 
favorite  in  this  country,  though  the  Braille  (so  called 
after  its  inventor,  a  Frenchman  bearing  that  name  I,  is 
much  used  here  and  is  well  nigh  universal  in  the 
Europeon  countries.  As  the  French  system  was  the 
pioneer,  its  popularity  is  to  be  ascribed  to  that  fact. 
Personally  I  am  a  violent  partisan  for  the  New  York 
code,  though  I  read  and  write  both,  as  well  as  another 
point  aljjhabet  called  the  Roman  (so  called  because  it 
is  a  rude  imitation  of  the  capitals  of  the  printed  page). 
Xhis  last  can  be  used  for  correspondence  between  the 
sightless  and  the  seeing." 

As  to  matter  written  by  the  blind  and  intended  to 
be  read  by  the  sighted,  the  modern  typewriter  is  the 
hourly  helpmate  of  the  efficient  blind  person.  Anvof 
the  key  machines  are  readily  mastered  by  the  blind, 
and  there  are  not  wanting  blind  typewriter  experts 
fully  equipped  to  compete  with  his  seeing  brother  in 
that  now  all-pervading  employment.  The  Hall  type- 
writer has  also  proved  available  for  blind  use.  These 
two  contrivances,  punctograph  and  the  typewriter, 
once  thoroughly  mastered,  the  intelligent  blindee  is 
moderately  well  equipped  to  enter  the  battle  of  life, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTT. 


577 


far  less  handicapped  than  was  his  wont  half  a  cen- 
tury ago.  But  to  minimize  his  present  disadvantage, 
his  staunch  friend,  the  ingenious  Wait,  has,  within  the 
past  year,  brought  out  the  chef  d'ouvre  of  bhnd  de- 
vices, the  kleidograpli.  This  is  none  other  than  a 
punctograph  writing  machine.  It  is  the  same  thing  to 
point  writing  that  the  typewriter  is  to  hand  writmg. 
It  has  all  the  speed  and  more  than  the  compass  of  the 
standard  typewriters.  Every  letter  and  every  one  of 
the  signs  of  the  elaborate  punctograph  code  can  be 
produced  at  a  single  stroke.  By  this  machine  the 
tedious  hand  yirocess  has  been  converted  into  an 
agreeable  pastime,  and  dictated  matter  can  be  tran- 
scribed into  legible  blind  literature  almost  as  fast  as  it 
can  be  read.  Thus  you  may  readily  gather  that  an 
up-to-date  blindee  is  far  from  being  the  helpless  in- 
capable that  the  uninformed  world  esteems  him.  In 
short,  he  is  so  far  as  capability  to  manage  his  own 
affairs  goes,  fully  the  peer  of  the  average  seeing  man. 
So  far  as  my  own  small  wordly  affairs  are  concerned, 
except  as  to  the  one  thing,  reading,  I  am  not  necessarily 
dependent  upon  anyone  for  the  least  assistance  in  their 
management.  Everything,  from  drawing  a  check  to 
writing  a  book,  if  need  be,  can  be  accomplished  easily 
and  expeditiously  by  the  one  means  or  the  other,  or 
both  combined. 

By  way  of  vindication  of  the  foregoing  rather 
sweeping  generalization,  Mr.  Reed  was  led  by  easy 
stages  into  some  allusions  to  his  own  achievements. 
They  certainly  do  warrant  his  enthusiastic  endorse- 
ment of  the  devices  mentioned.  It  will  be  readily  re- 
called by  his  many  friends  that  in  early  manhood  he 
was  widely  known  for  his  oratorical  and  recitative 
efforts.  His  addresses  at  the  bar  and  on  many  public 
occasions  need  scarcely  be  referred  to  here  to  awaken 
memories  of  them  in  our  readers.  His  enforced  re- 
tirement from  active  efforts  in  these  lines  has  in  no 
wise  prevented  him  from  holding  to  his  old  loves  for 
the  more  private  entertainment  of  his  friends  on  suita- 
ble occasions.  As  a  Shakesperian  reader  he  has  fre- 
quently appeared  before  appreciative  gathermgs  dur- 
ing his  customary  outings,  and  his  hearers  have  in- 
cluded the  intelligent  and  cultivated  from  nearly  all 
the  cities  round  about.  In  reference  to  this  edifying 
penchant  and  the  difficulties  that  must  necessarily  lie 
m  the  way  of  its  successful  accomplishment,  Mr. 
Reed  said:  "I  suppose  I  have  been  asked  an  easy 
thousand  times  how  it  was  po.ssible  for  a  blind  man  to 
accom|ilish  such  seemingly  impossible  memory  feats. 
Say,  for  instance,  the  learning  of  a  Shakesperian 
monologue.  A  monologue  usually  runs  about  an  hour 
and  a  half  in  the  delivery  (anywhere  from  ten  to 
twelve  thousand  words),  and  my  perennial,  but  always 
mystifying,  reply  has  been — punctograph.  The  process 
is  very  simple.  I  set  a  reader  on  the  play  1  propose 
to  monologue,  having  a  pencil  in  his  hand.  As  he 
reads  along  he  is  directed  to  mark  the  parts  intended 
to  be  used.  This  done,  the  marked  passages  are  re- 
read to  me,  having  my  kleidograph  before  me,  and  in 
due  course  of  time  the  punctograph  transcription,  ex- 
actly as  I  intend  to  memorize  and  deliver  it,  is  ready 
for  studying.  In  this  manner  monologues  of  the 
length  described,  of  Richard  II.,  Richard  III.,  Mac- 
beth and  Troilus  and  Cressida,  have  been  transcribed 
and  mastered,  while  one  of  Hamlet  has  been  for  some 
time  in  readiness  for  perusal.  In  addition  to  poetical 
transcri]itions  of  a  strictly  business  kind,  I  have  many 
old  favorites  in  prose  and  verse,  extending   from   the 


Gospel  of  Matthew  and  the  Enchiridion  of  Epictetus, 
to  the  latest  contemporary  literary  excerpt  that  chances 
to  please  me.  In  short,  whatever  happens  to  take  my 
fancy  is  marked  and  laid  away  to  be  transcribed  at 
leisure.  At  present  rate  of  accumulation  there  is  not 
the  slightest  danger  of  running  out  of  new  matter  for 
an  indefinite  period." 

As  to  the  typewriter,  an  equally  creditable  record 
was  made  out.  "  I  have  never  ceased  to  be  thankful,"  he 
continued,  "  that  these  great  boons  were,  seemingly, 
thrown  in  my  way  by  blind  chance.  During  a  summer 
outing  early  in  my  blind  experience  I  happened  to 
encounter  Prof.  A.  L.  Bohrer,  of  the  Columbus,  O., 
Institude  for  the  Blind.  He  forthwith  called  my  at- 
tention to  these  assistants  to  such  defectives,  and  it 
was  entirely  due  to  his  urging  that  1  lost  no  time,  upon 
my  return  home,  in  essaying  their  mastery.  How  long 
did  it  take  me  to  become  proficient  with  either  or  both? 
There,  I  confess,  you  touch  me  on  a  tender  point. 
Frankly,  I  suspect  I  would  have  stood  precious  near 
the  foot  of  the  class,  had  there  been  more  of  me.  As 
it  was,  I  had  only  myself  to  compete  with,  and  I  can 
assure  you  he  proved  about  all  I  could  stand.  The 
typewriter  turned  out  to  be  no  very  tough  nut  to  crack, 
but  punctograph,  whewl  Time  aud  again  I  was  upon 
the  point  of  giving  it  up.  Recollect,  I  was  no  chicken 
when  I  got  into  this  boat.  And  maturitv  of  powers  in 
other  directions  does  not  count  in  one's  linger-tip.  Do 
not  ask  me  to  confess  how  long  it  took  me  to  become 
proficient  in  point.  It  wearies  me  to  recall  those 
struggles.  The  authorities  all  agree,  however,  that 
children  brought  up  on  it  cry  for  it,  as  against  the  old 
embossed  letters.  Suffice,  that  to  me,  despite  the  test 
it  put  me  to  to  learn  it,  it  has  repaid  me  a  thousand 
fold. 

"  Now,  for  the  story  of  the  typewriter. 

"  The  sine  qua  non  to  a  happy  blind  life,  is  never  to 
be  idle.  No  matter  what  you  do,  do  something.  The 
thing  that  an  eccentric  fate  tossed  in  my  path  was,  to 
say  the  least,  unique.  I  fell  to  writing  tragedies.  1 
chanced,  not  long  before,  to  have  read  an  historical 
novel  touching  on  life  in  Athens  in  the  fourth  century. 
Its  dramatic  possibilities  struck  me  at  that  time,  and, 
recurred  to  me  again  in  my  dilemma.  I  recalled 
enough  of  it  for  a  ground  work  and  the  composition 
was  forthwith  begun.  In  process  of  time  '  Chrysanteus 
of  Athens'  had  bloomed  into  a  full-fledged  MS.S.  The 
prologue  and  some  short  extracts  have  only  appeared 
in  print.  Its  completion  by  natural  transition  led  to  a 
second  similar  diversion,  and  after  due  gestation 
"Julian 'made  its  unheralded  entrance  into  this  vale 
of  tears.  A  third  plunge,  this  time  into  the  Mantuan 
terror  of  our  school  days,  and  /Eneas  and  Dido  flitted 
into  esse.  Of  these,  so  far  as  I  recollect,  only  one 
soliloquy  from  the  first  named  has  glittered  in  the 
public  prints.  Another  gyration  into  comparatively 
modern  times,  and  '  Marie  Antoinette '  (of  which  I 
believe  but  one  short  piece  of  queenly  rhetoric  was 
betimes  published)  was  reeled  off.  This,  in  turn,  was 
the  literary  foster  parent  of  that  even  bloodier  effusion 
entitled  '  Robespierre.'  These  topped  off-  with  a 
rather  mild  pouse  cafe,  bearing  the  title  '  The  The- 
orist.' The  dramatic  olla  podrida  boiled  over  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  first  act  of  '  Lycurgus,'  and  like  that 
truly  great  but  greatly  misunderstood  law-giver  and 
hero,  disappeared  into  impenetrable  gloom,  but  the 
typewriter  was  mastered. 

"  You  have  spoken  of  readers  and  reading.  What  is 


578 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


the  nature  of  your  reading?"  we  next  ventured  to  ask. 
"  It  is  of  all  sorts,"  was  the  reply.  "  Books,  magazines, 
newspapers,  what  not.  In  the  main,  however,  1  think 
I  may  claim  to  be  a  book  reader.  One  of  my  severest 
self  re.straints  is  moderation  in  the  matter  of  book  buy- 
ing. True,  I  buy  few  works  of  a  purely  entertaining 
nature,  though  no  one  enjoys  a  good  novel  more  than 
myself.  Fortunately,  my  wife  has  the  same  inllrmity, 
and  she  can  be  relied  upon  to  keej)  me  well  up  in  con- 
temporaneous fiction.  The  ^urth  Anwrirun  RiHrir, 
The  Forum  and  Thi'  Arena,  1  usually  make  it  a  point 
to  thoroughly  read,  year  in  and  year  out.  As  to  the 
other  magazines,  aside  from  the  serials,  they  have  to 
take  their  chance  with  the  newspapers  and  other  lit- 
erary flotsam.  A  batch  of  metropolitan  weeklies  from 
different  sections  keep  me  in  touch  with  the  trend  of 
public  thought  throughout  the  country.  Still,  books 
are  my  chief  intellectual  food.  And  right  here,  let  un- 
say, that  not  the  least  of  my  many  blessings  is  my 
wife's  aunt.  Miss  .Adelia  Harnhart,  my  fides  Achates, 
to  the  last  ditch.  Aside  from  my  regularly  retained 
readers  there  is  no  one  to  whom  1  owe  such  perennial 
thanks  as  to  this  faithful  and  devoted  woman.  No  mat- 
ter what  I  want,  from  the  dryest  and  most  intermina- 
ble statistical  table  to  the  gloomiest  treatise  on  meta- 
physics, she  stands  ready  to  tackle  with  the  same 
cheerful  jiatience.  As  to  readers,  experience  soon 
taught  me  that  the  most  .satisfactory  was  an  ambitious 
boy  or  young  man,  with  a  jirofessional  career  in  view. 
By  the  aid  of  such  an  one,  and  by  observing  regular 
hours,  it  is  truly  astonishing  the  amount  of  serious 
reading  that  can  be  accomplished  within  a  given  time. 
Through  all  this,  however,  two  particular  themes  may 
be  said  to  be  kept  pretty  well  to  the  fore.  P'rom  ear- 
liest manhood  the  studies  of  government  and  of  ethics 
have  had  peculiar  charm  for  me.  Everything  written 
upon  either  of  these  is  speedily  ])erused.  American 
political  and  Constitutional  history-  everything  from 
the  Federalist  to  The  American  Commonwealth,  and 
from  the  Con.stitution  it.self  to  the  latest  income  lax 
decision  by  the  Federal  Supreme  Court,  comes  in  for 
regular  exploitation.  I  have  a  copy  of  the  Constitu- 
tion and  the  great  Declaration  in  punctograph,  and 
have  memorized  both  times  without  number.  Of  this 
study  I  hope  never  to  tire.  As  to  the  other  specialty, 
ethics,  truly  herein  is  my  soul's  delight.  If  you  would 
save  your  ears  intact,  I  advise  you  to  beat  a  retreat  be- 
fore tapping  me  upon  this  subject. 

"None  but  the  stupide.st  can  escape  observing  that 
all  the  great  political  and  social  issues  of  the  future  are 
to  be  fornudated  along  ethical  lines.  The  man  who  is 
not  keenly  alive  to  this  all-important  premise  were 
better  out  of  the  world  than  in  it,  so  far  as  his  future 
intellectual  and  moral  growth  are  concerned.  Not  even 
electricity  itself  is  destined  to  cut  a  more  important 
figure  in  the  material  world  than  is  the  serious  ex- 
ploitation and  application  of  the  moral  law  to  all  the 
relations  of  human  life.  The  very  slums  are  teeming 
with  it,  and  as  to  the  intellectual  classes,  little  as  they 
may  in  some  cases  suspect  it,  they  are  fairly  permeated 
with  it,  and  all  that  is  to  make  life  worth  living  to  any 
stratum  of  society,  will  depend  entirely  upon  their  rel- 
ative appreciation  of  the  importance  of  understanding 
what  morality  is  and  living  up  to  that  knowledge. 
Philosophy  henceforth  must  cease  to  be  the  province 
of  the  dreamer  and  the  seer.  Skepticism  and  the  luke- 
warm fads  that  pass  for  piety  or  its  reverse,  must  wax 
into  convictions  strong  and  deep.     This  '  mighty  maze, 


but  not  without  a  [ilan,'  must  be  examined  and  its 
laws  ex])lained.  Once  this  is  done,  the  dullest  soul 
alive  will  drink  in  virtue  as  the  sun  the  dew.  This 
world,  .so  fitted  for  the  growth  of  knaves,  must  come  to 
be  the  garden  spot  for  truth.  The  renaissance  of  Fden, 
close  at  hand,  will  differ  from  the  vapid  one  of  yore, 
in  that  the  devil  will  have  fled  the  close.  When  ignor- 
ance is  clearly  recognized,  the  sole  and  only  .Satan 
feared  of  men  will,  like  the  .Moor,  be  occui>ati()nless. 
All  classes  from  their  hearts  must  hold  with  Pope: 
'  The  pro]ier  study  of  mankind  is  man.'  God  is  <)uite 
equal,  I  susi>ect,  to  teach  the  race  of  man  its  duty 
toward  Himself.  Our  prime  concern  is  for  our  fellow 
men.  To  make  oneself  an  all-round  worthful  man  is 
no  mean  aspiration;  try  it  once,  and  in  the  end,  if  Ood 
be  not  your  friend,  the  times  are  out  of  joint  for  ever- 
more. When  this  is  so,  vox  po|iuli  sujirema  lex  shall 
stand  in  nature  with  the  will  divine.  'There  are,' in- 
deed, as  Hamlet  says,'  more  things  in  Heaven  and 
earth  than  are  dreampt  of  in  your  philosophy.'  But 
there  is  precious  little  that  is  worth  knowing  in  this 
world  that  philosophy  can  not  cast  light  upon.  And 
when  the  open  book  of  the  wondrous  jiast  shall  cease 
to  be  the  practicallv  sealed  book  that  it  is  today,  the 
races  of  these  and  future  times  will  have  begun  how 
to  learn.  '  In  the  corrupted  currents  of  this  world,'  the 
human  being  whom  fate  has  chanced  to  maim,  is  by 
its  rude,  nay,  barbarous  decrees,  condemned  to  sink, 
if  he  attempt  a  part.  But  thanked  be  God,  there  is 
another  sphere — a  world  within  a  world  where  the 
action  lies  in  its  true  nature.  This  is  the  sphere  of 
ethics.  Herein  it  matters  not  if  one  be  blind,  if  one  be 
lame  or  halt,  or  be  deprived  of  half  his  organs,  even 
though  he  be  as  short  of  members  as  an  oyster,  the 
measure  of  his  rights  is  just  the  same.  All  that  1  liave 
written  of  late  years  has  been  in  the  nature  of  ethical 
discussion.  I  take  small  interest,  and  less  jileasuri',  in 
aught  beside.  Here  is  freedom,  or  at  least  the  hope 
of  it,  and  such  poor  talent  as  the  Lord  has  given  me  I 
ijurpose  for  the  future  to  employ  in  doing  what  I  can, 
however  little,  in  voicing  forth  the  truth  which  makes 
us  whole.  One  thing  I  beg  of  you  in  parting,  this: 
However  much  or  little  you  may  choose  to  say  con- 
cerning me  anil  my  affairs,  say  what  you  say  in  lan- 
guage light  and  gay.  The  blind  are  jiroverbially 
cheerful.  (_)ur  intirmities  are  always  nicely  adjusted 
to  our  capacity  to  bear  them.  The  blindeethat  is  wor- 
thy of  his  state  accepts  it  at  its  best  and  is  content  to 
'be  in  love  with  night  and  pay  no  wor.ship  to  the  garish 
day.' " — [Kd. 

Hon.  Isaac  B.  Gara,  the  veteran  journalist  and 
trusted  official,  was  born  at  Soudersburg,  Lancaster 
county.  Pa.,  October  "28,  1821.  He  was  the  son  of  Pat- 
rick and  Mary  Gara,  respectively  of  Irish  and  German 
descent.  His  education  was  received  at  the  Lancaster 
county  schools.  He  entered  the  office  of  the  Examiner 
and  lienildin  Lancaster,  to  learn  the  printing  trade,  and 
remained  three  years.  At  the  age  of  19,  he  published 
a  Whig  paper  in  Bellefonte,  when  Andrew  G.  Cur- 
tin,  then  a  rising  young  lawyer,  became  interested 
in  him,  and  his  friendship  continued  through  life.  A 
few  years  later  he  connected  himself  with  a  Whig  paper 
in  Lock  Haven,  Pa.,  and  then  going  to  Galena,  111.,  he 
became  editor  and  part  proprietor  in  a  semi-weekly 
paper.  In  September,  1846,  he  came  to  Erie,  w-here 
he  located  for  life.  He  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
Erie  Gazette  from  Hon.  Joseph   M.  Sterrett,  who  had 


AND  EISTORIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


579 


founded  the  paper  in  1820.  The  firm  of  Sterrett  & 
Gara  was  then  formed,  with  Mr.  Gara  as  writing  editor. 
As  the  organ  of  the  Whig  and  afterwards  the  Repub- 
lican party,  the  Gazette  exercised  a  great  influence  in 
the  county  and  Xorthwestern  Pennsylvania.  This 
management  continued  until  1855,  when  he  assumed 
sole  proprietorship  and  editor-in-chief.  It  not  only 
gave  Mr.  Gara  a  wide  influence,  but  led  to  a  large 
acquaintance, especially  in  Western  Pennsylvania  and 
at  the  State  capital.  During  several  presidential 
campaigns,  the  railroad  war  and  the  war  of  the  Re- 
bellion, the  Gazette  exercised  a  marked  influence  on 
the  moulding  of  public  opinion.  Mr.  Gara  filled  a 
number  of  offices.  He  served  as  enrolling  commis- 
sioner during  the  State  draft,  as  trustee  of  the  Marine 
Hospital  and  trustee  of  the  Normal  School,  and  as 
trustee  of  the  Erie  academy.  In  January,  1867,  he 
was  appointed  by  Gov.  Geary  deputy  secretarv  of  the 
Conmionwealth,  a  place  he  resigned  after  two 
years  and  three  months'  service  to  accept  from 
President  Grant  the  Erie  postoffice.  He  was  re- 
appointed in  187.3.  After  his  official  service  he 
continued  to  reside  in  Erie,  where  his  ability  as  a 
writer,  indicated  by  frequent  contributions  to  the 
journals,  his  public  spirit  as  a  citizen  and  his  char- 
acteristic courtesy,  made  him  a  most  popular  and  re- 
spected citizen.  He  was  married  in  October,  1853,  to 
Miss  Calista  Ingersoll,  of  Erie,  a  lady  of  fine  educa- 
tion and  of  marked  artistic  and  executive  ability. 
Her  zeal  and  activity  in  the  promotion  of  charitable 
work  and  the  advancement  of  kindred  interests,  were 
continuous  and  successful.  Perhaps  her  greatest  suc- 
cess and  most  lasting  work  were  in  the  securing  of  the 
site  and  the  erection  of  the  Home  of  the  Friendless  in 
Erie.  In  this  her  best  endeavors  were  enlisted  with 
success  which  will  long  connect  her  name  with  one  of 
the  best  organized  and  well  sustained  charities  of  the 
city.  After  .Mr.  Gara's  retirement  from  the  postoffice 
his  life  was  a  typical  one,  as  showing  how  usefulness 
and  ease  could  be  combined  with  quiet  dignity.  In 
his  tasteful  home,  his  days  were  quietly  passed  in  the 
society  of  his  devoted  wife  and  a  large  circle  of  friends. 
His  love  for  newspaper  work  kept  him  in  touch  with 
the  current  questions  of  the  day.  Correspondence,  in- 
terchange of  visits,  trips  to  pleasant  resorts,  and  fre- 
quent entertainment  of  guests,  made  his  latter  days 
pass  pleasantly.  About  a  year  ago,  Mr.  Gara,  never 
strong,  was  taken  seriously  ill.  Though  attended  and 
watched  with  unwearing  care,  it  seemed  hard  for 
him  to  rally.  His  strength  declined  from  day  to  day, 
until  on  the  afternoon  of  June  15,  1895,  he  quietly  sank 
to  rest.  Few  persons  have  been  longer  conspicuous 
to  the  public  eye,  fewer  still,  have  passed  away  with 
such  general  expressions  of  regard,  which  will  long 
indicate  the  estimation  in  which  Sir.  Gara  was  held  by 
the  people  of  Erie. 

HoM.  Gideon  J.  Ball  was  the  eldest  son  of  Shel- 
don and  Jane  (Sterrett)  Ball.  He  was  born  in  Erie 
March  29,  1811.  In  early  life  he  acquired  the  art  of 
the  silversmith,  and  was  one  of  the  firm  of  Ball  & 
Ford,  which  did  business  for  some  time  on  French 
street  in  Erie.  Part  of  his  early  manhood  was  passed 
in  Buffalo.  He  returned  to  Erie  and  was  about  the 
year  1836  elected  clerk  of  the  town  council,  which  po- 
sition he  held  until  he  entered  public  life  at  Harris- 
burg.  In  1847  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature  from 
Erie  county,  and   re-elected    in    1848.    The   election 


in  1848,  under  the  leadership  of  Taylor  as  a  candidate 
for  president,  caused  a  Whig  majority  on  joint  ballot 
in  the  State  Legislature,  and  led  to  the  election  of  a 
Whig  State  treasurer  by  the  Legislature.  To  this  re- 
sponsible position  Mr.  Ball  was  elected  in  1849,  and 
he  acceptably  filled  the  place  for  one  year.  He  was 
then  appointed  chief  clerk  of  the  sixth  auditor  of  the 
postoffice  department  at  Washington,  and  during  most 
of  the  time  was  acting  auditor.  He  returned  to  Erie 
and  was  elected  a  Representative  to  the  Legislature 
from  Erie  county  at  the  successive  elections  of  1853- 
4-.5-6.  During  this  time  he  changed  his  residence 
from  the  city  to  his  farm  in  Mill  Creek,  to  the  improve- 
ment of  which  he  gave  much  time  and  thought,  as  is 
now  most  pleasingly  apparent  in  the  fine  appearance 
of  his  farm  on  the  West  Eight  street  road.  He  re- 
turned to  the  city  of  Erie,  and  was  again  elected  to 
the  legislature  in  1860,  being  his  seventh  election  by 
the  same  constituency;  each  time  with  a  different  col- 
league. The  questions  to  come  before  this  Legislature 
were  of  momentous  importance.  Not  only  was  the 
war  foreshadowed  by  the  election  of  Lincoln,  but  all 
the  upheaval  which  would  ensue.  The  repeal  of  the 
tonnage  tax,  and  legislation  for  the  completion  of  the 
Philadelphia  R.  R.  were  among  the  great  measures  to 
be  considered.  Mr.  Ball's  experience  and  parlia- 
mentary skill  were  needed.  He  obeyed  the  summons. 
At  the  organization  of  the  Legislature  he  was  offered 
the  chairmanship  of  ways  and  means.  He  declined 
this  honor,  but  took  a  leading  part  in  the  important 
legislation  in  this  perhaps  most  momentous  session  of 
the  Legislature  since  the  existence  of  the  Common- 
wealth. It  was  a  gratification  to  himself  and  friends 
at  the  adjournment  to  feel  that  while  every  assistance 
had  been  furnished  by  the  State  in  aid  of  the  war, 
and,  that  the  completion  of  the  Philadelphia  R.  R. 
seemed  so  near  at  hand.  After  the  adjournment  of 
the  Legislature  he  was  appointed  paymaster  in  the 
army,  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  entered  upon  his 
duties.  Having  served  through  the  war  he  returned 
to  his  home,  but  for  some  years  performed  the  duties 
of  an  important  land  agency  at  Renovo,  on  the  line  of 
the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  L'nder  the  strain  of 
his  service  in  the  war  and  the  important  work  of  his 
land  office  his  health  gave  way.  He  struggled  under 
repeated  shocks,  from  each  of  which  he  emerged  with 
less  prospects  of  recuperation.  He  was  most  happy 
in  his  domestic  relation.  In  early  life  he  married 
Miss  Emeline  Hallenback.  Their  family  of  four 
daughters  and  one  son  constituted  a  happy  household, 
assidious  in  their  devotion  to  their  parents.  Of  these 
Misses  Helen  and  Osie  are  at  home;  .Mrs.  George  Bur- 
ton resides  in  Erie,  and  Charles  E.,  the  only  son,  is  a 
part  of  the  household.  Miss  Frank,  the  youngest 
daughter,  died  some  years  since.  Major  Ball  was  of 
commanding  form,  wiry  physique  and  magnetic  pres- 
ence. He  seemed  the  beau  ideal  of  a  parliamentary 
leader;  of  inspiring  presence,  versatile  in  resource,  that 
by  an  experience  and  training  was  excelled  by  few  in 
our  State,  he  possessed  many  of  those  qualities  that  on  a 
large  field  gave  to  Henr\-  Clay  so  much  of  fame,  and 
led  many  to  trace  a  resemblance  between  himself  and 
James  G.  Blaine.  But  his  keen  activities  wore  upon  a 
frame,  which  though  dominated  with  great  will  power, 
was  not  made  of  iron.  His  long  battle  with  inhrmity 
came  to  a  close  and  his  career  ended  in  death.  Few 
better  understood  Erie's  interests,  fewer  still  toiled 
harder  for  her  advancement;  and  now  the  record  of 


58o 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


his  life  is  the  pleasing  contemplation  of  his  devoted 
family,  and  its  retrospect  the  agreeable  study  of  those 
of  his  surviving  friends  who  understood  him. 

The  David  Burton  Family. — David  Hukton 
(deceased),  son  of  John  anil  Pluebe  (Wooster)  Burton, 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  February  16,  l~9H.  He  came 
about  1^11  to  Krie  county,  where  he  si)ent  his  life.  He 
was  active  and  energetic,  successively  as  wagon 
maker,  meat  dealer,  dealer  in  cattle  and  coal,  and  was 
widely  known.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812  and 
aided  in  buililing  Perry's  fleet.  Mr.  Burton  married 
FLlizabeth  Irvine,  born  January  1,  ITitT,  who  came  to 
Erie  county  from  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania. 
They  liad  nine  children:  Peter  K.,  born  March  0, 
1816,  sheriff  of  Erie  county,  who  died  October  lit, 
1863;  John,  born  October  19,'  1818,  died  April  29,  1863; 
Andrew,  born  May  26,  1823,  died  June  19,  1894,  treas- 
urer of  the  city  of  Erie;  Wooster,  born  April  16,  1828, 
died  October  28,  1856;  A.  P.,  funeral  director  and  un- 
dertaker, of  Erie;  Hannah,  wife  of  M.  A.  Dunning, 
born  Se])tember  16,  1825;  Marv  Burton,  born  May  10, 
1827,  died  lune  12,  1829;  Else'y,  born  .September  19, 
1831,  dieii  January  15,  18— ;  Charlotte  E.,  born  April 
4,  1839,  is  still  living.  Mr.  Burton  died  in  Erie  county, 
January  30,  1869,  and  Mrs.  Burton,  May  9,  1875.  A 
number  of  their  grandchildren  are  in  active  life  and 
several  in  business  in  the  city  and  county  of  Erie. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burton  were  two  of  the  original  class, 
which,  formed  in  1826,  was  the  nucleus  of  the  First 
M.  E.  Church  in  Erie,  now  the  Seventh  Street  Church. 

Aiured  P.  Burton,  the  leading  funeral  director  of 
Erie,  wa.'^  burn  in  Krie.  -September  4,  1836,  and  is  a  son 
of  David  and  F.lizal)eth  (Irvine)  Burton,  natives  of 
Connecticut  and  Pennsylvania  respectively.  His 
father  and  grandfather  came  to  Erie  county  about 
1811,  and  located  in  Mill  Creek  township,  south  of 
Erie,  where  his  father  cleared  a  large  farm.  His  father 
assisted  in  buililing  Perry's  fleet,  and  was  a  member  of 
militia  during  the  war  of  1812.  Later  he  took  up  his 
permanent  residence  in  Erie,  where  for  many  years 
he  was  engaged  in  various  kinds  of  business.  The 
family  consisted  of  ten  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living:  Hannah  M.,  Mrs.  M.  A.  Dunning,  Erie;  .Sarah, 
Mrs.  A.  P.  Durlin,  of  Erie;  Aiured  P.  and  Charlotte 
E.,  widow  of  the  late  Dr.  J.  Pfouts,  of  Jersey  Shore, 
Pa.,  and  now  residing  in  Erie.  Mr.  Burton  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  academy  of 
Erie,  and  at  the  age  of  14  years  began  to  learn  the 
printing  trade,  which  he  followed  seven  years.  He 
was  for  some  time  engaged  with  his  father  and  brother, 
Anilrew,  in  the  coal  business,  and  was  assistant  post- 
master in  the  Erie  postoftice  two  and  a  half  years  dur- 
ing the  postmastership  of  Judge  Sten"ett.  In  1876  he 
engaged  in  the  undertaking  business,  which  he  has 
since  followed,  and  in  which  he  has  been  highly  suc- 
cessful. He  is  one  of  the  most  thorough  and  compe- 
tent funeral  directors  in  Northwestern  Pennsylvania, 
and  his  trade  is  chiefly  with  the  better  class  of  people 
in  Erie  and  vicinity.  He  is  fully  conversant  with  all 
the  latest  methods  and  devices  of  embalming,  and  has 
the  keenest  regard  for  the  ethics  of  the  business.  He 
is  past  president  of  the  Tri-County  and  the  State  Fu- 
neral Directors'  Association,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
National  Funeral  Directors'  Association.  In  1895,  Mr. 
Burton   was,  without   .solicitation,  appointed   by   Gov. 


Hastings  a  member  of  the  first  State  Board  of  Under- 
takers, and  at  the  first  meeting  of  that  body,  held  in 
Philadelphia,  November  1,  he  was  chosen  treasurer. 
Mr.  Burton  was  married  October  1,  18.57,  to  Miss  Susan 
M.,  daughter  of  George  W.  Brecht,  of  East  Mill 
Creek.  This  hajipy  union  has  been  blessed  with  si.\ 
children,  five  of  whom  are  living:  Charles  H.,  travel- 
ing sale.sman,  with  headquarters  at  Chicago;  (ieorge 
D.,  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Jarecki  Mamif.-icturing 
Company;  Lewis  E.,  stenogra])her  in  the  nffice  of 
Jutte  S:  Co.,  Pittsburg,  and  Harry  and  William  K., 
who  are  as.sociated  with  their  father  in  business.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Burton  are  members  of  the  Fir.st  Methodist 
Epi.scopal  Church  of  Erie,  of  which  they  are  active 
workers  and  generous  sup]iorters.  In  politics  Mr. 
Burton  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  his  city  as  a 
member  of  the  common  council.  He  is  a  Knight 
Templar  and  Thirty-third  degree  Scottish  Rite  Mason, 
and  has  held  nearly  all  the  offices  of  those  degrees. 

Spencer  S.  Burton,  coal  dealer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 

born  in  Erie,  January  19,  1846.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late 
Andrew  Burton,  whose  personal  history  is  contained 
in  this  volume.  S.  S.  Burton  was  educated  in  the  ]iub- 
lic  schools  of  Erie,  and  when  but  a  school  boy,  in  1862, 
went  into  the  naval  service  on  the  "  Fairplay."  After 
one  year's  service  on  this  vessel,  one  of  the  "  Mosquito 
fleet,"  which  plied  the  waters  of  the  Tennessee,  Ohio 
and  Cumberland  rivers,  he  returned  to  Erie  and  en- 
listed in  the  111th  P.  \'.  I.  Five  months  later,  while 
engaged  in  breastworks  l)uililing  at  Buzzard's  Roost, 
Ga.,  he  was  injured,  and  was  thereafter  and  until  mus- 
tered out  at  the  close  of  the  war,  on  detached  duty. 
Returning  to  F'rie,  he  entered  the  employ  of  Burton 
Bros.  tS:  Co.,  wholesale  and  retail  coal  dealers.  Several 
years  later  he  purchased  this  company's  retail  busi- 
ness, and  has  ever  since  then  and  is  still  engaged  in 
that  business,  having  latterly  added  thereto  the  hand- 
ling of  feed,  fertilizers,  etc.  He  was  married  Febru- 
ary 13,  1873,  to  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  the  late  .Andrew 
Cosi)er,  farmer,  of  Mill  Creek  township,  Erie  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burton  have  two  children:  Lois  S.  and 
Sarah  E.;  he  resides  at  355  West  Seventh  street.  Mr. 
Burton  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  Knights 
of  Honor,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  National  I'nion,  Royal  Ar- 
canum and  other  orders. 

Franli  C.  Burton,  chairman  of  the  Bay  State 
Iron  Works,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Greenfield,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  February  13,  18.57,  is  a  .son  of  the  late 
Andrew  Burton,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears in  this  volume.  Frank  C.  Burton  was  eilucated 
in  the  jmblic  schools  and  .Academy  of  Erie,  and  then 
entered  the  employ  of  Burton  &  .Siegel,  coal  dealers, 
with  which  firm  he  was  as.sociated  until  1879.  In  that 
year  he  went  to  Olierlin,  Ohio,  where  he  spent  five 
months  in  the  .study  of  telegraphy,  then  going  to  Col- 
orado to  accept  a  position  as  telegrapher  on  the  Den- 
ver division  of  the  Kansas  Pacific  R.  R.  In  1882  he 
returned  to  Erie  to  accept  a  position  with  the  .Stearns 
Manufacturing  Company,  with  which  he  was  identified 
until  1890.  He  then  bec.ime  one  of  the  incorporators 
of  the  Burton  Machine  Com|iany,  of  which  he  is  now 
secretary.  In  1891  he  became  identified  with  the  Bay 
State  Iron  Works,  Limited,  acting  as  secretary  of  that 
company  until  1893,  when  he  was  elected  its  chairman. 
He  was   married   December  21,   1888,  to   Mary   M., 


y^^^/T 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUJUTr. 


581 


daughter  of  John  D.  Besley,  formerly  of  Erie,  now  a 
resident  of  Toledo,  Ohio.  Mr.  Burton  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum  and  National  Union. 

John  Burton  (deceased),  was  born  October  15, 
ISOit,  in  Winsted,  Litchfield  county,  Conn.  His  father, 
John  Burton,  was  born  in  Old  Stratford,  Conn.,  and 
came  to  Erie  county  in  1811,  settling  on  the  farm  after- 
ward owned  and  occupied  by  his  .son,  John.  While  in 
Connecticut,  he  was  engaged  in  shoe-making  and  cat- 
tle dealing.  The  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  1812, 
made  shipping  almost  impossible,  and  .Mr.  Burton  lost 
heavily  on  a  herd  of  cattle.  He  was  consequently  a 
poor  man  when  he  settled  in  the  wilds  of  Mill  Creek 
township,  Erie  county.  He  was  married  to  Phcebe 
Wooster,  of  Connecticut.  The  result  of  this  union 
was  Sallie,  married  to  Spencer  Shattuck:  they  lived  in 
Mill  Creek  township  till  death  separated  them;  Silas, 
married  to  Lucretia  Miller;  he  died  in  Buffalo;  David 
was  one  of  the  first  coal  dealers  in  Erie;  Polly  married 
Calvin  Foot,  and  died  in  Mill  Creek  township.  .Mrs. 
Phcebe  Burton  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
and  her  two  brothers,  Daniel  and  James,  were  local 
ministers  in  the  .Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  On 
her  demise,  Mr.  Burton  married  Hannah  Miller,  born 
in  Torrington,  Litchfield  county.  Conn.,  in  1774,  and 
died  in  1850.  To  this  union  were  born  William,  John, 
Phfcbe,  Matilda  and  Lewis.  The  former  attended  the 
county  schools,  became  able  to  teach,  and  with  the 
means  thus  obtained  secured  te.xt-books,  and  recited 
his  lessons  to  Rev.  Robert  Reid,  of  Erie.  He  sub- 
sequently graduated  from  the  Wesleyan  University, 
of  Middletown,  Conn.,  and  soon  after  engaged  m 
Allegheny  College,  of  Meadville,  Pa.,  as  teacher  of 
languages  and  mathematics,  and  in  the  meantime  oc- 
cupied the  pulpit  of  the  Methodi.st  Church.  Later  he 
prepared  himself  for  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
and  took  charge  of  St.  John's  Church,  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  and  was  afterward  transferred  to  Tecumseh, 
Mich.,  where  he  died  in  185t>.  Lewis  attended  the 
country  schools,  and,  through  means  furnished  princi- 
pally by  his  father,  graduated  at  Meadville,  and  then 
preached  in  the  Metln)di,st  Episcopal  organization  at 
Allegheny  City,  after  having  had  charge  of  a  similar 
church  at  New  Castle,  Pa.  He  finally  joined  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  succeeded  his 
brother  in  St.  John's  Church,  Cleveland.  Here  he 
established  two  strong  branches,  known  as  "St. 
Mark's"  and  "All  .Saints,"  and  had  charge  of  the 
former;  his  son  Lewis  is  pastor  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  of  Richmond,  \a.;  Phoebe  Burton  mar- 
ried J.  B.  Stevens,  of  Harbor  Creek;  they  both  died  in 
Illinois;  Matilda  (deceased)  married  J.  Johnson;  John 
Burton  and  his  consorts  were  active  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  He  attended  the  country  schools 
as  much  as  was  convenient,  aside  from  the  duties 
required  of  him  by  his  parents.  He  was  married  in 
18;U  to  Charlotte  K.,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Huldah 
Barnes,  natives  of  Columbia  county.  New  York.  This 
union  resulted  in  four  children:  I.  .Antoinette,  wife  of 
R.  H.  Arbuckle;  Phcebe  J.,  wife  of  Jacob  Warfel; 
Lydia  M.,  wife  of  Henian  Sprague,  of  Toledo;  Laura 
E.,  deceased  when  seven  years  old.  His  wife  dving 
in  1870,  Mr.  Burton  married,  October  8,  1876,  Nirs. 
Margaret  McNair,  widow  of  William  E.  McNair,  and 
daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Jane  Montgomery  Burford, 
natives,  the  former  of  Eayette  county,  the  latter  of 
Chester  county,  Pennsylvania.     Mrs.  Burton  had  six 


children  by  her  first  marriage,  two  now  living — Mar- 
garet J.  and  James  E.  She  Is  a  Presbyterian,  while 
her  second  husband  was  an  energetic  Methodist,  to 
which  organization  he  was  attached  fifty  years.  He 
cast  his  first  i)residential  vote  for  .Andrew  Jackson  and 
was  always  a  Democrat.  He  .served  as  ,sch(M)l  director, 
road  commissioner,  and  his  full  share  of  other  small 
offices,  where  pay  is  not  considered.  .Mr.  Burton  was 
the  possessor  of  quite  a  little  fortune,  which  he  alone 
mainly  accumulated  by  dealings  in  real  estate  and 
stock,  together  with  farming.     He  died  March  30,  1886. 

J.  E.  Burton,  farmer,  Erie,  was  born  in  1848  in 
the  city  of  Erie,  son  of  Peter  and  Sarah  (Parker) 
Burton.  Peter  E.  Burton,  a  native  of  this  township, 
was  at  one  time  deputy  sheriff,  and  afterward,  by  elec- 
tion, sheriff  of  Erie  county,  .serving  two  terms.  He 
moved  subsequently  to  the  farm  on  the  Buffalo  road, 
where  he  carried  on  a  dairy  in  connection.  His  father, 
David,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  was  a  resident  of  Erie 
city  for  several  years.  Peter  E.  Burton  and  wife  were 
parents  of  eight  children,  five  now  living  -  D.  H.  Bur- 
ton (married  to  .Mrs.  Whitley,  a  widow),  Isadore  (wife 
of  B.  B.  Whitley;  have  five  children — Jennie,  Morrison, 
Alice,  Ray  R.  and  Benjamin  B.),  Alice  (wife  of  C.  P 
Diefenbach;  have  three  children — Bessie,  Sarah  and 
Harry),  Elizabeth  (wife  of  C.  D.  Riblet;  have  two 
children — Ruth  and  Burton),  and  our  subject,  who  was 
married,  in  1880,  to  Ella,  daughter  of  N.  W.  Russell. 
To  this  union  were  born  two  children — Florence  Edna 
and  Sarah  Edith.  Mr.  Burton  keeps  cows,  and  sup- 
plies a  portion  of  Erie  city  with  dairy  produce.  His 
farm  is  located  on  the  Buffalo  road  in  Nlill  Creek  town- 
ship.    He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  H. 

J.  B.  Burton,  farmer,  postoffice,  Erie,  was  born 
in  Columbia  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1849.  At  the  age  of  five 
years  he  was  adoiited  by  John  Burton,  an  old  resident 
of  this  township,  and  was  given  his  name.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  began  early  in  life 
farming  and  milling  pursuits.  His  foster  parents, 
John  and  Charlotte  (Barnes)  Burton  resiiled  during 
their  married  life  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  R.  H.  .Arbuckle.  The  former  died  in  1877.  Their 
children  were:  .Antoinette,  wife  of  R.  H.  .Arbuckle; 
Phcebe,  wife  of  Jacob  Warfel,  of  Erie,  and  Lydia  M., 
wife  of  H.  C.  Sparinger,  of  Toledo,  Ohio.  October  31, 
1872,  I.  B.  married  Sophrona,  daughter  of  Isaac  Wolf, 
of  Mill  Creek  township.  She  died  May  1.  1891, 
leaving  one  daughter.  Edith  L.  I5urton.  J.  15.  liurton 
began  on  his  present  farm  of  seventy  acres  in  the  fall 
of  1883,  and  besides  managing  the  same  has  carried  on 
quite  an  e.xtensive  milling  business,  having  a  saw-mill, 
cider-mill  and  feed-mill  combined.  Mr.  Burton  has 
been  an  inqiortant  factor  in  many  of  the  municipal 
affairs  of  the  township,  served  as  assessor  for  three 
years,  and  is  counted  among  its  most  worthy  and 
progressive  citizens.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Benjamin  Grant  (deceased),  was  born  April  24, 
1822,  in  \\  avne  township,  Erie  county,  son  of  Joseph 
P.  Crant,  a  farmer  of  that  town.ship;  he  received  his 
education  at  the  Waterford  academy,  and  taught 
school  several  years  to  obtain  means  to  enter  upon  the 
study  of  law,  which  he  commenced  with  Galbraith  & 
Graham  in  Erie,  and  having  completed  his  cour.se  was 
admitted  to  the  Erie  bar  tVctober28,  1845.  In  1840  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  Thompson,  which 


582 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONART 


continued  until  a  short  time  before  the  latter's  election 
to  the  Supreme  bench.  In  all  his  extended  and  suc- 
cessful professional  career  in  the  several  Federal  and 
State  courts,  Col.  Grant's  ability  as  a  lawyer,  skill  as  a 
pleader  and  fidelity  to  his  clients  were  conspicuous  as 
well  as  widely  and  most  favorably  known;  he  had  also 
a  strong  taste  for  military  matters,  and  was  long  one  of 
the  most  efficient  members  of  the  Wayne  Guards,  and 
upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion  he 
was  equally  active  in  association  with  the  late  Col.  Mc- 
Lane  m  raising  the  Erie  regiment,  of  which  he  was 
lieutenant-colonel,  and  with  which  he  served  until  it 
was  mustered  out  of  service.  On  returning  from  camp, 
among  other  literary  efforts,  he  prepared  the  reports 
known  as  "  Grant's  Cases, "  a  standard  work  among 
the  legal  fraternity  of  Pennsylvania.  The  Colonel 
was  for  many  years  chairman  of  the  Erie  County  Law 
Library;  was  secretary  of  the  Erie  Gas  Company; 
nearly  all  his  active  life  a  ve.stry man  of  .St.  Paul's  Church; 
in  jHilitics,  a  Democrat.  He  built  the  block  on  West 
Park,  near  Peach  street,  and  with  Mr.  Metcalf  twice 
erected  the  block  on  French  street  known  as  Wayne 
Hall;  he  died  November  24,  1877,  aged  55  years 
7  months.  His  father  was  born  February  18, 
1793,  married  March  2'2,  1821,  to  Clarissa  Loomis; 
came  to  Erie  city  soon  after  the  war  of  1812,  in  which 
he  served  as  a  commissioned  officer,  and  died  in  1868. 
F.  W.  Grant,  his  son,  has  been  a  member  of  the  Select 
Council,  is  U.  S.  Conunissioner  and  clerk  of  the  U.  S. 
Court,  and  resides  in  Erie. 

The  Holliday  Family. — Samuel  Hollidav,  sk., 
seemingly  the  tirst  while  settler  of  Springfield  town- 
ship, was  a  native  of  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania. 
His  father,  James  Holliday,  was  murdered  by  Indians 
in  the  early  settlement  of  Pennsylvania.  Samuel  came 
to  Erie  county  in  17iH!,  and  purchased  700  acres  of 
land  in  the  borders  of  Lake  F>ie.  He  returned  to 
Franklin  county  that  fall  and  married  Janette  Camp- 
bell. He  came  the  next  spring  with  his  wife,  settled 
in  the  wilderness  and  built  the  first  cabin  in  Spring- 
field. He  made  valuable  improvements  and  built 
mills,  which  were  burned  in  1836.  They  reared  a  fam- 
ily of  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  were 
Samuel  Holliday,  born  Sei)tember  27,  1805,  who  spent 
his  life  in  that  townshi[i;  he  was  married  in  1840  to 
Elizabeth  Porter,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth 
Porter,  among  the  first  settlers  of  Girard.  Samuel 
and  Elizabeth  Holliday  had  eight  children,  of  whom 
six  survived.  Of  these  were  Robert  P.,  civil  engineer, 
a  resident  of  Erie  county;  Cant.  Charles  C.  (lately  de- 
ceased), who  was  born  April  30,  1843;  Charles  C,  after 
being  educated  at  Edinboro  and  Conneaut,  Ohio, 
served  in  the  late  war  under  Col.  William  Blakely 
and  Gen.  .Sheridan;  he  afterward  attended  the  Michi- 

fan  University  at  Ann  Arbor;  he  married,  October  27, 
881,  Mary  C.  Blakely,  of  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, daughter  of  his  old  commander.  He  died  in 
1893,  leaving  three  children.  Benjamin  W.,  Wallace, 
Francis  J.  and  Ada  are  the  surviving  children  of  Sam- 
uel and  Elizabeth  Holliday.  William  Holliday,  son  of 
Samuel  Holliday,  sr.,  married  Fanny  C.  Post,  a  native 
of  Connecticut.  They  had  four  children,  among  whom 
were  Major  Samuel  \'.  Holliday,  who  was  born  Octo- 
ber 2,  1841,  in  S])ringfield,  Erie  county;  Eliza  J., 
widow' of  D.  M.  Richardson,  late  of  New  S'ork  State; 
James  C.  and  William  P.  Major  Samuel  V.  Holliday 
attended  academies  in  Erie  county  from  1863  to  1858. 


He  entered  the  third  class  in  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Agricultural  College  in  Center  county,  in  1850,  and 
graduated  in  1861;  he  farmed  until  liis  appointment  in 
1863  or  '64  as  additional  paymaster  of  the  I'nited 
.States  army.  In  1865  he  was  ordered  to  Ft.  Monroe, 
\'irginia,  and  afterward  to  Norfolk  and  Richmond.  In 
the  same  year  he  was  appointed  lieutenant  colonel  of 
volunteers  by  brevet,  and,  December  1st  was  mustered 
out  of  service.  In  1866  Major  Holliday  was  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock  raising,  which  he  continued  until 
1882.  On  November  10,  1864,  he  married  Margaret  S. 
Gould,  of  Springfield,  Pa.  To  this  union  were  born: 
William  Morris,  Anna  G.,  Evan  Lee  and  Fanny  L. 
Major  Holliday  was  elected  prothonotary  of  Erie 
county  in  1881,  re-elected  in  1884  and  served  six  years. 
He  was  ap])ointed  commissioner  of  customs  of  the 
L'nited  States  by  President  Harrison  in  1889  and 
served  four  years.  He  has  served  as  P.  E.  C.  of  Cache 
Commandery,  No.  27,  K.  T.,  of  Conneaut,  Ohio,  and  is 
a  32d  degree  Mason.  He  now  resides  in  -Miles  Grove, 
Erie  county. 

The  Hittirod  Family.— The  Himrod  family  is 
identilied  with  the  settlement  and  develo|)ment  of 
Erie  county.  Their  active  interests  in  public  matters, 
in  Church  and  in  state,  in  peace  and  in  war,  and  in  the 
various  lines  of  industry,  have  identified  them  with  the 
county's  settlement,  its  public  improvements  and  many 
of  its  leading  industries. 

Aarotl  Himrod  was  the  pioneer  of  the  family  in 
Erie  county,  and  the  progenitor  of  most,  if  not  all,  of 
this  name.  He  was  born  in  Badminster,  .Sonienset 
county,  N-  J-.  August  18, 1759,  and  married  M  iss  Isabella 
Kirke,  A|)ril  14,  1789.  He  lived  in  Turbot  township, 
Northumberland  county,  Pa.,  from  his  boyhood  until 
his  removal  to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  in  the  battles  of 
Trenton,  Princeton  and  other  engagements.  He  died 
in  Waterford  township,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  December  4, 
1820,  in  his  62(1  ye'ar.  Isabella  Kirke  was  born  in  Pax- 
ton  township,  Dauphin  county,  Pa.,  September  'Ih, 
17(i6,  and  was  married  to  Mr.  Aaron  Himrod,  April  14, 
1789.  She  died  in  Waterford  township,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  Ajiril  22,1841,  in  her  75th  year.  Follow-ing  are 
the  children  of  Aaron  and  Isabella  Himrod:  Moses 
Himrod,  born  in  Turbot  township,  Northumberland 
county.  Pa.,  January  19,  1790,  married  Miss  Nancy  Lat- 
timore,  January  15,  1816.  They  reared  a  family  of  eight 
children.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  war  of  1813;  was  a 
prominent  farmer,  and  successively  held  nearly  all  the 
town  offices.  His  son,  Aaron  M.,  married  in  18.53,  Miss 
Mary  J.,  daughter  of  David  Cook,  of  \'enango  county, 
Pennsylvania.  They  had  seven  children:  M.  L.,  mar- 
ried but  nine  months  to  Miss  Mary  Mitchell,  when  he 
died;  Eva  A.;  Alfred  C,  died  at  the  age  of  21  years; 
Lee,  Frank  H.,  Bell  and  Carl.  Mr.  Himrod  owned 
120  acres  of  well  improved  land,  which  was  mostly 
cleared  by  himself  and  on  which  was  a  sawmill.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Himrod  were  mwiibers  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  died  in  Waterford  township,  September 
26, 1886,  in  his  79th  year. 

William  Himrod  was  born  in  Turbot  townshij), 
Northumberland  county.  Pa.,  May  19,  1791,  and  mar- 
ried Miss  Aurelia  H.  Reed,  a  granddaughter  of  Col. 
Seth  Reed,  the  first  settler  of  Erie,  May  31,  1825. 
Mrs.  Himrod  died  in  1844.     He  afterwards  married 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


583 


Mrs.  Phoebe  (Vincent)  Bradley,  July  9,  1845.  He  died 
in  Erie,  June  21,  1873,  in  his  83d  year.  He  was  promi- 
nent in  business  and  religious  circles  in  Erie  for  a  gen- 
eration. He  was  sagacious  and  foresighted,  and  com- 
prehended the  needed  changes  that  were  impending 
in  the  fabric  of  our  jjolitical  system,  as  well  as  the 
possibilities  of  the  future.  To  the  solution  of  these 
problems  he  brought  to  bear  his  great  natural  powers. 
He  was  a  remarkable  man,  positive,  systematic  and 
energetic.  He  was  a  pioneer  in  the  iron  industry  in 
Erie.  He  was  one  of  the  firm  of  Johnson.  Himrod  & 
Co.,  and  later  \'incent,  Himrod  &  Co.,  established  in 
1841.  Scores  and  perhaps  hundreds  of  Erie  men  owed 
to  his  energy  the  acquisition  of  a  trade  and  of  a  home. 
Their  firm  erected  and  operated  the  first  blast  furnace 
in  Erie  about  the  year  184.3,  at  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and 
French  streets.  For  the  life  of  a  generation  he  main- 
tained a  school  for  the  destitute  and  colored;  for 
nearly  a  score  of  years  (including  the  period  of  the 
fugitive  slave  law)  at  the  peril  of  imprisonment,  he 
kept  a  depot  for  recovering  and  forwarding  fugitive 
slaves.  His  home  for  nearly  half  a  century,  with  its 
old-fashioned  hospitality  and  genial  welcome,  was  at 
the  corner  of  French  and  Second  streets,  where  his 
Sunday-school  was  established  December  22,  1839,  for 
the  colored  and  destitute.  It  is  still  maintained  and 
called  "The  Himrod  Mission,"  under  the  active  supervi- 
sion of  the  inheritor  of  his  name,  prompted  by  the  same 
impulses  which,  for  more  than  half  a  century,  have 
been  cons]iicuously  exercised  for  the  elevation  of 
mankind.  .Andrew  Himrod,  born  in  Turbot  township, 
September  9,  1792,  married  Miss  Sarah  Crawford. 
He  died  in  Indiana,  August  19,  1819,  in  his  27th  year. 
Mary  Foster  Himrod  (deceased), born  in  Turbot  town- 
ship, August  13,  1794,  was  married  to  Amos  T.  Wood- 
ward, Esq.,  Septemberl,  1817.  Eleanor  McCIuire  Him- 
rod (deceased)  was  born  in  Turbot  township,  March 
12,  1796,  and  married  Mr.  Samuel  Phoenix  March  20, 
1822.  John  Himrod,  born  in  Turbot  township,  July 
17,  1797,  married  Rebecca  Leech  June  28,  1827.  His 
second  marriage,  to  Nancy  Boyd,  was  November  2.5, 
1862.  He  died  in  Waterford  township,  March  20, 
1880,  in  his  83d  year.  Catherine  Himrod  (deceased), 
born  in  Waterford  township,  January  6,  1799,  was  mar- 
ried to  .Samuel  Gill.  .Sarah  Himrod,  born  in  Water- 
ford township,  July  2,  1800,  was  married  to  Mr.  John 
C.  Smith.  .Ajiril  4,  1862.  She  died  at  Waterford,  "Erie 
county,  Pa,,  January  30,  1873,  in  her  73d  year.  Simon 
Himrod  was  born  in  Waterford  township,  January  3, 
1802,  and  married  Jane  Moore,  February  13,  1829.  He 
died  in  Waterford,  May  13,  1874,  in  his  73d  year. 
Isabella  Himrod  was  born  in  Waterford  town.ship, 
March  17,  1804,  and  died  at  the  place  of  her  birth 
March  27,  1880,  in  her  77th  year.  Hon.  Uavid  Him- 
rod, born  in  Waterford,  May  26.  1806,  was  married  to 
Miss  Abigail  Patton,  July  4,  1833.  He  was  prominent 
as  a  contractor  of  |iublic  works  and  im|irovements, 
and  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Vincent,  Himrod  &  Co., 
which  succeeded  Himrod  &:  Co.,  whose  industrial 
plant  in  Erie,  established  in  1841,  did  .so  much  towards 
reviving  the  drooping  prospects  of  the  city,  which  had 
been  sorely  blighted  by  the  financial  disasters  of 
18.36-7  and  were  so  long  dormant.  The  firm  erected  a 
blast  furnace,  the  first  in  Erie  county,  procuring  the 
ore  from  the  vicinity.  He  was  the  inventor  or  first  to 
introduce  a  new  system  o{  smelting  iron  ore  with 
bituminous  coal.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  assem- 
bly from  Erie  county  in  1867,  and  served  acceptably. 


His  striking  resemblance  to  Gen.  Simon  Cameron  was 
remarkable.     He  died   in  Waterfonl,   Pa.,   November 

27,  1877,  in  his  72d  year.  Martha  Himrod  was  born 
in  Waterford  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  January  4, 
1808.  She  was  married  to  Mr.  Thomas  Moore,  De- 
cember 2,  18;W.  She  died  in  Waterford,  Pa.,  February 
2.5,  1861,  in  her  .54th  year.  Aaron  Melick  Himrod  was 
born  in  Waterford,  Pa.,  June  28,  1809.  He  died  young. 
The  children  of  William  and  Aurelia  (Reed)  HimrcKi 
were:  Philena  Hulbert  Himrod  (deceased),  born  in 
Erie,  Pa.,  April  17, 1826;  George  Himrod,  born  in  Erie, 
April  17,  1831,  married  Miss  Martha  M.  Vincent,  June 

28,  1863,  and  is  now  living  at  Lockport,  III.;  .\aron 
Himrod  (deceased), born  in  Erie,  .April  17, 1831;  Samuel 
Himrod,  born  in  Erie,  March  17,  1834,  lives  in  Chicago, 
III., and  William  Himrod. bf)rn  in  Erie,  May  13, 1841,  was 
married  in  Erie,  December  11,  1862,  to  Miss  Julia  A., 
eldest  daughter  of  Hon.  Besley  and  Rachael  (Evans) 
.Arbuckle.  He  has  been  in  the  industrial  and  business 
circles  of  Erie  for  the  past  four  years,  has  been  em- 
ployed as  city  .secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  board  of 
water  commissioners  of  the  city  of  Erie.  Pres- 
ley Arbuckle  Himrod  was  born  in  Chicago,  III., 
October  23,  1863.  He  is  secretary  of  the  Erie  ceme- 
tery, and  in  the  firm  of  Hardwick  &  Himrod  has  taken 
a  i^osition  as  one  of  Erie's  active  business  men.  Will- 
iam DeWitt  Himrod  was  born  in  Erie,  October  31, 
1865.  He  was  married  in  Columbia.  S.  C,  to  Miss 
Edwina  Olivette  Youmans,  .Aiiril  2,  1891.  Harry  Reed 
Himrod  (deceased);  Ray  Himrod.  born  in  Erie,  June 
16,  1872;  Allison  Himrod,  born  in  Erie,  .March  2,  1876; 
Braiding  Himrod,  born  in  Erie,  March  11,  1868,  and 
Helen  Louise  Himrod  (deceased);  Helen  Tillinghast 
Himrod,  born  in  Columbia,  S.  C,  July  11,  1894. 

William  Himrod,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
commissioners  of  waterworks  in  the  city  of  Erie,  was 
born  in  Erie,  May  13,  1841.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late 
William  and  Aurelia  H.  (Reed)  Himrod.  The  elder 
William  Himrod  was  born  in  Turbot  township, 
Northumberland  county,  Pa„  May  19,  1791.  His 
father,  Aaron  Himrod,  located  with  his  family  in 
Waterford  township,  Erie  county,  about  1799,  and 
there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  as  a  farmer,  and 
died  December  4,  187(J.  His  wife,  who  was  Isabella 
Kirk,  died  .Afiril  22,  1841.  William  Himrod,  sr.,  came 
to  Erie  in  1810.  He  was  a  cari)enter  and  joiner  up  to 
1840,  when  he  was  associated  in  the  establishment  of 
the  stove,  agricultural  implement  and  engine  manu- 
facturing works  of  Johnson,  Himrod  &  Co.,  a  business 
which  continued  to  be  carried  on  successively  and  suc- 
cessfully under  the  firm  names,  X'incent,  Himrod  & 
Co.,  X'incent,  Tibbals,  Shirk  &  Co.,  and  Tibbals,  Shirk 
&  Whitehead,  and  which  today  has  its  outcome  in  the 
extensive  manufacturing  plants,  the  Chicago  and  F^rie 
Stove  Works  and  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works.  William 
Himrod,  sr.,  made  a  name  that  was  above  re])roach, 
and  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity.  Progressive 
in  spirit,  every  good  and  worthy  work  found  in  him  a 
zealous  friend  and  .staunch  supporter.  He  was  one  of 
the  city  fire  wardens  in  1853;  a  member  of  the  common 
council  in  18.56-7;  a  director  in  the  branch  L'.  S.  bank, 
and  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Erie  cemetery.  He 
was  a  pronounced  and  active  Abolitionist  at  a  time 
when  that  name  was  a  term  ot  general  reproach. 
Throughout  a  long  term  of  years  he  rendered  all  the 
assistance  in  his  power  to  fugitive  slaves,  often  shel- 
tering and  providing  for  numbers  of  them  in  his  own 


584 


JU'ELSOIT'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


home  until  they  could  have  safe  convoy  to  Canada. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  became  one  of  its  elders.  Later  he  severed  his 
connection  with  that  con>;re,^ation  to  become  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Park  Presbyterian  Church.  His  last  act 
before  leaving  the  former  church  was  to  subscribe 
$1,000  to  its  building  fund.  He  was  an  elder  of  the 
Park  Church  until  his  death.  An  enduring  monument 
to  his  memory  is  the  Himrod  Mi.ssion  Sunday-school 
(now  located  at  thecornemf  I'lench  and  Front  strectsl, 
which  he  organized  December  22,  li<39.  At  that  time 
the  question  of  how  to  give  Bible  instruction  to  the 
colored  people  w'as  a  harassing  one  to  some  of  the 
pastors  of  F>ie.  They  recognized  their  duty  in  that 
direction,  but  race  prejudice  was  too  strong  for  them, 
and  the  problem  remained  un.solved  until  William 
Himrod,  at  his  own  expense,  founded  the  mission 
which  now  bears  his  name.  He  ct)ntinued  to  be  super- 
intendent of  this  Sunday-school  as  long  as  he  lived, 
and  upon  his  decease,  June  21,  1873,  he  was  succeeded 
by  his  son.  William,  who  has  ever  since  had  charge  of 
it.  The  wife  of  William  Himrod,  sr.,  .A.urelia  H.  Reed, 
was  the  daughter  of  George  W.  Reed,  a  son  of  Col. 
Seth  Reed,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Erie  county  (see 
memoirs  of  the  Reed  family  contained  in  this  volume). 
William  Himrod,  jr.,  received  his  initial  schooling  at 
Miss  Coover's,  then  attended  the  East  Ward  school, 
Erie  .'Xcademy,  and  the  academy  in  Waterford,  then 
the  best  educational  institution  in  the  county.  Imme- 
diately thereafter  he  became  one  of  the  engineering 
cor])S  of  the  Sunbury  and  Erie  (now  the  Phiiatlelphia 
and  Erie)  R.  R.  In  1860  he  went  to  Chicago,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  bookkeei)ing  for  five  years.  Re- 
turning to  Erie,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Erie  and 
Pittsburg  R.  R.,  holdmg  the  position  for  some  years 
of  clerk  of  the  motive  [xmer  department.  In  1869  he 
was  associated  in  the  establishment  of  a  boot  and  shoe 
manufacturing  business,  first  under  the  firm  name  of 
Arbuekle  &:  Himrod,  and  subsetiuently  the  Keystone 
Boot  and  .Shoe  Co.,  limited,  of  which  Mr.  Himrod  was 
manager.  l'|Kin  the  failure  of  this  company,  he  was 
appointed  by  the  United  States  government  as  in- 
spector of  dredging  in  Erie  harbor.  Upon  the  com- 
pletion of  this  work  he  was  made  buyer  of  lumber  for 
the  Erie  Car  Works,  and  was  engaged  in  that  cajiacity 
until  1889.  During  tlie  following  two  years  he  carried 
on  a  pig  iron,  coal,  coke,  and  general  brokerage  busi- 
ness. In  1891  he  was  a])|iointed  to  his  present  posi- 
tion, secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  commissioners  of 
waterworks  in  Erie.  He  was  married  December  II, 
1862.  to  Julia  A.,  daughter  of  the  late  Presley  Arbuekle, 
a  native  of  Erie  county,  whose  father,  William  G.  Ar- 
buekle, was  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  c<iunty. 
Five  children  born  of  this  union  survive:  Presley  A. 
Hinu'od,  treasurer  of  tlie  F.rie  Manufacturing  and 
Supply  Co.;  W.  DeWitt  Himrod,  engraverand  printer, 
who  married  Dlivette,  daughter  of  Gen.  Leroy  Vou- 
mans  of  Columbia,  S.  C.  (they  have  one  child,  Helen 
Tillinghast  H.);  Ray  Himrod,  an  office  emjiloye  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Gas  Com|)any;  J;  Allison  Himrod, 
engaged  in  business  with  William  DeWitt  Himrod, 
and  Harwood  Braiding  Himrod,  a  student  at  the  Erie 
high  school.  The  family  reside  at  922  Myrtle  street, 
and  attend  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Himrod  were  among  the  orig- 
inal members.  Mr.  Himnxl  w-as  for  a  number  of  years 
a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  that  congrega- 
tion.    He  is  a  33d  degree  Mason  and  of  the  York  Rite; 


is  Pa.st  Master  of  Tyrian  Lodge,  No.  362;  Senior  Past 
High  Priest,  Temple  Chapter,  Xo.  215;  Senior  Pa.st 
Thrice  Illustrious  Grand  Slaster,  Jerusalem  Council, 
No.  IW;  Past  Eminent  Commander  of  Mount  Olivet 
Commandery,  No.  30.  In  the  Scottish  Rite  he  is 
Senior  Past  Thrice  Potentate  Grand  .Master,  Presque 
Isle  Lodge  of  Perfection.  He  was  nine  years  District 
Deputy  Grand  Master  for  Erie  county.  Mr.  Himrod 
was  chosen  May  ."),  1874,  to  succeed  his  father  as  one 
of  ihi-  incorporators  of  the  Erie  cemetery,  and  on  May 
4,  188(),  was  elected  one  of  its  board  of  managers. 

Charles  Brandes,  M.  D.,  office  and  residence 
124  and  120  East  Eighth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  March  29,  1818.  He  i'.  the  son  of 
Frederick  and  Hannah  (Hotop)  Brandes,  both  natives 
of  Hanover.  They  reared  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, eleven  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom 
reached  the  age  of  maturity.  Dr.  Brandes.  who  was 
the  seventh  son,  received  his  early  education  in  the 
schools  of  Hanover.  At  the  age  of  14  he  was  sent  to 
Brunswick,  where  he  received  a  regular  classical  course 
of  schooling.  At  college  Dr.  Brandes  was  a  diligent 
student  and  was  graduated  in  the  regular  classical 
course,  or  rather  in  the  literary  and  medical  course  at 
Gottingen  I'niversity,  Hanover,  in  1843.  He  then  en- 
tered the  government  service,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  |iractice  of  medicine  for  eighteen  months,  which 
fully  fitted  him  for  his  profession.  Frederick  Brandes, 
the  father  of  Charles,  was  left  an  ample  fortune  by 
his  father,  Anton  Brandes,  who  settled  in  Hanover  and 
spent  his  later  life  there,  and  was  a  friend  of  the  Duke  of 
Brunswick.  In  1845  Dr.  Brandes'  ambition  led  him  to 
cross  the  ocean  and  seek  success  in  the  new  world. 
On  reaching  America  he  came  to  Pennsylvania,  and 
finally  settled  in  Erie,  where  he  has  spent  the  most  of 
his  life  since  in  the  practice  of  his  ]irofession.  .\s  a 
physician  and  surgeon  Dr.  Brandes  has  won  a  high 
reputation.  Though  having  a  very  large  practice  that 
so  fully  occupied  his  time,  he  has  taken  time  to  travel 
extensively,  and  has  visited  almost  all  the  civilized 
countries  in  the  world,  and  almost  every  State  in  the 
Union.  In  1849,  during  the  gold  excitement,  he  went 
to  California,  where  he  engaged  in  washing  gold  for 
two  weeks  onlv,  though  he  remained  in  California  for 
I'ightci'n  months,  the  m<ist  of  that  time  in  the  agreea- 
ble ccimpanionship  of  Gen.  John  A.  Suiter,  meantime 
practicing  medicine.  He  returned  to  Erie  in  18.')0 
and  renewed  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  18.54, 
during  the  Crimean  w-ar,  he  visited  Flurope.  The  trio 
was  taken  for  his  health,  which  was  greatly  benefited. 
Before  his  return  he  made  a  last  visit  to  his  mother  in 
Hanover.  In  1855  he  returned  to  Erie,  and  has  since 
been  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession.  He  has  succeeded  in  accumulating 
a  handsome  fortune,  and  socially  has  won  the  esteem 
of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact  by  uniform 
courtesy  and  unassuming  deportment.  Dr.  Brandes 
was  married  in  Erie  in  1846  to  Miss  Catherine  Shank, 
daughter  of  Rudolph  Shank.  Mrs.  Brandes  was  born 
in  Lancaster,  Pa.,  and  is  of  German  origin;  her  pater- 
nal and  maternal  ancestors  were  among  those  who 
came  to  America  with  William  Penn,  and  settled  on 
the  old  Penn  manor  in  Bucks  county.  This  union  was 
blessed  with  a  daughter,  Henrietta,  who  was  carefully 
educated  and  who  was  happily  married  to  Theodore 
N.  Ely,  who  is  now  (1895)  the  general  superintendent  of 
motive  power  of  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R.,  and  was  in 


AND  EISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


585 


1895  sent  to  Europe  to  represent  that  company  in  the 
International  Railroad  convention.  As  the  issue  of  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ely  four  children  were  born: 
Catherine,  Gertrude,  Carl  and  Henrietta.  .Mrs.  Ely 
died  in  1^80.  Her  death  was  a  tryintc  ortleal  for  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Hrandes,  who  idolized  their  daughter;  but 
the  frequent  presence  of  the  grandchildren  serve  to 
lighten  the  dreary  void  occasioned  by  the  death  of 
their  beloved  daughter.  Ur.  and  .Mrs.  Brandes  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Protestant  Church.  In  poli- 
tics the  doctor  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  never  accepted 
any  office,  except  in  18H'2,  when  he  was  appointed  gov- 
ernment examining  surgeon.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity. 

The  Judsoti  Family. — The  Judsons  were  among 
the  earlier  settlers  of  Erie  county,  and  Amos  Judson 
one  of  the  first.  They  came  from  Woodbury,  Litch- 
field county.  Conn.  Their  family  history  traces  their 
origin  from  William  Judson,  who  emigrated  from 
Yorkshire,  England,  in  16i!(i.  He  was  the  progenitor 
of  the  family  in  America.  Amos  Judson  came  in  ITyti. 
He  remained  at  Greenfield  Station  two  years.  He 
then  came  to  Waterford  and  worked  as  a  carpenter. 
He  afterwards  opened  a  store  and  successfully  con- 
ducted business  for  fifty  years.  He  never  married. 
Mr.  Judson  accumulated  a  large  property  and  was 
greatly  respected.  He  was  joined  after  establishing 
himself  by  his  brothers,  Seth  and  Timothy,  who  came 
from  Connecticut  with  their  families  in  W'Z'i  or  1824. 
Seth  Judson  died  in  1856  and  his  w'ife  in  1858.  They 
had  one  son.  Dr.  Wm.  Judson,  and  four  daughters: 
Eunice,  Sophia,  Mrs.  H.  R.  \'incent  and  Charlotte. 
Dr.  William  Judson  was  born  in  Woodbury,  Conn., 
September  7,  1807.  He  married  February  2,  1839, 
Clarissa,  daughter  of  Thomas  King  (son  of  Robert 
King,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Erie  county  |;  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Judson  had  five  children;  Mary,  wife  of  S.  Gus- 
tine  Snowden,  M.  D.,  of  Franklin,  Pa.;  Alice  F.,  wife 
of  Charles  Himrod,  of  Chicago;  George  I).,  late  of 
Co.  E,  83d  Reg.,  P.  \ .  1.,  who  lost  his  life  in  the  sec- 
ond battle  of  Bull  Run;  Alfred  died  in  infancy,  and 
Jessie  R.,  wife  of  Robert  Lamberton,  of  Franklin,  Pa. 
Dr.  Judson  served  as  burgess  of  Waterford,  and  was 
tru.stee  of  Waterford  academy  many  years.  He  died 
March  24,  1895.  Eunice  Judson  died  unmarried  in 
the  early  sixties.  Sophia,  wife  of  Col.  Irvin  Camp, 
contractor  and  civil  engineer,  has  resided  since  1842 
in  Erie.  Col.  and  Mrs.  Camp  have  one  daughter,  Mrs. 
F.  F.  Marshall,  who  survives  her  brother,  William 
(who  died  young),  and  sister,  Florence,  whose  death 
soon  after  her  marriage  was  so  deeply  deplored.  Mrs. 
H.  Ralston  Vincent  was  another  daughter  of  Seth 
Judson,  who  spent  her  life,  after  coming  from  Con- 
necticut, in  Waterford,  and  died  some  four  years  since, 
about  the  time  of  her  husband's  death.  She  left  two 
daughters,  who  reside  in  Waterford.  Charlotte  Jud- 
son, daughter  of  Seth  Judson,  died  young.  Timothy 
Judson  had  four  sons  and  one  daughter.  His  son, 
John  P.,  died  in  1849,  leaving  two  sons:  P.  li.  Judson, 
long  proprietor  of  Eagle  Hotel  and  of  the  Stone  Tav- 
ern in  Waterford.  His  daughter,  Mary  M.,  married 
L")avid  Kinnaman.  Peter  P.,  a  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Waterford,  of  whose  family  is  Effie  R.,  wife  of  H.  C. 
Stafford,  late  of  the  83d  Reg.,  P.  \.  I.,  who  was  five 
times  wounded  in  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run.  He 
has  since  served  as  sheriff  of  Erie  county,  and  as  col- 
lector of  customs  of  the  port  of  Erie,  under  President 


Arthur.  Amos  M.  Judson,  born  in  Waterford,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Erie  bar,  and  afterward  volunteered  and 
became  first  lieutenant  and  captain  of  Co.  E,  83d 
Reg.,  P.  \'.  I.  He  is  now  clerk  in  the  treasury  de- 
partment, Washington  City.  Another  sister  of  .Vinos 
Judson  is  Mrs.  Mary  A.  (Parmlee),  widow  of  Henry  R. 
Whittelsey,  who  died  a  year  or  twcj  ago  in  Waterford. 
Her  mother  was  a  sister  of  Amos  Judson.  .Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Whittelsey  had  eight  children:  Anna  M.  (Mrs. 
Tracy)  resides  in  Kansas;  Capt.  Edward  L.,  an  at- 
torney-at-law,  in  Erie;  Henrietta  (.Mrs.  Hiram  Rice, 
of  Waterford);  Edith,  Wilbur,  Lincoln  (son  of  Flor- 
ence) Nebraska;  and  Alice.  Henry  R.  Whittelsey 
came  from  Litchfield  county  to  Waterford,  in  1850. 
He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  ten  years,  and  filled  a 
number  of  local  offices,  and  was  mercantile  appraiser 
of  the  county. 

William  Judsou  (deceased),  Waterford,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Woodbury,  Conn.,  September 
7,  1807,  and  was  eldest  son  of  Seth  JucLson,  who  came 
to  Erie  county  in  1823,  and  died  in  18.55,  his  widow 
surviving  until  1858.  William  Judson  was  married 
February  12,  1839,  to  Clarissa  King,  daughter  of 
Thomas,  and  grand-daughter  of  Ca])tain  Robert  King, 
who  was  born  in  Carlisle  in  1740,  and  who  was  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  early  settlement  of  Water- 
ford township,  being  one  of  the  first  to  bring  his  fam- 
ily to  Erie  county.  .Mr.  King  received  from  the  gov- 
ernment 400  acres  of  land  in  Waterford  township, 
known  as  King's  Flats  (now  in  LeBceuf  townshi|i),  in 
consideration  of  his  making  favorable  conditions  with 
the  Indians.  He  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  an 
officer.  (See  sketch  of  King  family.)  Mr.  and  .Mrs. 
Judson  have  had  five  children  as  follows:  Mary,  wife 
of  S.  Gustave  Snowden,  M.  D.,  Franklin,  Pa.;  .Alice 
F.,  wife  of  Charles  Himrod,  of  Chicago;  George  D., 
who  having  enlisted  in  Company  E,  83d  Reg.,  P.  X .  I., 
after  three  weeks'  service  lost  his  life  in  the  second 
battle  of  Bull  Run;  .Alfred,  died  in  infancy,  and  Jessie 
K.,  wife  of  Robert  Lamberton,  Esq.,t)f  Franklin,  Pa. 
Mr.  Judson  was  treasurer  of  Waterford  academy  for 
twenty  years,  and  a  trustee  since  1847,  and  was  bur- 
gess of  Waterford  for  several  terms.  William  Judson 
died  March  2(i,  1895,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery 
at  Waterford. 

Col.  P.  E.  Judson,  retired,  of   Waterford,   Pa., 

was  born  April  28,  1807,  in  the  town  of  Woodbury. 
Litchfield  county.  Conn.  In  1814  the  family  removed 
to  Tioga  county,  Xew  York,  and  located  on  the  banks 
of  the  Susciuehanna  river,  where  they  remained  until 
1823.  Judson,  when  a  little  older,  helping  to  clear  the 
land  and  assisting  his  father  at  carpentering.  Col. 
Judson,  in  his  own  language,  thus  details  some  of  his 
early  experiences:  On  a  new  farm  back  of  the  river, 
speckled  mountain  trout  were  plenty  in  Pipe  Creek.  I 
did  love  to  fish,  and  would  go  two  miles  up  the 
creek  and  fish  down.  There  were  wolves,  catamounts 
and  wildcats  in  the  woods,  and  as  1  had  to  look  after 
the  cows  and  oxen,  father  had  fixed  a  weapon  of  de- 
fense for  me.  It  was  a  two-edged-knife,  about  six  or 
eight  inches  long,  two  inches  wide,  with  a  sharp  point 
set  in  a  socket,  with  a  handle  four  feet  long.  He 
directed  me  to  always  carry  it  out  in  the  sugar  camp 
when  boiling  sap,  and  on  my  shoulder,  which  I  did. 
One  afternoon  when  all  alone,  except  for  my  plucky 
little  black  dog,  weighing  about  twenty-two  pounds,  I 


586 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIOTnART 


saw  a  small  deer  run  into  a  stream  of  water  near  by; 
the  stream  was  high,  owing  to  the  spring  thaw;  the 
deer  was  trying  to  escape  from  a  wiklcat  that  was  pur- 
suing it;  it  got  under  the  driftwood,  lieing  wountled 
and  lame.  About  this  time  my  dog,  "  Nig,"  as  1  called 
him,  smelled  the  cat,  and  started  after  it;  I  called  him 
back,  but  he  would  not  come,  and  as  I  was  as  faithful 
to  him  as  he  was  to  me,  started  after  him;  the  cat 
wheeled  for  battle,  struck  at  the  dog,  and  1  struck  at 
the  cat.  and  split  his  heart  in  two;  he  made  one  or  two 
convulsive  kicks.  My  father  was  quite  proud  of  my 
wildcat  episode;  went  to  the  town  of  \\'ap])asena 
(now  Nichols)  and  bought  me  a  pair  of  cowhide  shoes 
and  a  jack-knife,  and  for  a  while  I  was  the  biggest 
man  on  Pipe  creek.  In  lS2;i,  I  went  to  Waterford, 
Erie  countv.  Pa.,  and  worked  for  .^mos  Judson,  chop- 
ping and  clearing  land,  on  the  Union  road,  in  Water- 
ford  township.  I  also  worked  with  Uncle  Seth  Judson. 
I  took  a  job  of  ."Vmos  Judson  of  cutting  five  acres  of 
heavy  hemlock,  pine,  beech  and  ma]jle,  logging 
length,  ample  two  roll  piles  to  the  acre.  The  ])rice 
was  to  be  hve  dollars  per  acre,  two  dollars  in  cash  and 
three  dollars  in  store  pay;  and  what  four-foot  wood  I 
cut  he  paid  me  thirty-seven  and  one-half  cents  per 
cord,  one  shilling  cash  and  two  shillings  store  pay. 
John  A.  \'incent  helped  me  to  cut  the  bass  wood,  six 
feet  long,  split  tine,  for  which  we  got  Sl.2r)  per  cord, 
one  dollar  cash  and  two  shillings  store  pay.  I  next 
went  to  Warren  to  attend  bar  in  the  .Mansion  House, 
remaining  one  year.  Three  young  men  and  myself 
then-built  a  Ikit-boat  and  drifted  down  the  Allegheny 
to  Franklin,  and  from  there  I  walked  home,  and  took 
a  berth  in  the  Waterford  1  lotel,  H.  G.  Davis,  proprietor. 
Davis  was  absent  two  years,  and  after  his  return  1 
worked  at  various  places  at  farm  work,  later  assisting 
in  teaching  a  geography  cla.ss,  in  which  the  only  boy 
was  Clark  McSparren,  of  Erie,  the  class  being  com- 
posed of  girls.  I  went  to  Erie  and  took  the  Steamboat 
Hotel,  corner  of  Second  and  French  streets.  It  had 
been  kept  by  John  Dickson,  who  wi'Ut  to  Meadville, 
leaving  the  business  in  sucli  a  shape  that  I  was  very 
much  perplexed  by  the  debts,  and  had  it  not  been  for 
Jonas  Gunnison  1  would  not  hav(;  remained  there 
long.  He  helped  me.  Under  the  tall  poplar  trees 
that  once  stood  in  front  of  R.  S.  Reed's  residence, 
seated  on  the  slab  seat,  the  venerable  old  man  would 
direct  me  how  to  proceed.  Among  my  pleasant  ac- 
quaintances of  that  period  were  Commodore  Morris, 
Capt.  lames  Morris,  Lieut.  Morris,  Capt.  M.  C\>nner, 
Capt.  Knapp,  Capt.  Dobbins,  Capt.  Reed.  1  had  to 
go  on  a  trip  to  Pittsburg  while  at  the  hotel  on  busi- 
ness for  Mr.  Reed.  I  made  the  trip  on  horseback. 
Returning  to  Tioga  county.  New  York,  and  later  de- 
scended the  Susipiehanna  on  two  rafts  of  boards  and 
shingles  for  Columbia,  Pa.  There  I  took  the  chances 
of  the  river  to  Havre  de  CIrace,  the  luad  of  tidewater, 
on  Chesapeake  Bay.  1  made  six  of  these  trips,  down 
one  day  and  walking  back  the  next  day,  torty-rtve 
miles.  It  took  six  men  to  man  a  single  raft.  1  re- 
turned to  Waterford,  Pa.,  in  comjiany  with  an  old  man 
of  50  years,  who  lived  at  .State  Line.  I  next  took 
charge  of  a  boat-load  of  lumber  for  old  John  McKay, 
and  sold  it  in  Pittsburg.  Then  1  took  down  a  boat- 
load of  bark,  assisted  by  A.  J.  Bracken,  who  had  run 
to  Pittsburg  several  times.  At  Pittsburg  I  could  not 
sell  the  bark,  and  as  a  pilot  asked  S'2..50  per  day,  I 
went  to  a  book  store  and  bought  a  "  Loggerhead  "  of 
the  Ohio  river.    I  finally  landed  it  safely  in  Wheeling, 


Va.,  made  a  good  sale,  returning  to  Waterford  by  boat, 
on  foot  and  in  the  stage.  I  took  a  berth  in  the  Water- 
lord  Hotel  as  barkeeper,  hostler,  boot  black,  wood 
chojiper,  t-tc,  and  worked  at  anything,  until  1  fitted  uii 
the  old  fort  fjuilding  as  a  hotel,  and  opi'ned  it  the  ><tn 
day  of  May,  1830,  having  very  slender  means  to  fit  it 
up.  I  still  have  two  of  the  original  twelve  chairs  that 
1  first  bought  for  the  hotel,  the  rest  having  burned  up 
in  the  fire  of  18fi8.  By  this  fire  1  lost  S<%0  and  broke 
up  my  busine.ss.  I  next  acted  as  deputy  sheriff  of  the 
coimty,  and  later  bought  the  Eagle  Hotel  and  made 
several  improvements  in  it.  This  1  conducted  for 
twenty-two  years,  and  three  years  ago  rented  it,  owing 
to  defective  eyesight.  In  the  month  of  September, 
182f),  on  my  way  to  Tioga  county.  New  York,  1  stojipcd 
off  at  Niagara  Falls,  went  over  to  the  Canadian  sule, 
antl  saw  the  drill  of  British  troops.  Henry  Clay,  of 
Kentucky,  was  there  at  the  time,  in  company  with  his 
brother-in-law.  Gen.  Stewart,  and  both  dined  at  the 
same  table  at  the  Cataract  House  at  which  1  sat.  Dur- 
ing the  war  I  supplied  the  barracks  with  lUO  pounds  of 
meat  per  day,  cut  in  half-pound  pieces.  I  did  all  the 
work  myself,  in  supplying  this  meat.  This  does  not 
embrace  all  the  details  of  Col.  Judson 's  very  busy  and 
active  life,  but  gives  an  idea  of  the  way  peo])le  had  to 
work  in  the  olden  time. 

The  Justice  Family.— Captain  Jchin  Jitstice 
came  to  Erie  in  1818  as  one  of  the  party  employed  by 
the  (Government  to  build  and  equip  the  armed  vessels 
which  constituted  part  of  Perry's  neet,  on  the  lOth  of 
.Sei)teml>er,  181;^,  and  won  such  renown.  He  was  a 
successful  ship-builder  and  spent  his  life  in  Erie.  Mr. 
Justice  married  Anna,  daughter  of  John  Gray,  Esq., 
one  of  the  earliest  citizens  of  Erie.  They  had  three 
sons  and  four  daughters:  John  M.,  who  married  ,'\nn 
Eliza  Vesey,  of  Philadelphia;  John  M.  and  .Ann  Eliza 
Justice  had  four  sons:  Charles,  John,  William  and 
Harry.  William  E.,  who  died  in  California,  and 
Jfi.seph,  who  died  in  Erie  about  ten  years  since.  Capt. 
and  .Mrs.  Justice's  daughters  were:  Sarah  .Ann,  who 
married  Mr.  .McCammon,  and  removed  to  Wisconsin, 
where  she  died;  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Mc.Fayilen, 
resides  in  Erie;  Rebecca  Jane,  who  married  William 
M.  Gallagher  (deceased);  Mr.  and  Mrs.  (lallagher  had 
three  children:  George  W.  (deceased),  and  Cora, 
who  married  John  Knoll,  and  .Annie  I,.,  who  married 
George  Gensheimer,  assistant  secretary  of  the  board 
of  commissioners  of  Erie;  Mary  Eliza,  who  married 
William  F.  Kin<lerknecht,  a  native  of  Germany,  an 
energetic  and  successful  business  man,  who  accumu- 
lated a  handsome  property.  Juliette,  who  married 
William  P.  Hayes,  a  leading  real  estate  dealer  of 
Erie,  who  did  a  large  business.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayes 
had  four  children,  Frank,  William,  Boyd  and  Joseph, 
all  living.  Mr.  Hayes,  who  has  been  a  successful 
land  agent  for  some  years,  has  taken  into  [lartnershiij 
his  son,  Boyd.  Two  of  his  sons,  who  have  been 
engaged  in  the  banking  business,  have  acquired 
distinction  as  expert  bank  examiners  and  accountants 
in    the   employ   of   the   L'.   S.  Treasury  Department. 

The  (iailagher  Family. — The  Gallaghers  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Erie.  They  resided  at  an 
early  date  on  ICast  Second  street,  west  of  Parade,  near 
the  site  of  the  first  settlement  of  Erie.  Their  father 
died,  leaving  a  widow,  who  lived  to  an  advanced  age, 
and  two  sons,  George  \V.  and  William   M.    George 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


587 


W.  was  a  cabinet-maker,  but  engaged  in  commercial 
pursuits.  He  was  captain  of  one  or  more  steamers  on 
Lake  Erie,  but  afterwards  engaged  in  the  forwarding 
and  commission  business  in  Erie,  where  he  died  in 
1H42.  He  married  Miss  Angeline  Clough,  daughter 
of  Maj.  Rufus  Clough,  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812, 
who  survived  him  with  one  son,  Thomas,  a  youth  of 
much  promise.  At  an  early  age  Thomas  served  as 
clerk  in  his  father's  commission  business.  He  died  in 
1844,  aged  18  years.  William  M.,  the  youngest 
brother  of  George,  learned  with  Thomas  Mehaffey  the 
trade  of  a  mason,  but  did  not  follow  it.  He  entered 
commercial  business,  engaged  in  navigation  and  was 
captain  of  a  freight  vessel  on  the  upper  lakes.  He 
was  afterwards  in  business  for  years  at  the  public 
docks  in  Erie,  where  he  achieved  much  success.  He 
was  also  of  the  firm  of  Sawyer,  Camp  &  Co.  in  their 
railroad  building  in  the  West.  Having  disposed  of 
his  dock  business  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Taylor  collector  of  customs,  which  position  he  filled 
with  much  acceptability.  He  was  married  in  the 
early  forties  to  Miss  Rebecca  J.,  daughter  of  Capt. 
John  Justice  (who  in  1813  came  with  shipbuilders  in 
the  employ  of  the  United  States  to  build  m  the  harbor 
of  Erie  a  portion  of  Perry's  famous  fleet).  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  W.  i\I.  Gallagher  had  three  children:  George, 
who  died  February  23,  1889,  Cora  and  Anne,  wife  of 
George  C.  Gensheimer,  assistant  secretary  of  the  water 
commissioners  of  Erie.  Mrs.  Gallagher,  having  sur- 
vived her  husband  about  twenty-three  years,  resided  at 
the  family  mansion,  Xo.  822  Peach  street. 

William  F.  Riaderktiecht,  one  of  Erie's  most 
honored  and  respected  citizens,  died  at  his  residence 
on  West  Fifth  street  .'\pril  27,  1891.  He  was  born  in 
Wurtemburg,  Germany,  January  8,  1818,  and  was  a 
son  of  Frederick  B.  Rinderknecht,  who,  with  his 
family,  came  to  the  United  States  in  18::i2.  His  father, 
who  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  reared  a  family  of  four 
(hildren:  Hetty  (Mrs.  Mehl),  William  F.,  Jacob  and 
Kitty.  Mr.  Rinderknecht's  education,  which  inclmled 
Latin  and  Greek,  was  obtained  in  the  high  school  of 
liis  native  town,  he  graduating  at  the  age  of  14  years. 
Ipon  his  arrival  in  this  country  he  at  once  began  to 
look  about  for  something  to  do,  and  soon  found  a  sat- 
isfactory position  with  Mr.  Conrad  Brown  on  a  farm  in 
Mill  Creek  township,  and  later  with  Mr.  Samuel 
Brown,  a  son  of  the  former,  remaining  with  both  two 
years.  He  then  came  to  Eagle  X'illage  (now  .South 
Erie),  where  he  clerked  in  a  general  store  for  Mr. 
Jacob  Hanson  five  years,  and  nearly  five  years  in  the 
dry  goods  store  of  Brewster,  Brown  &  Co.  In  1841  he 
was  elected  constable  of  Erie,  the  then  arduous  duties 
of  which  position  he  faithfully  discharged  for  two 
years.  In  1843  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  on 
State  street,  between  Fifth  street  and  North  Park  Row, 
and  later  removed  to  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  State 
streets,  continuing  in  the  business  until  18HH  with  a 
marked  degree  of  success.  In  company  with  Mr. 
John  Eliot,  he  next  founded  a  private  hanking  concern, 
which  was  continued  for  four  years.  Soon  after  this 
.Mr.  Rinderknecht  became  president  of  the  Erie  Boot 
and  Shoe  Company,  which  position  he  filled  during 
the  life  of  that  institution.  He  was  also  for  some  time 
identified  with  the  firm  of  William  F.  &  J.  J.  Rinder- 
knecht, and  for  some  years  previous  and  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death  was  president  of  the  Erie  County  In- 
surance Company.     Mr.  Rinderknecht  was  an  excel- 


lent example  of  what  honesty  and  industry  will  do  in 
this  great  country.  Coming  here  without  even  a 
knowledge  of  our  language,  he  became  one  of  the 
citizens  of  this  prosj)erous  city  and  was  prominently 
identified  with  its  growth  and  development.  Not  only 
did  he  succeed  in  accumulating  a  handsome  fortune,  but 
his  business  methods  and  character  were  such  as  to 
command  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  community 
in  which  he  had  passed  the  most  of  his  useful  life. 
Mr.  Rinderknecht  was  married  .March  27, 184.'),  to  Miss 
Mary  Eliza  Justice,  daughter  of  the  late  Capt.  John 
Justice,  of  Erie.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  .Ann  L.  Gray,  learned  to  make  cartridges  for  the 
soldiers  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  lived  to  again  show 
her  womanly  patriotism  and  love  of  liberty  by  knitting 
socks  for  the  soldiers  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion.  The 
Justice  family  consisted  of  three  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters, four  of  the  latter  still  living.  Capt.  Justice,  who 
was  a  ship  carpenter  by  trade,  came  to  Erie  for  the 
purpose  of  building  the  fleet  of  gunboats  which  Com- 
modore Perry  used  so  effectively  as  to  make  it  one  of 
the  chief  factors  in  terminating  the  war  of  1812,  which 
established  forever  not  only  our  independence,  but  our 
supremacy  on  the  south  shores  of  the  Great  Lakes. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rinderknecht  had  born  unto  them  two 
sons,  both  of  whom  died  in  childhood.  They  were 
members,  and  Mrs.  Rinderknecht  still  is,  a  member  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  they  were  gen- 
erous supporters.  In  politics  .Mr.  Rinderknecht  had 
been  a  Republican  since  the  organization  of  the  yjarty, 
and  served  his  city  for  several  terms  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  and  for  four  terms  was  a  member  of 
the  city  councils. 

Mrs.  Anna  E.  Pressly,  widow  of  Rev.  Joseph  H. 
Pressly,  was  born  January  18,  1829,  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.; 
her  maiden  name  was  .Anna  E.  Smith.  She  was  mar- 
ried May  24,  1847,  to  Josei)h  H.  Pressly  m  .Allegheny 
City  by  his  father.  Dr.  John  T.  Pressly,  a  jirofessor  in 
the'  Theological  Seminary  in  that  city.  Mr.  Pressly 
was  born  in  .Abbey ville  District,  South  Carolina,  and 
came  to  .Allegheny  in  18;?2.  The  family  are  all  mem- 
bers of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  the 
father  was  pastor  from  the  year  184.")  until  he  died, 
November  3,  1874.  He  received  his  first  education  at 
the  Western  L'niversity  of  Pittsburg,  afterwarti  com- 
pleting a  course  in  Jefferson  College  at  Canonsburg, 
Pa.  His  father  then  insisted  on  a  five  years'  course  of 
study  in  the  seminary,  where  he  taught,  thus  fitting 
the  son  for  the  battle  in  the  profession  in  which  he  was 
later  to  achieve  wonderful  success  as  a  [iropounder  of 
the  gospel,  and  this  success  was  no  doubt  partly  due 
to  his  early  training;  yet  his  benevolence  and  piety 
greatly  endeared  him  to  those  whom  he  met  in  life, 
and  added  to  his  power  to  do  good  in  his  chosen  field. 
-After  leaving  the  seminary  he  traveled  through  the 
Southern  States,  preaching  at  different  stations  until 
1844,  when  he  came  as  a  candidate  to  the  Erie  Church, 
the  old  pastor.  Rev.  Robert  Reed,  having  died,  and 
after  filling  the  pulpit  a  year  was  formalK-  called  to 
the  position  which  he  held  until  death.  The  family 
have  been  prominently  identified  with  the  progress 
of  Erie  county  during  the  past  fifty  years  and  a  work 
would  not  be' complete  without  the  foregoing  sketch. 

Orange  Noble,  founder  of  the  Keystone  National 
Bank,  Erie,  was  born  April  27,  1817,  at  Whitehall,  N. 
Y.,  son  of  Salmon  and  Betsy  (Delamater)  Noble.    The 


588 


ITELSON-S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


father,  who  had  been  a  farmer,  was  a  native  of  Hart- 
ford, Conn.  His  father,  when  the  son  was  six  years 
of  aj;e,  moved  to  Washington  county,  Ni'w  York. 
Mr.  Noble  was  a  native  of  New  York.  'I'luy  were 
parents  of  seven  eliildren.  Orange  remained  on  the 
farm  with  his  father  till  he  was  23  years  of  age,  and 
was  educated  at  the  common  schools  and  the  academy 
in  Washington  county.  New  York.  January  1,  lf<4U, 
he  married  Minerva  Reed,  who  bore  him  two  childri'n 
Theodore  V.  and  George  H.  Karly  in  XHh'A  Mr. 
Nol)le  moved  to  Crawford  county,  this  State,  where  he 
entered  into  jjartnership  with  his  relative,  G.  B.  Dela- 
mater,  in  merchandising  and  farming,  as  well  as  oil 
prospecting.  By  18(i8  they  had  made  their  fortune. 
In  that  year  the  "Noble  well "- the  noblest  in  the 
world — yielded  more  than  2,00U  barrels  per  day.  In 
18(i4  Mr.  Noble  became  a  resident  of  Erie  city.  In 
liSfi.')  he  purchased  the  Bay  State  Iron  Work.s.  At  a 
cost  of  $185,000,  he  erected' the  Noble  block  in  this  city 
(now  the  Penn  building).  In  18(57  he  and  others  erected 
the  first  elevator  at  this  harbor,  and  in  ISBSt  he  became 
a  large  owner  in  the  bla.st  furnace.  He  was  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Burdett  Organ  Factory,  the  Dime  Sav- 
ings Bank  and  the  Second  National  Bank,  sole])ropri- 
etor  of  the  Noble  Sewing  .Machine  Company,  and  con- 
nected with  many  minor  enterprises.  -  He  was  founder 
of  the  Keystone  National  Bank  and  president  of 
the  same  for  twenty  years.  Mr.  Noble  was  twice 
elected  to  the  mayoralty  of  Erie  city,  and  once  to  a 
seat  in  the  general  assembly.  Business  reverses  have 
lost  to  Mr.  Noble  most  or  all  of  his  interests  in  Erie 
city,  but  the  fact  remains  that  he  was  one  of  the  first 
men  to  develop  the  city  an<l  aid  in  its  present  prosper- 
ity. When  the  names  of  some  who  are  better  known 
for  the  time  being  are  forgotten.  Orange  Noble  will  be 
remembered  as  the  man  who  gave  the  first  strong  im- 
pul.se  to  the  new  city,  and  led  it  into  paths  that  have 
made  it  what  it  is  at  present.  Vox  some  years  past 
Mr.  Noble  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
in  Iowa,  where  he  .says  he  has  more  enjoyment  than 
he  did  in  the  days  of  his  greatest  wealth  and  influence. 
He  spends  his  winters  in  Erie,  where  his  wife  resides. 
As  a  matter  of  interest  it  may  be  added  that  Mr.  Noble 
brought  S()00,000  in  cash  to  Erie,  and  that  a  large 
share  of  it  was  sjient  in  building  up  Erie  institutions, 
of  which  others  reaped  the  largest  benefits. 

Theodore  Frelott  Noble,  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Bay  State  Inm  WUrks,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  North 
Granville,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  October  6,  1847, 
is  a  son  of  Orange  and  Minerva  (Reed)  Noble.  He 
completed  his  education  at  the  Williston  Seminary, 
East  Hampton,  Mass.,  was  associated  with  his  father 
in  the  elevator  and  bla.st  furnace  business  above  re- 
ferred to,  became  identified  with  the  Bay  State  Iron 
Works,  Limited,  in  1884,  with  which  he  has  since  been 
connected,  and  is  the  present  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  company.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has  served 
the  citv  as  a  member  of  the  common  council.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  B.  P.  O.  E.,  K.  of  P.  and  A.  O.  U.  \y. 
He  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Eugenia 
\.,  daughter  of  ,\saph  Whitfelsey,  of  Bayfield,  Wis. 
She  died  in  1874.  His  second  wife  was  Mary  L., 
daughter  of  A.  J.  Thomas,  an  old  resident  of  Erie. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Theodore  F.  Noble  reside  at  the  corner 
of  Holland  and  Fifth  streets. 

Horace  W.  Noble,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  September 
6,  1827,  at  Whitehall,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.;  he 


is  a  son  of  Salmon  and  Betsey  (Delamater)  Noble,  of 
the  town  of  Whitehall.  The  history  of  both  sides  of 
his  father's  house  is  a  very  interesting  one,  being  able 
to  trace  the  genealogy  of  b(jth  back  for  eight  genera- 
tions. Many  of  each  branch  attained  especial  promi- 
nence in  the  history  of  our  country.  The  first  Noble 
idcntilied  with  .-Xmerican  history  was  Thomas  Noble, 
who  settled  in  Massachusetts  in  1057,  and  his  sons 
were  the  fir.st  white  settlers  in  the  prinu'tive  forests  of 
several  of  the  New  England  .States.  Many  members 
of  the  family  were  engaged  in  the  great  Revolution 
and  also  the  war  of  1812.  Elizabeth  l)elamater  was  a 
direct  descendant  of  Claude  Ue  Maitre,  who  settled 
in  Harlem  in  IdfiS,  born  in  Picardy,  France.  The  fam- 
ily were  engaged  principally  in  maritime  coimnerce, 
James  De  Maitre  being  the  first  to  double  Cape  Horn, 
and  a  strait  there  bears  his  name.  Horace  \V.  was 
marrietl  October  4, 1853,  to  Sarah  E.  Wood,  of  Monroe, 
N.  v.,  who  has  since  died,  Sei)tember  20,  1877.  The 
children  who  followed  this  union  were  .Vdella  !• .,  born 
June  1,  1855,  and  died  January,  18(>{.  Charles  C, 
l)orn  April  Iti,  1859,  living  in  Waterhml  with  his  wife, 
formerly  Jennie  Haller,  of  Parker  City,  Pa.  He  is 
station  agent  for  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R. 
Horace  A.,  born  November  2,  18(i0,  died  December  5, 
18G4.  Mr.  Horace  Noble  married  again,  June  5,  187it, 
Susan  P.  Middaugh,  of  Allegheny  county.  New  York, 
daughter  of  Elijah  and  Louisa  Middaugh.  She  was 
born  ."Xugust  28,  1845.  He  is  an  ardent  supporter  of 
the  Methodist  Church.  He  is  a  Reiiublican  m  politics. 
He  first  engaged  in  the  wholesale  coal  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  Lamb,  Noble  &  Churchill;  he  then 
became  treasurer  of  the  Alps  Fire  Insurance  Com])any, 
which,  having  met  with  heavy  losses  in  the  great  Chi- 
cago fire,  decided  to  pay  up,  reinsure  their  risks  and 
{juit  business.  He  then  engaged  in  the  oil  business  in 
18B2.  The  famous  Noble  iS:  Delamater  well  was 
struck  on  a  farm  leased  by  Noble  &:  Delamater.  This 
gave  him  his  financial  start  in  the  oil  business,  which 
])rospered  from  the  beginning.  Some  years  ago  he 
|)urchased  a  wheat  farm  in  North  Dakota,  which  has 
also  prosjjered  a  hundred  fold.  He  has  lived  in  Erie 
since  18fj(i,  has  been  identified  with  much  that  has 
been  for  the  good  of  Erie  county.  He  is  a  stockholder 
of  the  Keystone  National  Bank,  of  which  he  was  a 
director  for  seven  or  eight  years.  His  mother's  ances- 
tor, Claude  De  Maitre,  was  a  Huguenot  and  came  to 
this  country  on  account  of  persecutions.  He  was  a 
man  of  talent  and  siiirit,  and  possessed  of  great  valor. 
These  characteristics  have  descended  to  following 
generations  of  the  Delamater  family,  and  it  is  without 
doubt  that  these  inherent  qualities  have  enabled  Mr. 
Noble  to  rise  above  the  level  and  rewards  him  in  his 
older  days  with  the  plenty  and  comfort  that  have  sur- 
rounded him. 

Charles  C.  Noble,  ticket  agent,  Waterford,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1859,  son  of  Horace  W.  and  Sarah  (Wood) 
Noble.  He  removed  to  Erie  with  his  parents  in  early 
life,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  Jan- 
uary 1,  1888,  he  accepted  the  position  of  ticket  agent 
with  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  at  Waterford, 
which  position  he  now  holds.  In  1887  he  was  married 
to  F^mnia  \'.  Dally,  of  Armstrong  county.  Mr.  Noble 
is  member  of  the  following  orders:  Elks,  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees  and  Railroad  Association. 


c^Uj^OAlj 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


589 


Rev.  George  Armstrong  Lyoti,  D.  D.,  was  born 
in  Baltimore,  Md.,  March  1,  180G.  He  was  the  son  of 
Saiiuiel  and  Hetty  \V.( Broom)  Lyon, daughter  of  Hon. 
Jacob  Broom,  of  W'iiminffton,  Del.,  one  of  the  signers  of 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  Dr.  Lyon's  an- 
cestors came  originally  from  the  North  of  Ireland  and 
England,  and  in  connection  with  General  Armstrong, 
who  married  the  sister  of  his  grandfather,  surveyed 
and  laid  out  the  town  of  Carlisle.  Dr.  Lyon  was  early 
left  an  orphan,  and  made  his  home  with  his  uncle, 
George  .'\.  Lyon,  for  whom  he  was  named,  a  prominent 
citizen  and  lawyer  of  Carlisle.  He  was  educated  at 
Dickinson  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1824,  at  the 
age  of  18.  He  then  entered  the  theological  seminary 
at  Princeton,  and  finishing  his  course  of  study,  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Carlisle, 
on  the  9th  of  April,  1828.  During  the  summer 
he  crossed  the  Allegheny  mountains  on  horseback 
and  spent  the  following  winter  between  Fredonia, 
N.  Y.,  and  Erie,  Pa.  Receiving  a  call  from  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  each  place,  for  good  and  sufficient 
reasons  he  decided  to  accept  the  call  to  Erie,  and  on 
September  '.t,  1820,  he  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery 
of  Erie,  and  installed  pastor  of  the  church  there.  In 
this  capacity  he  remained  the  balance  of  his  life,  a 
period  of  over  forty-one  years,  his  death  having  oc- 
curred March  24,  1871,  at  the  age  of  65.  "He  was 
brought  into  the  ministry  just  before  the  great  spiritual 
harvest  time  of  1830  to  1832,  and  entered  in  as  a  vigor- 
ous, earnest  and  prayerful  reaper,  and  came  forth  re- 
joicing, bringing  many  sheaves  with  him.  The  church 
was  greatly  edified,  and  other  churches  sprang  from 
its  roots  and  grew  from  its  richness."  He  was  a  wise 
and  zealous  minister,  and  his  undivided  time  and  tal- 
ents, as  well  as  his  own  private  means,  were  cheerfully 
given  to  advance  the  purposes  and  institutions  of  the 
gospel  in  the  county  and  elsewhere.  As  a  preacher, 
he  was  distinguished  for  the  grave,  affectionate  and 
instructive  nature  of  his  sermons,  for  his  logical  force, 
a  clear  percejition  of  the  truth,  clearness  in  stating  it, 
and  pungency  in  applying  it.  He  was  also  distin- 
guished for  the  tenderness  and  spirituality  of  his  pray- 
ers, as  all  who  remember  them  will  testify,  and  for 
his  ready  sympathy  for  his  parishioners  and  friends 
when  in  sorrow  and  in  trouble.  His  warm  and  practi- 
cal charity  was  manifested  repeatedly  in  both  public 
and  private  actions;  his  whole  soul  was  in  his  work, 
and  he  loved  to  preach  the  great  central  truths  of  the 
gospel;  at  the  same  time  he  kept  his  heart  close  to  the 
throbbing  ])ulses  of  humanity,  and  his  interest  in  local 
and  national  questions  which  invcjived  the  everlasting 
[jrinciples  of  truth  and  equity  was  always  keen  and 
.strong.  He  died  at  Avon  .Springs,  X.  Y.,  whither  he 
had  gone,  hoping  to  recuperate  his  failing  health. 
On  'i'ucsday,  March  28,  1871,  his  funeral  services, 
which  were  very  solemn  an<I  im]iressive,  were  held  in 
the  church  in  which  he  had  so  long  ministered,  and  his 
l)ody  was  consigned  to  the  tomb  in  the  Erie  cemetery. 
The  funeral  sermon  was  jireached  by  the  Rev.  Rich- 
anl  Craighead,  of  .Meadville,  formerly  of  Carlisle,  Pa., 
though  in  the  services  many  of  his  brother  ministers 
of  various  churches  in  the  city  participated.  He 
married  Miss  Mary  Sterrett,  of  Carlisle,  in  1829. 
They  had  six  children,  of  whom  Catherine  and  Sam- 
uel dieil  in  infancy.  Margaret  .\.  is  the  wife  of  John 
\V.  Douglass,  of  Washington,  who  was  commissioner 
of  the  District  of  Columbia  under  President  Harrison. 
Alexander  McD.  was  an  attorney  and  paymaster  in  the 
38 


army  during  the  war,  and  died  in  1869.  George  A.  is 
pay  inspector  in  the  navy,  and  W.  Wilberforce  Lyon, 
having  served  in  the  war,  died  in  October,  1868.  After 
Mrs.  Lyon's  death.  Dr.  Lyon,  in  1859,  married  .Mrs. 
Mary  A.  Burton,  who  resides  in  Erie. 

The  Curtze  Family. — The  name  of  Curtze  in  the 
city  of  Erie,  borne  by  a  group  of  it  prominent  citizens, 
dates  back  to  1840.  In  that  year  their  father,  Fred- 
erick Curtze,  Esq.,  came  to  Erie.  He  was  born  March 
11,  1813,  in  the  principality  of  Waldeck,  Germany, 
being  the  son  of  Rev.  Ludwig  Curtze,  a  Lutheran 
clergyman.  Frederick  was  liberally  educated  in  Ger- 
many, being  proficient  in  Latin,  English,  Spanish  and 
French.  He  acquired  the  art  of  the  silversmith  also. 
Aher  spending  some  time  in  Europe,  including  a  resi- 
dence in  Vienna,  he  came  to  New  York  in  1836,  and 
remained  there  two  years;  thence  to  Boston  for  one 
year;  then  to  Philadelphia.  In  tho.se  cities  he  worked 
at  his  trade.  He  came  to  Erie  in  the  spring  of  1840, 
where  he  engaged  in  making  printing  molds  for  oil- 
cloth, and  gave  German  lessons.  The  printing  mold 
busine.ss  lasted  five  years.  He  then  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  oilcloth  on  his  own  account,  .^fter 
manufacturing  for  six  years,  he  purchased  a  farm  in 
Fairview  township,  on  which  he  resided  for  six  years. 
In  1858  Mr.  Curtze  removed  to  Erie  city.  There  he 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  and  continued  to 
serve  by  re-elections  for  twenty-five  years.  His  high 
character,  stern  integrity,  fine  education  and  polished 
manners  gave  him  an  enviable  standing  in  the  com- 
munity with  all  pjarties  and  nationalities.  It  was  a 
standing  most  worthily  maintained  and  held  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  April  14,  1891.  His  domestic 
relations  were  especially  agreeable.  In  1844  he  mar- 
ried Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Mr.  Abraham  Beckman, 
of  Fairview.  They  had  six  sons  and  six  daughters: 
Caroline,  wife  of  Louis  Albracht;  Louisa,  widow  of 
Capt.  Jacob  Zeigler,  who  served  in  the  war;  Franziska, 
widow  of  Henry  \'.  Claus;  Hermann  J.,  an  attorney  of 
Erie;  Charles  A.,  a  wluilesale  grocer  of  Erie;  Adol])h, 
of  the  firm  of  Fred  Koehler  &  Co.;  Felix  F.,  secretary 
an<l  treasurer  of  the  Erie  Dime  Savings  Bank;  Julius 
and  Oscar,  connected  with  the  wholesale  grocery  of 
their  brother,  Charles;  .Mary,  wife  of  F.  Warnath; 
Sabine,  wife  of  Frederick  Mertens,  and  Adelia,  wife  of 
Charles  Stohlman,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  The  family  are 
all  members  of  the  Lutheran  Evangelical  Church. 
Mrs.  Curtze  died  October  25,  1864.  Mr.  Curtze's  per- 
sonality, ability  and  culture  gave  him  infiuence;  but 
there  was  more:  He  took  a  leading  part  in  the  for- 
mative period  of  German  society  in  Erie,  in  the  pro- 
motion of  organized  effort  toward  the  improvement, 
advancement  and  elevation  of  his  countrymen.  In 
furtherance  of  this  purpose  he  was  prominent  in  the 
military  organizations  of  the  Erie  .Artillery  Guards,  a 
spirited  German  company.  Of  this  company  he  was 
an  officer.  He  was  deacon  of  St.  John's  Church,  and 
a  maintainer  of  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church;  he  was  continuously  active  until  the  end  of 
his  life.  He  was  prominent  in  the  German  Beneficial 
Society,  with  which  he  was  long  id^jntified,  having 
been  its  treasurer  for  twenty-five  years.  Though  pos- 
sessed of  moderate  means  and  without  a  large  income, 
he  sedulously  attended  to  the  rearing  and  education 
of  his  family.  Few  parents  in  Erie  gave  more  atten- 
tion to  this  matter;  fewer  still,  were  more  fortunate  in 
the  outcome.    The  twelve  families  of  whom  Squire 


59° 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTION  ART 


Curtze  was  the  progenitor,  which  now  have  position  in 
the  various  business,  social  anil  rehgious  circles  of 
Erie,  are  an  enduring  memorial  of  the  good  citizen, 
faithful  parent  and  remarkable  man,  who  in  the  per- 
son of  Frederick  Curtze  sank  to  rest  on  the  14th  tiay 
of  April,  18H1,  with  a  character  and  re|jutati(in  unsur- 
passed in  excellence  by  tliat  of  any  fellow  citizen. 
The  tril)ute  imjilied  by  the  prt'Sence  of  the  very  largi- 
congregation  who  assembled  at  St.  Paul's  Evangel- 
ical Church  at  his  funeral  were  emphasized  in  the 
glowing  periods  of  the  feeling  discourse  of  his  pastor. 
Rev.  Mr.  Kern,  and  Rev.  C.  Goehling  on  that  occa- 
sion. His  memory  will  long  be  treasured  in  the  city 
of  his  adopt  iiiTi. 

HertnauH  Jerome  Curtze,  attorney  at  law,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  Pa.,  November  ;W,  11S47.  He  is 
a  son  of  the  late  Frederick  and  .Mary  Ann  (Beck- 
mannj  Curtze,  the  former  a  native  of  Corbach,  W'al- 
deck,  and  the  latter  of  Annweiler,  Palatinate,  Ger- 
many. The  former  came  to  the  United  States,  arriv- 
ing in  New  York  city,  October  14,  1836,  and  located  in 
Erie  a  few  years  later.  May  2,  1840.  The  Beckmann 
family  came  from  Germany  and  settled  in  Fairview 
township  in  1887.  I-'rederick  Curtze  was  by  trade  a 
silver  and  goldsmith.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  in 
Erie,  he  took  up  the  vocation  of  teacher  of  the  Ger- 
man language,  and  later,  and  for  many  years,  en- 
gaged in  business  as  a  manufacturer  of  and  dealer  in  oil 
cloths.  He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  twenty 
years.  His  wife  died  October  25,  1864;  he  died  April 
14,  1891.  His  son,  Hermann,  was  educated  in  the  city 
schools  and  at  Prof.  Hermann  Leo's  select  school, 
Erie.  He  studied  bookkeeping  at  Hick's  Mercantile 
College,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  returning  to  Erie,  was 
bookkeeper  for  the  wholesale  firm  of  Johnson  & 
Brevillier  for  nearly  three  years.  He  then  went  to 
Europe  and  completed  his  education  at  the  gymnasium 
of  Corbach,  the  university  of  Heidelberg,  and  at  the 
university  at  Leipsic,  taking  the  degree  of  doctor  of 
laws  (doctor  juris  utriusque)  at  the  former  university. 
Returning,  after  an  absence  of  five  years,  to  Erie,  he 
studied  law  under  the  [ireceptorship  of  Col.  Benjamin 
Grant,  was  admitted  to  practice,  January  4,  1875,  was 
for  a  time  in  the  oftice  of  Messrs.  James  C.  and  F.  F. 
Marshall,  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  alone.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  Knights  of  Honor,  Harugari, 
Liedertafel  and  Maennerchor.  He  was  married  June 
4,  1878,  to  Henriette,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Charles 
Goehling,  then  of  Brooklyn,  X.  Y.,  now  retired  from 
the  ministry,  and  residing  at  New  Haven,  Ind.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Curtze  resiile  at  18(i  East  Seventh  street,  and 
are  members  of  the  German  St.  Paul's  Church. 

Cbarles  August  Curtze,  wholesale  grocer,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  April  6,  1849,  and  is  a  son  of 
Frederick  Curtze,  whose  sketch  appears  in  this  work. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and  at 
the  age  of  15  years  engaged  in  farming  near  Erie. 
After  three  years  passed  in  agricultural  pursuits,  he 
accepted  a  |)Osition  with  Johnston  &  Brevillier,  where, 
six  months  later,  he  was  promoted  to  traveling  sales- 
man, which  position  he  held  for  over  ten  years.  Mean- 
while, however,  he,  in  1875,  in  company  with  J.  \V. 
Sualley,  under  the  firm  name  of  Sualley  &  Curtze,  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  soap,  which  he  followed 
one  year.     On  April  1,  1878,  Mr.  Curtze,  in  company 


with  E.  S.  Rice,  under  the  firm  name  of  Curtze  &  Rice, 
established  a  wholesale  grocery  business  at  the  jiresent 
location,  529  French  street,  of  which  Mr.  Curtze  has 
been  sole  proprietor  since  January  1,  1883.  All  kinds 
of  groceries  and  grocers'  supplies  are  handled,  and  the 
territory  includes  chiefly  Western  Pennsylvania,  the 
business  giving  employment  to  thirteen  men.  A  spice 
mill,  located  in  the  rear  of  the  store,  was  alsi)  estab- 
lished in  1878,  which  is  now  the  only  one  in  the  city. 
It  is  known  as  the  Lake  City  Spice  Mills,  and  its  pro- 
ducts include  all  kinds  of  ground  spices.  The  printed 
labels  of  the  Lake  City  Spice  Mills  bear  a  printed 
guarantee  of  SlUO  that  no  adulteration  can  be  found  in 
its  spices  bearing  that  label.  This  fact,  set  forth  in 
such  a  material  way,  has  won  for  these  spices  a  wide 
reputation  and  a  large  sale.  Mr.  Curtze  also  puts  up 
the  Uiaiiiond  brand  ot  baking  powder  and  the  Key- 
stone brand  of  coffee,  which  are  favorites  with  the 
trade.  Among  Mr.  Curtze's  elements  of  success,  and 
running  all  through  his  long  business  career,  has  been 
that  of  fair  dealing,  for  which  he  has  an  enviable  rep- 
utation. This  business  characteristic,  together  with 
industry,  economy  and  keen  business  foresight,  has 
won  for  him  the  success  it  is  sure  to  bring  all  who 
practice  it.  Mr.  Curtze  was  married  July  3,  1879,  to 
Miss  Amanda  Emma,  daughter  of  Mr.  August  Jarecki, 
of  Erie.  This  union  was  blessed  with  four  children: 
Julia,  Arthur,  Edwin  and  Adelheidt  Antonia  Caroline, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  months.  Mrs.  Curtze 
died  January  22,  1890,  and  Mr.  Curtze  was  remarried 
May  25,  1893,  to  Miss  Antonia  Caroline  Jarecki,  a  si.s- 
ter  of  his  first  wife.  Mr.  Curtze  and  family  worship  at 
St.  Paul's  German  Evangelical  Church,  of  which  he  is 
a  generous  supporter.  Mr.  Curtze  is  a  Master  Mason, 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and  in  his  political 
views  has  always  been  a  staunch  Republican. 

Adolph  L.  Curtze,  junior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Fred.  Koehler  &  Co.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Fairview 
township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  June  1,  1853,  and  is  son  of 
Frederick  and  Anna  (Beckman)  Curtze,  mention  of 
whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  Curtze 
was  educated  in  the  ])ublic  schools  of  Erie,  whither 
his  father  hatl  moved  when  he  was  but  3  years  old. 
After  comjileting  his  education  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  larecki  Manufacturing  Company  to  learn 
the  brass  finishing  trade,  where  he  remained  five 
vears.  In  1877  he  accepted  a  position  as  bookkeejier 
m  the  office  of  Fred.  Koehler  &  Bro.,  and  after  hold- 
ing that  position  for  ten  years  he  became  a  member 
of  the  firm,  under  the  present  title.  Thus  it  will  be 
seen  that  Mr.  Curtze  is  a  self-made  man.  Beginning 
as  a  brass-finisher's  apprentice,  he  has  worked  out  his 
own  advancement,  until  now  he  is  one  of  the  pro|)rie- 
tors  of  the  richest  brewing  institution  in  Erie.  Mr. 
Curtze  was  married  October  15,  1891,  to  Miss  Rose,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  Fred.  Koehler.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtze 
are  members  of  St.  Paul's  German  Lutheran  Church, 
of  which  they  are  generous  supporters.  Politically 
Mr. Curtze  hasalwaysbeen  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican jiarty. 

F.  Felix  Curtze.  treasurer  of  the  Erie  Dime  Sav- 
ings Bank,  was  born  in  Erie  March  5, 1858,  and  is  a  son 
of  Frederick  and  Anna  M.  (Beckman)  Curtze,  whose 
sketch  may  be  found  in  this  volume.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and  in  1873  entered  the 
bank   as   office  boy.     Here  his   good   qualities   soon 


AND  HISTORWAL  REFERENCE  ROOK  OF  ERIE  COtJNTt. 


59* 


attracted  the  attention  of  his  employers  and  he  was 
promoted  as  fast  as  his  age  and  experience  would 
permit  to  a  position  of  greater  responsibility  and  trust 
until  1886,  when  he  became  treasurer.  During  his 
long  connection  with  the  bank  his  a])titude  in  doing 
well  whatever  devolved  upon  him  in  filling  the  duties 
of  his  position,  as  well  as  his  business  methods,  have 
been  such  as  to  win  for  him  the  confidence  of  business 
men  generally  and  to  characterize  him  as  one  of  Erie's 
shrewdest  financiers.  He  has  always  at  heart  the 
commercial  welfare  of  the  city  and  is  per.sonally  inter- 
ested in  some  of  its  most  jirogressive  manufacturing 
institutions,  notably  the  Globe  Iron  Works,  which, 
since  his  connection  with  it,  is  fast  becoming  one  of 
the  leading  concerns  of  its  kind  in  Northwestern 
Pennsylvania.  The  firm  name  is  Curtze  &  Carrick, 
the  junior  member  and  superintendent  of  the  works 
being  .\lr.  P'rank  Carrick.  .Mr.  Curtze  was  married 
June  :»,  188.'i,  to  Miss  Caroline  J.,  daughter  of 
Frederick  and  Julia  (Pfarre)  Stohlman,  of  New  York. 
The  issue  of  this  marriage  is  two  children,  Louise  M. 
and  Frederick  A.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtze  are  members 
of  the  German  Lutheran  Church  of  Erie.  In  politics 
he  has  always  been  a  sup]>orter  of  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party. 

The  Arbuckle  Family. — The  name  of  Arbuckle 
is  identified  witli  the  early  settlement  of  Erie  county, 
though  not  of  the  very  first  settlers.  Their  arrival 
was  so  early,  their  characters  as  sub.stantial  citzens  so 
pronounced,  and  their  influence  so  salutary  at  their 
various  points  of  settlement  that  mention  is  here 
fittingly  made  of  the  family.  By  reason  of  removals 
and  other  circumstances,  the  data  at  hand  is  not  as 
full  and  complete  as  is  desirable.  Mentiion  will  be 
made  of  some  oi  those  who,  coming  to  Erie  early  in 
the  century,  became  conspicuous  in  their  several 
localities  and  are  yet  worthily  represented  by  their 
descendants.  Adam  Arbuckle  came  to  Erie  early  in 
the  century  and  resided  on  East  -Sixth  street,  between 
Holland  and  French.  He  was  the  father  of  William 
G.  Arbuckle,  who  is  now  the  oldest  native  born  citizen 
of  Erie,  and  still  active,  being  the  superintendent  of 
the  public  school  buildings.  He  was  born  on  East 
Sixth  street,  between  Holland  and  French.  .Adam 
Arbuckle  was  one  of  the  congregation  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  its  records  speaking  of  him. 
According  to  tradition,  some  of  its  early  services  were 
held  in  his  East  Sixth  street  residence.  Therehisson, 
William  G.,  who  (since  the  death  of  the  Hon.  James 
Hoskinson)  is  the  oldest  native  resident  of  Erie,  was 
born.  He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  married 
Catherine  Bowers,  settled  in  Erie  and  actively  engaged 
in  the  business  of  house  building.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children;  Richard  H.,  born  October 
14,  1836,  who  was  for  sometime  clerk  in  the  Erie  post- 
office  and  a  county  commissioner  of  Erie  county  from 
1875-78.  He  was  mercantile  appraiser,  collector  of 
customs  of  the  port  of  Erie  for  four  years  under  Presi- 
dent Cleveland,  and  held  many  township  offices  in 
Mill  Creek.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  Democrats  in 
Erie  county.  Mr.  Arbuckle  was  married  January  6, 
1859,  to  J.  .\ntoinette,  daughter  of  the  late  John  and 
Charlotte  Burton,  of  Mill  Creek,  who  had  six  children: 
Jennie  H.,  John  Burton,  Katie,  Eliza  (deceased), 
Charlotte,  Barnes,  William  Irwin  and  Richard  Cranch. 
Of  these,  John  Burton  has  served  a  term  as  city  school 
director  in  Erie,  and  is  married  to  Miss  Lillian  Gross 


Kelsey;  William  Irwin  is  married  to  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  Frederick  Clemens.  George  W.,  an  elocutionist, 
who  resides  in  the  We.st.  Mary  E.,  wife  of  J.  W. 
Humphrey,  of  New  York;  Louisa  E.,  wife  of  J.  K. 
Hallock,  an  attorney  of  Erie,  has  four  children;  by 
her  first  marriage,  Robert  H.  Porter,  by  her  second 
marriage,  Ruth,  Keys  and  Louisa  Hallock;  Frank  P., 
superintendent  of  the  American  District  Telegraph 
Company,  Denver,  Colo.,  and  also  register  of  the  land 
office  in  Colorado  under  President  Cleveland's  first 
administration,  and  is  receiver  of  the  land  office  under 
the  present  administration.  Another  of  the  pioneers 
was  William  Arbuckle,  who  came  to  Erie  county  and 
settled  in  Fairview  township  early  in  the  century.  He 
came  with  his  wife  from  Lancaster  county,  and  resided 
in  Fairview  from  that  time  until  about  the  year  1831 
or  '32,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm  adjacent  to  the 
southeast  line  of  Erie  city.  He  was  an  elder  of  the 
Pre.sbyterian  Church  at  Fairview  for  twenty-five  years, 
and  thirty-one  years  in  Erie.  He  died  in  1863,  in  his 
72d  year.  It  was  said  of  him,  by  one  who  knew  him 
well;  "  He  was  my  beau-ideal  of  an  elder.  "  He  was 
so  sedate  and  bore  himself  with  so  much  dignity,  so 
simple-hearted,  kind  and  humble,  yi)u  could  not  help 
but  love  him.  I  knew  him  from  childhood,  but  my 
earliest  recollections  was  that  his  hair  was  white  as 
snow.  He  was  rather  below  middle  height,  with  a  calm, 
sweet  face,  blue  eyes  and  extremely  nervous  in  his 
manner.  He  had  four  children;  Pressly  Arbuckle, 
long  conspicuous  and  one  of  the  most  respected 
citizens  of  Erie;  he  was  an  elder  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  of  which  his  father  had  been  elder  a 
generation  before.  He  married  Rachel  Evans,  of 
Mill  Creek,  who  died  in  1859.  Pressly  and  Rachel 
Arbuckle  had  seven  children;  Two  sons  died  in 
infancy:  Julia,  wife  of  William  Himrod,  of  Erie; 
Nancy  (deceased),  William,  who  married  Miss  F"arrar; 
Susan  E.  (deceased)  and  Kate,  who  survives.  William 
M.  Arbuckle  married  Martha  Lyman.  Of  their 
children  William  M.  and  Charles  are  deceased,  also 
Mrs.  Jarecki;  while  Misses  Martha  and  Delia  survive. 
William  M.  Arbuckle  died  in  1874,  having  been  for 
many  years  clerk  of  the  poor  directors.  He  was  one 
of  the  originators  of  the  Home  for  the  Friendless. 
Joseph  Arbuckle  married  Miss  McCoy  of  Franklin 
county,  PennsyK  ania,  who  afterwards  died.  He  later 
married  again.  He  died  some  years  ago.  Mrs.  James 
Scott  was  also  a  daughter  of  Wm.  .Arbuckle  and  died 
young.  Joseph  and  Catherine((iuy)  .\rbuckle,  natives 
of  Maryland,  came  to  Fairview  in  1800.  They  had  a 
family  of  five  children;  of  these  J.  G.  Arbuckle  was 
born  October  12,  1807,  in  Erie,  Pa.  He  was  married 
January  28,  1838.  to  Emily,  daughter  of  Spencer 
Shattuck.  They  had  five  children;  S.  S.,  Marv  A., 
wife  of  George  McCreary  (they  have  three  children 
and  reside  near  Battle  Creek.  Mich.l;  .Margaret  M., 
wife  of  R.  Pilkington,  of  Bradford,  Pa.  (they  have  two 
children)  and  J.  P.  William  Arbuckle  came  to  Erie 
county  in  1802.  when  ten  years  of  age.  He  was 
married  September  28,  1820,  to  Annis  Shattuck.  They 
had  seven  children;  Caroline,  wife  of  W.  T.  Davison 
(now  decea.sed),  who  lived  in  -Springfield  township, 
and  had  thirteen  children;  Sojihronia,  wife  of  J.  H. 
Allen,  has  two  children:  Berkley  (deceased),  Alrene 
(tleceased),  Joseph,  in  Dakota;  William  S.,  married 
Anna  Throne  (now  deceased),  resides  in  Erie  with  his 
two  children;  Cornelius  S.  (deceased)  and  B.  P.,  who 
was  married  November  4,   1858,  to  Barbara  Mains; 


592 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


they  had  five  children,  Eleanor  (deceased),  Jennie 
M.,  wife  of  Charles  M.  Manley;  William  E.,  Charles 
E.  and  Ada  (deceased). 

J.  P.  Arbuckle,  fanner,  postoffice  Erie,  son  of 
James  (i.  and  Kmily  (Shatluck)  Arbuckle.  The  father, 
James  C,  was  born  in  1807  in  the  township  in  which 
he  spent  his  life,  and  died  in  1889.  The  mother  was 
a  descendant  from  one  of  the  early  families.  She  died 
in  1890,  at  the  age  of  77  years  and  6  months.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  children:  Spencer  S.  (de- 
ceased), Catherine  (deceased),  Mary  A.  (deceased), 
formerly  the  wife  of  Cleorge  ^IcCreary;  Margaret  M., 
the  wife  of  Robert  Pilkington,  the  latter  deceased,  and 
John  P.  Robert  Pilkington  died  in  1891,  from  injuries 
received  in  an  accident.  His  age  was  4.5  years.  His 
widow,  and  two  children,  Mary  E.  and  Ralph  Arbuckle 
Pilkington,  survive.  James  Arbuckle,  grandfather  of 
J.  P.,  was  a  native  of  Cecil  county,  Maryland,  born  in 
1768,  and  settled  in  Mill  Creek  township,  about  the 
year  1800,  and  died  October  14,  1826,  on  the  farm  now- 
owned  and  occupied  by  J.  P.  He  married  Catherine 
Guy,  also  a  native  of  Maryland,  who  was  born  Novem- 
ber 23,  1768,  and  died  in  1861.  It  was  near  the  same 
spot  now  occupied  by  the  commodious  residence  of 
J.  P.,  that  these  pioneers  of  the  Arbuckle  family  built 
their  log  hut  and  made  their  first  start  in  the  dense 
wilderness  of  the  northwest.  This  particular  location 
is  one  of  the  chosen  places  where  a  picturesque 
view  of  Erie  and  PreS()ue  Isle  Bay  are  a  delight.  To 
Joseph  and  Catherine  Arbuckle  were  born  nine  chil- 
dren: William,  Richard,  Elizabeth,  Margaret,  Mary, 
Joseph  P.,  of  Kingston,  UeKalb  county,  III.;  John  P., 
James  G.  and  Mary  A.  J.  P.  Arbuckle  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools,  and  is  not  only  a  thorough-going 
farmer,  but  a  man  of  affairs,  public  spirited  in  aiding 
various  local  enterprises  in  a  commendable  way.  Mr. 
Arbuckle  is  a  worthy  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
A.  O.  U.  W. 

Harrison  F.  WatsoM,  jiresident  of  the  company 
which  bears  his  name,  is  niie  of  Erie's  most  active  and 
successful  business  men.  He  was  born  near  Mercer, 
Mercer  county.  Pa.,  December  b,  18.53,  and  is  a  son  of 
Robert  W.  and  Amanda  (Painter)  Watson,  who  passed 
the  last  few  years  of  their  life  in  Erie.  In  early  life 
his  father  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  but 
later  removed  to  New  Castle,  Pa.,  where  for  a  number 
of  years  he  was  engaged  in  various  kinds  of  business. 
The  family  consisted  of  five  .sons  and  one  daughter, 
three  of  whom  are  living:  William  J.,  of  Califor- 
nia; Harrison  F.,  and  Edward,  who  resides  in  Michi- 
gan. Mr.  H.  F.  Watson  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  New  Castle,  and  completed  it 
under  private  instruction  in  Pittsburg.  In  1874  he 
came  to  Erie  and  engaged  in  the  distillation  and  man- 
ufacture of  coal-tar  jiroducts.  Three  years  later  he 
began  the  manufacture  of  paper,  the  mill  being  located 
in  Fairview  township.  This  mill  was  operated  until 
1883,  w'hen  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  was  not  rebuilt. 
In  1881  a  paper  mill  was  built  in  Erie  and  began  opera- 
tions in  conjunction  with  the  distillery  and  chemical 
works  which  had  been  located  in  Erie  from  the  first. 
Additional  and  new  department  buildings  have  been 
added  from  time  to  time  to  meet  the  rapid  increase  of 
business,  until  now  the  plant  occupies  a  frontage  on 
East  Sixteenth  street  of  the  entire  square  between 
French  and  Holland  streets,  and  230  feet  deep.    The 


buildings,  which  are  all  connected,  are  substantial 
brick  structures,  and  range  from  one  to  three  stories 
in  height.  This  gigantic  institution  runs  day  and 
night,  gives  employment  to  over  400  men,  has  a  daily 
consumption  of  200  tons  of  coal  and  a  daily  output  of 
an  eiiual  weight  of  paper  and  chemicals.  One  of  the 
most  uniipie  features  of  this  mammoth  concern  is  the 
wonderful  extent  to  which  it  facilitates  its  own  wants. 
A  twelve-inch  main  brings  water  directly  from  the  bay; 
automatic  sprinklers  are  distributed  througlniut  all  the 
buildings  and  two  large  fire  pumiis  are  capable  of  su|i- 
plying  eight  streams  in  case  of  fire.  A  blacksmith 
shop  and  a  machine  shop,  supplied  with  a  steam  ham- 
mer and  other  improved  machinery,  and  in  which 
skilled  craftsmen  are  employed,  do  all  the  repairing 
and  job  work  of  machinery.  Even  the  jirinting.  which 
is  no  small  item,  is  done  l)y  the  institution's  own  print- 
ing office,  while  132  retorts  furnish  the  necessary  gas 
and  kindred  products.  The  Erie  Dock  and  Transfer 
Company,  of  which  Mr.  Watson  is  president,  was  or- 
ganized in  1894,  and  to  a  great  extent  co-operates 
with  the  paper  company.  The  plans  of  this  company 
include  twenty  barges,  which  will  ])ly  ujion  the  water 
communications  of  Erie,  and  will  handle  nearly  all  of 
the  in  and  much  of  the  out-freight  of  the  H.  F.  Wat- 
son Paper  Company.  The  products  of  the  pa])er  com- 
pany include  all  kinds  of  building,  roofing  and  lining 
papers  and  materials,  waterproof  sheatliings  and  as- 
bestos fire-]jroof  papers;  also  all  kinds  of  asbestos 
steam  l>il)e  and  boiler  packings  and  coverings.  The 
territory  t)ver  which  they  operate  includes  the  United 
States  and  Canada.  Branch  offices  and  distributing 
depots  have  been  established  in  New  York,  Chicago 
and  Nashville.  Both  the  capacity  and  range  of  terri- 
tory are  greater  than  any  other  institution  of  its  kind 
in  the  world.  The  superiority  of  these  products  has 
not  only  been  thoroughly  established  at  home,  but  it 
has  stood  the  test  of  competition  of  the  local  manu- 
factories in  various  parts  of  the  country.  The  H.  F. 
Watson  Company  was  incorporated  in  1891,  with  H. 
F.  Watson,  president;  J.  .^.very  Tracy,  vice-president 
(now  deceased);  R.  W.  Potter,  secretary;  George  B. 
Russell,  assistant  secretary,  and  J.  H.  Armstrong, 
treasurer.  With  the  exception  of  Mr.  Tracy,  the  offi- 
cers are  still  the  same.  The  capital  stock,  at  first 
$7.50,000,  was  increased  to  Si ,'i50,000  in  1894.  It  is  an 
injustice  to  none  to  say  that  the  unprecedented  and 
unparalleled  success  of  the  great  institution  has  been 
largely  due  to  the  keen  business  sagacity  and  untiring 
energv  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  forms  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Watson  was  married  October 
2.5,  1877,  to  Miss  Carrie  T.,  daughter  of  Mr.  J.  .Ivery 
Tracy,  whose  sketch  appears  in  this  work.  Thishapijy 
union  has  been  blessed  with  one  child.  Miss  Winne- 
fred  T.  Watson.  In  politics  Mr.  Watson  is  a  Rejuibli- 
can,  and  has  rendered  much  valuable  service  to  the  party 
of  his  choice,  but  he  has  never  been  desirous  or  will- 
ing to  enter  i)olitics  as  a  seeker  of  jniblic  office.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  P^n- 
gineers  and  of  the  various  social  clubs  and  societies  of 
Erie. 

The  Barr  Family. — In  the  settlement  of  Erie 
county  there  were  some  families  whose  names  became 
strongly  identified  with  its  early  development;  in  that 
gloomy  period  it  needed  great  fortitude  and  jxiwers  of 
endurance;  these  were  a  necessary  jiart  of  the  make-up 
of  the  generations  whose  energy  and  tenacity  planted 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


593 


civilization  in  an  inhospitable  wilderness.  Some  of 
these  remarkable  men,  soldiers  in  the  Revolution,  in 
their  associations  with  the  patriots  of  1776,  had  im- 
bibed their  spirit  and  been  taught  by  them  how  to  en- 
dure suffering  for  their  country;  others  still  had  come 
from  across  the  sea,  especially  from' the  North  of  Ire- 
land, that  historic  land,  where  the  very  atmosphere 
seemed  imbued  with  the  patriotic  and  irrepressible 
love  of  liberty  and  hatred  of  oppression,  which  drove 
James  II  from  his  throne  and  welcomed  the  Prince  of 
Orange.  The  Barr  family  represented  all  of  these 
qualities.  The  family,  as  it  came  to  Pennsylvania, 
were  alive  to  all  these  kindred  impulses.  It  was  their 
lot  to  have  their  part,  with  others,  first  in  the  settle- 
ment of  Lancaster  county.  They  were  a  constituent 
part  of  that  wave  of  immigration  which  helped  to  im- 
press so  strongly  the  Scotch-Irish  characteristics  upon 
the  province  of  Pennsylvania.  The  family  of  James 
Barr  embraces  so  many  of  the  active  and  prominent 
settlers  of  P>ie  county,  and  they  endured  so  much  in 
their  efforts  to  found  their  new  home  in  the  wilderness, 
that  the  sketch  of  this  ty])ical  pioneer  has  been  selected 
for  narration.  Truhy  can  it  be  said  of  him  and  of  his 
associates,  in  speaking  of  the  settlement  of  this  lake 
shore:  "All  of^  which  I  saw,  part  of  which  I  was." 
James  Barr,  sr.,  came  from  the  North  of  Ireland  to 
America  in  175.3.  He  married  Elizabeth  Kirk,  of 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  In  1803,  they  re- 
moved from  Mifflin  to  Erie  county,  and  settled  on  a 
farm,  which  he  jjurchased,  near  the  mouth  of  Twenty- 
Mile  creek,  where  he  resided  until  1813,  when,  his 
wife's  health  being  poor,  they  removed  to  Harbor 
Creek,  and  remained  with  their  son  James  until  their 
respective  deaths,  hers  in  1813,  and  his  May  14,  1823, 
aged  8.5  years.  He  was  an  elder  in  the  Associated  Re- 
formed Church,  in  Mifflin  county,  of  which  Rev.  Mr. 
Logan  was  pastor,  and 'June  19,  1816,  he  was  installed 
an  elder  in  the  Rev.  Robert  Reid's  church,  of  the  same 
denomination,  at  Erie.  They  had  ten  children,  eight 
daughters  and  two  sons.  The  first  six  daughters  were 
married  in  Miftfin  county,  the  last  two  died  unmar- 
ried. The  following  is  the  record:  Sarah,  born  1772, 
married  W'm.  Wilson,  who  removed  to  Erie  county 
and  owned  and  occupied  the  tract  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  east  of  Harbor  Creek  Station,  now  owned  by 
\V.  \V.  Davison's  heirs,  C.  F.  Kendrick  and  others. 
She  was  the  great-grandmother  of  Mrs.  \V.  S.  Brown, 
James  M.  Sherwin,  and  many  others  here  and  in  the 
West.  Rebecca,  born  1774,  married  Isaac  Larimer, 
who  moved  from  Mifflin  county  to  Ohio.  His  last  son, 
Isaac,  died  in  California  in  1893.  Mary,  born  May  23, 
1779,  married  Andrew  Lowry.  She  was  the  grand- 
mother of  the  wife  of  Wm.  C.  Culbertson,  ex-congress- 
man, and  many  others  here  and  West.  Elizabeth, 
married  George  Lowry.  She  was  the  grandmother  of 
Mrs.  Kate  (Fleming)  ^lorris  and  various  others  in  the 
West.  Anne,  married  Morrow  Lowry.  She  was  the 
mother  of  the  late  Hon.  Morrow  B.  Lowry,  and  numer- 
ous others  in  Pennsylvania  and  the  West.  Jeanette 
L.,  married  Robert  Lowry,  and  afterwards  James 
Malick.  She  was  the  grandmother  of  the  late  Maj. 
H.  B.  Fleming  and  Mrs.  David  Caldwell  and  numer- 
ous others.  The  two  remaining  daughters  died  un- 
married. James  Barr,  born  in  Mifflin  county,  Febru- 
ary 8,  1782,  removed  to  Erie  county  in  1803,'and  set- 
tled, with  his  father,  at  the  mouth  of  Twentv-Mile 
creek.  He  married  Polly  R.  Kelley,  April  14',  1812. 
(She  was  the  daughter  of  John  Kelley,  who  was  born  in 


Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1759,  and  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  army  with  Washington  at  Valley 
Forge.)  After  his  marriage  he  moved  to  his  tract  of 
400  acres,  which  he  owned  in  Harbor  Creek,  about 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  the  present  railroad  sta- 
tion, and  now  divided  into  several  farms.  He  re- 
moved from  Harbor  Creek  to  Mill  Creek  about  April 
1,  1830,  to  his  (Reserve)  tract.  No.  28,  upon  which  he 
died  April  9,  18.35.  He  left  six  daughters  and  two  sons 
living,  and  one  son  was  born  in  September,  after  his 
death.  His  widow  survived  him,  and  lived  on  the 
same  farm  until  March  .30,  1880.  He  was  a  captain  in 
Col.  Philip's  regiment  of  militia,  and  served  in  the  war 
of  1812-14.  He  encamped  at  Erie,  in  defense  of  the 
harbor,  and  was  a  volunteer  captain  with  Gen.  Harri- 
son in  his  Western  campaign.  His  children  are: 
Elizabeth  Ann,  intermarried  with  Conrad  Brown; 
Matthew  R.,  intermarried  with  Laura  Wright;  Louisa 
A.,  intermarried  with  Richard  S.  McCreary;  George 
W.,  intermarried  with  Julia  A.  Wilder;  Harriet  M., 
intermarried  with  Luther  Wright;  Mary  K.,  intermar- 
ried with  N.  Bond;  Martha  R.,intermarried  with  Jonah  C. 
Munn;  Ellen  C,  died  at  the  age  of  18;  James  M.,  died 
at  the  age  of  20.  .Samuel  Barr,  the  youngest  of  James 
Barr's  son's  children,  traveled  quite  extensively  (for 
that  period)  when  he  was  young,  teaching  school  in 
various  places,  and  married  Elizabeth  Harper,  of 
Meadville.  lie  resided  on  Reserve  tract  Xo.  27, 
which  he  inherited  from  his  father.  He  built  a  school- 
house  on  the  northeast  corner  of  tract  Xo.  28,  and  kept 
a  neighborhood  school,  of  which  he  was  sole  director, 
trustee  and  teacher.  His  methods  were  old-fashioned, 
but  thorough.  He  died  in  1846,  leaving  a  widow,  six 
daughters  and  three  sons.  His  children  are  all  but 
one  hving. 

Hon.  Matthew  R.  Barr  was  born  in  Harbor 
Creek,  December  25,  1817.  In  1830  his  father  removed 
to  Mill  Creek,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  when 
Matthew  was  17  years  of  age.  He  never  attended 
school  (except  for  a  three  months'  term  in  the  winter) 
since  he  was  eight  years  old.  He  attended  school  one 
winter  after  his  father's  death.  The  next  winter  he 
taught  a  school  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  homestead. 
He  subsequently  taught  several  district  schools  in  the 
winter  and  worked  on  the  farm  during  the  remainder 
of  the  year.  He  was  married  March  31,  1842,  and 
continued  to  work  on  the  farm  and  to  teach.  At  the 
spring  election,  1845,  he  was  chosen  constable  of 
Mill  Creek  by  his  friends,  without  his  consent.  They 
gave  as  a  reason  that  he  must  have  some  business  to 
give  a  chance  for  exercise,  and  to  take  him  from  the 
farm,  or  he  would  die  of  consumption.  He  ser\-ed 
three  years  and  declined  re-election.  In  June,  1848, 
he  commenced  service  as  superintendent  at  the 
foundry  of  Lester,  Sennett  &  Chester,  and  in  18.51, 
purchased,  in  connection  with  Conrad  Brown,  the  in- 
terest of  Mr.  Lester  therein.  The  firm  name  was 
changed  to  Sennett  &  Co.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
various  firms  under  the  names  of  Sennett  &  Co.,  -Sen- 
nett, Barr  &  Co.;  Sennett  &  Johnson;  Barr,  Johnson 
&  Co.,  until  1872.  He  then  sold  his  interest  in  the 
business  part  of  the  enterprise  and  retired  for  the 
purpose  of  building  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  from 
Cambridge  to  Eric,  for  which  part  of  the  work  he  had 
a  contract.  He  sjient  about  S.'i0,000  in  prosecuting 
this  work;  but  the  company  abandoned  the  undertak- 
ing, made  him  an  "estimate,"  and  paid  him  only  a 


594 


I^ELSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIOISARY 


portion  of  what  he  had  expended.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  Erie  he  was  a  member  of  the  common  coun- 
cil, 1855-56,  select  council,  1856  ^resigned),  member  of 
the  school  board  several  years,  trustee  of  the  Erie 
Academy  twelve  years,  and  water  commissioner  five 
years,  lie  returned  to  the  farm  in  1877.  He  was 
afterwards  United  States  collector  of  customs,  1880-83. 
He  resigned  and  was  ai)]iointed  Indian  Inspector, 
1888-4.  He  resigned  and  was  appointed  special  agent 
United  States  land  ofHce,  with  headquarters  at  New- 
Orleans,  1884-8(1.  He  then  resigned  and  returned  to 
his  farm.  His  children  are:  Loui.se,  married  to  H.  S. 
Seaman,  Cleveland,  O.;  Pressly  J.,  married  to  Lavin- 
nia  Saunders,  Omaha,  Neb.;  George  H.,  married  Mary 
S.  Briggs,  Erie;  Ellen  M.,  married  Capt.  J.  C.  Hilton, 
Erie;  Lester  J.,  marrietl  Eli/a  Thayer,  Chicago,  111.; 
Laura  H.,  married  H.  E.  McCandless,  Ander.son,  Ind. 
He  has  twenty  grandchildren  and  one  great-grandson. 
This  sketch  of  James  Barr's  family  mentions  many 
other  persons,  who  have  in  their  day  and  generation 
borne  an  honorable  and  important  part  in  the  settle- 
ment, development,  or  defense  of  their  country  or 
State.  Merely  an  outline  has  been  given.  Did  space 
permit,  mention  might  be  made  of  the  careers  of  the 
Barrs,  Lowrys,  Wilsons,  CuUiertsons,  Flemings,  Sher- 
wins,  Browns,  Munns,  and  many  others,  lineally  or 
collaterally  connected  with  this  pioneer.  Yet  it  has 
seemed  proper  to  mention  one  incident,  as  connected 
with  a  turning  point  in  Erie's  greatest  improvement, 
where  the  very  life  of  a  great  public  work  was  at 
stake.  The  item  has  been  rescued  from  oblivion  by 
the  writer,  and  is  now  mentioned  as  a  further  instance 
of  the  power  of  a  casting  vote,  and  another  case  of  an 
unnamed  hero;  it  is  given  with  the  retrospective 
glance  of  the  writer,  at  the  vital  connection  then  ex- 
isting between  the  Iniil<ling  of  the  Philadeljihia  &  Erie 
R.  R.  (its  life  then  trembling  in  the  balance)  and  the 
advance  or  blight  of  the  city  of  Erie.  In  18.5(5,  after 
very  much  of  doubt,  rlelay,  and  despondency,  and 
nineteen  years  after  the  charter  had  been  secured  for  the 
railroad,  while  yet  without  money  or  powerful  backers, 
the  contract  for  fifty-six  miles  from  Erie,  eastward, 
had  been  let  to  a  party  of  eleven  gentlemen.  .S.  \'. 
Merrick,  being  the  president  of  the  board,  came  to 
Erie,  and.  after  looking  over  the  ground,  he  asked  the 
contractors  to  go  to  work  (in  a  very  moderate  way),  so 
as  to  aid  the  company  in  getting  some  legislation  they 
needed.  The  contract  was  liivided  by  the  contractors 
into  eleven  sub-divisions:  J.  W.  Ryan  had  the  first,  M. 
R.  Barr  had  the  second, 'and  Wilson  King  the  third. 
Work  was  commenced,  j.  W.  Ryan  and  King  sub-let- 
ting their.s.  Mr.  Barr  hired  men  and  did  the  work 
himself.  In  that  way,  they  did  considerable  work. 
The  company  had  no  money,  but  gave  estimates,  and 
the  contractors  sent  their  own  notes  to  Philadelphia  to 
Mr.  Merrick,  and  he  had  them  discounted,  by  placing 
Erie  city  and  county  bonds  as  collaterals.  The  con- 
tractors received  the  proceeds  with  which  they  paid 
their  men,  and  also  the  engineer's  salaries;  the  com- 
pany failed  to  get  legislation.  Mr.  Merrick  was  dis- 
couraged, and  wrote  the  Erie  contractors  to  stop  work. 
He  said  this  "enterprise  is  a  stench  in  the  no.strils  of 
Philadelphians.  I  will  sell  enough  of  Erie  city  and 
Erie  county  bonds  to  take  up  vour  notes,  and  pay  you 
for  the  work  not  yet  estimated,  and  then  I  will  close 
the  offices  and  bid  farewell  to  the  Sunbury  and  Erie 
R.  R."  A  meeting  of  the  contracting  company  was 
called,  the  situation   discussed,  and  various  projects 


suggested  "to  put  backbone  into  Mr.  Merrick."  None, 
however,  w-ouUi  be  possible,  if  the  work  stopped.  This 
was  a  vital  point.  Some  one  suggested  that  it  would 
be  unfair  for  those  who  were  doing  no  work  to  decide 
the  (piestion  of  continuing,  and  that  it  ought  to  he 
left  to  King,  Ryan  and  Barr.  This  was  agreed  to. 
The  three  retired  for  consultation.  King  .said:  "  Ryan, 
you  and  I  have  sub-let  our  work,  and  while  we  must 
stand  behinil  our  sub-contractors,  and  not  let  them 
fall,  yet  it  is  not  like  standing  in  the  front.  Barr  is 
doing  his  own  work,  and  he  must  meet  the  risk  in  per- 
son. Suppose  we  allow  him  to  decide  this  cpiestion." 
Ryan  said:  "  That  is  right."  Mr.  Barr  then  said:  "I 
engaged  in  this  enterprise  to  help  to  build  the  Sun- 
bury  and  Erie  R.  R.,  and  not  with  the  expectation  of 
making  much  money,  or  of  getting  through  without 
meeting  some  difficulties,  and  if  the  possil)le  success 
or  certain  failure  depends  on  me,  my  decision  is,  as 
long  as  I  can  buy  a  pound  of  meat  and  a  bushel  of 
potatoes  to  feed  my  men,  the  work  will  go  on."  This 
turned  the  scale,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  go 
to  Philadelphia,  and  the  project  of  land  subscri])tions 
along  the  line  of  the  road  was  .started  and  boomed. 
The  next  winter  legislation  was  obtained,  and  the  line 
from  Erie  to  Philadelphia  has  been  a  fact  for  thirty 
years.  Had  Mr.  Barr's  answer  been  different,  the  con- 
struction of  that  road,  with  all  the  oiiposition  of  pow- 
erful rivals  to  prevent  its  resuscitation  (had  it  been 
allowed  to  be  abandoned  then)  would  have  l)een  post- 
poned for  years. 

Conrad  J.  Browti,  County  Treasurer,  E.rie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Erie,  May  (5,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  Conrad 
and  Elizabeth  \.  (Barr)  Brown,  natives  of  Erie,  Pa. 
To  them  were  born  eight  children:  Washington, 
killed  in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  in  the  late  war; 
Mary  L.  (deceased),  Catherine  U.,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Cessna, 
of  Hastings,  Neb.;  Elizabeth  A.  (deceased),  Conrad  J., 
Mathew  M.,  Martha  Fl,  i\Irs.  J.  M.  Wright  and  llattie 
(dec(;ased).  Conrad  J.  Brown  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Erie  and  the  Kingsville 
Academy,  at  Kingsville,  O.  He  has  since  followed 
farming.  In  1874  he  was  elected  to  the  common  coun- 
cil, serving  three  years,  and,  in  1880,  was  elected  to  the 
.select  council,  serving  two  years,  .ind  was  again  elected 
in  188(5,  serving  till  1887,  when  he  resigned  to  accept 
the  position  of  water  commissioner,  and  creditably  held 
said  office  till  January  1,  1896,  when  he  retired  tixpial- 
ify  for  county  treasurer  of  Erie  county,  to  which  office 
he  was  elected  at  the  preceding  fall  election  on  the 
Reiuiblican  ticket.  Mr.  Brown  was  married  Novem- 
ber 18,  18(59,  to  Miss  Lydia,  daughter  of  Marsli.ill 
Wright,  of  Kingsville,  O.,  and  to  them  have  been  burn 
four  children:  Marshall  W.,  Kate  I).,  Jessie  and  Con- 
rad. The  family  are  members  of  the  L'nited  Presby- 
terian Church  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W., 
E.  A.  v..  Fraternal  Mystic  Circle  and  National  Union. 

Dr.  .lohti  S.  Carter  (deceased),  was  born  in  C.et- 
tysburg,  .Xdams  coimty.  Pa.,  June  13, 1808,  .son  of  Sam- 
uel and  Nancy  (Paxton)  Carter,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, of  Irish  lineage;  the  former  was  a  mechanic. 
Dr.  Carter  received  a  common  school  training,  and 
commenced  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  Jackson, 
of  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  here 
he  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business  for  a  time.  In 
1836  he  removed  to  Erie  city  and  clerked  in  the  drug 
store  of  C.  F.  Perkins  one  year,  when  he  bought  the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


595 


latter  out,  and  in  1840  moved  into  the  Reed  block, 
where  he  remained  nineteen  years.  His  brother,  who 
died  in  1861,  was  a  partner  with  him  till  that  date, 
after  which  Dr.  Carter  conducted  the  business  in  his 
own  name,  and  was  many  years  continuously  engaged 
in  trade  in  Erie  city.  In  1859  he  and  his  lirother  built 
a  handsome  store  room,  four  stories  in  height,  on  North 
Park  Row,  filled  with  a  stock  of  ])ure  drugs.  The 
doctor  was  married  in  1836  to  Julia  E.,  daughter  of 
'Squire  John  I).  Haverstick.  Of  the  children  born  to 
this  union,  but  one  survives — Mary,  widow,  of  the  late 
Hon.  E.  C.  Ingersoll,  of  Illinois,  who  survives  her 
brother  Samuel,  a  former  resident  of  New  York  city, 
and  president  of  the  Carter  Medicine  Company.  Mrs. 
Carter,  dying  in  1845,  Dr.  Carter  married,  in  1852,  Ruth, 
a  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Ingersoll,  and  sister  of  Hon. 
E.  C.  and  Col.  Robert  G.  Ingersoll.  This  lady  died  in 
1881.  The  doctor  consciously  took  no  part  in  politics. 
He  professed  to  be  a  Christian  of  the  primitive  order, 
but  was  connected  with  no  society  or  organization. 

George  Ambrose  Allen,  attorney,  Erie  Pa.,  was 
born  near  Pulaski,  Mercer  (now  Lawrence)  county, 
Pa.,  Decembers!,  1839.  He  is  the  only  surviving  child 
of  Major  William  and  Mary  (Steel)  Allen,  both  natives 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  .Scotch-Irish  descent.  Major 
Allen's  father  came  from  Ireland  in  1795  and  located 
with  his  family  near  Carlisle,  Pa.,  whence  they  re- 
moved to  Mahoning,  Ohio,  where  Major  Allen  was 
born,  August  21,  1803.  After  the  latter's  marriage,  in 
1828,  he  removed  to  Pulaski,  Lawrence  county.  Pa., 
where  he  lived  until  1843,  when  he  purchased  what 
was  then  known  as  the  McGarvey  Mills,  in  the  village 
of  Waterloo  (now  Polk),  \'enango  county.  Pa.,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  with  the  exception 
of  a  period  of  six  vears,  during  which  he  lived  near 
Meadville,  Pa.  His  wife  died  May  28,  1856;  he  sur- 
vived until  June  6,  1881.  His  life  was  spent  as  a  mil- 
ler and  farmer.  His  title  was  obtained  as  an  officer  of 
the  State  troops  in  Mercer  county  from  1830  to  1840, 
in  the  division  commanded  by  General  Dick.  George 
A.  Allen  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  at  Polk, 
theClintonville  Academy  and  the  State  Normal  School 
at  Edinboro.  He  then  took  a  classical  course  under 
the  private  tutorship  of  Prof.  William  Burgwin.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Meadville,  Pa.,  in  June, 
1868,  and  in  December  of  the  same  year  located  in 
Erie  Pa.,  where  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  He  was  city  solicitor  of  Erie  for  one  term 
(1872)  and  was  for  one  year  a  partner  of  Theodore  A. 
Lamb.  In  1876  he  formed  his  present  partnership 
association  with  Louis  Rosenzweig,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Allen  &  Rosenzweig.  Mr.  Allen's  law 
practice  has  been  attended  with  remarkable  suc- 
cess. Mr.  Allen  was  United  States  district  attor- 
ney for  the  Western  District  of  Pennsylvania  by 
appointment  of  President  Cleveland,  from  Decem- 
ber 4,  1886,  to  June,  1889,  when  he  resigned.  He 
is  an  uncompromising  Democrat  and  has  rendered 
his  party  most  efficient  service.  He  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  State  convention  in  1872,  and  again  in 
1877,  upon  the  latter  occasion  presenting  the  name  of 
Judge  John  Turnkey  for  nomination  to  the  Supreme 
Bench.  (Judge  Turnkey  received  the  nomination  and 
was  elected.)  Mr.  .\\\ex\  was  a  delegate  in  1880  to  the 
National  Democratic  Convention  at  Cincinnati,  which 
nominated  General  Winfield  Scott  Hancock  for  the 
Presidency,   and   during   that   year  was  chairman  of 


the   Erie  county  executive  committee.     In   1892,  he 

was  the  Democratic  nominee  for  Congressman-at-large. 
Mr.  Allen  was  married  July  18,  1865,  to  Phcebe  A., 
daughter  of  the  late  Prentice  Burlingham,  a  manufac- 
turer of  Edinboro,  Pa.  She  died  April  1, 1881,  leaving 
four  children,  of  whom  three  survive.  They  are: 
J.  Maud,  wife  of  William  Warner,  son  of  E.  L.  War- 
ner, of  the  dry  goods  firm  of  Warner  Bros.,  Erie;  Mary 
Edna  and  George  .Allen,  jr.,  the  latter  a  student  at  the 
Erie  high  school.  The  family  attend  St.  Paul's  Epis- 
copal Church. 

The  Davisoti  Family.— The  members  of  this 
well-known  family  took  an  important  part  in  the  set- 
tlement of  Erie  county.  Indeed  the  leading  incidents 
of  their  career,  their  origin,  lineage  and  faith,  their 
energy,  perseverance  and  integrity  coincide  almost 
exactly  w  ith  that  of  many  who  came  from  the  same 
region  to  Pennsylvania,  during  the  eighteenth  centur)'. 
Then  they  came  in  such  numbers  as  to  give  their 
character  to  some  parts  of  the  State.  In  mentioning 
these  facts  now,  with  a  little  more  than  usual  detail, 
some  idea  will  be  formed  of  the  remarkable  move- 
ments under  which  so  many  were  transplanted  from 
the  North  of  Ireland  to  Pennsylvania.  In  1795  the 
family  of  Thomas  and  Jane  (Godfrey)  Davison  came 
from  the  North  of  Ireland  to  Philadelphia.  There 
were  five  sons:  Francis,  Robert,  George,  Thomas 
and  Arthur,  and  one  daughter,  Elizabeth  Jane,  who 
died  upon  the  voyage  at  sea.  Their  first  settlement 
was  in  the  interior  within  the  bounds  of  old  Northum- 
berland as  formerly  constituted.  Attracted  by  the 
fame  of  the  Lake  country,  but  lately  added  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  before  the  creation  of  Erie  county,  the  fam- 
ily came  in  1795  to  the  wilderness  region,  now  em- 
braced in  \'enango  township.  It  was  a  wild  home, 
but  they  were  equal  to  the  emergency.  The  father  of 
the  family  died  a  while  after  reaching  Erie  county. 
The  traditions  of  the  remarkable  characteristics  of 
their  mother  still  survive,  while  doubtless  very  much 
of  the  energy  and  perseverance  of  the  four  sons,  as 
displayed  in  their  wild  home,  and  their  religious  zeal 
as  mdicated  in  their  conspicuous  activity  in  erecting 
quite  near  to  their  settlement  the  Middleboro  Church 
(now  enshrined  in  memory  as  the  first  church  in 
Erie  county)  were  inherited  from  their  remarkable 
mother,  who  closed  her  long  life  in  1845,  in  her  94th 
year.  It  was  in  1801  that  a  number  of  the  Davison 
brothers  and  others  of  kindred  faith  and  like  purposes 
assembled  in  what  is  now  X'enango  township,  and 
there  erected  Middleboro  Church.  There  for  years  in 
the  log  church  and  within  its  primitive  portals  as  aft- 
erward reconstructed  the  gospel  was  preached  and  its 
ordinances  administered  according  to  the  tenets  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  For  years  a  bright  light  went 
from  that  spot  far  out  in  the  wilderness.  It  was  a  re- 
ligious center  from  which  powerful  influence  was  long 
exerted.  The  old  log  church  is  historic,  for  it  is  first 
in  the  long  list  of  places  of  worship  erected  in  the 
county  of  Erie.  The  Davison  brothers  remained  for 
about  twenty  years  in  Venango,  though  one  of  them 
(Thomas)  died  there  and  was  buried  m  the  Middle- 
boro Church  vard.  The  four  surviving  brothers  each 
purchased  a  farm  and  made  a  home  in  East  Mill  Creek, 
near  Belle  \'alley,  where  the  advantages  seemed  so 
much  greater  than  at  their  first  location.  Their  homes 
in  Mill  Creek  were  long  a  distinctive  feature  of  that 
neighborhood.      Their    influence    and    support  were 


59b' 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


transferred  to  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Erie, 
of  which  many  of  their  famiHes  were  members  and 
George  and  Robert  elders.  The  formation  of  Belle 
\'alley  Church  in  1842,  in  which  some  of  the  families 
were  included  induced  many  of  them  to  change  to 
that.  None  of  the  pioneers  of  this  family  are  now  liv- 
ing. But  few  families  exerted  a  wider  or  better  influ- 
ence in  the  first  half  century  of  Erie  county's  settle- 
ment. The  names  of  some  of  these  have  been  ob- 
tained and  are  here  given:  Francis  Davison  married 
Sarah  Smith,  died  February  1,  1860.  Their  children 
are:  Francis;  Arthur,  died  in  August,  1864;  Irene, 
married  R.  B.  Barnes,  of  Chicago  (deceased I;  Nancy 
C,  died  in  1883;  lulia  married  Silas  C.  Teel,  of  Erie; 
Elizabeth,  married  Cyrus  Robinson,  in  California; 
Mary,  married  Mr.  Middleton,  of  Waterford  (de- 
ceased); her  daughter,  Mary,  survives;  Robert,  mar- 
ried Sarah  Smith,  died  March  2,  1871,  widow  died 
Seiitember  15,  1875.  Their  children  are:  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  John  McFarlan<l,  of  Lawrence  county,  Penn- 
svlvania;  Rosana,  wife  of  (.)_.  McFarland,  of  Centralia, 
111.,  died  in  August,  1891;  Robert  S.,  who  marrie<l 
Martha  Love,  die<l  November  11,  1890;  Sarah,  widow 
of  William  ScouUer,  of  Erie;  Emily,  widow  of  N.  W. 
Russell,  of  Belle  Valley;  Margaret,  died  unmarried. 
May  25,  1891.  Arthur  Davison  (deceased),  married 
Elizabeth  Wil.son,  who  died  in  February,  1865.  Their 
children  are:  William  \Y.  (deceased),  born  August 
10,  1815,  married  Nancy  Shadduck;  Thomas  (de- 
ceased), Jane  (decea.sed),  Nancy  (deceased),  married 
Samuel  Caughey;  George  (deceased),  James  (de- 
ceased), Elizabeth  (deceased),  John  (deceased).  George 
Davison  died  February  3,  1874.  His  children  are: 
Robert  (deceased),  George  (deceased),  Adaline  (de- 
ceased), Ann  (deceased),  married  William  Foot. 

Benjamiti  Whittnati,  Erie,  Pa.,  eldest  son  of 
George  F.  and  Mary  (Hemperley)  Whitman,  born  in 
Middletown,  Dauphin  county.  Pa.,  January  28,  1840; 
attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  until 
11  years  of  age,  when  he  left  home  to  live  with  an  uncle 
in  Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania;  commenced  the 
printing  trade  in  the  office  of  the  Harrisburg  Telegraph 
when  about  15;  became  part  owner  and  editor  of  the 
Middletown  Journal  soon  after  he  was  18;  sold  out  the 
Journal  at  the  end  of  six  months,  and  did  editorial 
work  in  Harrisburg  and  Lancaster  for  a  time;  taught 
school  in  Middletown  in  the  winter  of  1869-60,  and 
part  of  that  of  18(50-61,  for  the  purpose  of  improving 
his  education;  came  to  Erie  county  in  January,  1861, 
as  assistant  editor  of  the  Obatrrer,  then  owned  by 
Andrew  Hopkins;  became  ]iart  owner  and  editor  of 
the  paper  in  January,  1862,  and  sole  owner  in  April, 
1864;  continued  to  own  and  edit  the  Observer  until 
December  1,  1878,  since  which  time  he  has  mainly 
given  his  time  and  attention  to  business  and  literary 
work;  was  chairman  of  the  Democratic  county  com- 
mittee for  ten  years;  has  often  been  a  delegate  to 
Democratic  State  conventions,  and  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  State  committee,  and  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Democratic  National  Convention  of  1884;  ap- 
pointed a  Commissioner  of  the  Erie  Water  Works  m 
1881,  without  .solicitation  on  his  part,  and  held  the 
position  until  1887,  during  which  time  the  system  of 
the  department  was  largely  reorganized  and  the  prop- 
erly much  improved;  wrote  the  history  of  Erie  county 
and  of  its  several  boroughs  and  townships  for  Warner, 
Beers  &  Co.'s  work,  published  in  1884;  named  in  1892, 


without  his  previous  knowledge,  by  Governor  PattLson, 
one  of  the  Board  of  World's  Fair  Commissioners  for 
Pennsylvania;  unanimously  chosen  Executive  Com- 
missioner by  the  Board,  in  .Septembi'r  of  the  same 
year,  at  a  salary  of  ^5,(J00  ])er  annum ;  nbligeil  to  resign 
the  latter  place  in  the  spring  of  1893  on  account  of  ill 
health;  but  replaced  on  the  Board  by  the  common  wish 
of  its  members;  served  on  the  Executive  and  Building 
Committees  of  the  Board;  blocked  out  the  plan  of 
State  exhibits;  helped  to  plan  and  fit  up  the  State 
building,  and  prepared  every  important  report  sub- 
mitted to  the  ISoard;  author  of  the  Free  Public  Library 
bill,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  the  state,  county  and 
local  historical  matter  contained  in  the  jiresent  book; 
has  delivered  numerous  [lolitical  speeches  and  general 
addresses,  and  is  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  press  of 
this  county  and  State.  Though  often  soliciteil  to  be  a 
candidate  for  political  office,  Mr.  Whitman  has  in- 
variably declined,  having  no  taste  nor  desire  in  that 
direction.  He  was  married,  on  May  30,  1870,  to  Mary 
Emma,  eldest  child  of  Silas  E.  and  Julia  A.  Teel,  of 
Erie.  Mr.  Whitman  has  erected  a  large  number  of 
houses  in  the  city,  some  of  which  are  unusually  h.ind- 
sonie.  He  purchased  the  Wayne  block,  on  State 
street,  near  Eighth,  May  1,  1894. 

Hon.  Thomas  H.  Sill  (deceased),  lawyer  and 
legislator,  son  of  Ca])t.  Richard  L.  Sill,  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  was  born  at  Windsor,  Conn.,  October  11, 
1783.  He  graduated  from  Brown  University,  Rhode 
Island,  in  1804.  After  studying  law  with  Hon.  Jacob 
Burnet,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  he  began  ]iractice  in  1SU9 
at  Lebanon,  Ohio.  Failing  health  soon  induced  him 
to  relinquish  business.  After  traveling  for  a  year  he 
resumed  law  practice,  opening  an  office  at  Erie,  Penn., 
in  1813,  being  the  only  resident  attorney  at  that  place, 
where  he  remained  for  life.  Erie  was  but  a  hamlet, 
the  war  being  in  progress,  and  the  brigs  of  Perry's 
fleet  under  construction  in  the  harbor,  so  that  upon  his 
arrival  he  joined  the  "Minute  Men,"  who  guarded  the 
]ilace  in  momentary  expectation  of  an  attack  from  the 
British,  an  apprehension  happily  dis]ielled  by  Perry's 
victory  on  the  following  10th  of  Sejitember.  This, 
with  a  subsequent  term  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Wallace, 
completed  his  military  service.  From  1816  to  1818 
he  was  Deputy  United  States  Marshal,  and  in  1819 
Deputy  Attorney-General,  as  such  assisting  in  the  first 
court  in  Warren  county.  In  1823  he  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature  and  in  1826  to  Congress.  In  182X  he 
was  again  elected,  being  the  only  anti-Jack.son  mem- 
ber from  Pennsylvania,  which  indicated  his  personal 
influence  with  his  constituency.  He  declined  nomina- 
tion for  the  following  term,  and  in  1837  was  made 
President  of  the  United  .States  branch  Bank  at  Erie, 
holding  the  position  during  the  existence  of  the  institu- 
tion. He  served  repeatedly  as  burgess  of  Erie.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  to 
revise  the  Constitution  in  1837  and  18;i8,  where  among 
the  able  men  who  com)W).sed  that  body  he  maintained 
a  marked  influence.  In  1848,  as  Presidential  elector, 
he  voted  for  Taylor  and  Filmore.  From  1849  to  1853 
he  was  ixistmaster  at  Erie.  He  was  an  able  and 
eloquent  advocate,  a  careful  and  trusted  counselor. 
Among  contemporaries  of  the  most  respectable  posi- 
tions, he  was  a  man  of  note  and  influence.  While  the 
qualities  of  his  mind  commanded  the  respect  of  all, 
the  amiability  of  his  disposition  won  their  affection. 
He  took  a  lively  interest  in  public  matters,  especially 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


597 


projects  for  public  improvements,  and  the  cause  of 
education,  serving  as  school  director,  and  for  more 
tlian  thirty  years  as  trustee  of  Erie  Academy.  To  no 
one  during  his  career  was  the  public  eye  oftener 
turned  at  public  meetings  and  associations  for  the 
promotion  of  reform;  while  as  the  representative  of  his 
fellow  citizens,  old  residents  yet  remember  as  models 
of  composition  and  good  taste  his  addresses  at  the 
reception  of  ex-Presidents  Adams  and  Van  Buren, 
and  his  eulogy  upon  President  Taylor.  While  his 
style  was  chaste,  his  bearing  combined  dignity  with 
modesty.  As  a  ft)rensic  advocate,  he  excelled, 
especially  in  his  calm  and  logical  addresses  to  juries, 
and  in  this  respect  he  had  few  if  any  su])eriors  in  the 
circuit  of  his  practice.  An  early  Republican  and 
Whig,  he  had  much  to  do  in  shaping  the  politics 
of  this  district.  He  lived  to  witness  the  dawn  of 
Republican  supremacy,  for  which  he  had  labored, 
and  the  ])rosperity  of  a  city  in  whose  early  struggles 
he  had  been  so  active.  He  died  on  the  7th  of  Febru- 
ary, 185fi,  "full  of  honors  and  of  years."  Court  was 
then  sitting,  his  contemporary  and  old  friend  Judge 
John  Galbraith  upon  the  bench.  The  announcement 
of  his  death  by  George  A.  Elliott,  Esq.,  and  the 
addresses  of  Messrs.  Walker,  Marshall  and  Kelso, 
with  the  resolutions  adopted,  and  the  feeling  response 
of  Judge  Galbraith,  made  an  impressive  scene  long  to 
be  remembered.  Mr.  .Sill  was  married  in  1816  to 
Joanna  Boyleston,  daughter  of  Rev.  .Amos  and  Joanna 
(Lanman)  Chase.  She  was  a  native  of  Litchfield 
county,  Connecticut,  and  survived  until  June  21,  1<S89, 
and  resided  in  Erie.  He  had  six  children  -  Richard 
(deceased),  who  resided  at  Erie;  Joanna  Lanman,  who 
married  Joseph  Selden  (both  are  deceased;  of  their 
children,  Elizabeth  G.  died  in  18()4;  George  D.,  of  the 
Erie  City  Iron  Works;  Joanna  S.  and  Emma  J.  survive); 
Sarah  Hale  married  Matthew  Taylor,  who  died  in  1854; 
(their  son,  Rev.  Frank  M.  S.  Taylor,  rector  of  Church 
of  the  Ascension,  Mt.  \'ernon,  X.  V.).  Thomas  Sill 
died  unmarried;  Joseph  Sill,  and  James  Sill,  attorney- 
at-law  and  ex-Senator,  a  notice  of  whom  appears 
elsewhere. 

James  Sill,  lawyer  and  legislator,  Erie,  is  a  son 
of  Thomas  H.  and  Joanna  B.  Sill,  and  a  native  of 
Erie.  After  a  course  of  study  at  the  Erie  Academy 
and  in  his  father's  law  office,  he  graduated  at  the  Xew 
York  State  and  Xatit)nal  Law  .School,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  Erie  bar,  where  he  has  since  practiced.  He 
was  in  1857  elected  district  attorney  of  Erie  county, 
serving  three  years;  was  Presidential  elector  in  18<i8, 
voting  for  Grant  and  Colfax,  and  citv  solicitor  of  Erie 
in  1871  and  1872.  In  1870,  with  Judge  Greer  and 
others,  he  organized  the  People's  Savings  In.stitution 
at  Xorth  Ea.st;  having  secured  the  charter  of  the  Union 
&  Titusville  R.  R.,  in  conjunction  with  Titusville  and 
LInion  parties,  organized  the  same  as  it  was  afterward 
constructed.  He  was  elected  to  the  State  .Senate  in 
1880  for  four  years.  M  the  session  of  1881,  under 
mstructions  from  the  Rejjublican  primaries,  he  sup- 
ported G.  A.  Grow  for  L'.  S.  Senator,  and  in  doing  so 
co-operated  with  the  fifty-six  inde[>endent  Republicans. 
He  served  in  that  session  on  the  apportionment  and 
general  judiciary  committees,  and  as  chairman  of  the 
library  committee.  He  introiluccd  and  advocated  a 
hill  which  bi'c;ime  a  law  abolishing  all  distinction  in 
color  in  schools;  also  an  amenilment  to  the  Constitu- 
tion relative  to  representatives  in  the  House,  and  a  bill 


tendering  the  marine  hospital  to  the  general  govern- 
ment for  a  soldiers'  ana  sailors'  home,  which  ulti- 
mately passed  the  Legislature  in  1883.  At  the  latter 
session  he  served  on  the  judiciary  an<l  ai)pro[)riation 
committees,  and  among  the  most  important  bills  in- 
troduced by  him  at  the  latter  session,  there  was  enacted 
one  to  perfect  the  title  to  real  estate  of  descendants,  a 
bill  to  which  he  devoted  much  care,  one  of  importance 
to  titles.  In  the  extra  session  of  1883,  he  was  active 
in  his  efforts  to  obtain  apportionment  bills,  his  last 
speech  on  this  subject  having  been  extensively  circu- 
lated through  the  State;  his  re.solutions  for  the  restora- 
tion of  the  land  light-house,  adopted  by  the  Legisla- 
ture, were  generally  approved  by  his  constituents. 
His  bill  providing  for  the  ]irobate  of  wills  during  the 
life  of  the  testator  passed  the  .Senate,  but  was  lost  in 
the  House.  He  collated  the  first  published  history  of 
Erie  city,  and  delivered  numerous  historical  and 
political  addresses,  and  has  for  many  years  contributetl 
freely  to  public  journals.  Senator  -Sill  has  been  an 
active  party  worker,  having  voted  with  the  Whig 
party  while  it  existed;  he  represented  Erie  county  in 
the  last  Whig  State  convention  in  1855.  Joining  the 
Republican  party  in  1856,  he  was  elected  delegate  to 
the  Republican  State  conventions  of  1859,  '63,  '66, 
1868  and  '78,  several  times  a  member  of  the  State 
committee,  and  chairman  of  the  Republican  county 
committees  of  '68  and  '67,  and  of  the  city  com- 
mittees of  '66  and  '76,  all  attended  with  nmch  labor 
and  success.  He  declined  the  tendered  appointment 
under  President  Lincoln  of  provost  marshal  for  the 
Xineteenth  district  in  '63.  .As  member  of  the  bar, 
much  of  the  time  with  a  large  practice,  he  was  in  1876 
president  of  the  Erie  Law  Association,  and  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  library  committee  in  1878,  initiated  and 
carried  out  the  placing  of  portraits  of  ex-Judges  and 
deceased  attorneys  in  the  court-room.  As  a  member 
of  the  city  council  in  1857-'58,  upon  a  special  com- 
mittee, he  proposed  a  number  of  reforms  which  were 
enacted  in  the  charter  for  the  classification  and 
elongation  of  terms  of  councilmen,  regulation  of  an 
increase  of  the  power  of  the  mayor,  etc.,  until  the 
adoption  of  the  Wallace  Act.  Upon  his  return  from 
Harrisburg,  Mr.  Sill  resumed  practice  at  the  bar. 

Jerome  W.  Wetmore,  attorney,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Warren  county,  Penn.sylvania,  May  1,  1820. 
He  is  a  son  of  Lansing  and  Caroline  (l)itmars)  Wet- 
more,  the  former  a  grandson  of  Amos  Wetmore  and 
Hugh  White,  of  \Vhite.stown,  X.  V.,  and  the  latter 
coming  with  her  parents  from  Long  Island.  Lansing 
Wetmore  was  prothonotary,  clerk  of  the  courts,  and 
register  and  recorder  at  the  organization  of  Warren 
county;  afterward  jiracticing  law  and  was  associate 
judge,  retiring  in  the  last  years  of  his  life  to  a  farm 
near  Warren.  He  prepared  for  college  at  the  War- 
ren Academy,  and  graduated  from  Union  College,  X. 
Y.,  in  1841.  He  afterwards  engaged  in  teaching.  He 
was  [jrincipal  of  the  Warren  Academy  for  one  and  a 
half  years,  and  in  1846  removed  to  Erie,  where  he 
taught  in  the  academy  for  two  vears.  He  commenced 
the  practice  of  law  in  Erie  in  lS49,  and  has  been  con- 
tinuously engaged  therein  for  many  years.  Recogniz- 
ing the  correctness  of  the  adage  that  the  law  is  a 
jealous  profession,  and  shouki  not  have  rivals  to  dis- 
tract the  attention  from  its  exactions,  Mr.  Wetmore 
has  yet  not  strictly  followed  its  reipiirements,  but  has 
yielded  to  the  fascinations  of  scientific  and  practical 


598 


NELSOJfTS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


investigations.  While  engaged  as  instructor  in  the 
Erie  Academy  he  commenced  the  examination  of  the 
relation  between  electricity  and  the  attraction  of  grav- 
itation. The  statement  of  the  law  of  universal  grav- 
itation seemed  not  to  recognize  the  effect  of  motion  on 
gravitation.  In  the  vear  IS.W  he  invented  the  gravi- 
motonieter  to  test  this  effect.  By  this  apparatus  it  was 
shown  that  the  attraction  from  center  to  center  is  mod- 
ified by  motion,  so  that  the  revolution  on  the  axis  is  a 
consequence  of  the  revolution  in  the  orbit.  In  1857  he 
invented,  and  in  18lil-'t>'2  put  in  o|)eration  on  the  Alle- 
gheny river,  a  shoal  water  steamboat,  which  was  ])ro- 
pelled  by  projections  from  the  feloe  of  a  large  wheel 
running  on  the  bottom  of  the  river.  This  was  a  suc- 
cess over  the  means  then  used  of  towing  by  horses, 
etc.  But  it  was  sunk  on  an  obstruction  in  going  down 
from  Irvin  to  Oil  City.  The  projection  of  railroads 
along  the  river  valleys  made  it  evident  that  they  would 
supercede  other  methods  of  transportation  on  shoal 
water  rivers,  and  the  experiment  was  abandoned.  In 
1883  Mr.  Wetmore  patented  the  original  pneumatic 
door  check.  In  1885  he  ]>atented  the  joint  chimney 
cap,  and  in  1898  the  surface  burning  fuel  feeder  for 
furnaces  and  stoves.  He  has  obtained  various  other 
patents,  some  of  which  were  of  value,  some  only  a 
step  toward  the  recpiirements  of  success,  and  some 
shown  by  subsequent  trial  to  be  impractical,  or  not 
reaching  the  economy  necessary  for  their  adoption.  In 
1889  he  built  the  block  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Sev- 
enth and  Peach  streets  for  an  office  and  boarding 
house — since  materially  enlarged  and  improved,  and 
now  used  for  hotel  ])urposes  and  known  as  the  "  Kim- 
berly  Hotel."  In  1888-'89  he  built  the  factory  at  the 
corner  of  State  and  Sixteenth  streets,  for  Mr.  X.  A. 
Watson's  boiler  injector  manufacturing  establishment 
and  Lloyd  S:  Sterrett's  machine  shop,  since  including 
the  button  factory  and  brass  and  filter  works  added  by 
Mr.  Watson.  Lots,  lands  and  buildings  in  Erie, 
Corry,  and  the  town.ships  of  Mill  Creek,  Harbor  Creek, 
Concord,  Summit  and  Fairview  have  called  for  more 
or  less  attention  in  their  improvement  or  purchase  and 
sale.  Engaged  early  as  a  teacher,  Mr.  Wetmore  has 
continued  to  feel  an  earnest  interest  in  educational 
progress.  He  brought  the  attention  of  the  Erie  school 
directors  to  the  improvement  in  schoolhouse  architec- 
ture, as  .shown  in  Barnard's  work  on  that  subject,  which 
resulted  in  the  building  of  the  First  Ward  schoolhouse, 
the  first  advance  from  the  plain,  cheap  structures 
theretofore  used.  He  has  maintained  that  varietv  is 
needed  in  our  schools  to  meet  the  demands  of  all  peo- 
ple, and  has  strenuously  contended  forthecontinuance 
of  the  academy,  against  deti-rmined  efforts  to  aboli.sh 
it.  In  the  railroad  war  of  18.V2,  Mr.  Wetmore  took  an 
active  part  (against  a  lilind  infatuation)  in  favor  of  the 
acceptance  of  the  offer  of  the  railroad  companies  to 
give,  for  the  peaceable  surrender  of  the  break  of  gauge 
(the  law  for  which  had  been  repealed)  the  road  to 
Jamestown  and  Little  \'alley,  the  road  to  Pittsburg  and 
the  location  at  Erie  of  the  machine  .shops  of  the  Lake 
Shore  R.  K.  Company. 

Charles  M.  Tibbals  (deceased),  late  merchant 
and  manufacturer,  was  born  in  Pompey  Hill,  X.  Y., 
May  If),  1811,  son  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Marvin)  Tib- 
bals, natives  of  Connecticut  and  of  English  descent. 
He  came  to  Erie  from  Xew  York  in  i83(),  and  em- 
barked in  business  here.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Delia,  daughter  of  Dr.  Otto  Lyman,  of  Cazenovia, 


N.  Y.,  of  English  descent.  He  died  in  1881.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tahbals  were  the  parents  of  four  children: 
Charles  M.,  jr.;  Eliza,  wife  of  William  H.  Whitelu-ad, 
member  of  Erie  Rubber  Company;  Catherine  (de- 
ceased), and  Martha  A.  Charles  M.,  jr.,  was  born 
August  28, 1840,acquire<l  his  education  in  Erie  .Academy 
and  became  engaged  in  IStiO  with  his  father  in  thi>  in- 
dustry now  known  as  the  Chicago  and  Erie  Stove 
Company.  On  the  death  of  his  father,  Charles  contin- 
ued the  manufacture  of  stoves  for  a  time.  He  al.so 
clerked  in  Erie  city  several  years.  He  was  married 
in  Worce.ster,  Mass.,  to  Fannie,  daughter  of  Frederick 
Hancock,  of  English  descent.  Mr.  Tibbals  and  wife 
are  members  of  .St.  Paul's  E|iiscopal  Church.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  independent.  Lincoln  X.  Tibbals,  brother  of 
Charles  M.,  came  to  Erie  with  his  brother  in  ISMt). 
He  was  for  years  associated  with  his  brother  in  general 
merchandizing  and  afterwards  engaged  in  forwarding 
and  insurance  business.  He  married  Miss  Mary 
Haverstick,  daughter  of  John  I).  Haverstick,  formerly 
of  Carlisle.  They  had  seven  children,  of  whom  .Miss 
Mary  and  Henry  Tibbals,  both  residents  of  Erie,  sur- 
vive.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  N.  Tibbals  died  in  Erie. 

John  C.  Brady,  attorney  at  law,  Erie,  Pa.,  born 
in  Fort  Dodge,  la.,  October  2,  ]8,')8,  is  a  son  of  the  late 
John  W.  and  Amanda  (Lott)  Brady,  the  former  a  native 
of  Connecticut  and  the  latter  of  Xew  York.  John  C. 
Brady  completed  his  education  at  Lake  .Shore  Semi- 
nary, Xorth  East,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  in  1876.  He  read 
law  in  the  office  of  Davenport  &  Griffith,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  September  3(J,  1879,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  i)ractice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  I->ie.  Mr.  Brady  is  a  stalwart  Democrat 
and  has  been  efficient  in  party  service.  In  February, 
1887,  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Erie  on  the  Democratic 
ticket,  and  served  for  one  term.  He  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Xational  Democratic  Convention  in  1892.  As  one 
of  Erie's  wide-awake  and  progressive  citizens,  since 
1889,  Mr.  Brady  has  been  most  effective  in  his  identi- 
fication with  the  Erie  F'lectric  Motor  Company,  which 
operates  all  the  street  railroads  of  Erie,  and  which  has 
been  so  important  a  factor  in  Erie's  suburban  growth; 
he  has  been  vice-president  of  the  couqiany  during  that 
period;  he  is  also  the  president  of  the  F>ie-Welsbach 
Gas  Company,  one  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Gas  C<impany,  the  Jamestown  Illuminat- 
ing Gas  Company,  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  Comjiany, 
the  F^ureka  Temjiered  Copper  Com|iany,  and  of  the 
Real  F'.state  Title  Company,  of  which  last  named 
he  is  also  secretary.  It  was  directlv  through  the  in- 
.strumentality  of  \ir.  Brady  that  the  Metric  Metal 
Company  located  its  large  manufacturing  plant  in 
Erie.  He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  Knight 
Tem])lar,  a  Mystic  .Shriner  and  a  member  of  Mt. 
Olivet  Commandery,  Cincinnati  Consistory  and  .■\lkoran 
Shrine,  Cleveland.  Mr.  Bradv  was  married  June  2, 
1887,  to  Harriet  Helen,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon. 
John  W.  Hammond,  ex-mayor  of  I'>ie.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brady  have  one  child,  Lois,  reside  on  West  Sixth 
.street,  and  are  members  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
Church. 

David  Kennedy  and  his  wife  came  from  the 
Xorth  of  Ireland,  it  is  believed,  about  1828.  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy was  a  weaver  by  trade,  and  resided  on  East  .Sev- 
enth, near  Holland  street,  Erie.  Finding  the  trade  of 
weaving  would  furnish  but  little  employment,  he  ob- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


599 


tained  a  privilege  of  digging  clay  for  making  brick  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  old  fort,  Presque  Isle,  at  the 
corner  of  Second  and  Parade  streets,  and  to  the  east- 
ward. His  enterprise  and  energy  were  rewarded  with 
much  success,  and  he  continued  the  business  in  differ- 
ent localities  for  over  forty  years.  He  purchased  the 
lot  at  the  corner  of  Holland  and  fifth  streets,  and 
erected  four  brick  dwellings.  He  acquired  property 
in  different  parts  of  the  city  and  became  an  influential 
and  respected  citizen;  was  for  a  number  of  years  a 
councilman  of  Erie.  Mr.  Kennedy  had  a  large  family, 
among  whom  were:  Mana  (wife  of  Gen.  John  Kil- 
patrick,  sheriff  of  Erie  countyi,  who  died  leaving  one 
daughter,  who  also  died;  Matilda,  wife  of  William  C. 
Warren,  a  banker  in  Erie;  Jeanette,  wife  of  Hon.  Wil- 
son Laird,  mayor  of  Erie,  and  menil:)er  of  the  Legisla- 
ture; Elizabeth,  wife  of  Jacob  Hubleylboth  deceased), 
and  Robert  (deceased).  After  Mrs.  Kennedy's  death, 
Mr.  Kennedy  married  Miss  Cummings,  whose  chil- 
dren were:  John  (deceased),  served  as  a  cavalryman 
in  the  war;  David,  who  married  Miss  Hatch,  and  lives 
in  Erie;  Amelia,  died  young.  Several  of  Mrs.  Matilda 
Warren's  children  are  living,  among  whom  are  Miss 
Jennie  and  William  H.,  who  survived  their  sister,  Mrs. 
Josephine  Justice,  recently  deceased.  Several  o{  Mrs. 
Laird's  children  are  living,  and  one  of  John  Kennedy's 
children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kennedy  were  adherents  of 
the  L^nited  Presbyterian  Church.  Both  have  died 
within  the  last  decade.  Though  subject  to  some  mu- 
tations of  fortune.  Mr.  Kennedy  for  many  years  had  a 
large  property  and  influence.  By  his  energy  and  in- 
tegrity he  secured  the  respect  and  esteem  of  very 
manv  w'ho  were  cognizant  of  his  merits  and  shining 
qualities.  Cheerful  in  disposition,  industrious  in 
habits,  considerate  of  his  duties  to  society  and  mind- 
ful of  his  obligations  to  church  and  State,  Mr.  Kennedy 
made  his  mark  in  the  conmiunity.  As  adverse  cir- 
cumstances shadowed  his  later  years,  those  who  knew 
him  best  remembered  with  the  most  satisfaction  his 
record  as  a  man  and  a  citizen,  which  nearly  half  a 
century  had  made  his  surroundings  so  agreeable  and 
his  position  in  the  community  seem  so  secure. 

Rev.  Adolph  Leopold  Betize  (deceased),  former 
pastor  of  .St.  John's  German  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  corner  of  Twenty-third  and  Peach  .streets, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  the  Fortress  of  Thorn,  Prussia, 
Germany,  .September  18,  1833,  son  of  Frederick  and 
Eva  Maria  (de  Pomalianski)  Benze,  the  latter  of  an- 
cient Polish  nobility.  Frederick  Benze,  at  the  time  of 
his  son's  birth,  was  cavalry  officer  in  the  Prussian 
army;  later  he  was  discharged  with  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain and  appointed  prison  inspector  of  a  large  district. 
Frederick  B.  was  the  descendant  and  heir  of  an  old 
family  of  Brunswick,  whose  history  is  known  iii)  to 
1650,  near  the  close  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War.  They 
were  located  at  \'elpke,  ]5runswick,  where  the  venera- 
ble family  seat,  a  typical  Sa.\on  manse,  built  in  1725, 
is  still  to  be  seen.  As  proprietors  of  noted  sandstone 
quarries,  the  male  ancestors  all  took  to  the  chisel  and 
made  ornamental  stone  carvings.  The  vici.ssitudes  of 
military  life  forever  separated  Frederick  Benze  and 
his  family  from  these  surroundings.  Thus  Leopold 
Benze  happened  to  receive  his  early  education  at 
Neustadt,  Prussia,  and  after  two  years'  travel  in  Ger- 
many and  Hungary,  he  came  to  America  in  1854,  lo- 
cating at  Lancaster,  Pa.  He  completed  his  classical 
education  at  Pennsylvania  College,  Gettysburg,  and 


then  entered  the  theological  seminary  of  the  same 
place,  from  which  he  graduated  in  18M.  He  was  or- 
dained in  the  same  year  by  the  Flvangelical  Lutheran 
Ministerium  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  called  to  the 
Lutheran  congregation  at  Warren.  Here  he  remained 
eight  years,  and  left,  as  a  memorial  to  his  skillful  ad- 
ministration, a  flourishing  congregation  and  a  hand- 
some new  church  edifice.  In  Slay,  1872,  Rev.  Benze 
received  a  call  to  the  jiastorate  of  .St.  John's  Lutheran 
Church,  at  Erie,  Pa.,  which chargehe  accepted  and  held 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  January  18,  1891.  Mr. 
Benze,  on  account  of  his  astonishing  activity  and  suc- 
cess in  building  up  the  largest  Protestant  congrega- 
tion of  Erie,  was  one  of  the  best  known  men  of  the 
county.  He  possessed  exceptional  ability  as  a  pulpit 
orator,  and  as  such  was  widely  known.  His  reputa- 
tion, however,  was  more  than  local.  A  fluent  writer  and 
frequent  contributor  to  church  and  secular  papers,  he 
was  asked  more  than  once  to  assume  the  editorship  of 
one  of  the  best  known  German  papers,  in  the  United 
.States.  Moreover,  he  achieved  for  himself  a  lasting 
monument  in  another  department,  that  of  church 
music,  by  the  publication  of  a  volume  of  songs.  He  is 
generally  acknowledged  to  have  been  excellent,  both 
as  a  poet  and  as  a  composer.  Rev.  Leopold  Benze 
was  married  September  8,  1864,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Kiehl,  of  Lanca.ster,  Pa.  The  latter  was  the  daughter 
of  Jacob  and  Saloma  Kiehl,  born  in  Erlenbach,  Hesse, 
October  26,  1839,  and  was  brought  to  America  in  her 
infancy.  To  this  union  were  born  seven  children: 
Charles  Theodore,  a  prominent  teacher  of  languages; 
Gustave  Adolphus,  his  father's  successor  at  St.  John's; 
Leopold  Otto,  studying  theology  at  Philadelphia; 
Marie  Loui,se,  a  teacher  of  German  in  the  Erie  public 
schools;  Albert  Louis,  a  student  of  theology  at  Chi- 
cago; Emma  C.  and  Frederick  W.,  students  in  the 
Erie  public  schools. 

Rev.  Gustave  Betize,  present  pastor  of  St.  John's 
Church,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Warren,  Pa.,  January 
11,  1867.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Erie,  graduating  from  the  high  school  in 
1884.  His  classical  education  was  completed  at  Thiel 
College,  Greenville,  Pa.,  where  he  took  his  degree  two 
years  later.  Then  Mr.  Benze  took  uji  the  .study  of 
theology,  partly  at  Gettysburg  Seminary,  where  he 
spent  two  years,  and  partly  also  in  Philadelphia,  where 
he  graduated  in  June,  1889.  He  was  ordained  the 
same  month,  and  was  called  to  the  Lutheran  Churches 
of  Corry  and  Drake's  Mills.  The  charges  re(|uired 
ministration  in  both  German  and  Engli.sh,  in  addition 
to  which  Rev.  Benze  also  preached  in  the  Danish  lan- 
guage, which  resulted  in  the  organization  of  a  Danish 
congregation.  His  rare  energy,  administrative  tact  and 
ability  found  an  enlarged  field  of  usefulness  when 
called  to  St.  John's  Lutheran  Church  at  the  death  of 
his  e-steemed  father.  L'nder  his  administration  a  flour- 
ishing German  mission  has  already  been  planted  in 
East  Erie,  and  all  present  indications  bespeak  a  bright 
future  for  [lastor  and  congregation. 

Joseph  Johnston,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Johnston  &■  Brevillier,  wholesale  grocers,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  .Summit  township,  this  county.  May  8, 
1822,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Fanny  (Graham) 
Johnston.  His  father,  who  was  a  native  of  County 
Down.  Ireland,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1793,  the 
family  locating  in  .Milesburg,  Centre  county,  Pa.    Soon 


6oo 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


after,  Joseph,  accompanied  by  his  brother  James,  came 
to  Erie  county  and  Sunmiit  township.  He  cleared 
and  worki'd  a  large  farm,  and  for  many  years  carried 
on  an  extensive  transiiortatiim  business  between  Krie 
and  Pittsburg  and  Helk-fonte,  by  means  of  heavy 
covered  wagons  tirawn  by  four  and  six  horse  teams. 
About  18G4  he  relin()uished  the  active  duties  of  farm- 
ing and  removed  to  Erie,  where  he  quietly  passed  the 
evening  of  his  life.  He  was  an  active  \\  hig  anti 
Republican,  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  a  devoted  friend  of  his  old  pastor,  Dr. 
I,yon.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Graham  about  \><\A\ 
she  died  about  ISGO.  They  reared  a  family  of  eight 
children:  James,  died  in  Michigan;  John,  died  in 
Mobile,  Ala.;  Robert,  died  in  Louisville,  Ky.;  William, 
resides  in  Chicago,  111.;  Mrs.  Hugh  Rutherford,  of 
Erie;  Joseph,  jr.;  Orville,  died  in  Erie,  in  1873;  James, 
died  in  Sununit,  and  George  X.,  who  was  district  at- 
torney of  Erie  county,  and  died  in  February,  18-57. 
Mr.  Johnston  was  remarried,  in  1864,  to  Mrs.  George 
Gallagher,  who  died  in  1887.  The  gentleman  whose 
name  forms  the  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his 
education  in  the  public  .schools  of  his  native  town,  and 
remained  associated  with  his  father  in  business  until 
1863,  when  he  removed  to  Erie  and  entered  the  grocery 
business,  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Orville,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Johnston  S:  Bro.  About  1862,  F. 
Brevillier  was  admitted  into  the  partnership,  and  the 
style  of  the  firm  became  Johnston  &  Brevillier.  At 
the  death  of  Orville  Johnston,  in  1873,  the  remaining 
partners  purchased  his  interest,  and  have  since  con- 
tinued the  business  with  succes,s.  About  1858  their 
store  was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  they  immediately  re- 
sumed business  m  the  Reed  House  block,  where  they 
remained  one  year.  The  retail  branch  was  dropped 
upon  removal  to  the  Rindernecht  block,  on  State 
street,  where  they  continued  three  years.  They  then 
removed  to  French  .street,  a  few  doors  from  their 
present  premises.  After  remaining  there  about  eight 
years  they  removed  to  505  and  507  French  street, 
where  they  have  since  continued.  Mr.  Johnston  was 
married  October  17,  1850,  to  Miss  Margaret,  daughter 
of  Robert  Rol)inson,  Esq.,  of  Le  Boeuf  township. 
They  had  no  children  of  their  own,  but  reared  four: 
Anna,  wife  of  E.  S.  Rice,  Esq.,  of  Chicago;  Emma, 
who  died  at  20  years  of  age;  Miss  Jennie,  and  Charles 
Funk,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  While  Mr.  Johnston  and 
wife  were  riding  in  their  carriage,  October  26,  1891, 
the  team  became  unmanagi-able,  upsetting  the  car- 
riage and  killing  Mrs.  Johnston  almost  instantly.  She 
was  a  devoted  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  her  loss  was  deeply  felt.  Mr.  Johnston 
was  remarried  in  October,  1892,  to  Miss  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Hon.  S.  E.  Woodruff,  of  Erie.  They 
are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
which  they  are  active  workers  and  generous  supporters. 
At  the  southwest  corner  of  Fourth  and  Peach  streets 
is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  homes  in  Xorthwestern 
Pennsylvania.  It  is  the  residence  of  Mr.  Johnston, 
erected  by  him  in  1865.  For  upwards  of  fortv  years 
Mr.  Johnston  has  been  looked  upon  as  one  of  Erie's 
best  citizens  and  most  enterjirising  business  men.  He 
always  has  the  best  interests  of  the  community  at 
heart,  and  is  ever  ready  to  give  his  means  and  in- 
fluence in  support  of  every  worthy  enterprise  of  a 
public  or  chantal)le  nature.  In  politics  he  was  origin- 
ally a  Whig,  but  has  been  a  staunch  Republican  since 
the  organization  of  the  party.    He  served  as  a  mem- 


ber of  the  Select  Council  of  Erie  for  a  period  of 
eighteen  years,  and  in  1884  represented  the  Twenty- 
seventh  Congressional  district  of  Pennsylvania  as  a 
delegate  to  the  National  convention  at  Chicago. 

Henry  R.  Bamhurst,  general  superintendent  of 
the  Erie  City  Iron  Works,  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
September  ;^,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  William  Barnhurst, 
one  of  the  first  manufacturers  of  iron  and  steel  um- 
brella frames  in  the  L'nited  States.  The  family  were 
for  many  generations  residents  of  Stratford-on-Avon, 
England,  whence  Mr.  Barnhurst's grandfather  came  to 
Philadelphia,  in  1810,  and  established  what  was  then 
one  of  the  largest  brass  foundries  in  this  country. 
William  Barnhurst  reared  a  family  of  three  children: 
Henry  R.,  Mary  (Mrs.  H.  E.  Turner,  of  Philadeli.hia), 
and  William,  who  has  charge  of  the  sales  of  the 
products  of  the  Erie  Engine  \\'orks  and  the  Union 
Iron  Works  in  New  York.  Mr.  Barnhurst  was  educated 
in  the  Philadelphia  high  school,  and  for  a  short  time 
after  completing  his  education,  clerked  in  a  dry  goods 
store.  He  then  engaged  in  the  mining  and  shi]ii)ing 
of  coal,  which  he  continued  until  1S79,  when  he  came 
to  Erie  as  treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the 
Stearns  Manufacturing  Company.  He  continued  with, 
and  was  largely  responsible  for  the  success  of  this 
concern  until  1890,  when  he  accepted  a  position  with 
the  L'nion  Iron  Works,  as  secretary  and  man.iger.  He 
assumed  the  duties  of  his  present  position  .Sejjtember 
1,1895.  Mr.  Barnhurst  was  married  June  3,  1869,  to 
Miss  Emily,  daughter  of  Mr.  I.  N.  Gregory,  of  Phila- 
delphi.  This  haiijiy  union  has  been  blessed  with  two 
children:  Eftie  (who  married  Gustav  Kaemmerling,  of 
the  United  States  navv),  and  Harry,  who  is  draughts- 
man in  the  office  of  the  Union  Iron  Works.  Mr. 
Barnhurst  and  family  are  members  of  St.  Paul's 
Eijiscopal  Church,  and  he  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason. 
In  politics  Mr.  Barnhurst  is  a  thorough  and  stanch 
Democrat,  anil  from  1889  to  1891  he  served  his  adopted 
city  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Fire  Commissioners. 
This  sketch  would  not  be  complete  without  stating 
that  Mr.  Barnhurst  is  one  of  the  finest  bass  singers  in 
the  State.  He  has  sung  in  nearly  all  the  choirs  of  the 
city,  and  no  musical  program,  made  up  of  local  talent, 
is  considered  complete  without  his  name. 

Elijah  Babbitt  (  deceased  ),  attorney  at  law  and 
member  nf  Congress,  was  born  in  Providence,  R.  1., 
July  29,  1795;  his  father  was  a  mariner,  and  during 
many  years  served  as  captain  in  commerce  between 
New  England  and  the  West  Indies,  and  later  as  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Continental  army  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  Some  time  after  its  close  he  moved  to 
the  .State  of  New  York  with  his  family,  and  there  died, 
leaving  his  son,  Elijah,  in  his  nfinority.  After  the  de- 
cease of  his  father.  Elijah  went  to  reside  in  Northum- 
berland county,  Pennsylvania.  Having  acquire<l  an 
academic  education,  he  studied  law  in  the  olhce  of 
.Samuel  Hepburn,  Esq.,  a  leading  attorney  in  the  cen- 
tral portion  of  the  State;  was  admitted  in  March,  1824, 
to  the  bar  in  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  commenced  practice.  In  due  time  he  obtained  a 
fair  business.  But  thinking  Erie  offered  inducements 
more  in  affinity  with  his  aspiring  ambition,  Mr.  Bab- 
bitt removed  there  with  a  well-selected  law  library. 
By  the  aid  of  a  spring  wagon  and  team  of  horses,  the 
journey  of  230  miles,  over  rough  and  mountainous 
roads,  was  accomplished  in  nine  cold  days.    That  was 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


6oi 


before  the  advent  of  railroads.  The  same  journey  may 
now  be  accomplished  in  nine  hours  over  the  Philadel- 
phia and  Erie  R.  R.  Mr.  Babbitt  arrived  at  Erie  Jan- 
uary 26,  1826.  He  soon  rented  a  suitable  ofifice  on  the 
west  side  of  French  street  (then  the  principal  business 
street),  near  the  corner  of  Fourth  street,  put  his  library 
on  the  shelves  and  hung  out  his  law  sign.  Erie  was 
then  a  town  of  about  9<j0  inhabitants.  Mr.  Babbitt  was 
admitted  as  an  attorney  at  the  first  court  held  in  Erie 
after  his  arrival,  and  at  each  court  next  held  in  the 
Sixth  judicial  district,  composed  of  the  counties  of 
Erie,  Warren,  Crawford,  \enango  and  Mercer,  and  in 
due  time  raised  himself  to  the  position  of  one  of  its 
leading  attorneys.  On  November  28,  1827,  he  was 
married  to  Caroline  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Kelso 
(deceased),  one  of  Erie  county's  pioneer  settlers.  Mr. 
Babbitt  was  for  many  years  a  trustee  of  the  Erie 
Academy;  also  an  attorney  for  the  borough,  and  later 
for  the  city  of  Erie,  and  drew  its  charter  of  advance- 
ment from  a  borough  to  a  city.  In  1834  and  1835  he 
was  prosecuting  attorney  for  the  commonwealth;  he 
was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  in 
18;i5  and  1836,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Sen- 
ate for  a  term  of  three  years  in  184;^,  and  while  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  these  offices  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  effecting  and  hastening  the  completion  of 
the  state  canal  to  the  harbor  of  Erie.  In  1858,  the 
friends  of  Mr.  Babbitt  nominated  him  for  Representa- 
tive in  Congress  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Congressional  dis- 
trict, composed  of  the  counties  of  Erie  and  Crawford. 
After  an  ardent  contest  with  an  able  and  popular  op- 
ponent, he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  over  1,.500 
votes.  In  1860,  he  was,  after  a  like  contest,  re-elected 
to  the  same  office  by  a  majority  of  about  2,500.  Our 
subject  was  among  the  first  (after  the  slaveholders  had 
inaugurated  their  war  for  the  destruction  of  the  Union) 
to  advocate  on  the  floor  of  the  House  the  immediate 
emancipation  of  slaves,  and  their  employment  as  sol- 
diers in  the  army  of  the  United  States.  His  Congres- 
sional record  shows  him  to  have  been  a  strict  econo- 
mist in  all  things,  except  in  those  designed  for  the 
speedy  suppression  of  the  great  Rebellion,  all  of  which 
found  in  him  a  liberal  and  constant  supjjorter.  He 
survived  every  attorney,  judge,  law  officer,  physician 
and  clergyman  who  were  living  in  Erie  when  he  ar- 
rived there.  In  1828  Mr.  Babbitt  aided  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  parish  of  St.  Paul's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  Erie.  It  was  the  first  organization  (with  one 
exception)  of  a  church  of  that  faith  in  Northwestern 
Pennsylvania.  It  gathered  about  half  a  dozen  mem- 
bers, and  a  few  others  who  desired  to  become  such. 
He  was  through  life  among  its  constant  supporters. 
In  1849  and  1850  Mr.  Babbitt  joined  with  others  in  ad- 
vancing money  to  secure  for  burial  purposes  seventy- 
five  acres  of  beautiful  forest  land  adjoining  this  city, 
on  which  the  Erie  cemetery  is  located,  and  in  procur- 
ing the  charter  which  dedicates  it  forever  to  the  pur- 
pose for  which  it  was  purchased,  without  distinction 
of  religion,  class  or  color.  Having  lived  for  almost 
sixty  years  on  the  same  spot  upon  which  he  had  com- 
menced housekeeping,  and  been  for  sixty-one  years  a 
member  of  the  Erie  bar,  of  which  he  had  long  been  the 
nestor,  m  January,  1887,  and  in  his  92d  year,  he  quietly 
sank  to  rest.  His  fine  intellect  survived  to  the  last.  He 
was  buried  from  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church  (of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  founders!  in  the  Erie  cemetery,  which 
he  aided  in  instituting,  and  of  which  he  was  an  active 
corporator  till  his  death. 


Hon.  George  H.  Cutler  (deceased).  The  Cutler 
family  is  of  English  origin.  New  England  stock,  and 
noted  for  its  longevity.  Thomas  Cutler,  grandfather 
of  George  H.,  born  in  .Massachusetts  in  1736,  a  soldier 
in  the  French  war,  died  in  18;{.5.  George  H.  Cutler  was 
born  in  Guilford,  \'t.,  in  18IJ9,  and  is  a  son  of  Nahum 
and  Martha  (Robbins)  Cutler,  both  deceased,  natives 
of  Windham  county,  \'ermont,  and  Hartford,  Conn., 
respectively.  He  received  a  common  school  education, 
having  a  private  tutor  for  the  higher  branches.  He 
read  law  with  Hon.  Judge  Ross,  of  Cortland,  N.  V'.  In 
1835  he  located  in  Girard,  Erie  county;  two  years  later 
entered  the  office  of  Judge  Galbraith,  of  Erie,  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840.  He  was  the  oldest  prac- 
titioner in  Erie  county.  Mr.  Cutler  was  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  Congress  in  1852.  In  1872  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  was  chosen  speaker  in 
May,  1874,  and  president  pro  tern,  in  January,  1875. 
He  was  the  last  speaker  under  the  old  and  the  first 
president  pro  tern,  under  the  new  constitution,  ]>resid- 
ing  in  the  absence  of  the  lieutenant  governor.  Mr. 
Cutler  married,  in  Cayuga  county.  New  York,  in  18.'{0, 
Louisa  Stewart,  a  native  of  Cambridge,  N.  V.  Six 
children  (two  deceased)  blessed  this  union — .Marcus 
N.;  George  A.,  who  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  bar 
at  Leland,  Mich.;  Mary,  wife  of  Irvin  P.  Hinds,  of 
Hinsdale,  III.,  and  Louisa.  Mr.  Cutler  died  in  Erie  in 
1872,  being  then  the  oldest  surviving  member  of  the 
Erie  bar.  His  son,  M.  N.,  whose  long  service  in  the 
State  department  at  Harrisburg  and  afterward  in  the 
register's  office  and  abstract  office  in  Erie,  had  made 
his  capabilities  so  manifest,  died  in  Erie  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1894. 

William  Brewster,  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.  Company  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Erie,  November  20,  1828.  He  is  a 
son  of  the  late  Alexander  W.  and  Susan  M.  (Jones) 
Brewster,  the  former  a  native  of  .\llegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  of  Irish  descent,  the  latter  a  native 
of  Connecticut  and  of  Welsh  extraction.  Mr.  W. 
Brewster's  grandfather,  Bradford  Steele,  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Patriot  army  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Alexander  W.  Brewster  was  born  in  1795,  an<1  came 
with  his  father's  family  to  Erie  county  in  1806.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Eric,  and  finally 
became  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  that  city,  and 
later  in  life  was  for  some  years  engaged  in  business  as 
a  manufacturer  of  woolen  goods.  He  was  a  valuable 
citizen  and  served  efficiently  in  numerous  official 
capacities,  among  them  that  of  sheriff,  and  was  the 
last  person  to  hold  the  office  of  burgess  of  Erie.  He 
was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Erie  cemetery,  and 
his  own  was  the  first  interment  in  that  cemetery.  He 
died  .May  26, 1851;  his  wife  survived  until  March,  187ti. 
Of  their  family  four  children  survive:  Mrs.  L.  M.  Little, 
of  Erie;  Mrs.  Frank  Milligan,  of  Chicago,  and  Ches- 
ter A.  and  William  Brewster,  of  Erie.  William  Brew- 
ster was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  Erie 
Academy,  graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in 
1835.  His  first  business  association  was  as  clerk  in 
Canal  Collector  Colt's  office,  where  he  was  employed 
for  two  years.  He  was  then  engage*!  as  one  of  the 
engineering  corps  in  the  laying  out  and  construction 
of  the  Erie  and  the  North  East  R.  R.,  continuing  in 
that  service  until  the  completion  of  the  road,  January 
10, 1852.  For  the  following  six  years  he  was  paying 
teller  and  bookkeeper  in  W.  C.  Curry's  bank  at  Erie. 


6o2 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


From  1858  to  1861,  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  whole- 
sale fjrocery  firm  of  Gray  &  Farrar.  He  was  then  for  two 
years  clerk  under  John  W.  Douiflass,  collector  of  in- 
ternal revenue  at  Krie,  leavint;  this  to  re-enter  the 
banking  business  with  the  Second  National  Bank,  suc- 
cessor to  the  priviite  banking  business  of  W .  C.  Curry. 
In  September,  1801),  he  severed  his  connection  with  the 
bank  to  go  to  Iowa  as  cashier  and  bookkeeper  for  the 
late  William  L.  Scott  and  J.  iV  J.  Ca-ey,  who  had  large 
contracts  for  the  extension  of  the  Chicago  and  Rock 
Island  R.  R.  to  Council  Bluffs.  Returning  to  Krie  on 
account  of  ill-health.  Mr.  Brewster  was,  during  lMli8, 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Krie  Water  Works,  and 
was  thereafter  in  the  em])loy  of  William  L.  Scott  as 
confidential  clerk  and  cashier  until  Mr.  Scott's  de- 
cease, since  which  time  he  has  occupied  the  same  re- 
lationship to  Mr.  Scott's  estate.  On  August  1,  1870, 
Mr.  Brewester  was  made  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Krie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.  Company,  which  he  still 
holds.  He  was  married  October  10,  1871,  to  Mary, 
daughter  of  the  late  Richard  .Swan,  of  Kairview  town- 
ship. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brewster  reside  at  156  Kast  Fifth 
street  (where  Mr.  Brewster  was  born),  and  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Park  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  Colton  Family. — Kli  Colton  was  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Krie  county.  He  lived  a  long  life 
and  left  a  large  family.  He  came  from  Granby, 
Conn.,  to  Elk  Creek  township  in  1798.  Then  his 
nearest  neighbor  was  three  miles  distant.  During  the 
first  winter  he  lived  alone  in  a  cabin  or  shanty.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Deitz,  who  was  of  German  descent, 
and  came  from  Maryland.  They  had  fifteen  children, 
nearly  all  of  whom  lived  to  the  meridian  or  advanced 
years  of  life.  The  influence  of  the  family  was  ex- 
tended. Among  them  were  Eli,  who  lived  to  advanced 
years  in  Elk  Creek  township,  and  Fidelia,  who  married 
Ebenezer  Matthews,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Elk 
Creek  township.  Their  son  Henry  resides  in  Krie, 
and  another  son,  Mark  U.,  is  in  Klk  Creek.  Of  the 
original  family,  George  W.,  the  eleventh  child,  was 
born  in  Klk  Creek  December^,  1819.  He  was  reared  on 
the  farm,  received  a  good  Knglish  education,  and  fol- 
lowed farming  until  nearly  30  years  old.  He  spent  some 
time  in  the  West,  l)ut  returned  to  Klk  Creek  township. 
He  was  appointed  clerk  to  the  county  commissioners, 
came  to  Krie  in  1853,  and  served  as  such  until  1863, 
when  he  was  elected  ])rolhonotary  of  Krie  county. 
After  serving  three  years  he  went  to  Washington  and 
served  as  a  clerk  in  the  House  of  Representatives  un- 
til 1868.  He  then  became  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Dime  Bank,  which  he  helped  organize.  He  con- 
tinued this  service  until  about  1876,  when  he  entered 
the  State  treasurer's  office  at  Harrisburg,  from  which, 
in  1878,  he  was  transferred  to  the  office  of  secretary  of 
the  commonwealth,  where  he  remained  until  1883. 
He  was  then  aj)]>ointed  government  su]ierintendent  of 
construction  of  the  United  .States  public  buildings  at 
Krie,  and  so  continued  until  1885,  and  retired  with 
Arthur's  admini.stration.  Mr.  Colton  was  married  in 
1852  to  Mrs.  Adelia  Benedict.  She  died  February  8, 
1878.  In  December,  1889,  Mr.  Colton  married  Mrs. 
Mary  Hoster,  who  died  in  July,  1894.  Since  then  Mr. 
Colton  resides  with  friends  in  the  old  family  home,  on 
West  Fourth  street,  in  Erie. 

Robert  Cochrati  (deceased),  son  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Lattimore)  Cochran,  was  born  at  Milton,  North- 


umberland county,  Pa.,  August  10,  1798,  and  removed 
with  his  father's  family  to  Krie,  in  1809,  and  lived  the 
gri'ater  part  oi  his  life  in  Erie  and  its  innnediate  vi- 
cinity. In  his  youth  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in 
the  land  office  of  the  .State,  when  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment was  at  Lancaster,  and,  on  its  removal  to  Harris- 
burg, he  continued  in  that  position,  his  father  being 
the  head  of  that  office  under  the  administration  of 
Governor  .Snyder.  He  was  thus  early  in  life  brought 
in  contact  with  the  leading  men  of  the  .State,  and  in 
after  life  received  from  them  proofs  of  their  appri'- 
ciation  (it  his  capacity  and  lidelity  in  public  ])osition, 
by  having  conferred  on  him  im|iortant  posts  of  honor 
and  ijrotit.  He  was  postma.ster  at  I'.rie  twelve  years, 
being  ap]iointed  through  the  friendshi|)  and  infiuence 
of  President  Buchanan,  who,  living  in  the  same  city 
with  him  in  his  y(juth,  was  an  early  observer  of  his  fit- 
ness for  public  position.  Mr.  Cocliran  was  a  man  of 
decided  and  honest  character,  and  never  encountered 
meanness  and  dishonesty  without  denouncing  them  in 
terms  consistent  with  his  own  honorable  impulses;  he 
was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  clearness  of  mind 
an<l  business  capacity,  and  in  the  various  jiositions  held 
by  him  the  postoffice  at  F3rie,  and  the  several  local 
offices  of  his  neighborhood— he  always  proved  himself 
a  ca|)able  and  accommodating  officer.  He  married 
Eliza  Justice,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  Octolier  '20, 182'2, 
and  had  nine  children:  Sarah  and  Rebecca,  twins; 
Mary,  Matilda,  Martha,  Eliza,  John,  Harriet  and  Hen- 
rietta; of  these  liliza  and  Matilda  are  now  deceased. 
Rebecca  married  Dr.  A.  Thayer,  and  had  three  chil- 
dren: I'rank,  Hattie  and  Jessie  (deceased).  Martha 
married  Edwin  Willis  (deceased);  has  two  chililren: 
John  C.  and  Edwin  B.,  who  married  Miss  Minnie  Wel- 
den,  of  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  and  has  two  children: 
Jessie  Thayer  and  Vera.  Mrs.  Cochran  died  .Ajiril  19, 
1863,  and  he  died  December  9,  1869.  The  Hon.  John 
Cochran  was  associate  judge  of  Krie  county,  and  built 
and  operated  some  of  the  first  mills  erected  in  the 
county;  he  had,  besides  Robert,  one  other  son,  George 
Cochran,  who  was  born  February  4,  1792,  and  died  on 
the  Krie  homestead  when  about  36  years  of  age. 

Alvin  Thayer,  M.  D.,  physician  and  surgeon, 
Erie,  Pa.,  office  and  residence  204  West  Twenty-sixth 
street,  was  born  in  Krie  October  1,  1824,  and  is  a  son 
of  Albert  and  Almira  (Glazier)  Thayer,  the  former 
born  at  Bellows  Falls,  \'t.,  in  1791,  and  the  latter  in 
\'ermont  in  1SU7.  Albert  Thayer  received  a  common 
.school  education  in  his  native  place,  and  studied  med- 
icine under  his  father  and  grandfather,  who  were  both 
prominent  physicians.  He  came  to  Krie  in  1812,  and 
took  up  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession.  He  was 
elected  sheriff  in  1824,  serving  three  years,  when  he 
again  took  up  the  [iractice  of  mediciue  and  followed  it 
until  his  death,  September  25,  1848.  His  wife  depart- 
ed this  life  March  9,  1868.  To  them  were  born  six 
children:  Plarry,  who  became  a  physician  and  prac- 
ticed with  his  brother  Albert,  in  Krie;  Albert  (father  of 
Alvin  Thayer);  Zeph,  a  physician,  practiced  in  Girard, 
Krie  county,  until  his  death;  Alvin,  also  a  physician, 
practiced  at  Girard;  John  was  educated  for  a  ])hysi- 
cian,  but  locating  in  Crawford  county,  followed  farm- 
ing until  his  death,  and  one  daughter.  Dr.  Alvin 
Thayer,  F>ie's  oldest  and  best  known  [)hysician,  re- 
ceived a  good  common  school  education  and  studied 
medicine  for  six  years  under  his  father.  He  attended 
lectures  at  New  Orleans,  and  in  1840  began  the  prac- 


AND  EISTORIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUyTr. 


603 


tice  of  his  chosen  profession,  which  he  has  since  followed 
with  marked  success.  He  was  married  June  5,  18.52, 
to  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  Coch- 
ran. Their  children  are:  Frank,  studying  medicine 
with  his  father;  Hattie,  and  Jessie  (deceased),  wife  of 
William  Rix.  Dr.  Thayer  can  trace  his  family  gene- 
alogy back  to  1.540.  In  Scotland  one  of  his  ancestors 
was  physician  to  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots;  several  were 
generals  in  the  .-Xmerican  army,  and  many  of  the  fam- 
ily connections  are  professional  men  holding  eminent 
positions.  The  doctor  has  occujiied  the  position  on 
the  L.  S.  &  iM.  S.  R.  R.  ten  years;  was  acting  surgeon 
of  the  14.5th  Reg.,  P.  V.  I.,  and  volunteered  as  an  inde- 
pendent at  the  battle  of  Antietam.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  State  Medical  Society,  of  the  United  States 
Association.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

The  Crane  Family.— In  1797  Abiather  Crane,  a 

young  surveyor  from  Connecticut,  came  to  Conneaut 
township.  The  next  year  he  and  his  brother,  Elihu, 
located  near  the  present  site  of  Lexington.  Both 
brothers  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  In 
the  sjjring  of  1790,  Elihu  Crane  removed  to  Elk  Creek 
and  located,  where  a  large  connection  of  the  name 
still  have  their  homes.  They  and  the  Pomroys  are  in- 
termarried. In  1809,  Abiather  Crane  and  his  wife, 
Ruth  (McClelland)  Crane,  removed  to  Mill  Creek 
township  and  purchased  a  number  of  outlots  between 
Fifth  and  Tenth  streets,  and  prt)perty  on  Ninth  street, 
in  Erie.  This  property  is  now  valuable,  and  included 
in  the  city  of  Erie.  Mr.  Crane  resided  with  his  family 
on  East  Sixth  street.  There  he  cleared  and  cultivated 
a  number  of  acres  of  land,  and  also  made  brick.  He 
had  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  reached  their  major- 
ity. He  died  in  August,  1826,  leaving  a  large  family, 
and  some  unsettled  business,  which  caused  much  well- 
located  land  to  be  sacrificed  in  the  settlement  of  his 
estate.  He  had  six  sons  and  six  daughters:  Abiather, 
who  married  Margaret  Ewing,  settled  on  his  father's 
estate,  and  died  about  twenty  years  ago,  leaving  one 
son  (Get>rge  \V.,  who  is  in  business  in  Erie);  Amos  B., 
who  died  about  18.52,  unmarried;  Henry  H.,  who  died 
unmarried  in  1874.  He  also  resided  on  his  father's 
estate;  James  M.,  married  Miss  Priscilla  Roberts  and 
died  in  18.52,  leaving  a  family,  among  whom  are  Mrs. 
A.  H.  Williams  and  Mrs.  Williams,  wife  of  Joseph  H. 
Williams,  president  of  the  Erie  School  Board;  Mr. 
Joseph  M.  Crane  also  resides  on  the  estate;  Orville, 
who  married  Miss  Eliza  Arkenburg,  a  native  of  New 
York  State,  had  his  home  on  the  estate  until  his  death, 
September  5,  1858.  He  left  five  children.  His  son, 
Charles,  who  served  in  the  war,  and  died  in  1863;  Joseph 
P.,  and  Frank  M.,  being  active  and  influential  citizens  of 
Erie,  and  Mary  and  Martha,  all  of  whom  reside  on  the 
old  estate;  and  William  A.,  the  only  surviving  one  of 
Abiather's  children,  resides  in  Nlichigan.  Of  the 
daughters,  Eliza  married  James  Love,  a  farmer  of 
Mill  Creek,  and  died  in  1848,  leaving  two  children; 
William  W.,  who  became  one  of  the  most  influential 
and  wealthy  citizens  of  Mill  Creek,  and  died  in  1893; 
Eliza  M.,  wife  of  Henry  Caughey,  of  Mill  Creek,  who 
survives;  Olivia,  who  died  in  1867,  unmarried,  and 
Clavinda,  who  died  in  1888,  unmarried;  Mrs.  Harriet 
Chancellor,  wife  of  Robert  Chancellor,  died  about 
fifteen  years  since;  Mrs.  Orvaline,  wife  of  Capt.  John 
H.  Millar,  who  died  in  18t)4,  also  a  resident  upon  the 
estate,  left  children;  Eliza  C,  Mrs.  Elsey,  John,  Will- 


iam,  and  Evaline,  wife  of  George  Hope,  who  died 

many  years  since,  and  also  had  a  home  on  the  estate. 
He  left  three  children,  of  whom  George  was  killed 
before  Atlanta,  under  Sherman.  The  fact  of  twelve 
sightly  and  desirable  places  of  residence  having  been 
made  from  the  residence  of  the  estate  of  Abiather 
Crane,  indicated  the  care  with  which  his  location  was 
made,  and  his  foresightedness  as  to  values.  That  an 
important  part  of  the  estate  is  still  in  the  possession  of 
the  descendants  <if  the  original  purchaser,  and  that  it 
has  so  remained  for  nearly  a  century,  indicates  a 
tenacity  of  purpose  on  the  part  of  his  descendants  in 
keeping  with  the  enterprise  of  their  ancestor,  who, 
almost  a  century  ago,  made  his  finst  location  in  the 
wilds  of  Conneaut  township,  and  afterwards  in  what 
has  become  part  of  Erie  city.  Col.  Abiather  Crane 
was  one  of  the  first  Board  of  County  Commissioners 
of  Erie  county,  and  with  the  first  judge,  John  Vincent, 
as  one  of  his  colleagues.  They  purchased  the  county 
propertv  upon  which  the  court  house  and  jail  now 
stand.  He  was  an  enterprising  man.  His  service  in 
the  Revolution  was  followed  by  service  in  the  military 
establishment  of  Connecticut.  He  was  afterwards  a 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Erie  county,  and  colonel  of  the 
17th  Reg.  of  Pa.  Militia.  His  commission  as  a  military 
officer,  both  in  Connecticut  and  Pennsylvania,  are  in 
the  possession  of  his  descendants.  Mr.  Crane  died 
in  1852. 

Hon.  Joseph  McCarter,  president  of  the  Second 
National  Bank  of  Erie,  was  born  in  F'ranklin  county. 
New  York,  March  20,  1829,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Isabella  McCarter,  natives  of  New  York,  and  of  Irish 
descent.  At  tbe  age  of  ten  years  he  began  clerking  in 
a  store  in  Erie,  which  he  followed  until  18.52;  when  he 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  which  he  conducted 
with  success  for  eight  years.  In  1860  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  >ir.  W.  J.  F.  Liddell  in  what  is  now 
the  Erie  City  Iron  Works,  which  was  sold  to  Messrs. 
Selden  &  Bliss  in  1865.  In  the  same  year  he  built  the 
Erie  Car  Works,  which  were  very  successfully  operated 
for  two  years,  and  then  sold  to  the  Erie  &:  Pittsburg 
Railroad  Company.  Associated  with  Henry  C.  Shan- 
non, Orange  Noble  and  Wm.  S.  Brown,  he,  in  1867, 
erected  the  Erie  City  Elevator,  another  institution 
which  has  been  of  great  value  to  the  city,  and  which 
two  years  later  was  purchased  by  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company.  In  1870  he  became  vice-president 
and  general  manager  of  the  Second  National  Bank, 
and  eleven  years  later  was  elected  to  the  presidency. 
In  1873  Mr.  McCarter  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
Stearns  Manufacturing  Company,  assuming  its  general 
management  until  1881,  at  the  latter  date  disposing  of 
his  interest  therein  and  since  that  time  he  has  devoted 
his  time  to  the  banking  interests.  Both  before  and 
since  his  identification  with  the  bank,  Mr.  McCarter's 
business  methods,  an<l  the  dispatch  and  success  with 
which  he  manipulates  extensive  and  intricate  trans- 
actions, have  been  of  a  character  to  mark  him  as 
belonging  to  the  front  rank  of  financiers.  He  was 
married  April  16,  1857,  to  Miss  Eliza  J.  Moorhead,  by 
whom  he  has  two  children,  Cora,  wife  of  Lieut.  John 
M.  Bowver  of  the  I'nited  States  navy,  and  William  J., 
secretary  of  the  Colby  Piano  Company.  In  politics 
Mr.  McCarter  identifies  himself  with  the  Democratic 
partv,  and  although  not  an  aspirant  for  political  posi- 
tion, has  served  his  city  acceptably  as  a  member  of  its 
councils  and  as  mayor  in  1881-82.     With  the  best  in- 


6o4 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


terests  of  the  community  always  at  heart,  and  with  a 
keen  insight  of  financial  affairs,  no  better  authority 
can  be  had  upon  the  great  questions  which  affect  the 
commercial  interests  of  the  country. 

The  Teel  Family.— John  Tkel,  first,  was  a 
native  of  Connecticut.  He  was  the  progenitor  of  all 
of  that  name  in  Erie.  Mr.  Teel  came  to  Erie  among 
the  first  settlers  and  died  there  early  in  the  century,  at 
the  age  of  97.  His  son,  John  Teel,  the  second,  was 
born  near  Hartford,  Conn.,  March  31,  1779,  came  to 
Erie  in  179tj,  and  located  about  the  year  1798  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  Ninth  and  Peach  streets,  where 
he  built  a  commodious  house,  which  continued  to  be 
be  liis  home  for  life.  It  is  still  occupied  by  members 
of  the  family.  He  married  Esther,  sister  of  George 
and  John  Moore,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  noted  man 
in  Erie,  having  been  a  member  of  the  Assembly  of 
Pennsylvania  and  filled  other  positions.  He  removed 
to  Illinois  about  the  year  1836,  where  he  died.  Mr. 
Teel  served  awhile  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  owned 
considerable  property,  embracing  the  entire  front  on 
Peach  between  Ninth  .ind  Tenth  streets,  and  several 
well-located  outlots.  He  had  a  large  family,  among 
whom  were  John  Teel,  third  (who  died  two  or  tliree 
years  since);  Alexander  Teel  (deceased);  Mrs.  J.  W. 
Bates,  recently  deceased;  Mrs.  Peter  J.  Breece;  Mrs. 
Perry  Oliver;  Ann,  who  died  unmarried  in  18138; 
Norman,  who  resides  in  McKeen  town.ship,  and  Silas 
E.,  who  married  Miss  Julia  Uavison,  and  for  some 
years  was  in  the  office  of  collector  of  tolls  for  the  Erie 
canal,  and  died  about  thirty  years  since.  Of  Silas's 
children  were:  Silas  E.,  jr.  (deceased);  Emma,  wife  of 
Benjamin  Whitman,  and  J-Csther,  who  married  H.  H. 
Whitacre,  of  Wellsville,  O.  Mrs.  Esther  (Moore) 
Teel  died  many  years  since.  John  Teel,  second,  die<l 
April  21,  187'2,  aged  93  years,  having  spent  a 
serene  old  age  in  the  midst  of  a  community  among 
whom  he  had  resided  76  years,  during  which  time  he 
gained  a  reputation  for  honesty  and  integrity,  and 
became  well  known  as  a  skillful  and  successful 
builder.  The  widows  of  John  Teel,  third,  and  of  Silas 
E.  Teel  still  reside  in  Erie. 

Edward  Cranch,  physician  and  surgeon,  office 
and  residence  l(j9  West  Ninth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  whose 
earliest  known  ance.stor  was  Richard  Cranch,  known 
as  a  rigid  Puritan  and  lived  at  Dartmouth,  county  De- 
von, England,  about  1610.  He  was  a  woolen  manufac- 
turer, as  was  his  .son  .\ndrew  and  his  grandson  John.  His 
great-gran<lson,  Richard  Cranch,  came  to  America  in 
1746,  locating  in  -Salem,  Mass.,  as  a  watchmaker,  later 
becoming  postma.ster,  judge  and  colonial  senator.  He 
was  born  tn  Kingsbridge,  county  Devon,  England, 
October  26,  1726.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Wm.  Smith.  This  union  was  blessed  with  one 
son,  William, born  in  Weymouth,  Mass.,  July  17,  1769. 
This  son  was  educated  to  the  law  in  the  office  of 
Thomas  Dawes,  of  Bo.ston,  and  went  to  Washington, 
D.  C,  in  1794.  He  was  appointed  associate  justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  by  his 
uncle.  President  John  Adams,  served  five  years,  and 
at  the  unanimous  request  of  the  Washington  bar,  was 
made  chief  justice  of  the  .same  court  by  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson, which  office  he  held  until  his  death,  September 
1,  18S5.  He  married  Nancy,  daughter  of  William 
Grcenleaf,  of  Boston,  who  was  sheriff  of  Boston  during 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  who  first  read  the  Declara- 


tion of  Independence  in  that  city.  To  this  union  were 
born  thirteen  children,  the  seventh  of  whom  was  John, 
born  February  2,  1807,  at  Washington,  D.  C.  He  was 
educated  in  Columbian  University,  1).  C,  gnuluating 
in  1826,  in  the  third  class  graduated  from  that  institu- 
tion. He  then  went  abroad  and  studied  art  in  Paris, 
Rome  and  '  Florence  for  four  years;  returning, 
he  located  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  resided 
and  followed  his  vocation  for  eleven  year.s.  He 
painted  ])otraits  of  many  celebrated  men  of  his  time. 
He  married  April  15,'  184.5,  Charlotte,  daughter  of 
Charles  H.  Apjjleton,  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  removed 
to  Boston,  where  three  children  were  born,  Hannah, 
who  married  Thomas  F.  Moses,  president  of  the 
Urbanna  University,  Urbana,  Ohio;  Richard,  died  in 
infancy,  and  John,  died  in  infancy.  The  family  moved 
to  New  York  city,  where  he  became  a  member  of  the 
National  Academy  of  Design,  with  his  studio  in 
the  Old  University  Building.  Here  F.dward  Cranch 
was  born  October  16,  1851.  Three  years  later  the 
family  removed  to  Washington,  D.  C.  The  father 
died  lanuary  6,  1891,  in  Urbana,  Ohio,  where  the 
mother  now  resides.  The  well-known  poet  and  artist, 
Christopher  P.  Cranch,  was  an  uncle  of  the  doctor's, 
and  died  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  in  1893.  Dr.  Cranch 
studied  for  two  years,  1866-68,  with  his  brother-in-law. 
Dr.  T.  F.  Moses,  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  and  later 
received  a  classical  education  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
graduating  from  Columbian  University  in  1871,  at  the 
head  of  his  class  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.,  and  from 
the  medical  de])artment  of  the  Georgetown  Univer- 
sity in  1873,  taking  first  honors  as  valedictorian;  he 
was  also  a  regular  graduate  of  the  New  York  Homie- 
jiathic  College  in  1875.  The  doctor,  commencing  the 
study  of  medicine  in  1871,  the  same  year  enlisted  in 
the  United  States  army,  and  was  at  once  appointed 
hospital  steward,  serving  in  the  surgeon-general's 
office  three  years;  he  was  then  for  one  year  deputy 
superintendent  and  resident  physician  in  the  New 
York  Houuepathic  Surgical  Hospital,  now  known  as 
the  Halmemann  Hosjiitai.  In  that  city  he  [)racticed 
till  1875,  when  he  came  to  Erie,  wher<'  he  has  since 
resided.  In  1875,  Dr.  Cranch  was  nuirried  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  to  Rouette  F.,  daughter  of  Prof.  J.  W. 
Hunt,  of  that  city.  She  was  born  near  Boston, 
Mass.,  and  is  of  English  descent.  By  this  union 
are  seven  children:  Charles  E.,  .Arthur  G.,  Ravmond 
G.,  Walter  A.,  Eliot  G.,  Edith  R.,  and  Eugene  T. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Cranch  are  members  of  the  New 
Church  (Swedenborgian).  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  is  a  member  of  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Homtcopathy.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  board  of  medical  examiners,  appointed 
by  the  governor;  is  a  member  of  the  Erie  County 
Homoeopathic  Medical  Society, and  belongs  to  the  State 
Hoinfeopathic  Medical  Society.  In  September,  1895,  he 
was  elected  on  the  advisory  board  of  Dunham  Medical 
College,  Chicago.  The  doctor  was  one  of  the  orignal 
members  of  the  International  Hahnemannian  .Associa- 
tion and  is  an  honorary  member  of  the  Post  Graduate 
School  of  Philadelphia.  For  years  he  has  made  a  special 
study  of  materia  medica,  and  many  of  his  papers  are 
recorded  in  the  transactions  of  the  various  societies. 
In  a  local  way  he  does  some  work  as  a  lecturer  on 
hygiene  and  physical  culture  in  the  Erie  Business 
University.  Dr.  Cranch  has  attained  distinction  in  his 
school  of  medicine  and  commands  a  fine  professional 
business,  and  is  especially  interested  in  the  expected 


AND  mSTORWAL  REFERENCE  ROOS  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


&)5 


Homeopathic  Hospital  in  Erie.  He  is  examining  sur- 
geon for  the  Commercial  Travelers'  Mutual  Accident 
Association  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  He  and  Mrs.  Cranch  were 
made  members  of  the  Academy  of  the  N'ew  Church 
(Swedenhorgian)  N'uvember  18,1888.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lincoln  Club  of  Erie,  and  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  legislation  of  the  State  Homeopathic  So- 
ciety. Outside  of  his  profession,  the  doctor  has  made 
some  study  of  music,  composing  several  pieces,  and 
writing  occasional  poems.  He  has  also  studied  much 
in  the  sacred  languages;  also  in  chemistry. 

James  Casey,  one  of  Erie's  best  known  and  most 
public-spirited  citizens,  died  at  his  residence,  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  Tenth  and  Chestnut  streets,  June 
3,1886.  He  was  born  in  Buttafin,  Cork  county,  Ireland, 
December  24,  1814,  and  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Jo- 
hanna (  McCarty )  Casey.  His  parents  came  to  America 
in  1821,  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Canada,  where  they 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the  elder  Mr. 
Casey  dying  in  Canada,  and  Mrs.  Casey  in  Erie.  The 
family  consisted  of  six  children:  James,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Patrick,  who  died  in  Erie  in  1892;  Han- 
nah, who  married  Mr.  William  Delaney,  of  Erie,  both 
deceased;  Miss  Ellen  Casey,  who  resides  on  Fourth 
street,  Erie;  Mary,  who  married  Mr.  John  Harvey,  of 
Dunkirk,  X.  V.,  both  of  whem  are  deceased;  and  John, 
who  was  for  a  number  of  years  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  James,  in  the  contracting  business,  and  died 
in  Erie,  December  28,  1879.  .Mr.  James  Casey  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Canada,  and  when 
still  quite  a  young  man,  engaged  in  contracting.  He 
removed  to  Buffalo  in  1835,  and  came  to  Erie  in  1838. 
His  hr.st  important  contract  was  upon  the  excavation 
of  the  W'elland  canal,  which  was  completed  in  1848. 
He  subsequently  contracted  very  extensively  in  the 
con.struction  of  many  of  the  leading  railroads  of  the 
United  States,  notably  the  New  York  and  Erie,  New 
York  and  Buffalo,  State  Line,  Erie  and  Pittsburg, 
Chicago  and  Rock  Island  and  Canada  Southern.  He 
was  universally  successful  in  his  undertakings,  and 
realized  handsome  profits.  He  was  a  shrewd  investor, 
and  despite  his  life-long  and  bountiful  generosity  to 
the  unfortunate  and  afflicted,  became  one  of  Erie's 
wealthiest  men.  He  was  one  of  the  most  extensive 
real  estate  owners  in  the  city,  and  even  yet  it  may  fre- 
quently be  heard  said:  "He  was  the  best  landlord  in 
Erie."  He  always  kept  his  properties  in  good  condi- 
tion, and  his  leniency  with  poor  tenants  was  unparal- 
leled. He  sympathized  with  the  laboring  classes,  and 
commanded  the  love  and  respect  of  the  thousands 
whom  he  employed  during  his  long  business  career. 
Mr.  Casey  was  married  in  Canada,  in  183.5,  to  Miss 
Mary,  daughter  of  .Mr.  Richard  Delaney,  a  native  of 
Ireland.  To  this  union  were  born  eight  children,  five 
of  whom  reached  majority:  Mary,  Mrs.  Richard 
O'Brien,  of  Erie;  Johanna,  Mrs.  Dr.  .M.  C.  Dunigan, 
of  Erie;  James  F.  Casey;  the  late  Very  Rev.  Thomas 
A.  Casey,  and  .Sister  Slary  Inez,  of  the  Sisters  of 
Mercy  convent,  Pittsburg.  Mrs.  Casey  died  May  3, 
1884.  Mr.  Casey  and  family  were  all  devoted  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  Church,  of  which  they  were  gen- 
erous supporters.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
views,  but  never  sought  public  office  or  political  no- 
toriety. 

James  F.  Casey,  capitalist  and  real  estate  dealer, 
Erie,  was  born  in  St.  Catherines,  Canada,  May  10,  1845, 
39 


and  is  a  son  of  the  late  James  Casey,  whose  sketch 
appears  in  this  work.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Erie,  and  for  some  time  engaged  with  his 
father  in  his  contract  work.  Later  the  business  in  Erie 
demanded  all  his  time,  but  he  also  attended  to  the 
financial  part  of  the  contracting  business.  He  acted 
as  secretary  for  his  father  for  nearly  thirty  years. 
Since  the  latter's  death  he  has  given  his  attention  to 
investments,  loans  and  real  estate.  He  is  one  of  the 
most  extensive  real  estate  owners  in  Erie,  and  owns 
considerable  farm  property  in  Erie  county  and  in  the 
West.  He  is  also  interested  in  railroad  and  silver 
mining  stocks.  Mr.  Casey  was  married  September  14, 
1882,  to  -Miss  Joanna,  daughter  of  Mr.  William 
Toomey,  of  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  five  children:  Mary,  Margaret,  Inez, 
James  and  William.  Mr.  Casey  and  family  are  mem- 
bers of  St.  Peter's  Cathedral,  and  he  has  been  for  sev- 
eral years  a  member  of  the  Father  Mathew  Society. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views,  and  served  his 
city  for  four  years  as  a  member  of  the  common  council. 

Very  Rev.  Thomas  A.  Casey,  late  vicar  general 
of  the  diocese  of  Erie,  was  the  son  of  James  and  Mary 
Casey,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ireland,  and  both 
of  whom  died  in  the  city  of  Erie  and  are  now  buried  in 
Trinity  cemetery  in  that  city.  He  was  born  in  St. 
Catherines,  Ontario,  on  the  1st  day  of  January,  1846, 
whither  his  parents  had  gone  from  the  United  States 
pending  the  completion  of  the  contract  held  by  his 
father  for  the  construction  of  a  portion  of  the  Welland 
canal.  His  parents  returned  to  the  United  States  in 
the  year  1850.  Father  Casey  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  the  city  of  Erie,  and  his 
collegiate  education  was  obtained  at  the  Seminary  of 
the  Lady  of  Angeli,  Niagara  Falls,  and  the  Niagara 
L'niversity,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  with 
distinguished  honor  in  18t)8.  He  was  ordained  a  priest 
by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  .Mullen  on  the  21st  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1869.  Immediately  after  his  ordination  he  was 
appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  Catholic  Church  at 
Tidioute,  where  he  remained  until  1869.  In  1870  he 
was  summoned  by  the  bishop  to  act  as  pastor  of  St. 
Patrick's  pro-Cathedral  in  the  city  of  Erie,  and  shortly 
after  accepting  the  duties  of  that  position  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Vicar  General  of  the 
Diocese  of  Erie.  He  occupied  the  position  of  pastor 
of  St.  Patrick's  pro-Cathedral  until  the  consecration  of 
St.  Peter's  Cathedral,  in  .\ugust,  1893,  at  which  time 
he  accompanied  the  Bishop  to  St.  Peter's  Cathedral 
and  acted  as  rector  of  that  congregation  until  the  day 
of  his  death,  February  9,  1894.  On  May  10,  1876, 
Father  Casey,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  Mr.  James 
F.  Casey,  left  Erie  for  an  extended  trip  abroad,  in 
which  they  visited  Liverpool,  London,  Paris,  Florence, 
Piza,  Genoa,  Rome  (where  they  were  given  an  audi- 
ence by  the  Holy  Father),  and  many  other  places  of 
interest.  Upon  the  return  trip  they  made  a  short  tour 
of  Ireland,  and  visited  the  birthplace  of  their  parents. 
In  personal  appearance  Father  Casey  was  a  distin- 
guished leoking  man,  being  slightly  over  six  feet  tall, 
weighing  about  200  jMiunds,  and  having  an  abundance 
of  white,  waving  hair.  He  was  exceedingly  popular 
with  the  clergy  under  his  charge  and  honored  and 
respected  by  all  citizens  with  whom  he  came  in  con- 
tact, irrespective  of  creed.  As  a  pulpit  orator,  he  had 
few  equals,  and  no  superiors  in  Northwestern  Penn- 
sylvania in  profundity  of  thought,  grace  of  diction  and 


6o6 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


dignity  of  appearance.  His  greatest  claim  to  remem- 
brance, however,  lies  in  his  unselfish  generosity  and 
the  liberality  of  his  donations.  Out  of  the  large  for- 
tune left  him  by  his  father,  fully  $200,000  was  given  by 
him  for  charitable  purposes.  His  charity  knew  no 
distinction  either  of  age,  sex  or  creed;  and  the  un- 
feigned sorrow  manifested  at  his  death  by  the  citizens 
of  Erie  is  the  best  tribute  that  could  be  paid  to  the  no- 
bility of  his  life  and  character.  He  made  heavy  dona- 
tions to  the  cathedral  direct,  and  to  St.  Vincent's  Hos- 
pital and  orphan  asylum;  but  the  chief  monument  to 
his  liberality  is  \illa  Maria,  to  the  construction  of 
which  he  contributed  $110,000. 

Richard  O'Brien  was  born  February  2.5th,  1825, 
at  Dromig,  county  Cork,  Ireland,  son  of  Richard  and 
Ellen  (Ambrose)  O'Brien.  He  left  Ireland  in  1847, 
landing  in  Quebec,  Canada.  He  moved  to  Erie,  Pa., 
the  same  year.  Immediately  after  his  arrival  in  Erie 
he  acted  as  school  teacher  in  and  about  the  Four-Mile 
creek  district.  .Subsequently  he  moved  to  the  city  of 
Erie  and  acted  as  clerk  and  bookkeeper  in  the  com- 
mercial and  commission  business  of  the  Erie  harbor 
for  a  period  of  nineteen  years.  When,  in  188(>,  the 
Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.  extended  its  lines  to  the  har- 
bor at  Erie,  he  was  ap|)ointed  the  agent  for  the  com- 
pany, which  position  he  has  since  continued  to  fill 
without  interruption.  -Since  his  arrival  in  Erie  in  1847, 
down  to  the  present  time,  he  has  been  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  the  business  and  commerce  of  the  harbor 
at  Erie  as  employe,  employer,  vessel  owner  and  rail- 
road agent.  He  was  married  in  Philadelphia,  in  1852, 
to  Margaret,  daughter  of  Dennis  McCarty,  who  had 
been  the  companion  of  his  childhood  at  his  home  in 
Ireland,  and  who  immigrated  to  this  country,  arriving 
in  Philadelphia  in  1847.  By  this  union  there  were  born 
four  children:  Catherine  Annie,  now  a  superioress  of 
the  Visitation  Convent  at  Cleorgetown,  D.  C;  Joseph 
P.,  attorney  at  law,  a  resident  of  Erie,  Pa.;  Ellen  Land 
Fannie,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  1885  and  the  lat- 
ter in  1889.  His  first  wife  having  died  in  1858,  .Mr. 
O'Brien,  in  187;S,  married  Mary,  the  eldest  daughter  of 
James  Casey,  of  the  city  of  Erie.  By  this  union  were 
born  two  children — Agnes  and  Mary — both  of  whom 
are  now  attending  school  at  \'isitation  Academy  in 
Georgetown,  D.  C.  Mr.  O'Brien  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  the  city  of  Erie  since  its  in- 
ception, and  has  been  a  iirogressiveand  public-spirited 
citizen,  his  name  being  found  in  every  movement  tend- 
ing towards  the  welfare  of  his  adopted  city. 

Joseph  Patrick  O'Brieti,  city  solicitor,  Erie, 
Pa.,  born  in  Erie,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  March  18,  18K0,  is 
a  son  of  Richard  O'Brien,  whose  personal  history  is 
contained  in  this  volume.  Joseph  P.  O'Brien  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  schools  of  Erie,  and  at  the  university, 
Georgetown,  D.  C,  from  which  latter  institution  he 
was  graduated  in  1880,  and  from  its  law  department  in 
1882.  Returning  to  Erie,  he  continued  the  study  of 
law  with  Messrs.  Allen  &  Rosenweig,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  March,  1888.  He  was  appointed  by 
the  joint  session  of  councils.  May,  1889,  to  the  office  of 
city  solicitor,  of  which  he  is  the  incumbent,  and  the 
duties  of  which  position  he  has  fulfilled  with  signal 
ability.  He  was  married  October  7,  1886,  to  Mary  E., 
daughter  of  the  late  John  Wynne,  whose  family,  sub- 
set)uent  to  his  decease,  removed  from  Lock  Haven, 
Clinton  county,  to  Erie,  Pa.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  O'Brien  are 


members  of  St.  Peter's.  Mr.  O'Brien  is  a  stalwart 
Democrat,  a  politician  in  the  best  sense,  a  fluent  and 
able  S|)eaker,  and  has  rendered  efficient  service  to  his 
party  in  each  political  camiiaign  in  Erie  county  since 
1883. 

James  H.  Delaney,  M.  D.,  specialist,  eye  and 
ear,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  the  city  of  Erie,  and  was 
born  August  30,  1803.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Hannah  (Casey)  Delaney,  both  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  the  family  there  were  twelve  children,  of 
whom  the  Doctor  is  the  seventh.  He  was  educate<i  at 
Notre  Dame,  South  Bend,  Ind.,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  the  class  of  1883.  He  immediately  entered  the 
Bellevue  Hospital,  Xew  York,  and  was  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  188H,  with  tlie  degree  of  M.  D.  He 
came  to  Erie,  where  he  engaged  in  the  general  prac- 
tice of  medicine  until  1890,  when  he  went  to  Europe 
and  took  a  special  course  on  the  treatment  of  the  dis- 
eases of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  aud  throat.  When  he  re- 
turned to  New  York  he  practiced  his  S|)ecialties  one 
year  as  assistant  to  the  celebrated  Dr.  Knapp  of  that 
city.  At  the  same  time  he  took  an  additional  course 
in  his  specialty  in  New  York,  aiKl  graduated  in  1892. 
He  then  came  to  Erie,  where  he  has  since  built  up  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice  in  the  S|)ecialty  for  which 
he  has  so  thoroughly  qualified  himself.  The  Doctor  is 
a  member  of  the  Erie  County  Medical  Society  and  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

Captain  John  B.  Dunlap,  harbor  master  of  the 
port  of  Erie,  was  born  in  Erie,  .'\pril  4,  1834,  and  is  a 
son  of  Capt.  James  and  Mary  (Boyd)  Dunlap.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  McKean  township,  Erie  county, 
and  his  mother  was  Vjorn  at  the  foot  of  the  Cumber- 
land mountains,  in  Maryland.  Mr.  Dunlap  first  set- 
tled in  Erie  county  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Rip- 
ley farm;  Mrs.  Rebecca  Dunlap  settled  on  a  farm  in 
McKean  township,  now  owned  by  Jackson  Koehler. 
James  Dunlap  was  a  carpenter  and  contractor,  the 
firm  name  being  for  many  years  James  and  John  Dun- 
la]).  They  built  many  of  the  earlier  structures  in  Erie, 
including  the  First  Baptist  Church  and  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church.  He  was  engaged  by  Tracy  &  Court- 
right  to  go  to  Dunkirk,  N.  N'.,on  im]>ortant  contracts  in 
the  harbor  long  before  the  New  York  and  Erie  R.  R. 
was  built.  He  was  commissioned  a  captain  of  militia 
by  Governor  Porter  in  1827,  served  the  city  of  P>ie  for 
six  years  as  a  member  of  the  city  council,  and  was 
harbor  master  for  several  years.  He  was  a  trustee  and 
deacon  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  for  many  years. 
The  family  consisted  of  seven  children:  George  (de- 
ceased), Jane  (deceased),  John  B.,  Thomas  J.,  Helen, 
(Mrs.  Jonas  Bowers,  of  Erie),  Frank  (deceased),  and 
Alliene  V.  (deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  C.  H.  Har- 
vey, D.  P.  S.,  of  Erie).  Capt.  John  Dunlap,  son  of 
James  Dunlap,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Erie  and  the  Erie  Academy.  He  also  attended  the 
private  school  of  Miss  Mary  Coover,  who  afterward  be- 
came the  wife  of  Hon.  Michael  C.  Kerr,  ex-Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representatives.  When  a  mere  lad  he 
ran  away  from  home  and  for  some  time  drove  a  team 
on  the  Erie  canal,  later  becoming  captain  of  a  canal 
boat.  In  1848  he  ship])ed  on  the  revenue  cutter  Erie, 
then  commanded  by  Capt.  Daniel  Dobbins.  After  a 
year  the  Erie  went  out  of  commission  and  he  remained 
for  one  year  aboard  its  successor,  the  Ingram.  He  then 
entered  the  merchant  service  with  Captain  Thomas 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


607. 


Perrin,  and  continued  three  years.  He  was  promoted 
to  mate  on  board  the  schooner  Sea  Gull,  owned  by  An- 
drew Scott  and  commanded  by  Cajit.  P.  Murphy, 
and  remained  a  year.  His  father  having,  in  company 
with  Mr.  George  J.  Morton,  purchased  the  schooner 
Armada,  he  acted  as  captain  of  her  until  1861.  He 
was  appointed  acting  ensign  by  Capt.  Carter,  com- 
mander of  the  man-of-war  Michigan,  and  ordered  to 
Cairo,  111.,  where  he  was  examined  and  ordered  to 
New  Albany,  Ind.,  where  he  joined  the  gunboat  Tus- 
cumbia,  of  the  Mississippi  squadron,  whose  part  jn  the 
reduction  of  N'icksburg  and  other  im])ortant  naval 
movements  of  that  war  are  matters  of  hi.story.  After 
returning  from  the  war  he  engaged  in  the  contracting 
and  building  busine.ss  with  his  father,  and  after  the 
the  death  of  the  latter  continued  the  business  alone. 
In  1874  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Mr.  J.  Louis 
Linn,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the  death  of  Mr. 
Linn,  after  which  he  again  became  sole  proprietor  of 
the  l>usiness,  which  he  continued  until  1890,  when  he 
retired  from  active  business  life.  In  that  year  he  was 
made  harbor  master,  the  duties  of  which  position  he 
has  since  faithfully  discharged.  In  1876  Captain  Dvm- 
lap  had  charge  of  the  raising  of  the  famous  flag-ship 
Lawrence,  and  taking  her  to  the  Centennial  at  Phila- 
delphia. The  captain  was  married  April  25,  1854,  to 
Miss  Susan,  daughter  of  Capt.  John  .Sjjires,  of  Erie. 
Of  the  children  who  were  the  issue  of  that  marriage, 
two  survive:  Martha  (Mrs.  George  Crocker),  and  Ida 
(Mrs.  Jackson  Koehler),  both  of  Erie.  Captain  Dun- 
lap  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and 
the  Elks.  In  his  political  views  he  has  always  been  a 
staunch  Democrat. 

Col.  IrviM  Camp,  C.  E.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Truman.sburg,  Tompkins  county,  N'.  Y.,  October  31, 
1812.  He  is  the  only  son  of  Col.  Hermon  Camp  and 
Clu;  Ludium,  the  former  a  successful  merchant  and 
president  of  the  Tompkins  County  t'lrst  National 
Bank  from  its  organization  up  to  the  time  of  his 
decease.  He  was  captain  of  a  cavalry  company  in 
the  war  of  1812.  Col.  Irvin  Camp  completed  his  edu- 
cation at  Geneva  (now  Hobart)  (College,  Geneva.  N. 
Y.,  during  the  summer  of  1831.  His  college  training 
embraced  a  period  of  five  years,  one  year  academic 
and  four  years  collegiate.  On  leaving  college  he 
came  to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  the 
second  principal  of  the  Waterford  .'Vcademy  for  two 
terms  in  1832.  Returning  home  in  the  fall  of  1832,  he 
clerked  in  his  father's  store  for  the  next  four  years.  In 
the  early  spring  of  1836  he  was  sent  by  a  syndicate,  of 
which  his  father  and  self  were  members,  to  locate  and 
purchase  government  lands  in  Ohio,  Indiana  and 
Michigan.  On  returning  from  the  West,  in  Novem- 
ber, he  was  married  to  .Sophia  Judson,  niece  of  Amos 
Judson,  a  merchant  of  Waterford,  Pa.  In  the  early 
spring  of  1837  he  returned  to  Waterford  and  was 
again,  for  one  or  two  terms,  principal  of  the  Water- 
ford .Academy.  In  the  early  spring  of  \&6  he  joined 
at  Warren,  Pa.,  the  engineer  corps  under  charge  of 
Edward  A.  Miller,  for  the  original  survey  of  the  -Sun- 
bury  and  Erie  (now  Philadelphia  and  Erie)  R.  R.;  re- 
turning to  Waterford  late  in  November,  he  taught  one 
term  in  a  common  school  on  the  grounds  of  the 
Waterford  Academy.  In  the  spring  of  1839  he  joined 
the  engineer  corps  under  charge  of  W.  .Milnor 
Roberts,  chief  engineer,  and  Milton  Courtright,  divis- 
ion engineer,  for  the  re-survey  of  the  Conneaut  divis- 


ion of  the  Erie  and  Beaver  Canal,  and  after  its  com- 
pletion was  appointed  assistant  engineer  on  construc- 
tion between  Lock  port  and  the  Walnut  creek  aqueduct, 
with  its  office  at  Girard,  till  suspension  of  work,  by 
reason  of  failure  of  legislative  aiipropriations  for  all  the 
canals  of  the  .State  then  under  construction.  This 
suspension  left  the  contractors  of  public  improve- 
ments in  debt  to  the  laborers,  farmers  and  mechanics 
of  Erie  and  Crawford  counties,  and  the  counties  along 
the  lines  of  the  north  and  west  branch  of  Susquehanna 
canals,  and  was  so  wide-spread  and  distressing  that 
Governor  Porter  felt  called  upon  to  summon  an  extra 
session  of  the  Legislature.  This  resulted  in  his  selec- 
tion to  go  to  Harrisburg  to  [iromote  the  passage  of 
relief  measures,  which  finally  took  the  shape  of  an 
issue  of  scri])  in  the  form  of  bank  bills,  redeemable 
by  the  State  for  tolls  on  all  the  completed  canals  and 
railroads  owned  by  the  State.  He  remained  in  Har- 
risburg some  time  after  the  close  of  the  extra  session, 
to  settle  up  with  the  auditor  and  treasurer  of  the  State 
the  final  estimates  of  all  the  contracts  of  the  Conneaut 
division  of  the  canal,  and  brought  home  with  him  the 
scrip  due  to  each  and  all  of  the  contractors  thereon, 
which  was  gladly  received  by  all  of  their  creditors 
without  a  single  claim  for  discount,  and  thus  great 
pecuniary  distress  was  relieved  throughout  Erie  and 
Crawford  counties,  besides  many  others  in  the  central 
portions  of  the  State.  Some  time  thereafter  he  went 
with  William  G.  Moorhead  &  Co.  as  a  general  assist- 
ant on  a  large  contract  on  the  Wabash  and  Erie  canal, 
below  Lafayette,  Ind.,  who  received  their  pay  in  a 
scrip  similar  to  that  alxive  described,  named  in  that 
State  "  white  dog  "  and  "  blue  pup."  This  brings  our 
biography  up  to  a  period  when  public  works  were 
suspended  in  nearly  all  the  states.  To  bridge  over 
this  period  he  utilized  his  early  experience  as  a  clerk 
in  his  father's  store,  and  formed  a  partnership  with 
Smith  Jackson,  a  then  leading  merchant  of  Erie,  and 
came  to  the  city  as  a  permanent  resident  in  the  fall  of 
1840.  Upon  the  revival  of  works,  a  few  years  there- 
after, he  took  charge  of  the  supervision  and  construc- 
tion of  the  bridges  spanning  the  Delaware  and  Hud- 
.son  canal  and  the  Delaware  river,  above  Port  Jervis, 
on  the  Delaware  division  of  the  New  York  and  Erie 
R.  R.,  after  which  he  took  charge  of  construction  on 
the  Dauphin  and  Susquehanna  R.  R.  for  a  short 
period,  when  he  received  a  call  to  come  home  and 
take  charge  of  the  construction  of  the  railroad  from 
Erie  to  the  State  line,  over  which  he  brought  the  first 
locomotive  engine  that  entered  the  city  of  Erie,  on  the 
first  link  of  railroad  between  Buffalo  and  Chicago,  in 
the  winter  of  1849  .50.  In  the  following  spring  he 
went  to  St.  Louis,  and  there  organized  the  cpiite  nota- 
ble firm  of  Sanger,  Camp  &  Co.,  which  constructed 
and  partially  equip|)ed  150  miles  of  railroad  between 
Vincennes,  on  the  Wabash  river,  and  East  St.  Louis, 
on  the  Mississippi  river;  al.so  a  coal  railroad  between 
East  St.  Louis  and  Belleville,  111.,  about  sixteen  miles 
in  length,  and  another  road  from  East  .St.  Louis  to 
Alton,  III.,  about  twenty-six  miles  m  length,  making,  in 
all,  about  182  miles.  Returning  from  the  West,  in  the 
fall  of  1853,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  formation  of 
the  railroad  firm  of  King,  Brown  &  Co.,  and  closed  a 
contract  with  the  Sunbury  and  Erie  R.  R.  Company 
for  the  construction  of  sixty  miles  of  the  road,  from 
Erie  Harbor  to  Irvinton,  Warren  county.  Pa.,  which 
reached  comjiletion  under  several  financial  embarrass- 
ments during  the  winter  of   1859.    About  the  same 


6o8 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPEIGAL  DICTIONARY 


time  the  firm  of  Thomas  Struthers  &  Co.  had  finished 
the  construction  of  six  miles  of  road  from  Irvinton  to 
Warren,  and  tlie  Colonel  was  one  of  a  larj;e  and  jolly 
jiarty  brimming  the  second  locomotive  over  the  second 
railroad  into  the  city  of  Erie.  Upon  the  completion 
of  their  contract  the  firm  of  King,  Brown  &  Co.  was 
largely  a  debtor  to  all  of  its  subcontractors,  and  the 
Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  Company  was  still  more 
largely  a  debtor  to  King,  Brown  &:  Co.,  and  utterly 
unable  to  pay  its  indebteihu-ss.  This  condition  led  uj) 
to  opening  negotiations  with  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R. 
Company  for  means  to  pay  this  joint  indi-bti-chicss  and 
also  to  provide  for  the  construction  of  12U  miles  of 
railroad  between  Warren  and  Lock  Haven,  thereby 
completing  a  railroad  connection  from  the  harbor  of 
Erie  to  the  seaboard,  by  waters  of  Delaware  river,  at 
the  city  of  Philadelphia.  This  negotiation  dragged 
along  for  twenty  months,  and  was  finally  consunnnated 
by  large  concessions  on  the  jwrt  of  King,  Brown  \- 
Co.  and  of  Thomas  Struthers  iS;  Co.,  which  robljed 
said  firms  of  nearly  all  their  just  dues  for  several 
years  labor  and  services,  rendered  often  im<ler  very 
discouraging  conditions.  In  illustration  of  this  state- 
ment the  writer,  who  was  treasurer  of  the  firm,  had  to 
spend  a  large  portion  of  his  time  in  places  of  public 
resort  to  counteract  the  efforts  of  two  prominent  and 
rich  citizens  of  Erie  in  decrying  the  value  of  the  stock 
and  lionds  of  the  railroad  company,  which  the  con- 
tracting firm  was  receiving  for  about  three-fourths  of 
their  work  on  their  monthly  estimates,  the  cash  por- 
tion due  on  estimates  the  railroad  com])any,  {or  a 
period  of  sixteen  months  were  unable  to  pay.  On  one 
occasion  the  writer  was  met  by  one  of  these  prominent 
citizens  and  told  that  his  "  firm  was  a  pack  of  lunatics, 
and  ought  to  be  sent  to  a  lunatic  asylum  for  continuing 
work  on  such  terms  and  conditions,"  and  this  man  and 
his  coadjutor  were  both  purchasers  and  shavers  of 
these  stocks  and  bonds,  as  you  may  well  know.  As 
these  men  are  both  dead,  we  grant  them  the  protec- 
tion of  that  kindly  maxim:  rfc  mortuin  nil  nisi  bonum, 
and  their  names  are  withheld.  During  a  lull  in  prose- 
cuting work  on  the  Philadelphia  and  Eric  R.  R.,  in 
1858,  Col.  Camp  went  to  California,  with  a  view  of 
taking  an  interest  in  the  construction  of  a  railroad 
from  Fulsom  to  Marysville,  in  the  valleys  of  the 
American  and  Yuba  rivers.  While  there  he  partici- 
pateii  in  the  location  of  said  railroad,  and  ])lanned 
and  made  up  a  bill  of  material  for  a  timber  bridge  of 
218  feet  span  across  the  American  river,  near  Fulsom, 
the  material  for  which  had  to  be  brought  from  Oregon 
by  vessel.  Finding  that  there  were  unexpected  finan- 
cial troubles  to  be  encountered,  he  closed  out  his  in- 
terest in  the  railroad  contract  to  his  partners  and 
returned  to  Erie  by  ocean  steamer  and  the  Panama 
R.  R.,  after  an  absence  of  about  six  months.  The 
road  struggled  through  to  completion,  and  1  was  in- 
formed by  one  of  my  partners,  James  Y.  Sanger,  that 
the  bridge  was  pronounced,  upon  completion  and 
trial,  to  be  a  very  graceful  and  substantial  structure. 
After  returning  home,  Col.  Camp  was  engaged  on  sur- 
veys of  railroad  lines  from  Ashtabula  harbor  to 
Youngstown,  and  froin  the  mouth  of  Grand  river  to 
Rock  creek,  and  on  the  proposed  road  to  Cambridge 
via  Edinboro,  and  to  MiUviUage  via  Waterford,  con- 
necting Erie  with  the  X.  Y.,  P.  &  O.  R.  R.  Following 
these  engagements  he  was  for  six  or  seven  years  citv 
civil  engineer  of  Erie.  Thereafter,  he  was  for  nine 
seasons  engaged  on  topographic  and   hydrographic 


surveys  and  harbor  improvements  from  Saginaw  Bay, 
on  Lake  Huron,  to  Oswego,  on  Lake  Ontario.  He 
then  retired  from  engineering  service;  but  subse- 
(juently,  u]jon  urgent  request  of  Waterford  friends, 
consented  to  cpialify  as  comity  surveyor  for  the  sur- 
vey of  Lake  LeBoeuf,  under  a  warrant  issued  by  the 
Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs  to  parties  comjiosing  a 
club  of  Pittsl)urg  capitalists  who  proposed  to  make  a 
summer  resort  on  its  banks  and  on  the  Judge  Smith 
farm  close  to  the  borough  lines  of  Waterford.  This 
otifice  he  held  up  to  within  a  few  days  of  .Sejjtember 
;iO,  1895,  when  he  resigned  the  same  in  favor  of  Dan 
Rice,  jr.,  of  (lirard  borough.  Col.  Camp  and  wife 
reside  at  24()  West  .Sixth  street,  where  they  have  spent, 
amid  pleasant  surroundings  and  kindly  neighbors,  a 
ha])ijy  life  of  over  lifty-three  years.  Their  only  living 
child  and  daughter  is  the  wife  of  F.  F.  Marshall,  pres- 
ident of  the  Marine  National  I5ank  and  an  attorney  at 
law,  whose  personal  hi.story  will  l)e  found  in  this  volume. 

Washingtoa  Lafayette  Cleveland,  one  of  Erie's 

honored  citizens,  died  at  Clifton  Springs,  N.  Y.,  Oc- 
tober 11,  1884.  He  was  born  in  Smyrna,  N.  Y.,  De- 
cember 21,  1825,  and  was  a  son  of  Israel  and  Sally 
(Tuttle)  Cleveland,  natives  resiiectively  of  Rhode 
Island  and  Connecticut,  and  of  PInglish  ancestry. 
Mr.  Cleveland's  grandfather,  Israel  Angell,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  antl  the  value  of  the 
.services  which  he  rendered  his  country  in  her  .struggle 
for  independence  was  made  a  matter  of  history  liy 
General  Lafayette,  behaving  conferred  u|)on  him  the 
medal  entitling  him  to  membershi])  in  the  Order  of 
the  Cincinnati.  Israel  Cleveland  reared  seven  chil- 
dren. Smith  Angell,  Seth  P.,  Alexander,  Washington 
Lafayette,  Polly  (Mrs.  X.  T.  Ferris),  Roxana  (Mrs. 
Henry  Z.  Ferguson,  of  Cincinnati),  and  Lysander,  of 
.Smyrna,  X.  Y.,  the  last  three  only  surviving.  Mr.  W. 
L.  Cleveland,  like  many  other  Americans  who  have 
made  for  themselves  an  honored  name,  spent  his  boy- 
hood on  the  farm  and  received  his  early  education  in 
a  log  school  house.  VV'hen  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
17  years  his  educational  attainments  were  such  as  to 
guarantee  his  being  granted  a  teacher's  certificate.  He 
taught  eight  consecutive  winter  terms  of  school,  work- 
ing on  the  farm  the  remainder  of  the  year.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  also  learned  the  carpenter's  trade, 
and  in  1850  went  to  Hawley,  Pa.,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  for  a  year.  He  then  went  to  Hornellsville, 
X.  Y.,  where  he  followed  his  trade  until  18f)l,  except  a 
term  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Steuben  county,  and 
then  he  removed  to  Erie.  At  about  this  time  the  oil 
excitement  in  Western  Pennsylvania  was  at  its  height, 
and  Mr.  Cleveland,  with  keen  discernment,  established 
an  oil  refinery  in  Erie,  which  he  continued  with  great 
financial  success  for  six  years.  He  then  speculated 
for  a  few  years  in  oil  lands,  in  which  also  he  was  fairly 
successful.  About  1870  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  Mr.  George  Selden  and  Mr.  John  H.  Bliss,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Cleveland  &  Co.,  and  established  a 
foundry,  which  was  practically  the  foundry  depart- 
ment of  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works.  Mr.  Cleveland  was 
married  July  2,  1851,  to  Miss  Julia  -Stidd,  a  native  of 
Pike  county,  Pennsylvania.  To  this  ha]i])y  union 
were  born  three  children,  Frank  (deceased),  whose  bi- 
ography is  contained  in  this  work;  Delia  F.,  who  on 
Xovember  13, 1894,  was  married  to  Charles  H.  Hodges, 
Esq.,  attorney  at  law,  Xew  York  city,  and  Miss  Jennie 
R.  Cleveland,  who  was  for  ten  years  a  teacher  in  the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUSTY. 


609 


Erie  high  school  and  now  resides  with  her  mother  at 
the  family  residence.  Mr.  Cleveland  was  for  many 
years  a  member  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  of  Erie,  of  which  he  was  trustee,  steward  and 
Sabbath  school  su]jerinten(icnt.  He  had  affiliated 
with  the  Masonic  order  during  his  resi<lence  in  Hor- 
nellsville,  and  always  maintained  his  membershif)  at 
that  place;  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Honor.  In  politics  Mr.  Cleveland  was  a  Republican, 
and  though  not  a  seeker  of  public  office  or  political 
honors  he  rendered  much  valuable  service  to  his  party. 
Mr.  Cleveland  was  a  man  who  always  had  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  community  and  country  at  heart.  For 
several  years  previous  to  his  death  he  had  been  an 
active  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade. 

Frank  F.  Cleveland  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Steuben  county,  New  York,  January  11,  1853,  and  died 
in  Erie,  Pa.,  November  20,  1893.  He  was  the  only  son 
of  the  late  Washington  Lafayette  and  Julia  (Stidd) 
Cleveland.  Washington  Lafayette  Cleveland  was 
born  in  the  State  of  New  York  November  21,  182.5. 
He  was  the  son  of  Israel  and  Sallie  (Tuttle)  Cleve- 
land, the  former  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  the  latter  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  and  both  of  English  descent. 
W.  L.  Cleveland  was  brought  uji  on  his  father's  farm, 
received  a  country  school  education,  and  at  the  age  of 
17  received  a  certificate  enabling  him  to  teach,  a 
vocation  which  he  followed  for  eight  winters,  working 
on  the  farm  during  the  sunmier  months.  He  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  and  worked  at  this  trade  until 
;i5  years  of  age.  During  this  period  he  acted  for  a 
time  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Steuben  county,  New  York. 
When  the  oil  excitement  broke  out  in  Pennsylvania 
he  started  an  oil  refinery  in  Erie,  Pa.,  and  continued  to 
engage  in  that  business  for  six  years.  He  afterwards 
made  successful  investments  in  oil  lands,  and  then 
embarked  in  the  business  of  manufacturing  mill  and 
machinery  castings  at  Erie,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Cleveland  S;  Co.  His  wife,  who  survives,  is  a  daughter 
of  the  late  Jonathan  O.  -Stidd.  Theolde.st  child,  Frank 
F.  Cleveland,  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Erie,  was 
for  a  time  clerk  in  tha  Marine  National  Bank  of  that 
city,  and  in  1880,  in  connection  with  William  Hard- 
wick,  established  the  Erie  Engine  Works,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Cleveland  S:  Hardwick.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1874  to  Catharine,  daughter  of  Louis  Maus. 

Col.  David  S.  Clark,  one  of  Erie's  most  esteemed 
and  venerable  citizens,  was  born  near  Shippensburg, 
Cumberland  county.  Pa.,  June  10,  1816,  and  is  a 
son  of  George  and  .Anna  (Sterrett)  Clark,  natives 
of  Pennsylvania  and  of  .Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  such  schools  as  his 
native  town  then  afforded,  and  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  until  1831,  when  he  came  to  Erie.  Here  he 
lived  with  an  elder  brother,  Mr.  James  S.  Clark,  for 
four  years,  a  part  of  which  time  he  attended  the  public 
schools  of  the  city.  He  then  embarked  in  the  mercantile 
business,  which  he  followed  with  a  marked  degree  of 
success  until  1852.  Soon  after  this,  as  chairman  of  the 
building  committee,  he  superintended  the  erection  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Erie,  of  which  he 
had  then  been  a  member  for  ten  years,  and  of  which  he 
has  been  elder  since  1857.  In  1840  he  was  elected 
major  of  the  104th  Reg.  Pa.  Militia,  of  which,  two 
years  later,  he  became  colonel,  both  by  the  vote  of  the 
regiment  and  commissioned  by  Governor  Porter.     He 


held  the  colonelcy  for  seven  years,  during  which  time 
he  faithfully  discharged  the  duties  of  his  position  and 
put  forth  ever>'  effort  to  further  the  interests  and 
discipline  of  the  regiment.  In  February,  1838,  Col. 
Clark  performed  a  feat  which  should  become  a  matter 
of  history,  because  it  illustrates  his  force  of  will  power, 
and  because  the  like  never  has,  and  probably  never 
will  be  done  a  second  time.  He  had  driven  a  span  of 
horses  attached  to  a  sleigh  to  Buffalo  for  the  jiurpose 
of  selling  them,  but  finding  no  jjurchaser  (which  he 
had  sought  so  long  that  the  sleighing  had  all  disap- 
peared) he  made  the  return  trip  to  Erie  upon  the  ice 
on  the  lake  without  accident.  In  1860  Col.  Clark 
associated  himself  with  Messrs.  George  Seldcn  and 
John  H.  Bliss  in  the  oil  refining  business,  which 
partnership  lasted  four  years,  after  which  he,  as  sole 
proprietor,  continued  the  business  two  years  longer, 
when  he  retired  from  active  life.  L'pon  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Erie  Cemetery  Association  in  1852,  Col. 
Clark  was  elected  manager,  which  he  has  since  con- 
tinued. He  has  taken  great  interest  in  all  the 
workings  of  the  association,  and  as  a  result  of  his 
almost  half  a  century  of  untiring  effort,  Erie  has  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  and  best  regulated  cemeteries  in 
the  .State,  and  the  people  of  Erie  an  ideal  spot  in 
which  to  lay  to  rest  the  remains  of  their  dear  ones  who 
have  passed  to  the  great  beyond  (see  Erie  Cemetery 
Association  in  another  part  of  the  work).  Col.  Clark 
was  married  March  28,  1839,  to  Miss  Jane  Ann, 
daughter  of  Robert  T.  Sterrett,  a  pioneer  farmer  of 
Erie  county.  His  wife  has  also  been  for  many  years  a 
member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  In  politics 
Col.  Clark  has  always  been  a  staunch  Democrat,  but 
has  never  been  desirous  of  political  office. 

Wiafield  Scott  Riblet,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Erie,  January  31,  1848.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Jona- 
than and  Sophia  (Fluke)  Riblet,  both  natives  of  Erie. 
Jonathan  Riblet  was  a  son  of  Michael  Riblet,  who 
came  from  Lancaster,  Pa.,  and  located  in  Erie  about 
1800.  He  married  Elizabeth  Ebersole,  was  a  farmer 
of  Mill  Creek  township,  and  died  April  23,  18.57.  Jona- 
than, his  son,  pursued  the  business  of  cabinet  making, 
and  was  at  one  time  a  partner  in  that  busine.ss  with 
his  brother,  J.  Harrison  Riblet.  Jonathan  Riblet  died 
in  1880;  his  wife  in  1892.  W.  S.  Riblet  completed  his 
education  at  the  Erie  Academy,  learned  cabinet  mak- 
ing, pursued  that  business  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
found  employment  in  the  office  of  Jacob  Bootz,  plan- 
ing mill  i)ro|)rietor.  with  whom  he  remained  for  ten 
years.  For  the  following  three  or  four  years  he  en- 
gaged in  busine.ss  for  himself  as  a  contractor,  and,  in 
1887,  entere<l  the  employ  of  Henry  Shenk  as  book- 
keeper, a  position  which  he  still  occupies.  He  is  a 
Reimblican,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Erie  school 
board,  from  the  Sixth  ward,  from  1877  to  1883.  He  was 
secretary  of  that  board  for  two  years.  Mr.  Riblet  was 
married  April  9,  1872,  to  Affie,  daughter  of  the  late 
Benjamin  and  Sojihia  (Parker)  Russell,  formerly  of 
Erie  county,  Pa.,  latterly  of  Grant  county,  Wisconsin. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riblet,  with  their  three  children,  Scott 
R.,  Winifred  S.  and  Bertha  B.,  reside  at  454  East  Sixth 
street,  and  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Mr.  Riblet  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.'O.  F.,  K.  of  H., 
A.  O.  U.  W.  and  E.  A.  U. 

Edward  J.  Riblet.  owner  and  proprietor  of  the 
mammoth  furniture  store,  corner  of  Peach  and  Twelfth 


6io 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


streets,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  May  13,  1854. 
in  a  house  that  stood  on  the  same  corner  now  occu- 
pied 1)V  his  splendid  block.  He  is  a  .son  of  the  late 
John  Harrison  and  Jane  (Kilpatrick)  Riblet.  The 
former  was  one  of  Erie's  most  estimable  citizens.  He 
was  born  in  East  Mill  Creek,  February'  28,  1815,  a  son 
of  Michael  and  Elizabeth  (Ebersole)  Riblet,  the  for- 
mer a  son  of  John  Riblet,  who  came  from  Eancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1S02,  and  purchased  a  farm 
in  East  Mill  Creek  and  followed  farmintj  to  his  death, 
succeeded  by  his  son,  M  ichael,  who  also  lived  and  died 
on  this  property.  John  H.  Riblet  received  a  common 
school  eihication,  and  wlien  14  years  of  age,  quit  the 
farm  and  apprenticed  himself  to  the  cabinetmakinj; 
trade.  After  completinghis  apprenticeship  he  opened 
a  place  of  business  in  the  city,  and  for  forty-four  years 
he  followed  the  same  with  marked  success.  He  had 
associated  with  him  at  different  times  his  br<ither 
Jonathan,  Henry  .Spooner,  .'\.  .Sterrett,  Josiah  Xeiland 
C.  F.  Bostwick.  Mr.  Riblet  was  a  very  modest  (gen- 
tleman, his  aim  in  life  was  to  build  up  a  business  and 
to  acquire  a  competency  that  would  secure  his  family, 
to  whom  he  was  remarkably  attached.  He  always 
avoided  politics,  although  he  served  with  distinction 
for  a  number  of  years  in  the  select  council.  He  was  a 
self-made  man,  successful  through  his  own  efforts. 
He  married  in  1844,  Miss  Jane  Kilpatrick, and  to  them 
were  born  three  sons  and  two  dauf;hters;  Frank  H. 
(deceased),  .Alfred  K.,  and  Edward  J.,  and  Etta  S., 
Mrs.C.  F.  Bostwick,  and  Miss.\nna  E.  Edward  J.  Rib- 
let received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schoolsof 
Erie  and  graduated  from  the  high  school  in  1872,  and 
engaged  as  salesman  in  his  father's  store  for  the  fol- 
lowing six  years,  when  in  1878  the  business  was  turned 
over  to  himself  and  brother  A.  K.,  and  they  conducted 
it  until  A.  K.  retired  from  the  firm,  and  accepted  the 
position  of  gener.il  manager,  and  the  business  has  since 
been  owned  and  operated  by  I-'-dward  J.  It  was  one  of 
the  largest  and  mo.st  complete  establishments  in  the 
city.  Mr.  Riblet  was  united  in  marriage  Novemljer 
17,  1881,  to  Miss  Emma  L.,  daughter  of  O.  C.  Thayer, 
of  Erie,  and  to  them  has  been  born  one  daughter.  May 
27,  1883.  The  family  are  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  politically  Mr.  Riblet  is  a 
liberal  Republican. 

Alfred  King  Riblet,  F>ie.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie, 
Pa.,  .April  Hi,  IS.W.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  Har- 
rison Riblet  (memoirs  of  whose  life  are  contained  in 
this  volume).  .Alfred  K.  Riblet  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  in  the  Erie  Academy,  from  which 
latter  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1867.  He  had  ]ire- 
pared  to  enter  Michigan  University,  Ann  .Arlior,  but 
through  a  serious  accident  was  deterred  from  so  doing, 
being  confined  to  his  home  for  three  years.  He  then 
entered  the  employ  of  J.  H.  Riblet  &  Co.,  manufac- 
turers of  and  dealers  in  furniture,  the  members  of 
which  tirm  were  the  father  and  the  uncle  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  A.  K.  Riblet  and  his  brother,  E.  J. 
Riblet,  subsequently  succeeded  to  and  for  some  years 
carried  on  the  business  as  partners.  In  1888,  A.  K. 
Riblet  sold  out  his  interest  to  his  brother,  and  has 
since  been  identified  with  it  as  manager.  He  was 
married  June  14,  1889,  to  .Anna,  daughter  of  John  Mc- 
Knight,  an  insurance  man  of  Erie.  .She  (lied  June 
9,  1891.  Mr.  Riblet  resides  at  120  West  Eleventh 
street,  and  is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church. 


Thomas  Dillon  is  at  the  present  date  (1895) 
probably  the  oldest  voter  in  Erie  county.  He  was  born 
in  Washington  county,  I'ennsylvania,  October  8,  1797. 
His  mother,  Rebecca  Hamilton,  was  of  Irish  parent- 
age and  Presbyterian  faith,  and  his  father,  Thomas 
Dillon,  was  an  English  (Quaker,  conse<iuentlv  the 
family  were  brought  up  in  the  Quaker  belief.  They 
moved  in  1797  to  a  place  near  the  jjresent  site  of  New 
Lisbon,  Ohio,  where  they  remained  until  the  father's 
death,  in  lS;-!2,  at  the  age  of  ()9  years.  His  mother 
lived  to  be  94.  When  19  years  of  age.  Mr.  Dillon  was 
apprenticed  to  a  blacksmith  in  Fairfield,  a  small  vil- 
lage near  their  home.  Having  served  three  years  for 
board  ami  clothing,  he  started  out  to  find  work  where 
he  could  get  money  for  pay,  the  nay  in  that  .section 
being  farm  produce,  and  not  saU'able.  He  walked  15(1 
miles  through  November  mud  and  snow,  not  finding 
work  till  he  reaclu-d  Meadville,  Pa.,  where  he  stayed 
one  month.  He  then  came  to  Erie,  in  1820,  working 
for  (General  Flennng  si.\  montlis;  then  went  to  Harbor 
Creek,  where  he  stayed  two  years,  working  at  his 
trade  summers,  and  going  to  scliool  winters.  In  1824 
he  married  Nancy  Bonnell,  of  Harbor  Creek;  .soon 
after  purchased  a  place  in  Erie  on  West  Eighth  street, 
near  State,  living  there  thirty-eight  years,  and  rearing 
a  family  of  five  children,  of  whom  are  now  living  two 
daughters  in  Erie,  and  a  son  in  Warren,  O.  Mr.  Y)\\- 
lon  was  collector  of  school  ta.\es  in  Erie,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  first  common  council  of  Erie  city.  He 
was  coroner  of  the  county  for  twelve  years,  carried  on 
the  business  of  blacksnfithing  until  he  lost  the  use  of 
his  hand,  in  1857.  He  afterward  served  as  wood  and 
hay  measurer  for  a  number  of  years.  At  the  pre.sent 
writing  he  is  98  years  old,  and  .still  retains  his  faculties 
to  a  remarkable  degree. 

The  Grubb  Family. —Special  interest  attaches  to 
this  family,  because  its  head,  Hon.  John  Grubb,  came 
to  the  site  of  F.rie  in  the  spring  of  1795,  as  captain 
commanding  a  company  of  state  troops.  He  was  sent 
to  guard  the  surveying  |iarty  which  was  to  lay  out  the 
town  of  Erie.  His  company  encamped  on  Garrison 
Hill.  He  was  there  stationed  when  in  June,  1795,  Col. 
Seth  Reed  and  his  wife  landed.  John  Grubb  was  born 
June 8,  17(17,  in  Lancaster  county,  I'ennsylvania.  He 
was  commissioned  captain  in  the  7th  I?attalion,  Lan- 
caster County  Militia,  October  12,  1792,  and  September 
11,  1794,  as  captain  in  2d  Reg.  Lancaster  brig.  In  the 
spring  of  1795  he  came  to  Erie  in  charge  of  a  company 
of  troops  and  remained  about  three  years.  In  1798  he 
went  to  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  married 
.Alicia  Cooper.  They  settled  in  Mill  Creek  township 
on  the  farm  occu])ied  by  his  granilson,  George  Reed, 
where  he  died  June  8,  1845.  They  had  .seven  children, 
two  sons  and  five  daughters.  All  are  dead  and,  with 
their  parents,  are  buried  under  a  pine  tree  planted  by 
Mrs.  Grubb  on  tlu-  old  farm,  at  the  death  of  her  first 
child.  Judge  Grubb  filled  many  offices,  among  these 
were  major  of  militia  December  26,  1798;  justice  of  the 
peace,  .April  15,  1797,  and  May  16,  1801;  county  com- 
missioner, 1813-15;  associate  Judge  of  Erie  countv, 
January  8,  1820,  to  March  13, 1841.  Mrs.  Grubb,  born 
in  1777,  died  .August  18,  1844.  Judge  Grubb  closed  his 
useful  and  honorable  life  June  8,  1845.  Of  their  seven 
children,  Delia  .A.,  .Armfield  M.  (deceased),  Mrs.  Jane 
Reed,  who  died  in  1846;  .Ste|)hen  C,  who  died  in  .\])ril, 
1857,  were,  with  their  noted  father,  members  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Erie.     Benjamin  Grubb, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


6ii 


brother  of  the  judge,  was  born  March,  1777,  married 
and  moved  in  1800  to  McKean  township,  where  he 
died  in  1845.  His  widow  died  in  Mercer  county  at  the 
age  of  86.  George  and  John  G.  Reed,  of  Mill  Creek, 
are  the  only  descendants  of  Judge  Grubb  in  Erie 
county. 

Samuel  A.  Davenport,  attorney  at  law,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  near  the  head  of  Seneca  Lake,  Tompkins 
county.  New  York,  January  lo,  1834.  He  is  a  son  of 
the  late  William  and  Phylance  (Tracy)  Davenport. 
William  Davenport  was  a  native  of  Xew  Haven, 
Conn.,  and  of  old  Puritan  stock,  being  lineally 
descended  from  that  distinguished  Puritan  divine, 
John  Davenport,  the  first  preacher  of  Fair  Haven. 
Mrs.  William  Davenport  was  a  native  of  \"ermont, 
and  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  From  his  ninth  year  up 
to  his  arrival  at  maturity  William  Davenport  was  a 
sailor.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  18P2  he  was 
aboard  a  merchantman  which  was  captured,  but  very 
soon  thereafter  was  exchanged.  His  patriotic  im- 
pulses led  him  to  enlist  and  he  served  throughout  that 
war.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  purchased  a  farm  in 
Tompkins  county,  a  pjart  of  which  is  that  beautifully 
picturesque  spot  (now  a  famous  summer  resort)  known 
as  Watkins'  Glen.  In  1835  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  a  farm  which  he  had  purchased  in  Harbor 
Creek  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  until  1839,  when  he  removed  to  Erie,  Erie 
county.  Pa.  He  served  for  a  number  of  years  as 
captain  on  one  or  another  of  the  Reed  line  of 
steamers,  retired  from  business  in  1859,  and  died  in 
June,  1865.  His  wife  survived  until  May,  1880. 
Samuel  A.  DaVenport  attended  the  Erie  Academy, 
read  law  under  the  preceptorship  of  Judge  Galbraith, 
was  graduated  from  Harvard  Law  L'niversity  and 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1855.  He  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Erie,  filled  the  office  of 
district  attorney  for  one  term,  and  in  1871  formed  a  law 
partnership  with  George  P.  Griffith,  which,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Davenport  &  Griffith,  continued  until 
1891,  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  practice 
alone.  Besides  attending  with  marked  ability  and 
abundant  success  to  the  interests  of  an  extensive 
clientage,  Mr.  Davenport  has  otherwise  contributed 
materially  to  the  growth  and  development  of  this 
community  by  his  large  investments  in  a  number  of 
the  leading  manufacturing  establishments  of  Erie. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Stearns,  Clark  &  Co. 
(afterward  Stearns  Manufacturing  Company),  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Burdette  Organ  Company,  the 
Erie  Car  Works,  the  Erie  Boot  and  Shoe  factor)',  the 
Keystone  Boot  and  Shoe  factory  and  the  Derrick  & 
Felgemacher  pipe  organ  factory.  Mr.  Davenport 
was  married  December  31,  1862,  to  Kate,  eldest 
daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  John  H.  Walker,  one  of 
Erie's  most  prominent  lawyers  and  president  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1873.  Mr.  Davenport 
was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Convention 
which  nominated  Benjamin  Harrison  for  the  Presi- 
dency in  1888,  and  was  a  delegate-at-large  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention  at  Minneapolis  in 
1892. 

William  R.  Davenport  was  born  near  Watkins' 
Glen,  Schuyler  county,  Xew  York,  on  the  31  st  of  July, 
1831.  He  was  the  oldest  son  of  Capt.  William  Daven- 
port, who  settled  in  Erie  in  1839.    After  graduating  at 


the  Erie  Academy  he  entered  the  dry-goods  store  of 
Clark  &  Metcalf,  and  became  their  book-keeper. 
Shortly  after  the  completion  of  the  Cleveland,  Paines- 
ville  &  Ashtabula  R.  R.  he  entered  its  employ,  and 
after  the  consolidation  of  the  different  railroads 
between  Cleveland  and  Buffalo,  was  appointed  agent 
at  Erie.  On  the  4th  of  June,  1856,  he  married  Eliza- 
beth W.  .Shirk,  eldest  daughter  of  David  Shirk,  late  of 
Erie,  deceased.  He  organized  the  firm  of  Daven- 
port, Fairbairn  &  Co.,  and  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  car  wheels  on  a  large  scale — in  fact,  for 
some  years  theirs  was  the  largest  manufactory  of  car 
wheels  in  the  L'nited  States.  Afterwards  he  aided  in 
the  establishment  of  the  Erie  Car  Works,  the  Erie 
Fusee  Company  and  the  Martel  Furnace  Company. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was 
its  president.  Through  his  liberality  and  earnest 
efforts  the  property  owned  by  the  Association  on  the 
corner  of  Tenth  and  Peach  streets  was  purchased. 
In  1871  he  assi.sted  in  the  formation  of  the  Central 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  to  his  generosity  is  largely 
due  the  building  now  occupied  by  the  church,  on  the 
corner  of  Tenth  and  Sassafras  streets,  Erie.  When 
on  his  way  home  he  was  attacked  in  Buffalo  with 
the  sickness  which  caused  his  death  on  the  13th  day 
of  December,  1888.  Mr.  Davenport  was  a  clear- 
headed and  able  man,  and  probably  Erie  owes  as 
much  to  him  as  to  any  other  person  for  the  position 
she  'now  holds  among  the  manufacturing  cities  of  our 
country.  Mr.  Davenport  left  three  children:  Mary 
E.,  wife  of  E.  W.  Sheldon;  Charles  W.  Davenport,  of 
Erie,  and  Helen  L.,  wife  of  Edward  D.  Wetmore,  son 
of  Judge  Wetmore,  of  Warren. 

David  Nicholas  Dennis,  physician,  office  Ninth 
and  Peach  streets,  residence  205  West  Eighth  street, 
was  born  in  Grafton,  Mass.,  December  25,  1858,  son  of 
Edward  Parker  and  Jessie  (Moore)  Dennis,  the  former 
of  Somers  and  the  latter  of  Oxford,  Mass.  The  family 
originally  settled  in  Massachusetts  as  early  as  1(530. 
Mr.  Edward  Parker  Dennis  was  for  some  time  a  mer- 
chant in  Milledgeville,  Ga.,  and  afterward  a  farmer  of 
Grafton,  Mass.  Mrs.  Dennis  departed  this  life  in  1860, 
Mr.  Dennis  surviving  her  six  years.  They  had  but 
one  child,  David  N.,  who  was  educated  in  the  Worces- 
ter .'\cademy,  Grafton  (Mass.)  public  schools,  private 
schools  in  Augusta,  Ga.,  and  Worcester,  Mass.,  finally 
graduating  from  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadel- 
phia, in  March.  1881.  He  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Philadelphia,  later  removing  to  Worces- 
ter, Mass.,  and  ultimately  locating  in  Erie,  Pa.,  where 
as  an  eye  and  ear  specialist  he  has  established  a  very 
large  practice  and  earned  an  enviable  professional 
reputation  that  is  more  than  local.  Dr.  Dennis  was 
united  in  marriage  June  20,  1883,  to  Camilla,  daughter 
of  Alexander  and  Mary  (Yeager)  Loder,  the  former  a 
native  of  Bellefont,  N.  J.,  and  the  latter  of  Allentown, 
Pa.  Two  children  are  the  result  of  this  union,  Edward 
Parker  and  Dorothy  Moore.  Dr.  Dennis  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  bodies  and  the  American  Medical  So- 
ciety, and  is  a  Re|)ublican  in  politics.  He  isopthalmic 
gurgeon  of  Hamot  Hospital. 

I.  Armstrong  Forman,  dry  goods  merchant, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Bniceton  Mills,  Preston  county, 
W.  \'a.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  C.  and  Anne 
(Armstrong)  Forman,  natives  of  Preston  county,  \\"est 


6l2 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Virginia,  the  former  of  English  and  tlie  latter  of 
Scotch  descent.  The  Formans  were  Quakers  and  set- 
tled in  West  Xirginia  at  a  time  when  that  portion  of 
the  Old  Dominion  was  considered  the  far  west.  I.  A. 
Forman  received  such  education  as  was  afforded  by 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  county,  during  which 
time  he  assisted  in  the  work  on  his  father's  farm. 
He  then  entered  a  store  in  Hruceton  Mills,  and  six 
months  later  was  given  a  partnership  interest  therein 
by  his  employer.  This  partnershij)  continued  for  ten 
years,  when  Mr.  Forman  opened  branch  dry  goods 
stores  at  Washington  and  Xew  Castle,  Pa.  Four 
years  later  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  Washington 
(Pa.)  store  and  went  into  dry  goods  jobbing  at  76 
Franklin  street.  New  York  city,  where  he  remained 
for  four  years.  He  next  embarked  in  lumbering  in 
Warren  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  which  business  he 
continued  to  be  engaged  for  two  years.  He  located 
in  Erie  in  1873,  and  two  years  later  established  him- 
self in  the  dry  goods  business  there  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  Park  and  State  streets,  remained  there  two 
years,  re-located  in  the  Scott  block,  conducted  busi- 
ness there  for  seven  vears,  removing  thence  to  the 
Masonic  Block,  914-916  State  street.  In  1895  Mr. 
Forman  built  the  beautiful  and  substantial  three-story 
business  block,  Nos.  1013,  1016  and  1017  State  street, 
where  the  dry  goods  business  of  I.  i\.  Forman  &  Bro. 
is  now  carried  on.  In  addition  to  this  material  con- 
tribution to  the  growth  of  Erie,  Mr.  Forman  has  built 
handsome  residences,  Xos.  130  and  328  West  Tenth 
street.  I.  A.  Forman  was  married  in  April,  1870,  to 
Annie,  daughter  of  the  late  Patrick  Faulkner,  a  lum- 
berman of  Warren  county,  Pennsylvania.  She  died 
in  January,  1888,  leaving  three  children,  Grace,  Jessie 
anci  Ralph.  Grace  is  the  wife  of  George  T.  Bliss,  a 
son  of  John  H.  Bliss,  leading  manufacturer  of  Erie,  a 
sketch  of  whom  is  contained  in  this  work.  Mrs.  Geo. 
T.  Bliss  and  Miss  Jessie  Forman  are  graduates  of  Rye 
Seminary.  Ralph  is  a  student  at  Deveaux  College, 
Niagara  Falls,  X.  Y.  The  family  resides  at  130  West 
Tenth  .street,  and  are  members  of  the  Park  Presby- 
terian Church. 

Charles  P.  Forman,  junior  member  of  the  dry- 
goods  firm  of  1.  A.  Forman  S:  Bro.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Bruceton,  Preston  county,  W.  \'a.,  June  15,  18.52. 
Charles  P.  Forman  received  his  initial  schooling  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  then  entered  the 
University  of  West  Virginia  (Morgantown).  .After 
leaving  the  university  he  entered  the  employ  of  his 
brother,  Mr.  I.  A.  Forman  (whose  personal  history  is 
contained  in  this  volume),  then  a  dry  goods  merchant 
of  Xew  Castle,  Pa.  .A  few  years  later  he  went  to 
Princeton,  III.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  dry  goods 
business  for  two  years  with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  B. 
C.  Fear.  Returning  to  Pennsylvania  he  for  four  years 
clerked  in  the  dry  goods  establishment  of  Mr.  I.  A. 
Forman,  Erie.  He  then,  in  connection  with  another 
brother,  Mr.  John  Forman,  established  a  general  store 
at  Walnut,  III.  Six  years  later  he  sold  out  his  interest 
in  this  store  to  his  brother,  and  returning  to  Erie,  re- 
entered the  employ  of  Mr.  I.  A.  Forman,  with  whom 
he  has  ever  since  been  a.ssociated,  becoming  a  partner 
in  the  busines.s,  under  the  firm  name  of  I.  .A.  Forman 
&  Bro.,  in  1889.  Mr.  C.  P.  Forman  was  married  Octo- 
ber 8,  1879,  to  Lillian,  daughter  of  the  late  John  Little, 
whose  personal  history  is  contained  in  this  volume. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Forman  have  five  children:  John,  Anna, 


Hazel,  Mason  and  Lucy,  reside  at  338  West  Tenth 
street,  and  attend  divine  service  at  the  Tabernacle 
(Church  of  Christ).  Mr.  Forman  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity. 

The  Hlltoti  Family.— .Ak(1iii!.ai,ij  C.  Hilton, 
a  native  of  .Albany,  X.  Y.,  came  to  Erie  about  the  year 
1830.  He  was  a  saddler,  and  engaged  in  that  business 
for  some  time.  Mr.  Hilton  married  .Miss  .Abbey  Cook, 
daughter  of  Eliakim  aiul  Lucy  (Hiirlbert)  Cook,  who 
had  come  from  Connecticut  to  Erie  county  in  1800, 
and  settled  in  Waterford  townshi]).  Mr.  Cook  died  in 
Waterford  in  1810,  and  Mrs.  Cook  in  Erie  about  1844. 
Mr.  Hilton  was  an  active,  energetic  and  public-si>ir- 
ited  citizen.  He  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff  and 
keeper  of  the  jail  of  Erie  county,  and  was  also  deputy 
collector  of  the  port  of  Erie  under  President  Tyler's 
administration  from  1841^5.  He  died  while  his  fam- 
ily were  still  young.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Hilton  had  live 
children:  William  E.,  a  machinist  for  many  years,  and 
connected  with  the  waterworks  of  Erie;  Capt.  John  C, 
who  served  in  the  I45th  Reg.,  P.  \'.  I.,  where  he  rose 
to  the  rank  of  captain.  He  lost  a  leg,  at  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  and  was  promoted  to  be  major  and  hon- 
orably discharged.  He  was  twice  elected  register  and 
recorder  of  Erie  county  (in  1878  and  1881),  serving  six 
years.  He  served  as  postmaster  of  Erie  under  the 
Harrison  administration  until  1894.  Captain  Hilton 
married  Miss  E.  M.  Barr,  daughter  of  Hon.  .M.  R. 
Barr,  collector  of  the  port  of  Erie,  and  had  four  chil- 
dren: Abbie  (deceased),  Ruth,  Sarah  and  Louise. 
Sarah,  wife  of  P.  I).  Faulkner,  of  Erie;  Mary  Electa 
(deceased),  and  Abbie  P.,  wife  of  Edmund  W.  Reed, 
a  postmaster  of  Erie,  his  appointment  being  the  last 
made  by  President  Garfield  before  his  assassination. 
Mr.  Hilton  died  at  the  age  of  ^A  years.  Mrs.  Hilton 
survived  her  husband  for  about  forty  years,  and  died 
February  4,  1894,  at  the  age  of  93  years.  She  was  at 
the  time  the  oldest  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  full  possession  of  her  faculties  and  her 
great  intelligence  and  serenity  of  mind  made  her  very 
attractive  through  the  closing  years  of  life. 

William  Hardwick,  president  of  the  Erie  Engine 
Works  and  of  the  Union  Iron  Works,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  F^ngland,  December  1,  1847.  He  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Ann  Hardwick.  His  parents  came  to  the 
I'nited  States  in  1852,  and  located  in  Erie,  where  Mr. 
Hardwick  received  his  education  in  the  public  schooLs. 
At  the  age  of  11  years  he  a]iprenticed  himself  to  learn 
the  trade  of  machinist  with  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works. 
He  was  for  nine  years  foreman  of  the  shops  of  the 
Bay  State  Iron  Works,  and  for  a  time  had  entire 
charge  of  the  works.  In  1879  he  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Frank  V .  Cleveland,  forming  the  firm  of 
Cleveland  &  Hardwick,  and  engagetl  in  the  manu- 
facture of  engines  and  boiler.s.  The  plant  was  then 
located  at  Twelfth  and  State  streets,  but  the  rapid 
growth  of  business  soon  made  greater  facilities  im- 
perative, and  in  1885  the  siiacious  and  substantial 
buildings  at  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Cherry  .streets 
was  erected.  The  main  building  is  .'530x160  feet,  be- 
sides auxiliary  buildings.  The  products  include  all 
kinds  of  upright,  horizontal,  portable  and  stationary 
engines  and  boilers,  and  the  capacity  is  over  500  en- 
gines and  boilers  a  year.  The  company  was  incor- 
porated under  its  present  title,  June  2,  1893,  with  a 
capital  stock  of  §100,000,  and  with  Mr.  William  Hard- 


^JU^l^^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


>I3 


wick  president  and  general  manager,  and  Mr.  Frank 
F.  Cleveland,  secretary  and  treasurer.  Mr.  Cleveland 
died  November  20,  1893,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
cousin,  Mr.  F"red  L.  Cleveland.  The  Union  Iron 
Works  was  established  in  11S90  by  the  Erie  Engine 
Works  and  the  Skinner  Engine  Company,  and  was 
designed  to  furnish  a  boiler  department  for  these  two 
concerns.  The  plant,  located  at  Thirteenth  and  Rasp- 
berry streets,  occupies  in  all  six  acres,  and  has  a  ca- 
pacity of  over  100  boilers  per  month.  This  concern 
manufactures  all  kinds  of  steel  boilers,  tanks  and 
plate  w'ork.  When  incorporated  the  officers  of  the 
company  were:  Frank  P.  Cleveland,  president;  Frank 
Connell,  treasurer;  and  H.  R.  Rarnhurst,  secretary  and 
general  manager.  Mr.  Barnhurst  was  succeeded  in 
1895  by  John  \V.  Hardwick.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr. 
Cleveland,  Mr.  Hardwick  became  president.  Thor- 
oughly conversant  with  all  the  details  of  his  business, 
Mr.  Hardwick  discharges  the  arduous  double  duty  of 
acting  as  the  head  of  these  two  large  concerns  w-ith  an 
ease  and  dispatch  that  at  once  characterize  him  as  be- 
longing to  the  front  rank  of  those  who  have  made 
Erie  famous  as  a  great  manufacturing  center.  Mr. 
Hardwick  was  married  October  13,  18titi,  to  Miss  Mary 
A.,  daughter  of  John  H.  Carter,  of  West  Mill  Creek, 
Pa.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  was  two  children: 
John  W.,  president  of  the  Erie  Manufacturing  and 
Supply  Company,  and  superintendent  of  the  Union 
Iron  Works,  and  Miss  Luanna  Mav  Hardwick.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hardwick  are  members  of  the  First  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  of  F.rie,  to  which  he  has  ren- 
dered good  service  as  steward  and  trustee.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  has  served  his  city  as  a 
member  of  the  select  and  common  council,  the  school 
board,  and  is  now  president  of  the  board  of  water 
commissioners. 

Henry  Shenk,  contractorand  builder,  was  born  in 
West  .Mill  Creek  township,  Erie  county,  July  31,  ls;W. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Nancy  I  Miller)  Shenk,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  from 
whence  the  family  removed  by  wagon  to  Erie  county 
when  John  w-as  but  9  years  old.  Henry  .Shenk  has 
two  full  brothers  and  one  sister,  also  three  half  broth- 
ers. His  early  education  was  such  as  could  be  ob- 
tained at  that  time  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  decided  to  become  a 
carpenter,  and  found  work  as  such  at  several  places  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  home.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he 
came  to  Erie  and  entered  the  employ  of  Mr.  John  Hill, 
remaining  several  months,  working  on  what  is  known 
as  the  Paragon  and  .-Xustin  Building,  on  North  Park 
Row.  In  the  spring  of  1854,  he  went  to  Girard,  Pa., 
working  there  and  in  the  country  near  by  for  over  two 
years,  being  employed  by  different  parties.  In  the 
fail  of  1857,  he  returned  to  build  a  house  for  his  father 
at  the  old  homestead,  which  was  finished  in  the  early 
spring  of  1859.  On  the  completion  of  this  house, 
which  still  remains  on  the  farm,  he  came  to  Erie 
again,  working  for  awhile  for  Mersrs.  Crook  and  Lytle, 
but  in  the  sunmier  of  the  same  year  he  went  to  work 
for  Messrs.  Jones  and  White,  with  whom  he  reniamed 
most  of  the  time  for  about  three  years.  He  then  en- 
tered the  .service  of  Mr.  John  Hill  again,  staying 
nearly  two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1863.  he  com- 
menced business  with  Mr.  I.  P.  Kinsey,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Kinsey  &  Shenk,  which  continued  for  several 
years.    The  first  work  done  by  the  new  firm  was  a 


house,  built  for  Mr.  Henry  Jarecki,  on  Ninth  street, 
near  State,  and  which  is  still  standing.  After  a  few 
years  the  firm  of  Kinsey  &  Shenk  entered  into  a  part- 
nershi])  with  .Mr.  Peter  Brubaker  in  the  planing-mill 
business,  at  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and  French  streets, 
but  this  partnership  did  not  last  long.  .\Ir.  Kinsey 
sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  L.  F.  White,  and  the  firm 
name  became  L.  F.  White  &  Co.;  hut  this  was  of 
short  duration,  owing  to  dissatisfaction  among  the 
partners,  which  finally  found  its  way  into  the  courts, 
and  before  any  settlement  was  reached  the  mill  took 
fire  and  was  burned  to  the  ground.  Mr.  .Shenk,  by 
agreement  of  the  ])artners,  then  took  charge  of  the 
company's  affairs,  and  turned  all  that  was  left  into 
money,  and  paid  the  debts  as  far  as  he  could.  Parties 
having  claims  against  him  gave  him  plenty  of  time 
and  he  finally  paid  them  all  in  full.  .After  the  plan- 
ing-mill was  destroyed,  Mr.  Shenk  continued  the  con- 
tracting and  building  business  in  Erie  as  best  he 
could,  without  capital,  until  1878,  when  he  concluded 
to  go  outside  of  Erie  for  business.  In  the  spring  of 
that  year  he  took  the  contract  to  build  the  Bradford, 
Pa.,  Oil  Exchange,  which  ])aid  fairly  well.  In  the 
spring  of  1879,  he  contracted  to  buiki  the  Titusville 
Oil  Exchange.  In  the  summer  of  1879,  he  took  the 
contract  to  build  the  Cambria  county,  Pennsylvania, 
court  house,  which  was  finished  the  next  year  in  good 
shape  and  with  fair  [irofit.  The  same  year  he  took  a 
contract  to  build  a  portion  of  the  Huntingdon  Indus- 
trial Reformatory,  and  afterwards  a  contract  to  com- 
plete the  same,  covering  a  period  of  about  six  vears  and 
at  a  cost  of  about  $900,000,  from  which  Mr.  Shenk  se- 
cured a  very  handsome  margin.  In  1882,  he  com- 
menced doing  business  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  his  first  con- 
tract being  the  Y.  M.C.  A. building,  which  was  finished 
on  time  and  excellent  satisfaction  given.  Since  then 
he  has  continued  business  there,  and  has  opened  an 
office,  with  the  best  of  results,  having  built  some  of  the 
fine.st  public  .structures,  busine.ss  blocks,  private  build- 
ings and  residences  in  the  city  in  the  la.st  few  years. 
He  built  Christ  M.  E.  Church,  a  magnificent  piece  of 
architecture,  costmg  nearly  S^itiO.OOO;  the  famous  Car- 
negie Library  Building,  which  alone  would  establish 
the  fame  of  any  builder,  and  has  added  much  to  Mr. 
Shenk 's  already  w-ell-establishe<l  reputation.  This 
building,  which  was  dedicated  November  5,  1895,  cost 
over  S700,000.  Besides  the  large  structures  in  Pitts- 
burg, Mr.  Shenk  has  erectetl  many  of  the  finest  build- 
ings in  P>ie,  including  the  Central  High  School  Build- 
ing, Downing  Block,  Government  building,  Park 
Opera  House,  Hamot  Hos])ilal,  etc.  Mr.  .Shenk  is 
rated  as  one  of  the  leading  builders  in  the  State,  and 
is  invited  to  bid  on  manv  of  the  largest  and  most  im- 
portant contracts  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  His 
large  business  has  enabled  him  to  accumulate  a  nunl- 
erate  fortune  within  the  past  fifteen  years,  and  he  now 
lives  at  ease  in  one  of  the  finest  residences  in  Erie, 
which  he  built  in  1892.  .About  five  years  ago  his 
health  failed,  and  since  then  his  business  has  been  car- 
ried on  by  his  sons,  Charles  E.  and  Wilbur  Shenk. 

The  King  Family.-As  one  of  the  pioneer  fami- 
lies of  which  several  members  have  been  conspicuous 
and  identified  with  the  settlement  and  development  of 
Erie  county  and  city,  the  following  deserve  mention: 

Capt.  Robert  King  (deceasetl),  grandfather  of 
Alfred  King  (deceased  i,  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers. 


6i4 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


and  the  first  actual  settler  of  Erie  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Hf  came  here  in  July,  1794,  by  way  of  the 
west  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  and  over  the  moun- 
tains, nearly  on  the  route  of  the  Philadel]ihia  and  Erie 
R.  R.  to  tlie  Tionesta  river,  near  Sheffield,  in  Warren 
county.  The  following  is  taken  from  Whitman's  History 
of  Le  Kteuf  Township,  Erie  county.  Pa.  "  First  land 
was  selected  in  Le  Bceuf,  in  1794,  by  Capt.  Robert 
King,  who  took  up  400  acres  at  the  present  Ford 
bridge."  "Captain  King  retiring  to  his  home  in  Ly- 
coming county,  he  brought  his  familv  along  in  the 
spring  of  179.5."  *  *  *  "Capt.  Robert  King,  the 
pioneer  of  the  township,  had  been  an  officer  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  rendered  the  State  important 
service  in  securing  treaties  with  the  Indians;  as  a  re- 
ward for  which  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  voted 
him  400  acres  of  land,  west  of  the  Allegheny  river. 
It  was  to  take  advantage  of  this  bounty  that  he  first 
visited  the  township.  In  comjiany  with  his  hired  man  he 
crossed  the  mountains  from  Lycoming  countv,  through 
an  almost  impenetrable  forest,  to  the  present  site  of 
Sheffield.  Warren  county.  Pa.,  where  he  built  a  canoe  in 
which  they  descended  the  Tionesta  and  Alleghenv  to 
where  Franklin  now  stands.  From  there  they  poled  the 
canoe  up  French  creek  eighty  miles  to  the  site  of  the  cap- 
tain's future  home.  On  returning  to  Lycoming  county 
they  took  a  different  route  eastward  from  the  Alle- 
gheny, and  when  they  came  back  with  Captain  King's 
family  of  five  sons  and  six  daughters,  it  was  by  way  of 
Pittsburg."  He  and  his  family  arrived  at  their  new 
home  May  1-i,  179,"),  and  here  the  grand  old  ])atriot 
and  soldier  remained  until  the  day  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  about  1826.  The  captain  was  a  brave  and 
accomplished  soldier  and  officer,  and  served  his  coun- 
try with  honor  and  credit  throughout  the  Revolutionary 
war.  "When  Lafayette  returned  to  visit  this  county, 
and  was  at  Waterford,  thecajitain,  who  had  a  personal 
acquaintance  with  him  during  the  struggles  and  hard- 
ships of  the  Revolutionary  war,  called  to  pay  his  re- 
spects to  the  eminent  and  patriotic  Frenchman.  Gen- 
eral Lafayette  saw  him  when  several  rods  awav,  and 
speaking  out,  said:  'There  comes  Captain  King,'  and 
advanced  eagerly  to  meet  the  veteran."  Captain 
King  had  eleven  children.  Of  these  Thomas  was 
most  noted.  He  married  Sarah  Wilson,  a  lady  of  rare 
intelligence  and  intellectual  vigor.  They  resided  for 
many  years  in  Waterford  township  and  borough.  There 
Mr.  king  built  the  "Stone  Tavern,"  fronting  on  the 
park  (afterwards  kept  for  many  years  by  Mr.  Judson). 
About  the  year  1836  Mr.  King  removed  with  his  family 
to  Erie,  where  he  died  in  1848.  His  widow  survived 
many  years.  They  had  three  sons  and  five  daughters: 
Wil.son,  Josiah,  Alfred,  Mrs.  Smith,  Mrs.  Blaikie,  Mrs. 
William  Judson,  Mrs.  R.  W.  Clark  and  Frances  (de- 
ceased). Josiah  went  to  Pittsburg,  where  he  became 
prominent  as  a  manufacturer  and  |)ublisher  of  the  Ga- 
zette; Wilson,  civil  engineer  and  contractor,  was  identi- 
fied with  many  public  works.  He  was  prothonotary 
of  Erie  county  two  terms,  and  a  member  of  the  con- 
tracting firms  of  Sanger,  Camp  &  Co.  in  the  West, 
and  of  King,  Rrown  &  Co.  in  the  construction  of  the 
Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.     He  died  in  Erie. 

Alfred  King  (deceased),theyoungest  son  of  Thomas 
and  Sarahi  Wilson)  King,  and  grandson  of  Capt.  Robert 
King,  was  born  in  Waterford.  He  was  educated  at 
the  academies  of  Waterford  and  Erie,  graduating 
from  the  latter.     He  then  taught  for  a  few  years,  in 


the  meantime  reading  law  with  a  view  of  adopting 
that  profession.  Subsequently  he  was  appointed  deji- 
uty  prothonotary  and  clerk  of  the  courts  of  the  county, 
and  remained  as  such  for  six  years;  he  was  elected 
treasurer  of  the  county,  and  filled  that  office  for  two 
years;  after  this  was  elected  nuiyor  and  served  two 
terms.  During  the  last  term  he  was  elected  prothon- 
otary and  clerk  of  the  courts,  filling  this  place  three 
years.  During  his  public  life  he  engaged  extensively 
in  manufacturing  here,  and  also  dealt  largely  in  grain 
(particularly  in  barley),  and  was  instrumental  in  giving 
Erie  prominence  as  a  grain  depot.  His  connection 
with  these  industries  extended  over  thirty-five  years. 
He  was  also  interested  in  real  estate,  both  in  Erie  and 
in  the  West,  evidences  of  which  can  lie  seen  in  the 
place  known  as  Kingtown,  which  he  planted  and  built 
up.  He  married  in  Livingston  county.  New  York,  in 
1845,  Mary  Kenedy,  a  lady  of  fine  literary  attainments, 
a  sister  of  the  Hon.  Archabald  Kenedy,  of  that  county. 
They  have  three  sons~*-Kenedy,  Josiah  Holdship,  fir.st 
lieutenant  in  the  8th  V.  S.  Cav.;  and  A.  H.,  commission 
merchant  of  Erie.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church.  Alfred  King  died  in 
Erie. 

Henry  Jarecki,  one  of  lirie's  most  prominent 
business  men  and  founder  of  the  Jarecki  .Manufactur- 
ing Company,  was  born  in  Posen,  Prussia,  January  10, 
1826,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  W.  and  William  (Wilch- 
incka)  Jarecki.  His  father,  who  was  an  engraver  and 
goldsmith,  came  to  Erie  in  18.V2,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  jewelry  business  with  his  son,  August,  and  contin- 
ued until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1878,  at  the  age  of 
72years.  The  family  consisted  of  ten  children:  .'\ugust, 
who  came  to  F>ie  in  1847,  since  which  time  he  has  l)een 
engaged  in  the  jewelry  business  here;  Henry,  who  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Caroline,  who  married  Casiier 
Cantor,  of  Erie,  and  died  in  1890;  Frederick,  whose 
sketch  a])i)ears  in  this  work;  Louise,  who  married  Paul 
Weber,  of  Xew  York  city;  Captain  Gustave,  who  was 
formerly  engaged  in  banking  in  Erie,  was  ajijiointed 
consul  to  Altona,  Germany,  by  President  Grant,  later 
resigned,  and  is  now  residing  in  Pittsburg;  Emma,  who 
married  Augu.st  Drodsiewski  (deceased),  of  P>ie; 
Charles  and  Herman,  whose  sketches  appear  in  this 
work,  and  Theodore,  who  was  bookkeeper  for  the  Jar- 
ecki Manufacturing  Company,  and  died  in  1890.  Mr. 
Henry  Jarecki  received  his  education  in  his  native 
country,  and  it  was  there  also,  under  the  well  regu- 
lated apprenticeship  laws  that  he  learned  the  trade  of 
brass  founder,  serving  an  apprenticeship  of  seven 
years.  In  1849  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  lo- 
cated in  Erie.  Here  he  immediately  established  a  brass 
works  on  State  street,  between  Eighth  and  Ninth 
streets.  This  was  a  small  affair,  with  tread  power,  and 
capable  of  melting  about  fifteen  pounds  of  brass  at  a 
time,  and  yet  from  that  small  beginning  has  grown  the 
gigantic  institution  which  is  now  giving  employment 
to  hundreds  of  men  and  brings  many  hundred  thou- 
sands of  dollars  to  Erie  annually.  During  the  earlier 
days  of  the  concern  its  success  depended  almo.st  en- 
tirely upon  the  persistent  energy  and  shrewd  business 
methods  of  Mr.  Henry  Jarecki;  upon  the  organization 
of  the  company  in  1872  he  became  president.  In  later 
years  the  active  management  passed  to  Mr.  Charles 
Jarecki,  and  Mr.  Henry  Jarecki  retired  from  active 
participation  in  the  affairs  of  the  company,  and  in  1882 
Mr.    Charles    Jarecki    succeeded    him  as  president. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


615 


Since  that  time,  as  well  as  before,  Mr.  Jarecki  has  been 
an  extensive  traveler;  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Jarecki, 
he  visited  Europe  and  many  of  the  interesting  points 
in  .\merica.  P'or  the  pa.st  several  years  he  and  his 
family  passed  the  winters  in  California,  having  taken 
up  their  residence  in  Riverside  m  18S6.  He  has  since 
sold  his  beautiful  residence  there,  however,  and  now 
resides  in  Coronado,  which  is  situated  on  the  opposite 
shore  of  Santiago  Bay  from  the  city  of  Santiago.  Mr. 
Jarecki  is  still  one  of  the  heaviest  stockholders  of  the 
Jarecki  Manufacturing  Company,  and  also  owns  a  ten- 
acre  orange  grove  and  considerable  other  real  estate  in 
Riverside,  Cal.  Mr.  Jarecki  was  married  March  6, 
Wh\,  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Becker)  Gingrich,  a  sister  of  Mr.  Henry  Gingrich, 
of  Erie.  This  union  was  blessed  with  four  children: 
Albert  H.,  and  Oscar  H.,  who  hold  respectively  the 
position  of  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Jarecki  .Man- 
ufacturing Company;  Mary  J.,  who  married  William 
Nelson  .Mann  (Nlr.  Nlann  died  in  California  in  .August, 
1890,  where  his  widow  now  residesi,  and  Miss  Martha 
N.  Jarecki.  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jarecki  were  among  the 
founders  of  the  First  English  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  of  Erie,  now  known  as  the  Lutheran  Church, 
of  which  they  are  still  members,  and  of  which  they 
have  always  been  generous  supporters.  In  politics 
Mr.  Jarecki  has  always  been  a  staunch  Republican  and 
has  rendered  the  party  of  his  choice  much  valuable 
service,  but  he  has  never  been  an  applicant  for  public 
office  or  political  distinction.  He  has  always  had  the 
best  interests  of  the  comnmnity  at  heart,  and  has  stood 
ready  to  encourage  any  enterprise  that  would  promote 
the  growth  and  development  of  the  city.  There  are 
few  if  any  who  have  contributed  as  much  to  the  prog- 
ress of  Erie  as  Mr.  Jarecki.  The  institution  which  he 
founded  and  fostered  is  upon  a  sound  financial  basis, 
gives  employment  to  a  greater  number  of  men  than 
any  other  single  concern  in  the  city,  and  enjoys  the 
enviable  reputation  of  never  having  had  the  least  dis- 
cord with  its  employes  during  nearly  half  a  century  of 
successful  operation.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  in  the 
matter  of  being  a  benefit  to  the  city,  the  Jarecki  .Man- 
ufacturing Company  stands  at  the  head  of  the  manv 
prosperous  institutions  of  its  kind,  without  which  Erie 
would  be  but  a  struggling  village  on  the  southern 
shore  of  Lake  Erie. 

Oscar  Jarecki,  treasurer  of  the  Jarecki  Manufac- 
turing Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  March 
IH,  I8ti4.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry  Jarecki,  one  of  the 
brothers  Jarecki,  whose  energy  and  enterprise  have 
contributed  so  materially  to  the  manufacturing  and 
mercantile  interests  and  the  general  prosperity  of  this 
conmiunity,  the  details  of  which  are  contained  else- 
where in  this  volume.  Oscar  Jarecki  completed  his 
schooling  at  the  Erie  academy,  and  then  entered  the 
Jarecki  Manufacturing  Company,  in  which  he  has  been 
successfully  promoted,  and  of  which  he  is  now  treas- 
urer. He  married  a  daughter  of  the  late  D.  G.  Ormsby, 
resides  at  230  West  Ninth  street,  and  attends  St. 
Paul's  Episcopal  Church. 

Frederick  Jarecki,  superintendent  of  the  brass 
foundry  nf  the  Jarecki  Manufacturing  Company,  was 
born  in  Posen  Germany,  July  28,  1831,  and  is  a  son  of 
Charles  W.  Jarecki,  whose  sketch  is  contained  in  this 
work.  He  received  his  education  and  learned  his 
trade  in  his  native  country,  and   came  to  the  United 


States  in  1856.  He  first  located  in  Erie,  where  his 
brother,  Henry,  had  established  a  brass  works,  and 
with  whom  he  remained  about  six  months.  He  then 
went  to  New  York  city,  where  he  followed  his  tratie 
for  twelve  years.  In  1869  he  returned  to  Erie,  and  in 
company  with  other  parties,  e.stablished  a  brass  works, 
which  he  continued  until  1889,  when  he  accepted  his 
present  position.  Since  he  has  had  charge  of  this  de- 
partment he  has  made  several  very  useful  improve- 
ments in  the  machinery  and  appliances,  notably  the 
fire-boxes  and  the  magnetic  separator.  Mr.  Jarecki 
has  perfected  a  great  many  inventions,  and  has  had  no 
less  than  thirty  patents  issued.  Of  these  perhaps  the 
best  known  is  the  Jarecki  street  gas  and  water  service 
box,  of  which  there  have  been  over  a  million  sold 
in  the  L'nited  States  and  Canada.  The  Jarecki  pump 
lubricator,  which  is  undoubtedly  the  best  in  use,  is  of 
his  invention,  as  are  also  the  Jarecki  street  washer, 
hydrant  and  natural  gas  burner.  Mr.  Jarecki  was 
married  November  14,  1863,  to  Miss  Willhelmina, 
daughter  of  Mr.  Francis  Englehart,  of  Erie.  The 
issue  of  this  marriage  was  five  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living:  Ella,  Francis  p'rederick,  John  William  and 
Jennie.  .Mr.  Jarecki  is  a  32d  degree  Mason,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  K.  of  H.,  Herman's 
Sons,  Harugari,  Liedertafel  and  Maennerchor.  In 
politics  Mr.  Jarecki  has  always  been  a  Republican, 
and,  though  not  a  seeker  of  public  office,  has  done 
much  in  the  sup]iort  of  his  party. 

Alexander  H.  Jarecki,  superintendent  of  the 
iron  foundry  department  of  the  Jarecki  .Manufactur- 
ing Company,  F>ie.  Pa.,  was  horn  in  Erie,  .Aiiril  19, 
1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  Jarecki.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  and  then 
took  a  three  years'  special  course  in  the  Technical  and 
Mechanical  Engineering  Institute  of  Boston.  In  1889 
he  secured  his  present  position,  which  he  has  since 
occupied.  Mr.  Jarecki  was  married  January  10,  1891, 
to  Miss  Lucy  S.,  daughter  of  Mr.  James  McBrier,  of 
Erie.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  one  child, 
Carl  A.  Mr.  Jarecki  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Mechanical  Engineering  Society,  and  in  politics  is  a 
Republican. 

The  McSparrea  Family.— The  first  of  the  Mc- 
Sparrens  to  settle  in  Erie  county  was  .Archibald,  a  son 
or  Joseph  McSparren,  who  died  at  or  in  the  vicinity 
of  Philadelphia  some  years  before  the  Revolutionary 
war.  The  earliest  history  obtainable  of  this  family 
places  it  back  in  Scotland  shortly  before  the  year  1700, 
when  the  principal  branch  moved  from  Kintore,  in 
Scotland,  to  Dungiven,  county  Uerry,  in  Ireland, 
prior  to  the  persecution  of  the  Protestants  by  King 
James.  Rev.  .Archibald  McSparren,  a  clergyman 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  year  1700,  ac- 
companied by  a  nephew,  .\rchibald  McSparren,  .settled 
in  Dungiven.  This  nephew  seems  to  have  been  the 
direct  ancestor  of  the  family  in  Erie  county.  His 
eldest  son,  .Archibald,  lived  for  many  years  on  the  old 
homestead  with  his  parents.  His  younger  brother, 
James,  received  a  classical  education  at  Glasgow,  then 
studied  for  the  ministry  in  the  university  (Acaderiiia) 
of  Glasgow.  In  the  year  1720  he  was  ordained  a  min- 
ister in  the  Episcopal  Church  of  F^ngland,  and  early 
the  next  year  was  sent  by  the  Society  for  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,  of  London,  a  mis- 
sionary to  Narragansett,  Rhode  Island,  where  he  was 


6i6 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTTONART 


delegated  to  take  possession  of  the  church  property 
and  111  enlarge  the  work  of  the  church  in  this  country. 
In  this  capacity,  he  was  one  of  tlu'  lounders  of  Trinity 
Church,  at  Newport,  R.  I.  An  extract  from  the  church 
records  at  Xarragansett,  states  that  May  22,  1722.  Rev. 
James  McSparren  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  Car- 
diner,  a  daughter  of  William  Gardiner,  of  Ikiston 
Xeck,  in  Narragansett.  After  the  death  <^f  his  parents, 
Archibald  McSparren,  lieing  in  |iossessionof  the  home- 
stead at  Dungiven,  made  sale  of  it,  and  emigratetl  to 
this  country  in  search  of  his  brother  James  at  N'arra- 
gansett.  I5ut  the  ship  on  wliich  he  embarked  made 
another  jxirt,  and  he  settled  near  New  Castle,  on  Del- 
aware Hay,  near  the  Pennsylvania  line.  This  Archi- 
bald had  seven  children,  three  daughters  and  four 
sons,  of  whom  the  latter  were:  John,  James,  Archibald 
and  Joseph.  The  eldest  son,  John,  became  a  mer- 
chant at  Philadelphia,  and  there  died.  James  was  a 
husbandman,  lived  with  his  father,  came  in  possession 
of  the  hdnicsteatl  and  died  there.  Archibald  was  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  or  near  Baltimore.  Jo.seph, 
the  youngest  son,  was  born  in  this  country,  and  was 
quite  young  when  his  father  and  mother  died,  abnut 
June,  IT.'il.  This  son,  Joseph,  was  the  father  of  the 
Archibald  McSparren  who  settled  in  Krie  county.  As 
near  as  can  be  known,  Joseph  moved  to  the  interior  of 
Pennsylvania  with  his  family,  probably  locating  near 
Lancaster,  where  a  branch  of  the  family  now  resides, 
and  on  the  death  of  his  father,  Archibald  moved  to 
Erie  county,  arriving  in  1802.  Coming  to  I'>ie  county 
in  the  early  manhood  of  his  career.  Air.  McSparren 
took  an  active  part  in  all  public  works  and  labored 
with  untiring  energy  in  building  uji  the  city.  Settling 
on  property  on  .South  Park  Row,  east  of  tlie  i>ostoffice, 
he  became  the  owner  of  the  entire  block.  Here  he 
carried  on  a  merchant  tailoring  business,  and  during 
the  war  of  1812  Mr.  McSparren  made  the  uniforms 
worn  by  Commodore  Perry  and  the  officers  of  his 
fleet  on  Lake  Erie.  Mr.  McSparren  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  I'nited  Presbyterian  Church,  then 
called  the  A.ssociated  Reformed  Church.  On  April 
12,  18i;{,  he  was  ordained  an  elder  of  the  church,  ami 
continued  in  that  position  during  the  remaining  years 
of  his  life.  Mr.  McSparren  was  an  extensive  owner  of 
real  estate,  holding  several  valu.ible  tracts  in  what  is 
now  the  Second  ward;  he  also  liought  property,  and 
later  erected  the  Erie  City  Mills,  which  are  now  at  the 
junction  of  .State  street  and  the  Lake  Shore  road. 
.Successful  in  his  dealings,  Mr.  McSparren  was  enabled 
in  middle  life  to  retire  from  active  business.  He  was 
twice  married:  His  first  union  was  with  Mi.ss  Margaret 
McKay,  of  Waterford,  which  occurred  March  14,  1805. 
Nine  chiUlren  blessed  this  union,  but  one  of  whom  is 
living,  Archibald,  of  Painesville,  ().  The  other  chil- 
dren were:  John,  Clark,  Mrs.  Mary  Dumars,  Mrs. 
Nancy  Mellen,  wife  of  Charles  Mellen;  Winlock,  Rob- 
ert, ^ir.s.  Margaret  Reynolds,  wife  of  John  Reynolds, 
and  Eliza.  Mrs.  McSparren  departed' this  life  in  1834. 
The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  McS|iarren  occurred  Se|)- 
tember  14,  184i»,  to  Mrs.  Henrietta  (Moodyl  Cdazier, 
widow  of  Jacob  .■\lexander  Glazier.  Two  children  were 
the  result  of  this  union:  Henrietta,  wife  of  ¥..  I).  Lud- 
wig;  and  Evaline,  wife  of  D.  F.  Orr,  of  Baltimore,  Md. 
Mr.  Archibald  .McSparren  died  January  2.5, 18.57,  at  the 
ri[)e  age  of  84  years,  and  in  full  possession  of  his  fac- 
ulties. His  second  wife,  Mrs.  Henrietta,  died  Septem- 
ber 9,  1888,  aged  75  years.  Clark  McSparren,  second 
son  of  Archibald  by  his  first  wife,  was  born  in  Erie, 


July  2,  1810.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Erie  and  in  the  Waterford  Academy,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated  in  1829.  He  first  clerked  in  a 
dry  goods  stun-,  and  in  18;i;i  was  appointed  cashier  of 
the  Erie  B.uik,  wliicli  position  he  retained  during  the 
life  of  that  institution.  An  extensive  deali-r  in  real  es- 
tate, he  was  more  than  ordinarily  successful.  On  .Sep- 
tember 10,  1835,  he  married  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of 
Chester  and  Sarah  (.Steeli  Jones,  of  English  ancestry, 
and  a  native  of  Seymour,  Conn.  Her  family  moved  to 
Pennsylvania  in  181t).  Live  of  the  nine  children  Ixirn 
to  this  union  are  living;  .Albert  J.,  Frank,  William, 
clerk  of  the  BuffaloCiener;d  Electric Com|)any;  Charles 
Archibald,  I'.rie  Malleable  Iron  Coniiianv;  Mary 
Emma,  wife  of  Philip  \.  Locke.  Mr.  McS]iarren  de- 
parted this  life  April  18,  187.5.  Mrs.  McSparren  still 
survives  him,  and  is  now  living  with  her  children,  at 
110  West  Tenth  street,  ICrie.  Mrs.  Henrietta  Ludwig, 
wife  of  Emanuel  D.  Ludwig,  the  only  direct  descen- 
dant of  .Archibald  McSparren  now  living  at  Erie,  was 
born  November  12,  18.50.  Her  union  with  Mr.  Lud- 
wig occurred  September  15,  1872.  Mr.  Ludwig  was 
born  March  14,  1848,  in  Berne,  Switzerland.  He  is  a 
son  of  Prof.  \\.  A.  Ludwig,  and  a  grandson  of  Rev. 
Emanuel  Ludwig,  who  was  the  first  pastor  of  the 
great  cathedral  at  Berne,  and  whose  wife  was  a  niece 
of  Albert  \'on  Haller,  who  was  knighted  bv  |oseph  H. 
of  Austria,  and  who  was  a  great  philosopher  and 
scholar.  The  records  show  the  Ludwigs  to  be  one  of 
the  old  patrician  families  of  Switzerland.  Mr.  E.  I). 
I^udwig  came  to  yXnu'rica  with  his  father  in  18.50. 
Prof.  Ludwig  was  until  18()1  ,i  member  of  the  faculty 
of  Washington  College  at  Lexington,  Va.,  when  he 
came  north  and  finally  settled  with  his  son  in  P>ie, 
where  he  die<l  in  the  fall  of  1880.  Mr.  E.  IX  Ludwig 
received  his  education  at  Lexington  and  Fincastle,  \'a. 
At  the  age  of  It)  he  left  school  and  started  in  life  as  a 
book  agent.  He  taught  a  district  school  one  term,  ,ind 
in  1807  entered  the  insurance  business,  and  in  a  short 
time  became  general  agent  for  his  company.  From 
1874  to  1880  Mr.  Ludwig  engaged  in  sjieculation  and 
manufacturing  with  more  than  average  success,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Mutual 
Reserve  Association  of  New  York,  and  is  one  of  its 
officers.  He  came  to  Erie  as  .State  superintendent  of 
the  F,<|uitable  Life.  His  success  in  insurance  is  best 
attested  by  the  action  of  the  board  of  directors  of  his 
company,  who  passed  a  series  of  resolutions  liighly 
coni|ilimenling  his  work.  Mr.  Ludwig  has  risen  from 
the  bottom  of  the  la<ider  to  the  front  rank  in  field  work 
in  the  insurance  liusiness.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ludwig  have 
two  chilflren:  Henrietta  Daisy,  born  August  9,  1874, 
and  Albert  Archibald  Otto,  born  November  8,  187H. 

Hugh  Jones,  one  of  I'.rie's  prominent  citizens, 
died  at  his  residence,  807  French  street,  March  25, 
1891.  He  was  born  in  Bodedern,  Anglesea,  North 
Wales,  February  15,  1812,  and  was  a  son  of  John 
Hughes,  a  Methodist  E|iiscopal  clergyman.  He  was 
a  grandson  of  Hugh  Jones,  a  great-grandson  of  John 
Hughes,  etc.,  the  custom  of  the  family  being  for  the 
eldest  son  to  hear  the  same  names  as  his  father  with 
the  order  reversed.  Mr.  Jones  had  a  step-father, 
whose  name  was  also  John  Hughes.  Hugh  Jones  was 
educated  in  his  native  country,  where  he  also  learned 
the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and  joiner.  On  June  19,  1832, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Flleanor  Hughes,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  on  his  wedding  tour.     He  remained 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


617 


some  time  in  Utica  and  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and,  in  1836, 
came  to  Erie.  For  the  first  few  years  after  coming  to 
America  he  devoted  considerable  attention  to  writing 
poems  and  articles  for  Welsh  journals;  but  after 
reaching  Erie  he  determined  to  give  his  whole  time 
and  energy  to  the  pursuit  of  his  trade.  He  was  for  a 
time  employed  by  Gen.  Reed  as  ship  joiner,  after 
which,  in  company  with  John  Pinckney,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Jones  &  Pinckney,  he  established  a 
contracting  and  building  business  where  the  Penn 
building  now  stands.  Later  Mr.  Jones  became  sole 
proprietor  of  the  concern;  but  later,  when  a  mill  was 
built  at  Eleventh  and  Holland  streets,  he  took  in 
seven  partners,  among  them  .\Ir.  John  Constable. 
Later  the  partnership  was  reduced  to  himself  and 
Constable,  when  the  concern  was  removed  to  Fifth 
and  Sassafras  streets.  This  partnership  was  after- 
wards dissolved,  and  Mr.  Jones  established  a  business 
at  Fourth  and  Peach  streets,  at  which  time  he  built  a 
residence  just  north  of  the  First  Baptist  Church.  He 
then  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  I^iddell,  Kepler 
&  Co.,  doing  the  wood-work  for  the  concern  until  it 
failed  in  1867,  by  which  he  was  a  heavy  loser.  He 
then  started  anew,  locating  where  the  First  National 
Bank  now  stands,  and  was  very  successful  as  a  builder. 
Later  he  purchased  from  Carter  &  Mallory  their  mill, 
located  at  Holland  and  Eleventh  streets,  retaining  Mr. 
Mallory  as  partner  and  furnishing  him  the  money 
with  which  to  buy  an  interest  in  the  business,  for 
which  less  than  five  years  later  he  paid  Mr.  Mallorv 
§20,000.  This  mill  burned  in  187.5,  after  which  Mr. 
Jones  continued  building  without  a  mill  of  his  own, 
and  chiefly  upon  his  own  estates.  During  those 
years  he  helped  a  great  many  poor  people  to  homes 
by  allowing  them  to  make  payment  upon  the  most 
lenient  terms.  Many  of  the  leading  builders  of  Erie 
date  their  start  in  business  to  their  connection  with 
Mr.  Jones.  Mr.  John  Constable  has  already  been 
mentioned  as  a  partner  of  Mr.  Jones.  The  latter  was 
also  one  of  Henry  Shenk's  first  employers,  when  a 
young  man,  he  came  to  Erie  to  get  a  start  in  the 
world;  and  the  senior  Mr.  Bauschard  and  his  sons 
learned  their  trade  with  him,  and  were  in  his  em])loy 
for  some  time.  Mr.  Jones  was  doubtless  the  first 
architect  in  Erie,  always  doing  all  his  own  work  in 
that  line.  When  others  came  and  pursued  that  pro- 
fession exclusively,  Mr.  Jones  was  frequently  consulted 
on  practical  matters  by  them  and  those  who  employed 
them.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  Mr.  Jones  was  one  of 
the  largest  real  estate  owners  in  Erie,  and  was  one  of 
the  best  landlords.  Mrs.  Jones  died  March  1,  1889,  at 
the  age  of  72  years  and  6  months.  The  family  con- 
sisted of  five  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
The  others  were:  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Charles  W.  Griest, 
of  Erie;  Ellen  J.,  Mrs.  George  V.  Slocum,  of  Erie,  and 
Hugh  Jones,  jr.,  who  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  the 
sale  of  sash,  doors  and  blinds  in  Erie,  and  who  died  in 
April,  1889.  The  last  named  married  Miss  Christiana 
Moore,  of  Erie,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Margaretta 
Christina.  An  uncle  of  Mrs.  Jones,  when  a  young  man, 
went  to  India,  where  he  married  the  governor's 
daughter,  at  which  his  family,  thinking  that  he  had 
married  an  aboriginal  (which,  of  course,  was  not  the 
case],  were  very  indignant,  but  by  which  he  later 
became  the  possessor  of  great  wealth.  During  some 
civil  disturbance  her  uncle  and  aunt  were  killed, 
leaving  an  only  son,  who  chanced  to  be  absent  from 
home  at  the  time,  the  sole  heir  to  their  vast  estates. 


He  died  single,  leaving  an  estate  which  is  now  worth 
several  million  dollars,  and  which  mu.st  eventually 
revert  to  her  heirs,  among  whom  are  the  descendants 
of  Hugh  Jones  in  Erie.  There  is  also  quite  a  large 
estate  of  the  family  in  Wales,  part  of  which  right- 
fully belongs  to  the  Erie  branch.  In  early  life  Sir. 
Jones  was  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  faith  his  wife  and  he  were  baptized 
and  confirmed.  He  was  originally  a  Whig,  and  later 
a  Republican,  and  served  his  adopted  city  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council.  He  was  one  of  the  first  mem- 
bers of  the  board  of  trade  of  Erie.  By  the  will  of 
Hugh  Jones,  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Ellen  J.  Slocum,  was 
made  executrix  of  the  large  estate,  from  which  the 
other  children  were  to  receive  certain  specified  in- 
comes. 

George  Volney  Slocum,  agent  of  the  Hugh  Jones 
estate,  office  Itil  East  Eleventh  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Buffalo,  .August  19,  1848,  a  son  of  Samuel  N. 
and  Eliza  L.  (Sickles)  Slocum,  the  former  born  in 
Herkimer,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1818,  a  son  of 
Samuel  .Slocum,  a  native  of  Xew  Hampshire;  the 
latter  born  in  .Amsterdam,  X.  Y.,  in  1828,  a  daughter 
of  Judge  William  .Sickles.  Samuel  X.  .Slocum  was 
for  thirty-five  years  a  steamship  and  railroad  ticket 
agent  at  Buffalo,  where  he  died,  October  7,  1893. 
Mrs.  Slocum  still  resides  in  Buffalo,  aged  78  years.  To 
this  couple  were  born  five  children:  Adalaid  L.  (Mrs. 
John  W.  Moharg,  of  Buffalo,  X.  Y.);  George  \'.;  Alice 
-A.  (.Mrs.  William  H.  Graves,  of  Buffalo),  deceased; 
Mary  J.  (Mrs.  Dr.  C.  C.  Bingham,  of  Kansas  City, 
Mo.);  and  Sidney  .M.,  in  the  insurance  business  in 
Buffalo.  George  V.  Slocum  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Buffalo,  and,  when  Ki  years  of 
age,  secured  a  position  as  helper  to  the  clerk  on  the 
Xiagara  river  steamer  "Arrow,"  where  he  remained 
two  years.  He  then  occupied  a  position  as  newsboy 
on  the  N.  Y.  C.  R.  R.,  in  which  capacity  he  worked 
one  year;  he  was  then  made  brakeman,  and  worked 
six  months,  when  he  left  and  found  employment  with 
the  L.  S.  &  .M.  S.  R.  R.,  in  the  same  capacity.  Eight 
months  later  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  bag- 
gage-ma.ster  and  extra  conductor;  after  two  years  of 
this  service  he  secured  a  position  as  fireman  on  the 
same  road,  and  eleven  months  later  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  engineer,  and  for  twenty-three  years 
he  served  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  as  a  locomotive 
engineer.  He  then  opened  a  grocery  store  in  Erie,  on 
the  southwest  corner  of  Eleventh  and  Holland  streets, 
which  he  conducted  two  years,  when  he  was  made 
agent  for  the  estate  of  the  late  Hugh  Jones,  a  position 
he  has  since  held.  Mr.  Slocum  was  married,  Septem- 
ber 15,  1868,  to  Miss  Ellen  Jane,  daughter  of  the  late 
Hugh  Jones,  of  Erie.  This  happy  union  has  been 
blessed  with  one  child — Eleanor  Josephine,  who  mar- 
ried Mr.  Charles  H.  Lamb,  cashier  of  the  Erie  Fish 
Association,  by  whom  she  has  one  child,  Eleanor. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Slocum  are  members  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  K. 
of  H.,  and  in  politics  is  independent. 

John  W.  Leech,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Keystone  Electric  Company,  was  born  in  Leechburg, 
Armstrong  county,  Pa.,  October  8,  1852.  He  is  a  son 
of  Addison  and  Mary  (Watson)  Leech.  John  W. 
Leech  was  educated  in  the  public  schcxils  and 
Academy  of    Leechburg,    after    which    he   came    to 


6i8 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Erie  and  engaged  as  a  bookkeeper  at  the  Anchor 
Line  elevators,  where  his  father  was  manager,  and 
where  lie  remained  for  eleven  years.  He  IJien  en- 
gaged for  two  years  in  the  wholesale  and  n-tail  tlour 
and  grain  business  on  North  Park  Row,  after  which 
he  took  the  management  of  a  5,000  acre  wheat  farm 
owned  by  his  father  in  North  Dakota,  spending  the 
winters  in  the  East,  only  that  jiortion  of  the  year  on 
the  farm  when  it  re<iuired  his  attention.  Having  sold 
a  small  portion  of  the  immense  farm  and  turned  the 
remainder  of  it  t)ver  to  the  management  of  his 
brothers,  he  became  identihed  with  the  Keystone 
Electric  Company,  as  is  detailed  in  the  sketch  of  Mr. 
C.  J.  Sturgeon,  which  appears  in  this  work.  Mr. 
Leech  was  married  May  (i,  1878,  to  Miss  Nellie, 
daughter  of  .Mr.  N.  J.  Clark,  of  Erie.  They  have  one 
child,  Marion.  Mr.  Leech  and  family  are  members  of 
St.  Paid's  Episcopal  Church.  In  politics  he  affiliates 
with  the  Republican  party. 

Ricardo  St.  Philip  Lowry,  deputy  collector  of 
customs,  Erie,  I'a.,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
!•  ebruary  25,  18fi4.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Commo- 
dore Reigart  B.  and  Elizabeth  iCourtright)  Lowry. 
Commodore  Lowry  was  born  Jidy  4,  i82(),  at  La 
(Juayra,  Wnezuela,  at  which  port  his  father  was  the 
then  American  consul.  He  was  appointed  to  the 
I'nited  States  navy  when  only  i;i  years  of  age,  and 
continued  in  the  service  until  thi-  day  of  his  dt-ath, 
Novmber  25,  1K80.  Before  the  war  he  was  in  com- 
uumd  of  the  IJ.  .S.  S.  Severn,  and  during  the  war  was 
first  executive  officer  of  the  Brooklyn  at  New  Orleans, 
and  later  in  command  of  the  gunboat  Sciota.  After 
the  war  he  was  in  command  of  the  .Sabine  at  New 
London,  and  next  of  the  receiving  ship  Ohio,  in  the 
Boston  navy  yartl.  His  next  service  was  in  command 
of  the  Canandaigua.  He  was  in  command  of  the  old 
flag  shii)  Constitution  while  that  vessel  was  being  jire- 

iiared  lor  her  voyage  to  France  and  exhibition  at 
davre  as  part  of  the  L'nited  States  exhibit  at  the  Paris 
Exjiosition  of  1875.  At  the  time  of  his  decease  he 
was  on  special  duty  at  Brooklyn,  N.  V.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1858,  at  Erie,  Pa.,  being  at  the  time  executive 
officer  of  the  Unite<i  States  steamer  Michigan.  His 
wife  (now  Mrs.  Eben  Brewer)  is  the  daughter  of  the 
late  Milton  Courtright,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Erie  county.  R.  St.  P.  Lowry  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  high  school  of  L.rif,  and  then  look 
a  course  in  civil  engineering  in  the  Shortledge  Acad- 
emy, Media,  Pa.  Following  this  he  for  sixteen  months 
had  charge  of  an  engineering  corps  on  the  West  Shore 
R.  R.  In  1888  he  went  to  Norfolk,  V'a.,  where  he 
located  and  surveyed  a  railroad  which  was  built  f)y 
his  grandfather,  the  late  Milton  Courtright.  Follow- 
ing this  he  made  the  preliminary  survey  of  a  ]jro- 
posed  railroad  from  Fort  Plain  on  the  West  Shore  to 
Richfield  Springs  and  Cooperstown.  N.  Y.  Two  years 
thereafter  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Youghioghany 
River  Coal  Company  at  Ashtabula,  Ohio.  In  1885-6 
he  was  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Thomas  C.  Piatt,  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  Express  Company.  Return- 
ing to  Erie,  Mr.  Lowry  was  connected  with  the  Morn- 
ing Diapatch  until  1890,  when  he  embarked  in  the  coal 
business,  being  associated  with  Mr.  Wirt  McCreary. 
He  was  appointed  to  his  present  position  as  deputy 
under  Collector  of  Customs  Nelson  Baldwin  on  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1894.  Mr.  Lowry  is  a  Democrat  and  has  done 
effective  work  for  his  party.    He  was  a  member  of  the 


councils  from  the  First  ward  in  1887,  and  was  presid- 
ing officer  of  that  body  during  the  year.  In  1888-9  he 
was  secretary  of  the  Democratic  executive  committee 
of  the  city,  and  in  18110  91  was  chairman  of  that  organ- 
ization. He  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  from 
the  Fourth  ward  from  1890  to  1893,  and  was  secretary 
of  that  body  during  1892-3.  During  his  secretaryship 
he  rendered  efficient  service  by  systematizing  the 
work,  bringing  the  records  together  in  one  office,  and 
securing  the  appointment  of  a  clerk  for  that  body. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  .Arcanum,  and  of  the  B. 
P.  O.  E.  -He  was  married'  October  17,  1888.  to  .Annie, 
daughter  of  the  late  George  \'.  Maus,  former  general 
freight  agent  at  Erie  for  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lowry  have  two  children,  George  M.  and 
Philip  W.,  reside  at  453  West  Sixth  street,  and  are 
members  of  St.  Paul's  F^piscopal  Church. 

Perry  G.  Stranahan  (deceased),  late  a  farmer 
and  stock  raiser  in  I'nion  City,  was  a  grandson  of 
John  Stranahan,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  born  in 
1737,  and  died  .March  23,  1798.  In  Sejitember,  1703, 
before  the  Revolution,  he  married  Lucy  Buck,  anil 
settled  in  Canaan,  Columbia  county,  N.  Y.  He  was  a 
man  of  wealth.  His  son,  Gibson  J.  .Stranahan,  was 
born  in  Canaan,  in  1786.  He  married  Miss  Dolly 
Devendorf,  of  Herkimer  county.  New  York,  in  1807. 
He  was  a  resident  of  Herkimer  county  for  m.iny  years, 
and  there  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer.  In 
1836,  he,  with  his  family,  came  West,  and  settled  in 
Concord  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.  He  <-nlered  a 
large  tract  of  land,  and  imported  460  fine  wool  sheep. 
He  became  one  of  the  largest  stock-raisers  of  Erie 
county.  He  died  in  1869.  His  wife  was  born  in  Her- 
kimer county,  New  York,  and  died  in  1862  or  1863, 
aged  73  years.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Deven- 
dorf, a  native  of  Herkimer  county.  New  York.  He 
was  one  of  the  wealthiest  farmers  in  his  county.  The 
])arents  of  P.  G.  Stranali.ni  had  the  following  chil- 
dren: Daniel  \'.,  a  prominent  physician,  who  died  in 
Warren,  Pa.,  in  1874;  Hon.  John  D.,  a  fanner;  James, 
a  farmer;  Perry  G.;  Franklin  B.,  a  farmer;  and  Mar- 
garet E.,  wife  of  William  A.  Mead,  a  surveyor  and 
farmer  of  Youngsville,  Pa.  Perry  G.  Stranahan  was 
born  in  Herkimer  county.  New  York,  on  the  Pith  of 
July,  1820.  He  devoted  his  early  life  to  work  on  the 
farm  and  in  teaching  school  winters.  In  1843  he  was 
married  to  .Miss  Louisa,  only  daughter  of  P.  K.  Web- 
ber, of  Columbus,  Warren  county.  Pa.,  who  was  one 
of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  that  place,  and  cut  away 
the  pines  where  the  village  now  stands.  He  and  his 
estimable  wife,  Annie,  resided  with  Mr.  Stranahan. 
Mr.  Stranahan  studied  law  with  Horace  Hawes,  of  Erie, 
who  was  afterward  appointed  U.  .S.  consul  to  the  So- 
ciety Islands.  On  account  of  failing  health,  Mr. 
Stranahan  was  compelled  to  abandon  the  law.  He 
then  came  to  Le  B(euf,  bought  a  larm  on  French 
creek,  built,  and  kept  the  .Moravian  Hotel  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  1859,  when  the  P.  &  E.  and  A.  &  G. 
W.  railways  were  being  built,  .Mr.  Stranahan  saw  the 
opportunity  for  advancement,  and  purchased  nearly 
all  of  the  old  Miles  estate,  consisting  of  several  hundred 
acres  of  land,  upon  which  a  large  part  of  the  borough 
of  Union  City  is  now  built.  He  immediately  laid  it 
out  in  village  lots,  established  a  real  estate  agency, 
and  in  connection  with  farming  and  stock-raising 
amassed  considerable  means,  and  became  one  of  the 
enterprising  and  solid  men   of  Union   City.     He  was 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


619 


always  foremost  in  any  enterprise  which  promised  its 
advancement.  He  was  liberal  with  his  means,  and  as- 
sisted the  worthy  in  building  up  the  industries  of  the 
place.  He  lost  large  sums  of  money  in  the  stave  and 
barrel  works  of  Union  City,  and  as  one  of  the  project- 
ors of  the  Union  and  Titusville  R.  R.,  he  lost  thou- 
sands of  dollars.  His  name  was  a  tower  of  financial 
strength,  but  the  great  losses  sustained  in  these  calami- 
ties almost  overwhelmed  him.  In  1871,  he,  with 
others,  started  the  Casement  Savings  Bank,  which  did 
a  successful  business  until  187S,  when  it  succumbed  to 
the  general  depression  of  business.  A  large  credit 
had  been  loaned  the  liank,  and  the  obligations  could 
not  be  met.  It  may  be  said  to  the  credit  of  Mr. 
Stranahan  that  he  turned  over  his  individual  property, 
and  the  bank  matters  were  honorably  and  satisfactorily 
settled,  and  without  a  law  suit.  He  was  the  only  man 
in  the  community  that  helped  m  the  erection  of  the 
A.  &  G.  VV.  Railway;  and  with  this  corporation  he  has 
been  largely  and  prominently  identified.  Mr.  Strana- 
han has  held  a  numl)er  of  offices.  In  his  intercourse 
he  was  pleasing,  benevcjlent  and  cheerful,  and  reflected 
the  philanthropy  which  was  an  innate  characteristic  of 
the  man.  He  was  happiest  when  doing  good,  and 
always  had  the  interest  of  the  city  and  locality  at 
heart.  He  made  friends  without  attempting  so  to  do; 
was  bold  and  outs]joken  in  his  likes  and  dislikes,  and 
never  had  a  malicious  feeling  toward  an  enemy.  A 
self-made  man,  he  had  earned  the  fruitage  of  his 
years  by  his  own  industry  and  perseverance;  his  in- 
tegrity was  never  impeached.  He  was  blessed  with 
children,  viz.:  Sarah  M.,  wife  of  L.  S.  Clough,  a  large 
lumber  tiealer;  l'",llen,  wife  of  E.  G.  Stranahan,  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio;  Maggie  L.,  widow  of  A.  F.  Bole,  a 
promment  lawyer  of  Corry,  Pa.;  Belle  L.,  youngest 
daughter,  widow  of  C.  C.  Page  (deceased),  and  Will- 
iam P.,  bookkeeper,  an  adopted  son,  who  lived  with 
them  since  he  was  a  child.  Mr.  P.  G.  Stranahan  died 
November  \U,  1892,  after  a  long  illness.  His  widow 
survives. 

The  HHtchittsoti  Family.— Hon. MvRoN  Hutch- 
inson, late  of  Girard,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  when  quite 
young,  came  to  reside  on  the  site  of  Girard.  He  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Mr.  Joseph  Wells.  The  latter 
owned  all  the  land,  and  erected  the  first  frame  build- 
ing within  the  present  limits  of  Girard.  He  gave  the 
public  square  and  facilitated  the  laying  out  of  the  vil- 
lage. The  stately  brick  mansion  on  the  north  side  of 
Main  street,  with  the  cluster  of  attractive  homes  near 
by,  with  their  beautiful  grounds  and  walks,  so  long 
ago  as  the  early  thirties,  occupied  by  the  McConnells, 
Websters  and  Marshalls,  and  later  by  the  Cutlers  and 
Woodruffs,  gave  a  character  to  the  place  and  caused 
It  to  be  noteit  far  and  wide  as  a  most  desirable  place 
of  residence.  Girard  was  then  one  of  the  stopping 
places  on  the  great  Ridge  road,  which,  before  the  day 
of  railroads,  wasthe  highway  of  commerce  and  of  travel 
between  the  East  anil  the  West.  Hon.  Myron  Hutch- 
inson was  a  noted  man.  He  was  postmaster  of  Gir- 
ard, justice  of  the  peace  and  associate  judge  of  Erie 
county  for  ten  years.  Their  family  consisted  of  Mon- 
roe Hutchinson,  who  now  occupies  the  family  home- 
stead in  Girard;  Eliza,  widow  of  David  Olin,  late  of 
Girard;  Lydia  (widow  of  John  Clemens,  a  merchant 
manufacturer  of  Erie),  who  survive  their  sisters,  and 
Irene  and  Polly,  deceased,  and  their  brother,  Capt. 
David  W.,  who  died  in  Erie.     In  their  home-like  man- 


sion. Judge  and  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  with  their  family  of 
four  daughters  and  two  sons,  dispensed  an  abounding, 
warm-hearted  and  old-fashioned  hospitality.  Judge 
Hutchinson  died  in  August,  1859,  and  .Mrs.  Hutchin- 
son lived  until  March  4,  1879.  His  early  education 
was  obtained  at  Girard,  followed  by  a  classical  course 
at  Kingsville  Academy.  He  studied  law  at  Girard 
with  Hon.  George  H.  Cutler,  and  at  the  State  and 
National  Law  School  at  Poughkeepie,  X.  Y.  Before 
the  war,  he  opened  a  law  office  in  Erie,  in  company 
with  J.  W.  Bridgen,  Esq.,  which  he  continued  for  some 
years.  He  was  the  captain  of  the  Girard  Guards.  On 
President  Lincoln's  call  for  troops  in  April,  1861,  he 
tendered  his  company,  which  became  Company  C,  of 
McLane's  Erie  regiment.  He  afterwards  resumed 
practice  at  Girard.  There  he  was  active  in  all  mat- 
ters of  a  public  nature  and  a  leader  on  occasions  of 
general  interest;  patriotic  and  indefatigable  in  all  that 
promoted  such  events.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Girard  Lodge  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  of  Temple  Chapter 
No.  215,  R.  A.  M.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  Mt. 
Olivet  Commandry  No.  30,  Knights  Templar,  and  was 
at  one  time  district  deputy  grand  master  of  Masons  in 
Erie  county.  At  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the 
Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home,  on  July  4,  1868,  by  special 
authority  from  Richard  Vaux,  grand  master  of  the 
.State,  he  officiated  as  grand  master,  when  the  Governor 
of  Pennsylvania  (attended  by  members  of  his  cabinet) 
laid  the  stone.  President  Cleveland,  in  1886,  on  the 
recommendation  of  Hon.  William  L.  Scott,  ajipointed 
him  United  States  receiver  of  public  moneys  at  Bis- 
marck, N.  D.  He  removed  there,  remaining  four 
years.  His  duties  were  acceptably  performed  during  his 
term.  He  then  returned  to  Erie,  resuming  law  practice. 
Perhaps  no  professional  duty  of  his  life  better  illustrated 
his  fine  qualities  than  his  continued  and  successful 
efforts  in  obtaining  the  right  of  way  for  the  N.  Y.,  C.  & 
St.  L.  (Nickle  Plate)  R.  R.  There  his  patience, 
suavity  and  sense  of  fairness,  were  all  brought  into 
requisition  in  the  numerous  and  successful  negotiations, 
all  culminating  in  the  speedy  construction  of  the 
great  highway.  Another  notable  occasion  in  his  prac- 
tice was  when  it  was  arranged  for  perhaps  a  score  of 
veterans  or  widows  of  the  war  of  1812  to  meet  at  his 
office  to  perfect  plans  for  availing  themselves  of  the 
act  of  Congress,  giving  pensions  to  these  aged  per- 
sons. It  was  a  gathering  which  aroused  some  of  his 
most  conspicuous  and  kindliest  traits  of  character: 
Respect  for  the  aged,  zeal  for  their  relief,  anil  grati- 
tude for  these  surviving  |>atriots  and  widows  of  veter- 
ans. He  was,  while  at  Girard,  at  the  head  of  the  fire 
department.  His  domestic  relations  were  most  agree- 
able. He  married  Miss  .Mary  Keyser,  of  Girard. 
They  had  four  children:  Mrs.  Gray  Myron,  now  a 
clerk  in  the  Fargo  land  office;  Frank  and  Monroe,  re- 
siding with  their  mother  in  Erie.  Capt.  Hutchinson's 
noble  qualities  of  heart  ]jrompted  him  to  cling  to  old 
friends  with  unswerving  fidelity;  he  loved  social  re- 
unions. With  so  much  of  his  life  passed  in  Erie 
county,  he  was  an  authority  on  county  events,  and 
fondly  recalled  the  memories  of  those  he  knew  or  had 
met.  He  was  a  fine  conversationalist,  and  his  narra- 
tive of  Western  experience  was  always  interesting. 
He  was  a  Democrat,  often  chairman  of  the  county 
committee,  and  delegate  to  State  conventions,  and  the 
choice  of  Erie  county  Democrats  for  the  Congressional 
nomination  on  one  or  more  occasions.  Living,  Capt. 
Hutchinson  was  beloved,  and  now  that  he  is  gone,  it  is 


Gzo 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


doubtful  if  a  single  person  can  recall  an  unkind  act  of 

his.  His  iimnilses  were  kind,  his  aspirations  patriotic, 
and  his  whole  life  in  keeping  with  maxims  of  the  order 
in  which  he  earned  an<l  maintained  such  high  rank. 
He  ilied  lannary  1'.',  IfS'.M.  Mrs.  Clemens  has  one  son, 
Kinaldo  E.,  married  to  Miss  -Anna  Hays,  of  Krie.  They 
have  two  children,  John  and  Hayes.  He  succeeded 
to  his  father's  large  business  interests  and  the  West 
Sixth  street  home.  Monroe  Hutchinson,  Esq.,  of 
Girard,  has  three  children:  Charles,  married  to  Marion 
Palmer;  Lydia,  married  to  R.  E.  Taggart,  and  Edgar. 
These  surviving  members  of  the  family,  with  their 
children,  maintain  the  ]irestige  and  traits  of  their  wor- 
thy ])rogenitor. 

Col.  Jeremiah  C.  Drake  (deceased)  was  a  de- 
scendant, on  the  paternal  side,  of  one  of  the  first 
English,  and  on  the  maternal  side  of  one  of  the  earliest 
Huguenot-Puritan  families  of  New  England.  His 
father  was  a  colonel  of  militia,  and  his  grandfather 
was  a  captain  in  the  Kevolutionarv  war.  His  ances- 
tors were  among  the  first  settlers  of  the  Empire  State, 
and  were  descendants  of  the  renownetl  Sir  Francis 
Drake,  the  first  circunuiavigator  of  the  globe.  Col. 
Drake  was  born  in  Salisbury,  Herkimer  countv,  \.  \ ., 
April  19,  1824;  was  endowed  with  the  intloinitable 
energy,  the  bravery  and  the  uncompromising  integ- 
rity which  so  often  characterizes  jiersonsof  Huguenot- 
Puritan  descent.  At  an  early  age  he  embraced  relig- 
ion under  the  Harmony  Baptist  .Association,  and 
throughout  his  life  adhered  undeviatingly  w-ith  his 
whole  heart  and  soul  to  his  faith.  A  few  years  prior 
to  attaining  his  maturity  he  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits  in  Wisconsin,  whither  he  had  gone  in  184;5, 
and  during  this  period  held  several  positions  of  trust, 
and  although  he  demonstrated  a  busmess  ability  that 
would  have  eventuated  in  more  than  ordinary  success, 
he  reliniiuished  his  worldly  pursuits  and  devoted  his 
time  to  study,  with  a  view  to  the  gos])el  ministry.  In 
December,  1847,  he  was  licensed  to  ])reach,  and  soon 
thereafter  returned  to  his  native  State  to  jiursue,  at 
the  Rochester  University,  a  thorough  course  of  study, 
pre|)aratory  to  entering  upon  his  ministerial  labors. 
■\lthough  entirely  without  means  when  he  entered 
upon  his  collegiate  course,  he  managed  by  most  in- 
dustrious application  to  earn  the  means  of  subsist- 
ance  and  to  ])ay  the  cost  of  his  tuition  while  taking 
the  full  counse  in  the  regular  time,  being  graduated 
from  the  university  in  1852.  During  this  ]ieriod,  also, 
he  gathered  and  organized  a  church  at  Churchville, 
Monroe  county,  N.  Y.,  and  was  ordained  its  pastor 
January  22,  1852.  After  a  successful  pastorate  there 
of  two  years  he  had  charge  of  the  Hapti.st  Church  at 
Panama,  Chautautpia  county,  N.  Y.,  which  he  left  four 
years  later  to  assume  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Westfield,  removing  thither  in  the  fall  of 
1858.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  resolved 
to  take  up  arms  in  defense  of  his  im|)eriled  country, 
and  in  .August,  18()1,  recruited  a  company,  was  com- 
missioned its  captain,  and  joined  the  4yth  \.  Y.  \'.  I., 
under  the  command  of  Col.  D.  1).  Bidwell.  He 
served  with  his  regiment  through  the  entire  campaign 
of  the  Peninsula,  taking  active  and  honorable  part  in 
the  battles  of  Mechanicsville,  Garnett's  Farm,  Savage 
Station  and  White  Oak  Swamp.  In  the  fall  of  18(52, 
when  the  112th  regiment  was  raised  in  Chautauqua 
county,  Capt.  Drake  was  unanimously  chosen  to  its 
command,  and  was  commissioned  colonel  September 


2,  1862.  During  his  subsequent  two  years  of  service 
Col.  Drake  was  distinguished  for  his  courage  in  action, 
and  during  a  large  portion  of  this  time  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  brigade.  He  was  occupying  this  posi- 
tion at  the  battle  of  Cold  IIarl)or,  where  he  received  a 
mortal  wound  and  was  taken  to  the  hospital,  and 
there,  after  having  delivered  to  his  comrades  his  last 
mes.sage  to  his  family,  with  a  re<]uest  that  his  boily  be 
.sent  home,  he  a.sked  to  be  kept  ipiiet,  saying:  "  You 
will  excuse  me  from  talking,  for  1  have  but  little  time 
to  live,  and  I  wish  it  all  to  myself."  He  passed  the 
night  in  self-connnunion,  enduring  the  keenest  bodily 
suffering  without  a  murmer  or  complaint.  Towards 
morning  the  chaplain  recited  the  words  of  the  a|iostle: 
"Thanks  be  to  God,  who  giveth  us  the  victory  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The  dying  Christian  soldier 
responded,  ".Amen,  ameni"  These  were  his  last 
words.  Thus  died  a  good  man,  and  a  genuine  patriot. 
But,  great  as  are  the  lionors  justly  bestoweil  upon  him 
for  the  service  rendered  his  country  in  a  most  critical 
juncture,  far  more  honorable  were  his  achievements 
as  a  "  .soldier  of  the  cross,"  under  the  Great  Captam  of 
Salvation,  in  the  warfare  against  the  kindom  of  dark- 
ness. Col.  Drake  was  married  to  Clara  Utiey,  of 
Boonville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  August  25,  1852,  and 
to  tlu-m  were  born  three  children:  J.  Clinton  .\lerl, 
Jennie  Clara  and  Charles  Ke.ssler.  J.  C.  M.  Drake, 
M.  I).,  720  Sassafras  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Panama,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  June  24, 1855,  and 
reared  in  Westfield.  His  father  was  Col.  J.  C.  Drake. 
After  receiving  a  good  literary  education  at  Greylock 
Institute,  Massachusetts,  he  entered  Cornell  I'niversity, 
taking  a  thorough  literary  and  scientific  course  when 
20  years  of  age;  after  two  years  he  entered  Hahne- 
mann College,  Chicago,  graduating  in  1880,  when  25 
years  of  age.  After  jtracticing  a  year  at  Westfield, 
N.  Y.,  in  connection  with  Dr.  George  W.  Seymour,  he 
came  to  Erie,  and  has  since  been  identified  with  the 
practice  in  this  city.  He  has  worked  actively  for  the 
develojiment  of  the  social  life  of  Erie  city,  .and  enjoys 
an  enviable  rejuitation  professionally.  Dr.  Drake 
has  been  president  of  the  Erie  County  Homeopathic 
Medical  Society,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Homeopathic 
Medical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  of  the  Medical 
Society  of  Western  New  York,  and  of  the  new  Homeo- 
pathic Hospital  and  Dispensary  Association  of  the 
city.  He  has  lived  a  very  active  professional  life,  and 
is  es])ecially  skilled  in  the  field  of  orificial  surgery.  Dr. 
Drake's  beautiful  residence,  at  720  .Sassafras  street,  also 
contains  his  office  quarters,  consisting  of  four  separate 
apartments;  first,  the  office  entrance  leads  to  the 
rece]ition  room,  adjoining  which  is  the  consulting  and 
operating  room,  with  a  sejiarate  exit  to  the  street;  from 
this  open  the  laboratory  and  the  retiring  room.  Every- 
thing that  experience  could  suggest  has  been  brought 
into  re(|uisition  to  make  the  offices  convenient  and 
pleasant.  Dr.  Drake  was  united  in  marriage,  June  4, 
1800,  to  Miss  Cassie,  daughter  of  J.  B.  Crouch,  a  lead- 
ing miller  of  Erie.  They  have  two  children,  Benson 
Crouch,  born  Februarv  20,  1891,  and  Clara  Louisa, 
born  February  10,  189:i  The  family  attend  the  Park 
Presbyterian  Church.  The  doctor  is  a  member  of  the 
K.  of  P.,  and  National  Union,  and  is  medical  exam- 
iner for  both.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Gen.  David  B.  McCreary,  attorney  at  law,  Erie, 
Pa.  There  will  always  attach  an  interest  to  the  pioneer 
families,  which  will  never  probably  belong  to  others 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


621 


who  come  at  a  later  date,  as  the  former  have  laid  the 
foundations  of  social  and  material  growth,  and  the 
coming  generations  can  only  modify  and  develop  that 
which  they,  by  their  energy  and  perseverance,  estab- 
lished. By  their  strong  arms  were  the  forests  felled, 
the  undergrowth  cleared  away,  and  the  sod  broken; 
by  them  were  the  pirimitive  cabm,  the  log  schoolhouse 
and  the  church  erected.  Later  inhabitants  make  fur- 
ther and  higheradvancements  in  all  these,  and  proceed 
to  further  develop  the  embryo  foundlings  of  the  pioneer. 
To  the  latter  class  belongs  General  McCreary,  born  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1826,  in  Mill  Creek  township,  Erie  county, 
Pa.,  to  Joseph  F.  and  Lydia  (Swan)  McCreary,  natives 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  parents  of  nine  children: 
Samuel  S.,  Richard  S.,  Seiina  C,  John  J.,  Mary  E., 
Jackson,  David  B.,  Lydia  A.  and  Martha  S.  Jose])h 
F.  McCreary  came  to  Mill  Creek  township  in  1800  from 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  farmer 
during  his  life.  Gen.  D.  B.  McCreary  was  brought  up 
as  a  farmer's  son;  when  a  mere  lad  his  tastes  inclined 
to  science  and  literature,  which  has  increased  with  his 
years.  In  his  boyhood  days  he  made  the  best  use  of 
such  educational  advantages  as  the  public  schools  of 
his  locality  afforded  and  the  limited  means  of  his  family- 
would  allow.  He  also  attended  the  Erie  Academy  and 
the  Washington  (Pa.)  College;  later  he  taught  school  in 
Erie,  and  was  principal  in  the  Winchester  (Ky.)  Semi- 
nary, and  elsewhere  in  Kentucky,  from  18.51  to  1853. 
While  teaching  in  Erie  he  read  law  with  Judge  John 
and  W.  A.  Galbraith,  and  in  1853  began  practicing 
law,  forming  a  partnership  with  J.  B.  Johnson.  In  18.55 
he  was  appointed  aid  to  Governor  Pollock,  with  the 
rank  of  lieutenant  colonel.  Two  years  later  he  be- 
came associated  with  Jonas  Gunnison,  the  father  of 
the  present  presiding  judge,  Frank  Gunnison,  and  dis- 
solved his  partnership  with  Mr.  Johnson,  the  new  part- 
nership continuing  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Re- 
bellion, when  he  was  attached  as  first  lieutenant  of  Co. 
B,  in  what  was  known  as  the  Erie  regiment.  He  was 
prominent  in  the  organization  of  the  l45th  Reg.,  P.  V. 
I.,  of  which  he  was  a])pointed  lieutenant  colonel,  and 
was  subsequently  commissioned  colonel,  and  later 
breveted  brigadier  general,  which  position  he  held  at 
the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  confined  in  Libby, 
Macon,  Charleston  and  Columbia  prisons  for  ten 
months.  On  his  return  from  the  war  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  law,  and,  like  all  who  love  their  profession, 
has  been  successful.  In  1805,  as  a  token  of  the  esteem 
in  which  he  was  held  by  the  many  friends  of  his  resi- 
dent district,  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and 
served  with  credit  to  himself  and  his  constituents  for  two 
terms.  In  1867  he  was  a])pointed  adjutant  general 
under  Governor  Geary,  and  served  three  years.  In 
1870  he  was  again  returned  to  the  Legislature.  He 
served  six  years  as  a  State  manager  of  the  Dixniont 
Asylum.  In  1888  he  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the 
State  -Senate  from  the  Erie  district  for  the  term  of  four 
years,  and  in  1892  was  re-elected  to  the  same  body. 
As  State  senator  Gen.  McCreary  has  served  on  numer- 
ous imjiortant  committees;  among  them,  for  two  terms, 
as  chairman  of  the  judiciary  general  committee.  Dur- 
ing his  senatorial  service  he  has  been  notably  faithful 
in  jiis  attendance  U]ion  the  sessions  of  that  body,  and 
watchful  for  the  interests  of  his  constituents.  It  is  a 
pleasure  to  record  him  as  a  gentleman  of  fine  natural 
endowments  and  acipiired  abilities,  enviable  reputa- 
tion professionally  and  socially.  He  adheres  strictly 
to  the  principles  of  the  Kepuchcan  party,  and  his  eld- 
40 


quence  as  a  political  speaker  is  sought  in  various  parts 
of  the  State.  He  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Park 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Erie;  was  married  in  1851  to 
Annette,  daughter  of  the  late  E.  D.  Gunnison,  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Erie  county.  This  union  has  re- 
sulted in  two  children;  Sophia,  wife  of  Henry  A. 
Clark,  a  prominent  attorney  of  Erie  and  Wirt,  who 
graduated  in  June,  1884,  with  honors  as  cadet  mid- 
shipman at  the  United  States  \aval  Academy  at  An- 
napolis, Md.,  and  is  now  of  the  firm  of  H.  Thompson 
&  Co.,  Erie,  Pa. 

Winfield  S.  McCreary,  retired  farmer,  Wesi 
Mill  C'-eek  postnffice,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  Oc- 
tober 2,  1847,  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides. 
He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  S.  and  Joanna  (Brooks)Mc- 
Creary.  In  the  fall  of  1863  he  was  taken  sick  with  a 
complication  of  diseases  and  was  confined  to  his  bed 
for  eight  years.  Since  then  he  has  been  obliged  to 
use  crutches.  He  followed  farming  for  fifteen  years 
and  served  as  township  treasurer  for  three  years.  Mr. 
McCreary  is  a  member  of  the  Westminster  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  in  politics,  like  all  the  rest  of  the 
McCrearys,  is  a  staunch  Republican. 

Samuel  Slater  McCreary  (deceased),  a  life-long 
resident  of  Mill  Creek  township,  was  born  September 
12,  1812,  and  died  July  31,  1892.  He  was  a  son  of 
Joseph  F.  and  Lydia  (Swan)  McCreary,  the  former  a 
native  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
latter  of  Dauphin  county,  who  came  to  Erie  county  in 
1802-3,  locating  on  Walnut  Creek.  The  father  of  the 
latter  came  from  Dauphin  county  and  settled  in  Man- 
chester in  1804.  They  were  parents  of  nine  children, 
as  follows:  S.  S.,  Richard  P.,  born  in  1814,  died  in 
1881;  J.  J.  (deceased),  Seiina  C,  Mary  E.,  Jackson  (de- 
ceased), formerly  of  Mill  Creek;  Gen.  David  B.  Ivlc- 
Creary,  Erie;  Lydia  A.,  wife  of  William  Love,  of  Mill 
Creek,  and  Martha  S.,  wife  of  Thomas  Love.  October 
17,  1839,  Mr.  S.  S.  McCreary  married  Joanna,  daughter 
of  John  and  Eleanor  ( McCreary)  Brooks,  the  former  of 
whom  came  to  this  county  in  1802,  settling  in  Mill 
Creek  township.  Mrs.  McCreary  still  survives,  at  the 
age  of  76  years,  enjoving  the  remaining  days  of  a  well 
spent  life  upon  the  farm  where  she  was  born.  John 
Brooks  was  born  in  1772  and  died  in  1857.  His  wife, 
Eleanor  (McCreary)  Brooks,  died  in  1846.  They  were 
natives  of  Lancaster.  Their  children  were  Joanna, 
born  luly  8,  1819;  Mary  J.,  born  Mav  31, 1821,  died  Oc- 
tober "26,  1850;  Eliza  B.,  born  .\ugust  19, 1823;  Harriett, 
born  July  12,  1825,  died  Julv  14,  1853,  and  John  C. 
Brooks,  born  March  7,  1829,  died  August  2.  1849.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCreary  were  born  twelve  children,  as 
follows:  Julia  (deceased),  Washington  I.  (deceased), 
John  J.,  married  to  Mary  Easley,  have  five  children 
(Florence  E.,  Sidney  S.,  Agnes  M.,  Bryant  and 
Dwight);  John  (deceased)  and  John  J.,  twins;  Winfield, 
now  a  retired  farmer;  Nellie  Lydia  (deceased,  1893); 
Sidney  B.  (deceased),  Eva  Jane  (deceased),  Mary  A. 
(deceased),  Millie  J.  and  Margaret  B.  Millie  J.  has 
followed  teaching  as  a  profession  for  several  years, 
[lart  of  her  teaching  being  among  the  freedmen  of 
of  the  .South.  Margaret  B.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Edinboro  State  Normal  School,  has  been  teaching  in 
her  own  township.  The  late  .Samuel  Slater  McCreary, 
who  for  many  years  lived  on  a  farm  situated  on  an  ele- 
vation in  the  central  part  of  Mill  Creek  township,  was 
a  man  of  great  intelligence   and  strong   moral   char- 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


acter.  He  was  a  great  reader,  and  in  order  to  satisfy 
this  desire  he  accumulated  a  library  of  nearly  a  thou- 
sand volumes.  He  would  work  hard  all  day  at  his 
trade  and  at  night  would  spend  his  time  until  the 
small  hours  reatling  by  the  light  of  a  tallow  candle. 
In  politics  he  was  a  staunch  Republican. 

Joseph  J.  McCreary,  retired  farmer,  West  .Mill 
Creek  township,  was  born  July  14,  1844,  son  of  Samuel 
Slater  and  Joanna  (Brooks]  McCreary,  of  Mill  Creek 
township.  The  former  died  July  30,  1892,  at  the  age 
of  80  years;  the  latter  still  survives,  living  on  the 
homestead  farm,  near  her  son,  at  the  age  of  76  years. 
Mr.  Joseph  J.  McCreary  is  the  third  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children:  Julia  (ileceasedl,  Washington  I.  (tie- 
ceased),  John  J.  and  John  (deceased),  twins;  W'inheld 
S.,  Lydia  Ellen,  Sidney  B.  (deceased),  Eva  Jane  (de- 
ceased), Mary  A.  (deceased),  Milicent  J.  and  Margaret 
B.  McCreary.  March  4,  1809,  Mr.  McCreary  married 
Miss  Mary  Esling,  a  native  of  Germany.  To  this 
union  have  been  born  fivechildren:  Florence,  Sidney, 
Agnes,  Bryant  and  Dwight  McCreary.  Mr.  McCrearv 
has  always  been  a  resident  of  Mill  Creek  township  and 
highly  respected.  He  has  been  on  his  present  farm 
forty-tive  years.  .Mr.  and  .Mrs.  McCreary  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Cassius  McCreary,  superintendent  of  the  F.  H. 
Watson  Paper  Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Fairview 
township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  April  8,  1859,  is  a  son  of 
Andrew  Franklin  and  Letitia  Isabella  (Barr)  Mc- 
Creary. His  father  was  born  in  Fairview  township, 
one  mile  north  of  what  is  known  as  the  "Old  Ken- 
tucky Home,"  and  lived  there  until  after  his  mar- 
riage. His  grandfather,  William  B.  McCreary,  was 
also  a  native  of  Erie  coimty,  and  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812.  His  great-grandfather  came  from  New 
England  and  was  of  Scotch  ancestry.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  John  L.  Barr,  was  a  native  of  Erie  county, 
and  his  maternal  great-grandfather,  who  was  a  Scotch- 
Irishman,  died  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  103  years.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  .Mc- 
Creary and  Barr  families  were  among  the  very  first  of 
the  sturdy  pioneers  who  undertook  the  gigantic  task  of 
converting  this  portion  of  the  Lake  Erie  wilderness 
into  one  of  the  most  beautiful  agricultural  spots  on  the 
globe.  Andrew  F.  McCreary  followed  farming  until 
middle  life,  when  he  became  a  member  of  the  hrm  of 
Caughey,  McCreary  &  Moorehead,  book-sellers  and 
stationers,  Erie,  Pa.,  and  is  now  living  in  retirement 
with  his  wife  in  Erie.  The  family  consisted  of  five 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living:  Emma,  Mrs. 
Richard  Pratt;  Cassius  and  John  Milton,  the  last 
storekeeper  of  the  H.  F.  Watson  Paper  Company. 
Mr.  Cassius  McCreary  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  academy  of  his  native  town,  and  when 
quite  young  accepted  a  position  with  Watson  &  Mor- 
gan, who  at  that  time  were  manufacturing  paper  in 
Fairview  townshi]).  After  two  years  thus  employed 
he  was  made  foreman  of  the  mill,  a  position  he  filled 
for  a  year  and  a  half.  In  1884  he  came  to  Erie  as 
assistant  foreman  of  the  mill,  which  had  been  pre- 
viously erected  here,  and  two  years  later  was  pro- 
moted to  his  present  position.  During  this  long  term 
of  service  he  has  discharged  the  multifarious  duties  of 
his  position  in  such  a  way  as  to  win  the  respect  of 
those  under  his  charge  and  the  confidence  of  his 
employers,  and  to  establish  for  himself  the  reputation 


of  being  one  of  the  most  thorough  and  practical  paper 
men  in  the  country.  Mr.  McCreary  wap  married  May 
8,  1883,  to  Miss  Isabella,  daughter  of  Mr.  Peter 
Heidler,  of  Fairview  township.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  two  children,  Adriel  Raymond  and 
.Vrloween  Isabella.  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCreary  atten<l 
the  .Simjison  M.  E.  Church,  of  which  she  is  a  member. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  views. 

Hon.  John  H.  Walker  (deceased).  Few  names 
are  mcjre  iik'ntilinl  witli  Northwestern  Pennsylvania, 
and  none  more  associated  with  Erie,  than  that  of  the 
lawyer  and  statesman  now  mentioned.  He  was  one 
of  eight  children  of  John  and  Isabella  ( McCormick) 
Walker,  born  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
February  9,  1800.  His  ancestors  were  of  Scotch, 
Scotch-Irish,  and  English  origin,  and  among  the  very 
early  settlers  of  Pennsylvania.  His  great-grand- 
father, William  Walker,  came  to  Pennsylvania  in 
1710  -but  eighteen  years  after  William  Penn.  The 
Walkers  settled  in  Lancaster  county.  His  grand- 
father, William  Walker,  afterward  removed  to  Cum- 
berland county  and  his  father,  in  1817,  removed  from 
Cumberland  to  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania. 
His  mother,  Isabella  McCormick,  the  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Jane  (Oliver)  McCormick,  was  born  De- 
cember 29,  1759,  on  the  present  site  of  Philadelphia, 
Pa.  They  came  from  Ireland  in  1737.  They  had  two 
sons,  John  and  William,  and  six  daughters,  of  whom 
Lsabella  was  the  eldest.  The  reference  to  Mr. 
Walker's  ancestry  and  race  will  explain  his  marked 
tenacity  of  purpose  and  rigid  pertinacity;  while  the 
long  i<lentification  of  the  family  with  Pennsylvania  is 
mentioned  as  a  reminder  of  his  loyalty  to  her  inter- 
ests. Robert  John  Walker,  L^nited  States  Senator 
from  Mississippi  and  secretary  of  the  treasury  under 
President  Polk,  was  the  son  of  John  H.  Walker's 
uncle,  Jonathan   Walker,  and  was  born  July  14,  1801. 

John  H.  Walker  graduated  at  Washington  College 
in  1822.  He  studied  with  an  uncle  at  Pittsburg,  and 
was  the  next  year  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1824  he 
came  to  Erie  to  reside.  From  that  time  he  was  iden- 
tified for  half  a  century  with  Erie  as  a  lawyer  and  |>ub- 
lic  man.  He  was  an  advocate  of  great  power,  and  re- 
tained his  place  as  one  of  the  leading  men  of  North- 
western Pennsylvania  until  his  death.  His  ])rofes- 
sional  career  included  an  amount  of  continuous  and 
arduous  [)rofessional  work  and  a  prominent,  undis- 
puted and  well  sustained  leadership  which  has  few 
parallels  in  the  State.  He  was  thoroughly  Pennsyl- 
vanian,  by  birth,  lineage,  education  and  residence. 
This  was  strikingly  manifest  in  his  conspicuous  service 
in  the  legislative  bodies  of  the  State.  In  these,  his  re- 
markable legislative  career  has  three  separate  and 
distinct  but  equally  removed  periods  of  service.  His 
first  four  years  in  the  Legislature  commenced  in  1832. 
The  second  as  senator  from  1849  to  18.52.  The  third 
as  delegate  at  large  to  the  Constitutional  convention 
of  1873  4.  As  his  first  service  was  in  the  prime  of  life, 
the  second  was  in  his  full-orbed  meridian,  and  the 
third  after  he  had  passed  the  psalmist's  limit.  Each 
period  was,  in  a  measure,  amid  different  surroundings 
of  men  and  of  questions.  In  each  period  of  service 
his  leadership  was  recognized;  for  in  the  first,  he  was, 
as  chairman  of  ways  and  means  committee,  leader  of 
the  House;  in  the  second,  speaker  of  the  Senate,  and 
in  the  third,  made  president  of  the  Constitutional  con- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


623 


vention,  on  the  death  of  William  M.  Meredith,  who,  at 
the  head  of  the  Philadelphia  bar,  and  secretary  of  the 
treasury  under  President  Taylor,  was  of  national  re- 
nown. The  agitating  questions  of  these  respective 
eras  were  as  different  as  were  the  personal  surround- 
ings. In  the  first,  the  creation  of  corporations  and  the 
construction  of  canals  were  foremost;  in  the  second, 
the  building  and  regulating  of  railroads  were  of  ab- 
sorbing interest;  and  in  the  third  and  final  service,  the 
restriction  of  corporations  and  the  curbing  of  their 
powers,  were  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  the  framers 
of  the  Constitution.  In  all  of  the  groups  of  men  and 
variety  of  questions,  Mr.  Walker  was  a  leader  of  lead- 
ers. Sound  in  his  principles,  clear  in  his  views  of 
public  measures,  and  earnest  in  their  support,  he  won 
admiration  and  commanded  respect.  In  the  halls  of 
legislation,  as  before  courts  and  juries,  his  presenta- 
tion of  facts  was  so  clear,  and  his  train  of  reasoning  so 
cogent,  that  he  generally  carried  his  audience  with 
him.  He  struck  his  sledge-hammer  blows  with  tre- 
mendous power;  and  his  sarcasm  was  withering.  He 
seldom  lost  a  cause.  Having  mastered  its  fundamen- 
tal principles,  believing  its  aim  to  be  the  enforcement 
of  right  and  the  repression  of  wrong,  he  devoted  his 
great  abilities  to  its  practice.  Though  eminently  fitted 
to  grace  public  positions,  he  was  not  an  officer-seeker. 
He  despised  the  tricks  of  the  politician.  Three  times 
in  his  long  career  he  accepted  public  trusts,  always  to 
his  pecuniary  detriment.  Each  time  it  was  in  inter- 
ruption of  professional  duties,  to  him,  so  much  more 
congenial.  Besides,  circumstances,  and  his  own  con- 
victions, had  placed  him,  in  early  life,  in  antagonism 
to  the  Democracy  in  its  long  and  hardly  intermitted 
control  of  Pennsylvania.  Always  its  opponent,  Mr. 
Walker,  on  each  occason  of  his  appearance  in  public 
position,  was  found  in  the  leadership  of  a  party  of  a 
different  name  from  that  borne  during  his  former 
service.  In  1835,  as  the  coadjutor  of  Governor  Rit- 
ner,  Thaddeus  Stevens  and  Thomas  H.  Burrows,  he 
was  the  leader  of  the  Anti-Masonic  majority  of  the 
House  of  Representatives.  In  1851-2,  as  the  elect  of 
the  Whigs,  he  presided  in  the  State  Senate,  and  in 
1873-4  as  the  choice  of  the  Republicans,  as  Meredith's 
successor  in  the  President's  chair,  in  a  body  of  which 
Governors  Bigler  and  Curtin,  Judge  Black  and  other 
able  men  were  members.  He  had  passed  the  merid- 
ian of  his  life  when  the  Pennsylvania  Democracy  was 
overthrown,  but  in  the  "borrowed  time"  allotted  him, 
after  his  three  score  and  ten,  he  aided  in  forming  a 
constitution,  to  protect  the  people  from  mischiefs, 
which  as  a  legislator  he  had  perceived  and  deplored. 
He  was  a  public-spirited  citizen,  keenly  alive  to  the 
interests  of  Erie  and  resolute  in  their  defense.  He 
did  much  to  improve  the  city,  having  erected  an  in- 
dustrial plant  and  many  dwellings.  While  in  the 
Legislature  he  obtained  from  the  State  the  grant  of 
the  beautiful  farm  for  the  Alms  House  and  the  "  Third 
Section"  of  land  in  Mill  Creek  for  the  improvement  of 
Erie  harbor.  He  was  active  in  the  development  of 
the  railroad  system  centering  at  Erie  and  devoted 
much  of  his  time  and  means  to  maintain  a  plank  road. 
His  domestic  relations  were  unusually  happy.  In 
1831  he  married  Miss  Catherine  D.  Kelley,  a  native  of 
Xew  Hampshire.  Their  home  was  in  an  imposing 
brick  mansion  on  West  Seventh  street,  erected  in  1837. 
He  was  noted  for  the  love  of  home,  and  though  Mrs. 
Walker  died  in  1860,  more  than  fourteen  years  pre- 
ceding the  death  of  her  husband,  the  memory  of  her 


grace  of  manner  and  kindness  of  heart,  lingers  like  a 
spell.  After  her  death  Mr.  Walker  kept  open  his 
spacious,  elegant  home,  and  by  his  will  clirected  that 
for  ten  years  his  home,  with  the  furniture  and  pict- 
ures, with  all  their  associations,  should  be  continued 
as  a  family  household.  His  exertions  in  the  Constitu- 
tional convention  told  upon  his  strength,  he  returned 
home  enfeebled,  and,  "  full  of  honors  and  of  years," 
died  on  the  25th  of  January,  1875. 

His  eldest  son,  Maj.  John  W.  Walker,  is  U.  S. 
marshal  of  the  western  district  of  Pennsylvania.  His 
home  is  in  Erie. 

Gev.  Thomas  McCormick  Walker,  second  son 
of  John  H.  Walker,  was  born  February  4,  1834.  After 
graduation  at  Princeton,  he  spent  some  years  in  the 
construction  of  railroads  in  Missouri  and  Illinois.  Hav- 
ing returned  to  Erie,  he  was  active  in  raising  the  One 
Hundred  and  Eleventh  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  which  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
No  one  was  more  identified  with  his  regiment  than 
Gen.  Walker.  He  entered  as  major  and  rose  to  be  its 
colonel,  and  was  for  his  gallant  conduct  brevetted 
brigadier-general.  While  major,  in  the  absence  of  the 
colonel  and  lieutenant-colonel,  he  commanded  the 
regiment  at  the  battles  of  Cedar  Mountain  and  Antie- 
tam,  and  for  his  gallantry  was  presented  with  a  splen- 
did sword  by  the  ladies  of  Erie.  It  was  fitly  said  by 
the  Erie  DUpatch,  in  speaking  of  the  regiment:  "  It 
has  seen  more  hard  fighting,  done  more  active  duty 
and  obtained  a  wider  reputation  in  proportion  to  its 
service  than  almost  any  other  in  the  country."  His 
regiment  was  the  first  to  enter  Atlanta,  and  the  last  to 
leave  that  city,  while  forming  part  of  Gen.  Sherman's 
armv  in  his  "  March  to  the  Sea."  The  visit  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Eleventh  Regiment  to  Erie,  in  the  win- 
ter of  1864,  was  the  occasion  of  a  public  reception  and 
a  great  manifestation  of  affection  and  esteem  for  Col. 
Walker  and  his  men.  His  military  record  was  a  glo- 
rious one.  He  returned  at  the  close  of  the  war  and 
entered  business  in  Erie.  In  1870  he  was  elected 
sheriff  of  Erie  county;  he  was  chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican county  committee  in  1868-9;  was  appointed  post- 
master of  Erie  by  President  Grant  in  1876,  and  ser\ed 
until  1879;  he  is  now  farming  in  North  Dakota.  He 
married  Miss  Agnes,  daughter  of  the  late  William  M. 
Caughey,  of  Erie. 

All  of  Mr.  John  H.  Walker's  daughters  are  living: 
Catherine  D.,  the  eldest,  is  the  wife  of  Hon.  S.  A.  Dav- 
enport, of  Erie;  the  second,  Isabella  McCormick,  is 
Mrs.  H.N.  .\rmstrong,  of  Missouri;  Mar)'  J.,  the  third, 
is  Mrs.  Dilman  F.  Beemer,  of  Missouri. 

Of  the  sons.  George  W.  Walker,  born  April  26, 
1840,  was  an  attorney  at  law  in  Erie,  and  died  August 
7,  1871;  James  Oliver,  born  June  13,  1842,  died  April 
15,  1844;  Quincey  Adams,  born  March  15,  1847,  died 
February  "2,  1865;  and  Harry,  born  August  5, 185'2,  died 
April  6,  1879. 

Such  is  but  a  meagre  sketch  of  a  family  that  in 
some  of  its  members  has  for  several  generations  filled 
a  most  important  place  in  Erie.  To  write  their  com- 
plete biography  would  require  a  recapitulation  of  more 
of  the  history  of  Erie  county,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of 
public  events  during  the  last  seventy  years,  than  the 
space  now  allotted  would  permit. 

James  McBrier,  president  of  the  Ball  Engine 
Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Allegheny  city,  Pa., 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


n  the  public  and  private  schools  of  which  city  he  re- 
ceived his  education.  He  was  associated  with  his 
father,  who  was  extensively  engaged  in  the  sawmill 
and  lumber  business,  until  he  was  24  years  of  age, 
when,  upon  the  death  of  his  father,  he  assumed  the 
management  of  the  business,  which  was  successfully 
conducted  by  him  until  1878,  when  he  removed  to 
Erie.     In   1872,   Mr.  McBrier,   associated   with  other 

fentlenien,  established  a  wholesale  lumber  business  in 
irie,  which  was  continued  until  1887.  They  employed 
barges  and  steamers  in  carrying  Michigan  dumber,  in 
which  they  dealt  extensively.  In  1887,  Mr.  McBrier 
became  interested  in  the  Ball  Kngine  Company,  of 
which  he  liecame  president  a  year  later.  This  institu- 
tion was  established  in  1881  and  incorporated  in  1884. 
(See  chapter  on  manufacturing).  The  present  otilicers 
of  the  company  are:  James  McBrier,  president;  D.  X. 
McBrier,  vice-president  and  secretary,  and  H.  L.  Mc- 
Brier, treasurer.  The  plant,  located  at  the  corner  of 
Twelfth  and  French  streets,  occupies  a  space  of  aliout 
two  acres,  nearly  all  of  which  is  covered  with  build- 
ings. The  products  of  this  concern  consists  of  engines 
only.  These  are  the  highest  grade  and  for  use  in 
electric  light,  electric  railway  and  mining  plants,  have 
no  superior.  This  is  true  not  only  on  account  of  the 
excellent  material  and  workmanship  used  in  their  con- 
struction, but  also  on  account  |of  certain  special  appli- 
ances, such  as  valves,  governors,  crank  shafts,  etc., which 
are  superior  to  those  of  any  other  engines.  The  territory 
in  which  these  engines  are  used  includes  the  whole 
civilized  world.  The  ca])ital  stock  of  the  concern  is 
$300,000,  and  the  output  from  25,000  to  30,000  horse- 
power ])eryear.  Mr.  McBrier  is  managing  owner  of  three 
lake  steamers  of  2,.500  tons  burden  each,  and  is  vice- 
president  of  the  Lake  Carriers'  Association.  He  was 
married  in  1800  to  Miss  Mary  E.  White,  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  D.  N.  White,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Pitts- 
burg Coiiimernulr Gazette,  whose  ancestors  came  to 
I'lymouth  on  the  Mayflower.  The  issue  of  this  mar- 
riage has  been  six  children,  two  of  whom  are  asso- 
ciated withtheirfather  in  business  and  another  son  P'red, 
was  graduated  from  Cornell  University  in  18!)-').  Mr. 
McBrier  and  family  worship  at  the  Park  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee.  In  politics  NIr.  Mc- 
Brier is  a  staunch  Republican  and  an  active  and 
efficient  worker  in  the  interests  of  the  party.  He 
served  as  a  member  of  the  select  council  of  Allegheny 
City  for  sixteen  years,  and  was  for  twelve  years  presi- 
dent of  that  body.  .Since  coming  to  Erie  his  support 
of  the  principles  of  his  party  have  been  untiring,  and 
during  the  campaign  which  resulted  in  President  Har- 
rison's election,  he  was  chairman  of  the  Republican 
county  committee.  He  always  has  the  best  interests 
of  the  nation  and  community  at  heart  and  is  always 
ready  to  give  his  means  and  influence  to  the  advance- 
ment of  all  worthy  enterjirises  of  a  public  or  charitalile 
nature. 

Henry  R.  Teller,  Girard,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Girard 
township,  March  10,  1887,  on  the  farm  where  his  father 
settled,  about  three  miles  west  of  the  borough.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  the  mother,  of 
Springfield,  Pa.  Henry  Teller,  sr.,  was  born  January 
1,  1802;  his  parents  were  Henry  R.  and  Catherine 
(Macdonald)  Teller,  natives  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and 
Baltimore,  Md.,  resjiectively.  Henry  Teller,  sr.,  came 
to  Springfield  in  1825,  and  moved  to  Girard  in  1826, 
settling  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Henry   R.  Teller. 


Henry  Teller,  sr.,  and  Roselinda  (Porter)  Teller  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  viz.:  Isaac  (deceased); 
Jasper,  resides  in  Michigan;  Loui.sa  (deceased),  mar- 
ried L.  G.  Pettis,  of  Platea,  Pa.;  .Samuel,  resides  in 
Michigan;  Henry  R.;  John,  died  in  the  service,  June 
29,  18t)2,  and  was  a  member  of  Co.  H,  83d  P.  V.  1.; 
Mary,  married  Ira  J.  Miller,  of  Franklin,  Pa.  Henry 
Teller,  sr.'s  second  marriage  was  with  Jane  Cross,  of 
Springfield,  Pa.,  who,  dying,  left  a  daughter,  Maggie, 
wife  of  George  W.  Kibler,  of  Girard.  Henry  Teller, 
sr.,  was  again  united  in  marriage,  this  time  to  Delia 
Patterson,  of  .Xurora,  X.  V.  He  was  j)rominent  in 
Erie  county  ]ioliticsin  1859  tiO,  representing  the  county 
in  the  State  Legislature.  Henry  R.  Teller  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Girard.  and  has  always  made  farming 
his  chief  occupation.  During  the  war  he  served  in 
Co.  B,  98th  P.  V.  I.  In  the  fall  of  1892  he  removed  to 
Girard  borough,  and  built  a  handsome  residence, 
where  he  now  resides.  He  personally  superintends 
his  farm  in  the  township,  and  also  owns  considerable 
real  estate  in  Michigan.  Mr.  Teller  was  uuirried 
April  14,  18(il,  to  Miss  Emma,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Van  Camp,  of  Girard.  They  have  one  child,  Sum- 
mer. Mr.  Teller  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  is 
a  Republican.  Henry  Teller,  sr.,  was  prominent  in 
Erie  county  politics,  and  served  two  terms  in  the  .State 
Legislature.  He  died  May  4,  1889,  and  his  first  wife 
died  in  1843,  and  the  second  wife  died  in  18B4. 

Andrew  K.  McMhIIcm,  M.  D.,  proprietor  of  the 
Erie  Burial  Case  Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  fiorn  in 
Banbridge,  County  Down,  Ireland,  October  12,  1K!9. 
He  is  a  son  of  George  and  Ann  Jane(  Kerr)  McMullen. 
The  family  came  to  the  United  .States  in  1846,  and  lo- 
cated in  .Meadville,  Pa.,  where  the  senior  Mr.  McMul- 
len's  two  brothers,  Robert  and  William,  were  located 
and  engaged  with  them  in  the  manufacture  of  car- 
riages, which  trade  he  had  followed  in  his  native 
country.  After  remaining  there  ft)r  two  years  he  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  boat  oars,  near  Conneaut- 
ville.  Pa.  This,  together  with  a  lumber  business,  oc- 
cupied the  remainder  of  his  active  life.  His  death 
occurred  at  his  son's  residence,  in  Erie,  June  19,  1890. 
He  was  survived  by  his  widow  until  June  3,  1893.  The 
family  consisted  of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living,  viz.:  John  (engaged  in  farming  in  West  Vir- 
ginia); Andrew  K.;  Hugh  (who  occupies  the  old  home- 
stead on  the  farm  near  Conneautville);  \Iiss  Ann 
Jane  (who  resides  with  her  brother,  Hugh),  antl  George 
(who  is  associated  with  Dr.  A.  K.  McAlullen  in  raising 
and  handling  fruit  in  Morgan  Hill,  Cal.);  William  died 
in  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  March  2,  1891.  Dr.  .McMul- 
len was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Meadville, 
and  the  Edinboro  State  Xonnal  school,  attending  the 
latter  for  three  years.  He  acted  as  superintendent  for 
his  father  until  he  was  23  years  of  age,  after  which  he 
read  medicine  with  Dr.  Orin  Hough,  of  Conneautville. 
Dr.  McMullen  was  (|uite  extensively  engaged  in  the 
oil-])roducing  business  in  Warren,  Butler  and  \'enango 
c<mnties,  from  1865  to  1874.  Associated  with  Dr.  J.  N. 
Bolard,  he  conducted  a  medical  practice  and  a  drug 
store  in  Pit  Hole  City,  Pa.,  for  two  years,  during  the 
oil  excitement  there,  and  then  for  two  years  at  Tidioute, 
Pa.  While  located  at  the  last  named  place,  Dr.  Mc- 
Mullen, in  1867-68,  went  to  Philadelphia  and  com- 
])leted  his  medical  education.  Ujion  his  return  they 
organized  a  business  at  PleasantviUe,  Pa.,  of  which 
Dr.  McMullen  took  charge,  and  of  which,  having  dis- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUISTY. 


625 


solved  partnership  with  Ur.  Bolard  a  year  later,  be- 
came sole  proprietor.  He  remained  in  Pleasantville 
five  years,  j;ivinff  his  attention  chiefly  to  the  drug 
business,  which  he  also  followed  six  years  in  Grand 
Rapids,  Mich.,  and  five  years  at  Meadville,  Pa.  In 
1882  he  returned  to  Grand  Rapids  and  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  with  his  brother,  William,  to  whom 
he  sold  out  in  May,  1887,  having  come  to  Erie  in  1884, 
and  purchased  Barry  .Smith's  interest  in  the  Erie 
Burial  Case  Company,  of  which  he  became  sole  pro- 
prietor in  1886.  This  company  was  founded  about 
1874  by  Robert  Evans,  Emanuel  Goodrich  and  A. 
Wo(xls,  who  operated  it  for  a  time  and  then  failed,  the 
business  being  closed  out  by  Mr.  John  C.  Selden,  as 
assignee.  The  next  owners  were  Mr.  Smith  and  the 
Caldwell  brothers,  they  later  admitting  Barry  Smith, 
and  from  that  it  was  transferred  to  the  present  pro- 
prietorship. The  plant  is  situated  on  the  Edinboro 
road,  just  outside  the  city  limits,  and  formerly  in- 
cluded the  finishing  room,  warerooms  and  office, 
which  were  burned  May  21,  1887.  Since  becoming 
the  property  of  the  present  owner,  the  plant  has  been 
increased  from  two  to  nine  acres,  besides  the  finishing 
room,  warerooms  and  office,  N'os.  1210-12-14  Peach 
street,  which  was  purchased  from  the  insolvent  Bootz 
Manufacturing  Company.  Xew  machinery  and  mod- 
ern conveniences  have  been  added,  so  that  the  output 
of  the  concern  is  over  4,000  caskets  a  year.  The 
products  include  all  kinds  of  burial  cases  and  funeral 
supplies.  As  has  been  stated,  since  coming  to  Erie, 
Dr.  McMullen  has  purchased  two  insolvent  concerns, 
and  placed  them  on  a  live  and  profitable  basis.  The 
doctor  was  married  October  29,  1872,  to  Miss  Marion 
Isabella  Eddy,  daughter  of  Mr.  James  H.  Eddy,  of 
Warren,  Pa.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  was  two 
children:  Eddy  Dudley  (vxho  died  in  infancy)  and  Ir- 
vine Stewart.  The  doctor  is  a  Knight  Templar  Ma- 
son and  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  the  latter  of 
which  he  was  district  potentate  in  1892.  Politically 
he  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party,  but  he  has 
never  been  a  seeker  of  public  office.  He  has  been 
for  several  years  a  member  of  the  Erie  board  of  trade, 
and  in  1892  filled  the  responsible  position  of  presi- 
dent of  that  body. 

Hon.  Samuel  E.  Woodruff  was  born  m  North 
Coventry,  Conn.,  March  31,  1817,  and  died  at  his  resi- 
dence in  Erie,  April  15,1881.  His  father.  Rev.  Ephraim 
T.  Woodruff,  was  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  a 
nephew  of  Governor  Treadwell,  through  whose  kind 
offices  he  received  his  collegiate  training  at  Yale  and 
Andover  Seminaries.  His  mother,  Sally  Alden,  was  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Capt.  John  .-Xlden.  He  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
remained  until  Ifi,  when  he  entered  Hamilton  College, 
Xew  York.  He  subsequently  studied  law  in  Cincin- 
nati, and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1841  by  an  exam- 
ining committee,  of  which  Hon.  S.  P.  Chase  and  Judge 
Walker  were  members.  Locating  at  Girard,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  in  1844,  he  applied  himself  to  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  making  sure  advances  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  success  he  afterward  atta"ined  in  so  large  a 
degree.  In  1847  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  Sterrett. 
His  election  as  district  attorney  in  1853  afforded  an 
opportunity  in  a  wider  field  for  the  display  of  his  legal 
talents,  and  enhanced  his  reputation  at  the  bar.  In 
1867,  upon  nomination  of  Chief  Justice  Chase,  he  re- 
ceived  the   appointment   of   register   in   bankruptcy, 


which  position  he  held  until  the  repeal  of  the  bank- 
rupt law.  In  1870  he  was  the  unanimous  nominee  of 
his  party  in  Erie  county  at  the  primary  election  for 
president  judge  of  the  Sixth  Judicial  District.  In  1872 
he  changed  his  residence  from  Girard  to  Erie,  and 
thereafter  gave  special  attention  to  the  increasing  de- 
mands of  his  profession,  but  by  no  means  ignored  so- 
cial claims  and  questions  affecting  the  general  welfare. 
He  was  an  active  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church.  Useful  objects  of  every  nature  had  his  cor- 
dial co-operation.  In  politics  he  was  a  thorough  Re- 
publican, and  actively  participated  in  contests  between 
the  two  great  parties.  Among  his  professional  brethren 
he  was  highly  esteemed;  positive,  courteous,  firm,  yet 
tolerant,  uncompromising  opposition  to  wrong,  were 
elements  of  his  character  that  made  him  a  strong,  in- 
fluential and  useful  citizen.  Mr.  Woodruff's  surviving 
family  consists  of  his  widow  and  daughter  Sarah,  who 
occupy  the  family  residence  on  State  street,  this  city, 
his  son,  Thomas  S.,  located  at  Girard,  in  the  practice 
of  law,  and  the  eldest  daughter,  Mary  S.,  the  wife  of 
Joseph  Johnston,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work. 

Giles  D.  Price  (deceased)  was  born  in  Xorth  East, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  .-August  23,  1838.  He  died  in  Erie, 
Pa.,  February  9,  1895.  His  parents  were  Erastus  and 
Jane  (Cosper)  Price,  the  former  a  native  of  Xew  York, 
of  English  descent,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Erie 
county,  and  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Giles  D.  Price 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  X'orth 
East,  and  was  thereafter,  until  his  twenty-second 
year,  engaged  as  a  salesman.  In  1849  he  went  to 
Pike's  Peak  and  worked  in  the  gold  regions  four  and 
a  half  years,  when  he  returned  to  Erie  county  and 
engaged  in  milling  in  Venango  township,  where  he 
conducted  a  prosperous  business  for  ten  years.  During 
that  time  he,  for  a  while,  held  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace  for  \'enango  township.  In  1875  he  was 
elected  prothonotary  of  Erie  county,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1878,  serving  in  that  capacity  until  January  1,  1882. 
One  year  later  he  was  appointed  clerk  to  the  board  of 
County  Commissioners,  a  position  which  he  held  until 
January  1,  1890,  when  he  accepted  the  appointment  as 
deputy  collector  of  customs  under  John  M.  Glazier, 
which  he  held  until  February  8,  1894.  He  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Erie  Chemical  Company,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  was  the  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  that  concern.  Mr.  Price  was  a  Republican,  and 
few  men  of  his  party  in  Pennsylvania  were  more 
widely  known  or  more  universally  respected.  He  was 
regarded  as  an  authority  on  tax  revision,  and  his  efforts 
in  the  direction  of  a  more  fair  and  equitable  system  of 
taxation  assessment  won  for  him  the  support  of  good 
citizens  generally.  His  ambition  was  to  attain  the 
office  of  auditor  general,  and  to  bring  about  a  revision 
of  the  existing  tax  laws  that  would  remedy  the  many 
defects  which  are  common  cause  of  complaint  through- 
out the  commonwealth.  He  was  a  candidate  for  the 
nomination  to  that  office  before  the  Republican  State 
conventions  of  1891  and  1894,  but  was  defeated  in 
both  instances.  In  1891  he  was  tendered  the  nomina- 
tion for  State  treasurer,  which  he  declined.  He 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  commission  con- 
stituted by  the  last  Legislature  to  revise  the  tax  laws 
of  the  State,  and  was  made  chairman  of  that  com- 
mission. Mr.  Price  was  a  man  of  ability  and  sterling 
integrity;   fair  and   upright  in'[all  his  dealings,  and 


626 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


fearless  and  independent  in  his  utterances.  He  com- 
manded the  respect  of  men  in  all  parties  and  classes, 
and  his  memory  will  be  cherished  long  after  the  pres- 
ent generation  has  passed  away.  He  was  married,  in 
October,  1866,  to  .Augusta,  daughter  of  Henry  O. 
Chase,  of  North  East.  His  wife  died  in  1892,  leaving 
five  children — Harriet  Jane,  Oliver  Cosper,  Mabel 
Gertrude,  Eleanor  Carr  and  J.  Sanford.  The  family 
reside  at  430  West  Eighth  street,  and  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Hoti.  Thomas  Wilson  was  born  near  Sunbury, 
Northumberland  county,  Pa.,  in  1772.  He  was  a 
nephew  of  David  Mead,  founder  of  Meadville,  and 
was  married  in  1812,  at  Waterford,  to  Mary  Nagler, 
coming  to  Erie  in  1805.  In  company  with  Oliver 
Ormsby,  of  Pittsburg,  he  was  engaged  in  large  con- 
tracts for  supplying  all  the  western  United  States 
forts  along  the  western  frontier,  from  Niagara  to  New 
Orleans.  The  year  of  his  arrival  at  Erie  he  built  two 
vessels-  the  Mary,  upon  Lake  Erie,  and  the  fair 
American,  upon  Lake  Ontario.  They  were  the  be.st 
vessels  upon  those  lakes.  He  afterwards  built  the 
Lark  at  I->ie.  He  had  fine  business  talent,  was  enter- 
prising and  popular,  and  filled  a  number  of  offices, 
among  them  that  of  county  treasurer,  justice  of  the 
peace,  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  was  elected  to 
the  Twelfth,  Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth  Congresses. 
He  was  also  ])rothonotary  and  clerk  of  courts.  Mr. 
Wilson  died  in  E.rie  October  4,  1824,  aged  52  years. 
He  had  four  children;  Irene  L.  (a  successful  author, 
and  among  her  works  were  "  ]5roken  Cisterns," 
"Arthur  .Singleton"  and  "Ruth  Elmer");  Mary; 
James  and  'Lhorn,  all  of  whom  are  deceased.  His 
daughter,  Jane,  died  in  Erie  about  1860,  while  Mrs. 
Wilson  and  Miss  Mary  died  in  1864. 

Nelson  Seymour,  M.  D.,  was  horn  April  17,  1823, 
at  .Saniiisfi<-ld,  Berkshire  county,  Mass.  His  parents 
were  Allen  and  Mary  (Belden)  Seymour,  natives  of 
New  England,  and  of  English  descent.  The  genealogy 
of  the  Seymours  is  traceable  directly  to  Sir  Richard 
Seymour,  one  of  the  younger  sons  of  the  Duke  of 
Somerset.  Nelson  Seymour  took  his  academical 
course  at  Winsted  Academy,  Litchfield,  Conn.  He 
then  went  South  to  take  a  position  as  one  of  the 
teachers  in  the  Academy  at  Lumpkin,  Stewart  county, 
Ga.  The  southern  climate  disagreeing  with  him,  he 
soon  returned  to  .Massachusetts,  and  in  1841  began  the 
study    of   medicine    under   the    preCe]itorship    of    Dr. 

5.  B.  Parsons,  of  Sandisfield.  r)r.  .Seymour  removed 
to  Erie,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  in  1846,  and  continued  to  be 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  that 
city  until  his  removal  to  North  East  in  1894.  Although 
frequently  called  to  consultation  by  his  brother  prac- 
titioners, he  has  retired,  so  far  as  possible,  from  active 
practice.  Dr.  Seymour  was  the  first  physician  of  his 
school  in  Erie  county,  and  had  for  many  years  the 
leading  homeoi)athic  practice.     He  was  married  luly 

6,  1848,  to  Caroline  H.,  daughter  of  the  late  John 
Johnson,  of  Bristol,  Pa.  They  had  but  one  child, 
Florence,  who  died  in  1864,  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Seymour  reside  at  16  Park  street.  North  East. 

JohnF.  Flint,  M.D.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Law- 
renceville,  St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  Y.,  January  11, 
1843.  He  is  a  son  of  Warren  and  Christiana  (Barnes) 
Flint,  natives  of  Vermont.    They  reared  a  fami'y  of 


four  children:  Julia  (now  Mrs.  Charles  Olds),  George, 
Harriet  (now  Mrs.  Charles  C.  Barnes,  of  Barry,  \X.), 
and  Dr.  J.  F.  The  doctor  received  his  early  educa- 
tion at  the  Lawrenceville  Academy;  later  he  attended 
the  Erie  Academy,  where  he  was  gratluated  in  1860. 
He  then  took  a  full  course  in  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan in  Ann  Arbor,  and  was  graduated  from  the  homce- 
pathic  medical  department  in  1881.  He  at  once 
opened  an  office  m  Erie,  Pa.,  which  has  been  the  scene 
of  his  |)rofessional  labors  ever  since.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Pennsylvania  .State  Homrepathic  .Society  and  of 
the  Erie  County  Homa_'pathic  Medical  Society  and 
the  1.  O.  O.  F.  in  his  political  views  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. Dr.  Flint  was  married  October  12,  1865,  to 
Louisa,  daughter  of  Willard  and  Amanda  (Blowers) 
Kingsbury,  natives  of  New  York.  One  child  was  born 
to  this  union,  Nettie  J.,  now  Mrs.  Randolph  .Shirk  of 
Erie,  Pa.  Dr.  Flint  is  engaged  in  general  ])ractice  in 
Erie,  and  is  recognized  as  a  skilled  physician,  a  suc- 
cessful surgeon  and  a  careful  counselor. 

Bester  Coleman  Town  was  born  in  Granville, 
Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  June  16,  1820.  He  is  a  son 
of  the  late  Bester  and  Betsy  (Martin)  Town,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  New  York,  and  of  English  descent, 
the  latter  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  of  French  extrac- 
tion. They  located  in  North  East  townshi])  in  1824, 
residing  upon  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  borough  of 
North  East  for  a  few  years,  and  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives  in  the  borough,  where  the  el<ler 
Town  carried  on  a  general  store,  and  conducted  a 
tavern  for  many  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bester  Town 
had,  in  addition  to  the  son  mentioned  above,  five  chil- 
dren, who  arrived  at  maturity,  two  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased, Morris  C.  Town,  who  removed  to  Elgin,  III., 
where  he  was  engaged  in  business,  and  died  July  31, 
1892,  and  Benjamin  Franklin  Town,  late  of  North 
East;  the  surviving  children  are;  Miss  Mary  T.  Town, 
who  resides  at  tlu-  old  homestead  in  North  East;  John 
J.  Town,  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  Joseph  I.  Town,  of 
L2rie,  Pa.  Bester  Town  died  December  2,  1870;  his 
wife  January  22, 1872.  Bester  Coleman  Town  attended 
the  public  schools  of  North  East,  and  completed  his 
education  in  18;)8  at  the  Western  Reserve  College, 
then  located  in  Hudson,  Ohio.  He  entered  his  father's 
store,  subse<|uently  became  a  partner  in  the  business, 
and  finally  its  sole  owner.  He  continued  to  be  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  until  1867,  and  during  this 
period  also  conducted  a  flouring-mill,  and  had  large 
farming  interests  in  North  East  township.  In  1868, 
he  removed  to  Eaton,  Talbot  county,  Md.,  where  he 
remained  five  years,  then  returning  to  North  Ea.st, 
where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  .Shortly  after  his  re- 
turn, he  established  a  dry-goods,  grocery  and  drug 
house,  which  he  conducted  until  his  place  of  business 
was  burned  out  by  the  conflagration  which,  in  1884, 
destroyed  the  business  portion  of  North  East,  whi-n  he 
abandoned  mercantile  pursuits.  Mr.  Town  has  been 
burgess  and  school  director  of  North  East,  and  held 
the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  from  1890  to  1895.  He 
was  married  in  August,  1841,  to  Juliette,  daughter  of 
the  late  William  D.  Burdick,  an  old  resident  of  North 
East,  a  native  of  Shenango  county,  who  removed  from 
North  East  to  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  where  he  died. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  C.  Town  have  four  surviving  chil- 
dren, Warren  Coleman  Town,  now  a  resident  of  Cook 
county,  Illinois;  George  E.  Town,  a  farmer  of  North 
East;   Dwight  Town,  of  New  York,   and    Dennison 


AND  mSTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


627 


Town,  student.    The  family  reside  at  5  Gibson  street, 
and  attend  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Louis  Rosenzweig,  attorney  at  law,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  \\>r\\  25,  1844,  in  Macon,  Ga.  He  is  a  son  of  the 
hite  Isaac  and  Bena  (Baker)  Rosenzweig,  natives  of 
Germany,  who  were  married  in  Philadelphia,  subse- 
quently locating  in  Georgia,  where  Mr.  Isaac  Rosen- 
zweig engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  In  1846  the 
family  removed  to  Erie,  Pa.,  where  Mr.  Rosenzweig 
was  engaged  in  busmess  until  his  death,  October  8, 
1884.  His  wife  survives  and  resides  in  Erie.  Louis 
Rosenzweig  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Erie,  and  was  for  some  years  thereafter  employed  in 
his  father's  store.  He  read  law  under  the  preceptor- 
ship  of  Edward  Camphausen,  Esq.,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  alone  until  he 
formed  his  present  partnership  with  George  A.  Allen, 
the  firm  being  known  as  Allen  &•  Rosenzweig,  and 
having  as  large  a  clientage  as  any  law  firm  in  North- 
western Pennsylvania.  He  was  married  October  19, 
1804,  to  Minnie,  daughter  of  the  late  Jacob  Newberger, 
a  merchant  of  Cumberland,  Ind.  Knur  children  have 
ble.ssed  this  union:  Grant  I.,  a  graduate  of  Yale,  and 
now  practicing  law  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Bert  R., 
bookkeeper  for  a  wholesale  licjuor  house,  Kansas  City, 
Mo.;  Mrs.  Etta,  wife  of  Isadore  Levi,  a  representative 
of  a  Boston  shoe  house,  with  headquarters  at  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  and  Miss  Harriett  Rosenzweig.  The  family  re- 
side at  117  West  Nineteenth  street,  and  are  members 
of  the  Jewish  Temple.  Mr.  Rosenzweig  is  a  .stalwart 
Democrat  and  has  always  been  actively  identified  with 
the  work  of  his  party  in  this  county,  but  has  never 
sought  nor  held  office  other  than  that  of  school  director 
for  two  terms  of  the  city  of  Erie.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order,  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  K.  of  P.,  K.  of 
H.  and  A.  O.  U.  W. 

James  E.  Sillimau,  M.  D.,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  North  East,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  June  10,  1844,  son  of  John  and  Minerva  (Chap- 
man) Silliman,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  John  .Silli- 
man's  father  was  a  farmer,  liorn  in  Ireland,  who  emi- 
grated to  America,  settling  in  Erie  county  in  1800. 
John  was  also  a  farmer;  he  was  parent  of  seven  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  living.  Mrs.  Dr.  Griffin,  of 
North  East,  is  his  daughter.  Dr.  J.  E.  Silliman,  ac- 
quired his  education  in  .Allegheny  College,  Meadville, 
Pa.,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1871,  with  the  de- 
gree of  A.  B.;  three  years  later  he  obtained  the  degree 
of  A.  M.  He  afterward  graduated  from  Jefferson 
Medical  College  at  Philadelphia  in  1874  in  the  regular 
course,  and  immediately  commenced  practice  in  Erie. 
He  studied  medicine  under  the  late  Dr.  J.  L.  Stewart, 
of  Erie.  In  1878  Dr.  Silliman  was  married  to  Hattie 
I.,  daughter  of  the  late  Hugh  P.  Mehaffey,  a  native  of 
Erie  county,  of  German  and  Scotch- Irish  descent. 
Dr.  Silliman  enlisted  in  18(i5  in  the  102d  P.  \'.  I.,  Co. 
E.,  serving  till  the  close  of  the  war.  He  is  brigade 
surgeon  of  the  2d  brig.,  N.  G.  P.  In  1875  he  was 
elected  coronor  and  .served  till  li<81;  was  appointed 
secretary  of  the  Board  of  Examining  Surgeons  of 
Pensions  in  1877.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Erie  County 
Medical  Society,  of  the  State  Medical  Society  and 
American  Medical  Association.  Dr.  Silliman  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  First  Methodist  Church,  of 
which  he  was  steward  and  a  Sabbath  school  teacher 
for  some  years.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.     Dr. 


Silliman  has  built  up  a  very  large  practice  and  is  one 
of  the  most  active  men  in  his  profession.  He  is  prom- 
inent in  the  Masonic  order,  and  has  served  in  high 
official  capacities  in  various  branches  of  that  organ- 
ization. 

Louis  Streuber,  treasurer  of  the  Erie  Fish  Asso- 
ciation and  proprietor  of  the  Erie  Oil  Company,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  May  1,  18.53,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Philipine  (Erhart)  Streuber,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1861  and  located  in  Erie. 
The  family  consisted  of  eight  children:  Frederica 
(Mrs.  J.  F.  Walther),  Charles  (deceased),  Frederick, 
Emile,  George  (deceased),  Julia,  Edward  and  Louis. 
The  last  named  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Erie,  and  at  the  age  of  14  years  ob- 
tained a  position  in  a  drug  store,  which  business  he 
followed  until  1878,  when  he  engaged  in  the  fish  busi- 
ness with  great  success.  In  1893  the  present  company 
was  formed.  Mr.  Streuber  was  married  November23, 
1881,  to  Miss  Anna,  daughter  of  Samuel  C.  and  Mary 
(Hodgen)  Harpel,  of  Lancaster,  Pa.  They  have  four 
children,  Florence,  Edith,  Nielsen  and  Louis,  jr.  In 
politics  Mr.  Streuber  is  an  enthusiastic  Republican, 
and  in  1882  was  the  choice  of  his  party  for  mayor  of 
the  city,  but  was  defeated  with  the  rest  of  his  ticket. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  State  Fish  Commission  by  the 
appointment  of  Governor  Beaver.  Mr.  .Streuber  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pithias  and  the  Royal  Ar- 
canum. 

Maj.  William  W.  Tyson,  commander  at  the  Sol- 
diers' and  Sailors'  Home  of  Pennsylvania,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  August  1,  1834,  and  is  a 
son  of  William  and  Anna  (Howard)  Tyson,  the  former 
a  son  of  William,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Maryland, 
whose  father  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Balti- 
more about  1766.  He  was  a  Scotch-Irishman,  and  his 
name  was  also  William.  William  Tyson,  the  major's 
grandfather,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
He  reared  a  family  of  twelve  sons,  eleven  of  whom 
served  in  the  war  of  1812.  William,  the  major's  father, 
being  only  about  12  years  old  at  the  time,  did  not  enter 
the  service.  Anna  Howard,  Mr.  Tyson's  mother,  is  a 
descendant  of  an  American  family  of  English  lineage. 
Her  father  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  British  at  the  bombardment  of 
Fort  Henry.  Her  mother  lived  to  be  105  years  old. 
William  Tyson,  the  major's  father,  was  a  Methodist 
minister.  He  settled  in  .\llegheny  in  1838,  where  he 
died  in  1884.  His  wife  died  in  1874.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children:  Wesley  (deceased),  Sarah  (de- 
ceased), Thomas  H.,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  la.;  Mary,  Mrs. 
Jacob  Cousins,  of  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania;  Will- 
iam W.,  and  Joseph,  of  Pittsburg.  William  W.  was 
reared  in  .\llegheny  City  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  When  a  young  man  he  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  stationary  engineer,  and  later  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  in  Allegheny,  at  which  he  was  en- 
gaged at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  He  enlisted  in 
Co.  A,  45th  P.  \'.  I.,  as  first  sergeant,  September  6, 
1861.  This  regiment  was  composed  of  volunteers  from 
Centre,  Huntingdon,  Lancaster  and  Tioga  counties, 
and  his  company  was  commanded  by  Capt.  Curtin. 
Mr.  Tyson  was  promoted  to  second  lieutenant,  Decem- 
ber 2,  1861;  first  lieutenant,  .-Xugust  17,  1862;  and  cap- 
tain, September  26,  1862.  He  was  assigned  to  How- 
ard's Brig.,  Casey's  Div.,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  Octo- 


628 


I^ELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONART 


ber  28,  1861.  After  being  stationed  in  Maryland  a 
short  time-  he  was  transferred  to  Gen.  Thomas  Sher- 
man's command  in  Soutli  Carolina,  December  6,  18(il, 
and  participated  in  the  engagements  at  James  Island 
and  Secessionville.  He  was  then  ordered  to  Newport 
News,  Va.,  and  was  assigned  to  1st  Brig.,  1st  Uiv.,  0th 
Corps.  Here  he  had  charge  of  the  destruction  of 
bridges  on  the  Potomac  Creek  and  of  theaccumulateil 
stores.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of  South  Moun- 
tain and  Antietam.  On  the  day  of  tlu^  latter  battle  he 
was  detailed  for  the  purpose  of  forwarding  stores  from 
Frederick  City  to  the  Army  of  the  I'otomac.  He  was 
at  the  battle  of  I-'redericksburg,  and  had  charge  of  the 
transportation  of  military  stores  from  Newport  News 
to  Covington,  Ky.  He  was  detailed  as  provost  mar- 
shal of  the  1st  Rrig.,  1st  I)iv.,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  in 
May,  1863,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of  V'icks- 
burg.  Big  Black  River,  Blain's  Cross  Roads  and  Jack- 
son, Miss.  In  August,  18();i,  he  was  detailed  assistant 
inspector  general  of  the  1st  Div.,  ilth  Corpis,  on  the 
staff  of  Gen.  Ferrero.  Was  in  the  engagements  of 
Blue  Springs,  Tenn.,  Lenor's  .Station,  Loudonville, 
Campbell's  Station  and  Knoxville,  Tenn.  He  was 
wounded  in  the  left  foot  by  a  shell  at  Loudonville.  At 
Lenor's  Station  he  was  detailed  as  assistant  engineer 
in  building  a  bridge  at  Lenor's  Station  across  the  Hol- 
ston  river,  and  the  erection  of  Fort  .Sanders  and  other 
fortifications  at  Knoxville.  He  waa  in  the  engage- 
ments of  Fort  Sanders,  Clint's  Church  and  Blain's 
Cross  Roads.  In  .-Xpril,  1864,  he  was  apjiointed  in- 
specting officer  of  4th  Div.,  9th  Corjis.  He  was  at  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness,  siege  of  Petersburg,  Weldon 
Railroad  and  Poplar  .Springs  Church.  He  was  mu.s- 
tered  out  of  service  October  20,  1864,  at  Poplar  Springs 
Church.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Tyson  returned 
to  Allegheny  City,  and  in  1866  entered  the  V.  S.  inter- 
nal revenue  service.  He  served  as  street  commis- 
sioner of  Allegheny  City  two  years,  and  was  in- 
spector of  weights  and  measures  in  Allegheny  county 
three  years.  Maj.  Tyson  was  engaged  in  the  foundry 
business  in  Allegheny  until  February  1,  1886,  when  he 
was  ajjpointed  commander  of  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors' 
Home  of  Pennsylvania,  at  Erie,  a  position  which  he 
has  ably  and  honorably  filled  since  coming  to  Erie. 
Maj.  Tyson  has  untiringly  devoted  his  energies  to  the 
improvement  of  the  Home,  and  the  results  of  his  efforts 
are  very  noticeable  to  one  who  wouki  devote  any  time 
to  investigate  the  conduct  of  that  institution.  There- 
are  few,  if  any,  soldiers'  homes  in  the  L'nion  that  are 
as  well  managed  as  the  one  at  Erie.  Mr.  Tyson  was 
married  June  26,  18.55,  to  Miss  Martha,  daughter  of 
George  \\\  and  Maria  (Lytle)  Curtis  of  Center  county, 
Pennsylvania.  George  W.  Curtis  was  a  California  pi- 
oneer. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ty.son  have  had  five  children, 
four  of  whom  are  living:  Marv,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Myer,  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.;  Sarah,  at  home;  F.lla,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Smith, 
Pittsburg;  and  Estella,  at  home.  Maj.  Tyson  was 
captain  of  Co.  F,  19th  Reg.,  N.  G.  P.,  and  later,  major 
of  the  same  regiment,  and  was  a  member  of  Governor 
Beaver's  staff.  He  has  been  an  active  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  since  its  organization,  and  has  served  in  the 
capacities  of  vice-commander  and  department  com- 
mander. He  was  the  originator  of  the  Union  Veteran 
Legion,  and  his  name  appears  first  on  its  books.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  the  familv 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  has 
been  for  fifteen  years  a  member  of  the  soldiers'  orphan 
commission  of  the  G.  A.  R.  of  Pennsylvania. 


Samuel  F'  Chapiu,  M.  D<,  resident  surgeon  of 
the  Soldiers'  and  .Sailors'  Home,  F^rie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Butternuts,  Ostego  county,  N.  Y.,  November  Ki, 
WM.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Fannie  (Farnham) 
Chai)in,  the  former  a  native  of  -Springfield,  Mass.,  and 
the  latter  of  Connecticut.  They  are  both  of  very  old 
New  England  families.  The  doctor  is  the  youngest 
of  ten  children.  The  family  settled  in  Erie  county 
in  his  early  youth,  where  he  was  reared,  ;md  attended 
)he  public  schools.'  In  bS,5()  he  entereil  Vale  College, 
and  in  1860  was  graduated  in  the  scientilic  and  med- 
ical course.  He  then  taught  a  private  school  one  year, 
and  at  the  beginning  of  tlu'  war  was  appointed  assist- 
ant surgeon  in  the  First  Pennsylvania  Reserves,  and 
served  until  .September  12,  1862,  when  he  was  pro- 
moted to  major  surgeon,  assigned  to  the  KiOth  Reg., 
P.  V.  I.,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  having 
risen  through  the  various  grades  to  surgeon-in-chief  of 
division,  lie  retmned  to  Watt.sburg,  Erie  county.  Pa., 
and  engaged  in  the  general  practice  of  his  profession. 
He  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  Soldiers'  and  .Sailors' 
Home,  at  Erie,  Pa.,  in  October,  1889,  which  ]]osition 
he  still  holds.  He  is  a  member  of  the  military  order 
of  the  Loyal  Legion,  Commandery  of  Pennsylvania; 
the  (i.  A.  R.,  of  which  order  he  served  as  medical  di- 
rector one  term;  I.  O.  O.  F.,  U.  V.  L.  and  the  Erie 
County  .Medical  .Society,  having  served  one  term  as 
])resident  of  that  body.  He  served  as  a  member  of 
the  board  of  ])ension  examiners  at  Erie  during  the 
Harrison  administration.  He  is  a  ])romint'nt  Repub- 
lican, and  as  such,  in  1875,  was  elected  to  the  Slate 
Legislature,  where  he  served  with  so  much  credit  to 
himself  and  such  satisfaction  to  his  constituents  that 
he  was  elected  to  a  second  term.  He  founded  the 
Sentinel,  at  Wattsburg,  in  1882,  a  Republican  home 
weekly  that  is  still  published.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage Se|iteniber  .'!,  1869,  to  Miss  Emily,  daughter  of 
Rev.  B.  S.  Hill.  They  have  four  children:  .Albert  ()., 
Lynn  F.  (deceased),  Eva  and  Leah.  He  is  a  highly 
res])ected  citizen  of  Erie  county,  is  a  thorough  .stud- 
ent and  skilled  physician  and  surgeon.  His  experi- 
ence as  the  medical  companion  of  the  boys  in  blue  on 
the  tented  field  and  in  the  bivouac  of  battle,  makes 
the  a|)pointment  to  his  present  position  a  very  fitting 
one. 

John  C.  Van  Scoter,  loan  agent.  North  Park, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Allegany  county.  New  Vork, 
June  29,  18;i4,  and  is  a  son  of  Elias  and  Mary  (Hal- 
stead)  \an  Scoter,  natives  of  Luzerne  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Connecticut,  respectively.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  his  native  county.  Opening  a 
dry  goods  store  in  Hornellsville,  N.  V.,  he  operated  it 
until  1858.  In  18fiO  he  came  to  Erie,  Pa.,  engaging  in 
mercantile  jnirsuits,  and  later  becoming  interested  in 
the  oil  trade,  which  he  continued  for  four  years,  when 
he  became  interested  in  lake  trade.  In  1892  he  closed 
out  his  lake  interests  to  enter  his  present  business  ex- 
clusively, having  previously  devoted  a  portion  of  his 
time  to  it  since  1881.  Mr.  \'an  Scoter  was  united  in 
marriage  in  I860  to  Miss  Helen,  daughter  of  Horace 
and  Hannah  (Halli  Morrison,  natives  of  Saratoga 
county.  New  Vork,  a  Christian  lady  of  rare  talent  and 
amiability.  She  departed  this  life  March  17,  189,5. 
Mrs.  \'an  Scoter  was  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  ICpiscopal 
Church.  In  |)olitics,  Mr.  Van  .Scoter  is  a  Democrat, 
and  is  one  of  Erie's  most  respected  and  influential 
citizens. 


/UoU-eryiu 


yfalAi-- 


AND  SISTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


629 


Jacob  Frederick  Walther,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Buchsweiler,  Alsace,  November  2*2,  1832.  He  is 
the  eldest  son  of  the  late  Jacob  and  Julia  (Keitel) 
Walther,  who  came  to  the  United  States  on  the  same 
vessel  with  Michael  Mehl  and  family  in  the  summer 
nf  1847,  both  families  locating  in  Erie.  The  elder 
Walther  was  a  shoemaker,  and  ]mrsiied  that  vocation 
until  1870,  when  he  retired  from  business.  His  wife 
died  June  17,  I880;  he  died  April  14,  1893.  Jacob  F. 
Walther  was  educated  in  the  common  and  high  schools 
of  Buchsweiler  and  at  the  Erie  Academy^  and  was 
thereafter  eni[)loyed  for  ten  years  as  clerk  in  several 
business  houses  of  Erie,  then  going  with  the  firm  of 
Cadwell  &  Bennett,  dry  goods  merchants,  upon  their 
removal  to  Milwaukee,  and  remaining  with  that  firm 
until  1857,  when  he  returned  to  Erie.  In  the  latter 
year  he  founded,  in  conjunction  with  Jacob  Gabel,  a 
dry  goods  establishment  in  the  .American  Hotel  build- 
ing, under  the  firm  name  of  Walther  &  Gabel.  The 
partnership  was  dissolved  in  the  fall  of  1860.  The 
following  spring  Mr.  Walther  resumed  the  same  busi- 
ness at  the  same  location,  where  he  remained  until 
1867,  when  he  removed,  upon  its  completion,  to  his 
block  of  buildings  (Walther  block),  at  the  southwest 
corner  -of  Eighth  and  oState  streets.  He  retired 
from  the  dry  goods  business  in  188.5,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  as  a  notary,  conveyancer  and  general 
collector,  with  offices  at  804  State  street.  Mr.  Walther 
served  as  representative  from  the  Second  ward  of  the 
Common  Council  of  Erie  for  two  terms;  in  the  Select 
Council  for  one  term,  and  in  the  School  Board  for 
four  terms.  He  was  collector  of  internal  revenue  for 
the  Nineteenth  district  of  Pennsylvania,  under  Presi- 
dent .-Arthur,  from  March,  1882,  until  the  appointment 
of  his  successor,-  under  President  Cleveland's  first  ad- 
ministration, October,  1885.  He  was  married,  Septem- 
ber 10,  1863,  to  F"rederika,  daughter  of  the  late  John 
Streuber,  tanner,  an  old  citizen  of  Erie.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Walther  have  four  children:  Leonie  (wife  of 
George  H.  Craft,  traveling  salesman  for  a  Rochester 
house;  they  have  one  child);  Walter  H.;  Emil  J.  J. 
(bookkeeper  at  Johnston's  ]ilaning-mill,  Erie);  Ida 
(wife  of  William  G.  Crosby,  an  attorney  at  Erie),  and 
Miss  Cora.  The  family  reside  at  116  East  Tenth 
street,  and  are  members  of  St.  Paul's  German  Evan- 
gelical Church. 

The  Pollock  Family. — Prominent  among  the 
early  settlers  of  Erie  county  were  the  Pollocks.  They 
were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Their  progenitor, 
Charles  Pollock,  emigrated  from  Coleraine,  County 
Derry,  Ireland,  about  17.50,  and  settled  in  North- 
umberland county.  .'Xfter  the  death  of  Charles,  which 
occurred  in  Northumberland  county  in  1795,  five  of 
his  sons,  with  their  mother,  removed  to  Erie  county 
about  1800.  Two  of  the  sons,  Thomas  and  William, 
after  remaining  a  short  time  in  Erie  county,  took  up 
land  in  Clarion  county,  where  they  settled,  and  where 
many  of  their  descendants  are  now  living,  having 
always  been  useful  and  influential  citizens.  The  other 
three  brothers  settled  permanently  in  Erie  county, 
purchasing  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  Waterford.  Adam, 
who  married  Elizatieth  Gilliland,  owned  and  occujiii'd 
a  farm  about  two  miles  west  of  Waterford.  He  died 
in  1816,  leaving  an  only  child,  Charles  Pollock,  who 
married  Elizabeth  Wilson  Wallace,  daughter  of  Dr. 
John  C.  Wallace,  and  was  for  many  years  a  citizen  of 
Erie.    Charles  died  in  Erie  in  18.50,  his  widow  and  six 


children  surviving.  Of  the  children,  Robert  and 
Elizabeth  still  reside  in  Erie.  Mrs.  Pollock  and  one 
daughter,  Jane,  are  now  dead.  Otis  Wheeler  is  a 
captain  in  the  23d  Infantry,  U.  S.  army;  James  is 
cashier  of  the  Exchange  National  Bank  of  Littlc 
Kock,  Ark.,  and  Charles  resides  in  Blair,  Neb.  James 
Pollock,  next  younger  brother  to  .Xdani,  settled  on  a 
farm  four  miles  south  of  Waterford,  on  the  right  bank 
of  French  creek,  at  what  is  known  as  Pollock's  bridge. 
He  married,  in  1801,  Mary  Steele,  his  first  cousin,  and 
raised  a  large  family.  He  was  a  prosperous  farmer 
and  received  a  liberal  education  for  those  days.  He 
possessed  a  high  order  of  intelligence  and  his  judg- 
ment was  respected.  He  was  known  as  Captain  Pol- 
lock, from  his  being  in  the  service  of  the  United  States 
in  1795,  when  George  Washington  was  President,  as 
master  of  transportation  of  supplies  from  the  Ohio 
river,  near  where  Cincinnati  now  stands,  to  General 
Wayne  and  his  troops  at  Greenville,  where  the  per- 
manent treaty  of  peace  was  made  with  the  Indians  by 
Wayne,  which  resulted  in  the  entire  cessation  of 
hostilities.  When  the  turnpike  was  located  from 
Waterford  to  Meadvillehe  constructed  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  of  that  road.  For  years  after  this  his  house 
was  a  stopping  place  for  stage  travelers.  In  1825 
William  Morgan,  who  jjublished  the  book  on  Ma.sonry, 
with  his  wife,  stopped  with  Mr.  Pollock  for  two  weeks, 
on  their  way  from  \'irginia  to  Western  New  York,  and 
who  so  mysteriously  disappeared  in  1826.  In  1830  he 
served  as  county  commissioner.  In  1836  he  was 
elected,  in  company  with  the  late  Hon.  Thomas  H. 
Sill,  as  a  member  of  the  convention  to  amend  the 
constitution  of  the  .State  of  Pennsylvania,  which  met 
at  Harrisburg  in  May,  1837,  and  which  afterwards 
adjourned  to  Philadelphia.  That  convention  con- 
tained the  best  talent  and  the  ablest  statesmen  that 
Pennsylvania  ever  had  assembled  in  one  body;  such 
men  as  John  Sergent,  Chauncy,  Meredith,  Scott,  Judge 
Hopkinson,  Biddle,  Thaddeus  Stevens,  James  M. 
Porter,  Walter  Howard,  Dickey  and  others.  Captain 
Pollock  had  the  universal  respect  of  his  associates  in 
that  body.  Though  not  a  public  speaker,  his  judg- 
ment was  held  in  high  estimation.  He  was  ever 
social,  friendly  and  agreeable.  His  society  was  in- 
structive and  jirofitable,  and  particularly  so  in  his 
later  years,  as  his  memory  was  so  accurate  with  regard 
to  early  events.  Of  his  children,  two  sons  are  still 
living,  Thomas,  in  Oregon,  and  J.  Steele,  occupying 
the  old  homestead  at  Pollock's  bridge.  The  latter 
married  Mary  J.  Hamilton  December  23,  1852,  and 
had  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living.  He  is  a 
good  farmer  anil  a  valuable  citizen,  having  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  politics  and  public  mat- 
ters involving  the  welfare  of  the  township  and  county. 
Robert  Pollock,  the  younger  of  the  three  brothers 
above  mentioned,  married  Alargaret  .Anderson  Decem- 
ber 12,  1810.  Robert  died  February  22,  1844.  He 
settled  on  a  farm  on  the  left  bank  of  French  creek, 
directly  ojiposite  to  the  one  occupied  by  his  brother, 
James.  After  his  death  his  son,  Charles  J.  Pollock, 
who  married  Mary  .Ann  Moorehead,  of  Fairview, 
inherited  the  farm  and  conducted  it  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1892.  James,  the  only  son  of 
Charles  J.,  and  grandson  of  Robert,  is  the  present 
occupant. 

Heman  Janes,  born  June  20,  1817,  in  North  East, 
was  the  son  of  James  Janes,  born  August  7,  1789,  in 


630 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Grand  Isle,  V't.  His  forefathers,  the  De  Janes,  re- 
moved in  the  eleventh  century  from  France  to  Eng- 
land, where  they  received  a  magnificent  coat-of-arms 
from  the  crown  for  meritorious  service  in  the  war.  It 
is  an  old  and  trite  saying,  that  "blooil  will  tell."  So 
in  this  family,  the  valorous  blood  that  in  the  olden 
days  won  the  notice  and  favor  of  a  king,  still  serves 
to  impress  the  Janes'  name  indelibly  in  the  history  of 
our  country.  James  Janes,  whose  wife  was  Lucinda 
Sage,  was  living,  when  the  war  of  1812  broke  out,  in 
Canada,  where  he  owned  a  small  farm.  He  refused 
to  take  up  arms  against  this  country,  and,  leaving  his 
property  to  be  confiscated  by  the  English  authorities, 
made  his  way,  after  many  hardships,  to  this  side,  and 
joined  the  American  forces,  leaving  his  family,  tem- 
porarily, in  the  unfriendly  atmosphere  of  the  enemy's 
country.  The  well-known  Bishop  Janes  was  also  a 
member  of  this  family.  The  mother  of  Samuel  J. 
Tilden,  the  great  New  York  lawyer  and  Democratic 
candidate  for  President  in  1876,  was  a  Janes,  and  Dr. 
Janes,  of  Philadelphia,  was  of  the  same  family.  Mr. 
Heman  Janes  has  inherited  this  remarkable  strength 
of  character,  and  his  life's  history  has  been  a  record 
of  earnest  and  uncompromising  struggle  on  the  side 
of  right.  .Starting  on  his  career  without  a  dollar,  he 
worked  at  the  most  menial  labor.  Believing  that 
riglit  must  win,  he  persevered.  His  rare  energy 
eventually  placed  him  in  easy  circumstances.  From 
chopping  wood,  he  entered  the  dry  goods  business,  but 
never  stt)od  behind  a  counter  until  he  stood  behind  his 
own,  in  the  village  of  Watt.sburg;  but  the  field  was 
too  limited  for  the  scope  of  his  commercial  genius, 
and  while  still  conducting  his  store  with  the  greatest 
success,  he  branched  out  into  the  lumber  trade  on  a 
large  scale,  and  had  soon  established  a  large  and  ex- 
ceedingly prosperous  business,  that  soon  necessitated 
the  assistance  of  a  partner,  in  the  person  of  William 
Sanborn,  and  thus  was  founded  the  well-known  and 
successful  firm  of  Janes  &  Sanborn.  In  March,  1860, 
Mr.  Janes'  attention  was  first  attracted  to  the  possibil- 
ities of  the  then  undeveloped  oil  trade,  and  he  pur- 
cha.sed  200  acres  of  land  on  what  was  known  as  the 
"  gumbed,"  in  the  township  of  Inniskillen,  Ontario,  at 
nine  dollars  an  acre,  from  the  disgusted  owner,  who 
was  an.xious  to  sell  at  that  price,  on  account  of  the 
"stinking  oil."  Mr.  Janes  subsequently  sold  a  large 
portion  of  this  land  for  §400  an  acre.  Before  disposing 
of  his  Canadian  tract  he,  in  March,  1861,  leased  a 
body  of  land  at  Burning  Springs  Run,  West  county, 
\'a.,  for  S.5,000.  Later  he  sold  a  half  mterest  in  this 
lease  for  $.50,000;  but  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter,  and 
subsequent  excitement,  compelled  him,  before  the 
transfers  had  been  fully  made,  to  close  out  his  \'irginia 
lease  at  a  considerably  lower  figure,  and  he  was  barely 
able  to  get  out  of  the  State  in  time  to  avoid  coming  in 
contact  with  hot-headed  .Southerners,  who  were  feel- 
ing very  bitter  toward  Northern  men.  Mr.  Janes  was 
the  last  "  Yankee"  to  leave,  and  hastily  closed  inter- 
ests representing  SlOO,000  for  S~,000,  and  another 
Northern  man,  who  was  but  a  few  hours  later  than 
Mr.  Janes,  lost  his  life  by  even  so  short  a  delay.  At 
this  time  the  Tarr  farm,  which  was  a  little  later  to  cut 
so  tremendous  a  figure  in  the  oil  development,  was 
just  coming  into  prominence,  and  Mr.  Janes,  nothing 
daunte<l  by  his  disastrous  Virginia  experience,  was 
one  of  the  fir.st  men  to  grasp  the  possibilities  of  that 
tract  of  land,  and  paralyzed  not  only  the  owner, 
"Jim"  Tarr,  but  all  the  men  interested  in  oil  develop- 


ment, by  offering  him  S60,000  for  his  farm,  that  a  year  or 
two  previously  was  regarded  as  dear  at  five  dollars  an 
acre.  In  the  development  that  rapidly  took  place, 
Mr.  Janes  was  able  to  clean  up  a  handsome  fortune  on 
royalties,  and,  in  addition,  sold  back  one-half  of  the 
farm  to  Tarr  for  S40.000,  and  two-thirds  of  the  remain- 
ing half  to  Clark  &  Sumner,  of  New  York,  for  $20,000, 
leaving  him  the  balance  of  the  farm,  which  was  ex- 
ceedinglv  valuable,  clear.  A  little  later,  after  watch- 
ing carefully  the  enormouslaborandexpen.se  required 
to  get  the  oil  to  convenient  shipping  points  by  team- 
ing, he  became  the  first  advocate  of  piping  oil,  his 
crude  idea  eventually  developing  into  the  great  pipe- 
line system  of  to-day.  In  this  connection,  Mr.  Janes 
organized  accompany  to  pipe  oil,  and  apfilied  to  the 
State  Legislature  for  a  charter,  but  the  a[)i)lication 
was  defeated  in  the  House  by  the  then  powerful  team- 
ing interests,  who  saw  disaster  in  the  success  of  piping 
oil.  In  later  years  Mr.  Janes  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  his  idea  perfected,  and  also  in  receiving  from 
Representative  Beebe,  of  Pleasantville,  Pa.,  who  led 
the  opposition  to  his  first  pipe-line  scheme,  sincere 
expressions  of  regret  for  the  part  he  had  taken  in 
defeating  a  plan  that  was  to  be  of  such  great  benefit 
to  the  locality  he  represented.  One  of  the  famous 
law  suits  of  that  day  was  brought  by  Heman  Janes 
against  one  of  the  men  who  was  paying  him  a  royalty, 
the  amount  involved  being  Sl2.5,000.  F'dwin  M.  Stan- 
ton, President  Lincoln's  great  secretary  of  war,  was 
Mr.  Janes'  attorney,  and  was  paid  a  fee  of  S5,000  for 
his  services  in  this  case.  As  population  grew,  Mr. 
Janes  built  upon  the  farm  one  of  the  finest  hotels  ever 
put  up  in  the  oil  country  up  to  that  date.  The  rapid 
oil  development  attracted  Mr.  Janes'  attention  to  the 
necessity  for  better  refining  facilities,  and  he,  in  con- 
nection with  Clark  &  .Sumner,  to  whom  he  had  sold 
an  interest  in  the  Tarr  farm,  built  the  first  large 
refinery  in  the  State,  calling  it  the  "  Standard."  Later 
they  sold  to  Rockafeller,  and  the  latter,  when  he 
became  the  head  of  the  large  corporation  which  was  to 
so  dominate  the  oil  trade,  gave  the  same  title  to  the 
big  association  known  ever  since  as  the  Standard  Oil 
Company.  Mr.  Janes'  various  oil  investments  were  .so 
extensive  that  it  would  take  too  much  space  to  detail 
them  in  this  brief  sketch;  but  it  is  sufificient  to  say  that 
up  to  that  time  no  one  man  had  made  so  many  bold 
and  masterly  moves  in  the  various  details  of  the 
development  of  the  oil  trade,  and  in  suggesting  im- 
provements in  methods  of  handling  the  product.  He 
was  especially  notable  in  great  financial  exploits,  in- 
volving hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars,  and  his 
keen  insight  as  to  the  value  of  an  investment  was 
never  at  fault.  Many  Erie  citizens  will  recall  the  nar- 
row margin  by  which  F>ie  missed  being  the  great  oil 
refining  center  of  the  United  States,  when  the  Standard 
Oil  Company  was  seeking  to  locate  large  refineries  on 
the  lake  coast.  Heman  Janes  was  one  of  the  hard 
workers  who  sought  to  bring  this  large  plant  to  Erie 
and  had  his  efforts  been  properly  seconded  and  en- 
couraged, Erie  would  have  been  the  big  oil  refining 
center,  instead  of  Cleveland.  Mr.  Janes'  activity  was 
not  confined  solely  to  trade,  and  he  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  earnest  workers  in  the  Simpson 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  and  was  also  one  of  the 
incorporators  of  the  Chautauqua  Sunday  School  As- 
sembly, acting  as  one  of  the  trustees  for  seven  years. 
As  chairman  of  the  committee,  he  was  appointed  by 
the   Methodist  Conference  to  transfer  the   property 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNT r. 


631 


from  the  camp  meeting  association  to  the   Sunday 

School  Assembly,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  incor- 
porators. He  was  one  of  its  staunchest  friends 
through  its  darkest  days,  and  backed  it  heavily  finan- 
cially. In  its  present  prosperity  and  success  he  feels 
amply  repaid  for  all  his  trouble.  In  principle,  strictly 
and  aggressively  temperate,  Mr.  Janes  has  never  used 
intoxicating  liquors  nor  tobacco  in  any  form,  and 
thereby  has  set  a  worthy  example  to  the  rising  gener- 
ation. He  has  had  a  prosperous  career  in  the  lumber 
business,  which  he  finally  relinquished  to  deal  with 
even  greater  success  in  oil  and  oil  lands  and  real 
estate,  and  he  now  possesses  wealth  with  which  to 
gratify  every  wish.  ^Ir.  Janes  has  from  boyhood  been 
identified  with  the  Methodist  Church,  and  has  ever 
been  one  of  its  staunchest  supporters.  In  his  eleventh 
year  his  remarkable  conversion  led  to  the  first  revival 
that  ever  took  place  in  flrie  county,  and  although  his 
efforts  were  derided,  the  "  Trundle  Bed  Prayer  Meet- 
ings," as  enemies  styled  these  gatherings,  were  the 
means  of  converting  manv  people,  young  and  old,  to 
the  Lord.  In  the  cause  of  temperance  ^Ir.  Janes  has 
been  especially  active,  and  has  had  to  endure  annoy- 
ance from  those  who  opposed  his  views.  Aggressive 
in  action,  he  recognized  that  the  laws  relating  to  the 
handling  of  liquor  were  not  observed,  and  in  an 
earnest,  conscientious  effort  to  enforce  respect  for 
these  laws,  he  secured  indictments  from  the  grand 
jury  against  liquor  dealers  in  1870.  This  raised  such 
a  storm  of  persecution,  that  for  a  time,  to  protect  him- 
self from  threatened  danger,  the  mayor  brought  him  a 
shot  gun  and  seventy  rounds  of  cartridges,  and  bade 
him  defend  himself,  if  necessary,  at  any  cost.  Mr. 
Janes  was  married,  October  9, 1838,  to  Maria  M.  Rouse, 
youngest  daughter  of  Judge  Rouse,  of  Erie  county. 
Five  children  were  the  result  of  this  union;  Margaret 
Melvina,  died  at  the  age  of  17;  Melancton  Wallace, 
married  to  Ella  M.  Smith,  now  living  in  Kansas; 
Caroline  R.  Vinnie,  died  at  the  age  of  2  years;  Heman 
D.,  married  to  Julia  A.  Williams,  of  Chicago,  now- 
living  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  William  D.,  married  to 
Ella  Dickinson,  of  f>ie,  living  in  Saginaw,  Mich. 
Heman  Janes  has  always  been  too  radical  in  his  ideas 
to  make  a  successful  politician,  hence  has  only  held 
one  political  office  in  his  life,  that  of  school  director; 
in  this  contest  he  ran  against  big  odds,  that  he  might 
further  the  interests  of  a  school  building  that  needed 
attention.  His  first  vote  was  for  Fremont,  and  he  ad- 
hered to  the  Republican  party  until  the  Prohibition 
party  was  started,  since  which  time  he  has  staunchly 
supported  it.  A  .short  sketch  of  this  remarkable  man 
was  published  in  187'2  by  the  Atlantic  Publishing 
Company,  under  the  title  of  "  Representative  Men," 
compiled  by  Augustus  C.  Rogers,  which  particularly 
emphasizes  the  sterling  worth  of  this  man,  and  justi- 
fies this  appreciative  .sketch.  Mr.  Janes  lives  in  an 
attractive  home  on  Twenty-first  street,  which  is  in  odd 
contrast  to  the  little  log  cabin  in  which  he  started  life. 
Upright,  temperate,  uncompromising  in  questions  of 
principle,  Heman  Janes  has  aimed  to  impress  the 
lesson  that  right  firmly  adhered  to  will  win  against  all 
odds. 

The  Clark  Family. — For  the  purpo.se  of  this 
sketch,  it  is  not  necessary  to  go  farther  back  than  to 
David  Clark,  son  of  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Wind- 
sor, Conn.,  who  left  that  place  and  was  married  in 
Sheffield,  Mass.,  in  1723.     His  son,  David,  was  born  in 


Sheffield,  and  died  there  December  12,  1824,  at  the 
age  of  80.  The  last  named  was  the  father  of  Henry 
Clark,  who  was  born  May  3,  1779,  at  Sheffield,  and 
came  to  Erie  county  when  only  16  years  of  age,  in 
1795.  He  settled  in  Harbor  Creek  t(jwnship,  took  up 
a  large  tract  of  land,  cleared  and  cultivated  it,  and 
there  lived  the  quiet  and  uneventful  life  of  a  farmer 
until  his  death,  January  9,  1859.  He  reared  a  family 
of  five  sons  and  three  daughters:  William,  David, 
Prudence,  Joel,  Sallie,  Henry,  Jane  and  Chauncey. 
Only  two  are  now  living,  Joel  and  Chauncey,  residents 
of  Erie.  William,  his  eldest  son,  born  in  1801,  was 
the  first  white  male  child  born  in  Harbor  Creek  town- 
ship. Henry  Alden  Clark,  grandson  of  Henry  Clark, 
son  of  Chauncey  G.  and  Emeline  Elizabeth  Clark, 
born  in  Harbor  Creek,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  January  7, 
1850.  He  attended  the  Erie  Academy  in  the  fall  of 
1864;  State  Xormal  School  in  Edinboro,  Pa.,  1865-66; 
Willoughbv  Collegiate  Institute,  in  Willoughby,  Ohio, 
from  the  fall  of  1866  to  the  spring  of  1868;'  taught 
school  the  following  winter,  and  from  the  spring  of 
1869  to  the  fall  of  1870,  attended  Erie  Central  high 
school,  in  Erie,  Pa.,  graduated  from  that  school  and 
entered  Harvard  College  in  the  fall  of  1870,  and  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  A.  15.  with  the  class  of  1874.  Dur- 
ing the  following  year  he  was  engaged  in  the  publica- 
tion of  the  "Harvard  Book;"  entered  the  Harvard 
Law  School  in  the  fall  of  1875,  and  graduated  in  1877; 
entered  the  office  of  Jonathan  M.  Wood,  Esq.,  Fall 
River,  Ma.ss.,  in  the  fall  of  1877,  and  formed  a  co- 
partnership with  him  in  February,  1878,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Wood  &  Clark;  was  formally  admitted  to 
practice  law  in  March,  1878;  meantime  engaged  in  the 
publication  of  the  "College  Book;"  dissolved  partner- 
ship after  a  continuance  of  a  little  over  a  year,  and 
started  alone.  In  the  fall  of  1880  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  Hugo  A.  Dubuque,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Clark  &  Dubuque,  which  continued  until 
August,  1882;  thence  removed  to  the  city  of  Erie,  Pa., 
being  temporarily  connected  with  the  Edison  Electric 
Light  Company,  and  Edison  Company,  for  isolated 
lighting,  both  of  New  York,  having  general  charge  of 
the  business  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  Maryland, 
and  We.stern  Pennsylvania,  and  subsequently  New 
York.  He  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  Erie,  Pa., 
and  in  the  fall  of  1890  bought  the  Erie  Gazette,  a  pa- 
per on  which  Horace  Greely  set  type  in  his  younger 
days.  Subsequently  the  Gazette  consolidated  with  the 
Erie  Bixpatc/i  Company,  limited,  and  on  May  4,  1892, 
he  dropped  journalism  entirely.  In  February,  1890, 
he  was  cho.sen  chairman  of  the  Republican  city  com- 
mittee, and  in  June.  1890,  of  the  county  committee; 
has  been  several  times  delegate  to  State  conventions, 
and  has  taken  a  somewhat  active  part  in  ]>olitics. 
He  was  elected  trustee  of  the  Erie  Academv  Novem- 
ber 17,  1893.  July  18,  1878,  he  married  Sophy  G.  Mc- 
Creary.  daughter  of  General  D.  B.  McCreary,  lawyer, 
Erie,  Pa.  He  has  two  children,  Sophy  .Annette,  born 
July  13,  1880,  and  Henry  McCrearv,  born  February 
10,  1889. 

Frederick  Wittich,  one  of  the  early  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  Erie,  was  born  lOctober  17,  I8O0,  in  Cassel, 
Prussia,  Germanv.  He  was  the  son  of  Adam  Eber- 
hard  Ernst  Wittich  and  Elizabeth  (Stafler)  Wittich,  of 
St.  Goar,  Rhine  and  Mosel  Department,  under  the 
sovereignty  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte.  In  1810  his  father 
removed  to  America  and  settled  in  York,  Pa.     His 


632 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


mother  died  when  he  was  very  youn};,  and  at  the  ai;e 
of  i1  he  was  hrouRht  to  America  and  hved  with  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Johnnctt  Hummerick,  of  Carhsle,  Cum- 
berland county,  Pa.  About  1S2(),  at  the  ape  of  21,  he 
came  to  Erie,  and  did  business  on  Kiijlitli.  between 
State  and  French  streets.  In  I8;W  he  houi;ht  a  lot  on 
the  southwe.st  corner  of  State  and  Tenth  streets,  near 
the  edge  of  town.  Xear  this  corner  was  a  deep  ravine 
intersecting  -State  street,  and  in  inclement  weather  it 
had  to  be  crossed  on  logs  and  fallen  trees.  On  this 
piece  of  ground,  in  1884,  he  built  the  first  carriage  fac- 
tory in  the  town  of  Krie.  It  was  large  and  complete, 
and  his  strict  business  integrity  soon  won  him  a  suc- 
cessful trade,  which  was  maintained  until  about  18(i7, 
when  he  retired  and  converted  the  factory  into  busi- 
ness stands.  About  18;i7  he  erected  what  was  then 
considered  a  very  line  two-story  brick  residence  block, 
renting  it  for  many  years,  and  being  very  desirable 
residence  projierty,  always  h.id  the  be.st  class  of  ten- 
ants. Latterly  it  was  used  for  business  purposes  until 
1891,  when  it  gave  place  to  the  handsome  and  sub- 
stantial Wittich  Block  of  to-day.  In  making  the  ex- 
cavation for  the  foundation  of  the  new  structure  the 
logs  laid  across  the  ravine  for  a  passage-way  above  re- 
ferred to,  were  found  to  be  in  a  good  state  of  preser- 
vation after  the  lapse  of  more  than  sixty  vears.  June 
21,  1832,  Frederick  Wittich  was  married  by  the  late 
Rev.  Geo.  A.  Lyon  to  Klizabeth  Forbes,  a  native  of 
Dundee,  Scotland,  born  December  81, 1805.  She  died 
September  5,  1834,  and  left  two  children,  Frederick, 
who  died  soon  after  his  mother,  and  James  Forbes. 
Mr.  Wittich  took  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Mary  Berst, 
Rev.  Geo.  A.  Lyon  performing  the  marriage  cere- 
mony, Se|>tember  27,  1835.  Coming  as  a  bride  to  the 
modest  home  just  then  completed  on  Tenth  street,  on 
jiart  of  the  lot  mentioned  above,  it  has  been  her  cher- 
ished home  all  these  years,  which  she  still  enjovs,  at 
the  ripe  old  age  of  8fi.  The  original  house  is  the  rear 
part  of  the  old  homestead,  the  brick  addition  having 
been  added  in  1851.  The  many  years  have  told  on 
her  but  lightly,  and  she  is  still  in  the  possession  of  all 
her  mental  faculties,  taking  a  lively  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  to-day.  Erie's  Centennial  recalled  to  her 
mind  very  vividly  the  great  political  rallv  of  1840, 
when  Erie  was  filled  to  overflowing  with  people  from 
all  parts  of  the  State.  So  great  was  the  crowd  that 
the  homes  of  the  citizens  were  thrown  open  to  the 
visitors.  The  parade  was  grand,  and  the  town  rung 
with  the  cheers  of  "  Tipjiecanoe  and  Tyler,  Too,"  and 
the  old  log  cabin,  built  for  the  occasion,  was  the  cen- 
ter of  attraction.  Good  old  times  never  forgotten. 
Mrs.  Wittich  is  the  oldest  daughter  of  Conrad  and 
Catherine  (Guntner)  Berst,  the  former  born  in  Paulitz, 
Rhine,  Germany,  in  1779,  and  the  latter  born  in  Man- 
heim,  Lancaster  county.  Pa.  Mr.  Berst  came  to 
America  in  1798,  at  the  age  of  19.  He  was  married  in 
1807,  in  Manheim,  Lancaster  countv,  where  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Wittich,  was  born,  November  20,  1809.  Her 
earliest  recollection  was  when  her  father  came  hur- 
riedly in  the  house,  amid  the  sound  of  fife  and  drum, 
caught  her  up,  a  little  tot,  in  his  arms  that  she  might 
see  the  return  of  the  soldiers  after  the  war  of  1812,  her 
grandfather  Guntner  being  one  of  the  returned  sol- 
diers. Another  early  remembrance  was  shaking 
hands  with  General  Lafayette  in  1825,  when  he  passed 
through  Lancaster  on  his  visit,  with  his  son,  to  Amer- 
ica. She  was  then  16  years  old.  Mr.  Berst  left  his 
farm  and  mill  in  Lancaster  county,  and  with  two-horse 


teams  brought  his  familv  and  household  effects  to 
Erie  in  1830.  He  rented  a  farm,  which  is  now  in  the 
city  limits.  Five  years  later  he  removed  to  the  West, 
locating  on  a  farm  in  Indiana.  His  daughter,  Mary, 
with  her  husband,  Frederick  Wittich,  remained  m 
Erie.  Mr.  Wittich  united  with  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  under  the  nn'nistery  of  Rev.  Mr.  Lyon,  in 
18;!4,  and  was  his  life-time  friend.  His  wife  added  her 
name  to  the  church  roll  in  1842.  Both  remained  con- 
sistent and  devoted  members  oT  the  cluirch,  lu'  to  the 
time  of  his  death,  and  Mrs.  Wittich  still  retains  an 
active  interest  in  church  matters.  Their  family  con- 
sisted of  eight  children:  Catherine;  William  and 
Frederick,  twins;  Eliza,  Jennett,  Mary  Elizabeth, 
Susan  Lyne  and  Johnnett.  Frederick  Wittich  died 
.September  4,  1876,  at  the  age  of  71.  He  was  a  de- 
voted citizen,  gentle  and  unassuming,  and,  with  all, 
brave  and  aggressive  in  all  good  works.  With  a  band 
of  co-workers,  he  was  active  in  the  temperance  cause. 
Among  his  a.ssociates  in  this  cause  were  John  Law, 
James  Lytic  and  Jehiel  Towner,  all  of  whom  are  gone 
to  their  reward.  Lieutenant  William  Wittich,  with  his 
twin  brother.  Lieutenant  Frederick  J.  Wittich.  at  the 
first  call  for  troops,  joined  Erie's  three  months'  regi- 
ment coumianded  by  Col.  McLane.  The  regiment 
was  mustered  in  .April  28,  1861,  and  after  the  expira- 
tion of  their  time  the  brothers  re-enlisted  in  Co.  I,  83d 
P.  W  1.,  July  29,  1861.  y\fter  pa.ssing  safely  through 
the  battles  of  Yorktown  and  Hanover  Court  House, 
in  the  desperate  conflict  of  Gains  Mill,  Frederick  Wit- 
tich was  disabled,  taken  [irisoner  and  sent  to  that 
.Southern  torture  pen,  Belle  Isle,  where  for  five  weeks 
he  was  compelled  to  endure  the  strain  that  killed 
many  of  the  ]irisoners.  He  was  released  in  time  to 
particii)nte  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  where  he  espe- 
cially distinguished  himself.  At  Gains  Mill  the  ICighty- 
third  suffered  the  loss  of  265  in  killed,  wounded  and 
prisoners,  having  borne  the  brunt  of  many  a  desperate 
charge,  and  at  Malvern  Hill  they  suffered  further 
heavy  loss.  In  this  fight  Sergeant  William  Wittich 
won  his  promotion  to  a  lieutenancy  by  capturing  a 
Confederate  battle-flag  under  heroic  circumstances, 
and  received  his  advancement  by  order  of  Gen.  Por- 
ter, and  as  a  further  compliment  to  his  bravery  the 
First  division  of  Porter's  corps  was  passed  in  review, 
while  the  man  they  honored  lay  ill  in  an  ambulance, 
the  captured  trophy  beside  him,  with  the  .stars  and 
stri])es  waving  over  it.  It  was  intended  to  have  Gen. 
McClellan  present,  but  he  was  called  away  on  an  im- 
portant mission.  The  second  Bull  Run  engagement, 
August  31,  1862,  was  another  disastrous  fight  for  the 
Eighty-third,  and  they  lost  half  of  their  remaining 
force,  and  were  reduced  from  regimental  to  almost 
com])any  [iroiiortions,  only  seventy-one  stacking  arms 
that  night  at  Centerville.  .Among  the  killed  was 
Lieutenant  William  G.  Wittich,  who  had  command  of 
the  company  at  the  time,  one  of  the  bravest  men  of 
that  heroic  band.  Not  more  than  200  feet  from  where 
he  fell  lay  his  brother  Frederick,  badly  wounded.  He 
had  borne  his  part  throughout  the  day  with  the  endu- 
rance and  courage  of  a  true  soldier,  and  was  promoted 
to  a  second  lieutenancy,  and  was  again  promoted  July 
3,  1863,  receiving  a  first  lieutenant's  commission.  At 
the  battle  of  Laurel  Hill  he  was  shot  through  the 
thighs,  and  was  discharged  September  7,  1864,  l>y  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  enlistment.  On  his  return  to 
Erie  he  received  the  appointment  to  a  postal  clerk- 
ship, and  for  eight  years  served  in  the  postal  service, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


633 


when  rheumatic  troubles,  resulting  from  his  wounds, 
compelled  him  to  resign  from  the  service.  He  en- 
dured much  suffering,  and  finally  answered  the  last 
roll  call  January  13,  1895.  He  expired  at  the  old 
homestead  on  West  Tenth  street,  tenderly  watched  by 
his  venerable  mother  and  loving  sisters. 

James  Forbes  Wittich  was  married  in  Erie,  by  Rev. 
Dr.  Cleveland,  to  Cornelia  Scott.  They  had  si.x  chil- 
dren; William,  Elizabeth,  Earl  B.,  Emily  Cornelia, 
Mary  and  Jessie.  His  second  wife  was  Marietta  Odell, 
by  whom  he  had  one  child.  James  F.  Wittich  was 
commissioned  a  first  lieutenant  September  22,  1862,  in 
Co.  K,  14oth  P.  \ .  I.  Eliza  Wittich  was  married  to 
Dr.  Henry  Gilbert  in  Erie,  at  the  home  of  her  parents, 
by  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Lyon.  They  had  two  children,  Mary 
S.  and  Woodland.  Susan  Lyne  Wittich  was  married 
to  Alonzo  Lucius  Littell,  November  3U,  1870,  in  the 
city  of  Erie,  at  the  home  of  her  parents,  by  Rev.  Geo. 
A.  Lyon.  They  had  three  children:  Frederick  J., 
Williams  S.  and  Mary  Olive.  Frederick  J.  Littell  has 
entered  Case  School  of  Applied  Science,  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  e.vpecting  to  take  up  the  four-year  course  of 
mechanical  and  electrical  engineering. 

Joel  Olds  was  born  February  22,  1791,  among  the 
granite  hills  of  Alstead,  Chester  county,  X.  H.  When 
asked  one  day  by  one  of  his  friends  why  he  was  not 
named  George  Washington,  the  reply  was  that  "  Wash- 
ington living  was  not  the  hero  of  to-day.  One  must 
die  to  see  glory."  He  was  the  son  of  Phinea  and 
Polly  (Gale)  Olds.  In  179.5  they  moved  up  among  the 
rugged  hills  of  the  Green  Mountain  State,  locating  at 
Wiiliamstown,  \'t.,  among  the  Gale  relations.  In  the 
spring  of  '96  his  mother  died,  leaving  him  and  his  lit- 
tle brother,  Asa  G.,  with  only  a  father  to  care  for 
them.  (Their  fathfcr  was  a  zealous  Free  Mason,  and 
was  influential  among  the  order.)  Joel  attended  then 
the  district  school,  two  miles  away,  and  it  comes  down 
to  us  that  it  was  no  uncommon  sight  to  see  him  with 
dinifer  basket  in  one  hand,  leading  his  younger 
brother,  trudging  o'er  the  stony  way  to  the  little  log- 
house,\vhere  they  sat  on  log  benches  without  backs. 
He  grew  to  manhood,  working  among  the  rocks  and 
stumps  of  his  father's  acres.  He  married  Rhoda  Par- 
ker, .Nlay  6,  1814.  Soon  after,  he,  with  his  father-in- 
law,  Jonas  A.  Parker,  began  making  preparations  for 
moving  to  the  Western  Reserve.  Saving  the  choicest 
seeds  from  the  harvest  was  one  principal  occupation, 
particularly  the  apple  seeds,  and  many  a  tree  is  still 
standing  on  the  Olds  farm  and  on  neighboring  farms, 
that  grew  from  that  pint  of  seed  which  he  brought.  It 
was  not  until  1815  that  this  little  company  was  ready 
to  start.  The  snow  had  fallen  and  the  sleighing  was 
fine.  Some  of  the  neighbors  had  come  in  to  bid  them 
God  speed,  for  on  the  morrow  they  were  to  start. 
Among  the  number  was  Davis  Harrington,  a  young 
man  of  the  neighborhood,  who  had  long  looked  with 
favor  upon  Katie  Parker,  a  sister  of  iMrs.  Olds.  It 
was  a  long  way  to  the  We,stern  Reserve,  and  money 
was  scarce.  Could  he  only  speak  the  words?  Soon 
there  was  a  little  stir  of  excitement.  Katie's  things 
must  be  unpacked.  A  minister  was  summoned,  and 
then  and  there  Katie  became  Mrs.  Col.  Harrington. 
The  next  morning  two  ox-teams,  one  owned  and  driven 
by  Joel  Olds,  the  other  driven  by  Ira  Parker,  with 
their  long  sleds  loaded  with  household  goods,  started 
on  their  long  journey.  Later  in  the  day,  Mr.  Parker, 
with  the  women  and   children   of  the  party,  followed 


with  their  horse  team,  carrying  food  and  cooking  uten- 
sils. About  3  o'clock  each  day  the  horse  team  would 
pass  the  ox  teams,  and  by  4  o'clock  jmt  up  at  some 
tavern,  get  the  privilege  of  cooking  their  food  by  the 
great  fire-place  and  spreading  their  beds,  when  ever 
they  were  permitted.  Thus  they  drove  on  day  after 
day  across  the  great  snowy  wilderness  of  New  York 
State.  Arriving  in  Buffalo,  they  heard  the  glorious 
news  that  peace  had  been  declared.  After  six  weeks 
of  journeying  they  stopped  at  Eagle  Tavern,  on  Fed- 
eral Hill,  and  put  up  for  the  night.  What  must  have 
been  their  disappointment  in  the  morning  to  find  it 
raining.  They  tarried  until  the  rain  should  cease,  but 
to  their  great  dismay  the  sleighing  entirely  disap- 
peared, and  thus  it  is  that  we  have  in  our  midst  to-day 
the  Oldses  and  the  Parkers.  Yes,  and  even  our  own 
Judge  Gunnison.  See  what  Trumbull  county,  Ohio, 
lost,  and  Erie  gained.  What  might  it  have  been  had 
it  not  rained.  The  rain  having  ceased,  they  looked 
about  them  for  habitations,  where  they  might  spend 
the  summer  at  least.  They  went  south  of  the  little 
hamlet  of  Erie,  out  upon  the  hills  and  rented  farms 
for  the  season.  In  the  spring  of  1816  they  bought  a 
tract  of  land,  and  Joel  Olds  moved  into  the  wilder- 
ness on  his  own  land,  cut  down  the  timber,  making  a 
log  house  by  a  good  spring  of  water,  and  thus  life  was 
begun  in  earnest.  He  cleared  his  land,  cutting  the  fine 
timber,  burning  it  and  selling  the  ashes  to  the  potash 
factory  in  Erie  for  ten  cents  a  bushel.  At  the  end  of 
ten  years  he  had  paid  iox  his  farm,  and  saved  enough 
to  take  him  back  to  the  home  of  his  kindred.  Adding 
to  his  acres  by  thrift  and  industry,  he  still  made  his 
visits  back  to  his  old  home  every  decade,  each  time 
taking  some  of  his  family  with  him.  Ere  the  si.xth 
pilgrimage  was  made,  he  was  called  to  his  long  home 
in  eternity.  His  wife  dying,  he  married,  in  1838,  Miss 
Juliet  Baker,  of  Windham,  Conn.,  by  whom  he  was 
tenderly  cared  for  to  a  ripe  old  age,  passing  away  July 
21,  1872.  The  love  and  affection  of  those  two  brothers, 
who  were  left  motherless  so  young,  endured  even  unto 
the  end,  and  life  was  lengthened  to  each  of  them  be- 
yond four  score.  It  was  touching  in  the  extreme  to 
see  them  sit  so  close  for  hours,  and  visit  like  lovers,  as 
they  were  indeed.  May  this  beautiful  feature  crop 
out  in  generations  that  follow.  Of  the  first  family  but 
two  daughters  are  living,  Mrs.  Frances  Foster,  in  Shell 
Rock,  Iowa,  and  Mrs.  Emily  Ward,  in  Marion,  Kas. 
Horace,  the  son,  died  in  .April,  1879,  leaving  a  family 
who  are  at  present  in  Des  .Moines,  Iowa.  Of  the  sec- 
ond family,  Helen  will  be  remembered  by  many  as  a 
successful  teacher  in  our  public  schools  for  several 
years,  married  G.  E.  Noble  in  1869,  and  died  March, 
1887.  The  other  two  are  both  living  in  Erie.  .Miss 
Sophornia,  a  teacher  in  our  schools,  and  .Melvin  J.,  so 
well  known  as  a  survivor  of  the  gallant  Eighty-third 
Regiment,  that  more  than  a  passing  notice  should  be 
made  of  him.  He  enlisted  in  '61,  before  he  was  16 
years  old,  when  no  one  was  allowed  to  enlist  under  18, 
and  none  under  a  required  height  would 'be  received. 
He  had  extra  high  heels  put  on  new  boots,  that  he 
might  fulfill  the  law.  Such  patriotism  could  not  be 
rejected.  His  history  is  the  history  of  the  regiment. 
Being  one  of  the  youngest  members  of  his  regiment, 
he  now  suffers  when  he  should  be  in  his  fullest 
strength,  the  rack  and  torture  of  rheumatism,  en- 
gendered by  exposure  in  Southern  swamps.  Can  pen 
describe  the  history  of  a  faithful  soldier?  Think  what 
it  means  to  stand  as  a  target  for  an  enemy.    Our  gov- 


634 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  MICTION  ART 


ernment  can  never  pay  the  debt  it  owes  the  boys  who 
saved  our  nation.  NIr.  M.  J.  Olds  married  in  January, 
1871,  Miss  Clara  E.,  daughter  of  Z.  L.  Webster,  Esi|., 
of  Summit,  and  they  have  two  sons:  Z.  Webster,  born 
in  March,  \i<1A:  and  Leon  liaker,  horn  in  June,  IKHi). 
The  farm  on  which  Joel  Olds  spent  fifty-six  years  of  a 
quiet  and  peaceful  life  is  still  owned  by  his  children. 
Miss  Sophoriua  and  Melvin  J.  It  is  pleasantly  situated 
on  elevated  land,  overlooking  the  city  'and  the  lake, 
two  miles  from  the  present  city  hmits.  For  a  beauti- 
ful view  of  the  lake  no  prosjiect  is  better.  On  a  clear 
day  the  outline  of  the  Canadian  shore  and  Long  I'omt 
is  visible,  and  at  night  the  flash-light  from  tlie  .same 
point  can  be  seen.  It  was  a  matter  of  great  surprise 
to  them,  when  they  found  they  could  see  the  lake,  the 
country  being  all  a  wilderness  at  the  time,  they  had  no 
idea  they  were  on  such  high  land. 

Extracts  from  a  letter  (when  postage  was  twenty- 
five  cents)  written  by  his  brother,  after  he  had  bought 
land,  raised  crops  and  returned  to  his  father's  house. 

Wn.i.iA.MSTOWN,  V't.,  June  17,  1816. 
Dear  Joel: 

We  are  all  well.  I  wrote  one  letter  and  sent  by  the 
mail  before  this.  'I'homas  Howe  starts  this  day  with 
his  family  for  the  Ohio.  I  will  send  this  letter  by  him. 
Dial  Smith  is  going  to  drive  his  ox-team  for  him. 
When  he  returns  he  will  call  and  see  you.  1  want  you 
should  go  and  .show  him  my  land,  then  I  want  you 
should  write  to  me.  What  has  become  of  my  wheat? 
Vou  may  sell  it,  and  have  the  use  of  the  money  until 
next  s])ring.  Mow  many  loads  of  potatoes  dii!  I  have? 
Have  you  built  a  school-house  yet?  How  did  you 
make  out  with  your  mill?  an(i  if  any  more  land  has 
been  sold  in  the  neighborhood.  My  colt  is  worth 
seventy  dollars,  but  will  not  fetch  that,  for  there  is  no 
money  to  be  got.  Oiu'  father  has  five  horses  that  are 
fit  to  work  and  ride;  he  says  he  will  send  you  one  next 
fall  or  winter.  He  sold  his  Dalton  farm  for  one  horse 
and  110  dollars,  to  be  paid  in  cattle.  Last  night  there 
was  a  hard  frost;  we  are  pouring  water  on  the  beans  to 
save  them;  on  plowed  ground  1  had  to  kick  hard  to 
break  the  frozen  crust.  I  want  you  and  Mr.  Parker  to 
go  and  burn  my  piece.  Your  relations  are  all  well.  I 
am  your  affectionate  brother, 

Asa  G.  Olds. 
Joel  Olds. 

Benjjamiti  F.  Sloan,  youngest  child  of  William 
A.  and  Esther  (Crandall)  .Sloan,  was  born  in  Westfield, 
Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  March  27,  1819,  and  moved 
with  his  parents  to  Fairview  township,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  about  1821.  He  attended  the  country  schools  un- 
til he  was  17.  Flntered  the  office  of  the  Erie  Gazette 
in  1836  as  an  apprentice  and  served  four  years.  Vis- 
ited the  Southern  States  in  1841  and  1842,  and  worked 
in  various  offices  in  New  Orleans  and  Louisville. 
Part  of  the  latter  year  was  connected  with  the  Louis- 
ville Daily  Gazette  as  night  editor.  In  connection  with 
A.  P.  Durlin,  Esq.,  in  1843,  he  purchased  the  Erie  Ob- 
serrer  and  edited  it  till  January  1.  18t)l,  when  he  sold 
the  office  and  became  a  member  of  the  grocery  firm  of 
Sloan,  Booth  &■  McCreary.  Was  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness of  oil  refining  from  18G3  to  1868.  From  1868  to 
1875  was  editor  of  the  .ffnV  Daily  Republican  and  the 
TituKville  Daily  Courier.  Was  clerk  of  the  committee 
on  invalid  ])ensions  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
during  the  Forty-fourth  and  the  extra  session  of  the 


Forty-fifth  Congress.  Was  appointed  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Erie  water  department  January  1, 
1879,  in  which  position  he  continued  until  1891.  Mr. 
Sloan  was  married  March  27,  184.5,  to  Elizalieth  M. 
Harr.  They  have  had  five  children,  of  whcjm  two  are 
living-Clara  \'irginia  lintermarried  with  H.I).  Mc- 
Naughton,  of  Rochester,  N.  \ .),  and  Charles  H.  Mr. 
Sloan  was  appointi-d  postma.ster  liy  President  Pierce 
in  .Xpril,  18.53,  and  was  reaiipointed  by  President  Bu- 
chanan in  18,57,  serving  until  the  s])ring  of  1861.  He 
now  resides  with  his  son-in-law  in  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

John  Depinet,  register  and  recorder  of  Erie 
county,  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in  Erie  November  14, 
18.5.5,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Mary  (Erhart)  Depi- 
net, natives  of  Baden,  whence  they  emigrated  and  lo- 
cated in  Erie  in  18-53.  Mrs.  Depinet  dietl  in  18.56. 
The  senior  Mr.  Depinet  was  a  contractor  in  brick  and 
mason  work,  which  he  followed  successfully  for  many 
years.  Mr.  John  Depinet  was  educated  in  the  iniblic 
schools  and  Erie  Academy,  and  in  1877  accepted  a 
position  as  bookkeeper  in  the  office  of  William  Dens- 
more.  .'\fter  five  years'  faithful  service  in  this  capac- 
ity, he  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  William  Dens- 
more  &  Co.,  and  traveled  in  the  interest  of  the  com- 
])any.  He  was  elected  to  his  present  ])osition  in  1890 
and  re-elected  in  1893.  In  1891  he  was  chosen  chair- 
man of  the  Republican  county  committee,  the  duties 
of  which  ])osition  he  most  efficiently  discharged.  He 
has  always  been  a  staunch  Republican,  and  has  ren- 
dered much  valuable  service  to  the  party  of  his  choice. 
Mr.  De])inet  organized  and  was  for  several  years  in- 
terested in  the  Erie  base  ball  chil),  and  other  athletic 
sports  which  he  always  tried  to  keep  above  reproach. 
In  this,  as  in  other  undertakings,  he  was  highly  suc- 
cessful, and  during  his  active  connection  with  base 
ball  it  received  the  enthusiastic  support  and  patronage 
of  the  public.  On  June  1,  1895,  Mr.  Depinet  leased 
the  Central  Market  House,  the  success  of  which  his 
able  management  assures.  Mr.  Depinet  was  married 
October  2,  1W2,  to  Miss  Jessie,  only  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Harriet  (Dewey)  Densmore,  of  Erie.  This 
happy  union  has  been  blessed  with  two  children,  Fred 
v..  and  Ned  E.  Mr.  Depinet  is  a  Knight  Templar 
.Mason,  a  very  active  member  of  the  Elks,  and  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Erie  and  Kahkwa  clubs  and  of  the  M;ennerchor 
and  Liedertafel  societies.  Public-spirited  and  with  the 
best  intere.sts  of  the  community  at  heart,  he  is  ever 
ready  to  support  and  encourage  by  his  means  and  in- 
fluence all  worthy  enterprises  of  a  public  or  charitable 
nature. 

William  Saltsman  Brown  was  born  in  Erie,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  November  20,  1826.  He  is  a  son  of  the 
late  .Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Saltsman)  Brown,  both  na- 
tives of  the  Keystone  State,  and  of  German  descent. 
Samuel  Brown  located,  about  1810,  in  Erie,  where  he 
was  one  of  the  early  leading  merchants,  and  where,  in 
1825,  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Saltsman,  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  Saltsman,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Erie.  .Samuel  Brown  died  in  1865;  his  wife,  the  fol- 
lowing year.  William  S.  Brown  was  educated  at  the 
Erie  Academy.  His  first  employment  was  as  clerk  in 
the  postoffice  at  Erie,  where  he  remained  for  four  years, 
then  entering  the  service  of  General  Charles  M.  Reed, 
with  whom  he  was  associated  for  two  years.  The  follow- 
ing four  years  he  was  deputy  collector  of  customs  at 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


635 


Erie,  under  Presidents  Taylor  and  Fillmore.  Upon  the 
completion  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern 
R.  R.,  Mr.  Brown  was  made  general  freight  agent  at 
Erie  of  that  road,  a  position  which  he  held  for  twenty 
years.  Succeeding  this  he  was  treasurer  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania end  of  the  Lake  Shore  roads,  and  was  one  of  the 
boards  of  directors  of  the  Lake  Shore,  Erie  and  Pitts- 
burg and  Oil  Creek  railroads.  He  served  as  collector 
of  internal  revenue  for  the  Erie  district  by  appoint- 
ment of  President  Grant.  He  was  one  of  the  early 
stockholders  of  the  Second  National  Bank  of  Erie, 
and  has  been  for  many  vears  and  is  still  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  that  institution.  Mr.  Brown 
was  associated  with  Orange  Noble,  Joseph  McCarter 
and  Henry  C.  Shannon  in  the  erection  of  the  first  grain 
elevator  at  the  port  of  Erie.  He  devoted  eleven  years 
in  active  service  to  the  cause  of  education  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Erie  board,  and  was  fornme  years  president 
of  that  body.  He  was  married  October  10,  1853,  to 
Rosina  NL,  daughter  of  the  late  Joseph  Winchell,  of 
Erie.  The  children  of  .Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Brown  are: 
Scott  Brown,  of  the  Northwestern  R.  R.  ofilice  of  Chi- 
cago; Benjamin  B.  Brown,  of  the  firm  of  Brown  & 
Thomas,  iron  merchants,  of  Erie;  and  .Mary,  wife  of 
Lieut.  George  R.  Clark,  of  the  United  States  navy. 
The  family  reside  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Ninth  and 
Peach  streets,  and  attend  the  Park  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  Mr.  Brown  was  one  of  the  founders. 

Hugh  Brady  Fleming  (deceased).  On  both  sides 
the  lineage  of  this  gentleman  fitly  represented  those 
Scotch-Irish  elements  and  reflected  the  characteristics 
which  history,  story  and  song  have  so  inseparably  in- 
tertwined with  the  name  of  the  Keystone — his  native 
state.  His  father  was  Gen.  James  Fleming,  who  en- 
listed in  the  War  of  1812  when  about  16  years  of  age. 
His  mother  was  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Robert  Lowry, 
one  of  a  family  of  ten  brothers,  who,  coming  from  the 
North  of  Ireland  towards  the  close  of  the  last  century, 
had  such  a  thrilling  experience  in  the  land  title 
troubles  at  the  first  settlement  of  the  lake  shore  of 
Pennsylvania.  A  notable  episode  of  this  strife  was  the 
successful  journey  made  by  the  wife  of  one  of  these 
brothers  on  horseback  through  the  wilderness  to  the 
federal  capital,  where,  by  an  order  of  President  Jeffer- 
son, her  husband  was  released  from  imprisonment, 
which  he  had  incurred  by  disregarding  a  decree  of  court 
in  the  land  litigation.  The  military  record  of  the  family 
is  exceptionally  honorable.  James  Fleming,  father  of 
Hugh  Brady,  served  through  the  War  of  1812,  partici- 
pating in  the  battles  of  Chippewa  and  Lundy's  Lane, 
under  General  Scott,  and  was  wounded  at  Fort  Erie. 
He  completed  a  long  and  honorable  service  in  the 
L'nited  States  army.  He  afterwards  served  many 
years  in  the  volunteer  establishment  of  Pennsylvania, 
where,  passing  through  several  grades,  he  became 
major  general.  Col.  John  W.  McLane  (own  cousin  of 
Major  Flen\ing)  closed  a  brilliant  career  in  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion  by  his  death  at  the  head  of  the  re- 
nowned 83d  Reg.,  Pa.  \ .,  at  the  battle  of  Gaines'  Mill. 
The  chivalrous  valor  shown  in  the  careers  of  both 
seemed  to  corroborate  the  tradition  that  they  were  of 
kin  with  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne,  wh(3Se  name  was  given 
to  two  especially  fine  military  companies  before  the 
war,  raised  and  drilled  by  Captain  McLane  at  Erie. 
The  first,  the  Wayne  Grays,  in  1841;  the  second, 
the  Wayne  Guards,  organized  in  1859;  practically 
it  was  a   military   school   for  the  coming   war,  and, 


in  fact,  was  the  nucleus  of  the  famous  83d  Reg.,  Pa.  V. 
With  such  an  ancestry  and  surroundings,  the  record  of 
Maj.  Hugh  Brady  Fleming  will  not  be  a  matter  of  sur- 
prise. He  was  born  in  Rockdale  township,  Crawford 
county.  Pa.,  in  1827.  His  early  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  common  schools,  then  of  the  commonest 
sort.  He  was  named  for  his  father's  companion  in 
arms,  if  not  regimental  commander,  while  his  brother 
bore  the  name  of  the  veteran  general  under  whom  his 
father  had  fought  at  Lundy's  Lane.  XW  of  his  early 
surroundings  tended  to  instill,  to  cultivate  and  intensify 
a  love  of  military  life.  The  science  of  war,  especially 
as  illustrated  in  the  great  battles  of  the  period  in  Eu- 
rope and  -America,  amounted  to  a  passion  with  General 
Fleming,  whose  prominence  in  organizing,  disciplining 
and  arming  the  State  forces  in  Northwestern  Pennsyl- 
vania continued  for  many  years — co-incident  with 
his  son  Hugh's  childhood.  His  fireside  was  made 
cheerful  in  the  companionship  of  his  comrades  of 
the  War  of  1812;  while  the  Patriot  War  and  the 
"Burning  of  the  Caroline"  quickened  the  interest  in 
military  circles,  as  they  brought  to  the  lake  frontier 
Gen.  Winfield  Scott  in  connection  with  the  stirring 
events  liable  to  produce  bloodshed  and  plunge  the 
country  into  a  war  with_ England  at  any  moment. 
Hugh  Brady  Fleming  was  most  naturally  devoted  to 
militarj'  life-it  was  a  logical  sequence  of  his  father's 
career.  In  July,  1848,  in  the  very  month  the  Mexican 
war  was  officially  declared  at  an  end,  it  was  on  the 
nomination  of  Hon.  James  Thompson,  then  member  of 
Congress  from  the  Erie  district,  under  the  administra- 
tion of  President  Polk — William  L.  Morey  being  Sec- 
retary of  War — he  was  appointed  to  the  West  Point 
Academy.  The  achievements  of  our  armies  had  raised 
the  interest  in  military  matters  to  a  high  pitch;  yet 
from  all  of  the  eight  counties  of  the  Twenty-third  Con- 
gresssional  District,  with  their  three  endowed  acade- 
mies and  scores  of  graduates,  Hugh  Fleming  was 
named  for  the  cadetship  of  1848.  The  intuitive  percep- 
tion and  instinctive  acumen  of  Judge  Thompson  were 
well  vindicated  in  the  long  and  distinguished  career  of 
his  appointee.  No  doubt  the  result  of  the  war,  as  that 
year  announced,  with  its  acquisition  of  California  and 
Northern  Mexico,  adding  as  it  did  by  the  treaty  of 
Guadaloup  Hidalgo,  649,000  square  miles  of  territory 
to  the  domain  of  the  L'nited  States,  while  more  than 
101,0<)0  men  had  been  in  the  field,  involving  an  ex- 
penditure of  SllX),000,000,  intensified  the  anxiety  all 
over  the  country  to  enter  West  Point.  It  was  a  class 
embracing  Generals  Phil  Sheridan,  Henr>' W.  Slocum, 
A.  W.  D.  McCook,  George  Crook,  T.  L.  Casey  and 
others  destined  to  win  so  much  renown  in  the  great 
War  of  the  Rebellion.  On  the  1st  of  July,  1852,  hav- 
ing graduated.  Cadet  Fleming  was  made  Second 
Lieutenant  of  the  9th  L^.  S.  infantry.  He  was  assigned 
to  duty  in  the  distant  West,  where  the  army,  reduced 
to  a  peace  footing,  was  engaged  in  keeping  open  com- 
munications in  the  vast  region  beyond  the  Mississippi 
before  the  organization  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska. 
Circumstances  then  made  him  prominent;  his  first 
skirmish  was  while  defending  Fort  Laramie  against 
the  Sioux,  June  17,  18.53;  in  another  fight,  August  24, 
1854,  he  was  wounded.  It  is  needless  to  follow  Lieu- 
tenant Fleming  in  his  long,  arduous  and  brilliant  ca- 
reer, which  commenced  so  soon  after  his  graduation. 
He  was  on  frontier  duty  at  Fort  Stillacom,  Wa.shing- 
ton,  and  operated  against  the  Puget  Sound  Indians  in 
1856.    The  next  year  he  was  stationed  in  Washington 


636 


KELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Territory  (then  Northern  Oregon),  also  at  Fort  Dallas 
and  Fort  Walla  Walla  and  on  the  Spokane  expedition. 
In  1858  he  foiifjht  the  Indians  at  Tohutsnimme  and  at 
Four  Lakes,  at  Spokane  Plains  and  River.  He  was  on 
frontier  duty  at  \\'alla  Walla,  Washington  Territory, 
from  1858  to  18ti0,  and  was  promoted  to  be  captain  of 
the  9th  infantry  >lay  14,  18til.  He  relieved  Kit  Carson 
at  Fort  Garland,  Colorado,  and  was  presented  by  that 
renowned  frontiersman  with  the  sword  he  wore  when 
he  escorted  Gen.  John  C.  Fremont  across  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  It  was  thus  Captain  Fleming  was  thrown 
into  active,  prolonged  and  arduous  military  service, 
but  the  strain  of  such  successive  and  unremittive  effort 
bv  day  and  by  night  wore  upon  him.  When  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion  broke  out  he  sought  to  place  his  mil- 
itary education  and  experience  at  the  service  of  his 
country.  He  was  invited  by  Governor  Curtin  to  take 
command  of  a  Pennsylvania  regiment  and  a  like  offer 
came  from  the  Governor  of  Xew  York.  The  Secretary 
of  War  refused  to  accept  his  resignation,  but  employed 
him  in  nuistering,  inspecting  and  organizing  the  vol- 
unteer forces  and  he  remained  a  captain  in  the  army. 
Several  times  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  was 
ordered  to  the  remotest  frontier.  Honored  as  he  was 
with  the  fullest  confidence  of  the  War  Department,  he 
was  detailed  to  organize  troops  at  Fort  Columbus, 
N.  Y.  He  served  as  mustering  and  disbursing  officer 
at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,and  at  Fort  Humlioldt,  California,  and 
for  Nevada  and  California  from  1861  to  1805.  After 
this  he  was  acting  assistant  jirovost  marshal  general 
and  superintendent  of  volunteer  recruiting  service  in 
California  and  Nevatla.  He  returned  to  frontier  duty 
at  Fort  Ruby,  Nevada,  in  December,  1865,  and  July 
28,  1866,  won  his  spurs  and  gold  leaf,  while  attached 
to  the  19th  U.  -S.  infantry.  He  was  next  assigned  to 
the  5th  U.  S.  infantry  in  1869,  and  in  1870  was  retired 
on  account  of  disease  contracted  in  the  line  of  duty. 
He  had  helped  to  clear  the  Indians  from  the  plains, 
but  with  them  had  vanished  the  youth,  the  vigor  and 
the  elasticity  of  Major  Fleming,  who  at  his  graduation 
seemed  to  possess  an  iron-clad  constitution,  tired  with 
the  courage  of  a  lion  -animated  by  a  S|jirit  of  loyalty 
worthy  of  the  kinsman  oi  .Mad  .Anthony  Wayne. 

Major  Fleming  never  ceased  his  studies  of  military 
science.  He  kept  up  almost  to  the  day  of  his  death 
with  every  change  in  tactics,  in  arms,  engineering, 
ship  building  and  armor  plating.  He  was  genial  and 
companionable,  a  man  of  strong  friendshijis,  with  a 
high  sense  of  honor,  and  he  would  not  allow  himself 
to  Ise  outdone  in  his  duties  to  his  fellow  men  or  to  so- 
ciety. His  domestic  relations  were  most  ])leasant.  In 
1866,  while  stationed  at  Buffalo,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Maria  i^ouise,  daughter  of  Joseph  Neely,  Esq., 
of  Erie.  With  his  wife,  he  reported  at  Fort  Garland, 
where  his  son,  Hugh  Neely  Fleming,  was  born  in  1868. 
Upon  Major  Fleming's  retirement  from  active  service 
he  took  up  his  residence  at  the  family  home  on  West 
Eighth  street,  Erie.  Though  offered  the  chair  of  mil- 
itary science  in  the  University  of  California  and  that 
of  jVIinnesota  he  was  obliged  to  decline  both  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health.  In  the  vain  effort  to  recujierate 
that  health  and  vigor,  which  had  been  lost  in  arduous 
frontier  service,  he  spent  much  time  and  very  much  of 
means  in  traveling.  His  friends  noted  with  anxiety 
his  steady  decline.  About  two  years  ago  the  light  of 
his  pleasant  home  went  out  in  the  death  of  his  charming 
wife.  Though  cheered  by  the  constant  companion.ship 
and  untiring  attentions  of  his  devoted  son,  the  sturdy 


warrior  answered  his  last  roll  call  at  his  beautiful  but 
darkened  home  on  the  9th  of  .April,  1895. 

The  remains  of  the  veteran  were  tenderly  placed  in 
the  beautiful  Erie  Cemetery  in  a  sightly  location  near 
to  the  resting  ])lace  of  his  beloved  wife  and  his  kins- 
man. Colonel  McLane,  overlooking  the  spot  on  the 
lake  bluff  where  General  Wayne,  on  his  return 
from  his  successful  Indian  campaign,  died  and  was 
buried.  Kindred  in  blood  and  in  their  unfaltering 
loyalty,  though  their  spheres  of  activity  so  widely  sep- 
arated, each  found  a  grave  within  sound  and  view  of 
the  other,  while  the  name  and  fame  of  each  will  be 
cherished  among  its  choice  legends  of  history  by  the 
Gem  City  of  the  Lakes. 

F.  F.  Farrar,  late  of  Waterford,  Erie  county.  Pa., 
was  born  in  \'ermont,  August  24, 1822,  and  died  at  his 
home  near  Waterford,  April  28,  1895.  His  father  and 
mother  were  natives  respectively  of  Massachusetts  and 
New  Hampshire.  The  former,  Oliver  Farrar,  was 
engaged  in  the  milling  business  for  many  years  in  V'er- 
mont,  was  a  Democratic  member  of  the  Legislature  of 
that  State  for  several  terms,  and  served  the  people  of 
the  county  of  his  residence  as  justice  of  the  peace  for 
.some  years.  F.  F.  Farrar  com])leteti  his  schooling  at 
the  Hancock  Academy,  New  Hampshire,  and  then 
taught  school  for  one  year.  Upon  attaining  his 
majority  he  removed  to  Waterford,  this  county,  and 
with  his  brother  conducted  a  mercantile  business 
until  1853,  when  he  withdrew  and  engaged  in  farming 
and  the  hotel  business  at  Forest  Home,  Erie  county, 
continuing  nearly  four  years  with  good  success;  he 
then  entered  a  jiartnership  with  L.  Phelps  in  the 
grocery  line  at  Waterford.  In  one  year  he  sold  out 
and  engaged  under  the  tirm  name  of  Gray  &  Farrar 
in  the  wholesale  grocery  business  at  Erie  with  his 
usual  good  luck  up  to  1867  or  1868,  when  he  sold  and 
turned  his  entire  attention  to  the  restoration  of  sul- 
phuric acid  at  Pittsburgh,  in  which  enterprise  he  had 
invested  prior  to  this  time;  he  subsequently  took  the 
principal  management  of  the  branch  business  at 
Titusville  and  was  very  successful.  .At  a  period 
during  his  liusy  life  he  was  compelled  to  lay  away  his 
first  consort,  the  mother  of  four  children,  three  of 
whom  are  living,  viz.:  C.  W.  Farrar,  of  the  Davis, 
Farrar  S:  Co.,  Erie;  W.  W.  Farrar,  of  the  American 
Wringer  Company,  Erie,  and  Mrs.  Minnie  Arbuckle. 
His  second  marriage  was  to  Mrs.  Mary  Day,  by 
whom  he  had  one  child.  Miss  Zoe  Farrar.  Mr.  Farrar 
was  a  valued  and  valuable  citizen.  During  the  war 
he  was  mayor  of  Erie,  and  fulfilled  the  duties  of  that 
office  during  those  troublous  times  with  conspicuous 
success. 

William  Reifel,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
William  Reifel  &  .Sons,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  the 
province  of  Rhein,  Germany,  January  4,  1838,  and  is  a 
son  of  J.  P.  and  Anna  .Mary  (Offenbacher)  Reifel.  His 
father,  who  was  a  farmer,  came  to  America  in  1852  and 
located  in  Erie,  where  he  died  in  18-")4,  leaving  Will- 
iam, an  only  child.  A  part  of  his  education  was  ob- 
tained in  his  native  country,  and  a  ])art  of  it  in  the 
public  schools  of  Erie.  Learning  the  moulders'  trade 
in  the  shops  of  Sennett,  Barr  &  Co.,  he  followed  the 
occu])ation  eleven  years.  He  then  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  on  State  street,  south  of  Twelfth, 
where  he  remained  two  and  a  half  years.  In  1868  he 
assisted  in  the  establishment  of  the  Erie  Steam  Bend- 


T^^^^^^^-^-^i^y 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


^31 


ing  Works,  and  maintained  his  identity  with  that  con- 
cern until  1878,  wlicn  he  engaged  in  his  present  l)usi- 
ness  of  iiunip  manufacturing.  The  plant  was  first 
located  on  Myrtl<-  street,  lietween  Seventh  and  Kighth 
streets,  and  was  removed  to  its  jiresent  place  in  1888, 
wliere  it  has  been  enlarged  and  remodeled  until  its 
capacity  is  between  fifteen  and  twenty  thousand  pumps 
a  year.  The  products  of  the  concern  include  all  kinds 
of  wooden,  chain  and  bucket  pumps,  and  the  territory 
over  which  their  sales  extent!  incluiles  all  the  eastern 
half  of  the  Unitetl  .States.  Mr.  Reifel  owns  considera- 
ble other  lUdperty  adjacent  to  the  building  which  he 
occupies,  and  has  real  estate  interests  in  other  parts  of 
the  city.  Mr.  Reif<-1  was  married  in  18.^S  to  Miss  Mary 
Knochel,  of  Erie,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  viz.: 
Anna  Mary  (Mrs.  Sanuu'l  H.  Burdett,  of  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.),  John  P.  Ipresiilent  of  the  Cleveland  Dental  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  of  Cleveland,  O.),  Miss  Eliza- 
beth, William  \'.  (who  died  in  his'iM  year),  and  George 
V.  (who  is  ill  the  emjiloy  of  the  Cleveland  Dental  Man- 
ufacturing Company  as  traveling  salesman).  Mrs. 
Reifel  died  in  lSti(),  and  Mr.  Reifel  was  remarried  in 
1874  to  Miss  Sophia  Fink,  sister  of  Mr.  Henry  Fink, of 
Erie.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Reifel  are  members  of  the  .St. 
Paul  German  Lutheran  Church.  He  has  been  for 
thirty  years  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Herman,  and  for 
twenty-nine  years  a  member  of  the  Erie  Liedertafel 
society,  of  which  he  is  now  president.  Politically  he 
is  a  Repul)lican. 

John  Robert  Cooaey,  of  the  Union  Ice  Com- 
pany, ICrie,  I'a.,  born  in  ICrie,  October  18,  18.50,  is  a  son 
of  the  late  John  and  Margaret  Cooney,  natives  of  county 
Cork,  Ireland,  who  came  to  the  United  States  and  lo- 
cated in  l^rie  in  185o.  John  Cooney,  sr.,  was  an  em- 
ploye of  the  Erie  Gas  Company,  and  died  November 
18,  1857.  His  wife  survives  him  and  resides  in  Erie. 
John  R.  Cooney  attended  the  public  schools  of  Erie. 
At  an  early  age  he  found  employment  as  brakeman  on 
the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.,  and  later  with  the  E.  &  P.  R 
R.,  being  thus  employed  for  four  years.  He  next  en- 
gaged in  teaming,  and  in  1880  founded  an  ice  business, 
which  he  conducted  successfully  alone  for  ten  years, 
then  consolidating  his  business  with  that  of  the  Erie 
Ice  Company.  In  the  spring  of  1898  this  company 
was  consoliilated  with  the  People's  Ice  Company,  the 
aggregation  being  thereafter  known  as  the  Union  Ice 
Company.  Mr.  Cooney  has  been  twice  married;  on 
May  12,  187S*,  to  Emma,  daughter  of  John  Crowley,  of 
East  Mill  Creek,  Erie  county.  Pa.  She  died  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1890,  leaving  three  children,  John,  Edward  and 
Mamie.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Annie  R.,  daughter 
.Stephen  Murphy,  a  contractor  of  Erie.  The  family 
reside  at  487  West  Fourth  street,  and  are  members  of 
St.  Peter's  Catholic  congregation. 

Samuel  IMyrott  Braitierd,  attorney,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Conncaut  townshi]i,  Erie  county.  Pa., 
November  18,  1S4'J.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Samuel 
and  Olive  L.  (Nicholson)  Brainerd,  the  former  a  native 
of  Herkimer,  New  York,  and  of  Fmglish  descent,  the 
latter  a  native  of  Vermont.  The  elder  Mr.  Brainerd  was 
a  farmer.  He  dieil  in  January,  18(i3;  his  wife  survived 
him  less  than  one  month.  .Samuel  M.  Brainerd  received 
his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  and  academy 
of  Conneaut  township,  and  com]ileted  it  at  the  .State 
Normal  School,  Edinboro.  He  began  the  study  of  law 
41 


with  the  Hon.  George  P.  Cutler,  of  Girard,  Pa.,  and  con- 
tinui'd  it  under  the  preceptorship  of  the  late  William 
Benson,  of  F^ie.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Novem- 
ber, 1W>9,  and  entered  upon  the  ]jracticeof  his  profession 
at  North  F^asl,  when-  he  rem.iined  until  1874,  when  he 
removed  to  I'.rie  to  form  a  law  partnership  with  his 
former  precejitor,  William  lii^nson,  which,  under  the 
firm  name  of  lienson  &  Brainer<l,  continued  to  exist 
until  1888,  when  Mr.  Brainerd  took  his  seat  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  F'orty-eighth  Congress.  Prior  to  his  election 
to  the  House  ot  Representatives,  Mr.  Brainerd  served 
a  three-year  term  as  district  attorney  for  F>ie  C(junty. 
On  his  return  from  Washington  he  resumed  the  ])rac- 
tice  of  his  ju'cifession,  had  for  a  time  a  partnership 
association  with  Isador  .Stjbel,  an<l  in  1898  formed  his 
present  connection  with  George  H.  Higgins,  the  firm 
being  known  as  Brainerd  S:  Higgins.  Mr.  Brainerd 
is  known  as  one  of  the  ablest  advocates  of  the  Erie 
bar,  and  enjoys  a  large  practice.  His  election  to  Con- 
gress was  a  flattering  recognition  of  his  ability,  and 
evidence  of  his  personal  popularity,  for,  although  a 
pronounced  and  uncompromising  Republican,  he 
received  a  majority  of  1,011(1  votes,  while  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  (Governor,  .Mr.  Pattison,  carried 
ICrie  county  by  a  majority  of  over  .500.  The  wisdom 
of  his  constituents  in  sending  Mr.  Brainerd  to  Con- 
gress was  quickly  apparent.  During  the  first  session 
he  obtained  an  appropriation  of  S.5O,O(J0  for  Erie 
harbor,  and  an  additional  appropriation  of  SlOO,(XKJ  for 
the  construction  of  the  government  building  at  Erie. 
He  restored  the  land  lighthouse,  and  secured  an 
appropriation  for  the  repurchase  of  the  property  on 
which  it  stands.  He  introduced  a  bill  for  the  Soldiers' 
and  Sailors'  Home  which  was  favorably  reported  by 
the  House  committee  on  military  affairs.  He  intro- 
duced a  bill  to  equalize  compensation  for  letter  car- 
riers and  offices  of  the  first  and  second  class;  a  bill 
for  the  payment  of  unpaid  bounties  to  veterans  who 
were  promoted  after  the  last  enlistment,  besides  a 
large  number  of  private  bills  for  securing  soldiers 
their  pensions  and  back  pay.  He  gave  the  interests 
of  disabled  soldiers  his  personal  attention,  and  many 
cases  were  determined  successfully  which  had  been 
long  pending  and  for  years  abandoned  as  hopeless  by 
the  ]jersons  interested.  He  obtained  a  further  appro- 
priation of  S30,000  for  the  Erie  harbor.  Mr.  Brainerd 
was  the  unanimous  choice  of  his  party  in  Erie  county  for 
renomination.  He  was  married  December  24,  18(56,  to 
Lavina  E.,  daughter  of  the  late  Philander  B.  Chapin, 
a  farmer  and  an  old  resident  of  Erie  county.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Brainerd  have  three  children,  Samuel,  Carlton 
M.  and  Annie  L.;  reside  at  the  corner  of  Tenth  and 
Chestnut  streets,  and  attend  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church.  Their  son,  Samuel,  is  a  clerk  in  the  Erie 
postoffice,  and  is  married  to  Rosa,  daughter  of  Herbert 
Stitt,  a  farmer  and  ex-prothonotary  of  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania.  They  have  one  child,  Samuel 
Herbert  Spencer. 

Clark  Olds,  attorney,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Mill 
Creek  township,  F>ie  county,  Pa.,  July  14,  18.50.  He 
is  a  son  of  Lewis  W.  Olds,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Erie. 
Clark  Olds  received  his  initial  schooling  in  the  jiuhlic 
schools  of  F3rie,  and  prepared  for  college  at  the  Erie 
Academy  vinder  Albion  W.  Tourgee.  In  18()(>  he  en- 
tered Niichigan  University,  .Ann  Arbor,  and  was 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  1870.  During  his 
collegiate    course    he    liecame    connected    with    the 


638 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


United  States  lake  survey,  anil  after  his  graduation  was 
made  assistant  engineer  in  that  service,  and  continued 
to  be  engaged  therein  until  the  I'.ill  nf  1S7."),  with  the 
exception  of  two  years,  187'J  3,  during  wliich  he  had 
leave  of  absence  and  attended  the  university  of 
Leipsic,  Saxony.  While  in  the  employ  of  the  govern- 
ment and  at  the  Leipsic  University,  he  pursued  the 
study  of  law,  subsequently  continuing  it  at  Krie,  under 
the  preceptorship  of  the  late  William  Benson,  lie 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  April  'J(i,  187(i,  and  shortly 
thereafter  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  I'niled 
States  courts.  Me  makes  a  specialty  of  admiralty 
practice.  Mr.  Olds  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been 
actively  identified  with  the  work  of  his  party  in  Erie 
county.  He  was  married  December  Ki,  187(),  to  Livia 
E.,  daughter  of  Chauncey  Keator,  capitali.sl,  of  Court- 
land,  N.  Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olds  have  three  children: 
Ronieyn  K.,  Irvmg  S.  and  Marguerite  E.,  and  reside 
at  21(i  West  Seventh  street. 

Isador  Sobel,  attorney  at  law,  Erie,  I'a.,  born 
August  I'.S,  lS,"iS,  in  New  York  city,  is  a  son  of  .Semel 
and  Cecilia  (King)  .Sobel,  natives  of  Germany,  who 
came  to  this  country  in  their  youth,  and  were  married 
in  the  city  of  New  N'ork,  wliere  Mr.  Sobel  was  for  many 
years  engaged  in  mercantile  ])ursuil.s.  He  removed 
with  his  family  to  Petroleum  Center,  \'enango  county, 
I'a.,  and  there  established  a  dry  goods  l)usiness,  built 
an  opera  house,  and  otherwise  contributed  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  community.  A  few  years  later  Mr.  Sobel 
removed  his  family  to  New  York,  and  transferred  his 
dry  goods  business  to  Erie,  Pa.  Subsequently  the 
family  took  up  its  residence  in  -Erie,  and  here  Mr. 
Sobel  continued  in  the  dry  goods  business  for  twelve 
years.  The  family  returned  to  New  York  in  1887, 
and  since  then  have  made  that  city  their  place 
of  residence.  Mr.  Isador  Sol)el  received  his  initial 
schooling  at  grammar  school  No.  3,  and  completed 
his  education  at  the  College  of  New  York,  New 
York  city.  Until  his  26th  year  he  was  engaged 
in  business  with  his  father,  and  then  began  the  study 
of  law  under  the  preceptorship  of  Hon.  S.  M.  Brain- 
erd,  of  Erie.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  .May, 
1888,  practiced  for  two  years,  when  he  formed  a  jiart- 
nershi])  with  his  former  preceptor,  under  tlie  firm 
name  of  I5rainerd  &  .Sobel,  which  partnership  was  dis- 
solved two  years  later,  since  which  lime  Mr.  .Sobel  has 
been  engaged  in  the  practice  alone.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  has  been  actively  identified  with  the  work  of 
'is  party  in  this  county,  having  served  for  three  years 
as  secretary  of  the  Republican  county  committee,  and 
for  two  years  as  chairman  of  that  body.  He  has  been 
twice  elected  a  member  of  the  common  council  of 
Erie,  serving  his  latter  term  as  presiding  officer.  At 
both  of  these  elections  Mr.  Sol)el  led  his  ticket,  at  the 
latter  polling  a  larger  vote  in  the  first  ward  la  Demo- 
cratic stronghold)  than  had  ever  been  cast  in  that  ward 
for  any  candidate  at  any  election.  Mr.  Sobel  is  vice- 
president  of  the  Republican  Leagues  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  married  March  17,  1891,  to 
Emma,  daughter  of  S.  .'\uerheim,  a  merchant  of  Brad- 
fortl,  McKean  county.  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sobel  have 
one  child  living,  Jeffrey  M.  Sobel,  reside  at  201 
East  -Sixth  street,  and  are  members  of  the  Jewish 
Temple,  of  which  he  is  the  vice-president.  Mr.  Sobel 
is  a..member  of  the  Masonic  order,  the  I.  O.  O.  K., 
K.  of  P.,  Royal  Arcanum,  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
Maccabees  and  Eoresters,  and  li.  P.  O.  E. 


George  H.  Higglns,  attorney,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
.August  5,  1852,  at  Spartansburg,  Crawford  county.  Pa. 
He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Moses  and  Nancy  ll-'ralick) 
Higgins,  natives  of  New  ^'<lrk,  and  descendants  of 
early  settlers  of  the  eastern  part  of  that  State,  tieorge 
H.  Higgins  completed  his  education  at  Watertown 
(N.  Y.)  lu'gh  school.  Returning  to  Spartansburg  he 
learned  the  trade  of  mason,  and  for  five  years  followed 
it.  For  the  following  two  years  he  was  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business  in  Rome  township,  near  Titus- 
viUe,  with  Mr.  C.  D.  Scott,  now  of  Corry,  Pa.  He  then 
l)egan  the  study  ol  law  under  the  ]ireceptorship  of  S. 
T.  .Mien,  at  Warren,  Pa.,  and  wasadmitled  to  practice 
in  1880.  While  reading  law  he  became  interested  in 
oil  drilling,  and  devoted  .some  time  to  this  U])  to  1882, 
when  he  returned  to  Warren  and  formed  a  law  part- 
nership with  his  late  preceptor,  .S.  T.  .\llen,  which 
Continued  until  the  death  ol  the  latter  in  188.^.  In 
188;{  .Mr.  Higgins  was  .ippomted  district  attorney  of 
Warren  county  to  lill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death 
ol  David  Swanson.  At  the  Republican  prim.iries 
following  the  expiration  of  his  tiMiu,  he  received  the 
nomination  to  the  district  attorneyshi|i,  and  was 
elected  by  the  large  majority  of  ;!,.MR1.  Upon  the 
death  of  Mr.  S.  T.  .Allen,  his  brother,  Mr.  O.  C.  Allen, 
resigned  the  postmastership  of  Warren  to  become  his 
brother's  successor  in  the  law  partnirship  with  Mr. 
Higgins.  In  1S!I2  there  was  adtled  to  the  luiu  W.  11., 
son  of  O.  C.  Allen,  the  tirm  being  known  as  .Allen, 
Higgins  &;  .Allen.  The  partnership  was  dissolved  in 
18'jy,  Mr.  Higgins  coming  to  Yak,  Pa.,  to  form  the 
present  co-partnership  with  Hon.  S.  M.  Brainerd. 
Mr.  Higgins  has  been  twice  married — in  1872  to 
Jo.sephine  C,  daughter  of  C.  D.  Scott.  .She  died 
August  4,  18i)0,  leaving  one  son.  Weld  Higgins,  a 
resident  and  business  man  of  Erie.  Mr.  Higgins  was 
married  a  secoiul  tinu'  October  10,  18iKS,  to  Nancy  .\., 
daughter  of  Moses  .Starbird,  a  resident  of  Corry,  Pa. 
The  family  reside  at  340  West  Fifth  street  ami  attend 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  .Mr.  Higgins  in  18it0 
received  the  Republican  nomination  for  the-  office  of 
president  judge  of  Warren  and  Forest  counties,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  is  a  member  of  the  Senate  of  the 
National  Union,  a  Pythian  Knight  and  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  rated  with  the  leading 
attorneys  of  the  Erie  bar,  and  the  firm  of  Brainerd  S: 
Higgins  have  a  large  and  lucrative  jiractice. 

William  Gallagher  Crosby,  attorney,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Ellicottville,  Cattaraugus  county,  N.  Y., 
October  31,  ISfifi.  He  is  a  son  of  Manley  Crosljy,  a 
biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  contained  in  this  work. 
W.  G.  Crosby  was  grailuated  from  the  Corry  (Pa.) 
high  school  June  18,  18S4,  was  for  three  years  there- 
after associated  with  Clark  &  Warren,  oil  refiners,  of 
Erie  county,  and  then  began  the  study  of  law  under 
the  preceptorship  of  Davenport  S:  Griffith,  and  was  ai- 
mitted  to  practice  in  1889.  Two  years  later  he  formed 
a  law  partnershii)  with  one  of  his  former  preceptors, 
Mr.  George  P.  Griffith,  under  the  firm  name  of  Griffith 
S:  Crosby,  which  jjartnership  was  dissolved  in  1894, 
by  the  retirement  from  i)ractice  of  its  senior  member, 
Mr.  Crosby  succeeding  to  the  business  of  the  firm.  In 
-April,  1895,  he  formed  his  [iresent  partnership  associa- 
tion with  Henry  E.  Fish,  under  the  firm  name  of  Fish 
&  Crosby-  Mr.  Crosby  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been 
actively  identified  with  the  work  of  his  party  in  Erie 
county.     In   1893,  he  was  the  Democratic   candidate 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  BRIE  COUNTY. 


^39 


for  the  office  of  district  attorney. 
Masonic  order  and  K.  of  P. 


He  belongs  to  the 


Francis  F.  Marshall,  attorney,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Girard,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  May  21,  l!S;i'>.  He  is 
the  son  of  tlie  late  James  C.  Marshall  (a  biographical 
sketch  of  whom  is  contained  in  this  volume).  F.  F.  Mar- 
shall received  his  education  at  the  Erie  Academy  and 
Yale  Collexe,  from  which  latter  institution  he  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  ISSfi.  He  read  law  under 
the  ])receiit(irshi|i  of  his  father,  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  \XUii,  He  was  appointed  United  States 
commissioner  under  President  Lincoln's  hrst  adminis- 
tration, in  18t;i,  and  was  admitted  to  jiractice  in  the 
United  States  ami  Supreme  Courts  in  1804.  He  formed 
a  partnership  association  with  his  father  January  1, 
186l,  which  continued  until  the  retirement  of  the  latter 
in  the  s(jring  of  1881.  He  was  elected  president  of  the 
Marine  National  Bank  of  Erie  in  188(5,  succeeding  his 
father,  who  died  May  (i,  of  that  year.  Mr.  Marshall 
was  married  June  17,  I8ti2.  to  Fannie,  daughter  of  Col- 
onel Irvin  Camp,  whose  personal  history  is  contained 
in  this  volume.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Marshall  have  three 
children,  Florence  M.,  wife  of  .Surgeon  C.  U.  Gravitt, 
and  Misses  Laura  F.  and  May  Marshall.  The  family 
reside  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Sassafras  streets,  and 
attend  the  Episcopal  Church. 

Henry  Earl  Fish,  attorney,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  April 
y,  18ti.'{,  in  ( )tsego,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  is  a  son  of 
Liberal  C.  and  Marion  I  Briggs)  Fish,  natives  of  New 
York,  the  former  of  Welsh  and  the  latter  of  .Scotch 
descent.  Henry  E.  Fish  comjjleted  his  education  at 
the  Gilbertsville  Academy  in  1881.  He  then  came  to 
Erie  and  was  for  ten  years  employed  as  one  of  the 
official  court  stenograjihers  of  Flrie,  Lawrence  and  Mc- 
Kean  counties.  During  this  perio<l  he  took  up  the 
study  of  law,  reading  latterly  under  the  precejjtorship 
of  Judge  John  P.  \'incent  and  Hon.  E.  A.  \\'alling, 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  Feljruary,  1889,  and  two 
years  later,  upon  his  resignation  as  court  stenographer, 
entered  u])on  the  practice  of  law  in  Erie.  In  April, 
1895,  he  formed  his  present  partnership  association 
with  Wni.  G.  Crosby,  with  the  firm  name  of  Fish  & 
Crosby.  Mr.  Fish  was  married  June  25,  1889,  to  Nel- 
lie, daughter  of  the  late  R.  M.  Slocum,  an  old  resident 
of  Erie.  They  have  one  child,  Roger.  Mr.  Fish  is 
past  master  of  Tyrian  Lodge,  F.  &:  A.  M.,  an  officer  of 
Temple  Chapter,  Mount  Olivet  Commandery,  a  Knight 
Temjjlar  and  the  A.  A.  S.  R.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fish  at- 
tend the  Central  Presbyterian  Church. 

Charles  Heydrick,  attornev  at  law,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Oil  City,  Pa.,  August  17,  1864.  On  the 
paternal  side  his  ancestry  is  German;  Balthazar  Hey- 
drick came  from  Silesia  in  1734,  and  settled  at  Chest- 
nut Hill,  near  Philadeljihia;  his  grandson.  Dr.  Christo- 
pher Heydrick,  the  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  removed  from  Philadelphia  to  \'enango 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1816,  and  became  celebrated 
throughout  Northwestern  Pennsylvania  because  of  his 
consummate  ability  and  skill  as  a  physician  and  sur- 
geon. Of  his  children,  Charles  H.  Heydrick,  lately 
deceased,  was  for  many  years  the  county  surveyor  of 
\'enango  county,  and  it  was  from  his  hands  that  the 
first  authentic  maps  of  said  county  were  had.  He  was 
also  a  millwright  and  master  mechanic.  Peter  C.  Hey- 
drick, son  of  Charles  H.  and  father  of  our  subject,  is  a 


graduate  of  Allegheny  College,  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  Oil  City,  Pa.,  and  the  organizer  of  the  first  com- 
pany formed  in  this  country  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
ducing petroleum  oil.  Mr.  Heydrick  came  to  Erie  in 
1874,  and  has  served  the  city  as  a  member  of  its  coun- 
cils for  several  years.  On  the  maternal  side  the  an- 
cestry is  English,  his  mother's  ance.stors,  the  Doughtys, 
coming  from  England  with  William  Penn,  in  1682. 
The  maternal  grandfather,  James  Doughty,  came  from 
Philadelphia  to  Crawford  county,  in  1812,  and  was  for 
many  years  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  Allegheny 
College.  He  was  a  brother  of  Thomas  Doughty,  the 
father  of  American  landscape  painting.  Charles  Hey- 
drick received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Erie,  taking  the  full  course  and  graduating  from  the 
high  school  with  the  highest  honors  in  1884.  He  was 
registered  as  a  student  of  the  law  with  the  late  Hon. 
James  C.  Marshall  and  his  distinguished  son,  F.  F. 
Marshall,  Esq.,  and  under  their  careful  and  exhaustive 
instruction,  laid  the  foundation  for  a  brilliant  career  at 
the  bar  to  which  he  was  ailmitted  June  27,  1887,  ac- 
quiring within  a  few  years  the  highest  ecomium  which 
a  lawyer  may  attain,  in  a  tribute  paid  to  his  ability  as 
a  jurisprudent  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  in 
reviewing  a  report  made  by  him  as  master  in  an  intri- 
cate and  knotty  case,  involving  many  abstruse  and 
delicate  principles  of  both  patent  and  civil  law.  This 
extraordinary  compliment  from  the  highest  jurispru- 
dence in  this  commonwealth  is  in  itself  sufficient  testi- 
monial of  his  ability  and  the  thoroughness  of  his  pre- 
ceptors. Charles  H.  is  a  nephew  of  Judge  Heydrick, 
of  X'enango  county,  a  lawyer  of  great  worth  and  abil- 
ity, and  who  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Pennsylvania.  In  religion  our  subject  is  a 
liberal  Episcopalian;  in  politics,  a  Jeffersonian  Demo- 
crat. 

Franklin  Lewis  Montgomery  was  born  in  Sut- 
ton, Ontario,  Canaiia,  September  4,  1863.  He  is  a  son 
of  Dr.  John  W.  and  Josephine  (Gorham)  Montgomery, 
both  natives  of  Canada.  He  passed  through  the  pub- 
lic schools  to  the  Kingston  Collegiate  Institute,  Kings- 
ton, Ontario,  from  which  he  graduated,  and  entered 
Queen's  University,  Kingston,  in  1880,  of  which  institu- 
tion he  is  an  undergraduate.  He  came  to  Erie  in  1884 
and  engaged  in  the  fish  business  as  bookkeeper  with 
E.  D.  Carter.  He  subsequently  engaged  with  other 
firms  and  for  himself  up  to  the  time  of  the  formation 
of  the  Erie  Fish  Association,  in  1892,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness. Ever  since  his  location  in  Erie  he  has  de- 
voted much  time  to  the  study  of  medicine,  which 
he  began  under  the  preceptorship  of  his  father.  Mr. 
Montgomery  is  one  of  the  heirs  to  .Alexander  Mont- 
gomery, sr.,  who  leased  some  fifty-seven  acres  of 
land  in  New  York  city  to  the  Trinity  Church  corpora- 
tion; these  leases  expired  some  eighteen  years  ago, 
and  the  heirs  are  contesting  their  right  to  said 
property,  amounting  to  8300,000,000  at  the  present 
time.  He  was  married  December  25, 1888,  to  Gertrude 
E.,  daughter  of  Leonard  H.  Hall,  of  the  late  firm  of 
Noble  6c  Hall,  engine  manufacturers,  Erie.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Montgomery  have  two  children,  Gertrude  and 
John  .Alexander,  and  reside  at  Eighth  and  Myrtle  streets. 

Charles  S.  Burchfield,  attorney,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  In  Edinboro,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  February  10,  1858. 
He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Robert  R.  and   Enieline  (Aus- 


640 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPETCAL  DICTIONARY 


tin)  Burchfield,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former 
deceased,  the  latter  now  a  resident  of  Toronto,  Kan. 
The  late  Kohert  R.  liurchlield  was  a  I'nion  soldier  in 
the  war  of  the  Kehellion,  was  captured  at  Petershiirg, 
Va.,  June  2'2,  l><ti4,  and  was  iinjirisoneil  at  Anderson- 
ville,  Ga.,  until  October,  ISM,  when  he  was  removed 
to  the  military  prison  at  Florence,  S.  C,  where  hedie<i 
January  M,  hSti.'),  a  result  of  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions <if  his  incarceratit>n.  Charles  S.  Burchlield  was 
graduated  June  '2S,  ISTT,  from  the  State  Normal  school 
at  Kdinboro,  where  he  pursued  a  two  years'  postgrad- 
uate  course.  Hi-  was  elected  to  the  oltice  of  justice  of 
the  |jeace  in  February,  ISJSl,  served  in  that  cajiacity 
for  three  and  a  half  years,  when  he  resigned  to  accept 
an  appointment  in  the  internal  revenue  office  at  Erie, 
under  Collector  J.  F.  Walther.  While  occu|jyinK  the 
latter  position,  Mr.  Burchfield  renewed,  under  the  pre- 
ceptorshijj  of  Benson  &  Brainerd,  the  study  of  law, 
which  he  had  taken  up  before  his  election  to  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  .Sep- 
tember (5,  188li,  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in 
law  practice  in  Erie.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
the  United  States  Courts  July  18,  1889,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  2i»,  1895. 

John  K.  Hatlock,  attorney  at  law,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Chagrin  Falls,  O.,  April  '25,  1844.  He  is  a  son 
of  the  late  Rev.  John  Keese  Hallock,  a  Methodist 
minister,  who  settled  in  McKean  township,  Erie  county, 
in  1820.  His  ancestors  were  among  the  first  F^nglish 
settlers  of  the  American  colonies,  the  first  Hallock 
family  having  located  on  Long  Island  in  Ui40.  John 
K.  Hallock  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools 
where  his  father   happeneci   to  be   located,   and   com- 

fileted  it  in  the  W'aterford  Academy  in  18H2.  L'pon 
eaving  school  he  took  up  the  study  of  the  law,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Ohio  in  18t).x  He  came  to 
the  bar  of  Pennsylvania  soon  after  this,  anci  s]ient  a 
year  in  the  office  of  Hon.  A.  B.  Richmond,  of  Mead- 
ville.  Pa.  He  located  in  Erie  in  1868,  where  he  was 
the  first  attorney  to  make  a  specialty  of  patent  law 
practice.  He  is,  at  present,  senior  member  of  the  law 
firm  of  Hallock  &  Lord,  of  this  city,  whose  business 
consists  principally  of  matters  pertaining  to  patents. 
Mr.  Hallock  was  deputy  U.  S.  marshal  in  18()9-T0,  and 
was  an  alternate  commissioner  of  Pennsylvania  to  the 
WorUl's  Fair  in  189;!  He  was  married  October  2, 1871, 
to  Louise  C.  Porter,  widow  of  Maj.  Robert  H.  Porter, 
U.  S.  A.,  and  daughter  of  William  G.  Arbuckle,  whose 
personal  history  is  contained  in  this  volume.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hallock  have  three  children:  John  Keese,  jr.  (a 
law  student),  Louise  G.  and  Ruth  M.,  reside  at  324 
West  Ninth  street,  and  attemi  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
Church.  Mr.  Hallock  is  a  member  of  the  B.  P.  O.  E., 
and  associate  member  of  the  American  Society  of  Me- 
chanical Engineers. 

Hugh  Cotnpton  Lord,  attorney,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  MantorvilU;,  .Minn.,  January  23,  1867.  He  is  a 
son  of  the  late  Samuel  and  Louisa  (Coniiiton)  Lord, 
the  former  a  native  of  Meadville,  Crawft)rd  county. 
Pa.,  and  the  latter  formerly  of  Erie  county.  The 
Lords  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Connecticut 
and  the  Comptons  early  settlers  of  New  York  State, 
and  both  families  were  of  English  descent.  The  late 
Samuel  Lord  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Min- 
nesota, where  he  practiced  law  for  a  number  of  years. 


He  was  an  ardent  Republican,  and  rendered  his  con- 
stituents valuable  service  as  a  member  of  both  Houses 
of  the  State  Legislature.  At  the  lime  of  his  decease 
he  was  holding  his  second  term  of  office  as  president 
judge  of  the  Fifth  Judicial  District  of  Minnesota.  He 
died  in  1880,  having  survived  his  wife  one  year. 
After  the  decease  of  Judge  Lord  his  son,  Hugh,  came 
to  Pennsylvania,  in  1884  he  entered  tlie  liigli  school, 
F>ie.  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  18,^7,  afterwards 
taking  a  post-grailuate  course  of  one  year.  He  read 
law  under  the  pnreptorship  of  Hon.  E.  A.  \\  ailing, 
was  admitte<l  to  the  bar  in  Di-ci-mber,  18!HI,  engagi-d 
m  general  practice  for  one  year  and  a  half,  and  then 
formed  his  present  partnership  association  with  John 
K.  Hallock,  Es(|.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Halli>ck  & 
Lord,  making  a  specialty  of  patent  law.  While  a  law 
student  .Mr.  Lord  was  dejHity  I'nited  States  marshal 
(Harrison  administration),  a  ])osition  which  he  resigncil 
to  become  eligible  for  admission  to  practice  in  the 
United  States  courts.     .Mr.  Lord   was  marneil  June  7. 

1893,  to  Rena,  daughter  of  the  late  Richard  M.SIocnm, 
of  Erie.  One  child,  Louisi-,  born  of  this  marriag<-,  died 
November  8,  1894.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Lord  reside  at  309 
West  Tenth  street. 

James  Wallice  Allisoti,  attorney,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  at  Lake  Pleasant,  l->ie  county.  Pa.,  October  15, 
1847.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  William  and  Harriet 
(Carson)  .Mlison,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  whose 
parents  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  north- 
western part  of  the  State.  William  Allison,  the  grand- 
father of  James  W.,  located  at  Lake  Pleasant  during 
the  latter  \K\r\.  of  the  last  century,  taking  up  (iOO  acres 
of  land.  The  title  to  the  farm  owned  and  occupied 
at  present  by  J.  W.  .Allison,  was  never  vested  in  any 
other  name.  James  W.  .Allison  attended  the  Water- 
ford  .Academy,  and  completed  his  education  at  Michi- 
gan University,  Ann  .Arbor.  He  taught  school  for 
several  years,  during  which  i)eriod  he  was  princijjal  of 
the  schools  at  Fairview  and  Wellsburg,  and  was  also 
superintendent  of  the  Mill  Creek  .schools.  He  also 
taught  for  one  winter  in  Erie.  .At  this  time  he  took 
up  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  practice, 
June  1,  1875.  He  continued  in  the  practice  until  the 
summer  of  1881,  when,  on  account  of  failing  health, 
he  devoted  his  attention  to  farming.     In  the  spring  of 

1894,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  Erie.  He  was 
married  October  15,  1874,  to  .Adele,  daughter  of  the 
late  Jacob  Fritz,  of  Wattsburg.  F2rie  county.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Allison  have  four  children:  Ruth,  Thomas  C, 
Robert  C,  and  Gertrude.  The  family  reside  at  Lake 
Pleasant.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  .Allist)n  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Jacob  Edward   Swap,  alderman,   Erie,   Pa.,  was 

born  Augu.st  12,  1846,  at  Coeyman's,  Albany  county, 
N.  Y.  He  is  the  son  of  the  late  William  and  .Amanda 
(Carle)  Swap,  natives  of  New  York,  and  of  German  de- 
scent. They  came  to  Erie  county  in  1848,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  removed  to  Springboro,  Crawford  county. 
Pa.,  where  they  continued  to  reside  throughout  their 
lives,  and  where  the  elder  Mr.  Swap  was  engaged  in 
undertaking  and  cabinet  making.  Jacob  E.  Swap  was 
attending  the  public  school  of  his  native  town,  when 
the  war  broke  out,  and,  although  but  15  years  of  age, 
enlisted  August  27,  18H1,  in  Co.  H,  83d  P.  \'.  I.  He 
re-enlisted  in  the  field  in  1863,  and  was  nuistered  out 
of  service  May  14,  1865.     The  Eighty-third  was  in  the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


641 


Third  brigade,  First  division,  Fifth  army  corps,  at- 
tached throughout  the  war  to  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, and  is  noted  for  having  lost  more  men  killed  in 
battle  and  from  wounds  than  any  other  regiment  in 
the  service.  Private  Swap  was  wounded  at  Spottsyl- 
vania.  May  8,  1864,  in  five  places,  and  has  not  yet,  and 
never  will,  entirely  recover  from  the  effects  of  the 
wounds  that  day  received.  An  interesting  incident  in 
his  army  experience,  was  that  of  being  one  of  a  party 
of  six  men,  or,  more  properly,  of  five  men  and  a  boy 
(for  Mr.  Swap  was  but  a  boy),  which  on  November  7, 
186.3,  during  the  engagement  at  Rappahannock  Sta- 
tion, Va.,  stormed  a  fortification  guarded  by  a  portion 
ot  Magruder's  Irish  brigade,  captured  twenty-five  men, 
and  regained  two  pieces  of  artillery,  the  sight  of 
which,  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy,  had  prompted 
the  brave  and  successful  attack,  which  was  led  by 
Private  Swap.  Of  the  re-enlisted  men  of  Co.  H,  but 
five  came  out  of  the  war  alive,  and  but  one  of  them 
without  wounds.  After  the  war  Mr.  Swap  found  em- 
ployment with  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.,  and  sub- 
sequently was  appointed  superintendent  and  road- 
master  of  the  Meadville  and  Linesville  R.  R.  (now 
operated  by  the  P.,  S.  &  L.  E.)  In  1884  he  returned 
to  the  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.,  and  served  as  passen- 
ger conductor  till  1887.  He  has  resided  in  Erie  most 
of  the  time  since  1867,  and  is  now  serving  as  alderman, 
to  which  office  he  was  elected  on  the  Republican 
ticket  in  February,  1894.  He  was  married  in  March, 
1868,  to  Angeline,  daughter  of  the  late  George  W. 
Luther,  an  old  resident  of  Erie  county,  and  a  descend- 
ant of  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  New  England. 
Three  children,  born  of  this  marriage,  are;  Mrs.  Grace 
A.,  wife  of  George  W.  Donald,  a  printer  of  Erie; 
William  \V.,  a  marine  engineer,  but  now  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Erie  Electric  NIotor  Company;  and  Charles 
Swap.  Jacob  E.  Swap  is  a  member  of  Keystone 
Lodge,  No.  455,  F.  and  .X.  M.;  Temple  Chapter,  No. 
215,  R.  A.  M.;  Mount  Olivet  Commandery,  No.  30,  K. 
T.;  charter  member  of  Post  67,  G.  A.  R.;  charter  mem- 
ber, and  for  two  terms  colonel  of  the  Union  Veteran 
Legion,  No.  18,  and  charter  member  of  A.  O.  U.  W. 
Lodge,  No.  71,  Sharpsville,  Mercer  county.  Pa.  The 
family  residence  is  at  210  Peach  street. 

Max  Andrew  Krug,  dealer  in  boots  and  shoes, 
P>ie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  F.rie,  Pa.,  June  13,  1863.  He  is 
a  son  of  the  late  John  G.  and  .Mary  Louisa  (Ihlein) 
Krug,  natives  of  Haden,  who  came  to  this  country  in 
1852,  locating  in  New  York,  where  Mr.  Krug  was  en- 
gaged in  business  until  1862,  when  he  removed  to 
Erie.  He  died  August  12,  1864;  his  wife  survives,  and 
resides  in  Erie.  Max  A.  Krug  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and  then  entered  the 
employ  of  J.  A.  Eichenlaub,  dealer  in  boots  and  shoes, 
with  whom  he  remained  until  1885,  when  he  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  same  line  at  922  State  street. 
Five  years  later  he  opened  his  present  extensive  es- 
tablishment at  1004  State  street.  He  was  married 
June  21,  1887,  to  Anna,  daughter  of  George  J.  Beh- 
ringer,  a  mechanic  of  Erie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Krug  have 
two  children:  Marcella  and  Clarence,  reside  at  .336 
East  Eighth  street,  and  are  members  of  .St.  Mary's 
Church.  Mr.  Krug  is  a  member  of  the  B.  P.  O.  E., 
C.  M.  B.  A.,  Maennerchor,  East  Erie  Turnverein.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Erie  Catholic  Casino,  the 
Sommerheim,  and  the  Erie  board  of  trade.  He  holds 
several  policies  of  insurance  in   old   line  companies. 


and  is  a  member  of  the  Bay  State  Beneficial  Associa- 
tion. Mr.  Krug  has  been  engaged  for  the  past  five 
years  in  buying,  selling  and  improving  real  estate, 
and  has  during  that  period  erected  several  residences 
and  substantial  business  blocks. 


Adeodatus  Correggio  Jackson,  chemist,  drug 
and  news  dealer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
July  4,  1836.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  James  and  Mary 
Ann  (Ball)  Jackson,  now  living,  aged  82,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  and  of  English  descent;  the  lat- 
ter a  native  of  Erie  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Shelden 
Ball,  jeweler,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Erie.  Shel- 
den Ball's  ancestors  were  among  the  first  settlers  of 
the  Old  Dominion.  His  father  and  George  Washing- 
ton's mother  were  first  cousins.  James  Jackson  was  a 
portrait  painter  of  distinction,  and,  at  one  time  num- 
bered among  his  art  treasures  miniatures  painted  by 
Murillo,  Titian,  Correggio  and  Reubens.  The  Reu- 
bens miniature  is  now  in  the  possession  of  his  son, 
A.  C.  Jackson.  James  Jackson  established  an  academy 
of  fine  arts  at  Baltimore,  Md.  He  died  from  the  re- 
sult of  an  accident  in  1846.  A.  C.  Jackson  was  edu- 
cated in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  was  variously  employed  in  the 
Middle  States,  studied  pharmacy  and  received  his 
diploma  in  the  .State  of  New  York.  He  came  to  Erie 
in  1887,  and  was  for  several  years  engaged  in  com- 
pounding and  putting  up  a  remedy  of  his  own,  known 
as  Neuralgialine.  In  1891  he  established  himself  in 
the  drug,  news  and  stationery  business  at  the  corner 
of  Twelfth  and  State  streets,  Erie,  Pa.  He  is  unmar- 
ried and  resides  with  his  mother,  at  1211  State  street. 

Frank  E.  Franz,  furniture  dealer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  at  Lohrani,  Maine,  Bavaria,  May  8,  1840.  He  is 
a  son  of  the  late  Michael  and  Katrina  (Brunn)  Franz. 
Michael  Franz  was  a  blacksmith  and  died  in  1846. 
His  widow  came  to  this  country  in  18.53  with  her  two 
children,  Barbara  and  Frank,  locating  in  Erie,  where 
a  daughter,  Mrs.  Katrina,  wife  of  John  Geist,  a  con- 
tractor, already  resided.  Frank  supplemented  the 
schooling  he  had  already  received  in  the  Fatherland 
by  a  brief  term  in  the  schools  of  Erie,  and  was,  at  the 
age  of  14,  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  cabinet  making 
with  the  late  William  Riblet.  After  mastering  his 
trade  he  worked  at  it  successively  in  Louisville,  Chat- 
tanooga and  Indianapolis,  returning,  after  three  years, 
to  Erie,  where  for  a  time  he  worked  for  his  brother-in- 
law,  Joseph  Zefferer,  a  furniture  manufacturer,  with 
whom,  in  1863,  he  formed  a  partnership  for  the  manu- 
facture and  sale  of  furniture,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Zefferer  &  Franz.  Two  years  later  this  partnership 
was  dissolved  by  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  F"ranz,  who 
then  became  as.sociated  with  August  Reinholz  in  the 
same  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Franz  &  Rein- 
holz. Upon  the  dissolution  of  this  firm  Mr.  Franz  be- 
came a  partner  with  William  Stark,  in  the  firm  of 
Stark  &  Franz,  furniture  manufacturers  and  dealers. 
Since  Mr.  Stark's  retirement  from  the  business,  Janu- 
ary 1,  1886,  Mr.  Franz  has  conducted  it  alone,  his  pres- 
ent location  being  at  1122  State  street.  He  was  mar- 
ried .-\pril  20.  18(k,  to  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  George 
W.  Kuhn,  then  a  shoe  merchant  of  Erie,  now  a  farmer 
of  Harbor  Creek  township,  Erie  county.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Franz  have  five  children,  two  sons,  Charles  and 
August,  engaged  in  business  with  their  father,  and 
three  daughters    Anna,   Amelia  and  Amanda.    The 


642 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


eldest  daughter,  Anna,  is  the  wife  of  Andrew  Leib,  an 
Erie  merchant.  The  family  resides  at  213  East  Sev- 
enteenth street,  and  are  membersof  St.  Mary's  Church. 

Burt  F.  Disbrow,  of  the  drug  firm  of  Disbrow  S: 
Suerken,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  July  30, 
1871,  is  a  son  of  William  Fairbanks  Disbrow  and  Isa- 
bella Cornelia  (Grisenthwaite)  Disbrow,  natives  of 
New  York,  the  former  of  Scotch-English  and  the  lat- 
ter of  English  descent.  Mr.  Disbrow,  sr.,  was  en- 
gaged in  the  cooperage  business  at  Lockport  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  removed  his  family  to  Erie  in 
January,  I8il4  Hurt  F.  Disbrow  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  F^lgin  and  Corry,  ra.,aiid  then  attended  the 
pharmaceutical  department  of  the  university  at  Buf- 
falo, graduating  therefrom  in  May,  1892.  Immediately 
thereafter  he  came  to  Erie  and  |uirchased  a  half  inter- 
est in  William  Diefenbach's  drug  store,  Eleventh  and 
State  streets,  under  the  firm  name  of  Diefenbach  &: 
Disbrow.  In  August,  1893,  Mr.  Diefenbach  retired 
from  the  firm,  and  Mr.  Otto  C.  Suerken  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  until  July,  189."),  since  when  it  has 
been  conducted  by  Mr.  H.  F.  Disbrow.  Mr.  Disbrow 
married,  Jime  12,  1893,  \'irgima,  daughter  of  the  late 
Thomas  McManus,  an  old  resident  and  business 
man  of  Erie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Disbrow  reside  at  2H4 
East  Eleventh  street. 

Edward  Hoffman,  jeweler,  Erie,  I'a.,  was  born 
October  27,  1X44,  in  l.oewenberg,  Province  of  Silesia, 
Prussia.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Prussia,  as  were 
their  ancestors  as  far  back  as  the  genealogy  of  the 
family  is  traceable.  Edward  received  such  education 
as  was  obtainable  at  the  parochial  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and,  at  the  age  of  14,  was  apprenticed  to  the 
watchmaking  trade.  After  .serving  his  ap|)renticeship 
of  five  years,  he  went  to  Dresden,  Saxony,  where  he 
followed  his  business  of  watchmaking  for  one  year, 
when,  owing  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  Pru.ssian-Aus- 
trian  war  of  I8)i(i,  and  the  affiliation  of  .Saxony  with 
Austria,  he  returned  to  his  own  country.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  war  he  went  again  to  Dresden,  where 
he  resumed  the  watchmaking  business  at  his  former 
location.  In  18fi7  Mr.  Hoffman  came  to  the  finited 
States  to  enter  the  employ  (upon  the  reconmiendation 
of  his  old  employer  in  Loewenberg)  of  the  then  firm 
of  Jarecki  Bros.,  jewelers,  Erie,  Pa.,  in  whose  service 
he  remained  for  five  year.s.  In  1872  he  visited  his  old 
home,  and  after  a  tour  of  some  months  of  Continental 
Europe  retu^n^■d  to  F.rie,  and  in  conjunction  with  Mr. 
Herman  T.  Jarecki  established  on  Peach  street  a  branch 
establishment  to  the  latter's  .State  street  store.  This  [lart- 
nership  was  dissolved  two  years  later,  Mr.  Hoffman  pur- 
chasing Mr.  Jarecki's  interest,  since  which  time  he  has 
conducted  the  business  alone,  and  is  now  located  at 
1508  Peach  street.  Mr.  Hoffman  was  married,  May 
20,  1875,  to  Olga,  daughter  of  August  Jarecki,  of  Erie. 
Two  children  were  born  of  this  marriage:  Arwin,  who 
died  in  1X89  at  the  age  of  10,  and  Eulalia.  The  fam- 
ily reside  at  Peach  and  Twentieth  streets,  and  are 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church.  Mr. 
Hoffman  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  one  term  as 
a  member  of  the  Select  Council.  He  is  an  active 
member  and  baritone  soloist  of  the  Ma;nnerchor,  and 
a  member  of  the  order  of  Maccabees,  Harugari, 
Fraternal  Mystic  Circle,  Liedertafel  and  Protected 
Home  Circle.  Mr.  Hoffman  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Maennerchor,  and  was  secretary  of  the  building 


committee  which  had  charge  of  the  erection  of  the 
spacious  Maennerchor  hall  at  State  and  Sixteenth 
streets. 

Clark  W.  Olid  Lester  .1.  ZhcK,  of  the  /uc  k 
Hardware  Company,  V.nv,  I'a.,  are  members  nf  the 
Zuck  family,  of  V.nn  county,  descendants  of  johu 
Zuck,  one  of  the  pioneer  settk-rs  who  came  from  Bed- 
ford county,  Pennsylvania,  and  located  in  Mill  Creek 
township,  Erie  county,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last 
century.  He  was  of  German  descent,  and  intermar- 
ried with  the  Ebersole  family,  early  settlers  of  Bedfnrd 
county.  John  C.  Zuck  was  the  fifth  child  born  of  Ihis 
union,  and  was  married,  September  22,  1853,  to  Mar- 
tha Frey,  of  this  county.  They  had  four  children,  of 
whom  three  survive:  Wayne  F',.,  marrii'il  Morilla 
Moscher,  who  died  in  188.'!,  leaving  one  child;  Lee  M., 
who  died  in  February,  1894;  Clark  \\'.  Zuck,  the 
second  .son  of  John  C.  and  Martha  (Frey)  Zuck,  was 
born  August  I,  18.57,  in  Mill  Creek  township,  was  mar- 
ried, September  21,  18K1,  to  Ocene,  daughter  of  |ohn 
McKee;  they  have  three  children,  F'loyd,  Bert  and 
.Arthur;  he  is  proprietor  of  a  large  garden  and  fruil 
farm,  four  and  one-half  miles  west  of  the  city.  Lester 
J.  Zuck,  the  third  son  of  John  C.  Zuck,  was  born 
September  1,  I8f)9,  in  Mill  Creek  township,  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary,  daughter  of  the  late  Frank  Henry, 
formerly  of  Harbor  Creek  township,  at  one  time  light- 
house keeper,  and  latterly  of  the  Erie  Diipulih. 
Wayne  E.  Zuck  has  charge  of  the  home  farm.  Clark 
W.  and  Lester  J.  Zuck  ayv  the  proprietors  of  the  Zuck 
Hardware  Company;  the  former  resides  in  West  Mill 
Creek  township,  the  latter  at  the  corner  of  .Sixteenth 
and  Peach  streets. 

John  Henry  Kalvelage,  retired  merchant  and 
manuf.uiur<'r,  Eric,  Pa.,  w.is  born  in  Oldenburg,  No- 
vember 4,  1X22,  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  fjoy, 
was  engaged  in  business  for  a  time  in  New  York  city, 
where  he  married  Josephine  Felix,  a  nativeof  I!a\aria, 
and  located  in  F.rie  in  1S.50.  Here  he  first  obtaimil 
iMn[iloyment  at  the  <locks,  then  in  Kennedy's  brick 
kilns,  on  Twenty-sixth  street,  and  then  established  a 
grocery  and  restaurant  on  ICast  F'.leventh  street,  at  the 
same  time  acting  as  salesman  for  an  Erie  oil  cloth 
firm.  He  was  next  in  the  employ  of  the  Eagle  Brew- 
ery, in  which  he  afterwards  purchased  an  interest,  and 
later  bought  out  his  [)artner  and  ran  the  business  alone 
until  18S4,  when  he  .sold  out  to  J.ickson  Kciehler,  its 
present  pro|irietor.  He  then  established  a  li.inlw.ire 
store  at  the  .southwest  corner  of  Peach  and  Twenty- 
fourth  streets,  where  his  sons  and  successors  still  carry 
on  business.  Mr.  Kalvelage  was  a  most  useful  mem- 
ber of  the  conmion  council  and  school  board  of  F>ie 
for  nine  years.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  St. 
Joseph's  Society,  and  a  member  of  the  .Saengerbund 
and  Maennerchor.  His  wife  died  February  19,  1S95, 
leaving  seven  children:  Mary,  wife  of  George  Kern, 
foreman  of  the  F'.agle  Bn-wery;  John  M.,  whose  l)iog- 
ra|)hy  is  contained  in  this  volume;  Cathernie,  wife  of 
F'rank  (")berkirch,  former  general  agent  for  the  Pan- 
American  Com|iany,  now  general  agent  of  the  Cen- 
tral Sewer  Company,  and  a  resident  of  l\rie;  Rose, 
wife  of  Charles  P.  Denser,  and  Joseph,  F'rank  and 
Alois  Kalvelage,  the  three  sons  and  son-in-law  being 
the  successors  to  the  hardware  business  at  TwiMity- 
fourth  and  Peach  streets.  Mr.  Kalvelage  resides  on 
Twenty-fifth  street,  and  is  a  member  of  St.  Joseph's 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


643 


Church,  of  the  board  of  trustees,  of  which  he  was  a 
member  for  many  years,  and  treasurer  of  St.  Joseph's 
Society  fur  twenty-tive  years.  Mr.  Kalvelage  was  for 
a  number  of  years  a  stockholder  and  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  South  Erie  Iron  Works,  and 
was  one  of  the  organizers  and  directors  of  the  German 
Fire  Insurance  Company  of  Erie. 

Peter  Wood,  chief  of  the  government  weather 
bureau  at  Erie.  Pa.,  born  in  Woodville,  Prince  George's 
county.  Md.,  October  11,  1858,  is  a  son  of  the  late  Peter 
and  Harriet  P'..  (  Morton  1  Wood,  natives  of  Maryland, 
the  lormer  of  English  and  the  latter  of  Scotch  descent. 
Peter  Wood,  sr.,  was  a  planter,  one  ot  the  trustees  of 
the  Charlotte  Hall  Militarv*  School,  and  during  the  war 
was  in  the  United  States  service  as  examiner  of  war 
accounts  in  the  comptroller's  office,  United  States 
treasury  department.  He  died  in  1874;  his  wife  sur- 
vives and  resides  in  Washington,  D.  C.  Peter  Wood, 
jr.,  was  graduated  from  the  Washington  high  school  in 
1872,  spent  the  following  three  years  in  the  National 
College  of  Pharmacy  in  Washington,  and  was  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  in  that  city  five  years  following 
his  graduation  as  a  pharmacist.  In  July,  1880,  he  was 
appointed  to  cadetship  and  ordered  to  a  school  at 
Fort  Meyer,  Va.,  where  he  remained  until  December 
of  the  same  year,  when  he  was  assigned  to  duty  as 
assistant  weather  observer  in  Erie,  Pa.  After  five 
months'  service  as  assistant  he  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  office  for  three  months,  and  in  June  of  the  follow- 
ing year  was  given  charge  of  the  office.  He  remained 
in  that  position  until  May,  1883,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  chief  office  at  Washington.  Ten  months 
later  he  was  re-assigned  to  Erie  at  the  request  of  citi- 
zens, and  has  ever  since  remained  in  charge  of  that 
office.  Since  Mr.  Wood's  occupancy  of  the  position 
of  weather  bureau  observer  the  duties  of  the  office 
have  been  increased  manifold.  He  now  fnrnishes 
daily  weather  maps  to  eighty-five  postoffices  in  North- 
western Pennsylvania,  Western  New  York  and  Nt)rth- 
easternOhio;  duplicates  display  of  the  cold  wave  sig- 
nals at  the  head(iuarters  of  the  fire  department,  dupli- 
cates displays  of  the  wind  signals  at  the  harbor  en- 
trance and  Carnegie  docks,  and  furnishes  all  newspa- 
pers of  the  city  an<l  throughout  Erie  and  adjoining 
counties  with  daily  reports  and  forecasts.  An  inter- 
esting incident  in  Mr.  Wood's  experience  was  the  dis- 
covery one  stormy  evening  in  the  fall  of  I880  of  the 
desperate  position  of  the  large  propeller  John  S.  Fay, 
that,  with  rudder  lost,  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds 
and  waves  during  the  heavy  nor'wester,  and  was  being 
driven  onto  the  shores  of  the  peninsula.  Mr.  Wood, 
from  the  signal  tower,  noted  that  the  vessel  was  not  in 
safe  bounds,  and  his  telesco]ie  revealed  her  helpless 
condition.  He  innnediately  went  with  tugs  to  her  res- 
cue, thereby  uni|uestionably  saving  her  from  destruc- 
tion. Mr.  "^Vood  has  occasionally,  by  request,  lectured 
upon  meteorology  and  the  workings  of  the  weather 
bureau.  It  was  largely  through  his  personal  efforts 
that  Cherry  street,  between  Sixth  and  Twelfth,  was 
paved  with  asphalt.  He  is  a  Royal  Arch  and  Scot- 
tish Rite  Mason,  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum, 
and  was  district  dejiuty  of  that  order  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  is  the  commander  of  the  American  Legion 
of  Honor,  and  was  its  representative  to  the  grand 
council  in  Philadel]ihia  in  1893.  He  was  married 
March  22,  1883,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Adam  Hamber- 
ger,  a  merchant  of  Erie.     Mrs.  Wood  died,  leaving  one 


son,  John  G.,  a  student  at  the  Jackson  school,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  Mr.  Wood  is  a  member  and  trustee  of 
the  Central  Presbyterian  Church. 

Joseph  Beyer,  jeweler,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  bom  March 
IS,  18.55,  in  Hirschberg,  Province  of  Silesia,  Prussia, 
and  comes  of  a  race  of  watchmakers.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  in  Hirschberg,  and  then 
learned  watchmaking  in  Loewenberg,  near  his  native 
town.  In  187.5  he  came  to  this  country  to  enter  the 
employ  of  Herman  T.  Jarecki,  in  Erie,  Pa.  He  worked 
for  .Mr.  Jarecki  for  three  years,  and  was  then  given  an 
interest  in  and  charge  of  a  branch  store  established  in 
Bradford,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  Re- 
turning to  Erie  he  embarked  in  the  jewelry  and  watch- 
making business  for  himself  at  1508  Peach  street,  con- 
ducting business  there  until  1881,  when  he  removed  to 
his  present  location,  Sixteenth  and  Peach  streets.  He 
was  married  October  22,  1879,  to  Rosa,  daughter  of  the 
late  Franz  Siegel,  an  old  merchant  of  Erie.  Mr. 
Beyer  is  an  active  member  of  the  Erie  Liedertafel 
and  Maennerchor. 

Rev.  James  Madison  Bray,  pastor  of  Simpson 
M.  E.  Church,  Erie,  Pa.,  for  the  five  years  ending  Sep- 
tember, 1895,  was  born  June  3, 1839.  He  is  an  adopted 
son  of  Rev.  James  Madison  and  Eliza  f  Matthews  ) 
Bray,  natives  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  descendants  of 
early  English  settlers  of  Boston,  Mass.  The  father  of 
Mr.  Bray  was  John  Bray  (deceased),  a  brother  of  the 
Rev.  J.  NI.  Bray,  sr.  The  former  and  his  wife  now  re- 
side in  Jeddo,  O.,  at  the  advanced  age  of  87,  both  hav- 
ing been  born  on  the  same  day,  December  24,  1807. 
Rev.  James  M.  Bray,  jr.,  prepared  for  college  at  Rich- 
mond, O.,  entered  Franklin  College,  at  Athens,  O., 
where  he  took  the  freshman  and  sophomore  years,  and 
completed  the  junior  and  senior  courses  at  the  Alle- 
gheny College,  Meadville,  Pa.,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  in  18tJ3,  and  received  the  degree 
A.  ,M.  in  186H.  In  18fi3,  prior  to  his  graduation,  he  was 
received  on  probation  in  the  Pittsburg  conference, 
subsequently  receiving  elder's  orders  in  that  confer- 
ence, and  was  transferred  to  the  Erie  conference  and 
stationed  at  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.  His  ministerial  labors 
have  since  been  in  the  Erie  conference.  For  eleven 
years  he  served  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles,  being  sta- 
tioned at  Sheridan,  Silver  Creek  and  Fredonia.  Fol- 
lowing this  he  was  at  Tidioute,  and  next  at  Parker's 
Landing.  He  was  then  for  four  years  presiding  elder 
of  Franklin  district,  including  parts  of  Warren,  Ve- 
nango, Butler  and  .Armstrong  counties.  After  one 
year  at  Warren,  Pa.,  and  two  years  at  L'nion  City,  in 
1890  he  assumed  the  pastorate  of  Simpson  Church, 
Erie,  Pa.  That  congregation  had  a  debt  of  §500  hang- 
ing over  it,  and  worshipped  in  an  old  frame  structure 
that  was  built  in  1859.  Rev.  J.  M.  Bray  first  devoted 
his  energies  toward  the  cancellation  of  the  congrega- 
tion's indebtedness,  and  then  strenuously  urged  and 
worked  for  the  erection  of  a  more  commodious  church 
edifice.  As  a  result  of  his  endeavors,  there  now  stands 
upon  the  site  of  the  original  building,  at  the  corner  of 
Twenty-first  and  Sa.ssafras  streets,  a  handsome  and 
commixlious  brick  and  stone  structure,  erected  at  a 
cost  of  §25,000.  The  church  has  a  membership  of  300. 
and  an  average  Sunday-school  attendance  of  250. 
Simpson  Church's  Epworth  League  is  a  large  and  suc- 
cessful factor  for  good.  Rev.  >lr.  Bray  was  marrieil 
March  12,  1866,  to  Minnie,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  J.  E. 


644 


NELSON'S  BIOOBAPHICAL  BICTIONART 


Chapin  (deceased),  late  of  Westfield,  N.  Y.  Two  chil- 
dren were  horn  of  this  union:  Frank  C.  Hray,  born 
May  7,  1^1)7,  and  Marv  K.  Bray,  horn  June  10,  1870. 
Mrs.  J.  M.  Bray  died  Nlarch  24,  189").  Frank  C.  Bray 
is  unmarried;  was  for  a  time  manaijing  e<litor  of  the 
Erie  DLiptttrh,  and  is  now  enj;a};ed  in  business  in  New 
York  city.  Mary  E.  Bray  was  married  April  23,  18i)l, 
to  F"rank  E.  Wade,  a  professional  musician  and  musical 
editor,  of  Cleveland,  ().  One  son  horn  of  this  union  is 
Clarence  E.  Wade.  Rev.  J.  M.  Bray  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order  and  the  Odd  Fellows. 

Rev.  Mr.  Bray,  after  five  years  service  as  pastor  of 
the  Simpson  Church,  was  in  September,  1895,  assigned 
to  Mayville,  N.  Y.,  by  the  Erie  conference,  against  the 
earnest  protest  of  the  Simpson  Church  congregation, 
who  dearly  loved  their  pastor  and  used  every  effort  to 
retain  him.  Mr.  Bray's  work,  while  in  charge  of  the 
.Simpson  Church,  has  never  been  excelled  in  material 
results  (field  considered)  in  this  city. — [Ed.] 

T.  Howard  MacQueary,  pastor  of  the  First  Uni- 
versalist  Church,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  near  Charlottes- 
ville, Albemarle  county,  Va.,  May  27,  1861.  He  is  a 
son  of  the  late  T.  Howard  and  Sarah  J.  (Garland) 
Mac(2ueary,  both  natives  of  Virginia,  the  former  of 
Scotch-Irish  and  the  latter  of  English  descent.  T. 
Howard  Mac(2ueary,  sr.,  died  in  IStil ;  his  wife  survives 
and  resides  in  Erie  with  her  son,  Howard.  He 
received  his  early  schooling  in  a  parochial  school  near 
Charlottesville,  from  which,  however,  he  was  removed 
at  the  age  of  13  on  account  of  ill-health.  For  several 
years  he  assisted  in  the  work  upon  the  farm  and  was 
then,  until  his  20th  year,  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits in  Washington,  D.  C.  In  1880  he  entered  Nor- 
wood College,  Nelson  county,  Virginia,  and  after  a 
three  years'  course  in  academics  entered  the  Episco- 
pal Theological  .Seminary,  near  Alexandria,  \'a.  He 
was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  June,  1885,  was 
ordained  deacon  by  Rt.  Rev.  George  W.  I'eterkin,  I). 
D.,  Bishop  of  West  \irginia,  in  July  of  the  same  year, 
an<l  took  charge  of  the  Episcopal  Churches  at  Fair- 
mont and  Morgantown,  W.  \'a.  After  eighteen  months 
in  this  pastorate,  he  was  called  to  the  Episcopal 
Church  of  Canton,  O.,  where  he  remained  for  hve 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1889  he  published  his  hook, 
"The  Evolution  of  Man  and  Christianity,"  in  which 
he  denied  certain  of  the  miracles.  This  resulted  in  his 
trial  for  heresy  by  the  Ecclesiastical  Court  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  in  Northern  Ohio,  January  8,  1891. 
After  more  than  two  months'  deliberation,  two  out  of 
five  judges  voted  for  ac<|uittal,  and  the  remaining 
three  for  suspension  from  the  ministry  for  six  months, 
with  the  provi.so  that  if  during  that  time  he  should 

Eromise  to  be  silent  on  the  points  in  dispute  he  should 
e  reinstated.  At  the  end  of  six  months,  lieing  unable 
to  make  the  desired  promise,  he  renounceil  the  minis- 
try of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  entered  that  of  the 
Universalist  Church.  In  October  of  the  same  year  he 
was  called  to  the  charge  of  the  First  Universalist 
Church  of  .Saginaw,  Mich.,  where  he  remained  until 
December,  1893,  thence  coming  to  Erie,  Pa.,  where  he 
has  since  filled  the  pulpit  of  the  First  I'niversalist 
Church  of  this  city.  Rev.  Mr.  McQueary  is  the 
author  of  "Topics  of  the  Times,"  which  treats  of 
social,  indifStrial  and  theological  problems.  He  is 
also  an  occasional  contributor  to  the  Arena,  Popxil/ir 
Science  MontlUy,  Btl/ord's  Monthly  and  other  publica- 
tions. 


Dr.  Sanf  ord  Dickinson,  Erie,  Pa.,  who  was  one 

of  Erie's  most  loved  and  honored  citizens,  died  at  his 
residence  on  East  Twenty-sixth  .street,  February  28, 
1881.  He  was  horn  in  Norwich,  Shenango  county,  N. 
Y.,  September  7,  1808,  an<I  was  a  son  of  Josiali  and 
Prudence  (Taylori  Dickin.son,  the  former  of  English 
and  the  latter  of  .Scotch  lineage.  They  settled  in 
Springfield  township,  Erie  countv,  some  time  in  the 
'twenties.  He  obtained  his  early  education  in  the 
academy  at  Norwich,  then  taught  school  winters  and 
worked  out  sunnners  to  earn  money  to  complete  his 
education.  At  the  age  of  24  years  he  began  tlie  study 
of  medicine,  and  passed  some  time  under  the  most 
excellent  tutorage  of  fJr.  Henry  L.  Mitchell,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons of  New  York  city,  in  the  cla.ss  of  1832,  and  then 
for  a  short  time  practiced  with  Dr.  Mitchell.  While 
looking  about  for  a  place  to  engage  in  the  jiractice  of 
his  profession,  he  visited  Erie  county,  which  he  was 
quick  to  recognize  as  a  desirable  field  of  labor,  and  lo- 
cated at  Wattsburg,  whence,  after  a  few  years,  he  re- 
moved to  Erie.  His  practice  grew  steadily  from  the 
start,  and  he  soon  became  one  of  the  most  prominent 
physicians  in  Northwestern  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a 
great  student,  and  hence  a  man  of  profound  medical 
knowledge,  varied  scholarly  attainments  anfl  unusual 
general  culture.  To  him  is  due  the  introduction  of  the 
alcoholic  anil  o|iiate  treatment  in  cases  of  poison  by 
vijiers,  and  puncture  in  the  operations  of  dissecting, 
preparing  and  embalming.  This  treatment  of  such 
cases,  which  was  first  used  by  him  in  1854,  has  since 
been  quite  generally  adopted  by  the  medical  profes- 
sion. In  18(i(i  he,  in  com[)any  with  his  son,  Mr.  John 
S.  Dickinson,  purchased  of  J.  F.  Liddell  \-  Bro.,  the 
large  drug  store  on  State  street,  of  which  Mr.  Dickin- 
son became  sole  pro]irietor  two  years  after  the  death 
of  his  father.  Since  the  death  of  Mr.  John  .S.  Dickin- 
son, the  business  has  been  conducted  by  his  willow, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  prospemus  and  thoroughly 
e(|uipped  stores  of  jts  kind  in  the  city.  Alxiut  187(J 
Dr.  Dickinson  had  charge  of  the  poor  house  patients 
of  Erie  county,  to  whom,  together  with  the  cases  of 
infirm  soldiers  and  marines  of  the  county,  he  gave 
faithful  attention  for  several  years.  Dr.  Dickinson 
won  fame  as  a  medical  practitioner;  he  was  also  fairly 
successful  in  the  accumulation  of  this  worhl's  goods; 
but  one  of  the  impulses  which  lay  closest  to  his  heart 
was  that  of  giving  to  the  poor  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lived  the  benefit  of  the  skill  and  nn'ans  which 
it  was  his  lot  to  pos.sess.  It  has  been  often  said  that 
he  was  more  solicitous  for  the  care  of  patients  from 
whom  he  expected  no  remuneration  than  for  those 
who  were  ami>ly  able  to  ]irovide  every  means.  It  was 
this  noble  characteristic  of  a  solicitous  and  conscien- 
tious care  for  the  sick  and  unfortunate  that  won  the 
hearts  of  the  community  wlnTe  his  honorable  and  use- 
ful life  was  passed.  He  lived  and  died  the  recipient 
of  the  prayers  and  blessings  of  the  ])oor.  The  Doctor 
was  married  in  1833  to  Miss  Rebecca  Judson,  of  Watts- 
burg, F'a.,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  the  late  John 
.S.  Dickinson,  of  Erie,  and  Mrs.  Celia  .Smith,  of  Pacific 
Grove,  Cal.  His  first  wife  dying  of  fever.  Dr.  Dickin- 
son was  remarried  in  1838  to  Miss  Harriett  Maxwell, 
of  Wattsburg.  The  surviving  children  by  this  second 
marriage  are:  Miss  Heppie  R.  Dickinson,  who  lives 
with  her  mother  on  East  Twenty-sixth  street;  Ernes- 
tine A.,  Mrs.  Henry  Shenk,  of  Erie;  Mr.  Beverly  N. 
Dickinson,  of   Quincy,    III.;    Caroline   L.;  Mrs.  O.  E. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


645 


Crouch,  of  Erie;  Alice  M.,  Mrs.  W.  D.  Janes  of  Sagi- 
naw, Mich.;  Mr.  Kingsley  Dickinson,  of  Erie,  and 
Minnie  M.,  Mrs.  Rev.  Robert  Painter,  of  Galva,  III. 
Dr.  Dickinson  and  family  worshipped  at  the  Fir-St 
Methodist  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  member  and  a 
generous  su])])orter.  He  was  a  Republican  in  his  po- 
litical views,  but  was  never  a  .seeker  of  public  office  or 
political  honors. 

John  Satiford  Dickinson,  one  of  Erie's  most 
popular  citizens,  died  June  5,  1888.  He  was  born  in 
Wattsburg,  this  county,  April  6,  1837,  and  was  a  son  of 
the  late  Dr.  Sanford  Dickinson,  whose  sketch  appears 
in  this  work.  He  spent  his  boyhood,  until  10  years  of 
age,  in  the  family  of  his  uncle,  a  farmer  in  .Springrteld 
township,  after  which  he  came  to  Erie  and  completed 
his  education  at  the  Erie  Academy,  ."^bout  the  out- 
break of  the  war  he  was  engaged  in  the  oil  business 
in  Canada,  but,  in  1862,  when  the  Union  was  in  peril, 
he  came  to  the  rescue.  He  enlisted  in  the  navy  at 
Erie,  and  went  aboard  the  receiving  ship,  "  Clara 
Dolson,"  at  Cairo,  111.  He  was  later  transferred  to  the 
"  Indianola,"  which  was  captured  by  the  Confederates 
in  Februarv,  18fi3.  Mr.  Dickinson  remained  a  pris- 
oner until  the  following  May,  a  portion  of  the  time  in 
the  horrible  Libby  prison,  which  will  always  hold  an 
infamous  place  in  the  history  of  civil  warfare.  After 
being  exchanged  he  went  on  board  the  United  States 
steamer  "  L'tah,"  as  paymaster's  clerk,  and  where  he 
remained  until  June,  1864,  when,  on  account  of  im- 
paired health,  he  was  honorably  discharged.  He  then 
entereil  the  .Sixth  Auditor's  office  in  the  Treasury 
Department  at  Washington,  where  he  remained  nearly 
two  years.  In  May,  1866,  he  returned  to  Erie  and 
engaged  in  business  with  his  father,  as  is  detailed  in  the 
sketch  of  the  latter.  Mr.  Dickin.son  was  married, 
April  27,  1864,  to  Miss  Ellen  M.,  daughter  of  Maj. 
Robert  and  Martha  .Ann  (Talbott)  Clarke,  of  Wash- 
ington. This  union  was  blesseil  with  eleven  children, 
three  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  others  were: 
Rebecca,  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Stratton,  of  Erie;  Robert 
Clarke,  druggist,  of  Erie;  John  Sanford,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  14  years;  (ieorge  S.,  ])hysician,  Erie;  Miss 
Jane  M.  and  Harriett  M.  Dickinson;  Charles .Seymoure, 
student  in  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  and 
Miss  Cecelia  Dickinst)n,  who  is  still  in  .school.  Mr. 
Dickinson  was  a  Master  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.,  K.  of  H.,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  was  a  Republican 
in  his  ]iolitical  views.  The  family  worship  at  the 
Methcpdist  E.piscopal  Church,  and  have  resided  at  428 
East  Sixth  street  since  1876. 

Dr.  H.  A.  Spencer  was  born  in  Warren  county, 
Pennsylvania,  August  29,  1828,  and  died  in  Erie,  Janu- 
ary 2,  1889.  He  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Matthias  and 
Harriet  (Smith)  Spencer,  the  former  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, the  latter  of  New  York,  and  both  of  Engli.sh 
descent.  Rev.  Matthias  Spencer  was  a  Methodist 
clergyman;  remin  ed  from  New  York  to  Warren 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  182.^,  and  from  thence  to 
Wayne  townshi]i,  Erie  county,  in  18-'^().  They  had 
eight  sons,  of  whom  Dr.  S|iencer  was  the  fifth.  He 
was  educated  at  the  Waterfoni  ,\cademy  and  .Alle- 
gheny College,  Meadville  Pa.  In  1848  he  entered 
Cleveland  (Ohio)  Medical  College,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  18.')1.  He  jiracticed  medicine 
at  Waterford,  Pa.,  until  1864,  when  he  came  to  Erie, 
where  he  continued  to  reside,  and  was  engaged  in  the 


practice  of  his  profession  throughout  his  life.  He 
organized  a  corps  of  surgeons  on  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.  in 
1864,  of  which  he  was  surgeon-in-chief  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  was  for  a  number  of  years  surgeon- 
in-chief  of  the  medical  staff  of  Haniot  Hospital.  In 
1861  he  was  appointed  [)ension  examiner,  and  was 
medical  superintendent  of  the  Erie  county  infirmary 
for  five  years.  He  was  married,  in  18.5.'),  to  Julia, 
daughter  of  J.  L.  Cook,  railroad  contractor,  and  native 
of  Waterford,  Erie  county.  Pa.  Of  the  children  born 
of  this  union  five  survive.  They  are:  Mr.s.  Lena, 
wife  of  E.  \.  Sis.son,  an  attorney  at  law,  Erie;  Mrs. 
Mary,  wife  of  F.  H.  Thomson,  of  the  Gorham  Manu- 
facturing Company,  Providence,  R.  I.;  Dr.  Boyd  C. 
Spencer;  Thomas  T.,  and  Roy  A.  Dr.  Boyd  C.  Spen- 
cer was  graduated  from  Jefferson  Medical  College, 
Philadelphia,  in  1889,  practiced  medicine  with  Dr.  J. 
F.  Hamilton,  of  Philadelphia,  for  one  year,  and  then 
went  to  West  Superior,  Wis.,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  for  four  years,  during 
a  part  of  which  ])eriod  he  was  county  physician  of 
Douglas  county.  He  returned  to  Erie  January  20, 
189.5,  where  he  is  now  practicing  medicine.  Mrs.  A. 
H.  Spencer  and  sons  reside  at  KW  West  Eighth  street. 

James  Henry  Montgomery,  M.  D.,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Buffalo,  X.  Y.  His  parents  were  natives 
of  the  Keystone  State,  and  of  Scotch  origin,  of  a  fam- 
ily whose  origin  is  easily  traced  to  4(X)  .A.  I).  His  fa- 
ther. Rev.  W.  W.  Montgomery,  was  a  minister  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  He  removed  with  his 
family  from  15uffalo  to  the  western  part  of  the  State, 
where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  placed  in  a  pri- 
vate school  and  remained  there  until  prepared  to  en- 
ter college.  In  1877  he  entered  the  academic  depart- 
ment of  Columbia  College,  where  he  was  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1881.  He  soon  after  en- 
tered the  medical  department  of  the  same  institution, 
then  known  as  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, where  he  was  graduated  as  an  M.  D.  in  1884. 
He  then  entered  the  Roosevelt  Hospital  as  a  member 
of  the  house  staff,  and  was  next  appointed  as  assistant 
surgeon  there,  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  He 
came  to  Erie  in  18S6,  and  has  been  actively  engaged 
in  his  profession  ever  since.  He  was  surgeon  in  charge 
of  the  Hamot  Hospital  from  1888  to  1892.  At  present 
he  is  one  of  the  attending  surgeons  of  that  institution. 
Dr.  Montgomery  has  been  an  active  member  of  the 
Erie  County  Medical  .Society  for  ten  years.  He  is  a 
member  of  several  social  clubs  in  Erie.  In  politics  he 
has  always  been  a  Republican. 

H.  H.  Foringer,  physician  and  surgeon,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  at  Brady's  Bend,  Armstrong  county.  Pa., 
March  24,  18.54.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Hannah 
(Barnhart)  Foringer,  both  natives  of  Armstrong  county, 
and  descendants  of  old  American  families.  The  fa- 
ther died  May  28,  1892,  and  the  mother  now  resides  at 
Brady's  Bend.  They  reared  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, eight  sons  and  three  daughters,  seven  of  whom 
are  living.  The  doctor  was  reared  in  his  native  town 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the  F.dinboro 
.State  Normal  School.  He  began  his  medical  studies 
with  Dr.  S.  B.  Hotchkiss,  of  Edinboro,  as  his  preceptor. 
Later  he  attended  the  Western  Reserve  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Cleveland,  O.,  where  he  was  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1883.  He  returned  to  Edin- 
boro, and  practiced  his  profession  in  conjunction  with 


646 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Dr.  Hotchkiss  about  eightfen  months.  He  then  went 
to  Middleboro,  Pn.,  where  lie  successfully  followed  his 
profession  until  the  winter  of  IKSi),  ;ind  after  a  general 
review  of  his  medical  studies  in  some  of  the  Eastern 
Medical  Colleges,  he  located  in  Erie  in  the  fall  of  188i(, 
where  he  has  since  been  succe.ssfully  engaged  in  the 
general  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery.  Dr.  Eoringer 
was  married  June  11.  1S><.''),  to  .Miss  Anna  A.,  daughter 
of  Richard  and  Eorinda  (Struhn)  Owe.ss,  of  Canada. 
They  have  one  child,  Owen  H.  The  doctor  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Erie  County  Medical  Society,  the  K.  of  P. 
and  the  Masonic  fraternity.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  Park  Presbvtrri.ui  Church. 

A.  Z.  Randall,  M.  D.,  physician  and  surgeon, 
Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Cold  Creek,  Allegany  county,  N.  ^'., 
October  P2,  1840,  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Thomas  Jefferson 
and  Sarah  C.  (Welhnanl  Randall.  The  father  was  a 
native  of  New  York,  the  mother  of  \'ernuint.  Dr. 
Thomas  Jefferson  Ranilall  was  a  graduate  of  Old  Eair- 
field  College,  State  of  New  York.  Dr.  A.  /..  Randall 
received  his  literary  education  in  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Edinboro,  anil  after  completing  a  long  course 
of  .study  there  commenced  the  study  of  medicine,  with 
his  father  as  preceptor,  after  which  he  attended  two 
full  courses  of  lectures  at  the  University  of  Michigan 
at  .Ann  .-Vrbor  during  the  years  18(>2-3  4,  and  finally 
graduated  honorably  at  that  institution  March  80, 18(i4. 
He  then  located  at  \\  attsburg.  Pa.,  where  he  practiced 
two  years,  thence  came  to  l''.rie,  and,  with  the  exce|i- 
tion  of  nearly  five  years'  i)ractice  in  Crawford  county, 
two  years  at  Union  City,  and  nearly  two  years  at  ICdin- 
boro,  has  since  been  reputably  connected  with  the 
medical  profession  in  Erie.  He  was  appointed  health 
officer  of  the  borough  of  .South  Erie  in  18(i(i,  and  ex- 
amining physician  of  pensioners  in  I8(i7,  filling  that 
im]iortant  office  until  187.^.  During  18(i7  and  li^C^^  he 
was  surgeon  for  the  Phil.idelpliia  and  V.r\r  R.  R.  at 
Union  City,  and  was  appointed  v.iccinating  |ihysician 
of  the  city  of  Erie  in  1882.  He  was  previously  eU'Cted 
coroner  of  the  county  in  November,  1881,  to  serve 
three  years,  receiving  a  very  flattering  vote  from  his 
constituents,  and  tlie  duties  of  which  office  he  faith- 
fully [lerformed.  He  was  married  April  20.  18(i;i,  to 
Ellen  Lucy  Congleton,  of  Edinboro  (since  deceased), 
by  whom  he  had  three  Sdiis,  TlKimas  Carlyle,  I'^lmer 
E.  and  (Irant  \.  (deceased).  Dr.  Randall  next  mar- 
ried, in  18811,  Mrs.  Ella  (lough,  of  Harbor  Creek,  l''.rie 
county.  He  is  an  activt!  member  of  the  Maccabees 
and  Protected  Home  Circle,  being  physician  for  Alph.i 
Tent,  No.  1,  of  the  Maccabees,  and  Lois  Circle,  No. 
1-M,  Protected  Home  Circle.  He  is  also  medical  ex- 
aminer for  l.oiinsbiiry  Hive,  No.  14,  Ladies  of  the 
.Maccabees.  Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Republican. 
In  his  chosen  jirofession  he  is  up  with  the  times,  and 
has  an  honorable  reputation  as  a  surgeon  and  ]ihysi- 
cian  and  as  a  man. 

Andrew  McPherson,  M.  D.,  was  born  November 
8,  11^:!'.),  in  till'  city  "i  l.nckpiprt,  N.  Y.,  son  of  Andrew 
McPherson,  from  the  city  of  Inverness,  .Scotland,  and 
Deborah  (Ereeland)  Mcpherson,  of  Dutch  origin,  her 
family  having  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  from  Holland, 
early  in  its  hi.story.  He  came  to  E.rie  in  1874,  engag- 
ing in  the  jiractice  of  dentistry,  which  profession  he 
had  followed  sinc<-  18(12.  hi  the  year  188.")  he  graduated 
fnmi  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  and  Hospital  of 
Chicago,  the  largest  honieo]iathic  school  in  the  world, 


and  now  practices  both  medicine  and  dentistry  in  his 
commodious  and  pleasant  suite  of  offices  on  Peach 
street  ( 1722).  His  wife  was  Miss  Lovina  (Jleason,  of 
Port  Colbourne,  Canada.  Their  four  children  are:  A. 
H.,  a  jeweler;  William,  a  graduate  of  the  Erie  Pusiness 
University,  now  taking  a  post  graduate  cour.se; 
Elorilla,  aLso  a  graduate  and  post  graduate  student  of 
the  .same  school,  and  Lovina.  They  are  Presby- 
terians in  their  religious  belief.  He  is  a  Democrat. 
His  family  are  closely  identifie<l  with  the  history  of  iiiir 
country,  his  maternal  grandfather  being  a  general  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Dr.  McPherson  is  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Erie  County  Homeopathic  Medical 
Society;  also  a  member  of  the  Alumni  Associatimi  of 
the  Hahnemann  Medical  College. 

Wallace  R.  Hunter,  M.  D.,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, ICrie,  Pa.,  burn  at  .Stormstown,  Center  ciiunty, 
P.I.,  December  2H,  18().'),  is  a  son  of  John  and  I'^ii/abelh 
(Elder!  Hunter,  both  natives  of  Pi'unsylvania.  They 
reared  a  family  of  six  children.  The  doctor  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Pennsylvania  State  College,  and  in  188H 
received  an  appointment  to  West  Point,  through  the 
influence  of  the  late  Governor  Curtin.  After  attend- 
ing the  Military  .'\cadeniy  one  year  he  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  was  graduated  May  1,  18!I0,  and  was  imme- 
diately apjiointed  resident  physician  of  tilt'  University 
lioS|iital,  where  he  remained  about  eighteen  months, 
when  he  was  ajipointed  physician  atthe  State  Hospil.il 
for  the  Insane  at  Warren,  Pa.,  where  he  remained 
until  18!i;i,  when  he  was  appointed  acting  assistant 
surgeon  to  the  U.  S.  Marine  Hos|)ital  service,  and  in 
18!)4  he  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon  of  the  15th 
Reg.,  N.  (i.  P.;  appointed  visiting  surgeon  to  St. 
\'incent's  Hospital  in  189.5.  He  is  a  member  nf  the 
Masonic  order  and  of  the  Elks. 

Ira  J.  Dunn,  M.  D.,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of 
Crawfiird  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  No- 
vember 12,  18(v!,  and  is  a  son  of  Holtim  I),  and  Dian- 
tlia  (Curtis)  Dunn,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Their 
family  Consisted  of  four  children:  Lizzie  R.;  Thomas 
!).,  a  physician  of  West  Chester,  Pa.;  Ira  J.,  and 
.Arthur  D.  Dr.  Ira  J.  Dunn  was  educated  in  Crawford 
county.  He  received  his  collegt'  preparatory  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools,  and  in  1881  entereil  .Alle- 
gheny College  at  Meadville,  graduating  from  that  in- 
.stitution  in  the  class  of  188(i.  He  then  accepted  the 
principalship  of  the  Linesville  public  schools,  where 
he  remained  one  year,  and,  in  1887,  resigned  the  .same 
anil  entered  the  medical  departniiMit  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  tempo- 
rarily abandiined  his  medical  studies  and  accepted  the 
professorship  of  Latin  in  the  Eirst  district  normal 
school  of  \\'est  Chester.  He  remained  there  one 
year,  when  he  returned  to  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  in  18ill  graduated  from  the  medical  depart- 
ment. He  then  became  assi.stant  surgeon  in  the 
Miners'  State  Hospital,  at  Hazelton,  Pa.  He  re- 
mained there  about  six  months,  when  he  resigned  .ind 
began  a  special  course  on  the  eye.  In  March,  18i|2,  he 
was  appointc'd  assistant  physician  at  the  State  Hospi- 
tal at  Harrishurg,  Pa.  After  nearly  a  year  in  that  in- 
stitution, he  then  returned  to  Philadelphia  and  took  a 
special  course  at  the  Philadelphia  Polyclinic  for  grad- 
uates in  medicine,  on  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat. 
He  then  engaged  in  practice  at  Meadville,  where  he 


AJ:fI>  HISTOBIGAL  BEFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


647 


remained  but  a  short  time,  and,  in  February,  1894, 
located  in  Erie.  He  was  married  October  21,  1893,  to 
Miss  Addie  E.,  dauffbtiT  of  Frank  and  Frances  Irene 
(Burnley)  ['liillips,  of  Meadville,  I'a.  The  doctor  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  Penn- 
sylvania State  Medical  Association  and  the  Erie 
County  Medical  Society,  and  ])olitically  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

J.  R.  Phillips,  M.  D.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  near 
Meadville,  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  January  18,  18.">1.  He 
is  a  ^on  of  the  late  Hishoj)  Tyler  .md  Jane  (Smith) 
Philli]>s,  the  former  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  of 
English  descent,  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania  birth  and 
Scotch  extraction.  Hishnp  T.  Phillips  spent  the  most 
of  his  life  as  an  agriculturist  of  Crawtord  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  dii-d  in  IbTfi,  .surviving  his  wife  six 
years. 

Their  son,  J.  K.  Philli[is,  early  in  life  determined 
upon  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a  profession,  and  to 
that  end,  upon  the  completion  of  his  general  education 
and  graduation,  in  June,  1870,  began  the  study  of  med- 
icine, under  the  preceptorship  cpf  Dr.  E.  C.  Parsons,  of 
Meadville,  Pa.  He  then  entered  the  Homeopathic 
Hospital  College,  (J  Cleveland,  ( )hio,  from  which  in- 
stitution he  was  gradu.ited  in  188.'3.  The  following 
four  years  he  was  engaged  successfully  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession  at  Corry,  Pa.  The  next  two  years  he 
spent  abroad,  and  during  this  i)erio<l  availe<l  himself 
of  the  very  superior  advantages  afforded  the  student 
of  medicine  at  the  Koyal  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  of  Berlin,  Cermany,  winch  institution  he  at- 
tended for  four  terms.  He  then  returned  to  the 
United  States.  December  3,  188!),  Dr.  Phillips  settled 
in  Erie  city,  immediately  after  his  return  from  Ger- 
many. On  the  20th  day  of  June  following  he  per- 
formed at  the  Hamot  Hi^iital  the  first  ovariotomy  in 
the  history  of  that  institimon.  The  patient  was  Mrs. 
Alonzo  Perry,  of  Edinboro,  Erie  county.  She  was  62 
years  of  age;  the  tumor  weighed  sixty  pounds,  and  re- 
covery was  uninterruj>ted  and  comjilete.  The  doctor 
has  o]M-rated  in  similar  cases  fre(iuently  since  that 
time  with  the  best  success,  and  has  acquired  a  very 
extensive  practice.  Dr.  Phillii)S  is  a  member  of  the 
Hoineop.ithic  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania, the  Erie  County  Homeopathic  Medical  So- 
ciety and  the  Dispensary  and  Hospital  .\ssociation  of 
the  city  of  Erie. 

M.  A.  Wilson,  M.  D.,  l-'rie.  Pa.,  physician  and 
surgeon,  was  born  in  W  estheld,  \.  \'..  [December  17, 
1851.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Daniel  and  FJiza  (Nixon) 
Wilson,  both  native's  of  the  State  of  \ew  York,  the 
former  of  Scotch  and  the  l.itlerof  Norman  and  Scotch- 
Irish  descent.  Daniel  Wilson  was  a  man  of  uncom- 
promising integrity,  a  Christian  gentleman  (although 
not  identitied  with  any  church)  in  all  that  the  |)hrase  im- 
plies and  a  valuabli'  citizen.  He  died  in  October,  1883. 
His  wife,  who  h.is  devoted  her  life  lovingly  to  the  in- 
terests of  her  children,  is  now  spending  her  <Ieclining 
years  in  comhirt  with  her  .son,  Dr.  Si.  .\.  Wilson. 
John  Wilson,  father  of  the  late  Daniel  Wilson,  had  five 
other  sons,  four  of  whom  attained  distinction  in  |irf>- 
fessional  life.  Two  of  these,  Henry  and  David  J.  Wil- 
son, survive  and  are  (ihysicians  of  I'minence,  the  former 
a  resident  of  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Baird, 
Texas;  the  latter  is  now  a  member  of  the  State  Board 
of  Health  of  Texas.    Of  the  deceased  brothers,  John 


Wilson  died  in  early  manhood  of  a  disease  contracted 
while  teaching  school  in  Louisiana.  Alexander  Wil- 
son was  a  graduate  of  Union  College,  located  at  Min- 
eral Point,  Wis.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  thei)ractice 
of  law,  and  was  for  some  years  prior  to  his  death  At- 
torney General  of  the  .State  of  Wisconsin;  George 
Wilson  was  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  bar  of 
Chautauqua  county.  New  York,  and  resided  up  to  the 
time  of  his  decease  at  Westfield,  a  son  of  the  latter, 
Morton  I.  Wilson,  is  now  studying  medicine  under  the 
perceptorship  of  Dr.  M.  A.Wilson.  Two  aunts  on  the 
maternal  side  of  the  subject  of  these  memoirs,  the 
Misses  Ann  and  Sarah  J.  Nixon,  reside  in  the  vicinity 
of  Westfield,  where  they  are  engaged  in  the  successful 
management  of  a  model  farm  and  vineyard.  M.  A. 
Wilson  was  educated  in  the  academy  of  his  native 
town,  and  after  taking  three  full  courses  of  medical 
lectures  graduated  from  the  New  York  Homeopathic 
Medical  College  in  1873.  He  located  in  North  East, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  in  1874,  and  was  the  pioneer  homeo- 
(lathic  physician  of  that  town.  He  remained  at  North 
East  for  eighteen  years  and  built  up  a  very  large  and 
lucrative  practice.  In  1S,S3  the  L'niversity  of  New 
York  conferred  ujion  him  the  regent's  degree  in  medi- 
cine, which  includes  all  systems  and  schools  of  medi- 
cine recognized  by  the  laws  of  the  .State.  In  1892  he 
moved  to  Erie,  where  he  has  been  a  most  successful 
practitioner.  He  is  now  third  in  seniority  of  homeopathic 
practice  in  Erie  county.  Dr.  Wilson  is  a  member  of  the 
Northwestern  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  Society 
and  is  now  president  of  the  Erie  County  Homeopathic 
Medical  .Society.  He  is  thoroughly  in  touch  with  mod- 
ern medical  advancement.  He  took  the  initial  steps 
toward  and  labored  indefatigably  for  the  establishment 
of  tin-  Homeo]iathic  Dis|iensary  and  Hospital  .'Associa- 
tion, of  Erie,  enlisting  the  interest  and  support  of  his 
colleagues  in  the  charity,  and  is  justly  entitled  to  a 
large  .share  of  the  credit  for  its  existence.  Dr.  Wilson 
is  a  physician  of  ripe  experience  and  careful  judgment, 
has  studied  deejily  the  principles  of  his  school,  and  at 
the  same  time  is  liberal  enough  to  apply  other  correct 
principles  of  medical  practice  wherever  taught  and 
demon.stnited.  He  was  m.irried  March  2(J,  1873,  to 
Ann.i  J.,  daughter  of  the  late  Benjamin  Davis  Eaton, 
an  old  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Johnstown, 
New  York,  and  who  was  especially  active  in  his  iden- 
tification with  the  interests  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  that  town.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  have  two  children, 
Elva  Margaret  and  Bessie  Eliza  Wilson,  the  former  a 
most  promising  art  student  and  a  student  of  the  Erie 
high  school,  ami  the  latter  a  student  of  the  Erie  Cen- 
tral school.  The  family  reside  at  140  I-'.ast  Eighth 
street.  Dr.  Wilson  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fra- 
ternity, the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and 
the  Royal  Templars  of  Temperance. 

Wiilard  Greenfield,  M.  D.,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native 
of  Cayuga  county.  New  York.  He  was  born  Novem- 
ber 21,  1820,  and  is  a  son  of  Sherman  and  Nancy 
(Siek)  Ciieenlield,  both  natives  of  New  York.  They 
reared  a  family  of  six  children,  of  whom  Wiilard  is 
fourth.  Dr.  Greenfield  was  eilucated  m  the  common 
schools  of  Erie  county,  and  at  .\ustinburg,  Ohio.  He 
began  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  perceptorship 
of  Dr.  B.  E.  Phelps  at  Edinboro,  Pa.  .\fter  studying 
with  him  two  years,  he  took  a  course  in  the 
medical  de])artment  of  the  l'niversity  of  Michi- 
gan,   at    Ann   Arbor,     then    engaged    in    the    prac- 


648 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPniCAL  DICTIOlSlABT 


tice  of  his  profession  in  Crawford  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, for  two  years.  In  IW.'i  he  returned  to 
Edinboro,  where  he  |iracticed  untd  1HK5,  when  he 
went  toClirard,  I'a.,  where  he  practiced  live  years,  and 
then  removed  to  McKean,  Pa.,  and  two  years  later  he 
located  in  Erie,  where  he  has  since  bl'en  very  exten- 
sively engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profe.ssion.  The 
winter  of  1^72  ;i  he  spent  at  Bellevue  Hospital  Med- 
ical College,  New  York.  Dr.  Greentield  was  ma/ried 
April  '21,  18.")2,  to  Miss  Cornelia  M.  T.,  daughter  of 
I)avi<i  and  Hannah  Tyler,  of  .Ann  Arbor,  Mich.  They 
have  tive  children:  Krank  G.,  Willard  T.,  Kittie  (now 
Mrs.  Thomas  McLaughlin,  of  Chicago);  Minnie  (now 
Mrs.  Wni.  Hawkins,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio),  and  Kate  E. 
(decea.sed.)  Politically  the  doctor  is  a  stauncli  Rejiub- 
lican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  the  1.  O. 
O.  F.  and  A.  O.  U.  W. 

MunsoM  C.  Smith,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Townville, 
Crawford  county,  Pa.,  December  28,  18fi4,  .son  of  Mil- 
ton and  Sarah  (.Steere)  .Smith,  both  .'\merican.s.  Milton 
Smith  is  a  well-known  clergyman  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  having  preached  in  Fairview,  this 
county,  thirty  years  ago,  when  that  town  was  a  bust- 
ling prosperous  village.  He  also  has  had  the  pastorate 
of  the  .Simp.son  M.  E.  Chtirch  of  I->ie.  A  conscientious, 
earnest  worker,  he  is  respected  and  loved  by  all  who 
know  him.  Munson  C.  hrst  graihiated  at  the  academy 
at  Mayville,  X.  Y.,  then  went  one  year  to  .Allegheny 
College  at  Meadville.  He  then  attended  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  .Surgeons  at  lialtimore,  Md.,  gradu- 
ating in  the  year  1887.  Since  that  time  he  practiced 
his  profession  in  Pittsburg  for  several  years,  and  at 
last  decided  to  settle  in  Erie,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued to  engage  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  with  de- 
cided success.  He  married  July  (5,  189;!,  .Miss  Carrie 
Lehman,  of  Erie,  and  they  had  one  child,  a  .son,  Mil- 
ton (deceased.)  The  Doctor  is  a  nu-mberof  the  Method- 
ist Church,  and  in  [lolitics  is  independent,  with  per- 
haps a  leaning  towards  the  Republican  ]iarty.  A 
pleasant,  genial  gentleman,  he  has  njany  warm  friends, 
who  wish  him  a  successful  professional^  career. 

Philip  Diefetibach,  jr.,  alderman,  Sixth  ward, 
Erie,  Pa.,  office  181(i  Peach  street,  was  born  in  Erie, 
November  21,  1840,  a  son  of  Philip  and  Catherine 
(Herzer)  Diefenbach.  natives  of  Bavaria  anil  Hcssen- 
Darmstadt,  C.ermany,  res]iectively.  His  grandfather, 
Henry  Diefenbach,  was  the  father  of  sj.\  children, 
viz.:  William  (deceased),  Louis  (deceased),  Will- 
iam (deceased),  Charles  (deceased),  Philip  (de- 
ceased), and  Catherine,  wife  of  Philip  Zaun,  of 
Erie.  Philip  Diefenbach,  sr.,  received  a  com- 
mon school  education  in  his  native  country,  and 
learned  the  tailor's  trade.  He  came  to  America  in 
1838,  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  New  Y'ork  city  for 
five  years,  anil  in  !8;kS,  with  his  brother,  Charles  (who 
had  landed  in  New  N'ork  in  18;i4),  he  came  to  Erie, 
where  he  followed  his  trade  for  eight  years,  when  he 
and  his  broth<-r  began  the  manufacture  of  oil  cloths. 
They  also  conducted  a  clothing  store  in  the  Reed 
House  block.  In  18.V2  the  two  older  brothers  came  to 
Erie,  and  William  was  taken  into  the  partnership  in 
lioth  the  oil  cloth  and  clothing  business.  Louis  be- 
came a  farmer  in  Erie  county.  They  conducted  the 
oil  cloth  business  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  late 
war,  and  continued  the  clothing  business  till  1868.  In 
1863  Philip  had  embarked  in  the  grocery  business  on 


Peach  street,  near  Sixteenth,  and  later  he  moved  his 
store  to  1816  Peach  street,  where  he  continued  in  busi- 
ness, latterly  with  his  son,  Philip,  until  1878, 
when  he  retired.  Mr.  Diefenbach  was  a  member 
of  the  St.  John's  German  Evangelical  Church, 
and  was  leader  of  the  choir  for  many  years. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  and  active  work- 
ers in  .St.  Paul's  German  Reformed  Evan- 
gelical Church,  when  it  was  urganized,  and  maintained 
his  active  relaticin  with  that  church  until  his  death. 
He  was  the  leader  of  it',  choir  until  18.V2,  when  his 
ni-iihew.  Prof.  Carl  Diefenbach,  took  charge.  Mr. 
Diefenbach  was  also  a  member  of  one  of  the  tir.st 
military  and  string  bands  organized  in  Erie,  of  which 
his  brother,  C.  F.,  was  the  leader.  The  father  of  Philip 
Diefenbach,  sr.,  Henry  Diefenliach,  came  to  America 
from  Germany,  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  and  lived 
with  his  sons  until  his  decease.  Of  his  family,  Philip, 
William  and  C.  F.  were  in  partnership  in  Erie  for 
years;  Louis  was  a  farmer  In  Erie  county;  Catherine 
was  the  wife  of  the  late  Phili|i  Zaun,  and  the  mother 
of  Philip,  farmer,  Mill  Creek;  Catherine,  wife  of  Thos. 
Mohr,  county  commissioner;  Margaret,  deceased  wife 
of  Thos.  Mohr;  Jacob,  farmer.  Mill  Creek;  Mary,  wife 
of  Daniel  Knobloch,  Mill  Creek;  Elizabeth,  widow  of 
Henry  Knobloch  (deceased);  George,  farmer,  Mill 
Creek;  and  Anna,  at  home.  Philip  Diefenbach,  sr., 
died  In  March,  1887,  his  wife  [irecedlng  him 
in  death  ten  days.  To  them  were  born  nine  children, 
viz.:  Margaret  (deceased),  Phili]i  find  John,  twins 
(both  deceased),  Philip,  jr.,  Catherine,  Mrs.  Lawrence 
Messenko]if,  of  Erie;  Elizabeth,  keeps  house  for  her 
brother,  Pliilip;  Charles,  who  was  a  master  mechanic 
of  railroad  shops  in  Port  Huron,  Miclr!,  and  is  now 
superintendent  of  a  marine  wrecking  company;  Will- 
iam (deceased),  and  Margaret  (deceased.)  William 
Diefenbach,  Philip,  sr.'s  brother,  was  married  to  Eliza- 
beth Herzer  (sister  of  Philip,  sr.'s  wife),  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  .seven  children,  of  whom  .Carl  was  the 
first  born.  Carl  was  for  a  number  of  years  teacher  in 
the  German  school  in  Erie,  and  was  also  a  prominent 
musician  and  leader  of  singing  societies;  he  was  one 
of  the  fir.st  leaders  of  the  German  singing  societies  In 
I'.rie,  and  was  for  many  years  director  of  the  Erie 
Liedertafel,  and  later  of  the  Erie  Maennerchor;  he  Is 
organist  of  St.  John's  German  Lutheran  Church. 
Philip,  jr.,  receiveil  his  education  In  the  public  schools 
of  I''.rle,  and  when  18  years  of  age  entered  his  father's 
employ  In  the  oil  cloth  factory,  where  he  remained 
until  the  close  of  the  factory  in  1861.  He  lived  in 
Ohio  for  eighteen  months;  when  he  went  to  Corry,  Pa., 
and  opened  a  grocery,  which  he  conducted  until  1871, 
when  he  sold  out,  and  returning  to  Erie  entered  the 
grocery  store  previously  conducted  by  his  father,  at 
1816  Peach  street;  here  he  continued,  until  1878,  when 
he  was  elected  alderman  for  the  Sixth  ward,  as  a 
People's  candidate,  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to 
the  duties  of  that  position.  Mr.  Diefenbach  is  a  mem- 
ber of  St.  Paul's  German  Evangelical  Church,  of 
which  his  father  was  one  of  the  founders.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Harugaris,  and  in  politics  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  has  built  himself  a  cosy  office  adjoining  the 
old  homestead,  where  he  was  reared  and  has  lived 
most  of  his  life;  his  sister,  Elizabeth,  Is  his  house- 
keeper, and  lives  with  Mr.  Diefenbach. 

Christian  Swalley,  alderman,  926   State  street, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  In  Manheim  township,  Lancaster 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTy. 


649 


county,  Pa.,  August  9,  1827,  son  of  Christian  and 
Catherine  (Shank  I  Swalley,  both  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania; the  furnier,  who  died  in  1880,  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  and  the  latter  survived  till  l.S9"i.  Mr. 
Swalley's  great-grandfather  came  from  Switzerland  to 
Pennsylvania  in  1750,  as  did  also  his  great-grandfather 
on  his  mother's  side.  His  father«removed  from  Lan- 
caster to  Erie  county  in  18.'i5.  The  family  consisted 
of  nine  children:  Levi,  a  farmer;  Christian,  alderman; 
Abraham,  farmer;  Samuel,  shoemaker;  Joseph  \\'., 
merchant;  Richard  R,  laborer;  Edwanl  S.,  merchant, 
and  Harriet  (deceased).  Christian  Swalley  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools,  and  followed  the  shoe- 
maker's trade  fmm  lK47till  1«B(J  in  Fairview  borough; 
in  IHW  he  became  a  merchant  and  was  also  postmaster 
of  Kairview  borough,  continuing  till  liS6."i,  when  he 
went  on  the  road  as  a  traveling  salesman.  In  company 
with  P.  Minnig,  he  next  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness from  1865  to  1873,  when  he  became  interested  in 
the  wholesale  c<iffee,  tea  and  spice  trade.  In  1876  he 
was  elected  alderman  of  the  Third  ward  and  at  the 
expiration  of  his  term  was  re-elected,  and  is  still  serv- 
ing in  that  capacity.  Mr.  .Swalley  was  married  Sep- 
tember 26,  1850,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Anna  (Roland)  Heiss,  both  natives  of  Lancaster 
county,  the  former  of  English  and  the  latter  of  Ger- 
man extraction.  Two  children  resulted  from  this 
union:  W.  W.  .S\*alley,  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  Erie  Academy,  an  engineer  on  the  Philadelphia  and 
Erie  R.  R.,  and  who  was  united  in  marriage  to  .Miss 
Ella  Grace;  and'Emma  F.,  wife  of  E.  L.  Cushman, 
proprietor  of  "The  Corner"  restaurant.  The  family 
attend  the  Methixiist  Church.  Mr.  Swalley  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order,  belonging  to  Chapter,  Coun- 
cil, Conimandery,  the  Lodge  of  Perfection  and  the 
Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.; 
he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  the  A.  O. 
U.  \V.  and  the  E.  A.  L'.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican; served  as  school  director  from  1856  till  1862; 
was  a  constable  in  1855;  county  coroner  from  1885  till 
1888;  member  of  the  city  council  from  1872  till  1875, 
and  alderman  from  1876  to  date. 

F.  S.  Phelps,  editor  of  the  Erie  Daily  Times,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Dalton,  Mass.,  October  25,  1855,  son 
of  E.  N.  and  Eleanor  (\'an  Bergen)  Phelps,  both 
natives  of  Massachusetts,  and  of  English  and  German 
extraction  respectively.  E.  X.  Phelps  was  an  architect 
and  master  mechanic.  He  died  in  Massachusetts  in 
1870.  The  mother  ilied  in  18.53.  The  family  consisted 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  F.  S.  Phelps  was  the 
seventh.  He  received  a  common  school  etiucation  in 
Dalton,  and  while  attending  the  high  school,  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  quit  to  go  to  Holyokeand  learn  a  trade. 
At  the  end  of  two  years  he  went  to  Philadelphia  to 
clerk  in  a  clothing  store.  After  four  years  of  this 
employment  he  established  the  Record  at  .Smyrna, 
Delaware,  which  he  edited  for  three  years.  In  July, 
1884,  he  came  to  Erie,  and  first  found  employment  as 
a  reporter  on  the  Ht-ruld,  later  becoming  advertising 
manager.  He  next  tixik  charge  of  the  Graphic  and 
Obserter,  and  in  February,  1894,  a  consolidation  of  the 
plant  with  the  Tinus  took  place,  Mr.  Phelps  becoming 
editor  the  same  year. 

Martin  Doll,  one  of  Erie's  old  and  respected 
German  citizens,  was  born  in  Neuengronau,  province 
of  Hesse-Nassau,  Prussia,  May  27,  1812,  a  son  of  Cas- 


per and  Mary  (Schtementel)  Doll,  both  natives  of 
Hesse-Nassau.  They  reared  a  family  of  four  sons: 
John  (deceased),  Casper  (decea.sed),  Conrad,  resides  in 
Erie,  and  Martin.  .Mrs.  Doll  departed  this  life  June 
'29,  1814,  aged  42  years.  Casper  Doll  f(jr  his  second 
wile  married  .Anna  M.  Zell,  and  to  this  union  was  born 
one  son,  George,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Indiana.  Casper 
Doll  came  to  .America  in  1837,  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  three  sons,  George,  Casper  ami  Martin,  and 
located  in  Mill  Crtek  township  on  a  farm,  where  he 
died  February  '22,  1866,  aged  91  years,  having  survived 
his  wife  ten  years  and  nineteen  days.  .Martin  Doll 
received  a  common  school  education  in  his  native 
country  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker.  He 
was  '25  years  of  age  when  he  landeil  in  the  Cnited 
States  in  18;:!7.  He  came  to  Erie  and  went  to  work  for 
his  brother,  Conrad,  who  had  preceded  the  family  to 
.America  four  years,  and  opened  a  shoe  shop  in  Erie. 
He  worked  for  his  brother  till  1851,  when  he  went  into 
partnership  with  him,  continuing  till  18.54,  when  Con- 
rad retired,  on  account  of  poor  health,  and  .Martin  took 
as  a  partner  Fred.  Diehl,  and  contmued  the  business 
on  .South  Park  Row  until  1865,  when  he  severed  his 
connection  with  .\Ir.  Diehl,  and  moved  to  12(J3  State 
street,  where  he  conducted  a  shop  till  1882,  when  he 
retired.  He  married,  July  '29,  18:i8,  Miss  Anna  M., 
daughter  of  John  Frichkorn.of  Erie,  a  native  of  Hesse- 
Nassau,  Prussia.  To  this  union  were  born  four  chil- 
dren: .Margaret,  .Mrs.  John  Schabacker,  tif  Erie;  John, 
a  druggist  of  Erie;  Conrad,  a  blacksmith,  Erie;  and 
Elizabeth,  widow  of  Martin  Schabacker.  She  keeps 
house  for  her  father,  and  is  the  mother  of  four  chil- 
dren: Ellen  (deceased),  Ida,  Mariam  and  Elmer.  Mrs. 
Martin  Doll  departed  this  life  .March  11,  1888,  aged  75 
years.  The  family  are  members  of  the  German  Evan- 
gelical Church,  and  in  politics  Mr.  Doll  is  a  Republi- 
can. He  resides  at  1'2(J5  State  street,  where  he  owns 
considerable  property.  He  is  a  remarkably  well-pre- 
served man,  and  though  past  83  years  of  age,  he  is  as 
active  and  hearty  as  a  man  of  50. 

John  Doll,  1512  Peach  street,  one  of  Erie's  well- 
known  and  successful  druggists,  was  born  in  Erie, 
May  30,  1842,  a  son  of  Martin  Doll.  He  received  a 
common  school  education,  and  in  February,  1857,  ac- 
cepted a  position  in  a  dry  goods  store  and  followed 
clerking  till  September,  1866,  when  he  became  a  part- 
ner of  H.  L.  W'ilkins  in  the  drug  business,  at  1512 
Peach  street,  continuing  to  the  death  of  Mr.  Wilkins, 
in  1881,  since  which  time  Mr.  Doll  has  conducted  the 
business.  He  was  married,  September  4, 1866,  to  Miss 
Margaret  C.  E.,  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  H.  L.  Wil- 
kins, of  Erie.  They  attend  the  First  M.  E.  Church. 
Mr.  Doll  is  a  ;Sd  degree  Mason.  He  was  ajipointetl 
school  director,  serving  one  year,  then  elected  to  the 
same  office,  serving  three  years.  He  is  one  of  Erie's 
sound  and  successful  business  men.  Mr.  Doll  resides 
at  252  West  Tenth  street,  where  he  built  a  modern 
home  in  the  spring  of  1895. 

Horace  C.  Hall,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  F'irst  Baptist 
Church,  ct)rner  of  Fifth  and  Peach  streets,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Cortland  county.  New  York,  March  24. 
1858.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  birthplace,  later  attended  and  graduated 
at  Reid  Institute,  Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania,  then 
he  took  a  thorough  course  in  theology  at  Bucknell 
L'niversity  at  Lewisburg,  Pa.,  from  whence  he  gradu- 


650 


NELSON'S  BIOQRAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


atetl  in  1882,  and  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Sharon 
(I'a.l  Baptist  Church  Aii>;ust  ;jd,  of  the  same  year.  In 
l^St;  he  loiinded  the  protected  Home  Circle,  a  popular 
fraternal  insurance  society,  of  which  he  has  since  l)een 
supreme  president.  March  '21.  1J^88,  a  Christian  and 
untienoniinational  academical  school,  under  Baptist 
control,  was  incorporateil  as  Hall  Institute,  at  Sharon, 
I'a.,  in  honor  of  Dr.  Hall.  .After  nearly  nine  years  in 
pastoral  charf,'e  at  Sharon,  I'a.,  Dr.  Hail  was  called  to 
I'ittshurt;,  from  when<e  lie  came  to  l-.rie,  and  took 
charge  of  the  I-'irst  ISaptist  Church  July  ."i,  1IS!12,  where 
his  efticienl  work  speaks  for  itself.  .Xuiiust  2G,  1872, 
Dr.  Hall  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  IJora  E.  Post, 
of  Centerville,  Crawfor<l  county,  Pa.  They  have  two 
children,  \'iola  E.,  aged  12  years,  and  Horace  Leroy, 
aged  10  years. 

H.  M.  Totmatl.  of  the  firm  of  'I'olm.iu  cV  Jacob- 
son,  carriage  manufacturers,  corner  of  French  and 
Twelfth  .streets,  Erie,  Fa.,  was  born  at  'riiomaston, 
Conn.,  Eebruary  18,  18.'j;i.  He  is  a  son  of  Asahel  C. 
and  Martha  I.Adkins)  Totman,  the  former  a  native 
of  New  "^'ork,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut. The  father  was  superintendent  for  sev- 
eral years  for  the  well-known  Seth  Thomas  Clock 
Company.  H.  M.  Totman  was  the  eldest  in  a  family 
of  fourteen  children.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in 
East  Bloomfield,  t)ntario  county,  N.  \'.,  and  when  a 
young  man  served  an  apprenticeship  at  carriage-trim- 
ming, which  he  has  since  made  his  chief  occupation. 
In  the  spring  of  188:5  he  engaged  in  the  carriage  man- 
ufacturing business  at  Meadville,  I'a.,  ancl  formed  a 
partnership  with  Mr.  Jacolison,  which  was  successfully 
con<iucted  until  March,  18W;i,  when  he  came  to  Erie, 
anil  the  firm  has  since  carried  on  a  very  extensive 
business.  Mr.  Totman  was  married  Ajiril  19,  187G, 
to  .Miss  Belle,  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Mary  A. 
(  Barker)  Thompson.  To  this  union  were  born  seven 
children,  Georgia,  Norma,  Jiianita,  Winnie,  \\  illiam, 
James  and  Edward.  I'olitically  .Mr.  Totman  is  a  Re- 
]jublican.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  P.  H.  C.  and 
K.  ().  T.  M. 

W.  E.  Hayes,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  W.  E. 
Hayes  \'  Co.,  Erie.  Pa.,  was  born  in  (ireene  township. 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  April  22,  184G.  He  is  a  son  of  Le.ster 
ami  Mary  (Graham)  Hayes,  the  former  a  native  of 
Granby,  Conn.,  of  an  old  New  England  family  of 
Scotch  descent.  The  latter  was  a  native  of  Erie 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
Lester  Hayes  walked  from  Granby,  Conn.,  in  1818,  to 
Erie  county,  when  he  was  18  years  of  age.  He  re- 
mained a  short  time,  when  he  returned  to  his  native 
town  on  foot.  Two  years  later  he  came  back  to  Erie 
county,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  Martin,  a  minis- 
ter, who  later  went  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  died. 
Lester  Hayes  followed  farming  in  Greene  township, 
where  he  settled  on  his  return  to  Erie  county,  until  the 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  June  19,  1809. 
The  mother  died  November  4,  1884.  'They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children:  .Arminda  J.,  married  George 
J.  Russell,  Erie,  Pa.;  Myron  A.  (deceased I,  Milton  (cle- 
ceasedl,  Calvin  C.  and  Samuel  C.  (twinsi,  the  former  a 
retireil  farmer  at  W'esleyville,  Pa.,  and  the  latter  an 
attorney-at-law,  Chicago,  III.;  ICk-anor  (deceased), 
Henry  H.  (deceased)  and  W.  E.,  who  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm  in  Greene  townsliip,  where  he  received 


a  common  .school  education,  and  followed  farming  un- 
til he  was  33  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Erie  and 
entere<l  into  a  ])arliiershi|)  with  J.  E.  Patterson,  under 
the  lirm  name  of  Patterson  &  Hayes,  house  furnishers, 
also  galvanized  cornice  manufacturer;!.  This  firm  con- 
tinue<i  from  1879  till  1886,  when  they  dissolved  part- 
nership, Mr.  Hayes  taking  the  house  furnishing  de- 
partment, and  Mr.  Patterson  taking  the  galvanized 
cornice  works.  .Shortly  after  that  Sir.  D.  W.  Nason 
joined  .Mr.  Hayes  in  the  formation  of  the  present  lirm. 
They  ha\  e  constantly  been  increasing  their  business 
until  they  have  a  complete  house  furnishing  goods  es- 
tablishment, which  is  the  only  one  in  the  city.  Their 
business  occupies  three  large  stores,  including  Nos. 
917,  919  and  921  State  street.  Mr.  Hayes  was  married 
Si-ptember  15,  1870,  to  Miss  Mary  .Allele,  daughter  of 
Capt.  Thomas  and  Emily  (Smith)  Perrin.  The  father 
was  a  captain  on  the  lake  lor  several  years  and  now 
resides  with  .Mr.  Hayes,  and  is  S4  years  old.  Mr.  and 
.Mr.s.  Hayes,  have  three  children,  Clemma  B..  a  grad- 
uate of  the  L'niversity  of  Michigan,  cla.ss  of  '98;  Arba 
W.,  clerk  in  his  father's  store,  and  Gertrude  A.  Mr. 
Hayes  served  as  assessor  in  Greene  township  several 
terms,  and  justice  of  the  peace  tw'o  terms.  He  has 
been  elected  to  the  office  of  county  auditor  three 
terms,  and  has  always  been  a  staunch  Republic.in. 
'The  familv  are  members  of  the  Central  I'reiliyterian 
Church,  of  which  he  is  an  elder. 

Edwin  S.  Rockafellar,  vic<--iiresident  and  gen- 
eral manager  of  tin-  Hollands  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Mechanicsburg,  Pa.  .Ajiril 
28,  18.')(>,  and  is  a  .son  of  John  M.and  Sarah  (Hoffman) 
Rockafellar,  natives  of  Cumberland  and  Lancaster 
counties,  Pennsylvania,  and  of  early  Holland  ancestry. 
His  father,  a  printer  by  trade,  and  later  a  real  estate 
agent,  reared  a  family  of  eleven  cliildri-n,five  of  whom 
are  living,  ami  of  whom  Eilwin  S.  is  the  second.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  the  pulilic  schools  of 
his  native  city,  and  at  the  age  of  113,  found  em|jloy- 
ment  in  a  hardware  store,  where  he  remained  five 
years.  He  then  took  a  course  in  Ivastman's  Commer- 
cial College,  after  which  he  secured  a  position  as  book- 
keeper in  Pittsburg,  remaining  five  years.  In  the 
meantime  he  hail  become  intere.sted  in  the  firm  of 
lohn  B.  Harker  &  Co.,  jobbers  in  hollow  ware,  and  also 
kejit  the  books  of  that  concern.  In  1881  .Mr.  Harker 
and  he  came  to  Erie  and  took  full  control  of  the  hol- 
low ware  department  of  theSelden  &:  Grisw-old  Manu- 
facturing Company.  After  one  year  Mr.  Harker 
withdrew  and  Mr.  Rockafellar  continued  the  business 
alone.  In  1887  he  began  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
natural  gas  burners,  which  were  made  by  contract 
with  the  Griswolil  .Manufacturing  Company.  In  1890 
the  Hollands  Manufacturing  Company  was  incoruo- 
rated,  with  Caleb  Hollands,  president;  E.  S.  Rocka- 
fellar, treasurer  and  general  manager;  H.  L.  Mc- 
Wliorter,  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  R.  B.  Hough, 
superintendent.  The  plant  is  located  at  3'25  West 
[  Twelfth  street,  and  is  150  .\  20(J  feet.  Besides  the 
natural  gas  burners,  they  now  manufacture  vises  and 
plumbers'  machines  and  tools.  Mr.  Rockafellar  was 
married,  September  15,  1875, to  Miss  .Mary  A.  Boileau, 
of  Harrisburg,  Pa.  They  have  one  child,  Lawrence 
'.  S.  Mr.  Rockafellar  is  a  Republican  in  his  jiolitical 
'  view-s,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Common 
;  Council  in  1890,  serving  until  1894,  when  he  was 
i   elijcted  a  member  of  the  Select  Council.     In  1892  he 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


651 


was  chosen  president  of  the  Common  Council,  which 
position  he  held  for  one  year.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  the  Elks  and  the  A.  O.  U.  VV. 

Robert  B.  Hough,  Erie,  Pa.,  superintendent  of 
the  Hollands  Manufacturing  Company,  was  born  in 
Brockville,  Ontario,  Canada,  March  22,  18.W,  an<l  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Ellen  (Rogers)  Hough,  natives  of 
Canada  and  England,  respectively.  \V  hen  Robert 
was  13  years  old  the  family  removed  to  Erie,  so  the 
greater  part  of  his  education  was  received  in  his 
adopted  city.  He  learneil  iliu  trade  (if  machinist  at 
the  Erie  City  Iron  Works,  where  he  remamed  six 
years.  Entering  the  employ  of  the  Stearns  Manu- 
facturing Company,  he  remained  three  and  one-half 
years,  when  he  became  chief  machinist  for  the  Gris- 
wold  Manufacturing  Company,  and  four  years  later 
took  the  position  of  sujierintendcnt.  In  ISOU  he  as- 
sisted in  organizing  the  Hullanils  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, of  winch  he  is  the  second  largest  stockholder. 
Mr.  Hough  was  married,  May  17,  18>S8,  to  Miss  Kate 
Anthony,  of  Erie.  They  have  four  children;  Robert 
Lay  (deceased),  John  Kenneth,  Richard  Caleb  and 
Margaretta  Ellen.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  inclinations,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council  of  Erie  from 
lyUStolSDU.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hough  attend  St.  Paul's 
Episcopal  Church. 

Caleb  Hollands,  foreman  of  the  niokhng  depart- 
ment (if  the  tjriswiild  Manufacturing  Company,  Erie, 
Pa.,  is  a  native  of  England,  and  was  born  August  23, 
\'i'61.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  lilizabeth  (James)  Hol- 
lands, of  Sussex  county,  England.  In  the  family 
there  were  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  older  than 
Caleb.  Reared  and  educated  in  his  native  land,  in 
1864  he  emigrated  to  America,  settletl  at  Westfield, 
N.  Y.,  and  served  an  ajjprenticeship  at  the  molder's 
traile  at  that  place,  and  later  took  full  charge  of  the 
iron  department  for  the  Townsend  Lock  Company, 
which  position  he  held  for  ten  years.  In  1881  became 
to  Erie  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Jarecki  .Manu- 
facturing Company,  where  he  worked  two  years,  when 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Griswold  Jilanufactur- 
ing  Company  as  foreman  of  the  iron  department, 
which  position  he  now  holds.  He  is  also  president  of 
the  Hollands  Manufacturing  Company.  Mr.  Hol- 
lands was  married  in  1857  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  William  and  Elizabeth  .Strain,  natives  of  Ireland. 
To  this  union  were  born  two  children,  Sarah  E. 
(now  Mrs.  George  Hale,  of  Westtield,  X.  V.),  and  Jiihn 
C,  traveling  representative  for  theGriswokl  .Manufac- 
turing Company.  Mrs.  Hollands  departed  this  life 
May  28,  1893.  Mr.  Hollands  is  a  member  of  the  M. 
E.  Church,  the  Masonic  order,  and  politically  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

Tobias  Meyerhoefer,  broker,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Metzingen,  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  October  14, 
\Hhii,  and  is  a  son  of  John  G.  and  Marie  (X'ocktiey) 
Meyerhoefer,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1854 
and  located  in  Erie.  The  family  consisted  of  five 
children;  Tobias,  J.  George  (commercial  agent  for 
the  Texas  Central  and  Southern  Pacific  R.  R.'s,  with 
headquarters  at  Waco,  Tex.),  John  (deceased),  Mary 
(deceased),  Elizabeth  and  Caroline.  Mr.  Meyerhoefer 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie  and  the  Erie 
Academy;  he  also  attended  several  private  German 


schools,  and  completed  his  education  in  C(M)k's  Com- 
mercial College,  Erie.  At  the  age  of  15  years  he  be- 
gan the  study  of  telegraphy  with  the  Erie  and  Pitts- 
burg k.  R.  Company.  He  was  then  variously  em- 
ployed by  the  Philadelphia  and  l>ie  and  the  Erie  and 
Pittsburg  K.  K.  Companies,  the  Western  L'nion  Tele- 
gra|ih  Company,  and  in  filling  other  iiositions.  From 
18T(J  to  1872  he  was  train  dispatcher  for  the  St.  Louis 
and  San  Francisco  R.  R.  Company  at  Little  Washing- 
ton and  Jefferson  City,  .Mo.,  as  train  dispatcher.  He 
was  also  train  dispatcher  of  the  .St.  Louis  an(_l  .South- 
eastern, the  New  Orleans,  Jiickson  and  Great  North- 
ern. From  1872  to  1873  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
Missouri  Pacific  R.  R.  Company.  In  187ti  he  came  to 
Oil  City,  Pa.,  where  he  accepted  a  p(jsition  as  book- 
kee])er  with  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  with  whom  he 
remained  four  years.  From  1880  to  1881  he  acted  as 
chief  clerk  to  the  superintendent  of  maintenance  of 
way  of  the  Pan-Handle  R.  R.,  and  then  for  five  years 
t(X)k  reports  and  was  chief  operator  for  the  Western 
Union  Company  at  Wheeling,  W.  \'a.  In  188t)  he 
came  to  Erie  and  took  the  jjress  report  hir  the  Erie 
DiHjmti'h.  .Mr.  Meyerhoefer  engaged  in  the  brokerage 
business  in  1887  in  the  F2xchange  Building,  removing 
to  the  Reetl  House  Block,  where  he  has  since  C(jntin- 
ued.  In  1894  he  organized  and  became  part  owner  of 
the  Erie  City  Machinery  Company,  now  known  as  the 
Lake  City  Machinery  Comjiany,  which  is  one  of  the 
many  progressive  in.stitutionsof  which  Erie  is  soju-stly 
proud.  .Mr.  .Meverhoefcr  was  married  December  25, 
1882,  to  Mary  1-:'.  Kelly,  of  New  N'ork  city.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  National  Union  and  of  the  Merchants' 
and  the  Liedertafel  clubs,  the  Maennerchor  .Society, 
and  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  affiliations. 

Nelson  Baldwin,  Collector  of  Customs  of  the  port 
of  Erie,  is  a  descentlant  of  Nathaniel  Baldwin,  who 
was  one  of  a  colony  that  emigrated  from  Buckingham- 
shire, England,  in  the  year  1038,  and  settled  in  Mil- 
ford,  Conn.  The  late  Judge  C.  C.  Baldwin,  of  Cleve- 
land, O.,  in  his  "  Baklwin  Genealogy,"  says:  "An 
unusual  number  of  the  descendants  of  Nathaniel  have 
been  eminent,  and  the  family  generally  of  high 
res])ectability.  "  Among  others  he  mentions  Henry, 
Judge  of  the  L'.  S.  Su[)reme  Court,  who  settled  at  Erie 
in  the  early  part  of  the  century,  and  whose  second 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  .Andrew  Ellicott,  the  civil 
engineer,  who  laid  out  the  city;  the  late  Henry  P., 
Governor  of  .Michigan  and  U.  S.  Senator;  Abraham, 
Governor  of  Georgia  and  U.  .S.  Senator;  Simeon  Bald- 
win Chittenden,  M.  C,  and  Ruth,  wife  of  the  famous 
Joel  Barlow,  Minister  to  France.  -Several  of  the 
descendants  of  Nathaniel  bore  an  honorable  part  in 
the  struggle  for  Independence.  There  were  five  Bald- 
wins in  the  Milford  colony,  all  of  whom  were  related 
to  each  other  as  brothers  or  cousins.  The  mother  of 
Nelson  Baldwin  was  a  Derbyshire,  a  descendant  of  an 
Engli.sh  family  which  settled  in  -Southern  New  York 
in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century.  -She  is  still  living 
at  -Sing  Sing,  N.  Y.  She  married  William,  who  died 
in  1857.  Of  their  children,  three  daughters  and  one 
son  (Nelson)  survive.  He  was  born  at  Harrison, 
Westchester  county,  N.  Y.,  F'ebruary  28,  184(>,  remov- 
ing in  infancy  to  -Sing  Sing,  his  father  having  been 
ai)|)ointed  an  officer  in  the  State  prison  at  that  place. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  learned  the 
trade  of  a  printer  and  worked  at  it  in  several  places, 
but  the  greater  part  of  the  time  at  White  Plains,  N.  Y., 


652 


NELSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


where  he  conimeneed  his  editorial  work.  Returning 
to  Sini;  Sing  in  January,  18ti8,  he  estahnshe<i  the 
Jhiiiiii-ratic  liir/i.ili'r,  a  weekly  paper,  whiih  lie  pub- 
lished sutcessfully  lor  nearly  live  years,  in  Oetoher, 
IX~2,  his  ottice,  together  with  about  Iwenty-tive  other 
business  places,  in  one  of  which  he  also  had  an  interest, 
was  totally  destroyed  liy  tire,  nothing  being  saved  but 
the  books.  He  re-establisheil  the  jiaper,  but  two 
months  later  sokl  it,  and  in  February,  1S7S,  came  to 
Krie,  having  been  offered  employment  on  th<-  Murniiig 
DiKpiitcli  as  telegraph  editor  .ind  foreman  of  the  com- 
posing room.  In  l)ecenil)er,  1S71^,  he  was  made 
managing  editor  of  the  Dix/xilr/i,  which  position  he 
held  until  April,  1882,  when  he  accepted  the  managing 
editorship  of  the  ISrie  fCn iiinf/  O/imrrei:  In  February, 
18.h;{,  he  became  editor-in-chief  of  the  h'rif  llivalil, 
which  jHisition  he  resigned  on  December  S,  1S9;1 
Without  exception  his  connection  with  journalism  was 
longer  than  that  of  any  other  newsiiaper  man  now 
living  iu  Erie.  On  February  IS,  ISCiit,  he  was  married 
to  Mi.ss  .Sarah  E.  Rowe  at  Ndrktown,  \.  \'.  Tlu-y 
have  six  children,  three  daughters  and  three  .sons,  as 
follows:  Anna  E.,  Minnie,  Evelyn  R.,  Nelson,  jr., 
William  Harrison  and  Thaddeus  A.  The  second 
ilaugliter,  Minnie,  is  an  artist  of  bright  promise.  Mr. 
llaldwiii  was  one  of  the  best  trained  journalists  in  the 
prolession.  ,'\s  a  writer  on  tariff  subjects  he  ac(|uired 
more  than  a  local  rejiutation,  nuich  of  his  work  having 
found  aj)lace  in  jiapers  all  over  the  country.  .\  care- 
ful and  torcible  writer  and  ]deasant  and  genial  in  his 
ways,  Mr.  Baldwin  is,  on  the  other  hand,  of  a  retiring 
nature  and  modest  to  a  fault.  He  was  appointed 
collector  of  the  port  of  Erie  by  President  Clevelantl 
and  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  the  <Iuties  of  that 
office  on  December  8.  1893. 

Frank  AsbHry  Mizeiier,  wholesale  dealer  in  coal 
and  iron,  Erie,  Pa,  was  born  in  Mifflinburg,  I'nion 
county.  Pa.,  .May  27,  1840.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late 
Rev.  David  and  Elizabeth  (/ellers)  .\Iizener,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  New  Jersey,  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  both  of  German  descent.  Rev.  David  Mizener 
was  for  more  than  forty  years  a  member  of  the  Erie 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
died  in  August,  188fi,  age  Tti  years,  at  the  residence  of  his 
son,  the  iuuuediatesubject  of  these  memoirs.  His  wi<iow 
survivesand  resides  in  Bradford,  Pa.  Frank  .A.  Mizener 
received  his  initial  schooling  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town,  attended  next  the  W'aterford  .Academy, 
and  completed  his  education  in  the  Edinboro  Normal 
.School.  His  first  business  connection  was  with  Burti.ss 
Bros.,  oil  producers  of  Titusville,  Pa.,  with  whom  he 
remained  for  two  years,  thence  going  to  New  York, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  oil  business  until  1871. 
In  October  of  the  latter  year  he  located  in  Erie,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  until  187K, 
when  he  disposed  of  his  insurance  interests  to  Walter 
Scott,  and  embarked  in  business  as  a  wholesale  dealer 
in  bituminous  coal,  doing  a  mining  and  shipping  busi- 
ness from  mines  located  in  Mercer  and  Butler  coun- 
ties, Pennsylvania,  in  which  trade  he  has  ever  since 
been  and  is  still  engaged.  Mr.  Mizener  is  a  .stalwart 
Democrat  and  has  long  been  active  in  his  identifica- 
tion with  the  interests  of  his  party  in  Erie  county. 
During  the  first  Congressional  campaign  of  Hon. 
W.  1..  Scott,  in  1884.  NIr,  Mizener  was  chairman  of  the 
Democratic  city  committee.  In  18815  (.Mr.  Scott's  secoml 
Congressional  campaign),  Mr.  Mizener  was  chairman 


of  the  county  committee,  and  again  in  1891,  when  the 
Democrats  elected  V..  C.  Siegel,  their  first  sheriff  in 
thirty-four  ye.irs,  Mr.  Mi/ener  li'd  the  campaign  as 
chairman  of  the  county  coiiiiuitlee.  Hi-  was  elected 
mayor  by  councils  to  till  the  unexpired  term  of  Hon. 
Frank  !•".  .Adams,  18h!ti  7.  He  is  now  (1S9.')|  a  member 
of  the  Erie  board  of  fire  commissioniTs.  .Mr.  Mizener  is  a 
value<i  an<l  valuable  citizen,  imiiued  with  that  progres- 
sive iiublic  spirit  that  is  essential  to  the  heallhv  growth 
of  a  community.  He  has  for  years  been  a  member  of  the 
I'.rie  Board  of  Trade,  and  was  pr<-siding  officer  of  that 
body  in  188(1.  He  was  inarrieil  October  2ri,  l,Sli."i,  to 
Ellen  R.,  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Tolefree.of  Augusta, 
Ga.  Four  children  born  of  this  marriage  survive:  Nlorti- 
mer  H.,  Mason  P.,  Miss  Nellie  T.  and  Alice  B.  Mi- 
zener. Mortimer  H.  Mizener  is  associated  with  his 
father  in  business,  married  Pauline,  daughter  of  P. 
Druke,  of  .Shakopee,  Minn.,  and  has  one  child,  Frank 
A.  Mizener.  .Mason  P.  Mizener  is  in  the  superintend- 
ent's office  of  the  N.  Y.,  C.  &■  St.  L.  R.  R.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  .Mizener  reside  at  the  southeast  corner  of  .Sixth 
and  Sassafras  streets,  Erie,  and  are  members  of  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  .Mr.  Mi- 
zener was  one  of  the  board  of  trustees  for  six  years. 
Mr.  Mizener  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  of  the  B.  P.O.  E.,  and  was  for  seven  vears  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Boanl  of  Directors  of  the  N.  Y.,  C.  \-  St.  E. 
railroad. 

Richard  T.  Brown,  one  of  Erie's  enterprising 
manulacturers  and  ex-president  of  the  .Select  Council 
of  Erie,  was  born  in  Franklin  township,  this  county, 
October  8,  IS.M),  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Hannah 
(Jordan)  lirown,  natives  of  Ireland.  His  parents  came 
to  the  United  .States  in  1826  and  located  near  Lock- 
port,  N.  Y.,  where  they  remained  al)out  five  years,  and 
then  removed  to  Ravenna,  Ohio.  After  a  residence  of 
six  years  in  Ohio  they  came  to  Franklin  townshij), 
where  they  purchased  a  tract  of  Itifi  acres  of  the  Hol- 
lanil  Land  Com|)any.  This  was  when  the  county  was 
new,  and  they  were  obliged  to  clear  a  spot  upon  which 
to  build  a  log  house.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Mr. 
Brown's  parents  were  among  the  sturdy  pioneers  who 
converted  the  unbroken  wilderness  into  hapjiy  homes 
and  ])roductive  farms.  The  family  consisted  of  eight 
children:  Edward,  John,  Michael,  Catherine,  William, 
Hannah  (deceased),  .Ann  (deceased)  and  Richard  T. 
The  family  coming  to  Erie  in  18tiCi,  .Mr.  Brown  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  this  city.  At  an 
early  age  he  entered  the  otilice  of  the  Flrie  Gazette  to 
learn  the  (jrinter's  trade,  which  he  followed  about  ten 
years.  He  then  learned  the  machinist's  trade  with  the 
Bay  State  Iron  Works,  where  he  remained  four  years. 
In  1884  he.  in  jiartnership  with  C.  V.  and  J.  L.  Hirt, 
founded  what  is  known  as  the  Brown  Folding  Machine 
Company,  for  the  jiurpose  of  manufacturing  the  fold- 
ing machine  which  had  lieen  invented  an<i  patented 
by  Mr.  Brown.  Four  years  later  the  .Messrs.  Hirt 
sold  their  interest  to  Mr.  Wellington  Downing,  who  be- 
came sole  proprietor  January  1,  1894,  Mr.  Brown  becom- 
ing one  of  the  ])roprietors  of  the  Erie  City  Machinery 
Company.  This  concern  manufactures  a  new  and  im- 
proved folding  machine,  also  invented  by  Mr.  Brown, 
and  the  F>ie  mower.  They  also  do  a  general  jobbing 
and  machinery  re|)airing  business.  The  Erie  mower 
is  a  high  grade,  light-draft,  changeable-speed  ma- 
chine, which  is  fast  becoming  a  favorite  with  agricul- 
turists.    Mr.  Brown  was  married  Se|itember  12,  1880, 


CJ^ 


And  historical  reference  book  of  erie  couNTr. 


553 


to  Miss  Anna  J.,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Ellen  (Strain) 
Johnson,  residents  of  Westfield,  N.  Y.,  and  natives  of 
Scotland.  This  hajipy  uniim  has  been  blessed  with 
two  children,  Lee  Anna  and  Catherine  Maude.  Mr. 
Brown  is  a  fnurteenth  degree  Mascin,  a  member  of  the 
Knights  i)f  I'ytliias,  the  Elks  and  the  Royal  .Arcanum. 
In  national  issues  he  is  a  Demcicrat,  liul  in  Incal  and 
munici|jal  politics  he  thmws  aside  party  ties  and  is 
governed  only  by  what  he  thinks  is  f(ir  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  couuiiunity.  This  fair  and  unbiased  method 
of  treating  public  affairs  has  made  him  the  choice  of 
the  jieople  for  more  offices  than  he  has  been  able  to 
accept.  He  has,  however,  taken  time  from  his  active 
busine.ss  to  serve  his  city  two  years  as  a  meml)er  of 
the  common  and  six  years  as  a  member  of  the  Select 
Council  and  has  laithfully  tilled  the  position  of  presi- 
dent of  both  of  these  bodies. 

Bailey  P.  Nagle,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Boiler  Works,  Erie,  Pa„  was  born  in 
Buffalo,  X.  Y.,  September  14,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Mr. 
T.  M.  N'agle,  whose  sketch  appears  in  this  work.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  ])ublic  schools  of  Erie, 
Pa.,  and  Omaha,  Neb.,  and  the  Erie  high  school.  He 
was  em|iloyfd  in  his  father's  business,  and  has  held  his 
present  position  since  the  Pennsylvania  Boiler  Works 
(of  which  his  father  and  he  are  almost  sole  owners)  w-as 
incorporated  in  1890.  The  plant  is  located  on  Twelfth 
street,  east  of  East  avenue.  The  main  building  is 
600  by  140  feet,  besides  the  auxiliary  buildings.  The 
foundry,  built  in  1892,  is  250  liy  TO  feet.  The  capacity 
of  the  works  is  enormous.  .Nlr.  Xagle  was  married 
October  11,  1890,  to  Miss  Lillian  .Mallery,  of  Erie. 
They  have  two  children,  Lawrence  and  Douglas. 
Mr.  Xagle  is  not  an  active  politician,  but  is  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 

Daniel  McMahon,  attorney  at  law,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  at  Jackson  Station,  Erie  county,  January  10, 
1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  McMahon,  who  came  to 
America  from  Kilrush,  Ireland,  about  1851,  landing  in 
Quebec,  and  locating  in  Erie  about  two  years  later. 
The  family  consiste<i  of  six  children:  Bridget,  John, 
Daniel,  Patrick,  Catherine  .\.  and  Mary  F.  Daniel 
attended  the  primary  schools,  and  was  a  student  at 
the  academy  for  a  few  months,  uj)  to  the  age  of  12 
years,  when  he  engaged  in  the  merchant  marine 
service,  first  as  a  boy  on  a  sailing  vessel,  followed  by 
service  on  the  United  States  revenue  cutter  "  Commo- 
dore Perry  "  three  seasons,  and  then  on  the  United 
States  steamshii)  "Michigan"  two  years,  when  he 
again  entered  the  merchant  marine  service.  During 
this  time  he  had  been  a  careful  stu<lent,  and  having 
qualified  him.self,  passed  a  critical  examination  before 
the  L'nited  States  examining  board  at  Buffalo,  and  was 
licensed  as  a  pilot  for  the  lakes,  from  Ogdensburg  to 
Duluth.  In  1880  he  was  licensed  as  a  second  mate, 
and  was  employed  by  the  Goodrich  transportation 
Company  between  Milwaukee  and  Grand  Haven,  and 
later  became  mate.  In  1882  he  was  appointed  weigh- 
master  at  the  .Anchor  Line  dock,  Erie.  The  following 
year  he  acce]ited  a  position  as  bookkeeper  for  John  R. 
Cooney,  and  served  in  that  ca|iacity  until  December 
2,  188y,  when  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Pattison 
as  alderman  of  the  Fourth  ward,  and  unanimously 
confirmed  by  a  Republican  Senate.  .At  the  next 
election  he  was  elected  in  a  strongly  Republican 
ward,  his  plurality  over  his  leading  opponent,  a  veteran 
42 


attorney  with  a  war  record,  being  93.  Of  his  admin- 
istration as  sole  magistrate  in  the  ward,  it  can  be  .said 
that  ,so  fair  and  impartial  were  his  investigations  and 
decisions  that  not  a  jury  trial  was  ever  demanded.  He 
succeeded  in  settling  many  suits,  effecting  reconcilia- 
tions and  having  jirosecutions  withdrawn,  thereby 
saving  nuich  litigation.  During  this  time  he  was  an 
earnest  student  of  the  law,  studymg  under  the  pre- 
ceptorship  of  F.  F.  Marshall,  E.sq.,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  1896.  In  politics  Mr.  McMahon  is  a 
Democrat,  and  .served  as  secretary  of  the  Democratic 
city  committee  for  six  years.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage. May  (>,  1890,  to  Miss  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Margaret  (Kirk)  Leyer.  Her  father  was  a  native 
of  Germany  and  her  mother  of  Irish  parentage.  The 
union  has  been  blessetl  with  one  child,  .Agne.s.  .Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McMahon  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Catholic 
Benevolent  Society,  and  is  a  past  chancellor  of  that 
organization. 

Rev.   Peter   M.   Cauley,   pastor  of  St.  Patrick's 

pro-Catheilral  parish,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Rochester, 
X.  Y.,  December  18,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Catherine  (  McKenscy  I  Cauley.  His  ])arents  are  na- 
tives of  Irelanil,  but  came  to  this  country  before  mar- 
riage, which  took  place  in  Portage,  X.  Y.;  they  now 
reside  with  Father  Cauley.  .Mr.  Cauley  followed  the 
business  of  (piarryman,  but  in  1858  he  removed  to 
McKean  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, where  he  remained  until  1894,  when  he  came  to 
Erie.  The  family  consists  of  ten  children:  Terry 
(foreman  in  the  lumber  woods  for  Col.  Kane,  of  Mc- 
Kean county,  Pennsylvania);  Rev.  Peter  M.,  Winne- 
fred  and  Mary  A.  (twins),  the  former  now  Sister  Bet- 
nardetta,  of  .St.  Francis  Asylum,  Buffalo,  X.  Y.,  and 
the  latter  the  wife  of  Mr.  Daniel  Crowley,  of  Turtle 
Point,  Pa.,  and  the  mother  of  nine  children;  Rosa, 
Sister  Bernardine,  also  of  .St.  Francis  Asylum;  John, 
w'ho  is  engaged  in  farming  at  Turtle  Point;  Rev. 
Joseph  M.,  who  was  educated  at  St.  Bonaventure's 
College,  ordained  December  25,  1893,  and  is  now  as- 
sistant at  St.  Patrick's  parish;  Stephen,  a  student  in 
.St.  Bonaventure's  College;  Charles,  a  student  in  the 
Erie  Business  L'niversity,  and  Cassie,  a  pupil  in  \'illa 
Marie.  Father  Cauley  received  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  McKean  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  his  philosophy  and  theology  in  St.  Bonaventure's 
College,  where  he  matriculated  in  1879,  and  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1887.  He  w'as  ordained  in 
St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  E:rie,  July  24,  1887.  He  was 
then  assistant  at  Titusville,  Pa.,  and  Warren,  Pa.,  suc- 
cessively, remaining  in  each  place  three  months..  He 
was  next  located  at  t)il  City,  where  he  remained  one 
year.  After  a  few  weeks  passed  at  .Sartwell,  Pa.,  he 
was  placed  in  charge  of  a  mission  at  Conneautville, 
Pa.,  where  he  remained  four  and  one  half  years.  He 
then  ijassed  ten  weeks  at  East  Brady,  Pa.,  after  which 
he  came  to  Erie,  in  1894.  It  is  evident  that  Father 
Cauley  not  only  comes  of  a  religious  family,  but  his 
work  indicates  that  he  has  marvelous  organizing  talent 
that  linds  scope  in  his  latest  field  of  labor. 

Rev.  William  F.  Dwyer,  pastor  of  St.  .Amlrew's 
Church,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  New  London,  Conn., 
and  is  the  only  surviving  child  of  Michael  and  .Mary 
(Crosby)  Dwyer.  His  [)arents  are  both  natives  of  Ire- 
land, but  were  married  in  this  country.     In   his   early 


654 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


youth  the  family  removed  to  New  Haven,  and  it  was 
here  that  Father  Dwyer  received  his  early  education. 
He  niatriculalid  at  St.  Honaventure's  College,  Coiii- 
pletinf;  lii.s  philosnphy  in  1877,  and  his  theuloj^y  in 
1880,  and  cm  the  4tli  nf  July  of  tluit  year,  he  was  or- 
dained at  .St.  Patrick's  pro-Cathedral  by  Bishop  Mul- 
len. His  lir.st  appointment  was  as  assistant  at  the 
Cathedral,  where  he  remained  nine  and  one-half  years, 
except  about  three  months  spent  in  mission  work.  In 
1890  he  was  ai)pointed  to  his  ])resent  pa.storate,  suc- 
ceeding; the  Rev.  James  McCabe,  who  is  now  pastor  at 
Warren,  Pa.  Father  Uwyer's  mother  died  July  I!, 
18'J4,  and  was  buried  from  .St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  Pitts- 
burg, on  July  5.  His  father,  who  is  over  80  years  of 
aj;e,  resitles  with  him. 

James  F.  Love,  treasurer  of  Erie  county,  was  born 
in  West  Mill  Creek  township,  Erie  county,  Penn., 
December  18,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Rebecca  Jane  (Reed)  Love.  His  father,  born  in  Cecil 
county,  .Maryland,  May  l(i,  1798,  died  December  2'1, 
1880,  and  his  mother,  tiorn  in  West  Mill  Creek,  March 
11,  1803,  a  (huighter  of  ("leortje  Reed,  one  of  the  sturdy 
pioneers  of  Northwestern  Pennsylvania,  died  May  10, 
1891.  Mr.  Love's  great-grandfather,  Samuel  Love,  emi- 
grated from  Londonilerry,  Ireland,  in  1754,  and  located 
in  Cecil  county,  Maryland,  where  he  married  Rosanna 
Graham,  and  reared  a  large  family  of  sons  and 
daughters.  The  youngest  of  these,  James  (Mr.  Love's 
grandfather),  married  Rachel  Henderson,  by  whom 
he  had  five  children:  Samuel,  David  and  James,  born 
m  Maryland;  Mary  Ann,  born  in  McKean  township, 
and  Robert,  born  in  West  Mill  Creek,  whither  the 
family  removed  in  180t),  after  living  four  years  in  Mc- 
Kean town.ship.  Samuel  Love,  who  was  a  very  suc- 
cessful farmer,  and  who  also  for  several  years  ran  a 
sawmill  in  West  Mill  Creek,  reared  a  family  of  twelve 
children,  ten  of  whom  reached  maturity:  Jane,  Mrs. 
William  Cariienter,  West  Mill  Creek;  Mary  Ann,  first 
wife  of  Jackson  McCreary;  Martha,  Mrs.  Robert 
Davison,  East  Mill  Creek;  Sophia,  Mrs.  John  B. 
Evans,  West  Mill  Creek;  Samuel  T., deceased,  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  and  gristmiller,  of  West  Mill  Creek; 
R.  Josephine,  Mrs.  Jackson  McCreary,  Erie;  Rosanna, 
Mrs.  Wm.  M.  Brown,  We.st  Mill  Creek;  George  Wash- 
ington, ileceased,  farmer.  West  .Mill  Creek;  James  E., 
and  C.  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Conrad  B.  Evans,  East  Mill 
Creek.  Mr.  Love  received  his  education  in  the  public 
sch(x)ls  of  his  native  township,  and  in  early  manhood 
engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has  since  followed.  He 
now  occupies  the  old  homestead  farm,  and  is  a  thor- 
ough and  |)ractical  agriculturist.  He  was  married 
August  22,  1867,  to  Miss  Jeannette,  daughter  of 
Robert  G.  and  Rebeca  iDumars)  Dunn,  natives 
of  Erie  county,  and  of  Irish  ancestry.  This  union 
has  been  bles.sed  with  eleven  children,  nine  of 
whem  are  living  Miss  Jessie  R.  Love,  who  was 
graduated  from  the  Edintioro  State  Normal  School, 
taught  two  years  in  the  public  schools  of  Tidi- 
oute.  Pa.,  and  is  now  teaching  in  Warren,  Pa.; 
Mabel  A.,  who  married  George  Arthur  Reed,  M.  D.; 
Brice  Dunn,  Samuel  Robert,  George  Washington, 
Rosanna  Graham,  Emily  Jeannette,  Clara  and  Mary 
Ann.  Mr.  Love  and  family  worship  at  the  Westmin- 
ister Pre.sbyterian  Church  of  We.st  Mill  Creek,  of 
w-hich  they  are  generous  supporters.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  A.  O.  U.  W'.,  and  the  National  Union.  In  pol- 
itics Mr.  Love  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  has  ren- 


dered much  valuable  service  to  his  ])arty.  He  has 
served  Mill  Creek  township  as  tax  collectorand  school 
dire('t<ir  three  years  each,  and  was  nu-rcantile  appraiser 
in  ISn;!.  He  served  the  State  of  Pennsylv.inia  as  a 
subordinate  officer  in  the  .Senate,  session  of  IS'.ll,  :iud 
in  1892  was  elected  to  his  pH'sent  responsil)le  office. 
The  laithfulness  with  which  .Mr.  Love  has  |ier(ormed 
all  the  duties  pertaining  to  these  varions  positions  has 
won  for  him  universal  pul)lic   confidence  and   esteem. 

Oscar  J.  Fairbaira,  formerly  one  of  the  ]iroprie- 
tors  (if  the  Pennsylvania  Brass  Works,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Erii-,  May  28,  18(i7,  and  is  a  sou  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Hubbarill  Fairbairn,  the  former  a  native  of 
Newcastle,  luigland,and  the  latter  of  Connecticut.  Mr. 
(Jscar  Fairbairn  was  educated  in  Erie  .'\cademy.  Lnme- 
diately  after  leaving  school  he  went  to  Michigan  and 
entered  the  em])loy  of  the  Mantel  Furnace  Company, 
in  .Saint  Ignace,  Mich.  He  remained  there  three 
years,  after  which  he  went  to  Dunkirk,  N.  V.,  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Brooks  Locomotive  Company, 
where  he  remained  one  year,  when  he  returned  to 
F>ie,  and  for  three  years  was  superintendent  of  the 
Erie  Wheel  Foundry.  In  1893  he  engageil  in  busi- 
ness with  Mr.  J.  G.  C.  Sewell,  and  did  an  extensive 
business  under  the  partnership  name  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Brass  Company.  They  employed  thirty-five 
skilled  workmen  in  the  manufacturing  of  various  arti- 
cles of  brass,  principally  appertaining  to  steam 
machinery,  fixtures  for  engines,  l^oilers,  etc.  Among 
some  of  their  sjiecialties  which  are  well  known  in  the 
machine  world  are  their  compression  guage  cocks, 
steam  cocks,  lubricators,  water  gauges,  steam  whistles, 
etc.  Mr.  Fairbairn  removed  to  Stamford,  Conn.,  in 
May,  189,'j,  to  take  charge  of  one  of  the  departments  of 
the  BlickensderferManufacturing  Company's  Type- 
writer Works.  He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 

Anthony  Saltsman  Pintiey,  hardware  merchant, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Belle  \  alley,  (ireene  township, 
Erie  county,  March  28,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  Horace 
L.  and  .Sarah  (Saltsman)  Pinney.  His  father,  who  was 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  settled  in  Greene  township 
about  1840  and  engaged  in  farming.  Being  an  edu- 
cated man,  he  found  it  convenient  to  teach  school  dur- 
ing the  winter  months,  which  he  did  for  sixteen  win- 
ters; he  was  also  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  twenty-five 
years.  He  died  February  20,  1878,  at  the  age  of  88 
years.  Mrs.  Pinney,  before  her  marriage  with  Mr. 
Pinney,  was  the  widow  of  Samuel  1).  Shannon,  who 
died  in  March,  1892;  at  the  age  of  80  years.  Thefanuly 
consisted  of  six  chiklren:  .Sarah  F'.llen,  who  died  at  till- 
age of  8  years;  Elijah  H.  and  ."Xnthony  .S.  (twins),  the 
former  engaged  in  brokerage  and  real  estate  business, 
Case  City,  Mich.;  Alexander,  who  is  in  the  employ  of 
Anthony  .S.;  Miss  Rose  Pinney,  and  Catherine,  who 
married  W.  K.  Byson  (deceased),  of  Erie.  Mr.  .\.  S. 
Pinney  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools 
taught  by  his  f:ither,  and  later  attended  the  Belle  \al- 
ley  school  and  the  Erie  public  schools  and  Academy. 
After  completing  his  education  he  entered  the  hard- 
ware .store  of  McConkey  &:  .Shannon  as  clerk,  where 
he  remained  until  June,  1807,  when  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  a  branch  store  at  1528  Peach  street.  In  Jan- 
uary, 18f)9,  he  |)urchased  the  branch  store  and  con- 
tinued to  do  a  flourishing  business  at  that  stand  until 
February,  1898,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  loca- 


AND  HISTOBIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


655 


tion,  724  State  street.  Here  he  has  the  most  thor- 
(luiihly  stocked  and  e(|uijj|jed  hardware  store  in  Erie, 
and  does  both  a  wholesale  and  retail  business.  Besides 
liis  Erie  interests,  Mr.  Pinney  owns,  at  (Jrniond,  Fla., 
a  live-acre  orange  grove,  set  in  1S8S,  a  ten-acre  vine- 
yard, set  in  18itl,  and  a  two-and-one-half-acre  lemon 
grove,  set  in  1890.  Mr.  I'inney  was  married  March  4, 
18(;il,  to  Miss  Mary  K.,  daughter  of  Mr.  Allen  A. 
Morse  of  Erie,  whose  father  was  a  cousin  of  the  cele- 
brated inventor,  I'rof.  Samuel  ¥.  H.  Morse.  This 
happy  union  was  blesseil  with  one  child,  .Sarah  Ellen, 
who  was  married  June  4,  liH95,  to  Mr.  William  F.  H. 
Nick,  of  Erie.  Mr.  Pinnev  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  the  K.  of  P.,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  the  E.  A.  U.  In 
politics  he  has  always  been  a  staunch  Democrat. 

(ieorge  D.  Williams,  a  leading  retail  grocer  of 
Erie,  was  born  in  this  city  December  '29,  184(i,  and  is  a 
son  of  J.  B.  and  Abigail  (Bowers)  Williams,  natives  oi 
Albany,  N.  Y.  His  father  came  to  Erie  county  about 
\K\h  and  engaged  in  farming  in  Mill  Creek  township 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurrrd  in  1891. 
Mrs.  Williams  died  in  December,  188(5.  The  family 
consisted  of  nine  children,  four  of  whom  are  living: 
.Sylvester,  James,  George  D.  and  John.  Mr.  Williams 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie, 
and  at  the  age  of  Hi  secured  a  ])osition  in  the  grocery 
of  Rindernecht  (S;  Beckman.  Upon  the  succession  of 
Ml'.  Beckman  to  the  sole  ownership  of  the  business, 
he  remained  with  him,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
lirm  in  1883,  the  hrm  name  being  Beckman  &  Will- 
iams. This  |)artnership  was  dissolved  in  1888,  and 
Mr.  Williams  established  a  business  of  his  own  at  715 
-State  street,  whence  he  removed  to  his  present  place 
of  business  at  721  State  street  in  Ajiril,  1891.  He  has 
a  tinely  arranged  and  thoroughly  equipped  business, 
an<l  carries»)ne  of  the  choicest  lines  of  groceries  and 
pnjvisions  in  the  city.  Mr.  Williams  was  married 
December  28,  1871,  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Michael  and  Mary  E.  Henry,  of  Erie.  Mrs.  Williams 
died  P'ebruary  1,  1890,  leaving  two  daughters,  Eva  and 
Ruth.  Mr.  Williams  was  married  a  second  time 
August  28,  1898,  to  Miss  Cora,  daughter  of  Mr.  Kiefer 
Boothe,  of  Warren,  Pa.  The  family  attend  the  First 
Methodist  Church  of  Erie,  of  which  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Williams  are  members  and  generous  supporters.  He 
is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason,  a  Republican  politically, 
and  served  the  citv  as  a  member  ol  the  common  coun- 
cil from  1880  to  1888. 

James  P.  Hatiley,  treasurer  of  Erie  city,  was  born 
in  this  city  May  1,  1800,  and  is  a  .son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Lane)  Hanley,  natives  of  Cork  county,  Ireland.  His 
father  came  to  the  United  States  about  1850  and 
located  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  remained  about  live 
vears.  He  then  came  to  Erie  to  take  charge  of  the 
V.r'w  Gas  Works  and  continued  as  superintendent 
until  1884,  when  he  retired.  The  family  consisted  of 
lourteen  children:  Miss  Julia,  who  dieii  December  8, 
1898,  at  the  age  of  87  years;  Minnie,  Mns.  J.  J.  Bur- 
goyne,  of  Erie;  James  P.;  Catherine  E.,  Mrs.  John  T. 
Dillon,  of  Erie;  William,  who  at  the  age  of  4  was  acci- 
dentally kille.l;  Ro.se  W.,  Mrs.  D.  P.  McMahon,  of 
I'.llicotville,  N.  v.;  John  R.,  student  in  the  Chicago 
Dental  College;  Joseph  A.,  general  delivery  clerk  in 
the  Erie  |iostoffice;  Daniel  S.,  traveling  salesman  for 
the  Cleveland  Dental  Manufacturing  Company;  Ed- 
ward C,  Misses  Jennie  and  Nellie  (twins),  Agnes  V'., 


and  Clara.  Mr.  Hanley  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  the  National  Business  College  of^  Erie, 
graduating  from  the  lattter  in  1877.  He  soon  after  se- 
cured a  position  as  bookkeeper  in  the  office  of  .Mr.  P. 
F.  Miles,  then  operating  a  spice  mill  on  Seventh 
street  between  .State  and  Peach  streets,  which  he  held 
until  the  business  was  iliscontinued.  He  ne.xt  was  for 
one  year  in  the  employ  of  the  Burdett  Organ  Com- 
pany of  Erie,  three  years  in  the  employ  of  the  Erie 
Gas  Works,  one  year  with  the  W.  W .  Pierce  Hard- 
ware Company,  and  then  accepted  a  position  as  ticket 
agent  at  the  Union  depot,  remaining  there  from  May, 
1881,  until  October,  1887,  when  he  became  interested 
in  the  insurance  business.  In  1885  he  was  elected  as 
member  of  the  connnon  council,  being  the  only  suc- 
cessful canilidate  of  his  jiarty  in  that  election.  He 
was  re-elected  in  1886,  and  unanimously  chosen  as 
chairman  of  that  body.  At  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
friends  he  became  a  candidate  for  the  city  treasurer- 
ship  in  the  municipal  election  of  February,  1888.  He 
received  the  nomination,  and  was  elected,  and  was  re- 
elected in  1890,  with  a  majority  of  2,998  votes  over  two 
opponents,  the  largest  majority  ever  given  any  candi- 
date for  any  office  in  P2rie  city.  Mr.  Hanley  is  now 
serving  his  third  term  as  treasurer  of  Erie,  which  is 
sufficient  evidence  of  his  hold  on  popular  confidence. 
.Mr.  Hanley  is  possessed  of  a  rare  combination  of  indus- 
try, honesty  and  genial  sociability.  In  local  musical 
and  dramatic  circles  he  is  known  as  a  willing  and  tal- 
ented contributor  to  many  of  the  charitable  entertain- 
ments. He  has  also  sung  in  the  choirs  of  several 
churches  of  the  city.  Mr.  Hanley  was  married  Sep- 
tember 28,  1898,  to  Miss  Mabelle  Agnes  Barry,  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  T.  Barry,  of  Chicago.  Mr. 
Barry  is  secretary  of  the  Chicago  Newspaper  Union, 
and  president  of  the  Indiana  Mineral  Springs  Com- 
pany, located  in  W'arren  county,  Indiana.  i\Ir.  and 
Mrs.  Hanley  have  one  son,  John  Barry,  who  was  born 
January  11,  189.5.  They  are  devoted  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  of  which  they  are  generous  support- 
ers. Naturally  gifted  with  graceful  manners,  reared 
untier  the  refining  influences  of  a  model  home,  and 
given  all  the  advantages  of  a  modern  education,  Mrs. 
Hanley  is  a  highly  accomplished  lady,  and  a  talented 
vocalist.  .She  was  for  some  time  previous  to  her  mar- 
riage the  leading  soprano  in  one  of  the  prominent 
churches  of  Chicago,  and  was  a  great  favorite  in  the 
many  musical  events  in  which  she  took  part.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Hanley  is  a  staunch  Democrat,  and 
although  he  has  always  been  an  earnest  and  untiring 
worker  in  the  interests  of  the  party,  he  has  never 
jiracticed  the  unlawful  methods  usually  employed  by 
the  modern  ])olitician  in  the  generally  accepted  use  of 
the  term 

Heary  C.  Kelsey,  treasurer  of  the  Union  Ice 
Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  this  city  October  29, 
1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  H.  and  Mary  H.  (John- 
son) Kelsey,  natives  respectively  of  Oswego,  N.  Y., 
and  Philadelphia,  Pa.  Joseph  Kelsey,  the  father  of 
Samuel  H.  Kelsey,  removed  from  Oswego  to  Erie 
county,  when  the  latter  was  a  young  man,  and  located 
on  a  farm  in  Mill  Creek  township.  The  elder  Mr. 
Kelsey,  in  partnership  with  his  son-in-law,  Henry  Cad- 
well,  rented  a  store  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  French 
streets,  and  for  a  number  of  years  conducted  a  hard- 
ware and  tinning  business.  Mr.  Cadwell  afterwards 
built  the  large  store  which  still  stands  at  the  southeast 


656 


NELSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


corner  of  Fifth  and  State  streets,  where  he  did  a  very 
extensive  mercliandising  business.     Tlie  children   of 
Joseph  Kelsey  were:     Walter,  wlio  died  in  .Sacramento, 
Cal.;  Sylvester,  who  lives  near  Oswego,  N.  Y.;  Joseph, 
who   lives   in   Cleveland,   O.;    Hannah,  who   married 
Harry  Cadwell,  txith  of  whom  are  decea.-ed;  Louise, 
who  married  Daniel  Kly,  and  for  her  .second  husbantl 
Mr.  Crandell;  Samuel  H.  and   Elizabeth,  who  married 
Dr.  John   Trissler,  of  I'helps,  N.  ^■.,  and  for  her  second 
husband,  John  Eliot,  of  Erie.     .Samuel  H.  Kelsey  was 
for  a  few  years  engaged  with  the  hardware  lirm,  of 
which  liis  father  was  a  meml)er,  after  which  he  occu- 
pied a  [josition  in  the  postoffice  during  the  |)ostmaster- 
shipof  Robert  Cochran.     He  then  entered  the  employ 
of    Gen.  Charles  M.  Reed  as  clerk   on  a  lake   boat, 
commanded   by   Captain  J.  S.   Richar<ls.     After   two 
years  he  was  given  a  position  as  an  accountant  in  the 
office  at  the  docks,  in  which  caiiacity  he  remained  in 
the  employ  of  General  Reed  for  upwards  of  twenty 
years.     When  the  firm  of  Henry   Rawie  S:   Co.   suc- 
ceeded to  the  control  of   Gen.  Reed's  business,  Mr. 
Kelsey  retained  his  old  position  im<ler  the  new  man- 
agement until  the  dissolution  of  that  company.     Asso- 
sociated  with  his  son,  Henry  C,  he,  in  18(i(i,  established 
the  Erie  Ice  Comjiany,  and  placed  his  son  in  its  man- 
agement.    Mr.  Kelsey  died  August  14,  181('2,  at  the  age 
of  75  years.     The  family  consisted  of   two  children: 
Margaret,  Mrs.  Henry   Shannon,  of  Erie,  and   Henry 
C.  Kelsey.     The  last-named  gentleman  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  and  when  but 
16  years  of  age  went  to  Canada,  where  he  passed  two 
years  in  various  jiositions  in  the  oil  fields.     In  1862  he 
returned  to  Erie  and  entered  the  employ  of  Henry 
RawIe  &  Co.,  where  he  remained  four  years.     The  ice 
business,  which   his   father  estalilished,   was   the   first 
thoroughly-ei|uippi-d   institution   of    that    kind    m    the 
city,  and  was  the  nucleus  of  what  is  now  the  Union  Ice 
Compiany.     Under  his  able  management  the  business 
grew  rapidly  and  enjoyed  great  prosperity  during  its 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  successful  operation. 
The  iiresent  company  was  organized  in  1890,  being  made 
up   from   the    Erie    Ice  Company   and   the   John    R. 
Cooney  Ice  Company.     The  People's   Ice  Company, 
which  was  established  in  1892,  was  added  to  the  Union 
Ice  Company  in  1898.     The  members  of  the  present 
company  are  H.C.  Kelsey,  J.  R.  Cooney,  C.  M.  Kriggs 
and  E.  D.  Carter.     These  gentlemen  have  each  a  thor- 
ough personal  knowledge  of  the  ice  business,  and  with 
united  interests  they  make  a  combination  highly  worthy 
of   the  lirilliant  success  which  it  has  attained.     The 
plants  of  the  company,  which  are  e()uipped  with  the 
most  modern  and  improved  machinery  and  facilities, 
are  located  at  the  foot  of  Cascade,  Chestnut,  Sassafras 
and  State  streets,  and  the  general  office  at  No.  9  East 
Seventh  street.     About  40,U00  tons  of  ice  are  handled 
annually,  and  every  effort  is  ma<le  to  su])ijly  patrons 
with  the  best  quality  obtainable.     Mr.  Kelsey  was  mar- 
ried  September  8,   1868,  to  Miss   Laura  H.  Johnson, 
of  Erie.     This  haiijiy  union  was  blessed  with  two  chil- 
dren. Margaret  Shannon,  widow   of   the   late    Harry 
Saltsman.of  Erie, and  .Mi.ss  Blanche  Elizabeth  Kelsey. 
Mr.  Kelsey  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason,  a  member  of 
the  Mystic  .Shrine,  and  is  alsoa  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Honor.     In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  staunch 
Democrat,  but  the  numerous  cares  of  his  active  busi- 
ness life,  together  with  a  distaste  for  political  notoriety, 
has  prevented  him  from   seeking  or  acce]>ting  ]iuf)lic 
office. 


Christiati  Kessler.  grocer  and  wholesale  liquor 
dealer,  Erie  city.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  on  Novem- 
ber 21,  1842,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Hack- 
tish)  Kessler.  His  mother  died  in  (k-rmany  in  18.')2. 
His  father,  who  was  a  ipiarryman  by  occuiiation,  on 
coming  to  .America  m  1857,  located  first  in  (irecne 
township,  this  county,  and  later  in  Iowa,  where  he  died 
in  18()9.  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Kessler  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  children,  of  whom  Christi:m  was  tlu-  young- 
est. He  went  to  .school  in  Bavaria  until  he  was  14. 
The  only  English  education  he  received  was  iluring  a 
period  of  between  three  and  four  months  in  the  ]iul)lic 
schools  of  Greene  township.  He  came  to  Erie  in  18.'')9, 
without  a  cent  in  his  ])ocket,  and  served  as  clerk  in  ;i 
grocery  .store  for  six  years.  In  February,  186.'i,  he  en-  ■ 
gaged  in  the  grocery  business  for  himself  at  408  .State 
street,  and  afterward  changed  to  the  northeast  corner  of 
.State  and  Fourth  streets,  where  lie  has  remained  ever 
since.  Mr.  Kessler  was  nuirried  in  1868  to  .Miss  Helen 
Bloeser,  of  Erie  city,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children, 
of  whom  seven  are  living,  viz.:  Elizabeth  (wife  of  John 
Kolb),  Helen  D.,  Annie  K.,  Mary  J.,  Clara  L.,  Christian 
H.  and  Florence  E.  Part  of  the  family  attend  the 
Central  Presbyterian  and  the  balance  the  German  St. 
Paul's  Evangelical  Church.  Mrs.  Kessler  died  on  May 
4,  1883,  res])ected  and  mourned  by  all  who  knew  her. 
Mr.  Kessler  is  deservedly  regarded  as  one  of  Erie's 
most  prosperous,  influential  and  enterprising  citizens. 
He  was  a  meml)er  of  the  common  council  from  A)>ril, 
1878,  to  1875;  of  the  license  board  from  April,  1875,  to 
Ajjril,  1876;  of  the  select  council  from  A|)ril,  1876,  to 
April,  1878,  and  from  April,  1880,  to  April,  1882;  of  the 
Board  of  Water  Connnissioners  from  May,  1886,  to 
■May,  1892;  and  is  one  of  the  incorjiorators  of  the 
Hamot  Hospital.  Politically  he  has  long  been  an 
active  and  leading  Democrat.  In  local  affairs,  how- 
ever, he  refuses  to  be  bound  by  ]iarty  ties,  and  suj)- 
ports  the  men  he  believes  to  be  most  fit  and  worthy. 
Mr.  Kessler  is  one  of  Erie's  largest  jiroperty  owners. 
He  owns  the  ]jremises  and  built  or  materially  imjiroved 
the  structure  at  Nos.  401,  402,  408,  404,406,408,410, 
780,1118  and  1120,  State  .street,  besides  being  inter- 
ested in  a  number  of  important  enterprises.  To  Mr. 
Kessler  is  largely  due  the  inception  and  ultimate 
erection  of  the  People's  market  house,  which  has  no 
superior  for  its  ]jurpose  in  the  country.  He  secvired 
most  of  the  subscri]itions  to  the  stock  of  the  market 
company  and  superintended  the  work  on  and  about 
the  building  from  its  start  to  its  comjiletion. 

Charles  F.  Miller,  grocer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Erie  December  18,  18.")7,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  F.  and 
■Vugusta  ( Heilinstadt)  Miller,  natives  ot  (lermany. 
His  father,  a  miller  by  trade,  reared  a  family  of  five 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living:  Charles  F.;(}ustof 
J.,  druggist,  Erie,  and  Misses  Emma  and  Etta  .Miller. 
Mr.  Miller  was  educated  in  the  ]niblic  schools  of  Erie, 
and  then  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  which  he 
has  since  followed.  He  was  employed  successively  l)y 
Burton  &  Williams  seven  years,  M.  Hartleib  one  year, 
Jacob  Fritz  four  years,  Jacob  .Minnig  two  years,  J.  S. 
Town  seven  years,  and  on  May  1,  1889,  he  established 
.1  business  of  his  own  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Eighth 
and  Myrtle  streets,  where  he  has  since  remained.  Mr. 
Miller  was  schooled  in  the  business  by  the  best 
grocers  in  the  city  and  is  thoroughly  conversant  with 
all  the  details.  He  carries  a  full  line  of  fine  groceries 
and  also  handles  meat.     Mr.  Miller  was  married  Sep- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


657 


tember  25,  1884,  to  Miss  Caroline  Heyer,  of  Conneaut, 
O.  He  has  one  child,  William  H.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Miller  attend  the  German  Lutheran  Church;  he  is  a 
Knight  Temiilar  Mason,  and  polilically  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

Alexander  B.  Aitkin,  contractor  and  builder, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  .Airdrie,  Lanarkshire,  Scotland, 
May  l-'),  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  .-Vnna  Kelle 
(Baird)  Aitkin.  The  family,  with  the  exception  of  the 
father  (who  died  in  Scotlandi,  came  to  .America  in 
1857,  and  located  in  Toronto,  Canada.  Mr.  .Aitkin 
learned  carpentering  in  .Scotland,  which  he  followed 
in  his  adopted  country.  In  1863  lie  went  to  Chicago, 
where,  in  18H9,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Burdett 
Organ  Com[)any.  In  less  than  two  years  he  was  given 
charge  of  the  bellows  and  action  department.  \Vhen 
the  factory  was  removed  to  Erie,  in  1872,  he  came 
with  it,  and  remained  in  the  employ  of  the  company 
until  1885,  when  he  engaged  in  his  present  business. 
He  devotes  his  attention  chiefly  to  contract  work  in 
and  about  Erie.  He  has  occupied  his  present  resi- 
dence for  twenty  years,  and  owns  several  other  houses 
in  that  ])ortion  of  the  city.  Mr.  Aitkin  was  married 
November  22,  1866,  to  Miss  Jane  McGregor,  of  Chi- 
cago, a  native  of  Scotland,  and  a  daughter  of  Xevin 
McGregor.  Six  bright  children  compose  the  family, 
viz.;  Margaret  J.  (bookkeeper  for  Halleck  &  Duncan, 
of  Chicago);  Anna  Belle  (who  married  Hugh  McLean, 
formerly  of  Erie,  but  now  of  Dakota);  Helen  M.  (who 
married  Mr.  Earnest  .St.  John,  t)f  Erie);  Alexander  X. 
(a  carpenter  by  trade,  working  with  his  father);  Misses 
Agnes  D.,  Daisy  May  and  William  J.  Mr.  .Aitkin  and 
family  worship  at  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which 
they  are  members.  He  is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Encampment,  and  a 
Republican  politically.  In  February  of  1805,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  common  council  of  Erie. 

Daniel  W.  Nicholson,  contractor  and  builder, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Cape  Breton,  Canada,  March 
21,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Margaret  (Mun- 
roe)  Nicholson,  natives  of  Scotland.  His  parents 
were  married  in  Canada,  where  his  father  engaged  in 
farming  and  fishing,  and  reared  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, seven  of  whom  are  living,  and  of  whom  Daniel 
is  the  fourth.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Canada,  and  at  the  age  fif  14  years  went  to 
sea.  When  about  18  years  old  he  was  given  charge 
of  a  vessel,  and  his  first  trip  to  Newfoundland  was 
the  quickest  ever  made  up  to  that  time.  .After  spend- 
ing three  years  in  the  West  Indies  he  returned  to  New 
York,  and  in  A])ril,  1863,  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  11th  C.  V. 
After  three  months'  service,  in  the  fall  of  1864,  his 
health  failed  while  plying  on  the  James  river,  and  he 
was  discharged.  He  then  made  another  trip  to  the 
West  Indies,  but  upon  his  return  to  New  York,  in 
April,  1865,  he  was  taken  seriously  ill,  and  his  physi- 
cian advised  him  to  take  a  trip  inland.  He  went  to 
Jame.stown,  N.  Y.,  where  he  became  a  bricklayer,  and 
where  he  remained  three  years;  he  continuetl  on  with 
his  Jamestown  employer  two  years  longer  at  Warren, 
Pa.  In  1871  he  went  to  Chicago  and  remained  two 
years,  most  of  which  time  he  was  engaged  in  con- 
tracting, which  he  has  continued  since  coming  to  Erie 
in  1873.  He  built  a  cottage  on  the  site  of  his  present 
home,  in  1881,  antl  his  comfortable  and  spacious  resi- 
dence in  1891.     Mr.  Nicholson  was  married  March  16, 


1870,  to  Miss  Anna,  daughter  of  Mr.  Dennis  Collins, 
of  Erie.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  was  six  children: 
Misses  Maud  E.,  Anna  M.,  Raymond  D.  (who  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Erie  Business  University),  Malcom  H., 
Allen  M.  and  Mary  J.  Mr.  Nicholson  and  family  wor- 
ship at  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he 
is  a  member;  he  is  a  member  of  the  \.  O.  U.  W.,  and 
usually  aftiliates  with  the  Democratic  party. 

Charles  Noble  Hathaway,  contractor  and  builder, 

Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  September  18,  18:35,  and  is 
a  son  of  Daniel  and  Amy  (Noble)  Hathaway,  natives 
of  New  York.  His  father,  who  was  a  boat  builder, 
came  to  Erie  about  1830.  The  family  consisted  of 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living:  Edward  B. 
(carpenter,  Erie),  Mary  (Mrs.  Samuel  Cummings,  of 
Erie),  Jane  (Mrs.  William  Yager,  of  Waukegan,  111.), 
Charles  N.  and  Sarah  (Mrs.  Levi  P.  Hurd,  of  Erie). 
Mr.  Hathaway  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Erie,  and  when  about  16  years  old  learned  the  mason's 
trade,  which  he  has  since  followed.  He  began  con- 
tracting in  1861.  Most  of  his  business  is  in  and  about 
Erie;  but  he  also  does  out-of-town  work.  He  built  the 
court  house  at  Warren,  Pa.;  the  Delamater  Block, 
Budd  House  and  Hulings  Hall,  Meadville,  Pa.,  and  in 
Erie  there  are  such  monuments  of  his  work  as  the  No- 
ble Block,  the  Keystone  Bank  building.  Reed  House, 
.Marine  Hospital,  German  Baptist  Church,  the  Sands 
&  Son's  building,  the  county  house  and  the  Downing 
Block.  He  built  his  own  elegant  residence,  at  319 
West  Eighth  street,  in  1891-2.  .Mr.  Hathaway  was 
married  \lay  16,  1861,  to  Miss  Sarah  -Shank,  daughter 
of  Mr.  William  Shank,  of  Erie,  by  whom  he  had  eleven 
children:  Carrie  (who  married  William  Herchurt, 
manager  of  the  Western  Union  telegraph  office  at  Sal- 
amanca, N.  Y.),  Lizzie  (who  married  H.  C.  Barlow, 
freight  claim  agent  of  the  Erie  R.  R.,  with  headquar- 
ters in  New  York  city),  William  .\1.  (who  is  foreman  for 
his  father),  Frederick  D.  (also  engaged  with  his  father), 
Charles  N.  (who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years),  Jessie, 
Mary  Belle,  Harriett  Gertrude,  George  Noble,  Joseph 
Pressly  and  Frank  Ross  (twins) — the  latter  dying  at 
the  age  of  3  yeans.  Mr.  Hathaway  is  a  Master  Mason, 
and  politically  is  a  staunch  Democrat. 

Edward  D.  Carter,  president  of  the   Erie  Fish 

Association  and  of  the  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers' 
Electric  Light  Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  \vas  born  in  Mill 
Creek  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  January  31,  18.i3, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Anna  (Heidlebach)  Carter. 
His  father  was  born  in  England  and  came  to  the 
United  States  about  1835,  settling  on  a  farm  in  Mill 
Creek  township,  where  he  is  still  extensively  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  family  consists  of  six 
children:  Mary  (Mrs.  William  Hardwick,  of  Erie), 
George  W.  (dealer  in  boots  and  shoes,  Erie),  Edwani 
D.,  Alfred  (who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  L'nion  Ice 
Company),  John  L.  (who  is  engaged  in  farming)  and 
Luella  (  Sirs.  Bacon,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.)  .Mr.  Carter 
w-as  educated  in  the  public  schools,  the  Edinboro 
Normal  school  and  the  Iron  City  Commercial  College 
of  Pittsburg.  After  leaving  schiHil  he  secured  a 
position  in  a  large  furniture  house  in  Pittsburg,  where 
he  remained  two  years.  He  then  came  to  Erie  and, 
in  comjiany  with  his  brother  George,  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business,  which  he  followed  five  years.  In 
May,  1876,  he  went  into  the  tish  business,  which  he 
has  since  followed,  and  uiion  the  organization  of  the 


658 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Erie  Fish  Association,  in  1893,  was  chosen  its  presi- 
dent. This  concern  employs  about  3(X)  men,  operates 
thirty  fish  boats  and  liandles  alxiiit  H,0(MI  tons  of  fish  a 
year.  It  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  marketing  of 
this  large  natural  product  is  a  great  benefit  to  the  city, 
as  it  brings  in  from  the  surrounding  country  several 
hundred  thousan<i  dollars  per  annum.  Mr.  Carter 
was  married  October  10,  1873,  to  Miss  Clara,  daughter 
of  Mr.  John  Robinson,  of  Erie.  The  issue  of  this 
marriage  is  two  children.  Miss  Maud  and  Carl  Carter. 
Mr.  Carter  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
of  the  Royal  Arcanum.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Select 
Council  of  Erie. 

Charles  C.  Colby,  late  president  of  the  Colby 
Piano  Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  who  died  April  8,  189.5,  was 
born  in  Bradford,  \'t.,  and  was  a  son  of  John  and 
Hannah  (Rowel)  Colby,  his  maternal  grandmother 
being  a  direct  de.scendant  of  Israel  Putnam,  of  I^unker 
Hill  fame.  When  Mr.  Colby  was  (juite  young  his 
father,  who  was  a  millwright,  removed  to  Sjiringfield, 
Pa.,  where  he  remained  for  several  years  and  then 
went  to  Albert  Lea,  Minn.  This  city  was  surveyed  and 
laid  out  by  Mr.  Colby  in  18.56;  it  is  now  the  third  city 
in  size  and  importance  in  the  State.  Of  the  five  chil- 
dren which  reached  maturity  Charles  C.  was  the 
eldest.  He  was  educated  in  the  iniblic  schools  and 
academy  of  Springfield,  Pa.,  early  manifesting  an  iii- 
tere.^it  in  matters  pertaining  to  music  and  musical  in- 
struments. When  a  boy  he  was  a  .skillfull  performer 
upon  the  violin.  He  followed  school  teaching  for  sev- 
eral years,  the  last  three  years  in  the  mathematical 
department  of  the  Chicago  public  schools.  He  then 
went  to  Minnesota,  where  he  engaged  in  surveying, 
which  he  followed  for  twelve  years.  Removing  to 
Carthage,  Mo.,  he  engaged  in  the  sale  of  pianos  and 
other  musical  instruments.  He  made  the  trip  to 
Missouri  with  two  wagons  that  were  built  to  order,  one 
of  which  carried  a  piano.  He  was  accompanied  by 
his  8-year-old  daughter,  Clara  E.  (now  Mrs.  W.  M. 
Thorns),  who  has  since  become  famous  as  a  piano 
artist.  On  one  side  the  canvas  top  of  the  wagon  con- 
taining the  piano  could  be  withdrawn,  exposing  the 
piano,  and  thus,  with  Clara  at  the  jjiano  and  Mr.  Colby- 
playing  the  violin,  they  gave  concerts  wherever  they 
stopped  at  night.  After  remaining  in  Carthage  for  six 
years,  Mr.  Colby  took  up  his  residence  in  \ienna  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  his  daughter  an  opportunity  of 
acquiring  a  classical  education  in  music  and  the  lan- 
guages, for  which  she  possessed  much  natural  talent. 
He  remained  abroad  five  years,  during  which  time  he 
visited  his  native  country  twice,  and  then  returned  to 
New  York  city,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
iif  pianos.  Mr.  Colby  made  several  valuable  improve- 
ments in  pianos,  the  most  important  of  which  was  his 
improved  method  of  stringing.  Finding  that  he  could 
manufacture  cheaper  in  Erie  than  in  New  N'ork,  he 
removed  his  business  to  Erie  in  1888.  The  pre.sent 
plant  covers  a  space  of  over  three  acres  of  ground  and 
has  a  capacity  of  100  pianos  a  week.  It  is  one  of  the 
largest  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  and  is 
without  doubt  one  of  the  best  organized  and  equipped. 
Mr.  Colby  was  the  president  of  the  company  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  and  his  son,  C.  C.  Colby,  jr., 
superintendent  of  the  factories;  W.  J.  McCarter,  secre- 
tary, and  J.  E.  Patterson,  treasurer.  In  addition  to 
the  officers,   Mr.  W.  L.  Darling,  of  Corry,  Pa.,  is  a 


director.  The  salesrooms  are  located  at  1222  State 
street.  In  the  second  story  of  the  building  is  a  con- 
servatory of  music  which  has  .'i,50  pupil.s.  The  third 
story  IS  occupied  by  "  Colby  Hall,"  where  every  sea- 
son recitals  are  given  by  the  leading  artists  of  the 
country.  The  hall  is  also  used  for  musical  entertain- 
ments by  the  pupils  of  the  conservatory.  Mrs.  Colby, 
the  wife  of  C.  C.  Colby,  is  (|uite  a  noted  artist 
having  studied  several  years  at  the  academy  in 
New  York  city.  She  is  of  French  parentage,  althdugh 
born  in  the  United  .States.  She  has  been  an  extensive 
traveler  and  spent  four  years  in  the  city  of  \'ienna, 
Austria.  Mr.  Colby  had  four  children:  Clara  K.(who 
marrietl  Mr.  William  Thorns,  publisher  and  proprietor 
of  the  American  Art  Journal  of  New  York),  Charles  C. 
(who  married  Miss  Certrude  .Sturgeon,  a  talented 
young  pianist  of  F'rie),  .Margaret  (who  married  Mr. 
Hayes  Russell,  of  Erie),  and  .Miss  Pearl  L.  Colby  (who 
will  graduate  from  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann 
Arbor  in  189.5). 

John  J.  Burgoytie,  liveryman,  Erie,  was  born 
in  Harbor  Creek  township,  Erie  county,  January  2(i, 
18.5.S,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Rosa  Ann  (Duggan) 
Burgoyne,  natives  of  county  Donegal,  Ireland.  His 
father  came  to  .\merica  and  locate<I  on  a  farm  in  Har- 
bor Creek  townshi])  as  early  as  1844;  he  died  .August 
1.5.  1888.  Mrs.  Burgoyne  now  lives  on  East  Sixth 
street,  Erie.  The  family  consisted  of  nine  children, 
two  of  whom  are  living:  Miss  Susan  Burgoyne  and 
John  J.,  who  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and 
followed  the  business  of  farming  until  the  spring  of 
1884,  when  he  .secured  a  position  as  mail  carrier  in 
Erie.  He  held  this  position  for  six  years  and  three 
months,  when  he  resigned,  having  a  short  time  jire- 
viously  made  arrangements  to  engage  in  his  present 
business.  His  stable,  located  at  701  French  street,  is 
one  of  the  most  convenient  and  best  regulated  in  the 
city.  He  resides  at  the  corner  of  .Sixth  and  Wallace 
streets.  Mr.  Burgoyne  was  married  November  4, 1880, 
to  Miss  Minnie  Hanley,  sister  of  City  Treasurer  Han- 
ley,  and  has  six  children,  viz.:  Sarah  F.,  James  and 
.Agnes  (twins),  .Susan,  Leo  and  John.  Mr.  Burgoyne 
and  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Po- 
litically he  has  always  been  a  Democrat. 

David  Schlosser,  lumber  manufacturer  and 
dealer,  Erie.  I'a.,  was  born  in  Mayence,  C.erniany,  De- 
cember 25,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Barbara 
(Kapp)  Schlosser.  His  father,  who  was  a  butcher  and 
cattle  dealer,  reared  a  family  of  five  children,  of  whom 
David  is  the  second.  He  was  educated  in  Mayence,  and 
for  some  years  assisted  his  father;  he  also  butchered  as 
well  as  dealt  in  cattle  on  his  own  account.  In  lS(i.5 
he  came  to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Erie,  where 
he  followed  peddling  for  two  year.s.  He  then  went  to 
Spring  Creek,  Warren  county.  Pa.,  where  he  opened  a 
small  store,  and  later  engaged  in  lumbering.  In  1S7;{ 
he  returned  to  Erie  and  started  a  planing-mill  in  the 
old  woolen-mill,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  .Sixteenth 
and  State  streets,  where  he  remained  a  year  and  a  half. 
He  then  purcha.sed  a  lot  and  built  a  mill  on  ground 
leased  of  the  Lake  .Shore  R.  R.,  on  Fourteenth  street, 
between  French  and  Holland,  where  he  remained  until 
1891,  when  he  built  his  present  mill  at  Fifteenth  and 
Sassafras  streets.  The  plant  covers  four  acres  and  the 
power  of  the  mill  is  sixty-horse.  The  jiroducts  include 
all  kinds  of  wooden  material  for  building  purposes. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


659 


Mr.  Schlosser  was  married  November  18,  1869,  to  Miss 
Hannah  Davis,  (iaus;hter  of  Mr.  Henry  D.  Davis,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, ( )liiii,  l)y  wlioni  he  had  two  children,  Harry 
(who  is  employed  in  liis  father's  office),  and  Benjamin 
(who  is  a  student  in  Eastman  Business  College).  Mr. 
Schlosser  and  family  worship  at  the   Hebrew  Syna- 

fogue.  He  is  a  Master  Mason  and  a  member  of  the 
.  O.  O.  F.,  the  A.  O.  U.  \V.  and  the  Sons  of  Benjamin. 
He  is  independent  in  politics  and  has  served  the  city 
as  a  member  of  the  common  council  two  terms;  this 
was  during  the  erection  of  the  City  Hall,  and  he  was 
chosen  chairman  of  the  finance  committee. 

William  H.  Hill,  superintendent  of  the  Erie  Gas 
Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Manchester,  England, 
September  15,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Eliza 
(Davis)  Hill.  His  father  came  witli  the  family  to 
America  in  185'2,  and  located  in  Buffalo,  where  he  has 
since  been  in  the  employ  of  the  I5uffalo  Gas  Light 
Compan  V,  for  whom  he  has  acted  as  foreman  for  the  past 
twenty-five  years.  The  family  consisted  of  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  William  is  the  only  survivor.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Buffalo,  and  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years  began  an  apprenticeship  with 
David  Bell,  of  Buffalo,  to  learn  the  machinist  trade, 
which  he  followed  for  six  years.  He  then  secured  a 
position  as  engineer  on  the  lakes,  which  he  followed 
two  years,  after  which  he  accepted  the  superintendency 
of  Pratt  &  Co.'s  rolling-mill,  Buffalo,  where  he  remained 
three  years.  He  next  entered  the  employ  of  the  Buf- 
falo fire  department,  where  he  continued  ten  years, 
being  master  mechanic  for  the  last  eight  years  of  that 
time.  In  1884  he  came  to  Erie  to  accept  his  present 
position.  Mr.  Hill  built,  owns  and  manages  the  tugs 
W.  L.  Scott  and  Erie.  He  was  married  December  12, 
1869,  to  Miss  Matilda,  daughter  of  Mr.  David  Byers, 
of  Buffalo,  by  whom  he  has  four  children:  William  J. 
(who  is  a  gas  fitter  in  the  employ  of  the  Erie  Gas  Com- 
pany), Robert  D.  (engineer  of  the  tug  Erie),  Etta  M. 
and  Frederick  Charles.  Mr.  Hill  and  family  worship 
at  St.  Paul's  Episco]ial  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  mem- 
ber. He  is  a  Cha])ter  Mason  and  a  member  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  Elks.  He  is  a  Democrat  po- 
litically, and  was  appointed  fire  commissioner  of 
Erie  in  1888,  serving  till  1894. 

Christian  Michael  Jacobsoa  was  born  Septem- 
ber 28,  1843,  near  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  received  a 
meagre  schooling,  and  was  early  apprenticed  to  learn 
the  trade  of  blacksmith,  serving  the  full  term  of  five 
years.  In  1866  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and 
found  eni])loyment  in  a  carriage  works  at  Jamestown, 
N.  Y.  Shortly  thereafter  he  went  to  Fredonia  and  was 
employed  at  that  place  or  in  the  vicinity  for  sixteen 
years  in  carriage  making.  Later  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Henry  Totnian,  for  the  manufacture  and  re- 
pair of  carriages  and  vehicles  at  Meadville,  Pa.  In 
February,  1893,  the  firm,  Totnian  &  Jacobson,  removed 
to  its  present  location.  Twelfth  and  French  streets, 
Erie,  Pa.  Mr.  Jacobson  was  married  October  17, 1873, 
to  Emma,  daughter  of  .•Andrew  Johnson,  a  farmer  of 
Chautauqua  county.  New  York.  Mrs.  Jacobson  died 
on  F'ebruary  7,  1893,  leaving  two  children,  Emma  and 
Oscar.  The  family  reside  at  1225  French  street,  and 
are  members  of  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church. 

Horace  Newell  Thayer,  manufacturer,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Burke,  Franklin  county,  N.  Y.,  November 


2,  1864.  He  is  a  son  of  Jason  P.  and  Elizabeth  A. 
Thayer,  natives  of  New  England,  and  of  English  de- 
scent. Jason  P.  Thayer  was  and  is  a  farmer  of  Frank- 
lin county.  New  York,  and  his  son,  Horace,  received 
only  the  meagre  education  attainable  in  the  winter 
sessions  of  a  country  school.  From  his  twelfth  year 
he  assisted  his  father  and  neighboring  farmers,  and 
continued  to  be  so  employed  until  1871,  when  he  went 
to  Massachusetts,  where  he  found  employment  as 
ferryman,  having  charge  of  the  boat  at  Smith's  Ferry, 
on  the  Connecticut  river,  between  Holyoke  and 
Northampton.  This  position  he  held  for  one  year. 
On  December  10,  1872,  he  located  in  Erie,  and  was  for 
three  years  in  the  employ  of  J.  F.  Downing.  In  1876, 
at  his  earnest  solicitation,  he  was  given  a  place  in  the 
Erie  chair  factory  (owned  by  Mr.  Downing),  and 
shortly  thereafter  was  made  foreman  of  that  estab- 
lishment. In  1878,  the  business  of  manufacturing 
children's  carriages  was  added,  and  the  concern  was 
known  as  the  Downing  Carriage  Company.  The  fol- 
lowing year  Mr.  Downing's  interest  was  [lurchased  by 
H.  N.  'Thayer  and  C.  F.  Bostwick,  who  conducted  the 
business  until  1886,  when  Mr.  Thayer  purchased  his 
partner's  interest,  and  took  his  brother,  Henry  N. 
Thayer  into  the  concern.  This  partnership  continued 
until  1890,  when  a  stock  company  was  formed  by 
Messrs.  J.  F.  Downing,  Wellington  Downing,  George 
Talcott,  William  Town  and  Henry  \.  and  Horace  N. 
Thayer,  which  company  continued  the  business  until 
April  1,  1892,  when  the  old  plant  was  utterly  destroyed 
by  fire.  While  the  conflagration  was  at  its  height,  Mr. 
Horace  N.  Thayer  undertook  to  lead  the  firemen  into 
a  more  advantageous  position  in  their  fight  with  the 
flames,  and  in  so  doing  received  the  brunt  of  an  explo- 
sion that  very  nearly  cost  him  his  life.  Within  two 
months,  however,  he  had  sufficiently  recovered  to  un- 
dertake the  restoration  of  the  manufacturing  plant; 
new  buildings  were  erected  on  the  old  site  (East 
Eighteenth,  between  German  and  Holland  streets), 
new  and  improved  machinery  was  put  in,  and  by  No- 
vember 10  of  the  same  year  business  was  resumed  by 
the  present  firm  of  H.  N.  Thayer  &  Co.,  composed  of 
Horace  N.  Thayer  and  John  A.  Lang.  The  firm  man- 
ufactures children's  carriages,  express  wagons  and 
carriage  hardware.  The  steel  wheel  and  rubber  tire 
used  in  the  firm's  manufactures  are  the  inventions  and 
patents  of  Mr.  H.  N.  Thayer.  Mr.  Thayer  was  mar- 
ried in  .April,  1879,  to  Julia  R.,  daughter  of  William 
Rowe,  an  organ  builder  of  Bristol,  England,  then  en- 
gaged in  the  same  business  in  this  city.  Of  five  chil- 
dren born  of  this  marriage  but  two,  Clarence  and  Ro- 
land, survive.  Mrs.  Thayer  died  February  26,  1894. 
Mr.  Thayer  was  again  married  July  9,  189o,  to  Ren? 
E.,  daughter  of  Fayette  Langdon,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  apiarist  of  Franklin  county.  New  York.  The 
family  reside  at  217  East  Seventeenth  street,  and  are 
members  of  the  First  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Thayer 
has  devoted  much  time  and  means  to  the  interests  of 
the  church,  and  was  most  actively  indentified  in 
establishing  four  of  its  missions:  Faith  Chapel  (now- 
Second  Baptist  Church),  Wesleyville  Mission  (now 
Baptist  Church),  West  Eighteenth  Street  Mission  and 
Hope  Mission.  .A  sad  loss  sustained  by  Mr.  Thayer 
was  in  the  sudden  death  of  his  mother  by  a  railroad 
accident  at  Chicago.  December  6, 1893.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  business  reverses  and  other  misfortunes  to 
which  he  has  been  subjected,  Mr.  Thayer  has  cour- 
ageously and   industriously  persevered,  and  now  has 


66o 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


the  satisfaction  of  seeing  in  the  business  of  his  com- 
pany a  far  more  prosperous  condition  than  has  been 
known  in  its  history,  and  that  it  is  luiniliircd  among 
the  leading  and  most  enterprising  of  the  iniUistries  of 
the  Gem  City  of  the  Laltes. 

Henry  IMorris  Eaton,  attorniy,  Krie,  Pa.,  was 
born  lulv  IS,  IHtiil,  at  Clarion,  Clarion  county.  Pa.  He 
is  a  son  of  Nlorris  and  I-'lora  C.  (McCrea)  Katon,  both 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  of  Kngli.shandthe 
latter  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Morris  Eaton  has  been 
engaged  in  the  oil  producing  business  since  the  dis- 
covery of  oil  in  \'enango  coimty,  and  is  a  resident  of 
Titusville,  Pa.  Henry  M.  ICaton  coni[ilctcd  his  edu- 
cation at  Cornell  University,  from  which  institution  he 
was  gra(hiated  in  June,  1890.  He  studied  law  under 
the  preceptorship  of  Roger  Sherman,  of  Titusville,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  September,  1891,  and  soon  there- 
after removed  to  Erie,  Pa.,  where  he  became  associated 
with  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Z)Mpa^7(,  occupying  the 
position  of  telegraph  editor  of  that  ]i.iptr  until  Sep- 
tember 1,  1894,  when  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  is  actively 
identified  with  his  party's  interests  as  a  member  of  the 
county  committee. 

Charles  Whitehead,  president  of  the  Keystone 
Rubber  Works,  Erie,  I'a.,  was  born  near  Trenton,  X. 
I.,  February  3,  1848.  He  is  the  son  of  the  late  William 
and  Ann  Parker  (\'alentine)  Whitehead,  the  former  a 
native  of  Saddlesworth,  England,  the  latter  of  New 
England  birth  and  of  French  descent.  William  White- 
head was  engaged  for  many  years  in  the  manufacture 
of  woolen  and  knit  goods  at  Trenton,  \.  J.,  during  the 
latter  years  of  his  life,  near  Philadelphia.  Pa.  His  wife 
died  in  January,  18.')9;  he  died  in  1890.  Charles  Whitt;- 
head  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Trenton,  and  was 
for  several  years  thereafter  associated  with  his  father 
in  the  woolen  goods  manufacture.  In  1872  his  father 
and  three  of  his  father's  brothers  established  a  rubber 
manufacturing  business  in  which  Charles  became  en- 
gaged. In  1882  he  came  to  I'lrie  and,  in  connection 
with  two  brothers,  William  H.  and  Nathaniel  J.  White- 
head, established  a  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  rub- 
ber goods,  which  was  subse(|uently  operated  by  a  stock 
company,  antl  known  as  the  Erie  Rubber  Company, 
of  which  Charles  Whitehead  was  president.  The  com- 
pany's plant  was  destroyed  by  hre  in  the  fall  of  1887, 
but  was  restored  and  continued  to  be  oi)erated  by  the 
same  company  until  1894,  when  it  went  into  a.ssign- 
nient.  A  new  comjiany  was  subsequently  established, 
which  is  known  as  the  Keystone  Rubber  Works,  of 
which  Charles  Whitehead  is  president.  The  plant  is 
located  at  the  corner  of  East  avenue  and  Twelfth 
streets,  and  manufactures  belting,  ho.se,  jiacking, 
valves,  car-springs,  bicycle  tires  and  other  rubber 
goods.  Mr.  Whitehea<I  is  unmarried  and  resides  at 
1.5fi  West  Seventh  street. 

Henry  Butterfield,  attorney-at-law,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  184H,  in  Buffalo  townshij),  Butler  county. 
Pa.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at  Sharjis- 
burg  and  at  the  Western  University  at  Pittsburg. 
When  a  boy  he  removed  to  the  city  of  Erie,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  was  appointed  to  a  clerkship  in 
the  office  of  the  ])rothonotary  of  Erie  county  when  in 
his  teens,  and  w\as  subsecpiently  promoted  to  deputy 
prothonotary.     He  was  transcribing  clerk  of  the  House 


of  Representatives  in  1864  and  1865.    The  same  year 

Governor  Curtin  appointed  him  clerk  to  the  courts  of 
Erie  county,  to  till  an  unexpired  term,  and  he  wassub- 
sequently  elected  for  the  full  term.  While  tilling  this 
office  he  read  law  and  w.is  a<lmitted  to  the  bar.  Soon 
after  he  was  appointed  district  attorney  to  HU  a  vacancy. 
In  1873  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  from  Erie  county,  and  he  served  in 
the  session  of  1874,  when  the  city  of  Erie  was  made  a 
separate  Legislative  di.strict.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term  he  w.is  unanimously  renominated,  but  (to  use  his 
own  language)  was  aTuuist  unanimously  defeated  by 
Hon.  William  Henry,  a  Democrat.  Nir.  Butterlield 
was  elected  to  the  Senate  in  187.^  for  the  short  t(.-rm, 
under  the  new  constitution,  and  was  re-elected  for  a 
full  term  in  1876,  serving  until  1881.  He  continued  in 
active  practice  of  the  law  from  his  admission  to  the 
bar  until  1892,  when  he  was  again  elected  to  the  House 
of  Re|iresentatives,  defeating  Ins  Democratic  opiionent 
by  nearly  200  votes  in  a  strong  Democratic  district. 
Mr.  Butterlield  took  a  jirominent  part  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  House.  He  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittees on  ju<liciary,  general  elections,  federal  rela- 
tions and  manufactures,  and  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee on  public  grounds  and  buildings,  and  reported 
the  bill  for  improving  the  Capitol  and  building  a  fire- 
])roof  State  librarv,  and  apjiropriating  s;(i2.'"),000  for  the 
same;  memV)er  of  the  special  committee  to  investigate 
the  charges  of  corruption  made  against  certain  mem- 
bers of  the  House  inciilent  to  the  bill  .ibolishing  the 
l>ublic  building  connnission  of  Philadelphia.  Mr.  But- 
terfield is  an  earnest  and  eloquent  talker,  a  ready  tie- 
bater,  and  was  a  valualile  memlier  of  the  House. 
Whatsoever  his  hand  findeth  to  do,  he  does  with  his 
might,  and  thus  generally  succeeds.  He  is  widely 
known,  and  has  legions  of  friends  who  predict  for  him 
a  promising  future.  He  was  judge  advocate,  with  the 
rank  of  nuijor-in-staff  of  Gen.  Henrv  Huideko|K-r,  N. 
G.  P.,  from  1880  to  1884. 

Edward  Powell  Gould,  attorney  and  nuMiiber  of 
the  Assembly  from  ICrie.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Springfield 
township,  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  6,  \WM. 
He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Nathan  Gould,  a  native  of  New 
York,  who  removed  in  1814  to  .Springfield  township, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  died  in  1879,  and  Miirgaret 
(Nicholas)  Gould,  who  resides  in  .Springfield  township, 
and  is  now  (189.'))  87  years  of  age.  Edward  P.  Gouul 
received  his  early  schociling  in  the  coimnon  schools  of 
Springfield  townshi|i,  continu<-d  it  at  the  Kingsville, 
Ohio,  and  West  Springfield,  Pa.,  academies,  and  com- 
(ileted  it  at  the  t'niversity  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1859.  He  then 
began  the  study  of  law  under  the  preceptorship  of 
Jose|ih  I).  Husbands,  of  Roche.ster,  N.  V.  At  the 
breaking  nut  of  the  war  he  enlisted  in  Co.  E,  27th  N.  Y. 
\'.  I.,  and  was,  upon  its  organization,  elected  second 
lieutenant  of  his  company.  He  succeeded  to  a  first 
lieutenancy  February  2,  18(i2,  to  its  captaincy  in  No- 
vemfier  of  the  same  year,  and  was  niu.stered  out  with 
his  company  in  May,  1863.  In  August,  1863,  he  was 
commissioned  to  raise  a  regiment,  and  entered  upon 
that  duty,  and  the  following  month  was  commissioned 
a  United  States  general  recruiting  officer  with  head- 
quarters in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  continued  in  that 
service  until  January,  186-5.  The  27th  N.  Y.  V.  I.,  Col- 
on(-l  Slocum  commanding  (until  his  promotion  to  a 
brigadier  generalship),  was  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


66i 


Run,  and  participated  in  all  the  engagements  of  the 
army  of  the  Potomac  until  it  was  mustered  out.  For 
two  years  subsequent  to  the  close  of  the  war  Colonel 
Gould  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  Roches- 
ter, X.  V.  Resuming  the  study  of  law,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  1867.  In  18T"2  he  was  chosen 
chief  clerk  of  the  State  department,  Albany,  N.  Y.,  a 
position  which  he  filled  for  two  years.  The  degree  of 
bachelor  of  law  was  conferred  upon  him  in  the  Al- 
bany Law  School  in  1873.  Following  his  State  de- 
partment chief  clerkship,  he  acted  as  legislative  at- 
torney for  several  Xew  York  city  interests,  until  his 
removal  in  1875  to  Erie,  Pa.,  where  he  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  From  1883  to  1887,  he 
was  associated  with  the  late  Samuel  L.  Gilson.  iMr. 
Gould  is  a  Republican  and  is  the  present  representa- 
tive of  the  Erie  city  district  to  the  State  Legislature. 
Colonel  Gould  has  been  actively  identified  with  the 
public  charities  of  the  commonwealth,  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Association  of  Directors  of  the  Poor 
and  Charities  of  the  .State  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  chairman  of  that  associatiun  for  the  year  1893. 
He  IS  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
and  Union  \'eteran  Legion.  Mr.  Gould  was  married 
June  24,  1868,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  the  late  Daniel 
P.  Ensign,  an  old  resident  and  prominent  business 
man  of  Erie.  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Gould  and  daughter. 
Miss  Edwina,  reside  at  20  West  Eighth  street,  and  are 
members  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Chnrch. 

Cot.  Charles  M.  Lynch,  attorney,  .505  French 
street,  Erie,  Fa.,  was  born  at  Erie,  Pa.,  .April  10,  1842. 
He  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Mary  Ann  (Parmater) 
Lynch,  the  former  a  native  of  Buffalo,  X.  Y.,  the  latter 
of  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania.  Charles  Lynch,  sr., 
is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,  and  his  wife's  father  fought  in 
the  war  of  1812.  Charles  M.  Lynch  began  the  study 
of  law  under  the  preceptorship  of  the  late  Col.  Benja- 
min Grant,  one  of  Pennsylvania's  leading  lawyers  in 
his  day.  .After  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the 
rebellion  he  aided  in  forming  the  145th  P.  \'.  .\  camp 
was  formed  at  Erie  and  a  regiment  of  1,000  men  waa 
soon  mustered  in,  with  the  late  General  Brown  as 
colonel.  Company  D,  commanded  by  Captain  Lynch, 
was  chosen  to  carry  the  colors  of  the  regiment — a 
charge  which  they  did  not  relinquish  until  the  sur- 
render of  Lee.  Owing  to  bravery  and  meritorious 
service  Captain  Lynch  was  .soon  conmiissioned  major, 
then  lieutenant-colonel  and  breveted  colonel.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  battles  of  Antietam,  Fred- 
ericksburg. Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Mine  Run, 
Auburn,  l5ristow  .Station,  Pollopotemy  Creek,  Cold 
Harbor.  Wilderness,  .Spottsylvania  Court  House,  North 
.Ann  River  and  the  siege  of  Petersburg,  and  was  in 
the  field  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  in  command 
in  many  of  the  liattles.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  was 
detailed  as  a  judge  advocate  in  the  First  Division  of 
the  Second  .Army  Corps  for  the  trial  of  cases  in  court 
martial.  He  was  badly  wounded  December  13,  1,S62, 
while  leading  a  charge  on  St.  Mary's  Height,  in  the 
battle  of  Fredericksburg,  \'a.,  and  being  found  by  his 
friends  at  night,  was  carried  from  the  field  from  under 
the  guns  of  the  enemy.  It  was  supjxised  that  he  was 
dead,  but  with  careful  treatment  he  recovered,  still 
carrying,  however,  a  memento  of  the  battle-  a  minnie 
ball  which  the  surgeon  was  unable  to  extract.  .After 
regaining  his  health,  in  April,  1863,  he  was  offered  his 


discharge,  with  a  recommendation  for  a  pension,  by 
Dr.  Clymer,  medical  director  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomoc,  and  was  also  proffered  a  choice  of  several 
excellent  appointments  in  the  civil  service.  He 
returned  to  the  field,  and  in  the  second  day's  battle  of 
Gettysburg  was  again  wounded  while  leading  a  charge, 
with  the  colors  in  his  hand;  he  remained  on  the  field, 
however,  and  continued  in  the  fight  until  night  caused 
a  cessation  of  hostilities.  That  day's  battle  really 
decided  the  result  of  the  war,  as  has  been  conceded 
by  the  foremost  generals  on  both  sides.  During  a 
charge  in  the  terrible  contest  at  the  foot  of  Round  Top, 
Captain  Hilton,  afterwards  postmaster  at  Erie,  Pa., 
was  shot  by  an  escaping  confederate,  and  fell  with  his 
thigh  bone  splintered  close  to  his  body.  Col.  Lynch, 
who  had  captured  several  confederates,  ordered  two 
of  them,  amidst  a  deadly  fire  from  their  own  forces,  to 
assist  in  carrying  the  wounded  officer  to  the  rear.  To 
aid  in  this  work  he  al.so  detailed  Sergeant  Wheeler,  of 
Franklin  township.  Company  D,  and  a  private  (who 
was  killed  a  few  moments  later  by  a  shot  from  one  of 
his  own  troops).  In  this  frightful  conflict,  where  the 
ground  was  covered  with  dead  from  both  sides,  there 
was  a  large  gap  left  on  the  right  flank  of  the  First 
Division  of  the  Second  .Army  Corps,  which  the  enemy 
tried  to  take  advantage  of  by  swinging  a  large  body  of 
troops  into  the  open  space  to  cut  off  their  rear.  The 
Pennsylvania  Reserves  by  that  time  swept  up  from 
the  rear  and  relieved  the  First  Division,  which  had 
been  out  of  ammunition  for  some  time,  and  were 
fighting  hand  to  hand:  the  curtain  of  night  fell,  and 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  won.  Col.  Lynch, 
though  wounded,  was  with  the  regiment  the  next  day, 
July  2,  in  the  memorable  charge  of  Pickett's  division 
of  Longstreet's  corps,  "which  was  simply  an  artillery 
duel  between  the  two  armies,  and  afterwards  a 
slaughter  pen  for  the  confederates. "  This  was  the 
decisive  battle  of  the  great  rebellion.  Col.  LynCh 
again  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  charge  upon 
Spottsylvania  Court  House  in  the  Wilderness  cam- 
paign. In  command  of  his  regiment,  he  led  the 
charge  over  the  works  of  the  enemy  at  early  daylight, 
when  the  Second  Corps,  with  General  Hancock  in 
command,  surprised  and  captured  the  famous  Stone- 
wall Jackson  brigade,  with  Generals  Johnston,  Stewart 
and  a  number  of  field  and  line  officers  and  twenty-two 
cannon.  Col.  Lynch  was  one  of  the  first  over  the 
works,  and  though  wounded,  mounted  a  captured 
artillery  horse  and  rode  through  the  engagement  to 
the  end.  The  next  most  prominent  battle  was  that  of 
Cold  Harbor,  where  the  I'nion  army  charged  Lee's 
breastworks  and  was  repulsed  with  terrible  slaughter. 
The  brigade,  in  which  was  Col.  Lynch's  regiment, 
with  Col.  Lynch  in  command  of  it,  penetrated  the 
enemy's  works,  but  was  repelled  by  confederate 
reinforcements,  and  they  were  unable  to  carry  off  the 
captured  cannon.  This  was  the  only  point  in  Grant's 
entire  line  which  penetrated  the  enemy's  work.s. 
Col.  Lynch's  regiment  had  captured  300  prisoners, 
who  suffered  greatly  from  the  fire  of  their  own  troops 
as  the  Cninn  force  was  driven  back.  .After  retreating 
a  few  rods  Col.  Lynch  found  a  sunken  road,  where  he 
formed  a  fort,  which  was  for  one  week  the  most 
advanced  position  of  the  .Armv  of  the  Potomac,  until 
the  change  of  front  to  Petersburg.  In  this  charge 
.Sergt.  James  Jordan  was  the  only  man  in  advance  of 
Col.  Lynch.  During  the  week  that  Col.  Lynch 
held  this  point  the  lines  were  so  close  that  the  orders 


662 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


given  on  one  side  could  be  distinctly  heard  by  the 
other.  The  confederates  charged  three  times  to  cap- 
ture this  point,  but  were  repulsed  with  heavy  loss. 
Col.  Lynch  was  in  charge  at  Peter.sburg,  \'a.,  of  the 
most  advanced  skirmish  line,  and  formed  the  line 
across  the  railroad  upon  which  all  the  forts  wt're 
established  that  remained  throughout  the  siege.  He 
was  sent  to  the  extreme  left  of  Petersburg,  on  a  flank 
movement  in  supjiort  of  cavalry,  on  the  "i'id  of  July, 
was  surrounded  by  a  confeilerate  force  and  captured, 
fighting,  sword  in  hand,  by  Gen.  Wright's  (Georgia 
brigade,  and  would  have  been  killed  after  capture  but 
for  the  interference  of  Gen.  Wright.  He  was  taken  to 
Charleston,  S.  C,  with  other  prominent  Federal 
officers,  and  was  under  fire  of  the  United  States 
batteries  shelling  the  city.  While  in  Charleston  he 
suffered  from  an  attack  of  yellow  fever,  and  was 
nursed  at  the  hos])ital  by  Dr.  Todd,  a  Kentuckian,  a 
brother-in-law  of  President  Lincoln  and  a  surgeon 
in  the  confederate  army.  While  convalescing.  Col. 
Lynch  made  several  attem])ts  to  escape,  an<l  finally 
succeeded,  passed  through  the  enemy's  lines  clothed 
in  the  uniform  of  a  confederate  officer,  and  after  many 
hardships  and  perils  reached  the  Union  lines  at 
Kingston,  \.  C,  near  Xewbern.  From  there  he  was 
sent  to  Washington  and  reported  to  Secretary  of  War 
.Stanton,  to  whom  he  gave  much  valuable  information. 
He  was  mustered  out  May  '1\,  \ZKt.  Col.  Lynch  was 
married  in  Erie,  Pa.,  September  il.  ISfii),  to  Clara  J. 
Grant,  daughter  of  James  and  Clara  (Faulkner|  Grant, 
both  deceased.  .She  was  born  in  Erie,  Pa.,  in  \Ki), 
and  <lied  December  10, 1890.  Their  union  was  blessed 
with  four  children  ;  Faulkner  G.,  a  member  of  the 
city  engineer  corps,  who  was  married  January  8,  18it5, 
to  Rose,  daughter  of  the  late  John  McCarthy;  Grant 
R.,  Clara  Louise  and  Charles  M.  Lynch,  jr.  Col. 
Lynch  is  a  lawyer  and  has  filled  numerous  offices  of 
public  trust,  among  them  that  of  district  attorney;  he 
was  collector  of  internal  revenue  of  the  Xineteenth 
District  of  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  member  of  R.  W. 
Scott  Post,  No.  464,  G.  A.  R.,  and  Kncampment  No. 
13,  U.  v.  L.   The  family  reside  at  321  East  Sixth  stret't. 

David  Browa,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  June  7 
18-5,').  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  David  and  Catherine 
(Jann)  Rrow-n,  both  natives  of  Baden-Iiaden.  David 
ISrown,  sr.,  came  to  the  United  States  and  teiiijiorarily 
located  in  Buffalo,  then  couung  to  l~.rie,  where  he  was 
married  and  resided  until  his  death,  July  14,  1866.  His 
wife  died  February  i),  188i).  David  Brown,  jr.,  was 
educated  in  the  parochial  school  of  St.  Mary's  at  Erie, 
and  was  then  apprenticed  to  learn  the  molder's  trade. 
After  mastering  that  he  learned  the  liarber's  trade,  at 
which  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  for  ten  years,  then 
(1880)  establishing  a  shop  on  Ninth  street  op|iusite  his 
present  location.  No.  10\\'est  Ninth  street,  whither  he 
removed  in  1890.  He  was  married  .September  10, 
1878,  to  Julia  .S.,  daughter  of  James  Byrne,  an  old  resi- 
dent of  Erie,  and  an  employe  of  the  Erie  and  Pitts- 
burg R.  R.  Of  the  children  born  of  this  marriage, 
two,  Ruth  Anna  and  Louis  Bernard,  died  in  infancy. 
The  surviving  children  are:  Janu'S  David,  Robert 
Frederick,  Catherine  Marie  and  Carl  Joseph.  The 
family  reside  at  518  West  Ninth  street,  and  are  mem- 
bers of  St.  Peter's  Church. 

John  Fairbairti,  retired  manufacturer,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born   in   New-Castle-on-Tyne,  England,  January 


'21,  1826.  His  [larents  were  -Stephen  and  Jane  (Jack- 
.son)  Fairbairn,  natives  of  England,  where  Ste])hen 
Fairbairn  was  engaged  in  business  with  a  drug  firm. 
John  Fairbairn  receivetl  a  conunon  school  I'ducation, 
and  then  learned  the  iron  molder's  trade.  He  came 
to  the  L'nited  States  in  1846  and  located  in  Erie, 
where,  through  his  rare  ability  as  a  mechanic,  untiring 
energy  and  enteri)rise,  he  became  identified  with  sev- 
eral of  the  most  extensive  manufacturing  establish- 
ments of  that  city.  In  I8(i(i  he  became  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Davenport,  Fairbairn  iV  Co.,  manufacturers 
of  car  wheels  and  railroad  castings.  The  firm  was 
succeeded  twenty  years  later  by  that  of  Davenport  & 
Fairbairn.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Fairbairn  had  be- 
come identified  with  the  Martel  Furnace  Company,  of 
St.  Ignace,  Mich.,  the  Erie  Car  Wheel  Works  and  the 
American  Fusee  Company  of  Erie.  In  1889  he  sold 
out  his  entire  interests  in  all  of  these  concerns  to  his 
partner,  W.  R.  Davenport,  and  has  since  lived  in  re- 
tirement. He  was  married  in  1847  to  Elizabeth  Hub- 
bard, of  English  descent,  liy  whom  he  has  six  chil- 
dren: Anna,  wife  of  William  D.  Vance,  of  St.  Ignace, 
Mich.;  Frank  F.  Fairbairn,  gen(;ral  agent  for  Pennsyl- 
vania, New  Jersey  and  Delaware  of  the  Blickensderfer 
Typewriter,  and  |)roprietor  of  the  cigar  store  at  620 
State  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  and  who  married  Anna  B., 
daughter  of  the  late  Dwight  Crowell,  of  Shelby,  ( )hio; 
Blanch,  wife  of  Merrick  L.  Gunnison,  of  Erie;  John  C. 
Fairbairn,  who  is  engaged  in  the  foundry  supply  busi- 
ness at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.;  Florence,  widow  of  the  late 
William  Burt,  a  banker  of  .St.  Ignace,  Mich.,  anil 
Oscar  J.  Fairbairn,  one  of  the  founders  and  late  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Brass  W'orks  at  Erie,  and  now  engaged 
in  business  at  Stanfield,  Conn.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fair- 
bairn reside  at  the  corner  of  Eighteenth  and  Cascade 
streets,  and  are  members  of  the  I'irst  Pre.sbyterian 
Church. 

Charles  Reuben  (ilick,  merchant  tailor,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Easton,  Pa.,  February  27,  1862.  He 
is  a  son  of  the  late  Moses  A.  and  Abba  Glick,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Moses  .•\.  Glick 
was  a  contractor  and  builder  in  Bangor,  Pa.,  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  ui)  to  the  time  of  his  death,  August  31, 

1892.  His  wife  survives,  and  resides  at  Bangor,  Pa. 
Charles  R.  Glick  completed  his  schooling  at  the  acad- 
emy m  F^aston.  At  18  he  conunenced  to  learn  the 
business  of  tailoring,  and  was  engaged  therein  for  three 
years  at  Bangor,  Pa.  He  then  went  to  New  York  city, 
where  he  studied  and  learned  the  art  of  cutting  as 
taught  at  the  John  J.  Mitchell  Company's  Cutting 
.School.  He  was  employed  as  cutter  for  various  mer- 
chant tailoring  establishnu-nts  until  1883,  when  he 
openedaston-of  hisown  at  Bangor,  Pa.  Two  years  later 
he  sold  out  to  accept  a  [losition  in  New  York  city,  where 
he  remained  for  two  years.  He  was  next  employed  at 
.\llentown,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  one  year,  wlu-n  he 
returned  to  New  N'ork  city.  In  1888  he  removed  to 
Erie,  Pa.,  and  was  employed  as  a  cutter  until  February, 

1893,  when  he  purchased  the  merchant  tailoring  busi- 
ness of  A.  iV  W.  E.  Liebel,  at  821  State  street,  which 
was  thereafter  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of 
Glick  &  Fitting.  In  February,  189.5,  he  severed  his 
connection  with  the  above  and  associate<l  himself  with 
T.  k.  Robinson  in  the  merchant  tailoring  business  at 
819  State  street,  under  the  firm  name  of  Glick  iV  Co. 
Mr.  Glick  was  married  to  Melissa,  daughter  of  Her- 
man Godshalk,  a  retired  builder  and  contractor,   of 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUj^TY. 


663 


Bangor,  Pa.  One  child  was  born  of  this  marriage, 
Harvey  A.  The  family  attend  the  First  Methixlist 
F.[iisc(ipal  Church.  Mr.  Cilick  is  a  Mason.  Knight 
Templar  and  Mystic  .Shriner.  He  isoneof  the  trustees 
of  the  Custom  Foreman  Tailors'  .Association  of  .Amer- 
ica. He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  local  cut- 
ters' society,  in  which  he  is  an  active  member. 

Rev.  Andrew  Iguasiak  was  born  in  Slawienko, 
near  tjliornik,  Prussian  Poland,  November  6,  1862. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Katrina  Ignasiak,  natives  of 
the  same  place,  where  the  former  still  resides,  and  is 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  where  the  latter 
died  September  5,  1881.  Father  Ignasiak  received  his 
initial  schooling  in  the  elementary  schools  of  his  native 
place,  then  attending  the  gymnasium,  and  next  en- 
tered the  American  College  at  Louvain,  Belgium,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  and  ordained  priest 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  1886,  and  given  the 
mission  to  the  Erie  (Pa.)  diocese.  He  reached  Erie 
.August  21,  1886,  and  immediately  entered  upon  the 
charge  of  St.  Stanislaus  Church,  with  which  he  has 
ever  since  been  identified.  St.  Stanislaus  was  organ- 
ized in  1883,  and  the  corner  stone  of  the  edifice  in 
which  the  congregation  now  worships  was  laid  by 
Bishop  Tobias  .Mullen,  October  19,  1884.  The  struc- 
ture, located  at  the  northeast  corner  of  East  Thirteenth 
and  Wallace  streets,  was  ample  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  its  membership,  then  numbering  about  eighty 
families,  and  large  enough,  in  the  event  of  its  reasonable 
growth,  to  contain  the  congregation  for  many  years  to 
come.  Within  five  years  the  membership  of  the  parish 
had  increased  to  more  than  3U0  f  ami  lies,  and  the  building 
of  a  new  church  edifice  was  necessitated.  In  1894  the 
original  structure  was  removed  to  an  adjoining  lot,anda 
new  building  is  in  process  of  erection  on  the  site  of  the 
old  one.  The  estimated  cost  of  the  new  edifice  is  S50,- 
000,  and  its  seating  capacity  will  be  1,200.  St.  Stani- 
slaus' school,  started  by  Father  Ignasiak  with  a  daily 
attendance  of  sixty  scholars  during  its  first  session, 
has  now  an  average  daily  attendance  of  more  than  250. 
The  services  of  an  assistant  were  rendered  necessary 
by  the  growth  of  the  school  in  1888.  and  John  Xowak 
was  employed;  and  in  1892  two  additional  teachers 
were  added  from  the  Felician  Sisters  of  Detroit,  Mich., 
and  in  1893  a  third  assistant  was  added.  The  societies 
of  the  congregation  are:  The  Sacred  Heart  Society, 
with  a  membership  of  200;  the  .St.  Stanislaus  Society, 
numbering  100  members;  the  Mother  of  On\  Society, 
with  b'lO  members;  two  ladies'  societies,  and  a  young 
men's  society,  .St.  Stanislaus  Kotska.  The  Moniuszko 
Dramatic  Society,  which  gives  fre(|uent  entertainments 
for  the  benefit  of  the  church,  and  is  a  healthy  social 
organization  as  well,  is  made  up  of  members  of  the 
congregation.  The  par.sonage,  at  516  East  Thirteenth 
street,  which  was  built  by  Father  Ignasiak  in  1887,  was 
destroyi'd  l)y  fire  February  8,  1895,  and  has  been  re- 
placed by  a  handsome  brick  structure. 

Alois  Nagosky,  proprietor  of  the  restaurant  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  Tenth  and  Parade  streets, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  liorn  in  Wyscliin,  county  of  Berent, 
Danzig,  West  Prussia,  June  20,  1851,  a  son  of  Jacob 
Nagosky,  who  was  a  prominent  hotel  man  in  his  native 
town.  He  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  viz.: 
.Alois,  John,  Joseph,  .August,  Frank,  Bonney.  Dora 
(wife  of  Edward  Brinning>  and  Kate  (wife  of  Adam 
Cumprinski),  all  residents  of    Erie.    Alois   Nagosky 


was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  country,  and 

when  21  years  of  age  emigrated  to  the  United  States, 
and,  locating  in  I'.rie,  was  employed  for  a  time  in  the 
stove  works  of  Black  &  John.son.  He  then  secured  a 
position  in  the  Chicago  S:  Erie  .Stove  Works,  where 
he  remained  for  .several  years.  In  1884  he  embarked 
in  the  restaurant  business  on  the  corner  of  Tenth  and 
Parade  streets,  and  in  1891  built  the  large  store  and 
brick  structure  he  now  owns  and  occupies.  .Mr. 
Nagosky  conducts  what  might  be  well  termed  an  up- 
to-date  restaurant,  it  being  completely  equipped  with 
all  modern  appurtenances,  and,  in  fact,  is  one  of  the 
leading  restaurants  in  the  city.  He  was  united  in 
marriage,  August  12,  1880,  to  .Miss  .Minnie,  daughter 
of  George  Wagner,  of  Erie,  and  to  them  has  been 
born  four  children:  Emma,  Dora,  Anna  and  Louise. 
Mr.  Nagosky  is  a  well-informed  man,  he  speaks  and 
writes  three  languages  fluently  and  accurately,  and 
has  demonstrated  that  he  is  one  of  Erie's  sound  and 
influential  citizens.  He  is  a  public-spirited  man, 
always  taking  a  lively  interest  in  all  things  that  ten<I 
to  the  advancement  of  his  adopted  city  and  her  in- 
dustries. He  is  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  of  the  C.  M.  B.  .A.,  the  St.  Benedictus  Society, 
the  St.  .Stanislaus  Society,  the  Catholic  Benevolent 
Legion,  the  G.  H.  Q.,  the  East  Erie  Turners  and  the 
Knights  of  St.  John.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

John  Robert  Cootiey,  of  the  Union  Ice  Com- 
pany, Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Erie,  October  16,  1856,  is  a  son 
of  the  late  John  and  .Margaret  Cooney,  natives  of 
County  Cork,  Ireland,  who  came  to  the  L'nited  States 
and  located  in  Erie  in  1855.  John  Cooney,  sr.,  was  an 
employe  of  the  Erie  Gas  Company,  and  died  Novem- 
ber 18,  1857.  His  wife  survives,  and  resides  in  Erie. 
John  R.  Cooney  attended  the  public  schools  of  Erie. 
At  an  earlv  age  he  found  emplovment  as  brakeman 
on  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.,  and  later  with  the  E.  &  P. 
R.  R.,  being  thus  employed  for  four  years.  He  next 
engaged  in  teaming,  and  in  1880  founded  an  ice  busi- 
ness, which  he  conducted  successfully,  alone,  for  ten 
years,  then  consolidating  his  business  with  that  of  the 
Erie  Ice  Company.  In  the  spring  of  1893,  this  com- 
pany was  consolidated  with  the  People's  Ice  Com- 
pany, the  aggregation  being  thereafter  known  as  the 
Union  Ice  Com|>any.  Mr.  Cooney  has  been  twice 
married;  on  May  12,  1879,  to  Emma  Crowley,  of  East 
Mill  Creek,  Erie  county.  Pa.  .She  died  in  February, 
1890,  leaving  three  children,  John,  Edward  and  Mamie. 
His  second  marriage  was  to  .Annie  R.,  daughter  of 
.Stephen  .Murphy,  a  contractor,  of  Erie.  The  family 
reside  at  437  West  Fourth  street,  and  are  members  of 
St.  Peter's. 

Frederick  Jacob  Rappoid,  tailor,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Sterrettania,  Erie  county,  F'a.,  .April  29,  18.58. 
He  i>  a  son  of  the  late  Karl  and  Justina  (Grote)  Rap- 
poid, the  former  a  native  of  .Stuttgart,  Wurtcmburg, 
andthelattirof  Edemissenamt  F.inbick,  Hanover.  The 
late  Karl  Rappoid  coming  to  the  United  .States,  located 
m  Buffalo,  N.  V.  After  a  short  stay  in  that  city  he  re- 
moved to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  establishing  a 
tanning  busine.ss  at  Sterrettania,  where  he  remained 
from  18.50  until  his  death  in  1878.  His  wife  died  in 
1881.  Frederick  J.  Rappoid  went  to  the  village  schiMjl 
until  his  12th  year,  when  he  began  work  as  a  farm 
hand.  In  1872  he  began  to  learn  tailoring  with  S.  J. 
Steiner,  Erie,  Pa.,  and  upon  becoming   a  journeyman, 


664 


NEZSOJV'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


found  employment  with  Daniel  Illig,  and  later  withG. 
B.  Keene,  both  of  Eric  city.  After  six  years  of  serv- 
ice with  the  latter.  Mr.  Ra|)|iold.  in  IHMIS,  embarkeil 
in  the  merchant  tailoring  business  for  himself  on  Ninth 
street,  opposite  his  present  location,  12  West  Ninth 
street.  In  1892  he  added  to  his  business  a  furrier  de- 
partment. He  was  married  June  13,  1888,  to  Anna 
Catherine,  daughter  of  Martin  Zeeh,  an  old  resident  of 
Erie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kappold  reside  at  221  West 
Eleventh  street,  and  attend  the  German  Lutheran 
Church. 

John  J.  Roemer  (wliose  real  name  is  von  Roemer 
Starkenburg,  but  discards  all  title  to  nobility  like  the 
rest  of  the  family),  was  born  near  Elberfield,  in  Prus- 
sia, August  ;!l),  l.H4;i.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Rev.  Jno. 
J.  Roemer (.Starkenburg) and  Charlotte(von  Bartholme) 
Roemer.  Rev.  Mr.  Roemer  came  to  the  United  States 
in  185.'),  filling  the  pulpits  of  the  German  Reformed 
Churches  in  I.ewiston.  Lockhaven,  Pittsburg  and  other 
places,  and  died  in  Pittsburg  May  30,  1888.  His  wife, 
the  daughter  of  a  major  of  artillery  in  the  service  of 
the  Grand  Duke  of  Herg,  was  born  May  24,  1814,  and 
died  in  1889.  John  J.  Roemer  graduated  from  the 
schools  in  Elberfield  in  1856  and  was  awarded  the  royal 
Pru.ssian  i)remium  for  best  scholarship,  when  he  pre- 
pared to  follow  his  parents  to  the  United  .States,  where 
they  resided.  He  went  into  the  employ  of  James  Fisk, 
Jr.,  at  Montpelier,  \t.,  and  in  1857  followed  the  water 
both  on  river  and  sea.  Coming  west  he  was  employed 
by  Eli  Young  in  the  hotel  business,  and  was  soon 
made  manager  of  Mr.  Young's  hotel,  until  August  22, 
18(i2,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Sumner  infantry  and 
served  in  the  West  Virginia  camjiaign  for  nine  months 
and  was  mustered  out  as  a  lieutenant.  He  then  pur- 
chased a  store  at  Loweville,  Ohio,  .sold  it  out  after  a 
short  stay  and  came  to  Erie,  where  he  found  employ- 
ment with  W.  M.  Whitley  S;  Co.,  coal  dealers.  He 
was  employed  by  this  firm  and  its  successors  (Salts- 
man  S;  Co.)  until  1873,  when  in  connection  with  his 
former  employer,  R.  J.  Saltsman,  he  established  a  coal 
business  in  Pittsburg.  This  partnership  was  dissolved 
in  1875,  when  Mr.  Roemer  became  the  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Roemer,  Jones  S:  Co.  The  firm  owned 
Summer  Hill  mine,  leased  other  mines  and  continued 
in  business  under  that  name  until  1877,  when  it  he- 
came  merged  in  the  Erie  tV  Pittsburg  Coal  and  Coke 
Company,  of  which  J.  J.  Roemer  was  president  and 
general  agent.  During  this  period  he  was  engaged 
individually  in  the  coal  business  on  a  large  scale,  em- 
ploying at  one  time  2,100  men.  At  this  time  he  be- 
came heavily  involved  as  endorser  for  the  firm  of 
James  Ward  tt  Co.,  Niles,  Dhio,  through  who.se  failure 
he  lost  his  all,  the  earnings  of  a  busy  life.  He  then 
returned  to  Erie,  and  in  187i)  started  the  Bootz  Manu- 
lactiiring  Co.  He  sold  out  his  interest  in  this  concern 
the  following  year  and  embarked  in  the  manufacture 
of  wooden  novelties,  for  which  business  he  organized 
a  .stock  company  under  the  name  of  the  Eureka  Man- 
ufacturing Company  until  18K5,  when  the  plant  was 
destroyed  by  fire.  Being  used  to  travel  for  his  own 
business,  he  followed,  after  his  failure,  the  business  of 
commercial  traveler  until  July  31,  1893,  when  he  was 
aijpointed  deputy  collector  of  internal  revenue  by  Col- 
lector Ep.  Kearns,  was  reappointed  by  the  succeeding 
collector,  E.  P.  Bigler.  Outside  his  regular  business 
he  IS  a  journalist  and  writer  of  no  mean  pretention, 
and  his  articles  appear  often  in  home  and  other  papers. 


He  contributes  to  St.  Alban's  Church,  but  his  attend- 
ance is  mo.stly  at  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  married  May  24,  18S(;,  Celia,  daughter  of 
the  late  Dr.  J.  H.  O'Brien,  one  of  tlu'  ])ioneer  physi- 
cians of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  One  child  was  born  of  this 
union,  Bessie,  who  died  April  6,  1892,  aged  three  years 
and  nine  months.  Mrs.  Roemer  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  The  residence  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Roemer  is  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Second  and 
Myrtle  streets.  Mr.  Roemer  takes  an  active  interest 
in  city  affairs.  He  was  the  first  to  con<luct  natural  gas 
in  pipes  for  illuminating  pur|ioses,  his  first  cxiienuH'iit 
being  at  the  restaurant  of  the  late  Frederick  Strubli', 
Esq.,  corner  of  Eighteenth  and  State  streets,  the  gas 
coming  from  the  well  of  the  then  Fortune  Oil  Com- 
pany, whose  secretary  and  manager  Mr.  Roemer  was. 
The  well  was  located  on  Mill  Creek  and  French 
streets,  south  of  Eighteenth  street.  He  was  one  of 
the  promoters  of  the  ill-fated  Pennsylvania  Petroleum 
R.  R.,  which  collapse<i  owing  to  the  panic  of  1873,  and 
was  identified  with  a  good  many  other  projects  calcu- 
lated to  benefit  the  city. 

Alfred  Hathaway  Murphy,  born  January  24, 
18f)l,  at  Erie,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  is  a  son  of  the  late  Al- 
fred and  Lucretia  (Randall)  Murphy,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter 
of  Connecticut.  Alfred  Murphy  was  for  four  vears  an 
officer  in  the  L'nited  Slates  navy,  attached  to  the 
.steamer  Michigan;  was  in  the  emjiloy  of  the  P.  &  E. 
shops  for  some  years,  and  afterwards  engaged  in  the 
business  of  contracting  for  the  drilling  of  gas  wells. 
He  died  in  October,  1891.  His  wife  survives.  Alfred 
H.  Murjihy  received  his  education  in  the  i)ublic 
schools  of  I'.rie,  and  learned  the  trade  of  watchmaking. 
In  1885  he  established  himself  in  the  watchmaking 
and  jewelry  business,  which  he  has  ever  since  con- 
ducted, and  which  he  is  now  carrying  on  at  918  .State 
street,  Erie,  Pa.  He  was  married  .September  17,  1875, 
to  Carlotta  Ward,  of  Erie.  Mr.  Murphy  belongs  to 
to  the  Masonic  order  and  is  a  member  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  W. 

John  Henry  Collins,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  near 
Carlisle,  Cumberland  county,  Pa.,  October  5,  1844.  He 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Cierbrick)  Collins,  the 
former  a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  of  Irish  descent,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Mary- 
land and  of  Pennsylvania-Dutch  extraction.  James 
Collins  is  a  farmer  of  Monighan  township,  York 
county,  Pa.  His  wife  died  in  October,  1893.  John  H. 
Collins  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive county.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  en- 
gaged in  business  with  his  father,  who  was  conducting 
a  distillery  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
enlisted  in  Co.  B,  20th  Penn.  Cav'.,  at  Harrisburg,  Pa., 
ser\-ed  throughout  the  war,  in  the  first  division  of 
.Sheridan's  cavalry  corps,  and  was  mustered  out  as  a 
.sergeant  at  Cloud's  Mills,  Ya.,  April  9,  18H5.  Imme- 
diately thereafter  he  entered  the  Bryant  S;  Stratton 
Commercial  College,  Philadelphia,  where  he  devoted 
two  years  to  the  study  of  bookkeeping  and  telegraphy. 
He  then  obtained  a  position  as  telegraph  operator  on 
the  middle  division  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R., 
being  first  stationed  at  Wilcox.  He  was  em|>loyed  as 
operator  on  that  division  continuously  for  seven  years, 
and  for  the  following  six  years  was  the  agent  at  .St. 
Mary's,  on  the  same  road.  Tiring  of  this  service,  he  went 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUJUTr. 


665 


to  Bradford  and  invested  in  oil  lands,  but  this  not  prov- 
ing profitable,  he,  a  year  and  a  half  later,  ]iurchased 
a  livery  business  at  North  East,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  and 
conducted  it  for  six  years.  Going  to  Corry,  he  was 
similarly  engaged  for  six  years.  For  one  year  follow- 
ing this  he  had  charge  of  Jewett's  stock  farm.  He 
came  to  Erie  and  purchased  C.  1'.  Haskins'  livery 
business,  at  1112  East  Eleventh  street.  .Mr.  Collins 
was  married  November  9,  1H70,  to  Emma,  daughter  of 
the  late  Isaac  Horton,  a  hmiberman  of  Elk  county, 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Collins  and  daughters, 
i\Iau<l  anil  Helen,  reside  at  1104  State  street,  and  are 
members  of  the  Universalist  Church.  Mr.  Collins  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  of  the  K.  of  P.,  and 
G.  A.  R. 

Perry  Arora  Uibsoti,  attcjrney,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Washington  townshijj,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  Au- 
gust l.j,  1^57.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Daniel  C.  and 
Maria  (Conant)  Gibson,  the  former  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  the  latter  of  New  York.  Jessie  Gibson, 
the  father  of  Daniel  C.  Gibson,  came  with  his  father, 
Nathan  Gibson,  from  Vermont,  to  the  Pennsylvania 
colony  some  years  before  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
remained  for  a  time  in  Crawford  county.  In  1877  he 
took  out  his  patent  for  government  lands  in  Washing- 
ton township,  Erie  county,  and  the  title  to  portions  of 
this  land  still  vests  in  his  immediate  descendants. 
Both  Jesse  Gibson  and  his  son,  Daniel  C,  pursued 
farming  throughout  their  lives,  and  both  filled  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  long  term  of  years. 
Perry  A.  Gibson  left  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Edinboro  to  enter  the  Iowa  State  University,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  '83. 
Returning  to  Edinboro,  he  was  for  a  time  engaged  in 
business  with  his  brother,  Dr.  \'.  D.  Gibson,  a  dentist. 
He  then  read  law  under  the  preceptorship  of  John 
Proudfit,  of  Edinboro,  was  admitted  in  the  United 
States  courts,  June  15,  1886,  and  was  subsequently  ad- 
mitted to  practice  before  the  .Supreme  Courts  of  such 
States  as  the  character  of  his  business,  that  of  a  cor- 
I)oration  lawyer,  necessitated.  Mr.  Gibson  has  been 
the  |)roprietor  of  the  Wilcox  House  since  October  1, 
1890.  He  was  married  November  27,  1891,  to  Elmira, 
daughter  of  Charles  T.  Reeder,  a  descendant  of  one 
of  the  pioneer  families  of  Erie  county,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gibson  have  one  child,  Opale  Reeder  Gibson,  and  re- 
side at  the  Wilcox  House.  The  Reeders  are  Presby- 
terians, and  the  Gibsons  Methodists. 

William  James  QuiHU,  undertaker,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  the  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  July  29,  1844. 
His  father  died  in  IS.Vi,  and  the  same  year  his  mother 
brought  her  family  to  the  United  States,  locating  in 
Newport,  R.  I.,  where  she  still  resides.  William  J. 
Quinn  commenced  to  assist  his  mother  in  the  support 
of  the  family  when  but  9  years  of  age,  finding  employ- 
ment in  a  cotton  factory,  where  for  several  years  his 
hours  at  hard  labor  each  day  were  from  5:30  a.  M.to7:30 
I'.  .M.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  was  employed 
in  a  lead  factory,  the  business  of  which  was  at  that 
]ieriod  exclusively  confined  to  the  making  of  bullets. 
On  November  28,  18(il,  William  enlisted  anil  was  mus- 
tered into  the  service  December  21,  in  Co.  A,  1st  R.  I. 
Cav.  (then  known  as  the  1st  New  England  Cav.l,  and 
served  until  December  1,  18f>4.  His  regiment  was 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  middle  mili- 
tary division,   Major-Cieneral   Sheridan   commanding. 


Private  Quinn's  discharge  certifies  to  his  brave  parti- 
cipation in  engagements  in  Cedar  .Mountain,  Gaines- 
ville .Station,  Groveton  Station,  Bull  Run,  Nolan's 
Ford,  Jefferson,  Kelly's  Ford,  Stevensburg,  Beverly 
Ford,  .'Vliildleburg,  Little  River,  Culp<-|j|ier,  Rapidan, 
Auburn  Station,  White  House  Landing,  .Malvern  Hill. 
Cellar  Creek,  and  two  each  at  Rappahannanck  .Station 
and  Chancellorsville.  .After  being  mustered  out  he 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  in  Newport,  K.  L,  and 
Worcester,  Mass.,  and  thereafter  followed  his  trade 
at  Newport  until  1876,  when  he  established  an 
undertaking  business  which,  two  years  later,  he 
removed  to  Erie,  Pa.,  where  he  has  since  re- 
resided  and  is  still  engaged  in  the  undertaking  busi- 
ness. He  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  an  active 
worker  for  his  party.  In  1890  he  was  elected  as  a 
member  of  the  connnon  council  of  Erie,  resigning  dur- 
ing the  latter  part  of  his  term  to  run  as  Democratic 
nominee  for  the  select  council,  to  which  he  was  elected 
in  1892.  Mr.  Quinn  was  married  April  3,  1883,  to 
Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  the  late  Patrick  H.  .McMahon, 
of  New  York.  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quinn  have  four  chil- 
dren, Mary,  Sarah,  John,  .Margaret  and,  reside  at  the 
corner  of  Fifth  and  French  streets,  and  are  members 
of  St.  Patrick's  Church.  .Mr.  Quinn  is  a  member  of 
the  G.  A.  R.  and  the  L'nion  \'eteran  Legion. 

C.  M.  Briggs,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Rome,  N.  V., 
October  13,  1829.  He  is  a  .son  of  Lyman  and  .Arcenath 
(Jefferson)  Briggs,  natives  of  \'ermont,  who  located  in 
Erie  county  in  1844.  C.  M.  Briggs  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  Rome,  N.  Y.  He  was  for  a  number  of 
years  a  member  of  the  Erie  Ice  Company,  which  in 
the  spring  of  1893  was  consolidated  with  the  People's 
Ice  Comjiany,  and  is  now  known  as  the  L'nion  Ice 
Company,  of  which  Mr.  Briggs  is  a  inember.  He  was 
married  October  9,  1851,  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  the  late 
Hiram  Slocum.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Briggs  have  four  chil- 
dren, Anna,  Harriet  A.,  William  S.  and  Ida  H.,  and 
reside  at  314  Sassafras  street.  Mr.  Briggs  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  a  Knight  Templar,  and 
a  member  of  the  A.  O.  V.  W.  and  the  Knights  of 
Honor. 

Henry  James  Raymore,  secretary  and  general 
manager  of  the  Shaw  Piano  Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  August  30,  1857,  at  Worcester,  Alass.  He  is  a  son 
of  the  late  James  F.  and  Pha'be  Anne  (Williamson) 
Raymore,  the  former  a  native  of  .Massachusetts  and  of 
English-Scotch  extraction,  the  latter  a  native  of  Maine 
and  of  English  descent.  The  Williamsons  were  among 
the  early  settlers  of  New  F'ngland,  and  one  of  them 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  town  of  Lovell,  Maine. 
James  F.  Raymore  was  for  many  years  associated  with 
the  Torry  Razor  Company,  of  Worcestor,  Mass.  He 
died  in  July,  1893,  surviving  his  wife  five  years.  Henry 
J.  Raymore  completed  his  education  with  a  cour.se  in 
academics,  at  Stone's  Preparatory  College  School,  at 
Montreal,  Quebec,  from  which  institution  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1872.  He  was  then  employed  for  four  years 
in  the  drv-gooils  establishment  of  A.  A.  Murphy,  of 
Montreal.  In  1876  he  was  engaged  with  Horace  .Shel- 
don, dry  goods  merchant,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  the 
following  year  entered theemploy  of  Lucius  Marrifield, 
a  dealer  in  pianos  anil  organs  at  the  same  place.  After 
five  years  of  this  latter  service  he  went  to  New  York 
to  learn  piano  manufacturing  with  the   firm  of  Calen- 


666 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTION  ART 


berg  &  Vaupel,  West  Thirty-sixth  street,  where  he  re- 
mained for  Diic  year.  lie  was  then  a])|)i>inte<l  general 
manager  fur  I'eek  &  Sun,  mamilactnrers  of  tlie  Opera 
jiiano.  New  \'(irk.  He  was  next  engagi'd  for  a  short 
lime  at  Ciiuinnati,  witli  tlie  firm  of  Smith  &  Nixon. 
In  August,  ISMI,  lie  came  In  Krie,  and  was  for  some 
months  associated  with  the  Colby  Piano  Com]jany.  On 
Marcli  'J^t,  IH'.IO,  he  «rganize<l  the  Shaw  Piano  Coni- 
|iany,  with  Hon.  Matthew  CIriswold,  president;  James 
H.  .Shaw,  vice-]iresident;  Matthew  driswold,  jr.,  treas- 
urer; and  Henry  J.  Raymori'.  secretary  and  general 
manager.  Nine  montlis  thereafter  Mr.  Shaw  died  and 
Matthew  Ciriswold,  jr.,  succee<led  to  the  vice-presi- 
dency and  .Marvin  l\.  (Iriswold  to  the  treasurership. 
As  general  manager  of  the  Shaw  Company,  Mr.  Kay- 
more  has  been  conspicuously  successful,  having  inau- 
gurated many  original  methods  of  advertising,  and 
otherwise  through  his  enter|irise  and  energy  jil.iced 
the  concern  among  the  leading  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments of  Erie.  Mr.  Raymore  was  married  Januarv 
17,  188«,  to  Anna  E.,  daughter  of  the  late  Samuel 
Bond,  of  Richardson,  Merriam  &  Co.,  manufacturers 
of  wooti-working  machinery.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Raymore 
have  one  child,  Henry  Bond  Raymore,  reside  at  illll 
We.st  Tenth  street,  and  are  members  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Churcfi.  Mr.  Raymore  is  actively  iden- 
tified with  the  work  of  the  church  generally,  and  par- 
ticularly with  its  Christian  Endeavor  organization, 
being  one  of  the  vice-]>residents  of  the  .State  organiza- 
tion, and  chairman  of  the  local  connnittee of  ''.t5,  which, 
largely  through  Mr.  Kaymore's  personal  efforts,  se- 
cured the  State  convention  at  Erie  in  that  year.  .Mr. 
Kayniore  is  a  member  of  the  1.  O.  O.  F.,  the  Knights 
of  St.  John  and  Malta,  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and 
Tyrian  Lodge,  No.  362,  F.  cV  A.  M. 

Levi  Kester,  manager  of  the  Erie  Transfer  Com- 
pany, Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Hamburg,  V.r'w  countv,  N. 
v.,  Decemlx-r  Hi,  1829.  He  is  a  son'of  the  late  James 
and  Emily  (Lang)  Kester,  both  natives  of  New  York 
and  of  (lerman  descent.  James  Kester  was  a  farmer 
during  the  early  years  of  his  manhood,  but  subse- 
quentlv  removed  to  Buffalo,  where  he  fjecame  actively 
idenlihed  with  the  Old-line  Whigs,  by  whom  he  was 
recognized  as  the  proper  material  for  public  trusts, 
and  his  services  were  firought  into  requisition  as  dep- 
uty sheriff,  superintendent  of  workhouse,  and  in  other 
official  capacities.  Levi  Ke.ster  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  |jublic  schools  of  Erie  county.  New  York. 
His  first  employment  was  with  the  Ohio  Stage  Com- 
pany, with  whom  he  remained  for  nine  years.  He 
then  entered  the  service  of  the  Cleveland,  Erie  and 
Painesville  R.  R.  as  freight  conductor,  and  afterward 
was  employed  in  both  freighht  and  passenger  service 
on  the  New  \drk  Central  R.  R.  In  18(i7  Mr.  Kester 
locate<l  in  Erie,  Pa.,  and  became  identified  with  the 
Lake  .Shore  K.  R.,  remaining  in  its  employ  until  1K7-"), 
when  he  established  a  livery  business  at  I'.rie.  In  1SS(! 
he  purchased  a  controlling  interest  in  the  Erie  1  rans- 
fer  Company,  and  has  since  then  been  the  presidi'iit 
and  manager  of  that  concern.  He  was  married  in 
18.")4  to  Elizabeth, daughter  of  the  late  Josejih  Sharp,  a 
farmer  of  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania.  Four  chil- 
dren born  of  this  marriage  survive:  Frank  J.,  Minnie 
E.  and  Charles  E.  Kester  and  Mr.s.  Clara  IC.  McCon- 
lU'll,  wid(iw  of  the  late  Julius  McConnell.  Both  .sons 
are  in  the  Erie  Transfer  Company,  Mr.  Frank  j.  Kes- 
ter being  its  treasurer. 


John  Lawrence  Kelley,  late  proprietor  of  the 
Kelley  Machine  Works,  born  in  Oriskany,  N.  Y., 
March  14,  iK.'i;!,  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  and  Mary 
(Radigan)  Kelley,  natives  of  Irelaml,  both  of  whom 
came  to  this  country  in  childhood  with  their  p.iriiils. 
Soon  after  marriage  they  removeil  to  Niagara  county. 
New  York,  where,  in  18(i(J,  John  Kelley  lost  his  life  liy 
a  railroad  accident.  The  following  year  his  family 
removed  to  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  where  John  L.  Kelley 
received  a  meagre  schooling.  At  a  very  early  age  he 
began  to  assist  his  mother  in  the  support  of  the  familv, 
and  at  theagi-ol  15,  was  apprenticed  to  thi' machinist's 
trade  with  the  Holly  Manufacturing  Coiiipanv.  He  ■ 
worked  at  his  traile  in  various  places  until  1S7(),  when 
he  penii.ineiitly  loc.ited  in  Erie,  and  was  engaged 
with  the  .Skinner  Engine  Company  until  1884,  when 
he  established  the  Kelley  Machine  Works,  of  which 
he  was  until  recently  the  sole  owner.  Mr.  Kelley  is 
the  inventor  of  an  automatic  .steam  llue-cleaner,  and 
an  adjustable  steel  scraper,  an  adjustable  screw  plate, 
a  low-water  al.iriii,  a  speed  indicator,  a  gauge-gla.ss 
cutter,  and  an  a<ljustable  hose  claiiij),  all  of  which  have 
found  high  lavor,  and  in  the  manufacturi'  of  which  he 
was  principally  engaged.  He  was  marrieil  February 
2,  1885,  to  Add'ie  E.,  daughter  of  John  Wemple,  for  ii 
number  of  years  a  farmer  of  Elk  Creek  township,  I-'.rie 
countv,  anil  now  a  resident  of  Cattaraugus  county. 
New  York.  Mrs.  Kelley  is  a  descen<iant  of  the  Sher- 
man family,  one  of  the  first  to  settle  in  Erie  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelley  have  three  children:  Lawrence 
W.,  Edna  E.  and  John  L.,  reside  at  422  West  Fourth 
street,  and  are  members  of  St,  Peter's. 

Samuel  Weiss,  editor  and  publisher  of  77/c  Pcnpti^ 
Erie,  I'a.,  was  born  in  Ka.schau,  Hungary,  July  Ui, 
1802.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Hermann  and  Katharine 
(Weber)  Weiss,  natives  of  Hungary,  where  they  were 
married,  coming  thence  to  the  L'nited  Slates,  in  18S2, 
and  locating  in  New  \'ork  city,  where  tlu-y  resided  U]) 
to  the  time  ol  their  decease,  in  1885.  Samuel  Weiss 
received  his  initial  schooling  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  city,  then  taking  a  three  years'  course  at  the 
Gymnasium,  conducted  by  the  Premonstrans  order  of 
that  city.  In  187(>  he  entered  theem|iloy,  in  Kaschau, 
of  the  Panonia  Publishing  Company,  remaining  with 
that  company  for  three  years,  by  which  lime  he  had 
mastered  the  printer's  trade.  In  1879  he  went  to  Buila 
Pesth,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  one  year. 
During  the  hillovving  two  years  he  was  emjiloyed  in 
various  book,  job  an<l  newspaper  |irinting  ofiices  in 
tiermany  and  Austria.  In  July,  1882,  he  came  to  the 
L'nited  States,  and  for  one  year  followed  his  trade  in 
New  \'ork  city.  In  1883  he  embarked  in  the  news- 
paper publishing  business  at  Kan.sas  City,  Mo.,  where 
lie  established  a  German  weekly  paper,  known  as 
Viinrarts,  which  he  sub.seiiui'ntly  sold.  Returning  to 
New  York  city,  he  re-engaged  in  the  priming  business 
for  one  ye;ir,  and  there,  first  in  this  country,  interested 
himsi'lf  actively  with  the  labor  moveiiieiit,  filling  the 
highest  offices  within  the  gift  of  the  National  German- 
American  Typogra])hical  L'nion.  From  l^i<ii  to  1K91 
he  was  editor  and  business  manager  of  the  Buflalo 
weekly  Arbcitcr-Ziitiuii/,  and  during  that  period  es- 
lablishe<l  two  special  editions  of  that  paper,  the  one 
for  Rochester,  New  York,  the  other  for  Erie,  Pa.  The 
latter  enterprise  proved  so  successful  that  Mr.  Wei.ss 
concluded  to  permanently  locate  and  establish  a 
weekly  newspaper  of  his  own  in  llrie.     On  October  1, 


ANJ)  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


667 


1892,  he  issued  the  first  number  of  Tlif  People,  an 
English  people's  iiarty  organ,  which  has  acfjuired  a 
g(M)il  circulation  and  has  a  wide  political  inthiencc. 
l\lr.  Weiss  became  a  citizen  of  the  I'nitetl  States  by 
naturalization  at  Buffalo,  N.  V.,  in  IWT.  In  addition 
to  running  the  Erie  Arbfiler-Xiitung  and  The  Ptopli; 
Mr.  Weiss  is  correspondent  of  several  socialist  and 
labor  newspapers.  He  was  instrumental  in  founding 
the  first  labor  party  organizaticjn  in  Erie,  and  in  that 
connection  has  organized  a  dozen  or  more  trades' 
unions.  He  is  commander  of  the  Erie  City  Lodge, 
No.  185,  order  of  Maccabees,  Master  Workman  of  the 
Lake  .Shore  .Assembly,  8778,  Knights  of  Labor,  and  an 
active  member  and  official  of  numerous  other  societies. 
He  was  married  at  Buffalo.  N.  V.,  to  .Miss  Bertha 
Redler,  a  native  of  Tyrol.  .Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Weiss  have 
four  children,  Katharine,  Esther,  Hermann  and  Nettie, 
and  reside  at  351  Short  street. 

Joha  Carse,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Belfast,  Ire- 
land, .April  'J,  1819.  His  parents  were  natives  of  North 
Ireland,  and  of  Scotch  descent.  John  received  but 
little  schooling,  his  services  being  required  at  a  very 
early  age  in  helping  to  till  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm 
near  Belfast,  and  before  John  had  attained  his  ma- 
jority the  bulk  of  this  work  devolved  upon  him.  The 
elder  Carse,  within  the  next  ten  years  added  a  second 
large  farm  to  his  previous  |)Ossessions,  and  this  added 
so  materially  to  the  duties  imposed  upon  his  son,  John, 
without  giving  prt)mise  of  any  considerable  personal 
benefit  to  him,  that  he  concluded  to  seek  his  fortunes 
in  the  New  World.  Accordingly,  in  1849,  he  came  to 
the  L'nited  States,  locating  in  Erie,  and  on  the  very 
day  of  his  arrival  found  employment  as  a  buyer  of 
barley  for  the  late  .Alfred  King.  He  was  engaged  in 
this  business  for  two  years,  and  then  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  tfie  late  Gen.  Charles  .M.  Reed,  whose  steam- 
boats, sailing  vessels  and  canal  boats  he  had  charge  of 
at  the  Erie  docks  for  many  years.  He  has  retired 
from  business,  is  unmarried,  and  resides  at  the  Reed 
House.  He  served  the  city  for  three  years  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  select  council. 

Herman  Ey,  proprietor  of  the  Lake  City  Machine 
shops,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Halberstadt,  Prussia, 
June  2,  1850.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Edward  and 
Elizabeth  (Schrader)  Ey,  natives  of  Prussia.  Edward 
Ey  was  a  mason  by  trade,  and  died  in  the  old  country 
in  1851;  his  widow  married  George  Koch,  who  subse- 
ijuently  came  to  the  new  world  to  seek  his  fortune, 
finally  locating  in  Reading,  Pa.,  where  he  was,  in  1870, 
joined  by  his  wife,  his  ste|)-son,  Herman  Ey,  and  his 
son,  William.  One  year  later  the  family  removed  to 
Erie.  Herman  Ey  received  his  education  and  learned 
the  trade  of  machinist  in  his  native  town.  Prior  to 
coming  to  the  United  .States  he  worked  at  his  trade  in 
many  of  the  leading  cities  of  Germany;  Lei])sic,  Ber- 
lin, Potsdam,  .Stettin,  Krankfort-on-the-Rhine  and 
Frankfort-on-the-Main.  In  Erie  he  fir.st  worked  for 
the  late  firm  of  Barr,  John,son  61:  Co.,  stove  founders; 
then  for  the  Jarecki  Manufacturing  Company,  and 
next  for  the  Bay  .State  Iron  Works.  In  187(i  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Humboldt  Iron  Works,  with 
which  concern  he  n-mained  twelve  years.  He  then 
resumed  service  with  the  Jarecki  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany as  foreman  of  the  machine  department.  In  the 
spring  of  1892  he  formed  a  partnershit)  association 
with  B.  T.  Jones,  under  the  firm  name  of  Ey  &  Jones, 


proprietors  of  the  Lake  City  Machine  shops,  at  1219 
Peach  street.  The  partnership  was  dissolved  in  July, 
1895,  by  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Jones,  .Mr.  Ey  continu- 
ing the  business.  Mr.  Ey  was  married  t)ctober  14, 
18*^3,  to  Mary,<laughter  of  the  late  Balthazer  Herbst,  a 
native  of  Wurtemberg,  for  many  years  a  resident  ami 
tinsmith  of  Erie.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Ey  reside  at  522  West 
Third  street.  Mr.  Ey  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  K. 
and  Harugari  societies. 

John  Sutter,  wreck  master  of  the  L.  S.  &   M.  S. 

R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  near  Strasburg,  .Alsace,  .Au- 
gust 19,  18;i5.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  and  .Mary 
Eva  (Freauf)  Sutter.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Ba- 
varia, went  to  .Alsace  when  a  boy,  where  he  learned 
carpentry,  and  met  and  married  his  wife,  who  was  a 
native  of  Alsace.  They  then  returned  to  Leimersheim, 
Rheinpfalz,  where  they  continued  to  reside  until  185.'?, 
when  they  came  to  the  L'nited  States,  and  located  in 
Erie,  where  the  elder  Sutter  followed  the  business  of 
carpentry  contractor.  He  died  June  23,  1855,  and  his 
wife,  November  8,  1858.  John  Sutter,  jr.,  learned  the 
carpentry  trade  in  the  Fatherland,  worked  at  his  trade 
with  his  father  in  this  country  until  September  IG,  1855, 
when  he  entered  the  em[)loy  of  the  Cleveland  and  Erie 
(now  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.)  as  bridge  builder.  Oneyear 
later  he  was  made  road  carpenter  of  the  Buffalo  and 
Erie  (now  the  L.  S.  &  .M.  S.  R.  R.),  in  which  capacity 
he  remained  until  the  sjjring  of  18(52,  when  he  re- 
turned to  the  Cleveland  and  Erie  K.  R.,  and  was 
made  car  inspector.  On  the  first  call  for  volunteers  at 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  was  enlisted  for  three 
months'  service,  and  re-enlisted  for  three  years,  but 
furnished  a  substitute.  He  occupied  the  position  of 
car  inspector  with  the  Cleveland  and  Erie  R.  R.,  until 
after  the  consolidation  of  the  several  roads,  which 
formed  the  present  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  system.  On 
December  1,  1869,  he  was  appointed  to  his  present 
position  of  wreck  master  and  general  car  inspector 
and  repairer  for  the  Lake  .Shore  road.  Mr.  Sutter 
was  a  Republican  up  to  the  second  campaign  of  Gen- 
eral Grant  for  the  presidency,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  active  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party. 
He  represented  the  Second  ward  in  the  common 
council  of  Erie  for  five  years,  for  two  years  of  which 
period  he  was  chairman  of  the  police  committee.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  select  council  for  three  years, 
and  during  that  time  was  chairman  of  the  fire  com- 
mittee. He  was  president  of  the  German  Friendship 
Benevolent  Society  for  seven  years,  and  resigned  only 
to  be  re-elected  several  years  to  the  same  office,  of 
which  he  is  the  incumbent.  .Mr.  Sutter  was  one  of 
the  founders  and  vice  president  of  the  Erie  City  Fund 
and  Building  .Association.  The  perils  and  hardships 
incident  to  his  long  service  as  wreck  master  have  en- 
tailed upon  him  but  one  serious  accident,  that  of  Feb- 
ruary 1,  1878,  at  .Ashtabula,  when  a  snow  plow,  which 
he  was  running,  colliiied  with  a  train,  which  resulted 
in  his  receiving  injuries  that  nearly  cost  him  his  life 
an<i  crippled  him  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  com- 
pelled to  walk  on  crutches  for  three  years.  He  was 
married  May  12,  18.59,  to  Miss  Marie  .Anna,  daughter  of 
Bonaparte  and  Mary  Brandt,  who  settled  in  Erie  from 
Alsace  about  1839.  Of  ten  chililren  born  to  .Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sutter,  seven  survive.  They  are:  .Mary  .A., 
widow  of  the  late  Frank  .Mangold,  of  Erie;  John  G., 
recorder  of  interchange  of  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  and  P.  & 
E.  railroads;  .Anna,  wife  of  J.C.  Salsbury,  of  Erie;  and 


668 


NBLSOWS  BTOGRAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


Emma,  Minnie,  Frank  and  Katrina.  The  family  re- 
side at  1101  Parade  street,  and  arc  nieiiibcrs  of  St. 
Mary's  Cluirch.  Mr.  Sutter  is  a  iii(iiil><r  of  the 
A.  ().  V.  \\. 

Henry  B.  Haverstick,  insiircince  a^ent,  Erie, 
Pa.,  I)urn  in  Carlisle,  Pa.,  April  l;i,  1M20,  is  a  son  of  the 
late  John  I),  antl  Sarah  (Htnnell)  Haverstick,  natives 
of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  of  Cierinan,  the  latter  of 
En^'lish  (U'scent.  They  located  in  1S;57  in  Krie,  where 
the  elder  Mr.  Haverstick  was  actively  identihed  with 
the  Whii;  and  Free  .Soil  ii.irties.  He  was  for  ten  or 
twelve  years  an  alderman  hy  gi.il)i'rnatorial  appoint- 
ment. He  died  July  4,  liSM;  his  wife  died  December 
29,  18(5;^  Henry  H.  Haverstick  C(miplete<l  his  school- 
ing at  the  academy,  Carlisle,  Pa.,  found  employment 
as  a  clerk  in  that  town  for  several  years,  ami  in  18ii9 
came  to  Krie  and  entired  the  em])loy  or  Messrs. 
Fleminjj  &  Zimmerly.  The  following  year  (1840)  he 
obtained  a  jKjsiton  with  Messrs.  Rufus  S.  and  C.  M. 
Reed,  with  whom  he  remained  until  18.V2.  He  then 
established  a  tjeneral  store  in  ICrie,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  the  last  six  years.  Uurint;  the  latter  period 
he  became  interested  in  the  milling  business,  with 
which  he  was  identified  until  1874.  He  then  went  to 
Cincinnati,  tJhio,  where  he  remained  for  two  years  in 
the  interests  of  the  Life  Association  of  .America,  at  .St. 
Louis.  He  returned  to  P'.rie  in  187(i,  and  has  since 
been  associated  with  the  Mutual  Benefit  Life  Insur- 
ance Company  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  Pittsburg  agency. 
He  was  mar'rieil  June  18,  1844,  to  I'llizabeth  ,M'., 
daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Henry  Diffenbaugh,  of  New 
York  city.  Three  children  born  of  this  marriage  sur- 
vive: Belle,  wife  of  Isaac  R.  McNary,  chief  en- 
gineer, U.  S.  navy,  of  New  York;  Minnie  Mirinda, 
wife  of  Frank  J.  French,  jiublisher,  of  New  York,  and 
McCaulay  Haverstick.  The  latter  was  born  March  18, 
1858,  in  trie,  was  e<lucated  in  the  Erie  Academy,  and 
at  the  age  of  15  became  a  messenger  in  the  employ  of 
the  L.  S.  S:  M.  S.  R.  R.,  with  which  company  he  has 
ever  since  been  connected,  receiving  promotion  from 
time  to  time  until  1883,  when  he  was  appointed  cash- 
ier of  the  freight  department  in  Erie,  which  position 
he  now  holds.  He  is  unmarried,  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  past  master  of  Keystone  Lodge  No. 
455,  and  resides  with  his  parents  at  125  Flast  Sixth 
street.  Mr.  Henry  H.  Haverstick  is  a  staunch  F^epjub- 
lican  and  has  served  the  city  government  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  in  both  branches  of  council.  He  has  been 
a  communicant  of  the  Episcopal  Church  for  sixty 
years,  and  his  family  are  members  of  St.  Paul's  of 
which  Mr.  Haverstick  was  made  charter  vestryman 
July  26,  185ti,  and  continued  a  ve.stryman  more  than 
twentv  years;  was  also  the  church  treasurer  for  a  num- 
ber of  years. 

M.  B.  V.  G  if  ford,  born  in  Venango  township, 
Erie  county,  Pa.,  July  31,  1837,  is  a  son  of  William  S. 
and  .Sidney  (.■\lli.son|  Gifford,  the  former  a  native  of 
Vermont,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation;  the  latter  of 
Pennsylvania  and  of  English  descent.  They  were 
the  jiarents  of  nine  children:  John  (deceased),  Nancy 
E.  (deceased),  William'  L.  (deceased),  Catherine  A. 
(deceased),  Robert  J.,  a  farmer  on  tlie  old  homestead 
in  Venango  township,  Erie  county;  (leorge  W. 
(deceased),  M.  V.  B.,  Lucy  J.,  widow  of  Dana  Truck, 
resides  in  Wayne  township,  Erie  county,  ami  James 
E.,  who  died  from  wounds  received  at  the  battle  of 


Malvern  Hill.  Captain  Gifford  attended  the  common 
school  and  Waterford  Academy,  was  reared  on  the 
farm,  in  early  lifi' t;iught  school,  ami  was  thus  engaged 
when  hostilities  were  inaugurated  between  the  loyal 
North  and  rebellious  South.  He  at  once  enlisteil  in 
Co.  K.,  83(1  P.  \ .  I.,  and  was  soon  after  appointed 
orderly  sergeant,  from  September  12,  1861,  to  October 
1,  1862.  He  was  then  promoted  to  the  position  of 
first  lieutenant  in  Company  \,  and  in  1864  was  madi- 
ca|)tain  of  the  same  company.  He  was  in  all  the 
engagements  his  regiment  participated  in.  and  was 
several  times  wounded;  <in  the  lirst  occasion  at 
Malvern  Hill,  where  his  brother  James  received  his 
<leath  wound;  again  at  Fredericksburg,  and  later  at 
North  .'\nna.  He  was  discharged  Dctober  1,  1864,  and 
returned  to  Erie  county.  In  the  summer  of  1865  he 
went  to  Crawford  county  ami  was  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits.  In  1870  he  went  to  Colorado,  where  he 
was  engaged  for  ten  years  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  Returning  to  Erie  in  1880,  he  was  appointed 
deputy  prothonotary  and  served  one  year.  He  was 
then  made  money  tender  clerk  in  the  Erie  postotfice, 
serving  as  such  for  three  years.  In  1885  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Erie  county  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  served  the  full  three-year  term.  Captain 
Gifford  was  married  in  18fi()  to  Miss  Mary  Amelia, 
daughter  of  William  Allison,  a  leading  farmer  of  Erie 
county,  anil  to  the  union  have  been  born  three 
children:  The  first  died  unnamed  in  infancy;  William 
Pitt  and  Pearl  \'incent,  both  atteiulmg  the  I. eland 
Stanford,  jr.,  Lniversity  of  Califorui.i.  .Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gifford  are  members  of  the  Central  Pri'sbyterian 
Cluirch  of  Erie.  He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  and 
in  [lolitics  is  a  Rei)ublican. 

Henry  Kessler,  grocer,  4.36  West  Eighteenth 
street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Teschenmeschel,  county 
Rockenhausen,  Rhine-Bavaria,  Germany,  August  12, 
185(>,  son  of  Henry  and  Phillipjiina  ( Lanzer)  Kessler. 
Henry,  sr.,  was  born  November  25,  1828,  a  stone-cutter 
by  trade,  and  father  of  six  children:  Henry,  eldest; 
John,  born  August  3,  18.58,  was  educated  in  his  native 
country,  where  he  learned  stone-cutting.  He  came  to 
America  in  1874,  and  was  married  March  28,  1883,  to 
Miss  .Minnie  Garnow  of  North  East  townshiji,  and  has 
four  children:  Nettie  M.,  Albert  H.,  Julia  G.  (deceased), 
and  John  E.;  at  present  he  is  clerking  for  his  brother, 
Henry,  in  the  grocery  business;  Phillippina  (deceased), 
Elizabeth  (deceased),  Karl  (deceased),  and  Karolina 
(deceased).  All  the  family  were  born  at  Rhine-Ba- 
varia, Germany.  Henry  Kessler,  sr.,  died  January  26, 
1878.  His  wife  came  to  America,  July  6,  1886,  and  has 
made  her  home  with  her  son,  Henry,  since.  She  was 
born  luly  18,  18;?2.  Henry  Kessler,  sr.,  was  a  son  of 
John  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Backfisch)  Kessler,  natives  of 
Germany.  He  was  a  farmer  and  owned  and  operated 
a  large  stone  quarrv.  He  was  father  of  six  children: 
Henry  (deceased),  Jacob,  a  carpenter  in  Erie;  Eliza- 
beth (deceased),  John,  a  carpenter  in  Erie;  Charles,  a 
wagon  maker  near  Chicago;  and  Christian,  a  grocer 
in  Erie.  John  H.  Kessler  was  a  son  of  Christian  Kess- 
ler. Henry  Kessler  learned  in  his  native  country 
stone-cutting,  and  at  the  age  of  16  came  to  America 
and  arrived  at  Erie  on  September  6, 1872.  He  acquired 
his  education  in  his  native  land  and  attended  the  Erie 
grammar  schools  one  term.  He  then  clerked  for  his 
uncle  in  the  grocery  business  until  the  spring  of  1878, 
when    he,   at   the   age  of  21,  entered  into  partnership 


y3^'x^^<rtya^^  c3e/JV^W^^/ze^  t^^e, , 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


669 


with  his  employer,  and  remained  in  that  position  until 
the  fall  of  1882.  At  that  time  he  established  himself 
on  West  Eighteenth  street,  where  he,  in  the  year  1887, 
built  the  block  in  which  he  still  conducts  his  business. 
He  has  been  married  twice,  his  first  wife  being  Juditha 
Riedinger.  To  this  union  were  born  two  children, 
Karoline  P.  and  Klara  B.,  both  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. His  wife  was  accidentally  burned  by  gasoline 
September '28,  1891,  causing  her  death  the  same  day. 
Mr.  Kessler,  in  trying  to  save  her  life,  was  so  badly 
burned  that  his  life  was  despaired  of  for  several  months. 
He  was  married  the  second  time  ."Xjiril  25, 1894,  to  Mrs. 
Georgianna  (Pembroke)  Ross,  widow  of  Charles  U. 
Ross.  Mr.  Kessler  is  one  of  eight  that  founded  the 
German  Temple  congregation  in  Erie,  November  14, 
1888,  being  appointed  the  elder  for  this  local  district 
by  the  district  board  of  America,  which  position  he 
still  holds,  conducting  divine  services  every  Sunday. 
He  is  also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Temple  Mission 
and  Benevolent  Association  of  America,  to  which  he 
was  elected  as  a  director,  which  meets  quarterly  at  the 
church  of  the  German  Temple  congregation,  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.  It  is  also  to  be  stated  that  he  was  appointed  as 
a  branch  agent  of  the  American  Express  Company 
money  order  department  two  years  since.  He  is  affil- 
iated with  the  F.  &  .A.  M.,  the  1.  O.  O.  F.  and  K.  of  P. 
In  politics  he  is  a  liberal  Republican. 

Conrad  Flickiuger,  hardware  and  house  furnish- 
ing goods,  and  senior  member  and  chairman  of  the 
Flick inger  Roofing  and  Cornice  Company,  store  and 
office  408  West  Eighteenth  street,  works  424  and  42t) 
West  Nmeteenth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Hert, 
Rhinephaltz,  Bavaria,  February  20,  1845,  a  son  of 
George  and  Anna  (Major)  Flickmger  (deceased),  both 
natives  of  Germany.  George  Flickinger  (deceased), 
was  a  brickmaker  by  trade.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1852,  and,  locating  in  Erie,  followed  brick- 
making  for  more  than  twenty  years.  He  died  April 
16,  1887,  and  his  wife  August  24,  1885.  To  them  were 
born  six  children:  Conrad,  Caroline  (deceased),  Eu- 
gene, a  shoemaker  in  Jamestown,  N.  Y.;  Mary  A.,  Mrs. 
Wni.  T.  Reichert;  and  William  B.,  of  Downing  &: 
Flickinger,  insurance,  of  Erie.  Conrad  Flickinger 
was  8  years  old  when  the  family  came  to  America. 
His  schooling  was  in  the  public  school  of  South  Erie 
and  the  old  West  ward  school,  and  in  1861  went  to 
Waterford  and  engaged  with  G.  A.  Hein  to  learn  the 
tinner's  trade,  remaining  with  him  three  years.  In 
August,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  navy 
and  was  assigned  to  duty  on  the  L'.  .S.  S.  General  Burn- 
side,  up]jer  Tennessee  fleet.  He  was  discharged  in 
June,  18C5,  antl  returned  to  Erie,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  till  March,  1866,  when  he  opened  a  shop  of 
his  own  near  Twenty-sixth  on  Peach  street,  and  two 
years  later  built  a  store  on  Peach,  Vietween  Twenty- 
second  and  Twenty-third  streets,  where  he  was  in  busi- 
ness till  1872.  He  then  moved  to  his  present  location, 
and  has  since  done  a  large  and  lucrative  business.  In 
1892  the  Flicking<-r  Roofing  and  Cornice  Company 
was  incorporated  and  has  since  prospered.  Mr.  Flick- 
inger was  married  September  24,  1867,  to  Miss  Anna 
Gertrude  daughter  of  John  and  Martha  Schaefer,  of 
Erie.  Eight  children  haveblessedthis  union:  Emma, 
Mrs.  A.  J.  Fox;  Hattie,  F'.lizabeth,  Conrad  B.  and  Clar- 
ence, died  in  infancy;  George  C,  Frederick  G.  and 
Laura  B.  The  family  are  members  of  St.  John's  Ger- 
man F-vangelical  Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Flickinger 
43 


is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Erie  Lodge,  No.  871 ; 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  Erie  Lodge,  No.  44;  the  G.  A.  R.,  Post 
67;  the  F.  &  A.  M.,  Perry  Lodge,  No.  392;  Knight 
Templars,  Mt.  Olivet  Commandery  No.  30.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.     , 

J.  O.  Krug,  the  enterprising  boot  and  shoe  mer- 
chant at  912  Parade  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Passaic,  N.  J.,  August  18,  1855.  His  parents,  John  G. 
and  Mary  Louisa  (L^hlein)  Krug,  were  natives  of  Baden, 
Germany.  They  emigrated  to  America  in  1853  and 
settled  in  New  Jersey.  They  reared  a  family  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  J.  G.  is  the  eldest.  The  family 
moved  from  New  Jersey  to  Erie  in  1864.  J.  G.  Krug 
engaged  in  the  shoe  business  for  himself  October  3, 
1878,  and  has  since  devoted  his  entire  attention  to  that 
line  of  trade.  In  1883  he  built  the  block  which  is  now 
occupied  by  his  business.  He  was  married  September 
21,  1880,  to  Miss  Elenora  Brinig,  of  Erie.  They  have 
have  three  children,  Elenora,  Edward  G.  and  Edna 
L.  Mr.  Krug  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  and 
politically  is  a  Democrat.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church. 

Frank  J.  Detzel  was  born  January  24,  1859,  in 
Erie  county,  the  son  of  Matthias  and  Apoline  Detzel, 
who  came  originally  from  Bavaria,  Germany,  to  Erie 
in  the  year  1856.  Mathias  first  engaged  in  farming  in 
Mill  Creek  township,  and  in  1865  engaged  in  the  gro- 
cery business  on  State  street,  between  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth.  In  1886  he  built  on  Parade  street  the  first 
grocery  in  that  part  of  Erie.  While  in  the  grocery 
business  he  also  engaged  in  contracting,  and  in  1873-4 
received  the  contract  for  paving  Sixth  street  from 
French  to  Parade,  and  Parade  street  from  Sixth  to 
Eighteenth  with  Medina  stone;  also  laying  the  Parade 
street  sewer  in  1869.  The  paving  contract  was  the 
largest  ever  let  by  the  city  of  Erie.  He  is  yet  living 
on  Parade  street,  at  No.  1306,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
the  restaurant  business.  He  had  twelve  children, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living:  Frank  J.,  Wm.  Fi- 
son,  on  the  Erie  police  force,  and  Joseph  B.,  assistant 
postmaster.  Frank  J.  received  his  education  in  the 
Erie  parochial  and  public  schools,  and  succeeded  his 
father  in  the  grocery  business  in  1881.  He  was  mar- 
ried June  30,  1881,  to  Ida  R.,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Caroline  Heidt,  also  of  Bavaria,  Germany.  The  result 
of  this  union  is  five  children:  Bertie  L.,  Edward  M., 
Olevia,  Louisa  and  Florence.  The  family  are  Catho- 
lics, being  members  of  St.  Mary's  Church.  Frank  J. 
is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  and  the  East  Erie 
Turners.  He  is  a  radical  reformer  in  politics,  and  while 
he  has  always  supported  the  Democratic  ticket  thinks  it 
has  room  for  improvement.  He  served  one  term 
as  school  director,  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic 
State  convention  at  Harrisburg,  and  was  also  on  the 
county  and  city  committee.  He  has  always  been  suc- 
cessful in  business  at  11304  Parade  street,  where  in  1892 
he  built  a  large  and  handsome  three-story  building  of 
brick  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Thirteenth  and  Pa- 
rade, and  fitted  it  uj)  with  all  the  latest  improvements 
and  conveniences  for  conducting  the  grocery  business, 
put  an  elevator  in  from  basement  to  top,  uses  the  base- 
ment, ground  floor  and  thiril  floor  for  store  purposes, 
and  furnished  the  second  floor  for  a  home,  which  he 
occupies  with  his  family.  Mr.  Detzel  possesses  the 
grit  and  energy  native  to  the  German  element  that 
have  so  enriched  our  fair  land,  and  deserves  the  pros- 


670 


KELSOirS  BIOGRAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


perity  and  plenty  that  nature  and  fortune  have  en- 
dowed him  with.  Erie  owes  to  his  family  much  of  its 
wonderful  advancement. 

Frederick  E.  Mertens  came  to  Erie  county  in 
18H8  from  Germany,  and  is  now  one  of  Erie's  success- 
ful business  men,  in  fact  is  proprietor  of  the  nickel 
platint;  and  finishing  factory  at  the  corner  of  Parade 
and  Thirteenth  streets,  which  employs  twenty-live  men, 
furnishing  the  means  of  subsistence  to  that  many  fam- 
ilies, and  is  one  of  the  important  industrial  plants  of 
this  great  city.  This  factory  was  startetl  in  ISSU  for 
manufacturing  and  plating  and  finishing  the  products 
of  many  other  of  Erie's  manufactories.  The  principal 
and  most  important  article  manufactured  is  a  high  and 
low  water  indicator  and  alarm  for  steam  boilers. 

Charles  William  Nick  was  born  July  28,  1860,  at 
McKean,  Erie  county,  the  son  of  C.  Earnest  R.  Nick 
and  Maryl\eit)  Nick,  who  came  from  Estling,  Ger- 
many, to  the  United  .States  in  11^.^3  and  1840  respectively; 
his  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  is  at  present 
living  in  .Summit  township,  this  county,  the  father  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  Charles  \V.  is  the  eldest. 
John  H.,  a  farmer;  Clara;  Emma,  wife  of  S.  G.  Beck- 
man;  Minnie;  Earnest  G.,  a  dairyman,  and  Bertha. 
Charles  W.  was  educated  in  the  Erie  public  schools, 
and  having  a  fascination  for  the  drug  business,  engaged 
in  it  at  a  very  early  age  in  the  year  1884.  He  started 
in  the  drug  trade  for  himself  on  Eighteenth  and 
Chestnut  in  1885,  he  then  moved  to  Twenty-fourth 
and  Peach,  where  he  remained  until  May,  1896,  when 
he  sold  his  business  to  a  Mr.  Dumars.  He  has  since 
erected  a  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  several 
proprietary  preparations  which  he  proposes  to  engage 
in  on  quite  an  extensive  scale,  manufacturing  a  full 
line  of  remedies  from  sarsaparilla,  smartweed,  lake- 
weed  and  the  numerous  medicinal  herbs  that  are 
natives  of  this  part  of  the  -State.  The  preparation  of 
which  he  will  make  a  specialty  is  his  Max-i-mus,  a  horse 
and  cattle  powder.  He  is  well-known  throughout 
the  country,  having  sold  his  remedies  from  a  wagon 
the  past  four  years.  He  married  March  8,  1883,  Mary 
E.  Pollock,  daughter  of  Matthew  G.  and  Margaret 
(Dunn)  Pollock,  of  Irish-French  parentage.  They 
have  three  children,  Carl  Theodore,  Walter  Earnest 
and  Mary  Gertrude.  They  are  United  Presbyterians 
and  Mr.  Nick  is  a  staunch  Republican;  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  also  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  was  one  of  the  incor- 
porators of  the  Mutual  Building  and  Loan  Association 
of  Erie,  of  which  he  is  a  treasurer.  The  association  is 
purely  an  Erie  enterprise  and  has  a  capital  of  one 
million  dollars,  and  has  met  with  phenomenal  success 
since  the  date  of  its  organization. 

Jacob  Fritz,  grocer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Heimersheim,  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  September 
9,  1841,  and  came  to  America  when  ten  years  of  age 
with  his  people,  who  settled  here.  He  is  a  son  of 
George  John  Fritz,  who  was  the  father  of  four  children: 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Lawrence  Koster,  a  merchant  of 
Erie;  John  and  George  (farmers  of  West  L'nion,  Iowa) 
and  Jacob,  who,  when  14  years  old,  began  the  trade  of 
cabinet-making,  which  he  followed  for  four  years; 
then  he  began  merchandising  and  has  since  been  very 
successful  in  the  grocery  business  in  Erie.  Mr.  P'ritz 
was  united  in  marriage  in  1865  with  Elizabeth  Althoff, 


born  in  Eringshausen  Kreis,  Koblenz,  Prussia.  To 
this  union  was  born  eleven  children:  Helen,  Martha, 
Kate,  Elizabeth,  George,  Florence,  Walter  |ohn, 
Jacob,  jr.,  !•  rank  Fenner,  Clarence  E.  and  Carl  E. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church.  Mr.  Fritz  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in 
developing  the  social  and  iinltistrlal  life  of  Erie. 

Michael  Hespelein,  loi't;  Parade  street,  Flrie,  Pa., 
is  a  son  111  X'aleiituie  and  \\  ilhelimna  iSchaper)  Hes- 
|)elein,  both  natives  of  Germany.  \'alentine  Hes- 
pelein came  to  America  and  located  at  St.  .Mary's, 
F2lk  county.  Pa.,  where  he  remained  till  185.^,  when  he 
movetl  to  Erie,  Pa.,  where  he  died  July  14,  1894,  aged 
76  years.  Mrs.  Hespelein  .still  resiiles  in  Erie,  aged 
69  years.  To  them  were  born  eight  children:  John 
(deceased),  Minnie  (deceased),  Frank  (deceased), 
Elizabeth  (Mrs.  John  Schrifer,  of  Erie),  Mary  (Mrs. 
John  M.  Schrifer,  of  F>ie),  Julius  (a  shoe  merchant  in 
Baltimore),  George  (a  mission  father,  at  ]]resent,  1895, 
at  Saratoga  .Sjirings,  N.  V.ianil  .Michael,  who  received 
a  common-.school  education  at  .St.  Joseph's  parochial 
school.  South  F>ie,  and  when  12  years  of  age  secured 
a  position  as  cash  boy  in  the  store  of  I.  A.  P~orman  \ 
Bros.,  where  he  remained  one  year.  He  then  went  to 
work  for  the  Lovell  Manufacturing  Company,  staying 
three  and  one-half  years,  then  he  found  employment 
with  Nick  Ultsch,  in  his  shoe  store,  remaining  three 
years.  He  then  went  to  Baltimore,  and  was  in  his 
brother's  shcje  store  eight  months.  Returning  to  Erie, 
he  was  employed  in  J.  G.  Krug'sshoe  store,  six  months, 
and  then  became  manager  for  the  Eichenlaub  estate 
of  the  shoe  store  at  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  Parade 
streets.  Two  years  later,  with  E.  A.  Fluegel,  he 
bought  out  this  store,  and  at  the  end  of  three  years 
Mr.  Hespelein  bought  out  his  partner  and  conducted 
the  business  one  year,  then  moved  the  stock  to  his 
present  location,  where  he  has  conducted  the  business 
till  189.").  .Mr.  Hespelein  was  married,  June  27,  1894, 
to  Miss  Catherine  E.,  daughter  of  Francis  Reilly,  of 
Erie.  They  have  one  son,  Joseph  G.,  born  March  .30, 
1895.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hespelein  are  members  of  St. 
Peter's  Cathedral.  He  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B. 
A.,  Fraternal  Mystic  Circle,  and  Alphonsis  Society,  of 
Erie. 

Heary  S.  Betnis,  grocer  and  dealer  in  boots  and 
shoes,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  \'enango  township,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  in  1864.  He  is  a  son  of  Sumner  and 
Eleanor  (Henton)  Bemis.  His  mother  was  of 
German  and  Welsh  descent,  she  was  a  native  of 
Wales.  His  father,  born  in  New  York  State,  has  made 
farming  the  business  of  his  life,  and  still  resides  on 
his  farm  in  Venango  township,  this  county.  His  wife 
died  there  in  November,  1884.  Of  their  ten  children, 
five  are  now  living  in  Erie  county.  Seth,  a  resident 
of  Greene  township;  Sumner,  jr.,  resides  in  X'enango 
township:  Elmer  E.,  farmer,  Venango;  Henry  S., 
merchant,  in  Erie;  Gara,  resides  with  his  father  on  the 
farm.  Henry  S.  Bemis  was  reared  in  X'enango  town- 
ship, Erie  county.  Pa.,  attended  the  common  schools 
and  worked  on  the  farm  with  his  father  until  he 
reached  majority,  and  then  followed  farming  as  a 
business  in  Venango  townshi])  until  1891,  when  he 
came  to  Erie  and  embarked  in  his  present  business. 
In  1895  he  bought  land  and  built  a  store  and  residence 
on  Parade  street,  where  he  is  now  engaged  in  busi- 
ness.    He  has  met  with  more  than  average  success  in 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


671 


business  since  he  started  out  for  himself.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  in  1889  to  Miss  Jennie  M.,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Mary  iWilliamsl  Cam  Her  par- 
ents were  of  Irish-Welsh  origin.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren. They  belong  to  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

Abraham  John  Louch  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Uublin,  Ireland,  May  20,  1832.  He  was  a  son  of  the 
late  Charles  Lilley  and  \lary  Maria  (Moulton)  Louch. 
Charles  L.  Louch  is  a  descendant  of  the  original  Nor- 
man family  of  that  name,  who  came  to  England  with 
William  the  Conqueror  in  1057.  It  is  supposed  that  the 
original  name  was  Louche,  and  that  in  the  course  of 
its  anglicization  it  became  first  Lowche,  and  then 
Louch.  It  is  under  these  latter  names  that  the  arms 
of  the  family  now  in  use  are  registered  in  the  Ancient 
Heraldry  Books  of  England,  and  are  to  be  found  in 
Sussex,  from  which  county  the  great-grandfather  of 
Abraham  went  to  Ireland  in  17(X).  Mary  -Maria  1  Moul- 
ton) Louch  was  the  daughter  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Sir  .Abraham  Moulton,  of  .Moulton  Hall,  Norfolk,  Eng- 
land, an  officer  of  dragoons  in  the  English  army.  His 
daughter  was  born  in  Lisbon,  Portugal,  during  the 
campaign  under  Sir  John  More.  .Abraham  J.  Louch 
completed  his  education  at  King's  College,  Dublin, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1846.  Two 
years  thereafter  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Robert  Mai- 
lett  &  Sons,  manufacturers  of  railroad  supplies,  and 
then  went  to  sea,  apprenticetl  to  Fox  &  Oosby,  ship 
owners  of  Dublin.  In  July,  1850,  he  found  himself  in 
port  at  Erie,  and  thereafter  until  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war  was  engaged  in  the  lake  service  as  master 
and  captain  of  various  sailing  craft.  In  1861  he  en- 
listed in  the  service  of  the  L'nited  States  navy,  and 
continued  therein  until  October,  1865,  filling  succes- 
sively the  ranks  of  first  master's  mate,  ensign  and 
master.  He  was  for  a  time  in  charge  of  the  recruit- 
ing service  on  the  lakes  for  the  navy,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1864  joined  the  Gettysburg  as  executive  officer.  He 
was  transferred  from  the  Getty.sburg  to  the  Mackinaw 
and  served  as  the  executive  officer  until  after  the  fall 
of  Petersburg,  V'a.,  when  he  was  placed  in  command. 
This  vessel  went  out  of  commission  in  May,  1865,  and 
her  commander  returned  to  his  home  in  Erie.  He  re- 
ceived an  honorable  discharge  with  the  thanks  of  the 
naval  department  October  6,  1865.  He  then  pur- 
cha.sed  a  small  vessel  and  engaged  in  the  importing 
business.  In  1866  he  was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  L'nited  States  steamer  Watchful,  lighthouse 
tender,  a  position  which  he  resigned  a  year  later  to  as- 
sume the  duties  of.inspector  of  customs  at  Erie,  which 
latter  office  he  held  nine  months.  He  then  went  to 
Buffalo,  where  he  for  one  year  engaged  in  a  commer- 
cial brokerage  business.  This  proving  distasteful  to 
him,  he  returned  to  sailing,  and  was  in  1869-70  pilot  of 
the  revenue  cutter  Perry.  In  1871-2-3  he  was  master 
of  the  L'nited  States  steamer  Search,  in  the  lake  sur- 
vey service.  He  then  returned  to  the  merchant  serv- 
ice, and  continued  to  be  engaged  therein  until  1888, 
when  he  established  a  sail  and  awning  manufacturing 
business  in  Erie,  which  he  continued  until  his  death, 
March  30,  1895.  Mr.  Louch's  political  affiliations  were 
with  the  Republican,  Greenback  and  Populist  parties. 
He  was  the  Greenback  candidate  for  coroner  in  18 — . 
He  was  on  the  People's  ticket  for  the  Assembly  in 
1892,  and  was  the  nominee  of  the  same  party  for  State 
secretary  of  internal  affairs  in  1894,  when  he  ran  1,000 


votes  ahead  of  his  ticket.  He  was  married  February 
6,  1853,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary  Doyle, 
of  Dublin.  She  died  in  -May,  1877,  leaving  five  chil- 
dren: Charles  .Moulton,  a  sailing  master;  William  E., 
a  lake  engineer;  Abraham  J.,  sailor;  Mary  Ann,  wife  of 
William  Schaaf,  a  Pittsburg  and  Erie  R.  R.  employe, 
and  Ella  Marca  Louch.  'The  family  are  Romanists 
and  reside  at  355  West  Second  street. 

Wiiliatn  Loesch,  nurseryman,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Erie,  August  17,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Law- 
rence and  Margaret  (Daub)  Loesch,  natives  of  Bavaria, 
where  they  lived  until  after  their  marriage.  They  came 
to  the  L'nited  States  in  1836,  locating  in  Erie,  where 
Lawrence  Loesch  was  engaged  in  butchering  until  his 
death  in  1864.  His  wife  died  in  1863.  William  Loesch 
was  associated  in  business  with  his  father  until  the 
latter's  death,  and  for  a  short  time  subsequent  thereto 
continued  in  the  butchering  business.  In  1865  he  ob- 
tained an  omnibus  line  in  Erie,  which  business  was  in 
1870  purchased  by  and  became  merged  in  the  street 
railway  company.  He  then  re-engaged  in  his  old  busi- 
ness. In  1873  he  built  a  large  packing  house  at  the 
corner  of  Twenty-first  -and  .State  streets,  which  was 
blown  down  shortly  after  its  completion,  involving  Mr. 
Loesch  in  a  heavy  loss  and  leading  him  to  sell  out  the 
site  of  the  packing  house  and  its  ruins  to  Hon.  M.  B. 
Lowry.  Mr.  Loesch  continued  butchering  until  1890, 
when  he  embarked  exclusively  in  the  business  of  im- 
porting German  prune  trees,  in  which  he  is  still  en- 
gaged. He  has  since  added  a  full  line  of  nursery  stock 
and  shrubs.  He  married,  in  1857,  Margaret,  daughter 
of  the  late  Peter  .Simon,  an  old  resident  of  Erie,  'fhey 
have  four  children,  Joseph,  Edward,  Ida  and  Mary. 
Joseph  is  an  Erie  butcher,  and  married  Emma  Dranze; 
they  have  two  children,  Harry  and  Annie.  Edward  is 
also  a  butcher;  he  married  Rose,  daughter  of  George 
McClellan,  of  East  Mill  Creek,  Erie  county;  they  have 
two  children,  Frederick  and  Annie.  Ida  married  Fred- 
erick Miller,  a  plumber  of  Erie.  They  have  three 
children,  William,  John  and  Frederick.  Mary  married 
H.  \.  Ross,  of  Corry,  Pa.,  a  conductor  on  the  P.  &  E. 
R.  R.;  they  have  one  child,  Charles.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Loesch  reside  at  the  corner  of  Twenty-first 
and  Holland  streets. 

Morril  Wilson  Smart,  cashier  of  the  Erie  Elec- 
tric Motor  Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Croyden,  N.  H., 
September  6,  18;i0.  He  received  a  common  school 
education,  occupied  several  clerical  positions,  was 
clerk  in  the  postoffice  at  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  from 
1845  till  1849,  when,  lured  by  the  startling  discoveries 
of  gold  in  California,  he  went  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years,  whence  he  returned 
considerably  poorer,  but  very  much  wiser.  In  1860  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  Greenville,  Mercer  county, 
Pa.,  and  was  for  a  period  of  twenty-nine  years  there- 
after employed  as  an  American  express  messenger 
and  United  States  mail  agent  im  the  15.  &  P.  R.  R.  In 
1864  he  removed  his  family  to  Erie,  Pa.,  where  they 
have  ever  since  resided.  In  1890  Mr.  Smart  assumed 
the  duties  of  the  position  he  now  occupies,  and  has  had 
thirty-three  years'  experience  in  the  L'nited  States 
mail  service. 

John  and  (ieorge  Steimer,  brothers,  Erie,  Pa., 
were  born  in  Bavaria,  the  former  in  1837,  and  the  lat- 
ter in  1839.     John  came  to  the  L'nited  States  when  15 


672 


ITELSOJfrS  BIOQRAPniOAL  DICTIONARY 


years  of  age,  and  was  followed  by  his  brother,  George, 
eight  years  later.  Both  located,  immediately  upon 
reaching  this  country,  in  Erie,  where  they  have  ever 
since  resided.  John  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and 
pursued  the  business  of  carpentry  contracting  until 
May,  1894.  George  was  a  ciwper,  and  followed  that 
vocation  until  1874,  when  he  opened  a  saloon  at 
Twelfth  and  State  streets,  removing  subsequently  to 
Myrtle  and  Twelfth,  then  to  Eighteenth,  near  Wayne, 
and  in  May,  1894,  became  associated  with  his  brother, 
John,  in  the  same  business  at  Eighteeenth  and  Parade. 
In  Ajjril,  189,'),  John  sold  his  interest  to  his  son,  \'alen- 
tine,  and  the  restaurant  is  now  conducted  under  the 
joint  |)roprietorship  of  George  and  \'alentine 
Steinier.  John  Steimer  married  Lena  Nellis. 
They  have  eighth  children:  \'alentine,  John, 
Edward,  Julius,  Kate,  Mary,  Minnie  and  Elizaljeth. 
Valentine  was  born  in  Erie,  February  \b,  1863.  He 
was  married  to  Marian,  daughter  of  the  late  Sebastian 
Kirschner,  a  carpenter  and  contractor  of  Erie,  and  has 
one  child,  Eveline  Marie.  The  family  resitle  at  4;i8 
East  Tenth  street,  and  attend  St.  NIary's  Church. 
Edward  Steimer,  a  molder  by  trade,  married  Kate 
Gilfoyle,  of  Erie,  and  has  one  child,  f^dward;  Kate 
Steimer  married  William  Eistert,  a  molder,  and  has 
four  children:  Mary  Steimer  married  Edward  Blen- 
ner,  restaurant  keeper,  at  Eleventh  and  Ash  lane,  and 
has  two  children;  George  Steimer  married  Minnie 
Simons,  who  died,  leaving  three  children:  George, 
Frederick  and  Joseph,  who  reside  with  their  father  at 
the  corner  of  Eighteenth  and  Parade  streets,  and  are 
members  of  St.  Mary's  Church. 

William  Michael  Zlmmer,  merchant,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Gebelarod,  Hesse  Darmstadt,  April  30, 
1866.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Conrad  and  Elizabeth 
(Erb)  /.immer,  natives  of  the  sanu-  place,  who  came  to 
this  country  in  1873,  and  located  in  Erie  county.  Pa., 
where  they  continued  to  reside  throughout  their  lives, 
for  a  time  on  a  farm  in  West  Mill  Creek  township,  and 
latterly  inthecity  of  Erie.  Conrad  Zimmer  died  in  Jan- 
uary, 1892,  and  his  wife  died  in  February,  189.3.  W.  M. 
Zimmer  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  place,  for  a  time  assisted  his  father  in  farming, 
and  was  then  for  two  years  an  employe  in  the  Krupp 
Gun  factory.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to  the 
United  States,  attended  school  for  six  months  in  Mill 
Creek  township,  and,  in  .Aiiril,  1874,  came  to  Erie  and 
obtained  a  position  as  clerk  in  J.  F.  IJi-cker's  store  on 
West  Eighteenth  street,  where  he  remained  until 
1880.  On  February  12,  1880,  he  established  himself  in 
the  grocery  business  at  542  West  Eighteenth  street. 
Two  years  later  he  purchased  the  block  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  Eighteenth  and  Cherry  streets,  removed 
his  grocery  to  that  location  and  added  to  it  a  dry  goods 
and  boot  and  shoe  department,  and  there  continued 
business  for  twelve  years.  .Mr.  /.immer  has  served  the 
city  government  as  a  member  of  the  common  council 
from  the  Sixth  ward.  He  was  married  March 27,  1881, 
to  Anna,  daughter  of  the  late  Daniel  and  Mary  (Har- 
ding) Houck,  of  McKean  township,  ICrie  countv,  Pa. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zimmer  have  four  children,  Blanch, 
William,  Harry  and  Charles,  reside  at  1815  Cherry 
street,  and  are  members  of  the  English  Lutheran 
Church. 

Thomas   Pickering,   liveryman,   Erie,   Pa.,  was 
born  in  East   Islington,   Yorkshire,  England,  June  27, 


1845.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Harland  and  Elizabeth 
(Day)  Pickering,  who  came  to  this  country  and  located 
in  Trafalgar  townshiii,  Ontario,  in  184S,whire  Ilarlaiul 
Pickering  pursued  farming  throughout  his  life,  and 
died  in  1874.  His  wife  survived  until  1883.  Thomas 
Pickering  received  a  common  school  e<iucation,  assisted 
his  father  upon  the  farm  until  18(i(),  when  he  came  to 
Erie,  soon  thereafter  removing  to  the  oil  regions,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  business  for  seven  years.  Return- 
ing to  Erie  in  1873  he  established  a  livery  business  on 
Eighteenth  street,  between  Peach  and  State,  where  he 
remained  twehe  years,  when  he  removed  to  his  pres- 
ent location,  W)  147  West  Eighteenth  street,  where  he 
built  in  188r).  Mr.  Pickering  is  a  Republican,  was  a 
member  of  thi-  select  council  from  the  Third  ward, 
a  member  of  the  school  board  from  the  same  ward 
and  is  now  a  member  of  the  select  council  from  the 
.Sixth  ward.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and 
B.  P.  O.  E.  He  was  married  January  12,  1874,  to 
Katherine,  daughter  of  Antone  Knoll,  an  old  resident 
and  business  man  of  Krii'.  Mr.  and  -Mrs.  Pickering 
have  one  child,  Hutze,  a  student  at  the  Erie  Business 
University,  and  reside  at  146  West  Eighteenth  street. 

Leslie  B.  Moore  (deceased),  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Erie,  May  26,  1822.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  T. 
and  Sarah  .Xnne  (Russell)  Moore.  John  T.  Moore 
came  from  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
located  at  Waterford,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  in  1798,  and 
settli-il  in  Erie  in  181(j.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  lollowed  hotel  keeping  in  \\  aterford  and  Erie. 
Leslie  B.  Moore  had  a  common  .school  education,  and 
then  learned  the  trade  of  stationary  engineer,  which 
avocation  he  pursued  until  1872,  when  he  retired  from 
business.  He  was  married  December  26,  1847,  to  a 
daughter  of  the  late  Thomas  .Stewart.  He  came  to 
Fine  in  1819,  removed  to  Pitlsbiiig  in  1820,  and  re- 
turned to  Erie  in  1832,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
throiighniit  his  life,  being  engaged  in  business  as  a 
contractor.  He  was  a  valuable  citizen,  contributing 
freely  of  time  and  money  toward  every  public,  educa- 
tional and  Christian  enterprise.  He  held  numerous 
positions  of  trust,  among  them  those  of  burgess,  di- 
rector of  the  poor  and  assessor.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  a  liberal  sujjporter  ot  the  First  Baptist 
Church.  Mr.  Moore  die<i  in  1877.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  L. 
li.  .Moore  had  four  children,  three  of  whom  survive. 
John  B.  (<leci-ased)  was  a  civil  engineer.  'The  surviv- 
ing children  are:  Edson  T.  Moore,  of  the  tirm  of 
Moore,  Winschel  &  Co.,  carpet  ilealers  and  ilra|iers; 
Anna  L.,  wife  of  L.  E.  Foot,  of  the  Lake  Shore  road, 
of  Erie  (they  have  two  children,  Clara  H.  and  Frank 
A.);  and  .Stewart  L.  Moore,  general  ticket  agent  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  R.  K.,  with  liead()uarters  in  St.  Paul, 
.Minn.  Edson  T.  .Moore  marrieil  Cieorgia,  daughter  of 
Capt. Davis,  of  Erie.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Edna  and  Lillian.  .Stewart  L.  Moore  married 
Miss  May  Norwood,  of  (juincy.  111.  'They  have  one 
child,  Lillian.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leslie  B.  Moore  and  Mr. 
and  .Mrs.  L.  Fl.  Foote  reside  at  248  West  Eighth  street. 

Samuel  Heiss,  grocer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Fairview  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  November  10, 
1843.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Samuel  and  Anna  (Ro- 
land) Heiss.  Samuel  Heiss  enlisteil  .Se|)teniber  2, 
18(il,  at  Mishawaka,  Ind.,  in  Co.  1,  9th  liid.  \'.  I.,  as  a 
private  and  served  with  that  command  until  January 
18,  1863,  when  he  was  discharged  to  re-enlist  in  the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


673 


marine  service,  being  assigned  to  the  United  States 
steamer  Diana.  His  battle  list  includes:  Greenbriar 
River,  Buffalo  Mountain,  Va.,  Shiloh,  siege  of  Corinth, 
Duck  River,  siege  of  X'icksburg,  Austin,  Sliss.,  Tenees 
Bayou,  Richmond,  La.,  .Sunnyside  Landing,  Coalman 
Cross  Roads,  Port  Gibson,  Grand  Gulf,  Red  River  ex- 
pedition and  Lake  Village,  La.  He  was  in  the  hos- 
pital at  Cf)rinth,  Hamburg  and  Evansville  about  three 
months  in  18(;2  with  lung  trouble  and  general  disability, 
and  May,  1863,  was  paralyzed  by  the  discharge  of  can- 
non, but  recovered  speedily.  He  was  discharged  at 
V'icksbiirg,  January  18,  18t)5.  Three  brothers.  Elan  W., 
Daniel  B.  and  David  G.  Heiss,  also  served  in  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion,  the  two  former  in  the  48th  Ind.  V'.  I., 
and  the  latter  in  the  9th  In(L  V.  I.  Elan  Heiss  died  at 
Corinth,  Miss.,  July  7,  1862.  David  G.  Heiss  died 
shortly  after  the  war  closed.  The  maternal  great- 
grandfather of  the  Heiss  brothers  was  a  soldier  in  the 
patriot  army  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  .Sam- 
uel Heiss  is  one  of  the  proprietors  of  a  prosperous 
grocery  business  at  the  corner  of  Eighteenth  and  Pop- 
far  streets.  He  has  .served  as  a  census  enumerator  for 
the  Tenth  Pennsylvania  district,  and  is  now  serving 
his  fourth  term  as  a  member  of  the  Erie  .school  board 
and  was  for  two  years  presiding  officer  of  that  body. 
He  is  a  member  of  .Strong  \'incent  Po.st,  No.  67,  G.  A. 
R.  He  was  married  May  6,  1875,  to  Minnie  Bach,  who 
was  born  in  Germany  NLarch  8,  1851.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Heiss  and  children,  Minnie,  Leona  and  Ruby,  reside  at 
1710  Poplar  street. 

Henry  Clay  Aubrey,  commercial  traveler,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  bf)rn  in  McKean  township,  Erie  county.  Pa., 
September  1,  1842.  He  is  the  youngest  child  of  the 
late  James  and  Nancy  (Harrison)  Aubrey,  the  former 
a  native  of  \'ermont  and  of  English-French  descent, 
the  latter  a  native  of  New  York  and  of  English-Irish 
Irish  descent.  John  F.  Aubrey  the  grandfather  of  the 
immediate  subject  of  these  memoirs,  was  surgeon  of 
the  Queen's  Legion  of  Field  and  Hospital,  and  volun- 
teered a  surgeon  to  the  United  States  in  the  war  of 
1812,  a  service  which  cost  him  his  rank  and  fortune. 
His  son  James,  born  in  1800,  was  a  farmer  and  stock 
dealer  until  his  death  (May  6,  1856),  in  McKean  town- 
.ship,  where  his  father  had  located  his  family  in  1812. 
He  was  a  good  citizen  and  filled  numerous  positions  of 
trust.  Henry  C.  Aubrey  was  educated  in  the  public 
.schools  of  McKean  township  and  at  Waterford  Acad- 
emy. He  enlisted  April  17,  1861,  in  Co.  A,  Erie  Zou- 
aves, Capt.  T.  M.  Austin.  August  9,  1862,  he  re-en- 
listed in  the  146th  P.  \'.  L,  which  regiment  served  in 
the  1st  div.,  2d  army  corps.  He  was  at  Antietam, 
Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville.  Gettysburg,  Mine 
Run  and  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness.  At  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg  he  was  shot  through  the  right  thigh,  and 
was  in  consequence  furloughed  for  six  weeks.  At  the 
battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  June  3,  1864,  his  right  arm  was 
shot  off,  and  he  was  discharged  from  the  service  Sep- 
tember 13,  1864.  Returning  to  Erie  county,  he  attended 
the  Fxlinboro  Normal  School,  and  thereafter  taught 
.school  at  intervals  and  in  various  places  until  1869, 
when  he  started  into  business  as  a  commercial  traveler, 
.selling  goods  through  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  following  year  he  went  to  Lincoln  county,  Nevada, 
where  he  established  a  real  estate  and  general  collec- 
tion agency,  which  he  conducted  until  1872,  when  he 
returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  found  employment  on 
the   Adi^ocate  in    Pittsburg.     After  a   short  period   of 


service  on  that  journal  he  re-engaged  in  busine,ss  as  a 
commercial  traveler,  handling  goods  for  numerous  es- 
tablishments, in  which  business  he  is  still  engaged. 
He  is  a  Republican  and  was  his  party's  candidate 
for  clerk  of  the  courts,  and  for  member  of  the  As- 
sembly. While  a  resident  of  Waterford  he  was 
seven  years  (1875  to  1882)  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  was  married  September  24,  1874,  to  Phoebe  J., 
daughter  of  the  late  William  Barnett,  a  farmer  of 
Waterford  township.  She  died  March  24,  1886,  leav- 
ing four  children,  Vere  P.,  William  H.,  Anna  C.  and 
Florence  E.  Aubrey.  He  was  married  a  second  time 
to  Carrie  E.,  daughter  of  the  late  Mr.  Carlin,  a  farmer 
of  Conneaut,  Ohio.  Two  children  have  been  born  of 
this  marriage,  Ruth  M.  and  Glenni  C.  Aubrey.  The 
family  reside  at  1813  Holland  street  and  attend  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church. 

WJIIiam  Graham  (deceased),  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Erie  county,  was  born  in  Bellefonte,  Centre 
county.  Pa.,  November  21,  1795,  coming  to  Erie  county 
with  his  parents  in  1803.  They  located  about  six  miles 
.south  of  Erie,  in  what  was  then  Crawford  county  (now 
Summit  township,  Erie  county).  He  lived  with  his 
parents  until  1818,  when  he  purchased  the  farm  he 
ever  after  lived  on  from  George  W.  Reed.  Mr.  Gra- 
ham endured  all  the  hardships  incident  to  clearing  and 
cultivating  a  new  country.  He  came  all  the  way  from 
Centre  county  on  horseback,  through  dense  and  bound- 
less forests,  broken  here  and  there  by  narrow  paths, 
only  to  be  followed  by  the  blazed  trees  along  them. 
He  was  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  all 
of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Mr.  Graham  was  a  soldier 
in  the  war  of  1812,  serving  with  credit,  although  but  17 
years  of  age  when  war  was  declared.  He  was  a  man 
of  sterling  honesty  and  uprightness.  For  twenty 
years  he  acted  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  conducting 
the  affairs  of  his  district  in  so  successful  a  manner  that 
it  was  rarely  heard  of  in  court.  He  died  August  24, 
1882,  aged  86  years.  He  left  two  children,  Jackson  J. 
Graham  and  .\Iaggie  E.,  wife  of  the  late  Clark  Ewing. 
Jackson  J.  Graham  was  married  in  1864  to  Lavina  E., 
daughter  of  the  late  James  Robinson,  of  Mill  Creek 
township,  Erie  county.  She  died  February  20,  1890, 
leaving  one  daughter,  Emma  E.  Graham. 

Clark  Ewing,  Erie,  Pa.,  who  married  Maggie  E., 
daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Graham,  was  born 
in  Erie.  He  was  a  student  at  Columbia  Law  College, 
New  York,  studied  law  under  the  preceptorship  of 
Judge  Wm.  A.  Galbraith,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  De- 
cember 24,  1863,  and  in  the  same  month  went  to  Titus- 
ville.  Pa.,  where  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
F.  B.  Guthrie.  He  was  married  February  16,  1865, 
and  died  October  10,  1869,  leaving  two  children,  Will- 
iam G.  and  Echo  E.  Ewing.  Sir.  Ewing  was  zeal- 
ously devoted  to  his  profession  and  enjoyed  a  lucrative 
practice.  He  was  likewise  an  active  and  stirring  pol- 
itician, and  exerted  much  personal  influence  in  the 
Democratic  party.  He  was  a  public-spirited  citizen, 
an  open-handed  friend,  possessing  the  warmest  of 
hearts  and  the  most  generous  of  dispositions.  His 
professional  career  was  characterized  by  such  integ- 
rity, ability  and  energy  as  gave  promise  of  distinction 
and  eminence,  and  won  for  him  the  confidence  of  his 
fellow-citizens.  His  widow  resides  at  No.  137  East 
Eighth  street,  Erie  Pa.  Her  son,  William  G.  Ewing, 
was  married  Septemper  8,  1892,  to  Jennie,  daughter  of 


674 


NELSOJf'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Alexander  Maxwell,  an  old  resident  of  Erie.  Mrs. 
Clark  Ewing's  daughter  was  married  April  14,  1891,  to 
Thomas  W.  Walker,  of  the  Erie  Paper  Company. 

Nicholas  Lochner  (deceased),  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Mirsbach,  Bavaria,  September  2,  18'24,  and  died  at 
Erie,  Pa.,  September  26,  1889.  He  was  a  son  of  Peter 
Lochner,  a  native  of  Bavaria,  as  were  their  ancestors 
as  far  back  as  the  genealogy  of  the  family  is  traceable. 
Nicholas  Lochner  was  a  farmer  in  the  fatherland,  and 
when,  as  a  young  man  (1852)  he  came  to  this  country, 
he  pursued  the  same  calling  for  one  year  in  Cat- 
taraugus county,  New  York.  He  then  came  to  Erie, 
and  found  employment  with  Joseph  Seelinger,  grocer, 
with  whom  he  remained  for  three  years.  Following 
this,  he  was  with  A.  Steimer,  grocer,  for  one  year.  He 
was  next  engaged,  for  three  years,  in  selling  oil-cloths 
for  Edward  Camphausen  and  George  Rilling.  In 
1859  he  had  charge  of  a  feed  store  for  John  Eliot,  and 
while  thus  engaged  ran  a  restaurant  of  his  own  on 
Turnjiike  street.  In  18(i0  he  was  foreman  of  a  coal 
gang  for  Scott  &  Hearn,  and  also  conducted  a  res- 
taurant at  the  foot  of  State  street.  In  1861  he  started 
a  flour  and  feed  store  at  1214  State  street,  with  A. 
Meyer,  under  the  firm  name  of  Meyer  &  Co.  This 
partnership  was  dissolved  in  1868,  Mr.  Meyer  pur- 
chasing the  interest  of  his  partner,  who  then  embarked 
in  the  fish  business  with  Jacob  Heidt  and  John  A.  Sut- 
ter. In  1870  Mr.  Lochner  established  himself  in  the 
grocery  business,  at  the  corner  of  Twenty-eighth  and 
Parade  streets,  removing  one  year  later  to  the  store 
which  he  built  at  Twenty-sixth  and  Parade,  where  the 
business  has  ever  since  been  carried  on.  He  was  an 
active  Democrat,  and  served  as  alderman  from  1872 
to  1877,  and  as  a  county  committeeman  for  several 
years.  He  was  married  twice;  in  1861  tfi  Caroline, 
daughter  of  Michael  Kuhn,  an  old  resident  of  Erie. 
She  died  m  1871,  leaving  live  children,  Amand, 
Josephine,  Mary,  Charles  and  Caroline.  His  second 
marriage,  January,  1872,  was  to  Mrs.  Milleck,  of  Erie, 
by  whom  he  had  no  children.  She  survives,  and  re- 
sides at  Twenty-sixth  and  Parade.  Amand  Lochner, 
the  eldest  son,  was  born  October  2,  1862,  educated  at 
the  public  and  parochial  schools  of  Erie;  entered  his 
father's  store  when  14  years  of  age;  became  his  part- 
ner at  21,  and  succeeded  to  the  business  at  his  decease. 
He  was  married,  September  6,  1887,  to  Lena,  daughter 
of  Frank  Mangold,  an  old  resident  and  business  man 
of  Erie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Amand  Lochner  have  three 
children,  Caroline,  Charles  and  Julia,  and  reside  at  414 
East  Twenty-sixth  street.  They  are  members  of  St. 
John's  Church.  Mary  Lochner  is  the  widow  of  the 
late  John  Lochner,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  Charles  Loch- 
ner is  engaged  in  the  gentlemen's  furnishing  goods 
business  at  Twenty-sixth  and  Parade  streets.  He 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  P.  McEnery,  a  farmer  of 
Greene  township,  Erie  county.  Josephine  and  Caro- 
line Lochner  are  unmarried. 

David  F.  Diefenderfer.  lake  yard  master  of  the 
P.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  .September  6,  1844,  in  Le- 
high county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late 
Solomon  and  Nancy  (Ahner)  Diefenderfer,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  the  former  of  Swiss  descent,  the  latter 
of  Hollandese  extraction.  They  removed  to  Mercer 
county  during  the  childhood  of  David,  where  they 
continued  to  reside  throughout  their  lives.  Solomon 
Diefenderfer  was  born   September  9,   1801.     He  died 


March  25,  1884.  His  wife  was  born  July  18,  1801,  and 
died  October  11,  1880.  David  F.  Diefenderfer  re- 
ceived such  education  as  was  afforded  by  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  township.  The  year  subseciuent 
to  his  arrival  at  maturity  was  spent  in  a.ssi.sting  in  the 
work  upon  his  father's  farm.  In  1855  he  came  to 
Erie,  and  found  employment  in  the  freight  service  on 
the  old  Erie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.,  then  owned  and  con- 
trolled by  the  late  William  L.  Srott.  He  continued  in 
the  employment  of  that  road  until  it  became  a  |iart  of 
the  Pennsylvania  system.  He  has  ever  since  been  in 
the  employ  of  that  system,  having  been  successively 
promoted  until  1885,  when  he  was  appointed  to  his 
present  position,  that  of  yard  master  at  the  lake  yards 
of  the  Pennsvlvania  lines  at  Erie.  Mr.  Diefenderfer 
was  married  m  August,  1871!,  to  Elizabeth  Rosebaugh. 
.She  died  February,  1879,  leaxing  one  son,  Frank  H. 
Diefenderfer,  now  an  employe  of  the  Pennsylvania 
lines  at  Erie.  David  F.  Diefenderfer  was  again  mar- 
ried to  Frances  J.,  daughter  of  the  late  Festus  Gid- 
dings,  own  cousin  of  the  late  distinguished  Abolition- 
ist, Senator  Joshua  R.  Giddings,  of  Ohio.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Diefenderfer  reside  at  415  Chestnut  street,  and 
are  members  of  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
whose  board  of  tru.stees  he  was  a  member  for  eight 
years.  Mr.  Diefenderfer  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U. 
W.  and  K.  of  H.     ' 

Frederick  Winschel,  merchant,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Erie,  July  17,  1847.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late 
John  Michael  and  Mary  Conn  (Hammer)  Winschel. 
The  former  was  born  in  1814  and  the  latter  in  1813,  in 
Neupfotz,  Rheinish  Bavaria,  where  they  were  married 
and  whence  they  came  to  the  L'nited  .States  in  1841, 
locating  at  Erie,  where  they  continued  to  reside 
throughout  their  lives.  John  M.  Winschel  was  for 
many  years  the  leading  stone  mason  and  contractor 
for  masonry  in  the  city  of  Erie,  and  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  many  of  its  most  im|)ortant  structures.  He 
was  run  over  and  killed  at  the  Union  Depot  crossing 
by  a  Lake  Shore  engine,  July  11,  1893;  his  wife  died 
in  1877.  Frederick  Winschel  was  educated  in  the 
parochial  an<l  public  schools  of  Erie,  learned  the  shoe- 
making  trade,  and  followed  that  vocation  from  1H(V2  to 
1882.  'From  1M75  to  ISSO  he  was  the  proprietor  of  a 
custom  boot  and  shoe  sho|).  .After  his  return  to  Erie 
he  became  identified  with  the  business  department  of 
the  Obserrer,  with  which  he  remained  two  and  a  half 
years.  For  six  months  thereafter  he  was  engaged  in 
the  insurance  business  with  Frank  Schlaudecker.  In 
June,  1885,  he  was  aiipointed  sufierintendent  of  letter 
carriers  at  Erie,  a  position  which  he  occupied  through- 
out the  entire  term  of  Postmaster  Shannon,  and  for 
six  months  under  Postmaster  Hilton.  In  January, 
1890,  he  was  associated  with  E.  F.  Moore  in  establish- 
ing a  carpet  and  drapery  business,  with  which  he  is 
still  connected,  and  which  is  carried  on  in  the  Kessler 
Block,  1118  State  street,  under  the  firm  name  of  Moore, 
Winschel  &  Co.  He  was  married  March  31,  1867,  to 
Rose,  daughter  of  John  Altermatt,  a  pioneer  citizen  of 
Erie,  where  he  .still  resitles,  and  is  (1895)  in  his  93d 
year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winschel  have  two  children.  Miss 
Rose  P^lizabeth,  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of 
Erie,  and  Josephine  Mary  Winschel.  The  family  re- 
side at  150  West  Thirteenth  street,  and  are  mem- 
bers of  St.  Peter's  Cathedral.  Mr.  Winschel  is  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Knights  of  Honor  and  Woodmen  of  the 
World. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


675 


Jonas  Bowers,  contractor,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Erie,  Pa.,  May  8,  1830.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  John 
and  Ann  (Quakenbosch)  Bowers,  the  former  a  native 
of  New  York,  and  of  English  descent,  the  latter  a 
native  of  Holland,  whose  parents  came  to  the  United 
States,  locating  in  Erie.  John  Bowers  settled  in  Erie 
in  1804,  where  he  was  married  and  was  for  many  years 
engaged  in  business  as  a  carpenter  and  joiner.  He 
died  in  1851;  his  wife  died  in  18(i0.  Jonas  Bowers 
received  a  common  school  education,  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade  and  worked  with  his  father  until 
1854,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  the  late 
Capt.  James  Uunlaj),  with  whom  he  was  engaged  in 
the  business  of  pier-building  until  1879,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  same  business  alone. 
Mr.  Bowers  built  the  public  docks  of  Erie,  and  was 
engaged  upon  other  improvements  in  that  city,  and 
has  done  much  work  for  the  government  in  pier- 
building  and  pile-driving.  He  was  married  January 
5,  1854,  to  Helen  .Susan,  daughter  of  the  late  Capt. 
James  Dunlap.  Four  children  have  been  born  of  this 
union:  Mary,  wife  of  James  Culver,  an  oil  dealer  of 
Erie,  to  whom  three  children  have  been  born,  Fred- 
erick, P'lorence  and  Clara;George  Bowers,  an  employe 
of  Trask,  Prescott  &  Richardson,  who  married  Cora, 
daughter  of  Dr.  I).  P.  Robbins,  of  Erie,  and  who  have 
two  children,  Ruth  and  Evert;  Harriet,  wife  of  Fred- 
erick Sullivan,  an  employe  of  Foreman  Bros.,  dry- 
goods  merchants  of  Erie,  and  who  have  one  child, 
Seward;  and  Frank  Bowers,  unmarried,  an  employe  of 
Trask,  Prescott  &  Richardson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowers 
and  son  Frank  reside  at  152  West  Second  street.  Mr. 
Jonas  Bowers  is  an  active  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 
The  family  attend  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Erie. 

Robert  T.  Walker,  superintendent  of  street  work, 
Erie  Water  Works,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  August  10,  1845.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Robert 
and  Rachel  (Firman)  Walker,  the  former  a  native  of 
England  and  the  latter  of  Ireland.  The  Firmans  came 
to  the  L'nited  States  in  1828,  and  settled  in  what  was 
then  known  as  "  Jerusalem,"  now  the  Fourth  ward  of 
the  city  of  Erie.  Thomas  P'irman,  the  head  of  the 
family,  was  engaged  in  contracting,  and  latterly  was  a 
farmer.  The  elder  Robert  Walker  came  to  the  United 
States  when  a  young  man,  and  in  1840  located  in  Erie, 
where  he  married,  and  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  the 
meat  business  in  the  old  market  house  in  West  Park. 
He  was  for  a  time  interested  in  the  construction  of  the 
old  Erie  and  Waterford  plank  road.  During  the  lat- 
ter years  of  his  life  he  was  a  railroad  contractor,  and 
was  identified  with  the  construction  of  a  number  of 
railroads  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Ohio,  Illinois  and 
Missouri.  He  died  in  18.55.  The  son,  Robert,  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  .schools,  and  in  1869 
he  commenced  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  with 
James  M.  Ziick  and  brother,  on  the  corner  of  -Six- 
teenth and  Peach  streets,  where  Zuck's  l)lacksniith  shop 
now  stands,  and  followed  it  princi[>ally  up  to  1886,  ex- 
cepting two  years  (1862  ',i)  spent  in  the  oil  regions. 
Returning  to  Erie,  he  purchased  the  interest  of  James 
M.  Zuck,  and  from  1870  to  1S74  he  was  proprietor  of 
the  Erie  City  Hotel  and  livery  stable,  at  Eighteenth 
and  Peach  streets.  In  1874  he  sold  a  half  interest  in 
the  livery  business  to  Thomas  Pickering,  and  the  firm 
was  known  as  Walker  &  Pickering.  Later  he  sold  his 
entire  interest  to  Mr.  Pickering  and  became  interested 
in  the  Union  Carriage  Works.    Thisbusinesshesold  in 


1876  to  Mr.  Merrill,  of  Titusviile,  Pa.,  after  which  he 
was  a  member  of  a  number  of  firms  engaged  in  black- 
smithing  in  Erie.  In  1886,  he  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  streets  for  the  city  of  Erie,  and  in  1890  was 
made  superintendent  of  construction  of  the  P.,  .S.  & 
L.  E.  R.  R.  from  Lockport  to  its  connection  with  the 
Nickel  Plate.  In  1891  he  was  appointed  to  his  present 
position,  as  superintendent  of  street  work  for  the  Erie 
Water  Works.  Mr.  Walker  served  one  term  as  a 
member  of  the  common  council  from  the  Sixth  ward. 
He  is  a  member  of  a  number  of  beneficiary  orders  and 
the  Erie  Msnnerchor.  He  was  married  August  8, 
1868,  to  Anna  B.,  daughter  of  Anton  Knoll,  an  old  resi- 
dent and  well-known  veteran  musician  of  Erie.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Walker  have  one  daughter,  Margaret  E.,  an 
accomplished  musician  on  the  violin  and  piano.  They 
reside  at  No.  132  West  Twentieth  street. 

Henry  Clinton  Stafford,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Waterford,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  January  29,  1842.  He  is 
a  son  of  the  late  Henry  Clinton  and  Elizabeth  (Le- 
land)  .Stafford,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York,  and 
of  English  descent,  the  latter  a  native  of  New  Jersey 
and  of  English-Dutch  extraction.  The  Stafford  family 
located  in  Erie  county  about  1822,  and  the  Leiands 
several  years  later.  Henry  C.  Stafford,  sr.,  was  born 
in  1814,  was  married  in  Waterford,  and  pursued  farm- 
ing and  worked  at  his  trade  (that  of  mason  and  brick- 
layer) in  Waterford  township  throughout  his  life.  He 
held  numerous  township  offices,  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  First  Methodist  Church  of  Waterford, 
built  the  church  structure,  and  was  one  of  its  officers 
for  many  years  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
an  honored  and  useful  citizen  and  a  Christian  gentle- 
man. He  died  in  P'ebruary,  1880,  and  his  wife  in 
September,  1889.  Henry  C.  Stafford,  jr.,  completed 
his  education  at  the  Waterford  Academy,  learned  his 
father's  trade,  worked  at  it  and  upon  his  father's  farm 
until  20  years  of  age,  when,  in  response  to  his  country's 
call  for  volunteers  to  suppress  the  rebellion,  he 
enlisted  June,  1862,  in  Co.  E,  83d  P.  V.  I.,  and  was 
immediately  sent  to  the  front  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  At  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  August 
30,  1862,  private  Stafford  was  most  terribly  wounded, 
receiving  two  gunshot  wounds  in  the  left  leg,  one 
through  the  left  lung,  one  through  the  left  shoulder, 
one  through  the  left  arm  and  one  through  the  neck, 
besides  which  he  received  a  number  of  minor  wounds 
from  small  fragments  of  an  exploded  shell.  He  was 
left  on  the  field  of  battle  for  dead,  and  was  so  re- 
ported. He  remained  there  prostrate,  unattended  and 
unconscious,  for  two  days  and  nights.  His  first  clear 
recollection  was  that  of  ascertaining  his  whereabouts 
the  following  December,  when  he  was  very  slowly 
gaining  a  feeble  hold  upon  life  in  Mercy  Hospital  at 
Washington,  D.  C.  He  received  his  discharge  Janu- 
uary  29,  1863.  and  returned  home.  He  was  given  a 
position  at  Waterford  in  the  office  of  Provost  IVlarshal 
Hugh  Campbell,  ex-colonel  of  the  83d  P.  \ .  I.,  who 
had  also  been  seriously  wounded  at  Bull  Run.  .\X 
the  close  of  the  war,  inconsequence  of  the  abolishment 
of  this  office,  Mr.  Stafford  found  employment  as  mana- 
ger of  the  general  store  of  Campbell  &  Fotheringhani, 
at  Waterford.  Two  years  later  both  these  gentlemen 
went  West,  and  Mr.  Stafford  returned  to  his  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  1873.  During  this  period  he 
held  the  office  of  constable,  tax-collector  and  deputy 
sheriff  under  General  Thomas  Walker.     In  1873  he 


676 


NBLSON-S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


was  appointed  deputy  under  Sheriff  Hyner,  and  in 
that  year  removed  to  Erie  to  assume  the  duties  of  that 
office.  In  1876  he  was  re-appointed  deputy  under 
Sheriff  Stuerznick,  and  in  1870  was  the  KepuljMcan 
nominee  for  the  office  of  sheriff,  to  wfiich  he  was 
elected  by  the  very  large  majority  of  H.OOO.  He 
served  the  full  term,  giving  the  county  efficient 
service.  On  July  17,  1883,  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Arthur  collector  of  customs  for  the  port  of 
Erie,  which  appointment  was  confirmed  by  the  United 
States  Senate  December  2tith  following.  Shortly  after 
President  Cleveland's  inauguration  Mr.  Starfiir<l  re- 
signed the  collectorship,  his  resignation  to  t.ike  effect 
from  the  qualifying  in  his  successor,  but  he  was  not 
released  from  the  duties  of  that  office  until  January  1, 
1886.  For  two  and  a  half  years  thereafter  he  was 
employed  in  the  busine.ss  department  of  the  Erie  Din- 
patch.  He  was  then  appomted  as  tax-collector,  to 
which  position  he  has  been  successively  appointed 
each  year  since,  and  is  now  an  incumbent.  He  was 
married  January  5.  1S6.5,  to  Effa  R..  daughter  of  Peter 
P.  Judson,  one  of  the  pioneer  residents  of  Waterford 
township,  and  for  many  years  connected  with  all  of 
the  leading  industries  of  that  conununity.  He  and  his 
wife  still  survive  and  reside  in  Waterford,  where  they 
have  spent  a  happy  married  life  together  of  sixty- 
seven  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stafford  have  four  surviv- 
ing children:  Phoebe  E.  (wife  of  Charles  A.  .Vshen, 
bookkeeper  and  telegrapher  at  the  Pittsburg  docks, 
Erie),  Peter  P.  Stafford  (a  clerk  in  Dr.  B.  A.  Smith's 
pharmacy,  Erieland  William  C.and  JamesG.  Stafford. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashen  reside  at  922  Chestnut  street. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stafford  and  sons  reside  at  112  East 
Eighteenth  street,  and  attend  the  First  Methodist 
Church.  Mr.  Stafford  is  a  member  of  Strong  X'incent 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  the  Union  \'eteran  Legion  and  the  Erie 
Miennerchor. 

Christopher  Byrott  Aaron,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
near  Williamsport,  Pa.,  February  18,  1850.  He  is  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Agnes  (Fossler)  Aaron,  natives  of 
Bavaria,  where  they  were  married,  and  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  wine  business.  They  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1848,  locating  near  Williamsport,  .Sus- 
quehanna county.  Pa.  Here  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  continued  to  reside  until  1866,  when  he  removed 
to  Erie.  He  was  first  engaged  in  hotel  keeping  at  the 
corner  of  Peach  and  Fourteenth  streets,  and  was 
for  a  short  time  thereafter  engaged  in  Harbor  Creek 
town.ship,  but  returning  to  Erie  ."^pril  1,  1865,  he  be- 
came a  railroad  contractor,  in  which  business  he  was 
engaged  until  1875,  when  he  retired.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jacob  Aaron  reside  at  406  West  Eighteenth  street,  and 
are  members  of  the  English  Lutheran  Church.  Their 
son,  Christopher  B.  Aaron,  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  at  Erie,  learned  the  trade  of  barber,  and  opened 
a  shop  at  402  West  Eighteenth  street,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  business  until  1869.  In  the  latter  year  he 
went  to  the  oil  regions  and  found  employment  at  an 
oil  refining  establishment  in  Titusville.  A  year  later, 
upon  the  death  of  the  proprietor  of  the  Lowry  House, 
Titusville,  Mr.  Aaron  rented  that  hotel  and  continued 
to  manage  it  until  its  destruction  by  fire  in  1874.  Fol- 
lowing this  he  was  engaged  two  years  in  running  the 
Duft  House,  Titusville,  and  for  the  next  two  years  was 
proprietor  of  the  Franklin  House  of  the  same  place. 
In  1879  he  returned  to  Erie  and  opened  a  restaurant 
at  402  West  Eighteenth  street,  continuing  it  until  April   I 


1,  1887.  He  was  then  engaged  for  several  years  as 
agent  for  the  Eureka  Mineral  Springs  Comnanv,  of 
.Saegertown,  Pa.  In  1HS9  he  was  aiijiointed  collector  of 
city  taxes  for  the  Third  ward,  I'.rie,  a  |josition  to  which 
he  was  rea[ipointed  each  yi'ar  until  the  spring  of  1896. 
From  1890  to  1896,  with  thi'  exce|ption  of  one  year,  he 
also  acted  as  school  tax  collector  for  the  same  ward. 
Mr.  Aaron  has  contributed  in  a  material  way  to  the 
growth  of  F>ie  by  the  erection  of  a  substantial  Itusi- 
ness  block  at  Xtis.  4t)2,  404  and  406  West  Eighteenth 
street  and  dwelling  houses  at  421,  42.'!  and  426  West 
Sixteenth  street,  at  IHIO  Chestnut,  171S  Chestnut  and 
his  own  handsome  residence  at  1716  Chestnut  street. 
He  was  married  January  11,  1K76,  to  .^nna  Louise, 
daughter  of  Christoiiher  Wittwer,  a  native  of  the  can- 
ton Rerne,  Switzerland,  and  now  a  resident  of  Monti- 
cello,  Wis.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  B.  Aaron  have  two  chil- 
dren, Elgie  May  and  I.ora,  a  pupil  in  the  High  .School 
class  of  '97,  reside  at  1716  Chestnut  street,  and  are 
members  of  the  Flnglish  Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  .Aaron 
is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 

David  Hetiry  Edwards,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
I'tica,  N.  v.,  March  2.'l  1S67.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late 
David  and  Ellen  ( Morris)  Edwards,  natives  of  Bala, 
North  Wale.s.  The  Morris  family  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Oneida  county.  New  York.  David 
Edwards  came  to  America  when  a  young  man  and  set- 
tled in  L'tica,  where  he  was  married  and  engaged  in 
business  until  his  death.  His  wife  survives  and  ri'- 
sides  in  L'tica.  David  H.  Edwards  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  ,iiul  high  scbool  of  Utica  and  at  the 
W  hitestown  Academy,  and  then  took  a  commercial 
course  at  the  McCreary  &  Shields  Husiness  College, 
receiving  his  diplouui  therefrom  in  June,  1877.  He 
then  started  for  the  far  West,  but  obtaining  a  book- 
keepership  with  the  firm  of  William  Lawrence  &  Co., 
stock  dealers,  of  Delaware,  Ohio,  he  remained  with 
that  firm  three  years  and  then  located  at  Cranesville, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  where  he  established  a  general  store, 
which  he  ran  in  connection  with  the  postmastership 
for  nine  years.  In  1889  he  came  to  lirie  and  engaged  in 
business  as  manager  of  the  Peojile's  .Shoe -Store.  While 
thus  employed  he  received  the  Republican  nomination 
for  county  auditor.  He  was  elected  and  served  a  fvill 
term  of  three  years,  during  the  first  year  of  which  he  con- 
tinued his  association  with  the  People's  Shoe  Store. 
During  the  last  year  of  his  term  as  auditor  he  received 
the  appointment  of  chief  clerk  under  Poltmaster  Hil- 
ton. The  latter  position  he  resigned  July  6,  1894,  to 
accept  the  position  of  office  manager  and  bookkee])er 
for  the  Lake  .Shore  Nurseries,  with  which  he  is  .still 
connected.  He  was  married  March  2,  1880,  to  Mary 
L.,  daughter  of  John  Godenow,  who  came  from  Os- 
wego, N'.  Y.,  and  settled  in  Cranesville.  Erie  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edwards  have  three  children,  Lottie, 
Frank  and  Ellen,  reside  at  420  Chestnut  street.  Mr. 
Edwards  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor. 

Bennett  Thomas  Jones,  partner  in  the  Lake 
City  Machine  .Shop,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  Pa., 
December  21,  1866.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Bennett 
and  Nora  (Griffin)  Jones,  the  former  a  native  of  Wales, 
and  the  latter  of  Ireland.  They  were  married  in  Erie. 
During  the  war  Mr.  Bennett  Jones  was  assistant  en- 
gineer on  U.  S.  S.  Michigan  and  subsequently  served 
as  engineer  of  the  Erie  Water  Works.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jones  died  in  February,  1892.     Bennett  T.  Jones 


Uiyiv?{\ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


677 


received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie, 
learned  the  machinist's  trade  in  the  Erie  City  Iron 
\Vorl<s,  and  has  been  variously  employed  in  that  vo- 
cation ever  since.  He  was  for  two  years  in  charge  of 
the  radiator  department  of  the  Jarecki  Company's 
Twelfth  street  manufactory,  and  in  l»^9'i  formed  his 
present  partnershi])  association  with  Herman  Ey  in 
the  establishment  of  the  Lake  City  Machine  Shop. 
Mr.  lones  is  also  night  foreman  of  the  Erie  forge.  He 
was  married  April  12,  1H8.S,  to  Rose,  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert Reed,  a  farmer  of  Crawford  county.  .She  died  July 
17,  1832,  leaving  three  children.  Reed  Bennett,  Nora 
Gertrude,  and  Anna  Bernice.  Mr.  Jones  resides  at 
423  West  Eleventh  street,  and  is  a  member  of  .St. 
Peter's  Church. 

Michael  Foran,  P'.rie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  county 
Tipperary,  Ireland,  in  1828,  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1849,  and  located  in  Erie  in  1861.  He  found  imme- 
diate employment  as  a  railroad  repairer,  and  was  thus 
engaged  until  1888.  During  the  railroad  war  of  1862 
he  was  one  of  a  number  of  the  employes  of  the  Cleve- 
land and  Erie  R.  R.  whose  work  was  torn  up  by 
citizens,  as  fast  as  completed,  and  who  were  each  day 
subjected  to  arre.st  and  incarceration  over  night,  only 
to  be  bailed  out  by  the  railroad  company  and  put  to 
work  the  following  day.  Mr.  Foran  had  this  unpleasant 
experience  for  many  days,  and  untd  the  cessation  of 
hostilities.  He  was  married  in  1863  to  Joanna  Crotty, 
also  a  native  of  Tipperary,  Ireland.  They  have  had 
eight  children,  of  whom  a  daughter  and  six  sons  sur- 
vive. The  daughter  is  Miss  Mary  Foran;  the  sons  are 
Richard  Foran,  a  freight  conductor  on  the  Lake  Shore 
and  Michigan  Southern  R.  R.;  William  and  Edward 
Foran,  grocers  at  810  West  Twelfth  street,  Erie;  Thomas 
Foran,  telegraph  operator  for  the  Pennsylvania  Com- 
pany at  Erie;  John  p'oran,  car  repairer  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Company  at  Erie,  and  Michael  Foran,  an  em- 
ploye of  Trask,  Prescott  &  Richardson,  Erie.  John 
Foran  married  Margaret  Maloney,  of  Erie  county. 
The  family  reside  at  818  West  Twelfth  street,  and  are 
members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

Charles  MorKau  Samuel  MartZ,  groceryman, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Girard,  Crawford  county,  Kan., 
January  17,  1875.  He  is  a  son  of  James  G.  and  .Anna 
Morgan  Martz,  natives  of  Erie  county,  Pa.,  the  former 
of  German  and  the  latter  of  Scotch-Iri.sh  descent. 
James  G.  Martz  is  a  son  of  the  late  Samuel  Martz,  who 
located  at  Lowville,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  about  1832,  and  fol- 
lowed farming  throughout  his  life.  His  son,  James,  was 
the  proprietor  of  a  general  store  in  Greenfield  township 
until  1869,  when  he  removed  to  Girard,  Kan.,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  until  1878,  when 
he  returned  to  Erie  county  and  repurchased  his  old 
store  in  Greenfield.  In  November,  1890,  he  sold  out 
and  retired  from  business.  He  removed  to  Erie  in 
1892,  where  he  now  resides  at  the  corner  of  Twentieth 
and  Brandes  streets.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  G.  Martz 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Their  children  are:  Warren  and  Charles  M.  S.  Martz. 
The  former  is  engaged  in  business  at  Ashtabula.  O., 
and  the  latter  is  proprietor  of  the  grocery  at  Eigh- 
teenth street  and  East  avenue.  He  completed  his  edu- 
cation at  the  Ohio  Normal  University,  Ada,  O.,  in  1892. 

George  Burgess  Morgan,  contractor,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born   in  Greenfield  township,  Erie  county,    Pa., 


February  22,  1852.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Ann 
(Boyd)  Morgan,  the  former  a  native  of  the  county 
Kent,  England,  and  the  latter  of  county  Down,  Ire- 
land. Charles  Morgan  was  born  January  13,  181.6,  and 
his  wife  August  8,  1812.  Both  came  to  the  I'nited 
States  in  childhood  with  their  respective  families,  the 
Morgans  locating  in  Chautauqua  county.  New  York, 
whence  they  removed  in  1828  to  Greenfield  township, 
Erie  county,  and  the  Boyds  taking  up  thi-ir  permanent 
residence  immediately  upon  their  arrival  in  this  coun- 
try, in  1822,  in  Venango  township,  Erie  county. 
Charles  Morgan  was  married  in  X'enango  township, 
and  followed  farming  there  for  a  short  time,  then  re- 
moving to  a  farm  which  he  had  purchased  in  Green- 
field township,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided,  and 
where  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming  principally, 
and  from  time  to  time  in  mercantile  pursuits.  He  has 
held  numerous  township  trusts.  His  wife  died  No- 
vemer  16,  1891.  George  B.  Morgan  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  Greenfield  tf)wnship.  In  1876  he  went 
to  Girard,  Crawford  county,  Kas.,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged for  two  years  in  purchasing  grain  and  as  agent 
for  the  sale  of  nursery  stock.  Returning  to  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1877,  he  established  a  general  .store  in  Green- 
field township,  where  he  was  engaged  in  business  for 
eight  years.  In  1886  he  purchased  a  farm  at  Shat- 
tuck's  Corners,  Greenfield  township,  where  he  started 
another  general  store,  which  he  ran  in  connection  with 
the  postmastership  until  1890.  In  1893  he  established 
a  store  at  ."Ashtabula,  Ohio,  which  he  sold  a  year  later 
and  returned  to  Erie  county.  On  .April  1,  1894,  he 
opened  the  grocery  at  the  corner  of  Eighteenth  street 
and  East  avenue  with  Charles  Martz,  to  whom  he  sold 
his  interest  in  August  of  the  same  year.  Since  Janu- 
ary 1,  1896,  Mr.  Morgan  has  been  associated  with 
Elmer  Wright  in  the  Fairview  Heat  and  Light  Com- 
pany, which  has  the  exclusive  right  to  pipe  and  fur- 
nish gas  to  that  borough;  he  also  does  a  contracting 
business  in  drilling  gas,  oil,  artesian  and  ordinary 
wells.  Mr.  Morgan  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  a 
delegate  to  numerous  county  conventions.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  Protected  Home  Circle. 
He  was  married  December  21,  1885,  to  Edith,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Samuel  Crawford,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
but  for  many  years  prior  to  his  death  a  farmer  of 
Greenfield  township,  Erie  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Morgan  have  two  children,  Charles  and  Kittie  May, 
and  reside  at  Eighteenth  street  and  East  avenue. 
They  reside  on  the  corner  of  Twentieth  and  Brandes 
streets. 

Charles  Vollatid,  grocer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Saxe- Weimar,  Germany,  March  1,  1842.  He  is  a  son 
of  the  late  Leopold  and  Frederika  (Hage)  V'olland, 
natives  of  Germany,  where  they  were  married,  and 
where  he  was  engaged  in  cabinet  making  until  1854, 
when  they  came  to  the  L'nited  .States,  locating  in  Erie 
county.  Leopold  X'olland  followed  his  trade  in  Erie 
for  some  years,  and  then  purchased  a  farm  in  Mill 
Creek  township,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  died  in  1869,  his  wife  in  1876.  Charles  \'ol- 
land  had  a  common  school  education,  learned  the 
printer's  trade  and  worked  in  Erie  newspaper  offices 
until  1860.  He  then  went  to  Titusville,  where  he 
learned  the  cooperage  trade  and  was  engaged  in  that 
until  1878.  Returning  to  Erie,  he  was  variously  em- 
ployed until  1880,  when  he  established  himself  in  the 
grocery  business  at   the   corner  of  Eighth  and   -Ash 


678 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPmCAL  LICTIOHART 


streets,  his  present  location.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Common  Council  of  Erie  in  1884.  Mr.  X'olland  was 
married,  November  14,  18(39,  to  .Margaret,  daughter  of 
Leonard  Hodam,  an  old  resident  of  Erie.  Their  chil- 
dren are:  Louisa,  wife  of  August  .-Xlbrecht,  shipiiing 
clerk  with  C.  A.  Curtze,  Erie;  Charles  K.,  clerk  in  his 
father's  store;  Henry  Eniil,  plumber,  and  Minnie, 
August,  /Vdoliih,  Elizabeth,  Mary  and  Erederick.  The 
family  reside  at  Eighth  and  Ash  streets,  and  are  mem- 
bers of  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 

John  Bryce,  V.  S.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Hrant  county,  Ontario,  Canada,  in  1845,  and 
is  one  of  a  family  of  live  brothers  and  two  sisters,  the 
children  of  George  and  Margaret  C.  Bryce,  who  came 
from  Doune,  Scotland,  in  1848.  The  continuous  resi- 
dence for  over  fifty  years  in  one  of  the  oldest  settle- 
ments of  Ontario  has  made  Mr.  George  Bryce  and  his 
family  well  known  amongst  the  early  Canadians,  not 
only  for  the  sterling  worth  of  the  old  pioneer,  who  is 
now  approaching  his  eightieth  birthday,  but  also  be- 
cause of  the  (irominent  positions  his  sons  have  made 
for  themselves  in  the  different  places  they  have  made 
their  homes.  The  elde.st  son,  the  Rev.  Prof.  George 
Bryce,  S.  L.  B.,  was  amongst  the  earliest  settlers  from 

• to  go  to   the   newly   created    Province   of 

Manitoba.  Leaving  his  Cniversity  and  Theological 
Seminary  in  1871,  the  professor  was  commissioned  by 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Canada  to  establish  a  col- 
lege near  Port  Garry,  on  the  Red  River  of  the  North, 
as  a  center  of  learning  for  the  Presbyterian  youth  of 
the  colony.  He  has  seen  his  work  grow  into  the  Mani- 
toba College,  the  most  prominent  of  the  several  col- 
leges of  the  I'niversity  of  Manitoba.  He  has  been 
successfully  employed  by  the  government  of  the  prov- 
ince in  organizing  the  ])ublic  school  system  of  Mani- 
toba, and  in  acting  as  a  member  of  the  several  boards 
of  provincial  school  commissioners,  which  have  given 
to  the  Province  of  Manitoba  its  splendid  system  of 
national  schools.  John  Brvce,  \'.  S.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  the  second  son  of  the  family,  after  obtaining 
his  education  in  the  old-time  academy  of  his  native 
village,  passed  into  his  father's  shops,  where  during 
the  next  few  years  he  laid  the  foundations  of  that  ac- 
curate knowledge  of  horses  which  was  suljsequently 
developed  during  a  full  course  at  the  famous  Ontario 
\'eterinary  College  in  Toronto,  founded  by  the  Edin- 
burgh professor,  Dr.  Andrew  .Smith.  Practicing  his 
profession  for  a  year  or  two  in  the  city  of  Brantford, 
near  his  native  home,  he  decided  next  to  remove  to 
Erie  city,  Pa.,  In  1872.  .Since  then  Erie  has  had  the 
benefit  of  the  early  training  and  ripened  experience  of 
Dr.  Bryce.  Unlike  too  many  amongst  those  practicing 
the  veterinary  art,  Dr.  Bryce  has  looked  upon  it  as  a 
real  profession,  and  has  ever  endeavored  to  maintain 
its  position  as  such  rather  than  degrade  it  to  the  posi- 
tion of  a  mere  busine.ss  of  money  making.  In  connec- 
tion with  the  practice  of  veterinary  medicine  and  surg- 
ery. Dr.  Bryce  established  a  livery  business  on  French 
street,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth.  In  1887  he  [)ur- 
chased  the  site  of  his  [iresent  establishment,  at  Fifth 
and  French  streets,  and  built  and  has  since  occupieil 
this  structure.  In  1892  he  purchased  the  stock  and 
business  of  Elliott  Bros,  at  130  West  Twelfth  street, 
and  established  it  as  the  People's  Hack  and  Livery 
Company.  He  made  still  another  addition  to  his  busi- 
ness in  1894  by  the  purchase  of  the  livery  stock  at 
the  old   Knoll  stables,  at  20  West  Eighteenth  street. 


He  was  for  a  number  of  years  one  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Erie  County  Agricultural  Society. 
Finding  that  there  was  need  for  developing  a  taste  for 
high-class  animals.  Dr.  Bryce  has,  during  the  past  ten 
years,  made  a  S])ecialtv  of  jilacing  carriage  hor.ses  on 
the  market,  and  not  a  few  of  the  finest  turnouts  of  Erie 
city  can  be  traced  to  Dr.  Bryce's  wise  selection  and 
good  judgment.  He  was  married  in  June,  1^77,  to 
Belle  Eoibes,  elder  daughter  of  the  late  Robert  and 
Agnes  (Gourley)  Lid<lell,  and  granddaughter  of  James 
Liddell,  two  families  who  came  to  Erie  county  about 
1830,  and  who  have  been  the  ])ioneers  in  the  iron  busi- 
ness in  Erie,  and  the  originators  of  what  has  since 
developed  into  the  Erie  City  Iron  Work.s.  Mrs.  Bryce 
has  always  taken  much  interest  in  artwork  and  has 
aided  home  art  by  often  exhibiting  fine  embroideries, 
china  and  oil  paintings,  and  has  just  finished  two  por- 
traits in  oil  of  members  of  her  own  family.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Bryce  have  three  children:  George  Liddell,  Ro- 
land Forbes  and  Marion,  reside  at  Fifth  and  French 
streets,  and  are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  which  Mr.  Bryce 
has  twice  served.  The  only  living  sister  of  Dr.  Bryce 
is  Mrs.  Dr.  Marquis,  of  Brantford,  Ontario,  whose  hu.s- 
band  has  attained  to  local  celebrity  in  his  profession, 
and  has  delegated  the  family  honor  to  the  keeping  of 
his  sons,  two  of  whom,  Drs.  Arnold  and  John  Marquis, 
represent  the  allied  professions — medicine  and  den- 
ti.stry.  Robert  H.  Bryce,  of  Winnipeg,  the  third  son, 
has  for  years  been  jirominently  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits  in  Canada,  and  for  twelve  years  has  been  one 
of  the  most  prominent  merchants  of  the  prairie  prov- 
ince. Peter  H.  Bryce,  M.  A.  M.  D.,  of  Toronto,  is  the 
next  son.  He  has  occupied,  after  graduating  from 
Toronto  University  and  other  c<illeges,  several  posi- 
tions of  honor  in  Canada,  and  has  during  the  ]ia.st  thir- 
teen years  held  the  honoral)le  and  important  position 
of  chief  executive  health  oflicer  of  Ontario,  under  the 
government  of  that  province.  Alexander  Bryce,  of 
'Foronto,  the  youngest  son  of  this  family,  has  similarly 
made  a  name  for  himself  in  a  special  line  of  business, 
having  been  amongst  the  first  to  enter  into  the  supply 
of  dairv  products  to  Toronto  in  a  thoroughly  .scientific 
manner.  He  is  now  the  controller  of  the  largest  dairy 
in  the  province  of  Ontario,  and  has  for  years  carried 
on  the  successful  industry  under  the  apt  and  euphoni- 
ous name  of  the  Hygenic  Dairy.  The  history  of  this 
family  adds  but  another  to  the  many  familiar  instances 
of  how  the  sturdy  Scotch  character  has  impressed 
itself  upon  every  country  where  Scotland's  sons  have 
made  their  homes,  and  shows  how  integrity,  intelli- 
gence and  perseverance  "Shall  be  a'  the  gree'  for  a' 
that." 

Gabriel  Huff,  retired  millright.  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  In  <  >ntario  county.  New  York,  February  27,  1831. 
He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Moses  and  Maria  (Hoppough) 
Huff,  natives  of  New  Jersey,  and  of  Dutch  de.scent. 
Mcses  Huff  was  a  farmer,  living  latterly  in  Orleans, 
county.  New  York,  where  he  died  in  1889;  his  wife 
died  in  1891.  Gabriel  Huff  received  a  common-school 
education,  and  then  learned  the  trade  of  millwright 
under  his  uncle,  M.  De  L.  Hoppough,  with  whom  he 
worked  in  Ontario,  Livingstone  and  Monroe  counties. 
New  York,  until  1851.  During  this  period  (in  1848) 
he  came  to  Erie  to  build  the  City  Mills,  then  operated 
by  the  late  Clark  McSparren  and  Jt)hn  R.  Dumars. 
In  1851  Mr.  Huff  removed  to  Erie,  where  he  continued 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


679 


to  be  enRaged  in  milhvrighting  until  1893,  except  for 
a  period  of  four  years  (ISCO  to  l><f)4),  when  he  built  a 
null  and  was  engaged  in  milling  at  Kingsville,  Ohio. 
He  was  the  leading  millwright  in  Erie  for  many  years, 
building  and  rebuilding  many  of  the  leading  milling 
plants  of  that  city,  among  them  the  Canal,  Fairmount, 
Merchants,  City  and  Hopedale  mills.  In  1893  he  lost 
his  right  hand  and  retired  from  active  business.  He 
was  married,  June  IW,  1851,  to  Fannie,  daughter  of  the 
late  John  and  Eliza  (Ensign)  Compton,  natives  of 
New  York,  and  of  English  descent,  who  removed 
from  Livingstone  county.  New  York,  to  Erie  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1836,  where  John  Compton  was  a 
farmer  and  distiller,  and  conducted  a  general  store 
until  1848,  when  he  removed  to  the  city  of  Erie.  At 
the  later  place  he  formed  a  partnership  association 
with  Henry  B.  Haverstick  (still  a  resident  of  Erie),  in 
connection  with  whom  he  built  and  operated  a  dis- 
tillery, and  established  a  general  store  at  French  street 
and  North  Park.  He  died  May  IH,  1873,  surviving  his 
wife  ten  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gabriel  Huff  have  two 
children,  Mrs.  Flora  Hathaway  and  Mrs.  Anna,  wife 
of  Charles  E.  Thomas,  a  molder,  of  Erie.  The 
former  has  two  children,  Harry  Reed  and  Fay 
Compton  Hathaway.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huff  and  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Hathaway,  reside  at  '2116  Peach  street,  and 
attend  St.  John's  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Huff  is  a 
member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  \V. 

Charles  Henry  Yeager,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Girard,  Pa.,  July  1-5,  IS.'iX.  He  is  a  son  of  Louis  and 
Josephine  (Seideneck)  Yeager,  the  former  a  native  of 
Hesse-Cassel,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Hanover. 
They  came  to  the  United  .States  immediately  after  their 
marriage  in  18.57,  locating  in  Girard,  where  Louis 
Yeager  still  resides,  and  is  engaged  in  business  as  a 
dealer  in  boots  and  shoes.  His  wife  died  in  1883. 
Charles  H.  Yeager  completed  his  education  at  the 
Girard  Academy,  and  was  for  four  years  thereafter 
clerk  in  the  dry  goods  department  of  Uavid  Olin's 
general  store,  Girard.  In  1877,  he  became  associated 
with  the  dry  goods  establishment  of  I.  A.  Forman, 
Erie,  Pa.,  with  whom  he  remained  two  years,  then  en- 
tering the  dry  goods  store  of  Warner  Bros.,  by  whom 
he  was  employed  until  189(J.  Since  then  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  as  a  (lurchaser  and 
improver  of  vacant  lots,  and  has  during  his  short,  but 
active  and  energetic  career,  erected  sixty  dwelling 
houses  within  the  corporate  limits  of  Erie.  With 
such  an  outcome  to  his  enterprise,  when  not  nearly 
arrived  at  the  zenith  of  his  powers,  it  is  safe  to  pre- 
dict that  Mr.  Yeager  is  destined  to  become  a  most  im- 
portant factor  in  the  growth  nnd  development  of  the 
Gem  City  of  the  Lakes.  In  addition  to  the  above 
business,  Mr.  Yeager  is  also  engaged  as  a  dealer  in 
underwear  and  hosiery.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Royal  /Vrcanuni,  National  Union,  and  E(|uitable  Aid 
Union.  He  was  married  -Sejitember  28,  1882.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Yeager  reside  at  the  corner  of  French  and 
Ninth  streets,  and  attend  the  Central  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Bartholomew  (lotdeu,  only  son  of  John  Golden, 
was  b(prn  in  l.iitriiii.  Ireland,  in  1807.  He  came  to 
the  L  nilid  Stales  in  l.S'>4,  and  was  engaged  as  a  rail- 
road contractor  uji  to  the  time  of  his  death.  In  the 
course  of  business  he  had  a  contract  on  the  New  York 
and  Erie  R.  R.,  and  in  1863  located  in  Erie,  where  the 


members  of  his  family  continued  to  reside.  L'pon  the 
completion  of  this  road  Mr.  Golden  took  a  contract  for 
the  construction  of  a  road  in  Iowa,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Golden  &  Richardson,  and  removed  to  Burlington 
where  he  died  in  1856.  He  was  married  February  9, 
1834,  to  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Edward  Benson,  a  native 
of  Sligo,  Sligo  county,  Ireland.  .She  died  in  August, 
1882.  Mr.  and  Mr.  Golden  were  Roman  Catholics, 
active  in  church  wfirk  generally,  and  were  particularly 
interested  in  the  Father  Mathew  temperance  move- 
ment. Mr.  Golden  gave  liberally  of  his  means,  and  de- 
voted his  time  zealously  to  the  movement  in  the  United 
Stctes  to  ameliorate  the  sufferings  of  the  people  of  Ire- 
land during  the  famine  of  '46.  Of  the  children  born 
to  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Golden  but  two  survive:  T.  G.  Golden, 
general  superintendent  of  the  International  and  Great 
Northern  R.  R.,  with  headquarters  in  Palestine,  Tex., 
and  Mary  \".  Golden,  who  has  been  principal  of  three 
of  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  Nos.  5  and  1.'?,  and  the 
ungraded  school,  and  is  still  teaching  in  the  Erie 
schools.  T.  G.  Golden  married  Elizabeth  N.  Black,  of 
Richmond,  Ind.  They  have  four  children:  Alice, 
Frank,  Walter  and  Robert,  and  reside  in  Richmond. 
Of  the  deceased  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Golden,  two 
others,  Anna  and  Caelia,  were  also  engaged  as  teach- 
ers in  the  public  schools  of  Erie.  Miss  Anna  was  a 
lady  of  decided  literary  ability,  and,  while  yet  a  school 
girl,  was  a  contributor  to  numerous  magazines  and 
newspapers,  among  the  latter  the  Erie  Observer  and 
the  Buffalo  Sentinel.  She  died  February  6,  1876. 
A  local  paper,  speaking  of  her  death,  said:  "Miss 
Golden  was  not  less  noted  for  exceptionally  high  cul- 
ture and  accomplishments  than  for  a  sagacity  and 
judgment  of  peculiar  penetration  and  force.  While 
yet  a  young  girl  some  of  her  productions  obtained 
wide  publicity  an<i  commendation.  Her  excessive  de- 
votion to  study  and  to  the  interests  of  her  school, 
which  was  very  dear  to  her,  undermined  her  health 
and  brought  her  to  an  untimely  grave."  Miss  Caelia 
V)ecame  the  wife  of  J.  J.  Hendricks,  formerly  of 
Erie,  now  of  Oil  City,  Pa.  She  died  in  June,  1876, 
leaving  three  children:  William,  Frank  and  Alice. 
Katherine,  for  some  years  teacher  of  music  and  or- 
ganist of  St.  Patrick's  pro-Cathedral  after  her  mar- 
riage, in  1866,  to  C.  S.  Bonner,  resided  in  Indianapolis. 
She  died  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  .April,  1878.  After  the 
death  of  his  father,  John  Benson,  the  eldest  son  then 
living,  gave  up  his  ides  of  studying  law  and  took 
charge  of  a  railroad  office  at  .St.  Louis.  During  the 
late  civil  war  he  assisted  in  recruiting  a  cavalry  com- 
pany in  the  11th  Kas.,  under  Col.  J.  P.  Root,  and  re- 
ceived successive  promotions  from  corporal  to  major. 
He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Lexington,  Mo.,  September 
20,  1861.  After  serving  two  years,  he  was  mustered 
out  of  service  because  of  ill-health.  In  1864  he  mar- 
ried ?"annie,  only  child  of  James  Lindsey  Thompson, 
of  Midiileton,  Mo.,  and  for  three  years  later  was  en- 
gaged in  the  cotton  business  in  New  Orleans.  He  died 
in  1867,  leaving  two  children,  Robert  and  Martha,  still 
residents  of  Missouri.  James  P.,  the  fourth  son,  al- 
though but  a  lad  of  16,  near  the  close  of  the  war,  left 
home  and  .served  his  country  by  entering  the  telegraph 
corps  of  lieutenants  at  Chattanooga,  under  command 
of  Col.  \'andusen.  He  was  afterwards  for  years  an 
operator  for  the  Western  I'nion  Telegraph  Company 
at  P>ie,  Pa.  While  holding  office  with  this  company 
at  Pittsburg  and  Cincinnati,  he  became  a  member  of 
the  Merchants'  Exchange  of  those  cities,  and  trans- 


68o 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPniGAL  DICTIONARY 


acted  mercantile  business  in  addition  to  telegraphy. 
He  died  in  New  York  city  June  it,  1HX4.  Alice,  a  girl 
of  great  promise,  died  in  iS7'2,  at  the  age  of  IS,  one 
year  after  graduating  from  the  Krie  high  school.  I'hree 
other  children,  Patrick  Henry,  lOdvvartl  and  I'.llen.died 
in  early  childhood. 

Levi  H.  Roland,  junior  member  of  the  Public 
Grocery  .Supply  Cdm[iany,  V.rw,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Lima,  Ind.,  February  it,  lS(i2,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Elizabeth  ((larlock)  Roland,  natives  respectively  of 
Lancaster  and  Erie  counties.  Pennsylvania.  His 
father  came  to  Erie  county  at  the  age  of  21  for  a  few 
years,  was  ni.irried,  and  then  removed  to  Indiana, 
where  he  remained  four  years,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Faivview  townshi|i,  where  he  is  still  engaged  in 
farming  and  nierthandising.  The  family  consist  of 
six  children:  May  (  Mrs.  John  I).  I51ake,  of  Fairview), 
Emanuel  \V.  (in  business  with,  and  the  immediate 
senior  of  Levi    H.),  Frank   (who  was   killed  in   Mav, 

1884,  at  the  age  of  IS,  by  an  accident  i,  George  (who  is 
engaged  in  farming  in  Fairview),  and  Charles  (who  is 
shipping  clerk  for  Levi  Bros.,  Erie).  Mr.  Roland  was 
educated  in  the  ])ublic  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  1!)  se- 
cured a  position  in  the  grocery  store  of  George  .S. 
.Stone,  Axdiiia,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  five  years.  He 
then  purchased  the  business  of  Mr.  .Stone,  conducted 
it  for  fifteen  months,  and  sold  it  back  to  him.  After 
following  farming  for  two  years  he  came  to  F'.rie,  and 
entered  the  employ  of  Schabacker  Bros.,  grocers, 
where  he  remained  three  year,s.  In  ISi^l  he,  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother,  Emanuel  \V.  Roland,  es- 
tablished a  grocery  and  general  store  at  .'ifi^  West 
Eighteenth  .street,  which  they  still  continue.  In  ,'\u- 
gust,  lSil4,  the  Public  Grocery  Siipjilv  Company  was 
organized,  and  under  the  able  managi'iuent  of  Mr.  I.. 
H.  Roland,  has  since  done  a  thriving  business.  Thev 
carry  a  full  line  of  groceries  and  [irovisions  of  all 
kinds,  and  do  business  upon  the  cash  .sale  and  small 
profit  plan.     Mr.  Roland  was   married  September  28, 

1885,  to  Miss  Dilla  A.  Taggart,  of  Fairview,  and  they 
have  onechild.  Ralph  Leon.  Mr.and  Mrs.  Roland  are 
members  of  the  F.nglish  Lutheran  Church.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  but  has  never  been  a  seeker  of 
[)iiblic  oftice  or  [)olitical  distinctions. 

John  J.  Flury,  liveryman,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Harbor  Creek  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  October  27, 
1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Ward)  Flury, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  His  grandfather,  Jacob 
Flury,  was  an  early  settler  in  Harbor  Creek,  and  his 
maternal  grandfather,  John  Ward,  was  among  the  early 
settlers  in  Meadville,  Pa.  His  father,  who  was  a 
farmer,  and  later  a  bookkeeper,  reared  a  family  of  six 
children:  John  J.,  Leon  G.,  Sarah  \\'.,  William  H..  F".d- 
ward  an<i  Mary.  John  J.  Fury  foUow-ed  farming  until 
IBftO,  when  he  removed  to  Erie,  and  engaged  in  his 
present  business.  His  .stable  is  located  at  No.  14,  and 
his  residence  at  No.  15  East  Eighth  .street.  Mr.  Flury 
was  married  NLarch  23,  1879,  to  Miss  Emma  A.  Ore, 
of  Harbor  Creek.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.W., 
the  American  Mechanics,  and  is  a  Republican  in 
politics. 

Orr  G.  Metriier,  proprietor  of  one  of  the  leading 
meat  markets  in  Erie,  was  born  in  North  East  town- 
ship, Erie  county,  Pa.,  May  24, 1860,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Catherine  (Wallace)  Metzner,  natives  of  Germany 


and  England  respectively.  His  mother's  father  was 
of  Scotch  extraction,  and  her  mother  of  English. 
John  Metzner  (deceased)  came  to  America  in  1S4(>  and 
located  in  F'.rie,  where  he  was  for  a  short  time  employed 
at  the  Farnier's  Hotel.  He  then  engaged  with  .\. 
Meyer  to  learn  the  butcher's  trade,  with  whom  he 
remained  for  some  years,  .ifter  which  he  bought  a  farm 
near  North  East,  where  he  remained  until  lS(i5,  when 
he  came  to  l-'.rie  and  engaged  in  the  butchering  and 
meat  market  business  at  ii24  Parade  street,  where  he 
continued  until  he  retiied  from  .ictive  business  in  lsit2. 
The  family  consisted  of  two  children,  James  William, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  17,  and  Orr  G.,  who  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and  took 
private  lessons  in  bookkeeping.  Fie  learned  his  trade 
with  his  father  and  has  always  followed  the  business^ 
In  ISS2  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself  on  Parade 
.street;  but  after  a  year  and  a  half  sold  out  to  his  father, 
with  whom  he  again  united  in  business.  In  ISSli  he- 
located  at  his  present  place  of  business.  No.  l.'i  West 
Seventh  .street.  Three  years  later  he  purchased  the 
lot  and  erected  the  present  substantial  and  ccunmodi- 
ous  building.  It  is  26  x  100  feet  and  two  stories  high. 
The  first  floor  front  is  occupied  by  the  salesroom, 
which  is  undoubtedly  the  finest  in  the  city.  The  ri-ar 
portion  isemployed  as  boilerand  engine-room,  .sausage 
factory,  steam-rendering  and  smoking  rooms,  and  tin- 
equipment  is  as  complete-  as  possible  for  the  size  of 
the  plant.  Chicago  beef  is  handli-<l  exciusivelv,  but 
other  meats  are  obtained  fnjm  the  surrountling  coun- 
try. Thesuperior  f|uality  of  his  goods,  together  with 
fair  dealing  and  constant  application  to  business,  has 
won  for  Mr.  Metzner  a  lucrativetrade,  and  his  ])atrons 
are  of  the  better  cla.ss  of  people.  Mr.  Metzner  was 
married  December  'fO,  ISSit,  to  Miss  Carrie  Firch,  of 
I>ie,  by  whom  he  has  two  children,  Maxwell  and 
Webster.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  in 
politics  is  a  Republican. 

Frederick  Warnath,  merchant  tailor,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Pru.ssia  March  2,  1S.V2,  and  is  a  son  of 
Christo[)lier  and  Lillian  (Ballunait)  Warnath.  His 
father,  a  farmer,  reared  a  family  of  six  children,  two 
of  whom  are  living,  Frederick  and  Marie  (witlow  of 
the  late  I^arnest  Arnold  of  F.riel.  Frederick  was 
educated  and  learned  his  trade  in  his  native  country. 
In  1878  he  came  to  the  I'nited  .States  and  located  in 
F'rie  as  coat-maker  for  Marks  S:  Meyer,  where  he 
remained  four  and  a  half  years.  In  1882  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  brother,  Martin  J.  (the  youngest 
of  the  family,  who  came  to  America  in  1873,  and  who 
was  for  four  years,  1878-82,  cutter  for  Marks  \-  Meyer), 
and  located  at  i*24  .State  street,  where  the  business  has 
since  been  located.  .Since  the  death  of  his  brother, 
July  5,  1887,  Frederick  has  conducted  the  business 
alone.  This  was  difficult  for  him  at  first,  for  he  could 
speak  but  little  English;  but  he  has  surmounted  all 
obstacles  and  now  has  a  lucrative  business  and  caters 
to  the  better  class  of  customers.  He  resides  at  82f) 
Holland  street.  Mr.  Warnath  was  married  May  11, 
18S2,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Mr.  Frederick  Curtze, 
of  Erie,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Oscar  J.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Warnath  are  members  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
Church;  he  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
a  Republican  in  his  political  views. 

Seth  Todd  Perley,  attorney  at  law  and  claim 
agent,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  in  1840,  and  is  a  son 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


68 1 


of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (McCartney)  Perley,  the 
former  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  of  English  lineage, 
and  the  latter  was  born  near  Dublin,  Ireland.  His 
father,  who  was  a  newspaper  editor  and  publisher, 
came  from  New  York  to  Erie  in  1840,  bringing  print- 
ing material  with  him,  and  established  the  Erie 
CItrunick.  The  elder  Mr.  Perley  continued  this  pub- 
lication until  1855,  when  he  turned  it  over  to  his  eldest 
son,  Captain  James  Perley.  He  was  elected  prothono- 
tary  of  Erie  county  in  1851,  and  served  three  years, 
but  declined  re-election.  He  afterwards  removed  to 
Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  died  in  1881.  The  family 
consisted  of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  reached  ma- 
turity, and  of  whom  Mr.  Seth  Todd  Perley  is  the  only 
one  now  residing  in  Erie  county.  He  was  educated 
in  the  Erie  and  Girard  Academies,  and  studied  law 
under  Col.  Benjamin  Grant  and  Hon.  Edgar  Cowan, 
the  latter  a  United  .States  Senator  from  Pennsylvania. 
Mr.  Perley  has  held  many  responsible  positions  in 
Washington;  for  four  years  he  was  in  the  treasury  de- 
partment. On  his  return  to  Erie,  in  1865,  he  immedi- 
ately engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  which 
he  has  since  continued. 

W.  H.  Dickson,  one  of  the  leading  gun  and  lock 
smiths  of  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Worcester,  Mass., 
September  11,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  .Maria 
(Brooks)  Dickson,  natives  of  Massachusetts,  and  of 
early  Irish  and  English  ancestry.  His  father,  who  was 
a  farmer,  died  when  W.  H.  was  a  mere  lad,  leaving 
four  children,  W.  H.,  .Martha,  Sarah  and  Charles.  He 
was  apprenticed  at  the  age  of  7  to  learn  the  gun- 
smith's trade.  .After  serving  his  time  he  worked  as  a 
journeyman  in  Boston,  Mass.,  and  Newport,  R.  1.,  for 
several  years;  he  also  worked  one  year  in  Canada  and 
one  year  at  Niagara  Falls.  In  1864  he  went  to  Corry, 
Pa.,  where  he  established  a  business  of  his  own,  and 
where  he  remained  for  five  years,  when  he  removed  to 
Erie.  He  first  located  at  llUi)  State  street,  but  five 
years  later  built  and  removed  to  his  present  place  of 
business,  at  23  West  Seventh  street.  By  constant  ap- 
plication and  fair  dealing,  together  with  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  his  trade,  he  has  established  and  main- 
tained a  lucrative  business.  He  carries  a  full  line  of  fire- 
arms, ammunition,  fishing  tackle  and  hunting  accou- 
trements, and  pays  special  attention  to  gun  and  lock 
repairing,  bell  hanging,  speaking-tube  construction, 
adjusting  and  repairing,  and  all  kinds  of  saw-filing, 
setting  and  adjusting.  After  coming  to  Erie,  he  lived 
for  a  number  of  years  at  314  French  street,  and  then 
built  his  present  comfortable  home  at  1345  West  Sev- 
enth street.  Mr.  Dickson  was  married,  in  1864,  to 
Miss  Patrica  Madden,  of  St.  Catherines,  Canada.  They 
had  one  child.  Nettie,  who  has  been  a  successful 
teacher  in  the  ijublic  schools  of  Erie,  and  who  is  a 
highly  accomplished  oil  and  crayon  artist,  taking  first 
prize  for  oil  painting  at  the  art  exhibit  in  New  York 
city  in  1869.  He  was  married  a  second  time  to  .Miss 
Susan  Vosburg,  of  Erie;  she  died  August  29,  1890. 
Mr.  Dickson  had  an  adopted  daughter,  .Miss  Mattie 
Dickson  (deceased),  who  taught  for  some  time  in  No. 
9  public  school,  Erie,  with  a  marked  degree  of  success. 
Mr.  Dickson  and  his  daughter  are  members  of  St. 
Paul's  Episcopal  Church;  he  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics and  is  a  director  of  the  Lincoln  Club  of  Erie. 

Philip  W.  Dietly,  proprietor  and  owner  of  the 
Erie  Machine  Shop,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in   Erie,  Sep- 


tember 26,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Uras  J.  and  Caroline 
(Reaser)  Dietly,  natives  of  Switzerland.  His  parents 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1853  and  located  in  Erie, 
where  his  father  followed  tailoring  until  his  death,  in 
1875.  Mrs.  Dietly  is  still  living.  The  family  consisted 
of  three  children:  Joseph  (retired),  Philip  W.  and 
Louise  (.Mrs.  W.  S.  Corbett  of  Erie).  Mr.  Dietly  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and  then 
learned  the  machinist's  trade,  which  he  followed  five 
years.  For  the  next  four  years  he  was  a  lake  engi- 
neer; then  he  started  the  first  oil  route  in  Erie,  which 
he  continued  three  years.  In  1885  he  established  the 
Erie  Machine  Shop,  at  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  State 
streets,  where  he  continued  until  1894,  when  the  pres- 
ent substantial  brick  plant  was  built,  at  the  corner  of 
Thirteenth  and  Peach  streets.  The  building  is  66x 
160  feet,  and  about  thirty  skilled  workmen  are  em- 
ployed. The  products  of  the  concern  include  all  kinds 
of  asphalt  machinery,  pumping  and  boring  machines, 
and  wire  nail  machines;  they  also  do  job  work  and  re- 
pairing. They  built  the  first  asphalt  roller  in  Erie,  and 
the  plant  of  the  Erie  Paving  Company,  now  occupied 
by  Henry  Mayer  &  Co.  Mr.  Dietly  was  married  No- 
vember, 1891,  to  Miss  .Mary  E.,  daughter  of  .Albert  and 
Deborah  (Fogg)  Milks,  by  whom  he  has  two  children, 
L^ras  A.  and  Hazel  S.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Dietly  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church;  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  politically  has  al- 
ways been  in  sympathy  with  Republican  principles. 

Joel  Bradford  Irons,  D.  V.  S.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Conneaut  township,  Crawford  county.  Pa., 
July  8,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  James  R.  and  Rachel 
(Brooksl  Irons,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  En- 
glish ancestry.  His  father,  whose  business  was  that  of 
moving  buildings,  reared  a  family  of  seven  children, 
of  whom  he  is  the  fourth.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  anil  for  a  few  years  was  engaged  in 
training  and  handling  horses,  which  gave  him  a  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  horses  and  their  diseases  and 
treatment.  He  was  twice  elected  justice  of  the  peace, 
but  before  the  expiration  of  his  second  term  he  en- 
tered the  Ontario  X'eterinary  College,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1883.  He  then  returned  to  Linesville 
and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  the 
spring  of  1892  he  removed  to  Erie  and  located  on 
Twelfth  street;  he  has  been  located  at  144  West  Four- 
teenth street  since  the  spring  of  1894.  Dr.  Irons  has 
already  a  large  practice  in  and  about  Erie,  and  has 
been  called  to  various  parts  of  the  State  and  even 
other  States.  He  has  done  the  veterinary  work  of  the 
well  known  horsemen,  Powell  Brothers,  of  Shadeland, 
Pa.,  for  over  twelve  years.  He  has  the  keenest  regard 
for  the  ethics  of  his  profession  and  has  a  high  stand- 
ing not  only  with  the  public,  but  among  his  brother 
veterinaries.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania State  X'eterinary  Medical  Association  since 
189(J,  of  which  he  is  the  only  member  in  Erie.  Dr. 
Irons  was  married  July  23,  1870,  to  Miss  Clara  Ster- 
ling, of  Summerhill,  Crawford  county,  Pa.  The  issue 
of  this  marriage  was  two  children.  Miss  Cora  .M.  and 
Bessie  R.  Politically  the  doctor  has  always  been  a 
Republican. 

Henry  Gillen,  one  of  Erie's  oldest  and  most  re- 
spected citizens,  was  born  in  York  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  18,  1817,  and  is  a  son  of  Patrick  and 
Mary  (Bridenbach)  Gillen,   natives  of    Ireland   and 


682 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Pennsylvania,  and  of  Irish  and  Holland  ancestry. 
In  his  father's  family  there  were  thirteen  children,  of 
whciiii  he  was  the  third.  At  the  ai;e  of  18  years  he  en- 
gat;e<i  to  learn  the  cif;ar  making  trade,  which  from  dis 
like  he  followed  but  a  short  time.  He  came  to  Erie 
about  1S;{(),  and  soon  afterward  entered  the  employ  of 
Mr.  Thomas  Mehaffey  to  learn  the  mason's  trade,  and 
he  followed  it  until  his  retirement  from  active  busines.s 
life  in  18!Ki.  \'ery  many  of  the  buildings  stan<iinu  in 
F.rie  to-day  were  erected  iluriiit;  the  loni;  period  in 
which  .\lr.  GiUen  was  entjaged  in  the  buildini;  busi- 
ness as  journeyman  and  contractor.  For  over  twenty- 
one  years  he  was  in  i)artnership  with  the  late  Samuel 
Cununinijs,  under  the  hrni  name  of  Cinnminxs  & 
Gillen,  and  during  that  time  they  did  some  of  the  Hnest 
buikling  in  Krie.  He  budt  his  present  residence  in 
lS4<i.  It  was  through  habits  of  industry  and  economy 
during  his  younger  years  that  Mr.  (lillen  succeeded  in 
establishing  a  business  of  his  own,  and  after  that  it 
was  by  good  management  and  a  thorough  knowletlge 
of  his  trade  that  he  succeeded  in  accumulating  <[uite  a 
handsome  fortune,  so  that  now,  in  hisdeclining  years  he 
can  live  with  his  family  in  contentment  and  ease.  Mr. 
Gillen  was  married  January  1.  1852,  to  Miss  Jane 
Levisa  I'oore,  daughter  of  Mr.  William  Poore,  a  na- 
tive of  Massachusetts,  but  at  that  time  residing  six 
miles  south  of  Titusville,  Pa.  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gillen 
have  three  children:  Hattie  Alice  (widow  of  Samuel 
Reed  Thorn,  of  .Mlegheny,  Pa.,  who  now  resides  with 
her  parents),  Nellie  May  (Mrs.  Z.  T.  Hrindley,  of 
P>iei,  and  Miss  Florence  Lillian  Ciillen.  Mr.  tJillen 
and  family  are  members  of  the  First  Methodist 
E|)iscopal  Church  of  Erie,  of  which  he  was  the  builder. 
In  his  political  views  lie  was  originally  a  Whig  and  has 
been  a  Republican  since  the  formation  of  the  party. 

Rev.  Stepheti  E.  Aaron,  rector  of  St.  Peter's 
Cathedral,  F.rie,  Pa.,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clarion 
county,  Pennsylvania,  November  10,  IKtiS,  and  is  a  son 
of  Jacob  and  Flmily  (Cummingsl  .Aaron,  natives  of 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania.  The  family 
were  among  the  early  German  settlers  in  southern 
Pennsylvania.  Jacob  Aaron  resided  on  a  farm,  but 
gave  most  of  his  time  in  pursuit  of  his  trade,  which  was 
that  of  carpenter;  he  now  resides  in  lirookville,  Jeffer- 
son county,  Pa.  Tin-  fainily  consists  of  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  one  other  besides  Father  Aaron  has  de- 
termined to  devote  her  life  to  the  service  of  Goil  and 
the  Church,  viz.:  Catherine,  now  Sister  Margaret,  of 
Villa  Maria.  Father  Aaron  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  St.  Nicholas  parochial  schools,  near  Crates, 
Pa.,  and  in  .Sei)tember,  1884,  matriculated  at  St.  Bona- 
venture's  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1891.  On  January  1,  1892,  he  was  ordained  a  [iriest  by 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Mullen  in  St.  Patrick's  pro-Ca- 
thedral, F^rie.  He  was  immediately  appointed  an 
assistant  at  the  Cathedral,  where  he  continued  until 
after  the  death  of  F'ather  Casey,  when  he  was,  on  Jan- 
uary 1,  1895,  appointed  to  his  present  rectorship.  En- 
dowed with  a  robust  physicjue,  a  strong  intellect,  a 
deep  religious  nature,  and  with  all  the  essential  quali- 
fications of  an  eloquent  and  persuasive  puljiit  sjieaker, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  he  will  ]>rove  himself  highly 
worthy  of  the  distinction  conferred  upon  him  in  being 
selected  for  this  most  important  charge,  and  that  he 
will  win  for  himself  a  place  in  the  esteem  and  rever- 
ence of  his  congregation  and  the  community  in  gen- 
eral, similar  to  that  held  by  his  illustrious  predecessor. 


Rev.  James  Lachermaier,  rector  of  St.  Mich- 
ael's Church,  F.rie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Newark,  N.  J., 
February  2(1,  1849,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Margaret 
Barbara  (Lei<lig)  Lachermaier,  born  respectively  July 
9,  182(-l,  and  June  9,  1815,  in  Bavaria,  Germany.  His 
father,  who  was  a  stone-cutter  by  trade,  came  with  his 
wife  to  the  L'nited  .States  in  1840,  and  located  in  New- 
ark, N.  J.,  where  he  died  February  28,  18,59;  he  was 
survive(l  by  his  widow  until  January  \',\,  1892.  The 
f:imily  cnnsisted  of  two  childn-n,  lames,  and  Elizabeth, 
who  died  March  22,  1809.  lather  l.aihcrmaier  ob- 
taine<l  his  early  etlucation  in  the  parochial  schools  of 
.St.  .Mary's  Church,  Newark,  and  in  18(>2  matriculated 
at  .St.  Xincent's  College,  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  continuetl  live  years.  He  then 
passed  one  year  at  .St.  Francis  Xavier's  College,  New 
York  city,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  18(i8,  with 
the  title  of  Bachelor  of  .Arts.  From  lKt;9  to  1871  he 
studied  theology  at  St.  \  iiuent's  Seminary,  and  was 
ordained  a  priest  December  21.  1871.  Fattier  Lacher- 
maier .said  his  first  mass  in  his  native  town,  in  the 
presence  of  his  mother,  and  was  then  appointed  as- 
sistant to  the  Very  Rev.  J.  L^.  Cody,  rector  of  .St.  Titus' 
Church,  Titusville,  Pa.  From  February  25,  1872,  to 
October  1,  1885,  he  had  charge  of  St.  Walburga's 
Church  (German)  at  Titusville,  after  which  he  came  to 
V.\w  to  takechargeof  his  present  congregation.  F'ather 
Lachermaier  is  a  public-spirited  priest,  ami  is  always 
really  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  every  worthy  en- 
terprise; he  is  a  member  of  Branch  No.  99,  of  the  C. 
M.  B.  .A.,  and  has  always  been  a  Democrat  in  his  po- 
litical views. 

Rev.  Bernhard  HermatiH  Kloecker,  rector  of 
St.  Joseph's  ChurclMGerniaii),  F.nc,  l',i.,  was  born  in 
Wesel,  Westjihalia,  (iermany,  1-i-bruary  17,  18.V2.  He 
obtained  his  early  educ;ition  at  the  gvmnasium  in 
Munster,  Westphalia,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1873. 
He  then  entered  the  .American  College  of  St.  Mauritz 
at  .Munstor,  and  stutlied  philosophy  and  theology  at 
the  Royal  Prussian  Academy  of  .Munster.  Father 
Kloecker  was  ordained  a  priest  May  20,  1877,  at  Osna- 
bruck,  Hanover,  and  arrived  in  the  United  States  on 
November  2  of  that  year.  His  first  appointment  was 
that  of  assistant  to  the  Rev.  M.  A.  De  LaKcxiue,  of 
Warren,  Pa.,  and  in  the  following  year  was  maile  the 
first  resident  rector  of  the  Catholic  Church  at  Kane, 
Pa.,  from  which  filace  he  also  attended  the  Catholics  of 
the  neighboring  places  in  McKean,  F~lk  and  Forest 
counties.  While  located  there  he  established  a  paro- 
chial school  in  1879,  built  a  parsonage  in  188<J,  and  in 
many  other  ways  advanced  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
faithful  of  the  parish.  On  August  4,  1887,  he  came  to 
F>ie  to  assist  the  Rev.  J.  .A.  Oherkofer.  rector  of  St. 
Joseph's  Church,  whose  health  had  been  failing  for 
some  time.  F'ather  tJberkofer  died  January  10.  1889, 
and  two  days  later  Father  Kloecker  was  appointed 
his  successor.  (A  history  of  .St.  Joseph's  Church  will 
be  found  in  another  chapter  of  this  work.) 

Henry  Clay  Lerch,  foreman  of  the  Philadelphia 
and  F>ie  car  shops,  Flrie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Pottsville, 
Pa.,  June  17,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Mary 
E.  (Dafen)  Lerch,  natives  respectively  of  Easton,  Pa., 
and  North  Yarmouth  Plantation,  Md.  Adam  Lerch, 
who  came  from  Germany  and  located  in  Philadelphia 
about  1734,  had  four  sons,  two  of  whom  settled  in 
Easton,  one   in  the  Susiiuehanna  valley   and  one   in 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


683 


New  York  State.  The  Dafen  family  is  of  English  ex- 
traction, and  Mrs.  Lerch's  grandmother  was  a  daughter 
of  Roger  Sherman,  who  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  William  Lerch  came 
to  Erie  about  1872,  where  he  served  for  three  years  as 
a  member  of  the  Select  Conucil.  Of  his  children,  five 
reached  majority:  George,  who  while  a  member  of 
Co.  H,  129th  P.  V.  I.,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  .Antie- 
tam;  William,  who  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  same  com- 
pany, was  fur  ten  years  mail  agent  on  the  Erie  and 
Pittsburg  K.  R.,  and  is  now  a  clerk  in  the  Erie  post- 
office;  Catherine  E.,  who  married  Capt.  Louis  Lucken- 
bill,  of  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania;  Rogers  Sher- 
man, who  served  a  term  of  enlistment  in  the  2d  Regt. 
of  the  District  of  Columbia;  re-enlisted  in  the  21st  Pa. 
Cav.  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war;  is  n(jw  an 
alderman  in  Duluth,  Minn.,  and  Henry  C,  who  re- 
ceived his  education  in  Pottsville,  where  in  July,  1862, 
when  scarcely  18  years  old,  enlisted  in  Co.  H,  129th 
P.  X.  I.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of  .Second  Bull 
Run,  South  Mountain,  .'\ntietam,  Fredericksburg, 
Chancellorsville,  and,  of  course,  many  minor  engage- 
ments, and  was  discharged  at  exjiiration  of  term,  in 
June,  18t)3.  He  then  returned  to  Reading,  Pa.,  where 
he  finished  and  worked  at  his  trade  (carpenter)  until 
1865,  when  he  went  to  New  York  city,  where  he  re- 
mained but  a  short  time,  and  for  the  next  five  years 
followed  his  trade  in  Albany,  N.  Y.  In  1870  he  came 
to  Erie,  where  he  engaged  in  carpentering  and  con- 
tracting. In  1874  he  entered  the  employ  oi  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Erie  R.  R.  Company,  and  was  promoted 
to  foreman  in  1884.  He  has  under  his  charge  and  direc- 
tion from  75  to  150  men.  Mr.  Lerch  was  married 
March  18,  1870,  to  Miss  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Mr. 
Richard  Groom,  of  Albany,  N'.  Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lerch 
are  members  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  of  Erie.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  the  P.  O.  S.  of  A.,  and  in 
his  political  views  is  a  steadfast  Republican. 

Morris  Schaffner,  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Schaffner  Brothers,  wholesale  butchers,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Hehsloch,  Hessen,  Germany,  January  4, 
1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Regina  (Sedel)  Schaff- 
ner. His  father,  who  was  a  butcher  by  trade,  reared  a 
family  of  seven  children  and  died  in  Germany  in  1893. 
Mr.  Schaffner  received  his  education  and  learned  his 
trade  in  Germany.  He  came  to  the  L'nited  States  in 
1881  and  located  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  for  two 
years  he  followed  his  trade  as  journeyman,  and  then 
established  a  retail  business  of  his  own.  In  1887  he 
came  to  Erie  and  opened  a  meat  market  at  1317  Peach 
street,  where  he  remained  a  year  and  a  half.  He  then 
established  a  wholesale  slaughter  house  at  Twenty- 
seventh  and  State  streets  and  removed  to  his  present 
location,  Eleventh  and  Wayne  streets,  in  1891.  The 
plant  covers  about  five  acres  and  has  a  capacity  of  100 
head  a  week.  The  products  of  the  concern  include 
all  kinds  of  domestic  dressed  meats,  which  are  kept  in 
cold  storage  and  always  in  good  condition  for  market. 
The  business,  which  is  exclusively  wholesale,  is  the 
largest  local  concern  of  its  kind  in  the  city.  The  firm 
consists  of  Morris  and  Jacob  Schaffner,  the  former  re- 
siding at  2111  Peach  street  and  the  latter  at  153  East 
Eleventh  street.  Mr.  Schaffner  was  married  Novem- 
ber 28,  1886,  to  Miss  Carrie  Schuster  of  Buffalo,  by 
whom  he  has  three  children:  Milton,  .Alfred  and  .Min- 
nie. Mr.  Schaffner  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Jewish   Reformed   Church.     He  is  a  member  of  the 


K.  and  L.  of  H.  and  I.  O.  S.  B.  In  politics  .Mr.  Schaff- 
ner is  a  staunch  Democrat  and  is  an  active  worker  in 
the  interests  of  his  party. 

Gustav  A.  Ebiscfa,  late  of  Erie,  Pa.,  who  at  his 
death,  .May  1,  189<J,  was  superintendent  of  the  stove 
foundry  of  Black  &  Germer,  was  born  in  Hartenstein, 
Saxony,  Germany,  December  21,  1838,  and  was  a  son 
of  Frederick  and  Johanna  (N'euV)er)  Ebisch.  His 
father  startetl  to  .America  in  1853,  but  died  at  sea;  his 
family  landed  in  Erie  and  located  in  safety.  There  were 
four  children:  Ernest,  of  Warren,  Pa.;  Johanna  I  .Mrs. 
John  Schoenfieldj,  of  Erie;  Louis,  who  is  in  the  employ 
of  Black  &  Germer;  Gustav  A.  and  Theresa  (.Mrs. 
Otto  Germer),  of  Erie.  Mr.  Gustav  A.  Ebisch  received 
his  education  in  Germany,  but  learned  his  trade  in  the 
moulding  department  of  what  is  now  the  Black  & 
Germer  foundry,  where  for  several  years  previous  to 
his  death  he  filled  the  position  of  superintendent.  Mr. 
Ebisch  was  married  October  21,  1859,  to  Miss  .Mary 
A.,  daughter  of  Christian  and  Christana  (Keppel) 
Schwingel,  of  Erie.  Mrs.  Ebisch  was  born  in  Huron, 
Ohio,  where  her  mother  died  when  she  was  but  six 
months  old.  She  came  to  Erie  with  her  father  at  the 
age  of  3  years.  She  still  resides  in  the  family  residence 
at  319  East  Ninth  street,  which  they  rebuilt  and  occu- 
pied in  1870.  There  were  five  children:  Charles  G., 
William  C,  Mary  F.  (Mrs.  Charles  .\.  Sexauer,  of 
Erie  I,  .Miss  Elizabeth  K.  and  Otto  F.,  who  is  in  the 
em[j|oy  of  the  Colby  Piano  Company.  .Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ebisch  were  members  of  St.  Paul  Evangelical  Church; 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Knights 
of  Honor,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Erie 
Liedertafel  Society.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican, 
and  for  a  term  of  three  years  served  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board.  Mr.  Ebisch  was  a  good  citizen  and 
he  died  lamented  by  a  host  of  friends.  He  left  his 
family  well  [irovided  for. 

Charles  0.  Ebisch,  superintendent  of  the  foundry 
department  of  the  Black  &  Germer  stove  manufactory, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  March  21,  1860,  and  is  a 
son  of  the  late  Gustav  Ebisch.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and  at  the  age  of 
12  years  began  his  trade  with  his  father.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  two  years  spent  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  he  has 
been  for  twenty-three  years  in  the  employ  of  the  pres- 
ent concern.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father,  in  1890,  he 
succeeded  to  the  superintendency,  the  duties  of  which 
he  has  faithfully  discharged.  Not  only  has  he  filled 
every  requirement  of  his  employers,  but  his  treatment 
of  those  under  his  charge  has  been  such  as  to  merit 
their  universal  respect.  .Mr.  Ebisch  was  married  No- 
vember 9,  1888,  to  Miss  Stella  E.  Temple,  of  Coopers- 
town,  N.  Y.;  they  reside  at  457  East  Sixth  street.  In 
politics  Mr.  Ebisch  is  a  Republican. 

Frank  Rodolphus  Simmons,  one  of  Erie's 
most  prominent  and  successful  men,  was  born  in  East 
Springfield.  Erie  county,  Pa.,  Marcli  3,  1845,  and  is  a 
son  of  Elliott  and  Mary  (Hart)  .Simmons.  The  elder 
Mr.  .Simmons,  born  May  20,  1820,  in  Jamestown, 
X.  Y.,  is  still  living  in  East  Springfield,  and  his  wife, 
born  .August  3,  1825.  in  Weston,  Windsor  county,  \'t., 
died  May  27,  1851.  The  family  consisted  of  two  sons, 
of  whom  Frank  Rodolphus  was  the  elder;  the  other, 
Herman  Simmons,  born  January  24,  1848,  died  janu- 


684 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHIGAL  DICTIONARY 


ary  15,  1862.  The  earliest  detinite  knowledge  now 
obtainable  of  the  Simmons  family  in  this  country  is 
that  of  Jonas  Simmons,  born  in  Berlin,  Rensselaer 
county,  N.  Y.,  March  11,  1758,  a  descendant  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  that  town  and  county,  and  of  Dutch 
ancestry.  He  and  his  ancestors  took  an  active  part 
in  the  !•  rench  and  Indian  war  and  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Though  not  a  regularily  enlisted  soldier,  he  ex- 
perienced many  of  the  hardshi|is  of  border  warfare, 
which  is  always  more  cruel  and  harassing  than  mili- 
tary service.  The  family  removed  to  Chautauqua 
county,  New  York,  about  18U9  or  1810.  Mr.  Sim- 
mons' maternal  ancestors  were  English,  by  name  of 
Hart,  and  .Scotch,  by  name  of  Lawrence.  His  great- 
grandfather, Lawrence,  entered  the  Revolutionary  war 
at  the  age  of  16,  and  served  until  its  close;  he  was  one 
of  the  latest  survivors  of  that  great  struggle  for  liberty 
and  indejiendence,  dying  at  his  home  in  \'ermont  at 
the  advanced  age  of  96  years.  His  grandfather,  Law- 
rence, had  three  sons  in  the  war  of  1812.  In  1825  Mr. 
Peter  Simmons,  a  son  of  Jonas  Simmons,  and  the 
grandfather  of  Mr.  F.  R.  Simmons,  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Springfield  township,  Erie  county.  The  family  con- 
sisted of  four  sons,  of  whom  the  only  survivor,  Elliott, 
prosecuted  the  tanning  business  until  1873,  when  he 
retired  from  active  life.  There  are  now  no  known 
relatives  living  in  this  vicinity  by  the  name  of  Sim- 
mons, except  Elliott  and  Frank  Rodolphus  Simmons; 
a  cousin  of  the  latter  lives  in  Dakota.  Mr.  Simmons' 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of 
Springfield,  and  in  1870  he  completed  the  classical 
course  of  Oberlin  College,  Ohio.  He  then  accepted 
the  principalship  of  the  graded  schools  of  Utica,  Ohio, 
which  he  held  for  three  years  and  was  highly  success- 
ful as  an  educatt)r.  In  1873  he,  in  company  with 
Joseph  ( )sborne,  a  practical  tanner,  established  a  tan- 
nery in  Ciirard,  which  they  operated  until  the  death  of 
Mr.  Osborne  in  1875,  Mr.  Simmons  doing  the  buying 
and  selling  at  1926  Peach  street,  Erie.  He  then  re- 
moved t<i  136  East  Ninth  street,  where  he  has  since 
continued  dealing  in  hides,  wool,  pelts,  tallow,  leather 
and  findings.  In  1889  he  built  a  cold  storage  plant  at 
132  East  Ninth  street,  where  he  has  since  done  an  ex- 
tensive business  in  wholesaling  butter,  cheese  and 
eggs.  The  plant  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  city,  and 
is  thoroughly  equi|>ped  with  modern  conveniences. 
During  the  summer  season  sufficient  quantities  of  but- 
ter and  cheese  are  obtained  from  the  creameries  of 
Western  Pennsylvania,  but  in  the  winter  chiefly  Elgin 
butter,  from  Illinois,  is  handled,  thus  giving  his  patrons 
the  best  that  the  market  affords,  ^lr.  Simmons  was 
married  .September  11,  1872,  to  Miss  Susanna, daughter 
of  William  and  Sarah  (Reed)  .^Isdorf.  Mrs.  Sim- 
mons' paternal  ancestors  w^ere  among  the  earliest 
Dutch  settlers  near  -Schenectady,  N.  \ .,  her  great- 
grandfather having  been  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 
Her  mother  was  descended  from  Scotch-Irish  ances- 
try, all  of  whom  were  Covenanters  in  faith,  as  was  she 
also.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Simmons  haveone  daughter,  Miss 
Edith  May  Simmons,  who  was  educated  in  the  Erie 
high  school  and  Rye  Seminary,  New  York.  They  re- 
side at  122  West  Twentieth  street,  and  are  members 
of  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  they  are 
generous  supporters.  Mr.  .Simnu)ns  is  a  Republican 
in  his  political  views,  and  has  served  as  a  member  of 
the  select  and  common  councils  of  the  city.  He  is  one 
of  Erie's  most  public-spirited  citizens,  and  is  ever 
ready  to  assist  by  his  means  and  influence  any  enter- 


I)rise  that  will  strengthen  her  institutions  or  improve 
her  commercial  enviornments. 

Patrick  P.  O'Brieti,  painter  and  contractor, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Waterford  county,  Ireland,  De- 
cember 5,  1H60,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Joanna 
(Dwyer)  O'Brien.  His  father,  who  is  a  railroad  con- 
tractor, came  to  America  in  1864,  located  for  a  time  in 
Lake  .Superior,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Madera,  Cal. 
The  family  consisted  of  ten  children,  eight  of  whom 
are  living:  Patrick  P.,  Ellen  (Mrs.  .Simeon  White), 
John  (telegra()her),  Joseph  (printer),  Annie,  Maggie, 
Mary  and  Thomas  F".,  all  of  whom  are  in  California 
except  Patrick  P.  He  was  educated  in  Notre  Dame 
L'niversity,  Indiana,  and  studied  law  with  Henry 
Nunn,  Esq.,  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1883,  but  did  not  engage  in  the  practice  of 
the  law.  He  soon  after  went  to  Omaha  and  took  a 
position  as  painter  in  the  coach  department  of  the 
L'nion  Pacific  railroad  shops,  where  he  remained  until 
the  spring  of  1887,  when  he  removed  to  Erie.  Since 
coming  here  he  has  conducted  a  very  successful 
painting  business,  employing  from  ten  to  twenty-five 
men.  He  does  all  kinds  of  house  painting  and  inte- 
rior finishing  and  decorating.  His  fresco  work  in  the 
\illa  Maria  is  undoubtedly  equal  to  the  finest  in  the 
city;  he  also  finished  the  woodwork  of  .St.  Peter's 
Cathedral.  He  built  his  own  comfortable  home  at  806 
West  Eleventh  street  in  1892.  Mr.  O'Brien  is  an  oc- 
casional contributor  to  current  literature,  and  from 
1890  to  1891  was  manager  and  editor  of  the  Trutli,  a 
Sunday  labor  paper  then  published  in  Erie.  Mr. 
O'Brien  was  married  July  19,  1885,  to  Miss  Mary, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Callaher)  O'Connor, 
of  Erie.  Mrs.  O'Brien  and  her  parents  were  natives 
of  Cork  county,  Ireland.  .-Xfter  coming  to  America 
they  resided  for  several  years  in  Canada,  where  Mr. 
O'Connor  was  engased  in  furnishing  wood  and  other 
supplies  to  railroads  by  contract.  They  then  removed 
to  Erie,  where  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Erie 
Forge  Company,  with  whom  he  remained  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1893,  at  the  age  of  79  years, 
having  survived  his  wife  fourteen  years,  she  dying  at 
the  age  of  60  years.  Besides  Mrs.  O'Brien  there  was 
one  son,  Cornelius,  who  died  in  Erie  in  1890,  at  the 
age  of  49  years,  leaving  a  widow  and  five  children, 
Maria  Patricia  and  Josejih  C.  Maria,  though  scarcely 
7  years  old,  has  already  acquired  considerable  fame 
as  a  pianist  and  singer.  She  is  under  the  instructions 
of  Sister  Emaculate,  of  Villa  Maria,  and  is  now  in  her 
third  year  of  music.  Her  parents  have  allowed  her  to 
appear  in  public  a  few  times  within  the  [last  year, 
when  she  has  surprised  the  audience  with  her  ability, 
and  received  complimentary  notices  from  the  press. 
If  the  indications  of  such  early  childhood  can  be  re- 
lied upon  she  certainly  bids  fair  to  one  day  occupy  a 
high  place  in  the  musical  world.  Her  natural  aptitude 
for  music  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  her 
mother,  who  sings  in  the  choir  of  .St.  Peter's  Cathedral, 
has  <iuite  a  thorough  knowledge  oi  music,  and  the 
O'Connor  family  are  quite  musical.  Master  Joseph 
also  has  a  taste  for  music,  and  sings  to  his  sister's  ac- 
companiment. Mr.  O'Brien  and  family  are  devoted 
memljers  of  St.  Peter's  Cathedral,  where  he  has  charge 
of  the  renting  of  the  pews  and  the  collection  of  rents 
therefor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  C.  B.  L.  and  the 
Lincoln  Club.  In  politics  he  is  staunch  Republican, 
and  in  1893-5  represented   his  ward   in   the   common 


c^^0l(.OeLyW^ 


AND  MlSTORtCAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


685 


council.  Duiin>(  his  tcrin  of  nfiicc  he  faithfully  dis- 
charged the  several  duties  pertaining  thereto  and  se- 
cured many  needed  and  valuable  public  improve- 
ments for  his  constituents. 

George  L.  Kent,  grocer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Waterford  township,  Erie  county,  Octolx-r  8,  18fiU,  and 
is  a  son  of  Henry  anil  .Mary  J.  (Kelley)  Kent,  natives 
of  Xew  York  .State,  and  of  English  and  Irish  ancestry. 
His  great  grandparents,  Nathaniel  and  (Nancy)  Jones 
Kent,  lived  in  Kent,  England,  and  came  to  .America 
in'1777;  the  fijrmer  was  a  sea  captain,  and  his  grand- 
father, Nathaniel  Kent,  was  born  on  the  sea,  during 
the  voyage  to  .America.  His  grandmother  was  Mary 
Tyler.  Henry  Kent,  who  is  a  miller  by  trade  (and  is 
.still  living),  located  in  Waterford  township  in  18.i4. 
The  family  consisted  of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  living:  Lodemia(Mrs.  O.  L.  Knaji]),  of  Greene 
township,  Erie  county),  Oscar  H.  (carpenter,  Erie), 
George  L.,  Ella  (Mrs.  William  H.  Com|jton,  of  Erie), 
Elmer  G.  (carjienter,  Erie),  RoUa  M.  (telegrapher), 
and  Cassius,  a  hreman  on  the  P.,  S.  &  L.  E.  R.  R.  Mr. 
Kent  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  for  some 
time  followed  farming.  He  spent  two  years  in  the  oil 
regions,  after  which  he  returned  to  Harbor  Creek 
township  and  re-engaged  in  farming.  He  then  came 
to  Erie,  purchased  a  home  at  the  corner  of  Reed  and 
Twenty-tifth  streets,  and  continued  farming  until  1893, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  present  business.  He  carries 
a  full  line  of  groceries  and  is  building  up  a  good  trade. 
In  politics  Mr.  Kent  is  a  Republican. 

Piathaniel  J.  Whitehead  was  born  in  Trenton, 
N.  J.,  November  30,  18.5.5,  son  of  William  Whitehead, 
born  in  England  in  1810  and  .Ann  \'alentine  White- 
head, who  was  born  in  New  Jersey.  John  and  .Anna 
Whitehead,  parents  of  William  Whitehead,  .settled  in 
Pennsylvania  at  Hatboro  in  1817.  Nathaniel  J.  White- 
head received  his  education  at  the  United  States  Mil- 
itary Academy,  West  Point,  X.  Y.,  graduating  in  June, 
1879.  His  first  employment  was  in  the  general  offices 
of  the  Philadelphia  &  Erie  R.  R.  during  the  years 
1873  and  1874  and  till  June,  187.5  at  which  time  he  en- 
tered the  Military  Academy.  After  graduation  in  1879 
he  served  as  lieutenant  of  Co.  D.  4th  U.  S.  infantry, 
and  was  stationed  at  Fort  Laramie,  Wyoming,  until 
1883.  He  was  married  .September  4,  1879,  to  Nannie 
S.  Campbell,  daughter  of  Charles  Campbell,  of  Vir- 
ginia. They  have  two  children,  Charles  Campbell  and 
Katherine  S.,  both  attending  the  Erie  high  school. 
Since  1883  Mr.  W'hitehead  has  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  manufacturing  interests  of  Erie,  being 
treasurer  of  the  Keystone  Rubber  Works,  engaged  in 
manufacturing  rubber  goods  for  mechanical  purposes. 

John  Elliott,  one  of  Erie's  best  citizens,  was  born 
in  Barnard  Castle,  Durham  county,  England.  June  8, 
1828,  and  is  a  son  of  .Archibald  and  Hannah  1  Beckton) 
Elliott.  Of  his  father's  children,  two  are  living,  the 
other  being  a  sister  living  in  England.  He  received 
his  education  in  his  native  country,  and  learned  the 
cabinet-making  traiie.  In  1849  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Rahway,X.  J.,  where  he  remained 
about  six  months,  after  whicli  he  visited  his  uncle,  the 
Rev.  John  Elliott,  who  was  a  Protestant  Methodist 
minister.  He  next  S])ent  a  year  in  Wheeling,  W.  \a., 
after  which  he  went  to  Ohio,  and  finally  located  in 
Cleveland.  There  he  entered  the  emplov  of  the 
44 


C.  C.  C.  R.  R.  Company,  He  was  later  placed  in 
charge  of  the  car  shops  of  the  Cleveland,  Paines- 
ville  and  Ashtabula  R.  R.  at  Erie.  In  1870  he 
accepted  a  position  as  sujierintendent  of  the  Erie 
Car  W'orks,  the  duties  of  which  he  faithfully  dis- 
charged until  the  discontinuance  of  the  works  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1893.  During  this  long  term  of  service  he  al- 
ways commanded  the  respect  of  his  men  and  the  con- 
fidence of  his  employers.  Although  Mr.  Elliott  chose 
this  as  his  adopted  country,  he  refused  to  become  a 
citizen  until  he  was  satisfied  that  slavery  was  to  be 
abolished.  Then,  although  he  knew  that  it  would  make 
him  eligible  for  military  <luty,  he  declared  his  intention 
and  became  a  citizen.  He  enli.sted  in  Erie  in  Co.  M, 
18th  Pa.  Cav.,  and  served  until  he  was  sent  home  from 
the  hospital.  He  was  in  Carlisle  barracks  when  Pres- 
ident Lincoln  was  shot.  Mr.  Elliott  was  married  .Sej)- 
tember  14,  1851,  to  Miss  Permelia  B.  Townsend,  of 
Cleveland.  The  i.ssue  of  this  marriage  was  five  chil- 
dren: Minnie  (who  died  at  the  age  of  7  years).  .Annie 
(who  married  John  Miller,  of  Providence,  R.  I.),  Mary 
(who  married  Walter  R.  Barnes,  contractor,  Erie), 
Archibald  (who  died  at  the  age  of  7  years)  and  Effie, 
an  accomplished  young  lady  and  quite  an  artist,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  27  years.  Mr.  Elliott  and  family 
attend  the  Simpson  Methodist  Church,  of  which  he  is 
the  oldest  male  member.  He  is  independent  in  his 
political  views,  and  has  served  his  city  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board. 

William  C.  Shaw,  junior  member  of  the  Shaw 
Bros.  Laundry  Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  X'ew 
Bedford,  Mass.,  June  30,  185.5,  and  is  a  son  of  Fred- 
erick P.  and  Mary  (Maxfield)  Shaw,  natives  of  Xew 
Bedford.  His  great-grandfather  emigrated  from  Eng- 
land and  was  among  the  early  settlers  of  Xew  Eng- 
land. Frederick  P.  Shaw,  when  a  young  man,  learned 
the  cooper  trade,  but  was  later  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
grocery  busmess  for  thirty-five  years  in  t)ne  store  in 
Xew  Bedford.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Legislature,  and  also  held  various  municipal 
offices  in  his  native  city.  He  died  in  1872  at  the  age 
of  72  years.  Mrs.  .Shaw  is  still  Uving  at  the  ailvanced 
age  of  84  years.  The  family  consisted  of  six  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Capt.  Charles  F.  Shaw, 
treasurer  of  the  Xew  Bedford  Street  Railway  Co.n- 
pany,  and  senior  member  of  the  Shaw  Bros.  Laundry 
Company;  he  is  also  secretary  of  the  Xew  Bedford 
board  of  trade;  he  has  served  his  State  as  a  member 
of  the  Legislature,  and  at  that  time  acquired  consid- 
erable fame  by  paying  his  fare  on  railroads  while  car- 
rying passes  in  his  pocket.  Marion,  who  married  Maj. 
Edwin  Dews,  of  Xew  Bedford;  Miss  .Anna  \'.;  p'lor- 
ence  C,  who  married  .Arthur  R.  Brown,  attorney-at- 
law  and  judge  in  Red  Cliff,  Colo.,  and  William  C, 
who  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Friends' 
.Academy  of  Xew  Bedford,  and  then  spent  two  years 
in  a  coffee  and  S|>ice  store;  he  next  spent  four  years  in 
the  confectionery  business  in  Xew  Bedford,  and  also 
in  Providence,  R.  I.,  after  which  he  accepted  a  posi- 
tion with  the  Troy  Steam  Laundry,  of  Providence, 
where  he  remained  five  years.  In  1885  he  came  to 
Erie  and,  in  partnership  with  Mr.  J.  E.  Jeffers,  estab- 
lished a  laundry  where  the  present  one  is  located,  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  Peach  and  Fourteenth  streets. 
His  partner  was  merely  a  silent  (lartner,  and  sold  his 
interest  to  Charles  F.'  Shaw  in  1881.  .All  the  most 
modern  and   improved  machinery  has  been   put  into 


6S6 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


the  plant  until  it  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  com- 
pletely equipped  in  the  State.  Under  the  able  man- 
agement of  Mr.  W.  C.  Shaw  the  business  of  the  con- 
cern has  grown  in  magnitude  and  popularity  until  it  is 
the  most  extensive  in  northwestern  Pennsylvania.  In 
18i)2  Mr.  Shaw  ha<l  conferred  upon  him  the  distin- 
guished honor  of  being  elected  president  of  the  Na- 
tional Laundry  Association.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar 
Mason,  and  is  at  present  treasurer  of  Zem  Zem  Tem- 
ple of  the  Mystic  Shrine;  he  is  also  treasurer  of  the 
Merchants'  Club,  and  it  was  largely  due  to  his  efforts 
that  the  charity  fair  was  held  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Elks  in  the  winter  of  18i(H  4,  and  was  made  such  a 
brilliant  success  that  So,fi78.y8  was  turned  over  to  the 
bureau  of  charities.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Mr. 
Shaw  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  worthy  enterprises 
of  a  iiublic  or  social  nature.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Erie  Orpheus  Society,  of  which  he  was  elected  presi- 
dent in  1888.  He  w'ms  married  January  29,  1889,  to 
Miss  Edith  P.  Green,  of  Providence,  R.  I.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Shaw  attend  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

Henry  William  Zeiser,  blacksmith,  of  the  firm  of 

Zeiser  Brothers,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Lancaster, 
N.  Y.,  August  25,  18(55,  received  his  education  in  Fair- 
view  township,  Erie  county,  and  learned  his  trade  with 
Herman  Frank,  of  Sterretfania.  After  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  two  years  he  returnod  to  Fairview  and 
worked  at  his  trade  for  a  year.  He  then  came  to  Erie, 
where  he  remained  two  years,  and  after  a  few  months 
employment  in  Buffalo,  entered  into  his  present  part- 
nership. His  comfortable  residence  at  826  Walnut 
street,  was  built  in  1891.  Mr.  Zeiser  was  married  Sep- 
tember Iti,  1891,  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Xellis,  daughter  of 
Mr.  J(jhn  Nellis,  of  Mill  Creek  townshi]i.  To  this 
union  were  born  two  children,  Winnefred  and  Martha. 
Mr.  Zeiser  and  family  are  members  of  St.  Mary's 
Catholic  Church.  In  politics  Mr.  Zeiser  sustains  the 
man  and  principles  at  issue  rather  than  party. 

Jacob  Zeiser,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Zeiser 
Brothers,  blacksmiths  and  horseshoers,  at  714  Chestnut 
street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Lancaster,  N.  Y.,  in  July, 
18(il,  and  is  a  .son  of  John  and  Barbara  (Jerke)  Zeiser, 
natives  of  Germany.  His  father,  who  was  a  plasterer 
by  trade,  removed  with  his  family  from  New  York 
State  to  Fairview  township,  Erie  county,  in  1877,  and 
there  followed  his  trade  until  his  death,'  in  1889.  Mrs. 
Zeiser  died  in  1882.  The  family  consisted  of  eleven 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living:  Jacob,  Henry  \V., 
John  (clerk  in  George  D.  Williams'  grocery).  Miss 
Mary,  Charles,  (who  is  in  the  employ  of  his  brother), 
and  .Miss  Florence.  Mr.  Zeiser  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Fairview,  and  at  the  age  of  17  years 
engaged  with  Julius  Bush  of  that  place  to  learn  the 
blacksmith  trade.  After  two  years  he  came  to  Erie 
and  worked  for  different  parties  until  1884,  when  he 
engaged  in  business  for  himself.  The  firm  is  now 
Jacob  and  Henry  W.  Zeiser,  and  they  are  doing  a 
thriving  business.  Mr.  Zeiser  was  married  October 
10,  1882,  to  Miss  Catherine  Kennedy,  daughter  of 
Mr.  Cornelius  Kennedy,  of  Erie.  This  happy  union 
has  been  blessed  with  one  child,  Charles  J.  .Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Zeiser  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
Mr.  Zeiser  is  not  bound  in  his  ]jolitical  views  by 
party  ties,  but  votes  for  the  best  principles  and  best 
candidates. 


Charles  Huster,  wholesale  liquor  dealer,  1213 
Parade  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Ablig,  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  Germany,  March  '29,  l85(i,  and  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Catherine  (Metz)  Huster.  Tlie  family  came 
to  .America  in  June,  1872,  and  located  in  Erie.  Mr. 
Huster  was  educated  in  Germany,  and  after  coming 
to  Erie  learned  the  trade  of  shoe  finisher,  at  w-hich  he 
was  employed  four  years.  He  then  went  into  the  gro- 
cery business  on  Peach  street,  between  Twenty-second 
and  Twenty-third,  which  he  continued  two  years.  He 
then  became  projirietor  of  the  Farmers'  Home  Hotel 
in  .South  Erie,  where  he  remained  four  years,  after 
which  he  went  to  Oil  City  and  became  interested  in 
the  Continental  Refinery,  of  which  he  was  .secretary 
two  years  and  president  two  years.  In  1890  he  re- 
turned to  Erie  and  engaged  in  his  i)resent  business  at 
9U)  Parade  street,  and  in  1891  purcha.sed  and  removed 
to  his  i)resent  place.  Mr.  Huster  was  married  May 
V.i,  1879,  to  Miss  Anna  W.,  daughter  of  Mr.  Peter 
Eichenlaub,  of  Erie.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  is 
three  children:  Katherine  Maria,  Margareta  Maria  and 
Karl  August.  Mr.  Huster  and  family  are  members  of 
St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
C.  M.  B'.  A.,  the  Uniformed  Knights  of  St.  John,  the 
Benedictus  Society  and  the  East  Erie  Turners,  being 
trustee  of  the  latter  society.  In  politics  Mr.  Huster  is 
a  staunch  Democrat,  and  served  his  city  in  1892-3  as  a 
member  of  the  common  council. 

John  Miller,  manufacturer  of  metal  cornicing 
and  roofing,  and  dealer  in  hardware,  tinware,  lamps, 
etc.,  at  G17  West  Eighteenth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  A]iril  10,  1850,  and 
is  a  son  of  Egid  and  Johanna  (Schwartz)  Miller.  The 
family  came  to  the  L'nited  States  in  1852  and  located 
in  Erie,  where  his  father  died  in  1878  and  his  mother 
in  1879.  The  family  consisted  of  two  children,  Agnes 
(Mrs.  August  .Scheiwer,  of  Erie)  and  John.  Mr.  Mil- 
ler was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and 
when  17  years  of  age  engaged  with  Mr.  George  Car- 
roll to  learn  the  tinner's  trade.  After  working  two 
years  his  health  failed,  but  after  a  year's  recuperation 
he  again  took  up  his  trade  in  the  employ  of  the  South 
Erie  Iron  Works,  where  he  remained  four  years.  He 
afterwards  worked  eight  years  for  N.  Murphy  and  five 
years  for  C.  Flickinger,  and,  in  1887,  engaged  in  busi- 
ness for  himself.  He  has  a  large,  well  regul.ited  and 
well  equi])ped  shop  and  is  doing  a  thriving  business. 
Mr.  Miller  resides  at  615  West  Eighteenth  street. 
August  10,  1875,  he  was  married  to  .Miss  Louisa, 
daughter  of  Mr.  Peter  Schreifer,  of  Erie.  The  i.ssue 
of  this  marriage  is  five  children,  Mary,  Annie,  Joseph, 
Agnes  and  John.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of 
St.  Michael's  Catholic  Church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

Peter  Wehaa  was  born  July  5,  1862,  in  Greene 
township,  Erie  county,  a  son  of  John  Wehan,  a 
farmer  now  living  in  Greene  township.  He  is 
of  German  parentage,  and  has  lived  many  years 
in  Erie  county.  Peter  Wehan  was  married  .Sep- 
tember 26,  1888,  to  Rosa  Kredler,  daughter  of 
John  and  Katherine  Kredler,  who  were  Germans. 
Three  children  were  the  result  of  this  union:  Albert, 
Wilhelm  and  Katherine.  The  family  are  Catholics, 
Mr.  Wehan  being  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  H.  A.  Peter 
Wehan  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Twenty-fifth  street  and   Pennsylvania  avenue, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


687 


and  has  been  prosperous  in  business.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  one  of  the  pojiular  men  of  that  locality  com- 
monly known  as  Warfeltown,  having  served  two  years 
in  the  common  Cf)uncil  from  that  district. 

Johti  Buettner,  202;!  Chestnut  street,  Erie,  Pa., 
l)orn  in  Mill  Creek  township,  .March  7,  18t!2,  is  a  son 
of  Nicholas  and  Margaret  (Harding)  Buettner,  both 
natives  of  Germany.  This  family  came  to  .America  in 
May,  1860,  and  located  on  a  farm  in  .Mill  Creek  town- 
ship, Erie  county,  where  he  remaineil  a  few  years, 
when  he  moved  to  Erie,  and  for  the  jjast  thirty  years 
has  worked  in  the  freight  de|iot  for  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R. 
Company.  To  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Hui'ttner  have  been  born 
nine  children:  I'rederick  J.,  foreman  at  the  Erie  Pail 
Factory;  John  (deceased),  George  J.,  a  moulder  by 
trade,  works  in  the  Watson  Paper  Mill;  John,  Chris- 
tian J.  and  Daniel,  lioth  moulders  and  l)oth  reside  in 
Erie;  Nicholas  (deceased),  Helen  iM.,  resides  with  her 
]iarents,  and  Wanda  (deceased).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buett- 
ner are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 
John  Piuettner  was  educated  in  the  connnon  schools  of 
Erie,  and  when  14  years  of  age  began  working  on  the 
farm  in  summer,  attending  school  each  winter  until  17 
years  old,  when  lie  engaged  with  F.  A.  Clemens  as 
clerk,  in  the  Fulton  market,  where  he  remained  six 
months,  when  he  began  work  in  the  Erie  Pail  Factory 
for  Howe,  McClure  &  Co.,  where  he  is  .still  employed; 
for  the  past  nine  years  he  has  been  head  turner  in  this 
institution.  ,\Ir.  tiuettner  built  his  present  comforta- 
ble home  in  1889.  This  gentleman  was  united  July  6, 
1882,  tn  Miss  Henrietta,  daughter  of  Frederick  and 
Helen  (Berchtold)  Seachrist,  natives  of  Germany.  She 
was  born  March  23,  1865,  and  was  the  youngest  of  a 
family  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  four  children,  Leo  Nicholas 
Frederick  (deceased),  Edward  Christian,  Lillie  Su- 
sanna and  Ella  Helen.  Mr.  Buettner  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  common  council  on  the  Reiniblican 
ticket  in  the  spring  of  1894;  he  is  on  the  committee  on 
streets,  bridges,  sidewalks  and  grades,  also  gas,  public 
grounds  and  jirinting.  He  was  on  the  tirst  committee 
ap]iointed  on  the  street  market  question,  and  is  one  of 
the  nine  councilmen  whose  votes  did  away  with  FLrie's 
street  market.  This  gentleman  has  been  active  in 
Rejniblican  politics,  has  been  several  terms  on  the 
county  and  city  Republican  committees.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Protected  Home  Circle,  P.  (_).  S.  of  .A..,  South 
Erie  Turners,  of  whicli  he  is  treasurer,  and  St.  John's 
Beneficial  Society.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buettner  are  mem- 
bers (if  the  German  I'lvangelical  Lutheran  Church. 
Mr.  Buettner  is  a  grandson  of  Conrad  Buettner,  who 
was  a  soldier  under  Napoleon  the  First,  in  the  wars 
w  ith  p" ranee  and  Russia. 

Julius  Fuhrmati,  563  West  Twenty-sixth  street, 
was  born  in  Harburg,  Germany,  Se])tember  11,  1860, 
a  son  of  Peter  and  Christina  (Loendorf)  Fuhrman, 
both  natives  of  Germany.  Peter  Fuhrman  came  to 
America,  in  18W1,  and  located  in  FZrie,  where  he  fol- 
lowed his  trade  (cabinet  makingi  until  his  death,  in 
November,  1890,  in  the  54th  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  the  father  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, and  all  residents  of  Erie:  Jacob,  works  for  the 
Colby  Piano  Company;  Frederick,  a  cigarmaker,  with 
Wingerter  Bros.;  Julius,  Minnie,  Mrs.  Christian  Nel- 
son, of  Erie,  and  Robert,  at  present  in  the  em])loy  of 
the  Colby   Piano  Company.     Mrs.   Fuhrman,  wife  of 


Peter  Fuhrman,  and  mother  of  the  above  children,  re- 
sides with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Nelson.  Julius  Fuhr- 
man received  his  education  in  his  native  country,  and 
came  to  America  in  the  fall  of  1878,  and  soon  after 
engaged  as  carjienter  on  a  German  merchant  vessel, 
bound  for  South  America.  After  this  voyage  he  ac- 
cepted the  same  position  on  board  an  American  mer- 
chantman; a  year  later  he  accepted  a  position  as  car- 
penter on  board  the  United  States  naval  training  shij), 
"Colorado,"  a  position  he  held  until  1880,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  the  United  .States  ship,  "  Michigan,"  on 
Lake  Erie,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  Follow- 
ing this  he  worked  eighteen  months  at  ship  building 
in  Erie,  then  for  the  Burdett  tJrgan  Company,  until 
that  factory  was  cli>sed;  he  was  for  a  short  time  there- 
after in  the  employ  of  the  Pipe  Organ  Company,  on 
Nineteenth  street,  and  next  engaged  with  the  Colby 
Piano  Company  as  foreman  of  the  veneering  depart- 
ment, a  position  he  held  until  the  spring  of  1892,  when 
he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Shaw  Piano  Company. 
Later  he  established  the  Penn  Carpet  Cleaning  Wt)rks, 
at  563  West  Twenty-sixth  street,  where  he  is  conduct- 
ing a  ])rosperous  business.  Mr.  Fuhrman  was  elected 
on  the  Republican  ticket,  from  the  Sixth  ward,  to  the 
common  council,  in  the  spring  of  1894.  He  is  on  the 
finance  committee,  the  committee  on  health,  water  and 
markets,  and  docks,  harbor  and  police.  He  was  one 
of  the  nine  councilmen  whose  votes  abolished  Erie's 
street  market.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  and  L.  of 
H.,  German  Friendship  .Association,  Erie  Mccnnerchor 
Society,  South  F>ie  Turners,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  and  the 
.Sixth  Ward  Republican  Club.  Mr.  Fuhrman  w-as 
married  May  8,  1884,  to  Barbara,  daughter  of  Philip 
Obmann,  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  to  them  have 
been  born  five  children,  two  of  whom  are  living:  Tina, 
born  March  7,  1886,  and  Peter,  born  August  11,  1888. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church. 

John  Schneider,  wagon  maker,  residence  and 
shop  2836  I'ine  avenue  (formerly  Wattsburg  road  I, 
Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  October  11,  1847, 
is  a  son  of  George  and  .Susanna  (Bardon)  .Schneider, 
both  natives  of  Germany.  George  Schneider  was  a 
brick-maker  in  his  native  country,  came  to  .-Xmerica 
with  his  family  in  1847  and  located  in  Erie,  where  he 
secured  a  position  as  foreman  on  the  building  of  the 
public  dock;  after  the  completion  of  this  he  worked 
two  years  as  a  coal  heaver  on  this  dock,  when  he  was 
made  foreman  of  a  gang  of  men  in  the  building  of  the 
Wattsburg  road.  .After  this  he  followed  farming 
three  years  on  Walnut  creek;  he  then  moved  to  the 
Wagner  farm,  Mill  Creek  townshi]);  later  he  i>ur- 
chased  this  property  and  followed  farming  till  his 
death,  which  preceded  that  of  his  wife.  There  were 
seven  children:  Henry,  a  laborer,  residence  south  of 
city  limitson  Peach  street;  John;  Mary,  Mrs.  August 
Sciiaffer;  Christi;in,  a  blacksmith  by  trade;  Margaret, 
Mrs.  Frederick  Zeisinger;  George,  a  motorm:in,  and 
Peter,  all  i>f  whom  reside  in  Erie  and  Mill  Creek 
township.  John  Schneider  was  six  months  old  when 
he  came  to  Erie.  He  received  no  early  education, 
beginning  work  as  a  mere  child  on  the  farm;  whi-n  14 
years  of  age  he  operated  a  threshing  machine,  follow-- 
ing  this  for  five  years;  he  then  took  up  the  carpenter's 
trade,  following  this  for  one  year;  he  next  engaged 
with  Jacob  Thern  on  Peach  street  to  learn  the  wagon- 
making  trade,  remaining  with  this  gentleman  seven 


688 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


years;  then,  after  working  one  year  for  the  Erie  Fusee 
Company,  he  again  look  up  his  trade,  and  after  work- 
ing one  year  for  Conrad  Schmall,  he  ojiened  a  shop 
for  himself  on  Peach  street,  south  of  the  Erii'  Iron 
\\'<irks,  where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  IHJSl, 
when  he  removed  to  his  present  location  and  worked 
for  Charles  Haskins  three  years;  later  he  rented  the 
shop  from  Mr.  Haskins  and  ojierated  it  two  years,  and 
in  Wiiii  purchased  it  and  has  since  followed  his  trade. 
Mr.  Schneider  was  united  in  marriage  May  25,  1><75, 
to  Miss  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  Andrew  Carries. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  Anna  E., 
a  graduate  of  Clark's  College,  and  Leonard.  Mr. 
Schneider  was  elected  a  member  of  the  common 
council  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  serving  one  year, 
during  which  he  was  on  the  finance  and  health,  water 
and  market  committees.  He  was  re-elected  to  the 
common  council  in  the  spring  of  1893,  and  served  as  a 
member  of  the  committees  on  streets,  sidewalks, 
bridges  and  grades,  police,  railroad,  docks  and  harbor, 
and  his  vote  was  one  of  the  nine  that  did  away  with 
the  Erie  street  market.  He  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M. 
B.  A.,  and  himself  and  family  are  members  of  St. 
John's  German  Cathcjlic  Church. 

Frederick  iimgenbach,  machinist,  residence 
1222  German  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Wuertemberg, 
Germany,  September  19,  1838,  is  a  son  of  Jacob  F.  and 
Sarah  (Harr)  Gingenbach,  both  natives  of  Germany. 
He  was  a  weaver  fjy  trade  in  his  native  country,  and 
came  to  America  in  184T  and  located  in  Erie,  where  he 
worked  as  a  laborer  until  his  death,  in  1880,  aged  80 
years.  Mrs.  Gingenbach  dejiarted  this  life  in  1873, 
aged  72  years.  'I'o  them  were  born  three  children; 
Frederick,  John,  a  moulder  in  the  Chicago  and  Erie 
Stove  Works,  Erie,  Pa.,  and  Catherine,  wile  of  Michael 
Rentz,  of  Erie,  Pa.  Frederick  Gingenbach  was  14 
years  old  when  he  came  to  Erie  with  his  parents.  He 
received  his  education  in  his  native  country,  and  when 
15  years  old  engaged  as  clerk  for  Lester,  Sennett  & 
Chester,  on  State  street,  with  whom  he  remained  four 
years,  and  when  19  entered  the  employ  of  Sennett, 
Barr  &  Co.  to  learn  the  machinist's  trade,  for  whom  he 
worked  four  years.  He  then  worked  at  his  trade  for 
Little  &:  Marsh  for  three  years;  for  Charles  Lovering 
in  the  Bay  State  Iron  Works  twelve  years.  He  was 
then  appointed  tax  collector  for  the  Second  ward  and 
served  as  such  for  three  years;  following  this  he 
worked  six  months  for  Skinner  &  Wood  at  his  trade, 
and  again  entered  the  employ  of  the  Bay  State  Iron 
Works,  where  he  is  now  emi)loyed.  Mr.  Gingenbach 
was  married  January  8,  1850,  to  Mary  C,  daughter  of 
Peter  Simon,  of  Erie,  Pa.,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
nine  children:  Elizabeth  S.,  wife  of  Wm.  Bloeser,  of 
Erie;  Margaret  L.,  wife  of  George  Meyer,  of  Erie,  Pa.; 
John  F.  (deceased),  John  F.,  born  June  8,  1863,  a  ma- 
chinist in  the  employ  of  the  Jarecki  Manufacturing 
Company;  Peter  W.,  born  November  25,  1805,  a  ma- 
chinist in  the  emiiloy  of  the  Bay  State  Iron  Works; 
Katherine  B.,  a  trained  nurse,  resides  at  home;  Fred- 
erick C,  born  November  0,  1871,  a  machinist  em- 
ployed by  the  Brown  Folding  Works;  Rose  B.,  and 
Caroline  W.  Mr.  Gingenbach  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  common  council  in  1805  and  served  two  years. 
He  has  tieen  chief  engineer  of  the  Erie  Fire  Dejiart- 
ment  and  is  at  ])resent  a  member  of  the  select  council 
from  the  Second  ward,  elected  in  the  sjiring  of  1894. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  F.  and  A.  M.,  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 


the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  German  Friendship  Benevo- 
lent Association.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
the  family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church. 

Albert  I.  Doerr,  real  estate  and  insurance  agent 
and  alderman  of  the  Fifth  ward,  2405  Peach  street, 
Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Sugar  \'alley,  Clinton  county.  Pa., 
.September  29,  1873,  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Henrietta 
(Schroeder)  Doerr.  He  is  second  in  order  of  l)irth  in  a 
family  of  five  children:  Charles  (deceased),  .■\ll)ert  I., 
George  W.,  a  school  teacher,  at  present  attending 
.State  College;  Esther  and  Maude.  Albert  received 
his  early  education  in  the  |/ublic  .schools  of  Erie  and 
graduated  from  Clark's  College;  he  then  studied  law 
two  years  under  Isador  .Soliel,  P^sq.,  and  is  at  present 
studying  under  ex-Judge  John  P.  V'incent.  He  opened 
his  present  real  estate  and  insurance  office  March  7, 
1895,  and  was  unanimously  elected  alderman  for  the 
Fifth  ward  on  the  Rej)ublican  ticket  in  the  spring 
election,  1895.  He  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being 
youngest  alderman  in  the  .State  of  Pennsylvania;  also 
the  the  first  to  hold  that  office  in  South  Erie,  Mr. 
Doerr  passed  a  creditable  examination  under  the  civil 
service  and  was  appointed  to  a  good  position  in  the 
Erie  postoffice,  which  he  declined.  He  is  one  of  the 
promising  young  men  of  Erie,  with  a  bright  future  be- 
fore him.  He  is  an  earnest  worker  in  the  r:inksof  Re- 
publicanism, and  active  in  all  projects  tending  to  de- 
veloj)  his  section  of  the  city. 

William  J.  Grant,  ix-chief  of  police,  Erie,  Pa., 
born  in  Ireland  May  11,  1849,  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Ellen  (Redman)  Grant,  both  natives  of  Ireland,  who 
came  to  America  and  located  in  Erie,  Pa.,  about  185(J, 
where  the  former  died  in  1850  and  the  latter  in  1884. 
William,  the  only  child  of  this  union,  received  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and  May  1,  18(i2, 
enlisted  in  the  \J.  -S.  navy  and  served  on  board  of  the 
U.  S.  S.  Michigan  on  the  Great  Lak(-s  until  .May,  1804, 
when  he  was  honorably  discharged  to  re-enlist  in  .Sep- 
tember of  the  same  year,  serving  on  l)oard  the  Rein- 
deer and  the  U.  S.  S.  Abena  to  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  then  returned  to  Erie  and  worked  at  carpenter 
work  until  1807,  when  he  secured  a  position  on  the 
Lake  Shore  R.  R.  as  brakeman,  was  soon  promoted  to 
conductor.  In  1881  he  was  ajjpointed  on  the  jjolice 
force  of  Erie,  Pa.,  serving  till  1885 as  i)atrolman,  when 
he  was  promoted  to  captain,  and  in  1.S89  was  made 
chief  of  ])olice,  serving  till  February,  1S95,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Chief  White,  he  still  retaining  a  po- 
sition, however,  as  office  man.  Mr.  Grant  was  mar- 
ried July  21,  1871,  to  Miss  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert and  .Anna  Stewart,  of  Erie,  Pa.,  natives  of  Ireland, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  eight  children:  John  P. 
(deceased),  Nellie,  Anna  (deceased),  William  J.,  jr., 
Robert  E.,  Daniel  J.  (deceased),  Frank  (deceased)  and 
Harry.  Jvlr.  Grant  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.;  in 
])olitics  is  a  Democrat  and  the  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church. 

(ieorge  J.  Goalding,  manager  Postal  Telegra])h- 
Cable  Company,  at  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  London, 
England,  May  7,  1841.  His  parents  emigrated  to 
America  in  1843.  Young  Goalding  learned  telegraphy 
in  the  railroad  office,  at  Erie,  Pa.,  in  1859,  and  was 
made  extra  operator  on  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  system,  finally  drifting  to  the  old  Exchange 


AND  HISTORICAL  BEFEIIENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


6S9 


street  depot,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  for  the  same  company. 
He  then  accepted  a  position  in  the  train  dispatcher's 
office  of  the  Ohio  an<i  Mississippi  R.  R.  in 
Cincinnati,  thence  to  superintendent's  office  of 
the  Marietta  and  Cincinnati,  in  the  same  city. 
Ujion  Capt.  Samuel  Hruch,  at  Louisville,  calling  for 
volunteer  operators  for  army  service,  Mr.  Goalding 
offered  his  services  and  was  accepted.  He  was  sent 
to  Gen.  Hurnside's  headquarters  on  Fourth  street, 
Cincinnati.  Desiring  to  go  to  the  front,  he  was  di- 
rected by  Cajjt.  Bruch  to  report  to  Capt.  W.  L.  Gross, 
at  Danville,  Ky.,  and  on  reaching  there  was  ordered 
to  proceed  immediately  to  Cumberland  Gap,  where  he 
remained  during  the  siege  of  Knoxville,  handling 
many  of  Burnside's  messages  brought  through  Long- 
street's  lines  by  scouts,  to  be  wired  from  the  Gap  to 
Gen.  Grant  at  Chattanooga,  via  Louisville  and  Nash- 
ville, and  other  matter  to  Washington.  After  Gen. 
Burnside'srelief  by  the  loth  corps  under  Gen.  Sherman, 
Mr.  Goalding  was  ordered  to  Knoxville,  thence  to  dif- 
ferent points  in  East  Tennessee,  and  was  in  that  sec- 
tion during  the  last  Wheeler  raid,  and  in  communica- 
tion at  one  time  with  Xorris  and  .Allen,  the  rebel  oper- 
ators of  that  command,  who  had  tapped  the  Federal 
wires  near  Strawberry  Plains.  They  were  seeking  in- 
formation, but  were  unsuccessful,  .Mr.  Goalding  recog- 
nizing Xorris'  "  Morse."  In  1865  Mr.  Goalding  was, 
at  Nashville,  discharged  from  military  service,  with 
many  others,  by  Capt.  Van  Duzer,  their  service  being 
no  longer  required.  Returning  North  at  once,  he  was 
made  manager  of  the  Western  L'nion  Telegraph 
office  at  .Atchison,  Kan.,  in  October,  18ho,  and  on  com- 
pletion of  the  Kansas  S:  Pacific  R.  R.  as  far  west  as  Junc- 
tion City,  was  transferred  to  the  latter  office  as  man- 
ager. Coming  East  later  on,  he  was  employed  by  the 
Western  L'nion  Telegraph  Company,  at  Louisville, 
Ky.,  for  several  years,  part  of  the  time  as  assistant 
chief,  then  night  manager  and  inspector  for  the  Gold 
and  Stock  Telegraph  Company,  putting  in  the  first 
"stock  tickers"  in  that  city.  He  left  Louisville  to  take 
a  position  with  the  same  company  at  Cincinnati,  and 
shortly  afterward  accepted  a  place  in  Erie,  his  old 
home,  where  he  remained  with  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company  until  December,  1888,  when  he 
resigned  to  accept  the  management  of  the  Postal  Tel- 
egraph Company's  office  at  the  same  point,  which 
position  he  still  retains.  Mr.  Goalding  was  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  Old  Time  and  Military  Tel- 
egra[ihers'  societies,  attending  the  first  meeting  and 
organization  at  Cincinnati,  in  1880.  In  August,  1879, 
he  was  complimented  by  being  commissioned  colonel 
and  aid-de-camp  by  Gov.  James  B.  McCreary,  of  Ken- 
tucky. 

William  W.  Harper,  district  agent  of  the  Mutual 
Life  Insurance  Company  of  New  York,  office  816 
State  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Campsie,  Sterling- 
shire,  Scotland,  .August  29,  1844,  is  a  son  of  William 
and  Mary  (Hay)  Harper.  He  is  fourth  in  a  family  of 
nine  children,  and  received  his  early  education  in  his 
native  land.  He  learned  the  machinist's  trade,  devot- 
ing five  years  to  become  proficient;  he  then  followed 
his  trade  one  year  in  Glasgow,  and,  in  1868,  came  to 
America  and  located  in  Lawrence,  Mass.,  where  he 
followed  his  trade  two  years.  In  1870  he  went  to 
Toronto,  Canada,  following  his  trade  there  for  four 
and  one-half  years,  and  he  then  opened  a  grocery 
store,  conducting  it  for  four  years,  when  he  was  ap- 


pointed engineer  in  the  civil  service  department  of 
the  Government  building,  serving  eighteen  months. 
In  1880  he  came  to  Erie  and  worked  at  his  trade  for 
the  Stearns  .Manufacturing  Company  till  1S><(),  when 
he  accepted  his  present  position.  ,\Ir.  Harjier  was 
married  September  7,  1868,  in  Lynn,  .Mass.,  to  Miss 
Mary,  daughter  of  James  and  '  .Margaret  (Martin) 
Tweed,  natives  of  Scotland.  Six  children  have 
blessed  this  union:  William  R.,  a  student  in  theology 
at  Brown  University;  James  L.  (decea.sed);  David  VV., 
was  for  three  years  in  the  Erie  postoffice,  and  later  in 
the  railway  mail  service,  and  at  jiresent  with  his 
father  in  the  insurance  business;  Margaret  M.,  Eva 
H.,  and  Ruth  D.  This  family  are  all  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Harper  is  a  member  of  the  F.  & 
A.  M.  and  is  in  sympathy  with  the  Republican  party. 

George  W.  Cochran,  D.  D.  S.,  office  Downing 
Building,  Erie,  Pa,,  was  born  in  Toronto,  Jefferson 
county,  Ohio,  July  2?^,  1861,  a  son  of  John  and  Susan 
(Crawford)  Cochran,  both  natives  of  Ohio  and  parents 
of  six  chihiren:  .Amanda  C,  Etta  V.,  C.  S|)encer. 
John  P.,  George  W.  and  Lizzie  .A.  George  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Steubenville,  Ohio,  and, 
in  1879,  entered  a  dental  office,  where  he  worked  two 
years,  after  which  he  attended  the  .Ann  Arbor  (Mich.) 
Medical  College  for  one  year,  and  the  dental  depart- 
ment of  the  same  institution  for  a  year;  after  this  he 
attended  the  Philadelphia  Dental  College,  at  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  and  was  graduated  from  said  school  in 
the  class  of  1885-6.  He  opened  an  office  in  Toronto, 
Ohio,  the  same  year,  and  successfully  practiced  his 
profession,  and  in  1890  he  located  in  Erie,  Pa.,  where 
he  has  since  followed  his  chosen  profession.  Dr. 
Cochran  employs  two  assistants  and  enjoys  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice  among  the  best  citizens  of  Erie.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  dentures,  crown  and  bridge  work. 
Dr.  Cochran  was  united  in  marriage  July  28. 1886,  to  Mi.ss 
Anna,  daughter  of  George  Carfyle,  of  Toronto,  Ohio, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  two  children:  Celia  M. 
and  Willard  C.  Dr.  Cochran  is  a  member  of  the  I.  (). 
O.  F.,  K.  of  P.,  National  Union,  Knights  of  St.  John 
and  Malta.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  the 
family  are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church. 

Adam  W.  Wiagerter,  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Wingerter  Bros.,  cigar  manufacturers,  926  State 
street,  third  floor,  born  in  Erie,  Pa.,  December  28, 
1858,  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Maggie  (Nepper)  Win- 
gerter, natives  of  Leinersheim,  Germany,  who  came 
to  .America  about  1849,  and  located  in  Erie,  Pa., 
where  he  followed  his  trade,  contracting  and  building, 
until  his  death,  June  7,  1875.  .Mrs.  Wingerter  de- 
parted this  life  May  4,  1864.  To  them  were  born  six 
children:  John,  a  boss  builder,  in  the  employ  of  T.  M. 
Nagle,  Erie,  Pa.;  Philip,  steward  for  the  Jefferson 
House,  Toledo,  O.;  Marion,  Mrs.  John  Staub,  of  Den- 
ver, Col.;  .Adam  W.;  Peter,  foreman  for  Hugh  Lyons 
&  Co.,  of  Lansing,  Mich.,  and  George  B.,  junior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Wingerter  Bros.  .Adam  W.  Win- 
gerter received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Erie,  and  early  in  life  engaged  with  Hugh  Jones,  of 
Erie,  Pa.,  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade,  with  whom  he 
worked  three  years.  He  followed  carpentry  work 
about  seven  years,  working  in  Erie,  Pa.,  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  and,  later  .going  to  Colorado,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade,  until  he  and  his  brother,  George  B., 
opened  a   cigar  factory  in  Central  City,  Colo.,  where 


690 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


they  operated  two  years,  and  returned  to  Erie,  Pa.,  and 
in  188.5,  opened  their  present  business,  which  is  one  of 
the  largest  in  the  city,  employing  tliirty-two  hands,  and 
turninj^  out  the  clioicest  cigars  found  in  Northwestern 
Pennsylvania.  Among  their  famous  brands  we  men- 
tion "Wingerter  I5ros.'  Bouquet,"  "  Family  Doctor," 
"The  926,"  "Henry  Clay,"  "Lady  May,"  "Roman 
Eagle,"  and  "(iretin  Eagle,"  any  and  all  of  which  are 
established  favorites.  They  emjiloy  one  man  on  the 
road,  and  Ailam  looks  after  the  city  tra<le.  Mr.  Win- 
gerter was  united  in  marriage,  June -5,  IStlO,  to  Miss 
Jessie,  daughter  of  William  and  Margaret  (Johnson) 
Tate,  natives  of  Scotlaml,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
one  child,  Ethel.  Mr.  Wingerter  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  Mrs.  Wingerter  attends  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church.  In  politics  lu-  affiliates 
with  the  democratic  party. 

(ieorge  B.  Wiagerter,  juni<ir  member  of  the  firm 
of  WingertiT  Bros.,  cigar  manufacturers,  926  .State 
.street,  third  floor,  l-'.rie.  Pa.,  born  in  Harbor  Creek 
township,  ICrie  county.  Pa.,  August  18,  1862,  is  a  son  of 
Peter  and  Margaret  (Stepper)  Wingerter.  He  is  the 
youngest  in  a  family  of  six  children,  was  educated 
in  the  pulilic  .schools  of  Erie,  Pa.,  and  early  in  life 
learned  the  cigar-making  trade  with  Manley  &  Co., 
with  whom  he  worked  about  ten  years.  He  then 
worked  with  !■"..  .A.  lette,  for  four  years,  when  they 
went  to  Colorado  and  manufactured  cigars  for  several 
years.  In  11^83  he  and  his  brother,  Ailam  W.,  opened 
a  factory  in  Central  City,  Colo.,  and  two  years  later 
sold  out,  and  returned  to  Erie  to  open  the  present 
plant.  Wingerter  Bros,  are  up  to  date  business  men, 
and  are  beyond  doubt  among  the  most  progressive  and 
successful  cigar  manufacturers  in  Erie.  They  manu- 
facture over  a  million  and  one-half  of  cigars  yearly, 
and  their  goods  are  among  the  choicest  found  in 
N'ortliwe.stern  Pennsylvania.  George  was  married 
February  6,  1889,  to  Miss  Katherine,  daughter  of  John 
and  Katherine  I  Diefenbach)  Fisher.  They  have  one 
child,  Emery.  Mr.  Wingerter  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Stephen  D.  Wager  (formerly  of  the  Reno-Wager 
Co.,  manufactures  of  wagon  su[i])lies,  10  and  12  East 
Twelfth  street.  P>ie,  Pa.),  born  in  North  East  town- 
ship, Erie  county.  Pa.,  November  3,  1835,  is  a  son  of 
John  B.  and  P'.lizabeth  (Staley)  Wager,  natives  of  New 
Jersey,  to  whom  were  born  two  sons,  Manderville  and 
Stephen  D.  Stephen  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Belle  Valley,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  and  worked  on  the 
farm  until  18  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Erie  and 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  working  at  it  for  ten 
years  in  Erie  and  Detroit,  Mich.  In  .August,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  the  I'nitrd  States  navy  on  board  the  gun- 
boat Carondalet,  under  Admiral  Porter,  of  the  .Missis- 
sippi squadron.  He  was  with  the  fleet  that  run  the 
blockade  at  \'ickshurg  April  16,  1863,  and  the  five 
hours'  fight  at  Grand  Gulf^  Was  al-so  at  the  siege  of 
V'icksburg,  where  they  did  more  or  le.ss  fighting  every 
day  for  two  months.  Was  discharged  September  10, 
1863,  his  term  of  enlistment  having  expired.  He  was 
drafted  in  service  again  in  .March,  18(54,  served  three 
months  in  the  93rd  P.  I.  .After  his  discharge  he 
returned  to  Erie  and  engaged  in  the  photograph  busi- 
ness, which  he  followed  for  twenty-six  years.  From 
Erie  he  went,  in  1878,  to  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and,  in 
}885,  went  to  Florida,  where  he  spent  four  years.     He 


then  returned  to  Indiana,  and  three  years  later  came 
back  to  Erie  and  bought  a  half  interest  in  the  present 
industry  in  March,  1894.  Mr.  Wager  was  married 
August  8,  18().i,  to  Miss  Susan,  daughter  of  Johnathan 
and  Sophia  (Fluke)  Riblet,  of  Erie,  Pa.  She  died 
October  8,  1879,  and  he  again  married  November  20, 
1882,  to  Miss  Margaret  .A.  Lowry,  of  J<-.ssamine  county, 
Kentucky.  They  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  Mr.  Wager  was  elder  m  the  Chestnut- 
street  church  for  a  number  of  years.  He  is  a  Prohibi- 
tionist in  politics. 

Edward  A.  Stuebgen,  insurance  office.  No.  1.5 
W'est  Eighth  street,  I\rie,  Pa.,  born  in  p'rie  December 
17,  18.52,  is  a  .son  of  Carl  G.  and  W'ilhelmina  (Wieken- 
hagen)  Stuebgen,  natives  of  Saxony,  Germany,  who 
came  to  .America  early  in  the  thirties,  locating  at 
Saxonburg,  Butler  county.  Pa.,  where  they  remaini-d 
until  1844.  In  1843  he  look  u])the  nnnistry,  preaching 
th(-  German  Lutheran  doctrine.  He  served  some  time 
in  Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  Liter  in  Wheel- 
ing, W.  V'a.  He  came  to  Erie  in  184(i  and  served  as 
pa.stor  of  St.  John's  German  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  till  18.53,  when  he  retired  from  the  ministry 
and  went  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
milling  business,  successfully  o[)erating  a  gri.st  and 
saw-mill  until  1867,  when  he  disposed  of  his  milling 
interest  ,ind  engagi'd  in  f.irming  until  1H72.  He  then 
returned  to  Erie  and  embarked  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness, which  he  successfully  followed  till  IHSO,  when, 
owing  to  ill  health,  he  dis|)osed  of  the  business  to  his 
.son,  and  lived  in  retirement  till  his  death,  which 
occurred  June  17,  1889.  Mrs.  Stuebgen  dei)arted  this 
life  November  20,  1891.  There  were  four  children 
born  to  this  union:  Laura,  Mrs.  Charles  Imig,  of 
Sheboygan,  Wis.;  Emma,  Mrs.  George  Pope,  of  »ie; 
Bertha.  Mrs.  Wm.  J.  Livingstone,  of  Lincoln,  Neb. 
(deceased I,  and  Edward  A.,  who  received  his  early 
education  at  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  and  U-arned  the 
machinist's  trade,  which  he  followed  imtil  1874.  when 
he  engaged  in  the  insurance  business,  representing  the 
Continental  of  New  York;  Hamburg-lkeman,  (Ger- 
many; the  Agricultural;  the  Pacific,  of  New  York;  the 
Milwaukee  Mechanics'  Insurance  Company,  of  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.;  the  Allemannia  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  many  other  prominent 
life,  accident  and  fire  insurance  conqianies.  Mr. 
Stuebgen  was  married  June  11,  1889,  to  Miss  Rosa, 
adopted  daughter  of  .August  R(jemer,  of  Erie,  Pa.  To 
them  is  born  one  child,  Carl  Edward.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  Erie  Liedertafel  and 
Erie  Msnnerchor,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

John  W.  Shatto,  train  dispatcher  for  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Va'k  R.  R.,  in  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  New- 
port, Perry  county,  Pa.,  .September  11,  18.51.  He  is  a 
son  of  Solomon  and  Catherine  E.  (Free)  .Shatto,  na- 
tives of  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  jiarents  of  eight 
children:  Mary  E.,  Mrs.  Frederick  Rohler,  of  Harris- 
burg,  Pa.;  John  W.,  George  W.,  a  conductor  on  the 
Pennsylvania  R.  R.  at  Harrisburg,  Pa.;  .Solomon,  jr., 
train  dispatcher  for  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  at  Harris- 
burg, Pa.;  Ida  M,  Mrs.  John  Sauserman,  of  New- 
port, Pa.;  Harvey  J.,  train  dispatcher  at  Pittsburg 
for  the  P.,  C,  C.  &  St.  L.  R.  R.;  Harry  B.  (de- 
ceased), and  Brant,  telegraph  operator  for  the  Penn- 
sylvania R.  R.  at  Harrisburg,  Pa.    John  W.  received 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


691 


his  education  in  his  native  town,  and  was  em- 
ployed in  a  drug  store  for  one  year;  after  which  he 
learned  telegraphy  at  Newport,  and  was  employed  at 
various  places  between  Altoona  and  Harrisburg  on  the 
Pennsylvania  R.  R.  for  about  one  and  one-half  years, 
when  he  accepted  a  position  as  operator  at  Irvinton, 
on  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.,  where  he  was  employed  from 
1869  till  1871,  when  he  came  to  Erie,  and  soon  after 
was  made  train  dispatcher  for  the  Western  division  of 
the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.,  a  position  he  has  since  filled.  Mr. 
Shatto  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A.  iM.  and  Royal 
Arcanum. 

John  A.  Steiametz,  funeral  director  and  em- 
balmer,  Xo.  \bV-i  Peach  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  Xovem- 
ber  26,  1869,  is  a  son  of  Charles  Gustave  and  Charlotte 
Marie  (Helmka)  Steinmetz,  both  natives  of  Germany. 
Charles  Gustave  Steinmetz,  a  tailor  by  trade,  born  in 
Northeine,  Germany,  P'ebruary  '26,  1837,  is  a  son  of 
Philip  Henry  and  Christina  (Dusterdick)  Steinmetz, 
the  former  born  in  Northeine,  Germany,  October  11, 
1815.  This  family  came  to  America  in  1847,  and 
located  in  Erie,  Pa.,  where  Philip  H.  followed  tailor- 
ing. A  few  years  ago  he  retired,  and  is  still  living, 
hale  and  hearty.  Charles  Gustave  Steinmetz  was  10 
years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to  America,  and 
soon  after  adopted  his  father's  trade,  and  has  since 
followed  it,  having  been  employed  as  follows:  Five 
years  with  .Mr.  Lytle;  ten  years  with  Baker  &  Ostheimer, 
and  since  1881  he  has  worked  for  Charles  S.  Marks  & 
Co.  He  married  August  .31, 1861,  Miss  Charlotte  Marie 
Helmka,  who  was  born  in  .'\mbeck,  Germany,  August 
12,  1837,  and  came  to  America  in  1857.  This  union  is 
blessed  with  six  children:  Philip  (deceased),  Philip 
G.,  assistant  in  the  undertaking  business  to  his  brother; 
John  A.,  Hattie  T.,  Mrs.  Harry  Will,  of  Erie;  Edward 
(deceased),  and  Harry  F.,  a  clerk  in  Haviland  &  Hun- 
ter's drug  store.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Luther  .^lemorial  Church.  John  A.  .Steinmetz  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  ]>ublic  schools  of  Erie,  and  worked  for 
several  years  in  an  art  store  in  Erie.  In  1894  he  took 
a  thorough  course  in  the  United  States  .School  of  Em- 
balming of  New  York,  graduating  in  May,  1894.  He 
then  spent  a  short  time  in  New  York,  working  for  a 
large  undertaking  and  embalming  establishment,  and, 
returning  to  Erie,  o|)ened  his  present  place  of  business 
March  18,  1895.  He  carries  a  large  and  complete  line 
of  undertaking  supplies,  employs  a  lady  assistant,  and 
will,  no  doubt  soon  be  one  of  the  leading  funeral  di- 
rectors. He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters,  of  the  Protected  Home  Circle  and  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mr.  Steinmetz  has 
long  been  a  zealous  Rejjublican,  and  at  the  election  in 
November,  1895,  was  chosen  county  coroner  by  the 
flattering  vote  of  3,323  over  his  principal  opponent. 

John  W.  Henry,  captain  of  the  police  force, 
was  born  in  Erie,  Pa.,  November  17,  1847,  and  is  a  son 
of  Michael  and  Mary  Ann  (Pogi.son)  Henry,  natives  of 
Ireland  and  England,  respectively.  The  former  was 
a  contractor  by  occupation  and  came  to  America 
about  1830,  and  to  Erie  about  1832,  with  his  mother, 
his  father  having  died  in  his  native  country.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Pogison  in  Erie,  and  to  them  were  born 
eleven  children:  William  (deceased),  George  P.  (de- 
ceased), John  W.,  Mary  E.  (deceased  wife  of  George 
Williams,  of  Erie),  Harriet  (wife  of  William  Irvin,  of 
Erie),  Emma  (deceased),  William  M.  (deceased),  Clara 


(deceased),  Kate  (wife  of  John  Pressly,  of  Erie),  and 
Jessie.  Mrs.  Henry  departed  this  life  June  10,  1865, 
aged  43  years.  Mr.  Henry  again  married,  his  second 
wife  being  Miss  Jane  Warren,  of  Erie,  and  to  them 
was  born  one  child,  James  A.,  a  traveling  salesman  of 
agricultural  implements.  Mr.  Henry,  sr.,  departed 
this  life  January  14,  1892,  aged  72  years.  John  W. 
Henry  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and 
when  17  years  of  age  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
navy,  on  board  the  gunboat  "  Reindeer,"  of  the  Missis- 
sippi squadron,  under  .Admiral  Porter,  participated  in 
all  the  battles  of  this  fleet,  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  and, 
returning  to  Erie,  went  to  work  under  his  father,  with 
whom  he  remained  one  year.  He  then  tcxjk  charge  of 
a  gang  of  men  for  McCarter,  Shannon  &  Brown,  and 
later  was  employed  in  the  same  capacity  by  McConkey 
&  Shannon.  After  this  he  worked  as  brakeman  for 
the  L.  .S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  four  years,  when  he  went  to 
.Summit  township  and  followed  farming  eight  years. 
Returning  to  Erie,  he  was  again  employed  as  brake- 
man  in  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  yard  one  winter.  The  fol- 
lowing summer  he  employed  a  gang  of  men  unloading 
boats  at  the  Erie  dock,  and  during  the  winter  months 
he  operated  a  milk  route  in  Erie.  In  April,  1881,  was 
appointed  a  patrolman  on  the  Erie  police  force,  serv- 
ing in  said  capacity  till  June,  1893,  when  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  captain.  Mr.  Henry  was  mar- 
ried December  24,  1869,  to  .Miss  Maggie  Ryan,  of 
Erie,  and  to  them  have  been  born  ten  children:  Mary 
Ann  (deceased),  Michael  J.,  proprietor  of  a  billiard 
room  on  State  street,  Nellie,  George  I.  (deceased), 
Harry  P.,  a  machinist  at  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works, 
Maggie,  Laura,  Josephine  and  William.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Henry  are  members  of  the  L'nited  Presbyterian 
and  Catholic  Churches,  respectivelv.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  1.  O.  O.  F.,  United  Workmen,  K.  O.  T.  .M.,  and 
the  G.  A.  R.  His  father  was  a  member  of  both 
branches  of  the  city  council  for  many  years  and 
served  as  i>oor  director  for  six  years.  Capt.  Henry  is 
a  man  well  qualified  for  his  position  and  a  gentleman 
of  high  standing. 

Mrs.  Anna  T.  Donovan,  proprietress  of  the  Troy 
Steam  Laundry,  at  416  State  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  located 
in  Erie  with  her  parents  in  1864.  She  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Erie  and  St.  Patrick's  parochial 
school,  and  in  1878  she  and  her  mother  embarked  in 
the  laundry  business.  Two  years  later  she  purchased 
her  mother's  interest,  and  has  since  successfully  con- 
ducted the  business.  She  owns  the  handsome  laun- 
dry building  in  which  the  Troy  Laundry,  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  successful  in  the  city,  is  located.  It 
is  equipped  with  all  the  latest  improved  machinery 
and  employs  from  twenty  to  thirty  hands.  Mrs. 
Donovan  was  married  in  1880  to  Wm.  J.  Heffcran,  of 
the  L'.  S.  S.  "  Michigan,"  and  to  them  were  born  two 
children,  Gertrude  and  Jennie.  .Mr.  Hefferan  de- 
parted this  life  October  25,  1S90.  Mrs.  Hefferan  was 
again  united  in  marriage  January  8,  1895,  to  Richard 
Henry  Donovan,  first  sergeant  of  marines,  U.  S.  S. 
"  Michigan." 

Charles  Reck,  merchant  tailor,  1008  State  street, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  Pa.,  Sejitember  29,  1848, 
and  is  a  son  of  Adam  J.  and  Margaret  (Hart)  Beck, 
natives  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  who  came  to  America  in 
1847,  and  located  in  Erie,  Pa.,  where  Mr.  Beck  fol- 


692 


NELSON'S  BTOGIIAPHWAL  DICTIONARY 


lowed  the  tailoring  business  till  his  death.  They  were 
[larents  of  two  children:  Charles,  and  Anna,  widow  of 
Charles  H.  W  iber,  of  ICrie.  Charles  Beck  was  edu- 
cated in  the  jiuhlic  schools,  and  learned  the  tailoring 
business  under  his  father,  with  whom  he  worked  till 
1870,  when  he  went  to  New  York  city,  and  learned 
cutting.  Returninfj  to  Kric,  he  worked  as  cutter  till 
]w:i,  when  he  went  into  business  with  J.  and  M.  Straus, 
with  whom  he  continued  till  1S8S,  when  he  opened  an 
establishment  by  liiTus<-lf.  In  h^'.ll  he  built  his  pres- 
ent lart^e  and  commodious  block,  and  in  18114  built  his 
hands()me  residence  at  ;i28  West  Eighth  street.  Mr. 
Beck  emjiloys  from  fifteen  to  twenty  experienced  tail- 
ors, and  enjoys  a  large  and  lucrative  trade  among  the 
best  people  of  the  city.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
E.,  daughter  of  Frank  A.  and  Mary  (.Spath)  Weber, 
natives  of  Baden,  C.ermany,  who  came  to  America 
about  184.5.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  five 
children:  Henry  W.  (deceased),  M.  Elenora,  Charles 
(deceased  I,  .'\loyisius  and  Joseph.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Catliolic  Church.  Mr.  Beck  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Erie  board  of  trade,  the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  the  Erie 
Ma."nnerch<ir,  the  Merchants'  Club,  the  Erie  .Sommer- 
heim,  the  St.  Benediclus,  the  G.  H.  (j.,  and  the  Legion 
Club.     In  ]iolitics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

John  S.  Scheer,  dealer  in  confectionery,  tobacco 
and  cigars,  IKK!  State  street,  Erie,  l^a.,  was  born  in 
Erie.  November  25,  ISSfl,  and  is  a  son  of  John  A.  and 
Kate  (Kent)  Scheer,  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to 
America  in  1844,  locating  in  Erie,  Pa.,  where  Mr. 
.Scheer  followed  contracting  and  building.  He  was 
the  father  of  four  children:  Lizzie,  Mrs.  George  Stroh- 
meyer,  Eftie,  Mrs.  Chris.  Shaw;  Sophia,  Mrs.  Elmer 
Buckwall,  and  John  S.,  who  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Erie,  and  when  17  years  of  age,  in 
1876,  went  to  Philadelphia,  and  worked  for  Riley  & 
Sargeant,  on  the  Centennial  grounds,  during  the  ex- 
position. He  then  went  to  work  hir  the  I'nion  News 
Company,  operating  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio,  Cin- 
cinnati .Southern,  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  and  the  L.  S. 
i\:  .M.  S.  R.  R.  After  .seven  years  he  was  promoted  to 
the  office  su]ierintendency,  Cleveland,  Ohio.,  and  three 
years  later  was  made  superintendent  of  the  Southern 
division  of  the  L'nion  News  Company,  with  head- 
ipiarters  at  Cincinnati,  a  position  he  held  for  four  years. 
In  18!ll  he  came  to  Erie,  and  embarked  in  his  present 
business.  Mr.  .Scheer  was  married  November  25, 1885, 
to  Miss  Florence  E.,  daughter  of  James  and  Sophia 
(Bentz)  Ritchie,  of  Berea,  (Jhio.  They  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  O. 
T.  M.,  and  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  ])olitics  is 
a  Democrat. 

John  R.  Sherwood,  ])ainter,  grainer  and  deco- 
rator, residence  23(5  West  Fenth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  born 
in  Washington  township,  Erie,  county,  January  2i),  1829, 
is  a  son  of  Cyrus  and  Harriet  (Atwater)  Sherwood,  na- 
tives of  Cayuga  and  Seneca  counties,  New  York,  re- 
spectively. Cyrus  Sherwood,  a  farmer  and  lumber- 
man, was  a  son  of  John  .Sherwood,  also  a  native  of 
Cayuga  county,  New  York,  a  farmer  by  occui)ation, 
and  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  came  to  Erie 
county  in  1818,  and  [)urchased  a  farm  in  Washington 
township  and  followed  farming  till  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  the  (iSd  year  of  his  age.  He  married 
Rosannah  Miller,  and  to  them  was  born  ten  children: 
Burnett  and  Burham  (twins);  Burnett  resides  in  Edin- 


boro  a  retired  farmer;  Burham  resides  in  Union  City,  a 
retired  farmer;  Parker,  a  retired  Methodist  minister, 
resides  in  Ohio;  Stephen,  Frederick  W.,  and  Losina, 
Mrs.  A.  H.  Drake,  of  Cambridge,  Pa.  Cyrus  Sher- 
wood w-as  born  in  Seneca  county.  New  York,  and 
when  12  years  of  age  came  to  Erie  county  with  his 
l)arents.  When  21  years  of  age  he  purchased  ;i  farm 
in  Washington  township,  and  later  built  a  .sawmill, 
operating  them  both  until  his  death.  He  married 
I  iarriet  .Atwater,  of  Seneca  county.  New  N'ork,  and  to 
them  were  born  nine  children:  Frederick  W.  M.,  a 
farmer  in  Washington  township;  Rosannah,  .Mrs.  A. 
'/..  Brown,  of  Waterford  townshijj;  John  R.;  .Sarah  A., 
Mrs.  Ellsworth  .Stancliff,  of  Waterford  township; 
Asaph,  a  tanner  in  Titusville,  Pa.;  .Mary  (deceased), 
Fmimaline  (deceased),  Cyrus,  a  farmer  in  Waterford 
township,  and  Harriett,  Mrs.  Martin  Sherwood, 
of  Washington  townshi|i.  Mrs.  Sherwood  lived  until 
her  (iilth  year.  John  R.  Sherwood  w;is  reared  on  a 
farm,  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  worked  in 
his  father's  sawmill  until  22  years  of  age;  he  then  went 
to  Crawfonl  county  and  worked  in  a  steam  sawmill 
for  two  years,  and,  in  1853,  came  to  Erie  and  engaged 
with  his  uncle,  Alanson  .Sherwood,  to  learn  the  paint- 
ing trade,  with  whom  he  remained  ten  years.  In  1860 
he  branched  out  for  himself,  following  his  trade  until 
1878,  when  he  took  charge  of  a  book  and  wall  paper 
store,  in  which  he  had  purchased  a  half  interest  four 
years  before.  He  o|ierated  the  store  until  1)^87,  when 
he  sold  out  and  again  took  u|j  his  trade,  which  he  has 
since  successfully  followed,  employing  from  four  to 
ten  men.  He  built  his  ]jresent  home  in  1858,  rebuilt  it 
in  1870,  and  again  rebuilt  it  in  the  winter  of  181)4  5, 
this  time  making  it  one  of  the  most  comfortable  homes 
in  Erie.  He  also  owns  the  adjoining  house,  having 
built  it  in  181)0.  Mr.  Sherwood  was  marri(;<l  lanuary 
1,  18.")(;,  to  Miss  Susan  B.,  daughter  of  Fitch  Hyatt,  of 
Forestville,  N.  Y.,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one 
child,  Nellie  H.  The  f.imily  are  members  of  the  Cen- 
tral F'resbyterian  Church.  He  is  a  memb(;r  of  Tyrian 
Lodge  No.  3()2,  F.  and  A.  M.,  which  he  has  been  mas- 
ter four  years,  and  has  represented  it  four  different 
times;  he  has  served  in  the  select  council  four  years, 
and  was  [iresident  of  the  body  one  year;  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  conmion  council  two  years  and  was  on 
the  olil  fire  committee  and  was  the  first  apjiointed  fire 
commissioner  in  Erie.     He  is  a  Rejiublican. 

George  Kuch,  pro|irietor  of  the  rest.iurant  1(01 
West  Fourth  .street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  ICrie  Augu.st 
16,  18.52,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  (hace  (Wei.ss) 
Kuch,  natives  of  Germany.  He  is  a  meat  dealer  by 
trade  and  came  to  America  in  1848,  locating  in  Erie, 
where  hi-  followed  his  trade  until  his  death,  April  (>, 
1898,  in  the  72d  year  of  his  age.  Mrs.  Kuch  departed 
this  life  in  her  47th  year.  They  were  the  jjarents  of 
six  sons:  George,  Philip,  meat  dealer  481  .Statestreet; 
Charles  (deceased).  Otto,  meat  handler,  employed  with 
his  brother,  Philip,  residence  618  West  Fourth;  Ed- 
ward, meat  dealer,  .store  and  residence  803  West 
Fourth  street,  and  William,  a  gardener  in  Mill  Creek 
township.  George  Kuch  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Erie,  and  in  1871,  when  19  years  of  age, 
opened  a  shoe  store,  con<lucting  it  for  three  years; 
after  this  he  was  emjiloyed  as  clerk  for  H.  V.  Claus 
two  years  and  seven  months;  was  then  employed 
about  a  year  in  the  Erie  Transfer  Company  office;  he 
then  clerked  one  year  for  Adam   Hinds,  when  he  se- 


Q.a/^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


693 


cured  a  position  as  lookout  on  a  freight  boat  on  Lake 
Erie;  here  he  was  employed  one  year;  following  this 
he  clerked  one  year  for  Daniel  Hartleb,  and  again  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Transfer  Company;  leaving 
there  in  the  spring  of  1S8'2,  he  purchased  a  restaurant, 
which  he  conducted  four  years  at  928  West  Fourth 
street;  he  then  built  his  present  place  and  operated  it 
for  six  years,  when  he  engaged  in  the  meat  business 
with  his  brother,  Phili]),  for  a  short  time;  he  then  en- 
gaged as  driver  for  Jackson  Koehler,,  and  April  1, 
1895,  again  entered  the  saloon  business  at  901  West 
Fourth  street.  Mr.  Kuch  was  married  September  30, 
1873,  to  Miss  Ricea,  daughter  of  Frederick  Behning, 
of  Erie.  To  them  have  been  born  six  children:  Fred- 
erick (deceased),  Lillie,  Katie,  George,  Philip  (de- 
ceased) and  Walter.  The  family  are  members  of  St. 
Paul's  Ejuscopal  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  Encampment,  K.  of  P.  and  Harugaris. 
Mr.  Kuch  served  three  years  as  county  assessor  for  the 
Fourth  ward  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

Louis  Mertetts,  of  the  Keystone  Brass  Works, 
1017-1019  Peach  street,  was  born  in  Germany  Febru- 
ary 3,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Wilhelmina 
(Albrecht)  Mertens,  natives  of  Germany.  He  was 
third  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  five  children:  Au- 
gust, Frederick  E.,  Louis,  Augusta  and  Sophia.  Louis 
was  15  years  of  age,  when  his  mother,  with  her  five 
children,  came  to  America.  Her  husband  having  died 
in  Germany,  Mrs.  Mertens,  wishing  to  give  her  chil- 
dren all  the  advantages  possible,  and  not  being  satis- 
fied with  the  future  prospects  in  Germany,  brought  her 
children  to  the  LInited  States  and  located  in  Erie  in 
1870.     Here  Louis  learned  the   brass  finisher's  trade 


he  pr 
'0.  lot 


the  employ  of  Hays  S:  Co.  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
was  foreman  of  that  institution  from  1887  to  1892,  when 
he  associated  himself  with  C.  F.  Bostwick  in  the  Key- 
stone Brass  Works.  Mr.  Mertens  was  married  July  6. 
1880,  to  Miss  Amelia,  daughter  of  Henry  Goss,  of 
Erie,  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  children:  Au- 
gusta, Amelia  and  Oscar.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  German  Lutheran  Church.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  L  O.  O.  F.,  F.  and  A.  M.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

Charles  F.  Bostwick,  of  the  Keystone  Brass 
Company,  1017  an<l  1019  Peach  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Otsego  county,  Xew  York,  March  16,  1844,  and 
is  a  son  of  William  and  Maria  (Mott)  Bostwick,  both 
natives  of  Oneida  county.  New  York.  He  is  the 
eldest  of  three  children  born  to  the  above  union.  A 
brother,  John  M.,  is  treasurer  of  the  Niagara  Falls 
Upper  Bridge  Company,  and  resides  in  Buffalo,  and 
a  sister,  Lizzie,  wife  of  W.  C.  Marsh,  a  merchant  at 
Bridgewater,  N.  Y.  Charles  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
place  and  the  Winfield  Academy,  and  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  until  October,  1865,  when  he  came  to 
F2rie  and  secured  a  position  with  Peekham,  Hoag  & 
Co.,  lumber  dealers,  with  whom  he  was  employed 
until  1869,  when  he  associated  himself  with  Harrison 
Riblet  in  the  sale  of  furniture,  doing  business  for  ten 
years,  under  the  firm  name  of  Riblet  &  Bostwick.  In 
1889  he  severed  his  connections  with  Mr.  Riblet,  and 
bought  an  interest  in  the  Downing  Carriage  Works  in 
1880,  continuing  in  said  company  to  1886.  In  March, 
1887,  he  started  the  Keystone  Brass  Works,  with  John 


McConnell  and  E.  S.  Noyes,  jr.,  as  partners  in  the 
business.  One  year  later  ^ir.  McConnell  withdrew 
from  the  firm  and  the  business  was  conducted  by 
Bostwick  &  Noyes  until  Ajiril,  1892,  when  Mr.  Noyes 
retired;  he  was  succeeded  by  Louis  Mertens.  Messrs. 
Bostwick  &  Mertens  employ  seventeen  skilled  work- 
men and  do  job  work  largely,  manufacture  brass 
specialties  of  all  kinds.  In  the  summer  of  1892  the 
company  purchased  and  moved  to  their  present  loca- 
tion, 1017  and  1019  Peach  street.  .Mr.  Bostwick  was 
united  in  marriage  June  18,  18<)X.  to  Miss  Henrietta  S., 
daughter  of  Harrison  and  Jane  1  Kirk|)atrick)  Riblet  of 
Erie,  and  to  them  have  been  b(jrn  four  children: 
Harry  W.,  a  bookkeeper;  Frank  (deceased);  Bertha 
E.,  wife  of  H.  H.  Sanford,  of  Erie,  and  Anna  .M.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  Mr.  Bostwick  has  been  an  elder  for  the  past 
eighteen  years.     In  politicshe  is  a  Republican. 

Attdrew  P.  Janseti,  captain  of  the  Life  -Saving 
Station,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Sweden,  March  8,  1850, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Eliza(Olson)  Jansen,  both  na- 
tives of  Sweden.  John  Jansen,  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, departed  this  life  April  5,  1866,  aged  52  years. 
Mrs.  Jansen  still  resides  in  Sweden,  aged  78  years. 
To  this  couple  were  born  seven  children:  August,  a 
ship  carpenter,  resides  in  Erie;  Johannas  (deceased); 
Johannas,  a  farmer  in  Sweden:  Andrew  P.;  Anna,  Mrs. 
Charles  Matson,  resides  in  Sweden;  Henry,  a  school- 
teacher in  Sweden,  and  Mary,  Mrs.  Yohan  Anderson, 
living  in  Sweden.  Andrew  P.  Jansen  received  his  early 
education  in  his  native  country,  and  was  employed  as 
a  sailor  on  merchant  vessels  till  1881,  when  he  came  to 
America,  and,  locating  in  Erie,  worked  as  a  ship  car- 
penter until  the  spring  of  1884,  when  he  secured  a 
place  as  surfman  in  the  life  saving  crew,  which  he  held 
until  the  spring  of  1891,  when  he  was  appointed  cap- 
tain of  the  station,  a  position  he  has  since  creditably 
filled.  Mr.  Jansen  was  married  February  10,  1891,  to 
Mrs.  Johanna  (Johnson)  of  Erie,  born  in  .Sweden  Sep- 
tember 26,  1861.  They  have  one  son,  Josepli  Andrews, 
born  December  3,  1892.  They  are  members  of  the 
Swedish  Lutheran  Church,  and  he  is  a  memlier  of  the 
Lake  Shore  Lodge,  No.  718,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  in  politics 
is  a  Republican. 

Jacob  F.  Siegel,  oil  and  coal  dealer,  office;  1121 
State  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  yard  Eleventh  street  and  P.  ^: 
E.  R.  R.,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  .May  12, 1845, 
and  is  a  son  of  Frederick  L.  and  Katherine  i/.immer) 
Siegel,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  came  to 
America  in  1853,  locating  in  Erie,  where  he  followed 
the  grocery  business.  His  death  occurred  in  1867. 
There  were  four  children  born  to  the  above  union,  three 
of  whom  are  living:  Jacob  F.,  Louis  A.,  of  Bloomington, 
Neb.,  a  real  estate,  loan  and  insurance  agent,  secre- 
tary, treasurer  and  abstract  clerk  of  Franklin  county, 
Nebraska,  and  Louisa,  widow  of  Frank  Schlaudecker, 
of  Erie,  Pa.  Jacob,  the  eldest  of  the  family,  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  at  Erie,  and  en- 
tered the  employ,  as  bookkeeper,  of  W.  C.  Curry, 
banker,  with  whom  he  remained  about  six  months, 
when  he  secured  a  position  as  bookkeeper  for  Siegel, 
Carver  &  Co.,  a  large  grocery  firm,  with  whom  he  was 
employed  two  years.  He  then  accepted  a  position  and 
was  for  seven  years  chief  clerk  of  the  Erie  and  Pitts- 
burg docks,  under  Mr.  Richard  O'Brien,  manager. 
After  this  he  was  employed  by  Burton  Bros.  &  Co., 


694 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


coal  shippers,  until  ihay  went  out  of  business,  when 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company, 
first  as  clerk,  then  as  manager,  which  jiosition  he  held 
for  seven  years,  when  he  was  sent  to  Pittsburg  to  act 
as  manager  of  the  Standard's  interests  in  that  city, 
and  creditably  tilled  all  these  positions  with  honor  and 
to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  employers.  In  1890  he 
started  in  his  present  business,  and  by  close  attention 
and  careful  management  he  enjoys  to-day  a  large  and 
lucrative  trade.  He  employs  from  eiglit  to  ten  men, 
and  handles  all  kinds  and  grades  of  oil  and  coal.  Mr. 
Siegel  was  united  in  marriage  in  October,  1871,  to  Miss 
Margaret,  daughter  of  William  O'Brien,  of  Staten 
Island,  N.  Y.,  and  to  them  have  been  born  six  chil- 
dren: Frederick  W.,  superintendent  of  his  fa- 
ther's coal  yard;  Charles  L.,  bookkeeper;  Joseph  O., 
Etta,  Anna  and  Walter  W.  .Mr.  Siegel  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  K.  of  H.  and  North  Star  Coun- 
cil, X.  U.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  served 
twice  in  the  city  council.  He  is  one  of  Erie's  self- 
made  men;  thorough  and  successful  in  busine.ss,  kind 
and  loving  in  his  family,  pleasant  and  agreeable  in  his 
social  life,  a  man  honored  and  respected  by  all. 

H.  C.  Missitner  was  born  near  Pottstown,  Mont- 
gomery county.  Pa.  The  family  is  a  very  numerous 
one  in  that  section  and  came  originally  from  the  bor- 
der country,  between  France  and  Germany,  to  Mary- 
land, nearly  two  centuries  ago.  Mr.  Missimer  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  prepared  for 
college  at  the  Hill  school,  at  Pottstown,  Pa.,  and 
when  only  14  years  of  age  had  read  the  usual  require- 
ments for  college  preparation.  He  graduated  at  the 
Yale  University  in  1809,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  B., 
and  was  one  of  the  honor  men  of  his  class.  Three 
years  later  he  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  the 
same  institution.  He  was  engaged  in  the  early  part 
of  his  life  in  general  business  for  a  short  time,  liut  in 
1872  commenced  teaching  as  a  regular  profession.  At 
New  Brighton,  near  Pitt.sburg,  he  organized  the  schools 
and  placed  them  upon  a  permanent  working  basis. 
He  was  then  called  to  Erie,  where  he  had  charge  of 
the  high  school  as  principal  for  a  period  of  nearly 
eighteen  years.  He  started  in  with  an  enrollment  of 
about  100,  and  his  first  graduating  class  had  six  mem- 
bers. The  enrollment  now  reaches  nearly  fiOO,  and  the 
graduating  classes  now  run  beyond  fifty.  In  1890  Mr. 
Mi.ssimer  became  superintendent  of  schools,  and  his 
work  has  been  instrumental  in  making  them  thor- 
oughly efficient  in  an  educational  sense.  Mr.  Missi- 
mer has  lectured  some  and  written  articles  for  the  re- 
views. His  productions  are  received  as  authority  on 
educational  topics,  and  some  of  them  have  been  incor- 
porated in  the  reports  of  the  National  commissioner  of 
education.  He  is  a  man  of  positive  convictions  and 
strong  common  sense.  He  has  never  been  led  away 
by  new  fangled  systems,  and  at  the  same  time  has 
kept  abreast  with  the  times.  He  has  cut  out  of  the 
course  of  study  in  the  jiublic  schools  much  that  has 
been  easily  spared.  Formerly  the  course  before  the 
high  school  covered  ten  years.  Now  the  course  of 
study  is  easily  completed  in  all  its  details  in  seven 
years.  His  idea  of  the  functions  of  the  common 
schools  is  a  very  sensible  one,  and  if  more  adhered  to 
by  educators  in  general,  would  do  away  with  much  of 
the  contention  that  exists  about  public  school  affairs. 
He  believes  and  carries  out  the  idea  that  children 
should   be  taught  those   fundamental    principles    of 


knowledge  which  will  enable  them  to  afterwards  mas- 
ter the  things  peculiar  to  their  chosen  profession  or 
calling,  without  spending  valuable  time  in  accpiiring 
that  which  is  of  no  practical  use,  and  will  sooner  or 
later  be  forgotten.  In  187.5  Mr.  Missimer  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Emma,  daughter  of  Hugh  P.  Mehaffey, 
a  native  of  Erie.  Six  children  were  born  to  this 
union. 

Thomas  H.  Cole,  deputy  register  and  recorder 
of  Erie  county,  Pa.,  was  born  .May  28,  1841,  at  Pap- 
ineau,  Canada,  of  mixed  Irish  and  Scotch  parentage. 
His  father,  Robert  Cole,  who  was  an  officer  in  the  Brit- 
ish army,  was  a  native  of  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  his 
mother,  Ellen  McDougal,  was  a  native  of  Glasgow, 
Scotland.  When  Mr.  Cole  was  but  2  years  old,  his 
mother  died,  and  his  father  with  the  family  moved 
first  to  Kingston,  and  afterward  to  Moi  treal,  Canada, 
where  Thomas  attended  a  private  school  until  the 
dea'hofhis  father,  which  occurri^d  when  he  was  II 
years  of  age.  In  18-53,  being  but  12  years  old,  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  working,  and  attending 
the  public  schools  as  the  opportunity  was  presented, 
and  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  was  living  in 
Troy,  N.  Y.  Enlisting  April  1.5,  l«(il.  he  served  under 
Patterson  in  Best's  Battery;  under  Banks  in  the  .Shen- 
andoah \"alley;  afterwards  with  the  Twelfth  .4rmv 
Corps,  with  which  he  served  in  every  battle  in  which 
it  participated  up  to  May,  18(i4,  when,  after  returning 
from  veteran's  furlough,  he  was  transferred  to  Men- 
denhall's  Battery  and  attached  to  the  Fourth  Corps, 
participating  with  it  in  the  battles  at  Columbia,  Spring 
Hill,  and  Franklin,  Tenn.,  November  28,  29  and  30, 
and  at  Nashville.  Tenn.,  on  December  1.5  and  111,  18fi4. 
After  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Cole  located  in  Erie, 
entering  the  establishment  of  Edson  &  Churchill  as 
bookkeeiier,  where  he  remained  until  1872.  From 
1872  until  1884  he  was  engaged  as  a  commercial  trav- 
eler. Entering  the  mercantile  business  in  188-5,  he 
had  the  mislortune  to  be  burned  out  in  188fi,  and  in 
1887  became  sujierintendent  of  the  Erie  Boot  and  Shoe 
Company.  In  1K91  he  was  ap])ointe()  deputy  register 
and  recorder  by  John  Depinet,  the  register  and  re- 
corder for  Erie  countv,  Pennsvlvania,  which  position 
he  holds  at  the  pireseiit  time.  On  A]iril  21,  1870.  Mr. 
Cole  was  married  to  Minnie  W.  Caldwell,  a  native  of 
Erie,  whose  father,  J.  F.  Caldwell,  was  born  in  Mill 
Creek  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  and  her  mother  in 
Carlisle,  Pa.  The  union  was  blesred  with  tw^o  .sons, 
Harry  S'.  and  Whitman  W.  Cole,  both  of  whom  are 
now  with  their  parents.  Mr.  Cole  has  been  a  member 
of  Perry  Lodge,  No.  392,  F.  &  A.  M.,  since  18(;8,  and 
served  as  worshipful  master  during  1887  and  I8>S8;  he 
is  a  member  of  Temi)le  Chapter,  No.  215,  R.  A.  M., 
and  a  member  of  Active  Lodge,  No.  61,  A.  O.  V .  W. 
In  1867  he  became  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  has 
been  elected  and  served  four  terms  as  commander  of 
Strong  Vincent  Post,  No.  67,  Department  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, also  serving  on  the  department  staff,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  national  staff  and  a  delegate  to  the 
national  encampment  held  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  189.5. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  has 
given  that  party  his  ardent  support. 

Frederic  Ingham  Kentiedy,  treasurer  of  the 
Spring  \'alley  and  N'ougliiogheny  Coal  companies, 
office  Scott  Block,  residence  511  Chestnut  street,  Erie, 


AND  niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


695 


Pa.,  was  born  November  10,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Silas 
E.  and  Arabella  (Ingham)  Kennedy,  natives  of  Canada 
and  Ireland,  respectively.  The  family  came  to  Erie 
in  1864,  and  Mr.  Kennedy,  sr.,  has  followed  railroad 
work  since.  He  is  at  present  lost  car  agent  for  the 
Erie  &  Pittsburg  R.  R.  Company,  with  headquarters 
at  Lawrence  Junction,  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kennedy 
are  parents  of  two  children:  Frederic  and  Maud. 
Frederic  I.  received  his  education  in  part  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Erie,  graduating  from  the  Erie  .Academy 
in  the  spring  of  1884.  He  worked  one  year  as  clerk 
and  bookkeeper  for  the  Humboldt  Iron  Works,  when 
he  secured  a  position  as  clerk  for  the  Youghiegheny 
Coal  Company  at  .Ashtabula,  a  position  he  held  until 
the  fall  of  1887,  when  he  was  made  cashier.  Serving 
as  such  at  Ashtabula  till  1891,  when  he  was  transferred 
to  Erie  and  made  treasurer  of  said  company,  and  also 
of  the  Spring  \'alley  Coal  Company,  a  position  he  has 
since  creditably  filled.  Mr.  Kennedy  was  united  in 
marriage  September  10,  188'.l,  to  Miss  Emma,  daughter 
of  Rev.  J.  B.  and  Esther  (Collins)  Esjiy,  natives  of 
Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  to  them  have 
been  born  two  children;  Dorothy  and  Frederic  I.,  jr. 
Mr.  Kennedy  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 
Chapter,  Commandery  and  Mystic  Shrine.  The  family 
attend  the  M.  E.  Church.  In  politics  he  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party. 

Patrick  Murphy,  one  of  Erie's  old  and  respected 
citizens,  residence  402  East  Sixth  street,  was  born  in 
VVaterford,  county  Waterford,  Ireland,  January  1.5, 
1823,  a  son  of  James  and  Ellen  (Mansfield)  Murphy, 
the  former  born  on  the  Welsh  Mountains,  in  county 
Kilkinney,  Ireland,  in  1786.  He  was  a  produce  dealer 
by  occuiiation  and  departe<l  this  life  in  1861,  his  wife 
surviving  him  only  a  few  months.  To  this  couple 
were  born  five  children,  viz.:  James  (deceased), 
Patrick,  Mary,  John  and  William.  Patrick  Murphy 
received  a  common  school  education  in  his  native 
country  and  when  14  years  of  age  shipped  on  board  a 
merchant  vessel  in  the  North  American  trade,  as  boy 
before  the  mast,  serving  three  years.  He  then  shipped 
on  H.  M.  S.  "  Montreal  "  as  sailor,  serving  two  years. 
He  came  to  Erie  in  1842  and  was  emjiloyed  in  fitting 
out  the  United  States  "  Michigan,"  and  August  18, 
1844,  sailed  in  her  on  her  trial  trip,  pending  her 
acceptance  by  the  Government.  She  was  accepted 
and  |>ut  in  commission  Sejitember  26,  1844,  and  Mr. 
Murphy  was  made  quartermaster,  serving  three  years. 
He  then  re-enlisted  and  was  made  captain  of  the 
hold,  serving  as  such  two  years;  he  was  then  promoted 
to  quarter-gunner,  then  to  boatswain's  mate,  and,  in 
1861,  was  made  acting  master  mate.  The  boat  went 
out  of  commission  the  same  year,  and  Mr.  Murphy 
went  to  Cairo  and  enlisted  in  .Admiral  Porter's  fleet, 
where  he  served  eight  months  as  acting  ensign.  He 
was  taken  sick  and,  returning  home,  three  months 
later,  having  regained  his  health,  he  went  to  New 
York  city  and  enlisted  on  the  U.  S.  S.  Metacomet, 
under  Com.  J.  A.  Jouett.  He  was  in  the  big  fight  at 
Mobile  Bay,  and  in  1870  received  a  medal  for  gallantry 
and  personal  valor  while  in  this  fight,  and  during  his 
whole  term  of  service  on  board  the  "  Metacomet," 
where  he  served  as  chief  boatswain  mate.  He 
returned  to  Erie  in  185.5,  and  two  weeks  later  again 
enlisted  on  the  "  Michigan  "  and  soon  after  was  rated 
quartermaster,  and  was  made  pilot  the  same  year. 
He  was    apjjointed  boatswain   January  28,  1882,  by 


President  Arthur,  and  so  served  till  188.5,  when  he  was 
relieved  on  age  with  three-fourths  jjay  and  has  since 
lived  in  retirement.  In  1863-4-5-6-7  he  owned  and 
commanded  a  schooner,  the  William  Adair,  in  the 
freight  trade,  and  from  this  he  won  the  title  of  captain. 
Mr.  Murphy  was  married  December  26,  184.5,  to  Miss 
Bridget,  daughter  of  .Michael  Calligee,  of  Erie,  a 
native  of  county  Galway,  Ireland,  and  to  them  have 
been  born  two  children,  James,  an  actor,  at  present  in 
Cleveland,  and  William  P.,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Slurphy  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  Mr.  Mur[)hy 
purchased  his  jiresent  residence  in  1889,  and  it  is  a 
model  home.  He  also  owns  several  other  properties 
in  Erie.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Herman  F.  Steams,  broker,  of  the  firm  of 
Stearns  &:  Ferguson,  brokers,  office  Reed  Block,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Strasburg,  Germany,  August  18, 18.59, 
and  is  a  son  of  August  and  Mina  Stearns,  natives  of 
Germany,  to  whom  were  born  six  children:  William, 
foreman  in  Miller  Brothers  Paint  Works,  Cleveland, 
Ohio;  Ernest,  proprietor  of  a  restaurant  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio;  Gustavus,  a  merchant  tailor  in  Cleveland,  Ohio; 
Albert,  traveling  salesman  for  a  Chicago  wholesale 
millinery  house;  Bertha  (deceased),  and  Herman  F., 
who  received  his  early  education  in  his  native  country, 
and  when  10  years  of  age,  in  1869,  his  parents  came  to 
America,  locating  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  com- 
pleted his  education  and  learned  telegraphy,  soon  after 
securing  a  position  with  Schofield,  .Shurmaer  &  Tiegle, 
oil  refiners,  with  whf)m  he  remained  two  years.  After 
this  he  was  emjiloyed  two  years  in  the  general  offices 
of  the  Cleveland  Rolling  >Iill  Company.  He  next  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  Co.,  work- 
ing for  them  eleven  years,  the  last  six  years  in  the 
Cleveland  office.  In  1888  he  went  to  Painesville,  Ohio, 
where  he  opened  a  broker's  office,  which  he  conducted 
for  one  year,  when  he  went  to  .Ashtabula,  Ohio,  in  the 
same  business  for  one  year.  From  here  he  went  to 
Norwalk,  and  while  there  opened  five  offices  in  Michi- 
gan, which  he  also  operated.  In  1890  he  came  to  Erie 
and  opened  an  office  as  manager  for  H.  B.  Gladwish 
&  Co.,  conducting  it  for  about  three  and  one-half 
years.  He  then  bought  a  half  interest  in  the  cigar,  to- 
bacco and  bicycle  business  with  Frank  Fairbairn,  but 
at  the  end  of  one  year  he  again  entered  the  broker 
business  with  T.  Meyerhoefer,  and  in  189.5  became  a 
partner  under  the  firm  name  of  Stearns  &  Ferguson, 
and  is  now  successfully  conducting  the  business.  Mr. 
Stearns  was  married  .April  12,  1883,  to  Miss  Ella,  the 
daughter  of  James  and  Caroline  (Paine I  P"ord.  She  is 
a  great-granddaughter  of  General  Paine,  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame.  To  them  have  been  born  four  children: 
Carl  F.,  Ethel  G.,  Howard  F.  and  Louis  Grant.  .Mr. 
Stearns  is  president  of  the  Erie  Wanderers  Cycle  Club 
for  the  fourth  term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  .Ar- 
canum, National  L'nion  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

John  ?(owak,  teacher  of  the  advanced  class  of 
boys  in  the  Polish  school,  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Wal- 
lace streets,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Germany  .April  17, 
1869,  and  is  a  son  of  .Albert  and  Lena  Nowak.  .Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Nowak  came  to  .America  in  1870,  locating  in 
Dunkirk,  N.  Y.,  where  he  worked  as  laborer.  NIrs. 
Nowak  died  in  Dunkirk  August  5,  1887,  aged  34  years. 
There  were   seven   children  born   to  this  union,  but 


696 


NELSON'S  BIOGliAPniCAL  BWTIOhARY 


John  is  tlie  only  one  living.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  pubHc  scliools  of  Dunkirk  and  in  St.  Mary's 
parochial  school  of  the  same  city,  and  after  teaching 
one  year  in  that  city  came  to  Erie  in  1888  and  accepted 
his  firesent  position  soon  after  the  school  was  founded, 
an<l  has  since  acted  as  head  teacher.  The  school  was 
founded  in  IKSO  l)y  Father  A.  Ignasiak  and  was  taught 
by  him  two  years  when  Mr.  N'owak  took  charge.  He 
has  three  P'elician  sisters  and  an  average  attendance 
of  300.  Mr.  Nowak  was  marrie<l  .'\ugust  8,  18!t4,  to 
Frances,  sister  of  Rev.  Father  Ignasiak,  and  resides 
near  the  school  at  509  East  Thirteenth  street.  He 
ow-ns  his  comfortable  home  and  is  a  man  of  energy 
and  ability,  w-ith  a  bright  future  before  him.  He  is 
organi.st  at  the  Poli.sh  Catholic  Church  and  director  of 
the  choir;  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  C.  B.  L.  and 
Polish  Roman  Catholic  Union.  He  is  notary  public, 
steamship  agent,  real  estate  and  k>an  agent.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Democrat. 

Phitieas  Wheeler,  mail  carrier,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  MtKran  township,  F>ie  county.  Pa.,  June  5, 
]8;il,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Bathsheba  (Crandall) 
Wheeler,  nativesof  Warren  county,  New  York.  To  this 
union  were  born  nine  children:  Emeline  (deceased), 
wife  of  Daniel  .Salisbury;  Miles  W.,  a  farmer  in*  Fair- 
view  townshi]);  Jane  A.,  widow  of  the  late  Rev.  Mr. 
Richens,  of  .Springfield,  Pa.;  Henry  H.,  resides  in  Ore- 
gon; George  (deceased);  .Susan  M.,  Mrs.  Sherman 
Joiner,  of  Springfield,  Pa.;  Phineas;  Sarah,  Mrs.  Aaron 
Salisbury,  of  Lenark,  111.,  and  William  W.,  of  Ash- 
tabula, O.  Phineas  Wheeler  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  place,  and  when  17  years  of 
age  he  came  to  Erie  and  secured  a  jjosition  in  the 
store  of  Thomas  t^vans  as  clerk;  later  he  returned 
home  and  worked  on  the  farm  one  and  one-half  years; 
then  he  returned  to  I'>ie  and  worked  four  and  one-half 
years  in  the  Union  depot  restaurant.  He  then  went 
to  Illinois  and  worked  in  an  eating  thouse  three  years; 
from  there  he  went  to  Saybrook,  t).,  and  followed  farm- 
ing one  year.  In  the  spring  of  18(J2  he  enli.sted  in  the 
h'iiX  III.  V.  Cav.,  under  Colonel  Cushman,  and  was 
sent  to  .St.  Louis,  where  he  remained  until  the  battle 
of  .Shiloh,  when  his  company  was  detailed  as  escort 
for  Ceneral  Halleck,  serving  as  such  only  a  short  time. 
Following  this  he  was  detailed  as  nurse  in  the  hos- 
l)ital  at  Corinth,  .Miss.,  and  while  here  was  taken  seri- 
ously sick,  and  hnally  discharged,  in  July,  18(32,  and  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  when,  after  a  short  time,  he  w-ent  to 
Erie,  and  in  18()3,  located  in  Iowa  and  followed  farm- 
ing for  three  years.  Then  returning  to  Erie  he  worked 
one  year  for  French  S;  McKnight  and  in  April,  1807, 
was  appointed  a  mail  carrier,  and  has  held  the  ])osition 
since.  Mr.  Wheeler  was  married  December  17,  18f>4, 
to  Miss  Sarah  .\.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mahala 
(Sturdevant)  Betts.  Three  children  have  blessed  this 
union:  Jennie  C,  Mrs.  Walter  P.  Page,  of  Erie,  Pa.; 
Jessie  J.,  a  teacher  in  Bucknell  Institute,  Lewisburg, 
Pa.,  and  Mabel  E.,  at  home.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Mr.  Wheeler  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Workmen,  G.  A.  R.  and  the  National 
Association  of  Letter  Carriers.  He  is  the  oldest  em- 
ploye in  the  Erie  postoffice,  having  been  in  the  service 
for  twenty-eight  years,  and  lias  served  under  eight  post- 
masters: Hon.  Joseph  M.  -Sterrett,  Hon.  I.  B.  Gara, 
Col.  Thomas  M.  Walker,  Isaac  M.  Moorehead,  Fl.  W. 
Reed,  H.  C.  Shannon,  Capt.  J.  C.  Hilton  and  Hon. 
C.  S.  Clark. 


Joseph  B.  Weber,  mail  carrier,  F>ie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Erie,  February,  185(1,  and  is  a  son  of  Matthias 
and  Frances  Weber,  natives  of  Prussia,  who  came  to 
America  and  to  Erie  in  1853,  where  Mr.  Welier  (the 
father)  found  em|)loyment  at  the  docks.  Matthias 
Weber,  father  of  Joseph  B.,  died  in  18(i7.  He  left  a 
widow  and  four  children:  Joseph  (decease<l),  Mary 
(deceased),  Joseph  B.  and  John,  a  machinist  residing 
in  F'rie,  who  ranks  among  the  most  prominent  and  in- 
fluential citizens.  Jose])!)  received  a  conmion  .school 
education,  and  early  in  life  engaged  to  learn  the  cigar- 
making  busines.s,  which  he  followed  one  year.  He 
next  wH)rked  ten  years  in  a  brick  yard,  and  after  that 
was  engaged  in  other  business  for  two  years.  Then 
he  was  a  stationary  engineer  for  eight  years.  He  then 
went  into  the  restaurant  business  for  one  year,  worked 
four  years  as  a  ])olisluT  in  the  Erie  Nickel  Works,  and 
in  1885  received  an  a|ipointment  as  mail  carrier,  anil 
has  since  been  in  the  postoffice  service.  .Mr.  Welier 
was  married  June  22,  1880,  to  Miss  Kate  M.,  daughter 
of  George  and  Margaret  Kessler,  of  Erie.  To  them 
have  been  born  five  children:  Jo.seph  (deceased), 
Etta,  Bertha  (deceased),  Josie  and  Georgie.  The  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Catholic  faith,  attending  St. 
^lary's  Church.  Mr.  Weber  is  a  member  of  the  C. 
M.  B.  A.  and  the  National  Association  of  Letter  Car- 
riers.    In  jKilitics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Harry  L.  Wilson,  general  superintendent  of  the 
Erie  City  Iron  Works,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Pitt.s- 
burg.  Pa.,  July  14,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  .'\ndrew  S.  and 
Mary  (Hunzeker)  Wilson.  His  father,  who  was  a 
manufacturer  of  saddle  trees,  reared  a  family  of  five 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  and  of  whom  Har- 
ry L.  is  the  eldest.  His  father  died  while  serving  on  a 
hospital  boat  at  the  siege  of  V'icksburg;  his  mother 
died  in  18S)2.  Mr.  Wilson  was  educaied  in  the  public 
schools  of  Pittsburg,  and  at  the  age  of  17  yea-s  en- 
gaged to  learn  the  trade  of  boiler  maker.  In  18(>8  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R. 
R.  Comjiany  as  journeyman  in  the  boiler-making  de- 
partment of  their  sho])S,  where  he  remained  seven 
years.  He  then  came  to  Erie  and  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works,  where  he  remained  tliree 
years,  the  greater  part  of  which  time  he  was  foreman 
of  the  sheet-iron  department.  He  next  accepted  a 
position  with  the  Stearns  Manufacturing  Company,  as 
suiierintendent  of  their  boiler  department,  where  he 
continued  nine  years.  He  then  associated  himself 
with  Mr.  L.  IX  Davis,  under  the  name  of  the  Hum- 
boldt Iron  Works,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
engines  and  boilers,  but  after  a  few  months  abandonetl 
this  project  to  accejit  a  position  as  superintendent  of 
the  boiler  department  of  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works. 
The  duties  of  this  position  were  so  faithfully  and 
efficiently  discharged  by  him.  that  in  February,  18!»4, 
he  was  made  general  superintendent.  Mr.  Wilson 
was  married  February  12,  1872,  to  .Miss  Ida,  daughter 
of  Mr.  Hawley  Carey,  of  Erie.  This  marriage  has 
been  blessed  with  four  children:  Harry  C.  (assistant 
foreman  in  the  boiler  de|)artment  of  the  Erie  City  Iron 
Works),  Emma  Maude,  Lula  and  Ethel.  Mr.  Wilson 
is  a  member  of  the  First  .Melluulist  Episcojial  Church 
of  Erie,  and  his  family  of  St.  Paul's  Episco])al  Church. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  National 
Union  and  the  lilks,  and  iii  politics  is  a  Re]>ublican. 

George  A.  Gaither,  superintendent  of  the  molding 
department  of  the  Chicago  and  Erie  Stove  Company, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


697 


Eric,  I'a,,  was  born  in  Des  Moines,  la.,  January  18, 
18t;8,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  A.  Gaither,  whose  sketch 
is  contained  in  this  work.  He  was  educated  in  the 
])ul)h'c  schools  of  Erie,  and  at  the  age  of  17  years  en- 
fjaged  with  the  Chicago  and  Erie  Stove  Company  to 
learn  the  molder's  trade.  He  must  have  been  an  apt 
apijrentice  and  an  efficient  journeyman,  for  in  seven 
years  from  the  time  he  began  to  learn  his  trade  he  was 
promoted  to  his  jiresent  position,  where  he  has  charge 
of  between  seventy-five  and  eighty  men.  Mr.  Gaither 
was  married  May  13,  1890,  to  Miss  Georgia,  daughter 
of  Mr.  Henry  C.  Halsey,  of  Erie.  The  issue  of  this 
marriage  is  one  child,  \'ernon  Halsey.  In  politics  Mr. 
Gaither  is  a  Democrat.  In  September,  1895,  he  en- 
tered into  a  partnership  with  Hon.  Chas.  M.  Reed, 
Henry  C.  Kelsey,  John  R.  McDonald  and  Fred  Clark, 
and  organized  the  corporation  known  as  the  Erie 
Foundry  Company,  of  which  he  is  superintendent. 

Ebeti  H.  Norris,  professor  of  music,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  fiorn  in  Clymer,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Eben  H.  and  Elmira 
(Gilson)  Norris,  natives  of  New  York  and  Pennsyl- 
vania respectively.  The  Norris  family  were  among 
the  early  settlers  near  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  were  proba- 
bly of  English  ancestry.  The  elder  Mr.  Norris  was  a 
merchant,  and  reared  a  family  of  four  children:  Mi.ss 
Dora  V.  (who  died  in  Erie,  December  16,  1894),  Ada 
(who  married  Mr.  James  McCreary,  of  Fairview,  Erie 
county),  Mr.  Cass  L.  and  Mr.  Eben  H.,  who  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and  for  several 
years  followed  the  occupation  of  clerking.  At  the  age 
of  14  he  began  his  musical  studies,  and  for  the  last 
twenty  years  has  been  engaged  in  teaching.  He 
teaches  piano  music  only,  in  which  he  is  the  senior 
male  teacher  in  the  city.  He  always  has  a  large  class 
of  pupils,  and  enjoys  the  patronage  of  the  better  class 
of  people.  Not  only  in  the  city,  but  also  in  the  sur- 
rounding country  is  Prof.  Norris'  skill  as  a  musician 
and  ability  as  an  instructor  well  known,  and  when  he 
has  time  for  them  he  has  many  students  from  various 
portions  of  Erie  county.  He  has  resided  at  819  Peach 
street  since  coming  to  the  city,  in  1868,  his  present 
comfortable  home  having  been  built  in  1884.  Though 
not  an  aspirant  for  public  office  or  ])olitical  emulation, 
he  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party. 

Albert  E.  White,  ex-chief  of  police,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Birkenhea<i,  Cheshire,  England,  May  11,  1852, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Jamison)  White,  of 
Welsh  and  Irish  ancestry,  respectively.  His  father, 
who  was  a  surveyor  of  the  Liverpool  custom-house, 
reared  a  family  of  eleven  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living,  and  of  whom  .'\lbert  E.  is  the  second.  He  was 
educated  in  his  native  country,  and  in  1873  came  to 
the  United  .States,  locating  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where 
he  engaged  in  ship|iing  ]iroduce  and  provisions  to 
Glasgow,  London,  Liverjiool  and  Hull,  which  he  con- 
tinued four  years.  In  1878  he  went  to  Chicago,  where 
for  two  years  he  did  a  brokerage  business,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Cincinnati  and  engaged  in  the  broker- 
age and  real  estate  business.  He  was  for  thirteen 
years  a  member  of  the  Cincinnati  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. In  1888  he  went  to  Findlay,  Ohio,  and  estab- 
lished a  brokerage  office  there,  which  he  continued 
three  years.  In  1891  he  came  to  Erie  as  manager  for 
Armour  \-  Co.,  filling  that  position  until  1894,  when  he 


became  engaged  in  auctioneering.  He  was  appointed 
chief  of  police  of  Erie  February  12,  1895,  and  resigned 
in  December.  Mr.  White  was  marrie<l  December  17, 
1877,  to  Miss  Eleanor  Donnelly,  of  Cincinnati.  The 
issue  of  this  marriage  is  three  children.  .Marshall, 
Staunton  and  Eleanor.  In  politics  Mr.  White  is  a 
Republican,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Elks. 

William  C.  Ebisch,  chief  mailing  clerk  in  the 
Erie  postoffice,  was  born  in  Erie  P"ebruary  26,  1862. 
His  father  was  the  late  Gustav  A.  Ebisch,  who  came 
from  Germany  at  the  age  of  15,  and  located  in  Erie 
and  became  one  of  its  leading  citizens.  .Mr.  W.  C. 
Ebisch  was  educated  in  the  the  public  .schools of  Erie, 
and  at  the  age  of  13  years  entered  the  office  of  John- 
son, Black  &  Co.  (now  Black  &  Germer),  where  he  re- 
mained three  years.  On  March  1,  1878,  he  entered 
the  postoffice  as  assistant  mailing  clerk,  which  position 
he  held  until  1885,  when  he  was  [iromoted  to  his  |ires- 
ent  office.  This  long  term  of  service  in  a  responsible 
position,  and  subsequent  promotion,  speaks  for  itself. 
Mr.  Ebisch  devotes  his  leisure  moments  to  the  raising 
of  fine  poultry.  He  was  one  of  the  chief  movers  in 
the  organization  of  the  Northwestern  Pennsylvania 
Poultry,  Pigeon  and  Pet  Stock  Association,  and  is 
chairman  of  the  executive  committee.  By  virtue  of 
this  position  he  had  sole  charge  of  the  Poultry  exhibit 
which  was  held  in  Erie  from  January  29  to  February 
2,  1895,  and  it  was  largely  due  to  his  untiring  efforts 
that  this,  the  first  affair  of  its  kind  ever  attempted  in 
Erie,  was  made  a  decided  success.  He  deals  quite 
extensively  in  high-bred  poultry  and  is  a  frequent  con- 
tributor to  poultry  journals.  Mr.  Ebisch  was  married 
January,  1884,  to  Miss  Lena  Ruth  Gusman.  of  Titus- 
ville.  Pa.;  they  have  one  child,  George  Raymond. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ebisch  are  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  Church,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity. 

Jacob  Malthatier,  contractor  and  builder,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  October  30,  1852, 
and  is  a  .son  of  John  P.  and  Eva  Barbara  (Hoffman) 
Malthaner.  His  father,  who  was  a  farmer,  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  Jacob  is  the  fifth.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  his  native  country,  and  came  to  the  L'nited 
States  in  1872,  locating  in  Erie.  He  first  found  em- 
ployment in  a  brickyard,  where  he  remained  a  short 
time.  Tnen  he  worked  for  a  few  months  in  the  yard 
and  framing  gang  of  the  Erie  Car  \*'"orks,  after  which 
he  engaged  with  Mr.  Joseph  Sellinger  to  learn  the 
trade  of  carpenter  and  remained  in  Mr.  Sellinger's 
employ  for  three  years.  He  worked  as  a  journeyman 
till  1884,  when,  in  i)artnershi]i  with  Adam  Anthony,  he 
engaged  in  business  for  himself.  One  of  their  first 
contracts  was  the  building  of  St.  Jose])h's  Church, 
which  occui>ied  two  years.  Mr.  .Malthaner  is  also  the 
builder  of  the  Church  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  now  i  1 
course  of  construction.  He  built  his  own  elegant 
home,  2630  Myrtle  street,  in  1891.  Mr.  Malthaner 
was  married  July  18,  1874,  to  Miss  Katherine  Madleh- 
ner,  who  was  born  in  his  native  town.  They  have  two 
children,  John  P.,  who  works  with  his  father,  and 
Marion.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  St. 
Josei)h's  Church,  and  he  is  a  member  of  several  of  the 
religious  societies  connected  therewith.  In  politics 
Mr.  Malthaner  has  always  been  in  sympathy  with  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 


698 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Hugh  IN.  Fleming,  inventor  of  the  Fleming  mail 
catcher  and  ik-liverc-r,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  January  2, 
1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Hugh  B.  and  Maria  L.  (Neely) 
Fleming.  Hugh  B.  Fleming  (deceased),  one  of  Erie's 
best  known  men,  was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, November  17,  182T,  a  son  ot  James  and 
Rebecca  (Lowry)  Fleming.  James  Fleming  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  was  twice  wounded,  once  at 
Fort  Erie  and  again  at  Lundy's  Lane.  He  was  made 
brigadier  general  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  died  at 
Cranesville,  Pa.  There  w-ere  ten  children  born  to 
James  and  Rebecca  Fleming:  W.  Scott,  Andrew, 
Henry,  John,  Hugh  B.,  Robert,  James,  Mary,  Phcebe 
and  Elizabeth.  Hugh  B.  p'leming  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  Crawford  county,  and  in  1848 
entered  West  Point,  graduating  from  the  military 
academy  in  18.")2.  Mr.  Fleming  was  married  March 
14,  1867,  to  Miss  Maria  L.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Matilda  (Moorhead)  Neely,  of  Erie,  and  to  them  was 
born  one  son,  Hugh  Neely.  He  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Erie,  and  attended  Phillips'  Academy  at 
Andover,  Mass.,  later  graduated  from  Yale  College  in 
the  class  of  1889.  He  was  employed  in  the  office  of 
the  Youghiogheny  Coal  Company  as  bookkeeper  and 
clerk  for  about  two  years,  and  for  the  past  three  years 
has  tlevoted  his  attention  to  inventing.  His  most  suc- 
cessful invention,  "The  Fleming  Mail  Catcher  and 
Deliverer,"  is  a  device  to  deliver  and  take  on  mail 
from  a  moving  train.  It  is  a  new  invention, but  prom- 
ises to  be  in  universal  use  before  many  years.  Mr. 
Fleming  is  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion  and  the 
Sons  of  Revolution. 

Delmer  J.  Young,  dealer  in  paper  stock,  Hol- 
land, between  Ti-nth  ami  Eleventh  .streets,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Erie,  April  20,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry 
D.  and  Yinnie  M.  (Cochran)  Young.  Henry  D.Young, 
retired,  was  born  in  .Manchester,  \'t.,  in  18;^".  He  is  a 
son  of  .Samuel  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Way)  Young.  Sam- 
uel B.  Young  (deceased)  was  born  in  Danby,  \'t.,  in 
1812,  and  was  a  son  of  David  and  Mary  (Eggleston) 
Young.  David  Young,  who  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
was  the  youngest  of  three  brothers,  two  of  whom, 
James  and  John,  fought  under  Wellington  at  Waterloo. 
David  came  to  America  in  1806,  locating  in  Vermont, 
and  followed  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods.  He 
was  also  in  the  mercantile  business,  and  owned  and 
operated  large  farming  interests.  He  was  in  com- 
mand of  a  regiment  at  I'lattsburg,  N.  Y.,  in  the  war  of 
1812,  and  represented  Danville,  \'t.,  in  the  State  Sen- 
ate for  twenty-one  years.  David  Young  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Benedict  Eggleston,  a  Revolutionary 
hero,  who  served  seven  years  in  that  war,  and  win- 
tered with  Washington  at  Valley  Forge.  To  them 
were  born  five  children:  Samuel  B.,  David, .Alexander, 
Fannie  and  .-Mice.  Samuel  B.  Young,  the  eldest  of 
this  family,  received  a  college  education,  and  early  in 
life  learned  the  tinsmith  trade,  w'hich  he  followed  dur- 
ing his  life.  His  death  occurred  in  1892.  He  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Lyman  Way,  of  Connecticut, 
and  to  them  were  born  two  children:  Henry  D.  and 
Charles  K..  who  is  now  postmaster  at  Manchester,  Vt. 
Henry  D.  Young  received  an  academic  education  and 
learned  his  father's  trade  (tinsmith),  which  he  followed 
in  his  native  place  until  August  10,  1863,  when  he  en- 
listed in  Co.  C,  14th  Reg.,  \'t.  \"ols.,  was  made  captain 
of  his  company,  and  partici[)ated  in  all  the  battles 
of  this  regiment  till  September  30,  1864,  when  he  was 


discharged,  and,  returning  home,  went  into  business 
with  his  father  for  three  years.  In  1867  he  came  to 
Erie  and  became  interested  in  the  manufacture  of 
pa|)er  and  the  pa]ier  stock  lousiness  with  John  R.Coch- 
ran, doing  a  large  business  for  eleven  years,  when  Mr. 
Cochran  died.  The  business  was  continued  by  Mr. 
Young  for  several  years.  He  finally  retired,  turning 
the  business  over  to  his  two  sons.  .Mr.  Henry  Young 
was  married  to  Miss  \'innie, daughter  of  John  R.Coch- 
ran, of  Erie,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two  sons: 
Henry  (deceased)  and  Delmer  J.  Delmer  J.  Young 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Erie,  and  when  18  years 
of  age  began  work  under  his  father  in  the  paper  stock 
business,  continuing  for  two  and  one-half  years,  when 
he  and  his  brother  took  sole  charge  of  the  industry, 
conducting  it  until  the  death  of  Henry  C,  the  senior 
memlier  of  the  firm,  and  the  business  is  now  managed 
by  Delmer  J.  Young.  It  is  the  only  place  of  its  kind 
in  the  city,  does  a  large  business,  ijaying  out  S900  per 
week  for  paper  stock,  old  iron,  brass,  co[)i)er,  rubber, 
etc.,  and  employs  twenty  hands.  Mr.  Young  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Fraternal  Mystic  Circle.  His  residence  is 
236  West  Eighteenth  street. 

Peter  J.  EtMliag,  of  the  firm  of  Kuhn  &■  Emling, 
cigar  inanuf.icturers,  264  East  Eleventh  street,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  .September  '.(,  I860,  and  is  a  son 
of  George  and  Barbara  (Sutter)  Emling,  natives  of 
Erie  and  Alsace,  Germany,  respectively.  George 
Emhng  was  born  in  Erie  in  June,  1837,  a  son  of  Peter, 
who  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  came  to 
America  in  1834,  and  located  in  Erie  in  183.5.  George 
received  a  common  school  education  and  learned  the 
cooper  trade,  following  it  for  some  years,  when  he 
secured  a  position  as  car  inspector  on  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S. 
R.  R.,  which  position  beheld  until  his  death,  February 
4,  1885,  He  leaves  a  widow  and  five  children:  Peter 
J.;  Mary,  wife  of  J.  F.  Rogan,  of  Erie;  George  F.,  a 
boilermaker  by  trade,  resides  in  F>ie;  Joseph  M.,  car 
inspector  for  the  L.  S.  iV  M.  S.  R.  R.,  and  Emma,  wife 
of  Harry  Baker,  of  Shenandoah,  Pa.  Peter  J.  Emling 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  F'rie,  and  at  the 
age  of  14  years  secured  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  grocery 
store.  This  he  followed  one  year;  he  then  drove  a 
milk  route  for  six  months,  when  he  engaged  with 
Manly  cS:  Co.  to  learn  the  cigar-making  business,  con- 
tinuing with  them  for  three  years.  He  then  worked 
at  the  trade  for  Conrad  three  months,  next  engaging 
with  L.  A.  Dibble  two  years;  after  this  he  worked  one 
year  as  manager  of  the  billiard  room  in  the  old 
Ellsworth  House.  Then  he  went  to  Conneautville, 
Pa.,  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  .M.  A.  Kessler  two 
years.  Returning  to  Erie  he  worked  for  Wingerter 
Bros,  one  year,  and  April  1.5,  1887,  formed  his  present 
business  connections.  Mr.  Emling  was  married  May 
9,  1889,  to  Gertrude  Schaefer,  of  Erie,  Pa.,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  three  children:  Royal  P.  J., 
born  December  21,  1890;  Clavton  E.,  born  .August  22, 
1892.  and  Tobias  W.,  born  April  21,  1894.  Mrs. 
Emling  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church; 
Mr.  Emling  of  the  German  Catholic  faith.  He  is  a 
member  oif  the  Elks,  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle, 
East  Erie  Turners  and  the  G.  H.  Q.  of  W.  B.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  one  of  the  promising 
young  business  men  of  Erie. 

Joseph  F.  Kuhti,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Kuhn  &:  Emling,  cigar  manufacturers,  264  East  Elev- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


699 


enth  street,  Erie,  Pa.  This  business  was  established 
April  15,  1887,  by  Joseph  F.  Kuhn  and  Peter  Emling,  | 
two  well-known  young  men  of  Erie,  both  of  whom  , 
have  spent  many  years  in  mastering  the  art  of  cigar- 
making.  They  now  employ  nine  expert  cigarmakers 
and  four  boys,  and  turn  out  some  of  the  finest  cigars 
found  in  Northwestern  Pennsylvania.  Among  the 
leading  brands  of  this  well-known  factory  are  the  fa- 
mous "El  Presidente,"  "Our  Special,"  "Kuhn  &  Em- 
ling's  Extra,"  and  the  "  K.  &  E."  They  turn  out  from 
45,000  to  50,000  cigars  a  month,  and  also  operate  a  re- 
tail department.  Joseph  F.  Kuhn  was  born  in  Erie, 
August  5,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Theresa 
(Diietlinger)  Kuhn,  both  natives  of  Germany.  Jacob 
Kuhn  came  to  America,  May  17,  1840,  and  located  in 
Erie,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in  coopering.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kuhn  have  been  born  eight  children: 
Joseph  (deceased),  John,  a  painter  in  Erie;  Sophia,  a 
wife  of  Charles  \'eit,  of  Erie;  Theresa,  Joseph  F., 
Philipina,  of  Erie,  and  Fannie  and  Mary  (twins),  the 
former  the  wife  of  William  Emling,  of  Erie.  Joseph 
F.  received  a  common  school  education,  and  when  13 
years  of  age  entered  the  employ  of  H.  Sternes  to  learn 
cigar-making.  He  spent  three  years  under  Mr. 
Sternes,  and  then  worked  four  years  for  R.  Hunt  at 
the  trade.  He  then  spent  ten  years  traveling,  and 
visited  and  worked  in  twenty-seven  states.  He  re- 
turned to  Erie,  and  worked  for  R.  Phister  one  year, 
then  six  months  for  Wingerter  Bros.,  when  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Peter  J.  Emling,  and  opened  their 
present  place  of  business.  Mr.  Kuhn  was  married 
March  1,  1892,  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Conrath,  of  Erie.  They  have  one  child,  Irene,  born 
September  21,  1894.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kuhn  are  members 
of  the  German  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  G.  H.  Q.  of  W.  B.,  and  of  the  Cigarmakers'  Inter- 
national Union  107  of  Erie,  holding  card  2396.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Henry  Holmwood,  grocer  and  meat  dealer,  928 
East  Sixth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Rosebay, 
Lunenburg  county,  Xova  Scotia,  May  31,  1843,  and  is 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Massey)  Holmwood,  natives 
of  Mayfield,  Sussex  county,  England,  and  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  and  of  English  and  Scotch  origin,  respect- 
ively. Mr.  Holmwood  was  a  sea  captain  in  the  mer- 
chant trade.  He  died  in  1859,  aged  45  years.  His 
wife  died  in  1857,  aged  35  years.  To  this  couple  were 
born  five  children:  Henry;  John,  a  sea  trader  and 
ship  owner,  resides  in  Lockport,  .Shellburn  county,  X. 
S.;  George,  died  aged  22  years;  William,  a  sea  captain, 
and  Robert,  died  aged  20  years.  Henry  Holmwood 
received  a  thorough  common-school  education,  and 
until  25  years  of  age  worked  on  the  home  farm.  In 
1868  he  came  to  America  and  located  in  Erie,  Pa., 
where  he  secured  a  position  in  the  Anchor  Line  freight 
house,  where  he  remained  five  years.  He  then  en- 
listed on  board  the  revenue  cutter  "Commodore 
Perry,"  under  Captain  Ottinger,  serving  three  years  as 
seaman  and  two  years  as  quartermaster,  when  the  boat 
was  mustered  out  of  service  and  he  received  an 
honorable  discharge.  General  Garfield  was  once  a 
passenger  from  Erie  to  Buffalo  on  this  boat  during 
Mr.  Holmwood's  term  of  service.  He  opened  his 
present  grocery  business  in  April,  1880,  and  five  years 
later  built  his  present  store  building,  and  in  1893  built 
on  and  added  the  meat  business  to  his  grocer)-  trade. 
Mr.  Holmwood  was  married.  October  30,  1869,  to  Miss 


Jane,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Bessie  Tanner,  natives 
of  County  Cork,  Ireland,  where  Mr.  Tanner  died,  Mrs. 
Tanner  then  coming  to  Erie  to  live.  To  them  have 
been  born  three  children:  Thomas,  Sarah  and  Robert. 
The  family  are  members  ol  the  Episcopal  Church. 
Mr.  Holmwood  is  one  of  the  progressive  business 
men  of  his  ward,  speaking  both  German  and  English 
fluently.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  and  saw 
some  military  service  under  the  British  flag  in  Nova 
Scotia.  One  of  Mr.  Holmwood's  experiences  was  to 
have  a  narrow  escape  from  shipwreck  on  the  New 
Foundland  coast,  at  Cape  St.  Georges,  in  mid-winter 
of  1867,  while  acting  as  pilot  on  the  schooner 
"William."  This  vessel  left  port  in  comjiany  with 
two  others,  both  of  which  were  wrecked,  the  "  William  " 
barely  escaping  a  like  fate.  Twenty-eight  men  were 
lost.  Mr.  Holmwood  has  had  exciting  experiences  on 
the  Labrador  coast,  where  he  sailed  for  some  years  in 
a  semi-arctic  climate. 

Michael  Lysaght,  grocer,  702  East  Eleventh 
street,  Erie,  Pa„  was  born  in  county  Limerick,  Ireland, 
in  1839,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Ueere) 
Lysaght,  both  natives  of  Ireland.  To  them  were  born 
three  sons:  Thomas,  Terrance  and  Michael.  In  1852 
Michael  left  Ireland  and  located  in  Canada,  where, 
one  year  prior,  his  father  and  two  brothers  had  gone. 
Here  he  remained  for  about  ten  years  and  then  went 
to  Springfield,  Mass.,  where  he  w  as  employed  for  three 
years  by  the  United  States  government.  After  this 
iie  went  back  to  Erie,  Pa.,  and  went  to  work  in  the 
boiler  shop  for  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works,  remaining  in 
the  employ  of  this  institution  for  about  twenty-hve 
years.  In  the  year  of  1890  he  built  the  store  on  the 
corner  of  Eleventh  and  Reed  streets,  rented  it  for 
two  years.  After  quitting  the  boiler-making  business, 
in  1892,  he  sold  groceries  on  commission  for  one  year, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1893  opened  his  present  fjlace  of 
business  in  the  building  he  had  built  two  years  before, 
702  East  Eleventh  street.  Here  he  has  since  followed 
successfully  his  chosen  business.  He  carries  a  full 
line  of  staple  groceries,  and  by  prompt  and  honest 
dealing  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  trade.  Mr. 
Lysaght  was  married  in  May,  1856,  to  Mary,  daughter 
of  John  Shanahan,  of  Canada,  a  native  of  Ireland. 
This  union  was  blessed  with  four  children:  William 
(deceased I,  James  (deceasedl,  Mary,  wife  of  John  H. 
Rensford,  jr.,  of  Erie,  a  railroad  conductor,  and  John, 
who  died  in  the  28th  yearof  his  age.  Mrs.  Lysaght  de- 
parted this  life  September  11,  1892,  aged  60  years. 
Mr.  Lysaght  is  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  and  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  He  was 
elected  school  director  from  the  Second  ward  in  1889 
and  again  in  1892.     In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Martiw  Sitterle,  city  assessor,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 

in  Erie,  February  18,  1849.  He  is  a  son  of  John  B. 
and  Helena  (Fleishman)  Sitterle,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many. John  B.  Sitterle  was  a  farmer  in  his  native 
country,  came  to  America  about  1848,  and  located  in 
Erie,  Pa.,  where  for  some  years  he  worked  as  a  mason- 
tender,  and  later  he  established  quite  a  business  build- 
ing gravel  houses.  He  died  in  1885,  aged  74  years. 
His  wife  departed  this  life,  June  15, 1894,  aged  78  years. 
There  were  three  children  born  to  this  imion:  Martin; 
Joseph,  a  molder  in  Mansfield,  O.,  and  Catharine  (  Mrs. 
Adam  Hoffman,  of  Erie).  Martin  Sitterle  received 
his  education  in  the  parochial  and  public  schools  of 


700 


IfJSLSON'S  BIOOllAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


Eric,  ;in>l  wlicn  1-1  years  of  age,  L-nti-nil  the  employ  of 
Tibbals  &  Shirk,  to  learn  the  molding  traile,  and  fol- 
lowed this  trade  in  Erie  until  1891,  with  the  exception 
of  six  months,  in  180.'),  when  he  worked  in  Rochester 
and  Albany,  \.  V.;  again  in  1877  he  left  Erje  for  four- 
teen months,  working  at  his  trade  in  lieaver  Falls,  I'a. 
In  1891,  Mr.  Sitterle  retired  from  the  hard  labor  of  his 
chosen  trade,  and  has  given  his  attention  to  the  city 
assessorship.  He  was  elected  assessor  from  the  Sec- 
ond ward  lirst  in  1885,  and  held  the  office  until  1892, 
when  he  was  elected  city  assessor,  and  is  still  holding 
that  office.  Mr.  Sitterle  was  married  August  20,  18()8, 
to  Miss  Harbara,  daughter  of  Valentine  Walter,  of 
Germany,  and  to  them  have  been  born  ten  children: 
Peter  Ulied  in  infancy),  Jacob,  John  li.,  clerk  in 
a  tea  store  on  Parade  street;  Kerte,  Joseph,  a  cigar- 
maker  by  trade;  Charles  A.,  George  F.,  Mary  M.  and 
Ida.  The  family  are  members  of  the  German  Catholic 
Church,  and  Mr.  Sitterle  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A. 
He  is  a  man  of  firm  integrity,  respected  in  the  com- 
munity, and  has  accumulated  a  fine  pro|)erty.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

James  Fraaklin,  manufacturer  of  ice  cream,  fac- 
tory and  residence  714  .Sassafras  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Pendelton  county,  Kentucky,  in  18;f8,  and  is  a 
son  of  James  and  Harriet  (Bell)  Franklin.  Mr.  Frank- 
lin, sr.,  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  colored  men  of 
Pendelton  county.  He  jiurchased  his  liberty  and 
rented  and  ojjerated  a  large  farm  for  some  time  in  said 
county.  He  later  went  to  Canada,  and  returning  to 
Kentucky  died  there  in  1870,  aged  70  years.  His  wife, 
Harriet  Bell,  was  a  slave,  and  after  having  borne  him 
seven  children,  was  sold  and  torn  from  fier  husband 
and  family.  James  T^ranklin  was  the  youngest  of  this 
family,  and  the  only  boy,  and  was  six  months  old  when 
his  mother  was  sold  away  from  him.  He  was  reared 
in  slavery,  and  in  1853  he  ran  away  from  his  master, 
and  locate<I  in  Windsor,  Canada,  where  he  worked  as 
a  laborer  for  some  years,  later  moving  over  into  New 
York  -State,  and  in  the  spring  of  18()(i,  he  came  to  Erie, 
Pa.,  and  secured  the  position  of  janitor  for  the  P.  &  E. 
R.  R.  Company's  office,  a  position  he  held  fifteen 
years,  and  in  1881,  began  the  manufacture  of  ice 
cream,  in  a  modest  way,  anil  from  this  beginning  he 
has  gradually  improved  and  increased  his  business. 
In  1890  he  bought  his  ])resent  fine  brick  home,  and 
fitted  u|)  the  basement  as  a  factory,  wliere  he  turns  out 
ice  cream  that  in  quality  cannot  be  excelled  in  Erie. 
During  the  warm  months  of  summer  he  throws  open 
his  large  double  parlors,  and  sells  cream  to  the  best 
people  of  Erie  by  the  dish,  but  his  business  is  to  manu- 
facture and  sell  in  (|u,intities.  .Mr.  Fr.inklin  w.is  mar- 
ried December  5,  1805,  to  Miss  Emma  S.,  daughter  of 
Isaac  and  Mahala  Simpson,  both  free,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  and  the  latter  of  Cumberland, 
Md.  She  was  fourth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of 
six  children,  and  received  a  good  common  school  edu- 
cation. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Franklin  have  been  born 
nine  children:  William  B.,  cook  in  Des  Moines,  la.; 
George  W.  (deceased),  Minnie  A.,  Charles  .S.,  Anna 
E.,  Archibald  D.,  Louis  Toyier,  Carl  H.,  and  Leata. 
Mr.  Franklin  is  a  member  of  the  A.  ,\I.  E.  Church, 
and  they  are  among  the  best  and  most  resjjected  of 
colored  families  in  Erie. 

Dugan  Bros.,  livery,  sale  and  boarding  stables, 
414  French  street,  Erie,   I'a.     Eihv.ird  J.   Dugan,  the 


senior  member  of  this  lirni,  was  born  in  Harbor  Creek 
township,  ICrie  county,  February  21,  18()2,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  and  ICIiza  (Daugherty)  Dugan.  Mr.  Dugan 
received  a  common  .school  education  and  followed 
farming  at  home  until  1890,  when  he  took  ch.irge  as 
foreman  of  the  large  farm  for  .Mrs.  Judge  Talcott, 
where  he  remained  one  year.  .After  this  he  cami'  to 
I'.rie  and  was  eiii|iloyed  in  tin-  eleclrir  light  plant  for 
two  years,  and  in  February,  189;j,  with  his  lirother, 
John  P.,  bought  out  his  present  business.  John  P. 
Dugan  was  Ixirn  April  6,  18()3,  received  a  common 
school  education  and  worki'd  on  the  home  farm  till 
1889.  From  1889  to  the  spring  of  189;!  he  took  fence 
and  ditch  contracts.  In  February,  18!):i,  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  he  embarked  in  the  livery  busi- 
ness. They  are  enterprising  young  men  and  conduct 
a  first-class  stable,  average  about  fifteen  horses,  and 
pride  themselves  on  owning  nothing  but  good  stock. 
They  enjoy  a  lucrative  business. 

Frank  A.  Jacobs,  owner  and  proprietor  of  the 
livery  and  team  contracting  stables  in  tlie  rear  of  1.53 
West  Fifteenth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Chau- 
tauqua county,  Xew  York.  He  receivetl  his  education 
in  'he  Chautau<|ua  county  ]ml)lic  schools  and  in  1S()2 
enlisted  in  the  12th  Pa.  Cav.,  and  was  in  active  service 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  then  located  ,ind  operated 
a  livery  business  on  the  Schaffer  farm  in  Venango 
county,  Pennsylvania,  for  a  short  time,  and  following 
this  embarked  in  the  oil  refining  business  in  the  same 
county  till  1873.  He  then  went  into  the  hotel  liusiness 
in  W'estfield,  N.  Y.,  for  a  year,  and  in  1874  came  to 
Y.nc  and  embarked  in  the  livery  business,  and  in  1889 
built  his  present  place  of  business  and  makes  a 
specialty  of  team  contract  work.  He  keeps  fifteen 
head  of^  horses  and  makes  a  jjoint  of  keejiing  them 
busy.  Mr.  Jacobs  is  a  member  of  the  I.  ().  O.  F., 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  G.  A.  R.  His  residence  is 
153  West  Fifteenth  street.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

Charles  P.  Haskius,  boarding,  sale,  livery  and 
hack  stable,  1010  and  1012  Peach  street,  FIrie,  Pa'.,  was 
born  in  DeKall),  St.  Lawrence  county,  N.  Y.,  .Se]jteni- 
ber  14,  18.53.  He  is  a  son  of  Fliram  M.  and  Angeline 
(.Smith)  Haskins,  both  natives  of  St.  Lawrence  county. 
New  York.  Hiram  M.  Haskins  was  a  millwright  by 
trade  and  was  considered  the  best  in  his  section.  He 
died  in  1871,  aged  44  years.  Mrs.  Haskins  died  in 
18G9,  aged  37  years.  To  them  were  born  four  children : 
Hiram  F.,  a  large  ranch  owner  in  Idaho;  Charles  P., 
Ata  (deceased)  and  Ada,  Mrs.  Herni.in  Stephen,  of 
Erie.  Charles  P.  Haskins  received  a  common  school 
education  and  worked  at  home  until  17  years  of  age, 
when  he  engaged  to  learn  the  blacksmith  trade,  which 
he  followed  for  three  years  in  his  native  county;  he 
then  traveled  and  worked  in  several  of  the  large  cities 
for  three  years.  He  came  to  Erie  county  in  May, 
1874,  and  worked  for  W.  A.  Brace  in  Greene  town- 
ship for  two  and  a  half  years,  when  he  came  to  Erie 
and  opened  a  sho|),  in  the  fall  of  1870,  at  Twenty-first 
and  Peach  streets,  which  \\v  operated  for  three  years; 
he  next  owned  a  shop  in  Marvintown  for  three  years. 
After  this  he  became  interested  in  a  livery  stable  at 
1113  Peach  street,  but  two  years  later  sold  out  and 
moved  to  112  East  Eleventh  street.  Three  years 
later,  on  account  of  poor  health,  he  sold  out,  and  for 
eighteen  months  succeeding  bought  and  sold  horses. 


cV^y^^f^  ^o 


O-n.^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


701 


In  the  fall  of  1892  hi-  bought  from  Dr.  Georgt;  W.  Bell 
his  present  livery  business,  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  com]jlete  in  Erie.  The  building  is  70  by  165 
feet  and  has  accommodations  for  si.xty  horses,  and  he 
keeps  a  stock  of  thirty  horses,  has  several  hacks  for 
funerals,  weddings  and  calls,  and  turns  out  some  of 
the  finest  rigs  to  be  had  in  the  city.  Mr.  Haskins 
o|ierated  the  city  police  ]iatrol  wagon  for  a  long  time. 
He  buys  and  sells  large  numbers  of  horses  and  is  an 
enterprising  business  man.  He  married  September 
2h,  1875,  ,\liss  Sarah  F.,  daughter  of  Henry  O.  and 
Eliza  Root,  of  Sunmiit  township.  Mr.  and  iMrs.  Has- 
kins attend  the  Universali.st  Church.  Mr.  Haskins 
has  served  three  years  in  the  common  council  and 
two  years  in  the  select  branch.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  .4.  O.  U.  W.,  E.  A.  U.,  Elks,  and  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Merchants'  Club.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

Capt.  John  Stevens  Richards,  now  president 
of  the  W.  L.  Scott  Company,  was  born  June  5,  1821,  at 
tlu-  Richards  homestead,  located  on  the  south  side  of 
.Second  street,  between  French  and  Holland,  Erie,  Pa. 
Captain  Richards  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  and  Anne 
(llinton)  Richarils,  natives  of  Cardiganshire,  North 
Wales.  John  Richards,  the  elder,  went  to  sea,  from 
his  home  in  Wales,  at  a  very  early  age,  and  had  cir- 
cunmavigated  the  globe  three  times  when  he  landed 
in  New  York  city,  and  apprenticed  himself  to  the  then 
great  shi]>-building  firm  of  Brown  &  Bell.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  of  1812,  Brown  &  Bell  were 
engageil  by  the  government  to  construct  war  vessels, 
afterward  designated  as  Perry's  P'leet,  and  John  Rich- 
ards happened  to  be  one  of  a  considerable  number  of 
men  forwarded  from  New  York  to  Erie,  where  the  ves- 
sels were  built,  to  engage  in  such  construction.  -Sub- 
seipiently,  and  throughout  his  life,  he  made  his  home 
at  Erie,  and  at  various  times  sailed  the  lakes,  but 
linally  engaged  permanently  in  ship  building,  and  had 
for  many  years  charge  of  the  construction  of  all  of  the 
then  noted  "  Reed  Line  "  of  steamers  and  sailing  ves- 
.sels  plying  on  the  lakes.  The  Hintons,  with  whom  he 
intermarried,  as  above  mentioned,  were  among  the 
very  early  settlers  of  F>ie  county,  an<l  were  also  na- 
tives of  \Vales.  He  died  in  Erie,  in  184.5;  his  wife  in 
1S74. 

The  John  Richards  family  consisted  of  Thomas, 
who,  at  his  death,  at  Chicago,  in  1849,  was  in  command 
of  the  steamer  "  Niagara,"  of  the  Reed  I^ine  ;  Mary, 
wife  of  Capt.  D.  P.  DoVibins,  who  died  at  Buffalo  in 
18S(i  ;  William,  located  in  New  York,  with  the  firm  of 
Marsh  &:  Willis,  Pearl  street,  diet!  in  184.5;  John  Ste- 
vens, born,  as  above  stated,  in  1821;  .Anne,  wife  of 
Mr.  John  H.  \"inccnt,  now  resident  of  New  York  city; 
Hannah,  who  married  Mr.  John  C.  Beebe,  resident  at 
the  Beebe  homestead.  East  Si.xth  street  ;  Helen,  wife 
of  Mr.  T.  B.  Wilcox,  of  Chicago,  now  a  resident  of 
that  city,  and  Ele.inor,  who  died  in  1895. 

John  Stevens  Richards  received  his  early  schooling 
in  what  was  known  as  the  "Yellow  Meeting  House," 
on  Sassafras  street,  between  Seventh  and  Eighth 
streets,  this  city  ;  afterward  attendetl  the  Erie  .Vcad- 
emv.  during  the  years  when  that  institution  was  ])re- 
sided  over  successively  by  .'\.  I*;.  Foster,  Reid  T.  Stew- 
art and  James  C.  Reid  ;  was  then  for  several  years  en- 
gaged in  the  ship  yard,  with  his  father,  but  finally 
engaged  in  sailing,  and  continued  thereat  for  twenty- 
three  years,  during  wliich  pericul,  after  various  promo- 
45 


tions  from  subordinate  ]  o;itions,  had  command  suc- 
cessively of  the  .steamers  "  Ohio,"  "  Queen  City," 
"  Key.stone  -State,"  "  Western  World,"  the  latter  ])lying 
between  Buffalo  and  Detroit,  and  lastly,  the  .steam- 
ship "  Milwaukee,"  forming  a  connection  with  the  De- 
troit &  Milwaukee  Railway,  between  the  city  of  Mil- 
waukee and  (Irand  Haven,  Mich.  On  retiring  from 
connnand  of  the  last  named  steamer,  in  the  following 
sprmg,  being  in  1803,  t)ecame  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Henry  Rawle  &  Co.,  shippers  by  lake  of  bituminous 
coal,  which  firm  was  succeeded  by  that  of  Richards, 
Pelton,  Reed  iS:  Co.,  the  latter  firm  being  dissolved 
upon  the  abandonment  of  the  Erie  Extension  Canal. 
In  1871  he  became  associated  with  the  firm  of  John 
Hearn  &:  Co.,  wNth  which  firm  and  its  successors,  W. 
L.  Scott  lV  Co.  and  the  W.  L.  Scott  Company,  he  has 
ever  since  been  identified. 

Ca])tain  Richards  for  many  years  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  Hamot  Hosiiital  Association,  being  at 
present  president  of  its  board  of  managers,  a  member 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Second  National  Bank, 
and  a  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church. 

He  was  married  Septemlier  19th,  1853,  to  .Adelaide, 
daughter  of  the  late  David  .Mc.Allaster,  a  pioneer  resi- 
dent of  Erie,  from  Jefferson  county.  New  York.  Three 
children  born  of  this  union  survive:  Harry,  now  a  res- 
ident of  Minnesota,  who  married  Sarah,  daughter  of 
John  Fallot,  of  Erie ;  Mary,  wife  of  Mr.  George  R. 
Metcalf,  of  Erie,  and  Adelaide,  wife  of  Mr.  W.  W. 
Michener,  of  Chicago. 

The  family  homestead  is  at  No.  220  West  Ninth 
street. 

Joseph  Hagmanti,  practical  horse-.shoer  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  sfde  stable,  1225  and  1229  Peach  street, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Germany  July  10, 1850,  and  came 
to  America  with  his  parents  in  1857.  They  located  at 
Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  and  here  Jose[ih  received  his  early 
education;  he  also  attended  the  public  school  at  Am- 
sterdam and  Hill's  Corners,  N.  Y.,  and  came  to  Erie 
with  his  ])arents  in  1872.  He  is  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of  nine  children:  Jo.sejih,  Charles,  Levi,  Mary  (Mrs. 
Eugene  Lyons,  of  Erie,  Pa.);  Matilda  (Mrs.  .\ilen,  of 
Erie,  Pa.);.\melia  (Mrs.  Frank  Slocum,of  Eriei;  Louisa, 
William  (whose  sketch  apjiears  in  this  work ),  and  .Anna 
(Mrs.  Charles  Parker,  of  Erie).  Jose])h  Hagmann, 
when  21  vearsof  age,  went  to  work  for  Charles  Schaffer, 
to  learn  the  blacksmith  trade,  and  after  thirteen  months' 
apjjrenticeship,  took  charge  of  his  father's  shoji  for 
seven  months.  He  then  bought  a  half  interest  in  a 
shop,  but  sold  out  six  months  later  and  began  work  for 
John  Hull.  Thirty  days  later  Mr.  Hagmann  bought 
him  out  and  operated  the  sho])  on  Twelfth,  between 
State  and  Peach  streets,  until  18S4,  when  he  moved  to 
his  present  location,  having  jiurchased  the  fall  before. 
Here  he  has  built  uji  a  trade  that  has  placed  hise.stab- 
lishment  in  the  front  rank,  and  Mr.  Hagmann  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  most  practical  and  be.st  posted 
men  in  his  business  in  Erie.  He  has  had  instructions 
from  Prof.  William  Russell,  of  Cincinnati,  and  has  fine 
specimens  of  his  own  dissect  mg.  showing  the  horse's  foot 
and  lower  leg,  ami  he  taki'S  (ileasure  in  showing  all  his 
customers  how  and  why  horse-shoeing  should  he  ilone 
bv  none  but  experienced  nu-n.  Mr.  Hagmann  superin- 
t(-nds  all  the  work  done  in  his  shop.  He  emi)loysfour 
skilled  workmen,  and  his  shop  is  one  of  the  most  com- 
plete in  Erie.  The  forges  are  blown  by  electricity. 
He  has  latelv  added  a  sale  stable  to  his  business,  and 


703 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTION  ART 


buys  anil  sells  all  f^railcs  of  horses.  Mr.  Haiiniann 
was  married  April  80,  1879,  to  Miss  Amelia,  (laughter 
of  Jacob  Thren,  of  Erie.  To  them  have  been  liorn 
two  thildren:  Carl  and  Emma  J.  The  family  attend 
the  German  Lutheran  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  E.  and  the  Erie  M;ennerchor,  and  is  treasurer 
of  the  Sixth  Ward  Republican  Club.  His  residence 
is  27:fi  Peach  street. 

William  C.  Hull,  practical  liorse-shoer,  1 1 1.')  Peach 
strei-t,  i.rii-,  I'a.,  was  born  in  Summit  township,  Erie 
county,  r.i.,  .\l.irch  l.'i,  \^h\\  and  is  a  son  of  |oiui  and 
Harriet  (J'o>,'son)  Hull,  the  fornuT  a  native  of  Erie 
county  and  the  latter  of  Manstiel<l,  l-'.ngland.  William 
was  reared  on  the  farm,  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
and  when  Ifi  years  of  age  branched  out  for  himself 
and  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  about  two  and  one-half 
years.  He  then  went  to  North  East,  and  took  charge 
of  a  dairy  and  milk  route  for  about  two  yearss.  He 
then  went  to  Minneapolis  and  worked  for  the  Minne- 
apolis Harvester  Workssix  months,aiulthencamel)ack 
to  Erie  and  worked  a  short  time  for  the  Erie  City  Iron 
Works.  Returning  to  North  East  he  worked  eighteen 
months  for  H.  D.  Selkregg  in  a  hardware  and  grocery 
store,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  went  back  to  Min- 
nea]iolis  and  began  his  trade  as  horse-shoer;  here  he 
workedfortwoandone-half  years,  and  camel )ack  to  Erie 
and  opened  a  shop  at  18  \\'est  Eighteenth  street,  in 
I'ehruary,  188(5,  and  conducted  same  for  two  and  one- 
half  years,  then  moving  to  his  present  location,  where 
he  does  a  large  and  lucrative  business.  He  em]iloys 
two  men  and  superintends  all  work  himself.  Mr.  Hull 
was  married  July  14,  1886,  to  Miss  Anna  15.,  daughter 
of  ISIaine  Crawford,  of  North  East.  This  lady  de- 
jiarted  this  life  May  28,  1892,  aged  33  years,  and  Mr. 
Hull  married.  May  19,  1894,  Miss  Hattie,  daughter  of 
Ellery  Gould,  of  Erie.  They  have  one  son,  born  Feb- 
ruary 23,  189.'>.  The  family  attend  the  Chestnut  Street 
l'resl>yterian  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  tlie  I.O.  O.  F., 
Home  Circle  and  the  Jr.  O.  L'.  A.  M.  In  jxilitics  he  is 
a  Democrat.  Thefamily  reside  at  163  West  Twentieth 
street. 

Peter  J.  Crowley,  livery,  sale  and  boarding  sta- 
ble, 112  and  114  East  Eleventh  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Harbor  Creek  townshi])  January  21,  1860,  and 
is  a  .son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine  (O'Brien)  Crowley, 
of  Harbor  Creek  township.  Peter  received  a  good  eil- 
ucation,  linishing  at  the  State  Normal  School  af  I'din- 
borf),  and  when  20  years  of  age,  went  to  Bra<iford,  Pa., 
and  embarked  in  the  oil  business,  which  he  followed 
for  three  years,  when  he  purchased  a  livery  business 
and  conducted  it  with  marked  success  till  April,  189.5, 
when  he  disposed  of  this  interest  and  came  to  Erie 
and  bought  out  the  stable  and  business  of  John  H. 
Collins,  where  he  ]>roposes  to  conduct  a  business  sec- 
ond to  none  in  the  city.  Mr.  Crowley  was  mar- 
ried February  22,  1886,  to  Miss  Annie,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Sheehan,  of  Wellsville,  N.  V.,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  two  children:  Loretta  and  Francis. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr. 
Crowley  is  a  member  of  the  K.  O.  T.  .\I.  and  K. 
of  P.  In  [lolitics  he  is  independent.  His  residence 
is  205  East  Eleventh  street.  Thomas  Crowley, 
farmer.  Harbor  Creek  township,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1836,  locating 
where  he  now  resides  and  has  since  followed  farming. 
He  married  Miss  Catherine  OTJrien,  and  to  them  have 


been  born  seven  children:  Richard,  an  oil  producer 
in  lioliver,  N.  Y.;  .Michael, a  ]>artnerof  Richard's;  .Mary, 
at  home;  Dennis  (deceased);  Peter  J.  and  Janus,  at 
home. 

John  Wieczorek,  grocer,  6.55  East  Thirlecnth 
street,  Erie,  I'a.,  was  born  in  Germany  June  14,  1864, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Frances  (Dvbalski) 
Wieczorek,  both  natives  of  Germany  and  of  Polish 
origin.  John  received  a  common  .school  education  in 
Germany,  ami,  in  1881,  came  to  the  Cnited  .States  and 
located  in  Erie,  where  he  worked  four  months  on  a 
farm.  Later  he  secured  a  ])osition  in  the  Jarecki  & 
Hays  Hra.ss  Works,  where  he  remained  twelve  years, 
and  resigned  to  engage  in  his  present  business,  wliich 
he  opened  to  the  public  in  February,  1892.  He  car- 
ries a  full  line  of  staple  groceries  and  canned  goods, 
salt  and  smoked  meats.  Mr.  Wieczorek  is  thoroughly 
Americanized  and  enjoys  a  large  and  lucrative  trade. 
He  was  married  July  (i,  1887,  to  Mi.ss  Antonetta  Nag- 
uszevvska,  aiul  to  them  have  been  born  one  son,  John, 
born  August  4,  1893.  The  family  are  membi'rs  of  tlu' 
Polish  Catholic  Church,  and  are  among  the  most  in- 
telligent and  respected  Polish  jjeople  in  Erie. 

William  Pressley  .Meehati  was  born  December 
22,  1859,  son  of  Willi. uu  an<l  Catherine  (HickMt) 
Meehan,  who  were  of  Irish  jjarentage.  They  settled 
in  Erie  county  in  1845,  and  engaged  in  the  business 
of  carriage  and 'wagon  building.  William  Meehan 
died  in  November,  1887.  Mrs.  William  Meehan  still 
lives  in  P>ie.  David  15.  Meehan,  ?  son,  is  carrying  on 
a  branch  of  his  father's  business  on  Twelfth  street. 
William  P.  Meehan  was  educated  in  the  Erie  public 
schools  and  high  school.  He  married  Mabel  Humph- 
rey, daughter  of  Jonas  A.  Humphrey,  M.  I).,  a  physi- 
cian of  long  staniling  in  Union  City,  and  Jane  (.Abbey) 
Huin[ihiey.  Thr(-e  children  •  followeil  this  union; 
Glenuis  Humphrey,  Ruth  and  Ilelene  {;ertrude.  The 
faiuily  are  Presbyterians  and  Mr.  William  P.  is  a 
member  of  the  order  of  Fcjrresters  and  National 
L'nion.  He  is 'a  Rejiublican  in  politics  and  was  a 
member  of  the  National  Guards  tor  five  years.  He 
was  with  \..\.  Forman  for  sixteen  years  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time  decided  to  enter  business  for  himself, 
which  he  has  run  successfully  for  the  past  four  years. 
He  has  made  a  specialty  of  handling  a  high  grade  of 
men's,  women's  and  cliildren's  underwear  and  hosiery, 
and  so  careful  has  he  been  to  deal  in  goods  of  tine 
quality  the  fact  has  become  known,  "If  you  get  it  from 
Meehan  it  isfjood."  Buying,  as  he  does,  direct  from  the 
mills,  ami  going  direct  to  the  consumer,  he  is  able  to 
.sell  to  the  trade  at  about  jobber's  prices.  He  is  the 
selling  agent  for  Hall  Bros.'  custom  shirts.  The  Ball 
brothers  for  forty  years  su]>plied  the  fine  trade  with 
custom  shirts.  Mr.  Meehan  has  a  fine  business,  and 
is  one  of  Erie's  progressive  merchants. 

Daniel  J.  Kramer,  cigar  manufacturer,  residence 
and  factory  No.  726  West  Eighth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  .St.  Catherines,  Canada,  March  14,  1861,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Maloney)  Kramer,  natives  of 
Germany  and  Irelanil,  respectively.  John  Kramer 
was  a  carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade,  who  came  from 
his  native  country  to  Canada,  where  he  continued  fol- 
lowing his  trade  in  his  new  home.  His  death  occurred 
in  1879,  at  the  age  of  5()  years.  To  this  couple  were 
horn   eight   children,  five   of   whom   are   now   living: 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


703 


Marf;nret,  Mrs.  George  Begy,  of  St.  Catlu'rincs,  Can- 
ada; Daniel  J.,  John,  a  painter  in  Krie;  Frank,  a  paper 
hanger  in  St.  Catherines,  and  Esther,  Mrs.  Edward 
Biischeon,  of  lirockvilie,  Canada.  Daniel  J.  Kramer 
received  a  common  school  education,  and  when  I'i 
years  of  age  began  the  cigannaking  trade  in  his  native 
town,  where  he  worked  for  .seven  years.  He  then 
worked  in  Toronto,  Canada,  six  months,  then  going  to 
Tilsonburg,  Canada,  two  years;  Warsaw,  Ind.,  six 
months,  and  in  Deceml)er,  1888,  he  came  to  Erie  and 
went  to  work  at  his  trade  for  George  Bartles,  remain- 
ing in  his  (Mn]>loy  seven  years.  In  the  fall  of  1890  he, 
with  William  Hemse  as  a  partner,  opened  a  factory  at 
(IHG  West  Sixth  street,  and  at  the  end  of  six  months 
moved  to  552  West  Eifth  street,  where  six  months  later 
Mr.  Hemse  retired  from  the  business,  and  Mr.  Kramer 
continued  in  tliat  location  till  May  1,  1895,  when  he 
moved  to  his  ]iresent  place.  He  manufactures  an  av- 
erage of  2U,00U  cigars  a  month,  and  among  his  leading 
brands  are:  "  Marinola,"  the  "Henry  Clay,"  and 
"  Kramer's  Home  Comfort."  He  handles  at  retail  a 
full  line  of  smokers'  goods  and  employs  an  average  of 
four  men.  Mr.  Kramer  was  married  October  8,  1891, 
to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Ellen  Leonard, 
of  Erie.  One  son  has  blessed  this  union,  Frank,  born 
August  6,  1892,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kramer  are  members 
of  St.  Andrew'.s  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  C.  M.  U.  A.  and  the  K.  O.  T.  M.,  and  is  an  honor- 
ary member  of  the  Cigarmaker's  Union.  From  1888 
to  1892  he  was  an  active  organizer  for  the  Central 
Lalmr  Union,  and  has  always  taken  great  interest  in 
lal)or  organizations.     In  |]olitics  he  is  independent. 

Conrad  Deck,  cigar  I'.ianufaelurer,  Xo.  305  French 
street,  ICiie  I'a.,  was  born  in  Wollmesheim,  Lanndau 
I'halz,  I'xjyern,  Germany,  February  (i,  1837,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Welsh)  Deck.  He  received 
a  common  school  education  in  his  native  place,  and 
learned  the  cigarmaker's  trade  with  John  Koggendorf 
in  Lanndau,  Ck-rmany.  After  finishing  his  trade  he 
worked  as  a  journeyman  for  Joseph  Miller,  in  (jold- 
ram.stein,  for  three  years.  He  came  to  the  L'nited 
States  in  18(il  and  located  in  Erie,  going  to  work  for 
George  Bartles,  wht'i'e  he  remained  for  one  year.  He 
then  worked  eighteen  months  for  C.  M.  Conrad,  when 
he  bought  him  out  and  conducted  the  factory  on  Fifth 
street,  between  .State  and  French  streets,  till  18(it5.  He 
then  entered  into  ]iartner.ship  with  M.  W.  Mehl  and 
operated  a  factory  on  French  street,  opposite  the  Reed 
House.  lught  months  later  hi' sold  his  interest  to  Mr. 
Mehl  and  opened  a  factory  of  his  own  at  T03  State 
-Street,  where  he  remained  uulil  1870,  when  he  moved 
to  I'arade  street,  between  Tc'ntli  and  Eleventh.  In 
1877  he  moved  to  3130  French  .street.  Three  years 
later  he  located  on  Park  Row  for  four  years,  and  In 
1884  moved  to  his  jiresent  location,  where  he  has  since 
operatetl.  He  averages  50,000  cigars  a  month,  and  in 
addition  handles  a  full  line  ot  smoker's  goods  and 
chewing  tobacco,  and  among  the  leading  brands  from 
his  factory  are:  "La  Flor  de  \'ictor  Hugo,"  "Henry 
Vane,"  "  Little  Dick's  Havana  Filler,"  ".Seal  Brand," 
"  Bachi'lor  of  .Vrts  "  and  "Henry  Clay."  Mr.  Deck 
was  married  June  Hi,  1803,  to  Miss  /\nna  M.,  daughter 
of  Nicliolas  Floffman,  of  Erie,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  twelve  children:  Margaret,  Mrs.  \'alentine  Ren- 
ner,  of  Erie;  John,  .selling  cigars  on  the  road  for  his 
father;  Conrad,  jr.,  a  cigarniaker  in  his  Lather's  factory; 
Adam    N.,  alsoin  his  father's  em|iloy;  William   P.,  in 


the  same  factory;  Annie  H.,  Bernard  NL,  in  the  cigar 
factory;  Kate,  Samuel  (deceased),  .Amanda,  Ida  and 
Edward.  The  family  are  members  of  .St.  .Mary's  Ger- 
man Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M. 
B.  \.  and  Herman  Sons.  In  politics  he  is  indc]ienilent. 

WilliaiB  Schneider,  cigar  manufacturer  and  re- 
tail dealer  in  smoker's  goods  antl  chewing  tobaccos, 
910  Parade  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  .Mackinaw, 
Mich.,  February  13,  18.54,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam  and 
Christian  (Beck)  Schneider,  both  natives  of  Germany. 
Adam  .Schneider  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1848,  locating  in  Erie,  where  he 
secured  a  ]>osition  as  bartender.  After  a  short  stay  in 
Erie  he  went  to  Michigan,  with  others,  to  build  and 
opierate  a  tannery.  Here  hi-  remained  till  the  fall  of 
1854,  when  he  moved  to  \'enango.  Pa.,  aud  operated  a 
small  tannery  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  war, 
when  he  enlisted  and  served  his  country  well  and 
faithfully,  and  at  the  close  of  the  great  struggle 
returned  to  Erie,  where  his  family  had  located,  and 
went  to  work  for  Hays  &  Co.,  tanners.  After  a  short 
time  he  was  elected  constable,  and  soon  after  made 
one  of  Erie's  first  policemen,  a  jiosition  he  held  until 
his  death,  after  nineteen  years'  service.  He  was  for 
a  time  captain  of  the  force,  and  at  one  time  acted  as 
chief.  He  died  January  26,  1878,  aged  49  years. 
William  Schneider  was  about  7  years  of  age  when  he, 
with  his  mother,  came  to  Erie,  and  soon  after  was  sent 
out  in  the  country  to  work  for  his  board  and  go  to 
school.  In  this  way  he  received  his  education.  When 
16  years  of  age  he  entered  the  cigar  factory  of  Conrad 
Deck,  of  Erie,  to  learn  the  trade,  and  three  years  later 
went  to  Lockport,  X.  V.,  where  he  worked  for  three 
years.  He  then  came  back  to  Erie,  and,  after  a  trial 
at  the  business  for  himself,  and  a  short  time  on  the 
road  selling  cigars,  took  charge  for  Stark  S:  Dibble  of 
their  factory,  and  managed  it  from  1879-1882.  He 
next  went  in  business  with  George  Straub,  and,  three 
months  later,  bought  him  out  and  continued  the 
factory  where  they  had  located  in  the  Academy  of 
Music  building  for  about  a  year  longer.  Then  he 
moved  his  business  to  Eighth  .street,  where  he  con- 
tinued for  two  years  and  bought  out  G.  M.  Conrad, 
corner  Eighth  and  Parade  streets,  where  he  remained 
for  one  year,  and  then  built  his  present  place  in  April, 
1885,  where  he  has  since  turned  out  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  choice  cigars.  He  employs,  on  an 
average,  six  skilled  workmen,  and  sells  an  average  of 
40,000  cigars  a  month.  His  leading  brands  are  "The 
Amenilment,"  "  liiids,"  "  Hanuis,"  "  Xation's  Favor- 
ite," "  True  Blue,"  "Hard  .Aport,"  "Grand  Eagle," 
"  High  Light  "  and  "  Xo\ city."  He  al.so  manufactures 
a  smoking  tobacco,  "Schneider's  Xatural  Leaf,"  and 
handles,  at  retail,  a  full  line  of  smokers'  goods  and 
chewing  tobacco.  Mr.  Schneider  was  married,  in 
December,  1878,  to  Mi.ss  Mary,  daughter  of  Charles 
Brager,  of  Erie.  To  them  have  l)een  born  seven 
children:  Mena,  Mary  and  William  (twins),  Christina, 
Lilla,  Florence  and  Henry.  Mrs.  Schneider  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  (lerm.in  Catholic,  and  Mr.  Schneider  is  a 
member  of  the  German  Protestant  Church.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Elks,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Golden  Eagle, 
K.  O.  T.  M.,  East  Erie  Turners,  9  H.  D.,  German 
Friendship,  and  Erie  Nhcnnerchor.  Fie  was  a  charter 
member  of,  and  organizer  for,  the  Cigarmakers'  I'nion, 
No.  107.  In  politics  he  is  Indeiiendent.  Mr.  Schneider 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  Parade  Street  Market  Company. 


704 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Frank  BoiniskI,  mason,  and  proprietor  of  ihe 
cigar,  t()l)acco  and  confectionery  store,  tiOl  East  Four- 
teenth street,  corner  of  Ash  Lane,  was  horn  in  Prus- 
sian Poland  September  8,  18(il,  and  is  a  son  of  Antonis 
Boniski.  He  received  a  common  school  education  in 
his  native  country,  and  came  tothelnited  States  when 
20  years  of  age,  in  1881,  and  located  in  Krie,  when  he 
went  to  work  in  the  car  shops  for  nine  months,  when  he 
secured  a  place  in  Weschler's  malt  house,  where  he 
worked  for  four  years.  He  then  engaged  to  learn  the 
plastering  and  brick-laying  trade,  and  has  successfully 
followed  that  trade  up  to  the  present  time.  In  1890  he 
bought  a  lot  at  the  corner  of  Fourteenth  street  and  Ash 
Lane,  and  one  yeai  later  built  a  large  dwelling  with 
a  store  front.  He  rented  the  store-room  till  the  fall  of 
1808,  and  in  November  of  that  year  he  o[iened  a  meat 
market  ami  operated  it  for  nine  months,  when  he  sold 
out  and  the  room  was  vacant  till  February  lo,  189.5, 
when  he  put  in  a  small  stock  of  candies,  cigars  and 
tobaccos,  and  it  is  in  the  cliarge  of  his  wife  during  his 
working  hours.  Mr.  Boini-ski  was  married  January  22, 
1888,  to  Katherine  W'iecrorek,  and  to  them  was  born, 
October  11,  1891,  a  son.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Polish  Catholic  Church,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Polish  National  Alliance  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  the  Catholic  society  of  Thaddeus  Koscisztto. 
In  [)olitic£  he  is  independent.  By  hard  study  at  home 
he  has  mastered  the  English  language,  and  is  one  of 
the  successful  Polish  residents  of  Erie  and  a  respected 
citizen. 

William  Bell,  jr.,  one  of  Erie's  best  known  and 
highly  honored  citizens,  died  at  his  residence,  618 
Sassafras  street,  July  9,  1890.  He  was  born  in  West- 
field,  N.  Y.,  .^pril  .'),'  1828,  and  was  a  son  of  Col.  Will- 
iam and  Nancy  (Shipboy)  Bell.  His  father  was  born 
in  Nortlumiberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  14, 
1791,  and  removed  to  Westfield  in  1802,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming,  grist-milling  and  merchandising  until 
shortly  before  his  death,  which  occurred  .August  23, 
1872.  He  took  an  active  ]>art  in  the  war  of  1812  and 
reached  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  was  an  esteemed 
and  useful  citizen,  an<l  for  many  years  a  ruling  elder 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Ripley,  N.  V.  His 
wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  July  Ui,  1819,  died  Jan- 
uary 31,  1842.  The  family  consisted  of  twelve  chil- 
dren: ^iiss  Eleanor,  who  died  at  the  age  of  26  years; 
Mary,  Mrs.  James  Johnston,  of  Westfield,  N.  Y.; 
John,  who  resides  at  Harbor  Creek,  Pa.;  Clarissa,  Mrs. 
Gilbert  T.  Elliott,  of  Erie;  Joseph,  who  is  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  Miss  Nancy,  of  Erie;  .'\rthur,  who  was 
drowned  in  his  father's  mill-pond  at  the  age  of  7  years; 
Alexander,  who  resides  in  Harbor  Creek;  .Arthur  (de- 
ceasedl;  Miss  Sarah,  of  Erie,  and  Eugenia,  who  died 
in  infancy.  Captain  Arthur  Bell,  the  father  f)f  Col. 
William  Bell,  was  born  in  Pax'on,  Uauphin  county, 
Pa.,  January  12,  1762.  He  took  part  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  and  removed  with  his  family  to  Western 
New  York  in  1802.  He  located  at  a  jioint  on  the 
McMahon  tract,  three  miles  west  of  Chautauqua  creek, 
where  the  town  of  Westfield  now  stands.  He  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Cross  Roads  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  he  was  a  member  until  his  death, 
August  6,  1834.  Captain  Bell  married  Miss  Eleanor 
Montgomery.  Not  only  is  it  seen  that  the  Bell  family 
were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  Southeastern  Penn- 
sylvania, but  that  they  were  in  a  later  generation  promi- 
nent among  the  sturdy  pioneers  who  converted  the 


wilderness  of  Western  New  York  into  one  of  the  most 
productive  and  beautiful  agricultural  sections  in  the 
world.  William  Bell.,  jr.,  received  his  education  in  the 
[jublic  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  in  early  life 
assisted  his  father  in  the  varit)us  lines  of  business 
which  he  pursueil.  Later  he  assumed  charge  of  the 
mercantile  business,  which  he  continued  until  1857, 
when  he  removed  to  Erie.  His  first  location  here  was  in 
the  store  now  occujiied  by  Mur[)hy  Bros.,  North  Park, 
where  he  did  a  general  dry  goods  business.  He  next 
removed  to  the  store-rooms  now  occupied  V)y  Henry 
Beckman  &  .Son,  where  he  did  a  thriving  business  un- 
til he  sold  out  to  Warner  Bros.  .After  that  he  gave  his 
time  chiefly  to  the  management  of  his  real  estate,  and 
supervised  personally  the  erection  of  the //(/•«/</ build- 
ing. His  residence  on  Sassafras  street  was  erected  in 
18()4  upon  the  site  of  the  old  "Yellow  Meeting- House." 
After  retiring  from  active  business  Mr.  Bell  l)ecame 
interested  in  the  Marine  National  Bank,  of  which  he 
became  a  director  and  vice-president.  Mr.  Bell  was  a 
man  of  many  noble  characteristics,  chief  among  which 
was  his  love  of  home  and  an  ever-ready  sympathy  for 
the  ]ioor  and  unfortunate.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  Home  of  the  Friendless  and  the  Erie  Charity  So- 
ciety. He  was  very  much  interested  in  the  education 
of  the  masses,  and  once  made  the  city  an  offer  of 
building,  at  his  own  expense,  an  industrial  training 
school,  if  the  city  would  furnish  the  teachers,  but  the 
city  was  deprived  of  this  valuable  institution  by  those 
who  had  the  authority  of  accejiting  or  refusing  his 
magnanimous  offer.  He  was  a  Ke]3ublican  in  politics, 
but  had  an  inborn  distaste  of  political  notoriety.  Once, 
however,  in  18tw-fi  he  acce]ited  a  position  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council.  .Mr.  Bell  was  married  .April 
21,  18.")2,  to  Miss  Caroline,  daughter  of  Mr.  Jeremiah 
Mann,  of  Ripley,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Mann  was  for  many 
years  engaged  in  merchandising  and  was  an  active 
promoter  of  the  early  railroads  in  his  vicinity.  To 
.Mr.  and  Mrs.  f3ell  were  born  five  children,  two  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  Augusta,  married  Mr.  Wilbur 
F.  Smallwood,  resided  in  Sherman,  N.  Y.,  and  died 
in  May,  1889;  Caroline,  married  Mr.  George  T.Clark- 
son,  an  oil  manufacturer  of  Pittsburg.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clarkson  have  one  child,  William  Floyd.  The  young- 
est surviving  child  of  Mr.  Bell  is  William  Bell,  of 
Erie.  Mrs.  Bell  died  ALarch  12,  1875,  at  the  age  of  47 
years.  Mr.  Bell  was  married  a  second  time.  May  12, 
1885,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Mr.  .Samuel  Meyers, 
of  Fairview,  this  county.  The  family  worship  at  St. 
Paul's  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

John  Berst  was  born  in  Manheim,  Lancaster 
county.  Pa.,  September  3,  1808.  His  father,  Conrad 
Berst,  was  born  in  Plantz,  Germany,  in  the  year  1779. 
In  1798  he  came  to  America  and  .settled  at  Man- 
heim, Pa.  He  was  married  to  Catherine  Guntner,  of 
Manheim,  in  1807.  They  had  eight  children.  When 
the  war  broke  out  in  1812  he  enlisted  in  the  .American 
army.  About  1827  he  left  Lancaster  county  and  jour- 
neyed westward,  settling  in  Butler  county.  In  1830  he 
removed  with  his  family  to  F'rie.  He  rented  a  small 
farm  south  of  the  city,  and  in  18;i!4  leased  the  Reed 
farm.  His  eldest  son,  John,  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
-Miller,  of  Erie,  February,  1836.  Her  family  had  also 
come  to  Erie  from  Lancaster  county.  They  had  six 
children,  Henry,  Catherine,  Jacob,  Hiram,  John  and 
Titus.  Shortly  after  his  son's  marriage,  Conrad  Berst 
left  Erie  for  the  far  West  and  settled  in   Kosciusko 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


705 


county,  Indiana.  Three  children  remained  in  Erie, 
John,  and  two  married  daughters,  Mrs.  Frederick 
Wittich  and  .Mrs.  .August  Wittich.  .Mr.  John  Berst  re- 
mained on  the  Reed  place  until  18tj6,  when  he  re- 
moved to  his  own  farm,  west  of  the  town.  In  1842  he 
had  bought  of  Joseph  S.  Colt  about  seventy  acres  of 
land,  extending  from  Cherry  to  Liberty  and  from  Sev- 
enteenth to  West  Twenty-sixth.  In  1861  he  bought 
the  property  on  the  west  side  of  State  street,  between 
Eighth  and  Ninth,  w'here,  just  before  the  panic  of  '73, 
he  built  the  block  bearing  his  name.  In  1886  he 
mourned  the  death  of  his  faithful  wife.  He  lingered 
in  very  poor  health  until  .April,  1888,  when  he  quietly 
passed  away,  leaving  four  sons  and  one  daughter.  Of 
these  Henry,  the  eldest  son,  is  living  at  the  old  home- 
stead on  Twentieth,  between  Cherry  and  Poplar  streets, 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Memorial  Church,  and  in 
politics  has  always  been  a  Republican.  Catherine  A., 
wife  of  Hobart  Hogan,  whose  personal  hi.story  is  con- 
tained in  this  volume.  Jacob  married  Mary  Gei.st 
March  8,  1866;  they  have  four  children:  Rose  .M.,  wife 
of  J.  A.  Maahs,  living  in  Florida;  Bessie,  Edmund  L. 
and  .Maud.  Jacob  was  superintendent  of  the  Erie  City 
Passenger  Railroad  Company  from  1868  until  1888,  when 
it  was  purchased  by  the  Erie  Electric  Motor  Company. 
Hiram  L.  was  married  December  26,  1867,  to  Mary  £. 
Sampson,  daughter  of  James  and  Harriet  Sampson, 
of  Miles'  Grove.  They  live  in  a  beautiful  home  at  the 
corner  of  Twentieth  and  Poplar  streets,  with  five  chil- 
dren: Harriet;  Jessie  M.,  a  graduate  of  .Allegheny 
College,  Meadville,  Pa.;  William  L.;  Marion,  and 
Ruth.  The  family  are  members  of  Zion's  Lutheran 
Church.  Hiram  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
is  at  present  engaged  in  subdividing  his  property 
and  building  homes  for  working  men,  which  he  allows 
them  to  purchase  on  easy  payments.  John,  jr.,  mar- 
ried .Miss  Sarah  E.,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Elizabeth 
Brabender,on  January  fCl873.  He  died  March  10, 1882, 
leaving  three  children:  Mabel  E.,  wife  of  W.  Fred 
Wood,  of  Twentieth  and  Cherry;  John  F.  and  Irene 
L.,  who  still  occupy  their  father's  home,  on  the  south- 
west corner  of  Twentieth  and  Cherry  streets.  They 
are  members  of  Zion's  Lutheran  Church.  Titus,  flor- 
ist, was  born  April  10,  1847;  enlisted  in  the  armv  July 
18,  1864,  at  Philadelphia,  in  Co.  F,  197th  Reg.  P-'V.J.; 
alumnus  of  Pennsylvania  College,  Gettysburg,  1872; 
Commissioned  to  inquire  into  the  condition  of  the 
Methodist  Church  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  1875; 
member  of  the  school  board  1878-9;  secretary  of  Erie 
City  Passenger  Railway  Company  for  several  years. 
Married  Mary  G.,  daughter  of  George  M.  and  Eliza- 
beth (Beaver)  Brubaker,  February  '^2,  1877,  Millers- 
burg,  Pa.;  Mrs.  Berst 's  mother  is  a  niece  of  Thomas 
Beaver,  Danville,  Pa.,  and  a  cousin  to  ex-Gov.  James 
Beaver.  Mr.  Berst  and  family  are  members  of  the 
First  M.  E.  Church,  and  reside  with  their  two  children, 
Charles  B.  and  Clara  Lois,  on  a  beautiful  place  at 
Twentieth  and  Poplar  streets,  where  are  also  located 
his  floral  gardens  and  green  houses.  Titus,  like  his 
brothers,  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

John  Sullivaa,  city  assessor,  residence  236  East 
Second  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Bantry,  county 
Cork,  Ireland,  February  15,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Ellen  (McCarthy)  Sullivan,  both  natives 
of  county  Cork.  Thomas  Sullivan  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  and  died  in  1886,  aged  68  years.  His  wife 
departed  this  life  in  1893,  aged  90  years.    To    this 


couple  were  born  five  children:  John,  Michael,  a 
farmer  on  the  old  homestead  in  Ireland;  Thomas,  a 
gold  miner  in  Australia;  Humjihrey,  countv  assessor 
for  the  First  ward,  Erie;  and  Margaret,  wif'e  of  John 
Donavan,  of  Ireland.  John  Sullivan  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  worked  on 
the  home  farm  till  his  23d  year,  when  he  came  lo 
America,  landing  in  Boston  in  1863,  where  he  worked 
as  a  laborer  till  1871,  when  he  came  to  Erie,  arriving 
May  24.  He  secured  work  at  the  .Anchor  Line  eleva- 
tors, and  in  1874  was  made  time-keeper  and  served  for 
four  years.  He  continued  in  the  employ  of  the  com- 
pany till  1887,  when  he  was  elected  ward  assessor, 
serving  till  189.3,  when  he  was  elected  tax  collector  for 
the  First  ward,  serving  four  years.  Mr.  Sullivan  was 
married,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Ann,  daughter  of  Timothy 
Dillon,  of  Roscarbey,  county  Cork,  Ireland.  To  them 
have  been  born  eleven  children:  Xellie,  Margaret,  a 
dressmaker;  Thomas,  a  conductor  on  the  Erie  street 
railway;  Mary,  a  dressmaker;  Kate,  Hannah,  Julia, 
John  (deceased!,  Elizabeth  (deceasedi,  Humphrev  and 
Annie.  Mrs.  Sullivan  departed  this  life  November  1, 
1888,  aged  39  years.  The  family  are  members  of  St. 
Patrick's  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
C.  M.  B.  A.,  Branch  12.  In  politics  .Mr.  Sullivan  is  a 
Democrat,  and  is  an  honored  citizen  of  his  ward. 

Joseph  Depinet.  brick  mason  and  contractor, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  November  6,  1860,  and  is  a 
son  ~ii  Michael  Depinet.  His  father,  who  was  a  brick- 
layer, followed  the  trade  for  about  thirty  years  in  Erie, 
and  died  in  1881  at  the  age  of  48  years.  He  was  born 
in  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  came  to  this  country  when 
a  young  man.  The  family  consisted  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  are  living:  John,  Joseph,  Lena 
(now  Mrs.  Charles  Leingang),  Benjamin,  Mary  (now 
Mrs.  Charles  Fuhrmann),  Henry,  Paulina  and  >iichael, 
all  residing  in  Erie,  except  Benjamin,  who  is  a  citizen 
of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Mr.  Depinet  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  city,  and  then  learned  the  trade 
of  a  mason,  which  he  has  since  followed.  He  has 
been  in  business  for  over  six  years,  and  during  that 
time  has  done  some  fine  work  in  and  about  Erie. 
Among  other  structures,  he  has  done  the  brick  work 
in  whole  or  in  part,  on  the  Xagosky,  Demuling 
and  Detzel  buildings.  Parade  street;  the  Henry  Kneib 
Block  and  the  Kessler  Block,  State  street;  the  Shaw- 
piano  factory,  the  Metric  Metal  Works,  the  People's 
Market  House,  the  Heigel  Block  on  West  Eleventh 
street,  and  the  residence  of  E.  B.  Hough  and  Charles 
Yeager.  He  also  built  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
West  Mill  Creek,  and  the  new  building  of  the 
Redemptorist  College  in  North  East.  Mr.  Depinet 
was  married  June  21,  1887,  to  Miss  Rose  K.  Staab,  of 
Milwaukee,  Wis,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Depinet  are  members 
of  St.  Josejjh's  Catholic  Church.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

Robert  T.  McClure,  chairman  of  the  Erie  Pail 
Factory,  limited,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Mifflin  town- 
ship, Allegheny  county.  Pa.,  in  1842,  and  is  a  son  of 
Robert  and  Elizabeth  (McClure)  McClure.  natives  of 
Pennsvlvania,  and  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  His 
grandfather  and  great-grandfather,  both  of  whom  were 
John  McClure  by  name,  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land 
(probably  from  the  State),  located  near  Pittsburg. 
This  tract  has  since  been  sub-divided  and  laid  ofif  in 


7o6 


NELSON'S  BIOaUAPUWAL  DICTIONARY 


lots,  some  of  which  are  still  owned  by  descenilents  of 
the  original  purchasiT.  A  lar^e  farm  was  sold  to  the 
city  of  rittsburg  for  a  |)iior-farm,  and  was  used  as  such 
until  IWW,  when  it  was  sold  to  the  Carnegie  Company 
for  half  a  million  dollars.  Jiesides  being  an  extensive 
farmer,  Robert  McClure  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in 
the  niining  and  boating  of  coal  down  the  river.  Mr. 
McClure's  mother  was  a  daughter  of  the  lion.  Francis 
McClure,  at  onetime  associate  judgeof  .\danis  county, 
I'ennsylvania.  The  family  consisted  of  nine  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living;  Francis  N.,  a  retired  farmer, 
living  in  X'arsaili  tt)wnshi|),  .Adams  county.  Pa.;  James 
P.,  a  carpenter  l)y  trade,  who  was  disal)led  in  the  army, 
and  lives  in  Sewickley,  Allegheny  county,  and  Robert 
T.,  who  is  the  youngest  of  the  family.  The  last- 
named  gentleman  was  educated  in  the  ])ublic  schools 
of  his  native  town,  and  the  Iron  City  Commercial  Col- 
lege of  Pittsburg,  being  graduated  from  the  latter  in 
1K")7.  .'\fter  completing  his  educatiiin  he  entered  the 
employ  of  his  bnitlier-in-law,  who  was  engaged  in  the 
planing-mill  and  lumber  business  in  Pittsburg  as  ac- 
countant, and  continued  with  him  hir  seventeen  years. 
In  I87.'{  he  came  to  Krie,  and  in  company  with  .Mr.  II. 
J.  Howe,  under  the  firm  name  of  Howe,  McClure  \' 
Co.,  operated  the  Krie  Pail  Factory  in  connection  with 
the  attorney  of  the  owners,  Bennett,  Law  ^-  Spencer, 
who  founded  the  institution,  in  WKi.  In  1)^74  Howe, 
.McClure  &  Co.  purchased  the  business,  and  con- 
ducted it  under  that  title  until  1887,  when  Mr.  Mc- 
Clure became  chairman,  and  Mr.  T.  \V.  .Shacklett,  sec- 
retary and  treasurer.  Mr.  Howe  continued  a  member 
of  the  firm  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  188(). 
The  plant,  which  occupies  two  and  half  acres,  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  .September  24,  1894,  but  was  rebuilt 
about  a  third  larger  than  before,  and  was  ready  for  oc- 
cupancy, January  1,  189.").  The  products  of  the  con- 
cern consist  of  all  kinds  and  sizes  of  wooden  pails  and 
packages,  and  the  cajiacity  is  over  four  thousand 
pieces  Tier  day.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  institutions  of 
Its  kind  in  the  country,  and  under  its  present  manage- 
ment is  one  of  the  many  fine  manufactories  of  which 
Erie  is  justly  proud.  Mr.  McClure  was  married  July 
18,  1881,  to  Miss  Jeanette  Hrankston,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
who,  with  her  husband,  attends  the  L'nited  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  Their  elegant  residence,  at  520  West 
Eighth  street,  was  completed  in  1890.  Though  Mr. 
McClure  has  never  been  an  office-seeker,  he  has  al- 
ways been  very  active  in  support  of  the  princijiles  of 
the  Republican  party. 

John  S.  Hicks,  ice  cream  manufacturer,  confec- 
tioner and  baker,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  N'irginia,  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  John  S.  and  Maria  (Fos- 
ter) Hicks.  His  father  dest?rves  great  credit  for  ac- 
complishing what  he  did  under  the  adverse  circum- 
stances under  which  he  labored.  He  was  a  slave,  but 
being  more  than  ordinarily  intelligent,  and  possessed 
of  an  indomitable  will,  but,  perhaps,  most  of  all, being 
desirous  of  marrying  a  free  woman,  he  bought  himsell, 
it  being  illegal  for  a  slave  to  marry  a  free  woman.  Mr. 
Hicks  received  enough  education  to  enable  him  to  get 
on  very  nicely  with  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life.  He 
has  been  in  his  present  business  since  1804,  removing 
from  \irginia  to  .Sjiringfield,  Ma.ss.,  in  18(i2.  He  re- 
mained there  until  1871,  when  he  came  to  Erie,  and  in 
1878  engaged  in  business  for  himself.  He  was  located 
at  1406  Turnpike  street  for  three  and  a  half  years,  and 
then  removed  to  1216  State  street,  where  he  remained 


nine  years.  In  1882  he  purchased  the  lot  and  built  a 
brick  veneered  structure,  which  he  occupied  until  1892, 
when  he  built  his  ]iresent  sub.stantial  three-story  build- 
ing at  1218  .State  street,  the  second  story  of  which  hi- 
occupies  as  a  residence.  The  third  story  is  rented  for 
dwelling  purposes,  and  the  tir.st  tli)or  is  used  as  an  ice 
cream  |iarlor  and  store-room,  while  the  basement  is 
u.sed  as  a  factory.  This  is  one  of  the  largest  icecream 
plants  in  the  .State,  the  cajiacity  being  120  gallons  per 
hour.  By  fair  dealing  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
his  business,  Mr.  Hicks  has  <-stablished  a  lucr.itive 
l)usiness,  and  has  succeeded  in  accumulating  comfort- 
able means  for  himself  and  family.  The  temporary 
building  which  he  built  at  1216  State  street  in  1882  was 
replaced  by  a  handsome  and  substantial  brick  struc- 
ture in  1894.  Mr.  Hicks  was  married  June  1,  1884,  to 
Miss  Frances  Reinbold,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Ri-in- 
bold.  of  Erie,  by  whom  he  has  one  daughter.  Miss  Ida 
Louise  Hicks.  Mr.  Hicks  .md  family  are  members  of 
the  First  Bapti.st  Church,  of  Erie;  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 
Mr.  Hicks  deserves  a  great  deal  of  credit  for  his  in- 
dustry and  enterprise.  He  is  one  of  the  most  prosper- 
ous ;ind  influential  men  of  African  descent  that  ever 
lived  in  I'.ne. 

Louis  Eichhorn,  baker,  No.  808  West  Eighth 
street,  Erie,  I'a.,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Ciermany, 
October  18,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Plu'lip  Peter  Eich- 
horn. His  father,  who  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  and  died 
in  C.ermany,  reared  a  family  of  three  children,  Jacob, 
tailor,  Erie;  Louis  and  Elise,  who  m.irried  Henry  L. 
Brevillier,  of  I*>ie.  Mr.  Eichhorn  came  to  the  United 
.States  in  186G  and  located  in  F>ie,  where  he  learned 
his  trade.  From  1874  to  1891  he,  as  a  memlier  of  the 
firm  of  Harr  <S:  Eichhorn,  located  at  l.'iU!  Peach  .street. 
Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Harr,  in  I89I,  Mrs.  Harr  took 
sole  charge  of  the  business  and  Mr.  Eichhorn  built  his 
present  place  of  business,  which  is  a  substantial  brick 
structure  41  x  165  feet  and  two  stories  high,  the  second 
story  being  use<l  as  a  residence.  Four  men  besides 
iMr.  Eichhorn  are  employed  in  the  bakery  and  two 
wagons  are  ke|)t  in  constant  use.  Mr.  ICichhorn  was 
married  N'ovember  22,  1878,  to  Miss  Ottilie  Pfi.ster  of 
Erie,  by  whom  he  has  seven  cnildren,  Edith,  Louis 
H.,  Annie,  ICIise,  Otto,  August  and  Charles.  Mr. 
Eichhorn  and  family  attend  St.  Paul  (lerman  Lutheran 
Church  of  Erie.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
and  the  IX  (_).  H.,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

Barney  Nagosky,  merch.-mt  tailor,  at  928  Parade 
.street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  burn  in  West  Prussia,  Germany, 
May  18,  1869,  and  is  a  lirother  of  Mr.  Alois  Nagosky, 
a  more  exhaustive  sketch  of  whom  a]ipears  in  this 
work.  He  was  educated  in  his  native  country,  and 
came  to  Erie  in  1886,  where  he  learned  his  trade  and 
followed  it  for  some  time  as  a  journeyman.  In  1894 
he  engaged  in  business  for  him.self  at  288  East 
Eleventh  .street,  and  in  April,  1895,  removed  to  his 
present  loc.ition.  Besides  his  merchant  tailoring 
department  he  carries  a  good  assortment  of  gentle- 
men's furnishing  goods,  and  is  doing  a  [irosperous 
business.  He  is  unmarried,  and  resides  with  his 
brother,  Alois.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  of  the  St.  Benedict  Society  and  of  the  C.  M. 
B.  A.  He  is  al.so  a  member  of  the  East  F>ie  Turner 
Society,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  his  [)t)litical  views, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


707 


Joseph  Malitiowski,  meat  dealer,  Xo.  561  East 
TliirtoL-nth  stri-ut,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Poland, 
SeptembcT  15,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Jact-nty  and  Kar- 
alina  (Miskiei)  Malinowski.  His  father,  who  was  an 
extensive  farmer,  reared  a  family  of  nine  chil<h"en,  of 
whom  Josejjh  is  the  youngest.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1863  and  located  in  Buffalo,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  laboring,  and  where  for  seventeen  years  he 
was  in  the  saloon  business.  During  a  jiart  of  the 
time  he  was  in  Buffalo  he  was  a  special  member  of 
the  police  forci-.  In  1880  he  went  to  Detroit,  Mich., 
where  for  nine  years  he  was  em])loyed  in  a  rolling  mill. 
He  then  returned  to  Buffalo  and  resumed  the  restau- 
rant business,  and  was  for  a  .short  time  conductor  on  a 
gravel  train.  In  18i)l  he  came  to  Erie  and  engaged  in 
his  present  business  on  Fourteenth  street,  and  pur- 
chased, built  upon  and  removed  to  his  present  loca- 
tion in  1802.  He  has  a  well-equipped  shop  and  mar- 
ket, and  resides  in  the  second  story  of  the  liuilding. 
Mr.  Malinowski  was  married,  .Vpril  22,  1876,  to  Miss 
Annie  Ribicki,  of  Buffalo.  They  are  both  members 
of  the  Catholic  Church. 

Jesse  Roberts,  junior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Walker  S:  Roberts,  projirietors  of  the  Erie  Litho- 
gra])hing  and  Printing  Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  West  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  June  30,  1851,  and  is  a  son 
of  Hiram  C.  and  Hester  Ann  (Haupt)  Roberts,  of 
Scotch  and  German  ancestry.  His  father,  liorn  in 
Plymouth,  Montgomery  county.  Pa.,  August  23,  1819, 
died  in  Erie  Octolier  28,  1891,  and  his  mother,  born  in 
Upper  Dublin,  Pa.,  July  4,  1820,  resides  with  him. 
His  father,  who  was  a  carpenter  and  contractor,  reared 
a  family  of  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  living: 
Jesse,  Miss  Ellen  Xaneth  Roberts  and  Isabella  Brant, 
who  married  Mr.  John  Hamberger,  real  estate  broker, 
Erie.  Mr.  Roberts  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Conshohocken,  Pa.,  graduating  from  the  high  school. 
In  l!<(i(i  he  began  a  ]irinter's  apprenticeshiji  in  the 
Erie  UiKpiitch  ofiice,  where  he  remained  continuously 
for  twenty-five  years.  He  left  the  Dispatch  on  Decem- 
ber 1,  1890,  and  on  January  1,  1891,  associated  with 
Mr.  F.  J.  Walker,  who  had  established  the  Erie  Show 
Printing  Company,  located  at  10-22  We.st  Fourth 
street.  In  August,  1891,  a  lithographing  department 
was  added,  the  adjacent  building  west  of  the  original 
location  being  purchased  for  its  occupancy,  .•\bout 
tills  time  the  hrm  name  was  changed  to  the  Erie 
Lithograjihing  and  Printing  Company.  They  do  all 
kinds  of  circus,  theatrical  and  conmiercial  lithograph- 
ing, i)rinting  and  engraving.  The  business  has  grown 
rapidly  from  the  start  and  is  in  a  floiuishing  condition. 
Mr.  Roberts  was  married  June  18,  1891,  to  Miss 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Elias  and  Phoebe  Reiddle,  of 
Erie.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  is  two  children, 
Gertrude  Hester  and  Isabella  Phoebe.  Mr.  Roberts 
and  family  worship  at  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Erie.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Andrew  F.  Voelk  (deceased)  was  one  of  Erie's 
enterprising  manufacturers  and  resjjected  citizens. 
He  was  born  in  Eichtenfels,  Bavaria,  Germany,  March 
8,  1837,  where  after  his  school  days  and  at  the  age  of 
14  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  machinist. 
In  1854  he  came  to  the  I'nited  .States  and  located  in 
Xew  York,  where  he  remained  two  year.s.  Coming  to 
Erie,  he  continued  in  the  same  line  of  business  until 
his  death,   which  occurred   at  his  residence,  Xo.  137 


East  Tenth  street,  September  7,  1894.  When  Liddcll 
&  McCarter  founded  the  machine  shoj)  at  the  corner 
of  Twelfth  an<l  State  streets  which  was  the  nucleus  of 
the  Erie  City  Iron  \\'ork.s,  Mr.  X'oelk  was  made  fore- 
man of  the  works,  a  |)osition  he  held  for  eleven  years, 
when,  in  conijiany  with  other  jiarties,  he  founded  the 
Humboldt  Iron  Works  on  the  site  now  occupied  by 
the  Colby  and  the  Hicks  blocks,  on  State  street.  This 
concern  has  since  become  the  Davis-Farrar  Company, 
manufacturers  of  marine  engines,  boilers  and  jiump.s. 
In  1885,  in  company  with  Mr.  P.  W.  Dietley,  he  founded 
the  Erie  Machine  Sho|;,  referred  to  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  In  1893  he  .sokl  out  his  interest  and  made  a  trip 
to  Europe,  where  he  visited  the  scenes  of  his  child- 
hood. On  his  return,  he  became  the  chief  mover  in 
the  establishment  of  the  Gem  City  Manufacturing 
Company,  located  on  Fourteenth  and  Holland  streets, 
which  has  since  done  a  flourishing  business.  Mr. 
Voelk  was  married  in  1856  to  Miss  Louise,  daughter 
of  Christian  Reasir,  of  Erie.  Her  father  left  P~ ranee 
and  located  in  Erie,  when  she  was  9  years  old.  This 
union  was  blessed  with  seven  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living:  Misses  Louise  and  Anna  Voelk  and  Mr. 
Fred  \'oelk,  who  is  interested  and  employed  in  the 
Gem  City  Manufacturing  Company's  Works.  In  pol- 
itics Mr.  Voelk  was  a  Republican. 

Adrian  J.  Mitchell,  veterinary  surgeon,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Livingston  county,  Xew  Jersey,  May 
28,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  .Abram  J.  and  .Mary  E.  (Wright) 
Mitchell.  When  a  boy  he  attended  some  of  the  rural 
schools,  but  the  greater  part  of  his  general  education 
was  received  in  the  academy  at  Springfield,  X.  J.  In 
1874  he  matriculated  at  the  American  \'eterinary  Col- 
lege of  Xew  York  city,  where  he  remained  one  year, 
and  afterwards,  in  1877-8,  attended  the  Xew  York  Col- 
lege of  \'eterinary  Surgeons.  In  1882  he  accepted  a 
position  as  veterinarian  for  Asa  Burnham's  racing 
horses,  and  continued  such  throughout  the  circuit. 
While  acting  in  this  capacity,  and  located  at  Coney 
Island,  he  studied  incidentally  with  that  eminent  vet- 
erinarian and  member  of  the  Royal  College  of  \'eter- 
inary  Surgeons,  Dr.  J.  .\.  Going,  of  Xew  York  city,  who 
conferred  upon  him  a  certificate  of  recommendation. 
In  the  fall  of  1882  he  entered  the  Ontario  \"eterinary 
College,  but  on  account  of  severe  and  repeated  attacks 
of  sciatic  rheumatism,  he  was  not  graduated  until  De- 
cember 31,  1885.  Even  after  the  comjiletion  of  his 
course  he  was  taken  home  in  a  helpless  condition. 
This  illness  also  vanquished  one  of  his  fondest  hopes, 
that  of  completing  his  education  in  Paris.  As  soon  as 
his  health  was  sufficiently  regained  he  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  which  he  followed  in  Oil  City, 
Titusville  and  other  places  in  Pennsylvania,  and,  in 
1888,  came,  to  Erie,  since  which  time  his  olTice  has 
been  at  1227  Peach  .street.  In  the  rear  of  his  office, 
ami  attached  to  it,  is  his  veterinary  hospital,  which  is 
one  of  the  finest  in  northwestern  Pennsylvania.  Soon 
after  coming  to  Erie  Dr.  Mitcheirssu|ieriorknowIedge 
of  veterinary  surgery  and  medicine  began  to  attract 
the  attention  and  patronage  of  many  owners  of  valua- 
ble horses,  notably  the  late  Hon.  W.  L.  -Scott,  who,  at 
that  time,  had  upon  the  .MgiTia  Farm  between  S.300,000 
and  j.4(Wl,0(10  worth  of  high-bred  running  horses.  There 
probably  is  not  a  veterinarian  in  .\merica  who  has  oper- 
ated ujion  a  greater  numbt-r  of  valuable  horses  than 
Dr.  Mitchell,  and  it  is  conceded  that  he  has  the  largest 
practice  in  Erie.    The  doctor  was  married  December 


7oS 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


25,  1880,  to  M  iss  Clara  Dross,  of  Govvanda,  N.  Y.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  two  children,  Adrian,  a 
student  in  the  Erie  Academy,  and  Miss  I.uella,  a  stu- 
dent iTi  the  Central  high  school.  Ur.  Mitchell  is  a 
nieinber  of  the  A.  ().  U.  W'.,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  his 
political  views. 

Adolph  Schrocck,  contractor  and  builder,  Krie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  lioerdt,  Germersheim,  Kheinpfalz, 
Germany,  October  20,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Con- 
rad and' Mary  Anna  (Mo-ser)  Schroeck.  His  father, 
who  was  a  cabinetmaker  by  trade,  reared  a  family  of 
four  children,  of  whom  Adolph  is  the  second.  Dne 
day,  when  about  16  years  old,  he  was  driving  his 
father's  team,  and  a  company  of  soldiers  seized  it. 
But,  instead  of  abandoning  the  team,  he  accompanied 
it,  and  thus,  witliout  his  |iarents'  knowing  his  wlu're- 
abouts,  he  servi-d  two  months  in  the  army,  after  whicl 
he  escaped  and  returned  home.  In  1872  he  came  to 
the  I'nited  .States  and  locateii  in  Krie,  where  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  S.  Kirscliner  to  learn  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  with  whom  he  rc'Uiained  five  years.  He 
then  followed  his  trade  for  two  and  a  half  years  in  the 
oil  region,  after  which  he  returned  to  Krie  and  entered 
the  emjiloy  of  Constable  Bros.,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained in  all  about  live  years.  In  18K0,  when  he  had 
been  in  the  employ  of  Constable  Bros,  about  si.\ 
months,  he  visited  his  native  country,  remaining  abroad 
about  six  months.  In  1884  he  engaged  in  business  for 
himself,  in  which  he  has  since  been  highly  successful. 
He  does  all  kinds  of  building,  from  foundation  to 
finish,  including  interior  decorating  and  papering. 
He  built  his  planing-mill,  at  !(U2  East  Kleventh  street, 
in  188il,  and  has  since  adde<i  to  it  from  year  to  year. 
The  products  of  the  mill  incluile  all  kinds  of  dressed 
and  manufactured  lumber,  but  for  his  own  use  ex- 
clusively. The  fine  residences  and  other  buildings 
which  he  has  erected  in  Krie  are  too  numerous  to 
mention.  He  built  his  own  comfortable  home  at  906 
East  Eleventh  street  in  1888.  Mr.  Schroeck  was  mar- 
ried April  15,  1880,  to  Miss  Alary  Eva,  daughter  of 
Mr.  George  Boehm,  of  Hoerdt,  (Jermany.  This  union 
has  been  lilesscd  with  eight  children,  Mary  Magda- 
lena,  Anna  C'atherine,  John  Adolph,  Mary  Annie, 
Peter  Adam,  John  Frederick,  Elizabeth,  Clara  (de- 
ceased) and  Kosa.  Mr.  Schroeck  and  family  are  mem- 
bers of  St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church,  and  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  In  politics  he  is  not  bound  by 
party  ties,  but  gives  his  vote  to  what  he  considers 
the  best  interests  of  the  community. 

Edward  W.  Constable,  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  C(instal)le  Bros.,  Krie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Krie, 
December  li),  I85U,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Constable, 
whose  sketch  appears  in  this  work,  fie  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Krie,  and  then  clerked  for  six 
years  in  a  grocery  store  in  Titusville,  Pa.,  after  which 
he  followed  bookkeejiing  for  five  years  in  Erie.  In 
1878  he,  in  company  with  his  brother,  William  H., 
purchased  of  Constable  &■  Ramsey  their  mill  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Fifth  and  Sassafras  streets.  This 
partnershi]!  lasted  two  years,  after  which  he  conducted 
the  business  alone  three  years,  and  then  admitted  his 
brother,  Charles  A.,  to  the  partnership.  The  mill 
burned  in  November,  1888,  and  was  rebuilt  immedi- 
ately, and  was  again  in  operation  in  the  spring  of 
1889.  The  products  of  the  mill  include  all  kinds  of 
manufactured  lumber  and  building  supplies,  not  only 


for  their  own  building,  but  for  the  trade.  There  is  also 
carried  a  large  stock  of  builders'  hardware.  Among 
the  fine  buildings  which  thev  have  erected  may  be 
mentioned  the  residences  of  l)aven])ort  (ialbr.iith, 
George  1).  Selden,  J.  P.  Metcalf,  E.  Camphau.sen,  Dr. 
J.  C.  M.  Drake,  J.  B.  Crouch,  OttoGermer,  jr., Thouuis 
Hem|ihill,  etc.  Mr.  Constable  was  married  in  June, 
1878,  to  .Miss  .Alice  E.  Roberts,  of  V.vw,  who  died  in 
188;i  He  was  remarried,  July  2,  1890,  to  .Miss  .Mary  K. 
Evans,  daughter  of  John  Evans,  formerly  of  Girard, 
Pa.,  but  now  of  Benton  Harbor,  Mich.  In  |)olitics  Mr. 
Constable  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  has  ren- 
dered nuich  valuable  service  to  the  party  of  his  choice. 

John  Constable,  one  of  Erie's  oldest  and  most 
highly  respecti'd  citizens,  was  born  in  a  suburb  of  Lon- 
don, Engl.ind,  January  11,  1811,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert 
and  Harriet  (Perkins)  Constable.  He  was  educited 
and  learned  his  trade  in  his  native  cmmtrv,  and  came 
to  the  I'nited  States  in  18*i,  locating  in' Buffalo,  \. 
Y.,  where  he  remained  four  years.  He  then  went  to 
Florida,  where  he  was  em|)loyed  in  an  arsenal  lor 
nearly  a  yeai,  after  which  he  returned  to  Buffalo.  In 
18;{9  he  starte<l  for  Pittsliurg,  where  his  brother,  Na- 
thaniel, afterwards  national  quartermaster  in  the  late 
war,  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  (jf  safes.  He 
left  Buffalo  on  the  steamer  "  Robert  Fulton,"  but  when 
he  reached  Krie,  he  found  that  his  trunks  had  been 
put  off  at  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.  While  waiting  for  his  trunks 
he  sought  and  found  employment  in  Krie,  where  he 
has  since  remained.  Thus,  by  mistake,  as  it  were, 
Krie  gained  one  of  her  best  citizens.  His  first  employer 
was  Col.  Seth  Reed,  and  his  first  work  was  upon  the 
Reed  House.  After  .some  time  employed  as  journey- 
man, he  engaged  in  business  for  himself  in  contract- 
ing and  building.  Among  his  first  buildings  were  the 
stores  now  occupied  by  P.  Minning  tV  .Sons  and  the 
residence  of  Joseph  M.  .Sterrett,  at  Fifth  and  Holland 
streets.  In  com]iany  with  Hugh  Jones,  he  built  what 
was  then  known  as  the  East  and  West  Ward  .school 
houses,  at  that  time  the  only  school  buildings  in  the 
town,  and  other  buildings.  He  was  also  for  a  tiiue  in 
partnershiji  with  Sanuiel  Cummings.  In  later  years 
we  find  such  monuments  to  his  work  as  the  Park  Pres- 
byterian Church,  Dime  Bank  Building  and  Scott 
Block.  He  built  a  mill  on  the  ]iresent  site  of  the  one 
now  owned  and  operated  by  his  sons,  on  the  old  canal, 
and  was  the  first  to  u.se  the  power  of  its  water.  Mr. 
Constable  was  married  in  1829  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Pet- 
titt,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  John,  who  was  born 
in  Kngland,  and  who  ilied  from  disease  contracted  in 
the  late  war;  George,  who  was  in  the  circus  business 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  was  drownetl  by  the  burst- 
ing of  a  boiler  on  the  Ohio  river,  near  Cairo,  111.,  in 
1874;  Thomas,  who  is  employed  on  the  lakes;  Harriet, 
who  married  George  McGowan  and  died  in  Titusville, 
Pa.,  and  Washington,  who  is  a  glazier  in  Krie.  Mrs. 
Constable  dying  in  1885,  Mr.  Constable  was  remarried 
in  18;?8  to  Mrs.  Kliza  (Culp)  Reinhardt,  who  had  one 
son,  William,  and  by  whom  he  hail  four  children:  Kd- 
ward  W.  and  Charles  A.,  whose  sketches  ai)pear  in 
this  work;  Louisa,  Mrs.  H.  C.  Sanderson,  of  .Scranton, 
Pa.,  and  Herbert,  who  is  engaged  in  the  furniture  busi- 
ness in  Boston.  Three  of  Mr.  Constable's  sons  were 
in  the  late  war:  Thomas,  one  year  in  the  navv  and  the 
83d  P.  \.  I.;  Washington,  in  the  145th  P.  \'.  L,  was  for 
a  time  in  Libby  Prison,  and  John,  already  mentioned; 
William  Reinhardt  was  also  in  the  83d   P.  \.  I.     Mr. 


% 


/y   ay^t^^.     ^/W^i^-^M^^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


709 


and  Mrs.  Constable  have  for  many  years  been  mem- 
bers (if  the  ]5a[)tist  Church,  and  he  is  the  oldest  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  Encampment  in  Erie.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  was  for  many  years  a 
meml)er  of  the  city  councils. 

Charles  A.  Constable,  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Constalile  fSros.,  manufacturers,  contractors 
and  builders,  Erie,  I'a.,  was  born  in  Erie  November 
211,  185H,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Constable,  whose  sketch 
appears  in  this  volume.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic .schools  of  Erie,  and  learned  his  trade  with  his 
father,  after  which  he  spent  five  years  working  at  his 
trade  in  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Erie  and  entered  the  employ  of  his  father, 
and  later  of  Constable  Bros.,  who  succeeded  his  father 
in  business.  U[)on  the  death  of  Mr.  William  H.  Con- 
stal)le,  in  1878,  .Mr.  Charles  H.  Constable  took  charge 
of  his  estate  and  continued  the  management  of  it  for 
three  years,  when  he  became  a  member  of  the  firm, 
which  has  since  been  comiiosed  of  Edward  W.  and 
Charles  A.  Constable.  The  [ilant  is  located  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Fifth  and  Sassafras  streets,  and 
occupies  an  area  165  feet  square.  The  business  of  the 
concern  includes  all  kinds  of  building  from  foundation 
to  finish,  and  gives  emjiloyment  to  about  1T5  men. 
The  jiroducts  of  the  mill  are  all  kinds  of  finished  and 
manufactured  lumber  for  building  ]:iurposes.  In  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  ]>lant  is  the  store,  which  carries 
a  complete  stock  of  builders'  hardware  and  furnish- 
ings. The  institution  as  a  whole  is  one  of  the  most 
complete  and  thoroughly  equipped  in  Northwestern 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Constable  was  married  May  30, 
1885,  to  Miss  Clara  I.,  daughter  of  Mr.  Edmund  Wil- 
son, of  Edinboro,  Pa.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  one  child,  .\ddie.  They  reside  at  4Ut  .Sassafras 
street.  In  ]iolitics  Mr.  Constable  is  a  Republican, 
and  served  the  city  as  a  member  of  the  common  coun- 
cil for  the  terms  from  1881  to  1883. 

Edward  Mehl,  superintendent  of  the  docks  and 
the  lake  and  rail  shipping  of  the  W.  L.  Scott  Com- 
pany, Erie,  was  born  in  Erie,  Se]>tember  1,  1856,  and 
IS  a  son  of  Anthony  and  Maria  Anna  (Raeder)  Mehl, 
natives  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  who  came  to  Erie  about 
1845  and  here  learned  the  carpenter  trade,  which  he 
followed  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  The  immediate 
family  consisted  of  two  sons,  Philip  J.,  who  was  super- 
intendent of  the  erection  of  the  main  building  of  the 
Mid-Winter  Fair  in  San  Francisco  in  1895,  and  is  now 
su[ierintendent  of  construction  of  a  large  public  build- 
ing now  being  constructed  in  Sutro  park  in  that  city; 
and  Edward.  The  latter  named  gentleman  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
city,  and  was  graduated  from  St.  \'incent's  College, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  m  1877.  Soon 
after  com|ileting  his  education  he  secured  a  position 
as  clerk  to  Paymaster  A.  D.  Bache,  United  States 
steamer  "  Michigan,"  where  he  remained  one  year. 
In  1880  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  W.  L.  Scott 
Company  as  shipping  clerk  at  the  soft-coal  dock.  The 
officers  of  this  comjiany  have  always  been  quick  to 
recognize  and  apjireciate  merit,  and  Mr.  Mehl  was 
rapidly  promoted  until  he  was  made  sujierintendent  of 
the  soft  coal  shipjiing,  and,  upon  the  death  of  Mr. 
John  R.  Saltsman,  superintendent  of  the  hard  coal 
shipping,  December  14,  1S'J4,  he  was  promoted  to  his 
present  position.     Mr.  Mehl  is  a  charter  member  of 


the  Erie  Club,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Kahkwa 
Club.  He  is  a  member  of  -St.  .Mary's  Catholic  Church, 
of  which  he  is  a  generous  supporter.  He  affiliates 
with  the  Democrat  party,  but  has  never  been  a  seeker 
of  public  office  or  political  [ireferment. 

William  A.  Walker,  chief  engineer  of  the  Mer- 
chants' and  .Manufacturers'  Electric  Light  Works, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  (iowan<la,  N.  Y.,  June  17,  1866, 
and  is  a  son  of  Josiah  W.  and  Anna  >1.  (Chapman) 
Walker,  natives  resjiectively  of  New  York  and  New 
Hampshire,  and  of  I-^nglish  ancestry.  His  father,  who 
w'as  a  molder  by  trade  and  died  in  1880,  at  the  age  of 
47  years,  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  three  of 
whom  are  living:  Anna,  .Mrs.  Samuel  W.  Shearer,  of 
Erie;  William  A.,  and  George  W.,  the  last  foreman  of 
the  printing  office  of  the  H.  F.  Watson  Paper  Com- 
pany. .Mr.  Walker  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Warren,  Pa.,  and  also  of  Erie,  and  after  leaving 
school  entered  the  machine  shop  of  the  Brooks  Loco- 
motive Works,  of  Dunkirk,  to  learn  the  machinist's 
trade.  After  completing  his  apprenticeship  he  began 
firing  on  the  Rochester  division  of  the  Butfalo, 
Rochester  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.;  he  also  fired  on  the 
N.  Y.  C.  &  St.  L.  R.  R.  and  the  Pittsburg,  Youngstown 
and  Ashtabula  R.  R.,  in  all  about  five  years.  In  1891 
he  accepted  a  position  with  the  H.  F.  Watson  Paper 
Company  as  stationary  engineer,  and  was  made  fore- 
man of  the  gas  works  of  that  concern  soon  after  the 
establishment  of  that  feature.  He  contmued  in  that 
position  until  he  accepted  his  jiresent  one,  October  1, 
1894.  Mr.  Walker  was  married,  October  22,  1889,  to 
Miss  Lila  M.,  daughter  of  .Mr.  Daniel  Weidler,  of 
Erie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  attend  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  and  is  a 
Republican  in  politics. 

Charles  H.  Klemtti,  constable  for  the  Fourth 
ward,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Bremen,  Germany,  January 
24,  1853,  is  a  son  of  John  B.  and  Anna(Fouch)  Klemm. 
His  father  was  a  member  of  the  police  force  of  Bremen 
for  twenty-eight  years,  and  for  a  portion  of  that  time 
a  sergeant  of  jiolice.  The  family  consisted  of  thirteen 
children,  nine  of  whom  are  living,  six  in  .\merica  and 
three  in  Erie.  .Mr.  Klemm  was  educated  in  his  native 
country  and  also  attended  night  school  to  some  extent 
after  reaching  the  country  of  hisatloption.  When  but 
13  years  of  age  he  came  to  .America  unaccompanied 
by  any  of  his  relatives  and  located  in  Baltimore,  .Md., 
where  his  brother,  Charles  H.,  had  emigrated.  He  re- 
mained in  Baltimore  three  and  a  half  years,  during 
which  time  he  learned  the  cigarmaking  trade,  which 
he  then  followed  successively  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  six 
months:  Union  City,  Pa.,  fifteen  months;  Corry,  one 
year;  .Milwaukee,  Wis.,  one  year;  Chicago,  one  year, 
and  Cleveland,  Ohio,  six  months,  whence  he  came  to 
Erie  March  18,  1873,  atid  worked  at  his  trade  nine 
years.  In  1882  he  was  elected  to  his  pre.sent  position, 
and  at  the  expiration  of  each  term  since  has  been  re- 
elected. He  was  also  collector  of  city  taxes  in  1889 
and  1890.  Mr.  Klemm  was  married  .August  18,  1873, 
to  Miss  Mary  Straub,  of  Erie.  The  issue  of  this  mar- 
riage was  ten  children:  Jacob,  Charles  \'.,  Anthony, 
Edward,  .Adeline,  Eva,  Walter,  Clara  (deceased I,  Roy 
\'alentine,  Dora  and  Benjamin.  Mr.  Kli-mm  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  1.  O.  O.  F,  and  the  Herman's  Sons.  In  jiol- 
itics  he  is  a  staunch  Democrat, 


7IO 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPmCAL  DICTWNARY 


James  C.  Williams,  siipcrinUndcnt  of  tlio  nia- 
chinciy  CDiistruclidti  tleiiartmcnt  of  the  J.lrccki  Manu- 
facturing Coni])any,  was  l)orn  in  Brantfonl.  Canada, 
April  29,  184;i,  and  is  a  son  of  Jolm  ,uid  Rachel  i  I'arry) 
Williams,  natives  of  Wales.  He  was  educated  in  tlie 
public  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  at  the  aj;e  of  12 
years  heL;an  to  learn  the  machinist's  trade,  which  he 
followed  in  various  ]>laces  till  1H81,  when  he  acce[ited 
his  present  |iosition.  He  resides  at  ;!24  I'.ast  Sixth 
street.  Mr.  Williams  was  married  .August  I'.l,  187IJ,  to 
Miss  Anna  Kli/aheth  Schriher.  of  Nleadville,  Pa. 
They  have  four  children:  Carrie,  Mr.s.  Frank  Stouijh- 
ton,  of  Erie;  Charles  F.,  Ernest  and  Walter.  Mr.  Will- 
iams is  a  Scottish  Rite  Ma.son,  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Elks,  the  G.  A.  R.,  the  Erie  Merchants'  Club 
and  the  .'\merican  Society  of  Mechanical  F^ngineers. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  served  his  city  as 
a  member  of  the  common  council  one  term  and  the 
select  council  two  years. 

Rudolph  Conrader,  superintendent  of  the  l)rass- 
linisluEii;  department  of  the  jarecki  Manufacturing 
Comjiany,  F>ie,  Pa.,  was  horn  in  I'".rie,  November  13, 
1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Marcus  and  I.oretta  (Hartelles) 
Conrader,  natives  of  Germany,  who  enn'grated  to  I'.rie, 
in  18-18.  His  father,  who  was  a  painter  by  trade,  died 
in  1892;  his  mother  is  still  living.  The  faTuilv  con- 
si.sted  of  the  children:  William,  superintendent  for 
Henry  .Shenk,  Pittsburg,  Pa.;  Herman,  for  many  years 
a  barber  in  Erie,  but  now  residing  in  Jack.sonville, 
Fla.,  on  account  of  poor  health;  Charles  A.,  of  the 
firm  of  Jenkins  &:  Conrader,  lirie;  Rudolph,  and  I, aura, 
clerk  in  the  dry  goods  store  of  Trask,  Prescott  & 
Richardson,  F>ie.  Mr.  Conrader  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Erie,  and,  in  May,  1872,  enterc^d  the 
employ  of  the  Jarecki  Manufacturing  Company,  to 
learn  tln'  brass-tinishing  trade,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued, excepting  1882  83,  when  he  worked  in  brass 
shops  in  various  jilaces  in  the  ICast.  He  has  held  his 
]iresent  resjjonsible  position  since  May,  1M87.  There 
are  from  lloto  120  meli  em|iloyed  in  his  department, 
and  nearly  as  many  machines.  Many  of  the  machines 
used  are  of  his  invention,  and  nearly  all  of  them  bear 
the  touches  of  his  mechanical  genius.  Among  the 
many  machines  which  he  has  inventi-d  and  i>atented 
may  be  mentioned  a  metal  ball  machine,  a  grinding 
machine,  a  billiard-ball  machine,  and  many  others, 
nearly  all  of  which  he  has  sold  to  the  Jarecki  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Conrader  was  married  June  11,  1885,  to 
Mi.ss  Sophia  Smith,  of  Erie.  They  had  three  children: 
Edwin  R.,  who  died  in  1892,  aged  (i  years;  Anna  I,., 
and  Alfred  Y..  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conrader  attend  the 
Universalis!  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  ().  O. 
¥.,  the  Maccabees  and  the  American  Society  of  Me- 
chanical Engineers.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Charles  A.  Conrader.  of  the  firm  of  Jenkins  & 
Conrader,  contractors  and  builders,  F^rie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Ivrie,  Pa.,  July  24,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Marcus 
and  I.oretta  ( Bartellesl  Conrader.  He  was  educated 
in  the  ]iublic  schools  of  Erie,  and  at  the  age  of  19  years 
engaged  with  Mr.  John  Miller  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade.  He  remained  with  Mr.  Miller  five  years,  two 
years  with  Mr.  White,  and  three  years  with  Jolm  J. 
Hogan.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  stroke-oarsman  of 
the  Erie  life-saving  station,  to  succeed  Clark  Jones, 
where  he  served  four  years,  with  much  credit  to  him- 
self and  satisfaction  to  the  general   public.     He  was 


then  employed  for  two  and  a  half  years  upon  the  in- 
terior woodwork  of  St.  Peter's  Cathedral,  doing  nearly 
all  the  carpenter  work  on  the  ceiling,  which  will  long 
bear  evidence  of  his  superior  workmanshi|>.  He  was 
also  employed  for  several  months  upon  the  fine  wood- 
work of  the  \'illa  Maria.  He  then  entered  the  employ 
of  Henry  .Shenk,  as  foreman,  and  as  such  built  the  St. 
Michael's  and  Simp.son  Churches.  In  1894  he  entiTcd 
into  partnershi])  with  Mr.  William  \.  lenkins,  and 
they  have  since  done  an  extensive  general  l)uilding 
business.  During  the  season  of  1894  they  built  the 
addition  to  the  gas  works,  the  German  Bajnist  Church, 
the  Siegel  Block,  the  McCarter  Block,  the  P.acon 
Hou.se,  the  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  IClectric 
Light  Works,  the  new  porch  of  Hon.  C.  M.  Reed's 
residence,  an<l  numerous  other  buildings.  Mr.  Con- 
rader was  married  in  October,  1878,  to  Catherine, 
daughter  of  Mr.  Barney  Daugherty,  of  ICrie,  who  was 
killed  in  I8(i4  while  tearing  down  the  old  Market 
House.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  seven  chil- 
dren: Charles,  George,  Susan,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
(i  years,  Rudol])h;  John,  August  ami  Ray,  In  politics 
Mr.  Conrader  has  always  been  in  sympathy  with  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party. 

William  McWIiorter  w.is  horn  in  Cincinnatus, 
Cortland  county,  N.  ^'.,  .August  10,  1831,  is  the  son  of 
Zuriel  and  Polly  (Fairchild)  .McWhorter,  and  is  of 
.Scotch  ;ind  I'.nglish  ancestry.  His  grandfather  came 
to  Cortland,  CortUnd  county,  in  1780,  and  was  a  ]irac- 
ticing  ])hysician  there  for  over  forty  years,  and  was 
prominently  connected  with  several  business  interests 
of  the  ])lace.  His  youngest  son,  Zuriel,  was  educated 
to  succeed  his  father  in  the  medical  profession,  but  it 
afterwards  proving  distasteful  to  him,  he  gave  it  uji 
and  engaged  in  fruit  farming.  In  1825  he  married 
Polly  Fairchild,  ;md  reared  ;i  family  of  seven  children, 
of  whom  William  was  the  second,  and  the  only  one  re- 
siding in  Erie.  He  was  educated  in  tlie  ]iublic  schools 
of  his  nativk"  town,  and  at  the  age  of  l(i  years  engaged 
with  Captain  Benjamin  Burdett,  of  Buffalo,  in  the 
piano  making  trade,  with  whom  he  remained  four 
years.  It  was  during  this  time,  in  1851,  that  he  m.ide 
his  first  trip  to  F'.rie  to  look  after  some  business  f<ir 
his  employer.  In  18.V2  David  Benson,  of  Cincinnatus, 
N.  Y.,  a  friend  of  Mr.  McWhorter,  ]iurchased  the 
business  of  Capt.  Burdett,  and  .Mr.  McWhorter  took  a 
contract  of  him  to  manufacture  the  actions,  which  he 
did  for  four  ye.ir.s.  He  then  began  selling  pianos  in 
Buffalo  on  his  own  account,  which  he  followed  for 
three  years.  F'rom  1855  to  18fil  he  traveled  very  ex- 
tensively through  the  South  in  the  same  line  of  busi- 
ness, and  was  in  Frankfort,  Ky.,  when  Fort  Sumter 
was  tired  upon.  In  1857  Mr.  McWhorter  purchased  a 
fruit  farm  in  LaSalle,  X.  Y..  u|ion  which  he  lived  for 
many  years  jirevious  to  coming  to  F>ie,  and  u[ion 
which  he  raised  large  ipiantities  of  all  fruits  grown  in 
that  climate.  He  removed  to  Erie  in  1885,  and  sold 
the  farm  in  1891.  But  during  all  these  years  he  com- 
bined the  management  of  his  farm  with  the  piano 
business.  In  1882-5  he  traveled  throughout  F2astern 
Pennsylvania  and  Western  New  York  in  the  interest 
of  Denton  &:  Cottier,  extensive  piano  dealers  of  Buf- 
falo. N.N'.  Mr.  McWhorter  was  married  .Sejitember  7, 
1804,  to  Miss  Helen,  daughter  of  Jose]ih  B.  .Moorhead, 
of  Moorheadville,  ICrie  county.  The  issue  of  this  mar- 
riage has  been  seven  children:  Jose])h  B.  Moorhead, 
in  Gallion,  111.;  Mary,  who  died  at  the  age  of  19  years; 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUJUTK 


711 


Harry  L.,  bookkeejier  for  the  Griswold  Manufacturing 
Ci)iii|iany  and  secretary  of  the  Hollands  Manufactur- 
inij  Company;  Frank,  who  died  at  the  age  of  2  years; 
Bessie,  Eleanor  and  Robert.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McWhor- 
ter  are  members  of  the  Park  Presbyterian  Church. 

Fratik  E.  Wade,  secretary  of  the  board  of  poor 
directcjrs  of  I'.rie  county,  was  born  in  Union  township, 
this  county,  October  11,  IWH,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
R.  and  Angeline  (  Northropel  Wade.  His  father  was 
a  native  of  Bradford  county.  Pennsylvania,  but  re- 
moved to  Chautautpia  county.  New  ^'ork,  with  his 
father,  Charles  Wade,  when  a  small  boy.  About  1845 
he  went  to  Union  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  afterwards  building  a 
mill  and  marketing  his  lumber  in  Erie.  He  also  owned 
and  managed  a  large  farm,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  citizens  of  that  township.  He  was  a  staunch 
Republican  antl  a  persistent  worker  in  the  interests  of 
his  |iarty.  He  held  nearly  all  the  township  offices,  and 
from  IHH-")  to  18i)l  was  one  of  the  commissioners  of 
Erie  county;  he  died  in  18i)l.  The  family  consisted  of 
seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  living:  Frank  E., 
William  H.,  farmer  in  Concord  township;  Elmer  A., 
in  the  employ  of  the  Colby  Piano  Comjiany,  Erie;  Car- 
rie E.,  who  married  Mr.  J.  R.  McCrea,  farmer,  Concord 
town.ship;  Fred  J.,  who  is  a  driller  in  Indiana,  and  Bert 
S.,  who  IS  in  the  emiiloy  of  the  .\merican  Wringer 
Company,  at  Williamsport,  Pa.  Mr.  Frank  K.  Wade 
was  educated  in  the  pulilic  schools  of  his  native  town 
and  the  Union  City  high  school.  In  18(58,  his  father 
having  traded  his  mill  for  a  large  farm,  and  removed 
thereon,  he  divided  his  attention  for  the  next  two  years 
between  farming  and  attending  school.  Ill  1870  he 
went  to  Spring  Creek,  Warren  county.  Pa.,  where  for 
nearly  four  year?  he  worked  in  a  saw  mill.  He  then 
returned  to  Concord  townshi]i,  Erie  county,  and  fol- 
lowed farming  two  years,  after  which  he  resumed  the 
lumber  business  at  Concord  Station,  acting  in  the  vari- 
ous capacities  of  clerk,  foreman,  log  measurer,  etc., 
which  he  continued  for  five  years.  In  1884  he  went  to 
Beaver  Uara,  Pa.,  to  take  charge  of  a  store  for  Mr.  D. 
S.  Lyons,  where  he  remained  until  January  1,  1890, 
when  he  acce[)ted  his  present  position.  He  resides  at 
1916  Sassafras  .street.  Mr.  Wade  was  married  July  15, 
1873,  to  Miss  Lottie  M.,  daughter  of  Mr.  .A.  J.  Rice,  of 
Riceville,  Crawford  county.  Pa.  The  issue  of  this  mar- 
riage is  three  children,  .Susie  A..  Roy  A.  and  Marjorie. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade  are  members  of  the  Simpson  M. 
E.  Church,  of  Erie.  In  politics  he  is  a  Rejiublican, 
and  while  living  in  L^nion  township  held  the  office  of 
assessor,  and  in  Concord  tovvnshiji,  the  office  of  as- 
sessor and  school  director. 

George  Peuitigham,  retired,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native 
of  Strausburg,  Germany,  was  born  September  29, 1830, 
and  when  3  years  of  age  came  to  Erie  with  his  parents, 
Philip  and  Catherine  (Henk)  P'eningham.  The  father 
was  a  pump-manufacturer  in  Erie  for  many  years,  and 
died  October  5,  1882,  aged  81.  The  mother  died  in 
184B.  In  the  family  there  were  six  children,  of  whom 
George  was  the  third.  Mr.  Feningham  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  in  Erie,  was  educated  in  the  jjublic  schools, 
and,  when  19  years  of  age.  commence<l  an  ap|)rentice- 
ship  at  the  caqienter's  trade  with  James  Scott,  a  con- 
tractor at  that  time.  He  followed  his  trade  in  l-'.rie 
until  185t),  when  he  went  to  Edinboro,  Pa.,  where  he 
followed  the  same  kind  of  business  until  1863,  when  he 


went  to  Girard,  Pa.,  and  about  ten  years  later  returned 
to  Erie.  Here  he  followed  general  contracting  and 
building  for  about  twenty  years.  During  the  last  two 
years,  on  account  of  ill-health,  he  has  been  unable  to 
gi've  his  business  personal  attention,  and  has  been 
[)ractically  compelled  to  retire.  He  was  married  in 
1854,  to  Jane  Ensworth,  of  Wattsburg.  Pa.  To  them 
was  born  one  child,  Linnie,  now  Sirs.  J.  J.  Kibler, 
Girard,  Pa.,  when  a  legal  separation  took  place,  and 
Mr.  Feningham  afterward  married  Miss  Jane  Fiedler. 
After  being  married  six  years  she  died,  in  1878,  leav- 
ing no  children.  Mr.  F'eningham  has  been  collector 
of  taxes  in  his  ward  one  term,  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  and  has  spent  a  life  of  business  ac- 
tivity in  Erie  county. 

Harry  W.  Lewis,  letter  carrier,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Harbor  Creek  township,  ICrie  county.  Pa.,  August 
30,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  .Marcus  and  Lucy  (Allen) 
Lewis,  the  former  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  of  Revo- 
lutionary stock,  his  paternal  grandfather  having  served 
in  the  Continental  army,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  a  grand-niece  of  Ethan  Allen.  Harry  N. 
Lewis  is  the  seventh  in  a  family  of  ten  children.  He 
was  reared  in  Harbor  Creek  township  to  the  age  of 
15,  when  the  family  removed  to  Fairview  township. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  worked 
at  home  on  the  farm  until  the  war  broke  out,  and  May 
21,  18()1,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  McLane's  Reg.,  which 
went  out  in  answer  to  the  three  months'  volunteer  call. 
He  remained  in  this  regiment  untd  July  29, 1861,  when 
he  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  U.  S.  Reg.  Cav.,  under  Capt. 
John  Irwin  Gregg.  Mr.  Lewis'  service  was  altogether 
in  the  army  of  tlie  Potomac.  At  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg, he  was  taken  prisoner,  and  w-as  imprisoned  at 
Bell  Island  and  Libliy,  when  he  was  paroled  and  later 
exchanged,  and  then  engaged  in  the  service,  under 
-Sheridan,  and  .served  with  him  until  he  went  to  the 
Shenandoah  Valley.  As  a  soldier  Mr.  Lewis  has  a 
record  that  is  equalled  by  few.  He  participated  in 
nearly  all  the  engagements  of  the  army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, having  been  under  fire  108  times.  He  was  in 
thirteen  general  battles,  twenty-one  cavalry  fights,  and 
numerous  skirmishes.  Three  of  his  brothers  were  also 
in  the  service.  James  served  in  the  7()th  Reg.  P.  V.  I., 
three  years;  Horatio  was  first  lieutenant  in  Co.  T), 
145th  P.  V.  I.,  and  died  from  wounds  received  at  Get- 
tysburg. Marcus  died  at  .Smilhland,  Ky.,  while  in  the 
service  of  the  navy.  .After  over  three  years  of  service 
Mr.  Lewis  was  discharged,  July  29,  1864,  at  City  Point, 
\'a.,  when  he  returned  to  Erie  county,  and  followed 
farming  until  1881.  He  was  postmaster  of  Swan- 
ville  four  years.  In  1881  he  received  an  api>ointment 
as  custom-house  inspector,  and  removed  to  Erie,  and 
served  two  seasons.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  mad 
carrier,  in  which  employment  he  is  at  present  engaged. 
He  was  married  January  10,  18(i5,  to  Miss  Susan, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  .Mary  M.  (Heiss)  Myers,  of 
Fairview  township.  They  have  six  children:  Mary, 
Mrs.  A.  M.  Sloan;  Birdie  (deceased),  Alice,  a  teacher 
in  the  public  schools  at  Erie;  Millicent,  now  Mrs. 
Jerome  Sternberg,  jr.;  Emma  and  Harry  M.  Mr. 
Lewis  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  the  G. 
A.  R.  The  family  attend  the  M.  E.  Church,  and 
politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

Harry  Turner,  locomotive  engineer  on  the  L.  S. 
&  M.  S.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  August  5,  1844,  in 


712 


2fELS0y^-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  BICTIOhARY 


Durhamsliire,  Enfjland.  His  father  served  for  many 
years  in  the  English  navy.  Harry  came  to  America 
m  1859  and  served  an  a|j])renticeship  at  the  machin- 
ist's trade  in  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  shops  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  After  completing  his  trade  he  worked  there  as 
journeyman  a  short  time,  when  he  went  to  Akron, 
Ohio,  and  worked  at  his  trade  three  year.s.  He  then 
took  a  position  on  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  as  fireman, 
and  about  two  and  a  half  years  later  was  promoted  to 
the  ]iost  of  engineer.  After  running  the  freight  engine 
a  while  he  was  given  a  mixed  run  of  ]iassenger  and 
freight,  and  in  1884  he  was  assigned  on  the  fast  mail 
and  limited  between  Cleveland  and  Erie.  This  is  one 
of  the  fastest  runs  in  the  country,  makingbut  one  stop, 
which  is  at  Ashtabula.  He  was  married  December 
25,  1872,  to  Miss  Kuhadell,  daughter  of  James  L.  King, 
of  Erie.  They  have  two  children,  Laura  and  Charles. 
Mr.  Turner  settled  in  Erie  about  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  United 
Workmen,  and  B.  of  L.  E.  He  is  considered  one  of 
the  best  engineers  on  the  road,  and  the  confidence  of 
his  superiors  is  evinced  by  giving  him  the  manage- 
ment of  the  responsible  run  to  which  he  is  now  en- 
trusted. He  is  possessed  of  those  qualities  of  nerve 
and  skill  so  requisite  in  the  modern  locomotive  engi- 
neer and  is  a  typical  railroad  man. 

Edward  Kraus,  merchant,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in 
Germany  July  20,  1845,  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mar- 
garet (Hoe)  Kraus,  and  the  younger  of  two  children. 
The  family  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  Erie 
county  when  Edward  was  about  3  years  of  age.  He 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Erie  county,  and  served 
an  apprenticeship  at  the  painter's  trade;  he  next  en- 
gaged in  the  handling  of  meats  a  short  time.  Later 
he  became  interested  in  the  restaurant  business  in 
Erie  and  followed  it  fifteen  years.  In  18iHJ  he  con- 
structed a  large  modern  brick  block  at  810  Parade 
street,  where  he  is  engaged  in  his  present  business. 
He  was  married  February  11,  187,S,  to  Miss  Lizzie, 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Metz)  Huster.  They 
have  ten  children,  Edward,  John,  George,  Alois, 
Charles,  Elizabeth,  Clara,  Amanduz  (deceased),  Emil 
and  Mary.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church.     Politically  Mr.  Kraus  is  a  Democrat. 

Painter  E.  Eggleston,  foreman  for  the  Lovell 
Manufacturing  Comjiany,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Gen- 
eva, Ashtabula  county,  O.,  February  10,  1859,  and  is  a 
son  of  Erastus  and  Sarah  (Nichols)  Eggleston,  thefor- 
mer  a  native  of  Winstead,  Conn.,  and  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  oldest  New  England  families.  He  came  to 
Ohio  in  1844,  and  always  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  agricultural  implements,  and  was  during  his  day 
superintendent  of  several  leading  firms  in  that  line. 
He  died  September  12,  1888,  and  his  wife  died  about 
a  year  later.  In  the  family  there  were  seven  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living:  Foster,  superintendent  of  the 
Jackson  .State  Penitentiary,  of  Michigan;  Orlena,  mar- 
ried Mr.  Freeman  Thorpe,  well-known  artist  in  Find- 
lay,  O.,  has  painted  many  celebrated  ])ictures,  with 
which  the  citizens  of  Erie  are  familiar;  X'iola,  married 
S.  H.  McKenstry,  of  Geneva,  O.;  Palmer  E.,  Charles 
Homer,  Cleveland,  O.;  Lettie,  married  Charles  Mah- 
len,  of  Titusville,  Pa.  Palmer  E.  Eggleston  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  town,  and  since  hisboyhood 
has  been  more  or  less  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of    agricultural   implements  in  various  parts  of    the 


country,  having  made  that  branch  of  industry  his  spe- 
cial study.  In  April,  1883,  he  came  to  Erie  and  ac- 
cepted the  position  as  foreman  of  the  Lovell  Manu- 
facturing Company,  which  position  .he  has  since  held. 
He  was  married,  December  25,  1880,  to  Miss  Winni- 
fred,  daughter  of  John  and  Melissa  (Murjihy)  More- 
land,  of  Geneva,  O.  They  have  had  two  children, 
Olive  and  John,  both  deceased.  Mrs.  Eggle.ston  is  a 
well-known  musician  in  the  city  of  Erie.  .She  devotes 
most  of  her  attentii>n  to  vocal  music,  and  at  present 
sings  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  choir,  where  she 
has  been  engaged  for  some  time.  Mr.  Eggle.ston's  po- 
sition is  one  of  great  responsibility,  and  is  due  to  his 
.skill  and  faithfulness.  He  is  a  man  thoroughly  quali- 
fied for  the  trust  and  responsibility  which  is  imposed 
upon  him.     Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

M.  A.  Cray,  conductor  on  the  li.  &  P.  R.  R.,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  at  Fairview,  Erie  county,  I'a.,  August 
19,  1857.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and  Johanna  (Col- 
lins) Cray,  the  former  a  native  of  Drewscourt,  parish 
of  Ballyhagran,  County  Limerick,  Ireland,  and  was 
born  September  21,  1822;  the  latter  was  a  native  of 
England  and  was  born  January  20,  1832.  She  was  the 
only  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  (Burke)  Collins, 
natives  of  Ballvhagran,  Countv  Limerick,  Ireland. 
The  latter  was  born  in  18(J3,  and  died  April  1,  1883. 
William  Cray,  M.  A.  Cray's  father,  emigrated  to 
America,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  her  mother,  in 
November,  1850,  and  after  a  stormy  voyage  of  seven 
weeks,  landed  at  Castle  Garden,  N.  Y.  They  imme- 
diately came  west  and  settled  in  Erie  county.  Mr. 
Cray  immediately  obtained  work  on  the  Waterford 
plank  roa'd,  where  he  remained  a  short  time.  About 
this  time  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  was  under  course  of 
construction,  and  he  entered  the  employ  of  that  com- 
panv,  and  remained  with  them  until  1873,  the  last  ten 
years  of  which  he  was  section  foreman.  In  1873  the 
family  removed  to  Erie,  where  the  father  died  Sep- 
tember 17,  1890,  and  the  mother  now  resides  at  Con- 
neaut,  Ohio,  wMth  her  daughter.  William  and  Johanna 
Cray  were  the  [jarents  of  six  children,  viz.:  John,  born 
January  17,  1851,  married  Miss  Rose  Clark,  of  Swan- 
ville,  Pa.  He  lost  his  life  in  an  accident  on  the  E.  & 
P.  R.  R.  at  .-Mbion,  February  24,  1885;  James,  born 
March  19,  18.52,  married  Miss  Julia  Leach,  of  St.  Cath- 
erines, CJntario;  he  is  an  engineer  on  the  N.  Y.,  C.  S:  St. 
L.  R.  R.,  and  resides  at  Conneaut,  Ohio;  William, 
born  March  19,  1853,  married  Miss  Ida  Rapp,  of 
Sharpsville,  Pa.;  he  is  a  conductor  on  theE.  S:  P.  R.  R. 
and  resides  at  Erie;  Nellie,  born  May  25,  1854,  mar- 
ried James  Icwett,  conductor  on  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S. 
R.  R".;  she  died  January  19,  1882;  Michael  A.,  and 
Catherine,  born  May  15,  1863,  married  Patrick 
O'Brien,  engineer  on  the  N.  Y.,  C.  &  .St.  L.  R.  R.; 
they  reside  at  Conneaut,  Ohio.  Michael  A.  Cray 
attended  the  public  schools  until  he  was  14  years  of 
age,  when  he  commenced  his  career  as  a  railroad  man. 
He  entered  the  employ  of  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R., 
first  as  w-ater  boy,  then  worked  as  trackman,  switch- 
man, brakeman  and  fireman.  He  served  in  the  latter 
capacity  three  and  a  half  years,  when  he  concluded  to 
follow  some  other  occu])ation,  and  accordingly  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works,  where 
he  remained  two  vears.  During  this  time  railroading 
had  its  old-time  fa.scination  for  him,  and,  unable  to 
stand  it  longer,  he  entered  the  em[)loy  of  the  E.  &  P. 
R,  R.  Comi>any  as  brakeman  March  7,  1881.     He  was 


AND  niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


713 


promoted  to  conductor  January  10,  1887,  which  posi- 
tion he  has  since  satisfactorily  held.  Mr.  Cray  was 
married  September  15,  1881,  to  Miss  Arvilla,  only 
daughter  of  Charles  Newton,  who  at  that  time  was  an 
engineer  on  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.,  hut  on  account  of 
poor  health  retired  from  railroading  and  went  to 
Michigan  and  now  resides  at  Addison,  that  state. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cray  have  eight  children,  viz.:  Charles, 
born  October  3U,  1882;  Nellie,  born,  February  24, 1884; 
Arthur,  born  September  28,  1885;  Emma,  born  Janu- 
ary 10,  1887;  Edna,  born  December  24,  1888;  Porter, 
born  February  1, 1890;  Paul,  born  December  15,  1892, 
and  Marie,  born  February  27,  18'.(4.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  O.  R.  C,  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  ami  the  P.  V.  R.  He 
is  one  of  the  responsible  and  respected  citizens  of  the 
community. 

Homer  M.  Hill,  general  insurance  agent,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  .Mill  Creek  township,  August  12, 1843, 
and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Orpha  (Miner)  Hill,  the 
former  a  native  of  Waljiole,  Mass.,  and  a  son  of 
George  Hill,  whose  father  (George)  was  an  English 
soldier,  and  came  to  America  in  the  British  service 
during  the  Revolution.  He  was  here  but  a  short  time 
when  he  deserted  the  king's  cause  and  joined  the 
American  army.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  settled 
in  Canton,  Mass.,  married,  reared  a  family,  and  died 
there.  His  son,  George  (Homer's  grandfather),  was 
married  in  Canton  in  1817,  and  came  to  Erie  county  a 
few  years  later.  He  was  a  woolen  manufacturer,  and 
built  two  woolen  mills  in  Erie  county — one  in  the 
Second  section  of  Erie,  on  Cascade  creek,  and  another 
on  Mill  creek,  on  the  Lake  Pleasant  road.  He  spent 
the  latter  part  of  his  life  in  -Ashtabula,  Ohio,  where  he 
died  March  28,  1851.  He  reared  a  family  of  nine 
children:  George  (deceased),  Elvina,  Harvey,  Mary 
(deceased),  Washington  Albert,  Naomi  (deceased), 
Perry  and  Porter  (twins,  both  deceased)  and  Clinton. 
George  Hill  (Homer's  father)  was  a  contractor  and 
builder,  and  followed  that  occupation  nearly  all  his 
life  in  Erie.  He  died  in  1882.  His  wife,  Orpha  Miner, 
was  a  native  of  Erie  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Miner,  who  was  of  New  England  stock,  and  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  this  section.  .Mrs.  Hill  now  resides 
in  Erie.  In  the  family  were  two  children,  one  who 
died  in  infancy  and  Homer  M.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schtiols  of  Erie  and  the  Iron  City  Commer- 
cial College,  Pittsburg.  He  first  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  about  two  years,  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  Erie  and  Pittsburg 
railroads.  He  remained  here  until  the  war  broke  out, 
when  he  served  as  clerk  in  the  provost  marshal's 
ofifice  until  Lee's  surrender.  He  then  entered  the 
employ  of  Noble,  Brown  S:  Co.,  coal  merchants,  as 
bookkeeper,  and,  in  1867,  entered  the  employ  of  J.  F. 
Downing,  general  agent,  and  served  in  the  capacity  of 
adjuster,  inspector  and  special  agent  until  1892,  when 
he  engaged  in  the  general  insurance  business  for 
himself.  Mr.  Hill  was  married,  August  29,  1883,  to 
Miss  Minnie  B.  Torrey,  of  Erie.  They  have  two 
children:  George  Torrey  and  Douglas  Homer.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  32d  degree  Scottish 
Rite,  past  master  of  Keystone  Lodge,  past  high  priest 
of  Temple  Chapter,  i)a.st  T.  I.  G.  ^I.  of  Jerusalem 
Council,  past  T.  P.  G.  M.  Presque  Isle  Lodge  of 
Perfection.  He  is  treasurer  of  Keystone  Lodge  and 
of  Temple  Chapter;  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  board 
of    trustees,   a   member   of  Mt.  Olivet  Commandery, 


Pittsburg  Consistory,  and  Zem  Zem  Temple  .Mystic 
Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum 
and  National  Union.     Politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 

F.  A.  Sherrer,  contractor  and  dealer  in  cut  stone, 
corner  of  Fourteenth  and.French  streets,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Cleveland,  ().,  January  16,  1866,  and  is  a  .son 
of  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Lebens)  Sherrer,  natives  of  Ger- 
many, now  residents  of  L'nionville,  O.  In  the  family 
there  were  five  children:  William,  A.  W.,  F.  A.,  and 
Julia,  married  Dr.  Sherwood,  L'nionville,  O.  Fred  was 
reared  and  educated  in  the  city  of  Cleveland,  and 
learned  the  stone-cutter's  trade  with  his  father,  who 
was  at  that  time  a  stonedealerand  contractor  in  Cleve- 
land. In  1885  F.  A.  Sherrer  came  to  Erie  and  asso- 
ciated with  his  brother,  William,  in  his  present  busi- 
ness. In  1894.  William  retired  from  the  firm,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  brother,  F.  A.  Mr.  Sherrer  was  mar- 
ried, January  12,  1893,  to  Miss  Marie  Alge,  of  Findlay, 
O.  "They  have  one  child,  Therese  J.  F.  A.  Sherrer  is 
the  leading  stone  contractor  in  the  city  of  Erie,  and  his 
work  is  not  by  any  means  confined  to  the  city  limits. 
He  has  done  a  large  amount  of  building  throughout 
the  country.  A.  W.  Sherrer  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
December  25,  1863.  He  also  learned  the  stone-cutter's 
trade  with  his  father  in  Cleveland,  and  had  always 
been  engaged  as  a  journeyman  stone-cutter  in  various 
parts  of  the  country,  up  to  the  time  of  going  into  busi- 
ness. He  is  a  natural  mechanic,  and  has  had  a  vast 
amount  of  experience  in  all  kinds  of  stone-cutting, 
which  places  him  an  expert  second  to  none.  He  is  an 
enterprising  man,  stands  high  in  the  business  commu- 
nity, and  is  a  well-informed  advocate  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

W.  G.  Klitie,  Erie,  Pa.,  chief  postal  clerk  on  the  N. 
Y.,  C.  &:  St.  L.  R.  R.,  between  Chicago  and  Cleveland, 
is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  old  pioneer  families  of 
Erie  county.  He  was  born  in  Fairview  township,  No- 
vember 16,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  John  A.  and  Rosanna 
(Barri)  Kline,  the  former  a  native  of  Fairview,  born  in 
the  same  house  as  W.  G.,  and  the  latter  a  native  of 
Switzerland.  The  parents  now  reside  in  Fairview 
township.  John  A.  Kline's  father,  also  John  .A.,  settled 
in  Erie  county,  about  the  year  1818.  He  came  from 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  died  compara- 
tively young,  leaving  a  family  of  small  children.  W. 
G.  Kline  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie 
county,  and  in  the  Iron  City  Commercial  College,  of 
Pittsburg.  In  1885  he  received  the  appointment  of 
railway  postal  clerk,  and  worked  about  eight  months 
on  the  line  between  Cleveland  and  Syracuse.  He  was 
then  transferred  to  the  western  division,  and  has  since 
worked  between  Chicago  and  Cleveland,  antl  has  been 
successfully  promoted  through  all  the  intermediate 
clerkships  to  which  his  high  standards  of  examinations 
have  entitled  him,  and  in  1889  he  was  made  chief  pos- 
tal clerk  between  Chicago  and  Cleveland,  having 
charge  of  eleven  men  on  his  run.  He  was  married 
June  21,  1889,  to  Miss  Frona,  daughter  of  Israel  Heid- 
ler,  of  Fairview  township,  who  is  also  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  [lioneer  families  of  Erie  county.  They  have 
tW'O  children,  Edna  Eva  and  Ruth  G.  Mr.  Kline  is  one 
of  the  most  pojiular  and  efficient  clerks  on  the  road. 
He  is  an  unassuming  gentleman,  who  is  thoroughly 
master  of  his  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Rail- 
way Mail  Service  Mutual  Benefit  .Association,  and  in 
his  political  principles  he  is  unwaveringly  Democratic. 


7'4 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


(iiiy  Johnson,  lorumotivc  cnjiiiu'i-r  on  thu  K.  vV 
P.  R.  R.,  Erio.  I'ii.,  iliuii>u>;liiy  uiHlcistiiiuls  tlie  dulies 
accompanying;  the  occujiancy  of  the  right  side  of  the 
locomotive  cab.  He  is  a  native  of  Sununit  township, 
Erie  coimty,  and  was  born  May  14,  ]8.")1,  and  is  a  son 
of  S.  F.  and  Jane  (Ward)  Johnson,  both  natives  of 
Erie  county,  descendants  of  the  early  settlers  in  Erie 
county,  and  of  old  New-  ICniiUind  stock.  They  now 
reside  in  Michifian.  In  the  family  there  were  eleven 
children,  namely:  James,  killed  by  lightning  on  Lake 
Michigan,  while  in  the  sailing  service;  Perry,  killed 
by  the  ex])losion  of  engine  Xo.  I();i3  on  the  P.  S:  E. 
R.  R.,  at  Irvington;  Cyrene,  resides  in  Kansas;  Harry, 
lives  in  Dakota;  Thomas,  Miles  Grove,  Pa.;  Guy,  Les- 
lie, Kansas;  Fayetti-,  Od  City,  Pa.;  Malcolm,  Oil  City; 
Hattie,  Michigan.  Guy  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  township,  and  ;it  the  .ige  of  14  years  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Lake  .Shore  (now  the  L.  .S.  S;  M.S.) 
R.  R.,  as  brakeman,  working  on  the  Erie  and  IJuffalo 
division,  and  on  the  Cleveland  and  Erie  division  about 
two  year.s.  He  next  worked  in  the  machine  shop  at 
Erie  alMiut  one  year,  and  then  worked  as  a  stationary 
engineer  in  Erie  about  two  years,  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  th<-  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
as  fireman,  and  in  187S  was  promoted  to  the  ])0',t  of 
engineer.  .Mr.  Jolinson  is  a  man  po.ssessing  all  the 
(jualities  of  the  <;flicient  modern  locomotive  engineer. 
He  had  the  remarkable  ex|jerience  of  losing  three 
drive  wheels  off  a  four-wheel  driver  locomotive.  This 
was  in  the  accident  of  engine  No.  !S1  at  Swansviile,  on 
the  Lake  Shore  road.  Mr.  John.son  has  gone  through 
several  wrecks,  but  fortime,  coupled  with  good  man- 
agement, has  always  .seemed  to  iavor  him,  and  he  has 
always  come  out  of  the  diibris,  fresh  and  new.  He 
was  married  in  June,  1X73,  to  Miss  Helen,  daughter  of 
James  and  .Mary  ( Russell)  Hugaboon,  who  were  also 
early  settlers  of  this  county,  both  now  deceased.  They 
have  four  children:  Fred  E.,  locomotive  fireman;  Ger- 
trude L.,  Maud  A.,  and  Jessie  Inez.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a 
member  of  the  E.  A.  U.,  B.  of  L.  E.,  and  is  a  Repuli- 
hcan. 

James  D.  Fiscus,  jail  warden,  ICrie,  Pa.,  a  native 
of  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvani.i,  was  born  Decem- 
ber 2L  1^^•^X,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Hridget  (O'Brien) 
Fiscus,  the  former  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  the  latter 
of  Pennsylvania.  In  the  family  there  were  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  James  is  the  eldest.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  county,  and  assisted  his 
father,  who  was  a  stock  dealer  and  drover,  until  18G0, 
when  he  went  to  the  oil  country.  Here  he  engaged  in 
contracting  and  ojierating,  and  in  18(i.5wentto  }<ipley, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  (jne  year.  In  18(i7  he  moved 
to  North  East,  and  kept  for  one  year  the  hotel  known 
as  the  Brawley  House;  he  then  took  cliarge  of  the 
Depot  Hotel,  which  he  operated  three  years,  and,  in 
1879,  he  went  to  Bradford,  Pa.,  where  he  remained 
until  1885,  and  served  in  that  city  on  the  police 
force  during  that  time,  and  in  188.')  he  returned  to 
North  East,  during  which  lime  he  served  one  term  as 
borough  constable.  He  then  received  an  apjiointment 
as  commissary  clerk  of  the  F(jrt  Peck  Indian  agency 
in  Montana,  which  occasioned  his  removal  to  that  ter- 
ritory. After  having  served  his  term  he  returned  to 
Erie,  and  in  September,  1891,  was  ap])ointed  jail 
warden,  which  |)osition  he  has  since  held.  .Mr.  Fiscus 
is  well  known  in  Erie  county  jiolitical  circles,  and  is  a 
staunch  Democrat. 


.Mathew  I,.  Kinney,  mail  carrier,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  .\prd  ■'>,  1M>4,  at  Port  Colhorne,  Canada,  and  is  a 
son  of  Levi  and  Jane  (Ramey)  Kin.sey,  who  are  de- 
scendants of  the  pioneer  families  of  .Stone  Bridge, 
Ontario.  Mathew  is  the  youngest  of  four  children. 
The  family  moved  to  Erie  in  18(«,  where  .Mathew  L. 
was  riared  and  educated.  He  early  began  an  .appren- 
ticeship at  the  molder's  trade,  whicii  he  fwllowed  until 
November  .5,  I89I,  when  he  was  ajjpointed  mail  car- 
rier in  the  city  of  Erie,  which  (losition  he  has  since 
held.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  April  IH,  188.5,  to 
Ida,  daughter  of  D.  K.  Dean,  of  Erie,  Pa.  They  have 
two  children,  Ethel  and  Madge.  Mr.  Kinsey  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  National  .\ssociation  of 
Letter  Carriers,  and  politically  is  a  Republican.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  M.  F.  Chiu-ch. 

Charles  Steen,  patternmaker,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a 
native  of  Denbighshire,  North  Wales,  and  was  born 
June  .5,  1829.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  .Sarah 
(Holloway)  -Steen.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children:  Thomas,  died  in  England;  John,  lives  in 
Cheshire,  England;  Mary,  widow-  of  Charles  B.  Jones, 
North  Wales,  and  John.  The  father  died  at  the  age 
of  89,  and  the  mother  at  94.  Charles  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  town,  and,  when  a  young  man, 
served  an  apprenticeship  at  his  trade  at  Wrexhem, 
Wales.  He  then  went  to  Derbyshire,  England,  and 
remained  in  the  employ  of  the  .same  firm  seventeen 
years.  In  18(i9  he  came  to  America  and  located  in 
Erie,  where  he  remained  a  short  time,  when  he  went 
to  Warren,  Pa.,  and  worked  at  his  trade  two  years, 
and  removed  to  Tidoute,  Pa.,  wdiere  he  remained  one 
year.  He  then  came  to  Erie  anil  wasemiiloyetl  in  the 
Erie  Car  Works  from  1872  to  1874.  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  E.  it  P.  R.  R.  com|jany  as  pattern- 
maker in  their  shops  at  Erie,  where  he  is  still 
employed.  Mr.  Steen  was  married,  March  25,  18.53, 
at  Pentrich,  Derbyshire,  England  (in  an  old  historic 
church  that  bore  the  bullet  imprints  of  the  chivalric 
days  of  Cromwell),  to  Miss  Sarah,  daughter  of  John 
and  Jane  Walker,  of  Derbyshire,  England.  To  this 
union  have  been  born  seven  children:  John  W.,  War- 
ren, Pa.;  Thomas  (deceased);  William  B.,  Erie,  Pa.; 
Anna  May,  married  Henry  F.  Lillibridge,  Erie,  Pa.; 
Oswell  (deceased);  Frank,  Voungstown,  Ohio,  and 
Jennie,  married  Arthur  Thompson.  Mr.  Steen  is  a 
member  of  the  A.  O.  of  L'.  W.,  the  Pennsylvania 
\'oluntary  Relief,  the  Mutual  Benefit  Association  of 
the  E.  &  P.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church.     He  is  a  thorough  Republican. 

M.  W.  Brundage,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Camp- 
ville,  Tioga  county,  N.  Y.  He  was  born  September 
17,  1S.")M,  and  is  a  .son  of  Charles  I.  and  Frances  Mary 
(Smith)  Brundage.  The  former  was  a  native  of 
Walkill,  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  and  the  latter  a  native 
of  .Sustpiehanna,  Pa.,  and  a  daughter  of  Col.  Rufus 
Smith,  who  was  a  very  prominent  man  of  Eastern 
Pennsylvania  and  a  resident  of  Su.S(|uehanna.  Charles 
1.  Brundage,  the  father  of  M.  W.,  was  a  sti'el  worker 
by  trade,  and  worked  on  the  construction  of  the  N.  ^'. 
&  L.  E.  R.  R.  He  was  drowned  in  Lake  Erie  in  the 
spring  of  18.55,  at  the  explosion  of  the  "  Mayflower." 
He  was  a  son  of  Michael  Brundage,  who  was  also  a 
native  of  Orange  county.  New  York.  Michael  was  a 
son  of  Richard,  who  emigrated  to  America  from  Metz, 
France,  in  1789.     He  was  compelled  to  leave  his  na- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


715 


live  .land  for  having  taken  part  in  an  insurrt^ction 
against  the  govcrnnient.  He  settled  in  Orange  county, 
Xew  York,  and  followed  farming  during  the  remain- 
der of  his  life.  The  mother  of  M.  W.  died  in  Erie 
Ai>ril  14,  1891.  In  the  lirundage  family  there  were 
four  children;  Hattie  ((k'ceased),  Emeroy,  Bingham- 
ton,  N.  v.;  .Margaret,  now  Mrs.  E.  A.  Tattle,  of  Frank- 
lin, Susquehanna  county.  Pa.,  and  M.  W.  Brundage, 
who  was  reared  in  Eranklin,  Susquehanna  county.  Pa., 
with  his  grandfather.  Col.  Smith.  He  received  a  pub- 
lic school  education,  and  when  a  young  man  entered 
the  moldmg  tlepartnient  of  the  X.  Y.  &  L.  E.  R.  R. 
shops  at  .Susquehanna,  Pa.  Here  he  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship at  the  niolder's  trade  and  worked  there 
as  journeyman  until  ISSl,  when  he  went  to  Chicago 
and  remained  until  188G,  during  which  time  he  was 
employed  by  the  Crane  Bros.  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, The  Allen  Paper  Car  Wheel  Company,  and  the 
Pullman  Company.  In  188fi  he  came  to  Erie,  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works  and  remained 
but  a  short  time,  when  he  was  employed  by  the  Jarecki 
Manufacturing  Company,  where  he  is  at  present  en- 
gaged. Mr.  Brundage  w'as  married  October  .">,  1881, 
to  -Miss  Metta  Z.,  daughter  of  George  X.  Brown,  of 
Susquehanna,  Pa.  They  have  two  children,  Genevieve 
and  Frank  Edward.  Mr.  Brundage  is  a  member  of 
the  K.  of  P.,  the  E.  A.  U.  and  the  Brotherhood  of  Ma- 
chine Molders,  and  politically  is  a  stauncH  and  active 
Democrat.  The  family  are  members  of  Chestnut  Street 
Presbyterian  Church,  where  he  is  choir  leader.  He  is  a 
musician  of  considerable  talent  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  a  great  many  bands  in  places  where  he  has 
traveled  throughout  the  Country.  He  can  play  almost 
any  instrument  found  in  the  average  brass  band. 

James  H.  Ray,  locomotive  engineer  on  the  E.  & 
P.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  ButTalo,  X.  Y.,  May  16, 
1861,  and  is  a  son  of  John  G.  and  .Margaret  (Xolan) 
Ray,  natives  of  Ireland,  and  now  residents  of  Erie. 
The  father  is  a  machinist.  They  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children:  William  E.,  Erie;  James  H.,  John  J. 
(died  at  the  age  of  21),  Thomas  F.,  of  Erie;  >Iary  A. 
(died  at  the  age  of  21),  Maggie  (died  at  the  age  of  9 
years),  George  B.,  Erie.  The  family  settled  in  Erie  in 
1868.  James  was  reared  and  eilucated  in  Erie,  and, 
when  about  11  years  of  age,  entered  the  employ  of  the 
E.  &  P.  R.  R.  Company,  in  their  shops  in  Erie,  and 
served  five  years  at  the  machinist's  trade,  when  he 
went  firing  for  that  company.  In  1885  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  post  of  engineer.  He  was  married  Au- 
gust 17,  1891,  to  Miss  Ntary  Ualton,  of  Xew  Castle,  Pa. 
They  have  one  child,  .Margaret.  Mr.  Ray  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  B.  of  L.  E.  and  the  Pennsylvania  Relief. 
He  is  a  popular  and  successful  railroad  man. 

A.  B.  Heard,  a  native  of  Crawford  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, was  born  May  31,  1842.  He  is  a  son  of  Ran- 
dolph antl  Mary  (Hamiltcjn)  Heard,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Trenton,  X.  J.,  and  the  latter  of  Crawford 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Randol]jh  Heard  was  a  son  of 
George  and  Alcha  (Warner)  Heard.  They  settled  in 
Crawford  county  in  1796,  when  Randolph  was  about 
1  year  old.  They  reare(l  a  family  of  seven  children: 
Randolph  (deceased),  Fannie  (deceased),  Mary  (de- 
ceased), Louis  (deceased),  James  (deceased),  Johanna 
(deceased),  an<l  George  (deceased).  When  George 
Heard  settled  in  Crawford  county  it  was  a  dense  wil- 
derness, and  there  was  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  the 


Indians  there  for  several  years  after  his  settlement. 
He  built  his  first  log  cabin  in  .VIeadville,  on  the  pres- 
ent site  of  the  trotting  park  there.  He  spent  his  life 
in  pioneer  farming  and  lumbering,  and  died  in  1844, 
aged  79  years.  His  wife  died  in  1812,  when  compara- 
tively a  young  woman.  His  son,  Randoli^h,  \.  B. 
Heard's  father,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  under 
Capt.  Blystone.  He  received  from  the  government 
160  acres  for  services  rendered  in  that  war.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Hamilton,  Xovember  13,  1817.  She  was  a 
native  of  Philadelphia.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children:  James  H.  (deceased),  Latvia,  married  Gid- 
eon Hart,  of  Crawford  county  (deceased),  George  (de- 
ceased), Jane  (deceased),  Mathew  (deceased),  .\larion 
J.  (deceased),  Louisa  (deceased),  Mary  (deceased) 
William  H.  (deceased},  and  A.  B.,  the  only  surviving 
member  of  the  family.  Randolph  Heard  died  Xo- 
vember 9,  18(i2,  his  wife  departed  this  life  May  16, 
1873,  and  their  remains  lie  side  by  side  in  the  old  Car- 
mal  cemetery,  at  Moshertown,  Crawford  county,  Pa. 
A.  B.  Heard  was  reared  in  Crawford  county,  and  spent 
his  early  days  on  a  farm.  He  received  a  common 
school  education.  Since  his  boyhood  days  he  always 
showed  an  intuitive  knowledge  of  horses,  and  early  in 
life  engaged  in  the  buying  and  selling  and  speculating 
in  horses.  He  removed  to  Erie  in  1878,  and  engaged 
in  the  livery  business,  which  he  followed  four  years,  at 
the  same  time  deeping  up  his  business  in  the  traffic  of 
horses.  He  has  taken  some  of  the  finest  blooded 
horses  in  the  country  to  the  large  cities,  and  sold  them 
for  handsome  prices.  He  has  sold  a  great  many  fine 
horses  in  the  city  of  Xew  York,  and  has  made  that  city 
the  chief  market  for  his  sales.  During  late  years  he 
has  been  interested  in  oil  production  in  Forest  and 
Elk  counties,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  has  met  with 
good  success.  Mr.  Heard  was  married  July  3,  1871,  to 
Miss  Jane  A.,  daughter  of  R.  R.  Snow,  of  Cambridge, 
Pa.  They  have  one  child,  Jennie  May.  He  is  a  prom- 
inent Repul)lican,  having  been  candidate  of  that  party 
for  sheriff  of  Crawford  county,  in  1877.  He  w-as  de- 
feated and  accepted  the  situation  gracefully.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  K.  of  H. 

B.  P.  Diffenbaugh,  engineer  for  the  Edison  Elec- 
tric Company,  was  horn  in  Erie,  March  24,  18,")(),  and 
isasonof  Benjamin  and  Lavina  (Pickett)  Diffenbaugh. 
Benjamin  Diffenbaugh,  sr.,  was  a  native  of  Lancaster, 
Pa.,  and  was  born  in  1796.  He  came  to  Erie  county 
in  1835,  and  followed  blacksmithing.  He  had  one  of 
the  first  shops  in  Erie.  He  served  on  the  U.  S.  S. 
"  Michigan,"  seven  years.  He  died  at  Hicksville, 
Ohio,  in  1882.  He  served  as  private  in  Co.  C,  145th 
Reg.,  P.  \'.  I.,  during  the  rebellion,  until  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg,  when  he  received  a  wound  that  dis- 
abled him,  when  he  was  discharged.  He  was  twice 
married,  first  to  a  Miss  Wagner,  who  died,  leaving  five 
children.  He  afterward  married  Lavina  Pickett,  by 
whom  he  had  four  children,  of  whom  I5enjamin  is  the 
second.  His  mother  died  in  1877.  Benjamin  was 
reared  and  educated  mostly  in  Xorth  East,  anil  when 
11  years  of  age,  went  to  live  with  an  uncle  in  Canada, 
and  remained  there  about  three  years,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Xorth  East,  where  he  remained  until  he  was 
20,  w  hen  he  went  to  the  oil  country.  From  there  he 
went  to  Ohio,  and  lived  in  Bloomville  ten  years,  and 
was  engagetl  in  the  manufacturing  of  boat  oars.  In 
1884  he  came  to  Erie,  where  he  has  since  been  em- 
ployed as  engineer  for   the  Edison   Light  Company, 


7i6 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


He  was  ir.nrricd  .'^cptc-mhc-r  2,  1S73,  to  Miss  EiTie 
Sankey,  of  Bloomville,  Ohio.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren: Forrest,  born  March  10,  1881;  Lavina,  born 
January  12,  1883,  and  Gail,  born  June  17,  188.5.  Mr. 
Diffenbaugh  is  a  worthy  citizen,  and  politically  is  a 
Democrat. 

Charles  Daughcrty,  locomotive  engineer  on  the 
E.  &  1'.  K.  K..  Erie,  I'a.,  a  native  of  Summit,  Cambria 
county,  I'a.,  was  born  March  22,  184it.  He  is  a  son  of 
Cornelius  and  Mary  Magdalene  (N'agle)  Daugherty. 
In  the  family  there  were  eight  children:  James  (de- 
ceased), Susanna  (deceased |,  Sarah  (deceased),  \'enet- 
rice,  resides  in  West  Virginia;  Mary  (deceased), 
Johanna,  now  Mrs.  Patrick  P"inely,  of  A.shlabula, 
Ohio;  .\gnes  and  Charles.  The  father  was  born  and 
reared  in  Sunnnit,  Camliria  county,  I'a.,  till  the  age  of 
10,  when  his  brother-in-law,  with  wlmni  he  was  living, 
moved  to  Pittsburg  and  took  Charles  with  him.  lie 
received  most  of  his  education  in  Pittsburg,  and  when 
yet  a  boy  entered  the  employ  of  a  navigation  com- 
pany as  messenger  Ixiv  in  that  citv.  He  engaged  in 
firing  on  the  P.,  Ft.  VV.  &  C.  R.  R.  March  18,  1864, 
when  he  was  15  years  old,  and  September  14,  18fi8, 
when  19  years  of  age,  was  jironioted  to  the  position  of 
engineer.  In  February,  1?<8(),  he  resigned  his  ]iosition 
on  this  road  to  take  a  passenger  run  on  the  E.  &  P. 
R.  R.  between  1-lrie  and  Pittsburg,  where  he  is  still 
emjjloyed.  Mr.  Daugherty  has  had  more  adventures 
than  the  average  railroader.  He  iierformed  a  remark- 
able feat  while  running  on  the  Pittsburg,  Ft.  Wayne 
and  Chicago  R.  R.,  which  is  thus  related:  While  ap- 
proachiing  a  bridge  at  Clinton  with  his  train,  running 
about  the  speed  of  fifteen  miles,  he  saw  a  small  child 
on  the  track  in  the  middle  of  the  bridge.  He  used  all 
efforts  to  stop  his  train,  but  as  he  neared  the  child,  he 
saw  that  he  could  not  stop  in  time  to  save  its  life,  so 
he  left  the  cab,  hastened  out  on  the  running  board 
to  the  ]>ilot  of  the  engine  and  jumped  on  the  bridge 
ahead  of  the  engine,  which  was  still  under  pretty  good 
speed,  ran  ahead,  grabbed  the  child  and  made  his  way 
across  the  bridge  just  ahead  of  the  engine,  and  thus 
saved  the  life  of  the  chdd,  although  greatly  endanger- 
ing his  own.  Mr.  D.uigherty  has  been  seriously  in- 
jured twice  in  his  ex|)erience  of  railroading.  .-\t  Ens- 
worth,  while  looking  back  at  his  train  out  of  the  cab 
window,  he  was  struck  on  the  back  of  the  head  by  an 
inclining  telegrajih  ])ole  and  was  knocked  insensible 
from  his  engine;  he  was  in  a  head-end  collision  at 
Middlesex,  where  the  engineer  and  fireman  of  the 
other  engine  were  killed  and  Mr.  Daugherty  saved 
himself  by  jumping  just  as  the  engine  struck  and  was 
hit  by  some  flying  missile  on  the  forehead,  which  in- 
flicted a  very  ugly  wound  and  disabled  him  from  duty 
for  over  si.\  months.  He  was  married  May  14,  1868, 
to  Miss  Myra,  daughter  of  Russell  and  Nancy  (Mc- 
Candles)  ffurd,  of  Allegheny  City.  To  this  union  have 
been  horn  eight  children;  William  P.  (deceased), 
Estella  (deceased),  Edmund,  Norburt,  Ida  and  Eva, 
twins  (deceased).  Flora  and  Joseph.  Mr.  Daugherty 
is  a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engi- 
neers, the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  and  politically  is  a  Democrat. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

E.  J.  Oliver,  engineer  of  the  E.  &  P.  R.  R.,  Erie, 
Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Erie  county.  He  was  born  in  Fair- 
view  township,  June  16,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  M.  and 
Sarah  Oliver,  the  former  a   native  of  Lancaster,  Pa., 


and  the  latter  of  Lockport,  N.  Y.  The  father  w^is  a 
mdler  by  occupation.  He  settled  in  F>ie  county  in 
1850,  and  kept  hotel  in  F>ie  a  .short  time.  In  the  fam- 
ily there  were  three  children:  1.  \\'.,  miller,  Des 
Moines,  la.;  E.  J.  and  Ida.  The  father  (hed  in  ISKI), 
and  the  mother  now  resides  in  F^rie  with  E.  J.  Mr. 
Oliver  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Erie  county,  and  when  a  young  man,  engaged  as  hard- 
ware clerk  in  F.rie,  where  he  S|ient  four  years.  He 
then  entered  the  employ  of  the  L.  S.  &  ,M.  S.  R.  R., 
on  the  Buffalo  division.  This  was  in  1877,  and  he  re- 
mained there  four  years.  He  then  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Erie  Car  Company  as  engineer.  His  old  desire 
for  railroading  returned  in  a  short  time,  and  he  secured 
a  position  as  fireman  on  the  E.  S:  P.  R.  R.,  and  Auirust 
13,  18!S8,  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  locomotive 
engineer,  which  he  still  holds,  to  the  full  satisfaction 
of  his  employers.  He  possesses  the  (|ualities  requisite 
for  a  good  engineer.  Mr.  Oliver  was  married,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1881,  to  Miss  Lizzie,  daughter  of  Capt.  John 
Fisher  (deceased),  who  was  one  of  Erie's  best  known 
and  highly  respected  citizens.  Mr.  and  Mr.s.  Oliver 
have  tw-o  children:  Jessie  (deceased,  188(i)  and  Joseph. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  B.  of  L.  F..,  the  E.  A.  U.,  and 
the  Pennsylvania  Relief.  Politically  he  is  a  staunch 
Republican. 

Charles  Fitzitiaurice,  locomotive  engineer  on 
the  E.  \-  P.  R.  R.,  I-^rie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Shariisville, 
Mercer  county,  Pa.,  Mayi),  1803.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
and  .Anne  (Shannahan)  P'itzmaurice,  l)oth  natives  of 
Ireland.  The  father  came  to  America  and  remained 
in  New  York  a  short  time,  when  he  went  to  Sharps- 
ville,  Pa.,  where  he  followed  contracting  and  buiUlmg 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1N73.  They 
reared  a  family  of  ten  children:  Margaret  (deceased), 
James,  master  mechanic  for  the  L'nion  Stock  Yards, 
Chicago,  111.;  Thomas,  conductor,  F.rie,  Pa.;  John 
Fitzmaurice,  engineer  on  the  N.  Y.,  C.  \'  St.  L.  R.  R.; 
Ella,  married  ^latthew  Donahue,  conductor  on  the  E. 
&  P.  R.  R.,  Sharpsville,  Pa.  Charles;  William,  engi- 
neer on  the  E.  S:  P.  R.  R.,  .Sharpsville,  Pa.  Charles  was 
reared  in  his  n.itive  town,  where  he  received  a  public 
school  education,  and,  at  the  age  of  15,  entered  the 
emjjloy  of  the  E.  &:  P.  R.  R.  Company  as  engine 
wiper,  at  Sharpsville.  He  worked  there  two  years, 
when  he  was  given  a  position  as  fireman,  although  but 
17  years  of  age.  In  1888  he  w%-is  made  an  engineer, 
which  jjosition  he  has  since  faithfully  and  efficiently 
held.  He  has  been  remarkably  successful  since  he 
assumed  control  of  the  throttle.  He  has  been  in  one 
wreck,  and  that  was  when  running.  This  was  a  head 
collision,  near  Rochester,  Pa.  In  this,  lioth  engines 
and  twenty-seven  cars  were  completely  demolished, 
and  Mr.  Fitzmaurice  escaped  with  very  slight  injuries, 
by  jumping.  He  was  married,  June  7,  1893,  to  Miss 
Mary  Flaherty,  of  Jamestown,  Pa.  They  have  one 
child,  William  l'2dward.  Mr.  Fitzmaurice  is  a  popu- 
lar railroad  man.  ;md  is  considered  one  of  the  most 
competent  and  careful  engineers  on  tlie  road.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engi- 
neers.    Politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Thomas  Jefferson  Downitig,  pa.ssenger  con- 
ductor on  tlie  F'.rie  and  Pittsburg  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a 
Pennsylvanian  by  birth.  He  was  born  at  .Shar|)sville, 
Mercer  county,  June  17,  1855.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
and  PlKJibe  (Cary)  Downing,  the  former  a  native  of 


J^-^^-^      ^t^^<^7i. 


AND  EISTORIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


717 


Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  later  a  pioneer 
of  Mercer  county,  where  he  became  an  extensive  and 
prosperous  farmer,  and  the  latter  of  Mercer  county, 
Pennsylvania.  Thomas  J.  Downing's  grand-[)arents, 
John  and  Nancy  (Baux)  Downing,  were  married 
March  20,  1817.  John  Downing  was  a  native  of  \'er- 
mont,  and  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  participating 
in  the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane,  on  the  American  side. 
'I'his  couple  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  of 
whom  Thomas,  sr.,  was  the  ekiest.  The  latter  reared 
a  family  of  nine  children,  namely:  John;  Melinda, 
now  Mrs.  Uriah  Snyder,  of  Ohio;  Mary,  wife  of 
G.  D.  Gilson,  of  Greenville,  Pa.;  James  L.,  Sharpsville, 
Pa.;  Anna,  Sharpsville,  Pa.;  Thomas  J.,  Erie,  Pa.; 
Harkness  W'.,  Sharpsville,  Pa.,  and  Jerome  H.,  New- 
ark, N.  J.  The  father  died  December  24,  1888,  aged 
69  years  9  months  and  20  days,  and  the  mother,  De- 
cember 3,  1893.  Thomas  Jefferson  Downing  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Mercer  county,  and,  in  1879, 
entered  the  employ  of  the  E.  &  P.  R.  R.  Co.,  in  the 
capacity  of  brakeman.  He  was  at  that  time  a  resident 
of  Sharpsville,  Mercer  county.  Pa.  In  1885,  he  was 
promoted  to  a  conductorship,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  He  was  married  May  1,  1879,  to  Miss  Carrie  J., 
daughter  of  George  and  Lydia  (Fink)  Woodling,  of 
Sharpsville,  Pa.  To  this  union  were  born  four  chil- 
dren: James  A.,  born  October  4,  1880;  Frank  and  Fred, 
twins,  born  .March  23,  1883;  Fred  died  October  17, 1889, 
and  Frank  died  October  29,  1889;  and  John  K.,  born 
March  23,  188.').  Mr.  Downing  is  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  Railway  Comiuctors,  the  F.  and  A.  .\1.,  and 
politically  he  is  a  Reiniblican. 

Harry  A.  Ross,  conductor  on  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R., 

Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  .Marilla,  Erie  county,  N.  Y.,  June 
2,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  David  and  Mary  E.  (Root) 
Ross,  botli  natives  of  New  York,  and  of  old  New  Eng- 
land stock.  The  family  came  to  Erie  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1868,  and  the  jjarents  now  reside  in  Corry. 
They  reared  a  family  of  hve  children:  Ellen  E.,  mar- 
ried Thomas  E.  Willis,  Meadville;  Harry  A.;  C.  B.  E., 
now  Mrs.  D.  T.  Fleming,  Corry;  C.  E.,  Union  City,  and 
Jesse  (deceased).  Harry  A.  was  educated  in  Corry, 
and  when  a  youth  followed  lumbering  and  running  a 
stationary  engine.  Inl874,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
P.  &■  E.  R.  R.  Company,  as  brakeman.  .■Xfter  working 
there  awhile  he  went  to  work  on  the  N.  Y.,  P.  &  O. 
R.  R.,  as  brakeman,  and  in  1880,  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  P.  &  E.  Com[)any,and  in  July,  1890, was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  or  conductor,  which  position  he 
now  holds.  He  is  faithful  to  duty,  and  very  popular 
on  the  road.  .Mr.  Ross  was  married  March  16,  1881, 
to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  William  and  Margaret 
(Simmons)  Loesch,  of  Erie.  To  this  union  has  been 
born  one  child,  Charles  Edward.  Mr.  Ross  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Johtt  W.  Etter.  conductor  on  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R., 
Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Erie,  and  was  born  October 
24,  1849.  He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Philipine  (Reich- 
ard)  Etter,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  was 
a  ship  carpenter,  and  came  to  ."Xmerica  in  1847,  at  the 
age  of  32,  and  settled  in  Erie  county.  He  followed 
farming  in  Greene  township,  where  he  died  in  De- 
cember 3,  1893.  His  wife  died  .May  17,  1879,  aged  65 
years.  They  were  parents  of  eight  children,  and  J.  W. 
is  the  sixth.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Greene 
township,  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  the  age 


of  20,  when  he  commenced  railroading  as  brakeman. 
He  has  worked  on  the  I..  S.  &:  M.  S.,  the  P.  C.  &  St. 
U.  R.  R.,  but  chiefly  on  the  P.  &  E.,  where  he  is  at 
present  employed.  In  1879  he  was  promoted  to  a 
conductorship,  which  position  he  has  since  held.  His 
railroad  exfjerience  has  been  comparatively  free  from 
accidents,  except  one  wreck  that  he  was  in  at  LeBceuf, 
where  he  was  buried  in  the  wreck  for  two  hours,  and 
had  his  leg  broken,  besides  several  injuries  of  a  lesser 
nature.  He  was  married  June 25,  1874,  to  Miss  Sophia, 
daughter  of  Jehew  Frier,  of  Erie.  They  have  one 
child,  Clara.  .Mr.  Etter  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of 
Railway  Conductors,  the  Pennsylvania  Relief,  and  is  a 
Republican.  The  family  are  members  of  the  M.  E. 
Church. 

Christopher  Little,  conductor  on  the  P.  &  E. 

R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  May  7,  1845,  and  is 
a  son  of  William  and  Sarah  (Rose)  Little,  both  natives 
of  Salina,  near  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  They  were  married 
in  their  native  town  and  came  to  Erie  in  18;i4,  where 
the  father  worked  at  the  cooper's  trade  to  within  a  few 
years  of  his  death,  which  occurred  June  4,  1881,  at  the 
age  of  65.  The  mother  now  resides  with  Christopher. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children:  Laura,  now 
Mrs.  Finel,  Erie;  Lafayette,  Erie;  .Anna,  now  Mrs. 
Wesley  Hess,  Erie;  William,  Erie;  Christopher,  Asle, 
Erie;  and  Henry  (deceased).  Christopher  Little  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Erie,  and  spent  his  early  boy- 
hood days  on  the  farm,  and  .May  3,  1863,  he  enlisted  in 
the  L'nited  States  navy.  He  immediately  went  to  the 
Brooklyn  navy  yard  and  went  on  board  the  Inited 
.States  steamship  "  Mackinaw,"  of  the  North  Atlantic 
Squadron.  He  was  in  the  engagements  before  Ft. 
Fisher,  Petersburg,  Richmond,  Dutch  Gaii  and  Wil- 
mington, N.  C,  and  at  the  bombardment  and  capture 
of  several  small  forts.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service 
.May  17,  1865,  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  when  he  returned 
to  Erie  and,  ( )ctol)er  25,  1865,  entered  the  employ  of 
the  P.  &:  E.  R.  R.  Company.  In  1880  he  was  promoted 
to  the  position  of  conductor,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  trustworthy  employes  of  the  road.  .Mr.  Lit- 
tle was  married,  July  10,  1870,  to  .Miss  Rose  Landand, 
of  Erie.  They  have  eight  children:  Frank,  X.  C. 
(deceased),  John  H.,  .Augusta  May,  Nellie  S..  Lvdia 
.May,  .A.  C.  and  Christopher  (deceased).  Mr.  Little  is 
a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  is  a  Republican.  He 
cast  his  first  vote  for  Lincoln,  in  North  Carolina,  at 
the  age  of  19  years. 

William  L.  Fogel,  engineer  on  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R., 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  .Altoona,  Pa.,  August  7,  1865. 
He  is  a  son  of  Louis  and  .Mary  E.  (Stains)  Fogel,  the 
former  a  native  of  Germany  and  the  latter  of  Penn- 
sylvania. The  father  came  to  .America  in  1840,  at  the 
age  of  12,  with  his  mother,  who  was  a  widow.  He 
spent  his  early  days  on  a  farm,  and  when  yet  a  vouth 
was  engaged  as  teamster  in  hauling  coal.  In  18i>2  he 
commenced  firing  a  locomotive  on  the  Pennsvlvania 
main  line,  anil  eighteen  months  later  was  promoted  to 
the  post  of  engineer.  In  1865  he  resigned  his  position 
on  the  P.  R.  R.  to  accept  a  similar  one  on  the  P.  \-  E. 
Here  he  remained  until  1872.  when  he  resigned  and 
entered  the  employ  of  the  I'nion  Pacific,  on  the  Rockv 
Mountains  He  remained  there  but  a  short  time, 
when  he  returneil  to  the  employ  of  the  P.  &:  E.  R.  R.. 
and  ran  on  that  road  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1892.    The  mother  now  resides  in  Erie. 


7i§ 


NELSON'S  BIOOBAPBICAL  DTCTTONART 


They  were  parents  of  fourteen  children:  Georj^e  F., 
born  April  6,  IHHO,  and  died  May  3,  IHCO;  Julia  A., 
born  May  Ifi,  lS(il,  now  married  to  John  Collins, 
engineer,  Raleigh,  I'a.;  |ohn  C,  horn  February  2(i, 
mm,  and  died  June  14. '1^72;  William  I..;  James  B., 
born  June  H,  IHtiT,  ((UKhutor  on  tlu'  P.  S:  E.  R.  R., 
Erie;  Charles  C,  born  February  17,  l!^(iil,  and  died 
September  24,  IHWt;  Benjamin  F.,  born  December  0, 
1^71,  and  died  September  80,  1^172;  Mary  M.,  born 
July  8,  1><72.  and  died  June  11,  I)^7;i;  Nettie  C;.,  born 
Ajiril  21,  187.');  Anna  F.",  born  December  11,  l(S7<i,  <lied 
January  11,  1S77;  Rubv  E.,  born  February  18,  1878; 
Rosa  P.,  born  May  11,'187!I,  and  died  August  2,  I87i); 
Cora  M.,  born  August  22,  1880,  and  George  VV.,  born 
in  December,  1882.  William  Fogel  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Erie  to  the  age  of  a  years,  his  parents 
moving  here  when  he  was  3  months  old.  When  he 
was  9  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to  Kane, 
where  he  attended  school  until  about  18  years  old, 
when  he  worked  at  brush  making  two  years.  lie  th<'n 
commenced  working  as  engine-wiper  in  the  round- 
house at  Kane,  and  in  a  very  short  time  went  firing, 
and,  October  12,  1898,  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
engineer,  and  is  one  of  the  reliable  young  engine 
drivers  of  the  road.  He  has  many  friends  along  the 
P.  &  E.  R.  R.,  as  well  as  in  Erie.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Relief,  and  is  a  Repulilican. 

Isaac  Carey  engineer  on  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  January  20,  18fi5,  and  is  the 
only  child  of  Albert  and  Maggie  Carey,  both  natives 
of  Pennsylvania  and  now  residents  of  Kane,  Pa.  The 
father  is  also  a  locomotive  engineer  on  the  P.  S:  E.  R. 
R.,  and  one  of  the  old  time  railroad  men  of  that  road. 
When  Isaac  was  two  years  of  age  the  parents  moved 
to  Union  City,  where  he  attended  school  until  15  years 
of  age,  when  the  family  returned  to  Erie.  At  the  age 
of  17  he  went  on  the  P.  iS;  IC.  R.  R.  as  fireman,  and 
eight  years  later  was  made  an  engineer,  which  position 
he  has  since  held.  He  is  a  very  successful  railroad 
man  and  well  understands  tin-  management  of  the 
throttle.  Mr.  Carey  was  married  January  25,  1887,  to 
Miss  Laura  Gould,  of  Erie.  They  have  one  child, 
Madge.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Loco- 
motive Engineers,  and  is  a  Republican. 

John  Adam  Durfield,  engineer  on  the  P.  iV   E. 

R.  R..  Erie,  Pa.,  has  spent  thirly-lhree  years  of  his  life 
in  the  locomotive  cab,  nearly  thirty-two  of  which  he 
has  stood  liy  the  throttle.  He  is  the  oldest  engineer 
in  service,  although  not  in  years,  on  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R. 
He  was  born  in  New  Orleans  February  4,  1841,  and  is 
a  son  of  Harmon  B.  and  Barbara  Durfield.  Harmon 
Durfield  was  a  native  of  Holland  and  his  wife  of 
Bavaria.  He  was  a  salt-water  sailor  and  during  his 
service  on  the  seas  visited  many  of  the  important 
parts  of  the  world,  having  sailed  on  the  three  principal 
oceans  and  circumnavigated  the  globe.  The  family 
came  to  Erie  when  Mr.  Durfield  was  a  child.  The 
father  went  to  sea  again  and  remained  but  a  short 
time,  when  he  returned  to  Erie  and  was  employed  in 
fitting  up  the  U.  S.  S.  "Michigan,"  and  afterwards 
served  on  her  over  twenty-five  years.  He  was  signal 
master  and  hoisted  the  first  flag  that  ever  floated  from 
the  foremast  of  the  "  Michigan."  He  was  at  one  time 
engaged  as  wheelman  in  the  Keed  boats.  He  died  in 
October,  1887,  aged  76  years.  His  wife  now  resides  in 
Erie,  aged  78.     They  reared  a  fannly  of  eight  children, 


of  whom  J.  A.  is  the  eldest.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Erie  and  when  12  years  of  age  went  on 
the  "Michigan"  as  wartl-room  boy  for  three  seasons, 
and  attended  school  in  winters.  He  then  served  an 
ap]irenticeship  at  blacksmithing  and  worked  at  his 
trade  in  Cincinnati  two  years.  In  18H2  he  returned  to 
Erie  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.  as 
fireman.  At  the  end  of  eighteen  months  he  was  pro- 
moted to  engineer  and  ran  freight  one  year,  and  since 
that  time  has  hauled  a  passenger  train  and  has 
scarcely  missed  a  run.  He  is  considered  a  very  care- 
ful and  competent  engineer,  and  has  never  had  an 
accident  in  any  way  attributable  to  him,  but  he  has 
averted  many  disasters  by  his  cool,  clear  and  (juick 
judgments.  Mr.  Durfiekl  was  married  in  Aiigu.st, 
1805,  to  Miss  Martha  C,  daughter  of  E.  B.  and  Sara 
P.  (Bolsby)  Willis,  of  Wilcox,  the  former  a  very 
extensive  railroad  contractor,  who  was  killed  in  a  rail- 
road wreck  in  Ohio  December  8,  1868.  Mrs.  Willis 
died  May  2,  1881.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Captain 
Bolsby,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  The  Bolsby  family 
came  to  America  in  1715  from  Holland.  ,\Ir.  and 
.Mrs.  Durfield  have  one  child,  John  H.,  musician,  F>ie. 
He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Grand  Conservatory  of  .Music 
of  New  York,  and  a  member  of  the  National  League 
of  Musicians.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  both  the  father  and  son  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Masonic  order  and  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  The 
father  is  also  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  and  has 
always  been  a  Republican. 

John  P.  Sipple,  conductor  on  the  P.  &  E.   R.  R., 

p>ie.  Pa.,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Erie,  November  3, 
1847,  and  is  a  son  of  John  N.  and  Christiania  (Fueisler) 
Sipple.  Mrs.  Sipple  is  a  daughter  of  Lewis  Fueisler, 
who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Erie  county.  John  is  the 
youngest  in  a  family  of  four  children.  After  the 
father's  death,  the  mother  now  removed  to  and  resides 
in  Swanville.  Mr.  John  P.  .Siiijile  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Erie,  and  when  18  years  of  age  engaged  as 
brakeman  on  the  E.  &  P.  R.  R.,  and  after  working 
there  three  years  entered  the  emjiloy  of  the  P.  &  E. 
R.  R.  Company, and  in  1878,  he  was  made  a  conductor, 
which  position  he  at  jjresent  holds.  He  was  married 
September  7, 1871,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Shilling,  of  Eru: 
They  have  seven  children:  John  J.,  Henry  L.,  William 
J..  Arthur  P.,  Cassie  C,  Joseiih  D.,  and  Bertha  S.  Mr. 
Sipple  is  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Relief  Asso- 
ciation, and  |)olitically  is  a  Democrat. 

L.  B.  Meagher,  conductor  on  the  P.  &  E.  K.  R., 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  liorn  in  Erie,  April  24,  1862,  and  is  a 
son  of  Lawrence  and  Ellen  (Ryan)  Meagher,  both  na- 
tives of  Ireland.  They  came  to  America,  in  1858,  anil 
settled  in  Erie,  where  they  now  reside.  L.  P.Meagher 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Erie,  and  at  the  age  of  12 
entered  the  employ  of  the  .\nchor  Line  Company. 
He  remained  in  the  eni])loy  of  that  company  until 
1887,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  P.  \-  E.  R.R. 
Company,  as  brakeman.  In  1889he  was])romotedto  the 
position  of  conductor,  which  he  still  holds.  He  was 
married  May  2,  1893,  to  Miss  Rose,  '.aughter  of  An- 
drew and  Caroline  (Hanguer  )  Lutz.  Mr.  Meagher  is 
a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Relief  Association, 
and  politically  is  a  Democrat. 

C.  W.  Fales,  conductor  on  the  Philadelphia  and 
Erie  R.  R.,  l>ie,  Pa.,  born  in  Erie,  August  18,  1849,  is 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


719 


a  son  of  P.  H.  and  Mary  (Geer)  Fales,  the  former  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  latter  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  fatlier  followed  the  life  of  a  sailor,  and 
was  one  of  the  men  employed  in  littin>(  out  the  U.  S. 
S.  "  Michif^an."  He  was  accidtntallv  killed  on  the 
L.  S.  &  M.  R.  K.  track,  January  19,  1<S'8S.  The  mother 
died  in  187(i.  In  the  family  were  seven  children,  of 
whom  C.  W.  is  the  second.  He  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Erie,  and  at  the  ajje  of  ]8  commenced  an  ap- 
prenticeship at  the  tinsmith's  trade.  This  he  followed 
three  years,  and  then  entered  the  emjiloy  of  the  E.  &  P. 
R.  R.  Coompany,  where  he  remained  two  years,  after 
which  he  went  to  work  for  the  Pliiladclphia  and  Erie  R. 
R.  Company.  In  188.')  he  was  promoted  to  the  |josit ion  of 
conductor,  in  which  capacity  he  has  sincr  served,  both 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  company  anil  its  patrons. 
Mr.  Fales  was  united  in  marriage,  September  Vt,  1881, 
to  Miss  Kate  Geist,  an  esteemeil  young  lady  of  Erie. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Railway  Conductors, 
the  A.  O.  U.  \V.,  the  Knights  of  the  (lolden  Eagle, 
and  politically  is  a  Republican. 

M.  Kane,  conductor  on  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Ellicottville,  Cattaraugus  county,  N. 
Y.,  August  18,  18ri4.  His  parents,  Thomas  and  Julia 
(Dugan)  Kane,  were  natives  of  Canada.  The  father 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  die<l  in  Wilcox,  Pa., 
in  1864.  The  mother  now  resides  in  Kane,  Pa.  They 
reared  a  family  of  si.x  children:  Bridget  (now  Mrs. 
Daniel  Nolan,  of  Reynoldsville,  Pa.);  .Anna  (Mrs.  Wm. 
McDonough,  BrooksviUe,  N.  Y.);  M..  Patrick,  Toledo, 
Ohio;  Mary  (now  Mrs.  M.  S.  Connors,  Columbus, 
Ohio),  and  John  (deceased).  When  M.  Kane  was 
about  10  years  old,  the  family  moved  from  New  York 
to  Wilcox,  Pa.  He  attended  the  public  schools  until 
he  was  12  years  old,  when  he  went  to  work  as  a  water 
boy  on  a  section  of  the  Philadelphia  ami  Erie  R.  R., 
and  worked  on  the  section  until  he  was  17,  when  he 
went  on  the  road  as  fjrakeman.  He  was  employed  on 
the  eastern  ami  western  divisions  in  that  capacity 
until  1879,  when  he  was  made  a  conductor,  which  po- 
sition he  has  since  held,  without  losing  as  much  as 
thirty  days'  time,  and  his  career  has  been  remarkably 
free  from  accidents  on  the  rail.  Mr.  Kane  was  mar- 
ried November  4,  1879,  to  .Miss  Genevive,  daughter  of 
J.  S.  and  S.  A.  (l)ituian)  Grove,  of  Erie,  both  of  whom 
are  natives  of  New  York,  and  reside  in  Erii.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kane  have  two  children,  Mayes  and  John. 
Mr.  Kane  is  a  member  of  the  1.  O.  O.  F.,  and  the  K. 
of  P.,  and  politically  stands  on  an  independent  plat- 
form. 

Thomas  Fitzitiaurice,  passengiT  conductor  on 
the  E.  &  P.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  l.ockport, 
Niagara  county,  N.  Y.,  October  2G,  18.')4  (see  sketch  of 
brother,  Charles  Fitzmaurice).  The  family  removed 
to  Sharpsville,  Pa.,  in  18(51,  where  Thomas  received 
his  early  education.  At  the  age  of  Hi  he  engaged  as 
an  apprentice  to  the  molder's  trade,  and  at  theexjjira- 
tion  of  three  years  entere<l  the  em|)liiy  of  the  E.  &  P. 
R.  R.  Company  as  brakinian.  In  I8SII  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  freight  conductor,  and  in  1890 
was  made  a  pa.ssenger  conductor,  in  which  ca])acity  he 
has  since  been  employed.  He  was  married  May  17, 
1883,  to  Miss  Emma  Gnckenbiehl,  of  Erie.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  four  children:  Edward, 
Thomas,  Maria  and  Raymond.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  the  Order  of  Railway  Conductors,  the 


Pennsylvania  Relief  Association,  and  politically  is  a 
Democrat. 

W.  H.  O'Brieii,  locomotive  engineer,  Philadelphia 
and  F.ric-  K.  K..  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Warren,  Pa. 
He  was  fjorn  January  o,  18.59,  and  is  a  son  of  Kennedy 
and  Mary  ((.Mamfot)  O'Brien,  the  former  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  Tin-  father 
died  September  24,  1878,  aged  58  years,  and  tlu'  mother 
died  August  1."),  188t),  aged  HO.  They  reared  a  family 
of  five  children:  Daniel  (deceased),  IJridget,  who  mar- 
ried James  Malloney,  of  Corry,  Pa.;  Patrick  H.  (de- 
ceasetl),  Mary  and  W.  H.,  who  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Warren,  and  when  a  young  man  engaged  as 
clerk  for  .VIetzger  Bros.,  in  Irvineton,  Pa.,  where  he  re- 
mained three  years,  and  at  the  same  time  served  as 
deputy  postmaster.  August  1."^,  1877,  he  engaged  as 
fireman  on  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.,  and  July 
8,  1882,  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer, 
and  since  that  time  has  been  exceptionally  successful 
and  fortunate  in  the  management  of  the  machinery  in 
his  charge.  He  has  never  had  the  slightest  accident. 
Mr.  O'Brien  was  married  June  28,  1888,  to  .Miss  Ella 
Ripley,  of  P'.rie.  Thev  have  four  children:  Henry, 
born  lulv  18,  1889;  Mabel,  born  April  20,  1.^91;  Bessie, 
born  March  12,  1893,  and  Willie,  born  April  29,  1895. 
Mr.  O'Brien  is  a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Loco- 
motive Engineers,  and  is  a  Democrat.  The  family  re- 
side at  the  corner  of  Reed  and  East  Eighteenth  streets, 
Erie,  Pa. 

Asel  Brown,  locomotive  engineer,  Philaiielphia 
and  Erie  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Huntingdon 
county.  Pennsylvani.i,  .March  13,  1844.  His  |)arents, 
Richard  and  Sarah  (Eracksby)  Brown,  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  (both  deceased).  In  the  family  there 
were  twelve  children,  of  whom  Asel  was  the  sixth. 
He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Huntingdon  county,  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  antl  when  the 
Union  was  endangered  by  the  rebellious  hand  of  seces- 
sion, he  enli.sted,  .August  7,  18(51,  in  Co.  O,  147th  P.  \'. 
I.,  and  did  valiant  service  for  his  country  on  some  of 
the  bloodiest  battlehelds  of  the  late  war.  He  was 
transferred  soon  after  enlistment  to  Co.  B,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Antietam,  Chancellorsville,  sec- 
ond Bull  Run,  Lookout  Mountain,  Wantches  X'alley, 
Missionary  Ridge,  .Atlanta,  Ga.,  Raingo, besides  scores 
of  skirmishes.  He  was  one  of  the  fortunate  few  who 
went  through  so  much  hardshiji  and  danger  without 
receiving  a  single  scar.  .At  .Antietam  a  musket  ball 
pa.ssed  throigh  the  leg  of  his  trousers,  and  at  .Atlanta 
ills  blousf  was  pierced  by  a  ball.  He  was  discliarged 
December  28,  I8ti3,  by  reason  of  re-enlistment  as  a 
veteran  volunteer,  and  July  15,  18(i5,  he  was  honorably 
discharged  by  the  general  onler  of  the  war  depart- 
partmcnt.  He  then  returned  to  Huntingdon,  where 
he  began  his  railroad  experience  as  a  fireman  on  the 
Huntingdon  and  Browntop  R.  R.  He  was  employed 
here  but  a  short  time,  when  one  day  the  even  tenor  of 
duty  was  rudely  interrupted  by  the  explosion  ol  the 
boiler  of  his  engine,  and  he  was  hurletl  a  great  dis- 
tance into  the  air  and  landed  on  the  hfth  car  from  the 
engine.  Besides  the  .serious  shock  he  received  he  was 
terribly  scalded.  His  clothes  were  torn  from  his  body, 
even  to  his  boots  and  buckskin  gloves,  and  in  the 
melee  S600  which  he  had  in  his  pocket  evaporated — at 
least  he  never  found  it.  After  this  accident  he  was  un- 
able to  work  for  a  year.     It  did  him  more  personal  in- 


720 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


jurv  th;in  llu-  whiiU-  ruljul  army  hatl  succi'L-dcd  in  doinj;. 
In  18(i7  he  cnUTi'd  the  cniiikiy  of  \\w  I'liiladi-lphia  and 
Erie  K.  K.  Company,  and  in  1870  was  proniotc-tl  to  the 
position  of  engineer.  His  experience  as  an  engineer 
has  been  comparatively  uneventful  and  free  from  acci- 
dents. He  was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Catherine 
Burke,  of  Erie.  Two  children  have  l)een  born  to  this 
union,  Walter  and  Stella,  both  at  home.  Mr.  Brown 
is  a  member  of  the  U.  V.  L.  and  the  d.  .'\.  K.  I'olitic- 
ally  lie  is  a  staunch  Republican. 

Frank  D.  Foote,  locomotive  engineer  on  the 
Philadelphia  antl  Erie  K.  K.,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Mill 
Creek  township,  Erie  county,  June  2K,  18.")2,  is  a  .son  of 
Warren  and  ^iartha  Jane  (Whiteford)  Koote,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Mill  Creek  township,  born  .'\])ril  2{i, 
1821,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  born 
May  14,  1828,  who  came  to  America  with  her  parents, 
when  she  was  8  years  old,  .md  died  June  8,  1888.  War- 
ren Koote  now  resi<les  in  .Mill  Creek  township,  where 
he  has  made  farming  the  chief  occupation  of  his  life. 
He  is  a  son  of  Capt.  Warren  Koote,  a  New  Englander, 
who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Erie  county,  and  served 
as  captain  in  the  war  of  1812.  Warren  and  Martha 
Jane  (Whiteford)  Koote  were  parents  of  three  children: 
V'ir{;il,  now  of  Cedar  Kails,  la.;  Frank  D.,  and  Bes- 
denia  (deceased).  Frank  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm  in  .Mill  Creek  townshi]),  and  received  a  common 
school  education.  At  the  age  of  21  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  and  shortly  after  went  to  the  oil 
country,  remaining  two  years.  In  1878  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  K.  R.  Company 
as  tireman,  and  in  1887  was  promoted  to  engineer, 
which  position  he  has  since  held.  Mr.  P'oote  wasmar- 
ried,  September  23,  1880,  to  Miss  Hattie  1.,  daughter 
of  Isaac  and  Fannie  I..  (  Heidler)  Wolfe,  of  Mill  CVeek. 
To  this  union  has  been  born  two  childri'u:  Maud  Myr- 
tle and  .Marshal  Warren.  Mr.  Koote  is  a  member  of 
the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  the  A.  O. 
U.  W.,  and  is  a  staunch  Ke|iublican. 

Frank  Delos  Walbridge,  engineer  on  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Erie  R.  K..  Erie,  Pa.,  liorn  in  Springfield, 
Erie  county,  June  11,  18.'J4,  is  a  son  of  John  S.  and  Jane 
C.  (Mallory)  \\'albridge,  the  former  a  native  of  .Sharon, 
\t.,  and  the  latter  of  Argyle,  X.  ^■.  John  S.  Walbriilge 
came  to  ICrie  county  in  182it,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Springfield  township,  Erie  county,  where  he  died.  May 
3,  1850,  aged  50,  and  the  mother  died  in  1871,  aged  70. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Maj.  Mallory,  who  served  in 
the  war  of  1812.  He  came  from  New  England,  prior 
to  the  war  of  1812,  and  sitttled  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
wilderness,  in  tlie  western  ])art  of  Erie  county,  cleared 
u]i  a  farm  and  reared  a  family  of  nine  children.  John 
S.  Walbridge  was  a  son  of  John  Walbndge,  who  came 
from  \'ermont,  with  his  family,  in  182!l,  and  settled  in 
.Sjiringlield  township,  Erie  county.  'I'hey  drove  the 
entire  distance  with  an  ox  team,  and  for  several  years 
Pittsburg  was  their  nearest  market  town.  He  reared 
a  family  of  six  children:  John  .S.  (decea.sed),  Henry  I). 
(deceased),  Lucia,  who  married  Lorenzo  Harvey;  Mar- 
cia,  who  married  Perry  Devore;  Jenette  (deceased), 
and  Millie.  John  W.  and  Jane  (Mallory)  Walbridge 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children:  Mrs.  Jacob  Moore, 
Pawnee  City,  Neb.;  Charles  P.,  Beatrice,  Kas. ;  Mrs. 
Florence  H.  Jordan,  Pawnee  City,  Neb.;  C.  H.,  Har- 
bor Creek  township;  A.  M.,  East  Springlield;  an<I 
Lydia,  .Mrs.  Uelos    Morgan,   Beatrice,    Kas.  (she  diet! 


April  2,  1895),  and  Ida  .M.,  Mrs.  Charles  Church,  of 
Erie.  F.  I).  Walbridge  was  reared  and  educated  in 
.Springfield  townshij),  and  spent  his  early  life  on  a 
farm.  .\X  the  age  of  14  lie  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  Henry 
Beekman's  grocery  store,  and  in  1871  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Philadeliihia  and  Erie  R.  R.  Company,  and 
worked  in  various  capacities  until  187(),  when  he  en- 
gaged as  tireman,  and  four  years  later  was  made  an 
engineer.  His  service,  both  as  tireman  and  engineer 
has  been  on  the  way  freight,  and  he  is  the  oldest  way- 
freight  man  on  the  road.  .Since  187li  he  has  not  lost 
thirty  days,  nor  had  the  slightest  mishap.  Mr.  Wal- 
bridge was  married.  May  .'51,  1880,  to  Miss  Iila  M., 
daughter  of  Christian  and  Eliza  (Blenner)  Smith,  of 
Erie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walbridge  are  theparentsof  four 
children:  Harrv  C,  born  December  7,  1881;  (ieorge 
Arthur,  born  December  ti,  188;!,  and  died  July  2,'i,  1885; 
T.  Delos,  born  March  31,  1887,  and  Earl  G.,  horn  No- 
\ember  12,  1802.  .Mr.  Walbridge  is  a  member  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  Royal  Arca- 
num, P.  O.  .S.  of  A.,  and  is  independent  in  his  political 
views. 

Atidrew  J.  Woods,  engineer  on  the  Philadi'lphia 
and  Erie  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Ogdensburg,  St.  Law- 
rence county,  N.  Y.,  .'\pril  i),  IS.W.  He  is  a  son  of 
William  and  ;\nnie  (Fleming)  Woods,  the  former  a 
native  of  England  ami  the  latter  of  Irel.ind.  The 
family  settled  in  Erie  in  1835,  where  the  father  liied 
April'  1,  1872,  and  the  mother  February  23,  ISilO. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living:  Andrew  J.,  John  and  James.  They  are  all 
locomotive  engineers.  Andrew  J.  was  reared  and  ed- 
ucated in  Erie,  and  in  18B7  engaged  in  railroading. 
He  worked  in  various  capacities  until  1870,  when  he 
began  tiring,  and  in  1878  was  promoted  to  engineer. 
He  has  been  running  in  the  jiassenger  service  since 
1890.  Few  engineers  have  a  record  as  free  from 
wrecks  and  accidents  as  is  .Mr.  Woods'.  It  iss.ifetosay 
that  he  has  never  cost  the  company  a  cent  outside  the 
ordinary  wear  of  machinery.  He  was  marrieil  June 
19,  1882,  to  Miss  Margaret  Anderson,  of  Kensington, 
Columbiana  county,  Ohio.  He  lives  on  the  old  home- 
stead, on  the  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  Parade  streets. 

SheldeB  M.  Moore,  647  East  Twenty-first  street, 
Erie,  Pa.,  may  be  termed  a  compound  railroad  man, 
as  he  combines  the  unusual  ac(|uirements  of  passen- 
ger conductor  and  engineer.  The  Ai/tiririin  /^iiilirdi/ 
journal  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  the  P.  S:  E. 
R.  R.  is  the  only  road  in  the  United  States  that  has 
the  distinction  of  employing  the  same  man  in  these 
two  capacities,  antl  this  the  only  case  of  the  kind  on 
that  road.  Mr.  Moore  was  born  January  5,  1845,  in 
Hiram,  Geauga  county,  Ohio.  He  is  a  son  of  .Milton 
M.  and  Mary  L.  (Sheldon)  Moore,  both  natives  of 
Ohio.  The  mother  died  at  the  age  of  22,  when  Shel- 
den  was  3  years  old.  He  was  the  only  child.  The 
father  is  a  jdiysician  now  at  Wesleyville,  Pa.  He 
came  to  Erie  county  in  1857,  and  two  years  later 
brought  Shelden  M.,  who  attended  school  iit  Wesley- 
vilU'  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  when,  although 
but  If)  years  of  age,  enlisted  as  a  private  November  8, 
18(11,  in  Erie  in  Co.  F,  111th  P.  V.  I.,  2d  Brig.,  2d  Uiv. 
12th  and  20th  army  corps.  He  was  promoted  to  ser- 
geant in  the  early  part  of  18()3.  His  experience  in 
battles  include  the  engagements  of  Cedar  .Mountain, 
second    I'ull   Run,    Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


721 


Gettysburg,  Wauhatchic,  Lookout  Mountain,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  Ringgold,  all  the  engagements  of  the 
Atlantic  Campaign  and  the  march  to  the  sea  through 
the  Carolinas.  He  received  a  gunshot  wound  in  the 
right  knee  at  the  battle  of  Peach  Tree  creek,  and  two 
years  previous  he  was  sick  with  the  typhoid  fever  at 
Harpers  Ferry  Hospital.  In  December,  1863,  he  was 
furioughed  at  Wauhatchie,  Tenn.,  and  re-enlisted  in 
Co.  F,  nith  Reg.,  and  rejoined  his  comjiany  in  .March, 
1>S()4,  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn.  He  was  discharged  in 
Washington,  1).  C,  by  general  order  of  the  war  de- 
partment July  20,  186.'i.  and  returned  to  Wesleyville. 
He  then  went  to  the  oil  country  for  about  a  year  and  a 
half.  From  there  he  went  to  Saginaw,  Mich.,  and  fol- 
lowed lumbering  until  18ti!1,  when  he  returned  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  P.  &:  E.  R.  R.  as  brakeman, 
and  in  si.\  months  went  tiring.  In  1871  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  ])ost  of  engineer,  and  in  1883  was  made  a 
passenger  engineer.  In  189U  he  was  also  appointed  a 
first-class  |iassenger  conductor.  Mr.  .Moore  was  mar- 
ried .March  IK,  18(i8,  in  Wesleyville,  Pa.,  to  Miss  Mary, 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Susan  '(Nichols)  Blackwood, 
of  Wesleyville.  She  was  born  March  20,  1848,  Her 
mother  is  dead  and  her  father  resides  in  Wesleyville. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  are  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Francis  M.,  engineer  on  the  P.  &:  E.  R.  R.;  Robert  M., 
fireman  on  the  P.  &■  E.  R.  R.,  and  Kittie  A.,  at  home. 
Mr.  Moore  is  past  O.  D.  in  Cajitain  John  M.  Sell  Post, 
No.  479,  G.  A.  R.;  is  a  member  of  the  E.  A.  U.,  and 
has  always  been  a  Reiiublican.  His  grandfather  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 

Myrott  Palmer,  locomotive  engineer  on  the 
E.  &  P.  R.  R.,  was  born  in  Edinboro,  Pa.,  October  23, 
1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Ste]ihen  M.  and  Dorthy  (Hamil- 
ton) Palmer,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the 
latter  of  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania.  The  father  died 
in  18'.)0,  aged  96  years,  and  the  mother  in  1879,  aged  72 
years.  Myron  is  next  to  the  youngest  in  a  family  of 
eleven  children.  He  left  home  at  the  age  of  10  and 
worked  on  a  farm  two  years,  and  when  only  14  years 
old  engaged  as  fireman  on  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.,  and 
when  18  he  was  promoted  to  the  piost  of  engineer.  He 
has  worked  on  every  division  of  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R., 
from  IJuffalo  to  Chicago.  In  1873  he  resigned  his  posi- 
tion on  that  road  to  accept  a  passenger  run  on  the 
Y..  is.  P.  R.  R.,  which  he  still  holds.  During  his  long 
career  as  a  railroad  man  he  has  never  had  a  wreck  of 
any  importance.  Mr.  Palmer  was  married  March  23, 
1873,  to  Miss  Mary  H.  Greeher,  of  New  York  City. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Fanny,  George 
(deceased),  Edna,  and  Harry  (deceased).  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  United  Workmen. 

W.  W.  Irwin,  locomotive  engineer  on  the  E.  &  P. 
R.  R.,  4.55  West  Eleventh  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  Cana- 
dian by  birth,  and  was  born  in  the  county  of  York, 
March  12,  1846.  His  parents,  Eli  and  Mary  (Crane) 
Irwin,  both  deceased,  were  also  natives  of  Canada. 
They  reared  a  family  of  six  children:  John,  Chicago, 
III.;  Henry  (deceased),  Samuel,  Ohio;  Hattie,  now  Mrs. 
Reuben  Kennedy,  Toronto,  Canada,  and  Milton,  Fort 
.Scott,  Kan.  Mr.  Irwin  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  county,  and,  when  a  young  man,  learned 
the  miller's  trade  and  worked  at  it  in  Canada  until  he 
was  27  years  old.  He  then  came  to  the  .States  .■inil 
located  in  F>ie.  He  immediately  entered  the  employ 
of  the  E.  &   P.  R.  R.  Company,  in  the  capacity  of 


brakeman,  and  in  le.ss  than  one  year  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  fireman.  He  served  in  that  capacity 
seven  years  and  ten  months,  an<I  was  promoted  to  the 
post  of  engineer,  which  position  he  has  since  faithfully 
and  efficiently  held.  Mr.  Irwin  isathorough  mechanic, 
and  possesses  lots  of  nerve  and  good  judgment,  which 
makes  him  one  of  the  best  engineers  on  the  road.  His 
coolness  and  quickness  of  action  has  averted  many 
smash-up.s.  He  has  had  some  very  narrow  escapes, 
but  has  always  remained  on  his  engine  and  has  never 
yet  been  implicated  in  the  slightest  wreck.  He  was 
married  September  18,  1872,  to  Miss  Emily  Burns,  of 
Toronto,  Canada.  Three  children  have  baen  born  to 
this  union,  and  of  whom  is  living,  Georgeiana.  Mr. 
Irwin  is  a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive 
Engineers  and  the  L'nited  Workmen. 

C.  H.  SHllivaa.  passenger  conductor,  L.  S.  iV  .\1. 
S.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Harpersfield,  Ashta- 
bula C(junty,  Ohio,  July  11,  1844.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
G.  and  Harriet  C.  (Hopkins)  Sullivan,  both  natives  of 
New  York.  The  former  was  a  son  of  Potter  Sullivan, 
who  was  a  well-known  Methodist  minister,  and 
preached  for  several  years  in  the  Pittsburg  Confer- 
ence. The  family  settled  in  Elk  Creek  township, 
Erie  county,  about  1835.  In  1860  John  G.  Sullivan 
removed  to  Ohio,  and  now  resides  at  Geneva,  O.  His 
wife  died  in  1851.  They  were  the  parents  of  two 
children,  C.  H.  and  E.  P.  (deceased).  Mr.  .Sullivan 
was  reared  to  the  age  of  8  years  in  Erie  county,  when 
he  went  to  live  in  Cherry  Valley  township,  .t\,shtabula 
county,  O.  During  the  war  he  enlisted  as  teamster 
and  served  one  year.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
engaged  in  the  lightning-rod  business  in  New  York 
State,  which  he  followed  three  years.  In  1868  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  as  brake- 
man,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  was  promoted  to  a 
freight  conductorship.  He  ran  a  freight  train  until 
1889,  when  he  was  |)romoted  to  a  ])assenger  train,  and 
now  has  a  very  desirable  run  from  Cleveland  to 
Buffalo.  In  his  railroad  experience  Mr.  Sullivan  has 
been  very  free  from  those  accidents  incidental  to  the 
average  railroader's  life.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
December  15,  1869,  to  Miss  Francis  Olmstead,  of 
Ashtabula,  O.  They  have  three  children:  Warner 
H.,  brakeman  on  the'L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.;  Carl,  also 
brakeman  on  the  L.  S.  S:  M.  S.,  and  Elsie.  Mr. 
Sullivan  is  a  well-known  railroatl  man  and  a  highly 
respected  citizen.  He  has  resided  in  Erie  over  twenty 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  of  U.  W.,  and  the 
E.  A.  U.  The  family  are  members  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  and  he  is  a  strong  advocate  of  Prohiliition  and 
an  adherent  of  that  party. 

Simon  Reed.  631  East  Twelfth  street,  Erie,  Pa., 

one  of  the  representative  railroad  men  of  Erie  county, 
Pennsylvania,  is  in  the  employ  of  the  P.  S:  E.  R.  R., 
in  the  capacity  of  conductor,  and  has  served  that  cor- 
poration in  that  capacity  longer  than  any  other  man 
in  Erie.  He  was  born  in  Sullivan  county.  New  York, 
November  19,  1847.  His  parents  were  Patrick  and 
Ellen  (Clifford)  Reed.  They  were  both  natives  of 
Providence,  R.  I.,  of  New  England  stock,  and  among 
the  oldest  families  in  the  I'nited  States.  The  family 
moved  from  New  ^'ork  to  Pennsylvania  in  1858,  and 
settled  in  Ridgway.  I-".lk  county.  Pa.,  where  the  mother 
ilied  in  1878,  and  the  father  in  Erie  in  1892.  They 
reared  a  family  of  si.x  children,  four  of  whom  are  now 


722 


NELSOirS  BIOaRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


living.  Simon  Reed  was  reared  in  Ridgway,  Pa.,  and 
in  his  earlier  days  followed  lumbering,  rafting,  etc. 
In  181)7  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  1'.  &  K.  R.  R.  as 
brakeman,  and  in  1872  was  ])ronu)ted  to  the  position 
of  con<luctor,  which  position  he  has  since  held  to  the 
full  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  He  has  never  been 
concerned  in  any  wreck  or  accident  worthy  of  mention. 
Politically,  Mr.  Reed  has  always  been  a  Democrat, 
and  has  been  very  active  in  |iarty  organiiiation  and 
work.  His  party  has  on  numerous  occasions  offered 
to  make  him  its  candidate  for  various  ofiices,  hut  each 
time  he  has  refused.  On  two  occasions  he  was 
solicited  to  become  its  candidate  for  sheriff  of  Krie 
county.  He  has  on  several  occasions  represented  his 
party  at  State  and  other  conventions.  Mr.  Reed  was 
married  July  l.i,  1867,  to  Miss  l.ydia  Starks,  of  .Madi- 
•son.  Lake  county,  O.  They  have  thre(.'  children, 
Kate  P.,  Annie  E.  and  .S.  H.  Mr.  Reed  is  a  member 
of  the  K.  <if  H.,  K.  of  P.,  and  Order  of  Railway  Con- 
ductors.    He  has  resi<led  in  Erie  since  18tii(. 

J.  F.  Hunt,  locomotive  engineer,  L.  .S.  i\-  M.  .S. 
R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Ripley.  N.  ^■.,  .May  '24, 
18.%.  His  parents  died  when  he  was  an  infant.  He 
was  adopted  by  a  farmer  when  his  parents  died,  and 
was  reared  on  a  farm  near  Ripley,  X.  Y.  He  entered 
the  employ  of  the  L.  .S.  S:  M.  S.  R.  R.  Comiiany, 
April  IT),  1871,  as  rireman  in  the  Cleveland  yaril.  In 
187.')  he  was  apjiointed  to  engine  hostler  in  the  Erie 
round-house,  and  in  1879  was  made  an  engineer.  He 
has  since  been  one  of  the  faithful  and  efficient  employes 
of  the  road.  The  fact  that  Mr.  Hunt  is  a  survivor  of 
one  of  the  most  terrible  raihoad  accidents  m  the 
annals  of  railroading,  "  The  Ashtabula  Disaster," 
makes  the  hi.story  of  his  life  one  of  interest.  Nearly 
everyone,  who  is  old  enough,  will  remember  that  on 
December  29,  1876,  the  .Ashtabula  bridge  gave  way 
with  an  L.  .S.  S;  M.  S.  passenger  train.  'I'here  maybe 
some  people  who  will  not  recall  the  pa.st,  but  Mr. 
Hunt  will  assure  you  that  he  is  not  one  of  those 
people,  for  he  never  will  forget  it.  Dan  McCuire  was 
the  engineer  and  Mr.  Hunt  was  the  fireman  on  the 
head  engine  of  the  train,  the  "  Socrates,"  No.  1.5(1.  He 
was  placed  in  a  perilous  position,  and  it  was  only  his 
rare  nerve  that  enabled  him  to  escape  with  a  very 
.severe  cut  on  the  head  and  a  terribly  burned  hand  on 
that  occasion.  Outside  of  his  ex])erience  in  that 
frightful  wreck  he  has  been  very  fortunate,  and  it  can 
be  .said  that  he  was  exceedingly  lucky  to  have  escaped 
with  his  life  on  that  occasion.  He  was  married, 
December  22,  1881,  to  Miss  Emma  V'alts,  of  Erie. 
They  have  tlu' following  children:  I'.dna  May,  James 
Raymond,  Blanche  Louisa  and  Caroline  Sophia.  Mr. 
Hunt  is  a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive 
Engineers. 

William  Cames,  conductor  on  the  I-;.  &  P.  R.  R., 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  Ikhii  at  Greenville,  .Mercer  county.  Pa., 
March  16,  1858.  He  is  a  son  of  Godfrey  and  Mary 
Jane  (Harrah)  Cames,  both  natives  of  Sharpsville,  Pa., 
and  the  former  of  Holland  and  the  latter  of  Irish 
descent.  The  mother  died  in  l8li;!  and  the  father 
now  resides  at  Sharpsville.  They  were  parents  of 
three  children,  our  subject  being  the  only  one  now 
living.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Mercer  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  before  beginning  railroading  he 
worked  in  a  blast  furnace  three  years.  On  April  22, 
1881,  went  on  the  E.  &  P.  as  brakeman.     In  March, 


1890,  he  was  promoted  to  conductor,  in  which  capacity 
he  has  since  been  employed.  His  railroad  experience 
has  been  very  lucky,  and  he  has  a  good  clear  record. 
Mr.  Carnes  was  married,  .August  9,  188:^,  to  Miss 
Esther,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Matilda  .Stuart,  of 
Greenville,  Pa.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with 
three  cliildren,  viz.:  Frank  Scott,  Tillie  E.stella 
(deceased)  and  Mary  Helen.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
O.  R.  C,  the  P.  \ .  R.,  and  is  a  Republican. 

Alfred  W.  Phillips.  i:i;i  West  Thirtceenth  street, 
Erie,  Pa.,  one  of  the  well-known  engineers  on  the  1'2. 
S:  P.  R.  R.,  was  born  in  .Sharon,  Mercer  county,  Pa., 
December  20,  18.50.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Slarga- 
ret  (Clark I  Phillips,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
of  old  .American  families,  the  -former  of  Welch,  and 
the  latter  of  Irish  descent.  Col.  Sanmel  Clark,  Al- 
fred's maternal  grandfather,  served  under  Conunodore 
Perry,  in  the  battle  of  Lake  I'.rie.  Alfred  W.  was  the 
sixth  in  a  family  of  nine  children.  His  father  dieii  in 
1874,  and  his  mother  in  188.'i.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  .Sharon.  M^Tcer  county.  Pa.,  and,  when  a 
young  man,  worked  with  his  father,  who  was  a  tanner 
by  trade.  Later  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Sharon 
rolling  mills  four  successive  summers,  attending 
school  in  the  winter.  He  worked  in  the  Sharon  foun- 
dry one  year,  then  worked  in  a  llour  and  feed  .store 
eighteen  months.  He  then  learned  the  machinist's 
trcde  in  the  shop  of  Wm.  McGilnary  iS:  Co.  On  ac- 
count of  shop  work  injuring  his  health,  he  went  on  the 
E.  &  P.  R.  R.  as  lireman,  September  28,  1873,  and  was 
promoted  to  engineer,  (Jctober  24,  1880.  He  has  been 
in  the  em])loy  of  the  Pennsylvania  Company  in  that 
capacity  ever  since,  except  one  year,  which  he  spent 
in  California  for  the  lieneht  of  his  health.  He  took  up 
a  farm  m  California,  and  was  also  engaged  as  loco- 
motive engineer  on  tlie  Central  Pacific  R.  R.,  for  four 
months  during  this  time.  His  railroad  exj)eriencehas 
been  very  free  from  accidents  of  any  kind.  Mr.  Phil- 
lips was  married  i\lay  26,  1881,  to  Miss  Anna  Hamil- 
ton, of  Allegheny.  .She  died  July  20, 1884,  leaving  one 
child,  James  Marshall.  He  was  again  married,  in 
1889,  to  Mi.ss  Cora  B.  Pyle,  of  Mahoningtown,  Pa., 
where  his  family  now  reside.  They  have  one  child, 
Anita  Elizabeth.  Mr.  Phillips  is  a  member  of  Erie 
Lodge,  No.  49,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  Amazon  Lodge,  No.  ;«6, 
Mahoningtown,  I'a.,  and  Friendshij)  Lodge,  No.  329, 
B.  of  L.  E.,  Youngstown,  (Jhio. 

Emery  D.  Scott,  conductor  on  the  P.  &  E.  divis- 
ion ol  the  l'<  iins\  Ivaiiia  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Erie,  August  19,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Ezra  D.  and 
Mary  (Hinton)  Scott,  the  former  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  of  New  England  stock,  and  the  latter  of 
Erie  county,  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest 
families  in  the  State,  who  were  early  settlers  in  this 
county.  They  reared  a  family  of  six  children,  viz.: 
Emery  D.;  Jennie,  married  Josejih  .Mortz,  of  Corry,  Pa.; 
Mamie,  married  Nelson  Caspeson;  M.  E.,  conductor  on 
the  P.  &.  E.;  Mrs.  Wm.  Hasbrook,  Corry,  Pa.  Mr. 
Emery  1).  Scott  was  reared  in  Union  City,  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  that  place  and  Edinlioro  Nor- 
mal School.  When  a  boy  he  engaged  in  clerking  in 
a  dry  goods  store  in  Union  City.  He  rein.iined  there 
until  he  was  16  years  old,  when  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  W.  N.  Y.  &  P.  R.  R.  Company,  in  the  capacity 
of  brakeman.  He  worked  there  three  years  and  en- 
listed in  the  U.  S.  navy,  on  board  the  U.  S.  S.  "  .Michi- 


ANB  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COXJlsTY. 


723 


gan,"  and  shortly  after  was  drafted  to  the  U.  S.  S. 
"  Brooklyn,"  which  was  in  port  in  Boston.  This  was 
about  the  time  of  the  jjerpetration  of  the  \'irKinia 
atrocity  by  the  Spaniards  in  Cuba,  and  the  Brooklyn 
was  ordered  to  Key  West  and  cruised  around  Cuba 
until  the  ditiliculty  was  settled  and  returned  to  Pensa- 
cola,  Fla.,  where  Mr.  Scott  was  discharged.  He  then 
went  to  Texas,  and  was  yard  master  for  the 
St.  L.  &  I.  M.  R.  R.  at  Texarkana  three  years,  when 
he  returned  to  Union  City  and  entereil  the  employ  of 
the  P.  \"  E.  as  brakeman.  June  2ti,  l><t<l,  he  was  made 
a  conductor,  in  which  capacity  he  has  since  served. 
He  was  married  September  17,  1880,  to  Miss  .Vldie  E. 
Boyd,  of  Warren.  They  have  four  children,  viz.:  Mel- 
vine  C,  born  June  11,  1882;  Emery  B.,  born  Septem- 
ber 21,  1884;  Robert  E.,  born  .-Xugust  27,  1886,  and 
Effie  Mav,  born  Ianuarv21,  1891.  Mr.  Scott  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  ().  R.  C.  ami  the  P.  \'.  R. 

Heary  Weber,  locomotive  engineer  on  the  L.  S. 
&  M.  S.  R.  R.,  was  born  February  1,  1860,  in  Scott 
county,  Minnesota.  He  isa  son  of  Nicholas  and  Eliza- 
beth (Lachen)  Weber,  the  former  a  native  of  Ger- 
many and  the  latter  of  Prussia.  They  moved  from 
Minnesota  to  Erie  in  1870.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  viz.:  Henry,  our  subject;  Thomas; 
William,  who  was  an  engineer  on  the  L.  .S.  &  M.  S. 
He  died  .-^pril  11,  1895,  aged  30  years;  Lizzie  (de- 
ceased), Frank,  Katie.  Christopher,  Ferdinand,  Mary, 
Edward  and  Lucy.  Mr.  Weber  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Erie,  and  when  yet  a  boy  returned  to 
Minnesota,  where  he  remained  about  three  years.  He 
then  returned  to  Erie  and  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Lake  Shore  R.  R.  Company  at  Erie  as  caller.  In  1885 
he  went  on  the  road  as  fireman,  and  in  1891  was  pro- 
moted to  engineer.  He  is  very  jiopular  and  is  con- 
sidered a  careful  and  competent  railroad  man.  Mr. 
Weber  and  his  brother  Frank  have  500  acres  of  timber 
in  Oregon,  which  they  bought  in  1892.  They  also  own 
city  property  in  Portland,  Ore.,  and  have  been  very 
successful  in  their  Western  speculations.  Frank  lives 
in  Portland,  where  he  moved  ia  1890.  Mr.  Henry 
Weber  is  a  member  of  the  B.  of  L.  E.  and  politically 
is  a  Democrat. 

Frederick  Hoff  mati,  conductor  on  the  E.  &  P. 
division  of  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R.,  was  born  in  l->ie, 
Pa.,  February  12,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Phili|)  and  Marie 
(Siener)  Hoffman,  the  former  a  native  of  Germany,  and 
the  latter  of  Canada  and  of  French  extraction.  The 
family  .settled  in  Erie  in  1840.  There  were  eight  chil- 
dren, viz.:  George  (deceased);  .Mary,  Mrs.  Charles  A. 
Spadican,  Erie;  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  John  Rue,  Denver, 
Colo.;  Kate,  Mrs.  Thomas  Kene,  Erie;  John  S.,  brake- 
man,  Erie;  and  Frederick,  our  subject.  The  father 
was  a  building  mover  by  occupation.  He  died,  Janu- 
ary 28,  1887,  aged  7:j  years.  The  mother  died,  Octo- 
ber 28,  1866.  Frederick  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Erie,  and  when  10  years  of  age,  went  to  Boone,  la.,  anil 
worked  in  a  restaurant  about  eight  month.s.  He  then 
traveled  throughout  the  West,  ami  worked  in  various 
places,  and  finally  returned  to  Erie  and  commenced 
an  apprenticeship  at  moulding,  with  the  Jarecki  Man- 
ufacturing Com|iany.  .After  learning  his  trade  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Griswold  .Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, where  he  remained  a  short  time,  and  went  on 
the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  as  brakeman,  one  .season.  Then 
went  on  the  P.  &  E.  as  brakeman.     Fie  then  took  a 


trip  through  the  South  and  West  for  about  a  year, 
when  he  returned  to  Erie  and  resumed  his  former  oc- 
cupation with  the  P.  &  E.  After  a  short  stay,  went 
we.st  again.  Upon  his  return  he  re-entered  the  employ 
of  the  P.  &  E.  as  brakeman,  and  in  1882  went  to  work 
in  the  same  capacity  on  the  E.  S;  P.,  and  was  promoted 
to  conductor,  March  17,  1889.  He  was  married  Sep- 
tember 15,  IW),  to  .Miss  Louise,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Margaret  (Cashiner)  Heinjie,  of  Newark,  N.  J. 
The  father  is  now  dead  and  the  mother  resides  in  New 
York.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Hoffman  have  four  children,  viz.: 
Frederick  Louis,  born  Januarv  25,  1881,  and  died  Au- 
gust 26,  1886;  Marie,  born  January  28,  1883;  Bertha, 
born  October  22,  1887,  and  George  Henrv,  born  Julv 
29,  1889.  Mr.  Hoffman  isa  member  of  the  O.  R.  C'.. 
the  P.  \'.  R.,  and  politically  is  a  Demecrat. 

Louis  E.  Feisler.  conductor  on  the  L.  S.  S:  M.  S. 

R.  R..  Erie.  Pa.,  was  born   in  Swanville,  Erie  county, 

.September  20,  1848.     He  is  a  son  of  Erne.st  and 

(Gernflo)  Feisler,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  father 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation  in  this  country,  although 
in  Germany  he  .served  an  apprenticeship  at  thetailor's 
trade.  Our  subject  is  the  youngest  in  a  family  o  five 
children.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Fairview 
township,  and  when  13  years  old  he  went  to  work  on 
the  L.  ,S.  &:  M.  S.  as  water  boy.  Later  worked  as  a 
section  hand,  and  finally  went  on  the  road  as  brake- 
man.  .After  serving  in  that  capacity  for  five  years, 
was  jiromoted  to  conductor.  He  then  retired  from 
railroading  a  short  time,  and  in  1874  returned  in  the 
capacity  of  brakeman  again,  and  was  promoted  to  his 
|iresent  position  in  1883.  Mr.  Feisler  has  been  twice 
married.  First,  November,  1871,  to  Miss  .Mary  Bowers, 
of  Swanville.  To  them  were  born  six  children,  viz.: 
George  E.,  Lewis  L.  (deceased),  Charles  A.,  Frank, 
Dora  (deceased),  and  L.  F2.,  jr.  .Mrs.  Feisler  died  in 
April,  1885.  He  was  again  married,  October  20,  1890, 
to  Miss  Ella  Forbes,  of  Ashtabula,  O.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  K.  O.  T.  M.,  and  is  an  old-time  Democrat. 

James  C.  Benson,  conductor  on  the  P.  &  E.  R. 
R.,  £rie.  Pa.  This  gentleman  is  a  Kentuckian  by 
birth  and  was  born  at  Flat  Rock  December  11,  1862. 
He  is  a  son  of  Hamilton  H.  and  Lydia  B.  (Doyle) 
Benson,  the  former  a  native  of  Waterford,  Pa.,  and 
the  latter  of  Amboy,  111.  The  father  was  a  civil 
engineer  by  profession  and  followed  that  line  of  work 
throughout  the  west  and  south  and  in  the  oil  regions 
of  Pennsylvania.  In  1868  he  returned  to  his  native 
towrt  ( Waterford ),  where  he  now  reside.s.  The  Ben.son 
fajiiily  are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  James  C.  Benson 
is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  four  children,  viz.:  James 
C;  Paul  A.,  attorney,  Erie,  Pa.;  Mabel,  bookkeeper 
for  the  Tribune  Bicycle  Company,  Erie,  and  Josei)h 
\ .,  fireman  on  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.  James  C.  Benson 
was  reared  at  Waterford  and  was  educated  at  the 
Waterford  .Academy  anil  .Mt.  I'nion  College,  Ohio. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  January  23,  1886,  to  Mi,ss 
Lena,  daughter  of  Lafayette  and  Sarah  (Benson) 
Phelps.  They  have  one  child,  Leah  Mabel,  born 
September  1,  1888.  Mr.  Benson  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.  Encampment  and  the  P.  \'.  R.,  and 
politically  is  a  staunch  Republican. 

Chas.  E.  Diefenbach,  locomotive  engineer  on  the 
P.  ^:  E.  R.  K..  l>ie.  Pa.,  is  a  nativeof  Erie  county,  and 
was  born  in  .Mill  Creek  township  March  4,  1855.      He 


724 


NELSON-8  BTOailAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


is  a  son  of  Louis  and  Phofhc  Diefcnhach,  both  natives 
of  Germany.  They  eniigratiii  to  America  in  ISSli, 
settled  in  Erie  county  and  followed  farming.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  viz.;  Henry, 
locomotive  engineer,  was  killed  in  a  railroad  accident 
in  the  West  August  (i,  18W>;  John,  carpenter,  Krie; 
Adaui  (see  sketch  in  this  volume)  and  Charles.  The 
father  died  February  'I'l.  188(i,  aged  82  years,  and  the 
mother  now  lives  with  .Adam  on  the  corner  of  Wayne 
and  Twenty-second  streets,  Krie.  Charles  was  reared 
on  his  father's  farm  and  educated  in  the  commf)n 
schools  of  Erie  county.  In  18T8  he  went  on  the  P.  S; 
E.  R.  R.  as  fireman,  and  April  1(1,  18i)0,  was  made  an 
engineer.  He  was  united  m  marriage  September  10, 
1878,  to  Miss  Barbara,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Barbara  (Byers)  Warfel,  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  where  the 
mother  now  resides.  The  father  died  in  188(i.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Diefenbach  have  had  two  children,  viz.: 
Manila,  died  in  infancv,  and  Charles  I'.dwin,  born  |uly 
I.  188;{.  Mr.  Diefenbach  is  a  member  of  the  P.  \'.  R. 
and  politically  is  a  .staunch  Democrat. 

James  Burke,  locomotive  engineer  on  the  P.  & 
E.  K.  R.,  Krie,  I'.i.  This  well-known  and  thoroughly 
experienced  railroad  man  was  born  in  Ireland  tifty- 
three  years  ago.  He  is  a  .son  of  John  and  Alice 
(Kelly)  Burke.  The  family  emigrated  to  America  in 
18f)4  and  settled  at  Lorain,  ( ).  Here  James  received 
a  connnon  school  education  and  worked  on  a  farm 
until  18()(),  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  L.  S.  & 
M.  S.  R.  R.,  Toledo  division,  taking  care  of  engines. 
About  six  months  later  he  engaged  as  fireman  on  the 
New  York  Central  R.  R.,  from  Buffalo  to  Corning. 
He  remained  thece  about  eighteen  months,  when  he 
accepted  a  position  on  the  Buffalo  division  of  the  L. 
S.  &  M.  .S.,  as  in.structor  of  firemen  in  the  u.se  of  coal 
burners.  He  served  in  this  capacity  about  one  year. 
He  then  went  to  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  remained  nearly  three  years.  Then  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.  Company  as 
fireman,  and,  in  18(1(1,  went  on  the  E.  &  P.  R.  R.  as 
engineer,  and  two  years  later  returned  to  the  P.  &  E. 
as  engineer  and  has  been  in  the  employ  of  that  com- 
pany ever  since.  During  all  his  railroad  experience 
he  has  never  had  a  single  accident  that  was  in  any  way 
attributable  to  him,  although  while  a  fireman  he  has 
gone  through  some  severe  smashups.  Mr.  liurke  has 
been  twice  married.  First,  in  1864,  to  Miss  Kate- 
Lynch,  of  Crawford  county.  They  had  two  children, 
Edward  and  William,  both  locomotive  firemen.  Mrs. 
Burke  de|iarted  this  life  July  3,  1871.  He  was  again 
married  November  2,  1872,  to  Miss  Eliza  Hughes. 
They  have  four  children,  viz.:  Theresa,  Emma, 
James  and  John  (deceased).  Mr.  Burke  is  a  member 
of  the  C.  \L  B.  \.  and  P.  K.  D.,  and  views  ixilitics 
from  a  purely  independent  standpoint.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

Hetiry  J.  Bentiett,  foreman  of  the  Pennsylvania 
R.  R.iP.  &  K.dnisioni,  round  house,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Ashford,  Kent  county,  England,  August  .'!, 
185f).  He  is  a  son  of  Creorge  and  .Anne  (Bailey)  Ben- 
nett, both  natives  of  Lancashire,  F^ngland.  They 
reared  a  family  of  five  children,  of  whom  Henry  was 
the  youngest.  The  father  was  a  machinist  by  trade, 
and  for  several  years  was  manager  of  the  .Southeastern 
R.  R.  Works  at  Ashford.  He  died  in  18'J2  at  that 
place,   his   wife   having   died    ten    years    previously. 


Henry  J.  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  town, 
and  aftergraduating  from  the  Ashford  grammar  school, 
taught  school  one  year,  when  he  commenced  an  ap- 
prenticeship in  the  Southeastern  K.  R.  shops  at  .Vsh- 
ford.  After  completing  his  trade  he  took  charge  of 
the  machinery  of  the  (Granville  Hotel  at  Ramsgate, 
England,  for  one  year,  when  he  went  to  Brighton  aiul 
entered  the  employ  of  the  London,  Brighton  and  .South 
Coast  K.  K.  He  remaine<l  in  the  emplov  of  this  com- 
pany about  three  years,  part  of  which  time  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  construction  of  ocean  .steamship  machi- 
nery. In  1882  he  came  to  America  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  W'est  Shore  R.  R.  as  round  house  fore- 
man and  dispatcher  at  Kingston,  X.  Y.,  and  was  in  the 
emjiloy  of  this  company  in  various  capacities  at  Camos, 
Frankford  and  .Albany.  In  188(5  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  X.  Y.,  L.  I'".  S:  W.  R.  K.  as  foreman  in 
their  sho|is  at  Suscpiehanna,  Pa.  After  remaining 
there  about  a  year  and  a  half  he  came  to  I-'.rie  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R.Com]iany 
in  his  present  capacity.  Mr.  Bennett  has  been  twice 
married,  fir.st  to  Mi.ss  Emma  Andrew.s,  of  Ashford, 
England,  in  1880.  To  them  were  born  two  children, 
Koliert  George  Elsie  and  Olive  .Anne.  Mrs.  Bennett 
departed  this  life  May  2il,  1891.  Mr.  Bennett  was 
united  ia  marriage  the  .second  time  .April  17,  189.'),  to 
Miss  .\ddie  May  Graham,  of  Erie.  Mr.  Bennett  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pvthias,  the  .\Ia.sonic  order 
and  the  I*^]iiscopal  Church,  of  which  he  is  secretary. 

Joseph  A.  Cox,  engineer  on  the  P.  iV  E.  R.  R., 

was  born  in  Broadto])  City,  Huntington  county,  Pa., 
September  8,  18(i8,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Thomas  and 
Harriet  Cox,  the  former  a  native  of  \'irginia  and  the 
latter  of  Huntington  county,  Pennsylvania.  In  the 
family  were  eight  children:  Louisa,  Mrs.  William 
Warren,  of  Erie;  Rosetta  (deceased);  J(ise|)h  .\.;  ^L^ry 
Emma  (deceased);  Harriet  Margaret,  Mrs.  Charles 
Emery,  Erie;  Virginia,  Mrs.  Tillman  Kauch,  KImira, 
N.  Y.;  Elizabeth  L.,  and  Jame.s.  The  family  settled  in 
Erie  July  2,  1874,  where  they  have  since  resided. 
Joseph  was  reared  and  educated  in  Erie,  but  after  the 
age  of  11  he  never  had  an  op|iortunity  to  attend 
school,  for  at  that  age  he  entered  the  employ  of  thi'  P. 
&  E.  R.  R.  Company  as  a  water  boy  on  the  work  in 
grading  for  the  present  freight  de]iot.  His  next  occu- 
pation was  tallyman,  and  February  17,  1881,  he  en- 
gaged as  messenger  boy  in  the  yard  master's  office, 
which  position  he  held  until  May,  188(i,  when  he 
secured  a  position  as  fireman,  and  in  March,  1892,  was 
promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer,  which  jiost  he 
now  holds  with  much  credit  to  himself.  Mr.  Cox  was 
united  in  marriage  May  24.  1894,  to  Miss  Mary  Hiitch- 
in.son,  of  Petersburg,  Pa.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Isabel  (Hillard)  Hutchinson  of  that  place.  Mr. 
Cox  is  a  member  of  the  B.  of  L.  E.,  the  P.  O.  S.  of  A., 
and  the  Pennsylvania  Relief. 

S.  F.  Lytle,  conductor  on  the  P.  &  E.  R.R.,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Wilmington,  Lawrence  county.  Pa.,  F'eb- 
ruary  10,  18.Vi,  and  is  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Mary 
(Brandon)  Lytle,  the  former  a  native  of  Center  county. 
Pa.,  and  the  latter  of  X'irginia.  Jonathan  Lytle  was  a 
foundryman  by  occupation  and  was  the  first  to  con- 
vert a  charcoal  furnace  into  a  black  coal  furnace.  He 
came  to  Mercer  county  in  1857,  where  he  followed  his 
occupation  until  1871,  when  he  was  compelled  to  re- 
tire on  account  of  failing  eyesight,  caused  by  an  acci- 


^y 


^ 


■-z^ 


AND  niSTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


725 


dent.  He  died  May  30,  1889,  and  his  wife  died  Janu- 
ary 18,  1803.  They  reared  a  family  "f  six  children,  viz.: 
Ida  R.,  Kate,  Curly,  j.  B.  ideceasedi,  .S.  K.  aiul  Charles. 
.S.  F.  was  reared  in  West  Middlesex,  Mercer  CDunty, 
Pa.,  where  he  received  a  coniiiiDn  school  educatirm, 
and  at  the  age  of  14  conunt'nced  an  apprenticeship  at 
the  finishinjj  trade,  which  he  followed  three  years.  He 
then  worked  in  a  dry  goods  store  about  three  years,  I 
followed  furnace  work  until  1877,  when  he  entered  the  [ 
employ  of  the  E.  &:  P.  R.  R.  Company  as  brakeman,  \ 
was  baggage  master  for  a  while,  and  in  188.5  was  ])ro- 
moted  to  freight  conductor,  an<l  in  189'2  to  i)assenger 
conductor.  Mr.  Lytle  was  married  September  15, 
18Sl,to  Miss  Laura'  Durst,  of  Transfer,  Mercer  county. 
They  have  one  child,  Carrie  M.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  O.  R.  C,  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  Masonic  order. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  English  Lutheran 
Cliurcli,  ami  he  is  a  Republican. 

Thomas  Fleming,  passenger  conductor  on  the 
Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  December  12.  1849,  at  Erie,  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Caroline  (Simms)  Fleming;  the  former  a 
native  of  Erie  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Crawford 
county.  Cieorge  P'leming  was  a  son  of  Benjamin 
Fleming,  who  settled  in  Erie  county  in  1810.  Benja- 
min came  from  the  Xew  England  States  and  was  of 
.Scotch  origin.  He  was  a  salt-water  sailor,  and  was  a 
sador  undir  Commodore  Perry,  in  the  battle  of  Lake 
Erie,  on  board  the  "  Niagara."  The  Cleveland  weekly 
Herald,  of  September  15,  I8(!0,  in  giving  an  account  of 
the  inauguration  of  the  Perry  statue  .states  the  follow- 
ing: "  Ben.  Fleming,  of  Erie,  Pa.,  relates  the  follow- 
ing of  his  experience;  he  was  a  sailor  on  board  the 
'Niagara,'  in  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie.  His  recollection 
of  the  liistorical  event,  in  which  he  was  an  actor,  is 
fresh,  and  his  description  is  given  with  an  animation 
seldom  seen  in  one  so  aged.  He  says:  '  The  '  Niagara  ' 
was  not  So  badly  impaired  when  Perry  came  on  board, 
as  the  enemy's  tire  had  been  directed  at  the  flag  ship. 
Every  man  had  made  up  his  mind  not  to  give  up  the 
ship  before  Perry  came  on  board,  t)ut  after  the  flag 
came,  not  an  inch  could  be  forced  from  them  while  a 
plank  lasted.'"  Benjamin  Fleming  reared  a  family 
of  five  boys  and  four  girls;  three  of  the  girls  are  now 
living,  but  the  sons  are  all  dead.  Benjamin  Fleming 
died  in  1870  aged  90  years.  Cieorge  and  Caroline 
(.Simnis)  Fleming  were  the  parents  of  three  children, _ 
viz.:  Thomas;  James  W.,  conductor,  Buffalo,  and  Ella, 
now  Mrs.  James  .Mitchell,  of  F>ie,  Pa.  The  father 
died  in  May,  1880,  and  his  wife  nine  months  later. 
Thomas  Fleming  was  reared  and  educated  in  Erie, 
and.  May  10.  1864,  enlisted  in  the  4th  Reg.  L'.  S. 
.■\rtillery  for  three  years,  as  nuisician.  During  the 
war  his  services  was  conhned  to  the  vicinity  of  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.  He  was  honorably  discharged  .May  10, 
1867,  when  he  returned  to  Erie  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  L.  S.  &  M.  .S.  R.  R.  Company,  as 
brakeman.  In  1880  he  was  promoted  to  freight  con- 
ductor, and  in  1890  to  passenger  conductor.  He  has 
never  had  an  accident  on  the  rail  in  his  life  and  has 
never  been  suspended.  He  was  married.  March  30, 
1870,  to  Miss  Julia  Gibson,  of  Guelph,  Ont.,  who  was 
a  native  of  l-mgland.  They  have  Ave  children,  viz.: 
Clarence,  Sarah,  George  Edward,  Walter  and  Ralph. 
Mr.  Fleming  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

G.  E.  Martin,  conductor  on  the  P.  &   E.  R.  R., 

Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Elgin,  F^rie  county,  Pa.,  June 


18,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Harry  and  Phoebe  (Whitney) 
Martin,  both  natives  of  Erie  county.  The  father  now 
resides  at  Elgin,  and  the  mother  died  in  1862.  G.  E. 
was  the  only  chdd;  he  was  reared  in  Elgin  and 
educated  in  the  public  school;  he  learned  the  miller's 
trade  with  his  father;  his  grandfather  was  al.so  a  miller 
by  trade.  Mr.  Martin  followed  that  occupation  until 
1887,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R. 
Company,  as  brakeman,  and  in  1892  was  promoted  to 
conductor.  He  was  married,  October  1,  1881,  to  Mi.ss 
Fannie  E.  .Alden,  of  Beaver  Dam,  Wayne  townshi[), 
this  county,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  .Ann  (Miller) 
Alden.  The  former  died  Septeml)er  \>^,  1869,  and  the 
latter  now  resides  in  Wayne  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Martin  have  one  child,  viz.:  Gary  ¥..,  born  Decend)er 
7,  1884.  Mr.  Martin  is  a  member  of  the  O.  R.  C,  and 
politically  is  a  Republican. 

I.  F.  Bumpus,  railroad  conductor,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  at  Vpsilanti,  Mich.,  January  15,  18.V2.  He  is  a 
son  of  Isaac  ¥.  and  Phtebe  I  \anderhoff)  Bumpus,  the 
former  a  native  of  N(;w  F'.ngland,  and  the  latter  of 
Michigan.  Mr.  Bumpus  never  knew  what  it  was  to 
have  either  a  father  or  a  mother.  His  mother  died 
when  he  was  but  1  year  old,  at  which  time  his  father 
was  engaged  in  driving  an  overland  stage  coach  in 
California,  where  he  died  three  years  later,  ju.st  as  he 
was  about  to  return  East  to  see  his  4-year-old  son, 
whom  he  had  never  seen.  There  was  but  one  other 
child  in  the  family,  a  sister,  who  died  before  1.  F.  was 
born.  When  his  father  died,  he  was  adopted  by  an 
uncle,  who  resided  in  .\lbion,  Erie  county.  Pa.  Here 
he  was  reared  and  given  a  good  common  school  e<lu- 
cation,  and  when  a  boy,  followed  the  occupation  of 
driving  on  the  canal  in  the  summer  time,  until  1S72, 
when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  E.  &  P.  R.  R. 
Company  as  brakeman,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
nine  years,  when  he  was  promoted  toconductor,  which 
occupation  he  has  since  held.  .Mr.  I?umpus  is  consid- 
ered one  of  the  trustworthy  and  competent  employes 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Coni]iany.  His  career  as  a  rail- 
road man  has  been  uninterrupted  by  any  suspension 
since  he  began  that  occupation,  which  of^  itself  is  the 
best  evidence  of  his  caution  and  competency  on  the 
rail.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  January  1,  1874,  to 
Miss  Alice  .'\.  Hewitt,  of  an  old  and  resjiected  family, 
of  Albion,  Pa.  To  this  union  has  been  born  six  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Harry,  Martha,  Gertrude  (decea.sedi,  Flor- 
ence, Grace  and  Forest.  Mr.  ISunijius  is  a  member  of 
the  O.  of  R.  C,  and  is  a  Republican. 

George  Haybarger.  locomotive  engineer,  Erie, 
Pa.  This  gentleman  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  old- 
est families  of  Erie  county.  He  was  born  in  Mill 
Creek  town.ship  April  11,  1849,  and  is  a  son  of  F.lias 
and  Magdalena  (Gingrich)  Haybarger,  the  former  a 
native  of  Lockport,  Erie  county,  and  the  latter  of  Buf- 
falo. They  were  parents  of  ten  children,  viz.;  Mary 
Catherine,  born  June  12,  I8;i5,  and  ihed  .Augu.st  '25, 
1835;  Levi,  born  May  6,  18:!7.  and  died  lune  '25,  1S74: 
Eliza  Ann,  born  May  28,  1841.  died  January  9,  1842; 
Elizabeth,  born  March  26,  1844,  now  resides  in  Michi- 
gan with  her  father;  .Margaret,  deceased,  October  29, 
1846;  George,  born  \\>x\\  11,  1849;  John  C,  born  ]ulv 
23,  .1851,  died,  February  21,  18.52;  Daniel,  born  'No- 
vem'ber  11,  18.53,  died  .March  22,  18.54,  and  Preslev, 
born  March  »J,  18.58,  died  February  12,  1859.  The 
father,  Elias  Haybarger,  removed  from  Erie  county  to 


726 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


Sturgcss,  Mich.,  in  1874,  where  he  now  resides.  His 
wife  died  October  29,  1887.  Elias  Haybarger  is  a  son 
of  Ge(iri;e,  who  settU'd  in  I'.ric  county  alxnit  tlie  year 
of  1800.  He  was  a  native  of  New  Kntjhunl,  and  served 
in  the  war  of  1812,  uniier  Commodore  I'erry,  in  the 
niemoralile  liattle  of  Lake,  l-.rie.  When  he  came  to 
this  county  he  settled  in  I.ockport,  where  he  reared  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  viz.:  ICIizabeth,  born  May  12, 
17!I8  (deceased),  married  James  Mutica  (deceased),  of 
Ohio;  Polly,  born  .Auvcust  10,  1800  (deceased),  married 
-Solomon  Zuck;  John,  born  May  h.  180;i  (deceased); 
Maxyon,  born  June  1,  180.")  (deceased);  Rel)ecca,  born 
June  9,  1HJ7  (deceased),  married  Henry  Kaufmann; 
Elias,  born  September  10,  18(Ji),  who  resides  in  Michi- 
gan; Lucinda,  born  Octolier  5,  1811,  married  Richard 
McCreary;  Lindisa,  born  December  9, 1S14  (deceased), 
married  Ira  Randall;  Kli,  born  February  1,  1818  (de- 
ceased); Orilla,  born  February  9,  1821  (deceased),  mar- 
ried John  Wolf;  Caroline,  born  June  4,  1828,  married 
Henry  Wolf,  and  now  resides  in  North  Hast.  George 
Haybarger  was  reared  and  educated  in  Mill  Creek 
township,  and  hved  on  a  farm  until  18f<2,  when  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  E.  S:  P.  R.  R.  Comjiany  as 
fireman,  and  in  1892  was  promoted  to  locomotive  en- 
gineer. He  was  married  February  (5,  1878,  to  Miss 
Lydia,  daughter  of  Adam  and  Caroline  (.Spingler) 
Randecker,  both  natives  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany. 
The  father  died  June  8,  l)i94,  and  the  mother  now  re- 
sides in  Erie  with  Mrs.  Haybarger.  To  this  union 
were  born  two  children:  Walter,  Ixirn  February  Ifi, 
1876,  and  Mary  Ve,  born  June  20,  1881,  and  died'  De- 
cember 6,  1884.  Mr.  Hayl)arger  isa  member  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  the  family  are  members  of  the 
English  Luthei-an  Church. 

John  S.  Welsh,  conductor  on  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S. 
R.  R..  Erie,  Pa.  This  gentleman  was  born  at  Venton, 
\'enton  county,  O.,  December  2.'>,  IS.M.  He  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Mary  (Cullinan)  Welsh,  both  natives  of 
Ireland.  .  They  emigrated  to  America  in  1852  and  set- 
tled at  X'inton,  and  in  1855  came  to  Erie  county,  and 
settled  in  Fairview  townshi|i,  and  later  moved  to  Erie, 
where  the  father  died  in  November,  1888,  and  the 
mother  now  resides  on  the  old  homestead  on  Poplar 
street.  In  the  family  there  were  six  children  and  John 
S.  was  the  only  son.  He  was  reared  in  Fairview  town- 
ship, educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  in  18li8  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  L.  .S.  &  M.  .S.  R.  R.  Company 
as  a  section  hand,  and  in  1878  commenced  braking  on 
that  road  and  ten  years  later  was  promoted  to  con- 
ductor. During  all  this  time  he  has  been  employed  on 
the  Cleveland  and  liuffalo  division.  Mr.  Welsh  was 
married  January  21,  1880,  to  .Miss  Addie  Irene,  daugh- 
ter of  John  A.  and  Elizalieth  (Andrews)  Pogson,  of 
Erie.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  England.  They 
settled  in  Erie  in  1828.  The  father  died  in  1888  aged 
88  years  and  the  mother  now  I'esides  in  Fairview  town- 
ship. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Welsh  have  had  four  children, 
viz.:  Lot,  Earl  (deceased),  Ines  Goldenine,  May  (de- 
ceased) and  Addie  (deceased).  Mr.  Welsh  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and   politically  is  a  Democrat. 

John  F.  Lane,  passenger  conductor  on  the  L.  S. 
&  M.  S.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Rochester,  X.  Y., 
September  20,  ],S40,  anil  is  a  son  of  /Vmeas  and  Mary 
(Barry)  Lane,  both  natives  of  Quebec,  Canada,  the 
former  of  Irish  and  the  latter  of  French  descent. 
They  settled  in  Rochester  in  1887,  and  in  1861  removed 


to  Marshall,  Mich.  The  father  was  a  cooper  by  trade 
andalways  carried  on  quitean extensive  manufacturing 
business  in  that  line.  He  was  also  (piite  an  extensive 
politician  of  his  day,  and  always  devoted  considerable 
attention  to  all  political  campaigns.  In  the  family 
there  were  seven  children,  viz.:  Margaret  (deceased); 
William  (deceased);  John  F.,  our  subject;  Daniel,  man- 
ager of  the  .Standard  Oil  Com])any,  \Iuskegon,  Mich.; 
Mary,  now  Mrs.  Connors,  Jackson,  Mich.;  Elizabeth, 
Mrs.  Smith,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  and  William,  2  (de- 
ceased). The  father  (lied  m  Jackson,  Mich.,  in  1888, 
and  the  mother  died  in  Marshall,  Mich.,  in  1862. 

John  F.  was  I'eared  in  Rochester,  and  received  a 
high  .school  education,  and  when  hewas  a  boy,  naturally 
siient  considerable  time  in  his  father's  cooper  shop,  al- 
though without  any  intent  or  effort  to  learn  the  trade, 
and  early  in  life  engaged  in  clerking  in  Rochester,  and 
when  the  family  removed  to  Michigan,  he  accom- 
jianied  them  and  followed  the  same  occupation  there, 
but  soon  tired  of  the  small  salary  and  long  hours  of  a 
clerk,  and  deci<led  to  try  some  other  vocation  and  with 
his  limited  knowledge  and  experience  at  the  coo]ier 
trade,  he  decided  to  make  that  his  first  venture.  He 
accordingly  found  employment  and  was  a  successful 
journeyman  from  the  start.  He  followed  that  occujia- 
tion  three  years.  Starting  in  Marshall,  Mich.,  he 
w<irked  in  several  towns  m  that  .State,  and  in  Chicago, 
New  ^'ork  and  various  other  cities  and  towns  through- 
out the  country.  In  1865  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  Company  as  brakeman  on  the 
Erie  division,  and  in  1868  was  promoted  to  freight  con- 
ductor and  took  his  first  passenger  run  in  1872  and  ran 
local  passenger  until  189(),  when  he  conmienced  nm- 
ning  on  the  through  passenger  from  Toledo  to  Buffalo, 
where  he  is  at  present  employed.  Since  he  has  been 
connected  with  the  passenger  service,  his  long  record 
has  been  uninterrupted  by  a  single  accident,  and  he  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  experienced  and  compe- 
tent conductors  on  the  road.  Mr.  Lane  was  united  in 
marriage  t>ctober  4,  1870,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Challice,  of 
McKean,  Erie  county.  To  this  union  has  been  born 
one  child,  Eva,  who  now  resides  at  home.  He  is  a 
82d  degree  Mason  and  a  member  of  Evergreen  Lodge, 
No.  22ii,  E.  &  A.  M.;  Conneaut  Chapter,  No.  76,  R.  A. 
M.;  Conneaut  Councd,  No.  40,  R.  S:  S.  \L;  Rose  Chap- 
ter, No.  22,  O.  E.  S.;  Al  Koran  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine; 
and  Cache  Commandery,  Nc.  27,  K.  T.  Politically 
■  Mr.  Lane  is  a  Democrat. 

J.  H.  Hunt,  ]iassenger  conductor  on  the  L.  S.  & 
M.  S.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Belle  Valley,  Mill 
Creek  town.shi|),  Erie  county,  March  9,  1842.  His 
parents  were  Henry  and  Mary  (Simons)  Hunt,  the 
former  a  native  of  England  and  the  latter  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  viz.: 
John,  Lovell;  F'.dwin  (deceased);  Harriet  (deceased); 
William  (deceased);  Henry  (deceased);  J.  H.;  Char- 
lotte, Mrs.  ¥..  L.  Whittlesey,  Erie,  Pa.;  Sarah,  Mrs. 
I-'dward  Wood,  Waterford,  Pa.  The  mother  died  in 
1850  and  the  father  in  1875.  J.  H.  Hunt  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm  in  Belle  Valley  and  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  Erie  county,  and  before  he  was 
21  years  of  age  he  worked  as  a  farm  laborer  five 
years.  January  28, 1863,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  L. 
S.  it  M.  S.  R.  R.  Company  in  thecapacity  of  bi'akeman, 
and  one  year  later  was  made  a  freight  conductor,  and 
in  1872  was  given  a  passenger  run,  in  which  capacity 
he  has  since  served.     He  now  has  charge  of  one  of 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


727 


the  through  passenger  trains  between  Cleveland  and 
Buffalo.  Mr.  Hunt  ha.'!  been  a  very  successful  rail- 
road man  and  is  fully  worthy  of  the  great  confidence 
and  trust  imposed  in  liim  by  the  company.  He  is  a 
man  of  genial  disposition  and  lias  many  friends,  both 
among  his  co-em[>loyes  and  the  patrons  of.  the  road. 
He  has  never  been  suspended  for  a  <lay  since  he 
entered  the  em])loy  of  the  company,  and  since  he  has 
had  charge  of  a  passenger  train  not  a  single  life  has 
been  lost  among  his  crew,  and  but  one  among  his 
passengers.  He  was  married  October  -i,  1?<()><,  to  .Miss 
Isabel  Daugherty,  of  Erie,  \':\.  They  have  four 
children,  viz.:  Wintield  .Scott,  Mary  Blanche,  John 
Edwin  and  Clara  Jane.  Mr.  Hunt  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  politically  stands  on  [)urely  an 
independent  basis. 

Henry  Weddege,  locomotive  engineer,  Erie,  Pa., 
is  among  the  faithful  employes  ol  the  1'.  &  E.  K.  K. 
He  was  born  March  ?<,  lx.")ti,  at  Hanover,  Germany, 
and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Rachel  (Xulty)  Weddcge, 
both  natives  of  Hanover,  and  now  residents  of  I'.rie. 
The  father  is  a  carpenter  by  trade,  which  occupation 
he  has  followed  all  his  life.  They  reared  a  family  of 
eight  children,  viz.:  Rachael,  Mrs.  Michael  Mehl; 
Amelia,  Mrs.  Martin  Lambein;  Henry;  Augusta; 
William;  Alvina;  Albert,  professional  base  ball  player; 
and  Harry,  fireman  on  the  P.  &  E.  The  family 
emigrated  to  .America  in  18(i8.  Henry  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Byron-Johnson  .Stove  Works,  where  he 
remained  for  a  short  time,  when  he  w'ent  to  work  in 
the  hook  and  staple  factorv,  where  he  remained  until 
1870.  In  1871  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  P.  &  E. 
R.  R.  Company  as  fireman,  and  on  April  2,  1880.  was 
made  an  engineer,  which  position  he  has  since  held. 
Since  he  has  been  running  he  has  been  one  of  the 
fortunate  few  railroad  men  who  have  not  been  con- 
cerned in  any  railroad  accident  of  importance.  Mr. 
Weddege  has  been  twice  married.  Eirst,  in  1878,  to 
Miss  Louise  Rice,  of  Erie.  They  had  two  children, 
Ada  and  Louise.  Mrs.  Weddege  died  Ajiril  22,  1880, 
and  he  was  again  married  August  80,  1888,  to  Miss 
Anna,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Susan  (Nichols)  Black- 
wood, the  former  a  native  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  the 
latter  of  Cattaraugus  county.  New  York.  To  tliis  union 
has  been  liorn  one  child,  Elorence.  .Mr.  Blackwood 
now  resides  at  Wesleyville  at  the  age  of  84.  He  came 
to  Erie  county  with  his  parents  in  1818  at  the  age  of  (i 
years.  The  family  started  for  .V.shtabula,  ().,  but  by 
reason  of  a  severe  storm  and  shipwreck  was  driven 
a.shore  at  Erie.  Mr.  Weddege  is  a  member  of  the 
P.nithrrhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers. 

A.  J.  Holmes,  locomotive  engineer  on  the  P.  iS:  E. 

I\.  R..  E.rie.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Hamburg,  N.  V.,  Septem- 
ber l(i,  l.sri4,  and  is  a  son  of  Abel  V.  and  Elizabeth 
(Dimmock)  Hohiies,  natives  of  New  York.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  viz.:  A.  J.,  Jerome,  in  the 
West;  Charles,  conductor  on  the  C,  C,  C.  S:  I.  R.  R., 
and  .Abel,  Iowa  City.  The  lather  is  now  dead,  and  the 
mother  resides  at  Iowa  City.  .Mr.  Holmes  was  reared 
and  educated  in  North  Evans,  X.  Y.,  where  in  early 
life  he  worked  on  a  farm.  He  then  followed  public 
works  until  1872,  when  he  entere<l  the  employ  of  the 
L.  S.  iV  M.  S.  R.  K.  Cdm])any  as  brakeman,  ami,  in 
1878,  was  promoted  to  fireiiiaii.  where  he  worked  until 
1875,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  P.  \-  E.  R.  R. 
Company  as  fireman,  and,  in  1882,  was  made  an  engi- 


neer, in  which  capacity  he  has  since  served.  Mr. 
Holmes  is  considered  a  careful  official,  yet  he  has  ex- 
perienced his  share  of  unavoidable  railroad  accidents. 
He  was  in  a  head-end  collision  at  Lovell,  in  which 
both  engines  were  completely  demolished,  and  he  es- 
caped uninjured  by  jumping;  when  he  was  firing,  his 
engine  was  derailed  at  Cummings  by  a  misplaced 
switch,  and  the  engine  rolled  completely  over,  but  he 
escaped  by  jumping.  He  is  one  of  the  few  railroad 
men  who  can  truthfully  say  that  he  has  fired  the  old 
wood-burners,  which  he  did  on  the  L.  S.  &  M.  .S.  He 
was  married,  <  )ctober  20,  1876,  to  Miss  Theresa,  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  .Mary  (Riley)  Hennessey,  natives  of 
Ireland.  To  this  union  have  fieen  born  five  children, 
viz.:  Alfred,  born  June  2o,  188;j,  died  Eebruarv  14, 
18it0;  Mary,  born  June  14,  1885,  died  Eebruar'y  14, 
18i)0;  Anson,  born  September  Ki,  1887;  ."Xnnie,  born 
May  !»,  18'.)2;  and  Walter,  born  September  22,  1894. 
Mr.  Holmes  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  and  po- 
litically is  a  Democrat.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church. 

Andrew  A.  Burke,  locomotive  engineer,  Erie,  Pa., 
is  one  of  the  most  popular  and  well-known  engineers 
on  the  E.  &  P.  R.  R.  He  was  born  in  Ireland  in  IH47, 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Collerani  Burke,  and  is  the 
only  surviving  member  of  a  family  of  five  children. 
His  father  died  in  Ireland  in  1858.  and  his  mother  now 
resides  in  the  city  of  New  York.  .Mr.  Burke  was 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  country,  and  when 
18  years  of  age  joined  the  Royal  Irish  Police,  in  Clif- 
ton, County  Galway,  Ireland,  where  he  served  three 
years.  In  1869  he  came  to  America  and  remained  in 
New  York  a  short  time,  where  he  had  several  rela- 
tives, and  in  May,  1869,  he  settled  in  Erie.  After 
working  one  year  in  the  E.  S:  P.  shops  he  went  on  the 
road  as  fireman,  and  in  1878  was  made  an  engineer, 
and  has  since  manageti  the  locomotive,  much  to  his 
own  credit  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  eiujiloyers. 
.4s  he  himself  says,  he  has  had  the  ordinary  ups  and 
downs  incident  to  a  railroad  man's  life,  but  generally 
he  has  been  very  successful.  He  was  married  March 
4,  186i)  (just  before  leaving  Ireland),  to  Miss  Theresa 
McGinness.  To  this  union  was  born  eight  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Henry  E.;  Lsabella, 
married  W.  J.  Reynoldson,  Clarendon,  Pa.;  Mary, 
Theresa,  and  John  Charles.  Mrs.  Burke  departed 
this  life  April  27, 1881.  He  was  again  married  June 80, 
188(),  to  Miss  .Mary  Burke,  of  Warren.  Pa.  They  have 
five  children,  viz.:  Andrew,  Augusta,  Frederick  (de- 
ceased), Margaretta  and  GeraUiine.  Mr.  Burke  is  a 
member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  .A.,  the  B.  L.  E.,and  politically 
is  a  staunch  Democrat. 

S.  H.  Fletcher,  locomotive  engineer  on  the  P.  & 
E.  R.  R.,  Erie.  Pa.,  was  born  July  25,  1865,  in  North 
.Vnson,  .Me.  He  is  a  son  of  David  P.  and  Olive 
(Gatchelll  Fletcher,  both  natives  of  Maine,  and  of  old 
New  England  .stock.  The  father  went  west  in  1867 
and  engaged  in  mining  pursuits  at  Nelson  Gulch,  near 
Helena,  Mont.,  which  he  followed  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  January  29,  1881.  In  the  Helena 
Weiklii  Herald  of  February  3, 1881,  appears  the  follow- 
ing article:  "The  death  of  David  P.  Fletcher  takes 
from  our  mid.st  one  of  the  truest  hearted  men  that 
ever  lived.  He  came  to  Helena  in  the  early  days  and 
engaged  in  mining  pursuits  at  Nelson  Gulch,  near 
Helena,    following    this     vocation    for    years.      Mr. 


728 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Fletcher  was  a  native  of  North  Anson,  Me.  His  fune- 
ral took  place  this  afternoon  from  the  Masonic  Hall, 
anil  his  remains  were  fcillowed  to  the  i;rave  by  a  large 
concourse  of  the  fraternity  and  many  friends."  In 
1874  Mrs.  Fletcher,  with  her  son,  .S.  H.^  then  about  10 
years  old,  went  from  Maine  to  Helena.  In  making 
the  journey  it  was  necessary  to  go  to  Corinne,  a  town 
twelve  miles  west  of  Salt  Lake  City,  on  the  U.  P.  K.  R., 
and  go  from  there  to  Helena,  a  distance  of  500  miles 
through  the  mountains  by  stage  coach.  .'\t  this  time 
there  were  many  hostile  Indians  on  the  war  path  in 
that  section,  and  the  stage  coach,  which  i)recedeil  the 
one  on  which  Mrs.  Fletcher  was  a  ]iassenger,  was  at- 
tacked by  Indians.  After  four  years  of  regular  pio- 
neer life  "  in  the  wild  and  wooly  West  "  Mns.  Fletcher 
returned  to  North  Anson.  -She  now  resides  in  Erie. 
In  the  family  there  were  three  children,  viz.:  S.  H., 
Caroline,  born  in  Helena,  Mont.,  and  Thomas  K.,  born 
in  North  Anson,  Me.  Mr.  S.  H.  Fletcher  was  educated 
in  North  Anson,  Me.,  and  Helena,  Mont.,  and  in  May, 
1882,  came  to  I'',rie  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  V.tk. 
E.  R.  R.  as  fireman.  In  188il  he  was  made  an  engi- 
neer, and  is  one  of  the  younge.st  engineers  on  the  road, 
yet  one  of  the  most  competent.  He  was  married  Oc- 
toher2,  ISHil,  to  Miss  Lizzie,  daughter  of  Newton  and 
Mary  (Stout)  Wells,  of  Renovo,  Fa.,  where  Mr.  Wells 
served  as  jiostmaster  for  twenty  years.  They  have 
one  child,  David  .S.  Mr.  Fletcher  is  a  member  of  the 
B.  of  L.  E.,  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  P.  O.  S.  of  A.  and  the 
Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Relief. 

Jacob  Coppersmith,  locomotive  engineer,  Erie, 
Pa.  This  gentleman,  who  is  one  of  the  popular  em- 
ployes of  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  Comjiany,  was  born 
m  Erie,  August  21,  1850.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Annie  M.  (C.erber)  Copi)ersmith,  both  natives  of 
Switzerland.  The  father  was  a  surveyor  in  his  native 
land,  and  came  to  America  in  18:!2,  and  settled  in 
Erie,  where  he  followed  fancy  gardemng.  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  June  ><,  18ti2.  The 
mother  died  January  2;i,  1884.  They  reared  a  family 
of  twelve  children,  of  whom  our  subject  was  the 
youngest.  Fie  and  Wm.  S.,  of  Mill  Creek  township, 
are  tlie  only  surviving  members  of  the  family.  John 
P.  died  in  Libby  jirison.  He  was  a  member  of  Co.  I, 
145th  P.  v.  I.  He  was  captured  at  Fredericksburg. 
Henry  C,  who  served  in  Miller's  battery,  111th  Reg., 
died  at  .Alpine,  Ga.,  while  in  the  service.  Jacob  was 
reared  and  educated  in  I'.rie,  and  at  his  father's  death, 
succeeded  him  in  his  business  a  short  time,  when  he 
went  to  work  in  Erie  cemetery  one  season,  and  then 
was  engaged  in  pump-making  for  L.  W.  Olds,  until 
1870,  when  he  went  on  the  L.  S.  &  M.  .S.  as  fireman. 
November  27,  1872,  he  was  promoted  to  engineer,  and 
has  since  been  employed  on  the  liuffalo  and  Cleveland 
division  in  that  capacity.  He  is  a  member  of  H.  of  L. 
E.,  and  K.  of  P.,  and  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  Copper- 
smith was  married  January  2(i,  1882,  to  Miss  Louisa 
U.,  daughter  of  Christian  and  Mary  Ann  (Reiser) 
Beary,  of  Erie,  and  natives  of  .Switzerland.  They 
have  two  children,  Charles  W.,  and  Rose  D.,  the  latter 
deceased. 

W.  M.  Gray,  locomotive  engineer  on  the  L.  S.  & 
M.S.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Painesville,  Ohio, 
August  19,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  F.lroy  and  .Sarah 
(Kent)  Gray,  natives  of  New  England.  They  were 
the  parents  of  five  children:  Frances,  drowned  in  the 


Grand  river,  Ohio;  Leroy,  died  at  Painesville,  in  1888; 
he  served  in  the  29th  Reg.,  O.  \'ols.,  throughout  the 
war;  Colburt.died  in  New  Orleans,  with  yelluw  fever; 
Sarah  .Ann,  married  C.  \.  .Smith,  I'".rie,  Pa.,  and  W.  .\|. 
Gray.  The  father  was  a  member  of  the  29th  Reg.,  O. 
Vols.  He  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and 
is  buried  on  the  field  in  an  unknown  grave.  His  wife 
died  in  18(i2.  Mr.  Gray  comes  from  a  military  family. 
His  grandfather,  Elmiah  Gray,  .served  in  the  war  of 
1812,  and  his  grandfather,  Kent,  was  a  commissioned 
officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  W.  M.  Gray  was 
reared  in  Painesville,  educ.ilrd  in  the  public  schools 
and  Austinberg  College,  and  when  I.'5  years  of  age  en- 
listed in  the  L'.  S.  navy  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  served 
as  powder  boy  on  the  L'.  S.  gunboat,  "  Roanoke,"  .sev- 
enteen months,  when  he  was  discharged  at  his  own  re- 
quest. He  then  went  to  Denver,  and  remained  a  short 
time,  when  he  returned  to  Chicago.  He  then  went  to 
Pittsburg,  and  from  there  to  the  Pennsylvania  oil  re- 
gions in  the  miilst  of  the  oil  excitement.  He  ran  a 
pump  in  the  oil  regions  two  years,  and  in  18(i;i,  went 
to  Clevelanil,  where  he  entered  the  em|>loy  of  the 
Cleveland  and  I'itt.sburg  R.  R.  Comjiany,  as  switch- 
man, where  he  remained  but  a  short  time,  when  he 
went  to  breaking  on  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  In  CJctober, 
187H,  he  was  promoted  to  the  post  of  fireman,  and,  in 
1879,  to  engineer,  in  which  capacity  he  has  since 
served.  He  has  run  on  the  road  a  great  deal,  but  at 
present  is  employed  in  the  Erie  yards.  .Since  he  has 
been  running  he  has  never  had  an  accident  of  any 
kind,  or  lo.st  a  day  bv  suspension.  Mr.  Gray  was  mar- 
ried November  11,  1874,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Wetter,  of 
Erie,  Pa.  To  this  union  were  born  nine  children;  Em- 
man  (deceased),  William,  iMimia,  Agnes  (deceased), 
Josephine,  George,  Jackson,  Frances,  and  Arthur  (de- 
ceased). He  is  a  member  of  the  B.  of  L.  E.,  and 
politically  is  a  thorough  Republican. 

B.  J.  Hatition,  locomotive  engineer  on  the  E.  & 
P.  R.  R.,  I'.rir,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Clifton,  County  Gal- 
way,  Ireland,  and  was  born  .-\])ril  5,  18.")f).  He  is  a  .son 
of  John  and  Bridget  (  Mc(;inness)  Hannon.  The  for- 
mer now  resides  in  Erie,  and  the  latter  died  in  Ire- 
land. In  the  family  there  were  four  children,  viz.:  B. 
J.,  Mary,  Lucy  and  Lizzie.  In  18(i(),  the  father,  with 
the  two  elde.st  children,  emigrated  to  .America  and  lo- 
cated at  Erie,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1875, 
B.  J.  returned  to  Ireland  and  brought  his  two  remain- 
ing sisters  to  this  country,  who  also  reside  in  I'.rie 
now.  B.  J.  Hannon,  after  receiving  a  good  common 
school  education,  in  1871  entered  the  employ  of  James 
Cooper,  as  clerk  in  his  grocery  store  in  Erie.  He  re- 
mained there  a  short  time,  when  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  E.  S:  P.  R.  R.  as  timekeeper  in  their  office 
in  Erie.  In  November,  in  1872,  he  went  firing  on  the 
same  road,  and  March  '£i,  1878,  was  promoted  to  engi- 
neer, which  position  he  hassince  held.  .Asa  railroader, 
Mr.  Hannon  has  had  as  few  accidents  and  as  good  a 
record  as  any  man  on  the  road.  He  wasmarried.  Seji- 
tember  18,  1879,  to  Mi.ss  Mary  Ellen,  ilaughterof  P.en- 
nett  and  Hanora  (Griffin  I  Jones,  the  former  a  native  of 
Wales,  and  the  latter  of  Ireland.  Mr.  Jones  served 
on  the  U.  .S.  S.  "  Michigan  "  twenty  years  and  eleven 
months,  enlisting  June  30,  1848.  At  the  time  of  his 
di.scharge,  he  was  third  assistjint  senior  engineer.  He 
died  February  19,  1898,  his  wife  h.iving  died  only  two 
weeks  ])reviously.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hannon  have  had 
four  children,   viz.:    John   (deceased),   Nora  Loretta, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


729 


Mary  and  Jennie.  Mr.  Hannon  is  also  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business.  His  business  is  located  in  a  hand- 
.sonie  brick  block  on  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Poplar 
streets,  which  is  owned  by  him,  and  was  built  in  1^94. 
He  commenced  the  business  the  same  year.  He  car- 
ries a  very  complete  stock  of  groceries,  and  is  doing  a 
prosperous  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  15.  of  L. 
£.  and  the  C.  M.  li.  A. 

Thomas  H.  Dickson,  locomotive  engineer  on  the 
E.  &  P.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  where 
his  parents,  Robert  and  Essie  (Hamilton)  Dickson, 
still  reside;  they  are  also  natives  of  Ireland,  but  of 
Scotch  descent.  Thomas  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  land,  and  at  the  age  of  15  came  to  America 
and  settled  in  .Sharon,  Pa.  At  the  age  of  17  he  took 
out  naturalization  papers,  and  was  maile  an  .American 
citizen,  in  Mercer,  Pa.  There  he  workeii  for  a  coal 
Company  as  messenger  and  office  boy  for  a  short  time, 
wlien  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Middlesex  Coal 
Company  as  locomotive  fireman,  wliich  he  followed 
about  two  years.  He  then  came  to  Erie  and  went  to 
work  in  the  E.  &  P.  shops  as  an  apprentice  at  the 
machinist  trade.  After  learning  his  trade  and  work- 
ing at  it  a  short  time  he  engaged  as  fireman  for  the 
same  company,  and  after  firing  about  one  year  he  was 
made  an  engineer  in  1878.  Since  his  promotion  Mr. 
Dickson  has  continued  in  the  employment  of  the  com- 
piany  in  that  capacity.  .As  a  railroad  man  he  has  had 
considerable  experience,  and  on  several  occasions  has 
had  close  calls.  Although  he  has  never  been  con- 
cerned in  a  railroad  wreck  which  was  in  any  way 
attributable  to  his  negligence,  he  has  been  the  victim 
of  several  exceptional  smash-ups,  but  has  always 
been  fortunate  enough  to  escape  unhurt;  yet  he  has 
never  been  known  to  leave  his  engine,  regardless  of 
the  apjiarent  danger.  He  was  married,  .Aprd  16,  1877, 
to  .Miss  Lizzie  McCrea,  of  Erie,  Pa.  They  have  five 
children,  viz.;  Thomas  A.,  Robert  S.,  Nellie  G.,  Will- 
iam J.  anil  James  Douglas.  Mr.  Dickson  is  a  member 
of  the  H.  of  L.  E.,  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  in  which  he  has  received  all  the  degrees, 
except  the  Consistory;  he  is  also  a  member  of  .Mystic 
Shrine. 

John  E.  Hall,  locomotive  engineer  on  the  E.  & 
P.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  one  of  the  veteran  railroaders  of 
Erie  county.  He  was  born  in  Plattsburg,  N.  V.,  Sep- 
tember 11,  18;!fi,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth 
(IJrosden)  Hall,  both  natives  of  Vermont,  and  of  New 
1-^ngland  stock.  The  father  was  a  sailor,  and  owned  a 
vessel  on  Lake  Chamjilain,  where  he  was  drowned 
when  |ohn  E.  was  8  years  old.  The  mother  died  in 
liuffalo  in  1881.  The  family  moved  to  Buffalo  in  1850. 
When  John  E.  was  a  young  man  he  worked  as  a  farm 
laborer,  later  at  a  milk  dairy  in  Buffalo.  In  1864  he 
entered  the  employ  of  tlie  \.  N'.  C.  R.  R.  as  brakeman, 
which  he  followed  but  a  short  time,  anti,  in  1865,  came 
to  Erie  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  E.  &  P.  R.  R. 
as  brakeman.  Shortly  after  he  was  promoted  to  the 
])osition  of  fireman,  and  in  1868  was  made  an  engineer, 
which  position  he  has  since  held.  He  ran  on  the  road 
imtil  1882,  when,  on  account  of  his  long  service,  he 
was  given  an  easier  position,  running  a  locomotive  at 
the  Pittsburgh  docks,  at  Erie,  Pa.  During  Mr.  Hall's 
railroad  experience  he  has  "imlled"  all  kinds  of 
trains  over  the  load.  He  has  usually  run  freight,  and 
has  repeatedly  refuseil  to  take  a  regular  passenger 


run.  During  all  his  railroad  experience  he  has  had 
but  one  accident,  in  which  he  .struck  a  Lake  Shore 
train  that  was  across  the  E.  S:  P.  tracks,  in  the  Erie 
yards.  On  this  occasion  he  was  thrown  out  of  the  cab 
window  and  had  his  back  severely  injured.  .Mr.  Hall 
was  married,  .April  10,  1856,  to  Miss  .Sarah  A.  Johnson, 
of  Buffalo.  They  have  four  children,  viz.:  Charles, 
round-house  foreman  of  the  P.  -S.  &  L.  E.,  in  Green- 
ville, Pa.;  Ida,  principal  of  the  Erie  Shorthand  School; 
Herbert,  brass  finislier,  Erie,  Pa.,  and  John,  brass 
fini.sher,  Erie.  Pa.  Mr.  Hall  is  a  member  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Voluntary  Relief,  the  A.  ().  l.  W.  and  the 
K.  of  P.,  and  in  politics  is  perfectly  independent. 

John  T.  Jourdau,  k)comotive  engineer  on  the 
E.  &:  P.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.  This  gentleman  is  one  of 
the  popular  young  engineers  of  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R. 
system.  He  is  an  Erie  man  by  birth.  He  was  born 
February  9,  1862.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  .Mary 
(Horigan)  Jourdan,  both  natives  of  Ireland  and  early 
settlers  in  Erie  county.  The  father  workeil  on  the 
construction  of  the  Lake  .Shore  R.  R.  and  is  at  pres- 
ent employed  by  that  company.  The  mother  died  in 
1884.  John  is  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren. He  was  reared  in  the  city  of  Erie,  where  he 
received  a  good  common  school  education,  and  at 
about  the  age  of  14,  commenced  work  as  office  boy 
in  the  master  mechanic's  office  of  the  E.  &  P.  R.  R.  at 
Erie.  He  remained  there  but  a  short  time,  when  he 
began  work  in  the  machine  and  boiler  shops,  and  in 
1878,  when  he  was  about  17  years  of  age,  he  com- 
menced firing  on  the  road,  and  in  August,  1885,  was 
promoted  to  engineer.  Outside  of  the  regular  routine 
of  mishaps  of  a  railroad  man's  life,  Mr.  Jourdan  has 
been  very  fortunate,  and  has  never  been  connected 
with  any  accident  of  any  account.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  February  24,  1892,  to  Miss  .Mary  T.  Mc- 
Carthy, of  Sharon,  Pa.  Mr.  Jourdan  is  a  member  of 
the  B.  of  L.  E.,  the  Penn.  Vol.  Relief  and  the 
C.  .M.  B.A. 

J.  B.  Weindorf,  locomotive  engineer  on  the 
E.  &  P.  R.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.  This  gentleman  was  born 
in  Erie,  October  15,  1851.  His  parents,  Jact)b  and 
Mary  Ann  (Stringer)  Weindorf,  were  natives  of  Ger- 
many; the  former  was  born  in  Hessen  Darmstadt, 
and  the  latter  came  from  Mainz.  They  emigrated  to 
America  in  184U,  and  went  liirectly  to  Cleveland;  but 
the  same  year  removed  to  Erie,  where  they  per- 
manently settled.  The  father  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  in  his  native  land,  which  he  followed  in  Erie 
during  his  life.  He  was  employed  most  of  his  time 
for  the  Reed  estate.  He  also  worked  on  the  building 
of  the  "  Michigan."  He  died  in  1858,  aged  53  years, 
and  the  mother  now  resides  in  Erie,  at  the  age  of  76. 
They  reared  a  family  of  eleven  children:  Teresa,  now 
Mrs.  Fred  Shade,  of  Erie;  Barbara,  .Mrs.  .Andrew 
Crawford,  of  Titusville,  Pa.;  Peter,  carpenter,  Lincoln, 
111.;  Etta,  married  John  Longnecker,  Erie;  Kate, 
Mrs.  John  Freeman  (widt)wl,  Erie;  J.  B.;  George,  con- 
ductor on  the  P.,  F.  W.  &  C.  R.  R.,  Chicago;  John, 
boilermaker,  Erie;  Edward,  machinist,  Erie;  Mary, 
Mrs.  Will  Lawrence  (deceased),  and  Martin,  clerk, 
Erie.  J.  B.  Weindorf  was  reared  in  Erie  and  educatetl 
in  the  public  schools.  .At  about  the  age  of  14  he  com- 
menced life  as  a  stationary  engineer  in  C<H)k's  shingle 
factory,  Erie,  then  worked  a  short  time  in  the  Erie 
stove  factory,  in  the  same  capacity,  when  he  entered 


7.1° 


IfELSON'S  BIOORAPHiCAL  DICTIONARY 


the  employ  of  James  Cook  as  engineer  in  his  planinK- 
mill.  In  18(iiMK- enU-red  tlie  employ  of  the  K.  i\:  P. 
Conipiiny  as  cii'^'inc  «i|ier.  At  the  end  of  about  six 
months  lie  went  on  the  road  as  lirenian.  In  1x72  he 
was  |iroiii()ti'd  to  the  ])ost  of  engineer,  wiiieh  jxisition 
he  has  sinci-  held,  lie  ran  freitjht  until  188><,  when  he 
was  pronioteil  to  the  passenger  engineer  service  from 
Erie  to  I'ittshiMg,  making  the  run  of  l.")0  miles  one 
way  every  day.  According  to  the  average  of  loO  miles 
per  day  during  the  time  that  he  has  been  running  in 
the  |)assenger  service,  not  counting  extra  runs,  he  has 
covered  over  ;S41,(il)l)  miles,  or  a  flistance  of  nearly 
fourteen  times  around  the  earth.  During  his  entire  ex- 
perience at  railroa<ling  he  has  never  had  an  accident 
of  any  account,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  most 
careful,  yet  fearless,  engineers  on  the  road.  Mr. 
W'eindorf  has  been  twice  married,  first  to  Mi.ss  Kli/.a 
Sheridan,  of  Krie,  in  187S.  She  <leparted  this  life  in 
1882,  leaving  two  children:  Mary  H.  ami  Bessie  Gene- 
vieve. .After  remaining  a  widower  over  nine  years, 
Mr.  Weindorf  was  married  to  Miss  .'\nna  Sheridan,  also 
of  Erie.  He  is  a  member  of  the  H.  of  L.  E.,  P.  V.  K. 
and  C.  M.  H.  A. 

John  M.  Kalvelage,  formerly  a  restaurant  i)ro- 
l)rjet(>r,  Erie,  I'a.,  was  liorn  in  Erie,  December  17,  18.58, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  H.  Kalvelage,  whose  personal 
history  is  contained  in  this  volume.  John  H.  Kalvelage 
settled,  September,  1857,  in  Erie,  where  his  son  was 
reared  and  educated.  He  remained  with  his  father, 
who  was  a  brewer  in  Erie,  until  \XM,  when  he  engaged 
in  the  hardw'are  business  about  two  years;  he  then  en- 
gaged in  the  bakery  and  confectionery  business  at  714 
State  street,  which  he  continued  about  two  and  a  half 
years.  In  188!)  he  bought  the  restaurant  at  JMl  West 
Eighth  street,  where  he  remained  until  18il.">,  when 
failing  health  compelled  him  to  (piit  business.  Mr. 
Kalvelage  was  married  July  Hi,  187!t,  to  Miss  Rosalia, 
daughter  of  .Michael  and  .Anna  (Klein)  Oberkirch,  na- 
tives of  Prussia.  .To  this  union  were  born  six  children: 
George  J.,  Robert  J.,  lierlha  K.,  Eelix  P.,  I-Ulith  and 
Arthur  X.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  Mr.  Kalvelage  is  a  member  of  the  Elks 
and  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  He  was  grand  marshal  of  the 
Grand  Council  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  for  two  years,  be- 
ginning in  1887,  and  has  also  been  district  de])nty  of 
the  Grand  Council.  Mr.  Kalvelage  is  a  prominent 
Democrat  and  has  served  in  the  city  council  of  Erie 
one  year. 

Charles  Franklin,  commission  merchant  and 
wholesale  dealer  in  ]jroduce,  11S02  .State  street,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Washington,  I).  C,  June  o,  1805.  He 
is  a  son  of  Juhis  and  .Anna  (Hudson)  Eranklin,  the 
former  a  native  of  (".erniany  and  the  latter  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.  Julus  Franklin  came  to  .America  when 
26  years  of  age,  and  he  was  a  well-known  literary  man, 
as  well  as  a  translator  an<l  teacher  of  languages,  be- 
ing the  master  of  se\en  languages.  He  spent  his  lift- 
in  literary  work  in  Philadelphia,  excepting  a  term  that 
he  held  a  position  in  the  United  .States  treasury  in 
Washington,  D.  C.  He  revised  the  Bible,  and  in  i87() 
wrote  a  Ci-ntennial  History  of  the  I 'nited  .States,  which 
was  published  by  the  Jones  Publishing  Company  of 
Philadelphia,  and  was  the  autlxjr  of  several  other  lit- 
erary works.  He  died  in  \XXA  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.. and 
his  w'ife  now  resides  at  .Atlantic  City.  They  were  the 
parents  of  thirteen  children,  six  of  whom  are  living. 


Charles  was  reared  and  educated  in  Philadelphia,  and 
followed  professional  baseball  plaving  until  he  was21. 
He  then  went  to  New  York  and  enlisted  in  the  I'nited 
States  navy  on  the  C  S.  s.  "  Richmond,"  wlucli  imme- 
diately went  on  a  cruise  to  South  America.  They 
sailed  around  Ca|)e  \'erde  to  I'ruguay.  This  was  dur- 
ing the  Brazilian  revolution, ami  the  "  Richmond  "  was 
ordered  from  I'ruguay  to  Rio  Janeiro,  Brazil,  to  pro- 
tect American  interests  there.  They  wereancliored  tn 
the  harbor  of  Rio  Janeiro  when  Dom  Pe<lro  abdicated 
the  throne,  and  Mr.  Franklin  had  the  honor  of  assist- 
ing to  lire  the  first  salute  in  honor  of  the  new  repub- 
lic. They  then  returned  north  an<l  he  was  transferred 
to  shore  duty  at  Philadelphia.  From  then-  he  was  or- 
dered to  Erie  to  tin-  L  .  S.  S.  "  .Michigan."  In  .April, 
18ilO,  he  was  ilischarged  at  his  own  retpiesl.  He  then 
entered  the  employ  of  E.  R.  .Simmons,  and  in  IM!I2  en- 
gaged in  the  commission  business  for  himself.  He 
controls  a  large  and  growing  trade  and  is  a  thorough 
and  com|)etent  business  man.  Mr.  Eranklin  was  mar- 
ried June  i;i.  1«)0,  to  Miss  .Mary  Elizabeth  (Jrine,  of 
Erie.  He  is  a  member  of  the  L'nited  Workman,  and 
is  a  Republican. 

(ieorge  E.  Oetchell,  chief  engineer  at  the  Colby 
I'iano  Factory,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Groveland,  Mass., 
June  H,  lfS5(i.  He  is  a  son  of  O.  L.  and  .Marth.i  W. 
Getchell,  both  natives  of  Maine.  His  great-grand- 
father Getchell,  was  a  native  of  Scotland.  The  father 
now  resides  in  Erie.  The  mother  died  when  George 
I-".  was  7  years  old.  The  family,  which  consisted  of 
the  father  and  four  children,  came  from  the  East  to 
Dunkirk  about  1856.  They  resided  there  about  six 
years.  His  father,  O.  I..  Getchell,  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  in  August,  1862,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  when  the  family  removed  to  Titusville,  and  came 
to  Erie,  in  November,  1866.  When  a  boy  George 
worked  at  various  occupations,  but  stationary  engi- 
neering has  been  the  chief  pursuit  of  his  life.  He  fol- 
lowed that  occupation  through  the  oil  district  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  had  charge  of  the  machinery  of  the  Erie 
lioot  anil  .Shoe Coiii|iany  for  five  years.  In  t)ctober.  IWH, 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Colby  Piano  Company, 
where  he  has  since  been  engaged.  .Mr.  Getchell  was  mar- 
ried November  11,  1884,  to  Miss  Kate  Roth,  of  Erie,  Pa. 
They  have  one  child,  Cassie  M.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  1.  ().  C).  F.,  the  .Association  of  Engineers,  P.  O.  S. 
of  .A.  and  Protected  Home  Circle. 

John  F.  Sutton,  chief  engineer  for  Fred.  Koeh- 
ler  iS;  Co.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  2,  1844.  He  is  a  son  of  Xlacague 
and  .Mary  (Daily)  Sutton,  both  natives  of  I'ennsyl- 
vania.  The  father  died  in  186!),  and  the  mother  when 
John  was  a  child.  When  he  was  3  years  old  his  father 
moved  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  where  he  was  reared  and 
eilucated.  When  16  years  of  age  he  began  an  ap|iren- 
ticc'ship  at  the  machinist  trade.  Before  he  had  served 
his  time,  the  war  broke  tmt,  and  as  Baltimore  was  im- 
mediately the  scene  of  great  military  display,  and  al- 
though 17  years  of  age,  his  patriotism  was  his  dictator, 
and  he  resolved  to  join  the  warring  legions  of  his 
country.  He  accordingly  joined  the  1st  Pa.  Killes 
at  Baltimore,  while  on  their  way  to  the  front,  and 
.served  with  them  as  a  citizen  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull 
Run.  He  regularly  entered  the  service,  .April  25, 
1H62,  in  Co.  C,  1st  Pa.  Cav.,  for  three  years,  at  Catlitts 
Station,  Virginia,  and  moved  to  Falmouth,   \  a.     He 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OV  EBtE  COUNTY. 


73 « 


was  assigned  to  a  cavalry  brigade  on  the  last  of  May, 
and  moved  into  the  Shenandoah  \'alley,  reachini;  Fort 
Royal,  |iine  1,  and  |iartici|iated  in  the  canijiaiifn 
against  Jackson.  He  reached  Mannassas,  June25, and 
the  26th  was  assigned  to  the  3d  Corps,  Army  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  [larticiijated  in  tlie  operations,  nnder  Pope. 
He  then  encamped  at  Munson's  Hill,  and  later  par- 
ticipated in  the  F'rederickshurg  campaign,  and  en- 
camped at  lielle  Plain  Landing.  He  then  iiarticipated 
in  the  Chancellorsville  campaign,  serving  in  the  2d 
Uiv.  Cav.  Corps,  2d  Brig.  .•\nd  in  the  Gettysburg 
campaisrn,  1st  Brig.,  2d  Div.  He  served  in  .Sheridan's 
Cav.  Corps  in  the  Wilderness  camjiaign,  and  par- 
ticipated in  all  the  operations  of  the  cavalry  of  the 
army  of  the  Potomac  until  the  surrender  of  Lee.  On 
September  9,  Wi'A,  he  was  transferred  to  Co.  IX  He 
was  injured  by  being  thrown  from  his  horse  in  a  cav- 
alry charge  at  L'pjierville,  \'a.  June  IS,  1803,  was  ca])- 
tured  by  .Mosby's  men,  near  W'arrenton,  \'a.,  and  after 
eight  days'  journeying  towards  .'Vndersonville  jirison, 
escaped  from  the  guards  at  night  while  they  were 
asleep,  and  returned  to  his  command,  after  an  absence 
of  sixteen  days.  On  his  way  back  he  was  re-captured  by 
the  Confederates,  but  that  was  a  time  wdien  his  life  was 
more  sacred  than  the  truth,  and  he  deceived  his  cap- 
tors by  the  .story  that  he  was  a  deserter,  whereupon 
they  commended  his  manly  attitude  and  ])ermitted 
him  to  go  on  his  dangerous  journey.  liefore  letting 
him  go,  ht)wever,  they  christened  him  a  faithful  de- 
serter, by  putting  the  muz/le  of  a  loa<led  revolver  in 
his  mouth,  to  impress  him  with  his  weakness  in  the 
hands  of  the  Confederacy.  At  Gettysburg  he  was 
dispatch  carrier  for  the  staff  of  General  Meade,  and 
had  two  horses  shot  from  under  him  in  that  tjattle,  and 
lost  the  hearing  of  one  ear  by  the  concussion  of  a  can- 
non. At  Salem,  December  24,  18(i8,  he  gaptured  two 
Confederate  officers.  At  Cold  Harbcjr  he  received  a 
gun.shot  wound  in  the  left  leg;  at  Hatches'  Run  he 
led  the  charge  into  the  rebel  works,  and  alone,  cap- 
tured three  rebel  officers,  for  which  act  lie  received  a 
special  furlough  from  Gen.  Meade.  The  last  nine 
months  of  his  .service  he  was  detailed  with  eleven 
others  as  advance  guard  of  the  brigade.  During  his 
service  he  had  four  horses  shot  from  under  him.  He 
participated  in  over  fifty  actions,  and  was  honorably 
mustered  out  April  25,  I860,  in  front  of  Petersburg. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  started  for  Salt  Lake  ("ity, 
with  a  prairie  train,  l>ut  stopped  at  Lort  Kiley,  and  re- 
turned to  Jefferson,  Mo.,  where  he  entered  the  em|)loy 
of  the  Missouri  anil  Pacific  R.  R.  Company,  as  fire- 
man, and  remained  one  year.  He  then  sjient  over  a 
year  in  Missouri  hunting,  an<l  returned  to  Baltimore, 
and  remained  a  short  time,  when  he  came  to  Penn- 
sylvania an<i  rtred  on  the  P.  &:  E.  R.  R.  From  there 
he  went  to  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  as  fireman  on  the  Cin- 
cinnati and  Marietta  R.  R.,  for  a  short  time,  when  he 
was  jiromoted  to  engineer.  He  then  returned  to  the 
P.  and  E.,  and  accepted  a  position  as  tireman.  In  I81SI 
he  entered  the  emplo\  of  11.  F.  Watson  &  Co.,  of 
Erie,  as  chief  engineer,  and  remained  six  years.  He 
then  entered  the  em])loy  of  the  F^rie  Rubber  Com- 
pany as  chief  engineer,  where  he  remained  three 
years.  In  18SU),  he  accepted  his  present  position, 
where  he  has  charge  of  the  entire  ))ropelling  ma- 
chinery, with  several  assistants.  Mr.  Sutton  was  mar- 
ried in  187.5,  to  Miss  .Mary  Hassett,  of  Warren, 
Pa.     They  have  had  eight   children,   one  of  whom  is 


ton  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  Stationary 
Engineers,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle, 
the  (nion  \eteran  Legion. the  Improved  Order  of  Red 
Men  and  the  United  Workmen.  Politicallv  ht-  has 
always  been  a  Republican. 

(ieorge  W.  Tompkins  (deceased),  late  of  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  a  native  ol  Delhi,  Delaware  county,  N.  V'., 
born  Se|ptember  18,  \X'M,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
( Hull)  Tompkins,  the  former  a  native  of  Long  Island 
and  the  latter  of  Litchfield  county,  Connecticut.  Tlie 
Tom]jkins  family  niove<l  to  Wesleyville  when  George 
\V.  was  about  one  year  old,  where  the  mother  died 
November  3,  186.5,  aged  72  years,  and  the  father 
May  24,  1871,  aged  81  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  six  children:  EInathan  Hull,  born  February  18, 
1820,  died  June  1,  1876;  known  as  the  "  King  of  Lake 
Captains,"  and  was  a  seafaring  man  all  his  life; 
William,  born  February  5,  1822,  died  September  19, 
1846,  was  also  a  sailor;  .Anna,  born  August  13,  1824, 
now  Mrs.  Morton,  Wesleyville;  Catherine  .Augusta, 
born  .September  2,  1828,  died  January  2,  1847;  George 
W.;  .Mary  Redlield,  born  October  11,'  1838,  and  James 
R.,  born  February  21,  1831,  died  lune  2,  1833.  George 
W.  Tompkins  was  reared  and  educated  at  Wesley- 
ville, Pa.,  and  at  the  age  of  15  commenced  work  on 
Lake  Erie,  wliere  he  was  employed  in  various  cajjaci- 
ties  for  sixteen  years,  two  years  of  which  were  spent 
(m  the  U.  .S.  S.  "  .Michigan.  "  In  the  autumn  of  1865 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.  at  Corry. 
He  served  as  a  faithful  employe  of  that  company 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  November 
27,  1894.  He  was  one  of  the  most  successful  and 
experienced  conductors  on  the  road,  and  had  worked 
for  the  company  nearly  as  long  as  any  man  in  a  like 
employment  on  the  Western  division  of  tlie  P.  &  E. 
R.  R.  He  was  married  January  16, 1867,  to  .Miss  Anna 
J.,  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Jane  iVaplei  .Akerly,  of 
Greene  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.  .Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tomiikins  were  [larents  of  hve  children:  William, 
a  well-known  carpenter  and  l)uilder  of  Erie,  who  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Erie  and  connnenced  the  car- 
penter's trade  when  17  years  old  and  has  sutcessfully 
follow-ed  it  since;  Herbert  George,  carpenter;  Nellie 
Y.;  Marion  Louisa  and  .Merrick  W.  The  family 
reside  on  East  Eighteenth  street  and  are  memf>ers  of 
the  L^piscopal  Church. 

Nickolas  Leuschen,  owner  and  proprietor  of  the 
Mystic  Steam  Renoviiting  Works.  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Buffalo,  N.  V.,  May  19,  1847.  He  is  a  .son  of 
Mathias  and  Katherina  (L'ldmann)  Leu.schen,  the 
former  a  native  of  Prussia  iind  the  latter  of  Wiirtem- 
berg,  Germany,  who  came  to  .-\merica  July  6.  1845. 
The  father  was  a  Prussian  soldier.  He  emigrateil  to 
.America  in  1843  and  settletl  in  Buffalo,  where  he  was 
married  February  23,  1846,  and  June  9.  1849,  came  to 
Erie,  where  he  died  August  5,  1869.  His  wife  now 
resides  in  p^rie.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
<lren,  viz.:  Nickolas,  our  subject;  Peter,  Erie,  Pa.; 
Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  Loth  Mader,  Erie;  Mary  .Magda- 
lena,  Mrs.  Frank  Wuenschel.  Erie;  George  (decea.sed); 
Mary  (deceased);  John  (deceased);  .\Iargaret  (de- 
ceased); Frank,  Erie;  Henry,  marine  engineer,  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.  Mr.  Leuschen  was  reared  and  e<lucated  in 
Erie,  and  when  a  boy  followed  various  occupations 
and  finally  learned  the  potter's  trade  with  Webb  & 
Kellogg,  Erie,  Pa.     He  enlisted  July  29,  1864,  in  the 


732 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


United  h^tales  navy,  and  served  in  the  West  Gulf 
Squadron,  under  Admiral  Thatcher,  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  was  then  sent  to  the  I'acilic  coast  to 
serve  on  the  L'.  S.  S.  "  Lancaster,  "  which  was  then  at 
Panama.  During  his  service  on  board  this  vessel  he 
went  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  from  there  to  .San 
Francisco.  On  .May  28,  18()(i  he  was  transferred  to  the 
I'.  .S.  S.  "  Saranac,  "  which  was  under  conunand  of 
Gustavus  H.  .Scott,  a  cousin  of  William  L.  Scott. 
This  vessel  was  ordered  north  in  the  interest  of  the 
American  whalers,  and  was  comjielled  to  put  in  at 
Puget  S<iunii  on  account  of  a  leak,  as  a  result  of  a 
three  days'  storm.  While  here  their  orders  were 
coimtermanded,  the  old  ".Shenandoah,"  the  terror  of 
the  American  seamen,  which  they  were  after,  having 
been  gaptured  in  the  meantime.  After  making  a 
cruise  of  the  Sound  they  proceeded  to  San  Francisco, 
and  from  there  were  orilered  tcj  the  Mexican  coast  to 
re-capture  the  Keokuk,  which  had  been  taken  as  a 
contraban<l  of  war.  After  capturing  their  ijrize  they 
returned  to  San  Francisco  anil  again  cruised  along  the 
coast  from  San  Francisco  to  Panama,  after  which 
they  again  returned  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  was 
discharged  July  28,  18()7,  and  given  transportation  to 
Erie.  While  Mr.  Leuschen  was  in  the  service  he  took 
a  complete  course  in  navigation,  under  the  private 
instruction  of  an  officer  who  had  taken  a  particular 
fancy  to  him.  When  he  returned  to  Erie  he  resumed 
work  at  the  potter's  trade,  which  he  followed  a  short 
time,  when  he  couunenced  work  at  the  carjjenter's 
trade,  which  he  followed  imtil  1871,  and  then  he  went 
to  Foxljurg  and  clerked  in  a  hotel  for  nearly  a  year. 
Returning  to  Erie,  he  entered  the  employ  of  Diefen- 
dorf  &  Gross,  in  the  upholstery  business,  and,  in  1876, 
engaged  in  his  ])resent  business.  In  1883,  in  company 
witli  his  brother,  Peter,  he  started  the  first  steam 
renovating  works  in  Erie.  He  is  not  only  the  oldest 
established  in  his  line  in  I'.rie,  but  the  leader.  He 
was  married  April  28,  1873,  to  Miss  Rosina  E.  Richter, 
of  Erie,  a  native  of  Strasburg,  Germany.  .She  died 
March  18,  1885,  leaving  no  children.  Mr.  Leuschen 
was  married  again  March  9,  1892,  to  Miss  Katie  E. 
Richter.  They  have  twochildren,  viz.;  Peter  Al]jhonso 
and  Marie  Lorena.  Mr.  Leuschen  is  a  member  of  the 
St.  Beneilictus  .Society;  Robert  W.  Scott  Post,  G.  A. 
R.,  of  which  he  w-as  conunander  three  years;  the 
Elks;  the  Miennerchor  .Society;  an  active  member  of 
the  Erie  Vacht  Club,  and  has  always  been  a  very 
active  Democrat  and  hard  worker  for  the  party.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Democratic  Society 
of  Eric.  In  1894  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  Legisla- 
ture on  the  Democratic  ticket. 

J.  M.  McNerney,  chief  engineer  for  the  H.  F. 
Watson  l'a]i(r  Couipanv,  ICrie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Dun- 
kirk, N.  v..  May  18,  18C>4.  Heis  a  .son  of  Michael  and 
Nora  (Maloney)  McNerney,  natives  of  Ireland,  and 
now  residents  of  Dunkirk.  J.  M.  is  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  ten  children.  He  was  reared  in  Dunkirk, 
where  he  received  a  common  school  education.  When 
he  was  13  years  of  age  he  engaged  as  a  teamster, 
which  he  followed  about  five  years,  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Brooks  Locomotive  Works  at  Dun- 
kirk. He  worked  there  two  years  in  the  forging 
department.  He  then  came  to  Erie  and  secured  a 
position  with  the  Watson  Paper  Company  as  fireman, 
and  shortly  afterward  was  made  one  of  the  assistant 
engineers.     In  1889  he  was  aiipointed  chief  engineer 


of  the  entire  establishiiunl.  Mr.  McNerney  has  six 
assistant  engineers  and  twenty  liremen  under  his 
charge.  The  machinery  which  he  has  charge  of 
aggregates  over  three  thou.sand  horse  power.  He 
was  married  in  February,  1883,  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Marcus,  of  Dunkirk.  They  have  two  children,  Her- 
bert and  Edward.  Mr.  McNerney  is  a  member  of 
the  National  Association  of  Engineers  and  of  the 
K.  ().  T.  M. 

(ieorge  Byron  Meeker,  retail  dealer  in  fresh 
and  salt  meats,  502  Walmit  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  liorn  in 
McKean  township,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  January  24,  185(i, 
is  a  son  of  Gitleon  Meeker,  a  farmer  of  Slerrettania, 
who  was  born  in  McKean  township,  a  son  of  John  O. 
Meeker,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey  May  14,  1785, 
and  was  married  October  20,  1813,  to  Jerusha  Wilcox, 
liorn  in  Massachusetts  July  30,  1797.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  viz.:  William  C,  Sarah 
A.,  Gideon,  Lois  S.,  Lucinda,  Charles  A.,  John,  Isaac 
N.  (deceased),  Clarinda  J.,  Mary  R.  and  Loui.se  E. 
(Jf  this  family  Charles  A.  and  Isaac  N.  were  soldiers 
in  the  war  of  the  rebellion;  the  former  was  a  private  in 
the  83d  Reg.,  P.  \'.  I.,  wounded  ami  died  in  hospital 
October  4,  1802;  the  latter  was  in  an  Ohio  regiment, 
but  his  last  year  was  in  the  marine  .service  on  the  Ala- 
bama river.  John  Oliver  Meeker  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1812  14,  and  was  stationed  at  Erie  under  Cajit. 
Foster;  he  was  one  of  McKean  township's  earliest 
pioneer  settlers,  anti  died  March  30,  1854.  His  wife 
died  Januarv  10,  18.'}0.  Gideon  Meeker  married,  April 
15,  1852,  Fanny  Rhodes,  born  March  10,  1830,  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Annie  (Rhorer)  Rhodes,  natives  of 
this  state.  Nine  children  were  born  to  this  union,  viz.: 
Mary  L.,  Mrs.  R.  S.  Dunn,  of  North  East;  I-'.mma  A., 
Mrs.  G.  T.  Blatz,  of  .McKean  townshi]i;  (jeorge  B., 
John  O.  (deceased),  Gideon  E.,  a  car|ienter  for  the  L. 
S.  &  .M.  .S.  R.  R.,  resides  in  Erie;  \\'illiam  P.,  proprie- 
tor of  a  drugstore,  McKean,  Erie  county;  Martha  J., 
Clarence  A.,  sells  pianos  and  organs  on  the  road  and 
resides  in  Oil  City,  and  Glenn  E.  Mr.  Meeker  ow^ns 
and  operates  an  excellent  farm  of  130  acres  one  mile 
from  Sterrettania.  Himself  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Rei)ub- 
lican.  George  B.  Meeker  received  a  common  .school 
education  and  worked  on  the  home  farm  until  21  years 
of  age.  He  then  followed  butchering  two  years,  after 
which  he  bought  a  farm  in  McKean  township  and  con- 
tinued farming  till  1893,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and 
moved  to  Erie  and  engaged  in  the  meat  business  at 
410  West  Eighth  street,  for  a  few  months,  and  in  June 
of  that  year  moved  his  business  to  his  present  loca- 
tion, where  he  has  since  conducted  a  large  an<I  lucra- 
tive business,  enjoying  the  patronage  of  the  best  jieo- 
]jle  of  that  section  of  the  city.  He  makes  a  s]>ecialty 
of  Swift's  dressed  meats  antl  gives  the  business  his 
personal  attention.  He  was  married  January  8,  1^79,  to 
.Miss  Bi-lle,  daughter  of  Charles  O.sborn,  of  .Summit 
townshi]),  and  to  them  have  been  born  two  children, 
Fannie  M.  and  Pearl  A.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  lCpisco|)al  Church.  iVIr.  Meeker  was  for 
three  years  a  school  director,  during  his  residence  in 
McKean  townshi]).  He  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
Republican  jiartv.  Mr.  .Meeker  built  his  comfortable 
home  at  414  Walnut  street  in  1894. 

Frank  A.  Blum,  dealer  in  fresh  and  s.ilt  nu'ats, 
1021  Peach  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in    Baden,  Ger- 


Charles  Burdett  Chidester,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Parkman,  Ohio,  (Jctober  IT, 
1858,  was  educated  at  Hiram  College;  at  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  at  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Baltimore,  Md., 
from  which  last  he  was  graduated  March  4,  1881. 
He  practiced  medicine  in  Ohio  untd  1890.  On  the 
Kiith  of  November,  1884,  he  married  Minnie,  second 
daughter  of  Waterman  S.  and  Caroline  B.  Hodges, 
of  Sliddlefield,  Oliio.  Thev  had  two  children:  Rose 
Ann,  born  July  15,  1886,  died  August  8,  1886,  and 
Frank  Charles,  born  May  5,  1888,  died  May  16,  1888. 
Mrs.  Chidester  died  May' 12,  1888.  Her  memory  will 
always  be  dear  to  a  large  circle  of  friends,  by  whom 
she  was  loved  and  admired  for  her  vivacity  and  re- 
linemenl  of  manner,  and  a  remarkable  sweetness  of 
disposition.  Her  ancestors  were  pioneers  in  Middle- 
held,  from  North  Bradford,  Conn.  He  was  married 
February  19,1889,  to  Mrs.  Ella  J.  Durban  {nee  X'ance), 
of  Collingwood,  Ohio;  born  July  16,  1850,  at  Fairview, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  and  he  removed  to  Erie  in  1890, 
where  he  now  has  an  extended  and  lucrative  practice. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Association 
and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Geauga  County  Medical 
Society,  serving  as  its  president  two  terms. 

They  have  two  daughters — Minnie  Ada,  born  De- 
cember'25,  1889,  at  Burton,  Ohio,  and  Mabel  Olivia, 
born  May  11,  1891,  at  Erie,  Pa. 

Mrs.  Chidester's  great-grandfather  was  Patrick 
\'ance,  who  settled  in  Erie  county,  in  1797.  His  son, 
Thomas  Vance,  lived  on  a  farm  near  Fairview,  a  part 
of  which  is  still  in  possession  of  Mrs.  Chidester.  He 
had  three  children:  Thomas  \'ance,  jr.,  who  after- 
ward lived  on  the  farm;  Jane,  who  married  Franklin 
Willis,  of  Fairview,  April  14,  1842;  and  Margaret, 
who  died   unmarried.     Thomas  \'ance,  jr.,  born  July 

16,  1821,  married   Elizabeth  Olivia  Weidler,  February 

17,  1848,  died  December  7, 1887.  She  was  born  August 
21,  1829,  and  died  February  18,  1855.  They  are  buried 
at  Fairview,  Erie  county,  Pa.  Her  maternal  grand- 
father, Daniel  Weidler,  a  pioneer  in  Erie  county,  was 
born  in  Lancaster,  Pa.,  February  12,  1805,  and  mar- 
ried .September  15, 1827,  Catherme  Frissler,  in  Lancas- 
ter. He  died  September  8,  1874;  she  died  May  19, 
1855.  They  are  buried  in  F"airview.  Their  children 
were  Elizabeth  Olivia  (born  August  21,  1829,  died 
February  18,  1855|,  Michael  George,  .Samuel,  Daniel, 
.Samuel  S.,  Anna  Amelia,  Catherine  Atlanta,  John  .\. 
and  Mary  A. 

Dr.  Chidester  is  the  son  of  Juhus  and  Eliza  Har- 
riet (Mastick)  Chidester,  whose  other  children  were 
Mary  Eliza,  born  at  Canheld,  Ohio,  Jime  2S,  1854,  mar- 
ried Andrew  L.  Carvl,of  Marvsville,  Ohm,  and  William 


A.,  born  at   Parkman,   Ohio,  January  5,  181)1,  died   at 
Claridon,  Ohio,  November  8,  1875. 
I         Julius  Chidester,  born  in  Canfield,  Mahoning  coun- 
ty, February  21,  1826,  was  the   son  of  Erastus  and  Ly- 
dia  (Sackett)  Chidester,  besides  whom  three  brothers 
and  two   sisters  reached    mature  age.     He  married  at 
Burton,  September  24,  1850,  Eliza  Harriet  .Mastick,  of 
Claridon,  Ohio,  and  went  to  housekeeping  at  Canheld; 
they  lived  here  two  years,  and  in  Geauga  county  twenty- 
three  years  engaged  in  stock  business  -then  took  a  flock 
!   of  500  sheep  to  Mercer  county,  Illinois.     After  arrival 
i   there  wolves  were  very  savage,  many  times  attacking 
■   the  sheep  in   droves,  and  were   with  difficulty  beaten 
off  with  dogs  and  guns.  Here  he  also  engaged  in  ship- 
ping stock  to  Chicago.     At  this  time  he  resides  with 
his  wife  on  a  farm  near    Fairview,    Erie  county.  Pa. 
;   While  a  resident  of  Claridon,  Ohio,  he  was  township 
I   officer  eight  years;  also   a   member  of  the  board   of 
Geauga  County  Agricultural  Society  eight  years. 

Eliza  Harriet  (.Mastick)  Chidester  was  born  in 
Claridon,  Geauga  Co.,  Ohio,  May  16,  1881,  daughter 
of  Owen  Mastick,  wlu)  was  born  in  Grafton,  Xt.,  De- 
cember 20,  1802;  married,  January  3,  1830,  Harriet, 
daughter  of  Ephraim  and  Susannah  Cook.  He  died 
in  Tampa,  Fla.,  December  20,  1884.  Their  other  chil- 
dren were:  Maryett  Lydia  Lavinia,  Julius  Cook,  and 
Owen  Burdell. 

Owen  Mastick,  son  of  Nathaniel  Mastick  and  Lydia 
(Caryl)  .Mastick,  was  born  in  Norfolk  county,  Mass.. 
July  8,  1772.  His  wife,  Lydia  Caryl,  was  born  in  Nor- 
folk, Mass.,  February  22,  177.},  and  died  in  1857.  He 
was  a  leader  in  his  county,  and  the  first  to  import  Mor- 
gan and  Blackhawk  horses  and  Durham  cattle  into 
Ohio.  For  seven  years  he  was  justice  of  the  peace, 
ten  years  township  trustee,  a  school  director  and  mili- 
tia captain. 

John  Mastick,  father  of  Nathaniel,  was  the  only  son 
of  John  Salter,  of  a  wealthy  Holland  family,  horn  in 
1717,  was  stolen  by  a  British  press-gang  at  the  as^e  of 
nine  years,  put  aboard  of  a  man-of-war,  and  held  in  the 
service  nine  years.  Taking  advantage  of  the  first  op- 
portunity to  escape  when  the  shij)  lay  in  Boston  har- 
bor, he  "swapped"  clothes  with  a  stone-mason,  as- 
sumed the  name  of  John  Mastick, and  though  pursued 
and  wounded   escaped,  settled,  antl    married   Sarah 

,  who   was  born   in   Farmington,  .Mass.,  and 

raised  a  family.  An  advertisement  in  after  years  ap- 
peared in  a  New  York  paper  for  the  heirs  of  this  Hol- 
land house.  His  eldest  son  gathered  together  the 
proofs,  and  started  for  F-urope,  but  was  never  more 
heard  from. 

Harriet  (Cook)  Mastick.  thethird  child  in  a  family  of 
four  sons  and  five  daughters,  was  born  September  27, 


Ib04.  She  (iii-d  May  20,  1^04,  aj^wl  ninety,  and  was 
buried  at  Kidgeville,  Ind.  Her  mother,  Susannah 
Ives,  was  married  December  16,  1779,  to  Ephraim 
Cook,  who  was  born  December  21,  1775,  in  Cheshire, 
Conn.,  son  of  Elam  Cook,  born  in  1788,  in  Cheshire, 
Conn.,  son  of  Capt.  Ephraim  Cook,  born  in  1704,  in 
Cheshire,  Conn.,  son  of  Samuel  Cook,  who  came  from 
England. 

Erastus  Chidester  was  one  of  seven  brothers — Hez- 
ekiah,  I'hilo,  P>astus,  William  Rush,  Julius,  Velorus 
and  Roval  Canfield;  all  but  the  last  were  born  at  Corn- 
wall Bridge,  Conn.  His  birth  was  on  March  28,  1789, 
son  of  \Villiam  and  Martha  (Dean)  Chidester.  He 
married  Lydia  Sackett,  at  Cant'ield,  Ohio,  in  1813,  and 
thev  raised  a  family  of  three  sons-  Clark,  Julius,  and 
Wiiliam  \.  and  two  daughters— Caroline  and  Mar- 
tha. He  moved  to  Richland  Grove,  now  Swedonia, 
Mercer  countv.  111.,  where  they  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  in  the  fall  of  18ti8,  and  here  resided  till  his 
death.  March  10,  186H.  His  wife,  Lydia  Sackett,  w^ho 
survived  him  several  years,  was  born  November  1,  1790, 
afterwards  went  with  her  eldest  son,  Clark  Chidester, 
to  Fairfield,  Jefferson  county,  Iowa,  where  she  died 
February  28,  1872,  at  the  mature  age  of  eighty-two 
years,  and  was  buried  at  Brookville,  Jefferson  county, 
Iowa. 

William  Chidester,  born  in  Williamstown,  Mass., 
in  17.57,  was  son  of  William  Chidester,  who,  with  his 
brother  Jonathan,  emigrated  from  Wales  to  America. 
The  latter  settled  in  New  Jersey,  the  former  in  WiU- 
iamstfiwn,  Ma.ss.  When  quite  young  the  Indians  at- 
tacked the  town,  killed  a  number  of  the  inhabitants 
and  carried  away  several  w-omen  and  children,  among 
whom  was  Mrs.  Carter,  sister-in-law  of  William,  sr. 
Together  with  Mr.  Carter  and  others  he  followed  their 
trail,  and  overtook  them  near  Wilkesbarre,  Pa.,  where 
a  battle  ensued,  and  both  were  killed.  William,  jr., 
soon  after  went  to  live  with  his  uncle.  Hezekiah  Carter, 
who  resided  in  Cornwall.  Litchfield  county,  Conn., 
and  was  brought  up  by  him.  He  married  ("hloe  Peck, 
in  1779,  by  whom  he  had  one  son;  but  his  w-ife  and  son 
died  in  less  than  two  years. 

The  following  account  of  the  father,  William  Chid- 


ester, and  his  journey  to  the  then  West,  is  from  the 
lips  of  his  son  Erastus:  "William  Chidester  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  at  first  drafted  as 
a  militiaman  under  .Samuel  Canfield,  of  New  Milford, 
Conn.  He  enlisted  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Theo. 
Woodbridge,  Eleventh  Connecticut  line,  under  com- 
mand of  Col.  Homan  .Swift,  in  which  he  served  four 
years.  He  particijiated  in  the  battles  of  Brandywine 
and  Monmouth.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term,  he  was 
discharged,  returned  to  Cornwall,  and  married  Martha, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Dean,  of  that  place.  He  began 
keeping  house  near  Cornwall  Bridge,  and  followed  his 
trade  of  tailor  here  for  three  years.  He  then  bought  a 
nearby  farm  on  which  he  lived  until  1802,  when  he 
exchanged  it  for  land  in  Canfield  in  what  was  then 
called  New  Connecticut  in  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory, later  known  as  the  Western  Reserve,  State  of 
Ohio.  He  left  Cornwall  April  27,  1802,  arriving  at  his 
destination,  Canfield,  Ohio,  June  2.  His  large  family 
and  household  goods  and  stores  were  conveyed  in  two 
wagons,  one  drawn  by  a  team  of  horses,  the  other  by 
oxen,  with  a  led  cow.  His  route  was  up  the  Hudson 
to  Newburg,  where  he  crossed  in  a  pirogue,  at  one  load. 
Thence  proceeded  to  Easton  on  the  Delaware,  which 
was  crossed  in  a  flat-boat,  in  two  loads;  thence  by  a 
then  lonesome  and  dangerous  road,  over  the  Allegheny 
Mountains  to  Fort  Pitt;  crossing  the  Monongahela 
here,  they  journeyed  down  the  south  bank,  over  a 
mere  trad  in  the  rough  hills  to  Beavertown.  They 
forded  the  Ohio  about  a  mile  and  a  half  below,  thence 
reached  Canfield,  Ohio,  in  two  and  one-half  days.  He 
selected  plot  No.  15  first  division  in  the  woods,  the 
next  house  west  of  his  being  then  fifteen  miles  dis- 
tant. Three  years  afterward  he  removed  to  plot  No. 
18  in  the  third  division,  where  he  lived,  and  in  1811 
built  a  frame  house  for  his  son  Royal  Canfield  Chides- 
ter, the  first  w^hite  child  born  in  that  settlement.  After 
the  admission  of  Ohio  in  1803,  he  was  elected  justice 
of  the  peace,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death,  Feb- 
ruary zti,  1813.  He  also  served  as  township  trustee, 
and  commissioner  of  Trumbull  county.  His  wife 
Martha  survived  him  a  number  of  years,  and  drew  a 
pension,  on  account  of  his  services  in  the  Revolution." 


^,A?  0£cA.^t;-l^.^.. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


733 


many,  October  9,  1888,  a  son  of  the  late  John  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Zimmerman)  Blum,  the  former  a  carpenter  by 
trade.  Prank  A.  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, and  when  17  years  of  age  became  ajjprenticed  to 
a  dealer  and  handler  of  meats.  He  followed  this  busi- 
ness in  his  native  country  until  .May,  IST.'i,  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  and,  locating  in  Erie,  en- 
gaged two  years  at  his  trade,  and  in  the  spring  of  1875 
opened  a  market  on  Peach  street,  between  Seventeenth 
and  Eighteenth,  which  he  operated  for  three  years, 
when  he  sold  out  and  bought  a  place  on  Peach,  west 
side,  above  Fifteenth  street,  where  he  conducted  a 
market  for  ten  year-S.  He  sold  this  and  opened  an  es- 
tablishment at  749  p^ast  Eighteenth  street,  o|ierating 
it  for  seven  and  one-half  years,  when  he  moved  to  his 
present  location,  which  he  had  built  in  1893.  He  also 
owns  the  building  known  as  l<il7  Peach  street.  Mr. 
Hlum  was  married,  (Jctober  6,  1875,  to  Miss  Carrie 
Armbruster,  and  to  them  have  been  born  four  chil- 
dren: John  K.,  Bertha,  Mary  and  Frank.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  German  Catholic  Church.  Mr. 
Blum  served  three  years  in  the  common  council,  from 
the  Fifth  ward.  He  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  li.  A., 
and  in  jiolitics  is  a  Democrat.  His  place  of  business 
is  24  .\  70  feet,  and  he  employs  two  men  and  does  a 
large  and  lucrative  business,  making  a  specialty  of 
domestic  meats.  Residence  1621  Peach  street,  up- 
stairs. 

David  P.  Robbius,  M.  D.,  journalist  and  writer, 
was  born  in  Dearborn  county,  Indiana,  November  3, 
1845,  s<jn  of  Jeremiah  and  Clarenda  (Johnson)  Rob- 
bins.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Peter  Robbins,  of 
English  descent,  was  born  in  Wheatheld,  Conn.,  in 
1755,  served  as  aid-de-camp  to  Gen.  Washington  in 
the  struggle  for  independence,  after  which  he  married 
a  Welsh  lady  and  located  in  western  New  York,  where 
he  practiced  medicine  and  compiled  a  large  treatise 
on  the  "  \'egetable  Materia  Medica,"  having  continued 
in  active  business  to  the  age  of  96  years.  He  left  a 
large  family  of  descendants  in  the  Empire  .State.  Jer- 
emiah, the  father  of  Daviil  P.,  with  several  other  fam- 
ilies, embarked  on  a  fiatboat  at  Olean,  N,  \'.,  in  1835, 
six  weeks  later  laniiing  at  \'evay,  Ind.  He  was  a  brick 
manufacturer,  farmer,  and  practiced  eclectic  medicine. 
Our  subject  was  youngest  of  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, and  had  good  educational  advantages  in  child- 
hood. He  was  an  industrious  scholar,  and  before  the 
age  of  15  served  as  a  medical  student  in  his  father's 
office,  later  taking  a  course  at  the  Fairview  Academy, 
and  for  a  year  attending  the  seminary  at  Mt.  Sterling, 
Ind.  The  Rebellion  coming  on  and  guerrillas  infest- 
ing the  border.  Mr.  Robbins  enlisted  in  the  "  Home 
Guard  "  service  of  .Southern  Indiana,  and  was  several 
times  called  to  arms  in  defense  of  the  border.  He  was 
in  the  fight  against  the  intrepid  guerrilla,  John  Mor- 
gan, who,  with  5,0IKJ  Confederates,  raided  across  Indi- 
ana and  Ohio.  Before  the  age  of  18  years,  he  enlisted 
in  the  117th  Reg.,  I.  \'.,  participating  in  the  forced 
marches  and  shar])  skirmishes  through  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee.  Overcome  by  hardships  and  prostrated 
by  fever.  late  in  October,  '63,  he  was  removed  frcjui 
Greenville,  Tenn.,  to  the  hospital  at  Knoxville,  where 
he  made  a  speedy  recovery,  and  his  medical  knowl- 
edge soon  gave  him  a  place  as  hospital  steward,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  during  the  trying  times  of 
the  Longstreet  siege.  Receiving  his  discharge  in 
1864,  he  proceeded  to  the  Michigan  University  at  Ann 
47 


.-Xrhor,  from  whence  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  .\I.  U.,  March  29,  1866,  receiving  the  highest  honors 
of  his  class,  when  but  little  past  20  years  of  age.  The 
following  summer  he  practiced  in  (Osgood,  Ind.  On 
his  21st  birthday  anniversary,  November  3,  1866,  Mr. 
Robbins  was  married  to  Rose  E.  Durham,  of  Cam- 
l)ridgeboro.  Pa.,  who  was  also  21  years  of  age  on  her 
wedding  day.  Mrs.  Robbins'  paternal  grandparents, 
James  Durham  and  Moor  Fullerton,  located  in  Craw- 
ford county,  in  1797,  and  her  maternal  grandparents, 
Pilgrim  F.  Isherwood,  settled  in  LeBoeuf  township, 
Erie  county,  the  same  year,  and  his  future  wife,  Re- 
becca Alford,  came  to  McLallen's  Corners,  Erie 
county,  in  1811.  Her  father  and  mother  were  born, 
married,  and  spent  long  lives  at  Isherwood's  Corners, 
between  Cambridge  and  Waterfortl.  .\fter  his  mar- 
riage. Dr.  Robbins  located  for  practice  at  Mill  X'illage, 
and  in  1869  removed  to  Cambridge,  where  in  April, 
1872,  he  commenced  the  weekly  Imlis,  and  has  since 
largely  been  engaged  in  journalism.  Defective  vision 
caused  him  to  make  a  tour  to  the  Rocky  .Mountains  in 
1877,  and  the  following  year  he  inaugurated  a  bureau 
of  correspondence,  which  was  used  for  several  years 
by  numerous  northern  paper.s.  After  sellingthe  Cam- 
bridge Index,  he  purchased  the  L'nion  City  Tinitu, 
which  was  burned  April  24,  1879,  but  at  once  replace<i. 
While  owner  of  this  ottice,  he  started  branch  pajjers 
at  Wattsburg  and  Waterford,  but  his  vision  being 
again  threatened,  he  removed  to  Erie  in  1880  and  en- 
tered the  drug  trade.  For  five  years  he  was  again  in 
medical  pursuits,  practicing  for  a  year  or  two  in  the 
Clarendon  oil  fields,  while  owning  a  drug  business  in 
Erie.  In  1885,  for  sanitary  reasons,  he  located  in  the 
South,  and  commenced  publishing  a  health  magazine 
in  Orlando,  F"la.  The  "  llenltli  und  llitpi/iniKu,''  met 
with  good  success  and  had  many  Northern  subscribers, 
when  its  career  was  closed  by  the  yellow  fever  epi- 
demic. Dr.  Robbins  returned  to  Erie  in  the  summer 
of  1888,  and  soon  became  the  business  manager  of 
the  MarniiKj  Diipntch  office,  where  he  continued  until 
declining  liealth  compelled  his  resignation  in  1891, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  continuously  engaged  in 
historical  work.  Politicallv,  Dr.  Robbins  has  always 
been  independent,  voting  for  men  and  measures,  in- 
stead of  blindly  adhering  to  party.  Religiously,  he  is 
also  of  independent,  humanitarian  or  liberal  belief,  and 
has  taken  a  great  interest  in  fraternal  and  beneficiary 
orders.  He  is  a  memlier  of  the  different  Masonic 
bodies.  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  a  dozen 
other  orders,  in  most  of  which  he  has  ])assed  thecliairs 
and  held  other  positions  of  honor.  Dr.  Robbins  and 
wife  have  four  children:  Cora  L.  (wife  of  George  L. 
Bowers,  engineer  of  the  Downing  Building),  who  has 
a  well-earned  re|)Utation  in  portrait  and  other  art 
work;  their  children  are  Ruth  and  Everett;  Dwight  J. 
Robbins,  secretary  and  editor  of  the  .Advertiser  Print- 
ing Company,  Limited,  married  to  Jennie  Snyiler,  have 
two  children.  Bertha  Marcella  an<l  infant  daughter. 
Wilson  S.  Robl)ins.  printer,  formerly  connecti-d  with 
the  .Advertiser  Company,  married  to  Clara  Miller,  have 
one  child,  Helena  C.  Robbins,  student  at  the  grammar 
school. 

Edward  Driscoll,  contractor,  residence  219 
French  street,  l-.rie.  Pa.,  was  born  in  county  Cork,  Ire- 
land, June  22,  1842,  a  son  of  Dennis  and  Margaret 
(Fleming)  Driscoll,  botli  natives  of  countv  Cork. 
The  former  died  in  Ireland   in  1869,  and  the  latter  in 


734 


JVSILSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Chicago  in  1874.  Edward  Driscoll  received  a  com- 
mon school  education,  worked  on  the  farm,  and  fol- 
lowed fishing  to  the  24th  year  of  his  age,  when  he 
came  to  America,  and  after  working  two  months  in 
New  York  city,  he  came  to  Krie  July  4,  ISOfi,  and  went 
to  work  at  the  docks  \iiiloadiiig  lumber  from  barges  by 
contract;  this  he  followi'd  till  IWO,  when  he  Ijegan 
building  sewers  by  contract  for  the  city  of  Erie,  and 
has  since  followed  that  business,  having  built  miles  of 
the  sewers  in  this  city.  He  was  married  January  26, 
1875,  to  Miss  Johanna,  daughter  of  Michael  Holland, 
of  Ireland.  'I'hey  are  members  of  .St.  Patrick's  Catho- 
lic Church,  and  Mr.  Driscoll  is  a  member  of  the 
C.  M.  B.  A.  He  built  his  home  in  the  fall  of  1889,  and 
in  addition,  owns  two  houses  on  East  Second  street, 
between  French  and  Holland.  In  politics  this  gentle- 
man is  a  Democrat,  and  is  one  of  Erie's  well-known 
and  successful  Irish  citizens. 

William  F.  Reichert,  retail  dealer  in  fresh  and 
salt  meats,  market  and  residence  (i02  West  Eighteenth 
street,  Erie,  w^as  born  in  W'urteniberg,  Germany,  Jan- 
uary 'iil,  1852,  a  son  of  .Simon  and  Dora  (Lang)  Reich- 
ert, the  former  born  in  W'urtemberg,  May  17,  1802,  the 
latter  born  in  the  same  ]ilace  October  19,  1813.  They 
were  married  July  9,  1837.  He  was  a  farmer  in  his 
native  country,  and  in  1854  came  to  the  United  States 
and  located  in  Girard,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  where  he 
worked  at  farming  till  his  death,  which  occurred  Janu- 
ary 25,  1888,  and  where  his  widow  still  resides.  To 
Mr.  and  Mr.s.  Keichert  were  born  ten  children:  Caro- 
line, born  November  20,  1839;  Christ,  born  October  31, 
1840;  Jacob,  born  February  .'i,  1«43,  died  December  27, 
1882;  Simon,  born  April  3,  1845,  (bed  December  27, 
1847;  Dora  C,  born  October  19,  1,S40,  died  October 
7,  1847;  Charles  A.,  born  Dt-cember  18, 1847,  died  Jan- 
uary 3,  1848;  Christina,  born  February  6,  1849,  died 
March  7,  1849;  William  F.;  Louis,  born  November  5, 
1856,  died  November  8,  18.5ti,  and  Charles,  born  Janu- 
ary 30,  1858.  William  !•".  Reichert  was  2  years  of  age 
when  the  family  located  in  Erie  county.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  Girard  Aca- 
demy, and  when  14  years  of  age  began  working  as  a 
farm  hand,  following  that  occupation  for  four  years. 
He  then  went  to  work  for  Jacob  Lang,  in  the  meat 
business  in  Girard,  where  he  remained  two  years,  when 
he  removed  to  F>ie,  February  fi,  1872,  and  worked  for 
Charles  Petrie  at  the  meat  business  for  one  year;  then 
he  and  Philip  Husche  opened  a  market  on  Peach  street, 
between  Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth,  conducting  it 
two  years;  they  then  moved  to  .Sassafras  street,  be- 
tween Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth,  and  operated  a 
market  one  year  longer,  when  Mr.  Reichert  withdrew 
from  the  firm  and  o]iened  a  market  at  602  West 
Eighteenth  street  where  he  has  since  enjoyed  alarge  and 
lucrative  trade.  He  was  married  May  2,  1876,  to  Miss 
Anna  M.,  daughter  of  George  Flickinger,  of  Erie,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  two  children;  George  W.,  em- 
ployed in  the  markt't,  and  Carrie  D.  The  family  are 
members  of  St.  John's  ICvangelical  Lutheran  Church. 
Mr.  Reichert  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  .St. 
John's  Henevolent  Association,  and  in  politics  is  a 
Republican. 

Leemhuis  Bros.  (P.  L.  and  F.  G.),  Erie,  are  the 
sons  of  Rev.  E.  Leemhuis,  a  German  Lutheran  minis- 
ter, now  decea,sed,  and  Etta  (Bohlsums)  Leemhuis, 
also  deceased,  who  came   from    Hanover,  Germany, 


about  1846,  settling  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  in  1876. 
They  came  to  Erie,  where  the  brothers,  P.  L.  and 
F.  G.,  have  since  engaged  in  the  business  of  carriage 
and  wagon  building.  Peter  L.  was  born  .^pril  18, 
1851,  at  Lafayette,  Ind.,  and  married,  February  10, 
1880,  .Miss  Etta  Hirt,  of  ICrie.  Four  children  bless 
this  union:  Katrina,  Karl,  .Miriam  and  Peter  L.,  jr. 
He  has  been  for  fourteen  years  a  deacon  in  the 
Lutheran  Memorial  Church;  was  councilman  from  the 
First  ward  for  five  years,  and,  like  his  Ijrother,  is  a 
staunch  Republican,  he  being  now  president  of  the 
First  Ward  Republican  Club.  F.  G.  was  born  in 
December,  1854,  in  Pittsburg.  He  married  Mary 
Luke,  of  North  ICast,  May  30,  1880;  they  have  two 
children,  Walter  and  Roland.  Their  [iresent  business 
was  started  in  July,  1876,  and  includes  the  manufac- 
ture and  re])air  of  all  kinds  of  carriages  and  wagons. 
Most  of  their  work  is  custom-made,  and  they  are  able 
to  build  a  conveyance  of  any  description,  great  care 
being  taken  to  have  the  work  first-class  in  every 
respect.  This  integrity  of  purpose,  to  have  nothing 
but  fine  work,  has  made  them  very  successful  in  their 
business,  and  they  may  well  be  claimed  with  Erie's 
prosperous  manufacturers.  Every  dollar  they  possess 
has  been  earned  by  hard  work;  besides,  they  have 
given  work  to  some  fifteen  hands,  which  they  employ. 

Frank  P.  Siegel,  wholesale  and  retail  dealer  in 
fresli  and  salt  meats,  .")0S  West  Twelfth  street,  V.nii, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  November  19,  1868,  a  son  of 
Frank  and  Elizabeth  (Miller)  .Siegel,  both  natives 
of  Germany.  They  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1865,  and,  after  living  two  years  in  New  'S'ork  city, 
came  to  Erie,  where  they  now  reside,  Mr.  .Siegel 
being  employed  at  the  Malleable  Iron  Works.  To 
them  were  born  eleven  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living,  viz.:  Pauline,  wife  of  John  Eisworth,  of  F>ie; 
Frank;  F'dward,  proprietor  of  a  meat  market  at 
Twenty-third  and  Myrtle  streets;  Louis,  in  the  employ 
of  his  brother  Frank;  Jacob,  also  in  his  brother  Frank's 
em]iloy;  Catherine  and  Abelonia,  both  at  home.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  German  Catholic  Church 
(St.  Joseph's),  and  in  politics  .Mr.  Siegel  is  a  Democrat. 
Frank  P.  Siegel  received  his  education  in  St.  Jose]ih's 
parochial  .school,  and.  when  13  years  of  age,  began  the 
meat  business,  in  the  employ  of  C.  B.  Lawrence,  with 
whom  he  worked  for  three  years;  he  then  worked  one 
year  for  Emanual  Lawrence;  then  four  years  for 
Frederick  C.  Meiser,  and,  in  the  spring  of  1888,oi)ened 
a  market  for  himself  at  Twenty-second  and  Peach 
streets,  which  he  conducted  for  two  years.  He  then 
went  to  Me.idville  and  worked  at  the  business  one 
year,  when  he  returned  to  Erie  and  opened  his  present 
place,  5(J8  West  Twelfth  street,  as  a  retail  market. 
One  year  later  he  added  the  wholesale  feature,  and 
has  since  enjoyed  a  large  and  lucrative  business.  He 
kills  his  own  nu;ats,  buys  them  all  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood,  and  makes  a  special  feature  of  the 
marine  traile.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  February 
7,  1895,  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Michael  Meyer, 
of  Erie.  They  are  members  of  St.  Peter's  Cathedral, 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Butchers'  Protective  Asso- 
ciation, and  the  Butchers'  Association,  No.  1.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Democrat. 

George  Browa,  retail  dealer  in  fresh  and  salt 
meats,  323  Myrtle  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie 
April  23,  1855,  is  a  son  of  George  and  Mary  (Huber) 


AND  EISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


735 


Brown.  George  Brown,  sr.,  born  in  Germany  in  1815, 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1844  and  located  at  Erie, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  butchering  business,  follow- 
ing it  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  No- 
vember 20,  1893.  He  married  soon  after  his  arrival  in 
America  .Miss  Mary  Huber,  and  to  them  were  born 
four  children:  Christina  (deceased),  Mary  (decea.sed), 
Elizabeth  and  George,  who  received  a  common  school 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and  when  16 
years  of  age  embarked  in  the  butchering  business, 
buying  and  slaughtering  for  the  market  then  operated 
by  his  mother.  The  business  was  so  conducted  to  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Brown,  January  20,  18it2,  when  he  took 
the  management.  Mr.  Brown  married  April  4,  1877, 
iMiss  Ruth  C,  daughter  of  (Jbediah  Spencer,  of  Erie, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  seven  children:  George 
O.,  works  for  his  father  in  the  market;  .Mary  E.,  Edna 
H.,  Bertha  A.,  Frank  B.,  Karl  C.  and  l^zma  R.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  .Mr. 
Brown  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.  and  in  politics  is  a 
Republican.  He  is  one  of  the  successful  meat  dealers 
of  Erie,  having  from  the  first  (1869)  enjoyed  a  large 
and  lucrative  trade  among  the  leading  peojile  in  his 
vicinity.  He  employs  two  men  and  gives  the  business 
his  personal  attention. 

Philander  Edsou  (deceased)  was  born  in  .Athens, 
Pa.,  September  26,  1828.  He  is  a  son  of  Chelous  and 
Julian  Bloomfield  Edson.  He  was  a  wagonmaker  by 
trade  and  served  his  apprenticeship  in  Bloomfield, 
Crawford  county,  Pa.,  where  he  was  reared,  educated 
and  followed  his  trade  until  he  accumulated  enough 
capital  to  engage  in  business.  He  went  to  Townville, 
Pa.,  in  a  general  store  and  later  went  to  Erie  and  en- 
gaged in  the  dry  goods  business  in  partnership  with 
G.  T.  Churchill.  They  also  operated  a  cloak  factory 
and  Several  branch  dry  goods  stores.  In  187.'j  he  went 
to  Jamestown,  Pa.,  in  the  general  mercantile  business, 
where  he  remained  six  years.  In  1883  he  went  to  Jack- 
son, Mich.,  and  was  engaged  there  in  the  mercantile 
business  until  1886,  when  he  returned  to  Erie.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  in  which  he  was  an 
active  worker,  and  was  a  deacon  in  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  p'.ne  for  several  years.  He  was  also  super- 
intendent of  the  Baptist  Sunday-school  and  of  the 
North  Star  Mission,  and  was  for  a  long  time  leader  of 
the  choir.  Mr.  Edson  never  took  any  active  part  in 
politics,  although  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  [leace 
m  Crawford  county  and  served  one  term.  He  was 
married  C)ctober  6,  18.50,  to  Miss  Sally  ,-\nn  Beardsley, 
of  Crawford  county.  They  had  four  children,  viz.: 
Edward  (deceased),  Emma  (deceased),  \V.  N.,  Erie, 
Pa.,  and  Lulu  (deceased).  .Mrs.  Edson  died  March  29, 
1877,  and  he  afterward  married  Miss  Jennie  Ross,  of 
Erie,  Pa.,  a  native  of  New  York  State.  To  this  union 
was  born  one  child,  Mable,  now  of  Oil  Citv,  Pa.  Mr. 
Edson  died  December  17,  1894,  and  his  wife  Decem- 
ber 11,  1894.  \V.  N.  Edson,  assistant  cashier  for  Ar- 
mour &  Co.,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  September  2, 
1867.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie 
and  Jame.stown,  N.  Y.,  and  when  the  family  removed 
to  Jackson,  Mich.,  he  ran  a  tobacco  store  at  that  jilace 
one  year.  He  then  went  to  Parma,  .Mich.,  as  agent  for 
the  .American  Express  Company,  where  he  remained 
until  1886,  when  he  returned  to  Erie  with  his  parents. 
He  then  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  machinist's 
trade  with  the  Stearns  Manufacturing  Company,  and 
later  had  charge  of  their  store  rooms   and   acted   as 


shipping  clerk  until  the  fall  of  1894,  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  .Armour  &  Co.  in  his  present  ca|>acity. 

Frederick  W.  Hale,  manager  of  the  Erie  liranch 
Provision  House  of  AriU(jur  &  Co.,  1316  Sassafras 
street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Brantford,  (Jntario,  Can- 
ada, February  12,  1862.  He  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  Collegiate  Institute  at 
Brantford,  Ontario,  and  in  1878  went  to  Chicago  to 
work  for  \V.  C.  Hately  in  the  pork  packing  business, 
remaining  in  his  employ  till  \W\,  when  he  established 
a  business  of  his  own  as  the  Hale  Packing  Company, 
continuing  for  five  years,  and  then  accepted  a  position 
with  Armour  &  Co.  as  manager  of  their  Sandusky 
branch,  where  he  remained  one  year  and  was  trans- 
ferred to  Erie  as  manager  of  the  Erie  branch,  August 
15,  1893.  Mr.  Hale  was  married  November  11, 1885,  to 
Miss  Kate,  daughter  of  .Samuel  Coffman,  of  Hyde 
Park,  Chicago,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two  chil- 
dren: Geraldine  and  Samuel.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hale  at- 
tend the  Church  of  Christ.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum.  The  family  reside  at  455  West 
Seventh  street. 

John  J.  McMahott,  chief  of  the  Erie  fire  depart- 
ment, residence  314  West  Fifth  street,  Erie.  Pa.,  born 
in  Erie  March  27,  18.57,  a  son  of  Michael  and  .Mary 
(Lehan)  McMahon.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Erie,  and  when  12  years  of  age  began  a 
sailor's  life  as  a  boy  before  the  mast  on  Lake  Erie, 
working  as  such  for  two  years,  when  he  began  firing  a 
tug  boat,  so  continuing  for  two  years.  In  the  spring  of 
1873  he  was  granted  an  engineer's  certificate  and 
served  as  engineer  till  1877,  when  he  took  charge  of  a 
tug  as  captain  from  the  jjort  of  Toledo  for  two  years, 
when  he  again  accepted  a  |)osition  as  engineer,  serv- 
ing till  1885.  June  1,  1885,  he  was  ap]>ointed  an  engi- 
neer for  the  Erie  fire  department  at  No.  1  engine 
house,  serving  till  January  15,  1894,  when  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  chief  of  the  fire  department. 
Chief  McMahon  is  the  right  man  in  the  right  place. 
He  has  done  much  to  bring  the  dejiartment  up  to  the 
standard  of  excellence  it  enjoys  to-day.  Through  his 
efforts  the  firemen  have  been  uniformed.  On  his  rec- 
ommendation two  new  engine  houses  are  about  to  be 
built.  New  and  improved  fire  alarm  boxes,  with  key 
protectors,  have  been  added;  a  twenty-five  foot  ladder 
and  two  six-gallon  Babcock  fire  extinguishers  have 
been  purchased  for  each  hose  carriage;  three  new  en- 
gines, a  .Manning,  an  .American  and  a  sixty-gallon 
Hollaway  Chemical  engine  have  l)een  secured.  He 
has  framed  and  adopted  new  rules  and  regulations  for 
the  department,  and  is  the  father  of  the  civil  service 
rule,  necessitating  the  passing  of  rigid  examinations, 
medical,  mental  and  athletic,  in  order  to  be  appointed 
a  fireman.  These  and  numerous  other  features  in  the 
line  of  improvement  were  brought  about  by  Chief  Mc- 
Mahon, and  have  made  the  F>ie  fire  ilepartment  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  best  in  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Mc- 
.Mahon  was  married  .August  15,  1878,  to  Miss  .Anna, 
daughter  of  Isaac  Bowers,  of  Erie,  and  to  them  have 
been  born  nine  children:  .Anna  (deceased),  Josephine, 
John,  Edward,  Daniel,  Mary,  X'alentine  (deceased), 
Robert  and  Maurice.  The  family  are  members  of  St. 
Patrick's  Catholic  Church.  Chief  McMahon  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  C.  M.  B.  .A.,  the  Marine  Engineers'  Benevo- 
lent Association,  and  in  politics  is  independent. 


736 


NELSOIfS  BIOQRAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


Louis  E.  Hubbard,  until  recently  of  the  firm  of 
Hubbard  &  Laws,  dealers  in  meats,  412  West  Eighth 
street,  was  born  in  Krie,  August  18,  18ti'2,  and  is  a  son 
of  Richard  B.  and  Mary  E.  (.Snell)  Hubbard.  Louis 
E.  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Erie,  and  when  K>  years  of  age,  entered  the  employ  of 
T.  M.  Nagle,  and  later  found  employment  with  the 
Stearnes  Nlanufacturing  Company,  where  he  spent 
four  years  in  learning  the  machinist's  trade.  He  then 
worked  for  the  Erie  Engine  Works  for  si.\  years,  and 
then  moved  to  Oregon,  and  went  in  partnership  with 
Mr.  D.  S.  Keep,  as  Keep  S:  Hubliard;  they  opened 
and  operated  the  Commercial  liank,  at  Cottage  Grove, 
for  two  and  one-half  years.  Mr.  Hubbard  sold  his  in- 
terest, and  returned  to  Erie,  and  January  ti,  1894,  in 
connection  with  Harry  Laws,  opened  in  the  meat  trade. 
The  market  operated  by  this  lirm  was  in  all  particu- 
lars an  ui)-to-date  business  house.  They  personally 
waited  on  all  customers,  and  kept  constantly  on  hand 
a  full  and  choice  variety  of  fresh,  smoked,  salt  and 
canned  meats,  fish,  poultry  and  game,  and  by  close 
attention  to  business  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative 
trade.  He  disposed  of  his  interest  to  his  partner  in 
1895.  Mr.  Hubbard  was  married  July  18,  1887,  to 
Miss  .Mary  Emma,  daughter  of  Leander  Dobbins, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  two  children;  Mateel  E., 
born  .September  16,  1888,  and  Richard  L.,  born  March 
21,  1893.  The  family  attend  the  First  M.  E.  Church. 
Mr.  Hubbard  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.  and  Royal 
Arcanum. 

Harry  W.  Laws,  of  the  firm  of  Hubbard  &  Laws, 
dealers  in  fish  and  salt  meats,  412  West  Eighth  street, 
Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  London,  England,  November  3, 
18Bt>,  is  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Patten)  Laws, 
both  natives  of  England.  William  Laws  was  a  meat 
cutter  by  trade,  and  with  his  family  came  to  America 
about  1870,  and  located  in  Erie,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  for  about  fifteen  years,  and  where  Mrs.  Laws 
and  the  children  still  reside.  There  were  eight  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Laws:  William,  employed 
by  the  Black  Manufacturing  Company;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Joseph  Fletcher,  of  Erie;  Annie,  bookkeeper 
for  Kellogg  tS;  Yates,  Chicago;  Harry  W.;  Katie,  a 
milliner;  Nlinnie,  clerk  in  the  Bon-Ton  millinery  store; 
Frank,  eni]:)loyed  in  a  restaurant,  and  Edith,  wife  of 
George  .Matthews,  of  Wellsburg,  Pa.  Harry  W.  Laws 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie, 
and  when  14  years  of  age  went  to  work  for  his  father 
in  the  meat  business,  remaining  five  years.  He  then 
worked  for  seven  years  for  the  Erie  Malleable  Iron 
Company,  and  then  opened  a  meat  market  at  Fourth 
and  Sassafras  .streets,  continuing  in  the  business  for 
one  year,  when  he  sold  out  and  again  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Malleable  Iron  Company,  remaining  several 
months,  when  he  again  engaged  in  the  meat  busines.s. 
January  (i,  1894,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Louis  E. 
Hubbartl,  and  opened  the  pre.sent  business,  which  the 
firm  Conducted  till  November  1,  1895,  when  Mr.  Laws 
assumed  entire  control  of  the  business.  He  handles  a 
full  line  of  fresh  and  salt  meats,  canned  goods,  game 
and  fish,  and  enjoys  a  large  share  of  the  best  patron- 
age of  Erie.  The  Laws  family  are  members  of  the 
English  Lutheran  Church,  and  in  politics  Mr.  Laws  is 
Independent. 

Philip  Kuch,  wholesale  and  retail  dealer  in  fresh 
and  smoked  meats,  431  State   street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 


born  in  Erie,  May  14,  1864,  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Grace  (Weis)  Kuch,  natives  of  Germany.  George 
Kuch  came  to  America  about  1849,  and  located  in 
Erie,  where  he  followed  the  meat  business.  He  died 
.•\pril  (i,  1>!9.'!  in  the  71st  year  of  his  age.  .Mrs.  Kuch 
departed  this  life,  in  181)8.  To  this  couple  were  born 
six  sons:  (ieorge,  Phili|i,  Charles,  killed  by  the  acci- 
dental discharge  of  his  gun  while  hunting;  Adolph, 
employed  in  his  brother  Philip's  market;  Edward, 
meat  market,  and  William,  a  farmer  in  .Mill  Creek 
township.  Philip  Kuch  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and  when  15  years  of 
age  went  to  work  for  C.  Kessler,  as  delivery  clerk,  a 
])osition  he  held  for  sixteen  months,  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  John  Abell,  in  the  meat  business,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  .'\i)ril  1,  1893,  when  he  bought 
his  employer  out,  and  has  since  conducted  the  busi- 
ness. He  operates  one  of  the  most  compilete  markets 
in  this  city,  and  handles  all  kinds  of  fresh  and  smoked 
meats,  poultry  and  game  in  season,  and  enjoys  a  large 
and  lucrative  trade  among  the  best  people  of  F>ie. 
Mr.  Kuch  was  united  in  marriage  December  22,  1873, 
to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Jacob  Langnecker,  of  Erie, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  six  children:  Clara, 
Charles  W.  (deceased).  Bertha  (deceased).  Bertha, 
Mary  L.  and  Philip  H.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  St.  Paul  German  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
K.  O.  T.  M.,  Harugaris  and  German  Benevolent  As- 
sociation of  West  Erie.  In  politics  he  is  a  Reiiub- 
lican. 

Edward  Kuch,  dealer  in  fresh  and  salt  meats, 
801  803  West  Fourth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  ¥.rW, 
July  25,  1860,  is  a  son  of  George  and  Crescent  (Weis) 
Kuch.  Edward  Kuch  received  his  education  in  the 
public  school  of  Erie,  an<l  when  17  years  of  age,  se- 
cured a  position  in  the  planing-mill  department  of  the 
Erie  car  sho]is,  where  he  was  employed  for  six  years. 
He  then  entered  the  blacksmithing  department  of  the 
same  institution,  and  worked  for  four  years,  and,  in 
1887,  o|iened  a  meat  market  at  the  corner  of  Fourth 
and  Cherry,  which  he  conducted  for  a  short  time  only, 
disposing  of  it  to  his  brother  Philip.  April  1,  1889,  he 
purchased  from  his  father  his  jiresent  business.  He 
handles  a  full  line  of  fresh  and  salt  meats,  and  enjoys 
a  large  and  lucrative  trade.  The  stand  has  been  oper- 
ated as  a  market  by  father  and  son  since  187(J.  .Mr. 
Kuch  was  married  .August  7,  1883,  to  Miss  Christina, 
daughter  of  John  Wilk,  of  Erie,  and  to  them  have 
been  liorn  five  children:  Minnie,  Charles,  Florence, 
Edward  (deceased)  and  Edward.  The  family  attend 
the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Kuch 
is  a  member  of  the  Harugari  and  West  Erie  Benevo- 
lent Association.  He  has  been  six  years  a  member  of 
the  Democratic  city  committee,  and  is  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative Democrats  of  his  ward. 

Philip  Chor,  dealer  in  fresh  and  salt  meats,  cor- 
ner of  Twenty-first  and  Plum  streets,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Germany,  November  28,  18.53,  a  son  of  Peter 
and  Katrina  (Beidelman)  Chor,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many. Philip  Chor,  after  receiving  his  education  and 
learning  the  details  of  the  meat  business  in  his  native 
land,  came  to  the  United  States  in  the  spring  of  1884, 
and  located  in  Cleveland,  O.,  where  he  entered  the  meat 
trade.  He  remained  in  Cleveland  twoyears,and  came 
to  Erie  in  the  spring  of  188G,  going  to  work  in  a  mar- 
ket for  a  short  time.     Later  he  opened  a  market  on 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUJSTY. 


737 


Brown  avenue,  for  a  short  time  only,  when  he  again 
worked  in  a  market  at  Seventeenth  and  Walnut  streets. 
Later  he  branched  out  for  himself,  opening  a  market 
in  Marvmtown.  where  he  remained  one  year,  when  he 
moved  to  West  Twentieth  street,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1894  he  built  his  present  home  and  place  of  business, 
corner  of  Twenty-hrst  and  Plum  streets,  opening  it  in 
June,  1894.  Mr.  Chor  enjoys  a  large  trade  and  handles 
only  the  choicest  goods  in  his  line.  He  was  married 
September  30,  18JMJ,  to  Miss  Marion,  daughter  of  An- 
drew Gehrlein,  a  native  of  Germany.  She  was  born 
February  17,  1867,  and  tame  to  .America  in  July,  1888, 
alone,  and  located  in  Erie.  Mrs.  Chor  is  a  member  of 
the  German  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Chor  is  a  member 
of  the  German  Lutheran  Church,  and  one  of  Erie's 
many  resjiected  and  successful  German  residents. 

Peter  Grant  was  born  January  15,  1839,  in  Ire- 
land. His  parents,  Paul  and  Catherine  (McCardle) 
Grant,  never  left  their  native  home,  in  the  parish  of 
Mullabon,  town  of  Cargin,  Silver  Bridge,  and  are  now 
both  deceased.  Mr.  Grant,  sr.,  died  in  18-53,  and  Mrs. 
Grant  in  1870.  Mr.  Grant  left  his  native  home  April 
8,  1863,  commg  to  this  country,  and  settled  in 
Erie  in  July  of  the  same  year.  He  worked  on  the 
docks  in  Erie  harbor  as  a  laborer  for  eight  months, 
when  he  went  to  Xew  York,  and  was  working  there  at 
the  time  of  the  "draft  riots"  m  that  city.  Imbued 
with  a  spirit  of  American  patriotism  Mr.  Grant  re- 
turned to  Erie  and  enlisted  in  the  L'nited  States  navy 
as  second-class  fireman.  He  was  sent  to  Cairo,  III., 
where,  in  1864,  he  commenced  his  service  on  the  "  Great 
Western."  But  at  that  time  the  fighting  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  was  practically  at  an  end,  and  at  his  own 
request,  he  was  transferred  to  the  monitor  "  Osage  " 
of  the  Gulf  Squadron.  He  was  with  that  ironclad  in 
the  engagements  in  Mobile  bay,  and  was  aboard  her 
when  she  was  blown  up  by  a  rebel  torpedo  on  March 
29,  1865.  After  that  engagement  Mr.  Grant  was  taken 
sick  with  salivation  of  the  mouth  and  was  confined  in 
the  hospital  for  one  month.  He  was  then  sent  to  An- 
napolis, Md.,  where  he  completed  his  two  years, 
enlistment  on  the  L'nited  States  monitor  "  Tonawanda," 
and  received  his  discharge  on  September  29,  1866. 
Mr.  Grant  then  returned  to  Erie  and  was  married  to 
Miss  Helen  Hancock,  daughter  of  George  and  Mary 
(Plunkett)  Hancock,  on  November  20,  1866.  Mrs. 
Grant  was  born  in  Erie  May  3,  1845.  Her  father  was 
a  native  of  Londonderry.  Derry  county.  Ireland,  and 
her  mother  was  born  in  Dublin.  They  had  eight  chil- 
dren and  Mrs.  Grant  was  the  sixth  child.  Mr.  Han- 
cock died  in  1853,  and  his  wife  in  1887.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Peter  Grant  have  no  children.  After  his  marriage  Mr. 
Grant  went  to  Michigan,  where  he  worked  in  a  saw- 
mill at  New  River,  until  1867.  when  he  returned  to 
Erie  and  purchased  the  property  on  East  Third  street, 
where  his  home  is  now  located.  He  then  commenced 
contracting  for  the  city  of  Erie,  and  in  the  course  of 
his  work  has  laid  many  miles  of  sewer  and  pavements 
in  the  city  streets.  Mr.  Grant  is  a  Democrat,  and. 
while  he  has  never  held  office,  he  has  always  taken  an 
active  interest  in  party  politics  in  Erie  county,  and  has 
attended  every  state  and  national  Democratic  conven- 
tion since  his  permanent  residence  in  this  city.  Mr. 
Grant  receives  a  small  pension  from  the  Government 
and  is  a  member  of  Scott  Post,  No.  464,  G.  A.  R. 

Professor  John  Caspar  Diehl,  principal  of  the 
Erie  High  School,  was  born  in  Erie,  Pa.,  January  12, 


1865.  He  is  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Barbara  Catharine 
(Doll)  Diehl.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Germany. 
His  father  came  from  Germany  to  .America  when  he 
was  only  17  years  of  age  and  settled  in  Buffalo.  N.  Y., 
and  subsequently  removed  to  Erie.  Pa.,  where  he  still 
resides.  His  father  has  been  a  merchant  in  Erie  for 
many  years.  He  now  resides  at  441  West  .Seventh 
street.  His  place  of  business  is  No.  23  South  Park 
Row.  Prof.  Diehl  is  a  member  of  a  family  of  three 
children,  two  boys  and  one  girl:  George  j-"rederick, 
bookkeeper  with  the  Colby  Piano  Companv;  John 
Caspar,  jirincipal  of  Erie  High  School.  Erie,  Pa.; 
Minnie  Margaret,  at  home.  Prof.  Diehl  was  educated 
in  the  graded  schofils  and  high  .school.  He  then 
entered  Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  in  188;^,  remaining  one 
year,  then  Yale  College  (now  University)  in  1884, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1887.  The 
same  year  he  accepted  a  position  as  teacher  in  the 
Erie  High  School,  and  has  been  connected  with  the 
school  ever  since.  In  189()  he  was  made  principal, 
and  has  served  in  that  capacity  with  marked  succes.s. 
He  was  married,  December  21,  1893,  to  Miss  Anna 
Belle  Ingham.  Her  parents  were  born  in  Ireland, 
and  came  to  America  in  187(J.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Diehl 
have  one  child,  a  son.  Frederick  Brereton.  They  are 
members  of  the  Methcxlist  Church.  Prof.  Diehl  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Politicallv  he  is  a 
Republican. 

Hobart  Hogan,  brick  manufacturer.  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  February  6,  1852,  at  Central  Bridge.  N.  Y., 
the  tenth  of  twelve  children  of  Isaac  and  Polly  Lvnch 
Hogan,  of  Welsh-Irish  parentage.  He  came  to  Erie 
county  about  the  year  1870,  workino;  at  the  trade  of 
carpenter.  He  married  December  3,  1873.  Catherine 
Berst,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Miller)  Berst, 
of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania;  after  a  few  years 
he  engaged  in  contracting  and  building,  and  was  very 
successful,  and  about  three  years  ago  decided  to  go 
more  extensively  into  the  business  of  building.  He 
built  a  brickyard  for  himself  with  a  capacity  of  8.IXKI.- 
000  bricks.  This  yard  covers  a  territory  of  eight 
acres,  and  has  proven  itself  a  prosperous  enterprise. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  him:  |.  Reed,  born 
November  14,  1874,  attended  the  Erie  Business  Col- 
lege one  year,  and  is  now  assisting  his  father  in  the 
brick  business;  George  H..  born  August  16.  1877. 
attending  High  .School  class  of  '98;  Minnie  A.,  born 
July  15.  1881.  He  is  a  Presbyterian  in  his  religious 
belief;  a  Republican  in  politics;  was  a  member  of  the 
common  council  two  years.  He  has  five  acres  of  fruit 
land  in  a  thriving  condition.  The  number  of  houses 
around  him.  which  bring  him  an  income,  testify  to  the 
success  he  has  had  in  life.  He  started  withoiit  a  dol- 
lar, and  is  what  we  would  call  a  self-made  man. 

Charles  E.  Royer,  eldest  son  of  Anthony  B.  and 

Nancy  J.  (Hamiltimi  Royer,  was  born  in  Washington 
township,  Erie  county.  October  26.  1849.  The  mother 
was  of  Puritan-French  birth  and  the  father  of  French- 
English  parentage.  His  paternal  great-grandfather 
was  one  of  Lafayette's  soldiers,  one  of  the  manv 
brave  sons  of  France  who  risked  their  lives  in  the 
cause  of  freedom  and  America,  who,  after  the  close  of 
the  Revolutionary  war,  settled  in  or  near  Philadelphia. 
Squire  Philip  Royer  (paternal  grandfather)  marrleii 
Elizabeth  Leeds,  of  Sheffield.  England,  and  was  the 
only  one  of  a  family  of  seven  to  emigrate  to  the  (then) 


738 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


far  West,  making  the  trip  from  Philadelphia,  as  was 
then  the  custom,  by  wagon,  in  the  year  1829,  and 
settled  on  the  "Moravian  Mission"  land,  French 
creek  flats,  near  where  the  I'.  S:  K.  R.  R.  now  crosses 
French  creek  at  I,e  Bieuf  station,  where  he  raised  a 
family  of  seven  boys  and  four  girls,  only  two  of  whom 
ever  left  Frie  county  to  live.  One,  Samuel  J.,  sought 
his  fortune  in  the  West  in  \KA,  and  now  resides  at 
Chippewa  Falls,  Wis.  The  other,  George  W.,  .settled 
in  Ohio  after  the  Rebellion.  Jones  B.  and  (ieorge 
\V.,  the  two  younge.st  boys,  were  members  of  the 
145th  Reg.,  P.  v.  I.,  and  were  both  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg.  His  maternal  great-grandfather 
(Hamilton)  came  from  Connecticut  and  first  settled  at 
Williamsport,  Pa.  Remaining  there  but  a  short  time 
he  removed  to  Frie  county,  near  l^hnlioro,  in  the  year 
IKIil.  and  with  his  brotlier  |iurchased  800  acres  of  land, 
which  they  proceeded  to  clear  and  cultivate.  James 
Hamilton  (maternal  grandfather)  married  Su.sanna 
Skelton  (of  French  descent,  whose  family  came  from 
Philadelphia  in  1798  and  whose  mother  was  a  cousin 
of  "Mad"  Anthony  Wayne)  and  rai.sed  a  family  of 
three  boys  and  four  girls.  John,  the  youngest  .son, 
was  a  member  of  the  .")th  F'a.  Cav.  during  the  Rebel- 
lion and  was  killed  at  Culpeper  Court  House. 
James,  the  eUlest  .son,  was  also  in  the  army  and  now 
resides  in  Crawford  county,  and  with  Mrs.  Sophia 
Stark,  of  Erie,  are  the  only  two  of  the  family  living. 
Charles  E.  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  West  Mill  Creek,  with  a  few  terms  at  the 
Edinboro  Normal  and  the  Erie  high  school.  By  occu- 
pation he  is  a  pattern-maker,  having  learned  his  trade 
at  the  Bay  State  Iron  Works,  anil  for  a  number  of 
years  he  had  charge  of  the  pattern  department  of  the 
Skinner  Engine  Comjiany,  but  is  now  with  the  |arecki 
Manufacturing  Company.  He  served  five  years  in 
the  famous  old  "  Erie  (iuard,  "  and  with  them  assisted 
in  quelling  the  great  riots  of  1877.  He  was  chief 
musician  of  the  17tli  Reg.,  N.  G.  P.,  in  1879-80,  and 
was  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  celebrated  "  Knoll's 
Band, "  and  later  with  the  "  Governor's  Guard  Band." 
He  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  C.  B.  L.,  Catholic 
Casino,  "Legion  Club"  and  St.  Francis  DePaul 
Society.  Charles  F.  was  married  .September  2(5,  188;i, 
in  Erie,  to  Miss  Josie  A.  Carney,  daughter  of  John 
Carney,  of  Irish  parentage;  they  have  one  chiki 
living,  Ellen  J.,  now  attending  the  Villa  Maria 
Academy,  this  city.  Mrs.  Royer  is  Sui)reme  Recorder 
of  the  Ladies'  Catholic  Benevolent  Association,  which 
position  .she  has  held  since  the  organization  of  the 
society  in  1890.  She  is  also  a  member  of  St.  Peter's 
Aid  Societv.  They  are  both  ardent  Catholics  and 
members  of  the  Cathedral  congregation.  Mr.  Royer 
is  independent  in  politics.  He  has  two  lirothers 
living  in  Erie,  Clinton  and  Ross,  and  one  sister,  Mrs. 
Perry  Baer.  One  thing  remarkal>le  in  regard  to  his 
family  is  the  wonderful  longevity.  Of  his  father's 
family  of  eleven,  two  died  in  childhood,  and  his  father's 
death,  in  1889,  was  the  first  death  among  the  children 
in  nearly  sixty  years.  Eight  of  the  eleven  are  still 
living,  the  eldest  n<-arly  80  years  of  age  and  the 
youngest  past  50.  His  grandfather  was  84  when  he 
died  and  his  grandmother  8ti.  His  paternal  great- 
grandmother  was  killed  by  falling  dow-n  stairs  at  the 
age  of  98  years.  The  Royer  family  inherit  those 
earnest,  steady  characteristics  that  endure  with  time, 
and  these  concentrated  energies  have  been  u.sed  for  the 
good  of  mankind  and  upbuilding  of  their  native  land. 


John  Lcary  was  born  in  the  year  1830  in  Coul- 
main,  County  Wexford,  Ireland,  and  at  the  early  age 
of  14  left  his  home  in  Ireland  to  try  his  fortunes  in 
America.  He  settled  in  Erie  county,  and  the  first 
years  of  his  life  were  toilsome  ones.  Mr.  Leary  ar- 
rived in  Erie  in  thefallof  lH44,on  the  steamer  "United 
States."  Capt.  Downs  and  John  Knobloch  brought 
him,  with  other  jiassengers,  to  the  foot  of  .State  street 
on  the  transfer  scow  used  for  tliat  purpose,  and  when 
young  Leary  offered  them  eighteen  cents,  all  the 
money  he  had,  for  the  trip,  they  declined  to  take  any 
money  from  him,  twenty-five  cents  being  the  regular 
fare.  Mr.  Leary's  first  em|)loyment  was  with  Mr. 
Matthew  Barr,  as  tender  for  the  plasterer  who  was 
then  plastering  Mr.  Barr's  new  brick  house  in  Weigel- 
town,  now  one  of  the  old  landmarks  of  that  locality. 
After  two  weeks  of  this  .service  he  found  euiploynu-nt 
driving  a  cart  for  Laird  Foster  and  John  O'Brien. 
Then  he  worked  for  John  Fagan,  doing  chores  and 
going  to  school;  a  month  lat<'r  he  founcl  work  on  the 
same  terms  with  Patrick  O'Brien.  In  the  spring  he 
made  application  for  a  place  on  the  revenue  cutter 
"  Erie,"  but  was  rejected  becau.se  his  father  was  not  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States.  His  next  em|)loyment 
was  on  a  farm  in  North  East  at  six  dollars  ]ier  month. 
After  working  a  while  he  settled  up  with  his  employer, 
receiving  a  piece  of  cloth  for  his  [lay,  and  this  lie 
traded  to  Barney  McGuire  for  two  days' board  at  Four- 
Mile  Creek.  He  next  went  to  P'reeport  and  loaded 
lumber  for  Alexander  Pojje  on  a  vessel  his  son  had 
charge  of,  for  a  shilling  an  hour,  working  twenty-seven 
hours  without  rest.  This  was  practically  the  first 
money  earned  by  Mr.  Leary,  and  he  felt  rich  in  its 
possession.  He  continued  in  Mr.  Pope's  employ, 
burning  lime  and  receiving  fifty  cents  a  day  and  fifty 
cents  a  night  in  payment.  Later  returning  to  Erie, 
the  gunnerof  the  revenuecutter  "Erie,"  .Adilee  .\lcGill, 
sent  ashore  for  him.  He  went  aboard,  was  introduced 
to  Capt.  O'Connor  and  shipped  as  boy  on  the  cutterat 
ten  dollars  per  month.  The  same  fall  the  cutter  went 
ashore  at  Ashtabula  and  was  wrecked.  The  following 
spring  Mr.  Leary  shi]iped  aboard  the  "Ebert,"  an  iron 
steamer  engaged  in  the  lake  survey,  as  wheelsman 
and  leadsman.  While  so  engaged  a  survey  was  made 
of  the  ishuxls  at  the  head  of  Lake  Erie,  Mr.  Leary 
handling  the  lead  in  most  of  this  work  as  well  as  in  the 
soundings  of  Erie  harbor  at  a  later  date.  'Xs  an  illus- 
tration of  the  manner  in  which  young  and  unsophisti- 
cated boys  fared  in  the  service  in  those  days,  we  cite 
the  following  incident  in  Mr.  Leary's  experience  on 
board  the  "Ebert."  The  second  engineer,  John  Mont- 
gomery, sold  young  Leary  an  old  watch  that  would 
not  keep  time,  and  by  specious  representations  made 
him  think  it  was  a  fine  time-piece,  finally  getting  him 
to  promise  him  eighteen  dollars  for  it.  After  a  day's 
trial  Mr.  Leary  declined  to  keeji  the  watch,  and  Mont- 
gomery undertook  to  enforce  the  bargain  by  telling 
his  victim  that  he  must  keep  the  watch  or  leave  the 
ship.  The  captain  told  theljoy  that  he  need  not  leave, 
and  when  .Montgomery  heard  of  this,  about  4  o'clock 
in  the  morning  he  went  to  Mr.  Leary  and  told  him  he 
must  take  the  watch  or  a  licking,  and  thereupon  struck 
the  boy  a  stunning  blow  on  the  head,  ([uickly  follow- 
ing it  up  with  another,  when  his  victim  turned  and 
defended  himself,  which  led  to  a  general  row,  and 
finally  to  Mr.  Leary's  discharge,  although  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery continued  in  his  place  on  the  boat.  After 
leaving  the  "  Ebert  "  Mr.  Learv  shipped  as  wheelsman 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUiiTY. 


739 


aboard  the  steamer  "Louisiana,"  Capt.  Thos.  Richards, 
for  the  season  of  1848.  The  next  season,  when  Capt. 
Richards  was  transferred  to  the  "Keystone  State,"  one 
of  tlie  finest  passenger  steamers  on  the  lakes,  he  took 
Mr.  Leary  with  him  as  wheelsman  of  the  new  boat.  A 
little  later  Capt.  Richards  was  taken  sick,  and  had  to 
be  left  in  Chicago,  where  he  died  July  13,  1849.  When 
the  body  was  being  brought  home  to  Erie  on  the  "  Ni- 
agara "  she  was  passed  by  the  "Keystone  State" 
bound  up,  and  while  passing,  Capt.  Stone  of  the  latter 
boat,  requested  .Mr.  Leary  to  hoist  the  colors  at  half- 
mast  and  toll  the  liell,  as  a  mark  of  respect  for  the 
dead  commander,  who  was  one  of  Mr.  Leary  s  warmest 
friends.  That  evenmg  while  the  "Keystone  State" 
was  passing  the  "Empire  .State"  on  Lake  Huron  Mr. 
Leary's  judgment  and  prompt  action  averted  a  collis- 
ion. The  watch  on  the  "  Empire  State  "  was  careless, 
and,  although  there  was  plenty  of  sea  room,  it  was 
only  by  turning  the  wheel  hard-a-port  that  the  two 
boats  avoided  a  collision.  Mr.  Leary  was  at  the  wheel, 
and  the  "I^mpire  .State's"  paddle-box  just  grazed  the 
"  Keystone  .State,"  and  the  former  boat  jjassed  on 
almost  ignorant  of  the  narrow  escape  they  had  had. 
Shortly  after  Capt.  Richards'  death  Mr.  Leary  quit 
the  lake  service  and  engaged  in  plank  road  and  then 
in  railroad  construction.  His  first  substantial  money 
was  made  as  a  contractor  on  the  Philadelphia  and 
Erie  R.  R.,  he  having  built  many  miles  of  that  iron 
highway.  Later  he  became  the  owner  of  the  magnifi- 
cent stone  quarry  at  Garland,  Pa., on  the  Philadelphia 
and  Erie  R.  R.,  and  now  supplies  Erie  with  most  of 
the  sandstone  used  in  the  city.  This  business  is  an 
extensive  one,  as  well  as  profitable  to  Mr.  Leary. 
After  attaining  to  a  jjosition  of  affluence,  he  panic  of 
1873  left  him  almost  penniless,  but  pluck  and  ambi- 
tion have  again  placed  him  in  an  independent  position 
financially.  Mr.  Leary  is  one  of  Erie's  substantial  but 
unassuming  citizens,  and  is  one  of  the  men  who  has 
helped  to  make  Erie  the  prosperous  city  it  is,  he  hav- 
ing been  one  of  the  active  spirits  in  securing  legisla- 
tion and  funds  for  the  construction  of  the  Erie  and 
Sunbury  road.  On  the  14th  of  July,  1848,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mary,  daughter  of  James  and 
Mary  Dunbar,  of  Erie.  Nine  children  have  blessed 
this  union,  three  of  whom  are  living;  Mary,  wife  of 
William  Hickey,of  Erie;  they  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  Genevieve,  Marie  and  Xaomi.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hickey  live  with  her  father,  as  does  also  the  youngest 
child,  Catherine.  Frank,  the  only  living  son,  is  mar- 
ried to  Jacobina,  daughter  of  Jacob  Weschler,  of  Erie. 
They  live  in  Erie  and  are  the  parents  of  four  children: 
William,  Marie,  Katrina  and  Josephine.  The  family 
are  all  ardent  Catholics  and  attend  St.  Peter's,  of 
which  they  are  members.  Mr.  Leary  takes  but  little 
interest  in  politics,  and  is  a  Democrat. 

Jeremiah  H.  Canty,  a  prominent  railroad  con- 
tractor of  Erie,  was  born  in  Harbor  Creek  township, 
this  county,  July  3,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  Jeremiah  and 
Mary  (Foresti  Canty,  natives  of  Cork  county,  Ireland. 
His  father  came  to  .\merica  in  the  early  twenties,  the 
voyage  occupying  four  months.  He  landed  in  Que- 
bec and  made  the  tri]i  thence  to  Erie  by  wagon.  He 
located  on  a  farm  in  Harbor  Creek  township,  which 
he  occupied  until  his  death,  January  26,  1882,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  8()  years;  his  wife  had  died  February 
22,  1872,  at  the  age  of  72  years.  Of  his  children  four 
reached   majority,   Johanna   (deceased),  who  married 


William  Connell;  he  died  in  the  navy  soon  after  the 
close  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion;  Timothy,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  22  years;  Mary  (deceased),  who  married 
John  Melaven,  of  Erie,  and  Jeremiah  H.,  who  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  St. 
Francis  College,  Columbia  county,  Pennsylvania. 
Just  before  the  close  of  his  second  year  in  college,  his 
father's  health  had  so  failed  that  he  was  obliged  to  re- 
turn home.  After  a  year  at  home  he  engaged  in  the 
grocery  busine.ss  on  Fifth  street,  between  State  and 
French  streets,  where  he  continued  three  years.  He 
then  removed  to  Harbor  Creek,  where  he  followed 
farming  for  five  years.  In  1870  he  began  railroad  con- 
tracting, which  he  has  since  followed.  To  enumerate 
all  the  contracts  which  he  has  taken  and  executed 
during  this  quarter  of  a  century  of  successful  business, 
would  be  impossible.  It  will  suffice  to  mention  a  few 
of  the  more  important  ones.  His  first  contract  was 
that  of  grading  thirty-six  miles  of  the  Canada  Southern 
R.  R.,  of  which  he  broke  the  first  ground.  He  al.so 
built  all  the  side  tracks  of  that  road  from  St.  Thomas 
to  Detroit,  and  the  yard  at  the  latter  place.  This  oc- 
cupied four  years,  after  which  he  filled  contracts  for 
the  Toledo,  Peoria  and  Warsaw  R.  R.,  which  occui>ied 
two  vears.  He  then  built  twenty  miles  of  grading  for 
the  Stratford  and  Huron  R.  R.  in  Canada.  In  1880  he 
removed  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  where  for  nine  years  he 
was  engaged  in  contracting  for  the  Wisconsin  Central. 
In  1888  he  went  to  Tennessee,  where  he  built  five  miles 
of  road  for  the  Nashville,  Chattanooga  and  St.  Louis 
R.  R.,  after  which  he  did  a  year's  contracting  for  the 
Nashville  and  Knoxville  at  Lebanon.  He  then  re- 
moved to  Nashville,  where  he  admitted  to  partnership 
Mr.  Frank  R.  Davis,  and  they  took  a  contract  of  build- 
ing a  twelve-mile  dummy  line,  upon  which  there  was 
heavy  cutting  and  tunneling;  they  also  had  contracts 
in  other  places  at  that  time,  and  later  built  the  West 
Point  branch  of  the  Louisville  and  Nashville.  Hewas 
in  partnership  with  Mr.  Davis  for  about  two  years. 
Mr.  Canty's  next  contract  was  that  of  building  a  rail- 
road for  the  Southern  Iron  Company  from  their  mines 
to  the  ^tna  furnace,  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles. 
In  1892-3  he  laid  forty  miles  of  track  for  the  Louis- 
ville and  Nashville,  between  Di.\on  and  Clarksville. 
He  next  built  ten  miles  of  narrow-gauge  road  with 
bridge  and  all  complete,  which  was  owned  by  a  lumber 
company  in  Missouri.  In  the  fall  of  1894  he  did  (piite 
an  extensive  job  of  street  filling  for  the  railroad  com- 
panies of  East  St.  Louis,  and  is  now  doing  some  work 
for  the  Louisvilleand  Nashville  R.  R.  Mr.  Canty  was 
married  September  17,  1862,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter 
of  Michael  and  .Anna  (Giles)  Hendrichs,  who  were 
born  near  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  18.')0.  They  first  located  in  Jersey  City,  and 
in  18.56  came  to  Erie.  Mrs.  Hendrichs  died  in  1874, 
and  .Mr.  Hendrichs  at  the  advanced  age  of  84  year.s. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Canty  are  the  jiarents  of  five  children: 
Frank  J.,  received  his  early  education  in  the  Mil- 
waukee high  school  and  wasgraduated  from  Lawrence 
University.  .After  completing  his  education  he  se- 
cured a  position  in  the  freight  claim  department  of  th- 
Chicago  and  Milwaukee  R.  R.;  later  was  agent  of 
freight  of  that  road  at  Chicago  and  has  been  for  thr  -e 
years  adjuster  for  the  .American  branch  of  the  London 
Guarantee  and  .Accident  Com])any  in  Chicago.  He  is 
also  pursuing  the  study  of  law  in  the  Chicago  Univer- 
sity. Mary  Josephine,  now  Sister  St.  Rogue,  com- 
pleted her  education  in  Toronto,  and  became  a  nun  of 


740 


HTBLSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


the  order  of  Loretta.  She  was  one  uf  the  foiiiulcrs  of 
Lnrctta  AcafkTny,Enf;le\vootl,Chicaf;n,  and  istlic  only 
American  in  tliat  institution.  Anna  spent  two  years 
at  school  in  Joliet,  111.,  and  one  year  in  Toronto,  firadii- 
aing  from  the  latter.  Harriett  May  died  Angu.st  29, 
18H7,  at  the  age  of  Ifi  years.  Frances  U.  grachiated 
from  the  Krie  high  .scliool,  and  after  one  year  passed 
at  Loretta  Academy,  Niagara  Kails,  was  graduated 
from  that  institution.  The  children  all  have  diplomas 
and  have  a  taste  for  music  and  art  wliicli  were  culti- 
vated in  their  education.  Mr.  Canty  and  family  are 
members  of  .St.  I'eter's  Cathedral.  In  politics  he  Is  a 
Democrat,  hut  In-  has  never  h(<-n  a  seeker  for  public 
office. 

William  Patter.son  Atkinson,  general  manager 
of  the  Herald  Printing  and  rulilishing  Com|iany,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  borti  in  the  county  of  Durham,  England,  June 
10,  1842,  son  of  James  and  ;\nn  (Patterson I  Atkinson, 
natives  of  England,  James  .Atkinson  was  a  miner, 
and  came  to  this  coimtry  in  1844.  William  P.  Atkin- 
.son  received  his  education  in  .Schuylkill  county,  this 
State,  and  learned  the  trade  of  [)rinting  on  the  Potts- 
ville  Minn's'  .loiiriuil.  In  186U  he  started  the  St. Clair 
Sentinel,  which  he  piil)lished  imtil  March,  18(>'2,  when 
he  closed  the  office  and  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  48th  P.  \' . 
I.,  serving  two  years  and  live  months;  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  live  battles,  viz.:  Second  Hull  Run,  Kred- 
ericksburg,  Chantilly,  South  Moimtain  and  Antietam; 
while  on  detached  service  he  published  a  paper  called 
Till  Ki/ifiir/ii/  /.oi/iili.it  for  nine  months  in  Lexington, 
Ky.,  which  attracted  considerable  attention  on  account 
of  its  pronounced  I'nion  sentiments  in  one  of  the  bor- 
der States.  On  retiring  from  the  service,  he  went  to 
Philadelphia,  resuming  his  trade,  and,  in  18fi7,  came 
to  Erie  city,  and  had  charge  of  the  Dispatch  job  ofifice 
until  18(ii»,  when  he  purchased  the  Dni/i/  iii/inh/iran, 
which  he  sold  to  J.  E.  Ashby  S:  Co.,  in  May,  187U,  re- 
maining in  charge  of  that  jilant  imtil  Ncivember,  1880, 
when  he  purchased  tlu^  "  Economy  Printing  Hou.se," 
which  was  merged  into  the  Ilernld  office  in  October, 
1882.  He  was  in  charge  of  the  printing  department  of 
this  office  until  July,  18i)."),  when  it  was  reorganized  into 
a  stock  company,  under  the  laws  of  the  Stale  of  New 
Jersey,  and  Mr.  Atkinson  was  ap])ointed  its  general 
manager.  He  served  as  member  of  the  .select  coun- 
cil during  the  years  1874-5  6.  Since  1872  he  has  pub- 
lished annually  the  Erie  city  directory.  Mr.  Atkinson 
was  united  in  marriage,  July  17,  18f>7,  with  Caroline, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Jackson,  from  which  union  seven 
children  were  born,  five  of  whom  are  now  living:  Anne 
C,  Harry  J.,  Tillie  E.,  Sarah  J.,  and  Josephine  C.  In 
April,  1892,  his  wife  died,  and  he  was  again  married, 
on  June  5,  1894,  to  Annie  Cowan,  a  dauglUer  of  his  for- 
mer wife's  si.ster.  The  family  are  Episcopalians,  and 
Mr.  Atkinson  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  several  assessment 
orders. 

Stephen  W.  Belles,  jiresent  ]iublisher  and  editor 
of  the  Erie  Dinpatrh,  the  Dinpatrh-Otiztttc-A'nd  Krening 
JVt;w.«,  is  the  son  of  Nelson  r<.  and  Malvina  Whitford 
BoUes.  He  was  born  at  .Springboro,  Crawford  county, 
Pa.  On  his  father's  side  he  is  descended  from  English 
and  Welsh  stock,  an<i  his  ancestry  early  .settled  in  M  assa- 
chusetts  and  Connecticut  and  now  form  a  large  family. 
His  great-gran<ifather  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
John  BoUes,  father  of  Nelson  R.  Bolles,  went  west  in  18-1), 


settling  in  Genesee  Falls,  afterwards  in  Cattaraugus 
county,  New  York,  where  he  died.  Stephen  Whit- 
ford, his  mother's  father,  w.is  an  early  settler  of  Beaver 
township,  Crawhird  county,  coming  with  his  father, 
Oliver  whitford,  from  Ticonderoga,  New  York,  in 
1838.  Oliver  Whitford's  father,  Constantine  Whitford, 
came  from  Scotland,  settling  in  Rhode  Island,  and 
served  seven  years  on  a  man-of-war,  under  Admiral 
Hojikins,  in  the  American  Revolution, dying  at  the  age 
of  104,  at  Ticonderoga,  N.  Y.,  where  he  had  moved  in 
1801).  Oliver  Whitford  was  born  in  Rhode  Island,  in 
179(1,  and  died  at  the  age  of  80,  in  Beaver  township, 
Crawford  county.  Pa.  The  ]>arents  of  Mr.  Bolles 
moved  to  Wisconsin,  in  1868,  residing  for  the  most 
part  in  Waushara  county,  where,  by  private  instruc- 
tion and  tin-  common  schools,  their  eldest  .son  received 
his  education.  He  went  with  his  family  to  Minne.sota, 
and  afterw.irds  returned  with  them  to  Springboro, 
where  his  parents  still  reside.  He  t.iught  scIkkiI  in 
Crawford  and  Erie  counties,  and  did  newspaper  work 
in  .several  western  cities,  afterward  graduating  frcmi 
the  .St.ite  normal  school  at  ICdinboro.  Going  west  in 
Augu.st,  1888,  as  principal  of  Defiance  College,  he  re- 
signed to  become  editor  of  the  liipiihlinin  Mrprtmi, 
and  though  not  yet  a  citizen  of  Ohio,  was  made  secre- 
tary of  the  county  committee.  In  June,  1889,  he  re- 
signed to  go  as  Slate  editor  of  the  Toledo  Dui/i/  lilnde, 
Nasby's  paper,  and  passed  through  the  grades  of  city 
editor,  staff  correspondent,  associate  editor  and  man- 
aging I'ditor,  which  position  he  held  until  he  resigned, 
October  8,  1894,  to  come  to  his  native  State.  He  served 
for  five  years  as  a  member  of  the  Re[)ublican  com- 
mittees of  Toledo  and  Lucas  counties,  was  four  times 
a  delegate  in  State  conventions,  a  delegate  to  three 
conventions  of  the  Republican  National  League,  chair- 
man of  the  county  conventiun,  ,ind  one  of  the  list  of 
speakers  in  the  campaign  of  1891  to  1894.  December 
1,  1894,  Mr.  Holies  bought  of  the  Dispatch  Publishing 
Company,  Limited,  the  newspaper  [iroperties  they  had 
owned,  and  has  since  [lublished  them.  He  was  mar- 
ried, in  1898,  to  Helen  Perigo,  daughter  of  Lieut.  Will- 
iam H.  Perigo,  of  Toledo,  ().,  an<l  has  one  child,  a  son. 
William  Perig<.  Holies,  born  in  1893. 

William  James  Robinson  was  born  at  LeB(euf, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  .March  7,  18.')4,  of  Scotch-Irish  an- 
cestry. His  father,  William  Robinson,  and  his  mother, 
Ann  Eliza  Ford,  were  natives  of  ICrie  county.  His 
grandfather,  John  Robinson,  was  born  in  County  Cork, 
Ireland,  emigrating  to  this  country  al)out  the  year 
1800,  and  settled  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania.  In  180.5 
he  removed  to  Erie  county,  and  bought  a  large  tract 
of  land  in  LeBceuf  town.shi|).  Subsecpiently  he  built 
a  distillery,  and  continued  in  that  business  for  many 
years.  His  great-grandfather,  on  the  maternal  side, 
was  Capt.  i^obert  King,  a  soldier  and  officer  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  a  jiersonal  friend  of  Gen.  La- 
fayette. Ca|)t.  King  had  al.so  rendered  the  State  valu- 
able service  in  .securing  treaties  from  the  Indians,  as 
a  reward  for  which  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania 
voted  him  400  acres  of  land  west  of  the  Allegheny 
river.  Capt.  King,  it  is  said,  was  the  first  actual  set- 
tler in  Erie  county,  having  removed  there  from  Ly- 
coming county,  in  1794.  Nlr.  Robinson  was  etlucated 
in  the  public  and  select  .schools  of  Mill  \illage.  Pa., 
and  subsequently  completed  a  commercial  course. 
His  boyhood  wasspenton  the  farm.  In  1877  he  engaged 
m  general  merchandising  in   Mill    \'illage,   near  the 


(TM/>iy 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


741 


place  of  his  birth,  and  continued  in  active  business 
for  ten  years.  He  bought  in  18i(0,  an  interest  in  the 
Erie  Daily  and  Weekly  Dixpntcli,  and  in  Ajiril  of  the 
following;  year  became  t;eneral  niana^jer  of  the  Dis- 
patch I'ublishinfi  Company,  limited.  Under  his  man- 
ajfement  the  company  bout;ht  the  old  Erie  (JnzMe, 
and  established  in  1H'.)2,  the  V.r'n:  Erining  Ncick.  On 
September  1,  1*^94,  Mr.  Robinson  sold  his  newspaper 
interests,  and  organized  the  Disjiatch  Printing  and  En- 
graving Company,  becoming  the  |jresident  and  man- 
ager of  that  company.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Robinson  it  .Sawdey,  real  estate  and  insurance 
agents.  Mr.  Robinson  early  in  life  took  an  active 
part  in  politics,  casting  his  first  vote  for  Gen.  Hart- 
ranft,  for  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  in  1875.  He  was 
the  following  year  elected  a  member  of  the  Erie 
County  Republican  Executive  Committee,  and  has 
since  been  continuously  identilied  with  the  organiza- 
tion, serving  as  secretary  for  three  years,  and  chair- 
man one  term.  In  lH8fi  he  was  elected  treasurer  of 
Erie  county,  serving  thn-e  years.  He  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Re]iublican  State  convention  of  1879,  1887  and 
1889.  He  belongs  to  the  stalwart  element  of  the  Re- 
publican [larty,  inheriting  much  of  his  zeal  for  the 
party  from  his  father,  who  was  a  Whig,  and  an  un- 
compromising Republican. 

Hon.  David  T.  Jones,  manager  of  the  Erie 
branch  of  the  Atlantic  Refining  Company  and  the 
Eclipse  Lubricating  Oil  Works,  was  born  of  Welsh 
parentage,  in  Marion  county,  Ohio,  February  25,  1828, 
and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Thomas)  Jones. 
His  father  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  the  chief 
products  of  which  at  that  time  and  in  that  section  of 
the  State  were  pork  and  new  corn  whisky,  which  were 
shipped  and  marketed  down  the  Ohio  river.  When 
Mr.  Jones  was  but  a  few  months  old  his  parents  moved 
to  Delaware,  O.,  where  they  passed  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  Mr.  Jones  was  educated  in  the  ])ublic 
schools  of  Delaware  and  Ohio  Wesleyan  I'niversity, 
attending  the  latter  in  1845-6-7,  when  Bishop  Thomp- 
son was  president  and  Bishop  Harris  tutor.  After 
completmg  his  education  he  rented  a  small  tannery, 
which  he  operated  for  ten  years,  when  he  sold  the 
business,  on  account  of  the  supply  of  bark  in  that  lo- 
cality being  nearly  exhausted.  In  1860  he  came  to 
Erie  and  built  the  second  oil  refinery  in  the  city,  and 
one  ot  the  first  in  Pennsylvania,  on  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  Sixteenth  and  French  streets,  where  he  has 
since  continued.  For  the  operation  of  his  first  ])lant 
he  used  the  first  engine  manufactured  in  Erie,  which 
was  one  and  one-half  man  power.  As  there  were  no 
railroads  at  that  time  leading  to  the  oil  fields,  oil  was 
transported  by  horses.  In  1876  Mr.  Jones  sold  his 
business  to  the  company  which  he  has  since  repre- 
sented in  Erie.  All  the  illuminating  oil  is  now  refined 
in  the  oil  regions,  but  the  lubricating  oil  is  manufac- 
tured at  Tenth  ami  Wayne  streets,  where  the  plant 
covers  an  entire  s<|uare.  Mr.  Jones  was  married  (Octo- 
ber 17,  1847,  to  Miss  Mary  Millice,  a  native  of  Lexing- 
ton, Va.,  but  at  that  time  a  resident  of  Ohio.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jones  have  one  child,  Cassius  E.,  who  married 
Miss  Myrtle  Craig,  of  Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  resides  in  Erie.  He  is  in  the  em])loy  of  the 
Eclipse  Lubricating  Oil  Company,  in  Franklin,  Pa. 
Mr.  Jones  has  been  a  vestryman  of  .St.  John's  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church  for  twenty-eight  years,  and  is  a 
Knight  Templar  Mason,     Before  Mr.  Jones  was  17 


years  of  age  he  was  a  director  of  the  party  who  oper- 
ated the  underground  railroad,  now  well-known  in  his- 
tory. He  enlisted  during  the  war,  but  soon  after  se- 
cured a  substitute.  In  politics  Mr.  Jones  is  a  staunch 
Re|iublican,  and  has  rendered  much  valuable  service  to 
the  party  of  his  choice.  He  was  a  member  of  the  select 
council  for  several  years,  and  in  1877  was  the  success- 
ful candidate  of  his  party  for  the  ofifice  of  mayor  of 
Erie,  to  which  i)osition  he  was  re-elected  a  year  later, 
for  a  term  of  two  years,  without  opposition. 

Simon  Heter  West,  pastor  in  1894-5  of  the  A.  M. 
E.  Church,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  18,  1858.  His  parents,  James  and 
.Sarah  We.st,  were  from  Loudon  coimty,  X'irginia;  the 
former  died  May  10,  1870;  the  latter  survives  and 
resides  at  Uniontown,  F'ayette  county.  Pa.  Rev.  S.  P. 
West  was  educated  at  the  high  school,  West  Alexan- 
der, Washington  county,  and  the  California  State 
Normal  .School;  graduating  from  the  latter  institution 
with  the  degree  B.  A.,  in  1886.  In  1K87  he  was  teacher 
of  music  and  drawing  in  the  public  schools  of  Wash- 
ington county,  and  then  for  one  year  took  charge  of  a 
school  in  Luzerne  township,  Fayette  county,  Pa.  He 
was  for  three  years  princij>al  of  the  coloreii  schools  of 
L'niontown,  Pa.,  and  during  this  period  held  the  posi- 
tion of  census  enumerator.  In  1890  he  received  the 
degree  of  M.  E.  1).  from  the  California  .State  Normal 
School.  In  1891  he  began  the  study  of  theology  in 
Brownsville;  joined  the  A.  M.  E.  conference  at  Oil 
City,  Pa.,  in  October,  1892,  when  he  was  appointed  to 
the  pastoral  charge  at  Erie.  He  was  reappointed  to 
the  same  charge,  and  ordained  deacon  in  1898,  and 
was  again  reappointed  by  the  Wheeling  confer<-nce  in 
1894.  The  Erie  A.  M.  E.  Church  was  founded  in  1875 
by  that  veteran  organizer.  Rev.  J.  M.  Morris,  now  of 
Brownsville,  Pa.  It  has  had  twelve  pastors  in  the 
order  named:  Reverends  Wheeler,  Phillips,  Ross, 
Herbert,  Griffith,  Russell,  Palmer,  Burrell,  Brown, 
Till,  Pride  and  West.  Its  present  membership,  thirty- 
nine,isthe  largest  in  its  history.  It  has  a  flourishing  mite 
missionary  society  and  a  Sunday-school, with  an  average 
attendance  of  more  than  forty  persons.  The  church 
edifice  is  a  wooden  structure,  presented  to  the  congre- 
gation by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  was  removed  to  its 
present  location  on  Seventh  street,  between  Holland 
and  German,  in  1881,  the  lot  having  been  purchased 
from  Dr.  Wallace.  Rev.  Mr.  West  was  married 
December  24,  1890,  to  Dora,  daughter  of  Sydney  and 
Eliza  Banks,  of  Brownsville.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren: James,  Anna  E.  and  Jessie  M.  Rev.  Mr.  West 
is  a  member  of  the  Erie  City  Lodge  3509,  G.  U.  O.  O. 
F.,  and  a  past  officer  in  that  lodge.  He  is  also  a  i)ast 
officer  in  Phctnix  Lodge,  No.  11,  K.  P.,  and  also  a 
member  of  the  uniform  rank  of  that  order,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Pythagorean  Commandery  68,  K.  T.  Mr. 
West  was  transferred  to  another  charge  in  the  fall 
of  1895. 

The  VosbMrg  Family.— In  1818,  Robert  and  Abi- 
gail (Tisdale)  \'osburgh,  the  former  from  Kinderhook, 
N.  Y.,  and  the  latter  from  Taunton,  i\Iass.,after  a  brief 
stay  in  Ohio,  came  to  Erie  and  made  their  home  for 
life.  They  had  nine  children,  and  became  identified 
with  Erie.  Of  their  children.  Robert  filled  a  position, 
for  about  forty  years,  in  the  New  York  Custom  House, 
and  died  in  Brooklyn,  in  December,  1889;  George  W. 
has  been  about  forty-two  years  engaged  in  the  Cleve- 


742 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


land  depot  of  the  L.  S.  &:  M.  S.  R.  R.  Company; 
Richard  was  drowned;  Henry  and  Israel  perished  in 
the  destruction  of  the  steamer  "  Erie,"  August  9,  1841; 
Charles  died  in  Erie  in  1880,  and  Fitz  James  at  Oak- 
land, California;  their  daughter,  Susan,  wife  of  W.  H. 
Dickson,  died  in  Erie  in  1892,  leaving  Albert  sole  sur- 
vivor of  the  original  family  in  Erie.  He  has  continued 
his  father's  business  in  Erie,  much  of  the  time  on  the 
same  S])ot.  Of  this  large  and  well-known  family, 
Robert  resided  about  fifty  years  in  New  York  city, 
and  was  engaged  for  a  long  time  on  the  Hudson  river 
and  Long  Island  sound  steamers.  He  was  for  a  while 
on  the  "  Great  Western  "  steamship  which,  with  the 
"  British  Queen,"  formed  the  first  regular  steam  line 
after  the  practicability  of  ocean  steam  navigation  had 
been  demonstrated  l)y  the  "Cireat  Western"  and 
"  Sirius."  His  duties  for  so  many  years  in  the  New 
York  Custom  House  were  so  acceptably  discharged 
under  successive  administrations  as  to  cause  his  long 
retention  in  ofifice.  Mrs.  I)ick.son  closed  her  long-life 
in  1WSI2,  with  the  respect  of  a  wide  circle  of  friend.s. 
Albert  \'osburgh  is  among  the  active,  zealous  Repub- 
licans of  E.rie.  For  many  years  he  co-operated  with 
William  O.  Fortin,  of  Philadeljihia;  \N'illiam  Nesbitt, 
of  Altoona;  Robert  .Stewart,  of  New  Castle,  and  others 
in  securing  to  all  etjuality  before  the  law.  No  one 
regarded  with  more  intense  satisfaction  the  great 
changes  in  the  fabric  of  society.  He  has  traveled 
extensively.  Few  are  better  posted  in  current  and 
local  history.  He  resides  in  the  family  mansion,  so 
long  a.ssociated  with  the  name.  The  residence  of  the 
Vosburghs,  in  Erie,  is  exceeded  in  time  by  but  few  of 
the  old  families. 

The  Waters  Family.— About  the  year  1838  this 
interesting  and  unobtrusive  family  first  made  their 
home  in  Erie.  They  came  from  Michigan.  The  head 
of  the  family,  Hamilton  E.  Waters,  was  a  person 
whose  originality,  versatility  and  patient  toil  in  all  the 
avenues  of  life  then  open  to  him,  made  him  a  favorite 
with  some  of  our  leading  citizens,  who  soon  discovered 
his  competency  and  perfect  reliabilitv.  His  manners 
and  bearing  supported  his  statement  of  Southern  origin. 
His  wife  was  from  Ithaca,  N.  Y.  She  had  been  in  the 
household  of  Governor  Throop  (Governor  of  New 
York  in  1829-30).  Her  dialect,  conversation  and  man- 
ners revealed  the  good  breech'ng  and  polish  of  the 
best  society,  among  whom  her  early  life  was  evidently 
spent.  The  business  mutations  and  consequent  em- 
barra.ssment  which  prevailed  so  generally  in  Erie,  at 
the  [leriod  of  their  coming  and  early  residence,  caused 
their  life  to  l)e  a  struggle  through  many  years,  espe- 
cially in  consequence  of  the  uneasiness  and  commo- 
tion prevailing  among  all  of  their  race  in  the  Western 
States,  after  the  enactment  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law, 
which  made  a  change  of  residence  essential  for  so 
many.  I5ut  the  war  and  the  Proclamation  of  Emanci- 
jiation  brought  life  and  hope  to  many.  To  none  was 
the  new  era  more  welcome  than  to  this  family,  whose 
single  ]iiir]iose  seemed  (aside  from  their  irreproachable 
daily  living),  to  .seek  in  the  education  of  their  daughters 
that  ])lace  in  life  for  them  which  circumstances  had 
before  that  denied  to  the  parents.  For  each  of  their 
daughters  a  liberal  education  was  secured.  The 
eldest  was  married  to  Henry  Burleigh,  and  after  his 
death  to  |ohn  Elmendorf.  Her  son,  Harry  Burleigh, 
has  already  attained  celebrity  as  a  vocalist,  being  still 
under  constant  tuition,  drill  and  improvement.      He 


gives  promise  of  becoming  one  of  the  noted  singers  of 
the  day.  Her  daughter,  Eva  Burleigh,  was  for  two 
years  a  teacher  in  the  Normal  and  Industrial  School 
in  Lawrenceville,  \'a.,  and  is  now  a  teacher  in  the 
Erie  public  schools,  while  the  other  children  of  the  fam- 
ily are  steadily  actpiiring  those  accomplishments,  now  so 
happily  attainable  in  l-'.rie's  splendid  system  of  graded 
schools.  Miss  Louisa  Waters,  the  voungest  daughter 
of  Hamilton  E.  Waters,  having  filled  an  imiuirtant 
clerk.ship  under  the  State  Government  of  Louisiana, 
holds  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  insurance  agency  of 
Hon.  J.  F.  Downing,  where,  for  fourteen  years,  she  has 
discharged  her  duties  with  ability.  The  more  than 
half  century  of  residence  of  this  family  has  demon- 
strated the  power  of  determined  purpose  and  effort  to 
improve  one's  condition.  It  has  also  shown  how  every 
obstacle  can  be  overcome.  Though  the  parents  have 
gone  down  to  honored  graves  witli  the  respect  of  their 
townsmen,  their  children  and  grandchildren  are  now 
in  the  enjoyment  of  that  improved  condition  which 
their  parents  so  long  hojied  and  struggled  to  attain. 
Many  will  rejoice  with  them  in  the  arrival  and  full 
fruition  of  that  better  state  of  life  in  which  their  efforts 
to  rise  have  so  happily  culminated. 

Jackson  Koehler,  proprietor  of  the  Eagle  Brew- 
ery, Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  on  the  Hth  day  of  Oc- 
tober, 18.51.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Charles  and  Ro- 
sana  Koehler,  the  former  a  native  of  Holland,  the  lat- 
ter of  Germany,  and  who  came  to  the  L'nited  States  in 
youth  early  in  the  '30s,  and  located  in  Erie.  Charles 
Koehler  established  a  brewery  on  Parade  street,  re- 
moving thence  to  the  corner  of  Twenty-sixth  and  Hol- 
land streets,  and  while  engaged  in  business  at  the  lat- 
ter place  died.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  sons,  Fred- 
erick, Louis  and  Jackson,  who  continued  in  ])artner- 
ship  association  until  the  withdrawal  of  Louis  Koeh- 
ler from  the  firm,  which  was  thereafter  known  as  Y. 
Koehler  &  Bros.  In  1883,  this  partnership  was  dis- 
solved by  the  withdrawal  of  Jackson  Koehler,  who  a 
few  months  later  purchased  from  J.  H.  Kalvelage,  the 
Eagle  Brewery,  which  establishment  he  has  ever  since 
owned,  and  which,  under  his  able  management  and 
great  ability  as  a  practical  brewer,  has  become  the 
most  important  industry  of  its  kind  in  Northwestern 
Pennsylvania.  As  illustrative  of  its  growth  it  is  only 
necessary  to  quote  from  the  books  of  the  concern, 
which  show  that  the  output  of  the  brewery  for  the  first 
year  of  Mr.  Koehler's  proprietorship  was  but  6,500 
barrels,  that  each  subsetjuent  year  revealed  a  marked 
increase  in  the  business,  the  year's  output  hir  the  last 
year  ending  July  1,  1X9.'),  aggregating  30,000  barrels. 
The  manufactures  of  the  Eagle  firewery  are  known  as 
"Special  Brew"  and  "Export"  lager  beers.  The 
com])any  has  agencies  at  Corry,  Kane  and  .St. Mary's, 
Pa.;  Conneaut,  O.,  and  Westfield,  N.  Y.  Since  his 
ownership  of  the  Eagle  Brewery,  Mr.  Koehler  has  ex- 
pended nearly  S'200,000,  in  the  ad<lition  of  new  build- 
ings and  machinery  to  the  plant.  Further  particulars 
concerning  the  growth  of  this  plant  are  contained  else- 
where in  this  volume.  In  addition  to  this  he  has  in- 
vested many  thousands  of  dollars  in  advancing  the 
manufacturing  interests  of  Erie  in  other  directions, 
and  has  advanced  large  sums,  which  have  been  de- 
voted to  the  erection  of  many  of  the  most  substantial 
lousiness  blocks  in  Erie.  He  has  also  built  a  number 
of  dwelling  houses  in  Erie,  and  owns  a  valuable  farm 
of  112  acres  in  Summit  township. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


743 


He  was  married  on  the  26th  day  of  October,  1876, 
to  Ida,  daufihter  of  Capt.  John  Ounlap,  whose  per- 
sonal history  is  contained  in  this  volume.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Koehler  have  three  children:  Florence,  Ida  and 
Anna  Belle,  and  reside  at  2123  Peach  street.  The 
family  attend  the  English  Lutheran  Church. 

Charles  M.  Conrad,  [iroprietor  of  the  National 
Brewery,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  the  province  of  Rhein- 
pfaltz,  Germany,  February  26,  1841.  His  brother,  Lud- 
wig,  and  he,  came  to  the  United  States  with  their 
mother,  in  1^49,  and  located  in  E>ie,  where  her  father 
and  brother  had  resided  for  two  years  previous,  and 
where,  in  18-50,  she  became  the  wife  of  Jacob  Fuess. 
Mr.  Fuess  established  a  brewing  business  in  Mead- 
ville.  Pa.,  in  185(J.  In  1852  he  returned  to  Erie,  and 
beginning  on  a  small  scale,  founded  what  is  now  the 
National  Brewery.  Mr.  Conrad's  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  public  schools  of  Erie.  He  was  from  an 
early  age  employed  in  and  about  the  brew-ery,  except 
when,  on  account  of  ill  health,  he  was  for  short  inter- 
vals engaged  in  various  occupations.  Upon  the  death 
of  Mr.  F'ue.ss,  in  186:!,  his  mother  retjuested  him  to  take 
charge  of  the  brewery,  which  he  has  since  conducted. 
The  plant,  located  on  Sixth  street,  near  Parade,  was 
increased  and  remodeled  until  the  capacity,  in  1890, 
reached  40,000  barrels  a  year.  In  1895  the  entire  plant 
was  remodeled,  all  the  frame  buildings  removed,  and 
substantial  stone,  brick  and  iron  structures  added. 
The  buildings  themselves  are  modern  and  are  equipped 
with  all  the  latest  and  most  improved  machinery.  The 
capacity  is  now  150.000  barrels  a  year.  This  nearly 
quadrupling  of  facilities  was  occasioned  by  the  rapid 
and  constant  increase  of  busine.ss  under  the  efficient 
management  of  Mr.  Conrad.  Mr.  Conrad  was  also 
for  a  time  engaged  in  manufacturing  and  wholesaling 
malt  and  brewers'  supplies.  Besides  his  large  inter- 
ests in  Erie,  he  has  a  400-acre  dairy  and  grain  farm  in 
LeB(cuf  township,  Erie  county.  His  elegant  residence, 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  Si,\th  and  Parade  streets, 
was  erected  in  1876.  Mr.  Conrad  was  married,  June 
26,  1867,  to  Miss  Dorothy  Diefenbach,  daughter  of  Mr. 
Charles  Diefenbach,  of  Erie.  This  union  was  blessed 
with  eight  children,  five  of  whom  survive,  viz.:  Cath- 
erine (Mrs.  Frederick  Brevellier,  of  Eriei,  and  Misses 
Eda,  Dora,  Flora  and  Clara  Conrad.  Mrs.  Conrad 
died  January  22,  1882,  at  the  age  of  34  years,  and  Mr. 
Conrad  was  married  again,  March  26,  1886,  to  Miss 
Sophia  Seigel,  daughter  of  Mr.  Cassimer  Seigel,  one 
of  the  early  merchants  of  F!rie.  Mr.  Conrad  and  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  German  St.  Paul's  Reformed 
Protestant  Church;  he  is  a  32d  degree  Mason,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  the  Lieder- 
tafel,  Harugari  and  Turner  societies.  He  is  independ- 
ent in  his  political  views,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
common  council  of  1872-4.  .Mr.  Conrad  has  been  an 
active  member  of  the  board  of  trade  since  its  estab- 
lishment, and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  city  and  community. 

Fred  Koehter,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Fred  Koehler  iS:  Co.,  was  horn  in  Mill  Creek  township, 
this  county,  .April  11,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and 
Rosanna  (Neff)  Koehler,  natives  of  Holland.  His 
father  came  to  the  United  States  about  1S30,  and  lo- 
cated in  Mill  Creek  township,  where  he  followed  farm- 
ing until  18.58,  when  he  engaged  in  the  brewing  busi- 
ness, which  he  followed  until  his  death,  which  occurred 


August  1,  1869.  He  began  in  a  small  way,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Seventeenth  and  Parade  streets.  In  1865  he 
removed  to  the  site  of  the  present  location,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Twenty-sixth  and  Holland  streets.  Upon  the 
death  of  Mr.  Charles  Koeliler,  in  1869,  his  sons,  .Messrs. 
Fred  and  Jackson,  succeeded  to  its  control,  and  con- 
tinued the  business  under  the  name  of  Fred  Koehler 
&  Bro.  In  1883  Jackson  Koehler  retired,  and  .Mr. 
Fred  Koehler  continued  alone  until  1887,  when  Mr. 
Adolph  L.  Curtze  was  admitted  to  partnership,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Fred  Koehler  &  Co.  Although  only  a 
small  affair  when  established,  the  mdustry  has  grown 
until  the  plant  now  occupies  lialf  of  a  square,  bounded 
by  Twenty-sixth,  Holland  and  Twenty-fifth  streets. 
The  plant  is  equipped  with  the  most  modern  labor- 
saving  machinery,  and  all  of  the  latest  devices  known 
to  the  trade,  which  embraces  two  fine,  new,  immense 
ice  machines,  which  cost  over  S50,000,  but  which 
doubled  the  capacity  of  the  brewery.  From  thirty  to 
forty  skilled  hands  are  constantly  employed,  and  the 
annual  capacity  of  the  brewery  is  50,000  barrels.  Be- 
sides the  brewing  industry,  Fred  Koehler  &  Co.  also 
have  modern  and  finely  eciuipped  bottling  works,  op- 
erating in  connection  with  the  main  plant.  They  man- 
ufacture both  stock  lager  and  pale  beer,  and  their 
wiener  pale  beer  is  justly  celebrated  in  every  part  of 
the  state.  Only  the  purest  and  best  materials  are  used 
in  the  manufacture  of  the  beer.  It  is  strictly  pure  and 
healthy,  and  is  entirely  free  from  all  injurious  ingre- 
dients or  deleterious  substances.  The  trade  now  ex- 
tends throughout  Pennsylvania,  Ohio  and  Xew  York. 
The  members  of  this  firm  came  from  the  old  stock  of 
Erie's  best  residents,  and  are  among  the  most  influen- 
tial citizens,  their  enterprise  being  ranked  among 
Erie's  most  staple  resources.  Mr.  Koehler  was  mar- 
ried, June  7,  1872,  to  Miss  Anna,  daughter  of  Mr.  Nich- 
olas Roth,  of  Erie.  They  have  one  child,  Rose  A., 
Mrs.  A.  L.  Curtze.  Mr.  Koehler  and  family  attend 
the  German  Lutheran  Church.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  the  Liedertafel  and  Harugari 
societies.  He  is  independent  in  his  political  views, 
but  in  national  politics  affiliates  with  the  Democratic 
party. 

Edward  Heuer.  ]}roprietor  of  the  Eagle  Brewery 
Bottling  Works  and  manager  of  the  Eagle  Brewery, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Brugg,  Canton  Berne,  Switzer- 
land, September  17,  1863.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  John 
and  Eliza  (Siegenthaler)  Heuer,  natives  of  the  Canton 
Berne,  Switzerland,  where  John  Heuer  was  engaged 
in  watchmaking  up  to  within  a  few  years  of  his  death, 
latterly  occupying  the  office  of  postmaster  at  Brugg, 
and  being  at  the  time  of  his  decease  (1875|  secretary 
of  the  municipality  where  he  resided.  His  widow  sur- 
vives and  resides  at  the  homestead  jilace  in  Brugg. 
Edward  Heuer  completed  his  education  in  1880  at  the 
higli  school  of  his  native  city,  learned  bookkeeping  at 
Biel  and  was  engaged  thereat  until  May,  1885,  when 
he  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Erie.  He 
was  first  employed  in  Erie  at  the  confectionery  estab- 
lishment of  J.  M.  Kalvelage,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  eighteen  months,  then  entering  the  service  of  the 
late  H.  \'.  Claus  and  C.  B.  Wuenschel,  grocers  and 
liquor  dealers  at  Fifth  and  French  streets,  a  branch 
establishment  of  the  State  street  business  of  Mr. 
Claus.  L^pon  the  purchase  by  Mr.  Wuenschel  of  his 
partner's  interest  in  the  Fifth  and  French  street  es- 
tablishment Mr.  Heuer  remaiiied  in  the  employ  of  Mr, 


744 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONART 


Wuenschel  from  the  spring  of  1887  till  the  fall  of  1888, 
when  he  accented  the  position  of  bookkeeper  for  Mr. 
Jackson  Koehler,  i>roprietor  of  the  Eagle  Brewery, 
Erie.  Mr.  Heuer  acted  as  head  bookkeeper  of  the 
brewery  until  the  retiring  of  Paul  Mueller  from  the 
general  management  of  the  concern,  when  Mr.  Heuer 
assumed  the  duties  of  his  jiresent  position.  At  the 
same  time  he  purchased  from  Mr.  Mueller, the  retiring 
manager,  the  bottling  works  known  as  the  Eagle 
Brewery  Bottling  Works,  the  history  of  which  is  con- 
tained elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mr.  Heuer  is  the 
owner  of  the  hotel  at  Kairview,  which  bears  his  name, 
the  Heuer  House.  He  was  married  Seinember4,  1888, 
to  Minnie,  daughter  of  Charles  T.  Coyle,  a  retired 
farmer  of  Miles  drove.  Mr.  and  Mr.s.  Heuer  have  one 
child,  Charles  Edward,  and  reside  at  1821  Sassafras 
street. 

Andrew  Henry  Miller,  bottler,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  r.rie,  August  14,  1K')4.  He  was  a  son  of  the 
late  Charles  \V.  and  Katharine  (Goetz)  Miller,  natives 
of  Bavaria,  where  they  were  married.  They  came  to 
the  L'nited  States  and  located  in  Erie  in  May,  1854, 
where  he  was  first  engaged  in  business  as  a  lumber 
dealer,  and  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life  as  the 
keeper  of  a  re.staurant.  He  died  July  25,  1874;  his  wife 
survives  and  resides  in  Erie.  Andrew  H.  Miller  re- 
ceived a  conmion  school  education,  and  at  an  early  age 
started  to  earn  his  own  living.  He  clerked  for  a  time 
for  a  flour  and  fi'cd  store,  and  then  for  a  short  period 
assisted  his  father  in  tlie  restaurant.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  cariienter  and  ]uirsued  that  calling  until  1875, 
when  he  went  into  business  with  his  brother  at  82(5 
State  street.  In  1878  heenibarked  in  the  bottling  bus- 
iness, selling  out  two  years  later  to  accept  a  position  as 
fly-finisher  at  the  Burdett  Organ  F'actory,  where  he 
remained  for  five  years.  He  then  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  A.  B.  Knoll  &  Co.,  bottlers.  In  1889  he 
established  a  branch  for  the  bottling  of  Milwaukee 
beer  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  Tlie  following  year  he  returMe<l 
to  Erie  and  purchased  the  i)op  and  mineral-water 
works  of  Harman  Brothers,  subsequently  olitaining 
the  exclusive  right  to  bottle  tlie  Rochester  Brewing 
Company's  beer.  He  is  now  bottling  the  William  j. 
Lemp  beer  of  St.  Louis.  He  was  married  in  April, 
1880,  to  Christiana,  daughter  of  Michael  Schwab,  an 
old  citizen  of  Erie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  five 
children:  Lena  Florence,  Lydia,  Lillian,  Irene  and 
Carl  (deceased),  resi<le  at  17  East  Eighteenth  street 
and  are  members  of  .St.  John's  Lutheran  Church,  of 
which  he  was  a  trustee  for  two  years.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  I.  O. 
O.  F.  and  Fraternal  Mystic  Circle.  Mr.  Miller  built  a 
residence  on  Seventeenth  street  in  1887. 

Charles  B.  Taylor,  bottler,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
I)ul)lin,  Ireland,  in  March,  1850.  He  is  a  son  of  the 
late  Henry  and  Rebecca  (Bateman)  Taylor,  both  na- 
tives of  Ireland.  Henry  Taylor  was  quartermaster  of 
the  74th  Highlanders,  and  when,  in  1858,  his  regiment 
was  sent  to  India  Quartermaster  Taylor  was  accom- 
panied thither  by  his  family.  His  wife  died  while  on 
board  ship  en  route  and  was  buried  at  sea.  After  be- 
ing stationed  for  a  short  time  near  Bombay  the  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  Afghanistan,  wherethey  remained 
four  years.  They  were  then  returned  to  Dublin,  and 
next  stationed  at  Edinboro,  .Scotland,  and  then  at 
Mersey,  Wales.  Quartermaster  Taylor  died  while  in 
quarters  at  Cork,  in  1873.     His  son,  Charles,  who  had 


accompanied  his  father  up  to  the  time  of  his  being 
stationed  at  Mersey,  Wales,  came  to  the  L'nited  .States 
in  1W>(>  and  located  in  F.lmira,  N.  N'.  While  there  he 
worked  at  the  trade  of  shoemaking.  ?"rom  that  place 
he  removed  to  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  where  he  learned  the 
])lasterer's  and  paperhanger's  tra<ies,  following  one  or 
the  other  of  these  occuiiations  until  1874,  when  he  re- 
moved to  N'ew  Castle,  Pa.,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
jiaperhanging  business  until  1882.  In  the  latter  year 
he  removed  to  Erie,  Pa.,  where  he  established  his 
present  bottling  business.  He  was  married  July  5, 
1875,  to  Florence,  daughter  of  the  late  Victor  and 
Margaret  Sullivan,  of  Jack.son  county,  Ohio.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Taylor  have  one  child,  Minnie  E.,  and  reside  at 
1317  French  street. 

Tobias  S.  Alberstadt,  wholesale  li(|Uor  dealer, 
Erie,  Pa.,  wasliorn  in  Lam  pert lieim,  Hesse-Darmstadt, 
Germany,  December  17,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Fred- 
erick and  Catherine  (Hilbert)  .Alberstadt.  llis  father, 
who  was  a  locksmith  by  tra<le,  came  to  .America  in 
1S.V2  and  located  in  Erie.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he 
found  employment  with  \'incent,  Himrod  iV  Co.,  for 
which  concern  he  worked  until  shortly  previous  to  his 
death,  which  occurred  March  3,  1874.  His  w-ife  died 
July  27,  18t!'.).  The  family  consisted  of  six  children, 
five' of  w-hom  are  living,  viz.:  Philip,  .street  supervisor 
of  Erie;  Catherine,  Mrs.  Frederick  Runser;  Elizabeth, 
Mrs.  Peter  Doerner,  of  Erie;  Frederick  M.,  of  London, 
Canada;  Peter  M.,  of  Erie,  and  Tobias  S.  Mr. 
Albersta<U  was  educated  in  the  parochial  school  of  .St. 
Mary's  [larish,  Erie,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years 
engaged  with  Tibbals  &  Shirk  to  learn  the  moulder's 
trade.  He  remained  in  the  employ  of  this  concern 
nineteen  and  a  half  years,  except  four  and  a  half 
years  (1873-6),  when  he  wotked  for  John.son  S:  Black 
(now  Black  &  Germer).  He  left  the  Chicago  and 
Erie  Stove  Works  March  17,  1881,  and  on  June  fi  of 
that  year  liecame  interested  in  his  present  business,  in 
comjiany  with  Mr.  M.  Liebel.  Mr.  .Alberstadt  jiur- 
chased  the  building  in  1885,  and  Mr.  Liebel's  share  of 
the  business  in  1894.  The  building  is  located  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  Twenty-sixth  and  Peach  streets, 
and  is  24  x  100  feet  and  two  stories  high,  the  second 
story  being  used  as  a  hall.  He  built  his  comfortabh- 
home  at  141  West  Twenty-fifth  .street  in  1872.  Mr. 
Alberstadt  was  married  July  14,  1870,  to  Miss  Cathe- 
rine, daughter  of  Frank  and  Catherine  (Gensheimerl 
Metz.  They  have  six  children:  William,  of  the  city 
engineer's  corps;  John  T.,  machinist,  in  the  employ  of 
the  Erie  Engine  Works;  Francis  K.  Katie  T.,  Barbara 
and  Eugene  P.  Mr.  Alberstadt  and  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  Church;  he  was  the  first  mem))er 
of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  in  Erie,  of  which  he  has  been  Grand 
President,  and  has  held  various  other  offices  in  the 
Superior  and  Grand  .Society.  He  has  also  been  several 
times  president  of  the  St.  Alphonsus  Society.  He  is 
an  honorary  member  of  the  Iron  Moulders'  Union, 
and  was  an  active  worker  in  the  interests  of  that 
order.  In  politics  Mr.  Alber.stadt  is  a  staunch  Demo- 
crat. He  was  elected  assessor  in  1873  and  held  the 
office  for  ten  consecutive  years.  In  1887  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Select  Council,  filling  that 
office  for  seven  years,  and  for  two  terms  acting  as 
president  of  that  body. 

William  Bunker  Coleman,  proprietor  of  the 
Reed  House,  Erie,  Pa.,  son  of  George  and  Eliza 
(Bunker)  Coleman,  was  born  in   New  York  city  May 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


745 


20,  1828.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  city,  and  later  at  the  Durham 
Academy.  At  the  age  of  14  he  secured  a  position  in  a 
dry  goods  store  in  New  York  city,  which  lie  retained 
for  three  years.  He  then  went  to  Troy,  X.  Y.,  and 
was  employed  by  his  uncle,  Charles  S.  Coleman,  as 
clerk  in  the  Troy  House.  Five  years  later  he  returned 
to  New  York  and  accepted  a  similar  position  in  the 
Astor  House,  (jf  which  another  uncle,  Robert  H.  Cole- 
man, and  Charles  A.  .Stetson,  were  proprietors.  At 
this  time,  1851,  the  Astor  House  was  the  largest  and 
best  known  hotel  in  the  country,  and  among  its  guests 
were  such  men  as  Uaniel  Webster,  Henry  Clay  and 
Rufus  Choate,  as  well  as  other  men  prominent  in  the 
affairs  of  the  nation.  Among  Mr.  Coleman's  pleasant- 
est  recollections  of  this  period  was  his  acquaintance 
with  Daniel  Webster,  and  he  preserves  in  his  library,  as 
a  memento,  the  works  of  the  great  orator  and  states- 
man, jiresented  to  him  by  the  author  a  short  time  be- 
fore his  death.  .Mr.  Coleman's  first  venture  as  propri- 
etor of  a  hotel  was  in  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  where  he  con- 
ducted the  Brainard  (now  Rathbun)  House.  After- 
wards, and  up  to  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war,  Mr. 
Coleman  conducted,  and  was  associated  with,  hotels  in 
Knoxville  and  Montvale  Spa,  Tenn.,  and  in  Cincinnati, 
O.  In  July,  1861,  he  was  appointed  acting  paymaster 
in  the  United  .States  navy,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  his  discharge  from 
the  service  Mr.  Coleman  became  associated  with  Hiram 
Cranston  in  the  New  N'ork  Hotel,  where  he  remained 
for  eleven  years,  during  the  last  seven  of  which  he  was 
the  proprietor  of  the  Cooper  House,  Cooperstown, 
N.  Y.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Coleman  has  been  mana- 
ger of  the  Butterfield  House,  Utiea,  N.  Y.,  and  of 
Cranston's  Hotel,  at  West  Point.  In  April,  1885,  Mr. 
Coleman  came  to  Erie,  and  was  for  some  years  asso- 
ciated with  D.  M.  Johnson  in  the  Reed  House,  becom- 
ing Sole  proprietor  in  1891. 

Mr.  Coleman  was  married  in  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  on  the 
5th  of  June,  18.50,  to  Cornelia  Barnard,  daughter  of 
William  .Allen.  Mrs.  Coleman  died  in  Utica,  on  the 
6th  of  .May,  1882.  To  the  union  were  born  four  sons: 
William  B.,  jr.,  rector  of  St.  George's  Church,  Utica, 
N.  Y.;  Oliver  Allen,  manager  of  the  Georgia  Loan  and 
Trust  Company,  and  president  of  the  .Sumter  County 
liank  and  of  the  board  of  trade  of  .'Vmericus,  Ga.; 
George  Silas,  a  lawyer  in  New  York  city,  and  for  many 
years  assistant  to  the  counsel  to  the  corporation ;  Charles 
Silas,  formerly  in  business  in  New  York  city,  and  now 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  management  of  the 
Reed  House.  All  of  Mr.  Coleman's  sons  were  edu- 
cated at  Wesleyan  .Academy,  Wilbraham,  .Mass.  The 
first  three  were  graduated  from  Wesleyan  University, 
Middleton,  Conn.,  and  the  last  from  Trinitv  College, 
Hartford,  Conn.  On  the  8th  of  January,  '1896,  Mr. 
Coleman  was  married  by  his  son,  the  Rev.  William  B. 
Coleman,  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  to  Mrs.  Mary  M.,  widow 
of  John  S.  Christie.  This  year  marks  the  semi-cen- 
tennial of  Mr.  Coleman's  connection  with  the  hotel 
business. 

Mr.  Coleman  is  a  member  of  the  Kahkwa  and 
Erie  Clubs  and  of  the  military  order.  Loyal  Legion 
United  States,  and  is  a  Sir  Knight  of  the  Brotherhood 
of  Free  Masons. 

(ieorge  Byron  Kitnberly,  jiroprietor  of  the  Kim- 
berly  House,  Erie,  I'a.,  was  born  in  Mayville,  Chau- 
tauqua county,  N.  Y.,  January  5,  1835.     He  is  a  son  of 


the  late  Burritt  and  Phoebe  (Zeluffi  Kimberly,  natives 
of  New  York,  the  former  of  English  and  the  latter  of 
German  descent.  .Mr.  G.  B.  Kimberly  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schcxjls  and  academy  of  West- 
field,  N.  Y.,  and,  at  the  age  of  16,  entered  upon  his 
business  life  as  clerk.  Arrived  at  maturity,  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  William  Baker  for  the  carrying  on 
of  a  grocery  and  notion  store  at  Westtield,  N.  Y. 
Several  years  later  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness alone  in  the  same  town,  and,  in  1X67,  at  the  same 
place,  established  a  dry-goods  business  with  Herman 
Sixbey,  under  the  firm  name  of  Kimberly  &  Sixbey. 
Five  years  later  this  partnership  was  dissolved,  .Mr. 
Kimberly  purchasing  his  partner's  interest  and  con- 
tinuing the  business  until  1876.  For  several  years 
thereafter  he  was  engaged  in  the  sale  of  agricultural 
implements  and  grain,  and,  in  1880,  removed  to  Erie, 
Pa.,  where  he  became  the  proprietor  of  the  Wilcox 
House,  which  he  conducted  successfully  for  seven 
years,  when  he  traded  the  leasehold  and  furnishings  of 
that  house  for  those  of  the  Huron  House  at  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.  The  latter  venture  was  not  a  success,  and  he 
returned  to  Erie  and,  in  1891,  opened  the  Kimberly 
Hotel  at  Seventh  and  Peach  streets.  He  was  married 
November  5,  1857,  to  Martha  J.,  daughter  of  L.  .M. 
Granger,  a  farmer,  of  Portland,  N.  Y.  The  chddren 
born  of  this  marriage  are  Lewis  Burrett,  associated 
with  his  father  in  the  hotel  business;  Warren  Burke, 
now  of  Bendigo,  \'ictoria,  Australia;  and  Bertha,  wife 
of  Henry  L.  .Mead,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
American  Manufacturing  Company  of  Erie.  The 
family  attend  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church. 

John  H.  Wilson,  proprietor  of  the  Wilson  House, 
Erie.  Pa.,  born  in  Erie  September  3,  1851,  is  a  son  of 
the  late  Joseph  H.  and  Sarah  (.\IcCann)  Wilson,  the 
former  a  native  of  Philadelphia  and  the  latter  of 
county  Armagh,  Ireland,  whose  parents  came  to  this 
country  and  located  in  Erie  in  1846.  Joseph  H. 
Wilson  served  in  the  Mexican  war  as  .seaman  on  the 
U.  S.  S.  "  Raritan, "  and  immediately  thereafter  was 
appointed  boatswain's  mate  on  the  U.  S.  S.  "  .Michi- 
gan. "  In  1850  he  established  a  grocery  business,  in 
which  he  successfully  engaged  for  a  few  years.  He 
died  in  1855;  his  wife  in  1892.  John  H.  Wilson 
received  a  public  school  education,  learned  the  trade 
of  carpenter  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  fourteen 
years.  In  1883  he  opened  a  hotel  at  Fourteenth  and 
State  streets,  which  bears  his  name,  and  of  which  he 
is  the  proprietor.  He  was  one  of  the'organizers,  in 
1873,  of  an  independent  company,  known  as  the 
Sheridan  Guard,  which  became  Co.  G,  17th  Reg.,  N. 
G.  P.  At  the  organization  he  was  elected  orderly 
sergeant,  and  served  m  that  capacity  for  four  years. 
When,  in  1877,  the  company  was  ordered  out  to  assist 
in  quelling  the  rit)tsof  that  year,  .Sergeant  Wil.son  was 
promoted  to  its  captaincy,  and  served  in  that  position 
four  years  and  a  half.  L'ponthe  reorganization  of  the 
National  Guard  with  a  decreased  number  of  tr<«)ps, 
Cajitain  Wilson's  was  among  the  disbanded  com- 
panies. He  was  married  November  11,  1875,  to  Mary, 
daughter  of  the  late  John  .McCloskey,  an  old  resident 
of  Erie.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Wilson  are  members  of  St. 
Peter's  Cathedral. 

Charles  Huntington  Kepner,  proprietor  of  the 
Union  Depot  Hotel,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Hartford, 
Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  June  19,  1857,  and  is  a  son  ot 


746 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


the  late  Lorenzo  and  Mary  J.  (\'an  Gorder)  Kepner, 
natives  of  Ohio,  the  former  of  German  and  the  latter 
of  Hollandese  extraction.  The  elder  Mr.  Kepner  was 
a  farmer  and  died  in  1M78;  liis  wife  survives  and 
resides  in  Erie,  Pa.  Charles  H.  Kepner  received  his 
education  in  the  imblic  and  hi^h  schools  of  Jefferson 
county,  Ohio,  and  for  one  year  thereafter  acted  as 
clerk  in  a  hotel  owned  Ijy  his  mother,  the  Keed  House, 
Lyonsville,  Pa.  In  Wth  he  came  to  Erie  and  clerketl 
for  one  year  in  the  United  States  Hotel.  He  then 
obtained  the  position  of  clerk  in  the  Union  I)e])ot 
Hotel,  Erie,  in  which  capacity  he  was  employed  until 
IHKl,  w'hen  he  became  manajjer  under  the  i)ro]jrietor- 
ship  of  D.  M.  Johnson.  In  1888  he  i)urchase<l  I).  M. 
Johnson's  intere.st  and  has  since  conducted  the  busi- 
ness. He  is  a  ;(2d  dei;ree  Mason  and  a  member  of 
Mt.  Olivet  Cominandery,  No.  HO.  He  was  married  in 
January,  1890,  to  .Miss  Lottie  Chapman.  She  died 
September  19,  1893. 

Henry  Neubauer,  one  of  Erie's  well-known  and 
highly  rt-spectcd  citizens,  was  born  in  Hesse-Uarni- 
stadt,  April  22,  1825.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  and 
Katherine  (Weaver)  Neubauer,  both  natives  of  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  Germany,  where  the  father  followed  farm- 
ing till  1852,  when  they  emigrated  to  America,  first  lo- 
cating for  a  few  months  in  Erie.  He  then  moved  to 
(Ireene  township,  bought  a  farm,  and  followed  farm- 
ing for  five  years,  when  he  sold  his  ])roperty  and  S[)ent 
the  renvn'nder  of  his  life  with  his  children.  He  ile- 
jiarted  this  life  November  11,  1892.  His  wife  died 
June  17,  1892.  To  them  were  born  six  children:  John 
(deceased),  Barliara  (deceased),  Jacob,  retired,  lives  in 
Erie;  Henry,  Frank,  a  retired  real  estate  dealer  in 
Cleveland,  and  Catherine,  Mrs.  Mark  Eller,  of  Erie. 
Henry  Neubauer  received  a  connnon  school  education 
in  his  native  country,  and  worki-d  on  his  father's  farm 
till  1850,  and  also  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade.  He 
then  came  to  America  with  his  brother  John,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  for  eleven  years  in  Erie,  and  later 
opened  a  grocery  store  in  the  building  he  had  erected 
for  the  pur])ose  on  Krench  street,  near  the  corner  of 
Sixth,  in  1857,  and  for  eighteen  years  he  continued  the 
grocery  business.  In  1870  he  built  the  .Arcade  block, 
and  run  a  grocery  store  there  for  eight  years,  when  he 
remodeled  the  building,  and,  in  ]jartnership  with  Jacob 
Gieb,  opened  the  .Arcade  Hotel,  which  they  success- 
fully conducted  for  five  years,  when  Mr.  Gieb  retired 
from  the  business,  and  Frank  Neubauer,  son  of  Henry, 
was  made  a  member  of  the  firm,  doing  business  as 
Neubauer  &  Son.  At  the  end  of  six  years  Mr.  Neu- 
bauer, sr.,  retired  and  Frank  Neubauer  became  sole 
I)ro|)rietor  of  the  business.  Mr.  Neubauer  resides  at 
420  West  Flight  street,  surrounded  by  all  the  comforts 
of  material  prosperity.  Fie  is  a  well  preserved  man, 
genial  and  full  of  life,  an<l  can  glance  back  with  satis- 
faction over  an  honorable  and  prosperous  business 
career.  Mr.  Neubauer  was  united  in  marriage  A|)ril 
22,1851,  to  Miss  Elizafjeth  K.,  daughter  of  Michael 
Lederer,  of  F-rie,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  to  them 
were  born  six  children:  John,  proprietor  of  a  hotel  in 
Bellfonte,  Pa.;  Henry  (deceased),  Frank,  pro[)rietor  of 
the  Arcade;  Edward,  a  brass  worker  at  jarecki's; 
.Alfred,  also  in  the  hotel  business  in  Bellfonte,  Pa.,  and 
Anna,  Mrs.  Charles  .Slrick,  of  F>ie.  The  family  are 
members  of  St.  Paul's  German  Evangelical  Church. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  Harugaris, 
and   in  politics  is  a   liberal    Republican.     He  has   a 


large   circle  of  friends,  and   is  one  of  the  prominent 
Germans  of  Erie. 

Frank  Neubauer,  owner  and  proprietor  of  die 
well-known  anil  popular  .Arcade  Hotel,  729  State  street, 
F~rie.,  Pa.,  was  born  in  F.rie,  .August  2<),  1857,  a  son  of 
Henry  Neubauer.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
FIrie  public  schools,  and  when  18  years  of  age  began 
clerkmg  in  his  father's  grocery,  where  hi-  continued  un- 
til the  .store  was  closed  out.  He  was  then  employi'd  as 
clerk  in  the  hotel,  o])eneil  in  the  .same  bmlding  by  his 
father  and  John  tieib,  and  five  years  later,  on  the  re- 
tirement of  Mr.  Geib,  he  was  made  a  partner,  and  .so 
continued  for  six  years,  when  his  father  retired  and  he 
became  sole  proprietor  of  the  business,  Ajiril  1,  1889. 
Mr.  Neubauer  was  united  in  marriage  June  1,  1880,  to 
Miss  Mary,  ilaughter  of  John  Moran,  of  ICrie,  a  well- 
known  blacksmith.  He  is  a  thirty-second  degree 
.Mason,  is  a  member  of  Keystone  Lodge  No.  455,  and 
in  politics  is  a  lilieral  Re|)ublican. 

Charles  Holcomb,  ]>ro]irietor  of  the  Morton 
House,  I-lrie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Westfield,  N.  Y.,  De- 
cember 14,  18.'{9,  and  is  a  son  of  Abel  and  Amanda 
(Curtisi  Holcoml),  natives  of  New  York.  Eighth  in 
a  family  of  ten  children,  he  was  reared  and  educated 
in  We.stlield,  and  after  leaving  school  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  eleven  years. 
In  187ti  he  removed  to  North  ICast,  Pa.,  and  took 
charge  of  the  Haynes  House,  which  he  ran  until  1885. 
He  then  came  to  F'rie,  and  took  charge  of  the  Morton 
House,  which  he  has  conducted  very  successfully 
since.  He  was  married  May  6,  1802,  to  Miss  Fannie, 
daughter  of  Larkin  and  Abgail  (Houghton)  Harring- 
ton, natives  of  New  York.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  four  children:  Henry  C,  Abbie  (now  Mrs. 
Michael  McFarland,  of  Ripley,  N.  Y.);  Martha  (now 
.Mrs.  S.  E.  Wilder,  of  l-:rie.  Pa.),  and  Hattie.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  L'niversalist  Church.  Mr. 
Holcomb  is  a  member  of  the  .A.  O.  C.  W.,  of  West- 
field,  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 

William  A.  Battershill.  jjroprietor  of  the  Metro- 
politan Hotel,  ICrie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Plymouth,  Devon, 
England,  February  5,  18()2.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
Henry  Adams  and  Maria  (Parish)  Battershill,  both  na- 
tives of  Flngland,  the  former  of  Pomphlett,  near 
PlynKiuth,  an<i  the  latter  of  London.  The  father  was 
a  railroad  carrier  by  occupation.  He  was  a  son  of 
Jolm  Henry  and  Grace  (.Adams)  Battershill,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Adams,  who  w-as  a  lodge  keeper  on  the 
Lord  Radford  manor.  William  Battershill's  parents 
both  died  before  he  was  IK  years  old.  The  father  died 
at  Plymouth,  January  10,  1878,  aged  44  years,  and  the 
mother  dieil  at  the  same  place  in  1877,  aged  83  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children:  William  .A., 
John  Henry.who  resides  at  Turnchapel,  near  Plymouth, 
England;  Mary  Jane,  now  Mrs.  John  Ford,  of  Turn- 
chapel, England;  Amy  Maria  (deceased),  and  Richard 
(deceased).  Mr.  Battershill  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  town,  where  he  went  to  work  in  a  hotel, 
at  the  age  of  Iti  years.  In  1882  he  went  to  London, 
and  was  employed  in  the  Fluston  Hotel  two  years, 
when  he  came  to  .America,  and  remained  in  New  N'ork 
city.  He  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Lamb's  Club  a 
short  time,  when  he  went  to  the  Oriental  Hotel,  at 
Manhattan  Beach.  From  there  he  went  to  the  Bar- 
rett House,  New  York  city,  where  he  clerked  until  the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


747 


spring  of  1888.  He  then  clerked  at  the  Grand  Union 
Hotel,  at  Saratoga  Sjirings,  and  in  Xovember,  1888,  he 
came  to  Erie,  and  worked  in  the  Reed  House  nearly 
five  years.  In  April,  1894,  he  opened  the  Metrojioli- 
tan  Hotel,  which  is  an  elegant  new  house,  built  in  1893, 
and  1894.  It  is  a  strictly  modern  hotel,  and  newly  fur- 
nished throughout.  The  house  is  ke])t  open  day  and 
night,  and  is  e(|uipped  with  the  neatest  and  most  fash- 
ionable bar  in  the  city.  The  location  of  the  house, on 
the  west  side  of  State,  between  Sixteenth  and  Seven- 
teenth streets,  makes  it  very  convenient  for  traveling 
men,  being  within  two  blocks  of  the  Union  depot,  and 
but  a  short  distance  from  the  Nickel  Plate.  Mr.  Bat- 
tershill  was  married  June  24,  1889,  to  Miss  Mary  An- 
netta,  daughter  of  John  and  .Selina  (Palmer)  Smith, 
the  former  a  native  of  Launcestun.  Cornwall,  England. 
The  ]jarents  now  reside  in  Bristol,  England.  She  is 
the  eldest  in  a  family  of  eleven  children.  .Mrs.  Bat- 
tershill  is  a  trained  nurse,  being  a  graduate  of  Guy's 
Hospital,  London.  She  came  to  New  York  in  1887,  in 
her  professional  capacity,  and  followed  her  calling  in 
the  Ninety-ninth  .Street  Hospital,  in  New  York,  about 
one  year,  when  she  took  a  professional  trip  of  about 
ten  months  through  Mexico  and  the  West.  .She  then 
spent  a  short  time  at  the  Hamot  Hospital  in  Erie.  Mrs. 
Battershill  comes  from  a  long-lived  family.  Both  her 
piaternal  grandparents  are  now  living  at  Morchard 
liishop,  near  Exeter,  Devon,  England,  and  her  great- 
grandfather, Smith,  lived  to  the  age  of  104.  .Mr.  Bat- 
tershill is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Charles  Livingston,  of  the  Livingston  House, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  .Mercer,  Pa.,  January  5,  1845. 
His  parents,  Hugh  and  Lizzie  Livingston,  were  na- 
tives of  England.  Charles  is  ninth  in  a  family  of 
eleven  children.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Mercer,  and  in  1879  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in 
Mercer,  where  he  remained  until  1892,  when  he  came 
to  Erie,  and  ojiened  the  Livingston  House,  where  he 
has  since  been  in  business.  Mr.  Livingston  is  a  well- 
known  hotel  man,  and  is  well  patronized  by  the  trav- 
eling public,  who  appreciate  such  a  host  as  he  is.  He 
was  married  May  1.5,  18fi7,  to  Miss  Mary  S.,  daughter 
of  A.  and  Kate  (Riblet)  Miles,  natives  of  .Mercer 
county.  Pa.  They  have  three  children:  Coe  D.,  Maud 
and  Kittle.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  Mr.  Livingston  served  in  the  army 
during  the  war,  and  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
Mercer  Post  169.     Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

Charles  F.  Mann,  proprietor  of  the  European 
Hotel,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Lock  Haven,  Pa..  Janu- 
ary 27,  184;!.  His  parents,  John  V.  and  Nancy  (My- 
ers) Mann,  were  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Charles 
is  the  third  in  a  family  of  five  children.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  town,  where  he  received  his  early 
education,  and  has  been  nearly  all  his  life  in  the  hotel 
business,  and  is  consequently  thoroughlv  master  of  his 
chosen  occupation.  He  is  popular  with  hotel  patrons, 
and  knows  just  what  to  do  under  all  circum.stances  to 
please  the  traveling  ]jublic.  He  was  married  Deceni- 
l)er  18,  1<^(J8,  to  .Miss  Catherine,  daughter  of  James 
McDermott,  of  Lock  Haven,  Pa.  They  have  two 
children,  Nancy  A.  (now  Mrs.  H.  E.  Gable,  of  Mead- 
ville.  Pa.),  and  Josephine.  Mr.  Mann  is  among  the 
successful  hotel  men  of  Erie.  Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. 


Christian  Rabe,  Erie.  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  was  born  in  \&\.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry 
and  .Marie  E.  (.Smaltz)  Rabe,  also  natives  of  Germany. 
Christian  Rabe  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
land,  and  when  a  young  man,  learned  the  cooper's 
trade,  and  later  served  an  apprenticeship  at  brewing. 
These  occupations  he  followed  in  fiermany  until  !8.')7, 
when  he  came  to  .America  and  settled  near  Waterloo, 
X.  Y.,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  four  years, 
when  he  went  to  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
about  a  year  and  a  half  later  settled  in  Erie,  and  fol- 
lowed the  cooper's  trade  two  years.  In  18(55  he  en- 
gaged in  the  restaurant  business,  which,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  five  years,  was  abandoned,  and  -Mr.  Rabe  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business,  and  later  added  a 
wholesale  liquor  department.  He  continued  in  this 
business  for  eighteen  years,  when  he  went  to  Kour- 
.Mile  Creek  and  built  a  summer  resort  in  comjiany 
with  J.  J.  Lang.  This  he  conducted  three  years,  and, 
in  1890,  returned  to  Erie  and  purchased  a  restaurant 
in  1892,  selling  out  in  1895.  He  was  married,  June  19, 
1858,  to  Miss  £.  Mayer,  a  native  of  Germany.  To  this 
union  were  born  four  children.  Christian,  William, 
Henry  (deceased)  and  Louis.  They  also  have  an 
adopted  daughter,  .Matilda.  Politically  .Mr.  Rabe  is  a 
Democrat.     He  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Church. 

James  D.  Allen,  proprietor  of  the  Park  View 
Hotel,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Toronto,  Canada,  Au- 
gust 17,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Richard  and  Helena  F. 
(Dalmage)  Allen,  the  former  a  native  of  Flngland,  but 
reared  in  Scotland,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Lim- 
erick, Ireland.  His  father  was  a  contractor  and 
builder,  which  he  followed  until  his  death,  in  1869, 
having  survived  his  wife  six  years.  The  family  con- 
sisted of  four  children,  James  D.,  Elizabeth  (.Mrs. 
William  Hassell.  of  Wellsville.  N.  Y.i,  Margaret  (Mrs. 
P.  N.  Stahl)  and  Rebecca  (Mrs.  Frank  DonaULson) 
I  (the  last  two  residents  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.).  .Mr.  .Allen 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town  and  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  when  a  young 
man  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in  the  latter  jilace. 
In  1876  he  came  to  Erie  and  for  four  years  acted  as 
steward  at  the  Reed  House,  after  which  he  became 
proprietor  of  the  Park  View  House,  where  he  re- 
mained six  years.  When  the  Liebel  House  was 
opened,  in  1887,  .Mr.  Allen  was  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Allen  S:  .Morton,  who  became  its  proprietors.  This 
partnership  lasted  two  years,  when  Mr.  .Allen  resumed 
the  proprietorship  of  the  Park  \'iew,  where  he  has 
since  continued.  He  is  one  of  Erie's  most  popular 
landlords,  and  consequently  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful. .Mr.  .Allen  was  married  November  25,  1880,  to 
Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Dennis  and  .Margaret  (Leary) 
Leary,  natives  of  Ireland.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  two  children,  Mabel  and  Edna.  .Mr. 
Allen  and  family  are  members  of  St.  Peter's  Cathe- 
dral, of  which  they  are  generous  supporters.  He  is  a 
member  of  several  prominent  societies,  chief  among 
them  the  Elks,  and  is  a  Republican  in  his  [jolitical 
views. 

Anthony  Blenner,  jiroprietor  of  the  Central 
House,  Erie  I'a.,  was  born  in  Erie  November  14,  1840, 
ami  is  a  son  of  .Anthony  and  Barbara  Blenner,  the 
former  a  native  of  France  and  the  latter  of  Germany. 
The  parents  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  Erie 
about  1835.     Anthony  is  the  youngest  in  a  family  of 


748 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


nine  children.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Erie 
county  and  educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  fol- 
lowed farming  until  1W2,  when  he  removed  to  Erie 
and  engaged  in  the  hotel  business.  In  1891  he  built 
the  Central  House,  which  he  conducted  up  to  l^il5. 
He  was  marrieil  .March  ;S,  1<S()4,  to  Miss  Lucy,  daugh- 
ter ol  Louis  .Moor,  of  .Michigan.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  the  following  children:  Horace,  Eugene, 
Xellie(decease<li,  Edward,  Sanuiel,  William  (deceased! 
and  .Mary.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  Mr.  Blenner  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B. 
A.,  and  i)olitically  is  a  staunch  Democrat. 

Atthur  O'Donnell,  of  the  firm  of  O'Donnell  & 
Delanev,  proprietors  of  the  .Moore  House,  Erie,  I'a.,  is 
a  native  of  County  Cavan,  Ireland,  and  was  born  .■\pril 
81,  184(1.  He  is  a  son  of  .Arthur  and  Catherine  (Smith) 
O'Donnell,  natives  of  Ireland.  .Arthur  is  the  youngest 
in  a  family  of  five  children;  he  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Ireland,  and  in  1863,  came  to  America  and 
settled  in  Norwalk,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until 
1870,  when  he  came  to  Erie  and  engaged  in  the 
livery  business,  which  he  fi)llowed  eighteen  years,  when 
the  present  i>artnership  was  formed,  and  he  became 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  .Moore  House.  He  was 
married  January  11,  1881),  to  .Miss  Ellen,  daughter  of 
Barney  and  .Mary  ( Lynch iTimmons, of  CountyCavan, 
Ireland.  They  have  two  children,  Mary  and  Cath- 
erine. He  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  and  the 
Catholic  Church.  He  has  served  five  years  in  the  city 
council,  and  politically  is  a  Democrat. 

John  P.  Delaney.  of  the  firm  of  O'Donnell  & 
Delaney,  proprietors  of  the  Moore  House,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  l)t)rn  in  Erie  March  'i\,  18()2,  and  is  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Johanna  (Casey),  Delaney,  natives  of  County 
Cork,  Ireland.  In  the  family  there  were  fifteen  chil- 
dren, John  being  the  ninth.  He  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Erie  county  and  remained  at  home  on  the 
farm  until  17  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Erie.  He 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  city  for  three  years.  In  1891 
he  became  a  member  of  the  present  partnership.  He 
was  married  May  27,  189(J,  to  .Mi.ss  Catherine,  ilaughter 
of  Thomas  Stejihens,  of  Erie,  Pa.  They  have  three 
children,  Orvilla,  Josei)h  and  Earl.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

Charles  A.  Lang,  proprietor  of  the  Eagle  Hotel, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  January  15,  1849,  and  is  a 
son  of  William  and  Mary  (Hoffman)  Lang,  natives  of 
.Saxony,  Germany,  who  were  early  settlers  in  Erie 
county.  Charles  A.  is  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  four 
children.  The  family  came  to  .America  in  1846  and 
settled  in  Erie,  where  the  father  died  in  1853  and  the 
mother  one  year  later.  Charles  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  the  city  of  Erie,  and  when  young  served  an 
apprenticeship  at  the  moulder's  trade  at  Columbus, 
Ohio,  after  which  he  returned  to  Erie  and  engaged  as 
clerk  in  a  grocery  store  from  1865  to  1870,  when  he 
went  into  the  grocery  business  for  himself,  which  he 
followed  until  1891,  and  then  acce|jted  a  position  as 
bookkee]ier  for  Jackson  Koehler,  which  position  he 
filled  until  September,  1894,  when  he  assumed  the 
management  of  the  Eagle  Hotel.  This  well-known 
hotel  is  located  at  KWl  Holland  street,  and  enjoys  an 
excel  lent  patronage  from  an  ajipreciative  traveling  pub- 
lic.    Mr.  Lang  is  a  [xipular  landlord  and  has  the  en- 


tire confidence  of  his  many  patrons.  He  was  married 
November  3,  1870,  to  .Miss  Louisa  .\.  .Schafer,  of  Buf- 
falo. They  have  three  children,  George  W.,  Charles 
A.  Louisa  C.  Mr.  Lang  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O. O.  E. 
and  the  D.  ().  H.  and  politically  is  a  Republican.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  St.  John's  Evangelical 
Church. 

Martin  J.  Garvey.  proprietor  of  the  Wliitr  1  lotel, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Warren,  Pa.,  October  6,  1865, 
and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Burk)  Garvey,  natives 
of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  in  18.55,  and  settled 
in  St.  Catherines,  Canada,  where  they  lived  about  six 
years,  when  they  came  to  the  States,  settling  at  War- 
ren, Pa.  Martin  was  reared  andetlucated  at  Warren. 
.After  leaving  school  he  went  to  Eldred,  Pa.,  and 
worked  on  a  farm  for  one  year,  when  the  went  to 
Cleveland,  where  he  worketl  about  two  years  in  a  brick- 
yard and  for  the  Standard  Oil  Company.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Warren  and  engaged  as  night  clerk  at  the 
Warren  Hotel,  where  he  remained  about  three  years 
and  a  half.  In  1885  he  came  to  Erie,  where  he  was  a 
bartender  at  the  New  Moore  House  for  six  years.  In 
1891  he  became  proprietor  of  the  White  Hotel,  where 
he  has  since  been  very  successful.  He  was  married 
.Sejjtember  5,  1891,  to  ^Iiss  Rosa  ISauman,  daughter  of 
John  Bauman,  of  Lock  Haven,  Pa.  Mr.  Garvey  is 
a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.  and  |>olitically  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

Joseph  Zaepfel,  proprietor  and  owner  of  the 
Germania  Hotel,  1319  Peach  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  horn 
in  Alsace,  Erance,  May  10, 1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Hannah  .Marie  (Zimmerman)  Zaepfel,  natives  of 
.Alsace.  Joseph  is  the  second  in  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren. He  was  reared  and  educated  in  France.  In  187'2 
emigrated  to  America  and  located  in  Buffalo.  Mr. 
Zaepfel  came  to  Erie  in  1876  and  worked  at  the  black- 
smith's trade  until  1881,  when  he  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business.  In  1889  he  purchased  his  present  projierty, 
where  he  has  since  conducted  a  successful  business. 
He  was  married  September  27,  1881,  to  Miss  Sophia, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Brenchner,  of  Erie.  They  are  mem- 
bers of  the  German  Lutheran  Church,  and  politically 
Mr.  Zaepfel  is  a  Republican. 

Frank  Link,  proprietor  of  the  Link  House,  Erie, 
is  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany,  and  was  born  Septem- 
ber 20,  1839.  He  is  a  son  of  .'Vlichael  and  .Agnes (Lud- 
wig)  Link,  also  natives  of  Germany.  The  family  emi- 
grated to  .America  in  1847  and  settled  in  New  York, 
where  they  remained  two  years,  when  they  came  to 
Erie.  Frank  was  reared  and  educated  in  Erie  county, 
and  when  a  young  man  worked  on  the  farm  two  years. 
After  serving  an  apprenticeship  at  harnessmaking  he 
followed  the  trade  until  the  beginning  of  the  war,  when 
he  enlisted  in  response  to  President  Lincoln's  first  call 
for  three  months' men.  At  the  expiration  of  his  time 
he  was  discharged  and  returned  to  Erie,  where  he 
took  up  his  trade,  which  he  followed  until  1865.  He 
then  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  which  he  has  since 
followed.  In  1888  he  purchased  his  present  hotel 
property,  in  connection  with  which  he  carries  on  a 
first-class  livery  business.  He  was  married  .September 
9,  1862,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Sylvester  Rinderle, 
of  Erie.  They  have  one  child,  Clara.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Link  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 


AND  EISTOBIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


749 


John  Helimati,  proprietor  of  the  Grand  Avenue 

Hotel,  601  West  Eisjhteenth  street,  P>ie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Genuanv,  August  18,  ls."i.j,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael 
and  Frances  (Brown)  Helhnan,  natives  of  Germany. 
He  was  educated  in  the  fatherland,  where  he  followed 
fanning;  until  ISbU,  when  he  came  to  America,  and 
settled  in  Erie,  Pa.  He  worked  in  a  brewery  for  three 
years;  then  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  engaged 
m  it  for  three  years.  In  1886  he  entered  the  re.staurant 
business,  continuing  it  for  five  years.  In  1891  he 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  which  occupied  his 
attention  for  two  years,  and  in  Wd'.i  he  was  one  of  the 
promoters  of  the  Glenwood  Paint  Company,  of  which 
he  is  still  a  stockholder.  In  August,  1894,  he  took 
charge  of  Brown's  Avenue  Hotel,  where  he  has  since 
carried  on  a  very  successful  hotel  business.  Mr. 
Hellman  was  married  April  27,  1882,  to  .Miss  Kate 
Zefferer,  of  Erie.  They  have  two  children,  Joseph 
and  William.  He  is  a  prominent  Democrat,  and  mem- 
ber of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church. 

William  F.  Weiblea,  proprietor  of  the  Martin 
House,  801  French  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of 
Wurtemburg,  Germany,  and  was  fiorn  December  15, 
1849.  He  is  a  son  of  Gottlieb  and  Rosanna  (Kern) 
Weiblen,  who  were  also  natives  of  Germany.  Will- 
iam is  the  elder  in  a  family  of  two  children."  The 
family  settled  on  a  farm  in  Erie  county  in  1852, 
coming  directly  from  Germany.  Here  William  was 
reared  and  received  a  common  school  education.  He 
remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  about  20  years  of 
age,  when  he  went  to  the  Pennsylvania  oil  regions, 
where  he  operated  about  three  years.  He  then 
returned  to  Erie  and  followed  engineering  until  1876, 
and  then  engaged  in  the  meat  trade  nine  years,  and 
later  engaged  as  representative  for  a  wholesale  meat 
comjiany  about  one  year.  He  next  went  into  the  fish 
business,  and,  in  1892,  engaged  in  the  hotel  business, 
to  which  he  has  since  devoted  his  attention.  He  was 
married  May  1,  1884,  to  Miss  Frances,  daughter  of 
John  and  Frances  (Crater)  Kinsley,  of  Erie.  They 
have  five  children:  Lottie  E.,  Florence  R.,  Louisa  F., 
Alma  C.  and  Walter  W.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  German  Lutheran  Church,  and  Mr.  Weiblen  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Politically  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

Stephen  Grabowsky,  projirietor  of  the  Grabow- 
sky  House,  1425  Parade  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of 
Germany,  born  December  23,  1853.  He  is  the  elder 
of  two  children  of  George  and  Pauline  Grabowsky, 
natives  of  Germany.  Stephen  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  land,  and  at  the  age  of  27  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Erie.  He  was  a  puddler  by 
tra<Ie,  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  various  places  until 
September,  1892,  when  he  jiurchaseil  his  ])resent  hotel 
property,  where  he  has  since  C(in<lucted  a  prosperous 
business  He  was  married  June  9,  1878,  to  Miss  Fran- 
ciska  Marchwinski,  of  Germany.  They  have  six 
children:  Leo,  Joseph,  John,  Mary,  Annie  and  Fran- 
ciska.  The  family  are  members  of  tlie  Polish  Catholic 
Church.     Politically  Mr.  Grabowsky   is  a  Democrat. 

John  Welsh,  proprietor  of  the  Presipie  Isle  Hotel, 
corner  of    Third  and  State  streets,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  liorn 
in  Ireland  forty-seven  years  ago.     He  is  a  son  of  Rich- 
ard  and  Mary  (Maher)  Welsh,  both   natives  of  Ire- 
48 


land.  The  father  died  in  Erie  in  1895,  and  the  mother 
in  1886.  The  family  emigrated  to  America  and  settled 
in  Erie  when  John  was  7  years  old.  They  reared  a 
family  of  seven  children,  hve  boys  and  two  girls,  two 
of  whom  are  now  living,  John  and  Richard;  both  re- 
side in  Erie.  John  was  reared  and  educated  in  Erie, 
and  vfnen  a  young  man,  learned  the  boilermaker's 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  several  years.  He  then 
was  employed  in  the  Anehor  Line  freight  department 
until  1881,  when  he  engaged  in  the  jiresent  business, 
where  he  has  since  carried  on  a  very  successful  hotel 
business.  He  was  united  in  marriage  March  30,  1869, 
to  Miss  Ellen  Brown,  a  native  of  Cork,  Ireland.  She 
was  born  February  2,  1850,  and  cameto  America  when 
16  years  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  thirteen 
children,  viz.:  Mary,  wife  of  Jacob  H.  Grove,  Erie, 
Pa.;  Nellie  (deceased);  two  died  in  infancy;  Richard, 
William,  Anna,  Ida,  Clara,  Florence,  Irene,  Isabella 
and  Veronica.  Mr.  Welsh  is  a  member  of  the 
CM.  B.  A.,  Branch  No.  9,  and  politically  stands  on  an 
independent  basis. 

John  H.  Carey,  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  Carey 
House,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  l)orn  August  20,  1845,  in  Kili- 
nier,  county  Galway,  Ireland.  His  parents,  James  and 
Bridget  (Kelly)  Carey,  were  also  natives  of  the  Emerald 
Isle.  They  emigrated  to  America  in  1849  and  settled 
in  Erie.  They  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  three  were  boys  and  five  were  girls.  After  re- 
ceiving a  common  school  education  Mr.  Carey  went  to 
sea  and  led  the  life  of  a  mariner  fourteen  years,  eight 
years  of  which  were  served  in  the  capacity  of  second 
mate.  The  vessels  on  which  he  served  were  engaged 
in  blockade  running  during  the  civil  war.  He  was 
employed  in  the  fitting  out  of  the  famous  Rebel 
privateer  "Alabama  "  at  Liverpool.  During  his  time 
at  sea  he  helped  to  save  four  crews,  three  on  the  At- 
lantic Ocean  and  one  on  the  Spanish  Main;  he  made 
fifty-four  tri|)S  across  the  Atlantic,  two  around  Cape 
Horn  and  one  around  Good  Hope.  In  1866  he  came 
to  Erie  and  engaged  in  the  .saloon  business,  which  he 
has  since  successfully  followed.  In  1872  he  purchased 
his  present  property,  where  he  conducts  a  first-class 
restaurant.  He  was  married  .'\ugust  30,  1871,  to  Mi,ss 
Mary,  daughter  of  Bartholomy  Crowley,  of  Erie.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  Democrat,  and  h.isservt'd  five  years  in 
the  city  council.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  Patrick's 
Catholic  Church. 

George  C.  Dunn,  projirietor  of  Dunn's  Cafe,  624 
State  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship, Erie  county.  Pa.,  November  11,  18;H9,  andisason 
of  George  and  Sarah  (Clark)  Dunn.  The  former  was 
born  in  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  25, 
1804;  he  was  educated  in  the  Erie  .Academy,  and 
worked  at  brickmaking  for  some  years,  when  he  mar- 
ried and  moved  to  Wesleyville,  Erie  county,  where  he 
followed  farming  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
was  the  eldest  child  of  Simeon  and  Martha  (Lewis) 
Dunn,  the  former  born  in  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  April 
24,  1782;  he  received  a  good,  common  school  educa- 
tion, and  when  15  years  of  age,  came  to  Crawford 
county,  in  1797,  where  he  married,  in  1802,  Miss  Mar- 
tha Lewis.  He  came  to  Erie  in  1807,  and  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  brick  for  more  than  twenty  years, 
followed  by  various  other  ventun-s.  He  w.is  an  honest, 
energetic  citizen,  and  h;id  a  host  of  admiring  friends. 
He    was    a    member  of    the   first   military  company 


75« 


IfELSON-S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


organized  in  Erie  (1806),  and  during  the  war  of  1812 
was  frequently  employed  by  Commodore  Perry  and 
General  Meade  as  courier.  He  was  a  son  of  Justus 
and  Experience  (Stelll  Dunn,  the  former  born  Febru- 
ary 15,  1741,  a  son  of  Justus  Dunn,  who  married  a  niece 
of  Sir  Francis  Drake,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Drake. 
George  C.  Dunn  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Mill  Creek  townshij)  and  the  Girard  Acad- 
emy, and  worked  on  the  home  farm  for  a  few  years. 
Then  he  and  his  brother,  John,  rented  a  farm,  which 
they  operated  for  two  years.  Mr.  Dunn  then  came  to 
Erie,  and  entered  the  gallery  of  O.  B.  Palmer,  to  learn 
photography,  remaining  two  years.  He  then  formed 
a  partnership  with  D.  M.  Chambers,  and  they  con- 
ducted a  gallery  on  North  Park  for  about  five  years. 
Mr.  Dunn  then  ojiened  a  gallery  in  the  same  iilace  he 
is  now  doing  business,  in  1^65,  and  conducted  it  four 
years,  when  he  closed  out  on  account  of  poor  health. 
A  few  months  later  hebuilta  large barnand  engaged  in 
the  livery  business,  on  Fifth  street,  between  State  and 
French.  After  two  years  he  sold  this  stable  and  pur- 
chased the  livery  business  from  his  brother  John,  on 
F'rench  street,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth,  operating  it 
for  two  years;  he  then  sold  a  half  interest  to  John 
Dunn,  the  partnershij)  continuing  for  two  years,  when 
he  sold  to  his  brother  and  w-ent  to  Bradford  to  engage 
in  the  oil  business  for  about  three  years.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Erie,  and  with  Perry  Chambers,  bought  out 
the  restaurant  business  on  French  street, between  Fifth 
and  Sixth,  owned  by  Michael  Mehl,  which  they  con- 
ducted for  two  years;  at  the  end  of  this  period,  he 
bought  out  his  partner.  Three  years  later  he  sold  and 
bought  his  present  business  from  Philip  Mueller,  on 
December  27,  1888,  where  he  has  since  conducted  a 
cafe  profitably  and  jjrosperously.  Mr.  Dunn  was  mar- 
ried, January  2,  1868,  to  Miss  Laura  J.,  daughter  of 
Stewart  Chambers,  of  Harbor  Creek  tow-nship.  Four 
children  were  horn  to  this  union:  Frank  C,  of  Camp- 
bell &  Dunn,  plumbers;  Lillian  E.,  Bessie  L.  and  C. 
Alice.  The  family  attend  the  M.  E.  Church.  Mr. 
Dunn  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  Elks, 
and  in  politics  is  a  Keputilican.  The  Dunn  Cafe  is 
operated  on  both  the  American  and  European  plans, 
and  caters  to  a  large  and  lucrative  trade  among  the 
best  people  of  Erie. 

Edgar  L.  Cushman.  proprietor  of  the  "Corner" 
restaurant,  801  State  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Eagleville,  Ashtabula  county,  O.,  March  28,  1852,  and 
is  a  son  of  Leander  and  Mary  (Birdsell)  Cushman,  na- 
tives of  New  York  State.  Edgar  is  second  in  a  fam- 
ily of  five  children,  tw'o  only  of  whom  are  living.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  Eagleville,  and  when 
yet  a  lad  took  a  position  as  brakeman  on  the  L.  S.  & 
M.  S.  R.  R.  \\hen  16  years  old  he  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  conductor,  and  for  the  last  six  years  of 
his  service  he  was  extra  passenger  conductor.  After 
eighteen  years  of  railroad  life  he  resigned  and  became 
a  professional  base  ball  player,  being  an  expert  left- 
handed  ])itcher.  He  pitched  for  Milwaukee  the  sea- 
son of  1884;  for  the  Metropolitans  of  New  York  in 
1885-6-7;  for  DesMoines,  U.,  in  1888;  for  Toledo,  O., 
in  1889-90;  for  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  1891-92,  and  with 
Erie,  Pa.,  in  1893.  Mr.  Cushman  was  one  of  the  few 
pitchers  who  had  absolute  control  of  the  ball,  coupled 
with  great  speed.  His  left-handed  curves  were  the 
pride  and  wonder  of  his  fellow-players,  and  the  worry 
and  downfall  of  his  opponents.     In  1894  Mr.  Cushman 


retired  from  the  base  ball  field  and  embarked  in  his 
present  business,  where  he  is  day  by  day  adding  to  the 
reputation  of  the  always  popular  "  Corner."  .Mr.  Cush- 
man was  married  November  18,  1885,  to  Miss  Emma, 
daughter  of  Christian  and  Elizabeth  Swalley,  of  Erie, 
Pa.,  whose  sketch  is  printed  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Railway  Conductors, 
the  Knights  Templar,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Elks. 
and  in  politics  is  a  liberal  Republican. 

Colonel  Adam  KHrtis,  proprietor  of  the  Office 
restaurant,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  this  city  October  2, 
1840,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Blennerl  Kur- 
tis,  natives  of  Germany.  In  his  father's  family 
there  were  seven  children:  Adam,  Jose|)h,  of  Spring- 
field, O.;  Harriett,  Mrs.  John  Englert,  of  Erie;  Mand- 
lena,  Mrs.  Fred  Wagner,  of  Erie;  Christina,  .Mrs. 
David  Smith,  of  Erie;  John  C,  who  has  been  train  dis- 
patcher in  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.  office  at  Erie  for  many 
years,  and  Eva,  Mrs.  Edward  Averil,  of  Erie.  .Mr. 
Adam  Kurtis  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
F2rie,  and  at  the  age  of  14  years  entered  the  employ  of 
Vincent,  Himrod  &  Co.,  to  learn  the  trade  of  molder, 
where  he  remained  three  years.  He  then  secured  a 
position  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  Shannon  Bros.,  where 
he  remained  after  the  business  had  changed  hands,  in 
all  about  three  years.  When  the  w-arof  the  Rebellion 
threatened  to  destroy  the  republic  Colonel  Kurtis  was 
among  the  first  to  go  to  the  rescue.  He  enlisted  in  1861 
in  Co.  B,  of  what  was  known  as  Colonel  McLane's  F>ie 
Regiment,  and  served  the  three  months'  service.  He 
then  returned  to  Erie  and  was  variously  employed  in 
clerking  and  working  at  his  trade.  In  1865  he  re-en- 
listed in  Co.  K,  98th  P.  \'.  I.,  and  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  entered  the 
grocery  store  of  Harvey  Thayer,  as  clerk,  and  later 
the  store  ot  P.  Minnig,  remaining  in  each  a  short  time. 
He  then  went  to  Corry,  Pa.,  where  he  took  charge  of  a 
large  concern,  which  included  a  large  general  store, 
and  restaurant  and  boarding-house,  for  Mr.  Charles 
Flick,  where  he  remained  two  years.  He  then  went  to 
Cambridge,  Pa.,  and  established  a  brick  manufactory 
upon  the  present  site  of  the  Cambridge  Springs.  He 
conducted  this  business  for  a  year,  furnishing  the  brick 
for  the  Atlantic  depot  at  Meadville,  Pa.  He  then  came 
to  Erie  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  on  Peach 
street,  between  Twelfth  and  Thirteenth  streets,  where 
he  remained  two  years,  and  then  removed  to  the  cor- 
ner of  Eleventh  and  Parade  streets.  He  later  built 
and  occupied  a  store  on  Parade,  between  Eleventh 
and  Twelfth  streets,  where  he  remained  until  1874, 
when  he  became  proprietor  of  the  Keystone  restaurant. 
Six  years  later  he  established  the  Office,  which  he  has 
made  one  of  Erie's  most  pojiular  resorts.  In  1871 
Colonel  Kurtis  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  17th  Reg.  of  Penn- 
sylvania militia,  and  from  that  time  on  he  took  a  very 
active  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  militia  of  the  .State. 
He  served  nearly  two  terms  as  captain  of  Co.  B,  and 
during  that  time  served  at  the  Centennial  in  1876  and 
the  Pittsburg  riot  in  1877.  His  promotion  was  rapid 
until  he  became  colonel  in  1879.  During  his  colonelcy 
his  regiment  took  part  in  the  inauguration  of  President 
Garfield  in  Washington,  D.  C.  While  in  command  of 
the  regiment  Colonel  Kurtis  established  the  reputation 
of  being  one  of  the  best  disciplinarians  in  the  State, 
which  was  fully  exemplified  by  his  regiment,  it  having 
been  chosen  and  called  out  by  the  governor  to  give  an 
exhibition  drill.     When  the  law  reducing  the  number 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


75  i 


of  regiments  of  militia  in  the  State  from  nine  to  five 
went  into  effect  in  188U  Colonel  Kurtis  was  mustered 
out  with  the  rest  of  his  command. 

Colonel  Kurtis  was  married  in  iyf!4  to  Miss  Kliza- 
heth,  daujrhter  of  Michal  Wiley,  of  McKean,  Pa. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  seven  children: 
George,  who  is  associated  with  his  father  in  business; 
Ida,  Mrs.  Edward  IJougherty,  of  Erie;  William,  also 
in  business  with  his  father;  Henrietta,  .\Irs.  William  J. 
Baker,  of  Cleveland;  Charles,  Luella  and  Fred.  The 
Colonel  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  K.  of  P.  and  the  Elks.  And  in  all  of  these,  as 
in  everything  else  with  which  he  has  ever  been  identi- 
fied, he  is  an  active  worker.  Politically,  the  Colonel  is 
not  i>le<lged  to  any  party;  he  believes  that  the  pros- 
perity of  the  country  should  never  be  sacrificed  for 
the  success  of  any  candidate  or  party. 

John  F.  Elber,  restaurant  projirietor,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  May  0, 18.')H,  and  is  a  son  of 
Frederick  and  Bertha  (Swartz)  Elber,  natives  of  Ger- 
many. His  parents  came  to  America  in  1850  and 
settled  in  Newark,  N.  J.  They  removed  to  Erie,  Pa., 
in  1858,  where  the  father  died  in  1874  and  the  mother 
in  1885.  John  was  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren. He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Erie,  and  after 
leaving  school  learned  the  printer's  trade,  which  he 
followed  three  years.  He  then  learned  the  machinist's 
trade  and  worked  at  it  ten  years.  In  1884  he  pur- 
chased the  profierty,  602  East  Eleventh  street,  and 
conducted  a  first-class  restaurant  until  April  2,  1895, 
when  he  disposed  of  it  and  purchased  the  restaurant 
at  the  southwest  corner  of  Ninth  and  State  streets. 
This  he  thoroughly  remodeled  and  refitted,  and  is 
now  conducting.  He  was  married  May  15,  1877,  to 
Miss  Louisa  M.,  daughter  of  George  and  Margaret 
(Peifer)  Kaille,  natives  of  Germany.  They  have 
seven  children:  Elenora  L.,  Henrietta  J.,  Francis  E., 
Frederick  M.,  Angela  (deceased),  Gertrude  B.  (de- 
ceased) and  Othmar  F.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Elber  is  a  member  of  the 
C.  M.  B.  A.,  St.  Benedict's  Society  and  the  Catholic 
Casino. 

James  Carney,  familiarly  known  as  "Colonel," 
projirietor  of  the  Alliance  Restaurant,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Dumannay,  Cork  county,  Ireland,  May  20, 
1844,  and  is  a  son  ot  John  and  Mary  (Dullea)  Carney. 
The  family  consisted  of  six  children:  Mary,  who 
came  to  Boston,  .Mass.,  in  18-50,  where  she  died  in  1872, 
leaving  three  sons  and  one  daughter;  John,  who  came 
to  America  in  1854,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  in  Erie;  James  and  Ellen,  Mrs.  Cornelius 
Casey,  of  Erie  (deceased),  who  came  to  Boston  in 
1856.  The  parents  and  James,  William  and  Margaret 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1867  and  located  in  Erie. 
Margaret,  who  married  Thomas  .Sullivan,  died  in 
February,  1892,  leaving  five  children.  Mr.  James 
Carney  received  his  education  in  his  native  land  and 
in  the  night  school  of  Prof.  Ferrier,  of  Erie,  which  he 
atteniled  two  seasons.  .Soon  after  coming  to  Erie  he 
secured  a  job  as  foreman  of  a  yard  gang  in  the  P.  &  E. 
car  shop,  where  he  remained  seven  years,  and  for 
seven  years  longer  a  helper  in  the  blacksmith's  depart- 
ment of  the  same  institution.  In  1881  he  opened  a 
restaurant  at  his  present  location,  and  after  being 
remodeled  several  times  it  is  now  one  of  the  finest 
places  in   the   city.      Mr.  Carney   is  unmarried   and 


makes  his  home  with  his  sister's  (Mrs.  Sullivan's) 
children,  for  whom  he  (irovides  a  comfortable  home, 
and  all  of  whom  he  is  giving  a  first-class  education  at 
his  own  expense.  Although  Mr.  Carney's  original 
capital  was  obtained  by  fourteen  years  of  hard  manual 
labor,  he  is  one  of  Erie's  most  generous  men.  He  is 
always  one  of  the  first  to  give  support  to  pulilic, 
charitable  or  religious  enterprises,  and  a  sup|)liant, 
whether  for  favors  or  alms,  seldom  leaves  him  empty- 
handed.  From  1867  to  1886  he  resided  at  936  East 
Tenth  street,  and  since  that  time  at  No.  9;:!9.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Erie  Fair  Association,  organized  in 
1895.  In  politics  Mr.  Carney  is  a  staunch  Democrat, 
and  has  rendered  much  valuable  service  to  the  party 
of  his  choice.  In  1885  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
city  council,  serving  four  terms  in  the  Common  liranch 
and  four  terms  in  the  Select,  and  was  president  of  the 
latter  in  1892,  During  his  term  of  office  he  assisted  in 
the  bringing  about  of  many  public  improvements 
which  were  highly  ajipreciated  by  his  constituents  and 
the  city  in  general.  In  1887  he  was  chosen  Chairman 
of  the  Democratic  County  Committee,  and  faithfully 
discharged  the  duties  of  that  position.  Mr.  Carney  is 
a  devoted  member  of  St.  Peter's  Cathedral,  of  which 
he  is  a  generous  supporter,  and  of  the  C.  M.  B.  .-X.  and 
Catholic  Legion.  He  is  also  an  honorary  member  of 
the  East  Erie  Turners  and  of  the  G.  H.  of  W.  B.  O. 

Matthias  Detzel,  restaurant  proprietor,  1306 
Parade  street,  P>ie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, July  25,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam  and 
Flavies  (l)udenhoefer)  Detzel,  natives  of  Germany. 
Matthias  is  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  seven  children. 
He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Germany,  and  at  the 
age  of  22  emigrated  to  America  and  located  in  Erie, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1865  he  engaged  in 
the  grocery  business,  which  he  continued  until  1882, 
when  he  became  interested  in  the  restaurant  business 
at  1806  Parade  street,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  a 
prosperous  business.  He  was  married  .'\pril  12,  18.57, 
to  Apoline,  daughter  of  Matthias  Detzel,  of  Bavaria.  To 
this  union  were  born  twelve  children:  .Mary,  Frank  J., 
Margaret  (deceased),  Lizzie  (deceased),  Eugene  (de- 
ceased), William,  Joseph,  John,  Carrie,  .Vdam,  Ida  an<l 
Peter.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  Mr.  Detzel  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  .\. 
He  was  chosen  supervisor  of  streets  in  1867;  served 
one  term  as  alderman,  and  was  the  first  street  super- 
intendent in  the  city  of  Erie.  Politically  Mr.  Detzel 
is  a  Democrat. 

Jacob  Sandusky,  projirietor  of  one  of  the  most 
po]uilar  and  well-known  restaurants  in  Erie,  located 
at  1.521  Holland  street,  was  born  in  Erie.  Pa.,  Febru- 
ary 11,  1841.  He  is  a  son  of  John  .Sandusky,  a  native 
of  Poland,  who  settled  in  Erie,  in  18.'{8.  John  Sandusky 
was  compelled  to  leave  his  native  country  to  avoid  ar- 
rest, on  account  of  having  taken  part  in  a  rebellion 
against  the  government.  He  went  to  tierniany,  ;ind 
served  awhile  in  the  German  army,  and  from  there 
emigrated  to  .America.  In  the  family  there  were  four 
children,  of  whom  Jacob  is  the  second.  He  was 
reared  in  the  city  of  Erie,  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  in  1851  began  life  for  himself  as  a  hotel 
clerk.  This  occupation  he  followed  about  six  years, 
then  he  clerked  in  a  grocery  store  for  .several  years, 
and  in  1861  entired  the  employ  of  Charles  Koehler, 
remaining  until  1864,  when  he  engaged  in  the  restau- 


75* 


UTELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONART 


rant  business  for  himself,  but  retired  at  the  end  of  two 
years  to  accept  an  ajipointment  on  the  pohce  force, 
where  he  served  for  seventeen  years.  During  his 
period  of  service,  Mr.  Sandusky  was  one  of  the  most 
fearless  and  efficient  ofticers  in  the  city.  In  1883  he 
engaged  in  his  present  business,  and  now  commands 
a  lirst-class  trade.  Ho  was  married  March  30, 1802,  to 
Miss  Sarah,  daughter  of  Pliilip  Dippo,  of  Erie.  They 
have  four  children:  Louis  C  (deceased),  John  C, Will- 
iam H.  and  .Maggie.  He  is  a  member  of  the  1.  O.  O. 
F.,  the  A.  O.  U.^V.,  and  the  15.  P.  O.  E.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Sandusky 
is  a  Republican. 

Frank  F.  Steiaer,  restaurant  proprietor,  corner 
of  State  and  Eighteenth  streets,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native 
of  Germany,  and  was  born  December  30,  1838.  He  is 
a  son  of  Daniel  and  .Margaret  (Otto)  Steiner,  also  na- 
tives of  Germany.  Frank  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of 
four  children.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  na- 
tive land.  In  18GI  he  came  to  America,  and  resided 
in  New  York  one  year,  when  he  came  to  Erie  county, 
where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  restaurant 
business.  He  was  married  in  1865  to  Miss  Georgia, 
daughter  of  George  and  .Margaret  (Baer)  Brown,  of 
Erie.  They  have  five  children:  Fred,  Emil  Ernest, 
Etta,  Frank  and  Minnie.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Steiner  is  a  member  of 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  politically  is  a  staunch  Repub- 
lican. 

Anton  Lichtinger,  restaurant  proprietor,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Eric,  Pa.,  September  26,  1851.  He  is 
a  son  of  the  late  Alois  and  Anna  (Kerber)  Lichtinger, 
natives  of  Bavaria,  who  came  to  the  United  .States  in 
1849,  taking  uj)  their  residence  in  Erie,  where  the 
elder  Lichtinger  engaged  in  business  as  a  mason.  He 
was  one  of  the  contractors  on  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie 
R.  R.  He  died  in  November,  1890;  his  wife  Decem- 
ber 31,  1891.  Anton  Lichtinger  was  educated  in  Erie, 
Pa.,  and  then  learned  the  trade  of  cooper.  He  worked 
alternately  at  farming  and  cooperage  until  his  21st 
year,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Philadelphia 
and  Erie  R.  R.  'In  1877  he  went  to  Foxburg,  Clarion 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  assisted  in  building  a  bridge 
over  the  Clarion  river.  He  then  went  to  Oil  City,  Pa., 
where  he  worked  for  two  years  at  cooperage.  Follow- 
ing this  he  was  a  dealer  in  sand  at  Bradford  Pa.,  from 
thence  going  to  Duke  Center,  Pa.,  where  he  was  a 
dealer  in  wood.  Returning  to  Erie,  he  was  from  1880 
to  1885  again  employed  by  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie 
R.  R.  In  April,  1885,  he  leased  a  restaurant,  which  he 
bought  in  1888,  subsequently  jjurchasing  the  property, 
601  East  Twenty-fifth  street.  Mr.  Lichtinger  was 
married  December  31,  1884,  to  Agnes,  daughter  of  the 
late  Charles  Garvin,  of  Reilly's,  Erie  county.  Pa.  She 
died  the  following  year.  He  married  a  second  time, 
February  1,  1887,  his  wife  being  Mary  N.,  daughter  of 
Lorenz  Weschler,  an  employe  of  the  Colby  Piano 
Company.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lichtinger  are  members  of 
St.  John's  Catholic  Church. 

Jacob  Kaltenbach,  restaurant  proprietor,  2605 
Peach  street.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  Pa.,  March  23, 
1849,  and  is  a  son  of  Ignatz  and  Catherine  (Witzen) 
Kaltenbach,  natives  of  Germany.  In  the  family  there 
were  eight  children,  of  whom  Barbara  and  Elizabeth 
were  the  eldest.    The  family  emigrated  to  America  in 


1844  and  settled  in  Erie,  where  Jacob  was  born  and 
educateil,  and  at  the  age  of  14  commenced  an  appren- 
ticeship at  harness-making,  which  trade  he  followed 
about  twi-nty-one  years  in  Erie.  In  1881  he  engaged 
in  his  present  business.  He  was  married  |une  27, 
187f),  to  Miss  Barbara,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Barbara 
(Gehrlein)  Schloss,  natives  of  Germany.  They  have 
six  children,  Rose,  Anna,  Frank,  George,  Charles  and 
Edward.  Politically  Mr.  Kaltenbach  is  a  Democrat, 
and  the  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  common  council,  re]>resent- 
ing  the  .Second  ward  two  years  and  the  Fifth  ward  one 
year,  and  has  now  been  the  representative  of  the  Fifth 
ward  in  the  select  council  for  seven  years. 

Peter  Waldermarson,  restaurant  proprietor,  1724 
Parade  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  July  25,  1836,  in 
Sweden.  He  is  a  son  of  Waldemar  and  Betty  (John- 
son) Waldermarson.  Peter  is  the  second  in  a  family 
of  eleven  children.  Mr.  Waldermarson  was  a  book- 
keeper by  occu[iation,  which  he  followed  in  his  native 
land  for  seven  years.  In  August,  1871,  he  emigrated 
to  America  and  settled  in  Chicago.  There  he  was 
foreman  in  a  tile  factory  for  eight  years,  when  he 
came  to  Erie  and  was  interested  in  the  tile  business 
until  1882,  when  he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  busmess 
at  his  present  place,  which  property  he  purchased  in 
1884.  Mr.  Waldermarson  is  an  unmarried  man,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  S.  tk  St.  J.  and  M.  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican. 

Martin  H.  Esser,  restaurant  proprietor,  414 
West  Eighth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  August  30, 
1861,  in  Erie.  He  is  a  son  of  Martin  H.  and  Catherine 
(Nunn)  Esser,  natives  of  Koln-on-the-Rhine,  Ger- 
many. They  emigrated  to  America,  and  settled  in 
Erie  about  1850,  and  reared  a  family  of  six  children: 
Chri-stian,  John,  Catherine  (now  Mrs.  Louis  Foreman, 
of  Erie),  Alary  (now  Mrs.  George  Guemnder,  of  Erie), 
Emil  and  .Martin  H.,  who  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Erie,  and  followed  clerking  in  hotels  and  barkeeping 
until  1894,  when  he  purchased  his  present  property, 
where  he  has  since  conducted  a  first-class  restaurant. 
He  was  married,  August  25,  1886,  to  Miss  Pollen, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Ruth  (.McBride)  Beatly,  of 
Erie.  To  this  union  have  been  born  two  children: 
Harold  L.  and  Naomi  Bell.  Mr.  E.sser  attends  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 

Charles  Spadacene,  restaurant  proprietor,  1518 
Walnut  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Italy,  and  was 
born  March  24,  1838.  He  is  a  son  of  Blosserand  Eliz- 
abeth (Angelotis)  Spadacene,  who  were  also  natives  of 
Italy.  Charles  is  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren. He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  land, 
and  at  the  age  of  19  came  to  America,  and  after  trav- 
eling in  various  parts  of  this  country  about  two  years, 
settled  in  Erie,  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of 
image  vendor  for  two  years.  Then  he  worked  at  the 
public  dock  for  three  years,  and  later  was  employed 
in  a  malt  house  and  brewery  until  1877,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  the  restaurant  business,  which  he  has  since 
successfully  followed.  He  was  married,  July  15,  1867, 
to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Philip  and  Magdalena 
(Sonner)  Hoffman,  of  Beachwood,  Pa.  To  this  union 
were  born  ten  children:  John,  Charles,  Lizzie,  Fred, 
Sylvester,  Kate,  Mary,  Paul,  Frank  and  Andrew.   Mr, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


753 


Spadacene  enlisted  in  the  navy  on  the  U.  S.  man-of- 
war,  "  U.  S.  Grant,"  in  1861,  and  participated  in  the 
engagements  at  Uecatur,  Gainesville  and  Barge's 
Bluff,  and  cruised  on  the  Tennessee,  Cumberland  and 
Mississippi  rivers,  and,  while  on  the  Tennessee  river, 
was  captured  by  Mosby's  Guerillas,  but  made  his  es- 
cape a  short  time  afterward.  In  the  spring  of  1865  he 
was  transferred  from  the  "  U.  S.  Grant "  to  the  "Hat- 
chel,"  and  was  honorably  discharged  by  general  or- 
der in  June,  1865,  at  Mound  City,  III. 

John  Driscoll,  restaurant  proprietor,  641  East 
Eighth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  county  Cork,  Ire- 
land, December  25,  1835,  and  is  a  son  of  Dennis  and 
Kate  (Connors;  Driscoll,  who  were  also  natives  of  Ire- 
land. John  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  seven  children. 
He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  land  in  1872, 
came  to  America  and  located  in  Erie,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming  and  laboring  until  1886,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  his  jiresent  business.  He  was  married  March 
20,  IS.W,  to  Miss  Johanna,  daughter  of  Patrick  and 
and  Kale  (Harrington)  Mackin.  To  this  union  were 
born  six  children:  Dennis,  Kate  (deceased),  .Michael, 
Timothy  (deceased),  Mary  (deceased)  and  Johanna. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr. 
Driscoll  is  a  Democrat. 

Edward  C  Blentter,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie 
county,  February  8,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  Anthony  and 
Lucinda  (Moore)  Blenner,  the  former  a  native  of  Erie 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  Edward 
was  reared  and  educated  in  McKean  and  Mill  Creek 
townships.  In  1882  the  family  moved  to  Erie,  where 
Edward  was  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  with  his 
father  until  December,  1894,  when  he  engaged  in  the 
restaurant  business  for  himself  at  601  Eleventh  street. 
He  was  married  in  1891  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  (Xellis)  Steimer,  natives  of  Germany. 
They  have  two  children.  Marguerite  and  Mabel.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Blenner  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  Politically  he 
is  a  Democrat. 

L.  C  Koehler,  restaurant  proprietor,  Erie,  Pa.,  is 
a  native  of  Erie.  He  was  born  March  11,  1849,  and  is 
a  son  of  Charles  and  Rosanna  (Xeff)  Koehler,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Holland  and  the  latter  of  Germany. 
Mr.  Koehler  is  the  third  in  a  family  of  six  children, 
was  reared  and  educated  in  the  city  of  Erie,  and  as  a 
young  man  engaged  in  the  brewing  business,  which  he 
followed  fifteen  years,  when  he  engaged  in  the  restau- 
rant business,  to  which  he  has  since  devoted  his  atten- 
tion. He  owns  the  block  which  is  occupied  by  his 
restaurant,  having  built  it  in  1893.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Barnard  Durfield  and 
Barbara  (Leingang)  Barnard,  the  former  a  native  of 
Holland  and  the  latter  of  Germany.  They  have  two 
children.  Rose  and  Ida.  Mr.  Koehler  is  a  popular  and 
pleasing  host.     Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

Gottlob  Reidel,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  one  of  Erie's  well- 
known  and  niDSt  popular  restaurant  keepers.  He  was 
born  in  Wurtemhurg,  Germany,  December  26,  1854, 
and  is  a  son  of  Gottlob  and  Caroline  (Metzger)  Reidel, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Germany.  In  the  family 
there  were  four  children,  of  whom  Gottlob  is  the  third. 
He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  land,  and, 
in  1871,  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  Philadel- 


phia, where  he  followed  butchering  until  1885,  when 
he  came  to  Erie  and  engaged  in  his  present  business. 
He  was  married  April  12, 1885,  to  Elizabeth  Kussmull, 
of  Erie.  They  have  four  children:  Kate,  Louisa, 
Peter  and  Carrie.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  .Mr.  Reidel  is  a  member  of  the 
K.  O.  T.  M.  and  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle. 

William  Zimmerly,  restaurant  proprietor,  102 
East  Twenty-first  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Girard, 
Pa.,  September  28,  1839.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Susan  (Moyer)  Zimmerly,  the  former  a  native  of 
Switzerland,  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  They 
reared  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  whom  William 
was  the  fifth.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Girard, 
followed  farming  and  brickmaking  until  1891,  when 
he  came  to  Erie  and  engaged  in  the  restaurant  busi- 
ness, where  he  has  since  been  eminently  successful. 
He  was  married  September  25, 1860,  to  Miss  Ernestine, 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Ernestine  (Hanth)  .Seachrist, 
natives  of  Baden,  Germany.  To  this  union  have  been 
ten  children:  Henry,  Samuel  (deceased),  Mary  (mar- 
ried to  Louis  Beck),  William,  Lulu  (married  John  C. 
Flath),  Ernie  (married  .'\ugust  Heckwith),  George, 
Hattie  and  James.  Politically  Mr.  Zimmerly  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  he  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 

John  Keller,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  was  born  in  Rheinpfaltz,  May  2,  1843.  He  is  a 
son  of  Heimich  and  Elizabeth  (Oxenreiden)  Keller, 
also  natives  of  Germany.  John  is  the  youngest  in  a 
family  of  six  children.  He  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Germany,  and  at  the  age  of  25  came  to  America, 
and  immediately  located  in  Erie,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  handling  of  meats  until  1887,  when  he  engaged 
in  the  restaurant  business  at  2514  Peach  street,  where 
he  has  since  conducted  a  very  successful  business. 
He  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Maria,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Pauline  (Hoffman)  Horn,  natives  of  Ger- 
many. They  have  five  children:  August,  Julia  (now 
Mrs.  Frank  Scheppner,  of  Erie),  Helena,  Ida  and 
Minnie.  He  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  and  the 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  Democrat. 

T.  Jeff  Miller,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie,  De- 
cember 12,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  T.  Jeff  and  Mary 
(Saulsbury)  Miller,  who  were  also  natives  of  Erie. 
They  reared  a  family  of  two  children:  Pauline  (de- 
ceased), and  T.Jeff,  who  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Erie,  and  when  a  young  man  was  appointed  on  the 
Erie  police  force,  where  he  served  about  eight  years. 
In  1892  he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business,  which 
he  continued  until  April,  1895.  Mr.  Miller  was  mar- 
ried June  14,  1879,  to  Miss  Lena  Gardner,  of  -St.  Cath- 
erines, Canada.  They  have  two  children:  Jeff  and 
Blanche.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  politically  is  an  enthusiastic  Repub- 
can. 

George  Seelinger,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Erie, 
and  was  born  September  10,  1861.  He  is  a  son  of  Jo- 
seph and  Kate  (Loesch)  Seelinger,  the  former  a  native 
of  Germany,  and  the  latter  of  New  York.  Joseph  Seel- 
inger was  one  of  Erie's  leading  contractors  and  build- 
ers for  several  years.  He  died  in  188.5.  George  is  the 
eldest  in  a  family  of  eight  chiklren.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Erie,  and  commenced  life  as  a  clerk 


754 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


in  a  dry  goods  store,  which  occupation  he  followed 
two  years,  when  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade, 
which  he  worked  at  for  ten  years,  and  at  the  death  of 
his  fatlier,  enL;ai;ed  in  contractinjj  anil  building  until 
18K9,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  Henry  Shenk, 
where  he  remained  until  \K>1.  He  then  engaged  in 
the  restaurant  Imsiness  at  '2228  State  street,  where  he 
has  since  enjoyed  an  extensive  patronage.  Mr.  Seel- 
inger  was  married.  May  T),  1891,  to  Miss  Helen,  daugh- 
ter of  Ferdinand  Herbert,  of  Erie.  They  have  one 
child,  Helen  Florence.  He  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M. 
B.  A.,  and  is  a  Catholic.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  at  jiresent  holds  the  office  of  assessor  of  the  Fifth 
ward. 

John  Fehretibach,  restaurant  proprietor,  767 
Eighteenth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Baden,  Germany, 
June  18,  1829,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Cresenta  (Schwab) 
Fehrenbach,  natives  of  (Germany.  In  the  family  were 
seven  children,  of  whom  John  was  second.  He  was 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  land;  engaged  in 
the  brewery  business  until  I8G2,  when  he  emigrated  to 
America,  locating  in  Canada,  where  he  remained  two 
years.  He  then  came  to  Erie  and  worked  in  a  brew- 
ery two  years.  In  18fi.5he  embarked  in  the  restaurant 
business,  which  he  has  since  successfully  followed. 
He  was  married  August  IS,  1862,  in  Ireland,  to  Mi.ss 
Mary,  daughter  of  James  McSorley,  of  Enniskillen, 
County  Fermaugh,  Ireland.  To  them  were  born  five 
children;  Leo  (deceased),  John  J.,  Mary  (deceased), 
Mary  T.  (deceased),  and  Edward  J.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Politically  Mr. 
Fehrenbach  is  a  Democrat. 

Jeremiah  McCarthy,  restaurant  proprietor, 
corner  cjf  Hcjlland  and  Front  streets,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  luly  IS,  1842,  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  and  is  a 
son  of  Florence  and  Marv  (Coughlan)  McCarthy,  na- 
tives of  Ireland.  He  is  hfth  son  in  a  family  of  seven 
children,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  Ireland.  In 
1868  he  came  to  America,  and  settled  in  Erie.  He  en- 
gaged in  the  restaurant  business,  in  1875,  which  he  has 
since  very  successfully  carried  on.  Mr.  McCarthy 
was  married  January  8,  1876,  to  Miss  Bridget  McCar- 
thy, daughter  of  Micliael  and  Catherine  (Sullivan) 
McCarthy,  natives  of  County  Cork,  Ireland.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Mc- 
Carthy has  been  assessor.  Politically  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat. 

John  StraHCh,  restaurant  proprietor,  2202  Peach 
street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Germany  June  7,  1845, 
and  is  a  son  of  Josejih  and  Josephine (Bolleg)Strauch, 
natives  of  Germany.  John  was  the  eldest  in  a  family 
of  eight  children,  and  when  he  was  9  years  old  the 
family  emigrated  to  America  and  located  in  Erie.  He 
was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  pumps  thirteen 
years,  working  for  A.  B.  Gmmison.  Next  he  went 
into  the  boot  and  shoe  trade  with  the  Erie  I5oot  and 
Shoe  Company,  remaining  six  years.  He  then  be- 
came interested  in  the  milk  business,  which  he  fol- 
lowed until  1885,  when  he  purchased  his  present  prop- 
erty and  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business.  He  was 
married  in  18(55  to  Miss  Catherine  Gamer,  of  Erie,  Pa. 
They  have  two  childri'U,  .Anna,  wife  of  George  Rin- 
dernecht,  and  Rose.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
tatholic  Church.     Mr.  Strauch  is  a  Democrat. 


Henry  Spetz,  restaurant  proprietor,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  November  28,  1859.  He  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Mary  (Kramer)  Spetz,  the  former  a 
native  of  Canada  and  the  latter  of  German  v.  They 
reared  a  family  of  hfteen  children,  of  whom  Henry 
was  the  fifth.  'I'he  family  settled  in  Erie  when  Henry 
was  a  child,  and  here  he  was  reared  and  educateil. 
He  followed  various  occupations,  such  as  farming, 
stone  quarrying  and  tending  bar,  until  April,  1894, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business,  which  he 
has  since  successfully  followed.  He  w'as  married 
May  10,  1885,  to  Miss  .Amelia,  daughter  of  Emanuel 
and  Laura  (Little)  Final,  natives  of  England.  To 
this  union  was  born  six  children;  Minnie  M.,  Clara 
A.,  Agnes  L.,  Louis  J.,  F'Imer  H.  and  Anna  M. 
(deceased).  The  family  are  members  of  St.  Mary's 
Church.     Mr.  Spetz  is  a'  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A. 

Peter  Lund,  restaurant  pro|)rietor,  \V.i2  Chestnut 
street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Denmark  January  18, 
1850,  and  is  a  son  of  George  P.  Lund.  He  is  the 
seventh  in  a  family  of  eleven  children,  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  land,  and  there  he  learned  the 
shoemaker's  trade.  In  1869  he  emigrated  to  America 
and  settled  in  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  where  he  learned 
cabinet-making,  w'hich  he  followed  in  Jamestown  four 
years.  In  1873  he  located  in  Erie  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Burdett  Organ  Company.  Here  he 
remained  nine  years,  when  he  engaged  in  his  present 
business,  and  has  since  conducted  a  first-class  restau- 
rant. He  was  united  in  marriage  October  27,  1882,  to 
Miss  Kate,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Givins) 
Sab,  of  Erie.  They  have  four  children,  Walter  E., 
James  L.,  Clarence  H.  and  Ralph  E.  The  family 
attend  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Lund  is  a  member 
of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  aud  the  K.  O.  T.  M.  Politically  he 
is  a  Republican. 

Peter  Schumacher,  restaurant  proprietor,  420 
West  Twelfth  stri'et,  Ilrie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Germany. 
He  was  born  February  6,  18.S8,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter 
and  Margaret  ( Klemm)  Schumacher,  also  natives  of 
Germany.  The  family  came  to  America  in  1848  and 
settled  in  Buffalo,  where  the  parents  both  died.  They 
reared  a  family  of  six  children,  of  whom  Peter  is  the 
fourth.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Buffalo, 
where  he  learned  the  moulder's  trade  and  worked  at  it 
in  Buffalo  until  1886.  Then  he  came  to  Erie  and  fol- 
lowed the  trade  until  1893,  when  he  engaged  in  his 
present  business.  He  was  married  in  18(j2  to  Miss 
Othillia  Theobald,  of  Buffalo.  They  have  eleven 
children;  Mary,  Peter,  Othillia,  Margaret.  George, 
Victor,  Richard,  Jacob,  Ella,  Lulu,  Albert  and  Edward 
(deceased).  The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church.     Politically  Mr.  Schumacher  is  a  Democrat. 

Charles  Erhart,  the  popular  restaurant  propri- 
etor, is  engaged  in  business  at  708  West  Eighteenth 
Erie,  ?'a.  He  was  born  in  Erie  November  9,  1837,  and 
is  a  son  of  Wolfgang  and  Sophia  (Shoemaker I  Erhart, 
the  former  a  native  of  Germany  and  the  latter  of 
France.  The  parents  emigrated  to  this  country  in 
1830  and  settled  in  Erie,  where  they  reared  a  family  of 
nine  children,  of  whom  Charles  is  the  fourth.  He  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  and  when  a  young 
man  learned  the  harnessmaker's  trade.  This  trade  he 
followed  until  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  12"2d  111. 
Reg.,  16th  army  corps,  1st  div.,  2d  brig.,  under  Captaiii 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


755 


Bostwick.  He  served  in  the  army  of  the  Cumberland 
and  participated  in  the  following  engagements: 
Harkies  Cross  Roads,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  the  battles  of 
Fort  Spanish  and  P'ort  Blakely.  He  served  faithfully 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  in  1865  was  mustered  out 
by  general  order  of  the  war  department  and  received 
his  honorable  discharge  at  Springfield,  111.  He  im- 
mediately returned  to  Erie  and  went  to  work  in  a  gro- 
cery store  with  his  father,  and  two  years  later  opened 
a  grocery  store  and  restaurant,  where  he  successfully 
continued  in  business  until  1878,  when  he  sold  out 
and  went  to  California.  After  spending  about  one  year 
on  the  Pacific  coast  he  returned  to  Erie  and  worked 
in  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  shops  until  1880,  when  he 
engaged  in  the  saloon  business,  where  he  has  success- 
fully continued  up  to  the  present  time.  In  1882  he 
built  his  present  pjlace.  Mr.  Erhart  was  married  Jan- 
uary 12,  18(i~,  to  Miss  Mary  Mosemann,  of  Erie.  She 
dejjarted  this  life  May  10, 1893,  leaving  seven  children: 
Edward.  Anthony,  Katie,  Josejih,  Mary,  Tillie  and 
Max.  On  .August  17,  189.i,  Mr.  Erhart  was  married  to 
Mrs.  Caroline  Meyer,  of  Erie.  Mr.  Erhart  is  a  repre- 
sentative citizen  and  politically  is  a  Democrat.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  he  is 
a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  U.  V.  L.  and  A.  O.  U.  W. 

John  P.  Thompson,  proprietor  of  the  Sailor's 
Home  Hotel,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  the  northern  part 
of  Sweden,  (58  degrees  north  latitude,  on  the  Bay  of 
Bothnia,  May  10,  1835,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Cath- 
erine (Jaderstrom)  Thompson,  natives  of  Sweden.  At 
9  he  adopted  his  father's  calling,  that  of  a  sailor,  and 
after  two  years  came  to  America,  engaging  with  the 
American  merchant  marine.  At  19  he  was  captain  of 
an  American  mail  packet,  sailing  the  Southern  waters. 
Two  years  later  he  came  iS'orth  and  entered  the  .Amer- 
ican merchant  marine  here,  where  he  remained  till  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  he  enlisted  as  gunner's 
mate  in  the  L'nited  States  navy  steamer  "  Penguin," 
June  19,  18(il,  and  at  the  end  of  a  year'  active  service 
was  honorably  discharged.  He  then  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate and  was  afterwards  promoted  to  sergeant  in  Co. 
E,  156th  N.  Y.  v.  I.,  but  in  seventeen  months  was 
transferred  to  the  United  States  steamer  "  Princeton," 
and  soon  promoted  to  the  position  of  master's  mate 
and  ordered  to  the  United  States  steamer  "  Laburnum," 
to  do  service  off  Charleston,  S.  C,  under  Admiral  Dahl- 
gren.  Here  he  was  appointed  ensign  and  ordered  to 
steamer  "  Catalfa,"  doing  picket  duty.  When  Charles- 
ton was  evacuated  he  secured  the  original  manuscript 
containing  the  constitution  of  the  confederal  y  and  de- 
livered it  to  Captain  N'oyes,  who  delivered  it  to  .Admiral 
Dahlgren.  Mr.  Thompson  subsequently  did  duty  on 
the  man-of-war  "  Calypso,"  and  on  .Admiral  Dahlgren's 
flag  ship  "  Philadelphia."  On  .Sejjtember  30,  1865,  he 
went  to  Washington  and  there  received  an  honorable 
discharge  as  ensign.  He  then  engaged  in  merchant 
service  on  salt  water  till  1866,  when  he  went  on  the 
lakes  for  several  years.  He  retired  from  this  in  1871, 
and  has  since  engaged  in  his  present  business.  He 
was  married  April,  18.52,  in  New  York  to  Anna  Yetter- 
berg  of  his  native  country,  who  departed  this  life  May 
15,  1865,  leaving  a  daughter,  Anna,  wife  of  Stephen  A. 
Thompson,  of  the  United  States  steamer  "  Richmond." 
They  have  a  son  and  daughter,  George  Peter  and 
Alice  Mary.  Mr.  Thompson  was  married  again  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1866,  to  Elizabeth  Warrener,  of  Derbyshire, 
England.    They  have  a  bright,  intelligent  family,  con- 


sisting of  three  children:  John  Harvey,  Mary  Eliza- 
beth (Lillie),  George  Thomas.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Thompson  belongs 
to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  (being  a  member  of  the  Encampment), 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  Select  Knights,  G.  A.  R.  and  of  many 
benevolent  associations. 

Valentine  Knochel  (deceased)  spent  a  life  of 
business  activity  in  the  city  of  Erie.  He  was  a  native 
of  Germany.  Mr.  Knochel  was  born  September  10, 
1828,  and  was  a  son  of  .Michael  and  Elizabeth  (Staudt) 
Knochel,  who  were  als<j  natives  of  Germany.  They 
reared  a  family  of  five  children,  of  whom  Valentine 
was  the  second.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Ger- 
many, where  he  early  learned  tailoring.  When  a 
young  man  he  emigrated  to  .America  and  settled  in 
Erie,  where  he  engaged  in  the  tailoring  business  for 
himself  and  carried  on  an  extensive  traile  for  several 
years.  In  1869  he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business, 
to  which  he  devoted  his  attention  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  February  11,  li^71.  Mr.  Knochel 
was  married  January  16,  18.54,  to  Mi.ss  Mary,  daughter 
of  Mark  Nellis,  one  of  Erie's  oldest  residents.  They 
have  eight  children:  Lizzie,  John,  Adam  (deceased), 
Lena,  Kate,  Wendell  and  George  (deceased).  Mrs. 
Knochel  assumed  control  of  the  business  at  the  death 
of  her  husband,  and  has  shown  herself  to  be  a  woman 
of  excellent  business  ability,  a  statement  borne  out  by 
the  appearance  of  her  handsome  and  up-to-date  res- 
taurant, situated  at  1214  Parade  street. 

Peter  C.  Grntublatt  (deceased),  Erie,  Pa.,was  born 
in  Belford,  France,  .'\i)ril  30,  1829.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  land,  where  he  remained 
until  18.54,  when  he  emigrated  to  America  and  settled 
in  Erie.  In  1863  he  opened  a  restaurant  on  .State, 
between  Eleventh  and  "Twelfth.  This  place  he  occu- 
pied three  years,  when  he  engaged  in  the  saloon  busi- 
ness at  1.58  East  Tenth  street.  Here  he  continued  in 
business  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
April  2,  1889.  He  was  married  May  1,  1862,  to  Miss 
Caroline,  daughter  of  John  and  Louisa  (Nobloch) 
Hirsch,  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  America  in 
1841  and  settled  in  Erie.  In  the  family  there  were 
five  children:  Edith  L.,  John  P.,  Celestin  J.,  Theobolt 
I.  and  Lena  J.  .Mr.  Grumblatt  was  a  worthy  citizen, 
and  a  staunch  Democrat.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church. 

Frank  Bloeser,  proprietor  of  restaurant,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  April  23, 1831.  He 
is  a  son  of  the  late  John  and  Mary  (Arshof)  Bloeser. 
Mrs.  Bloeser  died  in  1842,  and  ten  years  later  Mr. 
Bloeser  and  his  son,  Frank,  came  to  the  L'nited  States, 
joining  an  elder  son,  John  Bloeser,  jr..  who  was  then 
engaged  in  cabinet  making  in  New  York  city.  Frank 
learned  the  trade  of  cabinet  making  in  the  old  coun- 
try, and  pursued  it  in  New  York  city  until  the  death  of 
his  brother,  when  he  came  to  Erie,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  same  business  until  187.5.  Three  years  sub- 
sequent to  his  removal,  his  father  followed  him  to 
Erie,  where  he  died  in  1862.  In  1875  Frank  Bloeser 
opened  a  restaurant  on  West  Fourth  street,  which  he 
removed  to  Cascade  street  "for  a  short  time,  in  1879 
opening  at  his  present  location  at  Third  and  Cascade. 
He  was  married  January  1.  1854,  to  Louisa,  daughter 
of  Daniel  Stevens,  a  resident  of  Meadville,  Pa.  An 
adopted  child,  Mary,  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Quigley,  of 


756 


NELSON'S  BTOGRAPHTCAL  DICTIONARY 


Conneaut,  Ohio,  and  has  three  children:  Frank,  Carrie 
and  VVilliani.  Mr.  Bloeser  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a 
Harugari. 

Jacob  Heittiherger,  dealer  in  meat,  Erie,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Hershriuk,  Bavaria,  .May  30,  1843.  He  is 
a  son  of  the  late  .Andrew  and  Mary  (Xeu)  IleiinherK<r, 
natives  of  Bavaria,  where  they  resided  until  1H(W, 
when  they  came  tn  the  United  .States  and  located  in 
Erie.  Andrew  Heimherger  died  in  1894;  his  wife  sur- 
vives, and  resides  on  Cascade,  near  Fourth  street. 
His  son,  Jacob,  was  educated  at  the  parochial  schools 
of  his  native  village,  learned  the  trade  of  butcher, 
and,  in  18G0,  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  in 
Erie,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  butch- 
ering business.  In  1800  he  purchased  Henry  Herst's 
restaurant,  at  Fourth  and  Cascade  streets,  adjoining 
his  meat  store,  and  is  the  ]iresent  proprietor  of  both 
estalilishments.  He  has  been  twice  married;  in  1865 
to  Susan,  daughter  of  Peter  .Schuster,  a  native  of 
Bavaria.  .She  died  in  18H7,  leaving  no  children.  He 
was  married  in  1S70  to  .Mary,  daughter  of  the  late 
Joachim  Knobloch,  a  brewer  and  old  resident  of  Erie. 
Two  children  born  of  this  marriage  are  Elizabeth 
(wife  of  George  Wilkins,  a  moUier,  of  Erie)  and 
Charles  Heimberger,  who  is  associated  with  his  father 
in  business.  The  family  reside  at  Fourth  and  Cascade 
streets,  and  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church.  Mr.  Heimberger  is  a  member  of  the  Mac- 
cabees and  Harugaris. 

Albert  and  Bertiard  Veit,  proprietors  of  the 
restaurant  at  lo4  East  Eighteenth  street,  are  both 
natives  of  Erie.  Their  father,  Tobias  Veit,  was  a 
native  of  Xeupfoltz,  Bavaria,  where  he  was  born  De- 
cember 6,  1828.  He  worked  upon  his  father's  farm 
until  18.51,  when  he  came  to  the  United  .States,  locating 
in  Erie  in  October  of  that  year.  He  was  employed  as 
a  moulder  at  the  several  foundries  of  Erie  until  1888, 
when  he  purchased  Jacob  Kaltenbach's  restaurant, 
continued  to  run  it  until  May,  1894,  when  it  was  pur- 
chased by  his  sons,  Alfred  and  Bernard.  Tobias  \'eit 
was  married  in  November,  1851,  to  Anna  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Adam  Hoffman,  also  of  Xeupfoltz, 
Bavaria.  Five  children  of  this  marriage  survive: 
Albert  (unmarried),  Bernard  (who  married  Olga, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Achner,  and  has  one  child,  Marguerite 
Alma),  Maggie  (who  married  Peter  Leiss,  an  em]>loye 
of  the  Erie  Car  Works,  and  who  has  two  children, 
Edward  and  George),  Telga  (widow  of  the  late  Louis 
Knaf,  and  who  has  four  children.  Lulu,  Ella,  William, 
Mary)  and  Lena,  wife  of  Patrick  Foley,  a  Lake  Shore 
engineer,  who  has  one  child,  Mabel. 

Martin  Larabelu,  proprietor  of  the  Tenth  Avenue 
Restaurant,  Erie,  Pa.,  a  native  of  Saxony,  Germany, 
was  born  June  9,  1847.  He  is  a  son  of  .Slartin  and 
Magdalene  Lambein,  who  were  also  natives  of  Ger- 
many. He  received  his  early  education  in  his  native 
land,  and  in  1866  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Buf- 
falo, N.  y.  Here  he  remained  three  years,  when  he 
went  to  Corry,  Pa.,  where  he  resided  two  years.  In 
1871  became  to  Erie,  and  ten  years  later  engaged  in 
the  saloon  business,  which  he  has  since  successfully 
followed.  He  is  now  proprietor  of  the  Tenth  Avenue 
Restaurant,  which  is  modern  in  its  appointments  and 
he  controls  a  large  and  appreciative  patronage.  Mr. 
Lambein  was  married  in  1879  to  Miss  Amelia  Wed- 


dige,  a  native  of  Erie,  Pa.     Mr.  Lambein  is  a  member 
of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 

James  H.  Burns,  formerly  restaurant  proprietor, 
Erie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  County  Limerick,  Ireland,  and 
was  born  September  2.  1845.  His  parents,  Patrick  H. 
and  Mary  (.Sidley)  Burns  emigrated  to  America  in 
1850  and  settled  at  Painesville,  O.  They  had  nine 
children,  of  whom  James  H.  is  the  third.  He  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Painesville.  When  a  young 
man  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  E.  &  P.  R.  R. 
Company  in  the  cajiacity  of  fireman,  and  three  years 
later  was  promoted  tcj  engineer,  and  served  faithfully 
at  his  post  on  the  right  side  of  the  locomotive  cab  for 
twenty-tive  years,  when  he  engaged  in  the  restaurant 
business  in  Erie  until  1895,  when  he  dis])osed  of  the 
business.  He  was  married  in  1X76  to  Miss  Alice, 
daughter  of  M.  Donhm,  of  Erie.  They  have  six  chil- 
dren, Edward,  Frank,  Joseph,  Jane,  Maggie  and  Mary. 
They  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  polit- 
ically he  is  a  Democrat. 

Hartley  Oess,  proprietor  of  the  well-known  res- 
taurant situated  at  22U3  Peach  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Germany  August  22,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of 
Fedal  and  Susanna  Oess.  He  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  land  and  in  1882  emigrated  to 
America  and  settled  in  Erie,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Jackson  Koehler  and  remained  with  him 
until  1X91,  when  he  engaged  in  his  present  business. 
He  was  married  July  23,  1868,  to  Miss  Juddet  Steitle, 
of  Baden,  Germany.  They  have  four  children, 
namely:  Minnie,  Katie,  .August  and  .Albert.  Mr.  Oess 
is  politically  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

Theodore  Ohmer,  a  well-known  restaurant  pro- 
prietor of  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  June  22,  1843,  at  Herx- 
heini,  near  Landau,  I5avaria.  He  is  a  son  of  Frank  C. 
and  Franciska  (Schultz)  Ohmer,  also  natives  of  Ger- 
many. Mr.  Ohmer  is  the  youngest  in  a  family  of 
eight  children.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  land  and  at  the  age  of  20  came  to  America  and 
immediately  settled  in  Erie.  He  worked  at  the 
cooper's  trade  until  1891,  when  he  ])urchased  his  pres- 
ent property,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  a  success- 
ful business.  He  was  married  November  18,  1868,  to 
Miss  Apollonia,  daughter  of  John  .A.  and  Margarita 
(Finck)  Ohmer,  of  Germany.  They  have  nine  chil- 
dren; Louis,  Frank,  George,  Mary,  Joseph,  John, 
Caroline,  Josephine  and  Pauline.  Politically  Mr. 
Ohmer  is  a  Democrat.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church  and  reside  at  the  corner  of 
Twenty-eighth  and  Parade  streets. 

George  J.  Winter,  proprietor  of  the  old  estab- 
lished restaurant  situated  at  126  East  Eleventh  street, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  .August  16,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Theresa  (Krezerder)  Winter,  natives  of 
Germany.  They  came  to  America  in  1854  and  settled 
in  Erie,  where  the  father  worked  at  tanning  for  a 
short  time,  when  he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  busi- 
ness, which  he  followed  until  the  time  of  his  death. 
In  the  family  there  were  seven  children,  of  whom 
George  is  the  youngest.  He  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Erie,  where  he  followed  tlie  occupation  of  a  brass- 
worker  five  years,  then  at  the  death  of  his  father,  in 
1892,  he  succeeded  him  in  the  restaurant  business,  and 


^,  cJ\  i^yfA^^^^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUSTY. 


757 


has  since  been  very  successful.  He  was  married 
May  16,  1891,  to  Miss  Catherine,  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander and  \'iola  iBIakei  Moyer,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. To  this  union  were  l)orn  two  children,  Bertha 
and  Mabel.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  St.  lienedictus  Society,  the  Catholic 
Knights  of  America,  and  the  Erie  Catholic  Casino. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

Anton  J.  Kerner,  restaurant  proprietor, 404  West 
Eighlei-nth  street,  Erii-,  Pa.,  was  born  .\ugust  14, 1852, 
at  Erie.  He  i-  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Josephine  (Peffer) 
Kerner,  natives  of  CJermany,  who  came  to  America 
about  1S4.">,  .settling  in  Erie.  Anton  is  the  eldest  in  a 
family  of  eight  children.  He  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Erie,  began  life  on  the  farm,  and  subseiiuently 
worked  in  his  father's  brewery  until  he  was  28  years 
of  age.  He  then  worked  for  Fred  Ko(-hler  for  eleven 
years,  when  he  embarked  in  the  restaurant  business 
for  himself  at  his  present  location,  where  he  has  been 
very  successful.  He  was  married  November  11,  1879, 
to  Miss  .Mary,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Teresa  Goetz, 
natives  of  Germany.  To  this  union  were  born  six 
children;  Jacob  A.,  John  W.,  William,  Michael,  Kate 
and  Peter  A.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  Mr.  Kerner  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A., 
German  Frien<lship  and  E.  E.  T.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

Emil  Uhlmann,  restaurant  proprietor,  664  West 
Eighteenth  street,  was  born  in  Germany  August  14, 
1861,  ami  is  a  son  of  .August  and  Emilie  {Milleri  Uhl- 
mann, natives  of  Germany.  He  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Germany,  and  in  1880  came  to  America.  He 
settled  in  Erie  and  followed  his  trade,  that  of  tinsmith, 
until  1891,  when  he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business 
at  his  jiresent  location,  where  he  enjoys  an  extensive 
trade.  He  was  married  July  IP,  1883,  to  Miss  Mary 
Findeis,  of  Germany.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
six  children,  Martha,  Leopold,  Charles,  Fred,  William 
and  Lilli.  The  family  are  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Uhlmann  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  D.  O.  H.,  and  politically 
is  a  ReiHiblican. 

Patrick  Applebee,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Scot- 
land .March  31,  1850.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Alice  (McGrevyl  Applebee,  who  are  natives  of  Ire- 
land. Of  a  family  of  nine  children  he  is  the  fourth. 
He  was  reared  and  educate<i  in  Ireland,  and  at  the 
age  of  19  came  to  .America,  settled  in  Erie,  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Erie  City  Iron  Works,  where 
he  remained  one  year.  He  then  worked  in  the  Erie 
blast  furnace  four  years,  when  he  entered  the  United 
.States  navy  and  served  on  the  steamer  "  Michigan  " 
five  years,  and,  in  1881,  was  apjiointed  on  the  Erie 
police  force,  where  he  served  ten  years.  In  1891  he 
engaged  in  business  at  'A^'i  State  street,  where  he  has 
a  very  hand.some  restaurant.  He  was  nuirried  May 
29,  1869,  to  Miss  Margaret,  daughter  of  .Michael  Fah- 
ney,  a  native  of  Ireland.  They  have  five  children, 
Annie,  Alice,  Maggie,  William  and  John.  Mr.  Apple- 
bee and  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  he  is  also  a  meniber  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  Politically 
he  is  a  Democrat. 

C.  M.  Hughson,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Sacketts 
Harbor,  N.  Y.,  April  5,  1860,  and  is  a  son  of  Caleb  and 


Lois  (Toles)  Hughson,  the  former  a  native  of  England 
and  the  latter  of  New  York.  .Mr.  Hughson  is  the  fifth 
in  a  family  of  thirteen  children.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Sacketts  Harbor.  After  he  left  school  he 
ran  an  express  business  at  Sacketts  Harbor,  and  at 
the  same  tmte  engaged  in  the  livery  business  and  was 
United  States  mail  messenger  for  five  years.  He  then 
went  to  Boston  and  worked  on  the  Cambridge  R.  R. 
about  four  years,  when  he  came  to  Erie  and  was  a 
bartender  for  six  years.  In  1894  he  went  into  the  res- 
taurant business  at  No.  102  Sassafras  street,  which  he 
has  since  successfully  conducted.  Mr.  Hughson  was 
married  July  20,  1894,  to  .Miss  Jennie,  daughter  of 
Lsaac  and  Lizzie  (Wright)  Burns,  natives  of  Ireland. 
They  have  four  children,  viz.:  Raymond,  Norman, 
Ralph  and  Caleb  (deceased).  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  .Mr.  Hugh.son  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  politically  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

William  J.  Kelley,  restaurateur,  517  French  street, 
Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  November  5, 1868,  and  is  a 
son  of  James  and  Mary  (Mahoney)  Kelley,  the  former 
a  native  of  Ireland,  the  latter  of  Erie.  They  were  par- 
ents of  eleven  children,  of  whom  William  is  the 
eighth.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Erie,  and 
after  finishing  school  began  tending  bar  for  James 
Burns,  where  he  remained  two  years.  He  then  took 
charge  of  Massassauga  Point  Hotel  bar,  and  remained 
two  years.  In  June,  1893,  he  embarked  in  his  pre.sent 
business,  which  he  has  successfully  conducted  since. 
Mr.  Kelley  is  married.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church,  the  Catholic  Legion,  and  politically  is  a 
Democrat. 

Valentine  Wagner,  restaurant  proprietor,  327 
East  Tenth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Germany, 
December  31,  18^34.  He  was  the  son  of  Henrich  and 
Catherine  (Leingang)  Wagner,  natives  of  (Germany, 
and  was  third  in  a  family  of  nine  children.  Mr.  Wag- 
ner was  reared  and  educated  in  Gernumy,  came  to 
America  in  1853,  locating  in  Erie,  where  he  worked  in 
an  oilcloth  factory  until  1856.  He  then  went  to  Cal- 
ifornia, where  he  worked  twelve  years  as  a  gold  dig- 
ger. From  California  he  went  to  Montana,  where  for 
seven  months  he  slept  on  the  ground,  covered  with 
three  inches  of  snow,  part  of  the  time.  He  made  the 
trip  from  California  to  Montana  on  horseback,  and  the 
tri|)  took  54  days.  After  three  years'  experience  in 
the  Montana  gold  diggings  he  returned  to  Erie  and 
was  engaged  in  peddling  for  seven  years.  In  1879  he 
became  interested  in  the  restaurant  business  (succeed- 
ing his  brother,  George  Wagner,  who  died),  and  has 
since  been  in  that  business.  In  1883  he  built  his 
present  place,  where  he  has  been  very  successful.  He 
was  married  January  30,  1873,  to  Miss  Catherine, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Haberzetel  I  Peter, 
natives  of  Austria.  They  have  three  children.  Julia, 
George  and  Rose.  In  politics  Mr.  Wagner  isindejiend- 
ent.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  St.  Bcnedictus  Society.  In  1892  he 
made  a  trip  to  Germany  and  Austria  to  visit  relatives, 
remaining  there  three  months. 

Frank  Nagosky,  restaurant  proprietor,  418  East 
Twelfth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  a  native  of  Prussia,  was 
born  August  14, 1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Nagosky, 


rSS 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


also  a  native  of  Prussia.  Frank,  who  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  land,  in  1^85  emigrated  to 
America  and  settled  in  Erie,  wliere  he  entered  the 
emi)li)y  of  the  Jarecki  Manufacturm>;  Comjiany.  He 
remained  in  the  employ  of  that  institution  for  ft)ur  years, 
when  he  entered  the  employ  of  his  brother  as  a  wine 
clerk,  where  he  remained  five  years.  In  January,  1893, 
he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business  at  his  present 
stand,  where  he  has  been  remarkably  successful.  He 
was  married  May  17,  1892,  to  .Miss  Anna  Bospiaski,  of 
Erie.  One  child  has  been  born  to  this  union,  Dora. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Xagosky  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church  and  he  is  a  member  of  St.  Mary's  Society  and 
St.  Benedictus  Society. 

John  Sandusky,  proprietor  of  the  restaurant  at 
7(i0  East  'Iwelfth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie, 
March  3,  184;^,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Christina  (Ein- 
stead)  Sandusky,  natives  of  Poland  and  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, respectively.  The  family  came  to  America  in 
18138,  and  located  in  Erie,  where  Mr.  .Sandusky  worked 
as  laborer.  His  death  occurred  in  1854,  aged  66  years. 
Mrs.  Sandusky  departed  this  life  in  1884,  aged  83 
years.  To  this  couple  were  born  fivechildren:  Charles 
(deceased),  Minnie  (deceased),  wife  of  Philip  Liebel; 
Jacob,  John  and  William,  traveling  engineer  for  the 
Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  John  Sandusky  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie,  and  when 
11  years  of  age  began  the  battle  of  life  as  a  farm  hand 
in  Nlill  Creek  township,  working  on  the  farm  for  nine 
years.  He  then  followed  railroading  for  two  years,  as 
brakeman  and  fireman.  After  this  he  followed  con- 
tracting for  two  years.  He  then  worked  for  seven 
years  as  cranesman  on  a  dredge,  owned  and  operated 
by  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.  Com|)any,  after  which  he  was 
appointed  a  patrolman  on  the  Erie  police  force,  serv- 
ing for  sixteen  years,  for  the  last  two  years  as  rounds- 
man. In  the  spring  of  1891  he  opened  his  present 
place  of  business,  and  by  fair  dealing  and  close  at- 
tention to  business  he  now  enjoys  a  lucrative  patron- 
age. Mr.  Sandusky  was  united  in  marriage,  August 
1,  18R9,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  George  Crater,  of 
Erie,  and  to  them  have  been  born  six  children:  .Sarah, 
Mrs.  Max  Schenfield;  Minnie  (deceased),  Emma,  at 
home;  Nora  (deceased),  Charles  and  Edward.  Mr. 
Sandu.sky  is  one  of  the  popular  restaurateurs  of  Erie, 
conducting  a  strictly  first-class  house.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Workmen,  and  in  politics  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

Julius  Moske,  proprietor  of  the  restaurant,  502 
East  Eleventh  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Germany, 
February  2,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Anna 
(Garski)  Moske,  natives  of  Germany,  where  the  father, 
a  potter  by  trade,  died  in  1866,  aged  74  years.  His 
wife  departed  this  life  the  same  year,  aged  45  years. 
There  were  five  children  born  to  them:  Josejih,  a 
farmer  in  Germany;  John  (deceased),  Julius,  Rosa, 
wife  of  Michael  Holtz,  of  Erie,  Pa.,  and  August,  a 
shoemaker  in  Germany.  Julius  Moske  came  to 
America,  in  1872,  when  20  years  of  age.  He  had  re- 
ceived a  good  education  in  his  native  country,  and  lo- 
cating in  Erie,  found  employment  the  first  summer  in 
a  lumber  yard.  Following  this  he  worked  one  year 
as  section  hand  for  the  P.  S:  E.  R.  R.,  and  the  follow- 
ing s]iring  ht  hired  out  as  farm  hand  in  .Springfield 
township,  working  six  months.  He  then  entered  the 
employ  of  C.  M.  Conrad,  working  in  his  brewery  over 


sixteen  years,  and  for  the  last  nine  years  was  foreman 
of  that  establishment.  In  the  spring  of  1887  he 
o]iened  a  grocery  store  at  the  corner  of  Thirteenth  ami 
Wallace  streets,  which  was  managed  for  two  years  by 
his  wife,  he  still  holding  his  position  in  the  brewery. 
In  the  spring  of  1889  he  left  the  employ  of  Mr.  Con- 
rad, and  devoted  his  attention  to  the  grocery  business. 
In  the  spring  of  1895  he  sold  out  and  purchased  his 
present  restaurant  business  of  John  V .  Fibers.  Mr. 
Moske  was  married  May  29,  1879,  to  Miss  Salamea 
Maleske,  of  Erie,  Pa.,  a  native  of  Poland,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  ten  children:  John  (deceasedi,  Antonio, 
a  clerk  in  his  father's  grocery  store;  Martin  (decased), 
Rosa,  Anna,  Julius  (deceased),  Charles,  Mary,  Frank 
and  Joseph.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Moske  is  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Benedictus,  the  German  Friendship  .So- 
ciety, and  the  C.  M.  B.  .A.  He  owns  the  store  prop- 
erty, corner  of  Thirteenth  and  Wallace  streets,  ami 
also  three  houses,  Xos.  455  East  Thirteenth  street,  724 
East  Thirteenth,  anil  .'iM  East  Twelfth  street,  all  of 
them  ke[)t  for  renting.  Mr.  Moske  resides  in  the 
building,  where  he  does  business,  502  East  Eleventh 
street.  His  fair  dealing  and  genial  ways  making  him 
a  popular  and  successful  restaurateur. 

Michael  Keller,  proprietor  of  the  restaurant,  No. 
1515  Peach  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Germany, 
April  17,  18.59,  and  is  a  son  of  Anthony  and  Elizalieth 
(Kuhn)  Keller,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  former 
is  a  boatman  on  the  River  Rhine,  the  latter  died  in 
Germany.  To  them  were  born  five  children;  George, 
a  bricklayer  in  Erie;  Mary,  Michael,  Frances  and  Con- 
rad. Michael  and  his  brother,  George,  are  the  only 
members  of  the  family  who  came  to  America. 
Michael  received  a  common  school  education,  and 
learned  the  mason  trade  in  his  native  country,  and  in 
1880  came  to  America",  and  located  in  Erie,  Pa.,  where 
he  learned  brick-laying,  and  followed  that  trade  till 
1885,  when  he  began  contracting  brick  and  stone  work, 
and  has  done  .some  of  the  finest  work  in  Erie,  among 
which  we  mention  the  handsome  and  massive  stone 
residence  of  H.  F.  Watson,  Ma;nnerchor  Hall,  Penn- 
sylvania Boiler  Works,  Zuck's  Hardware  building, 
Shaw  Piano  Works,  and  many  other  equally  large 
contracts.  He  bought  his  present  restaurant  business 
from  T.  M.  Albersta<it,  the  latter  part  of  April,  1895, 
and,  although  new  to  the  business,  is  conducting  it  in 
a  practical  manner  that  will  insure  him  a  prosperous 
trade  in  his  section.  He  is  a  thorough  lousiness  man, 
and  possesses  the  energy  and  push  that  wins  success. 
Mr.  Keller  was  married  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of 
Anton  Kerner,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children: 
Michael  (deceased),  Anthony,  Louisa  and  George  (de- 
ceased). After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Mr.  Keller 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Magdalena,  daughter 
of  Christopher  Mehl,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born 
three  children:  Margaret,  Rose  and  Kate.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  German  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  the  German  Benevolent  So- 
ciety, of  which  he  is  [iresident;  the  South  Erie  Turn- 
ers, and  the  Erie  Ma?nnerchor.  In  politics  he  is  in- 
dependent. Mr.  Keller  resides  at  the  corner  of  Twen- 
ty-sixth and  Cochran  streets,  where  he  owns  two  fine 
houses. 

George  W.  Heisler,  projirietor  of  the  restaurant 
at  825  East  Eighteenth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 


AND  niSTORIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


759 


Philadelphia,  May  18,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Barbara  (Kramt-rl  Heislcr,  both  natives  of  Germany. 
John  Heisler,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  came  to  America 
about  18.")0,  and  located  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  fol- 
loweil  his  trade  for  a  long  time.  Later  he  moved  to 
Gowanda,  X.  V.,  where  he  died  March  17,  1892,  and 
where  his  widow  still  resides.  George  received  his 
early  education  in  Philadelphia,  and  went  to  Gowanda, 
N.  Y.,  with  his  parents  when  10  years  of  age;  here  he 
attended  school  for  three  years  and  then  went  to  work 
in  a  machine  shop,  and  after  com]>leting  the  trade 
three  years  later,  he  went  to  Buffalo,  where  he  worked 
three  months;  then  to  Springfield,  X.  Y.,  for  si.t 
months,  after  which  he  worked  in  Gowanda  for  a  short 
time,  going  from  there  to  Titusville,  Pa.,  where  he 
worked  for  two  years.  From  here  he  went  to  Pitts- 
burg, and  in  March,  1879,  came  to  Erie  and  worked 
for  the  .Stearnes  Manufacturing  Company.  A  few 
weeks  later  he  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Elkhart,  Ind., 
and  Buffalo,  X.  Y.,  working  a  short  time  in  each 
place,  and  from  Buffalo  he  came  back  to  Erie  to  work 
for  the  .Stearnes  Company,  remaining  five  months. 
He  then  went  to  Rochester,  X.  Y.,  where  he  worked 
three  years,  and  again  returned  to  Erie,  re-engaging 
with  the  Stearnes  Company,  where  he  remained  until 
May,  1895,  when  he  fjought  his  present  business  from 
C.  Rabe,  sr.  He  was  elected  to  the  common  council 
from  the  Fifth  ward  in  February,  1895.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  K.  of  P.,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 
Mr.  Heisler  was  married  October  27,  1881,  to  Miss 
Sarah,  daughter  of  (ieorge  Lauer,  of  Rochester  X.  Y., 
and  to  them  have  been  born  four  sons;  John  G.,  Fred 
L.,  Harry  W.  and  Garl.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  German  Lutheran  Church. 


Edward  T.  Runser,  proprietor  of  the  Exchange 
restaurant,  1514  Peach  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  ham  in 
this  city  March  IIS,  18(54,  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Kath- 
erine  (Alberstadt)  Runser,  the  former  a  native  of  Erie 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  Hesse-Darm- 
stadt, Germany.  The  former  is  flagman  at  the  cross- 
ing at  Xineteenth  and  Plum  streets  for  the  X.  Y.,  C. 
&  St.  L.  R.  R.  The  latter  died  July  3,  1886,  aged  50 
years.  To  this  union  were  born  nine  children:  Fred- 
erick (deceased);  Charles,  a  foreman  for  the  Ridgeway 
Manufacturing Companv, at  Ridgeway,  Pa.;  Katherine, 
Mrs.  M.  Ueitich,  of  Ea.st'Mill  Creek;  Barbara,  Mrs.  Ed- 
ward Ikiseck,  of  Erie;  Edward  T.,  Frank  .\.,  emjiloyed 
by  the  Lovell  Manufacturing  Company;  Helena,  Mrs. 
P.  Cummin  (deceased);  Amelia  and  Julia,  both  at  home 
with  the  father,  residence  .Sixteenth  and  Walnut  streets. 
Edward  T.  Runser  received  his  education  in  the 
parochial  school  of  South  Erie,  and  when  13  years  of 
age  began  work  in  the  mounting  shoijs  for  the  Chicago 
and  Erie  Stove  Company,  and  worked  up  to  foreman 
of  the  pattern  shojis.  He  resigned  his  position  to  lie- 
come  city  agent  for  T.  .S.  Alberstadt,  wholesale  liquor 
dealer,  a  position  he  held  till  May,  1W)5.  He  pur- 
chased his  present  business  from  Thomas  Rossi,  who 
had  conducted  it  since  1878,  the  transfer  being  made 
June  10,  1895.  Mr.  Runser  was  married  .Ajiril  2(3,  18>^7, 
to  Miss  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  William  Boettger,  of 
Niagara  Falls,  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren: Elizabeth,  born  May  20,  1888;  Edward  J.,  born 
August  1,  1890,  and  Marie,' born  September  15,1893. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Runser  are  members  of  St.  Michael's 
German  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Runser  is  a  member  of 
St.  Joseph's  Branch,  No.  9,  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  of  which 


he  is  past  chancellor.  He  is  lieutenant  colonel  of 
Batallion  Xo.  1  of  northwestern  Pennsylvania  of  the 
Knights  of  St.  John,  financial  secretary  of  Commandery 
Xo.  222,  K.  of  St.  J.,  and  a  member  of  St.  Alphonsus 
Relief  Society,  also  of  the  Sixth  Ward  Sibley  Demo- 
cratic Club,  of  which  he  was  cajitain.  In  politics  Mr. 
Runser  is  an  Indei)en<lent  Democrat. 

John  Spetr,  proprietor  of  the  restaurant  at  903 
East  avenue,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Waterloo,  Canada, 
June  11,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of  Theobald  and  .Marian 
(Hahner)  Spetz,  natives  of  Germany.  John  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  his  birthplace,  and 
when  14  years  of  age  went  to  work  as  a  farm  hand, 
following  the  same  for  seven  years.  He  then  worked 
a  rented  farm  for  four  years,  and  following  this  he  con- 
ducted a  hotel  for  seven  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  18f>4 
he  came  to  the  L'nited  States  and  located  in  Erie. 
Purchasing  teams  he  followed  teaming  for  some  time, 
and  later  managed  a  threshing  machine.  Becoming 
interested  in  a  stone  quarry  he  handled  it  in  connection 
with  farming  ojierations.  In  the  s])ring  of  1891  he 
o])ened  a  grocery  store  at  901  East  avenue,  and  in 
.April,  1895,  he  was  granted  a  restaurant  license  at  9(J3 
East  avenue.  Mr.  .Sjjetz  was  married  September  2(), 
1853,  to  Miss  Mary  Kramer,  of  Canada,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  fifteen  children:  Magdelena,  Mrs. 
John  Kuhn,  of  Erie;  John,  jr.,  (proprietor  of  the  gro- 
cery, 901  East  avenue;  Marian,  Mrs.  John  T.  Sullivan, 
of  Portland,  Ore.;  Columbus,  proprietor  of  the  meat 
market,  corner  of  Xinth  and  East  avenue;  Henry, 
whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume;  Min- 
nie, a  Sister  of  St.  Benedict;  Katharine,  George  (de- 
ceased), Nicholas  (deceased),  Margaret,  at  home; 
Philip,  bartender  for  his  father;  Jacob  (deceased),  Jo- 
sephine (deceased),  Frank  (deceased)  and  August  (de- 
ceased). The  family  are  members  of  St.  Mary's  Ger- 
man Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Spetz  is  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  St.  George;  in  politics  he  is  independent. 

Conrad  Darling,  proprietor  of  the  restaurant.  No. 
260  East  Eleventh  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Erie  De- 
cember 21,  1861,  is  a  son  of  Conrad  and  Odilia  Dar- 
ling. He  received  his  education  in  the  East  Tenth 
street  Catholic  school,  and  when  14  years  of  age  found 
employment  in  the  brass  department  of  the  Jarecki 
Manufacturing  Company,  where  he  worked  till  1883. 
when  he  was  engaged  by  the  Buffalo  base  l)all  team 
as  catcher,  and  played  with  them  until  hurt,  in  July  of 
that  year.  In  1884  he  caught  for  the  Franklin  Pa., 
team;  in  1885  for  Syracuse,  X.  Y.;  in  1886  for  Toronto, 
Canada;  in  1887-88-89  for  Chicago,  and  in  1890  for  the 
Chicago  Brotherhood  team;  in  1891  for  Minneapolis, 
and  iti  1892  for  Toledo,  which  was  his  last  ball  [ilay- 
ing.  This  gentleman  was  one  of  the  most  successful 
catchers  of  his  day.  He  bought  his  present  restaurant 
business  from  W'.  P.  ]?rown  in  May,  1895,  and  liaving 
a  host  of  friends  and  always  ready  to  entertain  them 
with  the  best  the  market  affords,  he  has  assurance  of 
a  lucrative  business.  Mr.  Darling  was  married  Jan- 
uary 7,  1892,  to  Anna  Krum,  of  l->ie.  They  have  one 
son,  John  Conrad,  born  Feliruary  28,  1894.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Darling  are  members  of  St.  Mary's  German 
Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  East  Erie 
Turners,  and  in  politics  is  independent. 

John  F.  Grant,  proprietor  of  the  restaurant  1301 
German  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  born  in  Erie  March  26,  1858, 


760 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTION  ART 


is  a  son  of  Edward  and  Catherine  (Neil)  Grant,  na- 
tives of  County  Wicklow,  Ireland.  He  came  to 
America  about  184.5  and  located  in  Krie,  where  he  was 
employed  until  his  death,  December  3,  1893,  aged  fiS 
years.  His  wife  died  in  XWh,  aged  56  years.  To  this 
union  were  born  three  children:  Mary,  James  and 
John  F.,  the  latter  being  the  only  one  living.  He  re- 
ceived a  good  education  in  No.  2  school,  Erie,  and 
when  17  years  old  went  to  work  in  the  foundry  for  the 
Jarecki  Company,  where  he  learned  the  moulding 
trade,  and  found  occupation  for  15  years.  He  then 
went  successively  to  Springfield,  O.,  Cleveland,  O., 
Marion,  Ind.,  Decatur,  Ala.,  and  to  Chattanooga, 
Tenn.  He  followed  his  trade  in  each  of  these  cities, 
and  in  18i(l  returned  to  Erie  and  found  employment 
again  with  the  Jarecki  Manufacturing  Company,  re- 
maining until  February,  1895,  when  he  purchased  his 
present  business  from  \'alentine  Wagner,  May  14, 
1895.  Mr.  Grant  was  united  in  marriage  December 
22,  1894.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  and  Baptist  Churches,  respectively.  Mr. 
Grant  is  a  thorough  business  man  and  his  restaurant 
is  managed  on  business  principles. 

John  Crotty,  proprietor  of  the  restaurant  at  332 
West  Eighteenth  street,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie 
county  January  27,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Kate  (Downs)  Crotty,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to 
America  in  1845  and  settled  in  Erie  county.  In  1872 
he  commenced  life,  working  in  the  Burdett  Organ 
factory,  where  he  remained  nine  years.  He  then 
worked  in  the  W.  L.  .Scott  rolling  mills  for  four  years. 
In  1885  he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business,  which 
he  has  since  carried  on  with  considerable  success. 
Mr.  Crotty  was  married  July  6,  1893,  to  Miss  Minnie, 
daughter  of  George  P.  and  Catherine  (Coon)  Schwab, 
the  former  a  native  of  Germany  and  the  latter  of  Erie 
county.  To  this  union  were  born  two  children,  Lillian 
and  Aurelia  M.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Maccabees. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

John  Deitz,  proprietor  ot  the  Farmer's  Home, 
826  Parade  street,  Krie,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Germany. 
He  was  born  January  29,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Julia  (Hoerner)  Deitz,  who  were  also  natives  of 
Germany.  In  the  family  there  were  seven  children, 
five  boys  and  two  girls.  John  was  reared  and  educated 
in  his  native  land,  an(I  in  June,  1881,  emigrated  to 
America  and  imiiiediately  settled  in  Erie.  He  worked 
about  the  city  for  some  tune,  having  been  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Jackson  Koehler  most  of  the  time  up  to  1891, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  saloon  business  at  the  corner 
of  Eighth  and  Ash  streets.  This  he  continued  one 
year,  and  in  1892  opened  his  present  hotel  on  Parade 
street.  He  was  married  January  26,  1889,  to  Miss 
Bertha,  daughter  of  Gustav  Hoffman,  of  Erie.  Mr. 
Dietz  is  a  very  popular  and  enterprising  landlord.  He 
is  always  up  to  date  in  liusiness,  and  the  excellence  of 
his  house  is  fully  recognized  and  appreciated  by  the 
public.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the 
Odd  Fellow  Encampment  and  politically  is  a  Repub- 
lican. The  family  are  members  of  the  German  Lu- 
theran Church. 

Daniel  W.  Hatch,  farmer.  Hatch  Hollow,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Hatch  Hollow  on  the  farm  he 
now  owns  March  20,  1841,  and  is  the  third  in  a  family 


of  twelve  children  of  Jason  C.  and  Elizabeth  (King) 
Hatch,  natives  of  New  York  State.  Mr.  Hatch  is  a 
grandson  of  Roswell  Hatch,  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812,  a  prominent  citizen  and  founder  of  the 
Methodist  Ei)iscopal  Church  at  Hatch  Hollow,  where 
he  passed  his  life.  Daniel  is  a  sun  of  Jason  C.  Hatch, 
who  was  born  in  Herkimer  county.  New  York,  in  1808 
and  married  .Mary  A.  King.  She  died  in  1838  and  he 
afterwards  married  her  younger  sister,  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Levi  King,  born  in  Vermont  in  1784,  who, 
with  his  father,  Adinijah,  born  in  1757,  settled  in  Wat- 
erforii  township  in  1815.  Adinijah,  familiarly  known 
as  the  "  Yankee  king,"  died  in  Waterford.  To  Jason 
C.  were  born  fifteen  children,  ten  surviving;  lulwin, 
Daniel  \V.,  George,  Arvilla,  Julia,  Scott,  Elwin,  Wil- 
son,  Eugene  and  Fred.  Daniel  W.  and  George  and 
Cyrus  served  in  the  late  war;  the  latter  was  killed  in 
the  first  battle  of  Fredericksburg.  Jason  was  e.\ten- 
sively  engaged  in  farming,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  in  1865,  owned  over  600  acres  of  land.  Daniel 
W.  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  l:)irthiilace  and  followed  farming  until  Se|itember 
16,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,'8:!d  P.  \\  1.,  under 
command  of  Capt.  Thomas  M.  Austin,  of  Erie,  Pa.  He 
was  sent  immediately  to  the  seat  of  war  and  partici- 
pated in  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  battles  of  Hanover 
Court  House,  Gaines  Mills,  Malvern  Hill  and  second 
Bull  Run.  At  the  latter  place  he  was  severely  wounded 
by  a  minie  ball,  which  pierced  his  head  near  the  right 
temple,  on  a  line  with  his  right  eye,  and  lodged  under 
his  left  eye,  shattering  the  cheek  bone.  The  wound 
came  so  near  being  fatal  that  his  reason  almost  for- 
sook him,  yet  he  knew  his  great  danger,  crawled  from 
the  battle-field  and  was  picked  up  by  a  man  who  was 
drawing  ammunition  from  Centerville  to  the  battle- 
field. When  he  arrived  at  Centerville,  a  small  place 
several  miles  from  the  battle-field,  Mr.  Hatch  got  out, 
it  being  about  dusk,  and,  although  very  weak  from  the 
loss  of  blood,  managed  to  crawl  into  an  empty  house, 
where  he  slept,  or  at  least  was  unconscious  until  morn- 
ing; when  he  awoke  he  found  that  while  he  slei)t  the 
house  had  been  filled  with  soldiers,  some  dead  and 
others  severely  wounded.  After  dressing  his  wound 
as  best  he  could  at  abrook  nearby,  and  drinking  some 
coffee  which  was  being  distributed  and  a  little  brandy 
a  kind  stranger  offered,  he  started  for  Washington,  a 
distance  of  thirty  miles,  but  about  four  miles  out  he 
became  unconscious  and  remained  in  that  condi- 
tion some  hours;  when  he  returned  to  consciousness 
an  ambulance  relief  corps  was  passing,  and  he  was 
placed  in  one  of  the  cots  made  vacant  by  a  soldier  who 
liad  died  from  his  wounds.  After  three  days  tedious 
march  the  corps  reached  Washington,  and  Mr.  Hatch 
was  taken  to  the  Union  HoS|)ital  at  Georgetown,  re- 
maining there  two  months,  when  he  was  transferred 
to  the  general  hospital  at  Newark,  N.  J.  He  was 
under  treatment  for  about  one  year,  carrying  the  bul- 
let for  eight  months  before  it  was  removed.  On  leav- 
ing the  hospital  he  was  transferred  to  the  \'eteran  Re- 
serve corps,  and  did  service  there  until  September  24, 
1864,  when  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service,  and 
thus  he  closed  a  highly  honorabe  career  as  a  jjrivate 
of  that  noble  army  of  citizen  soldiers  to  which  we  as  a 
nation  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  that  must  remain  a 
debt  to  all  posterity,  for  no  material  rewards  can  ever 
repay  courageous  self-sacrifice,  and  even  the  roll  of 
honor  contains  but  a  scant  list  of  those  who  earned  the 
right  to  a  place  there.     Mr.  Hatch  returned  to  the  old 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


761 


homestead  immediately  after  being  discharged,  and 
took  charge  of  the  farm.  His  father  dying  soon  after 
his  return  home.  Mr.  Hatch  in  1865  bought  out  the 
heirs  and  succeeded  to  the  old  homestead,  which  con- 
sists of  2U0  acres  of  well-cultivated  land,  which  is  used 
for  dairying  anil  stoclv  purposes.  Mr.  Hatch  was 
united  in  marriage  January  1,  18l)(i,  to  Miss  Cldoe  A., 
daughter  of  N.  Versal  and  Abigail  (Parker)  Hatch,  of 
Allen  county,  Indiana.  .Six  children  have  lieen  born 
to  this  union,  namely;  Theresa  .M.,  now  wife  of  Harry 
G.  Lockwood;  Arthur  C,  of  Lewiston,  Mont.;  Samuel 
B.,  Jason  V.,  Ruth  and  Florence  M.  Mr.  Hatch  is  a 
staunch  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  .Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Mr.  Hatch  is  one  of  Erie  county's  most  sub- 
stantial citizens,  and  the  family,  which  consists  of  a 
household  of  interesting  children  and  an  amiable  wife, 
makes  this  home  one  of  the  pleasantest  in  the  land. 

Charles  G.  Barnes,  farmer,  Juva,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  was  l)orn  SeiJtember  13,  1822,  and  is  a  son  of  Levi 
and  Susan  (Carpon)  liarnes,  tlie  former  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  and  the  latter  of  \'ermont.  He  is  the 
second  in  a  family  of  nine  children,  and  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Union  townshiji.  After  leaving  school, 
January  20,  184.5,  he  married  Laura  Ann  .Moses,  by 
whom  he  had  nine  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing. He  worked  at  farming  and  carpenter  work  until 
18.V2,  when  he  went  to  Conneaut,  O.,  where  he  re- 
mained three  years,  and  in  1856,  came  back  to  Union 
township.  In  1860,  he  went  to  Titusville,  Pa.,  where 
he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  and  joiner's  trade  for  fif- 
teen years.  November  9,  1878,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Sarah  J.,  daughter  of  James  and  Florette 
(Pringal)  Marcy,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  latter  of  New  York.  They  have  one  child, 
Levi.  Mrs.  Barnes  was  first  married,  September  10, 
1855,  to  Elijah  Foster.  Two  children  were  born  to 
this  union:  Emma  (deceased)  and  Ella,  now  Mrs.  Les- 
lie Barnes,  of  Hutchinson,  Kas.  Mr.  P'oster  was  killed 
near  Erie,  in  1865,  about  the  time  he  returned  from  the 
war,  having  served  three  years.  .She  was  remarried, 
February  lit,  1869,  to  Charles  Capron.  To  them  were 
born  four  children:  Amy,  Mrs.  John  Brown;  Leonard 
A.,  Abner  P.  and  Ina  A.  Mr.  Capron  died  in  1874. 
Mr.  Barnes  is  a  member  of  the  Free  Will  Baptist 
Church,  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Prohibitionist 
party,  a  conscientious  citizen,  and  is  upright  and  hon- 
orable in  all  his  dealings. 

Johti  C.  Ellithrop,  postmaster,  Arbuckle,  Amity 
township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Edinburgh, 
Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  and  was  born  March  18,  1842. 
He  is  the  only  child  of  Amasa  S.  ami  Gertrude  (Corl) 
Ellithrop,  also  natives  of  .Saratoga  county.  New  York. 
He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Chautau([ua  county. 
New  York,  and  after  completing  his  education,  taught 
school  two  years.  In  1870  he  came  to  Erie  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  at  the  age  oi'lS)  learned  the  blacksmith's 
tratle,  settling  in  .A.mity  township,  where  he  lived 
until  he  was  married,  all  the  time,  exce]iting  three 
years  spent  in  Greene  township.  He  has  followed  his 
trade  all  the  time.  He  was  appointed  postmaster 
under  Cleveland's  first  administration.  In  1892  he 
was  again  appointed  i>ostmaster,  which  commission  he 
now  holds.  His  efliciency  and  integrity  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  as  a  public  official  has  been 
marked  by  his  re-appointment  to  the  same  position  a 


second  time.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
cantile business  in  Arbuckle  as  partner.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  December  19,  1872,  to  Clara, 
daughter  of  Evan  and  .Mary  .-\.  ( Faulkner)  Rolierts, 
natives  of  Delaware  county.  New  York.  This  union 
has  been  blessed  with  three  children:  .'\rchie  Roy 
(deceased),  E.  Perry  (deceased)  and  Adrian  Drew. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Methodi.st  Episcopal 
Church,  and  Mr.  Ellithroj)  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order.  He  is  well  known  through  the  county  as  a 
strong  advocate  of  the  Democratic  party. 

Charles  S.  Cox,  general  merchant  and  manufac- 
turer, Arbuckle,  Pa.,  was  born  July  30,  1819,  at  (jraf- 
ton,  Windham  county,  \'t.,  and  is  the  third  in  a  fam- 
ily of  fifteen  children  of  Samuel  and  La<ira  (Putman) 
Cox,  the  former  a  native  of  Londonderry,  Windham 
county,  Vt.,  born  March  6,  1792,  and  the  latter  a  rela- 
tive of  General  Putman,  the  Revolutionary  hero,  was 
born  May  7,  1798,  in  Ashburnham,  Wooster  county, 
Mass.  The  Putman  family  came  from  England  in 
1684,  settling  in  Salem,  Mass.  Charles  was  reared 
and  educated  at  his  birthplace  in  Vermont,  and  when 
quite  a  lad  the  family  came  to  Oswego  county.  New 
York,  June  1,  1831,  where  they  lived  until  September 
4,  1846,  when  he  came  to  Erie  county  and  engaged  in 
chair-making  and  general  cabinet  work.  In  1848  he 
returned  to  McKean  township,  on  Elk  creek,  and  did 
wagon  repairing  and  chair-making  until  18.50,  when  he 
removed  to  Yenango  township,  where  he  did  farming 
until  1863,  when  he  came  to  Arbuckle,  then  known  as 
Milltown,  Amity  township.  He  jjurchasc-d  the  plan- 
ing and  shingle  mill  owned  by  W.  A.  Donaldson,  and 
has  operated  it  successfully  since.  He  has  added  a 
cider  and  feed  mill.  It  was  formerly  a  water  power, 
but  the  increased  business  made  it  rtecessary  for  Mr. 
Cox  to  put  in  steam.  At  this  writing  these  mills  are 
doing  an  extensive  business.  Mr.  Cox  was  united  in 
marriage  April  30,  1845,  to  Miss  Nancy,  daughter  of 
John  and  Margaret  (Bush)  Van  Buren,  the  former  a 
relative  of  Martin  \'an  Buren.  Nancy  \'an  Buren 
was  born  in  Cherry  \'alley,  Ostego  county,  N.  Y.,  as 
was  her  father  and  mother.  Flight  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union:  Margaret  A.,  born  .March  29,  1846, 
died  August  3,  1847;  Edward  J.,  born  in  McKean,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  September  1, 1848,  died  September24, 1885; 
Lucy  J.,  born  in  \'enango  October  19,  18.50;  Julia  E., 
born  May  19, 1853;  Maria  E.,born  July  14,1856;  Eueene 
S.,  born  January  21, 1859;  Marvin  J., born  July  19, 1861; 
William  Silas,  born  February  1,  1864,  died  September 
17,1887.  Mr.  Cox  is  an  ardent  su|)porter  of  the  Prohibi- 
tion party.  Eugene  S.  Cox  is  in  business  with  his 
father  in  the  mill,  and  has  charge  of  that  part  of  the 
work.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Erie  county 
and  has  always  worked  with  his  father.  They  employ 
about  five  hands.  Eugene  was  married  |anuarv  16, 
1889,  to  Adalaide,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Sloe)  Madison.  They  have  three  children:  Edna, 
Leah  ami  (ierald.  Charles  Cox  has  a  general  store  at 
.Vrbuckle,  which  takes  his  entire  time  to  look  after. 

Henry  Mulviu,  farmer  and  mason.  Amity  town- 
ship, jiostoffice  Wattsburg,  was  born  in  .^niity,  June  2, 
1846,  and  is  the  seventh  in  a  family  of  twelve  children 
of  Robert  and  Mary  (Middleton)  Mulvin,  natives  of 
Ireland,  the  father  being  brought  to  this  country  when 
but  11  years  of  age.  Henry  was  reared  anil  educated 
in  his  birthplace,  and,  when  but  a  lad  of  15,  being  of 


7^2 


NEtSON'8  BIOORAPniCAL  DICTIONART 


a  patriotic  inipulsc,  he  enlisted  in  Company  L,  I'ith 
Pa.  \'ol.  Cav.,  under  Capt.  ().  B.  'rourtello'tt.  This 
boy  soldier  particiiiated  in  the  following  en.najiements: 
Bristow  Station,  August  27,  IW2;  Manassas,  Aujiust 
28,  1862;  South  Mountain,  September  14,  lt)ti2;  Antie- 
tam,  September  17,  li"sC2;  .Strausburt;,  April  22  27, 
lS(>;i;  Jane  Lien,  May  19,  l.sa'i;  McCunnellsburi;,  I'a., 
June  2S,  1803;  Maryland  Line,  July  5,  ISlia  At  the 
last  named  |)lace  048  persons,  .5.50  horses  and  mules, 
three  brass  12-pounders  and  120  wagons  were  taken 
by  200  cavalry,  without  the  loss  of  a  man.  The  other 
engagements  in  which  Mr.  Mulvin  participated  were 
fought  at  Tomahawk,  October,  1863;  Bolivar,  luly  4, 
1864;  Frederick  City,  July  13-15,  1864;  Moiiveocv 
Hriilge,  July  9,  1864;  Winchester,  July  23-24,  1864; 
Charleston,  \'a.,  August  22,  1864.  He  was  captured 
at  Winchester,  June  13,  1863,  and  taken  to  Libby 
prison,  where  he  was  kejjt  a  month,  and  then  taken  to 
Belle  Island,  where  he  was  kept  for  four  months, 
when  he  was  exchanged.  The  above  record  shows 
what  kind  of  schooling  this  young  soldier  went 
through,  and  those  who  know  of  the  work  in  those 
campaigns  wnII  recognize  that  Henry  Mulvin  was  a 
brave  soldier  and  a  courageous  lad  who  saw  hard 
service  for  one  so  young.  He  was  made  of  plucky 
stuff.  To  such  men  we  owe  the  safety  of  our  country. 
Mr.  Mulvin  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  in  July, 
1865.  After  returning  from  the  war  he  followed  the 
trade  of  a  mason,  building  extensively,  and  at  this 
writing  still  works  at  his  trade.  In  1874  he  purchased 
a  farm,  in  Anu'ty  township,  of  fifty  acres.  He  was 
married  June  2,  1868,  to  Miss  Abigail,  daughter  of 
George  W.  and  Lusetta  (Brooks)  Baldwin,  natives  of 
New  York.  To  this  union  were  born  six  children: 
Eva,  now  Mrs.  Morris  Breed;  Edith,  who  died  January 
22,  1893,  being  at  that  time  the  wife  of  La  \'erne 
Huntley,  of  Union  City;  Mary,  Charles,  Robert  and 
George.  .Mr.  Mulvin  was  a  non-commissioned  officer 
during  the  war,  holding  rank  as  corporal  all  through 
the  service.  He  is  a  Prohibitionist  in  politics,  and  the 
family  are  members  of  theL'nited  Brethren  Church. 

John  W.  Munaee,  farmer.  Amity  township,  post- 
office  Hatch  Hollow,  was  born  in  Venango  township, 
Erie  county,  November  19,  1S42,  and  is  the  eldest  in 
a  family  of  twelve  children  of  Harvey  and  Almeda 
(Drake)  Munsee,the  former  a  nativeof  New  York,  and 
the  latte-  of  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Munsee 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  birthplace,  and  in  De- 
cember, 1863,  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  83d  P.  V.  I.,  under 
Capt.  Hechtman.  He  was  in  the  following  engage- 
ments; The  Wilderness,  S]>ottsylvania,  North  Anne, 
South  .Anne,  Cold  Harl)or,  Petersburg,  Weldon  Road, 
Hatche's  Run,  Pine  Porks  and  Appomatox.  While 
engaged  in  building  fortifications  at  Petersburg,  Mr. 
Munsee  was  seriously  and  almost  fatally  injured  by  a 
large  log  rolling  on  him.  This  was  the  only  injury  he 
received  during  his  service,  except  a  slight  scalp 
wound,  but  it  was  of  such  a  serious  nature  that  his 
health  has  been  impaired  ever  since.  ."Xfter  this  dis- 
tressing accident,  Mr.  Munsee  was  laken  to  the  Jersey 
City  Hospital,  where  he  remained  until  able  to  get 
about.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  July  23, 
1865,  by  general  order  of  the  war  department.  .Mr. 
Munsee  was  rated  as  one  of  the  bravest  soldiers  in  the 
si-rvice;  he  was  always  found  at  his  post,  and  ready 
to  undertake  any  duty  imjHised  on  lum  as  a  soldier. 
His  grandfather,  John  Munsee,  set  him  a  glorious  ex- 


ample of  what  a  soldier  .should  be  by  his  gallant  serv- 
ice during  the  war  of  1812,  in  which  he  was  seriously 
wounded.  The  parting  words  of  his  gramlfather, 
Munsee,  before  John  left  for  the  war,  were;  "John, 
never  get  shot  in  the  back,"  and  hissub.setpient  record 
])roved  that  he  heeded  the  advice.  .Mr.  Alunsec  re- 
turned to  \"enango  township  after  the  war,  and  workt'd 
at  farming  on  the  oM  homestead  until  187(i,  when  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  110  acres  at  Hatch  Hollow,  Pa., 
where  he  now  resides.  His  farm  is  one  of  the  most 
productive  in  the  county,  and  Mr.  Munsee  is  an  en- 
terprising and  thrifty  farmer.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage, January  o,  1870,  to  Miss  Kate,  daughter  of  John 
B.  and  Mary  (Phelps)  Chaffee,  natives  of  Benusyl- 
vania.  To  this  union  have  been  born  three  children, 
namely:  Iza,  now  Mrs.  Perry  Johnson;  Ross  and  Kc-x. 
Mr.  -Munsee  is  independent  in  politics,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  G.  A.  R. 

Clark  McAllister,  L'nion  City,  Pa.,  a  farmer  of 

.Amitv  township,  was  born  in  Greenfield  township, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  February  28,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of 
David  and  Susanna  (Nason)  McAllister,  the  former  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  latter  of  X'ermont. 
In  the  family  there  were  twelve  children:  David,  jr., 
Caroline,  Henry,  first  (deceased),  Henry,  second  (de- 
ceasedl,  Harriet  (deceased),  Chauncy,  Freeman  O., 
.Sarah  (deceased),  Clark,  Orrin  J.  and  John  (deceased). 
Clark  McAllister  was  reared  and  educated  in  I'nion 
township,  and  in  1855  went  W'est,  spending  sometime 
in  each  of  the  States  of  Ohio  and  Minnesota.  In  1859 
he  crossed  the  plains  with  an  ox-team,  going  to  Wash- 
ington and  California,  and  engaged  in  gold  mining  in 
kiaho,  also  visiting  Oregon.  Atter  tlie  gold  excite- 
ment had  subsided  he  returned  home  in  Amity  town- 
ship, where  he  remained  on  the  farm  until  December 
29,  186:5,  when  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  83d  P.  V.  I.,  under 
Capt.  John  Hecthman.  He  participated  in  the  fol- 
lowing battles:  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania  (wounded 
there).  North  .Anne,  South  Anne,  Cold  Harbor,  Peters- 
burg, Welden  R.  R.,  Hatche's  Run,  Five  Forks  and 
Appomattox.  He  was  mustered  out  by  general  order 
of  war  de]}artment,  June  28,  1865.  Six  of  these  broth- 
ers were  in  the  service:  Henry,  second,  was  killed  at 
Ft.  Ridgely;  David,  through  exposure,  lost  his  health 
in  the  service,  and  never  recovered.  Few  fanulies  of 
the  North  so  thoroughly  demonstrated  their  loyalty  to 
the  cause  of  the  L-nion  as  did  the  McAllister  family 
of  Erie  county.  They  were  born-soldiers,  every  one, 
and  their  loyalty  to  their  country  in  its  hour  of  peril 
w-as  only  equalled  by  their  bravery  on  the  field.  At 
the  close  of^  the  great  civil  struggle  Clark  returned  to 
the  farm,  and  cared  for  his  parents  until  their  deaths, 
the  father  dying  September  19,  1871,  and  the  mother. 
May  17,  1891.  He  succeeded  to  the  old  homestead, 
which  consists  of  131  acres  of  well-improved  land, 
where  he  carried  on  an  extensive  dairying  and  stock 
business.  He  was  married  October  17,  18()7,  to  .Miss 
Araminta  N.,  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Emily  (Hare) 
Ormsby,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.,  1.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Grange,  and  politically  is  a 
Republican. 

Alexander  Campbell  Cordnor,  farmer,  Elgin, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  at  Jefferson,  Ohio,  July  25, 
1831,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Shadrid) 
Cordnor,  the  former  a  native  of  County  Down,  Ireland, 
who  came  to  America  in  1827,  settling  at  Steubenville, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


7h 


Ohio,  and  subsequently  removing  to  Flushing,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  of  woolen 
goods  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1873.  The 
mother  was  born  in  Maryland,  and  when  but  a  child 
the  family  removed  to  Ohio,  where  John  met  and  sub- 
sequently married  her.  They  were  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  namely:  Alexander  C,  James,  Adam, 
William,  Jessie,  Margaret,  Sarah,  Joseph,  Isaac,  Ben- 
jamin, Mary  J.  and  Albert.  Alexander  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  and  worked 
in  his  father's  factory  until  22  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  engaged 
in  farming,  remaining  there  two  years.  In  lSo9  he 
bought  his  present  property  in  Concord  township, 
which  consists  of  100  acres  of  fertile  land.  It  is  a 
dairy  and  stock  farm.  From  1873  until  1877  Mr. 
Cordnor  was  engaged  in  drilling  wells  in  the  oil 
regions,  and  from  1878  to  1879  he  was  prospecting  in 
Kansas  and  Colorado,  and  at  the  present  time  owns  a 
valuable  silver  mine  in  Colorado.  Mr.  Cordnor  was 
united  in  marriage  April  5,  1859,  to  Miss  Margaret, 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Matilda  (CarsonI  McCray, 
natives  of  Erie  county.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
nine  children:  John  A.,  Theodore,  William  S.  (de- 
ceased), Mary  (deceased),  Georgiana  (deceased),  Fred 
(deceased),  Lizzie  (now  Mrs.  Kinney,  of  Ormell,  Ohio), 
S.  Elois,  wife  of  John  Phelps,  proprietor  of  the  Cole- 
man House,  Union  City);  and  Archie,  at  home.  Mr. 
Cordnor  has  been  identified  with  the  Republican 
party  since  its  organization.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  Christian  Church. 

G.  W.  Heywang,  lumberman,  Elgin,  Concord 
township,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Union  City, 
Erie  county,  in  1867.  He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Salome 
(Caflisch)  Heywang;  the  former  died  in  1872,  and  the 
latter  is  still  living  in  Union  City.  Jacob  Heywang 
was  a  native  of  France,  and  came  to  Erie  county  about 
1865.  Of  Jacob's  family  there  were  five  children,  as 
follows:  M.  J.,  now  an  attorney  in  Titusville,  Crawford 
county;  Henry,  of  Union  City,  Erie  county;  G.  W.; 
Lydia  (deceased),  and  Ida  (deceased).  Mr.  Heywang 
was  married  in  1893  to  Grace  Uisbrow,  daughter  of  W. 
F.  Disbrow,  of  Erie.  They  have  one  daughter,  Cora. 
Mr.  Heywang  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Caflisch 
Bros.  &  Co.,  lumbermen,  at  Elgin,  and  has  charge  of 
a  large  mill  at  Concord  Station  since  1892.  He  is 
a  member  of  Clement  Lodge,  No.  220,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Union  City,  and  the  Royal  Arcanum,  L'nion  City.  He 
is  an  energetic  and  progressive  citizen. 

Ira  Craudell,  farmer,  Corry  postoffice.  Concord 
township,  was  born  September  20,  1822,  in  Cherry 
Creek,  Chautauqua  county.  New  York.  He  first 
went  to  Erie  county  in  18.54,  and  afterwards  removed 
to  Clymer,  N.  Y.,  but  returned  to  this  county  nine 
years  ago  and  has  since  resided  upon  his  present 
farm.  He  is  a  son  of  Gardinier  Crandell,  a  veteran 
of  the  war  of  1812,  who  was  married  in  New  England 
to  Sally  Grenell,  of  Rhoile  Island,  and  came  to  Cherry 
Creek,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  about  eighty 
years  agf).  He  died  in  1875.  In  1853  Ira  Crandell 
married  Susan  Lydia,  daughter  of  Hiram  Corey  (the 
city  of  Corry  now  bears  his  name.  He  originally  sold 
the  site  from  the  clay  of  which  the  bricks  were  made 
with  which  the  first  buildings  were  erected).  His  life 
was  an  active  one  and  for  many  years  he  was  an  ex- 
tensive cattle  dealer.      For  some  years  he  kept  hotel 


at  Westfield,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Corey  died  in  Spartansburg, 
Crawford  county.  Pa.  His  widow,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Adelia  Hall,  a  native  of  \'ermont, 
now  lives  in  Mayville,  N.  Y.  The  children  of  this 
union  were;  Henry  (deceased),  A<ieline,  wife  of  Nel- 
son Crandell;  Susan  Lydia,  wifeof  Ira  Crandell;  Eliza 
wife  of  San<iers  Crivens;  .Mary,  wife  of  Joel  Cornish, 
and  Perry  Corey.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ira  Crandell  have 
one  daughter,  Alice  Marion,  wife  of  Leroy  Youngs. 
This  family  consists  of  two  daughters,  Mabel  and 
Violetta. 

Wilson  C.  McCray,  retired  farmer.  Concord 
township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Concord  town- 
ship, January  26,  1835,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Blakeslee)  .McCray,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  James 
McCray,  grandfather  of  Wilson,  came  to  America 
from  Scotland  about  the  year  of  1786,  settling  in  Erie 
county  when  it  was  a  vast  wilderness.  Wilson  McCray, 
the  sixth  in  a  family  of  sixteen  children,  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  birthplace,  and  has  until  recently 
been  an  extensive  farmer  and  land  owner.  He  has, 
during  his  farming  experience,  owned  and  operated 
sixteen  different  farms.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
December  2,  1855,  to  Miss  Cynthia,  daughter  of  Abner 
H.  and  Lorence  (Porter)  Liliey,  natives  of  New  York 
State.  Nine  children  have  been  born  to  this  union: 
Celia,  Phineas,  Leon,  Grant,  Clement,  Josephine,  John, 
Ray  and  Mary.  In  politics  Mr.  McCray  has  always 
been  a  staunch  Republican.  Grant  McCray,  fourth 
in  order  of  birth  of  Wilson's  children,  was  born  May 
10, 1862,  was  reared  in  Concord  township  and  educated 
in  the  public  schools,  and  has  always  followed  farming, 
in  1889,  purchasing  his  present  property  at  Concord 
Station,  which  consists  of  sixty-six  acres  of  first-class 
farming  land.  He  has  since  bought  twenty  acres,  mak- 
ing in  all  eighty-seven  acres.  Besides  this  farm  .Mr. 
McCray  owns  a  valuable  pasture  farm  of  fifty  acres. 
He  was  married  March  29,  1884,  to  .Miss  Addie,  daugh- 
ter of  Harvey  and  Sarah  (Roberts)  Roberts,  natives  of 
Wales.  This  union  has  been  blessed  by  three  chil- 
dren: Lou,  Ernest  and  Dorr.  In  politics  .Mr.  McCray 
is  a  Republican,  and  at  present  holds  the  offices  of 
school  director  and  road  commissioner.  He  is  one  of 
Concord's  most  thriving  and  energetic  citizens. 

A.  L.  Hasbrook,  farmer,  Corry  jiostoffice.  Concord 
township,  was  burn  in  Crawford  county  in  1865.  He 
is  a  son  of  William  and  Martha  (Haviland)  Hasbrook, 
and  was  married  April  23,  1890,  to  Elsie,  daughter  of 
John  C.  Crowell,  of  Concord  township.  They  have 
one  daughter.  Ore.  W.  W.  Hasbrook,  father  of  .A.  L., 
resides  on  the  farm,  a  part  of  the  old  homestead,  where 
he  was  born  May  15,  1842.  He  was  married  June  20, 
1867,  to  .Martha  C.  Haviland,  who  died  November  10, 
1867,  leaving  but  one  child,  A.  L.  January  3, 1871,  Mr. 
Hasbrook  was  married  to  Sara  A.,  widow  of  J.  R.  Rus- 
sell, and  daughter  of  Allen  G.  and  Rachel  (Brink) 
Heath.  She  was  born  October  12,  1850,  in  West  Fair- 
field, Crawford  county.  Pa.,  and  died  in  1887.  Three 
children  blessed  this  union:  Frank  A.,  Ursa  B.  and 
Minnie  L.  A.  L.  Hasbrook  is  a  grandson  of  William 
H.,  born  at  Woodstock,  Ulster  county,  N.  Y.,  Febru- 
ary 23,  1805,  and  died  in  Concord  township  in  January, 
1891.  He  was  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Phcebe  (Griffen) 
Hasbrook,  early  settlers.  He  was  married  at  Kings- 
ton, Ulster  county,  N.  Y.,  December  9,  1S"26,  Luena, 
daughter  of    Charles   and   Rhoda   (Wilbur)    Powell. 


764 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


She  was  born  February  27,  1807,  in  Duchess  county. 
New  York.  Five  children  were  born  to  this  union: 
Lorenzo  (married),  Cliarlotte,  wife  of  Jesse  Perkins; 
Phebe,  wife  of  Darius  Walton;  \V.  \V.,  Jane,  wife  of 
Henry  \'alentine.  All  have  families,  and  there  are 
sixteen  grandchildren  and  five  great-grandchildren. 
He  was  among  tlie  pioneers  of  the  township,  and  ca.^t 
his  first  presidential  vote  for  Andrew  Jackson.  Mr. 
A.  L.  Hasbrook  has  hut  recently  began  on  his  fifty- 
acre  farm,  and  (hiring  1894-5  erected  new  commodious 
buildings  thereon. 

William  E.  Oltnstead,  farmer.  Concord  town- 
ship, Corry  ]iostolfice,  was  born  April  10,  1816,  in 
Woodstock,  L'lster  county,  X.  Y.,  son  of  Flias  and 
Sarah  (Hoyt)  Olmstead.  They  came  from  Connecti- 
cut about  1810.  Ehas,  father  of  William,  was  soon 
after  drowned  in  the  Ohio  river.  He  was  born  in  Fair- 
field county,  Connecticut,  of  Scotch-English,  German 
and  Polish  extraction.  His  wife  was  born  in  Ridge- 
field,  Conn.,  and  was  of  French  and  Puritan  stock. 
They  had  ten  children.  William  E.  Olmstead  was 
married  in  Concord  township,  October  27,  1842,  to 
ICinily  Ladu,  born  in  Brown,  Shenango  county,  N.  Y., 
February  14,  1826.  Was  a  daughter  of  Oliver  P.  and 
Hulda  (Jacobs)  Ladu,  ])arents  of  seven  children.  Mr. 
Ladu  died  in  1869;  liis  widow  in  1881.  Mrs.  Olmstead 
died  in  1891.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olmstead  had  a  family  of 
fifteen  children,  as  follows:  Caroline,  wife  of  Joseph 
Pete,  of  Chautauqua  county;  Stewart  (deceased);  Hoyt 
E.,  Adaline.  .Alsina,  wife  of  M.  P.  Freleigh;  William 
Arthur,  Warwick  L.,  Earnest,  Frank,  John  S.,  Etta, 
Elmer  F^,  Ida  Mav,  wife  of  William  K.  Baxter;  Charles 
L.  and  Fred  L.  In  1869  Mr.  Olmstead  settled  on  100 
acres  of  land,  sections  68  and  86,  in  Concord  township, 
cleared  away  the  dense  forest,  and  has  since  made  this 
his  home.  He  has,  during  these  years,  traveled  ex- 
tensively through  different  States  of  the  Union,  and 
to-day  is  one  of  the  few  active  pioneers  of  Concord 
township.  His  son,  E.  E.  Olmstead,  who  lives  on  the 
same  farm,  was  married  to  Mary  Sherred,  daughter  of 
John  .Sherred,  of  this  township,  a  native  of  Belfast, 
Ireland.  They  have  one  son,  Joseph.  Mr.  Olmstead 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
for  over  fifiy  years,  and  for  many  years  a  steward.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  cast  his  first  presiden- 
tial vote  in  1836. 

Chapman  B.  McCray,  farmer  and  hay  dealer, 
Elgin,  Concord  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born 
February  1,  18.")8,  and  is  a  son  of  Josiah  and  Salley  A. 
(Hammon)  McCray,  natives  of  Concord  township. 
Chapman  is  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  eight  children, 
was  reared  and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
birth  place,  and  after  leaving  school,  went  to  work  by 
the  month,  and  then  engaged  in  the  hay  pressing  busi- 
ness, but  has  not  followed  it  extensively.  In  1893  he 
purchased  a  farm,  near  Elgin,  of  112  acres,  and  at  this 
writing  is  building  a  fine  residence  on  it.  He  is  also 
one  of  the  firm  of  .Smith  &:  .McCray.  Mr.  McCray  is 
a  jirogressive,  ])ublic-spirited,  pirosperous  citizen,  and 
is  always  found  at  the  head  of  enterprises  that  will 
further  the  interests  of  the  communitv.  He  was  mar- 
ried. May  26,  1878,  to  Miss  May,  daughter  of  David 
and  Emily  (McCray)  Crowell,  natives  of  Concord 
township,  Pa.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union;  Percy,  Emily,  Bert,  Roy  and  Dell.  In  political 
matters  Mr.  McCray  is  independent,  feeling  it  a  duty 


to  always  vote  for  the  best  man.  Willard  McCray  is 
the  third  in  this  family,  and  was  born  February  2, 1856, 
on  the  old  McCray  homestead,  on  which  his  grand- 
father settled  many  years  ago,  when  the  County  was 
new.  He  w.is  reared  at  his  birth-place,  an<l  educated 
in  the  jiublic  schools  of  Concord  township  and  the  ICd- 
,inboro  .State  Normal  .School.  He  taught  school  for 
two  years,  after  finishing  his  (-ducation,  and  then  en- 
gaged in  farming,  and  hasfollowetl  it  ever  since.  He 
is  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence  and  edu- 
cation, and  is  one  of  Concord's  most  enterprising  citi- 
zens. He  was  united  in  marriage,  .May  12,  1881,  to 
Elva,  daughter  of  Zus  X^'oodin,  of  Concord  township. 
One  child  has  been  born  to  this  union,  Thayer.  Mr. 
McCray  is  a  Republican. 

John  R.  Black  (deceased)  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Waterford.  He  was  born  September  28, 
1795,  in  the  old  block-house,  was  reared  and  educated 
in  LeBieuf  township,  and  followed  farming  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  February  13,  1865.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Abigail,  daughter  of  John 
and  Mary  WiUey.  Six  children  were  born  to  this 
union,  namely:  Wilson  (deceased),  James,  .Matthew, 
Jane,  Charles  (deceased)  and  Mary.  Matthew  was 
born  in  LelUeuf  township,  was  reared  in  his  native 
place,  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  has  always 
followed  farming.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Adelia, 
daughter  of  Levi  and  Isabella  Waldron,  of  LeBieuf 
township.  Five  children  were  born  to  this  union: 
Alice  D.,  wife  of  Monroe  Gray;  Forrest;  Lee;  \'ernie 
A.,  now  wife  of  D.  W.  Boyd,  of  Rockdale,  Crawford 
county.  Pa.,  and  John  F.  The  last  named  was  born 
May  30.  1866,  in  LeBceuf  township,  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  ])lace  and  the  Water- 
ford  Academy,  and,  in  1889,  entered  the  Chamberlain 
In.stitute  at  Randolph,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  honors  in  the  class  of  1891.  He  then 
spent  one  year  teaching,  and,  in  1892,  entered  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  ministry.  He  was  given  the 
Corry  and  Elgin  charge,  and  has  four  ap|)ointments 
to  fill.  Mr.  Black  is  a  young  man  of  unusual  ability, 
and  already  stands  high  in  his  chosen  calling.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  November  24,  1892,  to  Miss 
Lulu  E.,  daughter  of  Bornt  and  Mattie  (Range)  .Mc- 
Cray, of  Leliteuf  township.  Mr.  Black  is  a  vigorous 
advocate  of  temperance  and  votes  the  Prohibition 
ticket;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Indepen<lent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

L.  O.  Lindsey,  farmer.  Concord  township,  Corry 
postoffice,  is  a  native  of  .Stockton,  Chautaucjua  county, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  born  March  16,  1831.  He  is  a  son  of 
Eliakim  and  Rachel  (Scofield)  Lindsey.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  .schools  of  .Stockton  and  at 
the  age  of  22  years  settled  m  Concord  townshi]i,  which 
was  then  a  dense  wilderness  in  many  portions.  In 
1857  he  was  married  in  L'nion  township  to  Miss  Julia 
A.  Triscuitt,  of  Wayne  townshi];,  who  was  born  in 
1832.  To  this  union  there  have  been  born  five  chil- 
dren,* as  follows:  Rachel  S.,  Clarence  Orson,  Clifton 
Levi,  Lonie  May,  wife  of  Ellis  Jewell,  of  Warren 
county,  and  Ilertie  Julian.  With  the  exception  of  one 
year,  Mr.  Lindsey  has  been  a  resident  of  Concord 
township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  since  1857,  and  now  owns 
600  acres  of  land  in  the  southeast  jiart  of  Concord 
townshij),  upon  which  was  conducted  an  extensive 
lumber  and  milling  business  for  some  ten  years.     He 


'{x/t^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BO  Ok  OF  ERIE  C0TJ2)TY. 


765 


is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  township,  and 
a  member  of  the  church,  and  in  poHticsis  a  Democrat. 

Henry  A.  Skianer,  retired  soldier,  was  born  at 
Wethertield,  WyominK  county,  N.  Y.,  October  27, 
1840,  and  is  the  fifth  in  a  family  of  seven  children  of 
Abbott  and  Marilla  (Barl)eri  Skinner,  natives  of  Wash- 
ington county.  New  York.  The  family  came  to  Watts- 
burg  in  1846,  where  he  followed  the  painter's  trade 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  February  22,  1882. 
Henry  A.  was  reared  and  educated  in  Waltsburg  and 
followed  the  painter's  trade  until  1861,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Co.  K,  88d  P.  V.  I.,  under  Cai>tain  T.  M. 
Austin.  His  finst  experience  of  war  life  was  at  the 
battle  of  Hanover  Court  House,  fought  .May  27,  1862; 
Gaines  Mills,  June  27,  1862.  At  the  last  named 
battle,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  while  the 
83d  regiment  was  engaged  in  the  hottest  part  of  the 
battle  field,  Mr.  Skinner  was  seriously  wounded, 
having  his  left  arm  sh(jt  off  near  the  shoulder  and 
receiving  a  gunshot  wound  through  the  left  side, 
which  broke  and  badly  shattered  four  ribs.  In  this 
very  serious  condition  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  cast 
into  Libby  jirison,  where  for  nineteen  days  he  under- 
went all  the  tortures  produced  by  his  almost  fatal 
wounds,  combined  with  the  horrors  of  the  prison 
itself,  which  killed  many  strong  men.  On  July  2.5, 
1862,  he  was  exchanged  and  immediately  sent  to  the 
Sixth  and  Master  Street  Hospital.  Philadel])hia,  where 
he  remained  until  December  15,  when  he  was  dis- 
charged. He  re-enlisted  in  the  .50th  Co.,  Yeteran 
Reserve  Corps,  July  6,  1868,  and  served  until  April  15, 
186.5,  when  he  was,  by  his  own  request,  mustered  out 
of  the  service.  Mr.  Skinner  was  a  brave  soldier  and 
was  ever  ready  for  any  call  to  duty.  He  sacrificed  his 
health  and  underwent  much  suffering  that  his  covmtry 
might  endure.  He  was  united  in  marriage  November 
10,  1870,  to  .Miss  .'^ngeline  S.,  daughter  of  J.  Elliot 
Rathbun,  of  Amity,  Pa.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
four  children,  namely;  West  li.  H.,  Alford,  Elmer  E. 
and  Pearl  H.  In  politics  Mr.  Skinner  has  always 
been  a  Republican,  and  is  a  member  of  the  1.  O.  of 
O.  F.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 

G.  O.  Akatti,  farmer,  Corry  postoffice.  Concord 
township,  is  a  native  of  Erie  county.  He  is  a  son  of 
Johnson  .Akam,  a  native  of  England,  who  came  to 
Erie  county  at  the  age  of  11  years,  and  settleil  on  a 
farm,  a  jiart  of  which  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  /\kam, 
about  the  year  of  18.50.  He  was  a  prosperous,  ener- 
getic farmer,  and  died  in  .August,  1878,  at  the  age  of 
74  years.  His  widow,  whose  name  was  Melissia  Jas- 
kins,  died  in  .April,  1888.  To  this  union  were  born  six 
children;  Richard,  who  died  from  wounds  received  in 
the  late  war;  Mary,  wife  of  M.  V.  B.  Davis;  Robert, 
Annie  (deceased),  Belinda,  and  George.  Johnson 
Akam,  besides  engaging  in  farming,  was  interested  in 
other  enterpri.ses.  For  four  years  he  was  proprietor  of 
a  hotel  at  Columbus,  Warren  county.  Pa.;  for  two 
years  ran  a  steamer  on  Chautauqua  Lake,  and  after- 
wars  ran  a  grocery  store  in  the  city  of  Corry.  His  va- 
rious undertakings  jjroved  successful.  Beginning 
with  one  dollar  in  cash,  he  left  to  his  posterity  a  com- 
fortable fortune.  His  fatlii-r  was  John  .Akam,  who 
ilied  in  1775,  at  the  age  of  '.12  years.  C"i.  ( ).  Akam  was 
married  in  18M0,  to  Emma  J.  Tanner.  Their  children 
are:  Richard,  Henry  J.,  Jessie  May,  William  P.,  and 
49 


Nettie  Eunice.  Mr.  Akam  has  always  been  a  resident 
of  the  townshi[>,  with  the  excejition  of  two  years  sj.ent 
in  the  State  of  Nebraska.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  is  a  progressive  citizen. 

O.  M.  Chase,  farmer.  Concord  township,  Corry 
postoffice,  was  born  October  1.5,  1889,  son  of  John  B. 
and  Orrill  (Wheelerj  Chase,  was  born  in  Amsterdam, 
Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  December  29,  1801,  son  of 
.Samuel  and  Susanna  (Chase)  Chase,  natives  of  Rhode 
Island,  and  early  settlers  of  Amsterdam,  going  there 
in  1814.  He  belonged  to  a  family  of  eight  children, 
and  obtained  his  education  at  the  common  schools, 
and  then  learned  a  trade  at  which  he  worked  five 
years.  He  was  married  in  DeRuvter,  Madison  county, 
N.  Y.,  January  18,  1827,  to  Orrill  Wheeler,  who  was 
born  at  Chesterfield  county.  New  Hampshire,  .March, 
1804,  daughter  of  Benjamin  (Holmes)  Wheeler,  natives 
of  the  Eastern  States,  and  parents  of  nine  children. 
Mr.  Chase  purchased  the  land,  where  O.  M.Chase  now 
resides,  of  the  Holland  Land  Com[jany,  and  was  a 
pirominent  man  of  his  day  and  generation,  having 
held  several  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He 
died  in  1892.  Mr.  Chase  was  the  sixth  chiKl  of  a 
family  of  seven  children,  as  follows:  Eliza,  George  W., 
Mary,  Almira,  Ambrosia,  O.  M.  and  Francis.  He  was 
married  in  1863,  to  Jennette,  daughter  of  Lehman 
Wellman,  of  Concord  townshi|).  Their  children  are: 
Omar  W.,  who  died  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  20  years; 
Jennie  May,  who  died  m  1885,  at  the  age  of  18  years; 
Maggie,  wife  of  G.  C.  .McCray  and  John  L.  Mr. 
Chase  was  born  and  reared  in  the  township  in  which 
he  now  resides,  and  is  identified  among  the  leading 
citizens  of  Concord  township.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
P.  of  H.,  and  has  held  the  offices  of  school  director 
and  road  commissioner  several  terms. 

William  Cady,  retired  farnujr,  Concord  township, 
postoffice  Corry,  was  born  July  28,  1817.  He  was  a 
son  of  William  and  Margaret  Cady.  natives  of  \'er- 
mont,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  l848,  at  the  age  of 
62  years,  and  the  latter  followed  the  same  year,  at  the 
age  of  .59  years.  Their  children  were  Polly  (de- 
ceased), John  (deceased),  Joel  (deceased),  Harriet  (de- 
ceased), Lina  (deceased),  Laura  (deceased),  Cieorge 
(deceased),  Mary  (deceased),  William  and  .Alfred. 
William  Cady,  sr.,  was  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812. 
In  1841,  William  Cady,  jr.,  was  marriid  to  Catherine 
.Stultz,  who  died  September  8,  1S77.  .She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  Stultz,  and  was  born  in  Warren  county, 
Pennsylvania.  Their  children  are;  .Mary,  wife  of 
David  Cook,  of  Corry,  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  George 
W.  Hicks,  of  Rochester.  Mr.  Cady  now  resides  with 
his  (laughter,  Mary,  wife  of  David  Cook,  wlio  was 
married  in  .March,  1868;  Mr.  Cook  was  born  in  1S;J9, 
and  has  been  a  life  long  resident  of  Conconi. 

Alfred  Fralick,  a  native  of  Montgomery  county. 
New  N'ork,  born  December  24,  18.'56,  is  a  son  of  .Abra- 
ham F.  and  Elizabeth  (llouke)  Fralick,  natives  of 
Montgomery  county.  New  York;  the  former  was  born 
in  1790  and  the  latter  in  1805.  They  were  married  in 
1881,  and  settled  in  Concord  township  in  I><.'i7.  He 
died  October  26,  1877,  she  surviving  him  until  March 
14,  1898.  Their  children  were  as  follows:  John, 
Francis,  I.ucinda,  wife  of  .Alfred  Davis;  Nancy,  wife 
of  Moses  Higgins;  Barbara,  wife  of  Hiram  Blakeslee; 
Josiah,   Catherine,   wife   of  Nathan    Whiting;  James, 


766 


NSLSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONAIif 


Ephraim,  Alfred,  Margaret  Eliza,  wife  of  James 
GriFfes;  Marietta,  wife  of  Alonzo  White,  and  Walter, 
living  on  the  old  homestead.  J.  H.  Moffatt,  of  Con- 
cord,Was  born  in  Hamipshire  county,  Massachusetts, 
September  9,  1815.  He  is  the  son  of  Alfred  and  Polly 
(Edson)  Moffatt.  He  lived  in  Enfield  to  the  age  of  22 
years,  and  began  work  as  a  joiner  at  the  age  of  13 
years,  which  business  he  has  since  principally  fol- 
lowed. He  has  built  many  of  the  best  houses  in  Con- 
cord. He  built  in  1852  a  house  for  S.  Steward,  then 
county  commissioner,  and  now  at  the  age  of  80  does 
not  use  glasses.  At  the  age  of  22  he  moved  to  Chau- 
tauqua county,  New  York.  In  January,  1850, he  came 
to  Concord  and  bought  a  farm  in  the  woods.  Mr. 
Moffatt  was  married  November  19,  1842,  to  Malinda 
Lindslev,  of  Augusta,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  who  died 
March  4,  1893,  aged  77  years  and  15  days,  leaving  a 
family  of  six  daughters  and  two  sons.  The  daughters 
all  married  well-to-do  farmers.  Mr.  Moffatt's  living 
descendants  number  fifty:  Eight  children,  thirty-six 
grandchildren  and  six  great-grandchildren.  The 
names  of  the  children  are:  Polly,  w|fe  of  /Mfred  Fra- 
lick,  of  Concord;  Sarah  A.,  wife  of  Chauncey  Pier,  of 
Concord;  Malinda  H.,  wife  of  Jothan  Winer,  of  Bliss- 
field,  Mich.;  Emily  D.,  wife  of  C.  L.  Hall,  of  Concord; 
Harriet  E.,  wife  of  Ephraim  Blakeslee,  of  Greenfield; 
Lucy  J.,  wife  of  W.  V.  Gates,  of  Concord;  Myron  A., 
lives  in  Wayne;  Willis  E.,  lives  on  the  old  homestead 
in  Concord.  Three  have  died:  James  L.,  aged  30 
years;  Electo  L.,  aged  14  years  and  6  months;  Marion 
E.,  aged  5. 

John  G.  Washington,  farmer,  Corry  postoffice. 
Concord  township,  was  born  in  Hampshire  county. 
West  Virginia,  in  1833,  and  reared  near  Tidioute, 
Warren  county,  Pa.  He  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Hannah 
(Fairfax)  Washington.  The  latter  died  in  1852.  John 
served  as  a  private  in  Co.  E,  8th  U.  S.  colored  regi- 
ment, under  Col.  Fribley.  After  the  war  he  returned 
to  Concord  township,  where  he  has  lived  ever  since. 

Eugene  M.  Miller,  farmer,  postofifice  Corry,  was 
born  in  Concord  township  in  1865,  and  is  the  youngest 
son  of  James  B.  and  Lucy  (Brown)  Miller.  Their  fam- 
ily is  as  follows:  Alice,  wife  of  James  L.  West;  Min- 
nie, widow  of  Arthur  McCray,  and  Eugene  M.  Mr. 
Miller  was  married  in  1892  to  Minnie,  daughter  of 
Hoyt  Olmstead.  They  have  one  child,  Ivan.  James 
B.  Nliller,  father  of  Eugene,  was  second  child  of  a 
family  of  five  chililren,  as  follows:  Nancy,  wife  of  E. 
Culver;  James  B.,  Preston  A.,  Albert  C,  Sarah,  wife  of 
U.  W.  Akin,  and  George  D.  Miller.  Mrs.  Miller  is  a 
daughter  of  Capt.  Josiah  Brown.  Following  are  his 
children:  Lorenzo,  Lucy,  Eugene,  Clark,  Sylvania 
(wife  of  E.  M.  Riddle),  Harriet  (wife  of  T.  H.  Will- 
oughby),  Josephine  (deceased)  and  Elber  J.  Brown. 
Eugene  M.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Maccabees;  he  is 
a  progressive  farmer,  and  purchased  his  present  farm 
of  fifty-seven  acres,  near  the  northeast  corner  of  Con- 
cord township,  in  1894. 

John  Wagner,  farmer,  Corry  postoffice.  Concord 
township,  is  the  son  of  Michael  Wagner,  a  native  of 
Germany,  who  came  to  America  in  1845.  His  mother 
was  Catherine  (Smoth)  Wagner,  who  died  in  her  native 
country  some  forty  years  ago.  John  Wagner  was  mar- 
ried in  1849  to  Catherine  Auburn,  stepdaughter  of 
Captain  Austen  Auburn.     Their  children  are:     Lewis, 


Joseph,  Michael,  Stacy,  Anna,  wife  of  Martin  Cassidy, 
and  Mary.  Mr.  Wagner  started  in  life  upon  the  farm 
which  he  now  occupies,  some  forty  years  ago,  and 
without  a  dollar  to  ]iurchasf  land.  He  has  gaineil  a 
comfortable  living  through  life  and  has  gained  a  com- 
petency. He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Catholic 
Church  and  a  valued  citizen. 

A.  L.  Wales,  farmer,  Concord  township,  postoffice 
Corry,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  C.  Wales,  of  Corry, 
who  came  to  Erie  county  from  Crawford  county  m 
1878.  Mr.  Wales  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children,  as 
follows:  Alma  E.,  twin  sister  of  Mr.  Wales,  a  teacher 
in  the  Brooklyn  high  school;  Maria  (deceased),  wife  of 
David  Jones;  Lucas,  civil  engineer,  and  Minnie  L., 
wife  of  .'Xrthur  B.  Speer,  paying  teller  in  a  liank  at 
Oberlin,  Ohio.  In  1875  Mr.  Wales  was  marrii'd  to  Ade- 
laid,  daughter  of  Garrett  Davidson,  of  L'nion  City, 
who  for  some  time  resided  in  Meadville,  Crawford 
county,  and  was  afterward  wounded  and  taken  pris- 
oner at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  and  died  from  the 
effects  August  1,  1864.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wales  are  Edna  E.  and  Charles  C.  Wales.  Mr. 
Wales  resides  on  and  manages  his  farm  of  125  acres,  in 
Concord  township,  superintends  his  father's  creamery 
in  Corry  and  is  a  citizen  of  influence  and  worth.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  and  a 
Royal  Templar. 

Manley  Crosby,  attorney  at  law,  Corry,  Pa.,  born 
in  Franklinville,  N.  Y.,  March  12,  1834,  is  a  son  of 
Alanson  and  Cornelia  (Wright)  Crosl)y,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  York,  the  latter  of  Connecticut,  and  both 
of  English  descent.  Alanson  Crosby  was  an  architect 
in  early  life  and  later  a  farmer.  Manley  obtained  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York  State  and 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  graduating 
in  1854.  He  then  attended  the  John  W.  Fowler  law 
school  at  Poughkeepsie,  graduating  in  1858,  and,  after 
serving  a  clerkship  of  one  year  in  the  office  of  Judge 
David  H.  Bolles,  of  Ellicottville,  N.  Y.,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  May,  1859.  He  then 
formed  a  law  jiartnership  with  his  precejitor.  Judge 
Bolles,  of  Ellicottville,  where  he  practiced  until  1864. 
In  1865  he  came  to  Corry  and  and  acted  as  attorney  lor 
the  Oil  Creek  R.  R.  for  fifteen  years,  and  carried  on  an 
extensive  law  practice.  In  187()  Hon.  W.  W.  Brown  be- 
came his  partner,  continuing  as  such  for  eight  years. 
In  1878  Mr.  Brown  was  elected  to  Congress  from  his 
district,  and  Mr.  Crosliy  continued  the  practice  alone 
to  the  present  time.  He  was  married  in  1863  to  Fran- 
cis S.,  youngest  daughter  of  Stanley  N.  Clarke,  of 
Ellicottville,  N.  Y.,  agent  for  the  Holland  Land  Com- 
pany, member  of  Congress  from  the  State  of  New 
York  in  1840,  who  died  in  1860.  To  this  union  have 
been  born:  Clark  (died  in  1876,  aged  13  years),  Walter 
Hull,  theatrical  man  and  actor;  \Villiam  G.,  attorney, 
Erie,  Pa.,  Theodore  S.  and  Alanson,  student.  Mr. 
Crosby  served  two  terms  as  mayor  of  Corry.  In  1892 
the  National  Bank  of  Corry  was  organized,  and  he 
was  elected  president.  He  isa  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  a  past  master  of  Nero  Lodge  and  Clarence 
Commandery  of  Corry.  Mrs.  Manley  Crosby  died  De- 
cember 15,  189,5. 

William  C.  Plumb,  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Dai/y  Fli/cr  and  Wecldji  Ilrnild,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Bennington,  \'t.,  October  2.5,  1848,  where  he  served 


And  EisfottioAL  reference  book  of  erib  coujsry. 


767 


an  apprenticeship  nf  three  years  at  the  printer's  trade. 
On  August  18,  1^04,  liefore  he  was  10  years  <il<l,  he  de- 
livered the  oration  at  the  celebration  of  the  battle  of 
Bennington,  which  attracted  considerable  attention. 
He  was  en!|iloyed  with  the  Calhoun  Printing  Company 
of  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  with  Weed,  I'arsons  &:  Co.  at 
Albany,  X.  Y.;  was  correspondent  for  the  New  York 
Tribune  and  (jther  pajiers,  visiting  all  the  battlefields 
and  places  of  interest  in  the  South  in  18(56-9.  Bought 
an  interest  in  the  W'atertown  (N.  Y.)  Post  in  18T0,  and 
continued  editor  and  ])art  owner  until  1876.  From  1877 
to  1879  he  was  news  manager  and  editor  of  the  Phil- 
adel])hia  Nurth  Avii:riran  and  editorial  writer  on  the 
Philadel|ihia  Press.  In  1880-3  he  was  connected  with 
the  Pittsburg  Dispatch  and  the  Pittsburg  Cotinnerriitl- 
Gdzette  as  news  editor  and  editorial  writer.  In  188.') 
he  started  the  Corry  Ddili/  Flj/rr,  in  1887  bought  the 
Corry  Weekly  lleraUl,  consolidated  the  two  papers,  and 
has  since  conducted  them.  Mr.  Plumb  belongs  to  one 
of  the  oldest  families  in  America.  \'ery  few,  if  any 
trace  their  ancestry  as  far  back.  The  Plumbs  were 
Normans,  and  the  family  record  goes  back  in  Nor- 
mandy to  the  year  1180  at  least,  on  the  great  roll,  and 
in  Kngland  to  1240.  The  first  Plumb  in  America  came 
from  England  in  163.5  and  settled  in  Wethersfield, 
Conn.  He  was  a  member  t)f  the  court  at  Hartford  in 
1636.  Two  brothers  of  the  first  Plumb  followed  from 
Esse.x  county,  England.  They  were  mariners  and 
ship  owners  at  New  London,  Conn.  Forty  names  of 
descendants  of  these  brothers  are  upon  the  muster 
rolls  of  Revolutionary  soldiers  from  New  England, 
New  York  and  New  Jersey.  Mr.  Plumb  was  married 
in  Ellenville,  N.  Y.,  in  1880,  to  Miss  Salice  Davenport, 
of  Meadville,  Pa.  .She  died  in  1890,  leaving  one  child, 
Helen  L.  Mr.  Plumb  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  the 
right,  and  is  always  ready  to  use  his  pen  in  the  fur- 
therance of  justice  to  his  fellow-men  and  for  the  bet- 
terment of  society.  He  has  a  keen  sense  of  the  right 
and  is  always  the  friend  of  the  oppressed. 

C.  L.  Covell,  attorney  at  law,  Corry,  Pa.,  born  in 
Chautauqua  county.  New  York,  May  3,  1849,  son  of  \V. 
W.  and  F-llen  E.  (Barber)  Covell,  both  natives  of  the 
Empire  .State.  When  C.  L.  was  5  years  old  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Pennsylvania  and  took  up  their  abode 
in  Concord  townshi|i,  Erie  county,  about  one  mile 
south  of  Corry.  Here  they  bought  a  farm,  where  they 
still  reside.  Mr.  Covell  was  reared  on  tfie  farm,  and 
worked  with  his  father  at  the  carjjenter's  trade.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  and 
Corry  high  school.  As  his  parents  were  people  of 
humble  means,  he  was  obliged  to  gain  an  education 
chiefly  fjy  his  own  efforts.  Early  in  life  he  decided  to 
become  a  lawyer,  anil  to  that  end  he  centered  all  his 
energies  until  he  succeeded.  In  1871  he  commenced 
reading  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  C.  O.  Bowman,  in 
Corry,  and,  March  27,  1873,  was  admitted  to  the  Erie 
County  bar,  and,  subsequently,  to  practice  in  several 
adjoining  counties  and  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State,  also  the  several  Federal  courts.  Upon  his 
admission  to  the  bar,  he  immediately  engaged  in  prac- 
tice in  Corry.  As  a  lawyer,  he  is  well  known  through- 
out this  section  as  a  discreet  and  judicious  a<iviser,  and 
as  an  able  and  fearless  advocate.  Mr.  Covell  was 
married  March  19,  1873,  to  Miss  Louise  Rathbun,  of 
Eden  Center,  Erie  coimty,  N.  Y.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  tw-o  children;  Alvah  W.  and  Flora  E., 
both  students  in  the  Corry  high  school.     Mr.  Covell  is 


a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  and  has  been  a  repre.senta- 
tive  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania  seven  years; 
he  is  also  a  member  of  the  K.  ().  T.  M.,  of  which  he  is 
senior  past  great  commander  of  the  Great  Camp  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  he  represented  Pennsylvania  as 
Supreme  delegate  to  the  .Supreme  Tent  of  the  World 
at  Port  Huron,  Mich.,  in  May,  189.');  is  a  member  of 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Corry  fire  department  seventeen  years,  and  has 
been  chief  engineer  one  year;  has  been  councilman, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  school  boanl,  and  has  been 
city  attorney  seven  years.     He  is  a  Democrat. 

Dr.  Henry  Oliii  Mackres,  Corry,  Pa.,  born  in 
Calais,  \'t..  December  1(>,  1824,  son  of  Joshua  and 
Esther  (Cummings)  Mackres,  and  grand.son  of  .Samuel 
Mackres,  one  of  the  ])arty  who  threw  the  tea  overboanl 
from  a  vessel  in  Boston  Harbor  and  afterwards  par- 
ticipated in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  H<-  is  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  his  parents  being  natives  of  New 
Hampshire.  When  he  was  9  years  old  his  father 
removed  to  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  and  settled  on 
a  piece  of  wild  land,  which  the  boy  assisted  him  to 
clear  and  cultivate  during  the  summer  months  and 
attended  the  district  schools  during  the  winter;  later 
he  attended  select  school,  and,  at  the  age  of  18,  com- 
menced teaching  school  to  acquire  the  means  to  carry 
him  through  the  study  of  medicine.  In  1844  he  began 
his  medical  studies  with  Dr.  Waterman  Ellsworth, 
and  later  continued  them  with  Dr.  Isaac  Hill,  of  Ran- 
dolph, N.  Y.  His  course  of  study  embraced  two 
courses  of  lectures  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  one  at  the 
Eclectic  Institute,  of  Randolph,  N.  Y.;  one  at  Buffalo, 
N.  v.,  and  a  post-graduate  course  at  Chicago,  111.  He 
received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  both  at  the  ICclectic 
Institute  and  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  He  commenced  the 
practice  of  medicine  at  Clymer,  N.  \ .,  in  1849,  and 
continued  a  successful  practice  until  1867,  when  he 
removed  to  Corry,  where  he  practiceii  in  partnership 
with  the  late  D.  B.  E.  Phel])S  for  a  year  and  a  half. 
In  the  spring  of  1872  he  took  as  a  partner  the  late  Dr. 
A.  S.  Bonsteel,  and  continued  the  partnershi])  until 
the  spring  of  1882— ten  years.  Wishing  to  retire  from 
active  practice,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  H. 
\V.  Thayer,  in  1888,  which  was  continued  until  .April, 
1890,  since  which  he  has  limited  his  practice  mainly  to 
office  business,  chronic  diseases  ami  consultations. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Erie  County  .Medical  .Society, 
of  which  he  was  censor  in  187.5  and  i)resident  in  1877. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Med- 
ical Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  I.  O.  O.  F.  and 
the  A.  O.  L'.  W.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
held  the  office  of  ]iostmaster  <Iuring  the  administra- 
tions of  Presidents  Pierce  and  Buchanan,  in  Clymer, 
N.  Y.  Dr.  Mackres  married  in  .May,  1850,  .\rteinilia, 
daughter  of  Jahes  Johnson,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Warren  county,  Pennsylvania.  To  this  union  have 
been  born:  Stella  A.,  wife  of  F.  F.  Root,  a  merchant 
of  Kinsman,  Ohio;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  W.  E.  Lewis,  a 
resident  of  Corrv,  and  lames  H.,  a  locomotive  engineer, 
in  the  employ  of  the  W.  N.  Y.  &  P.  R.  R.  He  has  a 
fine  office  at  No.  61  North  Center  street;  resilience,  44 
Franklin  .street.  .Although  the  doctor  has  bei'n 
afflicted  with  i)ulmonary  emphysema  since  early  child- 
hood, he  has  by  his  own  I'.verlions  and  industry 
acquired  his  education,  and  has  been  in  active  practice 
nearly  forty-seven  years. 


768 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


Thomas  A.  Edwards,  Corry,  Pa.,  more  familiarly 
known  as  "  Colonel  Kdwards,"  is  one  of  the  most  en- 
terprising business  men  of  Erie  county.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Ulster  county,  New  York,  and  was  born  July 
'21, 1832.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and  Catherine  Amelia 
(Lewis)  Edwards,  both  deceased.  In  the  family  there 
were  two  chiUlren,  Thonuis  A.  and  Alfred,  a  traveling 
salesman.  Thomas  A.  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  scools  of  New 
York  State,  and  when  17  years  of  age  went  to  sea,  a 
life  more  fitting  to  the  adventurous  temperament  which 
has  more  or  less  marked  his  life  from  boyhood  to  with- 
in the  last  few  years.  He  remained  in  the  employ  of 
the  Old  Collins  Steamship  Line  about  three  years,  when 
he  decided  to  give  up  the  life  of  a  mariner.  He  then 
went  into  the  show  Inisiness  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  as 
business  manager  for  the  well-known  showmen,  Spauld- 
ing  S:  Rogers,  which  position  he  held  until  li<57,  when 
he  resigned  to  join  the  exiiedition  under  General  Al- 
bert Sidney  Johnston  against  the  Mormons.  He  ac- 
companied it  across  the  plains  and  served  as  assistant 
wagon-master.  In  ISiJSy  he  was  at  Pike's  Peak  dur- 
ing the  gold  excitement,  and  later  visited  various  parts 
of  the  country.  When  the  great  conflict  opened  be- 
tween the  loyal  North  and  secession,  Mr.  Edwards 
was  in  Memphis,  Tenn.,  in  the  employ  of  the  Memphis 
Transportation  Company.  He  was  immediately  em- 
ployed in  the  secret  service  of  the  United  States.  In 
this  capacity  he  was  engaged  in  the  hazardous  business 
of  passing  the  lines  of  the  enemy,  locating  their  posi- 
tion, determining  their  strength,  and  returning  with  re- 
ports. While  serving  at  the  blockade  of  Wilmington, 
N.  C,  he  was  captured  and  imprisoned,  but  escaped 
and  made  his  way  to  the  union  blockading  squadron, 
where  he  was  once  more  safe  from  the  hand  of  hostile 
vengeance.  He  was  then  sent  to  Washington  and  re- 
mained in  the  secret  service  until  after  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg.  In  the  following  October,  he  joined 
General  Fred  Steele  in  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  under  whom 
he  served  as  a  scout  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In 
1866  he  went  to  Oregon  and  entered  the  United  States 
service  under  General  Crook  in  the  Snake  Indian  war 
as  secret  bearer  of  dispatches,  etc.  Here  he  met  Don- 
ald McKay,  that  prince  of  Indian  scouts  and  fighters. 
A  very  warm  friendship  sprang  up  between  them, 
which  lasted  until  the  death  of  Donald  in  the  fall  of 
1894.  In  1874  he  went  to  Europe  and  took  with  him 
a  band  of  red  men  from  the  Rocky  Mountains,  who 
were  known  as  the  Warm  Spring  Indian  Scouts,  that 
famous  band  who,  under  the  command  of  the  bold 
Donald  McKay,  defeated  the  treacherous  Modocs, 
under  Captain  Jack,  and  captured  the  latter.  Mr.  Ed- 
wards returned  from  Europe  in  1876  with  his  exhibition 
Indians  and  had  them  in  Philadelphia  during  the  Cen- 
tennial in  1876.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  organized  the 
Oregon  Indian  Medicine  Company,  and  had  head- 
quarters in  Pittsburg  until  1883,  when  he  located  in 
Corry,  where  he  now  resides  and  carries  on  his  ex- 
tensive medicine  works,  manufacturing  several  reme- 
dies that  are  well  known  throughout  the  country  for 
their  efficacy.  He  has  thirty-seven  companies  on  the 
road  selling  and  introducing  his  medicines.  The 
"Colonel"  was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Kelly,  of  Erie,  Pa.  To  them  have  been  born  one 
child,  Clarion  D.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Elks,  and 
is  at  present  a  meml)er  of  the  city  council.  Mr.  Ed- 
wards is  a  firm  adherent  to  the  principles  of  free 
trade. 


C.  P.  Rogers,  jr.,  attorney  at  law,  Corry,  Pa., 
born  in  Erie,  Pa.,  March  2.5,  1869,  is  a  son  of  Col.C.  H. 
and  LiUie  (Speel)  Rogers,  the  former  a  native  of  Erie 
county,  and  the  latter  of  Dauphin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. When  C.  P.  was  about  8  years  old  his  parents 
removed  to  Corry,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  Corry  high 
school,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1884. 
The  following  year  he  entered  Lehigh  University, 
where  he  remained  two  years,  when  he  conmienced 
reading  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  C.  O.  Bcjwnian  (de- 
ceased) of  Corry.  He  was  admitted  to  ])ractice  in  the 
several  courts  of  Erie  county  in  September,  1890,  to 
the  Supreme  court  of  Pennsylvania  in  April,  1893,  an<l 
to  the  Federal  courts  in  July,  1894.  He  entered 
into  a  partnership  in  1890  with  Hon.  A.  F.  Bole,  and 
continued  with  him  to  the  time  of  Mr.  Hole'6  death,  in 
October,  1891.  He  then  continued  the  practice  alone, 
and  now  has  his  office  in  the  Wright  block.  Mr.  Rogers 
is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  been 
city  clerk  four  terms,  is  a  member  of  the  school  board, 
and  is  a  Republican. 

Joseph  A.  Pain,  editor  of  the  Corry  Telegraph, 
Corrv,  was  born  in  Bristol,  England,  April  2,  1828. 
His  father  was  a  medical  practitioner  and  educational 
professor  at  one  time,  and  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life 
kejit  a  stationery  store  and  printing  office  in  Darlford, 
county  of  Kent,  E  igland.  Mr.  Pain  received  a  first- 
class  education,  finishing  at  Westminster  College.  Be- 
ing frustrated  by  his  father  in  his  desire  to  become  a 
sailor,  Mr.  Pain  left  home  in  1848  and  came  to  Quebec, 
Canada.  After  a  few  months,  he  went  to  Erie  county. 
New  York,  a  penniless  lad.  Desiring  to  return  to 
England,  he  started  at  once  for  New  York,  afoot,  but 
at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  he  found  work  in  the  Auburn  Dnily 
Adi'ertiiier  office,  where  he  obtained  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  practical  part  of  the  printer's  business. 
From  Auburn,  he  went  to  Wolcott,  Wayne  county,  N. 
Y'.,  and  published  the  Banner.  Thence  he  found  his 
way  to  Clyde,  N.  Y.,  with  S3.0.5  in  his  pocket  (all  his 
worldly  possessions),  and  took  the  material  of  a  de- 
funct paper  and  published  a  weekly  paper,  commenc- 
ing March,  18.50.  On  April  29,  that  year,  Mr.  Pain 
married  Emily  .M.  Smith,  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  who  was  a 
true  helpmate  to  him,  sharing  his  fortunes  till  May  30, 
1883,  when  she  departed  this  life,  leaving  behind  four 
chikiren.  In  1865,  Mr.  Pain  sold  out  his  establish- 
ment in  Clyde,  and  being  attracted  to  the  oil  regions, 
bought  a  half  interest  in  the  Corry  TeUyraxili,  which 
had  broken  down  under  five  different  owners,  and  has 
continued  its  publication  nineteen  successive  years. 
The  Corry  Tikgrapk  was  a  daily  and  weekly  sheet 
when  Mr.  Pain  [jurchased  his  interest.  After  a  few 
months,  he  bought  out  his  partner,  and  in  1866sto|JiJed 
the  daily  and  continued  the  weekly,  until  the  fall  of 
1868,  when  he  again  started  a  daily,  the  Corry  Dnily 
Blade,  commencing  it  small,  but  continuing  to  enlarge 
till  it  became  a  seven-column  four-page  paper.  In 
1872,  commercial  depression  compelled  the  stojiiJage 
of  the  Daily  Blade,  and  Mr.  Pain  thereafter  has  given 
his  entire  attention  to  the  Weekly  Teler/raph  and  his 
large  job  printing  establishment.  Our  subject  is  now 
in  his  56th  year,  active  and  energetic.  He  was  assist- 
ant assessor  of  internal  revenue  for  over  a  year;  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  common  council  of  the  city 
of  Corry  in  1867;  school  director  in  1878,  and  city  clerk 
for  one  term.     He  is  an   inveterate  worker,   liberal  in 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


769 


his  opinions,  a  forcible  writer  and  a  staunch  friend.  Is 
P.  G.  in  the  I.  O.  O.  F.;  P.  M.  W.  in  the  A.  O.  U.  W.; 

first  P.  G.  D.  of  Pennsylvania  of  the  K.  of  H.,  and  an 
ex-member  of  the  supreme  lodge  of  the  same  order; 
P.  H.  C.  R.  of  I.  O.  F.;  P.  G.  P.  and  member  of  the 
Committee  on  secret  work  of  the  supreme  lodge  of  the 
K.  and  L.  of  H.;  P.  S.  of  I.  O.  R.  M.  By  many  of  these 
Mr.  Pain  has  been  presented  with  badges  and  regalia 
of  value,  among  which  is  a  SlOO  gold  medal  by  the  K. 
of  H.,  commemorating  his  50th  birthday,  and  a  beau- 
tiful gold-headed  cane  by  the  grand  lodge  of  Pennsyl- 
vania K.  of  H.  In  politics,  Mr.  Pain  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  taken  a  part  in  all  the  campaigns.  In  the 
Greeley  campaign  he  saved  the  Corry  district  to  the 
Republican  party. 

M.  Mandeville,  (deceased),  Corry,  Pa.,  born  in  Ad- 
dison, Steuben  county,  N.  Y.,  June  2,  1832,  was  a  son  of 
Homer  and  Abigail  (Manleyl  Mandeville,  the  former 
a  native  of  South  Headly,  Mass.,  and  the  latter  of 
Greene,  Shenango  county,  X.  Y.,  and  of  New  England 
origin.  The  former  died  in  1889,  aged  94  years,  and 
the  latter  in  1891,  aged  84.  M.  Mandeville  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Steuben  county,  New  York.  When  a 
young  man  he  was  engaged  at  farming  and  lumber- 
ing with  his  father  in  the  neighborhood  of  .'Vddison. 
In  18.57  he  went  to  McKean  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
the  employ  of  the  Tilben  Lumber  Company,  and  re- 
mained in  their  employ  for  five  years.  In  18f)2  he 
came  to  Corry,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  A.  & 
G.  W.  R.  R.  Companv,  m  constructing  that  road,  as 
carpenter.  In  July  of  the  same  year  he  resigned,  and 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Oil  Creek  R.  R.,  remaining 
in  the  employ  of  that  road  until  the  fall  of  1864,  when 
he  resigned  to  take  charge  of  the  carpenter  work  for 
the  Oil  Creek  Petroleum  Company.  After  a  year  of 
this  service  he  engaged  in  contracting  for  the  drilling 
of  oil  wells  a  short  time,  and  then  engaged  in  stock 
raising  and  looking  after  the  land  of  an  oil  comjiany 
until  1867,  when  he  went  to  Pleasantville,  Pa.,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  flour  and  feed  business  for  a  year;  during 
the  Shamburg  oil  excitement  he  went  to  Miller  farm, 
and  was  engaged  in  the  same  business,  together  with 
building  supplies,  for  two  and  a  half  years,  and  went 
to  Foxburg  in  the  same  business,  and  remained  there 
about  nine  years.  He  then  went  to  Michigan  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health,  and  remained  about  one  year, 
when  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  and  was  promoter 
of  the  Foxburg  and  Clarion  R.  R.,  and  later  this  road 
was  combined  with  the  Emlenton,  Shippenville  and 
Clarion  R.  R.,  and  a  charter  for  a  road  from  Edenburg 
to  Kane  was  obtained,  under  the  name  of  the  Pitts- 
burg, Bradford  and  Buffalo  R.  R.,  and  Mr.  Mandeville 
was  made  president  of  it  in  1880.  He  resigned  in 
January,  1882,  and  with  a  Mr.  Hall  purchased  a  large 
tract  of  oil  land  in  Bradford.  Later  Mr.  Mandeville 
and  Mr.  Whitney,  of  Olean,  built  a  hub  factory  at 
Marionville,  Pa.,  which  they  operated  in  partnership 
until  1885,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Since  that 
time  he  has  been  interested  in  the  lumber  business  in 
F^lk  county,  Pennsylvania,  as  president  and  manager 
of  the  Cherry  Ridge  Lumber  Company,  and  has  car- 
ried on  a  very  extensive  and  lucrative  Umiber  industry. 
He  was  married  December  23,  lS(i6,  to  Olive  M., 
daughter  of  David  Nash,  of  Concord  township,  Erie 
county.  To  this  union  were  born  six  children:  Bell, 
James  (deceased),  Marion,  in  Lavery;  J.  Coyle,  of  Cor- 
ry; Mattie  (deceased),  and  Mary.     He  is  one  of  the  di- 


rectors of  the  Foxburg  National  Bank,  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order,  and  politicially  is  a  Republican. 
Mr.  Mandeville  was  a  business  man  of  the  highest 
qualifications,  and  has  an  unini[)eachable  rejiutation 
for  uprightness  and  honesty,  and  always  proved  him- 
self to  be  a  cautious  and  successful  financier  and 
manager.     He  died  October  31,  1894. 

B.  H.  Phelps,  physician  and  surgeon,  Corry,  Pa., 
born  March  16,  1)544,  in  Williamsfield,  Ashtabula 
county,  Ohio,  is  a  son  of  Truman  and  Caroline  (Gard- 
ner) Phelps,  the  former  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and 
the  latter  of  Massachusetts.  The  family  settled  in 
Ohio  in  18li3  and  engaged  in  farming.  There  were 
seven  children:  Norris  T.,  Kingsville,  Ohio;  Obed  K., 
Farmington,  Ohio;  B.  H.,  Charles  H.,  Terre  Haute, 
Ind.;  Addison  B.,  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Lyman  C.,Andover, 
Ohio,  and  Sophia,  Mrs.  Charles  Tuttle,  Andover,  Ohio. 
The  parents  now  reside  at  Andover,  the  father  aged  82 
years  and  the  mother  80  years  of  age.  B.  H.  Phelps' 
early  education  was  obtained  in  his  native  county  and 
subsequently  he  attended  the  Grand  River  Institute, 
Austinburg,  Ohio,  for  about  two  years.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  the  Kingsville  Institute,  Ohio,  June  14, 
1867,  and  then  attended  the  Cleveland  Medical  Col- 
lege, where  he  received  the  degree  M.  D.  in  February, 
1871.  He  was  a  member  of  the  29th  O.  \'.  I.  from  the 
fall  of  1861  to  the  spring  of  1863,  in  the  capacity  of 
musician.  The  doctor  was  twice  married:  In  1870, 
to  Philena,  daughter  of  Jacob  Greenlee,  of  Amboy, 
Ohio.  By  this  union  there  was  one  child,  T.  Otis, 
jeweler,  Corry,  Pa.  Mrs.  Phelps  died  in  1878,  and 
April  16,  1879,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Alice  C, 
daughter  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Dungan,  a  retired  Methodist 
minister  of  Orwell,  Ohio.  They  have  one  child,  J. 
Paul,  at  home.  Dr.  Phelps  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  and  politically  is  a  Republican.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  pension  examiners 
about  two  years.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  he  is  a  choir  leader 
in  that  organization  in  Corry.  He  has  been  engaged 
in  general  practice.  In  1880  he  settled  in  Corry.  He 
has  always  evinced  a  talent  for  music,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board. 

J.  S.  Whiteley,  physician  and  surgeon,  Corry,  Pa., 
born  in  Red  House,  Cattaragus  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1856, 
is  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Anna  Whiteley.  The  former 
was  a  practicing  physician  in  Oil  Citv,  Pa.,  where  he 
died  in  1891,  and  the  latter  died  in  1877.  J.  S.  White- 
ley  was  graduated  from  the  Cleveland  Hosjiital  and  . 
Medical  College  in  the  class  of  1877,  and  immediately 
engaged  in  practice  with  his  father  in  Oil  City,  and  in 
1883  went  to  Warrensville,  Ohio,  nine  miles  from 
Cleveland,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion and  remained  there  until  1889,  when  he  returned 
to  Oil  City,  and  after  remaining  a  short  time  came  to 
Corry,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  a  success- 
ful practice.  The  doctor  was  married  in  1876  to 
Lillian  Gibbs,  of  Oil  City.  To  them  were  born  five 
children:  Lillie  .\.,  Charles  B.,  Frank  G.,  Howard 
and  Allie  B.  Mrs.  Whitely  died  in  February,  1893, 
and  the  doctor  afterward  married  Miss  Louise  A. 
Brightman,  of  Corry.  He  is  a  member  oi  the  K.  of  P. 
and  Lodge  3,  Royal  Templars  of  Temperance,  of 
which  he  is  medical  examiner.     He  is  a  Reiniblican. 

M.  Michels  (deceased),  clothier  and  furnisher, 
Corry,  Pa.,  born  February  2,  1841,  at  Rhine  Bella,  Ger- 


770 


NELSON'S  BIOaitArniCAL  DICTIONARY 


many.  He  was  educated  in  his  native  land,  and  when 
12  years  of  age  his  parents  died.  He  iniiiiediately 
came  to  AiniTiea  and  settlc-d  in  New  N'ork  city,  whrre 
he  remained  until  IStlo  and  learned  the  tailor's  trade, 
and  also  worked  at  the  clothier's  business.  In  IWi.'i  he 
came  to  Corry  and  engaged  in  the  clothing  and  gen- 
tlemen's furnishing  goods  business  and  followed  it  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  September  '22,  1H95.  Mr. 
Michels  was  twice  married,  first  to  Miss  Seigel,  of  New 
York  city,  by  whom  he  has  one  child  living,  Moses, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  merchant  tailoring  business  in 
New  York  city.  Mrs.  Michels  died  in  1872,  and  ten 
years  later  he  married  Miss  Goldsmith,  of  New  York 
city.  To  them  have  been  born  two  children,  one  of 
whom  is  living,  Gussie,  at  home.  Mr.  Michels  was  a 
member  of  the  1.  ().  O.  F.,  and  had  jiassed  all  the  chairs, 
both  in  the  subordinate  lodge  and  the  Encamjiment. 
He  was  a  member  of  five  secret  organizations.  Mr. 
Michels  was  an  active  business  man.  He  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Temple,  No.  7(5  Fifth  avenue, 
New  York. 

John  D.  Murray,  of  the  firm  of  Murray  6t  Co., 
wholesali'  and  retail  grocers.  No.  89  North  Center 
street,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born  in  I'etersboro,  Ontario,  Au- 
gust 24,  18(>;{.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Bridget  (Lon- 
dergan I  Murray,  natives  of  Ireland,  the  former  now  a 
resident  of  Corry,  the  latter  deceased.  James  Murray 
came  to  Corry  when  John  D.  was  about  six  months  old 
and  has  since  lived  there.  John  was  educated  in  the 
parochial  schools  of  Corry,  and  in  1885  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Murray  iV  Lynch,  grocers,  of  Corry, 
Pa.  They  continued  business  but  a  short  time  when 
Mr.  Murray  sold  out  to  his  partner  and  engaged  in  the 
same  business  with  T.  A.  Blair  un<ler  the  firm  name  of 
Murray  &  Blair,  which  continued  to  do  business  for 
three  years  when  they  dissolved  jiartnership  and  Mr. 
Murray  has  since  been  the  senior  nu-mber  of  the  firm. 
He  was  married  October  11,  ISlKi,  to  Miss  Mary  K. 
Lyons,  of  Corry.  Mr.  Murray  has  been  elected  coun- 
cilman, which  office  he  still  holds.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

S.  E.  Kincaid,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born  July  Hi,  1837, 
in  Wayne  township,  Krie  county.  Pa.,  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (.Smith)  Kincaid  (both  deceased),  the  former 
from  Carlisle,  Pa.,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Krie 
county.  John  Kincaid  was  born  March  2.^,  17!)1,  and 
came  to  F.rie  county  with  his  parents  when  13  years 
old,  the  family  settling  in  Wayne  township.  John's 
father  served  in  the  war  of  1812;  his  mother  was  a 
native  of  F.rie  county  and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Snn'th, 
a  native  of  Ireland,  who  was  the  first  .settler  in  Wayne 
townshi]!.  She  was  born  March  29,  1799.  They  both 
spent  their  lives  in  Wayne  townshi]).  where  the  father 
died  in  February,  1875,  and  the  mother  followed  in 
September,  1S79.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and  was  ajipointed  liy  the  court  to  lay  out 
roads.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Kincaiii  reared  a  family  of 
si.x  children:  Jane  M.  and  Jessie  Lyons  (both 
deceased);  William,  of  Wayne  township,  l)orn  in  1821; 
Margaret,  Mrs.  Lyman  Thomas,  of  Clymer,  N.  Y.; 
John,  Nebraska;  Samuel  E.  and  Henry  (deceased). 
Samuel  E.  Kincaid  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  Waterford  Academy.  He  commenced  life  as  a 
farmer  and  dairyman,  and  during  the  early  part  of  thi- 
war  acted  as  enrolling  officer.  When  21  years  old  he 
was  elected  constable  of  Wayne  township;  he  served 


as  assessor  two  terms,  school  director  five  terms, 
justice  of  the  jieace  two  terms.  In  187fi  he  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature,  and  re-elected  in  1878.  During  his 
fir.st  term  he  was  secretary  of  the  agricultural  com- 
mittee, and  the  last  term  served  as  chairman,  anil  was 
the  recipient  of  a  gold-headed  cane  at  the  hands  of  his 
colleagues  as  a  token  of  their  appreciation.  Mr.  Kin- 
caid was  a  member  of  the  Corry  city  council  one  term, 
and  is  now  an  acting  justice  of  the  peace.  He  is 
president  of  the  Northwestern  Agricultural  Society, 
and  w-as  one  of  the  originators  of  that  association. 
He  is  also  a  director  and  a  member  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Harjior  Creek  Insurance  Com|)any; 
is  a  director  of  the  National  B«nk  of  Corry;  is  sales- 
man for  the  Wayne  Cheese  Factory.  Mr.  Kincaid 
was  united  in  marriage  in  18,')8  to  Nliss  Escula  Ann 
Yeager,  who  died  shortly  after.  He  married  Miss 
Dora,  daughter  of  Ira  Wilkinson,  of  .'\mity  township, 
August  17,  1870,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  six 
children:  Clara  Blanche  (died  in  infancy;;  Elmer 
Lincoln,  a  graduate  of  the  Corrv  high  school,  now 
postal  clerk  on  the  W.  N.  ^■.  iV  Va.  R.  R.:  Cerry 
Thaddeus,  student  in  .Allegheny  College;  Samuel 
Blaine,  student;  Don  Wilkinson  and  John  Archibald 
(deceased).  Mr.  Kincaid  has  resided  in  the  city  of 
Corry  since  1890,  at  138  North  Center  street,  where  he 
has  a  handsome  residence. 

Dr.  F.  A.  Beebe,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Corry 
July  30,  18.')4,  son  of  Lewis  A.  and  Elizabeth  (McCray) 
Beebe,  was  reared  in  Corry  and  received  his  early 
education  there,  and  took  a  course  of  lectures  in 
Clifton  Liberal  Institute.  At  the  age  of  18  he  began 
reading  medicine  under  Dr.  C.  B.  Kifiler,  of  Corry,  and 
afterward  attended  the  L'niversity  of  Wooster,  ()., 
taking  a  course  in  the  medical  department,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1877.  He  then  attended 
the  'VYestern  Reserve  Medical  College  at  Cleveland  in 
1881.  In  1877  he  engaged  in  practice  at  Findley's 
Lake,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  until  1891,  when  he 
came  to  Corry,  where  he  enjoys  an  extensive  practice. 
The  Doctor  was  married  in  187H  to  Anna  Peterson,  of 
Erie,  Pa.  Dr.  Beebe  was  a  registered  pharmacist  of 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania;  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Dr.  Beebe's 
father,  Lewis,  was  a  son  of  Buckingham  and  Lavina 
(Freeman)  Beebe.  He  was  born  in  Concord  township, 
P>ie  county,  in  1825,  ami  spent  the  most  of  his  life  m 
Erie  county,  engaged  in  farunng  and  cattle  dealing 
and  handling  real  estate.  He  married  I'.li/'abeth 
McCray,  wht)  was  also  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer 
families  of  Erie  county.  To  them  were  born  four 
children:  F.  A.;  Mary  E.,  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  Stewart, 
assistant  .State  Microscopist  and  State  X'eterinary  Sur- 
geon, Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Addie,  wife  of  Frank  Cro- 
wed, and  .Stella,  wife  of  Oscar  Marsh,  su|)erintendent  of 
public  schools  of  Potlawattomie  county,  Iowa.  He 
died  in  187S;  his  widow  survives  and  resitles  in  Con- 
cord township.  Buckingham  Beebe  came  to  Erie 
county  from  Chenango  county.  New  York,  in  1820,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  five  settlers  of  Concord  township. 
He  run  a  store  at  Colunibus,  and  was  also  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business.  He  finally  went  to  Huron,  O., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  trade.  He  spent 
the  last  few  years  of  his  life  in  Chautauqua  county. 
New  York.  He  married  Lavina  Freeman,  also  a 
native  of  New  'V'ork.  To  them  were  born  six  children: 
Lewis  (deceased);  Mary  (deceased);  John    H.,   New 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


771 


York;  Flavrilla,  wife  of  Frank  Foster,  Norwalk,  O.; 
Albert,  Chautauqua  county,  New  York. 

J.  Hanford  Duke,  manufacturer  and  bottler  of 
mineral  and  soda  water,  Corry,  Pa.,  born  December25, 
18f)H,  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Emily  (Reaser)  Duke, 
both  natives  of  Xew  York  (where  Hanford  was  born), 
and  are  of  English  descent.  His  fatherdied  at  Wells- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  December  25,  1884,  and  his  mother  now 
resides  at  Corry.  In  the  family  there  were  two 
children,  J.  Hanford  and  Myron  J.,  who  is  with  his 
brother  in  Corry.  Mr.  Duke  was  educated  at  Phillips 
Academy,  Andover,  Mass.  In  1890  he  came  to  Corry 
for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  and  shortly  after  pur- 
chased the  Corry  mineral  springs,  of  which  he  is  now 
proprietor.  In  1892  he  commenced  the  manufacture 
and  bottling  of  soft  drinks,  which  bu:  iness  he  has  since 
continued.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  oil  business  in 
West  \'irginia  and  Ohio.  He  was  married  September 
3,  1893,  to  Adelia  Dunham,  and  has  one  child,  Joseph 
Edward.  Although  not  active  in  politics,  Mr.  Duke  is 
a  thorough  Republican. 

Henry  W.  Thayer,  physician  and  surgeon,  Corry, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  St.  Paul,  .Minn.,  May  10,  1859.  He  is 
a  son  of  Rev.  Charles  and  Ellen  (Southard)  Thayer, 
the  former  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  latter  of 
Kentucky.  In  the  family  there  were  three  children, 
the  Doctor  being  the  youngest.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Minnesota,  attended  the  State 
University  of  Minnesota  three  years,  and  the  Univer- 
sity of  W'ooster,  O.,  and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1879. 
He  was  principal  of  the  public  schools  of  Canal  Dover, 
O.,  one  year,  afterward  attending  two  courses  at  the 
Medical  College,  in  Cleveland,  O.  He  then  worked 
in  a  civil  engineering  corps  in  Nebraska,  Dakota  and 
Montana,  from  1881  to  1884,  when  he  went  to  the  Rush 
Medical  College  at  Chicago,  graduating  in  the  class  of 
1886.  After  practicing  a  year  in  a  hospital  in  May, 
1888,  he  came  to  Corry  and  was  associated  three  years 
with  Dr.  Mackres,  and  in  1890  he  began  to  practice 
alone,  and  has  since  commanded  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice.  His  skill  and  ability  as  a  physician  has  re- 
ceived a  ready  recognition  from  the  Erie  county  pub- 
lic. The  doctor  was  married,  July  14,  1887,  to  Miss 
Elsie  D.  Stone,  of  Virginia,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  three  children:  C.  Harry,  Charles  Henry  and 
Helen.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  State  Medical  Society,  president  of  the 
Erie  County  Medical  Society,  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Public  Health  ."Association,  the  American  Medical 
Academy  and  National  Association  of  Railway  Sur- 
geons; he  is  affiliated  with  the  K.  of  P.,  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
and  K.  O.  T.  M.  Dr.  Thayer  is  the  surgeon  of  the 
Sixteenth  Regiment,  N.  G.  P.,  with  uniform  rank  of 
first  lieutenant  on  the  colonel's  staff.  He  was  health 
officer  three  years  for  the  city  of  Corry,  and  was  with- 
out a  doubt  one  of  the  most  efficient  health  officers 
Corry  ever  had.     In  politicsthe  doctor  is  a  Republican. 

W.  M.  Durham,  dealer  in  drugs,  fancy  goods  and 
stationary,  (53  North  Center  street,  Corry,  Pa.,  is  one  of 
the  most  progressive  business  men  m  Corry.  He  was 
born  at  Bath,  Steuben  county,  N.  Y.,  January  7,  1841, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  S.  and  Eliza  A.  Durham,  both 
deceased,  natives  of  New  York.  Mr.  Durham  com- 
menced life  for  himself  teaching  school  in  winter  and 
working  on  his  brother's  farm  in  summer,  improving 


his  spare  time  in  learning  telegraphy.  In  1860  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Erie  R.  R.  Company  as  tele- 
graph operator  and  agent,  working  at  various  offices 
along  the  line.  In  1865  he  resigned  and  went  to  the 
oil  country  of  Pennsylvania,  entering  the  employ  of 
the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  opening  the 
office  at  Pioneer,  Pa.,  in  January  of  that  year;  ticket 
agent  for  the  Oil  Creek  R.  R.  Company;  agent  six 
years  for  the  Union  Express  Company.  He  then  went 
to  Fagundus,  Warren  county.  Pa.,  and  conducted  a 
general  mercantile  business  (opening  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  office  at  the  same  time)  for  two 
years,  when  his  entire  stock  was  destoyed  by  fire.  Go- 
ing to  Grease  City,  Butler  county.  Pa.,  for  two  years, 
he  opened  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  office,  re- 
maining two  years  through  the  oil  excitement;  he  then 
went  to  St.  Joseph,  Butler  county,  opening  the  West- 
ern Union  Telegraph  office  in  a  drug  store,  working  at 
telegraphing  and  the  drug  business;  was  again  burned 
out  in  1890,  after  entering  the  general  mercantile  bus- 
iness. Coming  to  Corry  he  engaged  in  his  present  bus- 
iness. Mr.  Durham  was  married  July  4,  1867,  to  Miss 
Nellie  Olds,  of  Erie,  Pa.,  and  this  union  has  been 
blessed  with  three  children,  William  L.,  bookkeeper 
in  the  Climax  Manufacturing  Company;  Minnie  and 
LeGrand  M.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  is  a  Prohibitionist. 

Oliver  D.  Skinner,  grocer,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born 
near  the  present  site  of  Corry,  February  26,  1832.  He 
was  educated  in  the  subscription  schools  of  that  day 
and  remained  01.  his  father's  farm  until  22  years  of 
age,  when  he  went  to  California,  remaining.five  years. 
He  returned  to  Corry,  and  was  engaged  in  cattle  deal- 
ing and  droving  for  twenty-five  years.  He  conducted 
the  Oneida  Meat  Market  one  year,  and  in  1890,  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business,  which  he  has  since  suc- 
cessfully managed  at  No.  4  East  Washington  street. 
Mr.  Skinner  was  married  May  19,  1860,  to  .\liss  Eliza- 
beth Bemis,  of  Columbus,  Pa.,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  six  children:  Willis,  drug  salesman;  .Alline,  at 
home;  Elmer,  Oliver,  Edwin  and  Roy,  Corry.  Joseph 
Skinner  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island  in  18(30,  and 
came  to  Chenango  county.  New  York,  with  his  parents, 
where  they  both  died.  In  1826  became  to  Erie  county, 
and  settled  on  eighty  acres  of  land,  part  of  which  lies 
within  the  city  limits  of  Corry,  where  he  followed 
farming  and  lumbering.  He  was  married  to  Julia  Da- 
vis, also  a  native  of  Rhode  Island.  To  them  were 
born  eleven  children;  Charles  (deceased),  Mary  .Ann, 
wife  of  Philo  Stevens,  Columbus;  Morris,  resident  of 
Kansas;  Olive  D.,  Juliette,  wife  of  Solon  'Wilcox; 
Honor,  Mrs.  Philo  Wright  (deceased);  Catherine,  wife 
of  Newton  Wright,  Chautauqua  county.  New  York; 
Alanson  (deceased!,  .Alice  (deceased),  and  Marion  (de- 
ceased!. Joseph  Skinner  died  in  Corry,  in  1849,  and 
his  wife  in  1880.  This  gentleman  was  the  first  perma- 
nent settler  in  the  city  of  Corry. 

C.  B.  Kibler,  M.  D.,  Corr>',  Pa.,  was  born  in  Bu- 
cyrus,  Crawford  county,  Ohio.  He  graduated  with 
honors  from  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Buffalo,  in  1870,  and  soon  afterward  located  in 
Corry,  where  he  has  built  up  a  very  large  practice. 
He  has  been  surgeon  of  the  N.  Y.,  P.  &  O.  R.  R.  for 
over  twenty  years;  a  member  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion for  six  years,  and  president  of  that  bixiy  for  five 
years;  he  was  sent  as  a  delegate  by  the  American 


772 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPEWAL  DICTIONARY 


Medical  Association  to  the  International  Medical 
Congress  in  Berlin  in  1890,  afterwards  spending  some 
time  in  the  hospitals  of  London,  I'aris,  Berlin,  Dres- 
den, Miinieh  and  \ienna.  At  present  he  is  presi<lent 
of  the  Assiieialioii  of  ICrie  Railway  Surgeons,  and  a 
member  of  the  County,  State  and  American  Medical 
Associations,  the  New  York  Medico-Legal  Socii'ty,  the 
British  Medical  and  the  National  Associations  of  Rail- 
way Surgeons;  treasurer  of  the  American  Academy 
of  Railway  Surgeons.  He  is  a  surgeon  of  much  more 
than  ordinary  ability,  and  of  wide  reputation.  He 
lives  in  a  beautiful  home  on  the  Park.  The  Doctor 
was  married  in  1871,  to  Miss  Kittie  L.,  the  accom- 
plished daughter  of  Dr.  J.  M.  Palmer,  his  preceptor, 
of  Corry.  To  them  have  been  born  three  children: 
Bertha  C.,  Florence  K.  and  John  C. 

N.  P.  Kilburti,  jeweler,  Corry,  Pa.,  born  in  St. 
Lawrence  cn\inty,  New  York,  October  28,  1828,  is  a 
son  of  jolm  M.  and  Hannah  (Cook)  Kilburn  (de- 
ceased), both  natives  of  New  ^'ork.  When  N.  P.  Kil- 
burn was  young  his  parents  moved  to  Cattaraugus 
county.  New  York,  where  he  received  his  early  educa- 
tion. \Vh(-n  quite  young  he  became  an  apprentice  to 
the  jeweler's  trade  in  Gowanda,  N.  Y.,  and  in  the  fall 
of  IS/ifi  he  started  in  business  for  himself  in  Forest- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  and  remained  there  four  years,  when  he 
went  to  Randolph,  and  in  August,  18(i2,  came  to 
Corry  and  engaged  in  business,  and  was  the  first  jew- 
eler in  the  town.  In  1874  he  sold  his  business  out  and 
went  on  the  road  as  a  traveling  salesman  in  the  sew- 
ing machine,  needle  and  oil  line  six  years,  during 
which  time  he  traveled  in  nearly  every  State  in  the 
Union.  Mr.  Kilburn  has  been  twice  married,  first  to 
Miss  Rebecca  Nichols,  of  Cattaraugus  county.  New 
York.  She  died  in  1862,  and  he  afterwards  married 
Miss  Susan  Owens,  of  Corry.  To  them  were  f)i>rn 
two  children,  Ceorge  P.,  a  graduate  of  Clark's  Busi- 
ness College,  and  lennie,  who  married  Frank  Mc- 
\augh,  a  conductor' on  the  \V.  N.  Y.  &  P.  R.  R.  Mr. 
Kilburn  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  is  a  Re- 
pufjlican. 

C.  H.  Wetmore,  treasurer  of  the  Corry  Gas  and 
Water  Company  Corry,  Pa.,  was  liorn  in  Warren  De- 
cember 2,  18.59,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Rosalia 
(Hall)  Wetmore.  He  was  reared  in  Warren,  Pa.,  and 
attended  the  public  schools  until  he  was  14  years  old, 
when  he  attended  the  Flushing  School,  Long  Island, 
and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Yale  law  department 
and  graduated  in  the  class  of  '83.  He  then  came  to 
Corry  and  and  was  engaged  in  the  Corry  Pail  Factory 
until  188(),  when  he  engaged  in  his  ])resent  business. 
He  was  married  in  1884  to  Miss  L.  Belle  Squier,  of 
Corry.  Mr.  Wetmore  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  and  is  a  Republican. 

A.  E.  Weeks,  jiroprietor  of  the  Corry  steam  laun- 
dry, Corry,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  an<l  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1861,  at  Palnesville,  O.  He  is  a  son  of  Seth 
and  Debra  A.  (BIydenburg)  Weeks,  natives  of  Long 
Island,  now  residents  of  Corry.  His  father  was  the 
founder  of  the  Corry  fish  hatchery  and  conducted  it 
many  years  as  a  private  enterprise,  when  finally  the 
State  purchased  it  from  him,  and  it  has  since  been 
o])erated  under  the  auspices  of  the  Pennsylvania  Fish 
Commission.  When  \.  E.  Weeks  was  but  5  years  old 
his  parents  moved  from  their  home  in  Ohio  to  Corry, 


where  they  have  since  resided.  Here  he  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools,  and  when  a  youth 
assisted  his  father  in  the  fish  liati  liiry.  When  about 
22  years  old  he  went  lo  Garfield,  Warren  county.  Pa., 
and  engaged  in  llie  Oakery  business,  after  which  he 
was  engaged  in  the  bakery  business  at  Bradford,  Pa. 
He  then  sold  his  business  and  returned  to  Corry,  and 
was  employed  in  the  Caligraph  works  until  they  moved 
from  Corry  in  188.5,  when  he  engaged  in  the  laundry 
business,  which  he  has  since  conducted  with  a  marked 
degree  of  success.  His  laundry  occu|)ies  the  base- 
ment of  Week's  t)pera  House,  on  theccirnerof  Wash- 
ington and  Park  streets.  Here  he  has  one  of  the  finest 
laundric'S  in  western  Pennsylvania.  It  is  eijuipped 
with  all  the  modern  machinery  for  laundry  work,  and 
has  several  local  agencies  throughout  northwestern 
Pennsylvania  and  southwestern  New  York.  From  the 
fact  that  the  peo])le  of  Corry  have  one  of  the  best  and 
most  modern  opera  houses  in  the  country,  they  may 
justly  feel  a  sense  of  gratitude  toward  Mr.  Week.s, 
whose  name  that  magnificent  tenqile  of  amusement 
bears.  It  was  oiiened  in  Febru.iry,  1892,  having  been 
under  construction  during  the  preci'ding  year.  It  is  an 
artistic  building,  jiossessing  all  the  uni(|ue  features  of 
modern  opera  house  architecture.  It  is  built  of  brick 
with  a  frontage  of  .50  feet  by  120  feet  dee]i,  and  has  a 
seating  capacity  of  nearly  1,000,  has  the  best  modern 
system  of  ventilation,  and  is  lighted  by  electricity.  The 
stage  eciuipment  would  do  cre<lit  to  New  York,  the 
scenes  being  operated  on  the  dro]i  jilan,  and  they  are  of 
great  variety;  the  stage  dimensions  are  42  .x  .50  feet. 
Corry  isand  may  well  f)e  proud  of  hero]jera  house.  Mr. 
Weeks  managed  it  the  first  season  and  then  rented  it 
to  Mr.  White,  who  is  the  present  manager.  Mr.  Weeks 
was  married  May  22,  1887,  to  Miss  May,  daughter  of 
Oscar  Black,  a  highly-respected  citizen  of  L'nion  City, 
Pa.  They  have  four  children:  Nettie,  Clyde,  Max  and 
George  Wilton.  Mr.  Weeks  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of 
P.,  and  is  a  Republican.  He  is  one  of  Corry 's  most 
promising  young  business  men. 

Fred  C.  Hoenes,  of  the  firm  of  Bowie  S:  Hoenes, 
gentlemen's  furnishers  and  merchant  tailors,  corner  of 
Mam  and  Center  streets,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Titus- 
ville.  Pa.,  January  13,  1870,  and  is  a  soit  of  Jacob  and 
Catherine  (.Smith)  Hoenes,  the  former  a  native  of  Ger- 
many and  the  latter  of  Erie,  Pa.  In  tlie  family  there 
were  three  children:  Marie,  resides  in  Corry;  Theo- 
dore and  Fred  C,  also  of  Corry.  Jacob  Hoenes  came 
to  America  when  a  young  man  and  spent  most  of  his 
days  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  Titusville,  Pa.  He  died  in 
Titusville  in  1881.  Mrs.  Hoenes  afterwards  married 
and  now  resides  on  a  farm  near  Corry.  Fred  was  reared 
in  Titusville,  and,  until  the  age  of  12,  attended  school 
there.  He  then  went  to  Olean,  N.  \'.,  as  an  apprentice  at 
the  butcher's  trade  with  his  uncle.  Here  he  remained 
about  two  years  when  he  came  to  Corry  and  took  a 
course  in  the  Corry  Business  College,  and  shortly  after 
accepted  a  position  as  janitor  of  the  Corry  City  Na- 
tional Bank,  and  was  promoted  to  discount  and  col- 
lection clerk.  When  the  bank  failed,  in  1892,  he  en- 
gage<i  in  the  tobacco  and  cigar  business.  He  con- 
tinued in  this  line  about  one  year,  when  the  present 
partnership  was  formed.  He  was  married  .Septem- 
ber 19,  1894,  to  Miss  Jennie,  the  accomplished  daugh- 
ter of  Maxwell  Cameron,  a  pirominent  citizen  of  Corry. 
Mr.  Hoenes  is  a  member  of  the  famous  Crosby  Hose 
Company,  a  member  of  the  running  team  and  assistant 


^iJaA.(^ 


AND  mSTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


in 


foreman.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  Although 
young,  .Mr.  Hoenes  has  established  a  business  and 
social  reputation  in  his  own  city  and  locality  that  is 
highly  creditable. 

Isaac  B.  Browa  was  burn  in  E^lk  county,  F^ebru- 
ary  20,  1848.  He  entered  the  Union  army  as  a  private 
soldier,  in  18f)4,  at  the  age  of  16  years,  and  served  in 
the  Third  division.  Ninth  corps.  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  devoted  one  year 
to  study  at  Smethport  Academy,  and  three  years  at 
Alfred  University,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1869.  ,\fter  graduating, 
he  taught  school  at  Ridgeway,  Elk  county,  and  subse- 
quently located  in  Corry,  Erie  county,  where  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  1877.  In  1878  he  was  nominated  for  Assembly 
by  the  Republicans  in  the  Second  district  of  Erie 
county,  but  was  defeated  by  a  combination  of  Demo- 
crats and  Greenbackers.  In  1880  he  was  nominated 
and  electeii.  He  served  six  years  in  the  Assembly 
of  Pennsylvania,  having  been  three  times,  success- 
ively, chosen  by  the  Republicans  of  the  district.  In 
18S6  he  was  a  candidate  against  Hon.  C.  W.  .Mackey 
and  Hon.  L.  F.  Watson  for  the  congressional  nomina- 
tion in  the  district  composed  of  Erie,  \"enango  and 
Warren  counties,  but  was  defeated.  In  1887  he  was 
appointed  deputy  secretary  of  internal  affairs  by 
Hon.  Thomas  J.  Stewart,  then  secretary  of  internal 
affairs,  and  in  1891  he  was  reappointed  to  the  same 
position.  In  1894  he  was  prominently  mentioned  for 
the  nomination  for  secretary  of  internal  affairs,  but 
withdrew  before  the  Republican  .State  convention  was 
held.  In  January,  1895,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Hastings  to  the  position  of  secretary  of  internal  affairs 
to  fill  the  une.xpired  term  of  Thomas  J.  Stewart,  who 
had  resigned  to  accept  the  appointment  of  adjutant 
general  of  Pennsylvania.  During  the  session  of  1883 
he  introduced  and  secured  the  passage  of  the  bill  for 
the  establishment  of  the  Pennsylvania  .Soldiers'  and 
and  Sailors'  Home  at  Erie,  Pa.  He  has  buen  a  ])rom- 
inent  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Reiniblic 
since  its  organization,  having  served  on  the  staff  of 
the  commander-in-chief,  and  several  times  has  been 
elected  delegate  to  the  National  Encampment.  He 
served  thirteen  years  in  the  National  Guard  of  Penn- 
sylvania as  second  lieutenant  and  ca]itain  of  the  Six- 
teenth and  Seventeenth  regiments  and  brigade  judge 
advocate  of  the  staff  of  Gen.  James  A.  Beav('r.  He  is 
now  president  of  the  Survivors'  .A.ssociation  of  the 
Third  Division,  Ninth  Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
He  and  his  brothers,  Hon.  J.  L.  Brown,  of  Elk  county, 
and  Hon.  W.  W.  Brown,  of  McKean  county,  were  all 
soldiers  in  the  Union  army,  and  have  all  been  mem- 
bers of  the  Pennsylvania  House  of  Representatives. 
During  the  sessions  of  1881  and  1883  he  and  his 
brother,  Hon.  J.  L.  Brown,  were  colleagues  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania legislature,  while  their  brother,  Hon.  \\'.  W. 
Brown,  was  a  nieniber  of  the  National  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives. Mr.  Brown  is  now  deputy  secretary  of 
internal  affairs  'and  superintendent  of  the  bureau  of 
railways  of  Pennsylvania. 

Joha  Smutz,  Corry,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  French 
Germany,  and  was  born  in  .\l.sace  April  17,  18ri8.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  land  of  his  birth  and  at 
the  age  of  13  came  to  America  with  his  father,  and 
after  remaining  in  Buffalo  a  short  time  came  to  War- 


ren, Pa.,  where  his  father  died.  John  learned  the  har- 
ness-maker's trade  at  Warren  and  at  the  age  of  20 
engaged  m  the  saddlery  business  at  Ridgeway,  Elk 
county.  Pa.,  and  continued  until  1866,  when  he  came 
to  Corry  and  engaged  in  the  same  business  until  18!KJ, 
and  then  turned  the  business  over  to  his  son.  Waller, 
and  has  since  devoted  his  attention  to  the  lumber 
business  in  Warren  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  West 
Virginia.  He  has  been  more  or  le.ss  interested  in 
lumber  traffic  during  the  last  ten  years.  He  was 
married  December  27,  18.59,  to  Harriet  Ittel,  of  War- 
ren, Pa.  To  this  union  were  born  two  children: 
Nettie  H.,  who  married  \.  L.  Colegrove,  of  Corry,  and 
Walter,  who  is  a  prosperous  harness  merchant  in 
Corry.  Mrs.  Smutz  departed  this  life  in  March,  1893. 
Mr.  Smutz  was  atone  time  elected  justice  of  the  peace, 
but  refused  to  take  out  his  commission.  He  is  a 
Republican. 

Edwia  S.  Seiter,  of  the  firm  of  Mead  &  Seiter, 
wholesale  li(|uor  dealers,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Cin- 
cinnati, O.,  January  28,  1864.  He  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  .Margaret  (Tilfile)  Seiter,  both  natives  of  Cincin- 
nati. Mr.  Seiter  was  educated  in  his  native  city  and 
commenced  life  as  a  bookkeeper  in  a  wholesale  li<|Uor 
store  at  Findlay,  O.,  where  he  remained  three  years, 
and  went  to  Warren,  Pa.,  as  manager  for  Mr.  .'\Iead. 
In  1887  he  came  to  Corry  in  the  same  capacity  for 
three  years,  and  in  1890  the  present  partnership  was 
formed.  Mr.  Seiter  has  the  entire  management  of  the 
Corry  business,  and  Mr.  Mead  continues  his  business 
in  Warren.  They  have  four  representatives  on  the 
road,  and  their  business  extends  throughout  Pennsyl- 
vania, Ohio  and  New  York. 

Captain  John  F.  Austin,  Corry,  Pa.,  of  the  firm 

of  .Au-stin  S;  Mulkie,  of  the  .St.  James  Hotel,  Corry,  was 
born  m  Buffalo,  N.  V.,  June  29,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  .4nnie  (Sadler)  Austin,  both  natives  of  Lon- 
don, England.  They  came  to  .\merica  in  1858.  In 
the  family  there  are  six  children,  John  being  the  third. 
The  family  moved  to  Corry  in  1863,  where  the  father 
followed  the  trade  of  painting  until  his  death,  October 
8,  1872.  Mrs.  Austin  is  now  a  resident  of  Omaha,  Neb. 
John  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Corry,  and 
early  in  life  began  an  apprenticeship  at  the  printer's 
trade  in  the  office  of  the  Corry  Uerdld,  where  he  was 
employed  nine  years,  and  finally  made  foreman,  which 
position  he  resigned,  and,  in  1886,  he  entered  a  partner- 
ship with  L.  F.  Trimble,  and  they  published  the  Corry 
Htrald  one  year.  He  then  abandoned  the  busine.ss 
and  entered  the  employ  of  Clark  &  Warren,  as  super- 
intendent of  their  barrelling  and  ship|)ing  department, 
which  position  he  held  three  years,  when  he  was 
appointed  assistant  postmaster  of  Corry.  He  resigned 
this  position  June  1,  1893,  to  enter  his  present  business, 
and  is  now  traveling  representative  of  the  Corry 
Artesian  Mineral  Water  Company.  Mr.  .Austin  was 
married  December  25,  1886,  to  Miss  Henrietta  Jenette, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Reuben  Brinker,  of  Corry.  They 
have  one  child,  Marie  Belle.  Mr.  Austin  enlisted  in 
Co.  A,  17th  Reg.,  N.  G.  P.,  as  private,  November  2, 
1882.  and  at  the  reorganization  of  the  National  Guard 
was  transferred  to  the  16th;  was  promoted  to  corporal 
July  16,  1885;  second  lieutenant  June  19,  1887;  first 
lieutenant  September  14,  1889,  ami  his  commission  as 
captain  was  issued  in  1893.  Mr.  .\ustin  is  foreman  of 
the  Crosby  Hose  Company  for   the  fifth  term;  was 


774 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


chief  engineer  ot  the  city  fire  department  one  term, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.  and  the  National 
Union;  he  is  an  active  Erie  county  Republican. 

Gustavus  A.  Fox,  owner  and  proprietor  of  the 
Kunipcaii  Hotel,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born  in  -St.  Mary's, 
Elk  county,  Pa.,  December  24,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Genevieve  Fox,  both  natives  of  Wurtem- 
berg,  Germany.  They  came  to  America  and  settled 
in  St.  Mary's.  In  the  family  there  wereseven  children, 
of  whom  Gustavus  .\.  is  the  youngest.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  St.  Mary's,  and  began 
life  as  a  steward  in  a  hotel,  aud  November  22,  1885, 
came  to  Corry  and  worked  in  the  Phcenix  Hotel  until 
April,  1893,  when  he  purchased  the  European  Hotel, 
Nos.  8  and  10  East  Main  street,  which  he  conducts  on 
both  the  American  and  European  plan.  He  was 
married  May  23,  1893,  to  Annie,  daughter  of  Jacob 
Simmons,  of  Warren,  Pa.  Mr.  Fox  is  a  member  of 
the  C.  B.  L.,  and  politically  is  a  Democrat. 

Willis  M.  Weed,  of  the  firm  of  Weed  &  Co., 
dealers  in  boots  and  shoes,  was  born  in  Havana,  N.  Y., 
May  t),  18.59,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Mitchell)  Weed.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  New  York  .State  and  the  academy  in 
Havana,  N.  Y.  In  1879  he  entered  the  employ  of  J. 
Richardson  at  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  as  traveling  salesman, 
in  the  boot  and  shoe  line,  and  traveled  in  the  States  of 
New  York,  Pennsylvania,  (Ihio,  Illinois  and  Iowa.  In 
1886  he  aban<ioned  the  road  and  engaged  in  business 
with  his  twin  brother,  William  J.,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Weed  Bros.  They  continued  business  until  1889, 
when  the  present  firm  was  formed.  Mr.  Weed  was 
married  October  31,  1883,  to  Miss  Eliza  Fisher,  of 
Spencer,  N.  Y.  He  has  been  chief  of  the  Corry  fire 
department  two  years,  and  is  a  prominent  Republican 
of  Erie  county. 

Fratik  Laurie,  proprietor  of  the  Union  Hotel  and 
restaurant,  was  born  .March  12,  1863,  in  Corry,  Pa.  He 
is  the  .son  of  A.  and  Elizabeth  Laurie.  Hisfatherdied 
in  1893,  and  his  mother  resides  in  Corry.  Educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Corry,  he  began  life  in  the  ho- 
tel and  restaurant  business  in  Corry  in  1886,  and  in 
1890  came  to  his  present  place  of  business.  Mr.  Lau- 
rie was  married,  in  January,  1887,  to  Miss  Mary  Work- 
man, of  Corry.  They  have  three  children:  Frank, 
Annie  and  Ray.  He  is  a  member  of  the  city  council, 
a  director  in  the  National  Bank,  of  Corry,  and  is 
largely  interested  in  city  real  estate.  He  is  a  member 
of  the'K.  of  P.,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  the  Elks,  and  in  politics 
is  a  Democrat. 

E.  R.  Murray,  of  the  firm  of  Hall  &  Murray, 
dealers  in  groceries,  dry  goods,  boots  and  shoes, 
Corry,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Grand  Rajiids,  Mich.,  August 
27,  1864.  He  is  the  son  of  Ira  S.  and  Emeline  L.  Nlur- 
ray,  the  former  a  native  of  Rutland,  \'t.,  and  the  latter 
of  Medina,  N.  Y.  The  family  came  to  Corry  in  1869, 
where  they  now  reside.  Mr.  E.  R.  Murray  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Corry  high  school,  and  in  1883  engaged  in 
his  present  business.  He  was  married  January  7,  1886, 
to  Miss  Margaret,  daughter  of  Chauncey  Rogers,  sr., 
of  Corry.  To  them  have  been  born  two  children, 
Alice  and  Chauncey.  Mr.  Murray  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  P.,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  and  he  has  served  five  years 
as  a  member  of  Co,  A.,  16th  Regt.,  N.  G.  P. 


Henry  Thurstou,  manufacturer  of  cigars  and 
dealer  in  cigars  and  tobacco,  Corry,  Pa.,  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  the  United 
States.  The  first  knowledge  we  have  of  the  Thurstons 
on  this  continent  is  the  record  of  the  arrival  of  John 
Thurston,  aged  36,  and  his  wife,  Margaret,  aged  32,  who 
were  passengers  on  the  "  Mary  .Ann  "  from  Yarmoutii, 
England,  which  arrived  in  Niassachusetts  May  10, 
1637.  They  brought  with  them  two  children,  both  sons. 
John  Thurston  entered  the  church  in  Dedham,  Ma.ss., 
January  12,  1643,  and  became  a  freeman  May  10  of 
the  same  year.  Henry  Thurston  is  a  descendant  of 
the  eighth  generation  from  John,  through  Jose|>h,  Ben- 
jamin, John,  Israel,  David,  David  to  Henry.  Branches 
of  this  extensive  family  have  settled  in  various  por- 
tions of  the  L'nited  States,  but  principally  in  the  New 
England  States.  The  name  Thurston  is  said  to  be  de- 
rived from  the  Saxon,  Danish  and  Runic  "  Trajst," 
meaning  faithful,  and  is  a  very  old  name  in  England, 
appearing  in  a  slightly  modified  form  in  the  Doomsday 
Book.  Henry  Thurston  is  a  son  of  David  and  Esther 
(.Stanbrook)  Thurston,  and  was  born  in  Black  .Ash  (now 
Mead  townshij),  Crawford  county.  Pa.),  December  23, 
1824.  His  father  was  al.so  a  native  of  the  same  [ilace, 
and  followed  farming  in  that  locality  all  his  life.  His 
mother  was  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Hol- 
land de.scent.  She  died  May  10,  1836,  leaving  Henry, 
who  was  the  only  child.  His  father  afterward  mar- 
ried Abigail  Spring,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  all 
deceased.  Henry  received  his  education  in  the  old- 
style  subscription  schools  that  were  in  vogue  in  the 
pioneer  days  of  Crawford  county,  and  remained  on  his 
father's  farm  until  18  years  of  age,  when  he  served  an 
apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  has  been 
the  chief  occupation  of  his  life.  He  resided  in  the 
vicinity  of  Meadville  until  1876,  when  he  came  to 
Corry,  and  has  since  made  that  city  his  home.  In  1871 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Oil  Creek  R.  R.  Company 
as  a  carpenter,  and  in  1886  was  appointed  master  car- 
penter of  the  carpenter  work  on  the  road,  which  posi- 
tion he  heUl  until  the  spring  of  1894,  when  he  resigned 
and  engaged  in  his  present  business.  Mr.  Thurston 
was  first  married  January  12, 1848,  to  Angeline  .Strayer, 
of  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania.  To  this  union 
were  born  six  children:  Allen  (deceased).  Flora  (Mrs. 
Wilson  Reynolds,  Knoxville,  N.  Y.),  Hattie  (Mrs. 
Emery  Mover,  Conshohocken,  Pa.),  Crawford,  butcher, 
Spartansburg,  Pa.,  and  David  (deceased).  Mrs.  Thurs- 
ton died  Sejitemher  1,  1858.  He  afterwards  married 
Miss  Adelia  Dickson,  of  Crawford  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  have  six  children:  Asena  (Mrs.  Edgar 
Northrup,  of  Warren,  Pa.),  Joseph  E.  (freight  agent 
for  the  W.  N.  Y.  &  P.  R.  R.  Company,  Oil  City,  Pa.), 
Wave  (Mrs.  Mark  Heath,  Corry,  Pa.),  Mack  (deceased), 
Alena  and  Harry,  at  home.  Mr.  Thurston  served  one 
term  in  the  Corry  city  council,  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  and  his  political  leanings  are  toward 
the  Democratic  party. 

Charles  T.  Trittible,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Siitiirdii;/  Dfmiicrdt,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Westfield, 
N.  Y.,  July  '20,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Wellington  and 
Luanna  (Frink)  Trimble,  nativesof  Ohio,  now  residents 
of  Pennsylvania.  In  the  family  there  were  three  chil- 
dren: L.  F.,  job  printer,  Corry,  Pa.;  Adele  and  Charles 
T.  The  latter  was  educated  in  the  Corry  i)ublic 
school,  and  became,  in  1880,  a  reporter  for  the  Petro- 
kum    World  of  Titusville,  Pa.,  for  Corry.     He   next 


AND  niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


IIS 


learned  the  printer's  trade  and  followed  job  printing, 

in  connection  with  other  business,  until  1890,  when  he 
assumed  the  management  of  the  f^nturday  Drmurrat. 

Andrew  N.  Weber,  proprietor  of  the  Hotel  St. 
Nicholas,  Curry,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Boston,  Erie  county, 
N.  v.,  and  is  the  son  of  Frank  and  Bridget  (Shingler) 
Weber,  natives  of  Baden-Baden,  Germany.  Thev 
came  to  America  at  an  early  dale  and  settled  in  Buf- 
falo. He  followed  farming  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
in  1877.  His  widow  now  resides  in  Buffalo.  Andrew 
was  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children:  John  B.,  Buf- 
falo; Elizabeth,  wife  of  J.  H.  Weber,  Buffalo;  Frances, 
wife  of  F.  W.  Frew,  Springville,  X.  Y.;  Andrew  N., 
Corry,  Pa.;  Anthony,  Buftalo;  Benedict,  liuffalo; 
Clemens,  Buffalo;  Mary,  Mrs.  Joseph  Durfer;  Frank, 
Buffalo;  Malinda,  wife  of  John  Fisher,  Buffalo;  Philip 
D.,  Boston,  X.  Y.  Andrew  X.  Weber  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Boston,  and  at  the  age  of  18  began  to 
learn  the  tinner's  trade  in  Buffalo.  In  1868  he  came 
to  Corry  anil  followed  his  trade  two  years;  then  he  en- 
gaged in  business  for  himself  until  1873,  when  'newent 
to  Columbus  and  engaged  in  the  general  hardware 
business  until  1882,  when  he  came  to  Corry  and  pur- 
chased the  hotel  of  which  he  is  now  proprietor.  He 
was  married,  .\{in\  10,  1870,  to  Miss  Kate  Rieker,  of 
East  Buffalo.  To  them  were  born  eleven  children: 
Albert  F.,  clerk  in  his  father's  hotel;  Clifton  A.  (de- 
ceased), Herman  J.,  steward  in  hotel;  Josephine  (de- 
ceased), Clementine  (deceased),  Gertrude,  George, 
Ida,  Lizzie,  Lucy  and  Paul.  Mr.  Weber  has  been  a 
life-long  Democrat,  and  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A. 

Thomas  F.  Oliver,  of  the  firm  of  Oliver  Bros., 
proprietors  of  the  Phcenix  Hotel,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Dobbs'  Ferry,  near  the  city  of  N'ew  York,  February 
16,1866.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Ellen  (Long) 
Oliver,  who  still  reside  in  Dobbs'  Ferry,  X.  Y.  There 
are  six  children:  Lizzie,  now  Mrs.  J.  J.  Murphey,  of 
Dunkirk,  X.  Y.;  Margaret,  resides  at  home;  May,  re- 
sides at  home;  Thomas  F.,  William  E.  and  J.  J.,  of 
Dunkirk,  X.  Y.  Thomas  F.  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Xew  York,  and  S.  S.  Packer's  Business 
College,  corner  Broadway  and  Eleventh  streets,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  188;3,  when  he  accepted  a  position 
as  entry  clerk  for  Robert  Carr,  of  161  Chambers  street. 
He  remained  there  one  year,  and  went  to  Dunkirk,  N. 
Y.,  and  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  Erie  Hotel,  and 
May  1,  1893,  he  assumed  the  management  of  the 
Fourth  Avenue  Hotel,  in  Dunkirk,  where  he  remained 
one  year,  when  he  and  his  brother,  William  E.,  suc- 
ceeded James  Edwards  in  their  ])resent  business.  Mr. 
Oliver  was  married,  June  h,  1889,  to  .Miss  Ella  G. 
Brown,  of  Dunkirk,  X.  Y.  To  this  union  were  born 
two  children,  Harold  and  William. 

William  Oliver,  of  the  firm  of  Oliver  Bros.,  of  the 
Phcenix  Hotel,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Dobbs'  Ferry, 
X.  Y.,  June  80,  1869,  and  is  a  brother  of  Thomas  Oli- 
ver. William  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
town,  and  at  the  age  of  16  entered  the  employ  of  a 
grocer  in  Dobbs'  Ferry;  at  the  end  of  one  year  he 
went  to  Dunkirk,  X.  Y.,  and  accepted  a  position  as 
steward  in  a  hotel,  where  he  remained  three  years.  He 
then  entered  the  employ  of  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  as 
car  tracer,  with  headquarters  at  Buffalo.  About  a  year 
later  he  resigned  this  position  and  came  to  Corrv,  and 
clerked  in  the  Phoenix  Hotel  two  years.  He  then  went 


to  Lakewood  and  clerked  in  the  Kent  House  one  sea- 
son, when  he  returned  to  Buffalo,  to  clerk  in  the  Xi- 
agara  Hotel  for  a  short  time,  and  then  returned  to 
Corry  to  his  old  position  in  the  Phtjenix  Hotel,  where 
he  remained  until  he  and  his  brother  Thomas  pur- 
chased the  pro[)erty.  The  Phienix  Hotel  is  the  first 
house  in  Corry,  and  one  of  the  foremost  hotels  in  Erie 
county.  It  is  a  well-known  and  favorite  resort  for  the 
commercial  travelers  who  fre<iuent  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  Oliver  Bros,  are  very  popular  hotel  men, 
and,  having  had  long  experience  in  the  business,  are 
well  known  to  the  traveling  fraternity  as  genial  hosts, 
who  thoroughly  understand  the  art  of  making  their 
guests  comfortable  and  giving  general  satisfaction  to 
all. 

Clyde  D.  Wilcox,  of  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Wilcox, 
wholesale  and  retail  dealers  in  meats,  Corry,  Pa.,  is  a 
native  of  Warren,  Pa.,  and  was  born  September  8, 
1865.  He  isasonofS.D.andJulietta(Skinner)  Wilcox, 
the  former  a  native  of  Warren  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  latter  of  Corry,  Pa.  They  now  reside  in  Co- 
lumbus, Warren  county.  The  Wilcox  family  consists 
of  four  children:  Edith,  now  Mrs.  F.  M.  Wheelock, 
Corry,  Pa.;  W.  J.,  manager  of  a  general  store.  Lynch, 
Pa.;  Clyde  D.  and  Frank.  Mr.  Wilcox  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Warren  county,  and  in  1881 
came  to  Corry  and  entered  the  employ  of  Mr.  Liver- 
more  as  clerk,  and  remained  one  year.  He  then  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  firm  of  Bowie  &  Johnson,  and 
remained  there  a  short  time,  when  he  became  a  part- 
ner in  the  firm  of  Knowlton  &  Wilcox  in  the  grocery 
business.  Shortly  after,  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  this 
company,  when  he  and  his  brother  purchased  the  gro- 
cery business  of  O.  P.  Eaton.  This  he  continued  until 
1892,  when  he  sold  out  and  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Johnson  &  Hunter,  of  Union  City,  where  he 
remained  a  short  time,  and  again  returned  to  Corry 
and  was  employed  by  Mr.  Livermore  until  1894.  Since 
then  he  has  been  engaged  in  his  present  business.  He 
was  married,  January  4,  1887,  to  Miss  Anna  C,  daugh- 
ter of  Squire  H.  D.  Franes  (deceased),  who  was  one  of 
the  early  pioneers  of  Erie  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wil- 
cox have  one  child,  Zoe.  Mr.  Wilcox  is  a  member  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  well  known 
throughout  Erie  county  as  one  of  the  energetic  and 
successful  young  business  men  of  that  locality. 

R.  J.  Follett,  of  the  firm  of  Barlow,  Brigham  & 
Follett  Co.  (limited),  hardware  dealers,  Corry,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Warren,  Pa.,  September  17,  1847,  and  is  a  son 
of  Philmore  G.  and  Mary  P.  (Haviland)  Follett,  the 
latter  a  native  of  near  Lake  George,  X.  Y.  She  spent 
most  of  her  life  in  Chautauqua  county.  The  former  is 
a  native  of  Warren,  Pa.  His  mother  now  resides  in 
Minneapolis,  Minn.  His  father  died  in  1858.  In  the 
family  were  three  children:  R.  J.,  William  L.,  fore- 
man in  the  machine  shops,  Erie,  Pa.,  and  Mary  Ellen, 
who  married  W.  H.  Manley,  cigar  manufacturer,  of 
the  firm  of  Hooker  &  Manley,  Minneaiiolis,  Minn. 
R.  J.  Follett  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
Warren,  Pa.,  and  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the 
plumber's  trade  with  L.  C.  Roberts,  of  Corry.  He 
then  entered  the  employ  ol  C.  J.  Swift,  of  Corry,  Pa., 
where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  plumber  for  seven- 
teen years,  when  he  entered  a  partnership  with  E.  L. 
Brigham  in  the  hardware  business,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Brigham  &  Follett.      In  about  nine  months 


776 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Mr.  Barlow  was  received  into  the  firm,  and  the  pres- 
ent limited  partnership  was  formed.  They  now  carry- 
on  one  of  the  most  extensive  hardware  and  plumbing 
estalilishments  in  Erie  county.  Their  V)usiness  block 
consists  of  a  double-front  three-story  buildmg,  with 
basement,  every  floor  of  which  is  occupied  by  them. 
Few  cities  of  the  size  of  Corry  can  boast  of  such  a 
mercantile  establishment  in  any  line.  Mr.  Follett  was 
married  January  1,  1872,  to  Miss  Alice  E.  Fuller,  of 
Spring  Creek,  Pa.  To  them  have  been  born  two  chil- 
dren: Josie,  married  to  ."Xrlhur  Densmore,  of  Corry, 
Pa.,  and  Hattie  E.  Mi.  FoUett  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World;  he 
has  served  one  term  in  the  city  council  and  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

Dr.  H.  A.  Zahn,  owner  and  proprietor  of  the 
Corry  Electrical  .Manufacturing  Company,  Corry,  Pa., 
is  among  the  leaders  in  the  manufacturing  industry  in 
Corry.  The  plant  is  situated  on  Eagle  street,  between 
Second  and  Third  avenues;  the  main  building  is  70  by 
40  feet,  with  an  anne.\  of  (iO  by  40,  besides  the  engme 
room  and  an  extensive  testing  room.  Here  may  be  seen  i 
the  operation  of  all  modern  machinery  for  the  manufac-  | 
tureof  the  various  apparatus  used  in  the  production  and  i 
harnessing  of  that  mysterious  fluid,  electricity;  here 
some  of  the  best  dynamos  and  other  electrical  appli- 
ances now  in  use  in  the  country  are  manufactured. 
Dr.  Zahn,  who  is  at  the  head  of  this  concern,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  and  was  born  in  Felshein,  near 
Frankfort-on-the-Main.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  gynmasium  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  at  the 
age  of  19  entered  the  University  of  Strausberg,  where 
he  took  the  courses  in  jihysics,  chemistry,  higher  math- 
ematics and  engineering,  and  was  graduated  with  hon- 
ors in  1892,  with  the  degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy. 
He  then  went  to  Zurich,  Switzerland,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  electrical  engineering  one  year,  when  he 
came  to  America  to  attend  the  World's  Fair,  and  in 
the  fi.ll  of  1898  came  to  Corry,  where  he  followed  elec- 
trical engineering  in  a  professional  way  until  October, 
1894,  when  he  engaged  in  business  in  his  present  ca- 
pacity. Mr.  Zahn,  although  comparatively  a  young 
man,  is  excelled  by  none  in  his  profession. 

J.  C.  Kepler,  of  the  City  Planing  Mill,  Corry, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Centre  county,  Pennsylvania,  April 
28,  1863.  He  is  a  son  of  George  M.  and  Nancy 
G.  (Alexander)  Kepler.  The  former  now  resides  in 
Corry.  The  mother  died  in  1879.  The  Kepler  family 
genealogy,  which  has  recently  been  compiled,  is  very 
extensive  and  complete,  and  by  consulting  it  we  find 
that  they  are  of  German  origin,  and  the  evidence  is 
satisfactory  that  the  celebrated  German  astronomer, 
Kepler,  was  a  member  of  the  family.  Nancy  G.  Alex- 
ander was  of  Scotch  de.scent,  and  the  history  of  the 
family  is  traced  to  the  royal  blood  of  Scotland.  In  the 
Kepler  family  there  were  two  chddren,  Clara  C,  Mrs. 
D.  S.  Wakemght,  of  Portland,  Ind.  (deceased)  and 
J.  C.  Kepler,  who  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  place,  and  in  Allegheny  College,  Mead- 
ville,  Pa.  In  1881  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business 
in  Forest  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  engaged 
with  a  large  lumber  company  for  about  two  years,  and 
then  went  to  the  far  West  to  engage  in  lumbering  in 
Washington,  Oregon  and  P.ritish  Columbia.  In  about 
two  years  he  returned  to  the  East  and  accepted  a  posi- 
tion as  traveling  representative  for  the  Simonds  Man- 


ufacturing Company,  of  Fitchburg,  Mass.  He  repre- 
sented this  company  in  all  the  Atlantic  -States  from 
New  York  to  Florida.  In  1894  he  came  to  Corry  and 
engaged  in  his  present  business.  He  is  also  interested  in 
the  Corry  Ka(liatorCon\pany  andistheownerof  a  fancy 
fruit  and  gardening  farm  in  the  city.  He  was  married 
June  24,  1891,  to  Miss  Lizzie  M.,  daughter  of  Col.  Geo. 
Gilmore,  of  Titusville,  Pa.  They  have  two  children, 
Georgia  Gilmore  and  Katherine  Frances,  born  to  this 
union.  Mr.  Kepler  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason,  a 
member  of  the  K.  of  P.  and  politically  is  a  Democrat. 
He  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Corry  Board  of  Trade. 

James  Richards,  grocer,  corner  North  Washing- 
ton and  West  Wayne  streets,  Corry,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
.Sharon,  Mercer  county.  Pa.,  May  3,  IS-M,  and  is  a  son 
of  Lyman  and  May  (Kitzler)  Richards,  both  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  the  former  of  New  England  descent, 
and  the  latter  of  German  lineage.  The  father  died 
in  18G4,  and  the  mother  now  resides  in  Pittsburg.  In 
the  family  there  were  five  children,  and  James  was 
the  third  in  the  order  of  birth.  When  he  was  five 
years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Titusville,  Pa.,  where 
he  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools,  and 
at  the  age  of  13  went  to  work,  running  a  pump  in  ojierat- 
ingthe  one  oil  well  at  Titusville.  He  worked  in  the  oil 
business,  and  also  followed  lumbering  some  in  Warren 
county  until  1878,  when  he  came  to  Erie  county,  and 
was  engaged  in  farming  until  1889;  he  then  engaged 
in  his  present  business.  Mr.  Richards  was  married 
August  30,  1874,  to  Miss  Etta,  daughter  of  Ralph  and 
Annie  S.  (Mead)  Perkins,  of  Warren,  Pa.  They  have 
three  children:  Dell,  Erie  and  Hugh.  Mr.  Richards 
is  a  member  of  the  K.  O.  T.  M.,  E.  A.  LI.,  and  is  a 
Republican.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Church.  He  is  one  of  the  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive business  men  of  Corry,  Pa. 

Joseph  K.  Brown,  farmer,  Clark's  Corners,  Ash- 
tabula county,  Ohio,  was  born  in  New  York  State,  in 
18.>4.  He  is  a  .son  of  Soloms  G.,  and  Esther  (Kings- 
bury) Brown,  natives  of  New  York  State.  Mrs.  Brown 
was  a  daughter  of  James  Kingsbury,  a  native  of 
Connecticut.  Mr.  Brown's  children  were  as  follows: 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Winter  Smith;  Juliette,  wife  of  lohn 
Curtis;  Hiram,  killed  in  the  late  war;  Eleanor,  wife  of 
William  Lent;  .Sarah,  wife  of  William  Armstrong; 
Joseph  K.,  and  Herbert  Brown.  Mr.  Brown  died  in 
1890,  in  Isabella  county,  Michigan,  and  Mrs.  Brown  in 
1881,  in  Conneaut  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.  Mr. 
Josejjh  K.  Brown  was  married  in  1886,  to  Phtebe, 
daughter  of  Amos  White,  an  old  resident  of  the  town- 
ship, who  died  in  1880.  The  children  born  to  this 
union  are:  Amy,  wife  of  William  Jordan;  N.  Richard, 
of  Ashtabula,  O.,  and  George  F.  Brown,  of  Conneaut 
township,  Erie  county.  Mr.  Brown  has  been  a  reiire- 
sentative  farmer  for  several  years,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  .State  police. 

James  Loomis,  farmer,  Tracy's,  Conneaut  town- 
ship, Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  at  Kidder's  Corners, 
Erie  county,  in  18.51.  He  is  a  son  of  Albert  Loomis, 
now  a  resident  of  Keepville,  and  an  old  resident  of 
Conneaut  township,  having  settled  in  the  southwestern 
part  when  the  locality  was  a  dense  forest.  The  farm 
u|)on  which  Mr.  Loomis  now  resides  was  made  pro- 
ductive years  before  the  adjoining  acres  were  cleared 
of  timber.    Albert  Loomis  married  Elizabeth,  daugh- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


777 


ther  of  Benjamin  Carr,  who  died  at  Tracy's,  in  1880. 
To  this  union  were  born  four  children  as  follows: 
William  and  Georjie,  Kee])ville;  Wilbert,  a  resident 
of  Portland,  (Oregon,  and  James,  who  came  to  the  farm 
he  now  occujiies,  first  in  1807,  at  which  time  his  father 
began  its  cultivation.  VVith  the  exception  of  a  few 
months  spent  in  Minnesota,  he  has  always  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Conneaut  township. 

L.  H.  Salisbury,  hardware  dealer,  Albion,  Erie 
county,  is  a  son  of  .Sanford  and  .Sarah  (Sawdey)  Salis- 
bury, natives  of  New  York.  The  children  of  this 
family  are  as  follows:  Henry  (deceased),  James  (de- 
ceased), Darius  (deceased),  Albert,  Tracy,  Cyrus  (de- 
ceased) and  L.  H.  Salisbury,  who  came  to  Conneaut 
township  about  thirty-one  years  ago.  He  was  born  in 
Girard  townshi|>  in  1841,  where  he  resided  until 
coming  to  Conneaut  township  in  1864.  L.  H.  Salis- 
bury was  married  in  18()'2,  to  .Miss  .Adda  Morris,  daugh- 
ter of  Isaac  and  Louisa  Morris,  old  residents  of  Lock- 
port,  Erie  county.  Pa.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
six  children,  as  follows:  Charles  G.,  L.  E.,  Earl  W. 
(deceased),  A.  J.,  .-Vda  (wife  of  Dr.  H.  C.  Sturtevant), 
Ora  and  Grace.  Mr.  Salisbury  began  the  hardware 
business  in  Albion  in  187(j,  and  since  that  time  it  has 
grown  and  prospered  under  careful  management.  He 
is  to-day  recognized  as  a  representative  business  man, 
and  carries  in  stock  all  kinds  of  tin  and  hardware, 
stoves  and  ranges,  and,  besides,  pays  strictest  atten- 
tion to  plumbing  and  jobbing,  all  work  being  guaran- 
teed satisfactory.  Personally  Mr.  Salisbury  stands 
deservedly  high,  while  his  establishment  ranks  as  a 
leader.  He  has  taken  great  interest  in  the  Albion 
graded  schools,  and  has  served  as  school  director 
twenty  yeais. 

C  V.  Lick,  undertaker  and  proprietor  of  the 
harness  emporium,  Albion,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  began 
business  in  Albion  in  1880.  He  was  born  in  1859,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  L.  and  Eliza  (Goodrich)  Lick,  and  a 
grandson  of  Aaron  Lick,  who  came  to  Erie  county 
about  sixty  years  ago.  He  was  married  in  June,  1880, 
to  Miss  Mary  Deitz,  daughter  of  Adam  and  .Amanda 
Deitz,  of  Conneaut  township.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  three  children:  Milo  \'ernon,  .Maxwell 
John  and  Florence  Elizabeth.  Besides  undertaking, 
Mr.  Lick  has  a  large  harness  and  carriage  retail  busi- 
ness. In  the  jiast  few  years  he  has  built  up  a 
trade  in  the  borough  that  is  not  equalled  by  any 
other  in  his  line  in  the  locality.  He  enjoys  the  esteem 
and  respect  of  all  the  community,  and  all  through 
business,  or  otherwise,  become  acquainted  with  him. 
Mr.  Lick  gives  his  personal  attention  to  the  business, 
and  the  large  trade  he  has  secured  is  the  result  of  his 
earnest  endeavors  to  please  his  patrons.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  L  O.  O.  F.,  F.  &:  A.  M.,  E.  A.  U. 
and  the  P.  H.  C. 

Seymour  M.  White,  D.  D.  S.,  denti.st,  .Albion, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  E<iinboro,  Erie  county, 
Pa.  He  is  the  second  son  of  Zeno  White,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  a  grandson  of  Benjamin  White,  a 
native  of  New  York  State,  and  a  descendant  of  Capt. 
John  White,  of  the  English  army.  The  mother  of 
Seymour  wi.s  Clarrissa  Brown,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Brown,  of  Erie  county,  and  a  native  of  New  York 
State.  Zeno  White  died  in  1893.  Dr.  White  was 
married  in  188.5  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  Jeduthan  Wells, 


of  Albion,  Pa.  One  child,  Lucille,  has  been  born  to 
this  union.  Dr.  White  graduated  from  the  Philadel- 
jihia  Dental  College  in  188t>,  and  followed  his  profes- 
sion in  Union  City  and  Erie,  locating  in  Albion  in 
December,  1894,  where  he  has  since  established  a 
lucrative  practice.  His  dental  parlors  are  complete, 
with  all  of  the  most  improved  dental  appliances  that 
could  possibly  aid  in  the  successful  prosecution  of  the 
w'ork.  Dentistry  in  its  most  advanced  stage  is  given 
careful  and  prompt  attention  in  the  most  reliable 
manner.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  F.  &  A.  .M.  and 
L  O.  O.  F. 

Dr.  H.  C.  Sturdevatit,  dentist,  Albion,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  the  township  where  he  now 
resides.  He  is  th.- sonof  .Mvah  and  .Matilda  (.Stuntz) 
Sturdevant,  of  Conneaut  township,  and  was  born  in 
September,  18(58,  and  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  and  at  Clark's  College,  Erie,  finally  graduating 
from  the  Philadelphia  Dental  College  with  the  class  of 
1892.  He  began  the  practice  of  dentistry  in  .Albion  in 
the  year  following.  (i)n  June  .5,  1893,  he  was  married 
to  .\Iiss  Ada  Salisbury.  The  Doctor  conducts  one  of 
the  best  dental  establishments  in  the  country.  The 
rooms  are  fitted  up  in  exquisite  taste  throughout,  while 
the  dental  machinery  consists  of  all  the  latest  improved 
designs  needed  in  this  difificult  and  exacting  profes- 
sion. This  establishment  makes  a  specialty  of  crown 
and  bridge  work,  and  the  excellent  reputation  in  this 
line  of  dentistry  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  of  etTi- 
ciency.  No  ill-fitting  work  is  ever  allowed  to  leave 
the  rooms.  The  establishment  ranks  high,  and  all 
work  is  guaranteed  to  be  satisfactory.  Dr.  Sturdevant 
is  a  member  of  the  Albion  Lodge  F.  &  .A.  .\1.,  I.  ().  O. 
F.  and  Royal  Arcanum. 

Edward   Froby,   produce    dealer,  Albion,    Erie 

county.  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Crawford  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  born  .March  10,  18.51,  in  that  county.  He  is 
a  son  of  Henry  Froby,  whose  ancestors  came  from 
Germany.  In  July,  1873,  he  was  married  to  .Martha 
J.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  A.  Brett,  natives  of 
Cattaraugus  county.  New  York,  who  was  born  May  22, 
18.59.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  this  union: 
Lena  Mav,  born  August  23,  187.5;  Emma  J.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1878;  Ida  A.,  born  October  30,  1879;  Edward 
Lee,  born  December  17,  1882.  Mr.  Froby  came  to 
Albion  in  18(i9,  and  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and 
has  latterly  dealt  extensively  in  produce,  carrying  on 
a  large  shipping  business,  numbering  among  hfs  pa- 
trons the  soundest  and  most  reliable  retailers  in  the 
country.  While  possessing  facilitiesantl  business  con- 
nections of  a  strictly  first-class  character,  he  is  enabled 
to  offer  special  advantages  to  his  customers.  This 
business  has  been  conducted  with  every  advantage  to 
be  desired  from  a  straightforward  business  pt^licy,  and 
Mr.  Froby  has  enjoyed  an  eminently  successful  career 
since  he  began  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F. 

W.  S.  Hubbard,  physician,  Albion,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  was  horn  in  June,  18.59,  in  Cortland,  Cortland 
county,  N.  ^'.,  and  received  a  liberal  e<iucation,  grad- 
uating from  the  Pulte  (homeoi)athic)  Medical  College 
in  Cincinnati,  ().,  with  the  class  of  1887.  He  is  the  son 
of  James  II.  and  Martha  (McCniirel  Hubbard,  natives 
of  New  York  State.  He  was  married  in  June,  1891,  to 
J  una,  daughter  of  George  Tanner,  of  Cortland,  Cort- 


778 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONART 


land  county,  N.  Y.  One  daughter,  Mary  Piarnt',  has 
been  born  to  this  union.  Dr.  Hubbard  l)et;an  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  the  fall  of  1.S87,  and  has  built 
up  a  lucrative  practice  in  his  profession.  He  is  a  man 
of  K<inial  temperament,  tine  ability  and  rare  attain- 
ments. He  is  a  member  of  .Albion  l.odi^e  I.  O.  O.  F., 
K.  of  P.,  E.  A.  v..  P.  H.  C.  and  the  Cran.LTe. 

C.  R.  Forbes,  contractor,  builder  and  farmer, 
Albion,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  was  born  in  the  townshi|) 
where  he  now  resides  in  1850.  Educated  at  the  public 
schools,  and  making  the  most  of  the  advantages  offered, 
he  soon  became  a  successful  contractor  and  builder, 
which  he  has  followed,  in  connection  with  farming,  since 
1880.  He  is  a  son  of  Albert  and  Olive  (Cornell) 
Forbes.  Mrs.  Forbes  survives  her  husband,  who  de- 
parted this  life  in  November,  IISTIJ.  Mr.  C.  R.  Forl)es 
is  a  grandson  of  B.  J.  and  Hannah  (F'arley)  p'orbes, 
who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Erie  county. 
The  former  died  in  1)^79  and  the  latter  in  1869,  on  the 
homestead  farm  u|)on  which  the  grandson  now  resides. 
Mr.  Forbes  was  married  January  1,  1881,  to  MissOllie, 
daughter  of  Rev.  W.  S.  Randall,  of  Keepville,  Erie 
county.  Pa.  The  children  born  to  this  union  are  J.  K. 
and  Ray  \V.  Mr.  Forbes  is  an  enterprising  and  ener- 
getic citizen,  ami  is  wide-awake  to  all  enterprises 
affecting  his  locality.  He  is  a  dealer  in  the  Jackson 
wagons,  buggies,  carriages,  building  brick,  Forest 
county  shingles,  etc.  He  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &  A. 
M.,  K.  of  P.,  P.  of  H.  and  State  Police. 

George  C.  Mills,  farmer,  Platea,  Conneaut  town- 
ship, Erie  county,  Pa.,  was  born  November  25,  1889, 
in  the  township  where  h<.'  now  resides.  He  is  a  son  of 
Jesse  and  Harriett  Mills,  natives  of  Oneida  county, 
New  York,  who  married  Harriett  Bowman  in  1817, 
came  to  Erie  county  about  1830  and  settled  in  Con- 
neaut township.  The  former  liied  in  1881,  at  the  age 
of  85  years,  the  latter  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  94  years. 
Nine  children  were  born  to  this  union;  Lucretia, 
Betsey,  Girdon,  Adelia,  Josiah,  Delos,  Julia,  Helen, 
George  and  Jane.  The  daughters  are  all  dead. 
George  enlisted,  August  20,  18(;i',  in  Co.  H,  83d  P.  \'.  I., 
the  first  regiment  to  leave  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania. 
It  was  connected  with  the  Third  Brigade,  Fifth  Corps, 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  particijiated  in  the  siege 
of  Yorktown  and  the  battles  of  Hanover  Court  House, 
Chickahominy,  Gaines  Mills,  Malvern  Hill  (where  he 
was  wounded  I,  Fredricksburg,  Rappahannock  Station 
and  Miner  Run.  He  also  took  ]iart  in  the  battle  of 
the  Wilderness,  Laurel  Hill,  and  in  the  entire  siege  of 
Petersburg;  was  at  the  front  and  on  duty,  with  the 
exception  of  six  weeks  in  the  hospital,  owing  to  a 
wound,  serving  thirty-seven  months;  he  received  an 
honorable  discharge  September  20,  1864;  he  returned 
home  and,  Novetnber  9,  18fi5,  married  Miss  Nettie  M., 
daughter  of  A.  J.  FuUerton,  of  Crawford  county.  Pa. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  three  children: 
Arthur  D.,  who  married  Erdine  Barns  May  2,  1894; 
Nora  H.,  married  to  O.  J.  Cross,  May  21,  1891,  anil 
Homer  A.,  all  surviving.  Mr.  Mills  is  a  member  of 
the  G.  A.  R.  and  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  has  occupied 
public  offices  of  prominence  in  both  town  and  county. 
He  was  elected  and  served  six  years  as  county  com- 
missioner, two  full  terms  following  1888,  and  has  been 
a  life-long  Republican  an<l  a  highly-respected  citizen. 
He  is  the  owner  of  a  first-class  stock  farm,  consisting 
of  100  acres  of  good  land,  with  good  buildings  and 


well  stocked.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mills  are  members  of  the 
M.  E.  Church.  .Mrs.  Mills  has  superintended  the 
Sunday-school  for  the  past  two  years. 

Earnest  C.  Johnson,  merchant,  Keepville,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  burn  at  I'reston,  Ind.,  in  18l'if).  He  is 
a  son  i]f  Edward  J.  and  Olive  (iiettsi  [ohnson,  of 
I'ennside,  ICrie  county,  and  grandson  of  Sylvester 
Johnson,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Crawford  county. 
The  family  of  Eilward  J.  consists  of  two  .sons,  Earne.st 
C.  and  Frank  E.  Johnson,  of  Keepville.  Earnest  C. 
began  in  the  mercantile  business  in  1889,  and  was 
appointed  postmaster  the  same  year.  Mr.  Johnson  is 
a  memlier  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  a  [lublic-spirited 
citizen  and  a  man  of  prominence.  In  1895  he  was 
married  to  .Miss  Clara  Keep,  daughter  of  Edward  aiul 
Ellen  .Sp.iulding  Keep,  of  Kee|iville.  Mrs.  Johnson 
is  a  great-granildaughter  of  Marsena  Keej),  jr.,  who  is 
mentioned  in  the  following  valuable  record  of  the 
family:  "  First  John  Keep,  who  came  to  America  and 
was  shot  by  an  Indian  on  his  way  to  church,  in  1(')7(); 
son,  Eugene  Samuel,  born  lfi75,  died  1755;  and  his 
son,  Matthew,  born  1722,  died  1758;  and  his  son, 
Matthew,  born  1745,  died  1827;  his  son,  Matthew, born 
1767,  died  February  20,  1847.  His  brother,  .Sylvanus, 
born  .March  29,  1765;  also  Marsena  Kee]i,  born  March 
25,  1770.  He  married  Marv  Randall  April  25,  1798; 
born  1780,  and  died  March  6,  1885.  He  died  October 
24,  1851.  Heman  Keep,  born  August  22,  1782. 
Luther  Keep,  born  April  11,  178(5.  .Sisters,  Editha, 
born  .-\pril  8,  1772,  married  Walter  Burdick  September 
29,1811;  Mehitable,  born  February  18,  1778,  married 
July  2,  1797,  to  Oliver  Dwight;  .Abigail,  born  March  5, 
1780,  married  September  8,  1802,  to  Truman  Barni'S. 
Mother  of  above  family  was  Mehitable  Chandler, 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Abigail  Chandler.  .Matthew, 
the  father,  was  married  again  June  9,  1797,  to  Marion 
Colton,  widow  of  Captain  Ebenezer  Colton.  He  died 
in  1827.  Marsena  Keep,  jr.,  family:  Polly,  born  May 
3,  1819,  died  March  18,  1857;  Nancy  Keep,  born 
December  13,  1800,  married  Jonas  Lewis  Se|)tember 
28,  1829.  Marsena  Keep,  jr.,  born  October,  1802,  died 
August  7,  1876;  married  January  15,  1824,  to  Polly 
Hewitt,  born  .March  26,  1803;  died  December  10,  1875. 
Mehital)le.  born  March  20,  1805,  married  .Amos  King 
A])ril  8,  1824;  she  died  August  16,  1865;  he  died  May, 
1849.  Matthew  Keep,  born  February  23,  1807,  died 
Januarv  23,  1891;  married  Orilla  Hewitt  February  19, 
1829;  she  was  born  June  25,  1800,  died  June  12,  1866. 
Edetha  Kee[),  born  April  29,  1809;  married  Thomas 
Greenfield  January  1,  1833;  born  March  S,  bsp),  died 
1892.  Lavanus  Kee]j,  born  August  81,  1811,  married 
Alexander  .Abel  Januarv  1,  1833;  he  died  March  27, 
1889.  Daniel  B.  Keepi  born  April  19,  1814  (living), 
married  Sojihony  Co|ieland  .September,  1836;  she  was 
born  September  4,  1811,  died  February  10,  1848.  Will- 
iam R.  Keep,  born  July  15,  1816,  died  1894;  married 
Elizabeth  Whitaker  January  19,  1843.  Le<lia  Melvina, 
born  December  25,  1818,  died  .March  21,  1885.  Lucy 
Clarissa,  born  June  8,  1821,  died  in  September,  1822. 
Children  of  Marsena  and  Polly  Keep  are:  Al)nerN., 
born  October  8,  1824;  Oliver  Dwight,  born  .September 
24,  1826,  died  Mav  4,  1837;  Prosper  M.,  born  April  21, 
1829,  died  Marcli,  1825;  Amos,  born  December  29, 
1831;  Asa  H.,  born  December  26,  1833;  Reuben  F., 
born  August  16,  1835;  Sally,  born  February  23,  1887; 
Alsinus,  born  July  22,  1888,  'killed  Sei>tember  17,  1862, 
at  the  battle  of  Antietam;  John  Oliver,  born  August  9, 


AND  BISTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


779 


1840;  Oliver  R.,  born  Octol)er  31,   1843;    Edmund  E., 
burn  June  9,  1850." 

William  Sheppa,  jr.,  farmer,  Elk  Creek  township, 
was  burn  in  Saxony,  Germany,  in  1823,  and  came  to 
this  country  in  the  year  18.VJ,  settled  soon  after  m  Elk 
Creek  township,  where  he  has  become  by  frugality 
and  industry  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resides.  He  joined  the  18th 
I'a.  Cav.  and  served  three  years,  after  which  he  came 
to  Elk  Creek  and  took  u])  144  acres  of  land,  with  the 
results  above  stated.  Mr.  Sheppa  landed  in  America 
with  only  65  cents  in  silver,  with  which  to  begin  life  in 
a  new  countrv.  His  father,  William  Sheppa,  sr., 
remained  in  the  fatherland.  In  1848  he  was  married 
to  Augusta  Schettler,  and  seven  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  as  follows:  Theodore,  a  resilient  of 
Crawfonl  countv,  Pennsylvania;  Paul,  of  California; 
Clara  C,  of  Elk  Creek  township;  Lewis,  of  Crawford 
county;  Oswald,  of  California;  Oscar  and  Otto,  of  Elk 
Creek  township.  Mr.  Sheppa  is  a  member  of  Wells- 
burg  Post  No.  240,  G.  A.  R. 

Hial  D.  Wade,  farmer.  Elk  Creek  township,  was 
born  in  Connecticut  September  19,  1820,  and  is  the 
son  of  the  late  Amasa  and  Abigail  (Cue|  Wade,  the 
former  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  the  latter  of  Ver- 
mont. They  came  to  New  York  State  in  1835,  and 
later  to  Erie  county.  Mr.  Wade  died  in  Union  town- 
ship in  1865,  and  Mrs.  Wade  in  1868.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  as  follows:  Homer  (deceased), 
Harmon  (deceased),  Mary,  wife  of  William  Moore, 
Nebraska;  Hiram  (deceased),  Harris  E.,  now  resident 
of  Missouri.  Hial  U.,  of  Elk  Creek,  was  married  to 
Keturah  C,  daughter  of  James  Brooks,  an  early  set- 
tler of  Chautauqua  county.  New  York,  in  the  year 
1845.  This  union  was  blessed  with  four  children,  as 
follows:  Hiram  (deceased),  Dennis  D.,  Allan  (de- 
ceased) and  Emma  (deceased).  Mr.  \Vade  was  a 
prominent  citizen  of  LeBoeuf  tow'nship  for  forty-one 
years,  and  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  in  1890,  came  to 
reside  with  his  son  Dennis,  in  Elk  Creek  township. 
Dennis  Wade  was  born  in  1845.  He  married  Miss 
Phebe  J.  Nichols.  Their  children  are  George,  V'ernon, 
Merle,  Maud  and  Glenn. 

Amos  H.  Waite,  Elk  Creek,  Elk  Creek  township, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, the  third  son  of  Horace  and  Mary  (Hilburn) 
Waite,  of  his  native  township.  Horace  Waite  came 
to  Crawford  county  from  New  York  .State  at  an  early 
day,  and  to  Erie  county  about  1854,  settling  upon  the 
farm  now  owned  by  his  son  Amos,  where  he  died  in 
1890.  Mrs.  Waite  died  in  18T3.  Amos  H.  Waite  was 
married  in  1866  to  Miss  Ruth  Rhodes,  of  Elk  Creek 
township.  Three  daughters  have  blessed  this  union: 
Myrtle  M.,  Jessie  E.  (deceased)  and  Elicia  A.,  who 
now  reside  with  their  parents  in  Cranesvdle.  Mr. 
Waite  is  a  brother  of  the  late  Robert  H.  Waite,  of 
Cranesville,  wluise  death  occurred  March  24,  1895,  anil 
of  Seneca  W.,  a  resident  of  S]iringheld,  Erie  county, 
Pa.;  Lester,  of  Cranesville,  and  Mason  (deceased). 
He  is  prominently  identified  with  the  interests  of  his 
locality,  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  State  Police,  and 
has  held  several  public  offices  in  the  township. 

David  Thrasher  (deceased),  farmer.  Elk  Creek, 
Elk  Creek  township,  Erie  county,  was  born  in  1827  in 


Oswego  county.  New  York,  and  removed  to  Erie 
county  with  his  parents  in  1845.  He  was  a  son  of 
Stephen  Thrasher,  a  native  of  Sandy  Creek,  (Oswego 
county,  N.  Y.  His  mother  was  Miss  .Mary  Smith,  of 
the  same  locality.  The  father  died  January  9,  1859, 
and  the  mother  <lied  I-'ebruary  8,  1858.  Mr.  I'hrasher 
was  married  April  20,  1853,  to  A<lelia  Kidder,  and 
after  her  death  he  married  on  the  25th  of  February, 
1864,  Almira,  daughter  of  Jefferson  Rhodes,  who  came 
to  Conneaut  township  fifty-five  years  ago  from  Ver- 
mont. Her  mother  was  Miss  Mary  Ann  Crandall. 
The  children  of  Mr.  Thrasher  are:  Nancy  J.,  wife  of 
J.  L.  Barnes,  of  Cranesville;  .Mary  L.  (deceased),  Mary 
Adelia,  Marcus  D.  and  George  Ray  Thrasher.  .Mr. 
Thrasher  w'as  one  of  the  progressive  farmers  of  the 
township  in  which  he  resided  and  where  he  spent  the 
greater  part  of  an  active  life.  He  was  the  second 
child  of  Stephen  and  Mary  (Smith)  Thrasher.  Fol- 
lowing are  the  family.  Nancy,  David,  Betsey  (de- 
ceased) and  George  W.  (deceased).  Mr.  Thrasher 
was  a  school  director  and  a  man  of  prominence.  He 
died  July  24,  1895. 

James  Hubbard,  farmer,  Lundy  s  Lane,  Elk 
Creek  township,  was  born  in  Cortland,  Cortland 
county,  N.  Y.,  April  10,  1832,  a  descendant  of  sturdy 
New  England  ancestry.  His  parents  were  Sylvester 
and  Eliza  (Patten)  Hubbard,  also  natives  of  the  Em- 
pire State,  who  came  to  Erie  county  in  1832.  The  for- 
mer died  Aprd  22,  1881,  and  the  latter  in  1885.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Sylvester  Hubbard  were  prominently  identi- 
fied as  active  members  of  the  .M.  E.  Church  and  other 
social  interests  of  the  locality.  Their  family  consisted 
of  six  children  now  living:  James,  Mary,  of  Elk  Creek; 
Huldah,  wife  of  R.  C.  Drury,  Girard;  Edward  S., 
Elk  Creek;  William  Henry,  Elk  Creek;  and  Anna, 
wife  of  Frank  Ruddick,  of  Kansas.  James  Hub- 
bard was  married  in  1855  to  Martha  H.  .McGuire, 
born  February  18,  1832,  in  Crawford  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, daughter  of  William  McGuire.  Seven 
children  were  born  to  this  union.  One  died 
in  infancy.  Following  is  the  list:  William  S..  phy- 
sician, Albion,  Erie  county;  Thomas  Ruben,  of 
Idaho;  Sarah  Eliza,  Elk  Creek;  Mary  Elizabeth  (de- 
ceased), wife  of  Edward  M.  Hathaway;  Clara  Ger- 
trude, Elk  Creek;  and  John  J.,  Elk  Creek.  Mr.  Hub- 
bard is  one  of  the  progressive  farmers  of  Elk  Creek 
[  township,  and  has  been  engaged  in  dairying  and 
latterly  in  breeding  short-horned  cattle.  Hehasserved 
as  assessor  of  the  township  and  also  held  other  offices 
of  prominence.  He  is  a  member  of  the  P.  of  H.,  and 
is  politically  a  Prohibitionist. 

A.  F.  Dobler,  retired  brewer  and  malster,  and 
now  a  farmer  and  grain  and  cattle  dealer,  Girard  and 
Fairview  townships,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  in  1844.  In  184f*  he,  m  com- 
pany with  his  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Fink, 
emigrated  to  Pennsylvania,  and  on  attaining  his  (ifth 
year  went  to  reside  with  his  uncle,  John  Dobler,  in  the 
city  of  New  York;  thence  to  Nashua,  N.  11.,  and,  in 
1856,  removed  with  his  uncle's  family  to  Albany,  N.  Y. 
On  reaching  his  majority,  in  1865,  having  previously 
assumed  his  uncle's  name  through  legal  procedure, 
Mr.  Dobler  assumed  the  management  of  his  uncle's 
brewery,  the  yearly  capacity  and  output  of  which  is 
now  over  ;i'>,(JOO  barrels,  requiring  65,000  bushels  of 
malt.     At  the  death  i>f  his  uncle,  John  Dobler,  in  1885, 


780 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


A.  F.  I)i)l)li-r  ]>iiichaso(l  the  entire  lirewing  i)ri)[>ertii-s 
over  which  he  hiid  so  lonj;  presided,  and  since  that 
time  has  been  sole  owner  and  manager.  This 
renowned  nialster  and  brewer  zealously  continued  the 
study  of  lager  l)eer  brewinj;  in  all  its  most  intricate 
and  essential  <letails,  and  became  the  oldest  member 
of  Prof.  Schwartz's  Scientific  Station  of  jirevvins;  in 
America,  and  in  later  years  j;ave  practical  instruction 
to  [iresent  managers  of  the  largest  lireweries  in  this 
country.  Ex])erience  having  taught  the  value  of 
securing  the  finest  possilile  grade  of  barley,  Mr. 
Dobler  determined  to  extensively  engage  in  growing 
it  on  his  large  farms  in  Girard  and  Fairview  townships, 
each  of  which  is  located  op])Osite  the  renowned  bar- 
ley-growing districts  of  Canada,  and  are  tempered  by 
the  same  lake  winds.  The  result  has  been  the  |)ro- 
curing  of  the  choicest  grade  of  barley  from  which  to 
brew  his  renowned  lager,  which  has  also  proven  an 
incentive  for  growing  barley  on  United  States  soil. 
Upon  these  farms  Mr.  Uobler  has  erected  a  palatial 
residence,  a  large  grain  storage,  immense  barns,  water 
works,  three  natural  gas  wells  and  outbuildings, 
which,  in  architectural  beauty  and  design,  are  the 
peers  of  any  complete  set  of  farm  buildings  in  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Dofiler  is  fully  awake  to 
his  own  interests,  but  not  to  the  point  of  seeking 
undue  advantages,  while  in  point  of  executive  aliility 
he  has  few  superiors.  An  earnest  and  untiring  worker, 
being  jiossessed  of  a  .strong  physicpie,  his  endurance 
is  all  but  unlimited.  Kind  at  heart  and  liberal  in  any 
worthy  cause,  though  alert  and  quick  to  detect  any 
attemjited  im])osition,  he  has  made  fast  friends  among 
the  deserving  clas.ses.  And  though  his  years  of  man- 
hood have  been  givi'n  to  constant  work  he  has,  never- 
theless, found  time  for  jjrofitable  reading  and  study, 
and  his  mind  is  well  stored  with  extensive  and  i)rac- 
tical  knowledge  in  various  fields.  .Socially  Mr.  Dobler 
is  most  popular,  as  he  is  ever  a  jileasant  and  enter- 
taining companion.  In  business,  banking  and  com- 
mercial circles,  no  man's  creth't  stands  higher,  and  his 
word  is  as  good  a  guarantee  as  is  his  fxind.  .Many  are 
the  occasions  on  which  his  advice  is  earnestly  sought, 
is  honestly  and  freely  imparted,  and  once  bestowed  it 
is  highly  reganled.  Through  earnest  application,  in- 
dustry and  unceasing  effort,  Mr.  A.  F.  Dobler  may  he 
justly  called  a  self-made  man,  and  the  entire  com- 
numity  wherein  he  has  ]>assed  the  greater  portion  of 
his  active  business  life,  feel  an  all  l)ut  indivi(lual  pride 
in  his  eminent  achievements.  Mr.  Dofder  was  mar- 
ried in  18T0  to  Miss  Emma  B.  Mott,  of  Fairview,  Pa. 
This  happy  union  has  been  blessed  with  two  children: 
Emma  C,  who  married  Dr.  A.  F.  Baldinger,  of  (iTO 
Euclid  avenue,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  John  F.  Dobler, 
who  is  now  in  school  in  Cleveland.  For  the  past 
eight  years  Mr.  Dot>ler's  family  has  also  included  his 
niece.  Miss  Clara  Mott,  who  was  educated  in  .St. 
Agnes'  Female  Academy  (Episco])al),  of  Albany.  Mrs. 
Baldinger  was  also  educated  in  this  institution,  which 
is  one  of  the  highest  grade  in  .America.  Mr.  Dol)ler 
and  family  worship  at  the  I'resbyterian  Church,  of 
which  they  are  generous  supporters.  In  politics  he  is 
bound  by  no  party  ties,  but  gives  his  support  to  those 
issues  which  he  believes  to  be  for  the  best  interests  of 
the  community  and  the  nation. 

Frank  M.  Temple,  M.  D.,  Fairview,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  was  l)orn  in  Crawford  county  in  1850.  He  is  a 
son  of  R.  S.  B.  Temple,  for  many  years  a  resident  of 


Spring  township,  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  and  who 
died  at  the  age  of  72  years  in  March,  \X94.  His  widow 
still  survives,  at  the  age  of  75  years.  Her  maiden 
name  was  .Miss  Jane  Dunham,  daughter  of  Daniel 
Dunham,  of  Union  City,  Erie  county.  Pa.  Frauk  was 
a  grandson  of  Robert  Temjile,  who  came  from  Scot- 
lanil  at  an  early  day  to  Crawfonl  county,  wliere  he  re- 
sided for  eighty-nine  years.  He  was  a  solilier  iu  tlie 
war  of  1812,  and  died  in  1890,  at  the  age  of  i)8  years. 
Frank  M.  Temple  graduated  from  the  medical  deiiart- 
ment  of  the  Western  Reserve  College,  Cleveland, 
CJhio,  in  1880,  and  the  medical  tlejiartment  of  the  I'ni- 
versity  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  1884. 
He  began  the  jiractice  of  medicine  in  Mercer,  Pa.,  in 
1880,  and  later  located  in  Fairview,  Pa.,  and  has  since 
established  a  successfull  ]jractice.  June  0,  187(>,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Cynthia  Fell  Yeager,  of  Mercer, 
Pa.,  whose  father  is  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  18.V2,  of 
the  L'niversity  of  Pennsylvania.  Four  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union,  as  follows:  Grace,  aged  Ki 
years;  Herbert,  aged  12;  George,  aged  7,  and  Frances 
Marion,  aged  1(5  months,  respectively.  Dr.  Temple  is 
a  member  of  the  Erie  Countv  .Medical  Society,  A.  (). 
U.  \V.,  P.  H.C..  and  K.  of  P. ' 

(ieorge  S.  Stoae,  merchant  and  general  dealer, 
Avonia,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Harrisburg, 
Iowa,  I'Cbruary  24,  184S).  He  is  a  son  of  Amos  Stone, 
who  was  struck  and  killed  at  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R. 
crossing  near  Fairview  Station  January  5,  1871.  His 
age  was  .V^  years,  and  he  was  a  native  of  Fairview 
township,  although  he  had  resided  at  different  times  in 
Iowa  and  California.  Mr.  .Stone  was  married  .Septem- 
ber 27,  1871,  to  .Mary  Ann  Gallowhur.  This  union  has 
been  blessed  with  six  children,  as  follows:  .Mabel  G., 
Arthur  L.,  Fred  Carlton,  Helen  M.,  Georgie  I,,  and 
Dorothy  R.  Mr.  Stone  began  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  his  present  location  in  18K,S,  and  together  with 
a  large  trade,  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  comnu'ssion 
business  to  a  large  extent,  shijiping  grain  and  produce 
from  points  on  the  E.  &  P.,  the  P.  S.  &  L.  E.,  and  L. 
S.  &  M.  S.  railroads.  He  also  deals  largely  with  the 
local  trade  in  coal,  produce,  lime,  salt,  cement  and 
])laster.  Imbued  with  the  siiirit  of  pirogress,  he  is  en- 
gaged in  other  enterjirises,  among  which  is  a  fishery 
in  Conneaut,  Ohio,  a  gilnet  and  poundnet  fishery 
]jlant,  from  which  large  .shipments  are  made  to  New 
York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore  and  Pittsburg.  Mr. 
Stone  was  ajiptjined  postmaster  in  18(jil,  and  has  since 
held  the  office  without  interrupition  through  the  vari- 
ous administrations.  As  a  iirominent  citizen,  and  a 
live,  go-ahead  business  man,  he  ranks  among  the  first 
in  his  townshiji,  and  has  at  various  times  held  ]iiiblic 
offices.  He  is  a  member  of  the  F.  iV  A.  .M.,  and  in 
jiolitics  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  of  which  he  has  been  trustee  for  sev- 
eral years. 

William  Kerttick,  jr.,  miller,  Avonia,  Erie  county, 
Pa.,  was  liorn  in  Cornwall,  England,  in  the  year  1848. 
He  emigrated  to  .America  in  the  year  1877,  and  first 
located  in  Edenburg,  Clarion  county.  Pa.,  and  re- 
moved to  Fairview  in  188.5,  soon  after  taking  charge  of 
the  Oriental  Mills,  which  he  has  since  o[ierated  suc- 
cessfully. He  is  a  son  of  William  Kernick,  who  has 
always  resided  in  England.  A  brother,  E.  M.  Ker- 
nick, i)receded  William  to  Erie  county  in  1869.  Will- 
iam Krnick,  jr.,  has  operated  the  Oriental   .Mills  since 


^- 

■^ 

L.1^^9^*' 

^ 

r 

^Hi 

r  ^ 

AiTD  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


781 


1887,  and  has  made  many  improvements,  having 
changed  the  machinery  from  a  buhr  into  a  roller  mill, 
making  the  capacity  seventy-tive  barrels.  An  engine 
and  boiler  has  also  been  added.  The  Oriental  Mills 
were  built  in  1869  by  Thomas  &  McCreary,  and  con- 
tinue to  advance  in  public  tavor  under  the  present 
nianagemint.  Last  November,  .Mr.  Kernick  received 
a  severe  injury,  by  being  caught  m  the  machinery, 
which  resulted  in  the  loss  of  two  lingers  of  his  right 
hand.  November  17,  1874,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Susie  Ferrow,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  eight 
children,  as  follows:  Uaniel  F.  and  William  Edward, 
both  born  in  England;  Elizabeth,  Celia,  .Albert,  Mark 
Guy  Pierce,  Robert  Edward  Stephensf)n  Tindall,  and 
Herbert,  all  born  m  Pennsylvania.  .Mr.  Kernick  is  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Fairview  township.  He  was  ap- 
pointed ju.stice  of  the  peace  in  1892,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  P.  H.  C,  of  Fairview,  No.  104. 

Joseph  Bowmati,  sr.,  farmer,  Swanville,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  McKean  township,  and  is  a 
son  of  .Martin  Bowman,  who  came  to  Erie  county  from 
Germany  seventy  years  ago,  and  followed  farming. 
His  death  occurred  in  1854.  Joseph  Bowman  resided 
in  McKean  township  since  his  birth  until  189'2,  when 
he  removed  to  his  present  farm  at  Swanville.  He  was 
married  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Lawrence  Houck,  of 
his  native  township.  The  issue  of  this  union  was  two 
children:  Joseph,  who  resides  with  his  father  on  the 
farm,  and  Frankie,  wife  of  John  Bendwitter,  of  Fair- 
view  townshi]);  Joseph  Bowman,  jr.,  was  married  to 
Miss  Hannah  Leoble.  They  have  one  son,  Frederick. 
Joseph  Bowman  is  a  member  of  the  F.  &:  A.  ^L 

A.  Fuessler,  merchant  and  postmaster,  .Swan- 
ville, Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  1841.  at  Walnut 
Creek,  near  where  he  now  resides.  His  parents  came 
to  Erie  county  from  Baltimore,  Md.,  traveling  across 
mountains  and  through  forests  in  wagons,  Icjcating  in 
the  then  far  West.  This  was  in  1834.  Mr.  Fuessler 
is  a  son  of  Earnest  and  Catherine  (Gornflo)  Fuessler, 
natives  of  Germany  The  former  died  in  1879,  and  the 
latter  in  1851.  This  family  consisted  of  seven  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Margaret,  Louisa,  A.,  Jane,  Lewis 
(deceased),  Lewis  and  Julius.  Mr.  Fuessler,  in  1864, 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Doner,  of  Fairview  town- 
ship. The  issue  of  this  union  has  been  as  follows: 
Mary,  Hattie,  wife  of  John  Smart,  of  P'airview  town- 
ship; Emma  (deceased),  Lewis,  Cora,  wife  of  Seth 
Geist,  residents  of  Mill  Creek  township;  Leroy,  Au- 
gustus (deceased),  Lottie,  Jessie,  Lillie  and  Scott.  Mr. 
Fuessler  is  one  of  the  oldest  business  men  and  resi- 
dents of  Swanville.  He  succeeded  his  father  in  the 
mercantile  trade  in  1880,  and  was  appointed  post- 
master in  1884,  and  has  since  held  the  office  with  sat- 
isfaction, being  an  enterprising  and  influential  citizen. 

John  SherwiM,  carpenter,  .Swanville,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Summit,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  and  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  grandfather,  James  Dun- 
lap,  was  the  first  to  come  to  this  county,  and  located 
on  a  farm  in  Summit  township.  John  is  a  son  of 
Francis  Sherwin.  who  was  born  in  1819,  and  died  in 
1858.  He  was  married  in  1842,  to  Cordelia  Sawdy, 
daughter  of  Perry  Sawdy,  of  Erie.  To  this  marriage 
have  been  born  three  children,  as  follows:  Charles  L. 
Sherwin,  of  Erie;  Lorinda,  of  Michigan,  and  Lucinda, 
of  Ravenna,  Ohio.  Mr.  Sherwin  has  been  a  resident 
50 


of  Swanville  and  Fairview  townships  since  1880,  and 
has  been  actively  engaged  at  his  trade,  that  of  car- 
penter, since  18<>2,  until  latterly,  when  declining 
health  and  advancing  years  have  made  retirement  a 
nece.ssity.  He  was  in  the  service  of  the  U.  S.  navy 
during  18fil-62,  located  on  the  Potomac  river  and 
Chesaijeake  bay. 

Francis  Lander,  blacksmith,  Swanville,  Erie 
County,  Pa.,  a  native  of  New  York  city,  was  born  in 
1888,  and  is  a  scjn  of  Lewis  and  Anna  .\Iary  (Schepp) 
Lander,  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  this  country 
and  first  located  in  New  York  city.  This  was  in  1837, 
and  in  1840  they  removed  to  Erie  county.  The  for- 
mer died  November  19, 1862,  and  the  latter  now  resides 
in  Erie.  The  children  of  this  union  are:  Francis, 
John  F.,  who  resides  in  the  South;  George  and  .Mrs. 
S.  H.  Alleman,  of  Erie.  Francis  learned  his  trade, 
that  of  blacksmithing,  with  the  firm  of  Little,  Kepler 
&  Co.,  of  Erie,  in  18.55,  and  in  1857,  with  Ca]>t.  J. 
Beckman,  in  Fairview,  went  to  Erie  in  18.59,  and  re- 
moved to  .Swanville  in  1861,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. He  has  filled  several  township  offices  and  has 
been  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  Francis  was  a  member  of  the  102d  P.  V.  I., 
and  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  In  I860  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Anna  Mary  Decker,  daughter  of  John  Decker, 
of  Erie.  Mr.  Lander  is  a  man  of  sterling  wealth  and 
influence. 

John  Loffi,  station  agent,  Swanville,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  the  city  of 
Erie  in  1872,  and  was  engaged  for  some  time  as  sec- 
tion foreman  on  the  N.  Y.,  C.  &  St.  L.  R.  R.  Previous 
to  this  he  was  employed  as  bookkeeper  in  a  grocery 
store  in  Erie,  afterwards  owning  a  store  himself  on 
Parade  street;  then  removed  to  Swanville,  where  he 
was  employed  in  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  service.  In 
1875  he  accepted  the  piosition  of  agent  and  telegraph 
operator  of  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  station  at  Swan- 
ville, which  position  he  held  until  his  death.  John 
Loffi  was  a  son  of  John  and  .Margaret  (Hauber)  Loffi, 
both  deceased,  and  who  never  left  their  native  coun- 
try. In  1891  Mr.  Loffi  spent  the  summer  in  the  land 
of  his  birth,  returning  to  .America  in  the  early  autumn 
of  the  same  year,  accompanied  by  his  nephew,  Peter 
Loffi,  who  has  since  made  Erie  county  his  home.  In 
1874  Mr.  Loffi  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  King,daugh- 
ter  of  .Michael  King,  of  Fairview  township  and  owned 
a  pleasant  home  in  Swanville.  One  son,  George  W ., 
has  been  born  to  this  union.  Mr.  Loffi  was  a  reliable 
and  energetic  citizen,  a  member  of  the  \.  O.  U.  W.  and 
L.  S.  &  NI.  S.  Lodge.  He  met  his  death  at  the  Swan- 
ville Depot,  May  27,  1895.  While  practicing  on  a  bi- 
cycle on  the  platform  of  the  station  a  fast  freight  came 
by,  and  in  turning  to  avoid  it,  the  wheel  became  un- 
managable,  and  he  was  thrown  against  the  train  and 
instantly  killed. 

C.  F.  Busch,  general  blacksmith,  manufacturer 
and  dealer  in  wagons,  farm  implements,  Fairview, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Fairview  borough  in 
1864.  He  is  a  son  of  Julius  and  Elizabeth  (Zunistein) 
Busch.  Julius  Busch  came  from  Germany  in  1N50,  and 
first  settled  in  Ohio,  and  came  to  Fairview  in  18-58.  He 
was  twice  married,  first  to  Elizabeth  Zumstein,  and  to 
this  union  were  born  four  children,  as  follows:  Lena, 
wife  of  Morgan  Anderson,  of  Fairview;  Lizzie,  Mary 


782 


2fELS0N'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  BICTIONARY 


and  Charles  F.  Busch.  His  second  marriage  was  to 
Miss  Augusta  Kotzman,  in  1866.  The  issue  of  this 
union  was  as  follows:  Julius,  Otto,  Ida,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Smithlyn;  Monroe,  Anna  and  Carrie  Busch,  of 
Kairview.  Charles  F.  Busch  was  married  in  1887  to 
Miss  Mary  Kroiiier,  daughter  of  Philip  Kromer,  of 
Fairview.  The  children  of  this  marriage  are  Ralph 
Kmerson  and  Lois  Busch.  Mr.  Busch  began  the 
business  of  carriage-making  and  blacksmithing  with 
his  father  in  1884,  assumed  entire  control  in  1886,  and 
has  since  carried  on  an  extensive  business  in  this  line, 
having  established  a  large  local  trade.  The  business 
conducted  embraces  blacksmithing  and  ironing  of  all 
kinds.  As  a  business  man  Mr.  Busch  ranks  among 
the  foremost,  and  as  a  citizen  is  highly  respected, 
while  his  establishment  ranks  as  a  leader.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  P.  H.  C. 

Charles  E.  Weislogal,  farmer,  Swanville,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  was  born  in  the  township  where  he  now 
resides  March  15,  18.57.  He  is  the  eighth  child  of 
Jacob  \V.  and  Barbara  (Austmud)  Weislogal,  natives 
of  Germany,  who  came  to  Erie  county  in  1854,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  Charles  in  Fairview 
township.  The  former  died  in  1889  and  the  latter  in 
1880.  In  this  family  there  were  nine  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Jacob,  Mitchell.  John,  Barbara,  George,  Kath- 
erine,  Marv,  Charles  and  Elizabeth.  Charles  was  mar- 
ried in  188&  to  Miss  Carrie  -Simmons,  daughter  of  An- 
drew Simmons,  of  Erie.  One  son,  Leroy  Edward,  has 
blessed  this  union.  Mr.  Weislogal  is  the  owner  of 
one  of  the  finest  farms  in  Fairview  township,  located 
at  the  mouth  of  Walnut  creek,  near  where  the  first 
settlement  was  made  by  Colonel  Forster  and  Mr. 
Swan,  who  gave  the  place  the  name  of  Fairview.  It 
was  at  this  place  that  John  M.  Kratz  started  a  store  in 
1802,  and  a  log  tavern  was  kept  by  Richard  Swan,  who 
was  followed  by  James  Dunn.  This  was  the  commer- 
cial center  of  the  township  till  1824,  containing  a  tav- 
ern, mill,  distillery,  blacksmith  shop,  etc.  The  elec- 
tions and  military  trainings  were  held  there,  and  as 
long  as  the  stages  and  travel  ran  down  to  the  creek  it 
was  rather  a  lively  village.  The  mills  fell  into  the 
hands  of  Daniel  Lord  in  1829,  who  changed  the  name 
of  the  place  to  Manchester,  and  erected  a  paper  mill. 
It  burned  while  in  charge  of  Messrs.  Reed  and  was 
never  rebuilt.  A  Presbyterian  Church  was  built  at 
this  point  in  1810,  with  Rev.  Johnson  Eaton  as  pastor. 
The  place  of  worship  was  removed  to  .Swanville  in 
1832.  Mr.  Weislogal  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  various  interests  of  Fairview  township  in 
many  ways,  and  ranks  among  the  influential  citizens. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  LI.  W. 

J.  F.  StuntZ,  wagon-maker,  bicycle  dealer  and 
dealer  in  farm  implements,  p'airview,  Erie  county.  Pa., 
was  born  in  Fairview  township,  in  1869.  He  is  a  son 
of  J.  C.  and  Mary  J.  (McKee)Stuntz.  The  former  died 
March  14,  1894,  at  the  age  of  56  years,  and  the  latter 
resides  in  Fairview  borough.  Mrs.  Stuntz  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Thomas  ^lcKee,  of  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship, son  of  Patrick  and  Jane  (Vance)  McKee,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  latter  of  Mill  Creek 
township.  Mr.  McKee  was  married  in  1838  to  Nancy 
Kendig,  born  in  1818,  daughter  of  George  and  Esther 
(Spence)  Kendig,  the  former  of  Cumberland  county 
and  the  latter  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  By 
this  union  were  born  Mary  J.,  mother  of  J.  F.;  Alex- 


ander (deceased),  Susan,  Franklin,  Bennett,  Etta  (de- 
ceased) and  Thomas.  Alexander  was  in  Co.  K,  83d 
P.  V.  L,  and  there  contracted  a  disease  which  terminated 
in  his  death.  Mr.  .McKee  was  a  director  in  the  Flrie 
county  alms  house  for  three  years.  Mr.  J.  F.  Stuntz 
is  a  grandson  of  Stephen  Stuntz,  a  farmer  and 
mechanic,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Fair- 
view.  He  died  in  1888  at  the  age  of  76  years.  His 
children  are  Ida  J.,  Reid  and  J.  Frank.  Mr.  Stuntz 
had  one  brother,  William,  who  died  from  injuries  re- 
ceived from  the  kick  of  a  horse,  and  a  sister,  Esther 
Stuntz.  He  began  business  in  the  wagon  trade  five 
years  ago,  and  lias  operated  as  a  leading  bicycle  dealer 
since  1885,  and  is  also  a  dealer  in  farming  imple- 
ments. In  the  bicycle  trade  he  represents  the  Spauld- 
ing  and  the  \'ictcir.  Mr.  .Stuntz  has  also  operated  a 
steam  thresher  with  his  father  (and  for  two  years  alone) 
since  1888.  Blacksmithing  and  general  carriage  work 
also  form  a  large  feature  of  his  business.  He  has  won 
an  enviable  reputation,  and  the  large  trade  he  has  se- 
cured is  the  result  of  earnest  endeavors  to  do  his  work 
in  the  best  style.     He  is  a  member  of  the  P.  H.  C. 

William  E.  Evaas  (deceased),  was  born  in  West 
Mill  Creek,  Erie  county,  I'a.,  in  1841,  and  died  in  F"air- 
view  township  April  4,  1886.  He  was  a  son  of  James 
Evans,  of  Mill  Creek  township.  The  family  of  James 
Evans,  consisted  of  six  sons,  asfollows:  John, George. 
Conrad,  William  E.,  James  and  Presley.  In  1872  ne 
was  married  to  Miss  Emma  \'on  Buseck,  daughter  of 
Lewisand Caroline  (Stohhnann)  Von  Buseck,  nativesof 
Germany,  former  of  whom  came  to  this  country  with 
his  father  and  brother  in  1832,  the  remainder  of  the 
family  following  in  1834.  They  remained  in  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  for  one  year,  then  removing  to  Erie  county, 
and  later  purchasing  a  farm  on  the  Lake  road  three 
miles  west  of  Erie  city.  Mr.  \'on  Buseck  proved  him- 
self a  most  successful  farmer  of  the  township.  He 
married  Caroline  Stohlmann,  and  to  this  union  were 
born  twelve  children,  nine  of  whom  are  now  living: 
Augusta,  wife  of  Joachim  Knobloch;  Charles,  married 
to  Lavina  Butt;  Amile,  married  to  Mary  Fickinger, 
Emma,  wife  of  William  E.  Evans;  Julius,  Lewis,  Al- 
bert, William  and  Caroline.  William  E.  Evans  spent 
fifteen  years  on  the  farm  where  his  widow  now  resides, 
with  her  children,  who  are  as  follows:  Caroline  U., 
Clara  Stohlmann,  Lizzie  Lavina,  Charles  Frederick, 
Emma  Von  Buseck  and  William  Lee  Evans.  Mr. 
Evans  was  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  foremost 
citizens  of  the  township. 

John  G.  Weiblea.  justice  of  the  peace,  Fairview, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  the  year  1833,  and  is  a 
son  of  Gottlieb  and  Gotleibian  (Meyers)  Weiblen,  na- 
tives of  Germany.  The  former  was  a  weaver  by  trade, 
and  came  to  America  and  Erie  county  in  1850,  and 
first  settled  in  Erie  city.  He  later  came  to  Fairview 
borough,  and  died  in  1894.  His  wife  died  in  Europe 
in  1835.  John  G.  Weiblen  was  married  in  1859  to  Miss 
Mary  Harmon,  daughter  of  Dedrick  Harmon,  an  old 
resident  of  Erie  county.  The  issue  of  this  union  have 
been  twelve  children,  as  follows:  Josephine,  Emma, 
William,  Gertrude,  Hattie,  Nellie,  Charles,  Frank, 
Carrie,  Winifred,  John  and  Freddie.  Mr.  Weiblen 
learned  his  trade,  that  of  a  shoemaker,  in  18.50,  and  re- 
moved to  Fairview  borough  in  18.55,  and  for  forty  years 
has  been  one  of  its  staunch  and  reliable  citizens,  whose 
council   is  often  sought  on   matters  of    importance, 


AND  niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


783 


where  reliable  information  and  advice  is  desired.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Erie  county  bar  in  1868,  and  ap- 
piiinted  justice  of  the  peace  in  1885,  which  office  he 

now  holds. 

W.  H.  Hyke,  proprietor  of  the  Heuer  House,  Fair- 
view,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Port  Hope,  Can- 
ada, in  18o2,  son  of  Cornelius  and  Elizabeth  (\'alier) 
Hyke,  who  had  the  following  children:  Jerrad  N., 
Charles  and  W.  H.  Hyke,  who  were  educated  in  their 
native  town,  from  whence  his  parents  moved  to  Erie 
in  186-5.  Cornelius  Hyke  was  born  in  Schenectady, 
X.  Y.,  of  Holland  descent,  and  was  a  veteran  of  the 
war  of  1812.  In  April,  1879,  Mr.  W.  H.  Hyke  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna,  daughter  of  J.  W. 
anil  Catherine  Koehler.  The  former  was  born  in  Hol- 
land in  1814,  and  came  to  this  country  with  his  j)arents 
in  1832,  making  Erie  his  home  during  his  active  life. 
He  has  been  engaged  in  ship  building  and  was  also  an 
expert  millwright.  The  children  of  this  union  are: 
John  W.  Koehler,  of  Chicago;  Mrs.  Mary  Pope,  Erie; 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Hyke,  Fairview,  and  Mrs.  Agnes  Gregory, 
widow  of  C.  C.  Gregory,  formerly  conductor  on  the  L. 
S.  &  M.  .S.  R.  R.  "George  Koehler,  father  of  J.  W. 
Koehler,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  and  had  the  first 
greenhouse  in  Erie  county,  situated  on  the  Buffalo 
ro.id,  three  miles  east  of  Erie.  The  children  of  Mr. 
and  .Mrs.  W.  H.  Hyke  are:  Cora,  Mabel,  Agnes  and 
Ethel.  Mr.  Hyke  became  proprietor  of  the  hotel  in 
Fairview  in  November,  1894,  and  has  succeeded  in  es- 
tablishing a  first-class  reputation  for  the  hotel,  which 
has  been  newly  equipped,  and  in  every  detail  is  most 
complete.  Mr.  Hyke  is  a  first-class  landlord  and  fully 
understands  the  needs  of  the  public  and  conducts  a 
first-class  house. 

J.  V.  Warre«,  retired,  Fairview,  Erie  county.  Pa., 
was  born  February  14,  1812,  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  spent  his  early  life.  Seven  years  were  spent  on 
a  farm  near  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  and  came  to  Erie  in  1872 
and  began  the  hotel  business  in  Fairview,  which  he 
Continued  until  1894,  when  he  retired.  Mr.  Warren  is 
a  son  of  Xathaniel  and  Lavina  (WatriesI  Warren,  the 
former  a  native  of  Rhode  Island  and  the  latter  of  Xew 
England.  To  this  union  were  born  eleven  children: 
Sarah,  born  September  14,  1786;  Rhoda,  May  11,  1790; 
Samuel,  June  20,  1792;  Jane,  Februarv  20,  1794;  Xa- 
thaniel, June  29,  1796;  David  S.,  August  26,  1799; 
Thomas,  August  1.5,  1801;  Marv,  October  13,  1802; 
William,  October  12,  1806;  Hannah,  June  5,  1808,  and 
James  \'.,  February  14, 1812.  In  183.5  J.  \'.  Warren  mar- 
ried Miss  Emeline  Allen,  daughter  of  John  .^Uen,  a 
descendant  of  the  renowned  Ethan  Allan,  of  \'ermont. 
The  children  of  this  union  are:  Elizabeth,  widow  of 
Jerome  \'an  Allan,  of  Ashtabula,  Ohio;  \'alentine, 
William  H.,  Seth  A.,  Manford  J.,  Emogene,  wife  of 
Amos  Weaver;  Diadiamy.  wife  of  Loyd  Harper,  all  of 
Ashtabula,  Ohio,  and  Reed  Warren,  of  Fairview 
borough.  J.  \'.  Warren  had  been  engaged  in  active 
pursuits  until  1894,  when  declining  health,  together 
with  advancing  years,  compelled  him  to  take  a  less 
active  |)art  in  business  affairs. 

A.  J.  Nason,  merchant,  Franklin  Corners,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  I'airview  township  in  1859, 
and  is  a  son  of  B.J. and  Harriet  (Rice)  Xason,  residents 
of  Franklin  township,  and  grandson  of  William  Xa- 
son, a  native  of  New  England,  where  his  life  was 


spent.  His  family  are:  William,  of  Fairview;  .Syl- 
vester, Benjamin  J.  (father  of  A.J.  Xason),  Webster, 
Erie,  and  Mr.s.  .Ann  Veagley  (deceased).  Mrs.  Nason's 
father  was  John  Rice,  a  life-long  resident  of  New  York 
State.  B.  J.  Nason  came  to  Franklin  township  thirty- 
four  years  ago,  at  a  time  when  this  particular  section 
and  township  was  new,  and  for  the  most  [lart  covered 
with  a  thick  forest.  He  began  business  as  a  merchant 
at  Franklin  Corners  in  1890,  and  was  appointed  post- 
master the  same  year.  This  postoffice  was  established 
about  18.55,  and  is  geographically  the  center  of  the 
township,  which  is  laid  out  the  most  systematically  of 
any  township  in  Erie  county.  Mr.  Xason  is  among  the 
mo.st  active  and  progressive  citizens  of  Franklin.  He 
was  educated  at  the  Edinboro  State  Xormal  School, 
and  for  several  years  jirior  to  taking  up  the  mercantile 
trade  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  that  locality.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Eipiitable  Aid  L'nion,  and  has 
active  interest  in  all  that  jiertains  to  local  affairs. 

L.  O.  Staabro,  blacksmith,  Franklin  Corners,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Concord,  Erie  county,  N.  Y., 
in  1877,  and  at  the  age  of  14  years  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Stan- 
bro  learned  his  trade,  that  of  blacksmithing,  in  Spring- 
ville,  Erie  county,  N.  Y.,  and  soon  after  came  to  Erie 
county,  and  was  for  a  time  employed  at  Edinboro.  In 
April,  189.5,  he  removed  to  Frankiin  Corners,  where  he 
established  himself  in  the  business  of  general  black- 
smithing  and  wagon  rei)airing  and  has  by  continued 
industry  built  up  a  large  and  profitable  trade.  .Mr. 
Stanbro  is  a  son  of  the  late  Lavant  Stanbro,  who  died 
in  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1880.  His 
mother  was  Miss  Ida  Horton,  who  still  survives.  Mr. 
Stanbro  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Erie  city 
and  is  a  skilled  and  energetic  worker  m  his  chosen 
trade. 

H.  C.  Howard,  farmer,  Franklin  Corners,  Frank- 
lin township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  and  reared  in 
the  township  in  which  he  now  resides.  The  year  of 
his  birth  was  1837.  He  is  the  son  oi  Henry  Howard, 
sr.,  and  grandson  of  Daniel  Howard,  who  was  killed 
in  the  war  of  1812.  Henry  Howard  first  settled  in 
Girard  township,  and  removed  with  his  wife,  Sarah 
Jenness,  to  Franklin  township,  in  1832.  near  where  his 
son  Henry  now  resides.  Henrv  Howard,  sr.,  died  in 
August,  1890,  and  his  wife  in'  December,  1893.  Of 
their  family  there  were  two  sons,  Henry  C.  and  Levi 
P.  Howard,  of  .\mboy,  O.  The  latter  also  resided  for 
many  years  in  Franklin.  Five  daughters  also  blest 
this  union:  Sarah,  wife  of  L.  C.  .Allen,  Iowa;  Phehe, 
wife  of  C.  Stewart,  Tennessee;  Clarissa,  wife  of  C.  E. 
Mathewson;  Harriet,  wife  of  S.  Hamilton,  Franklin 
Corners,  and  Hannah,  wife  of  F.  Mischler.  Hannah 
died  in  188;i  In  1868  Henry  was  marrietl  to  Miss 
Betsey  Watson,  daughter  of  James  Watson,  of  Girard, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  that  vil- 
lage. This  union  has  been  blest  with  the  following 
children:  Sllma  J.,  wife  of  George  Jenness;  Bertha  F., 
Lou  B.,  -S.  Grace  and  Edna  E.,  all  residents  of  Frank- 
lin town.ship.  Following  are  the  children  of  James 
and  Mary  (Woolsey)  Watson:  Jane,  wife  of  Samuel 
Coburn,  Erie;  Betsey,  wife  of  Henry;  Frank,  Mary 
Ann,  Erie;  George,  Washington;  Charles,  Indiana; 
lames,  John,  Girard;  Jessie,  wife  of  E.  .\.  Sweigart, 
Erie,  and  William,  Girard.  Mr.  Howard  has  resided 
on  his  present  farm  since  1862,  and  has,  during  that 


784 


^ELSOirS  BIOQRAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


time,  taken  part  in  bringing  the  land  about  his  resi- 
dence from  a  densely  wooded  and  not  altogether  val- 
uable condition  to  its  present  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  [iroductiveness.  In  1862,  Mr.  Howard  enlisted  in 
the  nine  months'  service,  and  received  an  honorable 
discharge  at  the  end  of  that  time.  He  was  a  member 
of  Co.  G,  169th  P.  V'.  I.  He  has  been  school  director, 
and  has  always  taken  an  active  part  and  been  fore- 
most in  matters  pertaining  to  his  locality. 

Daniel  B.  Robinsoa,  retired  farmer,  Ivaria, 
Franklin  township,  Krie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Otisco  township,  tJnondaga  county,  N'ew  York,  July 
2'2,  1823,  son  of  Daniel  B.  Robinson,  born  May  26, 
1787,  who  married  Elizabeth  Benedict,  born  March  12, 
1793,  daughter  of  Johnathon  and  Hulilah  (Seely)  Ben- 
edict, who  had  six  children,  of  whom  James  B.  died  in 
Nebraska  in  the  year  1891;  Daniel  B.;  John  B.,  also 
died  in  Nebraska,  and  Thomas,  surviving.  Daniel  B., 
the  elder,  and  his  wife,  were  natives  of  New  York 
State.  He  was  for  many  years  county  surveyor,  com- 
missioner of  deeds,  magistrate  and  a  school  teacher. 
He  came  to  this  county  in  1844,  from  Fabius,  Onon- 
daga county,  N.  Y.,  and  settled  in  P'ranklin  townshi]), 
where  he  died  April  2,  18.52,  his  widow  following  him 
March  11,  1870.  He  was  a  son  of  John  and  Eunice 
(Wilcox)  Robinson,  the  former  a  native  of  Scotland, 
and  the  latter  of  New  York  State.  Johnathan  Bene- 
dict, son  of  Nathaniel  Benedict,  was  a  native  of  Eng- 
land. Daniel  B.  Robinson  was  married,  October  1, 
1849,  to  ^lary  Crosby,  born  in  the  township  of  Wales, 
Erie  county.  New  York,  December  17,  1822,  daughter 
of  Calvin  and  Huldah  (Connell)  Crosby,  natives  of 
New  York  State.  By  this  union  there  is  one  son, 
Martjuis  D.,  born  October  21,  1851,  now  an  oil  oper- 
ator m  Titusville,  Pa.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Oil  Company.  He  married  .Miss  Flora  Mc- 
Quarie,  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  three  children:  Mable  Marion,  Ellsworth  D. 
and  Ovid  D.  Robinson.  Owing  to  an  accident,  at  the 
age  of  11  years,  Daniel  B.  Robinson  became  a  cripple 
for  life,  and  he  prepared  himself  for  teaching,  which 
occupation  he  followed  in  Elk  Creek  and  Franklin 
township  for  twenty  years.  He  bears  the  distinction 
of  being  one  of  the  oldest  citizens  now  living  in  Frank- 
lin township,  and  has  been  identified  with  many  local 
enternrises  during  his  active  life.  He  assisted  in  es- 
tablishing the  Edinboro  State  Normal  School,  the 
postoffice  known  as  Ivaria,  the  naming  of  the  Mohawk 
Mills,  and  numerous  other  undertakings.  During 
these  years  he  has  filled  the  offices  of  school  inspector 
of  Franklin  township  and  director  of  the  independent 
school  district,  and  also  clerk,  treasurer  and  collector. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Regular  Baptist  Church, 
Elk  Creek,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  This  es- 
timable gentleman,  while  having  lived  out  the  days 
usually  allotted  to  mankind,  still' has  a  retentive  mem- 
ory, and  is  able  to  recall  many  events  of  his  earlier 
days  with  unwonted  vigor  and  interest. 

Rev.  Henry  Francis  Dietrich,  rector  of  St. 
Boniface  Roman  Catholic  Church,  of  Greene  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Erie  City  May  26,  1872.  His  father. 
Henry  Dietrich,  and  mother,  formerly  \'ictoria 
Schmalzl,  a  n?tive  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  are  both 
living.  Father  Dietrich  received  his  early  education 
in  the  parochial  schools  of  Erie.    He  then  spent  nine 


years  at  St.  Vincent's  College  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  one  year  at  St.  Bonaventure  Col- 
lege, at  .Allegany,  N.  Y.  Father  Dietrich  was  appointed 
to  his  first  pastorate,  the  parish  of  St.  Boniface,  on 
June  20,  189.5.  The  parish  was  founded  in  1857,  and 
has  now  a  membership  of  about  sixty  families.  The 
church  is  situated  in  the  central  portion  of  Greene 
township,  on  the  Wattsburg  road.  It  has  a  very  fine 
property  surrounding  it,  which  contains  about  four 
acres.  The  pastors  of  .St.  Boniface  Church  from  the 
time  it  was  founded  to  the  present  vear  were  as  fol- 
lows: 1857  to  1867,  Rev.  J.  A.  Oberhl.fer;  1867  to  1868, 
Rev.  P.  F.  Malonev;  1868  to  1870,  Rev.  |.  X'ollemver; 
1870  to  1873,  J.  A.  'Oberhofer;  1873  to  1878,  Melchior 
Apjjel;  1878  to  1890,  Edward  Hasse;  1890  to  1891, 
John  C.  McEntee;  1891  <o  1894,  Joseph  .M.  Sieverding; 

1894  to  1895,  Simon  Assenmacher;  1895  to  date.  Rev. 
Henry  F.  Dietrich. 

John  P.  Rose.  Greene  township,  was  born  in  this 
county  September  13,  1864.  His  father,  Charles  Rose, 
came  to  the  United  .States  in  1850  and  settled  in 
Greene  township,  Erie  county,  on  a  farm  of  VXi  acres, 
near  the  Lake  Pleasant  road.  In  1853  he  was  married 
to  Anna  Mary  Gosse,  a  native  of  Erie  county.  Ten 
children  were  the  result  of  this  marriage,  of  whom 
John  P.  was  eighth  in  order  of  birth.  Mr.  Rose 
has  continuously  lived  in  Erie  county,  except  for  a 
short  period  during  the  war,  when  he  went  to  Indi- 
ana. The  children  were  all  born  and  educated 
in  Erie  county.  Mr.  Rose  died  in  1874  at  the  age 
of  51  years.  John  Rose  followed  farming  as  a  busi- 
ness until  21  years  of  age,  when  he  jjurchased  the 
saw-mill  owned  by  U'est  Newton,  on  the  Lake  Pleas- 
ant road,  three  miles  north  of  the  town  by  the  same 
name.     Mr.  Rose  prospered  in  this  business  and  in 

1895  improved  his  property  by  erecting  an  entire  new 
]jlant  at  an  expense  of  82,500.  The  new  mill  includes 
a  shingle  mill,  grist  mill  and  cider  press.  He  was 
married  September  12,  1893,  to  Minnie,  daughter  of 
James  Cartin,  of  Erie  county.  They  have  one  child,  a 
daughter,  \'ernie. 

George  H.  Myers,  Greene  township,  was  born 
near  West  Greene,  Erie  county,  .September  7,  1857. 
His  grandfather,  Samuel  Myers,  was  the  first  of  his 
ancestors  to  come  to  Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  in 
Delaware  county.  New  York,  and  came  to  Erie  county 
in  1820,  settling  on  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  what  was 
then  a  wilderness  in  Greene  township.  Mr.  Myers, 
being  one  of  the  early  settlers,  did  much  toward 
building  iip  that  portion  of  Erie  county.  John  Myers, 
father  of  George  H.,  was  born  in  1821,  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Permilia  Brace  in  this  county  in  1853.  They 
had  six  children,  of  whom  George  H.  was  the  third. 
The  others  are:  Deloss  H.,  Mrs.  Emma  Jackson,  now 
living  in  Kansas;  William  T.;  \'erna,  now  Mrs.  J. 
Porter  Jackson;  and  Gara  Grant,  all  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, with  one  exception,  in  Erie  county.  George  H. 
was  married  to  Julia  Barrv,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Barry,  of  this  county,  October  20,  1882.  Her  mother 
was  a  daughter  of  Cyril  Drown,  of  Greene  township. 
Three  children  have  been  the  result  of  this  marriage, 
Gertha,  G.  Barry  and  Rachel.  Mr.  Myers  is  one  of 
the  progressive  citizens  of  this  locality,  has  always 
taken  an  active  part  in  politics  in  the  county,  and, 
though  a  Republican,  was  appointed  postmaster  of 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTr. 


785 


East  Greene  by  President  Cleveland  in  1888,  which 
office  he  continues  to  hold.  He  also  has  a  general 
store  and  successfully  cultivates  a  farm  of  forty  acres. 

Peter  Kuhl,  Greene  township,  was  born  in 
Greene  township,  October  25,  1845.  His  father,  Peter 
Kuhl,  was  born  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1801. 
John  Yost  Kuhl,  father  of  Peter,  sr.,  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  emigrated  to  this  country  at  the  age  of 
12.  He  settled  in  York  county,  where  later  he  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Orth,  of  York  county.  They  reared 
seven  children,  viz.:  Peter,  sr.,  Daniel,  Fairview;  Su- 
san, who  married  John  Gittings,  Harbor  Creek;  Polly, 
wife  of  Fred  Ohlwiler,  Harbor  Creek;  Peggy,  now 
Mrs.  Daniel  Berringer,  Fairview;  Katherine,  who  mar- 
ried a  Mr.  D.  Stover,  Fairview,  and  Elizaljeth.  All 
these  children  were  born  in  York  county,  and  are  all 
now  deceased.  The  family  moved  to  Erie  county 
about  1823,  coming  in  wagons,  and  settled  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Kearsarge,  in  Mill  Creek  township.  Meet- 
ing with  financial  adversity  eight  years  later  they  sold 
the  property  at  Kearsarge,  and  settled  on  150  acres  in 
the  woods,  in  Greene  township,  where  a  large  log 
cabin  was  built.  There  a  comfortable  income  was 
earned  by  felling  the  forests,  and  hauling  the  wood  to 
Erie  city,  and  also  in  tilling  the  soil  about  the  cabin 
home.  On  October  22,  1829,  Peter,  sr.,  was  married  to 
Susan  Fry,  daughter  of  Joseph  Fry,  formerly  of  Lan- 
caster county.  Pa.,  and  one  of  the  early  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  settlers.  They  reared  a  family  of  ten  children. 
Sarah  was  the  first  child.  She  is  now  Mrs.  George 
Hairsine,  and  is  living  in  Greene  township.  Samuel  was 
the  second  child,  and  is  now  living  upon  a  large  farm 
adjoining  the  old  homestead,  which  was  cleared  by 
himself.  Barbara,  the  third  child,  died  in  April,  1889; 
Eliza,  is  the  wife  of  J.  D.  Meade,  of  Harbor  Creek 
township;  .Adam,  Harbor  Creek;  Mary  Ann,  now  Mrs. 
David  Ripley,  is  living  in  Greene  township;  Fred,  is 
living  on  a  part  of  the  old  homestead  in  Greene  town- 
ship; Peter,  jr.,  our  subject;  Hiram,  living  in  North 
East  township;  and  Susan,  now  the  wife  of  Charles 
Breckley,  of  Mill  Creek  township.  Peter,  jr.,  was 
married  June  16,  1868,  to  Harriett  Maria  Cook, 
daughter  of  .Samuel  Cook,  a  native  of  New 
York  State.  He  was  born  in  Portland,  Chau- 
tauqua county,  and  came  to  Pennsylvania  in  184T, 
and  settled  in  Athens  township,  Crawford  county. 
Mr.  Cook  was  married  before  he  came  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  Lydia  Stafford  Stark,  of  an  old  English 
family,  on  ^lay  5,  1844.  They  had  five  children, 
three  girls  and  two  boys:  Lydia  Anna,  now  the  wife 
of  Myron  Wagner,  of  Mill  Creek  township;  Frances 
Marion,  living  in  Greene  township;  -Mary,  wife  of 
Swayne  Olson,  of  Erie  city;  Samuel  Frank,  living  in 
Greene  township,  and  Harriett  Maria,  who  was  the 
second  child.  She  was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Au- 
gust 23,  1847,  and  came  with  her  parents  to  Erie 
county  in  1854.  Samuel  Cook,  father  of  Mrs.  Peter 
Kuhl,  jr.,  was  educated  in  the  Academy  at  Fredonia, 
N.  Y.  He  was  a  Republican,  and  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  politics  of  Erie  county.  The  year  Horace 
Greeley  was  a  candidate  for  president  he  was  a  candi- 
date for  county  commissioner,  but  by  his  friendship 
and  campaining  for  Mr.  Greeley  m  this  county  he  de- 
feated himself.  Mr.  Cook's  father  was  a  native  of 
Rutland  county,  X'ermont.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Kuhl, 
jr.,  spent  the  first  eight  years  of  their  married  life  in 
Harbor  Creek  township,  when  they  moved  to  the  old 


Cook  homestead  in  Greene  township,  where  they  now 
reside.  Mr.  Kuhl,  like  his  antecedents,  has  always 
been  a  farmer,  and  now  has  13<J  acres,  which,  through 
his  efforts,  have  been  brought  to  a  fine  state  of  culti- 
vation, while  the  modern  farm  buildings  rate  among 
the  very  best  in  Greene  township.  .Mr.and  Mrs.  Kuhl 
are  public-spirited,  and  have  been  actively  identified 
with  the  local  affairs  of  their  neighborhood.  He  has 
served  as  school  director,  and  secretary  of  the  board 
during  his  entire  term;  is  now  road  commissioner  of 
the  townshi]).  Until  ill  health  compelled  him  to  re- 
sign, Mr.  Kuhl  served  as  a  director  of  the  Wattsburg 
.Agricultural  Society.  Mrs.  Kuhl  served  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  Department  of  Domestic  .Arts  during 
the  time  her  husband  served  as  a  director,  but  re- 
signed when  he  did,  feeling  that  her  first  duty  was  at 
home.  She  was  a  school  teacher  in  her  girlh(Kxl  days, 
and  taught  in  the  townships  of  \'enango,  Greene, 
Harbor  Creek,  and  Greenfield,  and  her  earnestness 
and  ambition  won  the  regard  of  the  communities  in 
which  she  taught  in  the  good  old  days  when  "  board- 
ing around  "  was  a  teacher's  lot,  to  such  an  extent  that 
she  formed  many  agreeable  and  lasting  friendships. 
Mrs.  Kuhl  carried  the  same  earnest,  enthusia.stic  spirit 
into  her  domestic  duties,  and  her  husband  found  in 
her  an  able  co-laborer  in  bringing  his  farm  to  its  pres- 
ent high  state  of  development  and  cultivation.  They 
have  one  child,  a  daughter,  14  years  old,  who  is  a  fine 
scholar,  being  the  first  pupil  to  graduate  from  the 
schools  of  Greene  township  since  they  were  graded. 
In  addition  to  general  farming,  Mr.  Kuhl  conducts  a 
fine  dairying  department,  and  its  products  find  a 
ready  market  among  some  of  the  leading  families  of 
Erie,  who  only  appreciate  the  very  best.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kuhl  attend  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Atisou  H.  Yaple  was  born  October  2,  1829,  in  this 
county.  His  father,  David  Yaple,  came  to  Erie  coun- 
ty with  his  brother,  William,  from  Delaware  county. 
New  York,  which  was  the  first  home  of  the  Yaple  fam- 
ily in  this  country,  and  where  a  number  of  the  de- 
scendants now  live.  They  originally  came  from  Ger- 
many, some  time  before  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  a 
number  of  the  family  participated  in  that  great  strug- 
gle for  independence.  The  two  brothers,  who  now 
have  a  large  and  representative  posterity  in  Erie 
county,  settled  in  the  wilderness  of  Greene  township 
in  1824,  the  vicinity  of  which  is  now  known  as  West 
Greene.  They  cleared  a  large  acreage,  which  of  late 
years  compose  some  of  the  richest  farm  lands  in  the 
county.  The  brothers  were  of  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  now  living  and  residents  of 
this  county:  The  eldest  is  Mrs.  Eleanor,  wife  of 
William  B.  Weed  (deceased),  who  has  reached  the 
ripe  age  of  97  years,  and  lives  at  Weeds  Corners  In 
Greene  township;  Christian  Yaple,  her  brother,  is  85 
years  old,  and  lives  at  Watertord.  William  Yaple 
went  back  to  Delaware  county.  New  York,  about 
1827,  and  was  married  to  a  Miss  Sallie  Hull.  They 
had  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living: 
Rebecca  Weed,  of  Erie  City;  Miles,  living  in  this 
county,  and  Giles,  now  a  resident  of  Norwalk,  Ohio. 
William  Yaple  died  in  1844.  David  Yaple.  the  father 
of  .Anson  H.,  was  married  December  26,  1826,  to  Ruth 
Fuller,  daughter  of  Timothy  Fuller,  who  at  that  time 
was  a  resident  of  Venango  town.ship,  and  one  of  the 
earlier  settlers  in  Erie  county.  They  had  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Anson  H.  was  the  second  child.    The 


786 


NSLSON'S  BIOGRAPmCAL  DICTION  ART 


others  are:  William  W.,  now  living  near  the  old 
homcstcail;  X.  \'.,  L.  P.  R.,  I).  R.,  T.  J.,  and  Eulalia 
A.,  now  the  widow  of  Aaron  Haskins,  and  livintj  in 
Eric.  David  Yaple  died  December  24,  l«S.s.  His 
wife  died  six  years  before  him,  November  ll:!,  1882. 
Anson  H.  Yai)le  was  married  June  10,  1851,  to  Laura 
A.  Streeter,  daughter  of  Horace  Streeter,  a  native  of 
the  Black  River  country,  in  New  York  State.  She 
moved  to  Erie  county  at  an  early  age  with  her  mother 
and  uncle,  Rodney  Cole.  In  1856  Mr.  Yaple  moved 
to  Washburn,  Grant  county.  Wis.,  where  he  remained 
nine  years,  wlien  his  wife  died,  August  14,  l<Sf)4.  They 
had  si.\  children,  all  of  whom  an;  living:  The  hrst  is 
Candace  K.,  wife  of  George  Cutter,  of  this  county; 
Henry  W.,  living  at  Harbor  Creek  station;  Edward 
L.  and  Clinton  K.,  living  in  Greene  townshij);  Addie 
E.,  wife  of  Oscar  Root,  now  living  in  Summit  town- 
.ship,  and  Anson  J.,  who  has  settled  on  the  Harry  farm 
in  Greene  township.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  Mr. 
^'aple  returned  to  Erii;  county  and  purchased  the 
farm  upon  which  he  now  resides,  and  Sei)teml)er  18, 
18(i(i,  he  married  Louise  M.,  daughter  of  Luther  D. 
Jackson,  of  Delaware  county.  New  York.  They  now 
have  four  children,  the  elde,st,  A.  I^.  Yaple,  is  living  in 
Greene  township;  Lulu  E.,  wife  of  Fred  Coover,  of 
Greene  township;  Kate  I.,  wife  of  William  .Allen,  and 
Leah  M.,  living  with  her  mother  an<l  father.  While  in 
Wisconsin  Mr.  Yaple  served  in  the  army  during  the 
late  war.  He  enlisted  in  Co.  E,  liOth  Keg.,  Wis.  \'ol., 
but  never  reached  the  front.  He  was  in  the  service 
seven  months,  when  he  sprained  his  ankle,  was  given 
his  discharge  and  sent  home,  crippled  for  life.  Mr. 
Yaple  is  a  member  of  Rice  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Water- 
ford.  Mr.  Yaple  is  one  of  the  self-made  men  of  Erie 
county.  He  has  always  been  a  farmer,  and  when 
quite  a  young  man,  left  his  father's  h  )me  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world.  This  he  has  done,  with  consid- 
erable success,  and  he  now  owns  KiO  acres  of  fine  farm 
land  in  Greene  township,  near  West  Greene,  the 
greater  portion  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He  is  a 
strong  Republican  and  a  highly  esteemed,  genial  cit- 
izen. His  ten  estimable  cliildren  (live  boys  and  five 
girls)  are  all  residents  of  this  county. 

Francis  Marian  Cook  was  born  in  Athens  town- 
ship, Crawford  county,  March  11,  1849.  His  father, 
Samuel  Cook,  was  born  in  Portland,  Chautau<|ua 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  came  to  Pennsylvania  in  1847.  He 
settled  in  Crawford  county  and  came  to  Erie  county  in 
1854.  Sanmel  Cook  was  married  May  5, 1844,  to  Lida 
Stafford  Stark,  in  Portland,  N.  Y.,  of^  an  old  English 
family  who  were  early  settlers  in  the  State.  His  first 
wife  died  January  9,  1877,  and  was  married  October 
13,  1878,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Cook,  at  Alden,  Erie  county, 
N.  Y.;  she  survives  her  husband,  who  died  August  25, 
1895.  The  first  marriage  resulted  in  five  children,  of 
whom  Francis  Marion  was  the  third  child.  He  was 
married  April  18,  187(5,  to  Hattie  E.  Wagner,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Wagner,  of  Mill  Creek  township,  a  well- 
known  and  an  early  settler  in  Erie  county.  Mrs. 
Cook  is  the  third  child  and  the  only  daughter,  and 
conies  of  a  family  of  early  Pennsylvania  Dutch  set- 
tlers. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  have  nine  children,  the 
eldest,  Ross  E.,  then  Lydia  Anna  and  Hannah  Eliza, 
twin  sisters;  Joseph  E.,  Roy  E.,  Seth  B.,  Eva,  Carrie  and 
Agnes  May.  .VI r.  Cook  is  one  of  the  progressive  citi- 
zens of  Greene  township,  and  now  has  380  acres  of 
farm  and  timber  land.     He  has  125  acres  under  culti- 


vation about  his  home,  in  the  northwestern  section  of 
the  township,  and  the  remaining  portion  of  his  prop- 
erty is  in  valualile  timber  and  |jaslure  in  the  southern 
part.  Mr.  Cook  was  reared  in  l-".rie  county,  and  h.is 
made  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He  started  when  a 
young  boy  in  \'enango  county,  working  in  theoil  coun- 
try, but  returned  to  Erie  county  and  worked  at  farm- 
ing, saving  his  earnings,  with  which  he  purchased  the 
fine  farm  lands  surrounding  his  home.  He  also  owns 
a  large  sawmill  near  .South  Wales,  in  Greene  townshi]). 
Mr.  Cook  never  took  an  active  ])art  in  politics  and  has 
declined  many  township  offices  tendered  him  by  the 
Republican  party,  though  hi'  is  now  a  school  director 
and  is  doing  much  to  im|)rove  the  district  schools, 
when;  his  children  are  being  educated. 

John  Wright  was  born  October  2,  1870,  in  Greene 
township,  Erie  county.  His  father,  .Samuel  Wright, 
was  a  native  of  Denmark.  He  was  born  May  3,  1822. 
He  was  a  .sailor  by  trade  and  sailed  upon  the  nuTchant 
vessels  of  his  native  land  until  18(i2,  when  he  came  to 
America.  After  spending  several  velars  uijon  the  .At- 
lantic coast,  he  came  to  Erie,  making  that  city  liis 
home,  and  sailing  upon  the  lakes  as  second  mate  until 
abi>ut  1872,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  of  fifty  acres  in 
Greene  township  at  Knoyles  Corners.  This  property  was 
then  a  heavy  forest,  which  was  cleared  by  Mr.  Wright 
himself,  and  is  now  rich  farming  land,  and  adjoins  a 
farm  o]ierated  by  his  brother  Cliarles.  Sluprtly  after 
Mr.  Wright  came  to  Erie  he  was  married  to  Annii; 
Eninbour,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  to  this 
country  but  a  few  years  previou.s.  They  had  nine 
children:  Emma,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Thornton, 
living  in  Greene  townshi[);  Clara,  wife  of  F.  .S.  Cook, 
of  Greene  township;  Mary,  living  in  P'rie;  Ella  and 
Addie,  at  the  honn-stead;  three  brothers  are  ])ros|ierous 
farmers  in  North  Dakota,  and  John  is  unmarried  and 
is  living  with  his  mother  and  sisters  on  the  old  farm. 
He  has  adde<l  six  acres  to  the  property  since  the 
death  of  his  father,  January  5,  1894.  He  is  a  prosper- 
ous farmer,  has  always  lived  at  home,  and  is  adding 
to  the  value  of  the  beautiful  country  about  the  old 
home  every  year. 

Charles  T.  Hall  was  born  in  Waterford  town- 
ship, Erie  county.  Pa.,  June  26,  1847.  His  father, 
Charles  T.  Hall,  sr.,  was  a  native  of  Genessee  county. 
New  York,  of  Scotch  descent,  and  came  to  Erie 
county  in  January,  1847.  He  was  married  the  year 
before  to  Rebecca  Hill,  daughter  of  Henian  Hill,  a 
native  of  North  Ireland.  Mr.  Hill  accompanied  his 
daughter  and  her  husband  to  Erie  county,  and  a  few 
days  after  arriving  at  Waterford  Mr.  Hall  started  to 
return  overland  to  BulTalo  to  look  after  his  household 
goods  which  failed  to  arrive  in  time.  This  was  the 
last  that  was  ever  seen  of  him.  His  horse  and  wagf)n 
were  found,  but  it  is  supposed  that  he  was  waylaid 
by  highwaymen  and  his  body  disposed  of,  for  he  was 
never  seen  again.  A  few  months  later  Mrs.  Hall 
gave  birth  to  a  son,  Charles  T.,  jr.  She  and  her  child 
lived  with  her  father  in  Waterford  until  1851,  when 
she  was  married  a  second  time  to  William  .Smith,  a 
son  of  James  Smith,  of  Harbor  Creek.  He  died  in 
March,  1880,  leaving  his  widow  and  four  children,  one 
of  whom  is  living,  Klonroe  .Smith,  who  resides  in  Har- 
bor Creek  township.  .Mr.  Hi-man  Hall,  grandfather  of 
Charles  T.  Hall,  died  in  1872.  Mr.  Hall  started  in  the 
world,  wheti  he  was  12  years  old,  to  earn   his  own 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTS. 


787 


living.  He  worked  at  farming  in  Erie  county  until  he 
was  17  years  old,  when  he  went  to  work  for  an  uncle 
at  Akron,  N.  Y.,  and  learned  carpentry.  He  remained 
there  for  five  years,  and  returned  to  Erie  county, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  throughout  the  country 
until  he  was  married,  September  7,  1871,  to  Melodia 
A.  Peck,  daughter  of  Z.  E.  Peck,  of  Harbor  Creek 
township.  Mr.  Peck  is  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and 
came  to  Erie  county  in  1835.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  have 
four  children:  Perry  E.,  Zalmon  C,  Harry  H.  and 
Estella  M.,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hall  live  on  their  farm  of  forty  acres,  on  the  northern 
border  of  Greene  township.  Mr.  Hall  also  owns 
thirty-five  acres  in  Harbcr  Creek  township  that  is 
under  cultivation.  They  are  members  of  the  Wales 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  Greene  township,  and  of  the 
Christian  Endeavor  .Society.  Mrs.  Hall  is  an  active 
worker  in  the  Laches'  Missionary  Society  of  the 
church.  Mr.  Hall  continues  to  ply  his  trade  as  a  car- 
penter, and  also  works  his  two  farms.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  police  and  Farmers'  Alliance. 

Daniel  W.  Shuler  was  born  in  Charleston,  Mont- 
gomery couuty.  N.  \'.,  April  5,  1839.  His  grandfather 
was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  came  to  this  country 
shortly  after  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  settled  in 
Montgomery  county,  where  John  U.  S.  Shuler,  father 
of  Daniel  W.  Shuler,  was  married  to  Hannah,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Houghton,  of  Montgomery  county.  New 
York,  a  family  of  old  New  England  "  Yankees."  She 
was  eldest  of  seven  children,  four  boys  and  three  girls, 
of  whom  Daniel  \V.  was  the  youngest.  He  worked  with 
his  father  on  the  old  farm  until  the  age  of  26.  He  was 
married  to  Delavia,  daughter  of  Isaac  Thompson,  a 
former  dry  goods  merchant  of  Cortland,  N.  Y.  This 
marriage  occurred  February  20,  1866.  Mrs.  Shuler's 
early  ancestors  were  natives  of  Ireland.  Mr.  Shuler 
made  his  home  in  Cortland  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased and  worked  a  farm  of  120  acres.  He  remained 
there  until  1876,  when  he  sold  his  property  and  moved 
to  Corry,  Erie  county.  Pa.  Here  \Ir.  Shuler  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business;  part  of  the  time  he  was  in  the 
emjiloy  of  Harrison  Bacon  in  his  lumber  mill.  He  re- 
mained in  Corry  five  years,  and  then  moved  to  F2rie 
city,  where  he  ran  a  dairy  for  several  years.  But  this 
vocation  was  unsuited  to  Mr.  Shuler,  and  he  sold  out 
and  started  a  grocery  at  the  corner  of  Seventeenth  and 
French  streets,  and  later  he  moved  his  place  of  busi- 
ness to  the  corner  of  Thirteenth  and  Holland  streets, 
where  he  remained  until  November,  1894,  when  he 
again  sold  his  business  to  engage  in  the  same  pursuit 
in  the  settlement  of  Boscobel,  in  the  northeast  corner 
of  Greene  township.  On  June  2,  1894,  Mr.  Shuler  was 
a]5]iointed  jiostniaster  of  Boscobel,  by  President  Cleve- 
lanii,  which  office  he  fills,  in  connection  with  his  gen- 
eral store.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shuler  have  two  children 
living,  Charles  and  William.  They  had  four  others, 
but  they  died  at  an  early  age.  Mr.  Shuler's  father 
died  in  1880.  The  old  homestead,  in  Montgomery 
county,  is  now  occupied  by  a  grandchild.  Mrs.  Shu- 
ler's father  died  sonu-  two  years  ago.  Mrs.  Thompson 
is  still  living  in  Cortland,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Shuler  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Order  of  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

Benjattiiti  Atlen  was  born  August  20,  1841,  in 
Greene  township,  Erie  coimty.  His  father,  Henry 
Allen,  a  native  of  Vermont,  of  good  old  Yankee  ances- 
try, came  to  Erie  county  in  1838  from  Ogdensburg, 


N.  Y.,  and  settled  on  sixty-eight  acres  of  land  on  the 
Harbor  Creek  and  Waterford  road,  east  line  of  Greene 
township,  which  land  he  cleared  of  the  heavy  timber 
that  then  covered  the  greater  portion  of  this  county. 
Soon  after  making  a  home  for  himself  Mr.  Allen  was 
married  to  Sallie  Barney,  then  a  resident  of  Platts- 
burg,  N.  Y.  She  was  a  descendant  of  an  old  Yankee 
family  of  Irish  ancestry,  and  was  a  si.ster  to  the  late 
Squire  John  Barney,  or  Erie  county.  They  had  four 
children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living:  Nancy,  the 
eldest,  is  now  the  wife  of  G.  C.  Barney,  of  Greene 
township;  Horace  B.  is  living  in  Minnesota,  and  Ben- 
jamin, the  fourth  child  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Mr.  Allen  died  March  1,1851,  and  Mrs.  Allen  lived 
with  her  children  on  the  old  homestead  until  Febru- 
ary, 1884,  when  she  expired.  Benjamin  .'\llen  re- 
mained at  home,  living  with  his  mother  and  brother, 
and  for  three  years  w-ith  his  brother-in-law,  G.  C.  Bar- 
ney, attending  the  district  school  in  winter  until  he 
was  17  years  old,  when  he  commenced  life  for  himself. 
He  went  to  Belle  \'alley,  where  he  worked  for  Capt. 
N.  W.  Russell  on  his  farm  and  al.so  attended  school 
there  in  the  winter  of  18.59-60.  In  the  spring  of  '61  he 
started  to  learn  carpentry,  but  only  remained  at  it  a 
month  when  the  war  broke  out,  and,  imbued  with  a 
true  spirit  of  patriotism,  he  entered  the  army.  He  en- 
listed in  Co.  C  of  Col.  J.  W.  McLane's  Erie  Regiment, 
April  21,  1861,  in  the  three  months'  service  and  went 
with  the  regiment  to  Pittsburg,  and  then  to  Hilton  sta- 
tion, where  they  remained  until  their  enlistment  ex- 
pired and  were  returned  home.  Colonel  .McLane  reor- 
ganized his  regiment,  and  on  August  29, 1861,  Mr.  Allen 
re-enlisted  in  Co.  C  and  remained  with  the  regiment 
through  the  entire  service.  On  September  16th  of  that 
year  the  regiment  left  Erie  for  Washington  and  went 
into  camp  on  Hall's  Hill.  The  regiment  after  consid- 
erable delay  was  given  its  equipment  and  designated 
the  83d  Pa.  Vols.  They  remained  at  that  place 
through  the  winter  and  then  went  to  Alexandria,  \'a. 
In  March,  1862,  the  83d  was  trans])orted  to  Fortress 
Monroe,  and  from  there  commenced  what  was  known 
as  the  campaign  of  the  peninsula.  The  first  fight  oc- 
curred at  Hanover  Court  House,  \'a..  May  27,  1862. 
After  several  small  brushes  with  the  rebels  the  regi- 
ment engaged  in  the  seven  days'  battle,  commencing 
June  26  at  Mechanicsville  and  ending  at  Harrison's 
Landing.  On  June  27,  the  83d  distinguished  itself  at 
Gaine's  Mills,  and  there  participated  in  the  hottest 
fight  in  which  it  was  engaged  during  its  service.  It 
was  here  that  Colonel  McLaneand  Major  Lewis  Nagle 
were  killed  and  the  ranks  of  the  83d  woefully  thinned 
while  repulsing  a  charge  by  the  Eleventh  South  Caro- 
lina infantry.  Mr.  .-VUen  here  lost  the  forefinger  of  his 
left  hand  and  also  received  a  rel)el  bullet  in  the  left 
shoulder,  disabling  him  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was 
obliged  to  retire  from  the  field.  He  was  so  severely 
woundetl  that  he  was  sent  to  the  hospital  at  the  Naval 
Academy  at  Annapolis,  remaining  there  the  remainder  of 
his  service  on  detached  duty.  He  returned  to  Erie  and 
reported  to  the  provost  marshal  in  that  city  on  August 
29,  where  he  remained  until  October.  He  then  went 
to  Petroleum  Center,  Pa.,  near  Oil  City,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  as  a  contract  driller,  in  the  oil  coun- 
try. In  1878  he  moved  to  Bradford,  Pa.,  and  continued 
business  as  a  contractor  and  also  at  drive-|)ipe  pulling 
and  dealer  in  second  hand  supplies  until  1883,  when 
he  sold  out  to  Bovard  &  Sefang,  and  a  year  later  re- 
turned to  his  native  county.     He  purchased  the  Jo- 


788 


NELSOJ^'&.  BIOOBAPHICAL  DICTION  ART 


seph  Patterson  farm  in  Greene  township,  consisting 
of  100  acres  of  fine  farm  land,  all  of  which  is  now 
under  cultivation.  Mr.  .\llen  was  married  December 
24,  lS(;r>,  to  Mary  .McCiinley,  daughter  of  Henry  Mc- 
C;inley,  formerly  of  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania, 
at  Petroleum  Center.  She  is  of  a  family  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry.  They  have  seven  children,  four  girls 
and  three  boys.  The  eldest  is  Lydia,  now  the  wife  of 
John  Craine.  They  are  living  in  Union  townshij),  Erie 
county.  Enmia,  the  second  child,  is  the  wife  of  J.  W. 
Preble  in  ICrie  city.  Alia  is  the  wife  of  Walter  M. 
^'aple,  of  Greene  township;  Ada,  W'illard  Russell, 
Henry  fferbert  and  Lee  are  all  living  at  home.  Mr. 
Allen  is  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Greene  township.  He 
was  hrst  elected  in  1)S8K,  and  is  now  serving  his  second 
term  in  that  office.  Mr.  Allen  is  not  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  While  living  in  Petroleum  Center  and  Brad- 
ford he  retained  a  memliership  in  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  A.  O.  U.  \V.,  but  since  leaving  there  he  has  al- 
lowed himself  to  be  drop]ied  from  the  rolls  of  these 
two  societies. 

Hon.  William  C  Culbertson,  Girard,  Pa.,  one 
of  the  forenicist  citizens  of  Krie  county,  was  born  in 
Kdinboro,  Pa.,  Noveml)er  27,  1825,  and  is  a  son  of 
Andrew  Columbus  and  Margaret  (Alexander)  Cul- 
bertson.  The  family  genealogy  has  been  traced  to  the 
year  1400,  when  they  resided  near  Kelso,  Scotland, 
whence  they  fled  from  the  persecutions  of  Charles  II 
bi-tvveen  lf')(i.")  and  l(i85  — to  the  north  of  Irelanii. 
In  1712,  John,  son  of  William  Culbertson,  who  had 
participated  in  the  siege  of  Londonderry,  brought  his 
family  to  Philadelphia.  John  Culbertson  (2d),  Ijorn  in 
Ireland,  and  married  in  Phila<lel]ihia,  had  a  son,  An- 
drew, who  removed  to  Williamsport,  Pa.,  in  1775, 
l)ringing  with  him  his  family,  one  of  whom  was  Will- 
iam, the  grandfather  of  Mr.  William  C.  Culbertson, 
and  from  whom  Williamsiiort  derived  its  name.  In 
1711')  William  Culbertson  came  to  r.riecoimty  and  ])ur- 
chased  a  large  tract  of  lanil  of  the  Holland  Land  Com- 
]iany,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  site  of  Edinboro, 
jiart  of  which  he  afterwards  disposed  of  to  his  brothers 
and  others.  Two  years  later  he  brought  his  family  to 
their  new  home.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Cul- 
bertson family  were  among  the  sturdy  jiioneers  who 
took  the  initial  steps  in  converting  the  unbroken  wil- 
derness of  northwestern  Pennsylvania  into  what  is  now- 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  productive  sections  in 
the  world.  Andrew  Columbus  Culbertson  was  born 
in  Williamsport,  Pa.,  June  29,  1795,  and  hence  was  but 
2  years  old  when  brought  to  that  section  of  the  State. 
He  (William)  was  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and 
progressive  citizens  of  his  time,  and  was  largely  in- 
strumental in  advancing  the  development  of  that  por- 
tion of  Erie  county  in  which  he  had  lived.  He  fol- 
lowed farming  and  milling,  and  died  in  1843.  The 
family  (Andrew's)  consisted  of  eight  children;  Mar- 
garet, widow  of  the  late  Rev.  Edward  C.  Rogers,  of 
Edinboro;  Mary,  wife  of  Mr.  Fred  Thompson,  of  Ed- 
inboro; William  C,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
James  A., manager  of  Allegheny  Springs,  Warren  county, 
Pa.;  Rebecca,  widow  of  George  Wood,  of  Erie,  and  now 
residing  in  Sheffield,  Pa.;  John,  who  was  engaged  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Wood,  in  the  lumber  business 
in  Sheffield,  where  he  died  December  2,  1895;  Alex- 
aniler,  who  resides  in  Califurnia,  and  Charles  W.,  w'ho 
is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  Augusta,  Wis. 
Willfam  C.  Culbertson  received  his  education  in  the 


public  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  completed  it  by 
private  study  and  reading.  He  remained  with  his  fa- 
ther until  he  was  21  years  of  age,  and  then  engaged  in 
business  for  himself.  He  began  lumbering  on  the 
Allegheny  river  in  Jefferson  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
in  Kentucky,  his  mill  and  sash,  door  and  blind 
factory  being  located  in  Covington,  Ky.,  where  he 
resided  and  made  his  heacUjuarters.  This  business  is 
still  in  operation.  In  18(i;{  he  removed  to  Girard,  Pa., 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  18(i()  Mr.  Culbertson 
went  to  Michigan  and  began  the  careful  selection  and 
purchase  of  the  best  tracts  of  timber,  which  he  con- 
tinued until  he  had  jiurchased  over  ()2,000  acres  in 
Michigan  and  Wisconsin.  In  the  winter  of  1870  1  he 
took  up  his  business  head(|uarters  in  Menominee, 
Mich.,  where  he  has  since  been  extensively  engaged 
in  cutting  and  manufacturing  lumber.  The  (iirard 
Lumber  Company  was  organized  in  1881,  with  William 
C.  Culbertson,  president;  John  W.  Wells,  vice  ])resi- 
dent,  and  James  A.  Culbertson,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. Charles  H.  Culbertson  is  now  also  a  member  of 
the  firm  which  constituted  the  company.  The  head- 
quarters of  this  company  is  at  Menominee,  Mich., 
where  they  manufacture  chiefly  white  pine  hiTubcr, 
which  is  wliolesaled  along  the  line  of  the  Great  Lakes 
and  adjacent  waters.  The  yards  are  eejuipped  with 
railroad  tracks  and  a  fine  dock  for  the  loading  of  boats. 
The  business  gives  em|)loyment  to  about  250  men. 
Besides  his  interest  in  the  Girard  Lumber  Com])any 
Mr.  Culbertson  has  a  large  lumber  plant  in  Murphy, 
\.  C,  where  he  owns  a  large  amount  of  timber,  con- 
taining a  heavy  growth  of  poplar.  He  also  owns  a 
large  tract  of  timberland  in  Missouri.  Although  so 
extensively  engaged  in  lumbering,  Mr.  Culbertson  has 
also  found  time  to  give  his  attention  to  other  lines  of 
industry.  He  owns  and  operates  a  farm  of  nearly 
5,000  acres  on  the  Red  river  in  Minnesota,  and  in 
)iartnership  with  Mr.  Charles  W.  Wheeler,  of  LeBoeuf 
township,  Erie  county,  owns  a  another  large  farm  in 
the  same  State.  He  is  also  extensively  engaged  in 
farming  in  Erie  county.  He  owns  the  Culbertson 
homestead  at  Edinboro,  and  since  1871  has  owned 
Allegheny  Springs,  Warren  county.  Pa.  He  is  also 
heavily  interested  in  real  estate  in  the  city  of  Erie  and 
in  other  parts  of  the  county.  He  is  president  of  the 
Citizens'  National  Bank  of  Corry  and  the  Girard 
Wrench  Company,  and  is  a  heavy  stockholder  and  a 
director  of  the  P.,  S.  cS:  L.  E.  R.  R.,  acc<iunts  of  which 
may  be  found  in  this  work.  Indeed,  i\lr.  Culbertson's 
interests  are  so  extensive  and  distributed  as  to  be  al- 
most impossible  of  descrijition  or  estimation,  yet  in  all 
these  undertakings  he  has  been  universally  successful. 
Among  the  self-made  men  of  northwestern  I^ennsyl- 
vania  who  have  achieved  success  by  their  own  indi- 
vidual efforts  he  stands  high.  In  politics  Mr.  Culbert- 
son has  always  been  a  staunch  Republican  and  has  ren- 
dered much  valuable  service  to  the  party  of  his  choice. 
In  1888  he  was  elected  to  Congress  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  served  the  interests  of  his  district  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  convince  the  whole  people  of  the  wisdom 
of  their  choice,  and  to  win  their  highest  commendation. 
With  the  best  interests  of  the  country  and  community 
always  at  heart,  Mr.  Culbertson  is  ever  ready  to  lend 
his  means  and  influence  to  the  advancement  of  all 
worthy  enterprises  of  a  juiblic  or  charitable  nature. 
Since  1863  he  has  resided  in  a  beautiful  country  home 
on  one  of  his  farms,  about  a  mile  from  Girard,  but  in 
1894  he  began  the  erection  of  his  residence  in  Girard 


'•^^ 


AND  niSTOBICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


7S9 


borough,  which  is  nearing   completion   as   the  work 

goes  to  press.  Mr.  Culbertson  married  Margaret, 
(laughter  of  the  late  Dr.  James  A.  Alexander,  of  War- 
ren county,  Pennsylvania.  Dr.  Alexander  owned  a 
large  tract  of  lanil  in  the  vicinity  of  and  including 
Allegheny  Springs,  which  [)assed  into  the  possession 
of  Mr.  Culbertson  in  1S71.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Culbert- 
son were  burn  eight  children:  Misses  Cordelia  A. 
and  Kate  E.,  James  A.,  who  married  Miss  Xora  Lloyd, 
of  Covington,  Ky.,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Lloyd; 
Belle,  who  married  Mr.  Frank  May,  private  secretary 
to  Mr.  Culbertson.  They  have  four  children:  W. 
Lloyd,  Margaret,  Charles  and  Archibald  R.;  William 
^L,  in  the  milling  business,  Giranl,  married  Florence 
Nece,  of  Giranl;  he  has  five  children:  Anabel,  James, 
William,  Florence  an<l  Margaret;  Miss  .Margaret, 
Charles  1!.,  who  married  Charlotte  Hutchinson,  of 
Menominee,  Mich.;  he  has  one  child,  Margaret;  and 
Archibald,  who  ilied  June  17,  1883,  at  the  age  of  17 
years,  while  a  student  in  Franklin  College.  In  Scot- 
land, Ireland  and  America  the  Culbertson  family  have 
always  belonged  to  the  old  line  of  Scotch  Presby- 
terians, and  have  been  active  workers  and  generous 
supporters  of  their  church. 

Alfred  Deuio,  president  of  the  Otsego  Fork  Mills 
Company,  Girard,  Pa.,  was  burn  in  Bennington.  \'t., 
January  17,  1831,  and  is  a  son  of  Elon  and  Marilla 
(Piper)  Denio.  The  family  is  of  French  extraction, 
and  dates  back  into  the  early  history  of  Vermont.  Mr. 
Elon  Denio  also  was  born  in  Bennington,  in  1809.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town, 
and  after  completing  his  education,  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship in  the  trade  of  a  machinist.  Before  he 
reached  his  majority  he  had  engaged  in  business  fur 
himself  in  the  manufacture  of  sjjindles  for  cotton  and 
woolen  mills,  which  he  followed  for  several  years  with 
a  marked  degree  of  success.  In  1842,  soon  after  he 
had  removed  to  Fly  Creek,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  he 
conceived  the  idea  of  adding  forks  to  his  jiroducts,  and 
it  was  that  idea,  which,  nourished  and  matured,  was 
half  a  century  later  to  bring  fame  and  fortune  to  the 
name  of  Denio.  The  manufacture  of  forks  in  Amer- 
ica had  been  attemiited  several  times,  but  in  the  ma- 
jority uf  cases  without  success.  The  first  forks  made 
iiy  Mr.  Demo  were  forged  wholly  by  hand,  but  they 
contained  the  best  material  obtainable,  and  the  fact 
that  the  work  from  beginning  to  finish  was  done  by 
Mr.  Denio  was  a  guarantee  of  the  superiority  of  the 
workmanship.  These  products  met  with  such  a  ready 
sale  as  to  encourage  increased  facilities,  and  soon  the 
introduction  of  a  trip-hammer.  Other  im|:irovements 
in  the  methods  uf  manufacture  soon  followed,  and 
greater  facilities  were  added  frum  time  to  time  in  or- 
der to  meet  the  constantly  and  rapidly  increasing  de- 
mand for  these  already  famous  implements.  For  the 
purpose  of  securing  mure  water  power  and  better 
shipping  facilities,  the  works  were  in  1865  removed 
from  Fly  Creek  to  Baldwinsville.  N.  Y.,  at  the  same 
time  greatly  increasing  the  capacity.  It  was  here,  in 
1872,  that  the  well-spent  life  of  Mr.  Denio  was  brought 
to  a  close.  He  had  given  the  best  years  uf  his  life  tu 
the  u|)building  of  an  industry  then  very  limited  in 
America,  and  he  was  successful.  Mr.  'A.  Deniu  re- 
ceived his  educatiun  in  the  public  schools,  and  from 
earliest  boyhood  was  familiar  with  his  father's  shop. 
In  maturer  years  he  assisted  his  father,  and  being  an 
industrious  and  dutiful  son,  contributed  his  share  to 


the  success  of  the  business.  Upon  the  death  of  his 
father,  being  an  only  son,  he  succeeded  to  the  proprie- 
torship of  the  Otsego  Fork  Mills.  Thoroughly  con- 
versant with  nut  only  the  commercial  and  financial, 
but  also  all  the  mechanical  details  of  the  business,  the 
institution  has  flourished  under  his  management,  until 
now  it  IS  one  uf  the  must  prosperous  and  thoroughly 
eiiui[)ped  in  .America.  In  1^!7H  the  jilant  was  moved 
to  its  present  location,  where  it  has  been  enlarged 
frum  time  to  time,  until  it  now  occupies  nearly  three 
acres.  The  buildings  are  substantial  stone,  iron  and 
brick  structures,  and  were  designed  and  constructed 
for  their  present  use.  Each  distinct  department  of  the 
work  has  a  .shop  of  its  own,  but  all  are  conveniently 
connected.  The  machinery  with  which  the  plant  is 
equipped  throughout  is  of  the  most  modern  and  iin- 
jjroved,  and  is  in  itself  a  wonderful  display  of  mechan- 
ical ingenuity.  The  capacity  is  now  over  150  duzen 
per  day,  and  about  100  men  are  employed.  The  pro- 
ducts of  the  concern  include  all  kinds  of  agricultural 
hand  implements,  and  coal,  coke  and  mining  forks,  in 
the  manufacture  uf  which  unly  the  finest  steel  is  used, 
the  handles  being  of  the  best  quality  of  second-growth 
white  ash.  These  products  are  disposed  of  to  the  job- 
bing trade  only.  The  territory  over  which  this  com- 
pany operates  includes  the  whole  civilized  world, 
many  thousands  of  its  implements  being  exported  an- 
nually to  Great  Britain,  Germany,  France,  Switzer- 
land, Canada,  Mexico  and  South  America.  One  very 
unique  characteristic  running  all  through  the  entire 
life  of  this  institution  is  the  perfect  harmony  between 
its  management  and  its  labor,  skilled  and  otherwise. 
Many  have  been  in  constant  empluyment  twenty-five, 
and  several  over  thirty  years.  This  has  been  largely 
due  to  the  fact  that  both  the  late  and  the  present 
Messrs.  Denio  were  endowed  with  a  su])erior  knowl- 
edge of  men  and  an  inborn  sympathy  for  the  laboring 
classes.  Indeed,  this  has  been  one  of  the  chief  ele- 
ments of  their  success.  This  company  was  incorpo- 
rated January  1,  1882,  with  a  capital  stock  of  Sl00,000, 
which  will  be  increased  to  Sl50,000  in  18%.  The  offi- 
cers of  the  company  are:  A.  Denio,  president,  and  F. 
L.  Andrews,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  stock- 
holders are:  A.  Denio,  F.  L.  .Andrews,  H.  P.  Sullivan, 
uf  Erie;  J.  Robert  Hall,  P.  D.  Flowers,  of  Albion,  Pa., 
H.  E.  Denio  and  W.  L.  Andrews,  all  of  whom  are  in- 
cluded in  the  board  of  managers.  Mr.  A.  Denio  was 
married,  in  18(i0,  to  Miss  Louisa  M.  Taylor,  of  Otsego 
county,  New  York.  To  this  happy  union  has  been 
born  one  son,  Horace  E.,  who  is  a  member  of  the  board 
of  managers.  Mr.  Denio  is  a  ^L^ster  Mason,  and 
though  never  an  aspirant  for  public  office,  he  has  al- 
ways been  in  sympathy  with  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party. 

J.  Robert  Hall,  Esq.,  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  Erie  county,  was  burn  in  that  purtion  of  Springfield 
township  which  is  now  known  as  Girard  township, 
June  13,  1821,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Polly  (Kelley) 
Hall,  natives  of  Mifflin  county,  Pennsylvania,  where 
his  grandfather  settled  at  an  early  date,  soon  after 
conn'ng  from  Ireland.  John  Hall  came  to  Erie  county 
about  1808  and  located  in  Springfield  town.ship.  where 
he  took  up  a  large  farm.  Some  time  after  Girard 
townshi])  was  cut  off  frum  .Springfield  he  inirchased  a 
farm  in  what  is  now  Springfield  township,  where  he 
died  in  December,  1848,  at  the  age  of  64  years.  The 
family   consisted  of  five   children:      Catherine,  who 


790 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


married  M.  A.  Lawrence,  of  Chicago;  J.  Robert; 
Elizabeth,  who  married  F.  W.  Sawyer,  of  Evansville, 
Ind.;  George  K.,  who  is  h'ving  in  retirement  in  Miles 
Grove,  and  John  H.,  who  occupies  a  farm  in  Spring- 
field township.  J.  Robert  Hall  received  his  early 
education  in  a  log  school-house,  and  never  pursued  a 
regular  course  of  study  farther  than  such  as  was 
afforded  by  the  public  schools  of  his  boyhood,  his 
further  education  being  acquired  by  his  private  study 
and  reading.  When  he  was  21  years  of  age  he  began 
teaching,  which  he  followed  for  two  and  a  half  years 
in  one  school  in  Girard  township.  He  also  taught  a 
four  months'  term  in  Springfield  township  and  a  six 
months'  term  in  Port  W'ashmgton,  O.  He  then  took 
charge  of  a  hotel  and  livery  business  in  New  Phila- 
delphia, Q.,  where  he  remained  a  year  and  a  half. 
Upon  the  death  of  his  father  he  returned  home,  and, 
purchasing  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs,  he  operated 
the  homestead  farm  for  seven  years,  and  then  sold  it 
to  his  brother,  George  K.,  who  still  owns  it.  He  then 
accepted  the  general  superintendency  of  the  farms 
and  other  business  of  the  late  Judge  James  Miles, 
which  he  continued  for  over  twelve  years.  In  1858 
Mr.  Hall  purchased  of  Alfred  Kelley,  who  was  then 
president  of  what  is  now  the  L.  S.  S:  M.  S.  R.  R.,  nine 
hundred  acres  of  heavily-wooded  land,  from  which  he 
immediately  began  on  an  extensive  scale  to  furnish  to 
railroads  wood  suitable  for  locomotive  fuel,  and  which 
he  continued  until  the  use  of  coal  for  that  purpose 
became  general.  Knowing  that  in  time  coal  would 
displace  wood,  he  .sold  off  large  portions  of  his  tract, 
retaining  but  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  which 
he  still  owns.  He  discontinued  the  wood  business 
about  1866.  During  the  war  Mr.  Hall  dealt  quite 
extensively  in  cattle,  which  he  shipped  chiefly  to  Xew 
York.  Since  1866  Mr.  Hall  has  given  his  attention  to 
the  management  of  his  several  farms,  and  dealing  in 
cattle  and  real  estate.  In  1858  he  purchased  a  lot  of 
seventy-five  acres  north  of  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R., 
and  west  of  Lake  street.  Miles  Grove,  to  which  he  later 
added  fifteen  acres  adjoining.  Upon  portions  of  this 
lot  have  been  built  the  Otsego  Fork  Milks,  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.  Hall,  Grace  Episcopal  Church  and  several  other 
buildings.  Sixty  acres  of  it  still  belong  to  Mr.  Hall. 
Besides  this  he  owns  a  forty-acre  lot  between  Miles 
Grove  and  Girard,  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  Girard  and 
Springfield  townships,  a  half  interest  in  a  seventy-acre 
farm  in  Springfield  township  and  several  houses  and 
lots  in  Miles  Grove.  Besides  his  own  extensive  deal- 
ings in  real  estate,  in  which  he  has  been  highly  suc- 
cessful, Mr.  Hall  has  been  the  executor  in  the  settle- 
ment of  many  estates,  notably  those  of  the  late  Judge 
James  Miles  and  H.  C.  Davis.  Mr.  Hall  is  also  a 
stockholder  in  and  a  member  of  the  lioard  of  directors 
of  the  Otsego  Fork  Mills,  which  he  was  instrumental 
in  bringing  to  its  (present  location;  he  was  also  presi- 
dent of  the  Erie  County  Agricultural  .Society  for  two 
years— 1881-2.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Mr.Hall  has 
always  taken  a  leading  part  in  the  up-building  and 
development  of  the  beautiful  hamlet  of  Miles  Grove, 
which,  with  its  good  shi]ij)ing  facilities  and  location, 
will  undoubtedly  some  day  become  a  prosperous  city. 
Mr.  Hall  is  unmarried,  and  made  his  home  in  the 
family  of  Judge  Miles  from  1853  to  1887,  since  which 
time  he  has  lived  with  his  brother,  George.  In  politics 
Mr.  Hall  was  originally  a  Whig,  and  is  now  a  Repub- 
lican. He  held  various  offices  in  Springfield  and 
Girard  townships,  ten  years  justice  of  the  peace  in  the 


latter,  and  has  been  for  many  years  notary  public. 
He  attends  the  Grace  Episcopal  Church  of  Miles 
Grove,  the  erection  of  which  he  superintended,  and  of 
which  he  is  a  generous  supporter.  With  the  best 
interests  of  the  county  always  at  heart,  he  has  ever 
stood  ready  to  aid,  by  his  means  and  influence,  in 
furthering  its  jirosperity  and  general  welfare.  And 
now  in  the  evening  of  a  well-spent  life  h<;  is  enjoying 
the  fruits  of  honesty,  economy  and  industry,  and  com- 
mands the  resiiect  and  esteem  of  the  coiiununity  in 
which  he  has  passed  his  long  and  useful  career. 

J.  C.  Murphy,  of  the  firm  of  Murjihy  &  Xichols, 
editors  an<l  inihlishers  of  the  Cunmn/infiti-,  Girard,  Pa., 
was  born  m  Miles  Grove,  Pa.,  September  1,  IMIiO,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Johanna  Murphy.  They  were 
natives  of  County  Limerick,  Ireland,  and  in  1847 
emigrated  to  New  Jersey,  and  two  years  later  came  to 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  and  settled  at  Miles  Grove.  In  1874 
he  removed  to  Erie  city,  where  he  died  in  1892,  and 
his  wife  died  the  same  year.  In  the  family  there 
were  nine  children,  of  whom  J.  C.  was  the  seventh. 
Mr.  Murjihy  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Miles  Grove,  and  at  the  age  of  14  commenced  an  ap- 
prenticeship at  the  Cosmopolitf  office  in  Girard.  Here 
he  served  the  regular  time  of  four  years,  then  went  to 
Ashtabula,  Ohio,  where  he  took  charge  of  the  job 
department  of  the  Ashtabula  Telfijruj)/).  He  remained 
there  a  year  and  a  half  and  went  to  Meadville,  Pa., 
where  he  accepted  a  position  on  the  (Hiawtuuquii 
Magnzine,  assisting  in  printing  the  first  issue  of  that 
periodical.  Mr.  Alurphy  worked  in  this  office  one 
year,  then,  in  company  with  H.  S.  Bates,  [)urchased 
the  Meadville  Messenger.  Later  they  jnu'chased  the 
Meadville  Morning  Netrs,  which  they  published  in 
connection  with  a  job  and  book  printing  busines.s.  Mr. 
Murphy  then  bought  Mr.  Bates'  interest  in  the  enter- 
prise, which  he  owned  for  six  months,  when  he  sold  a 
half  interest  to  J.  H.  Nichols,  of  Girard.  Shortly 
after  they  bought  the  Crawford  Demorrut,  which  was 
the  leading  Democratic  paper  in  the  county.  This 
consolidation  made  Messrs.  Murphy  S:  Nichols  the 
pro])rietors  of  the  only  Democratic  [laper  in  Crawford 
county.  They  published  it  one  year,  and,  in  1886, 
sold  out,  when  Air.  Murphy  went  to  Bellefonte,  (Miio, 
bought  out  a  job  printing  office,  and  |iublished  the 
Eriiiing  Excelsior  about  a  year  and  a  half;  he  sold  it 
and  went  to  Oil  City  and  accepted  the  management 
of  the  job  department  of  the  Oil  City  Derrick.  Here 
he  remained  a  year  and  a  half,  when  he  returned  to 
Meadville  and  took  charge  of  the  mechanical  dejiart- 
\x\fn\  ii{  \\\e  Pennsgh-aniii  Fur iner,  and  in  DeceEuber, 
1889,  he  came  to  Girard,  and  in  partnership  with  Harry 
H.  Nichols,  purchased  the  Cosmopolite.  .\Ir.  Murphy 
was  married  in  August,  1885,  to  Miss  Jessie  Douglass, 
of  Meadville.  They  have  had  three  chikiren,  one  of 
whom  is  living,  James  Douglass.  Mr.  Murphy  is  well 
known  throughout  Western  Pennsylvania  as  a  news- 
paper man.     Politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Harry  H.  Nichols,  of  the  firm  of  Murphy  & 
Nichols,  editors  and  publishers  of  the  Cosmopolite, 
Girard,  Pa.,  was  born  March  31,  1869,  in  Girard,  and 
is  a  son  of  J.  H.  and  Mary  (Hay)  Nichols,  residents  of 
Girard.  Mr.  Nichols  was  educated  in  the  Girard  high 
school,  and,  in  1884,  went  to  Meadville  and  com- 
menced an  apprenticeship  in  the  office  of  the  Mead- 
ville Messenger.     Later  he  went  to  Bradford,  Pa.,  and 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


791 


engaged  in  the  oil  business,  which  he  followed  a  short 
time,  when  he  again  took  up  printing  in  the  Star  otifice 
of  that  city  and  remained  one  and  a  half  years.  While 
he  was  in  Bradford  he  took  a  course  in  the  Bradford 
Business  College.  In  1889  he  came  to  Girard  and 
bought  a  half  interest  in  his  present  business.  Mr. 
Nichols  was  married  March  20,  1890,  to  .Miss  Jennie 
C.  Ely,  of  Girard.  She  died  a  little  over  a  year  after 
her  marriage,  leaving  one  son,  Sumner  E.  Nichols. 
Mr.  Nichols  was  married  again  on  September  8,  1895, 
to  Miss  Lillian  .A..  Whitaker,  of  Girard. 

R.  H.  DHff.  ])hysician  and  surgeon,  Girard,  Pa., 
was  born  near  New  Castle,  Lawrence  county.  Pa., 
August  17,  185K,  and  is  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Alkey 
(Fulkerson)  Duff,  the  former  a  native  of  Mount  Jack- 
son, Lawrence  county.  Pa.,  and  the  latter  a  native  of 
New  Castle,  the  same  county.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Richard  Fulkerson,  who  was  a  very  extensive  land 
owner  in  that  county.  Dr.  Duff  is  a  descendant  of  a 
very  old  .A.mericanized  family,  and  both  his  paternal 
and  maternal  ancestry  are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
His  father  now  resides  in  New  Brighton,  Pa.  His 
mother  died  in  1890,  in  Girard,  while  on  a  visit  at  that 
place.  Dr.  Duff  is  the  third  in  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren. He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Edinboro,  Pa.,  graduating  at 
the  latter  place  in  the  class  of  1891,  and  the  following 
school  year  served  in  the  capacity  of  principal  of  the 
West  New  Castle  schools.  He  then  took  a  course  in 
the  Western  Reserve  .Medical  College  at  Cleveland, 
O.,  and  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1884,  and  imme- 
diately began  practice  in  Sharpsville,  Mercer  county. 
Pa.,  and  remained  there  one  year,  when  he  removed  to 
Brookfield.  C,  and  practiced  four  years,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1889  came  to  Girard,  where  he  built  up  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice,  and  is  prominently 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  medical  men  of  Erie 
county.  The  Doctor  was  married  September  4,  1894, 
to  Miss  Mary  Ellen  Burnell,  of  Greenville,  Mercer 
county.  Pa.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  two 
children,  Harold  Clifford,  aged  8,  and  Gail  Burnell, 
aged  4.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Erie  County  Medical 
Society  and  is  a  Republican.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Girard. 

A.  R.  Smith,  physician  and  surgeon,  Girard,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Erie  county.  Pa., 
March  7,  1830.  He  is  a  son  of  Nelson  and  Sally 
(Read)  Smith,  the  former  born  in  Ashfield,  Conn.,  and 
the  latter  in  Ashtabula,  O.  They  came  to  Erie  county 
in  1S17  and  settled  in  Springfield  township,  where  .Mr. 
Smith  died  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  88.  His  wife  died 
in  1887,  aged  7(i.  Dr.  Smith  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Springfield,  and  at  the  age  of  16  went  to  live  with 
Dr.  George  Ellis,  of  Springfield,  Pa.,  with  whom  he 
read  medicine  later,  and  afterwards  attended  the 
Eclectic  College  of  Cincinnati,  O.,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1853.  He  then  returned  to  Springfield  and 
practiced  in  partnership  with  his  former  preceptor.  Dr. 
George  Ellis,  of  Springfield,  Pa.,  for  one  year,  when  he 
went  to  Springboro,  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  and  practiced 
his  profession  until  18(i5,  at  which  time  he  came  to 
Girard,  where  he  has  since  been  located  in  the  active 
practice  of  medicine.  Dr.  Smith  is  a  man  of  natural 
good  judgment,  a  thorough  student  of  medicine,  and 
has  had  the  benefit  of  more  than  ordinary  amount  of 
medical  experience.     With  these  requisites  it  is  un- 


necessary to  state  here  that  he  stands  in  the  front  rank 
of  the  medical  profession  of  Erie  county.  In  1881  he 
opened  a  drug  store  in  Girard,  the  management  of 
which  he  does  not  permit  to  interfere  with  his  pro- 
fession. The  Doctor  was  married  October  1,  1854,  to 
Miss  C.  E.  DeWolf,  of  Springfield,  Pa.  They  have 
six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  Frank,  North- 
wood,  N.  D.;  Carrie  E.,  married  Homer  Mclntire  (de- 
ceased); Will  C,  Girard;  and  Gertrude,  resides  at 
home.  He  has  been  burgess  of  Girard  two  terms,  has 
been  on  the  school  board,  a  member  of  the  council,  and 
has  been  physician  for  the  poor  for  several  years,  in 
which  capacity  he  still  serves.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  having  passed  thirteen  degrees,  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  until  the  lodge  was  aban- 
doned at  Springboro,  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Workmen,  the  N.  W.  Eclectic  Medical  Society,  the 
Eclectic  Medical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

W.  >t.  Culbertsou,  merchant  miller,  Girard,  Pa., 
was  born  November  30,  18()0,  and  is  a  son  of  \V.  C. 
Culbertson.  He  was  educated  in  the  Girard  Academy 
and  Edinboro  State  Normal  Schixil.  He  then  went  to 
Covington,  Ky.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  four  years,  when  he  returned  to  Girard,  and 
purchased  his  present  flouring  mill,  where  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  busmess.  When  .Mr.  Culbertson 
purchased  the  old  Girard  flouring  mill  it  was  of  the 
old-fashioned,  stone  process  style.  Since  then  he  has 
made  many  improvements,  and  has  spent  many 
thousands  of  dollars  in  rebuilding  and  remodeling  the 
entire  structure,  to  meet  the  demands  of  a  constantly 
increasing  patronage,  as  well  as  to  be  fully  eipiipped 
for  all  competition  in  the  modern  production  of  the 
finest  qualities  of  flour,  as  well  as  all  other  products  of 
the  modern  grist-mill.  The  present  capacity  of  his 
mill  is  about  one.hundred  barrels  per  day.  Mr.  Cul- 
bertson is  the  manufacturer  of  the  well-known  brands 
of  flour:  "Culbertson  Patent,"  "Electric  Light,"  and 
"  Royal,"  besides  many  other  well-known  brands  to 
the  trade  in  Western  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  August  1,  1891,  to  Miss  Florence 
Nece,  a  popular  and  accomplished  young  lady  of 
Girard.  To  this  union  have  been  born  five  chiUiren: 
Annabell,  James,  William  and  Florence.  Mr.  Cul- 
bertson is  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Girard 
borough,  of  which  he  is  president:  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  and  a  Republican.  He  is  one  of  the 
enterprising  young  men  of  Erie  county,  and  is  always 
known  to  take  an  active  interest  in  the  promotion  of 
every  worthy  public  enterprise,  and  as  a  business  man 
is  well-known  throughout  the  locality  for  his  honesty 
and  integrity. 

E.  M.  Hatheway,  harness  dealer,  Girard,  Pa.,  is 
the  leading  dealer  in  his  line  in  Girard.  He  also 
manufactures  all  kinds  of  harness,  and  carries  in  stock 
whips,  robes,  trunks,  valises,  etc.  He  was  born  at 
Lansing,  Mich.,  in  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  Edward  B. 
and  Lovina  (Brown)  Hatheway,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  York,  the  latter  of  this  county.  The  father  now 
resides  in  Erie,  where  he  works  at  his  trade,  that  of 
carpenter  and  builder.  When  E.  M.  Hatheway  was 
two  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to  Erie,  later  to 
Meadville,  Pa.,  moving  to  the  latter  place  when  E.  M. 
was  six  years  old.  They  remained  there  four  years, 
and  then  moved  to  Albion,  and  remained  there  six 


792 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


years.  Mr.  Hatheway  learned  the  harnessmaker's 
trade  in  Girard,  Pa.,  and  Erie,  and  in  1892  commenced 
business  for  himself  in  Girard,  which  he  has  since  suc- 
cessfully conducted.  He  was  married  Sejitember  1, 
1892,  to  .Miss  Jessie  E.  Bennett.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren: Kittle  May,  and  Frank  Marzell.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Equitable  Aid  Union,  and  politically  is  a 
staunch  Republican. 

Theodore  J.  Ely,  manufacturer,  Girard,  Pa., may 
justly  be  called  one  of  the  rejjresentative  business 
men  of  Erie  county.  He  is  not  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  has  sjient  nearly  all  his  life  here.  His  par- 
ents moved  to  Girard  when  he  was  less  than  1  year 
old.  He  was  born  in  Clarksville,  Otsego  county, 
N.  Y.,  March  11,  18.57,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Benjamm 
C.  and  Elizabeth  (Caryl)  Ely,  now  residents  of  Girard. 
Theodore  J.  was  reared  and  educated  in  Girard,  at- 
tending the  old  Girard  .•\cademy,  and  afterwards  took 
a  course  of  pharmacy,  when  he  immediately  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  in  Girard,  and  in  1884  went  to 
Conneautville,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  si.\  years, 
being  the  sole  owner  and  proprietor  of  a  drug  store 
there.  He  then  came  to  Girard  and  engaged  m  the 
manufacturing  business,  where  he  was  successfully 
operating  a  very  extensive  plant,  one  much  greater 
than  would  be  expected  in  a  town  like  Girard,  when  on 
July  28,  1894,  fate  seemed  to  be  against  him,  and  his 
plant  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Large  orders,  which  he 
was  unable  to  fill  owing  to  the  destruction  of  his  plant, 
poured  in  from  all  ])arts  of  the  country,  thus  placing 
him  in  a  very  difficult  position  for  a  manufacturer, 
wfio  in  this  age  of  competition  is  compelled  to  supply 
the  wants  of  his  customers.  Not  at  that  period  having 
time  to  rebuild  his  plant,  he  located  his  factory  tem- 
porarily in  the  old  foundry  building  at  Miles  Grove, 
where  he  continued  his  production  during  the  sum- 
mer, and  in  the  meantime,  rebuilt  a  much  more  ex- 
tensive and  modern  ])lant  on  the  site  of  the  original 
one  in  Girartl  borough,  which  was  ready  for  operation 
before  the  first  of  the  year  of  189.5.  The  products  of 
Mr.  Ely's  plant  are  known  as  hardware  specialties, 
generally  consisting  of  the  Uandy  saw  handles,  the 
Garrison  Taylor  and  Trojan  mopstick.  Dandy  carpet 
whip  and  Dandy  rat  trap.  Crick's  metallic  horse  poke, 
and  various  other  articles  in  the  hardware  line.  Mr. 
Ely  is  an  inventor  as  well  as  manufacturer  of  several 
articles  in  the  hardware  line.  He  now  employs  from 
thirty  to  fifty  men.  He  was  married  February  13,1882, 
to  Miss  Xettie  Willis, of  Fairview,  Pa.  They  have  four 
children,  Adriel  \V.,  Theodore  Benjamin,  Dwight 
Caryl  and  Frederick  Willis.  Mr.  Ely  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  council  of  Girard,  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  is  a  Republican. 

Agrippa  D.  Martin,  Girard,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of 
Rome,Onondagacounty,X.  v.,  was  born  January  1,1810, 
and  is  a  son  of  Agrippa  and  .'Xnna  (Jefferson)  'Martin, 
the  former  a  native  of  Hoosac  Falls,  X.  Y.,  and  of 
Irish  descent,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Deerfield, 
Mass.,  and  of  old  Xew  England  stock.  Mr.  Martin 
came  to  Eric  county  with  his  parents  in  1818  from 
Xew  York  State.  They  settled  in  Girard  township, 
following  farming  as  an  occupation,  living  on  the 
Wallace  farm  a  short  time,  then  next  occupied  the 
Reed  farm,  where  the  father  died  in  1828.  His 
wife  survived  him  about  twenty-six  years.  They  are 
both  buried  in  the  Girard  cemetery.     In  the  family 


there  were  eleven  children,  of  whom  Agrippa  is  the 
fifth,  and  is  the  only  one  now  living.  He  was  educated 
in  such  schools  in  Erie  county  as  his  pioneer  days  af- 
fordetl,  which,  of  course,  were  very  scarce  and  incom- 
plete, as  during  the  boyhood  days  of  Mr.  Martin  Erie 
county  was  considered  the  frontier  of  the  great  West. 
He  worked  on  the  farm  with  his  father  in  early  life  and 
in  1828,  when  18  years  of  age,  commenced  driving  stage 
for  old  -Seth  Reed  from  ErietoConneaut,  O.  This  po- 
sition he  held  four  years.  He  then  engaged  with  Ray- 
mond, Ogden  &  Waring's  Caravan  as  horse  trainer, 
and  shortly  after  became  their  general  animal  trainer. 
He  was  considered  in  his  day  one  of  the  most  fearless 
and  venturesome  of  animal  trainers.  He  performed 
dangerous  tricks  with  lions,  tigers,  etc.,  in  the  cages  of 
these  tierce  beasts  which  has  not  been  surpassed  if 
equalled  by  modern  animal  trainer.s.  His  greatest 
success  in  the  management  of  animals  was  in  the 
schooling  of  elephants.  He  introduced  the  feat  of 
teaching  his  trained  elephants  to  boost  him  up  on  their 
tusks  and  catch  him  as  he  descended.  The  elephant 
Hannibal  will  long  be  remembered  among  showmen 
as  one  that  developjed  into  so  fierce  a  brute  that  none 
but  Mr.  Martin  could  manage,  but  for  him  the  ele- 
phant seemed  to  have  an  extreme  feeling  of  kindness 
and  was  always  ready  to  obey  his  slightest  command. 
He  has  had  various  experiences  with  animals  and  has 
been  lacerated  at  numerous  times  by  his  fierce  pets 
when  they  became  enraged.  Mr.  Martin  still  bears 
innumerable  scars  from  hand-to-hand  conflicts  in  the 
cages  of  animals,  and  he  relates  that  many  times  he 
has  left  cages  with  his  boots  filled  with  his  own  blood. 
In  183.5  he  quit  the  circus  business  and  came  to  Girard, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  with  his 
brother.  He  built  the  house  that  is  now  known  as  the 
Rhodes  House.  Besides  the  hotel  he  has  carried  on 
various  enterprises  during  his  stay  in  Girard.  He 
now  lives  on  his  farm  of  ninety-six  acres,  mo.stly 
within  the  borough.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  C.  Gregor.  They  had  seven  children:  Helen 
married  Dr.  James  L.  Thayer  (deceased);  Antanet  S., 
now  Mrs.  C.  W.  Xoyes;  George  C,  farmer,  Girard; 
Adella  (deceasedi;  Frank  resides  at  Union  City,  Mich., 
and  Adrial,  farmer,  Girard.  His  first  wife  died  in  18ti4. 
He  afterwards  married  Mrs.  Eliza  C.  Webb,  of  Con- 
neautville, Pa.  Mr.  Martin  has  held  several  local 
offices  and  has  been  a  staunch  Republican  since  the 
organization  of  the  party.  Few  men  have  had  the  ex- 
perience that  he  has.  He  has  traveled  over  twenty- 
two  .States  by  wagon  and  to-day  commands  the  respect 
of  all  who  know  him. 

S.  Y.  Rossiter,  Girard,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Morris- 
town,  Montgomery  county.  Pa.,  and  was  born  in  1835. 
He  is  a  son  of  Lindley  and  Margaret  (Pennypecker) 
Rossiter,  natives  of  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania. 
Lindley  was  a  tanner  and  currier,  and  carried  on  busi- 
ness for  over  forty  years  in  Xorristown.  On  his 
decease  S.  Y.  succeeded  to  the  business.  He  subse- 
i|uently  moved  to  St.  Mary's,  Elk  county,  where  he 
was  in  business  two  years.  He  came  to  Girard  in  1871, 
and  succeeded  to  the  business  of  C.  I.  England. 
.Since  his  purchase  of  this  tannery  he  has  improved 
and  increased  its  capacity  two-thirds,  and  conducts  a 
large  and  successful  business.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage in  1857  to  Mary  B.  Johnson,  a  native  of  Xorris- 
town. Eleven  children  have  been  born  to  this  union, 
five  surviving:  Uriah,  Eugene,  Elizabeth,  Joseph  and 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


793 


Margaret  A.  Mr.  Rossiter  is  the  only  surviving  child 
of  his  parents,  and  is  a  very  well  and  favorably  known 
citizen  and  man  of  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 

U.  P.  Rossiter.  attorney  at  law,  Erie,  Pa.,  son  of 
S.  Y.  Rossiter,  was  born  October  Ij,  18f5"2,  at  N'orris- 
town,  Pa.  He  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Xorristown,  .St.  .Mary's  and  Girard  (where  his  fjarents 
resided)  and  at  Swarthmore  College.  He  then  learned 
the  tanner's  trade.  He  began  the  study  of  law  with  J. 
Ross  Thompson,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  June, 
1887;  practiced  in  Girard  until  he  was  elected  District 
Attorney  of  Erie  county,  in  1893,  since  which  time  he 
has  made  his  home  in  Erie.  He  formed  a  law  part- 
nership association  .September  1,  1895,  with  L.  E. 
Torrv,  under  the  firm  name  of  Rossiter  &  Torry,  with 
office  at  702  State  street. 

W.  J.  Moafort.  grocer,  Girard,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
New  York  city,  February  18,  18-58,  and  is  a  son  of  \\ . 
H.  and  G.  (Asher)  Monfort,  both  natives  of  New  York. 
His  father  died  in  1874,  and  his  mother  now  resides  in 
Xew  York.  In  the  family  were  five  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living:  Ella,  married  to  Dr.  F.  .A.  Balcom, 
of  Brooklyn,  X.  Y.,  and  \V.  J.,  who  was  educated  in 
the  city  of  Xew  York.  At  the  age  of  18  he  went  to 
work  at  the  machinist's  trade  in  Rhinebeck,  N'.  Y. 
Here  he  served  his  apprenticeship  and  also  worked 
as  journeyman  for  several  years,  when  he  went  to 
Meadville,  Pa.,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Phoenix 
Iron  Works.  He  resigned  his  position  there  in  1891, 
came  to  Girard  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business. 
Although  Mr.  Monfort  has  not  been  in  business  very 
long  in  Girard,  he  has  won  the  confidence  of  the 
public  for  fair  dealing.  His  extensive  patronage  is 
the  best  evidence  of  this  fact.  He  was  married  Octo- 
ber 2,  1889,  to  Miss  Minnie  C.  Kessell,  of  Girard,  Pa. 
They  have  one  child,  William  H.  Mr.  Monfort  is  a 
member  of  the  Mystic  Circle,  and  politically  he  is  a 
staunch  Democrat. 

Ralph  W.  McDonald.  D.  D.  S.,  Girard,  Pa.,  was 
born  October  8,  181)9,  at  Conneautville,  Pa.,  son  of 
George  B.  and  Kisiah  (Stevens)  McDonald.  George 
B.  McDonald,  who  was  a  native  of  Bennington,  Vt., 
was  born  February  23,  1830,  son  of  George  and  Mary 
McDonald,  who  were  of  Scotch  descent,  and  early  set- 
tlers in  Xew  England.  He  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  \'erniont,  and  when 
about  20  years  of  age  came  to  Erie  county,  settling  in 
West  Girard,  where  he  resided  but  a  short  time,  when 
he  took  up  the  study  of  dentistry,  and  after  complet- 
ing the  regular  course,  followed  that  profession  with 
remarkable  success  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  Octo- 
ber 8,  1883.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Kisiah  Stevens, 
of  .Summer  Hill  township,  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  who 
died  in  1895.  To  them  were  born  five  children, 
namely;  Flavia,  Mrs.  L.  A.  Rossiter;  George  F.  (de- 
ceased); Kit  C.  (deceased),  \.  Linn  (decea.sed),  and 
Ral])h  W.,  who  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Conneautville  and  Girard,  and  then  took  a  cour.se  in 
the  Philadeljjhia  Dental  College.  When  not  in  school 
Mr.  McDonald  spent  his  entire  time  assisting  his 
father  at  dentistry.  Brought  up  from  childhood  in  his 
profession,  it  gave  him  superior  advantages,  which  he 
did  not  neglect,  to  become  proficient  in  the  art  of 
dentistry,  in  which  he  has  an  excellent  practice,  and  is 


achieving  an  enviable  reputation.  He  was  married 
June  6,  1894,  to  .Miss  Ida  H.,  daughter  of  Charles  M. 
Briggs,  of  Erie.  Politically  Mr.  .McDonald  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

Peter  H.  Nellis,  jiroprietor  of  the  .\venue  House, 
Girard,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Alsace,  Germany.  His  father, 
Mathias,  emigrated  to  America  in  1848,  locating  in 
Erie  city,  where  he  yet  resides.  Peter  began  life  a 
poor  boy,  first  gardening.  He  came  to  Girard  in  1861, 
and  learned  shoemaking,  at  which  trade  he  worked 
several  years.  In  1864  he  entered  as  landsman,  in 
the  navy,  was  assigned  to  the  steamer  "Gen. Thomas" 
(then  at  Bridgeport,  Ala.),  participating  in  Hood's  en- 
gagement, and  in  several  skirmishes,  serving  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  On  his  return  he  went  to  the  oil 
country,  came  back  to  Girard,  and  located  in  an  old 
building  on  the  canal,  called  Sawdust  Hall,  then  in 
operation,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade,  sold  mer- 
chandise, accommodated  travelers,  and  kept  a  stable. 
In  1876  he  bought  and  repaired  the  old  Guard  House, 
which  burned  in  1879,  and  on  which  was  but  a  small 
insurance.  He  immediately  began  erecting  the 
Avenue  House,  opening  it  in  the  following  June.  It  is 
a  modern  brick  structure,  cost  about  S9,000,  and  has 
accommodations  for  a  large  number  of  guests.  He 
was  married  in  Girard  in  1868,  to  Miss  Kate  Croft,  a 
native  of  Canada.  They  have  two  children:  Daniel, a 
civil  engineer,  and  Kitty,  married  to  Dr.  Rogers,  a 
dentist,  at  Conneaut,  Pa.  Mr.  Xellis  is  a  popular  land- 
lord, and  keeps  a  first-class,  reliable  house,  which  com- 
mands the  trade  of  the  traveling  public. 

C.  G.  Daggett,  fire  insurance  agent,  Girard,  Pa., 
was  born  July  7,  1848.  He  is  a  son  of  Hiram  and  Pa- 
tience (Gilson)  Daggett,  the  former  a  native  of  Green- 
field township,  Erie  county,  and  the  latter  of  Clymer, 
X.  Y.  Hiram  was  born  in  1816,  and  died  in  1889.  His 
wife  died  in  1885.  He  settled  in  Girard  township  at 
the  age  of  20,  and  followed  farming  until  about  1870, 
when  he  engaged  in  fire  and  life  insurance,  also  carry- 
ing on  farming  in  connection  with  it.  In  the  family 
there  were  four  children:  C.  W.,  Girard;  Byron  H., 
Buffalo;  Fenton  (deceased),  and  Clayton  G.,  who  now 
resides  on  the  old  homestead,  abo>-t  two  miles  east  of 
Girard  borough,  on  the  Ridge  road.  He  succeeded 
his  father  in  the  insurance  business,  and  devotes  his 
attention  exclusively  to  fire  insurance.  He  represents 
several  of  the  best  companies,  and  is  the  only  fire  in- 
surance agent  in  the  vicinity  of  Girard.  He  was  mar- 
ried February  16,  1871,  to  I\liss  Ida,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Elizalieth  (Hart)  Drury,  of  Girard.  They 
have  two  children:  Oliver  and  Frank  G.  Mr.  Daggett 
politically  is  a  Democrat. 

W.  E.  Abbey,  grocer  and  coal  dealer.  Miles  Grove, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Girard,  .April  12,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of 
Elijah  J.  and  .Samantha  M.  (.Abbey)  .Abbey,  natives  of 
Erie  county.  The  father  died  in  1881  in  Springfield 
townshi]),  and  the  mother  now  resides  in  .Miles  Grove. 
In  the  family  there  were  five  children,  namely: 
Franklin  H.,  Saginaw,  Mich.;  A.  L.,  Erie,  Pa.;  W.  E., 
Lizzie  A.,  married  Homer  E.  Hidliker,  Sliles  Grove, 
Pa.,  an<I  C.  E.  .Abbey,  youngest  son,  resides  in  Miles 
Grove.  Mr.  .Abbey  was  educated  in  the  pviblic  schools 
and  spent  his  early  life  on  the  farm,  and,  in  1881,  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  for  about  one  and  a 
half  years,  then  sold  ojt  and  engaged  in  the  novelty 


794 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


manufacturing  business,  which  he  fullinved  one  year, 
when  he  engaged  as  superintendent  for  the  Keystone 
Roller  Curtain  Works.  This  position  he  filled  for 
several  years,  when  he  purchased  his  present  business, 
which  he  had  formerly  owned.  He  was  marrie<l  Sep- 
tember 21,  1871,  to  Hattie  E.  lUick,  of  (lirard.  Ha. 
Mr.  Abbey  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  Pro- 
tecte<l  Home  Circle  and  State  Police.  Politically  he 
is  a  staunch  Republican. 

George  W.  Evaas,  sheriff  of  Erie  county,  Erie, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Summit  township  February  2."),  1849, 
and  is  a  son  of  Joshua  and  .Mary  (Brubaker)  Evans, 
both  natives  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania. 
Joshua  Evans  settled  in  Erie  in  1834.  He  was  en- 
gageii  in  the  construction  of  the  steamship  "  Madison," 
on  which  he  afterward  fired  three  years,  and  then  set- 
tled in  Fairview  township,  and,  in  1840,  moved  to 
Summit  township,  where  he  resided  vmtil  18.57,  when 
he  moved  to  tiirard,  lived  there  until  1877,  and  re- 
moved to  IJenton  Harbor,  Mich.,  where  he  died  in  1892. 
His  wife  died  in  1890.  In  the  family  there  were 
twelve  children,  of  whom  George  W.  is  the  fifth.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Girard  Acad- 
emy, and  in  1870  engaged  in  the  livery  business  in 
Girard,  which  he  followed  until  he  was  elected  sheriff 
of  Erie  county  in  1894,  when  he  removed  to  Erie.  Mr. 
Evans  was  married  December  28,  1891,  to  Mrs.  Jennie 
Pettibone,of  .\shtal>ula,  Ohio.  He  served  as  constable 
of  Girard  eight  years,  was  in  the  borough  council  si.\ 
years  and  was  burgess  two  years.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and 
the  Elks. 

J.  E.  Kreider,  dealer  in  meats.  Miles  Grove,  Pa., 
was  born  November  20,  1860,  and  is  a  son  of  Levi  H. 
and  Serna  (Weidler)  Kreider,  natives  of  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania.  The  latter  died  in  1891,  and 
the  father  now  resides  in  Sterrettania,  Pa.  Mr.  Krei- 
der is  the  elder  in  a  family  of  eight  children.  He  was 
reared  in  the  town  of  his  birth,  where  he  remained  on 
the  farm  with  his  father  until  21  years  of  age.  On 
June  f),  1882,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Marcella  J., 
daughter  of  Louis  and  Angelica  (Bodine)  Bodine,  of 
Toledo,  Ohio,  who  now  reside  in  Middletown,  Ark. 
Mr.  Kreider  then  wentto  Fairview  and  followed  farm- 
ing on  his  own  account  until  1890.  He  then  (lurchased 
his  present  business  at  Miles  Grove  from  Albert  Laff- 
lin.  -Mr.  Kreider  has  no  competitor  in  his  line  in  the 
enterprising  town  of  Miles  Grove,  which  affords  a  very 
extensive  business.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kreider  are  the  par- 
ents of  live  children:  Ellsworth  Levi, born  January25, 
1883;  Perry-  Reid,born  September26,1884,  deceased  July 
27,  1890;  Samuel  Lewis,  born  February  8,  1886;  Edna 
F)va,  born  November  1,1887;  Floyd  Bodine, born  Sep- 
tember 9,  1889,  deceased  August  1,  1890.  Mr.  Kreider 
is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  one  of  Erie  county's 
progressive  business  men. 

Leslie  M.  Anderson,  farmer,  Girard,   Pa.,  was 

born  m  Girard  township,  in  July,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of 
Alban  and  Adaline  (l)rury)  Anderson,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  York  State,  the  latter  of  Girard,  Pa.  In 
the  family  were  two  children,  Carlton  (deceased)  and 
Leslie  M.  Mr.  Anderson  was  educated  in  the  district 
school  and  attended  the  Institute  of  Austinburg  for 
awhile.     He  commenced  in  the  mercantile  business  in 


company  with  J.  C.  Loyd,  in  Turkey  City,  Clarion 
county.  Pa.,  where  he  remained  one  year.  He  then 
returned  to  Girard  and  settled  on  his  father's  farm, 
where  he  remained  from  1874  to  1881,  when  he  bought 
his  present  farm  of  WA  acres.  He  was  married  Janu- 
ary o,  1876,  to  Miss  Ida  Bunnell,  daughtt-r  of  Alon/o 
and  Rosanna  Warner,  of  Lockport,  Pa.  Her  mother 
is  ilead,  and  her  father  now  resides  in  Denver,  Colo. 
Mr.  Anderson  is  road  commissioner,  a  member  of  the 
Good  Templars  and  the  State  police.  Politically  he  is 
a  Rejiublican. 

L.  Hopkins,  manufacturer.  Miles  Grove,  Pa. 
Among  the  thriving  factories  of  Erie  county  may  be 
found  that  of  .Mr.  Hopkins,  in  Girard  township,  near 
Miles  Grove.  He  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
the  Perfection  clothes  ilrier,  besides  several  other  arti- 
cles in  the  specialty  line.  He  is  the  inventor  of  all 
the  products  of  his  factory.  .Mr.  Ho[)kins  is  a  son  of 
Francis  and  Lucy  Ann  (Robertson)  Hopkins,  resi<lents 
of  Girard  townshi]).  Francis  Ho]ikins  settled  in  Erie 
county  in  1848,  coming  from  New  ^'o^k  State.  In  the 
family  there  were  five  children,  of  whom  Leslie  was 
the  youngest.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  the  Lake 
road,  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  township, 
and  followed  farming  until  1887,  when  he  engaged  in 
his  present  business.  Mr.  Hopkins  was  married  to 
Miss  Lucy  ."X.  .Stearns  of  Girard.  To  them  have  been 
born  three  children,  namely:  Jessie  B.,  Hiram  F.  and 
Harrison.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Eagle,  the  State  police,  and  politically  is  a 
Republican. 

A.  H.  NasoH,  manufacturer  of  and  dealer  in  flour, 
feeti  and  grain.  Miles  Grove,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Ripley, 
Chautauqua  county,  N.  V.,  May  15,  1842,  and  is  a  son 
of  Northrop  and  Esther  (Rouse)  Nason,  natives  of  Ot- 
sego county.  New  York,  and  of  New  England  origin. 
When  a  young  man,  Northrop  Nason  learned  the 
shoemaker's  trade,  later  studied  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  New  York  State.  In  1886  he  came  to 
Erie  county  and  resided  in  Girard  about  five  years, 
when  he  returned  to  Ripley,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  in 
1864,  aged  56.  His  wife  died  in  1850.  In  the  family 
there  were  eight  children,  namely:  Henrietta,  married 
William  H.  Root,  of  Ashtabula;  Lydia  J.,  married  E. 
F.  Hessler;  her  husband  is  dead,  and  she  now  resides 
in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.;  E.  K.,  Erie,  Pa.;  D.  O.  (deceased), 
Sarah,  wife  of  the  late  J.  F.  Strickland,  who  died  in 
July,  1892,  and  was  a  former  partner  of  Mr.  Nason's; 
S.  B.  (deceased),  Hattie  E.,  Mrs.  W.  A..  Ritter,  and  A. 
H.  Nason,  who  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  New  York  .State,  and  when  a  youth  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship at  blacksmithing,  working  one  year  in 
Ripley  and  the  remainder  of  his  term  in  Girard.  In 
1879  he  engaged  in  his  present  business,  in  partner- 
shi])  with  Mr.  -Strickland,  which  partnership  continued 
until  the  death  of  Mr.  Strickland.  Mr.  Nason  was 
married,  September  27,  1865,  to  Miss  Louisa  E., 
daughter  of  DeLos  Brown,  of  North  East.  They  have 
one  child,  Roy  B.,  aged  13.  Mr.  Nason  is  one  of  the 
progressive  business  men  of  Erie  county.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Re]>ublican,  and  has  been  road  conmiissioner 
of  Girard  township  for  six  years.  Was  paster  and 
folder  in  the  Legislature  during  the  year  of  1891.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  K.  O.  T.  M.,  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order  since  1873. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


795 


Harry  Batchelor,  farmer,  Girard,  Eric  county, 
Pa.,  was  burn  in  Shi-ffieUi,  Ashtabula  county,  O.,  Jan- 
uary 14,  18fil,  and  is  a  son  of  Ward  C.  and  Anne  E. 
(Kinneri  Hatchelor.  When  Harry  was  1  year  old,  his 
parents  moved  to  Erie  county,  where  they  have  since 
followed  farming.  Ward  C.  Batchelor  was  horn  in 
Kingsville,  I ).,  April  2,  18;i4.  He  is  a  son  of  James 
and  Elizabeth  (Taft)  Hatchelor,  the  former  a  native  of 
\'erniont,  who  settled  in  Ohio  in  ISH,  where  he  reared 
a  family  of  eleven  children.  Ward  Batchelor  was 
married,  .April  27,  1859,  to -Miss  Anne  E.  Skinner,  of 
Conneaut  township,  Erie  county.  About  three  years 
later  he  settled  in  Girard  township.  In  the  family 
there  were  three  children;  Harry,  May  (clerk  in  Erie), 
and  Nellie  (deceased).  Mr.  Batchelor  practiced  med- 
icine, prior  to  the  Rebellion,  in  Sheffield,  O.,  having 
studied  with  Dr.  Flower,  of  Albion,  Pa.  In  1861  he 
went  out  with  the  l(i9th  Reg.  of  P.  V.  I.  as  surgeon. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Girard  town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  resided  on  a  farm.  Mr.  Batch- 
elor has  held  several  local  offices,  and  is  one  of  the 
prominent  Republicans  of  Erie  county.  In  1892  he 
was  a  candidate  on  that  ticket  for  county  commis- 
sioner. 

David  P.  Blair,  Girard,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  is  one 
of  the  most  enterprising  and  extensive  farmers  in 
Erie  county.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Wal- 
lace) Blair,  who  were  among  the  first  pioneers  of  Erie 
county.  James  Blair  was  born  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Pennsylvania  about  the  year  1777.  His  parents  were 
both  natives  of  Pennsylvania;  his  father  died  when  he 
was  a  child.  James  came  to  Erie  county  in  1803,  and 
was  engaged  on  the  preliminary  survey  of  the  county. 
About  two  years  later  he  settled  permanently  about 
one  mile  west  of  where  David  P.  now  resides,  on  Elk 
creek,  in  Girard  township.  He  took  up  4(X)  acres  of 
land,  but  owing  to  some  deficiency  in  his  title,  later  he 
had  to  repurchase  it.  He  followed  pioneer  farming, 
devoting  much  time  to  clearing  his  land  of  the  timber, 
and  taught  school  some.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Wal- 
lace, and  to  them  have  been  born  eight  children: 
William  (deceased),  John  (deceased),  Robert  (de- 
ceased), Jane  (deceased),  James  (deceased),  Joseph 
(deceased),  David  P.,  and  Samuel,  who  resides  in  Fair- 
view.  James  Blair  (father  of  David)  died  in  1855. 
During  his  life  he  held  several  local  offices,  and  in  all 
things  he  was  one  of  the  hardy  and  enterprising  pio- 
neers who  took  the  initiative  steps  in  making  Erie 
county  what  it  is.  David  P.  Blair  was  born  on  his 
present  place  May  11,  1818,  and  here  he  has  since  fol- 
lowed farming  and  lumbering  up  to  the  present  time, 
and  is  yet  one  of  the  most  active  business  men  in  the 
community.  He  has  traveled  a  great  deal  at  times, 
having  been  West  as  far  as  the  Pacific  coast,  and 
traveled  extensively  throughout  the  South  and  East. 
He  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline  Wallace,  of  Wash- 
ington countv,  Pennsvlvania.  Thev  have  one  child, 
Robert  W.,  student. '  Mrs.  Blair  died  in  1890.  Mr. 
Blair  has  been  assessor  of  Girard  township,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Presb\nerian  Church.  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican. 

Godfrey  Schultz,  farmer.  Miles  Grove,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  May  8,  1824,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry 
and  Christiana  (Myers)  Schultz,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many. Godfrey  was  five  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
emigrated   from  Lancaster  county    to   Erie    county. 


They  first  resided  in  Erie  city  for  about  two  years, 
when  they  removed  to  the  eastern  portion  of  Girard 
township,  where  they  settled  on  a  farm  and  lived  until 
1853,  when  they  sold  out  to  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R. 
Company  during  the  course  of  its  construction.  The 
father  then  purchased  the  farm  where  Godfrey  now 
resides.  Henry  .Schultz  was  a  miller  by  occupation  in 
the  old  country,  and  when  he  came  to  America  he 
secured  a  patent  right  on  a  plow,  which  he  manu- 
factured very  extensively  in  Lancaster  county  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  in  1856.  In  the  family  there 
were  four  children,  of  whom  Godfrey  was  the  second. 
He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  is  what  might  be  called 
a  self-educated  man.  During  his  life  he  attended 
school  very  little,  yet  he  speaks  and  writes  in  both  the 
German  and  English  language  far  above  the  average, 
and  is  in  fact  a  natural  mathematician.  He  is  a  con- 
stant reader  and  is  thoroughly  posted  on  all  the  cur- 
rent topiics  of  the  day.  He  has  always  followed  farm- 
ing, and  now  has  a  very  fine  farm  of  over  230  acres. 
He  was  married  in  1853  to  Miss  Harriet  Beck,  of 
Clarion,  Pa.  They  had  three  children,  Regna,  .Martha 
Jane  and  Esther  Ellen.  Mrs.  Schultz  died  in  1872, 
and  he  afterward  married  Miss  Mary  Beck,  of  Craw- 
ford county,  Pennsylvania,  a  cousin  of  his  former 
wife.  To  them  were  born  three  children,  Rosabel, 
Anna  May  and  Sarah  Elizabeth.  Mr.  Schultz  was  a 
Whig  until  the  origin  of  the  Republican  party,  and  he 
has  since  been  a  Republican.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

AVilliatn  S.  Kelley,  farmer.  Miles  Grove,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Steeley) 
Kelley,  natives  of  Mifflin,  Pa.  John  Kelley  (the 
father  of  William)  was  born  in  Mifflin,  Pa.,  April  26, 
1793.  When  he  was  six  years  of  age  his  parents  came 
to  Erie  county  and  settled  on  the  Lake  road  in  Girard 
township,  near  where  William  Kelley  now  resides. 
John  Kelley  was  a  son  of  George  Kelley,  who  was  one 
of  the  early  pioneers  of  Erie  county.  He  bought  200 
acres  of  land  and  followed  farming  and  lumbering. 
It  is  said  that  he  and  his  wife  came  from  Mifflin,  Pa., 
on  horseback,  and  besides  carrying  a  small  amount  of 
baggage,  etc.,  they  had  two  children,  carrying  one  on 
each  saddle.  One  of  the  children  was  John  (the 
father  of  William)  and  the  other  was  Betsey,  who 
afterwards  married  Robert  Porter.  A  third  child, 
Polly,  was  born  to  them  after  they  settled  in  Girard 
township.  She  married  John  Hall.  None  ot  them 
are  now  living.  John  Kelley  married  Margaret 
Steeley,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Mifflin.  They  had 
eleven  children:  Carter,  married  George  Webb  (de- 
ceased); George  (deceased);  Alvin  (deceased);  Susan- 
nah, married  C.  Hicks  (deceased), she  lives  in  Illinois; 
Harriet  (deceased);  John,  Quincy,  111.;  William  S., 
Girard;  James  D.,  Girard;  Margaret  (deceased);  L.  S., 
Girard;  Mary,  Mrs.  Clark  Barlow, Girard.  William  S. 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Girard  town- 
ship, and  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming,  and  is 
one  of  the  successful  and  enterprising  farmers  of  Erie 
county.  He  was  married  October  4,  1860,  to  Miss  Jane 
Murray.  They  have  two  children,  Addie  and  Belle. 
Mr.  Kelley  has  been  schiwl  director  three  terms,  road 
commissioner  two  terms,  and  his  political  views  are 
decidedly  Republican. 

Rial  B.  W  right  was  born  February  19,  1865,  in 
North  East  township,  son  of  Sherman   and   Eunice 


796 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPHICAL  DICTION  ART 


Tousey  \Vri,t;ht,  both  yet  living  on  the  old  homestead 
in  North  East  township.  They  came  to  Erie  county 
from  New  York  State  in  1855.  Mr.  \\rii,'ht  was  mar- 
ried .March  18,  188(),  to  Emma  A.,  daughter  of  James 
and  Adeline  Crispen,  of  East  Bradford.  They  have 
two  children,  Edna  .M.  and  I.ola  P.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wright  attend  tlu'  Baptist  Church.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  held  the  office  of  school  director  in  the  town- 
shi]>.  He  began  business  for  himself  when  18  years 
old,  running  a  threshmg  machine  for  eleven  years. 
Mr.  Wright  now  has  a  thirty-acre  farm  in  fine  con- 
dition, on  which  he  has  just  completed  over  Sl,800 
worth  of  new  buildings.  He  is  also  proprietor  of  the 
most  complete  iiortable  saw-mill  in  the  township,  with 
a  capacity  of  10,000  feet  a  day.  He  has  1(58  acres  of 
excellent  timber  land,  containing  all  kinds  of  rough 
timber,  and  has  built  a  track  from  the  mill  to  the 
woods,  and  has  an  engine  and  truck,  by  which  he 
hauls  the  timber  to  the  mill,  which  is  finely  ecpfipjied 
with  the  best  machinery  attainable.  He  personally 
superintends  all  the  work,  and  the  engine  he  uses 
bears  evidence  of  his  mechanical  ingenuity,  having 
built  from  a  stationary  engine  and  boiler  a  practical 
seven-horse-power  locomotive,  at  a  cost  of  less  than 
S250.  He  has  a  trade  for  all  the  lumber  he  can  pro- 
tluce,  has  always  kept  out  of  any  combination  to  raise 
prices,  and  at  one  time  had  about  the  only  mill  not 
i)ought  up  by  the  larger  dealers.  Mr.  Wright  is 
surely  what  the  world  would  call  a  self-made  man, 
having  earned  every  dollar  he  possesses  and  is  in  a 
prosperous  condition.  He  gives  steady  employment 
to  five  men  and  occasionally  employs  as  many  more, 
and  is  one  of  the  leading  figures  of  Greenfield  town- 
ship, although  a  young  man. 

Jacob  G.  Story  was  born  July  11,  1815,  in  Jeffer- 
son county.  New  York,  a  son  of  .\sa  and  Catherine  Story, 
of  New  York  State.  He  is  of  Irish-German  nationality, 
and  came  to  Erie  county  in  1869,  where  he  has  since 
been  a  prominent  figure  in  the  affairs  of  the  county. 
November  24,  1835,  he  married  Polly  Ann,  daughter  of 
Billings  Decker,  of  Susquehanna  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Seven  children  were  the  result  of^  this  union: 
William  H.  Story,  who  died  in  1893,  was  a  member  of 
the  8th  N.  Y.  Cav.  during  the  Civil  war;  Seymour  is 
married  and  living  in  Nebraska,  was  a  member  of 
Battery  B,  4th  U.  S.  .\r\...  and  was  engaged  in, 
during  his  service,  nineteen  battles;  Rachel,  wife  of 
L.  B.  Clark,  now  living  in  Silver  Creek,  N.  Y.;  Martha, 
deceased;  Lewis  M.,  when  last  heard  of  was  in  the 
Soldiers'  Home  at  St.  Paul,  Minn.;  he  enlisted  at 
Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  and  fought  in  the  battles  of  the 
Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  and  Petersburg,  where  he 
was  taken  sick  and  removed  to  the  New  York  Hospital, 
and  later  transferred  to  Buffalo;  Andrew  E.  was  killed 
by  lightning  in  Nebraska,  in  1893;  Amos,  killed  by 
the  explosion  of  a  boiler  at  Custer  City,  Pa.,  October 
14,  1880.  Jacob  G.  Story  is  a  Methodist,  but  attends 
no  particular  church.  He  is  independent  in  politics, 
but  helped  organize  the  Republican  [)arty  in  Erie 
county.  New  York,  with  A.  M.  Clapp  and  E.  G.  Spauld- 
ing.  -Mrs.  Story  died  October  25,  1867.  Mr.  Story 
was  married  December  1,  1867,  to  Lucy  Ann  Pike,  but 
was  divorced  from  her  June  19,  18T1.  He  was  mar- 
ried again  to  Philinda,  daughter  of  Zebria  and  Almira 
(Prindle)  Wright,  of  Erie  county,  July  10,  1871,  by 
Elder  Chauncey  Burch.  She  still  lives,  as  do  also  two 
children   by  a  former  marriage,  Mrs.  J.  M.  Pierce,  of 


Greenfield,  and  -Sarali  Meranda  Crab,  of  Harbor 
Creek.  Mr.  Story's  father  fought  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  his  father's  father  fought  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  thus  strongly  identifying  the  family  name  with 
American  history.  Mr.  Story  is  cpiite  a  writer,  and  his 
contributions  to  the  Erie  Hiiuld,  (l/izrHr  and  DUpnti-h 
and  to  the  ('liitiitiiiiijiui  h'nniitr  have  been  reail  with 
interest  by  many  thousands. 

Lucy  M.  Lyons  was  born  October  15,  1830,  in 
Sheldon,  Chautaucjua  county,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Minerva  HoUister,  who  came  to  Erie  county  in 
1835  from  New  ^'ork  State,  and  was  married  October 
27,  1849,  to  El  wood  Lyons  (Iwirn  January  31,  1827),  son 
of  Ira  and  Hersey  I^yons,  of  Sheldon,  N.  Y.,  a  carpen- 
ter by  trade.  His  death  occurred  June  8,  1889,  at  the 
age  of  61.  Ten  children  resulted  from  this  union,  as 
follows:  Edward  E.  Lyons,  born  June  13,  1850,  who 
married  .Miss  Kate  Smith  and  lives  in  Greenfield 
township  with  six  children,  Plmma,  .Andrew,  George, 
Clarence  and  Burt,  one  child,  Etta,  having  died;  P.  M. 
Lyons,  born  September  18, 1852,  in  \'enango  township; 
Carl,  George  and  Rov;  Eldin  J.,  born  August  1,  1854, 
died  October  24,  1870;  Eugene,  born  April  8,  1856, 
who  married  Mary  Hageman,  living  in  Erie  with  three 
living  children,  Harry,  Frederick  and  Jessie,  and 
Frank  (deceased);  ,A.sha  D.,  born  February  6,  1859, 
a  carpenter,  single,  and  living  at  home;  Adda  E.,  a 
twin  sister  of  .Asha,  is  the  wife  of  Melvin  Loomis,  a 
clergyman,  living  in  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  with 
eight  children,  Eugene,  Lawrence,  Katie,  Floyd, 
W'ren,  Clayton,  Joy  and  Ray;  Ral])h  H.,  born  October 
26,  1861,  died  March  27,  1862;  Dora,  born  April  15, 
1863,  and  died  January  7,  1864;  Frank  B.,  born  Octo- 
ber 29,  1864,  single,  and  living  in  Washington,  W.  \'a.; 
William  R.,  born  December  6,  1866,  single,  and  living 
at  home.  The  boys,  like  their  father,  are  all  carpen- 
ters as  well  as  farmers,  attend  the  Methodist  Church, 
and  are  Re]jublicans  in  politics.  William  is  an  Odd 
Fellow,  having  held  the  office  of  assistant  secretary 
and  inside  guardian  in  that  order.  Frank  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  J.  O.  L'.  A.  M.  Eugene  is  a  past  master 
workman  in  the  A.  O.  V.  W.,  while  Edward  is  a  mem- 
ber oi  the  Protected  Home  Circle.  The  boys  prefer 
carpenter  work  to  farming,  hence  they  only  own  eight 
acres,  which  they  farm  in  their  leisure  moments. 

Stephen  Thayer  was  born  June  11,  1819,  in 
Niagara  county.  New  York,  was  a  son  of  Anna  Thayer, 
who  came  to  Niagara  county  from  \'ermont,  but  who 
were  originally  all  of  English  parentage.  He  came  to 
Erie  county  in  1853  and  settled  in  Harbor  Creek.  Mr. 
Thayer  was  married  March  26,  1841,  in  Wyoming 
county.  New  York,  to  a  daughter  of  Ira  and  Hersey 
(Dunlajj)  Lyons.  They  have  had  four  children,  of 
whom  George  Arthur  alone  survives.  He  married  Anna 
Clark,  of  Genesee  county,  of  Irish  parentage,  and  is 
now  living  in  Cincinnati,  O.,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
the  carpet  department  of  the  immense  stores  of  John 
.Schillito  &  Co.,  with  whom  he  has  been  employed  for 
twenty  years.  Mr.  Thayer  was  a  rover  and  lived  in 
many  places  during  his  life,  having  owned  several 
farms  at  different  times  in  Erie  county.  He  practiced 
medicine  for  awhile,  but  returned  to  his  old  love,  farm- 
ing, and  now  owns  a  farm  of  fifty  acres  in  Greenfield 
townshp.  Although  Mr.  Thayer  has  a  leaning  toward 
the  Methodists,  he  attends  various  churches,  and  has 
always  been  an  ardent  Prohibitionist. 


a-<^- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUT^Tr. 


797 


Christian  Engle,  born  October  27,  1827,  in  I'rus- 
sia,  was  the  third  child  of  Frederick  and  Mary  Engel, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1864  and  settled  in 
New  York  State  in  April,  1866,  came  to  Erie  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  settle<l  on  the  farm  on  which  he 
now  resides.  He  married  in  August,  18SG,  Mary, 
daughter  of  John  Ahrens,  a  native  of  Prussia.  They 
have  five  children:  Lena,  wife  of  Henry  Xeiger,  re- 
siding in  Ridgeway,  Pa.,  with  five  children;  John,  who 
married  Lena  Saulkeld;  Lotta,  wife  of  Paul  Horning, 
residing  in  Clarendon,  Pa.,  with  four  children;  Frank, 
who  married  Hannah  Xewhouse,  and  resides  in  North 
East,  with  four  children;  Minnie,  wife  of  Paul  Team, 
residing  at  Donation  Hill,  Erie  county,  with  six  chil- 
dren. Christian  Engel  is  a  Lutheran,  as  is  all  his  fam- 
ily. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  a  fine 
farm  in  prosperous  condition.  Mr.  Engel  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  2d  Reg.  in  Prussia,  and  served  first  three 
years,  and  re-enlisting,  served  until  the  age  limit.  He 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Holstein,  one  of  the  great 
battles  of  history,  and  is  one  of  the  prominent  figures 
of  Greenfield  township.  He  has  run  a  dairy  in  con- 
nection with  his  farm,  and  at  present  has  ten  cows. 
The  product  of  his  dairy  is  sold  mostly  in  Erie  county. 

Isiah  Dougau.  was  born  November  19,  1838,  in 
Ohio,  son  of  Charles  E.  and  Rachel  (Davis)  Dougan, 
who  came  from  Genesee  county.  New  York,  to  Erie 
county,  Pennsylvnia,  in  IH.W.  He  was  second  in  a  fam- 
ily of  fourteen  children;  was  married  March  14,1861, 
to  Emma,  daughter  of  Barney  and  Amy  (Southwell) 
Robinson,  who  removed  first  from  New  York  State  to 
.Michigan  and  then  settled  in  Erie  county  in  1855. 
They  have  five  children:  Calvin,  who  married  Mary 
Fuller.  She  died  in  the  spring  of  1895,  leaving  him 
with  four  children:  Dora,  Lottie,  Nettie  and  Morris, 
all  living  at  the  homestead.  Sarah,  wife  of  Frank  Co- 
burn,  living  in  Greenfield  township,  with  three  chil- 
dren, John,  Lavern  and  Benjamin;  Perry  was  married 
December  10,  1892,  to  Mary  Burch,  who  was  born  in 
Michigan  Marcli  25, 1872;  she  is  a  daughter  of  Jonathan 
and  Helen  P.  (Coulton)  Burch,  who  reside  in  Crawford 
county.  Two  children  are  the  result  of  this  union, 
Helen  and  Angle;  they  are  living  in  Greenfield  town- 
ship on  a  farm  of  twenty-five  acres,  near  his  father's 
farm.  Angle,  wife  of  Charles  Rice,  residing  in  North 
East,  with  two  children,  Florence  and  Floyd.  They 
are  Free  Will  Baptists,  and  all  Republicans.  They 
have  a  farm  of  fifty  acres  in  prosperous  condition. 
Mr.  Isaiah  Dougan  participated  in  the  Civil  war,  being 
a  member  of  Co.  E,  102d  P.  V.  I.,  Captain  Duvall.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.;  has  held  the  office  of 
school  director  and  is  one  of  the  successful  and  pros- 
perous farmers  of  Greenfield  township. 

Jacob  N.  Switzer,  Findley's  Lake  (N.  Y.)  post- 
office,  was  born  October  7,  1832,  in  Bradford,  Steuben 
county,  N.  Y.,  son  of  William  Y.  and  Dencey  (Bee- 
men)  Switzer.  His  father  was  born  near  Bradford, 
son  of  Henry  Switzer,  a  native  of  Switzerland.  His 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  Alfred  Beeman,  of  Con- 
necticut. He  came  to  this  country  October  8,  1853, 
and  .August  9,  18.54,  married  ^L^ry  Jane,  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Polly  Raymond,  of  Erie  countv.  Two  chil- 
dren blessed  this  union:  Raymond,  who  married 
Mary  Greenman  and  resides  at  Knapp's  Creek,  Cat- 
taraugus county,  N.  Y.;  Laney,  who  is  the  wife 
of  James  Mcintosh,  of  Findley's  Lake,  N.  Y.  .Mr. 
51 


Jacob  N.  Switzer  married  again  March  28,  1878,  to 
Hannah,  daughter  of  .Andrew  and  Mary  FI.  Haskin,  of 
Mina,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.;  she  was  the  widow 
of  Riley  Dorman,  to  whom  she  bore  one  .son,  Newton 

A.  Dorman,  who  lives  with  them  and  assists  on  the  farm. 
His  grandfather,  Deering  Dorman,  wasone of  the  earli- 
est settlers  of  Chautauqua  county,  New  York.  An- 
other member  of  the  family  is  Je.ssie  E.  Williams,  a 
sister's  child,  who  has  lived  with  them  for  eight  years. 
.Mr.  .Switzer's  family  have  an  interesting  war  record. 
His  grandfather  was  a  captain  during  the  war  of  1812; 
three  of  his  brothers  also  being  engaged  in  that  mem- 
orable war.  In  the  Civil  war  .Sir.  Switzer  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Co.  E,  102d  P.  V.  I.,  Capt.  S.  M.  Duvall,  of  the 
6th  army  corps,  3d  div..  Army  of  Potomac;  he  is  a 
member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  since  the  organization  of 
Union  Post  407,  Findley's  Lake.  He  has  been  senior 
vice  and  junior  vice  and  chaplain.  Mr.  Switzer  is  a 
Democrat  and  is  liberal  on  religious  questions.  He 
has  a  farm  of  seventy  acres,  all  used  for  farming  and 
in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation.  He  has  acquired  all 
he  has  by  his  unaided  efforts,  and  is  a  successful  and 
self-made  man. 

David  Beujamiu  Adams  was  born  two  miles 
from  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  in  January,  1838,  the  son  of  John 
and  Roxanna  (Wheatonj  .Adams.  His  father  was  a 
distant  relation  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  one  of  the  early 
Presidents.  .Mr.  D.  B.  Adams  came  to  Erie  county 
with  his  parents  in  1835.  He  was  married  January  18, 
1855,  to  Margaret  Williams,  of  North  East,  daughter 
of  John  and  .Mary  (\'enrick)  Williams.  Seven  chil- 
dren were  the  result  of  this  union:  James  Andrew; 
Eva  May,  wife  of  William  Place,  Erie;  Rosa  Bell,  wife 
of  John  Pierce,  Erie;  Ella,  wife  of  Clarence  Shadduck, 
Erie;  George  W.;  Lester  and  .Sarah  (deceased.)  Mr. 
Adam's  wife  died  February  2,  1877.  He  was  married 
again  to  Catherine,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
Lavis,  of  Devonshire,  England,  where  she  was  born. 
She  was  the  widow  of  P.  Harley,  who  died  from  the 
effect  of  wounds  received  in  the  Black  Hills  while 
serving  under  General  Custer,  a  (loisoned  arrow  hav- 
ing struck  him  in  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians.  She 
has   six   children    living  by  a  former   marriage   with 

B.  F.  Milford,  of  Devonshire,  England,  who  was 
killed  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  in  the  Civil  war. 
Three  of  the  children  are  married:  Robert  T.  Mil- 
ft)rd,  .Altoona,  Pa.;  Bessie  D.  Ballard,  Erie;  .Anna  E. 
Holmes,  Chicago.  Mr.  D.  B.  Adams  was  a  member  of 
Co.  F,  lUth  Regt.,  P.  V.  L,  under  Captain  Braden, 
which  was  a  part  of  the  .Army  of  the  Potomac.  He 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Gettysburg  and  .Vntietam, 
where  he  was  wounded,  the  effects  of  which  he  carries 
to-day.  He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  at  Wesleyville. 
He  has  always  voted  the  Republican  ticket.  Mr. 
Adams  has  never  used  tobacco  or  liquor  in  his  life. 
He  is  buildmg  himself  a  home  in  North  East,  where 
he  expects  to  live  at  ease  the  balance  of  his  life.  His 
family  have  proved  patriotic  membersof  the  Republic 
in  its  time  of  need. 

Abel  Wilkinson  (deceased)  was  born  February 
28,  1824,  in  Greenfield  township,  son  of  .-\lanson  and 
and  .\nna  Wilkinson,  who  came  to  Erie  county  about 
180<),  from  Cayuga  county.  New  York.  .Alanson  was  born 
in  Connecticut  in  1780  of  English  parentage,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  war  of  1812.  .Vbel  Wilkinson  was  mar- 
ried in  1844  to  Thankful  Sprague,  daughter  of  Abner 


798 


NELSON'S  BIOailAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


Si)r;i,i;ue,  of  Ripley,  N.  V.  Six  children  wen-  the  result 
of  this  union;  Harton  A.,  born  November  4,  1846,  in 
Greenfield  townshi]),  served  in  the  navy  on  tlie  steamer 
"  General  'I'homas  "  diirini;  the  late  Civil  war;  lie  mar- 
ried, in  lf<GS,  Annarila  Carnahan,  who  died  in  January, 
iyS2,  leaving  two  children,  Frederick  Eugene  and 
Dora.  He  married,  November  15,  \'6'6'S,  Eleanor  Rey- 
nolds, of  Findley's  Lake,  N.  Y.,  where  they  now  reside 
with  four  children  of  that  union;  Agnes  May,  Grant 
Zebulum,  Eern  and  Nora  Eleanor.  Charles  H.  was 
born  January  1,  1*S46,  and  married  Ellen  Atkins  in  De- 
cember, 18711,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  Arthur 
Leslie  and  Blanch.  He  was  married  again  October  8, 
1898,  to  Carrie  Davis,  of  Greenfield,  where  they  now 
reside.  George  Sprague  was  born  May  8,  18.58,  and 
married  October  2, 1878,  to  Ruby  Jane  Walling,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Laura  A.  Walling,  pioneers  of  Erie 
county.  Tlireechildren  live  to blessthis  union;  Jessie, 
who  married  C.  A.  Brandeau,  of  North  East  township; 
Myrtle  May,  who  married  H;irry  Kress,  Qf  Greenfield 
townshi]),  who  are  living  on  the  Walling  home- 
stead, and  Cjeorge  Henry.  George  Sprague  Wilkin- 
son is  an  anient  Prohibitionist  and  member  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church.  Thomas  Orlando  was  born 
November  17,  1850,  and  married,  October  4,  1877, 
to  Asenath  E.  Walling,  another  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Laura  Walling.  F"our  children  bless  this  union; 
Genevieve  R.,  born  Julv  lli,  1878;  Frank  E.,  March  27, 
1881;  Grace  Mabel,  Aiiiil  8,  1884;  Ethel  Beatrice,  Oc- 
tober 2,  1890.  They  are  United  Brethren,  and  Mr. 
Wilkinson  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  held  the 
office  of  town  clerk  three  years,  taught  school  five 
terms,  attended  the  I.;ike  Shore  Seminary  three  years, 
has  a  fine  farm  ot  100  acres,  which  he  earned  himself 
and  which  is  in  prosperous  condition.  Alice  M.  (de- 
ceased) and  William  H.,  of  Oregon.  Mrs.  Abel  Wil- 
kinson died  of  heart  failure  March  20,  1860,  and  is 
liuried  in  the  Grahamville  burying  grounds.  Abel 
Wilkinson  was  again  married  .'\pril  21,  1860,  to  Phccbe 
L.  Bemiss,  daughter  of  Thomas  B.  and  Salinda  Bemiss, 
of  English  parentage.  Four  children  were  the  result 
of  this  unit)n;  Sarah  M.  was  born  September  9,  1861, 
and  married  November  15,  1893,  to  James  Devine,  son 
of  Bernard  and  Lucy  M.  Devine,  of  North  East,  of 
Irish  and  English  parentage;  they  have  two  children, 
William  James  and  George  Edward;  they  are  L'nited 
Brethren  in  religion.  Republicans  in  politics,  and  live 
on  an  adjoining  farm,  which  they  have  earned  them- 
selves. Phccbe  L.  was  born  February  21,  1862,  and 
married  Josejih  Dobson  April  3,  1880,  and  have  one 
chikl,  Cora  E.  ICva  May  was  born  May  12,  1872,  and 
married  February  21,  1891,  to  Edward  J.Smith;  they 
have  one  child,  Ralph  E.  The  last  son,  John  J.,  is 
married  and  living  on  the  homestead.  Mr.  Abel  Wil- 
kinson was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Erie  county,  is  a 
Republican  to  the  backbone,  and  was  of  the  first  to 
enli.st  in  the  army  during  the  late  war;  participated  in 
the  battles  of  I^ull  Run,  .Antietam  and  Gettysburg, 
and  was  wounded  in  the  neck  by  the  enemy's  bullets 
in  the  Wilderness  fight.  He  belonged  to  Co.  C,  140th 
Reg.,  P.  V.  I.,  2d  Div.  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac. 
He  died  leaving  a  life  history  worthy  of  a  place  in  the 
annals  of  the  nation,  and  particularly  the  history  of 
Erie  county. 

Henry  E.  Magvott  was  born  January  25,  1851,  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  the  third  child  of  E.  and  Eliza 
(Pardue)  Magvon.     His  father  was  the  eldest  of  four 


children  of  W.  and  Eliza  Magvon,  who  came  to 
Greenfield  township  in  1860.  He  married  in  1842 
Eliza  Pardue,  and  the  result  of  that  union  is  three 
living  children;  Elvira  .Ashton,  now  living  in  Green- 
field township;  Silvesta,  living  with  her  father,  and 
Henry  E.,  who  was  married  in  March,  1877,  to 
Lucy,  daughter  of  John  and  Dora  Wales,  of  En- 
terprise, Warren  county.  They  have  four  children: 
Berney,  Fannie,  Isabel  and  Mary.  The  family  are 
liberal  in  their  religious  views,  w-ith  a  leaning  towards 
the  .Methodist  Church;  are  Republicans  in  politics,  and 
have  earned  the  farm  they  live  u])on  themselves.  .Mr. 
Magvon  is  an  enterprising,  industrious  farmer,  also 
a  contractor  and  builder  in  both  stone  masonry  and 
car|)entery  work.  He  was  engaged  in  1895  in  building  a 
bridge  for  the  township.  He  was  a  member  of  the  .State 
militia  for  five  years,  and  took  ]iart  in  that  memorable 
Homestead  labor  trouble  during  the  Carnegie  strike. 

Thomas  A.  Elliott,  agent  of  the  N.  Y.  C.  S:  St. 

L.  R.  R.,  Harbor  Creek,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Harbor 
Creek  November  24,  18.59,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Maria  (Torry)  Elliott.  His  father,  Thomas  I^lliott 
(deceased),  was  born  September  24,  1817,  in  Harbor 
Creek  township,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  and  was  a  son  of 
Andrew  and  Elizabeth  (Taylor)  Elliott,  natives  of  Ire- 
land, who  came  to  this  country  in  1797  and  settled  in 
Harbor  Creek  township.  They  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  viz.;  Polly  (deceased),  married  Mr. 
Hampson;  Margaret  (deceased),  married  Augustus 
Shaw;  Eleanor  (deceased),  married  Calvin  Leet; 
Dorcas  (deceased),  married  William  Cam]);  Rachael 
(deceased),  .Mrs.  George  Mills;  Clarissa,  married 
Frank  Stillman,  and  now  resides  at  Rosendale,  Wis.; 
Gilbert  (deceased);  Plara  (deceased),  and  Thomas 
(deceased).  Thomas  Elliott,  sr.,  was  united  in  mar- 
riage in  1843  with  Maria  C,  a  daughter  of  Ira  and 
Grace  (Douglas)  Torry.  Eleven  children  blessed  this 
union;  Jennette,  born  .August  17,  1844,  wife  of  Will- 
lliam  R.  Gray,  resides  in  Boston;  Andrew  N.,  born 
F'ebruary  4,  1846,  married  Abbie  D.  Cleveland;  Mary 
M.,  born  March  11,  1848,  resides  at  home;  Charles  M., 
born  March  11,  1848,  died  .March  7,  1850;  Henry  H., 
born  October  19,  1851,  married  Sina  Bristol,  resides  at 
Wilkensburg,  Pa.;  Harriet  A.,  born  F'ebruary  27,  1850, 
died  March  7,  1850;  Hettie,  born  February  24,  1855, 
died  February  10,  1856;  Josejih,  born  December  10, 
1857,  died  December  27,  1857;  Thomas  A.;  George  M., 
born  October  4,  1861,  resides  in  Erie,  and  Grant,  born 
February  2,  1864,  died  January  28,  1870.  Thomas 
Elliott,  sr.,  was  a  i)ros])erous  farmer  and  a  good  citi- 
zen; he  departed  this  life  November  9,  1864.  His 
widow,  a  kind  mother,  still  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead farm,  which  comprises  175  acres  of  ground, 
pleasantly  located  on  the  Lake  Shore  and  Nickle 
Plate  railroads.  Thomas  A.  Elliott  was  educated  in 
the  Erie  Academy  and  high  school.  He  learned 
telegraphy  in  the  office  of  the  L.  .S.  &  M.  S.  at 
Harbor  Creek,  where  he  worked  three  years.  When 
the  Nickle  Plate  R.  R.  was  com])leted,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  that  company  as  agent,  which  position  he 
still  holds.  Mr.  Elliott  was  married  December  22, 
1886,  to  Miss  Jennie,  daughter  of  B.  B.  and  Isador 
(Burton)  Whitley.  They  have  one  child,  Whitley. 
Mr.  Elliott  has  served  as  town  clerk  for  five  years,  is 
a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen; 
Masonic  order.  Knight  Templar,  and  politically  is  a 
Republican. 


AND  HISTORICAL  RBfERENCfE  ROOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTr. 


799 


C.  M.  Wood,  HarburCrcek,  Fa.,  travuling  rtprusen- 
tativeuf  the  W'ostinghouse  Company,  of  Schenectady, 
N.  Y.,  was  born  in  Harbor  Creek  January  26,  1844,  and 
is  a  son  of  Albert  and  Mary  (Allen)  Wood.  Albert 
Wood  was  a  native  of  Webster,  Monroe  county,  N.  Y., 
and  was  born  in  1809.  He  came  to  Erie  county  about 
IH'-iO  and  settled  in  Harbor  Creek,  on  a  farm  about 
three  miles  south  of  Harbor  Creek  P.  O.  C.  M.  was 
tlie  youngest  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  viz.: 
Charles  (deceased),  late  of  Michigan;  Lorenzo,  resid- 
ing in  Kalamazoo,  Mich.;  Lydia  and  Mary,  residing  m 
Harbor  Creek;  Harriet,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Terry,  Corry,  Pa.; 
Franklin,  died  in  the  army  at  Falmouth,  near  Fred- 
ericksburg, Va.,  and  C.  M.,  whose  mother  died  when 
he  was  six  years  old,  when  the  father  was  re-married 
to  Mrs.  Thomas  (nee  Mozley).  They  had  three  chil- 
dren, viz.,  George,  Melvin  and  Alfred,  all  i)roS[)erous 
farmers  of  Harbor  Creek.  The  father  died  in  1883. 
Mr.  C.  M.  Wood  was  reared  and  educated  in  Harbor 
Creek,  and  when  a  young  man  served  three  years  in 
the  Indian  service,  in  civil  capacity,  in  the  Northwest. 
He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Westinghouse 
Com]jany,  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  as  foreman  of  the 
engine  department,  and  three  years  later,  owing  to  ill- 
health,  became  their  traveling  representative,  in  which 
capacity  he  is  still  connected  with  that  company.  He 
represents  the  company  generally  throughout  the 
country.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
the  Commercial  Travelers'  Association  of  America 
and  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  has  always  been  an  active 
Republican. 

J.  W.  Throap,  Harbor  Creek,  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising young  men  of  Erie  county.  He  was  born  Sep- 
tember 18,  1859,  in  Harbor  Creek.  He  is  a  son  of 
Johnathan  and  Sarah  E.  (Greenwood)  Throop,  the 
former  a  native  of  St.  Clearfield,  N.  Y.,  and  the  latter 
of  Pennsylvania.  Johnathan  Throop  first  came  to 
Erie  county  in  1840,  as  a  millwright,  and  after  working 
a  few  years,  returned  to  Xew  York  State,  but  a  year 
or  two  later  came  back  to  Erie  county.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  November,  1850,  to  Miss  Sarah  Ellen  Green- 
wood, daughter  of  Walter  and  Rachael  (Lyon)  Green- 
wood, who  were  old  and  respected  citizens  of  Harbor 
Creek  township,  and  are  now  dead.  J.  W.  Throop 
had  one  brother,  Clarence  A.,  who  died  November  (i, 
1888,  aged  87.  He  was  an  enterprising  young  business 
manof  HarborCreek.and  hisdemise  wasgreatly  regret- 
ted by  the  entire  community.  Johnathan  Throop  died 
June  30,  1882.  During  his  life  he  followed  his  occu- 
pation in  various  places  throughout  the  country.  The 
family  lived  in  Kentucky  about  five  years,  where  they 
were  at  the  time  of  the  war.  They  also  resided  a  few 
years  in  lllincJis  and  Minnesota.  He  was  foreman  for 
a  time  in  the  Erie  Parrel  Factory,  and  later  went  to 
Oil  City  in  the  employ  of  the  same  company.  J.  W., 
when  about  22  years  of  age,  learned  telegraphy,  and 
was  employed  on  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.,  on  the  Erie 
and  liulfalo  division.  He  was  in  the  employ  of  that 
company  about  eleven  years.  At  the  same  time  he 
was  a  silent  partner  of  his  brother,  Clarence,  who  was 
oi>erating  a  cider  and  feed  mill  at  Harbor  Creek. 
.Shortly  after  the  death  of  .his  brother,  he  resigned  his 
position  on  the  railroad,  ami  assumed  the  personal 
management  of  the  cider  and  feed  mill  at  Harbor 
Creek,  and  to  which  he  has  since  devotetl  his  atten- 
tion. It  is  the  only  industry  of  the  kind  within  a  ra- 
dius of  seven  miles,  and  he  has  an   extensive   patron- 


age, and  does  a  good  business.  His  cider  press  is  one 
of  the  latest  four-screw  steam-power  presses,  which 
is  capable  of  squeezing  out  100  barrels  of  delicious 
beverage  daily.  Mr.  Throop  al.so  carries  on  a  retail 
coal  business.  He  was  married  September  25,  1890, 
to  Miss  .Minnie  E.,  daughter  of  Washington  Bunnell, 
of  Harbor  Creek  township.  They  are  the  parents  of 
two  chiUlren,  viz.:  Gerald  W.  and  Isabella  Sarah. 
Mr.  Throop  is  a  member  of  the  E.  A.  U.,  and  served 
two  terms  as  its  [jresident.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of  which  he  is  master  workman.  He 
has  served  two  terms  as  town  clerk,  and  in  politics  is 
independent. 

Dr.  Mark  Milton  Moore,  the  eldest  of  ten  chil- 
dren, nine  sons,  and  one  daughter,  was  born  in  .Mantua, 
Portage  county,  Ohio,  September  29,  1818.  On  the 
father's  side  he  is  of  .Scottish  descent,  his  |iatcrnal  an- 
cestor being  one  of  three  brothers  who  caine  to  .Amer- 
ica at  an  early  period  of  its  colonial  history,  for  min- 
ing purposes,  and  settled  in  Connecticut.  The  min- 
ing business  was  unsuccessful,  and  the  brothers  sep- 
arated, one  remaining  in  Connecticut,  one  going  to 
New  Hampshire,  and  the  other  to  Pennsylvania. 
His  great-grandfather,  Joseph  Moore,  was  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  and  as  a  prisoner  of  war  died  before 
the  struggle  closed,  on  board  of  a  British  prison-ship 
in  New  York  harbor.  Among  the  ancient  family 
names  are  Joseph,  Eli,  Roger,  Dwight,  Benjamin, 
John  and  Samuel.  His  maternal  grandmother,  on  the 
father's  side,  was  also  of  Scottish  descent,  anil  her 
name  was  Gillett.  On  his  mother's  side,  his  great- 
grandfather, Keyes,  was  born  in  Plymouth,  Mass.;  his 
grandfather,  Amaziah,  in  Boston,  and  his  mother, 
Betsy,  in  Ontario  county,  New  York.  His  grand- 
mother's name  was  Crafts.  His  grandfather,  Samuel, 
came  to  Mantua,  Portage  county,  Ohio,  in  18(JH;  his 
father,  Samuel,  jr.,  being  at  the  time  Vi  years  of  age. 
Northern  Ohio  was  then  an  almost  unbroken  forest, 
filled  with  savage  beasts  and  still  more  savage  men. 
At  the  age  of  14  Samuel,  jr.,  became  an  expert  at 
hunting  deer  and  wild  turkeys,  and  often  his  mother's 
larder  was  well  supplied  by  his  skill,  from  the  forest, 
which  otherwise  would  be  empty  and  the  family  have 
gone  hungry  to  bed.  .Schools  were  unknown,  and  yet 
he  managed  to  obtain  the  rudiments  of  a  good  educa- 
tion, and  by  the  use  of  a  good  circulating  librarv  be- 
came an  ardent  reader  of  history.  In  the  war  of  1812 
he  entered  the  army  and  served  till  i>eace  was  de- 
clared, spending  most  of  the  time  in  the  Maumee 
country  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Cleveland.  In  1816  he 
first  met  at  a  neighbor's,  Miss  Betsey  Keyes,  who,  as 
a  matter  of  neighliorly  kindness,  had  come  from 
Auburn  to  care  for  the  sick,  and  early  in  1817  they 
were  married.  Of  the  ten  children  born  to  them,  all 
grew  up  to  years  of  maturity,  and  seven  of  the  num- 
ber yet  live.  Homer  H.,  the  second  in  the  order  of 
their  birth,  after  conii>leting  an  academic  course  of 
study  and  teaching  in  a  Kentucky  high  school  for  two 
years,  was  received  into  the  Erie  conference  of  the 
Methodist  Ejiiscopal  Church  m  1846;  was  transferred 
to  Kansas  in  18.")7,  in  the  miilst  of  the  border  war,  that 
he  might  aid  in  securing  that  territory  to  freedom, 
and  in  1S(>1  entered  the  army  as  chajdain  of  the  Third 
Kansas  Regiment;  as  war  corres|iondent  of  the  New 
York  Trihtiiii',  Philadelphia  I'lrxn  and  other  i^ijiers; 
as  superintendent  of  education  for  Florida;  and  as 
editor  of  the  Jacksonville  y/(Vi(^/.     During  the  period 


8oo 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DIGTI0NAB7 


of  reconstruction  he  was  in  the  midst  of  some  thrilling 
scenes.     At  his  own  request  he  was  discharged  from 
the  service  in   1865,  and  entered  the   ministry  in  the 
Erie  conference.     He  was   the  first  to  move  in  the 
matter  of  securing  a   site   on   Chautauqua    Lake   for 
camp  meeting  |)urposes,  and  the  [ilace  selected  has 
become  of  world-wide  fame  as  the  Assembly  Grounds. 
As  a  trustee,  lecturer,  pastor,  and  editor  for  ten  years 
on  the  Herald  staff,  and  reporter,  he  has  ever  been 
closely  identified  with  all  its  interests.     Dr.  Amaziah, 
after  finishing  an  academic  course  of  study,  entered 
the  office  of  Dr.  Trask,  of  Hiram,  Ohio,  as  a  student 
of  medicine;  graduated  from  the  Cleveland  Medical 
College,   and   engaged   in  the  successful  practice  of 
medicine.     In  1862  he  entered  the  army  as  captain, 
and  with  broken  health  as  the  result  of  exposure  and 
hard  service,  was  mustered  out  with  honor  in   1864. 
The  daughter,  Elizabeth,  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  George 
Fairbanks,  the  successful  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Parknian,  Ohio.     Samuel  died  at  the  age  of 
22,  but  he  lived  long  enough  to  give  evidence  that  he 
possessed  elocutionary  powers  of  a  high  order.     Prop- 
ably  no  other  member  of  the  family  equaled  him  in 
mental  ability,  and  he  was  the  very  soul   of   purity, 
truth  and  honor.     Halsey  Gillett,  whose  bent  of  mind 
was  farming,  died  of  a  liver  difficulty  when  a  little  past 
21.     Oliver  Francis,  at  the  age  of  24,  died  of  typhoid 
fever  in   Kansas.     Dr.  Mortimer  G.,  besides  being  a 
thoroughly  well-read  and  skillful  physician,  possesses 
fine  powers  as  an  orator.     On  the  temperance  plat- 
form he  has  proved  himself  to  be  a  ready  and  eloquent 
advocate.     His  reading  and  scholarship  have  taken  a 
wide  range,  and  speculative  philo.sophy  is  a  favorite 
study.     He   commenced    the    successful   practice   of 
medicine  in   Trumbull   county,   Ohio,   but   for   some 
years  past  has  had  his  office  in  Cleveland.    Horace  L., 
after  some  years  of  study  in  the  Hiram  College,  under 
President  Garfield,  went  to  Kansas  and  commenced, 
in  1860,  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Gen.  J.  H. 
Lane;  in  1861,  he  joined  the  Kansas  Second  Regiment 
and  went  to  the  front.     He  was  in  the  bloody  battle  of 
Wilson  Creek,  but  escaped   unhurt.     Promoted  to  a 
colonelcy  for  gallant  conduct,  he  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service  in  1866.     He  has  since  commanded  a  regi- 
ment of  Kansas  troops  under  Gen.  Sheridan,  in  Indian 
warfare.     In  business  matters  since  the  war  he  has 
been  very  successful;  has  dabbled  some  in  politics,  as 
a  matter  of  recreation,  and  as  a  stump  speaker  is  very 
effective,   his   addresses   being   characterized  by  the 
fullness  of  the  information  they  give.      Walter  W.  oc- 
cupies the  old  homestead  and  observes  the  steady, 
sober  ways  of  a  farmer,  much  respected  for  his  integ- 
rity  and   honor.     We   now   return    to   Mark    Milton 
Moore,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.     He  enjoyed  but 
limited  educational  advantages,  except   such  as  the 
poor  common  school  of  those  early  times  afforded. 
Clearing  heavily  timbered  land,  cultivating  the  stumpy 
soil  and  gathering  the  harvests  was  the  business  of 
those  days  for  boys,  and  especially  so  for  the  eldest  of 
a  group  of  ten.     At  school  exhibitions,  as  an  easy  and 
graceful  declaimer  he  had  no  equal,  but  there  was  no 
one  present  that  could  see  in  him  the  elements  of  the 
natural  orator  he  is.     Among  the  poor  farmers,  with 
large  families,  the  great  question  was  bread  for  the 
children,  and  not  the  graces  of  an  education     .It  is  not 
likely  that  the  thought  entered  that  neighborhood  for 
at  least  a  quarter  of  a  century,  that  stalwart  boys  were 
made  for  any  purpose  except  to  handle  the  ax,  the 


spade  and  the  scythe.  But  he  was  often  at  his  uncle's 
(l)r.  Jason  Moore),  and  from  his  conversation  he  early 
imbibed  a  taste  for  the  study  of  medicine.    Also,  when 

18,  he  became  a  pronounced  Christian,  and  his  gifts 
and  zeal  brought  him  prominently  before  the  public, 
and  everyone  said  he  was  destined  for  the  ])ulpit. 
But  he  finished  learning  his  trade,  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  .Simeon  Sheldon,  whose  wife,  the  <laiigh- 
ter  of  Judge  Elias  Harmon,  was  the  first  white  child 
born  in  Mantua,  Portage  county.  This  wife  died 
August  10,  1847,  leaving  a  son — Sheldon  M.  At  the 
early  age  of  16  he  entered  the  army,  in  1861,  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  111th  P.  V.  I.,  and  after  seeing  much 
service  under  McClellan,  in  Virginia;  in  Tennessee, 
under  Hooker,  and  marching  to  the  sea  under  Sher- 
man, he  was  put  into  the  veteran  corps  and  mustered 
out  of  service  late  in  186.5.  For  the  ])ast  fifteen  years 
he  has  been  engineer  of  the  P.  S:  E.  R.  R.,  and  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  boldest  and  most  careful  engi- 
neers on  the  road.  (See  sketch).  It  was  soon  after 
the  death  of  his  first  wife  that  Dr.  M.  M.  Moore  re- 
turned to  his  first  love,  the  study  of  medicine,  and 
married  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Wait  Bassett,of  Con- 
necticut. Mary,  wife  of  John  Chambers  (deceased),  of 
Bradford;  Lucretia  (deceased),  and  Emery,  a  train 
dispatcher  on  the  N.  &  E.  R.  R.,  were  the  issue  of 
this  marriage.  The  second  Mrs.  Moore  died  May  26, 
1864,  and  he  was  subsequently  married  to  Julia  A.,  the 
daughter  of  Chauncey  Wood,  a  native  of  Vermont, 
and  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Garrettsville,  Ohio, 
where  he  died  in  1865.     She  died  suddenly  November 

19,  1883,  and  M.  M.  was  left  alone  and  in  sorrow,  with 
not  much  of  life  remaining  but  his  wonted  courage 
and  fortitude.  Dr.  Moore  is  richly  endowed  with  all 
the  elements  that  ([ualify  a  man  for  public  life;  no- 
where more  than  in  the  sick  room  is  he  at  home; 
there  his  presence,  his  words  of  good  cheer,  his  sym- 
pathetic bearing,  inspire  confidence  and  hope.  Be- 
tween himself  and  the  families  he  visits,  there  gener- 
ally exists  the  ties  of  the  strongest  friendship.  As  a 
practitioner  he  has  been  very  successful.  His  library 
of  medical  works,  pamphlets  and  periodicals,  is  large 
and  richly  furnished.  As  much  as  ever  in  life  he  con- 
tinues a  hard  and  unremittent  study,  and  whatever  he 
learns  from  reading  or  from  his  practice,  his  strong 
memory  retains.  .Some  thirty-five  years  ago  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Wesleyville,  and  has  ever  taken  a 
lively  interest  in  all  that  would  promote  its  welfare. 
He  acted  for  many  years  as  postmaster  (his  daughter, 
Mary,  doing  the  business)  and  school  director,  and  in 
no  capacity  has  he  failed  in  the  discharge  of  duty. 
He  has  never  had  a  law  suit,  and,  as  a  physician,  has 
never  failed  in  his  attentions  to  the  poor  and  friend- 
less. Though  thrice  married,  he  was  either  skillful  in 
his  selection  of  a  wife,  or  fortunate,  for  all  were  excel- 
lent women.  Dr.  M.  M.  Moore  married  Mrs.  L.  A. 
Burnham  (nee  Rathburn),  of  Erie,  September  17, 
1890.  His  brother,  Hiram,  who  resides  in  Kansas,  is 
a  member  of  Congress,  and  was  elected  in  1894. 

N.  A.  Fartisworth,  of  the  firm  of  Chaffee  & 
Farnsworth,  grocers,  Wesleyville,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
State  Line,  Pa.,  May  24,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Orin  O. 
and  Sarah  (Ackles)  Farnsworth.  They  now  reside  on 
a  farm  in  Northville,  North  East  township.  The  for- 
mer was  born  in  1815,  in  the  village  of  Greenfield,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  .Sarah  (Whitney)  Farnsworth, 
natives  of  New  York,  and  who  came  to  Erie  county  in 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


8oi 


1814,  settling  in  Greenfiel^i  township,  where  they  died 
in  1834  and  1858  respectively.  Orin  C.  was  married  in 
1846  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  P. 
(Brown)  Ackles,  natives  of  the  North  of  Ireland.  To 
this  union  were  born:  Mary,  wife  of  George  Taylor; 
Sarah  A.,  wife  of  Eugene  Dudley;  Emma,  at  home; 
Carrie,  N.  A.  and  George.  Mr.  X.  A.  Farnsworth  was 
reared  in  North  East  township,  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  at  Clark's  Business  College,  in  Erie, 
Pa.  January  1,  1891,  he  and  Mr.  Palmer  bought  Mr. 
Chaffee  out  at  State  Line,  and  commenced  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  H.  \V.  Palmer  &  Co.  At  the 
end  of  three  years  he  sold  his  interest  there  and  en- 
tered the  present  partnership.  Mr.  Farnsworth  was 
married  April  4,  1894,  to  Miss  Etta  Ackles,  of  Rip- 
ley, N.  Y. 

W.  E.  Chaffee,  of  the  firm  of  Chaffee  &  Farns- 
worth, grocers  and  dealers  in  farming  implements,  bug- 
gies, etc.,  W'esleyville,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Tionesta,  For- 
est county,  Pa.,  November  7,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of 
H.  C.  and  Catherine  (Jameson)  Chaffee,  the  former  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  Scotland. 
The  father  was  a  member  of  the  2d  Reg.,  2d  Heavy 
Artillery  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  killed  in  the  service, 
his  wife  having  died  previously.  \V.  E.  was  the  only 
child.  When  5  years  old  he  came  to  State  Line, 
Pa.,  and  spent  his  early  days  in  North  East  town- 
ship, except  three  years  he  spent  in  Titusville,  Pa.,  at 
the  Soldiers'  Orphan  School.  He  then  worked  at 
farming  a  short  time.  He  clerked  at  State  Line  one 
year  and  a  half,  when  he  purchased  a  general  store, 
which  he  ran  eight  years.  In  March,  1892,  he  came 
to  Wesleyville  and  bought  the  store  of  W.  H.  Kelley, 
and  entered  the  present  partnership  one  year  later. 
He  received  the  appointment  as  postmaster  August 
21,  1893.  Mr.  Chaffee  is  a  member  of  the  E.  A.  U.  and 
the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men. 

James  Chambers,  retired  farmer  and  justice  of 
the  peace,  Wesleyville,  Harbor  Creek  township,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Mill  Creek  township,  March 
10,  1805,  son  of  Ezekiel  and  Rebecca  (Stewart)  Cham- 
bers. They  were  natives  of  Chambersburg,  Franklin 
county.  Pa.,  which  was  named  after  an  ancestor.  They 
had  twelve  children,  three  living,  viz.:  Lydia  R.,  wife 
of  J.  Backus;  Maria  J.,  wife  of  Mr.  Walker,  of  Erie, 
and  James.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chambers  came  to  Erie 
county  in  the  fall  of  1804,  and  were  among  its  earliest 
settlers.  They  lived  in  Mill  Creek  township  until  ar- 
rangements were  completed  for  moving  to  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  James.  Ezekiel  Chambers  and  a 
brother  obtained  400  acres  from  the  Population  Com- 
pany. James  Chambers  was  reared  in  Erie  county 
and  educated  in  the  county  schools  and  Erie  Acad- 
emy, and  when  about  19  years  of  age,  commenced 
teaching  school,  and  taught  about  twelve  terms  in 
Harbor  Creek  and  Mill  Creek  townships,  teaching 
winters  and  working  summers.  His  salary  ranged 
from  SlO  to  SlT  per  month,  and  he  boarded  around. 
At  his  father's  death  the  farm  was  divided  etiually 
among  the  heirs,  and  James  bought  the  shares  of  two 
of  his  sisters,  which,  added  to  his  own,  made  a  verv 
handsome  place,  where  he  still  resides.  March  19, 
1828,  he  married  .A.delia,  daughter  of  Thomas  George, 
of  Troy,  N.  Y.  Five  children  blessed  this  union,  three 
living:  James  H.,  a  merchant  of  Wesleyville,  married 
Miss  Brawley;  R.  O.,  on  the  old  homestead;  he  mar- 


ried Miss  Clara  M.  Funson,  of  .Syracuse,  N.  Y.;  they 
have  two  children,  Warren  H.  and  Adelia  G.;  and 
Mrs.  James  C.  Russell,  a  widow,  resides  at  Belle  Val- 
ley. Mrs.  James  Chambers  died  in  1881.  Mr.  Cham- 
bers is  a  well-to-do  citizen,  living  on  the  old  home- 
stead, near  Wesleyville.  He  has  been  one  of  the 
county's  leading  citizens,  and  has  filled  nearly  every 
office  in  Erie  county  and  Harbor  Creek  township.  He 
is  now  justice  of  the  peace,  which  position  he  has  oc- 
cupied for  fifty  years,  and  is  the  olde.st  justice  in  the 
county,  obtaining  his  commission  from  Gov.  Ritner, 
under  the  old  court. 

Frank   H.  Ore.  agent  on  the  N.  Y.,  C.  &  St.  L. 

R.  R.,  at  .Mooreheads,  Harbor  Creek  postofifice,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Edinboro,  December  13,  1864,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  and  Nancy  Jane  (Stancliff)  Ore,  now 
residents  of  Erie.  The  father  was  born  at  Bodnian, 
near  London,  England,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and 
.Anne  Ore,  who  emigrated  to  America  with  their  chil- 
dren, and  settled  in  Waterford,  Pa.  Of  their  family 
four  children  are  living,  viz.:  Joseph,  North  East; 
Hannah,  Mrs.  H.  H.  Ferguson,  Pittsburg;  Rebecca, 
Mrs.  Charles  Comer,  Erie,  and  Benjamin,  J.,  of  Erie. 
William  Ore  followed  farming  in  Washington  town- 
ship until  1884,  when  he  went  to  Conneaut,  Ohio,  and 
was  in  the  restaurant  business  eighteen  months,  when 
he  came  to  Erie,  where  he  has  since  resided,  and  is  at 
present  engaged  in  collecting.  During  the  war  he 
served  in  the  18th  Pa.  Cav.  William  and  Nancy  Jane 
(Stancliff)  Ore,  are  the  parents  of  fliree  children,  viz.: 
Emma,  married  J.  J.  Flury,  Erie;  Fred  R.,  mail  car- 
rier, Erie,  and  Frank  H.  Frank  H.  was  educated  in 
the  North  East  High  School,  and  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1882.  He  then  entered  the  Nickel  Plate 
telegraph  office,  at  Harbor  Creek,  and  learned  teleg- 
raphy, under  the  instruction  of  T.  A.  Elliott.  Since 
then  he  has  been  employed  in  various  offices  on  that 
road,  between  Cleveland  and  Buffalo,  and  in  Febru- 
ary, 1890,  was  promoted  to  the  agency  at  Mooreheads. 
He  was  married  January  5,  1885,  to  Miss  Georgiana, 
daughter  of  C.  C.  Hyke,  of  Harbor  Creek.  They 
have  three  children,  viz.:  Leigh  Emerson,  Hattie  Jane 
and  Helen  Elizabeth.  Mr.  Ore  is  a  member  of  the  A. 
O.  U.  W.,  Knights  of  St.  John,  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M.,  O.  R. 
T.,  State  Police,  and  is  a  Republican. 

J.  P.Gifford,  farmer.  Harbor  Creek,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  North  East  township,  June  10,  1845.  He  is  a  son 
of  E.  F.  and  Betsey  (Loveless)  Gifford.  The  former 
was  born  in  Vermont,  March  4,  1797,  and  was  a  son 
of  Gifford,  who  served  eight  years  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war;  the  latter  was  a  native  of  New  York  State, 
and  was  born  Septembers,  1800.  In  the  family  were 
eleven  children,  viz.;  William  Henry  (deceased),  born 
November  5,  1821;  Sarah  J.  (decea.sed),  born  January 
11,  1823;  George  W.,  born  December  10,  1825,  resides 
in  Cass  county,  .Missouri;  E.  Smith,  born  February  22, 
1828,  died  in  November,  1866,  in  Oregon.  He  lost  his 
health  while  working  on  the  railroad  across  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama;  Elmira  B.,  born  March  22,  1830, 
died  .April  3,  1832;  Daniel  F.,  born  June  28,  1*^2,  re- 
sides in  Florida;  Andrew,  born  Februarv  10,  1835, 
died  .April  8,  1836;  Betsev  .A.,  born  May  22,'  1837,  dii'<l 
in  Missouri.  .April  8,  1870;  she  married  R.  B.  Cham- 
bers; A.  J.,  born  May  13,  1840,  resides  at  Miller,  Hand 
county,  .South  Dakota,  and  J.  P.  E.  F.  Gifford.  the 
father  of  J.  P.,  came  to  Erie  county  about  1830,  and 


802 


NELSOJff'S  BIOGRAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


settled  on  a  farm  about  a  mile  north  of  the  Union 
scliool  house,  North  East  township.  He  was  a  black- 
smith when  a  younj;  man,  and  later  followed  fanning; 
anil  carpenterlnfj.  Me  died  January  8,  1S(>7,  and  his 
wife  died  June  27,  1S91.  J.  P.  was  reared  in  North 
Kast  townslii]),  and  educated  in  the  ])ul>lic  schools. 
Has  always  followed  farming,  and  engaged  in  farming 
for  himself  in  North  East.  In  1879  he  came  to  Har- 
bor Creek,  and  settled  on  his  ])resent  place.  He  has 
seventy-six  acres  of  land,  twelve  acres  of  which  is  a 
fine  vineyard.  He  was  married  January  10,  1871,  to 
Miss  Ellen  L.,  daughter  of  Philo  and  Ik-tsey  Green, 
early  settlers  in  Erie  county.  'I'othis  union  were  born 
six  children,  viz.:  E.  P.,  born  December  15,  1872; 
Charles  A.,  born  November  2'2,  1874;  I.  R.,  born  .March 
14,  1878;  George  H.,  born  August  7,  1880;  Arthur  W., 
born  April  22,  188.5,  and  Albert,  born  December  27, 
188f).  Mr.  Gifford  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  E. 
A.  U.,  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M.,  the  Grange,  and  politically  is  a 
Democrat. 

Carl  H.  H'albridge,  owner  and  ]>roi)rietor  of  the 
Jersey  Mea<low  Stock  Farm,  llarlxir  Creek  township, 
|iostoffice  address  9  West  Eiglith  street,  Erie,  Pa.  The 
Walbridge  family,  of  whom  Carl  H.  Walbridge  is  a 
di-scendant,  is  one  of  the  olde.st  families  in  the  United 
States.  The  town  records  ^f  Preston,  Conn.,  show 
that  Henry  Walbridge  was  married  December  25, 
l(i88,  to  Anna  Ames,  of  that  jdace.  Tradition  says 
that  Henry  was  a  seventh  son,  that  he  anil  his  broMicr, 
William,  were  from  Devonshire,  England,  that  in 
lti85  they  took  part  in  the  Monmouth  rebellion  against 
King  James  II,  and  on  its  failure,  tied  to  this  country. 
The  above-named  Henry  is  the  ancestor  of  Carl  H. 
Walbridge,  and  of  the  several  members  of  this  numer- 
ous family,  now  scattered  throughout  every  State  in 
the  Union.  Mr.  W.  G.  Walbridge,  of  Litchfield, 
Conn.,  w-ho  has  been  engaged  in  compiling  a  gene- 
alogy of  the  Walbridge  family  since  1883,  has  ascer- 
tained the  records  of  thirty-three  Walbridges,  whf) 
fought  for  Uncle  Sam  in  the  Rebellion,  and  of  twenty- 
five  more  who  were  in  the  Revolution  and  war  of  1812. 
Col.  Ebenezer  Walbridge,  the  great-grandfather  of 
Carl,  was  an  active  participant  in  the  dawn  of  the 
Revolution,  at  Lexington.  He  married  Elizabeth 
.Stebbins  in  17(i0.  They  were  the  parents  of  Sella  W., 
wild  married  Betsey  Preston.  He  was  born  March  8, 
179(1,  and  died  A[)ril  7,  18.'J9.  They  were  both  natives 
of  ."--haron,  \'t.,  where  they  reared  a  family  of  six 
children,  viz.:  Henry,  born  June  20,  1813,  died  May  3, 
1887;  John  S.,  born  Sei)tember  24,  1815,  died  May  3, 
1859;  Marcia,  born  October  18,  1818,  now  the  widow  of 
Perry  Devore,  late  of  .Springfield,  Erie  county.  Pa.; 
Lucia,  born  Februarv  10,  1821,  married  Lorenzo  Har- 
vey, died  July  22,  1892;  Amelia,  born  January  15,  1828, 
now  Mrs.  Asa  Devore,  of  Michigan;  |anet,  born  April 
25,  1825,  married  Perrv  M.  lirindle,  of  Springfield,  Pa., 
died  May  11,  1887;  John  S.  Walbridge,  the  father  of  C. 
H.,  came  to  Erie  county  in  1829,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Springfield  township,  where  he  resided  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  as  stated  above.  He  married  Jane 
C.  Mallory,  who  was  a  native  of  Argyle,  N.  Y.,  and 
was  born  August  15,  1818.  She  died  January  22,  1872. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  viz.:  Emma 
J.,  born  November  30,  1840,  married  Jacob  W.  Moore, 
of  Pawnee  City,  Neb.,  Decemlx-r  20,  1804;  Charles  P., 
born  August  25,  1842,  was  married  December  17,  1866, 
to  Mary  Anne  Paterson,  of  Beattie,  Kan.;  Florence  H., 


born  May  12,  1844,  was  married  February  25,  1869,  to 
Lemuel  D.  Jordan.  They  now  reside  at  Pawnee  City, 
Nel).;  Carl  H.,  born  May  1,  1846  (who  afterward 
changed  his  name  from  Henry  C.  to  Carl  H.,  not  so 
much  from  choice  as  to  avoid  confusion,  there  being 
over  forty  Henry  Walbridges,  whose  names  appear  in 
the  Walbridge  family  genealogy);  Andrew  M.,  born 
March  29,  1848,  was  married  November  30,  1871,  to 
Miss  Kate  O.  Strickland,  of  .Springfield,  Pa.,  where  he 
now  resides;  Ann  Eliza,  born  .September  3,  1850,  was 
married  November  16,  1871,  to  Delos  Morgan,  of 
Beattie,  Kan.,  she  died  .'\pril  2,  1895;  Frank  I).,  born 
June  11,  1854,  locomotive  engineer,  Erie,  Pa.;  Ida 
Marcia,  born  August  25,  1858,  was  married  July  18, 
1878,  to  C.  F.  Church,  of  Erie,  Pa.  Carl  H.  Walbridge 
was  reared  in  .Springfield,  Pa.,  the  town  of  his  birth, 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the  State 
Normal  school,  of  Edinboro,  Pa.  When  10  years  of 
age  he  left  home  and  went  to  live  with  his  uncle, 
Perry  Devore,  of  Springfield,  where  he  remained 
until  he  was  about  15  years  of  age.  He  then  enli.sted 
in  the  United  .States  navy,  on  board  the  L'.  .S.  S. 
"  Michigan,"  at  ICrie,  Pa.,  and  .shortly  after  was  sent  to 
Cairo,  111.,  and  subse(iuently  served  aboard  the  (Gov- 
ernment ships  "  Clara,"  "  Dolsen,"  "  Memoria,"  "  Brill- 
iant," "St.  Clair"  and  "Cincinnati."  He  served  in 
the  capacity  of  a  doctor's  steward,  and  the  doctor 
under  whom  he  served,  resigned  on  account  of  ill 
health,  and  our  sailor  boy's  resignation  followed 
shortly  thereafter.  He  returned  to  .Springfield  and 
lived  with  Judge  William  Cross  one  winter,  attending 
school  at  the  Springfield  .Academy.  He  then  went  to 
the  oil  regions,  locating  in  Titusville,  Pa.,  where  he 
remained  a  short  time.  He  enlisted  March  31,  1864, 
in  Co.  E,  145th  P.  \'.  I.,  was  transferred  to  Co.  F,  53d 
P.  V.  I.  (date  unknown)  (Bates'  History  of  P.  V.  I., 
Vol.  4,  page  537).  He  participated  in  the  Wilderness 
campaign,  was  at  Cold  Harbor,  James  River,  and  the 
assault  on  Petersburg,  \'a.  It  was  at  this  last  men- 
tioned [ilace  that  the  lirilliant  military  record  which 
he  was  making  for  himself  came  to  such  a  sudden  and 
honorable  halt.  On  June  16,  18()4,  in  a  charge  on  the 
'jnemies'  works,  a  death-dealing  messenger,  in  the 
form  of  a  shell  from  a  Confederate  gun,  exploded  in 
the  Union  ranks,  resulting  in  the  death  of  three  of  his 
comrades,  and  he  lay  upon  the  field  with  his  left  leg  so 
badly  mangled  that  amputation  necessarily  followed. 
After  the  surgical  ojieration  was  performed  he  was 
taken  to  Army  Square  Hospital,  Washington,  D.  C, 
where  he  was  one  year,  lacking  eight  days,  in  recover- 
ing. He  received  his  discharge  June  8,  1865,  and 
returned  to  Springfield,  where  he  remained  a  short 
time,  and  then  he  went  to  Edinboro  and  attended  the 
State  Normal  school  for  two  years.  He  then  served 
as  private  secretary  for  Hon.  M.  B.  Lowry,  .State 
Senator,  for  about  six  months,  when  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  Company,  at  Erie, 
as  superintendent's  clerk  and  assistant  paymaster.  In 
1875,  after  being  in  the  emjiloy  of  the  Pennsylvania 
R.  R.  ("ompany  about  eight  years,  he  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  for  himself  in  Erie,  and  operated 
an  extensive  lumber  yard  and  planing-mill  at  320 
State  street  until  1884.  He  then  went  to  Cape  Charles, 
\'a.,  to  take  charge  of  the  extensive  estate  and  truck 
farm  of  the  late'^  Hon.  W.  L.  Scott.  Mr.  Walbridge 
here  fijund<-d  the  town  of  Cape  Charles,  \'a.,  and  was 
its  first  mayor.  The  farm  which  Mr.  Walbridge  con- 
ducted  was  the   largest  truck    farm   in   the   United 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


80.^ 


States  at  the  time.  It  was  composed  of  five  planta- 
tions, containing 2,800  acres,  and  known  as  the  "  Holly- 
wood Place."  The  best  idea  of  the  business  interests 
which  Mr.  Walbridge  managed  can  be  obtained  from 
the  statement  of  .shifiments,  which  shows  that  in  1888 
he  ship]ied  63,48.5  barrels  of  [iroduce,  amounting  to 
$81,286.40,  gross.  The  largest  number  of  hands  em- 
ployed any  one  day  was  543.  He  al.so  had  charge  of 
large  oyster  beds,  shipping  about  100,000  bushels  of 
oysters  per  season.  He  also,  at  the  same  time,  con- 
ducted an  extensive  ice  busine.ss.  In  October,  1888, 
he  resigned  and  returned  to  Erie  county,  and  the  fol- 
lowing s])ring  took  up  his  residence  on  his  farm  in 
Harbor  Creek  township,  which  is  known  as  the 
Jersey  Meadow  Stock  Farm.  It  is  situated  in  a  very 
desirable  locality,  on  the  L.  S.  &  M.  S.  and  N.  Y.,  C.  & 
St.  L.  R.  R.  lines,  about  four  miles  east  of  Erie.  The 
farm  contains  about  125  acres.  Mr.  Walbridge  makes 
a  specialty  of  raising  registered  jersey  cattle.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  May  28,  1885,  at  Wilmington,  Del., 
to  .Miss  Dettie  Dedrick,  a  native  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
Mr.  Walbridge  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor, 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  politically 
is  a  Democrat.  He  is  one  of  the  most  progressive 
citizens  of  Erie  county,  and  his  record,  both  civil  and 
military,  is  one  which  is  rarely  excelled. 

A.  B.  Hume,  farmer,  Wesleyville,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Woodcock,  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  August  1,  1821,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (McCamet)  Hume,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  the 
North  of  Ireland.  James  Hume  served  in  the  war  of 
1812.  He  was  a  miller  and  farmer,  and  spent  most  of 
his  life  in  Crawford  county.  He  died  in  1852  and  his 
wife  died  about  twenty  years  later.  They  reared  a 
family  of  nine  children,  viz.:  Mary  (deceased)  Mar- 
garet (deceased),  Robert  (deceased),  Sarah  (deceased), 
Fanny,  married  to  Robert  Tate  (deceased),  John,  (de- 
ceased), Eliza,  Mrs.  Sterrett,  resides  in  Venango, 
Crawford  county.  Pa.;  James  (deceased),  William  (de- 
ceased), A.  B.  and  George  W.  resided  at  Woodcock, 
Crawford  county.  Pa.  A.  B.  Hume  was  reared  and 
educated  m  Crawford  county.  In  March.  1855,  he 
went  west  and  remained  one  year.  Upon  his  return 
from  the  west  he  settled  in  Greene  township,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  for  nine  years.  In 
1865  he  bought  his  present  farm  of  fifty  acres.  Mr. 
Hume  was  married  Alay  23,  1844,  to  Miss  Jena,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  and  Sarah  Anne  (Seeley)  Loop,  of  Per- 
rington,  Genesee  county,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Hume's  jiarents 
moved  to  Crawford  county  in  1828,  when  she  was  2 
years  old.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Delaware  county. 
New  York,  and  her  mother  of  Stratford,  Conn.  The 
former  died  in  1843  and  the  latter  in  1847.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hume  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  viz.:  Oliver, 
conductor  on  railroad,  resides  in  Fargo,  N.  D.;  Agnes, 
marrieil  N.  H.  Hart,  Terre  Haute,  Ind.;  Sophia,  mar- 
ried O.  C.  Porter,  Maringo,  Ill.ijames,  Hinkley,  Minn.; 
Andrew,  Chicago;  and  Peter,  Erie,  Pa.  Mr.  Hume  is 
one  of  the  most  respected  citizens  of  Erie  county,  and 
politically  every  member  of  the  family  is  a  thorough 
Democrat. 

P.  B.  Raeder,  larmcr.  Harbor  Creek  township, 
postoffice  Wesleyville,  Pa.,  one  of  the  foremost  and 
enterprising  farmers  of  Erie  county,  is  a  German  by 
birth  and  was  born  in  Bavaria,  October  26,  1840.  His 
parents  were  Jacob  and  Charlotte  (Bolantler)  Raeder. 


They  reared  a  family  of  six  children,  viz.:  John,  re- 
sides in  Holland;  .Margaret,  Erie,  Pa.;  Lena,  Mrs. 
George  Carrell;  Jacob,  died  in  Bowling  Green,  Ky., 
a  soldier  in  the  Federal  army;  P.  B.,  Philomena,  Mr.s. 
Henry  Shade,  Erie,  Pa.  The  mother  died  when  P.  B. 
was  about  3  years  old,  and  in  1852the  father  enngrated 
to  America  with  the  family  and  settled  in  Erie.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  died  in  1889,  in 
Harbor  Creek.  i\ir.  Raeder  i>urchased  his  farm  of 
over  225  acres  of  exceptionally  fertile  land  in  1888.  It 
was  formerly  the  Reece  place,  and  is  located  in  a  very 
desirable  sj)ot,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southeast  of 
Wesleyville.  From  the  southern  elevation  of  his 
farm  can  be  had  an  excellent  view  of  Pres<iue  Isle 
Bay  and  the  city  of  Erie.  Mr.  Raeder  rented  the  farm 
from  Mrs.  William  A.  Brown  for  twelve  years  before 
he  purchased  it.  He  was  married  .^pril  19,  1866,  to 
Miss  Christain  Schwingel,  at  that  time  a  resident  of 
Erie,  but  a  native  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  They  have  four 
children,  viz.:  Louisa,  Mrs.  William  .A.  Frazer,  Har- 
bor Creek;  Carl,  George  and  William,  all  with  their 
father  on  the  farm. 

D.  W.  Sewell,  farmer,  postoffice  Wesleyville,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Harbor  Creek  township,  within  two  miles 
of  his  present  home,  on  November  25,  1841.  He  is  a 
son  of  Norton  and  Mary  .Ann  (Hinton)  .Sewell.  Nor- 
ton Sewell  was  a  son  of  Ebenzer  Sewell,  who  came 
from  Williamstown,  N.  Y.,  in  1816,  and  settled  in  Har- 
bor Creek  township  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  William 
Cooper.  He  afterward  moved,  and  settled  one  mile 
west  of  there,  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  Albert 
Sewell.  He  was  a  native  of  \'ermont  and  of  English 
and  Irish  descent.  He  .served  in  the  war  of  1812.  He 
was  a  cooper  by  trade,  also  worked  at  shoemaking  and 
taught  school.  Was  married  to  Louanna  Orton,  a  na- 
tive of  New  England.  They  reared  a  family  of  seven 
children,  viz.:  Betsey,  married  Francis  Plum,  of  Will- 
iamstown, N.  Y.;  Norton  (our  subject's  father);  Phila, 
married  Benjamin  Chambers,  Harbor  Creek;  Sidney, 
Harbor  Creek;  Miranda,  married  Samuel  Baker,  of 
Cleveland,  O.;  Malvira,  married  David  Riblet,  Har- 
bor Creek;  and  Robert,  who  lived  where  .Albert  Sew- 
ell now  resides;  all  deceased.  The  father  died  in 
1869,  at  the  age  of  90,  his  wife  dying  several  years  pre- 
vious to  his  death.  Norton  Sewell  was  born  in  1810, 
in  Williamstown,  N.  Y.,  and  came  to  Harbor  Creek 
with  his  parents  when  6  years  of  age.  He  followed 
farming,  also  worked  on  the  harbor  in  Erie.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  .Ann  Hinton,  a  native  of  Greene  township, 
and  of  Welsh  descent.  They  reared  a  familv  of  seven 
children:  Harrison  (deceased),  lived  in  Erie;  D.  W., 
Ellen  (tleceased),  Melvira  (deceased),  and  George,  re- 
sides in  Greene  township.  The  father  died  Novem- 
ber 11,  1864,  and  the  mother  now  resides  in  Harbor 
Creek.  D.  W.  Sewell  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Harbor  Creek  township,  and  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  until  August,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Co.  M, 
1st  N.  Y.  Lt.  Art.,  and  served  under  Gen.  Sherman. 
He  particiiiated  in  the  following  engagements:  Mur- 
phresboro.  Stone  River,  Missionary  Ridge,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Dallas,  Ringold.  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Alla- 
tonia,  Robertsville,  Bentonville,  Black  River,  and 
others.  Was  disabled  by  being  thrown  from  a  horse 
by  the  explosion  of  a  caisson.  He  was  discharged  at 
Roche.ster,  N.  Y.,  in  1865,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war 
learned  the  machinist's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  a 
time,  and  worked  in  New  York  city,  Jersey  City  and 


8o4 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Titusville,  Pa.,  although  he  has  always  continued  to 
claim  Harbor  Creek  as  his  home,  and  has  spent  most 
of  his  time  there.  He  boui^ht  his  jiresent  place  in 
1S89.  Mr.  Sewell  was  married,  June  2,  1808,  to  Miss 
\Iaggie,  daughter  of  Claudius  Dumars,  of  Harbor 
Creek,  who  owned  the  place  for  several  years  where 
Mr.  Sewell  now  resides.  They  have  one  child,  George, 
who  lives  at  home.  Mr.  Sewell  has  been  a  member  of 
several  social  and  secret  societies,  but  at  present  is 
not  associated  with  any.  He  is  one  of  the  jirogressive 
citizens  of  Erie  county,  and  is  a  gentleman  who  is 
worthy  of  many  friends. 

J.  J.  Glttitig,  farmer,  postoffice  Wesleyville,  was 
born  August  18,  1837.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Susannah  (Kuhl)  Gitting.  John  Gitting  (father  of 
our  subject)  was  born  in  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
in  1810,  and  was  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  i. Myers) 
Gitting,  who  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children: 
Catherine,  married  A.  Wenn,  Luzerne  county,  Penn- 
sylvania; Henry  (deceased);  Mary,  married  J.  .Andrews, 
Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania;  Elizabeth  (deceased), 
married  Mr.  Bollard;  Henry;  Anna,  wife  of  G. 
Avery,  resides  at  Waterford,  Pa.;  Polly,  .Mrs.  D.  Kuhl, 
Fairview  township,  this  county;  Peggy,  Hillsdale, 
Mich.;  Powell,  married  Polly,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Miller,  Mill  Creek,  Erie  county.  Pa.;  Timothy,  who 
was  living  in  Michigan  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war, 
enlisted  and  died  in  the  army;  .Sarah,  married  H. 
Mooney,  Girard,  Pa.,  and  John  (father  of  our  subject), 
who  was  married  in  1833  to  Susanna,  daughter  of 
Yost  and  Elizabeth  (Orth)  Kuhl.  J.  J.  is  the  youngest 
in  a  family  of  three  children:  Caroline,  married  J. 
Keff,  and  resides  in  Harbor  Creek  township;  Emeline, 
now  .Mrs.  A.  Clark,  and  John,  jr.,  also  lives  in  Harbor 
Creek  township.  The  father  died  May  21,  1895,  and 
the  mother  died  .April  21,  1879.  J.  J.  Gitting  was  mar- 
ried in  18(j7  to  Miss  Jennie  Roland.  They  have  no 
children.  Mr.  Gitting  lives  on  the  old  homestead, 
which  is  three  and  a  half  miles  from  Harbor  Creek. 

Edward  Schultz,  farmer.  Harbor  Creek  township, 
postoffice  Boscobel,  was  born  in  Erie  November  29, 
184(5.  He  is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Sophia  (Jacabach) 
Schultz,  both  natives  of  Germany,  where  they  were 
married.  In  1846  they  emigrated  to  .America  and  set- 
tled in  Erie  county.  After  residing  in  Erie  about  six 
months  they  moved  to  Harbor  Creek  township,  where 
the  father  worked  in  Cass's  woolen  factory,  he  being  a 
cloth-maker  bv  trade.  In  1849  he  bought  his  present 
farm.  His  wife  died  July  20,  1881.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children:  Edward;  Lewis  (deceased); 
Henrietta  (deceased);  Charles  (deceased);  Mary  (de- 
ceased), and  Ella,  married  Leander  Bartlett.  During 
the  war  Christian  Schultz  served  in  the  168th  P.  V.  I. 
He  now  is  living  a  retired  life  with  his  son  Edward. 
Edward  Schultz  has  made  farming  his  chief  occupa- 
tion. Of  late  years  he  has  made  fruit  raising  a 
S|)ecialty.  He  now  resides  on  the  old  Hershel  farm, 
which  is  situated  on  the  town  line  road  between  Har- 
bor Creek  and  Greene.  He  purchased  it  September 
2,  1867,  and  he  and  his  father  have  together  about  180 
acres.  He  was  married  June  8, 187-5,  to  Miss  Amanda 
Davidson,  of  Plumb  township,  Venango  county.  They 
have  one  child,  Mary.  Mr.  Schultz  is  a  member  of 
the  State  Police  and  Farmers'  Alliance.  He  was  a 
Republican  until  the  organization  of  the  People's 
party,  and  since  then  has  been  an  enthusiastic  mem- 
ber of  that  party. 


G.  E.  Peck,  farmer,  postoffice  Boscobel,  Harbor 
Creek  townshi]>.  Pa.,  was  born  N'ovcmber  22,  1847,  on 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  a  son  of  Zali- 
inon  E.  and  Mary  (Bellows)  Peck,  the  former  a  native 
of  Connecticut  and  of  old  New  England  stock;  the 
latter  was  also  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  a  descend- 
ant of  Revolutionary  stock.  Her  grandfather  served 
as  an  officer  in  that  war.  Z.  E.  Peck  was  a  son  of 
Edmund  and  .Adria  (Whitlock)  Peck,  natives  of  Con- 
necticut. The  family  came  to  Erie  county  in  1832. 
They  reared  a  family  of  five  children,  viz.:  Orrin 
(deceased)  resided  at  Deep  River,  Lake  county,  Ind., 
where  he  died  in  1887;  Z.  E.,  father  of  G.  E.;  Charles 
S.,  Burbank,  Los  Angeles  county,  Cal.;  A.  T.  (de- 
ceased), resided  in  California;  Eliza  and  Louisa 
(twins).  Eliza  married  Joseph  Peck  (deceased)  and 
resided  in  Burbank,  Cal.  Louisa  married  Ezra  Throop, 
Union  City.  Edmund  Peck  settled  on  sixty  acres  of 
land,  a  part  of  our  subject's  farm.  He  was  a  farmer, 
also  worked  at  shoe-making.  He  died  while  on  a  visit 
in  Indiana,  and  his  wife  died  in  Harbor  Creek  town- 
shi|).  His  son,  Zolomon  E.,  lived  on  the  same 
place  and  also  followed  farming.  He  was  an  old- 
time  schoolmaster  and  taught  over  forty  terms.  In 
the  spring  of  1861  he  responded  to  President  Lincoln's 
call  for  troops  and  enlisted  in  the  three  months' 
service.  He  went  out  with  Col.  Mcl.ane's  regiment. 
After  the  expiration  of  his  service  in  that  regiment  he 
re-enlisted  for  three  years  in  Co.  A,  111th  P.  \'.  I.  In 
that  company  he  acted  a  long  time  in  the  capacity  of 
commissary  sergeant.  At  the  end  of  about  two  years 
he  was  discharged  on  account  of  ill-health.  After 
remaining  at  home  about  one  year  his  health  became 
much  improved  and  he  enlisted  in  Co.  I,  7th  U.  S.  I., 
to  serve  five  years,  which  term  was  afterward  shortened 
by  an  act  of  Congress  to  three.  Few  soldiers  had  a  bet- 
ter war  record  than  Z.  E.  Peck.  He  was  at  the  battles 
of  Antietam,  South  Mountain,  Second  Bull  Run, 
Cedar  Mountain  and  Harper's  Ferry,  and  numerous 
other  engagements.  At  Antietam  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner, but  was  soon  after  released.  He  was  .56  years 
of  age  when  he  first  enlisted,  an  age  at  which  few  men 
enter  service  as  privates.  It  is  related  that  when  the 
sergeant  asked  -Mr.  Peck  his  a^e  his  reply  was,  "My 
fighting  age  is  45."  Zolomon  E.  and  Alary  (Bellows) 
Peck  reared  a  family  of  six  children:  Zolomon 
(deceased);  Melodea  (deceased);  Mary  (deceased); 
Emeline  (deceased);  G.  E.,  and  .\Ielodia  .A.,  now  Mrs. 
C.  T.  Hall,  of  Greene  township.  G.  E.  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Harbor  Creek  township  and  has 
made  farming  his  chief  occupation,  although  he  spent 
a  few  years  in  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
has  an  excellent  farm  of  about  150  acres.  Mr.  Peck 
was  married  February  6,  1872,  to  Miss  S.  .A.,  daughter 
of  George  and  .Amanda  {  Bellows)  Shattuck,  of  \'enango 
township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peck  are  the  parents  of  four 
children:  Zailie  (deceased);  Leslie  G.,  graduate  of  the 
Edinboro  State  Normal  School,  class  of  1895;  Luella 
and  Elmina.  Mr.  Peck  has  served  as  school  director 
three  terms  and  is  a  strong  adherent  to  and  a  logical 
advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  People's  party.  Mr. 
Peck  and  his  three  children  are  excellent  musicians. 
The  youngest,  a  girl  of  thirteen,  is  a  violinist  of  remark- 
able skill. 

Charles  Monroe  Wheeler,  agriculturist  of  Le- 
Boeuf  township,  Erie  county,  was  born  in  New 
Ipswich,    N.  H.,  January  29,  1826.     He  is  a  son  of 


AND  UIHTOIUCAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


S05 


the  late  Stephen  and  Hannah  (Stratton)  Wheeler,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  New  Ham])shire  and  of 
Scotch  descent.  Stephen  Wheeler  was  a  man  of  in- 
fluence in  his  community,  sought  frequently  for  official 
preferment,  serving  as  selectman,  delegate  to  the  Con- 
stitutional convention  and  a  member  for  a  number  of 
terms  of  the  Legislature  of  New  Hampshire.  He  died 
in  18(i0;  his  wife  survived  him  about  ten  years.  Charles 
M.  Wheeler  was  educated  in  the  jniblic  schools  and 
academy  of  his  native  town,  continued  to  reside  in 
New  Ipswich,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1852, 
when  he  removed  to  LeBoeuf  tow-nship,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  In  addition  to 
his  farming  interests  in  this  county,  Mr.  Wheeler  is 
the  proprietor  of  a  saw'mill  and  cheese  factory,  has 
large  lumber  interests  in  P'orest  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  very  extensive  farming  interests  in  Minnesota. 
Mr.  Wheeler  has  held  several  township  offices  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  in  1891 
and  1893.  He  was  married  December  6,  1864,  to 
Sarah  J.,  daughter  of  the  late  Eben  Clark,  of  West 
Townsend,  Mass.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wheeler  have  five 
surviving  children,  Kdward  E.,  Walter  S.,  Orton  H., 
Fred  C.  and  Dr.  .Arthur  C.  Wheeler.  Edward  E. 
Wheeler  resides  in  LeBceuf,  and  is  the  manager  and 
a  member  of  the  Baker-Wheeler  Company,  lumber 
manufacturers  and  dealers  of  Forest  county.  He  mar- 
ried Imogene,  daughter  of  T.  S.  Davis,  of  LeBceuf,  and 
has  four  children,  Grace,  Mabel,  Margaretta  and  Ed- 
ward Everett.  Orton  H.  Wheeler  resides  in  Pueblo, 
Colo.,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  shoe  business,  and  is 
a  member  of  theboard  of  aldermen.  Fred  C.  Wheeler 
is  connected  with  his  father  in  the  Minnesota  farming 
lands,  married  Mrs.  Fanny  Forrester,  of  Waterford, 
Erie  county,  and  has  one  child,  Mary.  Dr.  Arthur  C. 
Wheeler  is  practicing  medicine  in  Erie. 

Williatn  K.  Andrews,  M.  D.,was  born  in  Adams- 
ville,  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  in  18(i7.  He  is  a  son  of 
H.  B.  and  Mary  (McMichaell  .Andrews,  both  natives  of 
Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania.  William  was  edu- 
cated at  .Alleghany  College  and  the  L'niversity  of  New- 
York,  graduating  from  the  medical  department  of  the 
latter  institution  in  1889.  He  began  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  Jamestown,  Pa.,  the  same  year,  removing 
to  Mill  \'illage  in  1891,  where,  in  connection  with  his 
practice  he  has  conducted  a  drug  store.  April  1,  1892, 
he  purchased  the  Mill  Village  Ilmitdof  J.  S.  Ross,  be- 
coming Its  sole  proprietor.  The  Doctor  is  a  member 
of  the  L'nited  States  pension  board,  Corry,  Pa.  He  is 
also  interested  in  the  LeBoeuf  roller  mills,  of  Mill 
Village,  Pa. 

G.  W.  Sturgis,  merchant,  was  born  in  Crawford 
county,  Pennsylvania,  January22, 18R0.  He  was  the  son 
of  Horace  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Gray)  Sturgis,  life-long 
residents  of  Crawford  county.  Mr.  Sturgissold  his  mer- 
cantile business  in  1894,  and  engaged  in  thecutterand 
harness  trade.  In  1892  he  was  married  to  Delia  M. 
Reynolds,  daughter  of  F.  W.  and  Betsey  Ann  (Parker) 
Reynolds,  of  Mill  Village.  They  have  one  child, 
Francis.  Mr.  .Sturgis  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
He  served  one  term  as  burgess  of  Mill  Village,  and 
has  been  school  director  one  term. 

H.  W.  Pollock,  general  hardware  merchant.  Mill 
\illage.  Pa.,  was  born  in  LeBceuf  township  in  187U.  and 
is  theson  of  J.  S.and  Mary  (Hamilton)  Pollock.    The  lat- 


ter isadaughterof  Hugh  Hamilton, of  Waterford.  Mr. 
Pollock  began  in  the  hardware  business  in  the  spring  of 
1892,  and  liecame  the  sole  owner  of  the  business  now 
managed  by  him  in  the  spring  of  1893.  In  1892  he 
was  married  to  .Minnie  McClellan,  of  McCIallen  Cor- 
ners, Washington  township. 

Frank  A."  Porter,  railroad  agent.  Mill  X'illage, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  LeBceuf  township,  and  at  the  age  of 
15  years  went  to  the  Pennsylvania  oil  fields,  where  he 
became  interested  in  oil  drilling  until  1880,  when 
his  left  leg  was  injured  in  the  Bradford  fields,  and  am- 
putation became  necessary.  In  188(5  he  began  as  an 
operator  at  the  Mill  \'illage  railroad  station,  and,  in 
1890,  was  promoted  to  railroad  agent  for  the  New  York, 
Lake  Erie  and  Western  R.  R.  Mr.  Porter  is  the  son 
ot  Lucuis  and  Mariam  (Clark)  Porter,  of  LeBceuf 
township.  Lucuis  Porter,  an  old  resident  of  that  lo- 
cality, died  in  1892.  Frank  A.  Porter  was  married  in 
1887'to  Lillis,  daughter  of  J.  L.  Waterhouse,  of  .Mill 
Village.  Their  children  are  two  sons,  Harry  and 
Wellington.  iNlr.  Porter  is  prominently  identified  with 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  being  an  active  member. 

W.  J.  Gourley,  dealer  in  meats,  and  proprietor  of 
meat  market,  Mill  X'illage,  Pa.,  waa  born  in  LeBceuf 
township,  in  1852,  and  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah 
(Pattern  Gourley.  .At  the  age  of  22  years  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  New  York,  Lake  Erie  and  Western 
R.  R.,  as  brakeman,  and  »-as  soon  after  promoted  to 
conductor,  in  which  position  he  continued  until  1894, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  meat  business  as  above 
stated.  In  1874  he  married  Emma  J.  Wilson,  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  George  Wilson,  of  Mill  Village,  Pa.  The 
following  children  have  been  born  to  them:  William 
Arthur,  Gertrude  and  Kittle.  Mr.  Gourley  is  a  member 
of  the  O.  R.  C. 

Frank  L.  Ferguson,  farmer.  Mill  Village,  Pa., 
was  born  in  1869,  in  Crawford  county,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  W.  and  Louise  (May)  Ferguson,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Frank  was  educated  in  the  [lublic  schools, 
and  with  the  exception  of  ten  years  spent  in  the  Brad- 
ford oil  fields,  he  has  followed  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing. He  purchased  the  farm  now  occupied  by  him  in 
1887.  In  1886  he  married  Miss  Elsie  Gregory,  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  Gregory,  a  resident  of  Erie  county. 
Mr.  Ferguson  has  held  several  townshi])  offices.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

George  P.  Draper,  farmer,  LeBceuf,  was  born  in 
LeBceuf  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  in  1863.  He  is  a 
son  of  Albert  J.  Draper,  a  resident  of  the  same  town- 
ship, and  who  was  born  in  New  York  State  in  1838, 
and  came  to  Erie  county  when  quite  young,  purchas- 
ing a  farm  at  a  place,  known  as  Wheeler  Town.  In 
1876  he  purchased  and  moved  onto  the  farm,  where  he 
now  resides.  Besides  George,  his  children  are:  Sarah 
J.,  wife  of  Lewis  Carroll;  Laura  Frances,  wife  of  L.  J. 
Middleton.  George  was  married  in  1889,  to  Nel- 
lie, daughter  of  Trumon  Merrill,  of  LeBceuf  town- 
ship; one  child,  Laura  .May,  was  born  to  them  in  1892. 
Mr.  Draper  has  resided  on  his  present  farm  since 
1882. 

W.  R.  McCoy,  farmer,  LeBceuf,  LeBceuf  town- 
ship, Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Crawforci  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in   1855,  where  he  spent  his  boyhood 


8o6 


NELSON'S  BIOORAPnTCAL  DICTIONARY 


days.  He  is  a  son  of  J.  B.  McCoy,  a  native  of  Craw- 
ford county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  McCoy  has,  since 
1870,  been  a  resident  of  ]■>!(■  county,  and  for  tlie  past 
few  vears  manager  of  tiie  large  farm  he  now  occu]>ies. 
In  1888  he  was  married  to  E.stella,  daughter  of  George 
Cooper,  of  P'airview,  Erie  county.  Pa.  Mr.  McCoy  is 
a  member  of  the  following  organizations:  I.  O.  O.  F., 
P.  H.  C,  and  U.  S.  Insurance  Company. 

Jacob  Weis  was  one  of  the  many  kindred  lineage 
who  came  from  Lancaster  county  to  the  wilderness, 
which  the  jiurchase  of  the  Triangle  by  Pennsylvania 
liad  opened  for  settlement  to  her  enterprising  citizens. 
Jacob  Weis  came  in  IT'.Ki  or  1797  and  settled  west  of 
Erie,  where  he  spent  his  life,  and  where  his  son  John 
died.  Jacob  Weis  and  his  wife,  Elizafieth  (Ebersole) 
Weis,  had  a  family  of  five  children:  Mrs.  John 
Hershey,  Mrs.  Jacob  Waidley,  Mrs.  Amos  Hinkle, 
John  and  Jacob.  All  of  them  settled  in  Erie  county. 
.Mrs.  Hershey  alone  survives.  Of  these,  John  Weis 
was  born  January  7,  1819.  After  reaching  manhood 
his  thrift,  energy  and  industry  soon  increased  his  slen- 
der patrimony  to  such  an  extent  that  he  desired  a 
larger  field.  He  purchased  the  Moses  Barnet  farm, 
which  had  been  located  and  occupied  by  his  grand- 
father, Jacob  l*'l)ersole,  in  Fairview  township.  It  w?s 
a  beautiful  location  in  that  unrivalled  valley,  which 
had  long  been  in  possession  of  the  Barnet  family. 
There,  alxiut  thirty-five  years  ago,  he  made  his  home. 
His  management  was  so  judicious,  his  thrift  so  unin- 
terrupted and  his  investments  so  fortunate,  that  he 
l)ecame  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  Erie  county. 
Aside  from  his  good  farming,  he  took  delight  in  own- 
ing and  fattening  fine  cattle.  To  this  he  adhered  for 
years.  His  conspicuous  presence  at  county  fairs  is 
well  remembered,  where  his  exhibits  were  in  keeping 
with  this  special  feature  of  his  farming.  He  secured 
a  large  pmperty  in  Erie  city  and  county.  His  was  a 
life  of  honest  industry.  In  appearance,  habits  and 
business,  Mr.  Weis  was  a  type  of  the  "  Pennsylvania 
German,"  to  which  race  our  commonwealth  is  so 
largely  indebted  for  its  prosperity.  Punctuality  in 
every  engagement,  honorable  dealings  with  all,  and  a 
regard  for  the  feelings  of  others,  made  his  name  a 
synonym  for  reliability.  His  cordial  manner  and  im- 
posing ajipearance  were  in  keeping  with  his  personal 
characteristics  and  comfortable  surroundings.  His  love 
of  flowers  and  their  utilization  an<i  cultivation  in  beau- 
tifying his  home  merit  emphasis.  He  was  a  devoted 
son  and  kind  brother.  Mr.  Weis  was  never  married. 
Like  others  of  his  generation  who  had  felt  the  absence 
of  early  advantages,  he  sought  to  give  to  those  who 
should  come  after  him  the  advantages  never  enjoyed 
by  himself.  In  keeping  with  his  advanced  views  and 
in  harmony  with'his  Heaven-inspired  wish  that  his  large 
possessions  might  to  this  end  be  made  available,  he 
de.signed  and  perfected  a  scheme  of  benevolence, 
which  will  give  to  his  name  a  princely  celebrity  in  the 
annals  of  Erie  county,  and  cause  his  memory  to  be 
long  and  tenderly  cherished,  in  jiroviding  for  a  mag- 
nificent free  [niblic  library.  It  should  do  more,  in 
-setting  an  example  of  noble  charity  and  judicious  giv- 
ing, to  be  followed,  long  after  the  hand  that  gave  it 
shall  have  crumbled  into  dust.  The  amount  thus  be- 
queathed is  estimated  at  from  S-W.OOO  to  SlO0,000. 
During  almost  a  century  of  existence  as  a  county,  no 
Erie  citizen  has  made  a  similar  bequest.  In  this  re- 
spect it  stands  alone.    The  provisions  of  this  grand 


and  thoughtful  device  can  be  found  minutely  set  forth 
in  the  chapter  relating  to  Mill  Creek  township.  The 
same  attention  to  details,  .so  characteristic  of  .Mr. 
Weis  through  life,  are  found  in  this  document,  so 
planned  as  to  insure  that  the  institution  may  live 
through  all  time.  Its  location  is  already  most  hap])ily 
settled.  The  location  is  in  West  Mill  Creek  on  the  soath- 
west  corner  of  the  Thomas  and  \'alley  roads,  directly 
ojiiiosite  school  \o.  9,  on  land  donated  by  Mr.  Amos 
Hinkle,  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Weis,  being  a  jiart  of 
the  old  Weis  homestead,  and  within  a  stone's  throw  of 
John  Weis'  birthplace.  The  building  was  completed 
early  in  189(5.  .About  two  years  before  his  death,  Mr. 
Weis  returned  to  West  Mill  Creek,  to  the  old  home, 
where  the  evening  of  his  life  was  spent.  \J\>  to  the 
last  decade  his  health  had  been  good.  Then  he  be- 
came subject  to  rheumatism,  the  intensity  of  which  in- 
creased with  his  years.  For  several  years  his  visits  to 
Erie  had  been  less  frequent.  After  a  confinement  at 
home  for  several  months,  he  died  on  the  old  place, 
where  about  ninety-eight  years  since  his  father  settled. 
There  he  closed  his  long,  unblemished  and  respected 
life. 

Richard  H.  Arbuckle,  farmer,  i)ostoffice  Erie, 
was  born  in  Erie  city  ( )ctober  14,  18^.'),  and  is  a  son  of 
William  G.  and  Catherine  (liowi-rsi  .'\rbuckle,  both 
still  living.  The  family  consisted  of  six  children,  viz.: 
Richard  H.,  George  W.,  Mary,  wife  of  J.  W.  Hum- 
Iihrey,  of  Jamestown,  N.  Y.;  Louisa  C,  wife  of  John 
K.  Hallock;  Frank  Pierce,  receiver  for  the  general 
land  office,  Denver,  Colo.,  and  John  Arbuckle  (de- 
ceased). In  1869  Mr.  Arbuckle  married  Miss  J.  An- 
tonette,  daughter  of  John  and  Charlotte  E.  (Barnes) 
Burton.  The  former  died  in  188fi,  and  the  latter  in 
1870.  Their  children  were;  J.  Antonette,  Mrs.  R.  H. 
Arbuckle;  Phcebe  J.,  wife  of  Jacob  Warftd;  Lydia  N., 
wife  of  H.  C.  Sprague,  of  Toledo,  ().,  and  Laura,  who 
died  in  18.53.  Children  of  Richard  Arbuckle:  Huldah 
Jeanette,  wife  of  John  C.  Wolf;  John  Burton,  Kate 
Eliza,  who  died  in  1868  at  the  age  of  2  years;  Miss 
Charlotte  Barnes,  William  Irwin  and  Richard  C.  Ar- 
buckle. John  B.  Arbuckle  married  Lillian  Kelsey. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  viz:  Phccbe 
Antonette,  born  September  11, 1890,  and  Donald  Cecil, 
born  December  7,  18911  William  Irwin  married  Le- 
nora  Clemens.  They  had  one  child,  Clemens  Irwin, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  7  months.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
C.  Wolf  have  one  child,  Richard  Burton,  born  Octo- 
ber 11,  1890.  Richard  .Arbuckle  and  his  descendants 
represent  an  important  branch  of  the  Arbuckle  fam- 
ily. He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Erie 
Academy,  and  soon  after  learned  the  printer's  trade. 
He  was  an  apprentice  t)n  the  Erie  Obxerter  for  four 
years,  and  was  afterwards  and  for  several  years  clerk 
in  the  Erie  postoffice.  He  served  as  county  commis- 
sioner, under  the  first  minority  representation  act,  for 
three  years,  1875-8,  and  was  collector  of  customs  at 
the  port  of  Erie  for  four  years,  frem  188.5-9.  In  the 
fulfillment  of  the  duties  of  each  office  of  trust,  Mr.  Ar- 
buckle showed  great  ability  and  gave  entire  satisfac- 
tion to  the  public.  Latterly  he  has  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  farming  pursuits  in  East  Mill  Creek,  and  his 
su]ierior  judgment  and  keen  foresight  is  demonstrated 
in  the  cultivation  of  his  farm,  its  fine  buildings  and 
modern  methods  pursued.  He  is  energetic,  public- 
S])irited,  and  always  takes  a  decided  position  on  all 
affairs  of  public  interest.     Without  solicitation  on  his 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  ROOK  OF  ERIE  COU:STY. 


807 


part,  Mr.  Arbuckle  was  appointed  collector  of  cus- 
toms  and   disbursinfj   af;ent   in    Erie,   in    December, 

1885,  and  was  commissionc-d,  January  29,  1S«6.  Beins 
the  only  dfficer  in  Krie  under  the  jurisdictifin  of  the 
United  States  Treasury  Department,  he  was  required 
to  give  heavy  bonds,  and  was  custodian  of  all  the  pub- 
lic property  belonging  to  the  Treasury  Department. 

Tobias  Fickinger,  farmer,  West  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship, postoffice  Erie,  was  born  June  14,  1811,  in  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania,  son  of  Frederick,  a  miller 
by  trade,  and  Elizabeth  (Lonf;)  Fickinger,  natives  of 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  They  came  to  this 
county  in  1831,  settling  in  .McKean  township  and  re- 
mained there  until  1844,  when  they  moved  to  .Ashta- 
bula county,  Ohio,  and  there  ended  their  days.  They 
were  parents  of  eight  children:  Samuel,  in  Erie 
county;  Jacob,  in  Ohio;  William;  Maria,  wife  of  J.  L. 
Skinner,  of  Illinois;  Letitia,  wife  of  George  Stinehiser, 
in  Indiana,  and  Tobias,  who  was  twice  married,  on  the 
first  occasion  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  John  and  .Susan 
Butt,  of  Mill  Creek  township;  by  this  union  were  born 
four  children:  Sarah  .\.,  wife  of  J.  T.  Brown;  J.  B., 
who  was  a  member  of  the  145th  P.  \ .  L  during  the  late 
war  and  died  at  Harper's  Ferry,  \"a.;  Sophia  (deceased), 
and  Rev.  Charles  F.,  married  to  Marilla,  daughter  of 
J.  Evans;  they  have  two  children,  Frank  and  Grace. 
On  the  death  of  his  wife  Mr.  Fickinger  married,  Oc- 
tober 8,  1872,  Mrs.  Catherine  (Butt)  Farver,  who  was 
born  March  15,  1813,  and  married  John  Farver  in  1837. 
by  this  union  were  born  five  children,  viz.:  Daniel,  in 
California;  John,  in  Mill  Creek  township,  married  to 
Lydia  Busick,  had  five  children,  Henry,  Kate  (de- 
ceased), Oney,  John,  Stella;  Susan  F.,  now  Mrs.  G. 
Stone,  have  six  children;  Sarah,  wife  of  C.  Ott,  have 
two  children;  Mary,  wife  of  T.  McKee,  haveone  child; 
Edward,  who  has  been  road  commissioner  and  school 
director  for  many  years.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

M.  H.  Silverthora,  superintendent  Erie  County 
.Alms  House,  was  born  and  reared  in  Fairview  town- 
ship, June  19,  1827,  and  is  of  Scotch-Welsh  descent. 
Four  brothers  first  came  to  Erie  county  at  an  early 
day:  Abraham,  Isaac,  Thomas  and  James.  Abraham 
soon  after  removed  to  Conneaut,  Ohio;  Isaac  died  at 
Girard;  Thomas  went  West,  and  James  removed  to 
Canada.  The  latter  was  grandfather  of  Mr.  M.  H.  Sil- 
verthorn,  who  is  the  son  of  John  and  Caroline  (Davis) 
Silverthorn.  The  former  died  in  18-55,  at  the  age  of  55 
years.  M.  H.  is  the  second  in  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren: Esther  Ann,  .M.  H.,  Harriett,  Elvira,  Norton  J., 
Emiline,  Levi  and  Cyntha.  .Mr.  M.  H.  Silverthorn  in 
1850  was  married  to  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  David 
Russell,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Fairview.  Of  their 
issue  are  five  children,  as  follows:  Russell  (deceased), 
John,  Florence,  wife  of  W.C.  Luther;  James,  now  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Bertha,  daughter  of  R.  B.  Brooks  (they 
have  one  child,  Russell);  Frank  M.,  lithographer  in 
Erie,  and  Carl,  a  teacher.  Mr.  Silverthorn  has  long 
been  a  prominent  farmer  in  Fairview  township  and  a 
citizen  of  worth  and  value.  In  1867  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  and  served  as  county  commissioner 
two  terms,  from  18f)9  to  1875,  being  the  first  commis- 
sioner who  succeeded  himself  in  Erie  county.  In  this 
he  figured  consjiicuously,  in  that  he  began  a  prosecu- 
tion against  the  officials  of  the  county,  which  resulted 
in  better  methods.    On  account  of  his  action  during  his 


first  term  he  was  the  choice  of  both  parties  at  his  sec- 
ond election.  This  estimable  gentleman  was  twice 
elected  to  the  Legislature  by  a  large  Republican  ma- 
jority, first  in  1880  and  again  in  1882.  It  was  during 
his  first  term  that  his  name  was  immortalized  as  the 
great  political  reformer  of  Erie  county.  The  stupend- 
ous Pittsburg  riot  bill  was  being  agitated  and  lobbyists 
were  pulling  wires,  and  if  successful  it  meant  the  pay- 
ment of  several  millions  of  dollars  by  the  State.  The 
member  from  Erie  was  the  chief  factor  in  its  defeat, 
which  made  this  vast  saving  to  the  taxpayers.  He  was 
returned  to  the  Legislature  the  next  term  with  an  over- 
whelming majority.  And  thus  has  his  public  life  been 
characterized  as  a  grand  success.  In  1891  he  was  ap- 
pointed superintendent  of  the  Erie  County  Alms- 
house, which  position  he  now  holds. 

JoliH  V.  Mangold,  proprietor  of  the  Mangold 
House,  West  Mill  Creek,  postoffice  Erie,  son  of  Frank 
and  Margaret  (Rupp)  .Mangold,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  the  third 
child  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  as  follows:  Thomas, 
Frank,  Joseph,  John  \'.,  Mary,  wife  of  Dennis  Hawley; 
Lena,  wife  of  Amand  Lochner;  Teresa,  wife  of  Joseph 
Arndt,  and  Melen  Mangold.  John  V.  Mangold  was 
married  May  9,  1886,  to  ^liss  Ida  Oberkirk,  daughter  of 
Michael  and  Anna  Oberkirk,  formerly  of  Weigelville, 
Erie  county.  Mr.  Oberkirk  formerly  kept  the  hotel  now 
conducted  by  Mr.  Mangold,  the  same  having  been  run 
and  managed  by  him  since  1891.  He  is  an  energetic 
man  and  anticipates  fully  the  demands  ot  a  patroniz- 
ing public  in  the  outfit  of  his  hotel,  which  is  known  as 
the  Mangold  House,  in  honor  of  the  present  pro- 
prietor. 

Donald  Clark,  blacksmith,  Mill  Creek  township, 
postoffice  Erie,  is  a  native  of  Scotland  and  was  born  in 
1862,  where  he  learned  his  trade.  He  came  to  New 
York  in  January,  1890,  began  business  for  himself  in 
1893,  and  by  frugality  and  persistent  industry  has  be- 
come well  established.  Mr.  Clark  is  the  son  of  Neil 
and  Jane  (Brodie)  Clark,  life-long  residents  of  Scot- 
land.    The  latter  died  in  1880. 

Emil  V.  Buseck.  farmer,  West  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Mill  Creek  township  in  1846,  son  of 
Lewis  Buseck,  who  came  to  Erie  county  from  Ger- 
many at  the  age  of  28  years.  He  first  came  to  Pitts- 
burg and  soon  after  to  Mill  Creek  township.  He 
married  Miss  Caroline  Stohlman,  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  they  fought  the  battle  of  life  successfully.  He 
died  in  August,  1893,  and  his  widow  still  survives  at 
the  age  of  74  years.  Their  issue  was  as  follows: 
Augusta,  wife  of  John  Knobloch;  Charles;  Emma, 
widow  of  W.  E.  Evans,  of  Fairview;  Julius,  of  Erie; 
Lewis,  Albert,  William  and  Carrie  \'.  Buseck.  Febru- 
ary 21,  1884,  Emil  \'.  Buseck  was  married  to  Mary, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Fickinger,  of  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship. Their  children  are:  Frank,  Fred  and  Elsie. 
Samuel  Fickinger  came  to  Erie  county  when  a  boy, 
and  was  a  successful  farmer  and  substantial  citizen. 
He  died  in  1887,  aged  71  years.  His  wife,  Mary 
(Stough)  Fickinger,  was  a  native  of  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship, and  died  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  61  years.  Mr. 
Fickinger  was  superintendent  of  the  Erie  County 
Almshouse  from  1848  until  18-54. 

R.  W.  Battles.  M.  D.,  West  Mill  Creek  post- 
office,  was  born  in  Girard  township  in  1856,  where  he 
was  reared.     In  1878  he  graduated  from  the  University 


8o8 


JfELSON-S  BIOORAPmCAL  DICTIONARY 


of  Michigan,  and  in  1880  from  the  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege, and  soon  after  began  the  practice  of  medicine  at 
Crossingville,  Crawford  county,  Pa.,  and  continued  his 
practice  at  Ripley,  N.  Y.,  and  Fairview,  locating  in 
u'est  Mill  Creek  in  1895.  Besides  devoting  close 
attention  to  an  increasing  practice,  Dr.  Battles  has 
found  time  to  contribute  to  journalism,  his  writing 
appearing  in  the  Chicago  I>i(tr-Ore<in,  N'ew  York 
M'orhl  anil  the  Anttrican  Ayriculturiit.  On  Novem- 
ber 10,  1880,  Dr.  Battles  was  married  to  Teresa, 
daughter  of  Hon.  L.  \V.  Thickstun,  ex-editor  of  the 
Meadville  Republican,  and  former  owner  of  the  Craw- 
ford Tribune  and  Journal.  The  issue  of  this  union  has 
been  three  children,  namely:  Donald  Raymond,  Ralph 
Asa  and  Kord  Lewis.  Dr.  Battles  is  a  member  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  \\ .,  E.  A.  U.,  and  examiner  for  the  New  Y'ork 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company.  He  was  born  in 
Girard  township  in  1827,  and  was  a  son  of  the  late  Asa 
and  Elizabeth  liattles,  natives  of  \"ermont.  Asa  Bat- 
tles, of  Girard,  was  a  fruit  culturist,  who  for  several 
years  conducted  one  of  the  finest  and  most  extensive 
fruit  plantations  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
first  record  of  this  name  in  America  is  found  in 
Savage's  Genealogical  Dictionary.  Thomas  Battles,  a 
Puritan  emigrant,  settled  at  Dedham,  Mass.,  in  1642, 
married  Mary  Fisher,  and  raised  a  family  of  children, 
dying  in  1706.  It  is  said  one  of  his  sons  settled  in 
Bridgewater,  Mass.,  from  whom  descended  John  Bat- 
tles, the  great-grandfather  of  Dr.  Battles,  who  married 
a  Miss  Curtis  November  16,  1749,  and  had  several 
children,  the  eldest  named  John  (the  great-grandfather 
of  the  Doctor),  who  married  Lydia  Spear,  his  first  wife, 
and  had  five  children,  the  fifth  being  Asa,  sr.  (grand- 
father of  Dr.  R.  W.  Battles);  also  by  his  second  wife, 
five  children.  Asa  Battles,  sr.,  was  born  in  1786  and 
married  Elizabeth  Brown  November  22,  1814,  the 
daughter  of  Abraham  Brown,  the  well-known  writer  of 
sacred  poetry;  many  of  the  hymns  are  retained  in  the 
popular  collections  of  the  day.  They  had  the  follow- 
ing children,  all  living:  Rosana,  born  June  27,  1815, 
married  L.  J.  Baldwin;  George  W.,  born  June  15, 1816, 
married  a  Miss  Bartlett;  Alsiva,  born  July  22,  1820; 
Lucinda,  born  January  1(5,  1824;  Asa,  born  September 
21,  1827,  married  a  Miss  Webster.  He  was  a  soldier 
in  the  war  of  1812.  In  1814  he  settled  in  Western 
New  York,  but  in  1825  he  removed  to  Girard,  Pa., 
where  he  resided  until  his  death.  May  10,  1848,  aged 
62  years.  His  widow  survived  until  October  10,  1868, 
aged  81  years.  Asa  Battles,  at  the  early  age  of  20 
years,  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  conducting  one 
of  the  largest  stores  in  Girard.  At  21  he  was  appomted 
postmaster,  holding  the  office  four  years,  when  he 
engaged  in  mail  contracting  on  quite  a  large  scale 
with  the  postoffice  department,  having  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  war  of  the  rebellion  contracts  in  all 
the  middle  and  western  and  several  of  the  southern 
States.  Owing  to  the  unsettling  of  values,  the  war 
about  destroyed  this  business.  He  then  returned  his 
attention  to  the  mercantile  trade,  opening  a  wholesale 
store  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and  soon  after  another  in 
Chicago;  was  also  proprietor  of  a  large  hotel  in  Chicago 
prior  to  the  great  fire,  after  which  he  had  one  in  St. 
Louis  for  a  few  years.  Although  exempt  from  military 
duty,  he  hired  a  substitute  and  kept  him  in  the  service 
during  the  war.  When  Pennsylvania  was  unable  to 
fill  herquota  in  the  army  without  resorting  to  a  draft, 
he  accepted  a  commission  from  the  Governor  to  i)ro- 
ceed  to  the  Gulf  States  and  obtain  colored  recruits,  in 


which  he  was  quite  successful.  He  was  also  largely 
engaged  in  the  oil  business,  owning  many  producing 
wells,  and  a  large  refinery  on  Oil  Creek.  He  was 
married  December  27,  1849,  to  Sarah  M.,  daughter  of 
Perley  Hinds,  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  the  county. 
Six  children  have  been  born  to  them,  five  of  whom  are 
now  living:  Clarence  Perley,  born  October  16,  1853, 
graduate  of  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  now 
practicing  medicine  in  Hot  Springs,  -Ark.;  Raymond 
Willis;  Milton  Lamak,  born  September  21,  1860,  a 
graduate  of  the  L'niversity  of  Pennsylvania,  practicing 
dental  surgery  at  Hot  Springs;  Leland  Asa,  born  June 
8,  1876,  druggist  at  Hot  -Springs,  and  Cora  Gertrude, 
born  January  18,  1871.  Mrs.  Battles,  mother  of  Dr. 
Battles,  is  still  living  at  Pleasant  View  farm,  Girard. 

George  Buchan  Booth,  L.L.  D.,  pastor  of 
Westminster  Presbyterian  Church,  West  Mill  Creek 
postoffice,  was  born  in  1850,  and  is  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, son  of  William  and  Beatrice  (Buchan)  Booth. 
George  Booth  received  his  early  training  and  educa- 
tion in  his  native  country,  and  afterward  came  to 
America,  and  located  in  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  ac- 
cepted a  call  from  the  Westminster  Church  in  1887. 
He  was  educated  in  the  Glasgow  University  and  Free 
Church  Divinity  College,  and  took  a  post-graduate 
course  at  Wooster  (Ohio)  L'niversity.  His  first  pastor-, 
ate  was  in  the  Hamilton  Presbytery,  Scotland.  Rev. 
Mr.  Booth  was  married  in  1889,  to  Frances  Ada, 
daughter  of  James  Brown,  of  Hamilton,  Ont.  They 
have  four  children:  Anna  Beatrice,  George  Cameron, 
Isabella  Home  and  Launs  Paul.  Since  accepting  his 
present  pastorate  the  church  building  has  been  re- 
placed with  a  handsome  brick  structure,  at  a  cost  of 
§10,000,  and  the  spiritual  work  greatly  revived  and 
ciuickened. 

Charles  P.  Betison,  farmer.  Mill  Creek  post- 
office,  Erie,  was  born  in  .Sweden,  in  1868,  and  came  to 
Erie  county  from  his  native  land  in  1890.  He  is  a  son 
of  Bengt  and  Petronalla  Johnson.  The  former  died 
March  10,  1892,  and  the  latter,  May  17,  1875.  Charles 
received  instructions  at  the  Erie  Business  L'niversity, 
and  began  the  dairy  and  milk  retailing  business  from 
the  Warfel  farm,  Xlill  Creek  township,  with  his  part- 
ner, Andrew  Carlson,  in  1894,  which  is  being  con- 
ducted successfully.  His  partner,  Mr.  Carlson,  born 
in  Sweden,  February  4,  18(i6,  and  came  to  this  country 
in  1888,  is  a  son  of  Johnson  and  Annetta  Carlson. 
The  former  died  in  1891.  Andrew  is  a  member  of  the 
North  Star  Council,  National  L'nion,  Erie. 

Samuel  Hoover,  retired  farmer,  of  Mill  Creek 
township,  Erie  postoffice,  was  born  in  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1831.  He  is  a  son  of  George 
Hoover,  who  began  and  carried  on  a  large  distillery 
in  York  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  later  removed  to 
Lancaster  county,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  84 
years.  His  widow,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary 
Eaton,  daughter  of  Abraham  Eaton,  died  three  years 
later,  at  the  age  of  76  years.  Their  children  were 
George,  Mary  and  ."-'arr-uel,  who  for  several  years  car- 
ried on  farming.  He  served  in  the  late  war,  and  be- 
longed to  Co.  A,  llOth  Reg.,  P.  \'.  1.,  and  now  receives 
a  pension.  He  was  married  in  lS(i4  to  Mary  Zimmer- 
man, who  died  in  1891.  Two  children  were  born  to 
this   union:  Lizzie,  wife  of    George   Stultzman,    and 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


809 


Mary,  wife  of  John  Stult/man.  Mr.  Hoover  relates 
many  incidents  of  his  early  Hfe  with  interest  and  vigor 
which  is  surprising. 

J.  C.  Mutin,  farmer,  West  Mill  Creek,  postoffice 
Erie,  was  horn  in  Erie  March  8,  1(<30.  son  of  Chandler 
X.  and  Margaret  (Lowryi  Miinn,  well-known  residents 
of  this  locality.     Chandler  X.  Munn  died  June  5, 1832, 
at  the  age  of  30  years,  and  his  widow  died  April  3U, 
1870,  aged  70  years.     Their  marriage  occurre<i  August 
25,  1825.     Mr.  J.  C.  .Munn  married  Margaret  Stantield, 
May  10,  1854.     Her  death  occurred  June  2, 1870.     The 
issue   of  this   marriage   was  nine  children:     Reid  C, 
born  February  24,  1855;  died  June  26,  1886;  Field  X., 
born  May  3,  1856;  died  December  23,   1894;  John  K., 
born  May  20,  1858;  James,  born   December  18,  1859; 
Mary    Lydia,  born   Xovember  14,   1861;  infant,  born 
Xovember  18,  died  December  10,  1863;  seventh  child, 
born  October  4,   1864,   died  in    infancy;  William  B., 
born  Xovember  29,  1865;  Samuel  S.,  born  October  18, 
1868;  died  February  13,  1870;  .Mary  L.  is  wife  of  W. 
J.  Reed,  of  Miles  Grove;  William  15.  married  .Miss  Ida 
Warner;  James  married  .Miss  Louisa  Fails,  of  Miles 
Grove.     J.  C.  Munn's  first  wife  died  June  2,  1870,  and 
October  12,  1871,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
R.,  daughter  of  James  and  Polly  (Kelley)  Barr,  prom- 
inent residents  of  Erie  county.     Mr.  and   Mrs.  Barr 
were  married  in  1812,  and  located  on  the  Barr  faim  in 
Harbor  Creek.     Mr.  Barr  was  a  captain  of  militia,  and 
when  the  war  of  1812  was  declared,   he  and  his  com- 
pany volunteered  to  go  West  and  join  Gen.  Harrison's 
command,  which  they  did,  and  were  in  the  service  a 
long  time.     After  his  return,  he  and  his  company  were 
in  the  service  in  Erie  until  the  close  of  the  war.     The 
Barr  family  resided  in  Harbor  Creek  until  1830,  and 
removed  to  Mill  Creek,  and  the  last  fifty  yearsof  Mrs. 
Barr's  life  were  spent  on  that  farm.     Mr.  Barr  died  in 
1835,  leaving  a  widow  and   nine  children   in  straight- 
ened   circumstances.     Each    member   of  the   family 
made  the  most  of  life's  opportunities  aud  have  been 
successful.     Mrs.  Barr  was  one  of  the  original  mem- 
bers that  formed  the  first  church  in   Erie,  organized 
and  established  by  Rev.  Robert  Reid,  pastor  of  the 
First  Associated  Reformed  (now  United  Presbyterian) 
Church,  of  Erie,  in  1811.     Mrs.  Barr  was  the  only  sur- 
vivor of  that  little  band  for  many  years.     John  Kelley, 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Munn,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  was  born   in  Bucks  county,   Pennsyl- 
vania, and  moved  to  this  county  soon  after  18(X),  lo- 
cating on  the  bank  of  Lake  Erie,  a  short  distance  east 
of  the  wild  lands  at  the  mouth  of  Elk  creek.     In   1802 
he  purchased  from   the   State   reserve  tract    Xo.  27, 
known  for  three-quarters   of   a   century   as  the   Butt 
farm.     Here  he  died,  and  was  buried  on  the  banks  of 
the  lake.     His  wife  died  at  the  house  of  her  daughter, 
Mrs.   Barr,    in    1858.     James   Barr   and   Polly  Kelley 
were  married,  .-^pril  14,  1812;  Matthew  R.   Barr  mar- 
ried Laura  Wright,  March  31, 1842;  Frederick  X.  Bond 
and  Mary  K.  Barr  were  married,   .May  16,   1852;  Lu- 
ther Wright  married  Harriet  M.   Barr,  April  8,   1868; 
George  W.  Barr  married  Julia  A.  Wilder,  January  6, 
1860.     The  first  of  the  Barr  family  came  to  .•\merica 
in  1739,  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  in  the  person  of 
James  Barr,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Munn.     He  married 
Elizabeth  Kirk,  in  1750,  and  died  in  Harbor  Creek   in 
1823.     Of  this  family  there  were  two  sons  and   eight 
daughters.     The  children  of  James  Barr  are;  John  K  , 
born  September  13,  1813;  Elizabeth  Ann,  born  August 


7,  1815;  Matthew  R.,  born  December  25,  1817;  Louisa 
Aurelia,  horn  December  7,  1819;  George  W.,  born 
July  4,  1S22;  Harriet  Margaret,  born  Xovember  13, 
1824;  Marv  Kelley,  born  April  25,  1827;  .Martha  Re- 
becca, born  December  20,  1829;  Ellen  Cordelia,  born 
March  4,  18;W;  James  Moses,  born  September  27, 
1835.  Mary  Barr,  grandmother  of  J.  C.  Munn,  was 
born  May  23,  1770.  .Mr.  J.  C.  Munn  is  a  grandson  of 
Andrew  Lowry,  one  of  ten  brothers  who  came  from 
Ireland  in  1765.  His  children  were:  Eliza,  married  to 
George  Gallowhur,  July  8,  1819;  Margaret,  married  to 
C.  X.  Munn,  .August  25,  1825;  Maria,  married  to  Rob- 
ert Caldwell,  February  1,  1821;  Katy  Ann,  born  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1804,  married  to  James  Alexander,  October 
21,  1823;  Sarah,  born  March  5,  1806;  died  July  15, 
1809;  Dr.  Samuel  S.,  born  June  27,  1808;  died  Sep- 
tember 11,  1838.  Mr.  Munn  is  an  energetic  and  pro- 
gressive citizen  in  the  community,  ever  alive  to  the  in- 
terests of  his  surroundings.  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Munn  are 
members  of  the  L^nited  Presbyterian  Church. 

F.  J.  Browa,  farmer.  Mill  Creek  township,  post- 
office  Erie,  was  born  June  11,  1861,  of  German  ances- 
try, and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Lena  fOberhart)  Brown, 
of  McKean  township.  The  former  is  living  with  her 
son,  F.  J.,  on  the  farm,  near  the  city  of  Erie,  at  the 
age  of  70  years.  The  latter  died  in  1891,  at  the  age  of 
59  years.  Their  children  are:  Frances  (deceased), 
wife  of  Michael  Ritter;  Jacob,  Henry,  Michael,  a  resi- 
dent of  Oregon;  F.  J.  and  Lena,  of  Erie.  F.  J.  Brown 
was  married  in  February,  1884,  to  Frances,  daughter  of 
Xicholas  and  Maggie  (WeingartI  Whitman.  Tothem 
have  been  born  two  children:  .Maggie,  born  in  1887, 
and  Lizzie,  born  in  1890.  Mr.  Brown  began  to  farm 
five  years  ago;  prior  to  that  time  he  was  in  the  meat 
business  in  McKean  township.  Joseph  Brown  came 
first  to  Erie  in  1852.  He  is  a  son  of  Conrad  Brown 
who  resided  in  Germany  during  his  lifetime.  Mr. 
Brown  attended  the  public  schools,  and  is  a  careful 
farmer  and  respected  citizen. 

Adam  Hellmaun,  farmer,  Mill  Creek  township, 
postoffice  Kearsarge,  native  of  Erie  county,  of  Ger- 
man ancestry,  was  born  July  10,  1871.  He  is  a  son  of 
Frank  and  Maggie  (Kearn)  Hellmann,  who  came  to 
Erie  county  In  1866,  from  Germany.  John  Kearn, 
grandfather  of  Adam,  died  in  Germany  in  1885.  His 
widow  was  Teressa  Kearn,  who  still  survives.  Their 
children  were:  Helen,  Balzor  and  \'an  Treaser. 
Adam  is  the  third  child  in  a  family  of  four  children,  as 
follows:  Helen,  .•\dam,  Peter  and  Frank,  jr.  In  1893 
Mr.  Hellmann  was  married  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Mar- 
tin Gossman.  They  have  one  child,  Leo.  Frank 
Hellmann,  father  of  Adam,  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O. 
v.  W.,  and  with  his  son  manages  a  large  farm  near  the 
city  of  Erie. 

William  A.  Hagmann.  dairyman,  a  native  of 
Erie  county,  Xew  York,  was  born  August  26,  1870. 
He  is  a  son  of  Gotleib  and  Warbery  (>lichlier)  Hag- 
mann, natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  America  in 
1858,  first  locating  in  Xew  York  State,  and  later  in  the 
city  of  Erie.  Their  children  are:  Joseph  (whose 
sketch  appears  in  this  work),  Charles,  Levi,  Mary, 
wife  of  Eugene  Lyons,  of  Erie;  Matilda,  wife  of  W. 
C.  Allen,  of  Erie;  Amelia,  wife  of  Frank  Slocuni,  of 
Erie;  Louisa,  William  and  Anna,  wife  of  Charles  Par- 
ker, of  Erie.    William  came  to  Erie  city  ten  years  ago, 


Sio 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPUIGAL  DICTIONARY 


bt;i;;in  '.iLiSiiier's  ;is  a  ilairyuKin  live  years  ajjii;  antl  by 
upright  dealing  has  a  most  liberal  patronage.  March 
10,  1872,  he  was  married  to  Hertha  E.,  daughter 
of  David  Wolf,  of  Lancaster,  Pa.  Her  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Susanna  Baechner;  she  still 
survives  her  husband,  who  died  in  189.3,  at  the  age 
of  7.")  years.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William 
Hagmann  are:  Mabel  Leola,  Harry  and  William 
Hagmann.  Mr.  Hagmann  now  owns  a  modern  home 
near  the  outskirts  of  the  city  of  Erie,  and  by  his  gen- 
erous, straightforward  dealing  is  fast  gaining  a  com- 
petency. He  wasbrought  up  as  a  Methodist.  In  [uili- 
tics  he  is  a  Republican. 

S.  B.  P.  Zuck,  farmer.  Mill  Creek  township,  post- 
office  Erie,  son  of  John  J.  and  Sallie  (Ebersoll)  Zuck, 
who  si-ttled  early  in  Mill  Creek,  on  what  is  known  as 
the  Buffalo  road.  John  Zuck,  grandfather  of  S.  B. 
P.,  came  early  from  Germany,  and  settled  in  Erie 
county,  near  Erie  city,  w-hen  this  section  was  a  dense 
wilderness.  This  early  pioneer  was  among  the  very 
first  to  settle  in  Erie  county,  locating  on  what  is  known 
as  "the  flats."  He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
John  Riblet,  wlio  was  also  identified  with  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  county.  John  Zuck,  father  of  .S.  B.  P.,  died 
in  his  83d  year,  'in  1838  S.  B.  P.  Zuck  married  Mary 
Ann,  daughter  of  John  McGlaughlin,  a  prominent  resi- 
dent of  Erie  county.  Their  children  are:  George,  Mary 
and  John  J.,  a  resident  of  New  Jersey.  Mr.  Zuck  was 
born  near  where  he  now  resides  in  1815,  and  has  lived 
to  see  various  improvements  of  the  locality  carried 
out,  and  was  instrumental  in  carrying  out  many  plans 
for  the  advancement  of  his  township  in  the  way 
of  roads.  Mr.  Zuck  owns  one  of  the  finest  farms  of 
the  township,  which  from  an  eminence  overlooks 
Lake  Erie.  He  has  lived  to  reap  the  fruit  of  his  labor, 
and  has  been  a  useful  and  honored  citizen  in  the  com- 
niunitv.  His  father,  John  Zuck,  was  a  veteran  of  the 
war  of  1812. 

M.  G.  Pollock,  farmer.  Mill  Creek  township, 
postoffice  Erie,  was  liorn  in  Erie  county  m  1831,  son  of 
Matthew  and  Hannah  (McClure)  Pollock,  natives  of 
Ireland,  who  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Erie 
county  in  1820.  Matthew  Pollock  was  an  early  settler 
of  the  county,  and  bought  the  farm  where  M.  G.  Pol- 
lock now  resides,  known  as  Academy  land,  and  reared 
a  family  of  ten  children,  of  which  M.  G.  was  the 
seventh.  Their  issue  was  as  follows:  Margaret  (de- 
ceased), Hannah  (deceased),  David  (deceased),  John 
(deceased),  S.  T.,  Alexander  (deceased),  M.  G., 
Rebecca  (deceased),  Elizabeth  (deceased)  and  Mary 
C.  (deceased).  Matthew  Pollock  died  at  the  age  of  72 
years,  and  his  widow  at  the  age  of  71  years.  Mr.  M. 
G.  Pollock  was  married  in  1850  to  Margaret,  daughter 
of  Oliver  Dunn,  of  .McKean  tow  nship,  an  old  resident. 
He  died  in  1877,  at  the  age  of  72  years.  His  widow, 
Elizabeth  Diunars  Dunn,  is  still  living  in  Erie,  at  the 
age  of  i)4  years.  Their  issue  was  thirteen  children,  of 
whom  are  living:  Mary,  of  Arkansas;  Margaretta,  wife 
of  M.  G.  Pollock;  Matilda  J.  Dunn,  with  her  mother  in 
Erie;  Allen,  Erank  and  Findley,  all  of  whom  partici- 
pated in  the  late  war.  The  children  of  M.  G.  Pollock 
are:  Ninette,  wife  of  R.  W.  Wright,  West  Greene; 
Alice  H.,  wife  of  Simeon  I.  Hamot,  .Summit  township; 
Maggie  L.,  wife  of  Albert  Weidler,  Erie;  Mary  E., 
wife  of  Charles  W.  Nick,  druggist,  Erie;  John,  de- 
ceased;   James    Oliver,    deceased;    Erank    S.,    Erie; 


Charles  G.,  New  I'rrain,  C.n;i„  ;:;i,!  I Ir.rry  \V.  Pol- 
lock, Erie.  Mr.  Pollock  for  twenty  years  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Summit  township,  where  he  was  assessor  in 
1877,  and  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen  in  the 
community.  He  is  a  nu-mlier  of  the  L'nited  Presliy- 
terian  Church. 

George  Biebel,  merchant,  Kearsarge  postoffice, 
i  Mill  Creek  township,  was  l)orn  and  reared  in  Mill 
Creek  township.  He  was  bi>rn  January  1,  1846,  son  of 
Daniel  and  Charlotte  (Gintz)  Hiebel,  natives  of  Ger- 
many. Daniel  Biebel  was  liorn  in  the  year  1817,  and 
now  resides  in  Kearsarge,  and  is  hale  and  hearty.  He 
j  began  in  this  country  first  in  the  employ  of  Hurkins 
&  Co.,  bricklayers,  Erie;  this  was  in  .August,  183(). 
Mrs.  Biebel,  mother  of  George,  is  a  sister  of  the  late 
Cajjt.  Gintz.  .Mr.  15iebel  married,  in  IStiil,  .Miss  Mary 
Schuwerk,  daughter  of  Joseph  .Scluiwerk,  of  McKean. 
The  following  children  have  been  born  to  this  union: 
August  J.,  Edward  D.,  \\'illiam  J.  and  .Vmelia  K.  Mr. 
Biebel  began  the  mercantile  business  in  his  jiresent 
location  in  1872,  where  he  has  enjoyed  the  liberal 
patronage  which  he  seeks  to  deserve  l)y  carrying  all 
the  merchandise  embraced  in  a  general  store;  gro- 
ceries, provisions,  flour,  feed;  fertilizers,  boots  and 
shoes,  glassware,  farming  tools,  hats,  caps  and  notions; 
also  mowers  and  l)inders,  manufactured  by  the  John- 
son Harvesting  Company,  of  Batavia,  N.  Y.  Mr. 
Biebel  has  enjoyed  that  degree  of  prosperity  that  fol- 
lows persistent  industry  and  satisfactory  dealing.  He 
was  ajipointed  postmaster  under  President  Grant's 
administration,  December  21,  1873,  and  still  holds  the 
otfice,  bearing  the  distinction  of  holding  a  jiostoffice 
ajjijointment  the  longest  of  any  postmaster  in  Erie 
county.  Mr.  Biebel  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  party  affilia- 
tions. 

Joseph  Seelinger.  dairyman,  Kearsarge  post- 
office,  Mill  Creek  townshi]),  Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Erie  county,  November  4,  18.53.  He  is  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Kate  (Wagner)  Seelinger.  The  former 
died  in  Texas,  in  the  year  of  1871,  at  the  age  of  45 
years.  He  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Capt.  Frank  Wag- 
ner, a  survivor  of  the  late  war.  Joseph  was  reared  in 
Erie  county,  and  at  an  early  age  went  to  New  Jersey, 
remaining  a  few  years,  and  later,  after  a  four  years' 
residence  in  Texas,  he  returned  to  Erie  county,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  Following  are  the  children  of 
Jacob  and  Kate  Seelinger:  Joseph,  Eveline,  Kate, 
wife  of  Edward  Barron,  of  McKean;  Frank,  of  Erie; 
Anna,  wife  of  William  Zimmerman,  of  Erie;  F.  D. 
and  John,  of  Erie.  Joseph  Seelinger  was  married 
May  3,  1882,  to  Philniena,  daughter  of  Peter  Kutz,  of 
Mill  Creek  township.  Mrs.  Louisa  (Meyer)  Kutz, 
mother  of  Mrs.  Seelinger,  was  a  native  of  Germany. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  .Seelinger  are:  William, 
Joseph  and  George.  Mr.  Seelinger  manages  a  milk 
route  in  the  city  of  Erie,  is  a  member  of  the  C.  M, 
B.  A.,  and  of  St.  Joseph's  Church.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  a  highly  esteemed  citizen. 

Henry  Sherner,  farmer.  Mill  Creek  township, 
postoffice  Kearsarge,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  came  to  this 
county  and  settled  in  West  Mill  Creek  township  in 
1848,-  and  is  a  son  of  William  Sherner,  a  native  of 
Germany,  who  lived  and  die<l  in  his  native  county. 
Henry  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eight   children,  as 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


fdUows:  \\-i,'ht  (fkTuasi-il',  Frcdcrika  (ilcccnsc;!,, 
William,  resident  of  Ohio;  Lewis,  living  in  Illinois; 
Lena  (deceased),  Conrader,  Henry  and  Lottie,  living  in 
McKean  township.  Mr.  Sherner's  children  are;  Henry, 
Matilda,  wife  of  George  Stell;  William,  living  in  West 
Mill  Creek;  and  Charles  .Sherner.  Mr.  Sherner  has 
struggled  successfully  with  life's  battles,  and  gained  a 
competency.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church,  Erie.  Mr.  Sherner  participated  in  the  Ger- 
man war  in  1847. 

Ira  Hamiltoti,  farmer,  Mill  Creek  township,  post- 
office  Kearsarge,  was  born  in  18fi(J,  in  LeBeeuf  town- 
shi]i,  where  he  spent  his  early  days.  He  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Lorinda  (Pooley)  Hamilton,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania. They  reared  a  family  of  six  children:  Sam- 
uel, LeRoy,  William,  Albert,  Ira  and  Charles  L.  Ira 
married  Amy  Augusta,  daughter  of  Chauncey  J. 
Moore,  of  Elk  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1881,  and  to 
this  union  have  been  born  four  children:  Pearl, 
Jeanette,  Helena  and  Hazel.  Ira  E.  Hamilton  started 
in  life  in  LeBceuf  township,  where  he  lived  for  eight 
years,  removed  to  Waterford  township  in  1888,  and  to 
Sterrett  farm  in  Mill  Creek  township  in  1894.  John 
Hamilton,  father  of  Ira,  enlisted  in  the  late  war  where 
he  died.  Mr.  Hamilton  has  been  an  energetic  and 
progressive  pioneer. 

Andrew  Bruder,  farmer,  Mill  Creek  township, 
postoffice  Kearsarge,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Erie,  in  ISoH,  son  of  .Andrew  Bruder,  who  set- 
tled in  Mill  Creek  township  in  18(59.  He  was  a  native 
of  Renselaer  county.  New  York.  Andrew  is  the  sec- 
ond in  a  family  of  six  children,  as  follows:  L.  L.,  An- 
drew, Jose[)h, Frank,  Mary  (deceased),  .Anna  (deceased). 
Andrew  Bruder  married  his  first  wife  Katie,  daughter 
of  .Anthony  McGuire,  a  native  of  Erie,  who  died  in 
1894.  In  1895  he  married  Jennie,  daughter  of  John 
Sedelmeyer,  of  Erie.  Mr.  Bruder,  for  eight  years  prior 
to  1894,  carried  on  an  extensive  dairy  business  in  the 
city  of  Erie.  He  is  now  located  on  a  fine  farm  of  fifty 
acres,  near  the  southern  border  of  West  Mill  Creek 
township,  and  is  a  most  genial  and  energetic  citizen. 
He  is  a  member  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  Erie. 

Jacob  Kocher,  sr.,  farmer,  Mill  Creek  township, 
is  a  native  of  Germany,  and  was  born  in  18^38,  son  of 
Benedict  and  .Anna  ( .Murry)  Kocher,  who  spent  their 
lives  in  Germany.  The  former  died  at  the  age  of  79 
years  and  the  latter  at  83.  Nine  children  were  born 
to  this  union,  as  follows:  Benedict,  who  died  in  Ger- 
many; Anna  (deceased),  wife  of  Rudolph  Bithermund; 
.Magdalena  (deceased),  wife  of  Abraham  Bithermund; 
Nicholas;  John,  a  resident  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.;  Mary, 
Jacob  and  Rosanna,  wife  of  Fred  -Southley.  Jacob 
Kocher  was  married  September  27,  18t)4,  to  Caroline, 
daughter  of  John  Bothmer,  a  native  of  Germany.  She 
die<i  August  7,  1890,  at  the  age  of  5()  years.  They  had 
eight  children:  Adolph,  Anna,  now  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam Fagan;  Fred,  Jacob,  Margaret,  now  the  wife  of 
Fred  Fagan;  Emma,  Edith  and  Charles.  Mr.  Kocher 
owned  a  grist  mill  near  where  he  now  resides  and  had 
full  charge  of  the  same  for  twenty-six  years.  This  he 
sold  to  Wesley  Newton  in  1892  and  has  since  devoted 
his  interests  to  farming.  He  has  a  model  farm  of  fifty 
acres,  which  he  has  had  the  satisfaction  of  developing 
from  its  primitive  condition  to  its  present  state  of  cul- 
tivation.     Mr.  Kocher   has   had  a   successful   career 


financially  since  his  first  undertaking  in  this  country, 
which  dates  September  20,  18(j4,  when  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Thomas  Love,  near  where  he  now  resides. 

William  Bolkey,  miller.  West  Mill  Creek,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  I)orn  .March  12,  1839,  son  of  Henry 
an<l  Hannah  (Minning)  Bolkey  (deceased),  natives  of 
Germany,  who  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Erie 
county,  near  West  Mill  Creek,  in  184(1.  William 
Bolkey  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  four  children:  Will- 
iaii»,  John,  Henry  (deceased).  Sears  (deceased).  De- 
cember 11,  1861,  Mr.  Bolkey  was  married  to  Mrs.  Mary 
Zimmer,  widow  of  Jacob  Zimmer,  and  daughter  of 
Phillip  Royer,  of  Mill  Creek  township.  Her  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Cede.  Tweuty-one  years 
of  their  life  was  spent  in  LeBceuf  township  and  their 
last  days  in  Mill  Creek  township.  The  children  of 
William  Bolkey  are:  Lydia,the  wife  of  Grant  Thomp- 
son, Mill  Creek;  J.  D.,  of  Mill  Creek;  Leonard,  Erie, 
and  L.  H.,  at  home.  .Mr.  Bolkey  has  been  in  the  mill- 
ing business  since  1870  and  in  his  present  location  since 
1875,  where  he  operates  a  lumber,  shingle,  feed  and 
jelly  mill.  He  has  established  himself  in  theconfidence 
of  a  generous  public.  Mr.  Boley  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  E.  A.  U.  and  the  State 
Police. 

W.  S.  Corbett,  general  merchant,  Erie,  Pa.,  is  a 
native  of  Canada.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Ball)  Corbett,  and  was  born  in  Kingston,  Ontario. 
They  resided  in  Frontanac  county,  Ontario,  for  many 
years,  and  reared  a  family  of  four  children,  as  follows: 
W.  S.,  William,  Mrs.  J.  C.  Hardy,  Emma  and  John, 
residents  of  Ontario.  In  June,  l890,  Mr.  W.  S.  Cor- 
bett married  Miss  Louis, daughter  of  Eustice  (deceased) 
and  Caroline  Dietly,  of  Erie.  Two  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union:  Caroline,  Louise  and  Will- 
iam Joseph.  .Mrs.  Dietly  survives  and  resides  in 
the  city  of  Erie.  They  had  a  family  of  three  chil- 
dren: Louise,  wife  of  W.  S.  Corbett;  Joseph  L. 
and  Philip  W.  Dietly,  of  Erie.  Mr.  Corbett  went  to 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  at  the  age  of  16  years;  soon  after  he 
was  employed  as  clerk  for  Sibley,  Lindsley  &  Carr, 
dry  goods  merchants  in  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y.  He  came 
to  Erie  and  opened  the  Boston  Store  of  Mack  &  Spit- 
tle, and  later  accepted  a  position  as  floor-walker  and 
next  as  general  manager  for  Trask,  Prescott  &  Rich- 
ardson, Erie.  This  was  in  1889.  He  returned  to  On- 
tario that  year  and  took  charge  of  his  brother's  busi- 
ness until  the  spring  of  1891,  when  he  again  came  to 
Erie  and  bought  the  jiroperty  he  now  occupies  and 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  trade,  which  he  has  since 
carried  on  successfully,  enjoying  the  confidence  of  the 
public.  Mr.  Corbett  is  a  man  of  fidelity  and  enterprise. 

Henry  Heidecker,  farmer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  m 

Belle  \'alley,  Erie  county,  January  16,  1861,  son  ol 
Jacob  and  Barbara  (Streit)  Heidecker,  for  many  years 
a  resident  of  Erie  county.  Jacob  Heidecker  died  Sep- 
tember 23,  1891,  at  the  age  of  ()5  years.  He  served  as 
a  soldier  in  the  German  army.  His  widow  still  sur- 
vives and  resides  in  Greene  township.  The  former  was 
born  in  Germany  in  1825,  and  coming  to  Erie  county 
lived  for  many  years  in  Greene  township.  They  reared 
a  family  of  five  children,  as  follows:  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Conrad  Sommers,  Erie;  Jacob  Y...  resident  of  Greene 
townshi]!;  William  H.,  Greene  township,  and  Barbara 
Heidecker,  Erie.     In  1883  Henry  married   .Mary  .Ann, 


8l2 


2fELS02fS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


(iautjhter  of  Nicholas  Deitseh,  of  Mill  Creek.  To  this 
union  have  been  born  three  children,  as  follows:  Mary 
A.,  William  H.  and  Henrv  L.  HeidecUer.  Mr.  Hei- 
<lecker  from  1884  to  18iH  was  in  the  employ  of  I).  D. 
Tracy  on  his  farm  on  the  l,ake  road,  and  has  been 
manager  of  the  farm  now  occupied  by  him  and  owned 
by  J.  C.  Zuck  since  18!)4.  .\lr.  Heidecker  is  a  man  of 
integrity  and  an  energetic  and  progressive  farmer. 

tieorjjo  Stough,  of  West  Mill  Creek,  one  of  ^-^rie 
county's  oldest  and  most  prominent  farmers,  was  l)orn 
in  Erie  county,  on  the  farm  which  he  now  owns,  July 
31,  1814.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Polly  (Eagley) 
Stough.  The  former  was  born  in  Berks  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, came  to  Erie  county  in  1805,  and  settled  in 
Mill  Creek  township,  locating  u])on  the  present  farm, 
which  he  owned  and  occupii'd,  and  in  a  log  cabin  he 
reared  a  large  family.  Mrs.  .Stough  was  a  descendant 
of  the  well-known  Eagley  family,  whose  history  is  so 
interwoven  with  the  growth  and  development  of  Erie 
county.  John  Stough  departed  this  life  March  14, 
1858,  surviving  his  wife,  who  died  ."Vpril  10,  18.53.  She 
was  a  sister  of  Daniel  Eagley,  the  last  survivor  now 
living  in  Springfield  tow-nship  of  this  noted  fanuly. 
The  children  of  Mr.  John  Stough  were  as  follows: 
George,  I5arbara,  widow  of  John  Wolf;  Peter,  of  Mc- 
Kean  township;  Mary,  deceased  wife  of  Samuel  Flick- 
inger;  Susan,  deceased  wife  of  John  W.  Rubner;  John 
and  Katherine (twins),  both  deceased,  the  latter  at  the 
age  of  22  years,  and  a  resident  of  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship; Rebecca  (died  in  infancy),  William,  a  resident 
of  (iirard;  Margaret,  deceased  wqfe  of  John  Minnig; 
Sophia  (deceased  in  her  16th  year),  Lydia,  now  living 
on  the  homestead  farm,  where  she  was  housekeejier 
for  her  father  until  his  death;  Nancy  (deceased).  John 
.Stough,  when  he  first  came  to  Erie  county,  was  ac- 
companied by  his  father,  Nicholas  Stough,  and  they 
jointly  built  the  log  house,  which  was  occupied  for 
nearly  three  generations,  when  it  gave  way  to  a  mod- 
ern structure.  John  Stough's  brother,  George,  was  a 
veteran  of  the  war  of  1812.  George  Stough,  jr.,  was 
reared  amid  primative  surroundings,  and  as  a  pioneer 
has  seen  Mill  Creek  emerge  from  a  dense  forest  into 
one  of  the  garden  spots  of  the  county,  aiding  to  hew 
the  timber  of  the  wooded  section,  and  bring  the  lo- 
cality into  its  present  state  of  cultivation  and  pros- 
perity. Mr.  Stough  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
tic  schools  of  the  township,  and  has  always  resided 
w-here  he  is  now  enjoying  the  evening  of  a  well-spent 
life,  a  citizen,  honored,  respected  and  beloved  by  all 
with  whom  he  has  associated.  He  is  one  of  the  few 
older  residents  now  remaining  in  his  native  township, 
and  relates  with  accuracy  events  of  the  early  days. 
He  was  never  married,  and  remained  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  until  the  <leath  of  his  father,  when  he  came 
in  possession  of  the  homestead,  and  by  diligence  and 
enterprise  is  now  the  possessor  of  a  fine  farm  with  de- 
sirable modern  surroundings.  He  built  a  comfortable 
home  in  1877.  In  politics  Mr.  Stough  was  a  Whig,  and 
later  a  Republican.  It  is  the  good  fortune  of  but  few 
nu-n  to  live  to  so  ripe  an  age;  fewer  still  in  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  life  are  able  to  hold  throughout  a  long  life 
the  old  homestead  with  its  endearing  memories,  and 
spend  the  closing  years  of  a  well-spent  life  amid  their 
childhood  scenes  and  surroundings. 

Albert  F.  Harding,  one  of  the  young  and  pro- 
gressive farmers  of  Mill  Creek  township,  Eriecounty, 


Pa.,  son  of  George  Frederick  and  Anna  M.  (Young) 
Harding,  the  former  a  native  of  Germany,  was  born 
March  19,  18H0.  George  K.  Harding,  father  of  Albert, 
came  to  Erie  county  forty  years  ago,  and  followed  his 
vocation,  that  of  blacksmithing  and  farming.  He 
died  April  17,  1875,  at  the  age  of  51  years.  His  widow 
still  survives,  and  is  living  in  .\lcKean  township.  She 
is  a  native  of  Northam|)ton  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
for  several  years  resided  in  Crawford  county.  The 
children  of  this  union  are;  Ciertrude,  wife  of  \Villiam 
Heiiime,  of  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania;  Albert  F., 
George  P.,  of  Erie;  John.  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Harry 
Flaugh;  Anna,  wife  of  William  Nye,  .\lcKean  town- 
ship, and  Ida  Harding,  of  McKean.  Albert  F.  was 
married  to  Miss  .Maggie  Pearsol,  who  died  in  18!)0.  In 
1892  he  was  married  to  Minnie  Oepka,  who  came  from 
Germany  in  1891.  Two  children  have  been  horn  to 
this  union:  Anna  .Mabel  and  George  Frederick.  .Mr. 
Harding  spent  his  life  in  Erie  county,  where  he  was 
reared  and  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  at 
present  resides  in  Mill  Creek  township.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harding  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

August  Henry  Schaper,  contractor  and  builder, 
Erie.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  December 
1,  1849.  It  was  during  this  year  that  his  father,  George 
Schaper,  died,  and  soon  after  his  mother  emigrated  to 
America,  bringing  two  sons,  A.  H.  and  Ferdinand,  of 
Ontario.  Her  maiden  name  was  Caroline  .Schaper, 
and  she  now  resiiies  in  West  Mill  Creek  township. 
February  28,  1870,  Mr.  Schaper  was  married  to  Mary, 
ilaughter  of  George  and  .Susana  (Parton)  Schneider. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Schneider  both  died  in  .Mill  Creek  town- 
ship. The  children  of  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  .Schaper  are: 
Charles  H.,  Susana,  who  died  at  the  age  of  21  years; 
George  Frederick,  Christian  Edw'ard,  Anna  M.,  Ida, 
Emma,  Thomas  H.,  Bertha,  Mary,  Gustave  P., 
Luretta,  who  died  January  20,  1895,  at  the  age  of  3 
years  and  10  months,  and  Alveretta.  Mr.  .Schaper 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  navy  in  May,  1864,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  Rebellion.  He  was  with 
the  I'.  .S.  .S.  "General  Thomas,"  upjier  Tennessee 
fleet,  w-hich  was  composed  of  four  boats:  "  The  Grant," 
"Sherman,"  "Thomas"  and  "  Burnside,"  the  last 
being  the  flagship.  The  principal  action  in  which  Mr. 
.Schaper  took  part  was  Hood's  defeat,  while  there 
were  other  notable  skirmishes;  one  in  which  fifteen 
shells  were  fired  through  the  boat,  at  Decatur,  Ala., 
October  26-29,  1864.  Mr.  .Schaper  began  his  present 
trade  in  1871,  and  soon  after  formed  a  jjartnership 
with  George  Buhl  in  the  milling  business,  and,  in  1881, 
erected  Scha|)er's  Mills.  This  firm  existeil  until  1892, 
when  Mr.  Buhl's  interest  was  purchased  by  Mr. 
.Schaper,  who  is  an  e.xtensive  contractor  and  builder 
of  churches,  houses,  barns,  bridges,  etc.,  including  the 
large  addition  to  St.  John's  German  Evangelical 
Lutheran  and  Reformed  Church  in  1895-6,  anil  is  the 
]>ossessor  of  a  fine  jiroperty,  including  100  acres  of 
choice  land,  upon  which  are  thirty  acres  of  vineyard. 
Mr.  A.  H.  Schaper  is  truly  a  self-made  man;  beginning 
without  a  dollar  he  has  made  his  way  in  the  world.  He 
is  an  enterprising  and  respected  citizen.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican. 

George  Buhl,  planing-mills,  Kearsarge,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  son  of  Godfred  and  Rachael  (Fainer) 
Buhl,  natives  of  Germany,  was  born  in  Summit  town- 


-e^r^yy      /?Z^e.^^^ 


AND  mSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUSTy. 


5i3 


shi|i,  Erie  county,  March  12,  1844.  Godfred  Buhl 
came  to  Erie  county  in  the  spring  of  1842,  and  located 
upon  a  farm  in  Summit  township,  where  he  spent  the 
latter  years  of  an  active  life,  and  died  in  August,  1857, 
at  the  age  of  57  years.  George  Buhl  was  the  fifth  of 
a  family  of  seven  children,  as  follows;  Barbara,  wife 
of  f'hilip  Honecker;  Mary,  wife  of  Michael  Laver; 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Anthony  Serr  (decea.sed);  (George, 
Christian,  and  Polly  (deceased),  formerly  the  wife  of 
Frank  Brown.  George  was  married  in  1873  to  Miss 
Caroline  Breckle.  Two  children  have  been  born  to 
this  union:  Etlward,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Georgie 
I5uhl.  .Mr.  Buhl  began  to  learn  his  trade  in  18ti(;,  and 
in  the  year  1874  formed  a  co-partner.shi])  with  A.  H. 
Schajier,  contractor  and  builder,  and  conducted  a  large 
and  successful  milling  business.  In  1881  this  firm 
built  the  saw  and  planing-mill  in  the  south  central 
[>art  of  West  Mill  Creek  township,  which  has  since 
been  operated,  mostly  under  the  [jersonal  supervision 
of  .Mr.  Buhl,  whose  superior  workmanship  has  given 
the  best  of  satisfaction  to  a  large  patronage.  Since 
1893  Mr.  Schaper  has  had  full  control  of  the  mill,  he 
having  purchased  Mr.  Buhl's  interest,  but  at  the  same 
time  appreciating  his  work  by  retaining  his  services  as 
foreman.  He  is  a  highly  respected  and  an  influential 
citizen  in  the  neighborhood  in  which  he  resides. 

Levi  P.  Waidley,  miller,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  bor-n  in 
West  Mill  Creek  townshiii,  Sejitember  13,  1859.  He 
is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  his 
native  township,  son  of  Pressly  W.  and  Margaret 
(Doll)  Waidley,  the  latter  a  native  of  Germany,  and 
the  former  born  in  Erie  county.  They  reside  in  Mill 
Creek  township;  the  latter  came  to  Erie  county  at  the 
age  of  3  years,  accompanied  by  her  parents,  where 
she  has  since  resided.  They  reared  a  family  of  eight 
children,  as  follows:  Martha,  of  McKean  township; 
Barbara,  at  home;  Levi  P.,  George,  of  Erie;  Margaret, 
of  Charleston,  W.  Va.;  John,  of  Erie;  William  .and 
Harvey,  at  home.  Levi  P.  Waidley  was  married 
August  17,  1885,  to  Miss  Lizzie,  daughter  of  John 
Metzler,  of  Mill  Creek  township.  This  union  has 
been  blessed  with  tw-o  bright  children,  Clyde  and 
Earl.  Mr.  Waidley  first  operated  a  100-acre  farm,  and 
then  he  began  the  milling  business,  erected  a  mill  in 
the  southwest  corner  of  \\'est  Mill  Creek  township  in 
1893,  and  has  successfully  operated  the  same,  carry- 
ing on  a  thriving  business.  He  is  also  the  possessor 
of  a  fine  timber  tract  of  forty-six  acres,  which  he  has 
conducted  for  four  years.  In  1895  Mr.  Waidley,  w'ith 
commendable  enterprise,  erected  a  handsome  resi- 
dence near  his  mill,  and  has  removed  the  dense  tim- 
ber surrounding  it,  reminding  one  of  similar  work 
done  by  our  forefathers.  .Mr.  Waidley  is  one  of  the 
energetic,  progressive  citizens  of  his  township,  who 
demonstrates  that  he  has  a  keen  interest  in  his  sur- 
roundings. 

Lewis  W.  Olds,  of  the  Olds  Pump  Company,  Erie, 
was  born  in  East  Mill  Creek,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  July  21, 
1822,  son  of  Asa  Gilbert  Olds,  a  native  of  Alstead,  X. 
H.,  born  November  15,  1793,  and  who  when  a  child 
was  taken  to  Williamstown,  \'t.,  where  he  resided 
until  the  spring  of  181H,  when  he  came  to  East  Mill  | 
Creek,  Erie  countv,  Pa.  Here  he  died  December 
8,  1871.  He  married  .April  17,  1821,  Lucy  Church,  a 
native  of  Winchester,  Conn.,  who  bore  him  five  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Lewis  W.,  Nelson,  Erskine,  Clarissa  E.  1 
52 


and  Emily  J.  John  Church,  father  of  Lucy  (Church) 
Olds,  enlisted  when  eighteen  years  of  age  in  the 
Patriot  army  at  .Saybrook,  Conn.,  and  went  with 
Arnold  to  the  siege  of  Quebec  in  1776.  He  was 
present  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  and  assisted  Arnold 
off  his  horse  when  there  wounded.  Lewis  W.  Olds 
received  a  i)art  of  his  early  education  in  a  small  log 
.school-house  in  the  country  with  a  slab  bench  for  a 
seat.  He  finished  his  academic  course  at  the  Erie 
.\cademy,  and  was  married  in  Erie  .May  9,  1848,  to 
Louisa  E.  Ackerly,  born  in  .Middlctown,  \.  Y.,  March 
11,  182G.  To  this  union  was  born  Inez  L.  Clark  (whose 
personal  history  is  contained  in  this  volumei,  Nettie, 
Phila,  William  C,  Florence  and  Charlotte  .Marion. 
.Mr.  Olds  commenced  the  manufacture  of  pumps  in 
East  Mill  Creek  in  1844,  and  moved  his  pumj)  works 
to  Erie  in  1853,  and  was  the  first  man  in  the  United 
States,  and  probably  in  the  world,  to  reduce  the  old 
log  pump  to  an  article  of  commerce,  and  has  stood  in 
the  front  ranks  of  manufacturers  ever  since.  Mr.  Olds 
has  contributed  in  a  material  way  to  the  substantial 
growth  of  Erie  by  the  erection  of  a  number  of  hand- 
some dwelling-houses  and  several  large  business  and 
manufacturing  blocks.  He  has  held  the  offices  of 
poor  director  and  assessor,  the  duties  of  which  he 
discharged  with  marked  ability. 

John  Avery  Tracy  was  born  April  7,  1820,  at 
Mt.  .Morris,  N.  V.  His  father  was  Jedediah  Tracy, 
who  came  from  Norwich,  Conn.;  his  grandfather  was 
John  .Avery  Tracy,  and  his  great-grandfather  (John 
Avery)  came  from  England.  Jedediah  Tracy  was 
married  to  Dorcas  Cothrell  at  \'ictor,  N.  Y.,  in  1809. 
Fourteen  children  were  born  to  them,  but  only  seven 
lived  to  maturity;  of  these  John  Avery  was  the  fifth 
child  and  eldest  son.  He  came  to  Pennsylvania  with 
his  father's  family  in  1833,  locating  at  Erie,  Pa.  As 
the  family  was  large  and  means  quite  limited,  John 
Avery  early  learned  to  depend  upon  his  own  efforts 
for  support,  and  while  this  developed  independence 
of  character  and  self-reliance,  it  deprived  him  of 
education  so  much  needed.  At  the  early  age  of  14  he 
not  only  supported  himself,  but  contributed  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  family  as  well,  and  this  he  continued  to  do 
throughout  his  entire  life.  While  quite  a  young  man 
he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  working  during  his 
apprenticeship  on  a  number  of  buildings  in  Erie,  one 
of  which  is  the  house  on  West  Si.xth  street  so  long 
occupied  by  Capt.  Douglass  Ottinger,  and  later  by 
George  Selden,  and  now,  after  having  been  quite 
transformed,  by  George  D.  Selden.  Mr.  Tracy  did 
not  continue  in  the  carpenter  business,  but  found  the 
knowledge  he  had  acquire<l  useful  to  him  through  all 
his  life.  His  first  real  business  venture  was  in  the 
paper  mill  at  Manchester,  near  Erie.  After  quite  a 
successful  experience  there  he  embarked  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  Fairview,  Pa.,  about  1845.  January 
5,  1847,  he  married  Marie  E.  Ensign,  of  Kelloggsville, 
-Ashtabula  county,  O.,  whose  father,  William  Ensign, 
and  mother,  Sarah  ( Pierce)  Ensign,  came  to  Ohio  in 
1816  from  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  and  whose 
ancestors  were  also  English.  .About  1850  Mr.  Tracy 
sold  his  business  in  Fairview  and  went  into  the  lumber 
and  sawmill  business  on  the  Lake  road,  at  what  is 
known  as  Fair])lain.  About  1854,  having  been  quite 
successful  in  his  business  ventures,  he  decided  to 
remove  to  Cleveland  and  take  up  banking  ami  com- 
mission business;  in  this  he  was  quite  successful  for 


8i4 


NELSOirS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


several  years,  but  met  with  some  heavy  losses  which 
finally  compelled  him  to  abandon  this  business  in  IStiO. 
He  then  removed  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his 
wife  and  two  daughters,  Kate  and  Carrie,  to  Clinton, 
Pa.,  as  manager  of  the  coal  business  of  John  Hearn  & 
Co.,  of  Erie.  In  18t>;5  Mr.  Tracy  left  Clinton,  as  his 
home  there  was  broken  up  by  the  death  of  two  chil- 
dren, Kate,  aged  12,  and  Tillie,  aged  five  months,  and 
his  wife.  He  accepte<l  the  position  of  [lurchasing 
agent  for  the  Erie  and  I'ittsburg  R.  R.,  with  office  at 
Erie.  In  1870  the  Canada  Southern  R.  R.  was  pro- 
jected, and  Mr.  Tracy  was  chosen  to  buy  the  right-of- 
way  for  this  road,  a  task  he  was  peculiarly  titled  for. 
Meantime  Mr.  Tracy  and  William  L.  Scott  had  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  2,800  acres  of  timber  land  in  Erie 
and  Crawford  counties,  intending  to  erect  a  charcoal 
furnace,  but  owing  to  changed  conilitions  of  business 
this  furnace  was  not  built,  and  later  most  of  the  land 
was  sold.  Mr.  Tracy  retained  about  400  acres  of  this 
timber  land,  added  TOO  acres  of  good  farm  land  to  it 
and  established  a  stock  farm.  He  succeetled  in  get- 
ting a  station,  postoffice  and  sawmill  at  his  farm,  and 
named  the  place  Pennside.  .After  finishing  his  work 
with  the  Canada  Southern,  he  had  general  supervision 
of  the  building  of  the  Scott  Block  in  Erie,  and  pur- 
cha.scd  the  right-of-way  for  the  Xew  York,  Phila- 
delphia S:  Norfolk  K.  K.  Mr.  'I'racy  now  made  his 
home  with  his  daughti-r,  Carrie,  who  married  Mr.  H.  F. 
Watson  m  1877,  but  spent  a  large  portion  of  his  time 
at  his  farm  at  Pennside,  finding  mucli  pleasure  in 
raising  fine  horses  and  aiding  in  the  growth 
of  the  i)lace.  Here  he  died  on  June  4,  1893. 
His  remains  were  conveyed  to  his  Erie  home  and 
from  there  they  were  transferred  to  a  place  beside  his 
wife  in  the  Erie  cemetery.  Mr.  Tracy's  second 
daughter,  Hattie,  tiled  in  Wh'i;  the  third  daughter, 
Carrie,  still  survives.  John  .\very  Tracy  was  a  man 
of  much  strength  of  character.  While  he  held  decided 
views  u|)on  the  important  questions  of  the  day,  he  did 
not  force  his  views  upon  others.  In  politics  he  was 
always  a  staunch  Republican.  His  honor  and  integrity 
were  untpiestioned.  His  kind,  warm  heart  and  genial 
disposition  gained  him  the  title  of  "  Uncle  John  " 
wherever  he  was  known.  To  children  especially  he 
was  a  devoted  friend,  and  no  one,  young  or  old,  ever 
sought  hisaid  in  vain  if  they  were  deserving.  His  life 
throughout  was  useful,  earnest,  upright,  simple  and 
unpretentious. 

Moses  Koch  (deceased).  .A.mong  the  promi- 
nent business  men  of  Erie  who  early  took  an  active 
part  in  the  development  of  the  city  was  the  late  Moses 
Koch.  He  was  born  in  Bierstadt,  in  the  beautiful 
Rhine  country  (Rhein  Pfalz),  December  26,  1811,  and 
was  one  of  four  brothers.  His  father,  David  Koch, 
served  with  distinction  in  the  wars  against  Napoleon 
in  1814,  and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant 
for  his  gallantry  at  the  battle  of  Leipsic.  He  was  also 
the  owner  of  large  soap  works,  and  our  subject  spent 
the  last  year  of  his  life  in  Germany  in  his  father's  fac- 
tory. At  the  age  of  twenty  he  determined  to  seek  his 
fortunes  in  the  new  world.  On  his  arrival  in  this 
country  he  settled  in  Pine  Grove,  .Schuylkill  county, 
and  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  He  finally  came 
to  l-lrie  in  the  early  forties  and  opened  a  dry  goods 
store  in  what  was  then  called  the  Hughes' block,  corner 
of  Seventh  and  State  streets.  Later  he  purchased  the 
property  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Fifth  and    French 


streets,  erecting  thereon  a  large  and  substantial  brick 
block,  in  which  he  carried  on  an  extensive  business 
for  many  years,  one  store  being  devoted  to  dry  goods 
in  fact  was  the  largest  dry  goods  store  in  Erie  and  the 
other  store  was  for  men's  clothing  and  furnishing 
giKuls.  Mr.  Koch  remained  in  business  there  until 
about  18.54  when  he  sold  the  building  and  stocks  of 
goods  to  the  Hon.  M.  H.  I.owry.  That  corner  was  the 
scene  of  considerable  hospitality,  during,  anil  prior,  to 
the  war  of  1812.  Colonel  Forster,  a  prominent  citizf  n  of 
that  day,  residing  there  with  his  family.  In  tearing  down 
the  old  structure  -a  large  log  house — preparatory  to 
building  many  were  the  relics  found  there,  such  as 
China,  packages  of  old  letters,  etc.,  some  being  walled 
in  the  fireplaces.  Mr.  Koch  also  erected  several 
other  large  and  expensive  buildings  and  in  many 
other  ways  contributed  to  the  iiiiprovement  and  ad- 
vancement of  the  city,  subscribing  liberally  whenever 
called  upon.  He  remained  in  active  business,  chang- 
ing his  location  several  times,  until  187S,  when  failing 
health  obliged  him  to  retire,  and  he  s|ient  the  remain- 
der of  his  life  in  promoting  the  pleasure  of  his  family. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
served  several  consecutive  terms  in  the  City  Councils. 
He  was  a  Democrat  and,  though  not  a  politician,  was 
always  extremely  loyal  to  the  party,  voting  the 
"straight  ticket  "  to  the  day  of  his  death.  He  died 
Se|)tember  2,  1881,  leaving  many  monuments  to  testify 
to  his  usefulness  and  worth.  Possessetl  of  a  vigorous 
constitution  and  an  active  mind  and  body,  Mr.  Koch 
wore  himself  out  in  his  many  business  undertakings. 
He  was  conspicuous  for  his  enterprise,  perseverance, 
and  excellent  judgment.  Shortly  before  coming  to 
Erie  he  was  married  to  Miss  Matilda  Marshall  L'lman, 
who  is  of  English  descent  through  her  mother  and 
comes  of  exceedingly  goo  ^.  stock.  Her  grandmother 
was  the  beautiful  and  witty  Miss  Isabelle  Marshall 
who  came  to  this  country  many  years  ago  with  her 
father's  family,  married  here  and  died  at  an  advanced 
age  leaving  numerous  descendants.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Koch  were  born  seven  children,  one  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  The  eldest  son,  Simon  C,  now  resides  in 
London,  England,  but  spends  the  greater  part  of  his 
time  on  the  Continent.  He  was  formerly  in  business 
in  Calcutta,  where  he  amassed  his  great  wealth,  and  he 
was  there  noted  for  his  great  generosity  in  public  and 
private  charity,  many  an  impecunious  Englishman 
being  indebted  to  his  kindness  for  his  return  to  his 
native  country.  In  private  life  he  is  exceedingly  un- 
ostentatious. Marcus,  the  youngest  son,  is  still  in 
business  in  his  adopted  country,  Calcutta.  October 
2.5,  1892,  he  married  Miss  Phoebe  Lane,  neice  of  Mr. 
J.  H.  Addison,  of  Saxlingham  Hall,  Norfolk,  England, 
and  they  have  as  issue  one  son,  Marcus  Addison,  born 
October  6,  189.3. 

Thomas  L.  Wilkius,  keeper  of  the  Presque  Isle 
lighthouse,  F>ie.  I'a.,  is  a  native  of  Erie  county,  and 
was  born  March  7,  1862.  He  is  a  son  of  John  an<i 
Eveline  (Keller)  Wilkins.  The  former  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Erie  in  1810,  and  died  February  2.5,  1870. 
The  latter  was  born  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  now  re- 
sides at  the  Prestjue  Isle  lighthouse  with  her  son.  T. 
L.  Wilkins  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  six  children, 
as  follows:  Melvina,who  died  April  23,  1870;  Louise, 
of  Chicago;  Laura,  of  Chicago;  George,  of  Erie;  Charles, 
of  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  Thomas.  Thomas  Wilkins, 
grandfather  of  T.  L.  Wilkins,  was  a  native  of  Ship- 


AKD  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COVNTT. 


815 


pensburg,  Pa.  He  was  at  one  time  clerk  for  county 
commissioners.  Mrs.  Wilkins,  the  mother,  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Keller,  a  native  of  \'irginia.  She  was 
married  to  .Mr.  Wilkins  in  1846,  and  lived  in  Erie  and 
vicinity  until  the  death  of  her  husband.  T.  L.  Wilkins 
entered  the  employ  of  the  government  June  3, 1889,  as 
assistant  keeper  to  Capt.  Robert  Hunter,  of  the  Pier 
Head  lighthouse.  October  6,  1892,  he  was  promoted 
to  the  position  of  keeper  of  the  Presque  Isle  light, 
which  position  he  has  since  held,  discharging  his 
duties  with  the  utmost  care  and  satisfaction.  .Many 
improvements  about  the  grounds  indicate  that  a  wise 
choice  was  made  in  the  selection  of  .Mr.  Wilkins  for 
this  responsible  charge. 

Captain  Robert  HHHter,  lighthouse  keeper, 
Presque  Isle  Pier  Head  Light  Station,  Erie,  was  born 
in  Scotland.  He  was  married  to  .Miss  Margaret  Mc- 
Carty,  a  native  of  Ireland,  December  16,  1859.  He 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  navy  in  1860,  and  served 
during  the  late  rebellion,  receiving  his  discharge  in 
1866.  From  this  date  until  1874  he  sailed  vessels  in 
the  merchant  service  on  the  northern  lakes.  He  was 
appointed  keeper  of  the  Presque  Isle  Pier  Head  Light 
m  1886,  since  which  time  he  has  been  the  instigator 
of  numerous  improvements  about  the  station.  This  is 
an  important  point  for  the  passage  of  boats  to  and 
from  the  Erie  Harbor,  and  many  changes  have  been 
made  since  he  assumed  charge.  The  lights  have  been 
arranged  at  various  points  three  times,  and  the  jiier 
extended  9IX)  feet.  The  assistant  is  John  W.  Reddy, 
who  was  appointed  in  1894.  Captain  Hunter  is  one  of 
the  most  courteous  and  obliging  of  the  government's 
employes,  and  is  a  man  thoroughly  versed  in  matters 
pertaining  to  the  marine  service. 

W.  H.  Shue,  farmer.  West  Mill  Creek  postoffice, 
was  born  in  .McKean  township  April  10,  1844,  son  of 
Jacob  and  Anna  (Rhodes)  Shue.  The  former  was 
born  December  25,  1812,  in  York  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  came  to  Erie  countv  with  an  uncle,  .Mr. 
Hinkle,  in  1828.  He  died  July '14,  1877.  The  latter 
was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Rhodes,  and  died  October  23, 
1888,  at  the  age  of  73.  At  the  time  of  her  death  she 
possessed  a  German   Bible  over  100  years   old,   the 

Eroperty  at  one  time  of  her  great-grandfather.  Mr. 
hue  is  the  second  son  of  a  family  of  four  children, 
viz.:  John,  married  to  Margaret  Waidley;  William 
H.,  Jacob  C.  (deceased)  and  Tillie  (deceased),  N'o- 
vember  21,  1889.  W.  H.  Shue  married  Caroline, 
daughter  of  Joel  and  Rosanna  Weigle,  of  Mill  Creek 
township.  To  this  union  has  been  born  a  daughter, 
Rosanna.  Mr.  Shue  is  a  thorough  farmer,  a  respected 
citizen,  and  resides  on  a  farm  of  136  acres,  one  of  the 
best  m  Mill  Creek  township.  He  is  a  school  director 
and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Jacob  Geist,  farmer,  Erie,  Pa.,  came  to  Erie 
county  with  his  father  in  1835,  and  settled  in  Mill 
Creek  township,  a  greater  part  of  which  was  then  in 
an  early  stage  of  cultivation.  He  was  born  November 
30,  1817,  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a 
son  of  Andrew  and  Xancy  (Becker) Geist,  who,  during 
the  greater  i)art  of  their  lives,  lived  on  a  farm  on  the 
Ridge  road.  Jacob  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  as 
follows:  Jacob,  Betsey  (deceased),  wife  of  Jacob 
Butt;  Daniel,  Andrew  (deceased),  Isaac  (deceased), 
Nancy  (deceased),  wife  of  Jacob  Butt;  Samuel,  and 


Mary,  wife  of  Jacob  Berst.  Mr.  Geist  was  married  in 
February,  1846,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph  Evans 
(deceased),  and  to  this  union  wers  born  twelve  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Mary  .A.,  wife  of  Jacob  2ahn,  have  four 
children  (George  W.,  Kate  .M.,  Luell,Cora  V.);  Thomas 
(deceased),  Daniel  (deceased),  Levi  (deceased),  Ma- 
tilda, Frank,  John,  Louisa  (deceased),  Clara  E.,  Alvin, 
married  to  Florence  B.  Nason;  and  Edward.  Mr. 
Geist  died  August  5,  1879,  at  the  age  of  54  years.  .Mr. 
Geist,  although  having  passed  the  active  duties  of 
f-arm  life,  is  as  vigorous  as  the  average  man  who  be- 
gan later  in  the  century.  He  is  located  upon  a  large 
farm  in  the  south  central  part  of  Mill  Creek  township. 

John  A.  Hinkle,  farmer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Mill  Creek  township,  in  which  he  now  resides,  in  1886. 
He  is  a  son  of  .Amos  and  Elizabeth  (Weiss)  Hinkle. 
the  former  a  native  of  York  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  latter  of  .Mill  Creek  township.  Amos  Hinkle 
was  born  July  28,  1822,  son  of  .Andrew  and  Catherine 
(Shue)  Hinkle,  who  came  from  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania to  this  county  in  1816,  where  they  resided 
many  years.  They  were  parents  of  nine  children: 
William,  .Amos,  Catherine,  John  (deceased),  .Aguillaand 
Priscilla,  twins;  Elizabeth,  Jacob  and  Henry.  Amos, 
father  of  John,  was  married  .May  7,  1846,  to  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Weiss,  the  first  miller  in  Erie  county, 
and  who  came  here  in  1801,  settling  on  the  homestead 
farm,  which  joins  the  one  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
Mr.  John  Hinkle.  He  was  the  parent  of  three  sons 
and  two  daughters,  of  whom  Elizabeth,  mother  of  .\Ir. 
John  Hinkle,  was  the  fourth.  John  Hinkle  is  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  three  children,  viz.:  .Amanda 
(deceased),  wife  of  L.  Mong,  had  five  children;  Jacob, 
married,  have  three  children;  and  John  A.  Hinkle 
September  13,  1887,  .Mr.  John  Hinkle  was  married  to 
Ella  N.,  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret(Long)  Shenk. 
To  this  union  has  been  born  three  children:  Edroe, 
Leroy,  Howard,  John  and  Merle  Hinkle.  Mr.  Hinkle 
began  farming  in  1887,  and  owns  a  valuable  farm  of 
eighty-two  acres,  near  the  southwest  corner  of  Mill 
Creek  township. 

John  R.  Shue.  farmer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  Octo- 
ber 30,  1842,  in  Mill  Creek  township,  son  of  Jacob  and 
.Anna  (Rhodes)  Shue.  The  former  was  a  native  of 
York  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born  De- 
cember 25,  1812,  and  died  in  1877.  The  latter  was 
born  in  Lancaster  county,  and  died  October  21,  1893, 
aged  72  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, viz.:  John  R.,  William  H.,  Jacob  C.  (deceased), 
and  Tillie  L.  (deceased).  .August  23,  1866,  Mr.  John 
R.  Shue  married  Miss  .Margaret  E.  Waidley,  of  the 
well-known  Waidley  family,  of  whom  further  mention 
is  made  in  this  sketch.  Chiklren  of  this  union  are: 
W.  Wallace  and  Edith  B.,  wife  of  John  Steva,  of  Erie. 
Mr.  Shue  was  in  the  L'nited  States  navy  during  1864-5. 
He  has  been  on  a  farm,  located  in  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  .Mill  Creek  township,  since  1884;  has  .served  as 
school  director,  and  is  an  influential  and  active  citi- 
zen. The  name  of  the  first  known  ancestor  of  the 
Waidley  family,  of  which  Mrs.  Shue  is  one  of  the  de- 
scendants, was  Christian,  an  artist,  who  did  service  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  His  family  consisted  of  John, 
George,  Christian,  William,  Henry,  Polly,  who  became 
Mrs.  Thomas  Willis,  and  Bet.sey,  who  became  Mrs.  J. 
Diefenbaugh.  Christian  died  in  Lancaster  county  in 
1810.     In   1823  his  sons.  Christian,  George  and   Mr. 


8i6 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Willis,  with  their  families,  together  with  a  family 
named  Brecht,  came  to  Waterfurd  to  settle  on  a  gov- 
ernment claim;  but  upon  reaching  there  found  it  had 
been  settled  twenty-one  years.  George  then  came  to 
Kairview  township  and  worked  in  the  Manchester 
Mills,  receiving  Si)  per  month.  Next  he  worked  in 
the  Walnut  Creek  Mills,  and  afterwards  in  Bear's 
Mill.  In  IS'iU  he  purchased  a  farm  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Love,  and  in  W62  became  t>wner  of  a  farm  in  .McKean 
township,  now  owned  by  John  Weible,  at  a  considera- 
tion of  SloU,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  T:i  years.  His  widow,  Fanny  (Fralich)  Waidley, 
dit:d  two  years  later.  Their  family  consisted  of  Jacob, 
Henry,  Adam,  Israel,  Rachael,  Rosanna,  George, 
Mary,  Fanny  and  Franklin,  who  died  in  childhood. 
Christian,  a  joiner,  came  to  South  Erie,  and  for  three 
months  lived  in  a  dry  goods  l)o.\.  He  afterwards  set- 
tled on  the  farm  where  he  died.  His  children  were: 
Uaniel,  Samuel,  Benjamin,  Christian,  Mary  Ann,  Hag- 
gerty,  Eliza,  I'latz,  Matilda  Galutia,  and  Lucy  Feid- 
ler.  Another  brother,  John,  came  two  years  later,  and 
settled  on  a  farm  in  McKean  township,  now  owned  by 
his  son,  William  Waidley.  where  his  death  occurred 
many  years  later.  His  children  were:  William,  .Solo- 
mon, Maria,  Nelson  and  Mary  Focht.  Solomon  died 
in  childhood.  William,  another  Ijrother,  remained  in 
Lancaster.  Henry  also  remained  there.  Hischildren 
were;  Levi,  Henry,  Norman,  George,  Susan,  William, 
Sally  and  Emma.  Polly  Waidley,  a  si.ster,  who  ac- 
companied George  and  Christian  to  Erie  county,  set- 
tled on  the  Ridge  road.  She  married  Thomas  Willis. 
Their  children  were:  Edward,  Frank,  Matilda,  Grant 
and  Martha  McCreary.  Mrs.  Willis  died  in  1840. 
Jacob,  the  eldest  of  George's  family,  was  born  in  181.5. 
In  18-56  he  married  Martha  Wise.  Their  children 
were;  Presley,  Caroline,  who  died  in  girlhood;  Y.Yu.a., 
who  died  early;  Noah,  Elane,  Isaiah,  Susan.  Jacob  and 
Joseph.  Henry,  next  oldest  of  George's  family,  was 
born  in  1817.  He  died  in  1874,  and  his  wife  in  1880. 
Their  children  were:  Elias  and  William,  who  resides 
in  Michigan.  Adam  was  born  in  1818;  married  Bet- 
sey Minning.  He  died  in  1876;  his  wife  in  1884. 
Their  children  were:  Martha  (deceased),  Leah,  Fanny, 
Susan  and  Nancy.  Israel,  born  in  1821,  married  Chris- 
tinia  Rubner  in  1845.  He  died  in  1871.  Their  family 
were:  James  (deceased),  Margaret,  Edward  (deceased), 
and  Albert  (deceased).  Rosanna,  born  1842,  married 
Uras  Schluraff.  She  died  in  1878;  he  died  in  1885. 
Their  children  were:  Levi,  Jennie,  Delphana  (de- 
ceased), George  and  Frank.  Rachael,  born  in  1826, 
married  in  1852  to  Jacob  .Metzler.  Their  issue,  one 
child,  Martha,  is  now  Mrs.  George  Raw.  George, 
born  in  1830,  married  Harriet  Russell  in  18.54.  Their 
children  were:  Thomas,  .Mary  E.,  Martha,  Isaac, 
Charles,  Robert  and  Frank.  Mary,  born  in  1838,  mar- 
ried Mr.  Frank  Weibler.  Their  children  were:  Ella, 
Clara,  Rose  (deceased),  Charles,  Florence.  Frank, 
Minnie,  Tessie  and  Roy.  Fanny,  born  in  1836,  mar- 
ried Levi  Bear  in  1864.  Their  children  are:  Jessie, 
Lester  (deceased),  George,  Clinton,  May,  Roy  and 
Norman.  Uaniel,  the  eldest  of  Christian's  family, 
married  Betsey  Long  (both  deceased).  Their  children 
were;  .Aaron  and  Anna.  Anna  married  Isaac  Kauf- 
man (the  issue,  one  child,  Aaron,  married  Ida  Daugh- 
erty;  they  have  four  children);  Aaron  married  Re- 
becca Miller  (their  children  were:  Minnie,  now  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Aller;  children:  Sarah,  George,  Clyde, 
Charles  and   Ida);  Mary  Ann,  another  of  Christian's 


family,  married  Hugh  Haggerty;  Matilda,  married 
Mr.  Galutia;  she  died  in  1887;  children:  Theodore, 
married  a  daughter  of  J()se[)h  .Mathews;  children: 
Minnie,  Edith,  ICvalena  and  Herbert. 

John  Frederick  Spahr,  farmer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Germany  in  1848,  came  to  .'Xmerica  when  a 
mere  lad  and  later  to  Erie  county  and  located  in 
Greene  township.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Eva  .Mag- 
delena(Wolf)  .Spahr.  They  both  die<l  in  Germany, 
the  former  in  1861,  at  the  age  of  73  years,  and  the  lat- 
ter in  1880,  at  the  age  of  64  years.  John  Frederick  is 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  five  children,  viz.:  John, 
Charles,  Wilhelmina,  Louise,  wife  of  Christian  Kraft, 
and  John  Frederick.  All  are  residents  of  Germany 
except  the  last  named.  October  22.  1867.  .\lr.  Spahr 
was  married  to  Mary  (Gotleiban)  Miller,  a  native  of 
Germany.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  five  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Charles  Frederick,  carjienter.  Mill 
Creek;  Mary  Louise;  Bertha  M.,  wife  of  Delroy 
Hutchinson,  one  child,  Frederick  Allan;  Katherine 
Caroline  and  Rose  Martha  Spahr.  Mr.  Spahr  by  thrift, 
energy  and  close  attention  to  farming  pursuits  has 
within  the  few  years  since  locating  in  Erie  county 
gained  a  competency.  He  has  superintended  his 
present  farm  since  18S0.  He  owns  fifty  acres  of  choice 
land  in  Greene  township. 

William  H.  Strattoa,  tanner,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 
in  Mill  Creek  township  .September  22,  1850,  son  of  Jo- 
seph and  Mary  (Schuell)  Stratton.  They  were  natives 
of  England,  and  the  former  died  in  1892,  aged  77  years, 
the  latter  March  1,  1886.  Mr.  Stratton  wa's  the  fourth 
of  a  family  of  five  children,  viz.;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Henry  Grass;  Ellen,  wife  of  John  Fink;  Irene,  wife  of 
Charles  Caldwell,  of  Washington;  William  H.,  and 
Joseph  (deceased).  February  4,  1873,  Mr.  William  H. 
Stratton  was  married  to  Emma,  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Martha  Seibert  Geist  (the  former  deceased).  The 
Geist  family  came  from  Lancaster,  Pa.,  at  quite  an 
early  day  and  settled  on  the  Ridge  road,  near  where 
the  couny  alms  house  now  stands.  This  was  about 
1832-5.  The  first  family  came  with  a  four-horse  team 
and  a  one-horse  carriage.  The  children  of  .Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stratton  are:  Charles,  Lizzie,  Harry  L.,  Arthur, 
Anna,  \"iola,  Alice,  Luella  and  Maud  May.  Joseph 
E.  Stratton,  brother  of  William  H.,  was  in  the  late 
war.  He  was  a  member  of  Co.  K,  145th  Regt.,  P. 
V.  I.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Andersonville,  and 
died  in  1866.  Mr.  Stratton  owns  a  choice  farm  of  120 
acres,  situated  on  an  elevated  spot  two  and  one-half 
miles  from  the  city  of  Erie,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
thorough  farmers  of  the  townshi]i.  Mr.  and  .Mr,s.  Strat- 
ton are  members  of  the  English  Lutheran  Church. 

(ieorge  F.  Spath,  farmer,  Kearsarge,  Erie  county, 
Pa.,  was  born  October  10,  1863,  in  the  city  of  Erie.  He 
is  a  son  of  Frank  X.  and  Catherine  (Peiffer)  Spath,  na- 
tives of  Germany.  Frank  A.  Spath  came  to  America 
with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  4  years.  He  first  resided 
in  Greene  township;  from  thence  he  went  to  Summit, 
thence  to  Mill  Creek,  and  for  the  past  few  years  has 
resided  in  the  city  of  Erie.  He  is  the  sixth  of  a  family 
of  nine  chiklren,  as  follows:  Charles,  Teresa,  Kather- 
ine, wife  of  .Simeon  Leisch;  Helen,  wife  of  William 
Kentz;  Mary,  wife  of  Fred  Wild;  George  F.;  Rosa,  wife 
of  John  Bergle;  Sophia,  wife  of  Michael  Motch,  and 
Phena   (deceased),  wife  of  John    Pletz.     May  8,  1889, 


AND  EI8T0RICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


817 


Mr.  Spath  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Conrad 
Hoffman,  of  Mill  Creek  township.  To  this  union  has 
been  born  one  child,  Martha.  Mr.  Spath  is  the  second 
of  a  family  of  eight  children,  viz.:  Celia,  Elizabeth 
(wife  of  Mr.  Spath),  Margaret,  Martha,  Kate,  Mmnie, 
Josie  and  Edith.  Mr.  Spath  has  but  recently  began 
on  a  fine  farm  of  100  acres,  situated  near  Walnut 
Creek,  and  has  by  persistent  industry  brought  the  same 
to  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  He  is  a  practical  and  pro- 
gressive farmer  and  a  citizen  of  integrity  and  worth. 

Herbert  Toag,  florist,  Massassauga  Garden,  Mill 
Creek  township,  postoflfice  Erie,  was  born  in  Kent, 
England,  January  1.5,  1850,  and  was  the  first  of  the 
Tong  family  to  come  to  Erie  county.  He  is  a  son  of 
\\'iiriam  and  Mary  (Smith)  Tong;  the  former  died  in 
England,  when  Herbert  was  but  an  infant,  and  the  lat- 
ter is  now  living  in  the  city  of  Erie,  at  the  age  of  73 
years.  They  had  three  sons,  viz.:  William,  now  resi- 
dent of  Kent,  England:  James,  of  Westfield,  Chautau- 
qua county,  N.  Y.,  and  Herbert,  who  was  married  in 
England,  January  2,  1880,  to  Mary  Jane  Harris,  a  na- 
tive of  England.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  Harris,  for  many  years  residents  of  Ripley, 
Chautauqua  county,  X.  Y.  The  former  died  in  1880, 
at  the  age  of  70  years.  Six  children  have  been  born 
to  this  union,  only  two  of  whom  are  living:  Elizabeth 
and  Mary  Ann.  The  deceased  children  are:  William, 
Thomas,  Herbert  Charles  and  Nellie  .Alma.  Mr. 
Tong  began  as  superintendent  and  manager  of  W.  L. 
Scott's  ^Iassassauga  Garden  in  1883,  which  position 
he  still  holds.  During  his  management  numerous  im- 
provements and  tropical  methods  for  raising  European 
grapes  the  year  round  have  been  adopted,  and  suc- 
cessfully carried  out.  Xo  better  and  more  modern 
vinery  can  be  found  in  this  part  of  the  United  States. 
As  a  Horist  Mr.  Tong  has  achieved  success  out  of  the 
ordinary  line,  and  has  carried  to  perfection  many 
original  plans  and  ideas.  His  greatest  success  has 
been  in  the  raising  of  new  varieties  of  chrysantemum. 
Many  of  the  best  varieties  now  in  commerce  were 
raised  at  Massassauga  Garden  by  Mr.  Tong. 


Joseph  Haas,  jr.,  superintendent  of  Trinity 
Cemetery,  postoffice  P>ie,  was  born  in  Erie  county, 
Eebruary  '2^,  1856.  Mr.  Haas  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Haas, 
sr.,  who  was  born  in  Roth,  Merkentheim,  Wertenberg, 
who  came  to  Erie  county  from  Germany  about  1850, 
and  who  had  charge  of  Trinity  Cemetery  from  1879-87, 
when  he  retired,  and  his  son,  Joseph,  took  charge.  He 
died  December  28,  1894,  at  the  age  of  74.  His  widow, 
Elizabeth  (Durner)  Haas,  born  in  Weilheim,  by 
Kercheim  on  the  Deck,  Wirthenberg,  is  still  living  at 
the  age  of  (i3.  Joseph  is  the  second  son  of  a  family 
of  five  children,  viz.;  John,  a  resident  of  Colorado; 
Frank  and  William  M.  are  residents  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  and  Anthony,  of  Erie.  Mr.  Joseph  Haas  was 
first  married  to  Tressa,  daughter  of  Peter  Laver)',  of 
Harbor  Creek.  By  this  marriage  there  were  three 
children:  Peter,  Mary  and  Tressa.  She  died  in  1885, 
and  he  was  afterward  married  to  Lizzie,  daughter  of 
Phillip  Weschler,  of  Erie.  They  have  one  child, 
Edith.  Since  Mr.  Haas  took  charge  of  the  cemetery, 
in  1886,  nine  acres  additional  have  been  addeil,  opened 
and  improved,  under  his  personal  su])ervision. 
Trinity  Cemetery  was  first  laid  out  in  1869,  and  at  no 
time  has  it    undergone  greater  or  more  marked  im- 


provements than   during   the   past   nine  years. 
Haas  is  a  member  of  Branch  15,  C.  M.  B.  A. 


Mr. 


Christian  Becktnaw,  grocer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born 

March  24,  1854,  in  the  city  of  Erie,  son  of  Henry  and 
Minnie  (Kahlen)  Beckman,  natives  of  Germany,  who 
first  came  to  America,  and  located  in  Erie  about  the 
year  1847,  where  they  remained  permanently.  The 
former  was  born  October  19,  1817,  and  is  still  living  in 
the  city  of  his  choice.  The  latter  died  .March  17, 
1872.  Christian  is  the  fourth  of  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren: Minnie,  wife  of  W.  C.  Shots,  of  Erie;  Henry 
(deceased),  William,  Christian,  Fred  (deceased),  Mary 
(deceased).  Charles  (deceased),  and  Edward,  born 
March  18,  1860.  Christian  Beckman  married  Louisa 
B.,  daughter  of  John  B.  and  Mary  Ann  (Clemmons) 
Thomas,  of  Toronto,  Ontario.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  five  children:  Cecelia  Louisa,  born  [anuary 
20,  1881;  Edward  William,  born  January  1,  1883;  Ma- 
bel Minnie,  born  December  23, 1886;  Viola  Edna, born 
February  14,  1889,  deceased  March  10,  1890,  and 
Christian  Max,  born  .April  27,  1891,  deceased  Decem- 
ber 27,  1892.  John  Belbin  Thomas,  father  of  Mrs. 
Beckman,  was  born  August  20,  1820,  in  London,  Eng- 
land. Mr.  Beckman  began  business,  and  established 
the  West  End  grocery  in  1885,  and  by  integrity  and 
square  dealing  built  up  a  prosperous  business.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  West  Erie  Beneficial 
Association. 

W.  K.  Moorhead,  farmer,  West  Mill  Creek, 
postoffice  Erie,  was  born  in  Moorheadville,  Harbor 
Creek  township,  Erie  county,  son  of  William  and 
Fanny  ( Kendrick)  Moorhead,  the  former  a  native  of 
Erie  county,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  England,  and 
sister  of  Thomas  Kendrick,  a  distinguished  resident 
of  Moorheadville.  James  M.  Moorhead,  grand- 
father of  W.  K.,  came  to  Erie  county  in  his  boyhood 
days,  and  with  his  brothers,  located  in  Harbor  Creek 
township,  and  became  one  of  the  leading  citizens. 
The  village  of  Moorheadville  was  named  in  honor 
of  him.  He  died  in  1842,  at  the  age  of  82  years. 
William  Moorhead,  father  of  W.  K.,  was  born  in 
1824,  and  still  resides  in  his  native  place.  Mr.  W.  K. 
Moorhead  is  the  eldest  child  of  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren, viz.:  William  K.,  Edith,  wife  of  C.  E.  Leete; 
Ralph  and  James  Moorhead,  all  residents  of  Erie 
county.  September  9,  1886,  Mr.  Moorhead  was  mar- 
ried to  Ella  L.,  daughter  of  John  and  Jane  (Camp- 
bell) Reeder,  of  Edinboro,  Erie  county.  He  began 
in  the  employ  of  the  W.  L.  Scott  estate  in  1884,  and 
has  been  general  superintendent  of  the  Frontier  Farm 
since  June  9,  1889.  He  is  also  superintendent  of  the 
several  farms  belonging  to  the  Scott  estate,  covering 
1,600  acres.  Mr.  Moorhead  is  a  thorough  business 
man,  and  most  affable  in  all  his  dealings.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Joseph  Haibach.  manager  of  the  Cold  Spring 
Ice  Company,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  .■\pril  14,  18ti2,  in 
Erie,  son  of  John  H.  and  Maggie  (Knauch)  Haibach, 
natives  of  Germany.  The  former  died  in  1881,  at  the 
age  of  66  years.  He  came  to  Erie  about  1850,  and 
was  for  some  years  extensively  engaged  in  the  me<it 
business  at  Xo.  922  Parade  street.  The  latter  died  in 
1895,  at  the  age  of  76  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  viz.:  Benjamin,  Lawrence,  Cooney 
(deceased),  George  (deceased),  Margaret,  wife  of  James 


8i8 


NELSON'S  BIOOBAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Fitzgfrald;  loscjili  and  John  Haibach.  June  27,  1883, 
Mr.  I()sei)h  Haibach  married  Miss  Margaret  Cotz, 
daughter  of  Mr.  Cotz,  who  died  in  1893.  His 
widow,  Supena  (Hoffman)  Cotz,  survives,  and  resides 
in  Erie.  Mrs.  Haibach,  wife  of  Josejih  Haibach,  was 
the  eldest  of  a  family  of  four  children:  Maggie 
Katherine,  wife  of  Henry  V.  .Smith;  Amelia,  wife  of 
John  lioltz:  Lizzie,  wife  of  jacol)  Wiiuheiiner;  Lena, 
wife  of  I-'erdinand  Fetzinger,  of  Cato,  Mich.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Haibach  have  three  children,  as  follows:  Joseph 
(deceased).  Helen  (deceased)  and  George  Haibach. 
In  1877  loseph  associated  himself  in  the  meat  trade 
with  his  two  brothers,  and  learned  the  business.  In 
188B  he  tiecame  a  jiartner  in  the  firm  of  Rinderneclit 
Bros.,  and  continued  in  the  meat  business  until  18i)2. 
The  lirm  was  extensively  engaged  in  shiiijiing  stock 
to  Kastern  markets.  In  the  spring  of  1S92  Mr.  Hai- 
bach purchased  tlie  plant  of  the  Cold  Spring  Ice  Com- 
panv,  and  under  his  management  the  business  has 
doubled.  Only  si)ring  water  ice  is  furnished,  which 
lasts  one-half  longer  than  lake  ice.  Mr.  Haibach  is  a 
member  of  the  C.  M.  B.  A. 

Amos  R.  DeightoM  (deceased),  born  April  l.'j, 
18:^.  died  April  1.5,  IWIO,  son  of  George  and  Jane 
(Mason)  I )eighton,  natives  of  England,  who  came  to 
Mill  Creek  at  an  early  day,  and  were  among  the  fore- 
most citizens  of  the  locality.  .September  8,  18fi4,  Mr. 
Amos  Deigliton  married  EranieC,  daughter  of  Sidney 
and  Nancy  (Rililet)  .Sewell,  of  Harbor  Creek.  The 
former  was  born  in  1812  and  died  January  17,  1891, 
and  the  latter  survives  at  the  age  of  77  years.  To 
them  were  born  seven  children:  FranieC,  Josephine, 
Eliza  J.,  Sarah  A.,  John  R.  and  Alfred  E.  Sewell.  Mr.s. 
Nancy  (Riblet)  Sewell  was  the  lifth  in  a  family  of  six 
children:  Jacob,  F^liza,  John,  David  (all  deceased); 
Christian  and  Nancy  (Riblet)  Sewell  still  survive.  To 
George  and  Jane  Deigliton  were  liorn  seven  children, 
as  follows:  Harriett  Jane  (deceased),  wife  of  C.  W. 
Nichols;  Ruth,  unmarried;  George  (deceased),  Jabez 
(deceased),  Amos  R. (deceased),  I.ucindia  F.., unmarried; 
FranieC.  and  Seth  Deighton,  who  wasa  member  of  Co. 
I),  14r.th  Reg.,  P.  \'.  L,  and  fell  at  the  t)attle  of  Deep 
Bottom.  Mr.  Deighton  was  a  man  of  integrity  and 
[irinciple,  a  kind  neighbor  and  among  the  first  citizens 
of  the  community. 

Fred  Sopp,  farmer.  West  Mill  Creek  township, 
liostottirc  F>ie,  was  born  Llecember  6,  18.50,  son  of 
rhiUip  and  Mary  .Sop]),  who  came  from  Germany  and 
si'ttle<l  in  the  city  of  Erie  about  18.5.5.  Fred  is  the  eld- 
est of  a  family  of  seven  children:  Fred,  Mary,  wife 
of  David  Ridet.  Jolm,  Hettie,  wife  of  Joseph  Bletz, 
Erie;  William,  I'hillip  and  Emery  Sopp,  died  in  1882, 
In  February,  1878,  Fred  Sopp,  then  18  years  of  age, 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  .Anna  Het- 
terline.  The  former  was  killed  in  a  fall  from  a  load  of 
wheat  in  the  summer  of  1892.  His  age  was  G.5  years. 
Tlie  latter  survives  and  resides  in  Harbor  Creek  town- 
ship. Tlieir  children  were:  Josi'ph,  Mary,  wife  of 
Fred  Sojip;  Baptist,  John  .Adam,  Nick,  a  resident  of 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  and  I-'dith  Hetterline.  Phillip  Sopp 
was  a  soldier  in  the  German  army.  Fred  Sopp  is  the 
superintendent  of  the  farm  known  as  the  Mi.ss  Mc- 
Coluni  farm,  and  has  been  engaged  in  a  similar  occu- 
pation since  1880.  From  1874'to  1878  Mr.  Sopp  worked 
for  the  Pacific  Bridge  Company,  and  for  two  and  a 
half    years   was   foreman,  building  wooden  and  iron 


bridges.  While  thus  engaged  he  fell  sixtv-eiglit  feet 
from  a  bridge,  which  caused  him  to  give  up  that  occu- 
pation. 

Heter  Hermaun,  farmer.  Mill  Creek  township, 
postoffice  FLrie,  was  liorn  in  Germany,  December  31, 
1842,  son  of  Christian  and  .Agues  (Dick)  Hermann. 
The  former  came  to  F.rie  county  from  Germany  in 
1847,  and  by  frugality  and  hard  work  gained  a  compe- 
tency. Christian  Hermann  tiled  in  18(i7,  aged  47  years, 
and  Mrs.  Hermann  July  10,  1894,  aged  7(1  years.  Peter 
Hermann  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children, 
viz.:  Peter,  Charles,  Christian,  F'.va  (deceased)  George, 
Carrie,  wNfe  of  Charles  A.  Flatt;  Adam  and  Cresie, 
wife  of  Frank  Schultz.  In  1867  Peter  Hermann  mar- 
ried Josephine  Johann.  They  have  eight  children  now 
living,  VIZ.:  Charles,  Richard,  Frank  W.,  Carrie, 
Alice,  Lizzie,  Jane  and  Cooney.  Mr.  Hermann  fought 
bravely  for  tlie  welfare  of  his  country  in  the  late  re- 
bellion, took  part  in  thirty-four  engagements,  and  was 
only  incapacitated  for  duty  a  short  time  in  the  Frederick 
city  hospital.  He  first  enlisted  Deceml:>er  10,  18(il,  as 
a  private  with  Capt.  John  P.  .Schlaudecker,  Co.  H, 
111th  Reg.,  P.  V.  I.  He  was  discharged  from  the 
service  December  24,  18(13,  at  Waliatchie,  Tenn.,  by 
reason  of  re-enlistment  as  a  veteran  volunteer.  He 
was  wounded  at  Resaca,  Ga.,  May  1.5,  1SH4.  His  sec- 
ond discharge  is  dated  July  27,  180.5,  at  Washington, 
D.  C.  The  effective  force  July  1,  18(13,  of  his  regiment, 
before  entering  the  battle  of  (Gettysburg,  was:  Offi- 
cers, 20;  men,  239;  the  loss  was  officers,  1;  men,  17. 
The  111th  Pa.  \'et.  Vol.  recruited  in  Erie,  was  mus- 
tered in  (October  17,  18(11;  re-enlisted  December  28, 
1863;  mustered  out  July  19,  186.5.  ilngaged  in  thirty- 
five  battles;  losses,  6.5L  Mr.  Hermann  purchased  his 
present  farm  in  1882,  and  has  since  made  many  im- 
]iroveinents,  and  brought  tlie  land  to  a  high  .state  of 
cultivation. 

John  W.  Hess,  farmer,  postoffice  Erie,  Mill 
Creek  town.ship,  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Krideridge) 
Hess.  The  former  came  to  F^rie  at  the  age  of  10  years, 
and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  died  in 
1889,  at  the  age  of  60  years.  His  widow  still  survives. 
They  reared  a  family  of  six  children,  viz.:  John  W., 
Mary,  wife  of  Jolin  Rosenthal,  Erie;  John  Joseph, 
Annie,  wife  of  ^\'illiam  Riddle;  Terena,  wife  of  Theo- 
dore Ralph;  an<i  Jacob  Hess,  of  Erie.  November  29, 
188.5,  Mr.  Hess  was  martied  to  Mary,  daughter  of 
Jacob  Staller,  of  Mill  Creek  township.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  four  children,  as  follows:  .Amelia, 
William,  Nora  and  Isabella.  Mr.  Hess  has  followed 
farming  since  early  boyhood,  and  is  a  most  energetic 
and  thorough-going  farmer.  He  has  occupied  his 
present  farm  since  1884,  and  under  his  management 
the  land  has  reached  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He 
is  a  native  of  Mill  Creek  townsliip. 

Christian  Ripley,  merchant,  i>ostoffice  Belle 
Valley,  was  horn  .August  19,  1842,  and  removed  with 
his  parents  to  I'>ie  county  when  a  mere  lad.  He  is  a 
son  of  David  and  .Anna  Frye  Ripley,  natives  of  Lan- 
caster, Pa.  The  former  died  Augu.st  22,  1888,  at  the 
age  of  77  years,  and  the  latter  died  November  26, 1890,  at 
the  age  of  79  years.  David  Ripley,  grandfather  of  Chris- 
tian, came  from  Lancaster  county  and  settled  in  Sum- 
mit township  in  18.32,  where  he  died  in  1842.  The 
family  consisted  of  twelve  children,  viz.:    Christian, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


'9 


David,  Jacob,  Sarah,  wife  of  William  I'rch;  Isaac, 
Mary,  wife  of  Samuel  Kuhl;  Elizabeth,  Jacob,  Shields,  j 
Abraham,  John  and  Anna,  wife  of  Charles  Graham,  all 
living.  August  29,  1867,  Christian  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  William  and  Jane  (Kennedy)  Whiteford,  of  ] 
Greene  township.  The  former  died  February  Ifi, 
1874,  at  the  age  of  76  years,  and  the  latter  July  10,  | 
1868,  at  the  age  of  61  years.  Mr.  Ripley  is  the  fourth 
child  of  a  family  of  five  children:  Margaret,  wife  of 
William  Agnew;  Sarah,  wife  of  George  Mulern;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Christian  Ripley;  and  James  Whiteford. 
Children  of  Christian  Riplev  are:  Burdella  Jane,  wife 
of  Willard  W.  Russell;  William  D.,  Edward  C,  Hat- 
tie  E.  and  Blanche.  From  1866  to  1887  Christian  Ripley 
was  engaged  in  farming  in  Greene  township.  In  the 
spring  of  1887  he  removed  to  Belle  \"alley  and  opened 
a  general  store,  which  is  still  conducted  by  him.  It 
was  the  same  year  that  he  was  apjiointed  postmaster, 
and  has  since  held  the  office  without  interruption.  He 
has  held  various  offices  in  the  townshi]),  and  is  a  lead- 
ing citizen  of  Mill  Creek  township.  Mr.  Ripley  served 
in  the  late  war,  and  was  in  seventeen  engagements, 
among  which  were  the  battles  of  Cedar  Mountain, 
Missionary  Ridge,  Fairfax  C.  H.,  Gettysburg,  Antie- 
tam.  Lookout  Mountain  and  Peach  Tree  Run.  He  was 
the  victim  of  sunstroke  from  which  he  has  never  fully 
recovered.  He  was  enlisted  in  the  111th  Reg., 
Co.  A,  P.  V.  I. 

Peter  E.  Norcross,  farmer,  postoffice  Belle  \'al- 
ley,  Erie  county,  was  born  in  Alill  Creek  township 
May  25,  1821,  son  of  .Andrew  and  Sarah  (Irwin)  Nor- 
cross, natives  of  Sus(|uehanna  county,  Pennsylvania. 
They  came  and  settled  on  the  homesteaii  farm,  now 
owned  by  P.  E.,  in  the  year  1802.  A  log  cabin  was 
liuilt  in  a  dense  thicket  situated  near  where  the  pres- 
ent house  stands,  and  from  this  rugged  beginning  has 
developed,  thrt)Ugh  careful  management,  industry  and 
frugality,  one  of  the  best  cultivated  and  most  desir- 
able farms  in  Mill  Creek  township.  P.  E.  Norcross  is 
the  eighth  child  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  viz.: 
William  (deceased);  Hannah,  wife  of  Edmund  Curtis; 
Nancy,  wife  of  Eleazer  A.  Bennett,  of  Erie;  John  (de- 
cea,sedl,  Eliza  (deceased),  Jane  (deceased)  wife  of 
William  Wyott;  Elsie  (deceased),  Peter  Irwin,  Andrew 
Fleming  and  Addie  (deceased).  January  1,  1866,  P. 
E.  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth 
(Tapley)  Parry,  of  Camden,  Oneida  county,  X.  Y. 
The  former  was  born  in  1807,  and  died  in  1882,  aged 
76  years.  The  latter  still  survives  at  the  age  of  94 
years.  Their  children  are:  John  (lieceased),  William, 
of  Cameron,  Mo.;  Ennna,  wife  of  Joseph  Young,  of 
Camden,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.;  Charles,  of  Camden. 
N.  Y.;  Harriett,  wife  of  Thomas  Smith;  Mary,  wife  of 
P.  E.  Norcross;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Lewis  Dawley,  of 
Greenetownshi|i;  Jane  (deceased),  formerly  the  wifeof 
John  Grant,  of  Cameron,  Mo.,  Sarah  (deceased),  former- 
ly the  wife  of  Nelson  Linebeck.  The  children  of  Mr. 
antl  Mrs.  P.  E.  Norcross  are:  Miss  Addie  and  Parry 
Krwin.  Mr.  Norcrosshas  spent  the  greatest  part  of  his 
life  upon  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  has  lived 
to  .see  that  portion  of  Erie  county  develop  into  the  gar- 
den spot  of  the  locality,  and  by  persistent  energy  and 
careful  forethought  has  gained  a  competency.  Mr. 
Norcross  is  an  unassuming  and  reliable  and  thorough- 
going citizen. 

William  M.  Hevfitt.  farmer,  LeBceuf  township, 
and   since  the   spring   of  1891   manager  of  the  Erie 


county  farm,  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  -Adeline  (Robbins) 
Hewitt,  natives  of  New  England.  The  former  died  in 
1853,  at  the  age  of  44  years,  and  the  latter  some  time 
after  removed  to  Crawford  county,  where  she  spent 
her  last  days.  She  died  in  1876  at  the  age  of  70  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children:  George  W., 
William  M.,  Henry  J.,  of  LeBoeuf  township;  .\deline 
J.,  wife  of  A.  J.  Burton,  of  L'nion  township,  and  Rose, 
wife  of  G.  W.  Dawler,  of  LeBceuf  township.  .Mrs. 
Hewitt  was  twice  married,  the  second  time  to  Hiram 
Drake,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Genesse  county,  New 
York.  To  this  union  was  born  one  son,  W.  W.  Drake, 
of  Erie.  Henry  and  Lyman  Hewitt,  uncles  of  William 
M.,  were  the  first  of  the  family  to  come  to  Pennsyl- 
vania from  New  England.  Lansing,  another  brother, 
came  later.  January  1,  1867,  William  M.  married 
Anna  L.,  daughter  of  Moses  S.  and  Loolia  Anna 
(  Lewis)  Edmunds.  The  former  died  in  March,  1895,  at 
the  age  of  74  years;  the  latter  still  survives.  The  chil- 
dren of  William  M.  Hewitt  are:  Byron  J.,  of  Ranson- 
ville,  Niagara  county,  N.  Y.;  Nellie  Mav,  wife  of  G.  S. 
Welker,  Mill  Village;  Morris  E.,  drug  clerk.  Mill  Vil- 
lage. Bryon  Hewitt  married  Miss  DoUie  Blackmer, 
of  Waterford.  William  M.  Hewitt  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Mill  A'illage,  Erie  county,  since  1876,  and  has 
been  prominently  identified  with  all  the  local  and  mu- 
nicipal affairs  of  the  borough,  having  held  its  various 
offices.  Mr.  Hewitt  actively  participated  in  the  late 
war  as  a  member  of  Co.  D,  184th  Reg.,  N.  Y.  \'.  I., 
and  was  severely  wounded  in  the  face  and  neck,  a 
part  of  the  right  jaw-bone  being  severed.  Mr.  Hewitt 
is  a  member  of  Post  67,  G.  A.  R.,  Erie,  Pa.,  the  K.  of 
S.  F.  J.,  Knights  of  Honor,  and  the  Lincoln  Club.  He 
is  an  affable  gentleman  anil  a  practical  farmer,  and 
the  county  farm,  under  his  management,  has  been 
well  supervised,  and  the  interests  of  the  tax-payers 
well  cared  for. 

J.  Reitihold  Rinderle.  farmer,  postoffice  Erie, 
was  born  in  Erie  January  13,  1843.  He  is  a  son  of  Se- 
bastian R..  and  Theresa  (Kreidler)  Rinderle,  who  came 
to  Erie  county  from  Germany  In  18;i^  and  settled  on 
an  adjoining  farm  to  the  one  where  J.  R.  Rinderle  now 
resides.  The  former  resides  with  his  son  and  is  vigor- 
ous and  engaged  in  active  pursuits  at  the  age  of  82 
years.  Mrs.  Rinderle  died  in  1852  at  the  age  of  45 
years.  Mr.  Rinderle  married  for  his  second  wife  Car- 
oline Schneider,  who  died  without  issue.  J.  R.  Rin- 
derle is  the  third  child  of  a  family  of  seven  children, 
viz.:  John,  Erie,  Pa.;  Joseph,  Kearsarge,  Pa.;  J.  R., 
Katherine  (deceased),  Daniel  (deceased),  Barney  (de- 
ceased), and  Frances  (deceased).  .September  25,1866, 
Mr.  J.  R.  Rinderle  married  .Miss  Mary,  daughter  of 
John  Rupp.  of  Marvintown,  Erie  county,  who  died  in 
1870.  To  this  union  have  been  born  ten  children,  viz.: 
Theressa,  John  S.,  Joseph  S.,  Frank,  Charles,  Lena 
Annie,  William  (deceased),  Eugene  (deceased),  and 
Barney.  John  .S.  Rinderle  married  Sli.ss  Katherine 
daughter  of  Peter  Baker,  of  Mill  Creek  township.  Se- 
bastian Rinderle  was  a  soldier  in  the  German  war. 
Mrs.  J.  R.  Rinderle  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  five 
children,  viz.:  Margaret,  wifeof  Frank  Mangold,  Erie; 
Andrew;  Lena,  wife  of  .Ambrose  Wagner;  loscph  and 
Mary.  John  Ru|)p  died  in  IS75  at  the  age  of  75  years. 
Mr.  Rinderle  isa  thorough  farmer  and  has  the  best  cul- 
tivated farm  and  comfortable  home-like  surroundings 
of  any  in  his  immediate  locality.  In  this  he  takes  an 
especial  pride  as  the  result  of  well-earned  prosperity. 


820 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


He  is  an  estimable  citizen,  a  member  of  the  C.  M.B.  A. 
and  St.  Benedict's  Society.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kinderle 
and  family  are  members  of  St.  John's  Church,  Erie. 
In  politics  Mr.  Kinderle  is  a  Democrat  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  school  lioard  of  Mill  Creek  township 
for  seven  years. 

Johti  Bernritter,  contractor  and  bulkier,  West 
Mill  Creek,  son  of  John  and  Walburga  (I3uhl)  Hern- 
fitter,  who  were  natives  of  Germany.  They  came  to 
Erie  in  1847,  and  who  spent  the  greater  portion  of  their 
lives  in  Mill  Creek  township.  'Fhe  former  died  in  1880 
at  the  age  of  78  years,  and  the  latter  died  at  the  age  of 
85  years.  They  reared  a  family  of  live  children,  viz.: 
Barbara,  wife  of  Jacob  Richard,  of  McKean  township; 
|ohn,  Godfred;  Elizabi-th,  wife  of  John  Moore,  and 
Fred.  John  Bernritter  was  married  in  18.'i5  to  Chris- 
tina Kunstanter,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  died  .'\u- 
gii.st  24,  1870.  To  this  union  were  born  seven  chiklren, 
viz.:  Robert,  John,  Henry,  William,  Frank,  Elizabeth, 
and  Louise.  Elizabeth  married  Frank  L.  Bowman,  of 
Fairview  township  in  1889  and  they  now  reside  in  West 
Mill  Creek.  He  is  engaged  in  the  milk  business. 
They  have  two  children,  R.uby  and  Herald.  Louise 
married  Harmon  Reichard,  of  McKean  townshi])  in 
1884.  John  Bernritter  learned  the  carpenter's  trade, 
and  at  the  age  of  21  years  entered  the  employ  of  John 
Probile  of  Fairview.  He  has  during  the  greater  j>art 
of  his  life  been  an  extensive  contractor  and  builder 
through  his  township  and  in  the  city  of  Erie.  All  five 
of  his  sons  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  are  now 
in  busine.ss  in  Chicago  and  were  employed  on  the 
W'orld's  F'air  buildings  and  also  built  several  of  the 
stations  on  the  Northwestern  R.  R.  Mr.  Bernrnitter  is 
living  a  retired  life.  Henry  was  married  to  .Mary 
Nichols,  of  Indiana,  in  1889;  Robert  w'as  married  to 
Mae  Hale,  of  Chicago,  in  1894,  and  Frank  was  married 
to  Helen  .Shipley,  of  Oregon,  in  1894. 

R.  G.  Young,  farmer,  postoflfice  Erie,  was  born  on 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  December  15,  1868. 
He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Phnjbe  (Middleton)  Young. 
The  former  died  in  1879,  at  the  age  of  49  years.  He 
was  a  native  of  County  Down,  Ireland,  and  came  to 
F>ie  county  in  early  life,  locating  on  the  farm  now  oc- 
cupii-d  by  R.  G.  He  was  closely  identified  with  the 
municipal  affairs  of  his  township,  and  tilled  several 
offices  of  trust  and  responsibility,  and  was  a  man  of 
integrity  and  worth.  The  latter  survives  and  resides 
at  the  homestead.  The  living  chiklren  are:  W.  J.,  a 
resident  of  Erie;  E.  J.,  of  Little  Washington,  Pa.;  S. 
M.,  of  Erie,  and  R.  G.,  Delia,  now  Mrs.  C.  B.  Hall; 
Minnie,  Leafie  and  Nettie.  .Mrs.  Young,  mother  of  R. 
G.,  is  a  daughter  of  John  Middleton,  a  graduate  of 
Oberlin  College,  and  who  was  for  many  years  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Waterford  townshij).  He  died  in  1870 
at  the  age  of  ()4  years.  His  widow  was  Phoebe  Mid- 
dleton. Their  children  were:  Phoebe,  mother  of  R. 
G.,  Emily  (deceased),  David  S.,  of  Waterford.  R.  G. 
Young  is  among  the  progressive  young  farmers  of  Mill 
Creek,  and  has  had  charge  of  the  homestead  farm 
since  1888. 

A.  J.  Anderson,  farmer,  postofifice  Erie,  was  born 
in  McKean  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  26,  1856,  son  of 
Isaac  and  Cynthia  A.  (Northrup)  Andcr.son.  The  for- 
mer is  now  living  in  the  city  of^Erie,  at  the  age  of  85 
years,  and  the  latter  died  in  18(50.  A.  J.  is  the  youngest 


of  a  family  of  six  children,  viz.:  Henry  J.,  Theresa  M., 
Isaac  C,  William  B.,  Charles  J.  and  A.  J.  In  August, 
1882,  A.  J.  was  married  to  Miss  Bc-lle  Davis,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Malachi  Davis,  a  veteran  in  the  late  war,  and  a 
member  of  the  111th  Reg.,  P.  V.  I.  His  wife  was  Han- 
nah Coburn,  a  native  of  Erie  county.  New  York.  Mrs. 
Anderson  was  the  sixth  child  of  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Edwin,  a  resident  of  Franklin  county,  Penn- 
sylvania; George,  Cynthia,  wife  of  Charles  Anderson; 
Melvina,  Henry,  Belle,  wife  of  A.  J.,  and  Eveline.  A. 
J.  Anderson  has  since  early  life  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing pursuits,  and  for  several  years  resided  in  Summit 
township.  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  believer  in  improve- 
ments, and  a  good  citizen. 

Mathias  Hartleb,  farmer,  Mill  Creek  township, 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Beck)  Hartleb,  natives 
of  Germany.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Erie  Novem- 
bers, 1860.  John  Hartleb  came  from  Germany  in  the 
year  1858,  and  located  in  Erie.  F'or  twelve  ytars  he 
lived  on  a  farm  now  occupied  by  Mathias,  and  known 
as  the  Zimmerman  farm,  in  East  Mill  Creek,  and  in 
1887  again  removed  to  Erie,  where  he  died  July  18, 
1894,  at  the  age  of  76  years.  Mrs.  Hartleb,  mother  of 
Mathias,  died  February  24,  1892,  at  the  age  of  72  years. 
Mathias  Hartleb  Is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  nine 
children,  viz.:  Peter,  Michael  (deceased),  Catherine, 
wife  of  George  \'ollmer;  Anthony,  Helen.  Margaret, 
wife  of  Henry  Bauschard;  Emma,  wife  of  Jacob 
Momeyer;  Elizabeth  and  Mathias.  He  was  married, 
April  12,  1887,  to  Miss  Maggie,  daughter  of  Nicholas 
Detish,  of  Mill  Creek  town.ship.  Three  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union,  viz.:  Daniel  Henry  (deceased), 
Karl  John  and  F'lorence  Margaret.  He  has  followed 
the  occu]iation  of  farming  since  early  youth,  and  is 
an  energetic  and  progressive  citizen.  He  has  resided 
on  his  present  farm  since  1887. 

Jacob  S.  Conrad,  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
and  progressive  farmers  of  Mill  Creek  township,  was 
born  on  the  farm  which  he  now  occupies,  .August  1, 
1817,  and  is  a  son  of  Josejih  and  Elizabeth  (McCoy) 
Conrad,  natives  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania. 
His  grandfather,  Capt.  John  McCoy,  for  seven  years 
underwent  the  severe  hardships  and  trials  incident  to 
a  soldier's  life  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  In  1801 
Joseph  Conrad  removed  from  .Maryland  to  F'.rie  county 
and  settled  upon  the  land  now  owned  by  his  son, 
which  was  then  a  dense  wilderness,  but  is  now  one  of 
the  finest  and  best  cultivated  farms  in  Northwestern 
Pennsylvania.  He  liuilt  a  log  house,  in  which  all  of 
his  children  were  born,  and  contended  with  the  many 
inconveniencies  and  vicissitudes  of  pioneer  life. 
Though  not  a  regularly  enlisted  soldier  during  the 
war  of  1812,  residing  so  near  the  seat  of  conflict,  he 
rendered  much  valuable  service  as  a  member  of  the 
militia,  and  fref|uently  ]iarticipated  in  border  warfare, 
which  is  always  more  harassing  than  regular  military 
service.  Such  is  the  honorable  record  of  Mr.  Conrad's 
ancestors  in  the  two  great  wars  which  established  and 
maintained  the  independence  of  the  United  States. 
F'or  several  years  [)revious  to  his  death,  Joseph  Con- 
rad's feeble  health,  together  with  the  sustenance  of  a 
large  family,  greatly  impeded  his  jirogress,  so  that  at 
the  time  of  his  death  the  farm  was  encumbered  by 
debt,  even  beyond  its  value.  He  died  in  October, 
1835,  at  the  age  of  66  years.  His  widow,  who  was 
born  in  1700,  survived  him  until   F"ebruary  16,   1872. 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


821 


The  family  consisted  of  nine  children:  Margaret  (de- 
ceased), formerly  the  wife  of  Amon  Keeler,  and  later 
of  George  L.  Wood;  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Ariel  Jiidd; 
Sarah  Ann,  widow  of  Solomon  Wood;  John  M.,  resides 
with  Jacob  S.,  who  is  his  immediate  junior;  Maria 
(deceased);  Joseph  (deceased),  antl  Martha  and  Mary 
(twms,  both  deceased).  Mary  was  formerly  the  wife  of 
Wilson  Adams  (deceased).  After  his  father's  death, 
Jacob  S.  was  chosen  by  his  mother  to  assume  the 
management  of  the  farm  and  the  responsibility  of 
freeing  it  from  debt,  thus  providing  a  home  for  her 
and  the  younger  children.  He  accordingly  purchased 
the  homestead  in  his  own  name,  going  in  debt  for  the 
entire  amount,  as  well  as  for  a  team  and  farming  im- 
plements. In  a  few  years  he  had  paid  the  debt,  made 
many  improvements  upon  the  farm,  and  brought  it  to 
a  higher  state  of  cultivation.  In  185.5-6  he  built  a  sub- 
stantial brick  house,  which,  after  forty  years,  is  still  a 
handsome  and  modern  home.  Mr.  Conrad  cut  the 
trees  with  his  own  ax  from  which  nearly  all  the  hard 
wood  lumber  for  its  construction  was  obtained,  and 
supervised  personally  every  detail  of  its  construction. 
Other  buildings  have  been  added  to  accommodate  the 
needs  of  a  well-regulated  farm.  Nearly  all  the  prod- 
ucts which  can  be  advantageously  grown  in  Erie 
county  are  raised  in  large  quantities,  excepting  barley, 
which  Mr.  Conrad  refuses,  from  conscientious  scruples, 
to  grow.  For  many  years  he  dealt  extensively  in  cat- 
tle and  horses,  in  which  he  was  highly  successful. 
One  of  the  chief  factors  of  Mr.  Conrad's  success  has 
been  the  cheerful  and  valuable  assistance  which  he 
always  received  from  his  mother,  sister  and  wife. 
Temperance,  frugality  and  industry,  coujjled  with 
honest  hearts  and  willing  hands,  have  ]j|aced  Mr. 
Conrad  in  possession  of  a  fine,  well-tilled  farm,  with 
improvements,  in  which  he  can  ju.stlytake  pride.  Best 
of  all,  Mr.  Conrad  enjoys  throughout  an  extensive  ac- 
quaintance in  Erie  county,  the  enviable  reputation  of 
being  an  honest,  fair-minded  man,  true  to  his  own 
convictions,  while  recognizing  the  rights  of  others  to 
be  governed  by  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences, 
maintaining,  however,  a  well-defined  aversion  for 
hy]iocrisy,  which  sacrifices  everything  to  greed  of  gain 
and  wordly  aggrandizement.  Mr.  Conrad  was  mar- 
ried January  14,  18(i4,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.,  daugh- 
ter of  Freeman  and  Eklula  (Root)  Patterson,  of  East 
Springfield,  Erie  countv.  Mr.  Patterson  was  born  in 
Arlington,  Vt.,  June  2i),  1800,  and  died  in  1885.  He 
was  one  of  Erie  county's  best  citizens,  and  was  the 
first  superintendent  of  the  County  Alms-house.  Mrs. 
Patterson  was  born  in  Cavuga  countv,  Xew  York,  June 
28,  180(5,  and  died  February  '>\\  1887.'  The  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patterson  were:  James  F.,  born  Decem- 
ber 1,  1825,  died  in  1848;  Delia,  willow  of  Henry 
Teller,  born  November  14,  1827,  in  .'\urora,  N.  Y., 
resident  of  Girard,  Pa.;  Louisa,  born  in  North  East 
township,  February  28,  1880,  and  died  July  7,  1844; 
Emily,  wife  of  J.  .S.  Conrad,  born  in  North  East  town- 
.ship,  January  24,  1888;  Mary  Princess,  born  in  1880, 
widciw  of  John  Co|>persmith,  of  Erie,  who  died  from 
the  effects  of  lebel  imprisonment,  and  later  widow  of 
John  Faulkner;  .Sarah  J.,  born  in  Mill  Creek  townshi]j, 
November  11,  1841,  first  wife  of  Mr.  Conrad;  Harriet, 
born  in  Mill  Creek,  March  18,  is;!9;  Maria  Margaret, 
born  in  Mill  Creek,  November  2(i,  1844;  William  E., 
born  in  Mill  Creek,  May  l(i,  1847,  now  of  Springfield 
townshi]),  a  soldier  in  the  late  war;  Jeannette  Eliza- 
beth, born  in  Girard  township,  March  8, 1850,  and  Rev. 


Frank  Leslie  Patterson,  D.  D.,  a  Baptist  clergyman, 
born  May  10,  1852,  died  in  1892.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Con- 
rad had  born  unto  them  six  children,  viz:  William  W., 
born  November  10,  1864,  married  Miss  Clara,  daugh- 
ter of  .Mandeville  Wager,  of  Belle  Yalley;  George 
Walker,  born  .Vpril  25,  1867  (deceased);  James  McCoy, 
born  February  8,  1869,  married  Miss  Grace  Meyers, 
of  Erie,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Harrison  Jacob, 
and  occupies  the  Wood  farm  in  Mill  Creek  township; 
Jacob  Lester,  born  March  30,  1870,  married  Jennie 
Maynard,  of  Springfield,  who  died  April  15,  1895, 
leaving  one  child,  Florence  Jennie;  Elizabeth  .Maria 
(deceased).  Mrs.  Conrad  died  April  6,  1874,  at  the 
age  of  32  years.  Mr.  Conrad  was  married  a  second 
time,  November  4,  1875,  to  .Miss  Emily  Patterson,  a 
sister  of  his  first  wife.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conrad  are  mem- 
bers, respectively,  of  the  Presbyterian  and  Methodist 
Churches,  and  are  earnest  workers  in  the  cause  of 
temperance,  having  reputations  which  extend  beyond 
the  State  in  which  they  live.  Still  vigorous  and  active, 
their  good  work  and  example  will  always  give  them 
an  honored  name  in  the  community.  In  politics  Mr. 
Conrad  was  originally  a  Whig,  but  when  the  Repub- 
lican party  was  organized  he  became  identified  with 
it;  and  now,  when  the  Prohibition  party  is  striving  to 
break  the  shackles  which  bind  men  to  a  slavery  more 
terrible  than  that  which  the  Republican  party  de- 
stroyed, the  work  finds  in  Mr.  Conrad  a  vigorous  sup- 
porter. Mr.  Conrad  had  charge  of  the  Erie  county 
jail  from  1887  to  1840,  during  which  time  the  first  and 
only  execution  in  the  county  took  place.  It  was  in 
1888,  when  Francisco  was  executed  for  killing  his 
wife.  The  executioner  was  Andrew  Scott,  father  of 
Mayor  Walter  Scott. 

Alfred  P.  Lang,  proprietor,  summer  resort.  Grove 
House  Park,  lirie,  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Weiblein; 
Lang,  natives  of  Garmany.  He  was  born  in  Girard, 
Pa.,  .September  20,  1868,  and  was  for  some  years  en- 
gaged with  his  father  in  the  meat  business.  He  died 
in  October,  1890,  at  the  age  of  48  years.  Mrs.  Lang, 
mother  of  Alfred,  was  a  daughter  of  Gotleib  Weiblein. 
She  died  .-\[)ril  14,  1890,  at  the  age  of  44  years.  .Alfred 
P.  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  four  children,  viz.:  Alfred 
P.,  Olive,  wife  of  E.  Smith,  Erie;  Oscar  and  Fred- 
ericka,  wife  of  W.  W.  John.son,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  He 
was  married  June  26,  1890,  to  Miss  .'\ddie,  daughter  of 
William  and 'Elizabeth  (Landon)  Little,  of  Mill  Creek. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  three  children,  viz.:  .Marv 
E.,  .'Mfred  M.  ami  Ethel.  In  1887,  Jacob  Lang  and 
C.  Ralie  purchased  of  the  Crowley  estate  twelve  acres 
of  land,  wliich  includes  the  Grove  Park  at  Four-Mile 
Creek,  and  immediately  began  to  buildup  a  charming 
summer  resort.  Mr.  Lang  erected  the  numerous  first- 
cla.ss  buildings  about  the  resort,  which  includes  a  large 
hotel,  dancing  pavilion,  stable,  bowling  alfey,  a  200- 
foot  dock,  besides  modern  improvements  in  the  line 
of  water  works,  gas  wells,  etc.  After  the  death  of  .Mr. 
Lang.  Alfred  P.  came  in  possession  of  the  resort,  and 
has  built  up  a  large  trade.  This  summer  resort  is  not 
only  patronized  by  the  city  people,  but  many  from  a 
di.stance,  inchuling  Pittsburg  anil  other  points.  This 
point  is  superior  to  any  in  the  way  of  picturesque 
views  and  cool  invigorating  atmosphere  from  Lake 
Erie,  and  is  de.stined  at  a  not  far  distant  day  to  become 
a  more  desirable  resort.  Mr.  Lang  is  a  ]irominent 
member  of  several  societies,  among  which  are  the 
K.  O.  T.  M.,  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  Erie  Castle 


822 


NELSOJUrS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


No.  411,  Erie  Turners,  Bavarian  Society  and  G.  H.  Q. 
of  W.  B.  O.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lang  are  members  of  St. 
Paul's  German  Lutheran  Church. 

A.  B.  Bladen,  farmer.  Mill  Creek  township,  was 
born  and  reared  and  has  spent  his  life  on  the  farm 
which  he  now  owns.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Malinda  (Parker)  Bladen.  The  former  died  in  18H8, 
at  the  a^e  of  88  years,  and  the  latter  is  still  living  at 
tlie  homestead  with  her  son  at  the  age  of  83  years. 
.She  has  a  retentive  memory,  and  vividly  recalls  inci- 
dents of  her  early  days  with  accuracy.  She  has  in  her 
possession  the  original  deed  of  the  farm  on  which  she 
has  made  her  home  since  marriage,  which  was  origi- 
nally 400  acres,  and  came  in  possession  of  her  father- 
in-law.  Boo,  who  came  to  the  lake  country  with  three 
surveyors  from  Philadelphia.  The  land  was  pur- 
chased at  Sl.25  per  acre,  June  1.  ITOfi,  accordmg  to 
the  deed,  written  on  deer  skin  parchment.  Boo  cleared 
many  acres  of  this  land,  built  a  log  cabin  and  lived  to 
be  over  100  years  of  age.  William  Bladen  next  came 
in  possession  of  the  main  portion  of  the  farm  and 
cleared  still  more  of  the  wooded  section,  and  after- 
ward built  the  log  home  in  which  our  subject  now 
resides.  Edward  Bladen,  grandfather  of  .•\.  B.,  moved 
his  family  and  effects  in  a  wagon  from  Orange,  Md. 
This  is  said  to  be  the  only  farm  in  Erie  county  which 
has,  up  to  18f).5,  remained  continuously  in  pos.session 
of  colored  owners.  Edward  Parker,  grandfather  of  A. 
B.  Bladen,  lived  for  many  years  at  Meadville,  Craw- 
ford county.  Pa.,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  f)(i  years. 
His  widow,  Anna  p'reeglas,  died  at  the  age  of  77  years. 
A.  B.  Bladen  first  married  Alfredie  Holisie,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  28  years.  Shehad  one  child,  Ellen  Ethel. 
Mr.  Bladen  again  married.  His  second  wife  was  Julia 
A.  Clifford.  One  child,  John  Dicher.  of  Chicago,  has 
been  born  to  this  union.  Mr.  Bladen  is  the  youngest 
of  a  family  of  three  children,  and  the  only  oru'  sur- 
viving. He  is  an  energetic,  industrious  farmer  and  a 
good  citizen;  they  are  members  of  the  First  Ba])tist 
Church;  he  served  as  town  clerk  in  18ii;:i-4,  is  a  Master 
Mason  and  Knight  Templar. 

Capt.  G.  W.  Miller.  kee|)er  Erie  land  lighthouse, 
was  born  in  iohnstovvn,  Montgonierv  county,  N.  Y., 
March  12,  IS.'id.  He  is  a  .son'of  Phillip  and  Betsey 
Arkenburg  Miller,  natives  of  Montgomery  county, 
New  York,  and  who  resided  first  in  .Springfield  town- 
ship, and  afterward  in  .-Xurora,  111.,  wlnTe  the  former 
died  at  the  age  of  7(i  years,  and  the  latter  in  18W),  at 
the  age  of  7.5  years.  Captain  Miller  is  the  fourth 
child  of  a  fanuly  of  ten  children,  viz.;  Jacob,  of  Con- 
neaut.  Ohio,  a  .soldier;  Catlierine,  deceased  wife  of  F. 
J.  Randall;  Harriett,  deceased  wife  of  John  Prentice; 
Ahnira,  wife  of  Oeorge  Wildrick;  Elizabeth,  widow  of 
James  Webb;  Melinda,  wife  of  Lud  Wildrick;  Miner- 
va, wife  of  (>eorge  Orms;  Lorenzo  (deceasedl,  and 
John,  a  resident  of  California.  Captain  Miller  was 
married  February  3,  18.52,  to  Cyntha  L.,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Catherine  (  McCarthy!  Eighmy,  natives  of 
New  York  .State,  residents  of  Conneaut,  Ohio.  The 
former  died  in  187.5,  at  the  age  of  75  years;  the  latter 
in  1885,  at  the  age  of  82  years.  Mrs.  Miller  is  the 
third  child  in  a  family  of  six  children,  viz.:  Rachael, 
wife  of  Jacob  A.  Miller;  Nicholas,  Cyntha,  |acob, 
Charles  an<l  Porter;  all  four  boys  were  soldiers  in  the 
late  war.  The  latter  was  killed  by  an  accident  at 
Murphysboro,  Va.,  in   1863.     Mr.   and   Mrs.    Miller's 


children  are:  Ella  M.  (deceased),  formerly  the  wife 
of  Harri.son  Bailey;  Catherine,  wife  of  C.  C.  Payne,  and 
Minnie  B.,  wife  of  John  Kuhl  of  Erie,  Pa.  Cajitain 
Miller  entered  the  em|iloy  of  the  U.  S.  Government, 
in  18(58,  in  the  position  of  Light  House  keejier  at  Con- 
neaut, ().,  where  he  remained  until  July  1,  1885,  when 
he  was  transferred  to  the  Erie  Land  Light,  which  posi- 
tion he  now  hokis  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  sailors  who 
enter  llie  Erie  port.  Ca]jtain  Miller  is  among  the 
trustworthy  and  responsible  employes  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and  a  man  who  has  a  keen  appreciation  of  ma- 
rine duties. 

Capt.  Jacob  Ziegler  was  born  at  Frankenthal, 
Baden,  February  15,  1839.  At  the  age  of  14  years  he 
came  to  America  and  enlisted.  May  1,  IHOl,  in  Erie, 
Pa.,  as  orderly  sergeant  in  Company  I,  McLane's  Erie 
Regiment.  After  serving  three  months  he  was  dis- 
charged at  Pittsburg,  to  re-enlist  August  8,  18(>1,  in 
Erie,  in  Battery  B,  Independent  Pennsylvania  Light 
.'\rtillery,  equip[)ed  by  Hon.  W.  L.  Scott,  in  which  he 
was  commissioned  second  lieutenant,  later  first  lieu- 
tenant and  subsei|uently  cajitain.  With  his  command 
he  [)articii)ated  in  the  engagements  at  Stone  River, 
Chattanooga,  Chickamauga,  Mission  Ridge,  Rocky 
Face  Ridge,  Tunnel  Hill,  Buzzards'  Roost,  Resaca, 
Dallas,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Chattahoochee  river. 
Peach  Tree  creek,  .Siege  of  .'\tlanta.  Spring  Hill, 
Nashville  and  Texas  campaign.  April  12.  18(i2,  he 
was  treated  in  field  hospital  in  Shiloh  four  weeks  for 
a  disease  brought  on  by  exposure,  was  furloughed  in 
Chattanooga  for  thirty  days,  in  which  place,  in  1864, 
he  re-enlisted  in  the  same  conmiand  as  a  veteran,  re- 
joining his  company  in  March,  1864,  in  Chattanooga, 
Tenn.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged October  12,  1865,  in  Victoria,  Tex.  Captain 
Ziegler  was  married  .May  14,  1867,  in  F.rie,  to  Miss 
Louise  Curtze,  .second  oldest  daughter  of  Frederick 
Curtze.  I''s(|.,  deceased.  He  served  in  the  Erie  ])Ost- 
oftice  for  twenty  years  and  died  .'\pril  14,  1895.  His 
wife  and  one  fjrother,  Charles  Ziegler,  of  Indianapolis, 
Ind.,  survive  liini.  He  was  a  member  of  Tvrian  Lodge 
No.  362,  F.  and  A.  M.,  Mozart  Lodge  No.  iSO,  1).  O.  H., 
Post  67,  G.  A.  R.,  and  was  also  a  member  of  the  Erie 
Liedertafel. 

Peter  Seib,  postoffice  Erie,  son  of  Jocob  and 
Elizabeth  (Fiolles)  Seib.  The  forTuer  has  for  many 
years  been  a  resident  of  F.rie  and  Mill  Creek  town.ship, 
and  now  resides  on  the  Buffalo  road.  The  latter  died 
in  1883,  at  the  age  of  67  years.  To  these  parents  were 
born  the  following  children:  Jacob,  now  a  resident  of 
Mill  Creek  township;  F'lizabeth,  Bard,  Erie;  and  Kate. 
Peter  .Seib  was  married  June  23,  1873,  to  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  John  Durland  (deceased).  Her  mother's 
maiden  name  was  .Ynna  .Marie  Driesaquer.  She  died 
in  1X70.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seib  are  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  viz.:  F21izabeth,  Helena,  Charles,  Augusta, 
Peter,  John  (deceased),  Rosa  and  Arthur.  Peter  Seib 
has  resided  in  F>ie  and  vicinity  since  his  birth,  and 
latterly  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  farming,  and 
since  1887  has  had  charge  of  the  Koehler  farm  in  East 
Mill  Creek.  This  farm  contains  310  acres,  and  is  one 
of  the  best  and  most  thoroughly  iiujiroved  farms  in 
Northwestern  Pennsylvania.  .Modern  buildings  and 
the  latest  improved  facilities  for  carrying  on  the  same 
are  the  only  means  considered  to  bring  about  the  re- 
sults desired  in  first-class  farming  in  the  nineteenth 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


823 


century,  and  all  these  are  provided  on  this  farm.  Mr. 
.Seib  is  a  thorough  farmer  and  keeps  fully  abreast  of 
the  times.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  a 
genial  citizen. 

John  E.  Lapsley,  farmer,  postoffice  Belle  Valley, 
was  born  March  y,  184St,  in  the  city  of  Erie,  where  his 
parents  resided  for  many  years.  He  is  of  .Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  and  is  a  son  of  John  E.  and  Catherine 
(Jackson)  Lapsley,  who  came  and  settled  in  Erie  county 
early  in  the  century.  The  mother  of  John  Lapsley  was 
the  widow  of  Thomas  Jackson.  She  died  in  1857.  He 
was  married  March  28,  1882,  to  Martha  B.,  daughter 
of  John  and  Nancy  (Kennedy)  Blackwood,  who  set- 
tled early  in  East  Slid  Creek.  The  former  died  Sep- 
tember 12,  1888,  at  the  age  of  81  years.  The  latter 
.still  survives  and  retains  her  faculties,  and  looks  after 
the  household  duties  at  the  Blackwood  homestead 
with  a  surjirising  alacrity.  .She  was  born  in  Ireland 
March  10,  1810,  and  has  resided  in  her  present  home 
for  fifty  years.  Mr.  Blackwood  hail  two  brothers, 
Robert  and  James;  the  former  has  been  for  many 
years  a  resident  of  Wesleyville,  Erie  county,  and  the 
latter  died  in  Mill  Creek  township  in  1875.  Mrs. 
Blackwood  lives  with  her  son,  James  T.,  who  was  born 
December  10,  18.52.  She  is  the  second  child  of  a  fam- 
ily of  eleven  children,  viz.:  Mary,  Nancy,  David,  John, 
George,  William,  Jane,  Johnson,  James,  Margaret  and 
Nixon.  Mr.  and  Nirs.  Lapsley  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Kennedy  Blackwood  and  Mary  Jeanette 
Lapsley.  John  E.  Lapsley  owns  a  farm  of  forty  acres 
near  the  conjunction  of  Mill  Creek,  Greene  and  Har- 
bor Creek  townships,  located  in  the  southeast  corner 
of  Mill  Creek.  He  is  a  member  of  the  L'.  P.  Church 
and  is  a  man  of  integrity  and  a  good  citizen. 

John  V.  Arthur,  farmer,  postoffice  Belle  Valley, 
was  born  in  Litchfield  township,  Oneida  county.  N. 
v.,  lanuary  IH,  18;^7.  The  following  fall  he.  with  his 
parents,  J.  \.  L.  and  Eliza  B.  (Harvey)  Arthur,  came 
to  Erie  via  the  Erie  canal  and  Lake  Erie  from  L'tica, 
N.  v.,  lancHng  at  Erie  on  October  6.  They  settled  in 
McKean  townshi]i,  from  whence  they  moved  to  Mill 
Creek  townshi])  in  1845,  where  they  spent  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives.  The  mother  died  April  6,  1871,  at 
the  age  of  60  years.  She  was  a  native  of  Connecticut. 
Mr.  J.  \'.  L.  Arthur  was  born  m  Peru,  Clinton  county, 
N.  v.,  March  27,  17H7,  ami  died  at  the  home  of  his  son 
October  12,  1888.  John  \'.  .Arthur  was  married  Janu- 
ary 2/i,  18(i8,  to  Elizabeth  Almira,  daughter  of  Patrick 
and  Elizabeth  Clark.  Mrs.  Arthur  was  born  on  the 
farm  where  she  now  resides,  November  30,  1840.  She 
has  one  brother,  Nelson  Clark,  of  the  "Anchor  Line," 
Erie.  Her  father  died  March  2,  1865,  in  his  fi9th  year, 
and  her  mother  March  17,  188(i,  at  the  rijie  age  of  90 
years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Arthur  have  one  son.  Trie  Nel- 
son, a  graduate  of  the  F.dinboro  .State  Normal  School, 
'91,  and  of  Allegheny  College,  1894.  Since  their  mar- 
riage Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Arthur  ha.e  resided  in  Mill  Creek 
township  and  are  highly  respected  citizens  of  the  coni- 
numity.  Mr.  .Arthur  is  a  progressive  farmer,  and  has 
hi'ld  several  municipal  offices.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  South  Erie  Lodge,  No.  62,  E.  A.  U. 

Joseph  Klick,  farmer,  postoffice  Belle  N'alley, 
was  born  in  Greene  townshi|i,  Erie  county,  in  185;!, 
son  of  John  and  Barbara  (Fleetlel  Klick.  The  former 
is  living   in   Greene  township  and  the  latter  died  in 


1858  at  the  age  of  23  years.  Phillip  Klick,  grand- 
father of  Joseph,  came  from  Germany  and  settled  in 
Erie  county  in  1832.  Joseph  Klick  was  married  No- 
vember 15,  1891,  to  Miss  Lena,  daughter  of  George 
and  Grace  (Keichard)  Smith,  of  Erie.  .Mrs.  Klick  is 
the  eldest  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  as  follows: 
Lena;  Maggie,  wife  of  Louis  Slate;  Sophia,  Clara, 
Frank,  Simon,  George,  William  and  Jackson.  Joseph 
Klick  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  six  children,  viz.: 
Joseph,  Albert,  Phillip,  John,  Leonard  and  Sarah,  wife 
of  John  Sizel.  The  children  of  Joseph  Klick  are: 
Maggie,  Anna,  Grace,  Clara,  Ida,  Frances,  Celia, 
Joseph,  and  Herbert,  who  died  August  6,  1895.  Mr. 
Klick  began  farming  in  Greene  township  and  in  1884 
located  on  his  present  farm  of  sixty-four  acres  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  Mill  Creek  township.  He  has 
served  as  road  commissioner  and  is  a  worthy  citizen 
and  a  good  farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Klick  are  members 
of  .St.  Mary's  Church  of  Erie. 

Simon  Schmitt,  dairyman,  postoffice  Belle  \'al- 
ley,  was  born  .August  8,  1867,  son  of  George  and  Grace 
Reihart  Schmitt.  The  former  died  August  29,  1893, 
aged  63  years.  Simon  .Schmitt  is  the  second  son  of  a 
family  of  five  children,  viz.:  Frank,  of  Erie;  Simon, 
George,  of  Erie;  William,  of  Mill  Creek,  and  Jacob,  of 
Erie.  .Simon  Schmitt  was  married,  October  17,  1889, 
to  Miss  Ida,  daughter  of  Phillip  and  Mary  (Wicks) 
Sutter.  The  former  died  November  17,  1889,  aged  65 
years.  Mrs.  .Schmitt  is  the  sixth  child  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  as  follows:  Rachael,  wife  of  John 
Baher  (deceased!,  George  (deceased),  \'eronica,  wife 
of  Jacob  Baker;  Ida,  'Theodore,  George,  Emma  (de- 
ceased), Clara,  Phillip,  Catherine  and  Henrietta.  The 
children  of  Simon  Schmitt  are  Luretta  (deceased), 
Ravmond,  Joseph  and  Marie  Catherine.  .Simon 
Schmitt  has  resiiled  on  his  present  farm,  known  as  the 
Jacob  .Sutter  farm,  since  1874,  and  has  been  a  thorough, 
reliable  farmer  and  citizen.  Latterly  he  has  been  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  the  milk  l)usiness.  His  grand- 
father, George  Sutter,  cleared  away  the  fore.st  which 
at  an  early  day  surrounded  his  home  where  .Simon  now 
resides. 

J.  A.  Brindle,  farmer,  .Mill  Creek  township,  son 
of  Samuel  H.  and  .Mary  (Ebersolel  Brindle;  the  former 
born  in  1807;  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Ebersole, 
whodied  in  1S81,  at  the  age  of  91  years.  .Samuel  Eber- 
sole settled  early  in  East  .Mill  Creek,  and  was  the  son  of 
Christian  Ebersole.  Mrs.  Brindle  isfourthof  a  familyof 
five  children,  viz.:  Jesse(deceased),  Joseph  (deceased), 
Elizabeth  (deceased),  Mary  and  Katherine.  J.  .A.  Brin- 
dle is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  three  children,  as  fol- 
lows: .Samuel  E.;  .Adella  B.,  wife  of  Dr.  .A.  .A.  Woods, 
Erie,  and  J.  A.  Samuel  E.  formerly  lived  in  Girard, 
where  he  died.  His  widow,  Emma  (.Anderson)  Brin- 
dle, resides  in  Erie.  Their  children  are:  Katie  May, 
lessie,  Rachel  and  Clarence.  The  children  ot  Dr. 
and  ^Irs.  \\'oods  are  Bertha  and  Ethel.  J.  .A.  Brindle 
was  born  January  21, 1863.  He  was  married  August  23, 
1888,  to  Kittie,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Lucinda  iSilsby) 
Lanfear,  of  Girard.  Their  children  are:  Gertrude; 
Fred  Landfear,  of  Bay  City.  Mich.,  and  Kittie.  The 
children  of  J.  .A.  Brin<ile  are:  Florence,  Hazel,  -Alice 
Mary,  Mabel  and  Marguerite  (deceased).  Samuel 
Brindle,  father  of  J.  .A.,  lived  for  twenty  years  on  the 
homestead  at  North  .Springfield,  and  came  to  East 
Mill  Creek  in  1866.     He  was  a  son  of  Mathias  and 


824 


NELSON'S  BIOGBAPHICAL  DICTIONART 


Elizabeth  Brindle,  natives  of  Cumberland  and  York 
counties,  respectively.  Joseph  Brindle  was  born 
March  5,  1802,  in  Springfield  townshiji,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  son  of  Mathias  and  Elizabeth  Brindle,  natives  of 
Cumberland  and  York  counties,  respectively.  Mathias, 
in  1800,  took  up  400  acres  of  land  on  the  banks  of 
Lake  Erie.  In  the  fall  of  1800  he  went  to  Franklin 
county  and  married  Elizabeth  Hossler,  returning  with 
his  bride  in  the  spring  of  1801.  They  settled  on  the 
farm  and  reared  eleven  children.  He  filled  some  of 
the  township  offices,  was  a  prominent  farmer,  and, 
with  the  help  of  his  boys,  finally  cleared  all  his  land. 
He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  beautiful 
cemetery  of  East  Springfield.  He  served  in  the  war 
of  1812. '  His  wife  de))arted  this  life  in  1840,  and  he  in 
184.5.  Joseph  Brindle,  the  second  child  of  this  pioneer 
family,  was  the  first  white  boy  born  in  Springfield 
township.  He  married  October  5,  1826,  Lodosska 
Putney,  a  native  of  Canada,  daughter  of  Jewett  Putney. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  seven  children,  viz.: 
Sarah  E.,  wife  of  .Aiiolphus  Maxina;  Franklin  M. 
(deceased);  Charlotte  M.  (deceased);  Louisa  H.  (de- 
ceased); Martha  (now  living),  and  Willie  J.  (deceased). 
Mrs.  Brindle  departed  this  life  in  October,  1880.  P. 
M.  Brindle  was  born  November  19,  1820,  in  Spring- 
field township,  twelfth  child  of  Mathias  and  Elizabeth 
Brindle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brindle  were  the  parents  of 
thirteen  children,  eleven  living  to  be  men  and  women. 
P.  M.  Brindle  was  united  in  marriage  in  1846  with 
Janet,  daughter  of  Sela  and  Elizabeth  \Valbridge,  who 
came  to  this  county  from  Vermont  in  1828;  she  is  a 
native  of  \'ermont.  Three  children  were  born  to  this 
union,  two  surviving:  Adelbert  H.,  and  Charlotte  E., 
wife  of  A.  E.  Walker. 

E.  A.  Woodbury,  gardener, postofifice  Wesleyville, 
was  born  in  Boston,  Erie  county,  N.  Y.,  April  24,  1843, 
son  of  W.  M.  and  Lucy  Woodbury,  natives  of  Xew 
York  State.  The  former  was  born  in  Boston  Centre, 
Erie  county,  X.  Y.,  July  2fl,  1819,  and  died  August  28, 
1892,  and  the  latter  was  born  in  Haml)urg,  Eriecountv, 
N.  Y.,  October  15,  1822,  and  died  May  10,  1859.  Mr. 
E.  A.  Woodbury  is  the  sole  survivor.  He  was  mar- 
ried January  1,  1870,  to  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  William 
and  Keziah  (Taylor)  Sell,  natives  of  London,  Eng- 
land. The  former  died  m  Erie  in  1889,  and  the 
latter  died  in  1868,  aged  55  years.  Mrs.  Woodbury 
was  born  in  Rahway,  N.  J.,  June  4,  1838.  She  is  the 
third  child  of  a  family  of  five  children,  viz.:  Capt. 
John  W.  Sell,  Susan  T.,  Sarah  A.,  Charles  .Sell,  a  resi- 
dent of  Xew  Jersey,  and  William  J.  E.  A.Woodbury 
was  educated  at  Waterford  Academy,  and  for  fifteen 
years  was  a  valued  bookkeeper  in  the  Lake  Shore  and 
Michigan  Southern  R.  R.  freight  office.  Latterly, 
aside  from  other  duties,  he  has  been  a 'correspondent 
and  representative  of  the  Erie  Dispatch.  In  the 
reportorial  field  his  writings  have  wielded  a  large  in- 
fluence. At  the  age  of  19  years,  E.  A.  Woodbury  en- 
listed, August  9,  1862,  as  a  private  with  Capt.  Charles 
M.  Lynch,  Co.  D,  14.5th  Reg..  P.  V.  I.;  was  discharged 
on  the  9th  day  of  February,  1863,  in  Wa.shington,  D.C, 
by  reason  of  surgeon's  certificate  of  disability.  He  was 
in  several  important  engagements. 

J.  W.  Tait,  general  blacksmith,  Erie,  native  of 
England,  was  born  October  3,  1860,  son  of  Adam  and 
Elizabeth  (Cathberl)  Tait.    The  former  is  still  living 


in  England,  and  the  latter  died  in  1862.  J.  W.  Tait  is 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  five  children,  viz.:  Rob- 
ert, Edward,  James,  Adam  and  J.  \\'.  .Xdam  Tait, 
father  of  J.  \\'.,  married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Sarah 
Harmson,  and  to  this  union  were  born  six  children,  as 
follows:  Stephen,  Andrew,  George,  Elizabeth,  Sarah 
Ann  and  Isabella.  April  25,  1889,  J.  W.  married  May 
E.,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Agnes  Rose,  of  West 
Greene  township.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with 
three  children,  as  follows:  Anna  Isabella,  Carrie 
Elizabeth  and  Charles  Robert.  J.  \^'.  Tait  first  began 
the  business  of  blacksmithing  in  West  Greene,  Erie 
county,  and  soon  afterward  removed  to  Sheffield,  Pa., 
and  came  to  Erie  in  1891,  and  bought  his  present 
property,  where  he  has  erected  a  fine  residence  and  a 
first-class  shop,  and  built  up  a  good  trade.  Sujjerior 
workmanshi])  and  close  attention  to  business  has  won 
for  him  the  best  trade,  and  the  respect  of  the  business 
community. 

Benjamiti  Hershey,  Mill  Creek  township,  post- 
office  Erie,  born  June  15,  1827,  son  of  John  and  Soioma 
(Greybiel)  Hershey.  The  former  departed  this  life  in 
1840,  at  the  age  of  49  years.  The  latter,  who  came 
from  Canada  to  Erie  county  in  1827,  survived  her  hus- 
band until  1871,  dying  at  the  age  of  76  years.  Ben- 
jamin IS  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  four  children,  as 
follows:  .Samuel,  who  died  in  1885;  John,  who  died  in 
1880;  Solorae,  wife  of  Rev.  A.  Xeibel;  she  died  in  1870. 
Benjamin  Hershey  was  married  May  10,  1851,  to  Miss 
Mary  Jane  Miller,  of  Mill  Creek.  Five  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union,  as  follows:  Emma,  who  died 
in  18.58,  at  the  age  of  5  years;  Celesta  J.,  teacher  in  the 
public  schools;  Susan  Ida,  wife  of  C.C.Wright,  and 
Mary  Agnes,  teacher  in  the  public  schools.  Benjamin 
graduated  from  the  Cincinnati  Medical  College  in 
1850,  and  came  to  Erie  in  1857,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. The  same  year  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
Erie  City  Iron  Works,  with  Walter  Liddell  and  John 
Fairbairn.  He  is  the  inventor  of  the  Torsion  spring, 
and  has  perfected  a  successful  invention  for  cutting 
and  welding  links.  Mr.  Hershey  has  made  three  trips 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  has  under  contemplation  a 
process  for  saving  fine  gold  from  gravel  and  black 
sand.  Mr.  Hershey 's  ancestors  came  from  Switzer- 
land, landing  in  America  in  1701.  They  left  their  na- 
tive land  because  of  serious  local  religious  difference.?. 
Mr.  Hershey  remembers  his  father's  narration  of  an- 
cestral life  on  the  .Alpine  mountains,  where  the  fann'ly 
liveil  at  such  an  elevation  that  but  one  thunder  storm 
visited  them  in  six  years,  the  rest  all  passing  below. 
In  pursuit  of  the  chamois  the  hunters  would  often 
scarify  the  soles  of  their  feet  so  that  the  clotted  blood 
would  form  a  |iaste  to  give  them  a  better  foothold  as 
they  lea[ied  from  ledge  to  ledge  in  pursuit  of  game. 
One  of  Sir.  Hershey 's  grandparents  died  at  the  age  of 
68  years;  another  at  the  age  of  99  years;  another  at 
the  age  of  100,  and  the  fourth  at  the  age  of  101  years. 

Crosby  Family.  —The  first  of  this  well-known 
family  to  come  to  Erie  county  were  Patrick  and  James 
Crosby,  and  two  uncles,  Peter  and  James,  who  came 
about  the  same  time.  This  was  about  1835.  Patrick 
came  originally  from  Ireland  to  Canada  and  by  boat 
across  Lake  Erie  and  located  in  the  then  dense  wilder- 
ness, now  the  northwest  corner  of  Harbor  Creek,  where 
a  log  hut  was  built  and  primitive  life  begun.  He  was 
a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  the  timber  surrounding  the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


825 


home  of  his  adoption  furnished  ample  material  for 
building.  In  his  desire  to  found  permanent  homes  for  the 
coming  generation  many  buildings  of  the  locality  for 
years  gave  evidence  of  his  superior  skdl  and  work- 
nianshif).  Not  content  with  his  immediate  surround- 
ings, he  sought  work  in  the  then  small  village  of  Erie, 
and  among  his  important  contracts  he  assisted  in 
building  the  first  jail,  and  erected  the  scaffold  upon 
which  the  first  and  only  execution  ever  took  place  in 
Erie  county.  Later  he  engaged  in  the  mdling  busi- 
ness in  Erie.  He  married  Catherine  Eitzsimmons,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  who  was  truly  a  hel]imate  in  bis  suc- 
cessful struggle  to  gain  a  competency.  This  union  was 
blessed  with  seven  children,  as  follows:  William,  a 
resident  of  Iowa;  Rose,  Margaret,  Jane,  James  (de- 
ceased), Catherine  (deceased)  and  Patrick.  Two  of 
the  family.  Rose  and  Margaret  (unmarried)  own  and 
occupy  the  homestead  farm,  where  many  an  encounter 
with  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forests  were  during  the  early 
period  arf  unwelcome  pastime.  Michael  Crosby,  still 
a  resident  of  the  locality,  was  the  first  to  settle  in  this 
neighborhood. 

Charles  L.  Marks,  liveryman,  Erie,  wasborn  Sep- 
tember 16,  1872,  in  the  city  where  he  now  resides.  He 
is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Anna  (Shultz)  Marks,  and  is  the 
fourth  child  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  viz.:  John, 
Charles  L.,  Erank,  Cora  (wife  of  Charles  \V.  Bathurst, 
of  Huntington,  Pa. I,  Kate,  Anna  and  Margaret. 
Charles  L.  Marks  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Erie.  At  the  age  of  19  years  he  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  which  he  followed  until  June,  1894. 
January  1,  1895,  he  purchased  Joslin's  livery  and  feed 
stables,  located  on  Xinth,  between  State  and  Peach 
streets.  July  1,  1895,  he  associated  with  him  \'.  Mc- 
Curry,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
By  the  addition  of  a  first-class  hack  and  other  modern 
vehicles  this  enterprismg  firm  are  able  to  meet  the  de- 
mands of  the  public. 

V.  McCurry,  liveryman,  rear  Ninth  Avenue 
House,  Erie,  was  born  August  16,  1859,  in  Edinboro, 
Erie  county,  son  of  James  M.  and  Eliza  Jane  (Phelps) 
McCurry,  now  living  in  Washington  township.  They 
lived  for  some  time  in  Waterford  township  and  after- 
ward removed  to  the  farm,  where  they  now  reside. 
Mrs.  McCurry  is  the  sixth  of  a  family  of  eight 
children,  viz:  Lucinda,  resident  of  Conneaut  Lake, 
Crawford  county;  Cena,  wife  of  Ohil  Cook  (deceased), 
Spartansburg;  Charlotte,  w-ife  of  Trumman  Mallery,  of 
Corry;  Wesley,  who  was  killed  in  the  late  Rebellion; 
William  Phel[is,  of  Waterford  township;  Eliza  Phelps, 
mother  of  Mr.McCurry;  Polly.formerly  wife  of  Mr.  Hill- 
yard,  and  Philena.  \'.  McCurry  for  several  years  has 
been  a  resident  of  Wellsburg,  Erie  county,  where  he  has 
been  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  educated  at  the  Edin- 
boro school.  July  1,  1895,  he  became  associated  in  the 
livery  business  with  Charles  L.  Marks  in  conducting 
the  large  livery  and  feed  stables  successfully  and  en- 
joy a  prosperous  and  increasing  patronage.  He  was 
married  July  4,  1892,  to  Miss  Y  lora  Hartshorn,  of 
Wellsburg,  Erie  county.  Three  children  were  born  of 
this  union:  Harriett  Sophia,  Wdliam  Reilley  and 
Lydia  Electa.  Cora  Belle  and  Flora  Philora  are  chil- 
dren by  his  second  wife. 

Fred  A.  White,  groceryman,  410  East  Sixth  street, 
Erie.  Pa.,  was  born  in  1866  in  Warren  county,  Pennsyl- 


vania, son  of  T.  P.and  Abbie  A.  (Fuller)  White,  natives 
of  Genesee  county.  New  York.  The  former  died  in 
Erie  September  1(3,  1893,  at  the  age  of  52  years,  and 
the  latter  April  13,  1892,  at  the  age  of  47  years.  Fred 
A.  White  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  four  children, 
viz.:     Fred  A.,  Frank,  a  twin  brother;  Wave,  wife  of 

E.  E.  .Stebbins,  of  Michigan,  and  Claude  D.  White  of 
Chicago,  111.  Fred  A.  White  removed  from  Corry  in 
March,  1893,  where  he  was  engaged  as  contractor  and 
carpenter  until  the  spring  of  1895,  when  he  began  the 
grocery  business  on  East  Sixth  street,  where  he  his 
since  enjoyed  a  large  trade.  August  9,  1892,  he  was 
married  to  Katie  A.,  daughter  of  Peter  Lisen,  a  prom- 
inent resident  of  Meadville,  Pa.  .Mrs.  White  is  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  three  children,  viz.:  Jacob, 
Marguerite,  wife  of  Beecher  Graham,  of  Erie,  and 
Katie  A.,  wife  of  Fred  .-X.  White.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  White 
have  one  child,  Hazel,  born  October  19,  1893.  Mr. 
White  is  a  member  of  the  P.  H.  C.  Thomas  P.  White, 
father  of  Fred  White  was  a  veteran  of  the  late  Re- 
bellion, member  of  Co.  A,  l(X)th  N.  Y.  Regt. 

Thomas  J.  Paradiue,  brick  manufacturer,  Erie, 
was  born  in  Limerick,  Ireland,  April  15,  1845,  son  of 
John  Paradine.  who  died  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  in  1860,  at 
the  age  of  65  years.  He  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of 
four  children,  viz.:  Thomas  J.,  William,  of  Erie; 
Joanna,  wife  of  John  Moran,  and  Mary,  wife  of  Pat- 
rick O'Connor,  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  He  was  married 
December  28,  1869,  to  .Miss  Mary  McCarty.  The  for- 
mer died  in  1868,  and  the  latter  in  1889.  This  union 
has  been  blessed  with  two  children,  viz.:  Thomas, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  3  years,  and  James  Paradine, 
born  December  24,  1874.  Thomas  Paradine  came 
from  Ireland  to  America  in  1852,  and  first  settled  in 
Pittsburg  in  November  of  that  year.  For  a  time  he 
was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  machinist's  trade,  at 
which  he  was  employed  for  two  years.  At  the  close  of 
this  period  he  went  to  Decatur,  III.,  where  he  was 
successfully  engaged  in  the  foundry  business.  In  1868 
he  came  to  Erie  and  engaged  in  the  coal  trade,  in 
which  business  he  continued  until  1892,  when  he  sold 
to  James  and  Dennis  McCarty.  The  same  year  he 
purchased  sixteen  acres  of  shale  in  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship, which  has  an  average  depth  of  sixty  feet,  adjoin- 
ing Glenwood  Park.  In  1893  William  Paradine  be- 
gan the  first  successful  manufacture  of  beautiful  dry- 
red  pressed  brick  from  shale  in  the  United  States, 
which  for  durability  and  superior  quality  are  unsur- 
passed. He  was  instrumental  in  having  the  U.  S. 
brick  press,  one  of  which  is  ojierated  at  his  plant, 
manufactured  in  Erie.  His  plant  has  an  output  of 
20,(JU0  brick  daily.  With  two  down  draft  kilns,  each 
with  a  capacity  of  150,000,  the  demand  is  far  greater 
than  the  supply.     The  plant  is  valued  at  S25,000. 

N.  M.  Morton,  foreman  and  superintendent  of  J. 

F.  Downing's  farm.  East  .Mill  Creek,  a  native  of  N''ew 
England,  of  sturdy  ancestry,  came  to  Erie  county  from 
Shutesburg,  Mass.  A  few  years  prior  to  this  a 
brother,  O.  D.  Morton,  came  from  Massachusetts  and 
located  in  McKean  township,  F>ie  county.  N.  M. 
Morton  has  since  locating  in  Erie  county,  made  scien- 
tific farming  his  special  study,  and  since  18)59  has  been 
in  charge  of  the  Downing  farm,  which  has  eighty 
acres  of  the  township's  choicest  land,  and  which  has 
shown  under  the  superior  management  a  high  state  of 
productiveness  and  fertility.     New,  modern  and  com- 


826 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTION  ART 


modious  buildings  have  also  been  erected  and  many 
decided  improvements  made.  Mr.  Morton  was  born 
in  1852,  son  of  Rufus  Enos  and  Electa  (Elmor)  Mor- 
ton. The  former  died  in  February,  1893,  at  the  age  of 
82  years.  He  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  his  native 
town,  and  politically  exerted  a  wide  influence  as  one 
whose  opinions  were  estimated  as  standard.  The  lat- 
ter is  a  native  of  N'ermont.  and  .still  survives  at  the 
age  of  70  years.  They  reared  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Chester  E.,  maker 
of  gold  pens;  N.  M.,  Nellie,  O.  D.,  Rufus  E.,  Hattie 
C,  Sylvia,  Cornelia  and  Lydia.  September  28,  1880, 
N.  M.  Morton  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Smith, 
of  Summit  township.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  two  children,  Maude  C.  and  Florence  Edith. 

Andrew  NicholsoH  (deceased),  was  born  May  13, 
1812,  in  Erie  county,  and  died  February  18,  1879.  His 
father,  John  Nicholson,  was  born  in  County  Donegal, 
Ireland;  came  to  America  in  1783,  and  located  in  Erie 
county  in  1796.  Thus,  it  will  be  seen,  the  Nicholson 
family  were  among  the  very  earliest  of  the  sturdy  pio- 
neers who  undertook  the  arduous  and  dangerous  task 
of  converting  the  dense,  unbroken  wilderness  on  the 
southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie  into  what  is  to-day  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  and  jiroductive  sections  in  the 
world.  John  Nicholson  blazed  a  ])ath  along  the  ridge 
from  the  farm  upon  which  he  located,  in  West  Mill 
Creek,  to  Erie.  This  was  for  a  greater  part  of  the  way 
made  the  line  of  what  is  now  the  Ridge  road.  John 
Nicholson  married  Isabel  Nicholson,  a  distant  rela- 
tive, by  which  unit)n  were  born  eight  children,  viz.: 
John  E.,  Jane,  Isabel,  Matilda,  Rebecca,  Andrew, 
Eliza  and  George.  The  father  died  September  18, 
1828,  and  Isabel,  his  widow,  died  December  25,  186t), 
at  the  advanced  age  of  93  years.  She  maintained  her 
mental  faculties  till  within  a  few  days  of  her  demi.se. 
Andrew  Nicholson  attended  the  district  schools  and 
w'orked  on  his  father's  farm.  He  was  married,  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1846,  to  Eliza  Brindle  (who  died  August  24, 
1872),  daughter  of  Matthias  and  F-lizabeth  Brindle,  na- 
tives of  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  who  came  to 
Erie  county  in  1803,  settling  in  Springfield  township. 
To  this  union  were  born  four  children:  John  E.,  Perry 
M.,  in  the  employ  of  the  Lovell  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, Erie;  Delia  I.  (married  to  S.  H.  Willis),  and 
George  W.,  who  died  December  28,  1888.  Andrew 
Nicholson's  parents  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church;  he  attended  the  Methodist  denomination.  He 
died  and  was  buried  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was 
born.  He  was  a  staunch  Rejiublican,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  town  in  which 
he  passed  his  long  and  useful  life. 

Eliza  Nicholson,  familiarly  known  as  "Aunt 
Eliza,"  sister  of  Andrew  Nicholson,  w-as  born  April  15, 
1815,  on  the  o'.d  homestead  where  she  has  since  made 
.  her  home,  first  with  her  parents,  then  her  brother  An- 
drew, and  since  his  death  with  her  nephew,  John  E. 
She  is  a  lady  of  rare  intelligence,  and  now,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  80  vears,  is  in  a  remarkable  state  of 
preservation,  has  full  use  of  all  her  mental  faculties, 
and  commands  the  love  and  respect  of  all  who  know 
her.  She  has  been  for  sixty-three  years  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  and  it  is  hoped  that  she  may 
long  be  spared  to  the  community  in  which  her  Chris- 
tian spirit  has  so  long  been  productive  of  much  good. 


John  E.  PiicholsoH.  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
and  iirogressive  farmers  of  West  Mill  Creek,  was  born 
on  the  farm  w-hich  he  now  occapies,  December  1,  1846, 
and  is  a  son  of  .Andrew  and  Eliza  (Brindle)  Nicholson, 
mention  of  whom  is  elsewhere  made.  Mr.  Nicholson 
was  in  the  United  .States  gunboat  service  for  one  year 
on  Silver  Lake,  and  since  1865  has  devoted  his  ener- 
gies to  farming,  in  which  he  has  been  highly  success- 
ful. He  was  married,  December9, 1874,  to  .\Iiss  .Maria 
Hadley,  daughter  of  Mr.  Ste[ihen  Hadley,  of  Craw- 
ford county,  Pennsylvania.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  three  children:  Nellie  E.,  John  E.  and 
George  W.  Mr.  Nicholson  and  family  worship  at  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  and  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  In  politics  he  has  al- 
ways been  an  active  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  has  rendered  much  valuable 
aid  to  the  party  of  his  choice.  He  has  held  many  of 
the  ofifices  of  his  township. 

George  W.  INicholsou  (deceased)  was  born  on  the 
Nicholsnn  homestead  in  West  ,Mj11  Creek  townshi]), 
January  2,  1853,  and  was  a  son  of  Andrew  Nicholson 
(whose  sketch  appears  in  this  work).  The  farm  was 
bequeathed  to  his  brother,  John  E.,  and  himself,  and 
until  the  time  of  his  death  they  continued  to  do  a  pros- 
perous business,  under  the  tirm  name  of  Nicholson 
Bros.  Mr.  Nicholson's  education  was  above  the  aver- 
age farmer's  son  of  that  day.  He  was  a  great  reader 
and  a  close  observer  of  current  events,  of  which  he 
made  extended  notes.  In  his  death  the  community 
sustained  the  loss  of  one  of  its  best  citizens.  Mr.  Nich- 
olson was  married,  February  18,  1885,  to  Miss  Lorena 
Garloch,  of  Mill  Creek,  by  whom  he  had  one  child. 
Perry  M.  Mr.  Nicholson  was  a  member  of  Astiury 
Chapel  and  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  was  a  Republican  in 
his  political  views. 

Nicholas  Whitetnaii,  stone  mason  and  farmer, 
postoffice  .McKean,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany, 
July  13,  1820,  and  is  a  son  of  Casper  and  Catherine 
(Matas)  Whitenian,  natives  of  Germany,  the  former 
born  in  1778,  in  Germany.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  viz.:  Marquette  (deceased),  Michael 
(deceased),  who  was  a  resident  of  Mitchel  county, 
Iowa,  at  the  time  of  his  death;  Anna  (deceased), 
George  (deceased),  Barbara  (deceased),  Nicholas,Adam 
(deceased),  John  (deceased),  he  was  also  a  resident  of 
Mitchel  county,  Iowa,  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Nicho- 
las Whiteman  came  to  America  in  1848,  settled  in 
Franklin  township,  Ijought  a  farm  of  fifty  acres,  and 
was  engaged  in  farming  and  as  a  stone  mason  for 
twenty-two  years.  He  then  moved  to  Middleboro, 
Erie  countv.  Pa.,  and  bought  a  farm  of  ninety-six 
acres,  where  he  now  lives,  and  is  in  a  prosperous  con- 
dition. His  farm  is  located  just  out  of  the  town  of 
Middleboro,  and  is  in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation, 
with  good  farm  buildings.  Mr.  Whiteman  was  united 
in  marriage,  May  1,  1848,  to  Margaret,  daughter 
of  lohn  'VVinegart,  the  fourth  of  a  family  of  five 
children.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  eight 
children:  Lewis,  born  February  20,  1855,  resident  of 
McKean;  William,  born  March  13,  1867,  living  in  Mc- 
Kean; Joseph,  born  November  25,  1859,  living  in 
McKean;  Daniel,  born  January  9,  1862;  Frances, 
November  15,  1864,  wife  of  Fred  Brown,  of 
Mill  Creek  township;  Fidelia,  born  March 
2,  1867,   wife   of  Edward   Schuwark,  of  Middleboro; 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


827 


Edward,  born  May  3,  1870,  living  on  the  old  home- 
stead, and  Clara,  born  August  19,  1874.  Nicholas 
Whiteman  served  in  the  late  war  in  Co.  K,  98th  P.  V. 
I.,  and  was  honorably  discharged  June  27,  1865.  He 
has  held  the  offices  of  council  twelve  years,  and  school 
director  twelve  years.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church  of  Mitldleboro,  and  in  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

Peter  E.  StOMgh,  farmer,  jiostoffice  ,Mi<idleboro, 
Erie  county,  was  Imrn  in  Mill  Creek  townshi|i,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  .March  "21,  1818,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Mary  ( Eagley )  Stough.  The  first  of  the  Stough  family 
to  come  to  America  was  Nicholas,  who  came  from 
Germany  and  settled  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1808.  John  Stough,  father  of  Peter  E.,  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Mill  Creek  townshi]).  He 
came  from  Lancaster,  Pa.,  and  was  married  in  1813  to 
Mary  Eagley,  daughter  of  Abraham  Eagley.  There 
were  eleven  children  in  this  family,  five  of  whom  are 
living:  Peter,  George,  William,  Barbara  and  Liddy. 
Peter  E.  Stough  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
McKean  townshi]);  he  located  where  he  now  resides 
in  18.M,  when  the  township  was  all  a  wilderness,  and 
now  owns  a  farm  of  100  acres,  seventy-five  of  which 
are  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Stough  was 
married  June  5,  1851,  to  Cordelia,  daughter  of  Levia 
Jewell  (deceased),  formerly  of  .\IcKean,  who  was  also 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  McKean  township.  This 
union  was  blessed  with  nine  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living,  viz.:  Laura,  -Sidney,  of  McKean,  who  was 
married  December  25,  1888,  to  .Mary  Lillie,  daughter 
of  Chester  Lillie,  of  Conneaut,  O.;  by  this  union  were 
born  three  children,  viz.:  George,  Elorence  (deceased) 
and  Arthur,  living  in  McKean  township.  Mr.  Stough 
is  a  man  of  sterling  honesty  and  uprightness,  admired 
and  respected  by  all  his  neighbors.  He  never  held 
any  offices,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

Henry  Smith,  farmer,  postoffice  Waterford,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  McKean  township,  September 
27, 1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Conrad  and  Christinia  ( Knodle) 
Smith.  Conrad  Smith  came  to  America  from  Ger- 
many in  1832,  and  settled  in  Princeton,  N.  J.,  and  lived 
there  ten  years.  He  then  went  back  to  Germany  to 
live,  but  after  staying  there  three  months  he  came 
back  to  America  and  located  in  .McKean  township, 
where  Henry  now  resides,  and  lived  there  until  his 
death,  February  20,  1879,  aged  73.  He  was  married  in 
1842,  to  Christinia,  daughter  of  George  Knodle,  for- 
merly of  .McKean  township.  There  were  six  children 
in  the  Knodle  family,  and  they  are  all  living  at  the 
time  of  this  writing.  This  union  was  blessed  with 
three  children:  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  H.Blount,  of 
McKean;  Henry  and  Reinhardt  (deceased).  Henry 
Smith  started  in  life  in  1870,  where  he  now  resides,  on 
a  farm  of  KJO  acres,  in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation, 
with  good  buildings,  and  he  is  in  a  prosperous  condi- 
tion, located  thirteen  miles  from  Erie.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  with  .-Vnna  Garland  December  27,  1870. 
This  union  is  blessed  with  four  children:  Delia,  wife 
of  James  Quigley,  of  Pittsburg;  Clara,  Ida  and  Henry. 
Mr.  Smith  received  a  common  school  education.  He 
never  held  any  offices,  and  is  a  highly  respected  citi- 
zen of  McKean  township.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  M.  E.  Church.     Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

W.  W.  Hershey,  farmer,  Kearsarge,  Erie  county, 
Pa.,  was  born   in   Lancaster  county  January  28,  1864, 


son  of  Abraham  and  Fannie  (Tomes)  Hershey,  of 
Summit  township.  The  father  of  Mr.  Hershey  came 
to  this  county  from  Lancaster  county  in  the  year  1835, 
and  settled  in  Summit  township.  They  are  the  parents 
of  three  children;  W".  W.,  H.  B.  and  Samuel  A. 
W.  \V.  Hershey  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  Dan- 
iel Biebel,  of  Kearsarge,  who  was  one  of  the  early 
setlers  of  East  .Mill  Creek  township.  Daniel  Biebel 
reared  a  large  family  of  children,  viz.:  Louisa,  wife 
of  .August  Cline,  ofErie;  liarbara,  wife  of  Henry  Hein, 
of  Erie;  George,  Lizzie,  wife  of  William  .Sechrist; 
John,  Charlotte,  wife  of  Anthony  Metz,  of  Erie;  Nick, 
Mary,  wife  of  George  Wingerter,  of  Erie;  Catherine, 
wife  of  W.  W.  Hershey;  and  Daniel.  Mr.  Hershey  is 
the  father  of  the  following  children:  Matilda,  Katie, 
Amelie,  Edward  (deceased).  He  started  in  life  in 
.McKean  township,  where  he  now  resides  on  a  fine 
farm  of  fifty  acres.  Mr.  Hershey  is  a  memf)er  of  St. 
Francis  Church  of  McKean. 

Henry  J.  Smith,  farmer,  postoffice  Sterrettania, 
was  borii  in  (Germany  July  G,  1830,  and  is  a  son  of 
Andrew  and  Eliza  (Langood)  Smith,  natives  of  Ger- 
many, the  former  by  occupation  a  prominent  farmer 
of  that  country,  who  died  at  the  age  of  55  years.  To 
this  union  were  born  a  family  of  four  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Henry  J.;  Lawrence,  of  Germany;  Julius,  living 
in  Germany,  and  Emil,  of  Germany.  Henry  J.  Smith 
emigrated  to  .America  in  1851,  located  in  .McKean 
township,  and  went  to  work  by  the  day.  He  then 
learned  the  trade  of  wagon-making,  and  followed  that 
business  for  ten  years  in  Sterrettania.  He  then  moved 
back  to  the  .McGlothen  farm  and  lived  there  three 
years.  Then  he  bought  a  farm  of  fifty-seven  acres, 
where  he  now  lives.  He  also  owns  a  farm  of  ninety- 
five  acres,  where  his  son  now  lives,  with  good  liuildings 
and  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  located  on  the  Town 
Line  road,  nine  miles  from  Erie.  He  has  always  been 
a  hard-working  man  and  is  highly  respected  by  all  his 
neighbors.  .^Ir.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  October 
14,  1855,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Christian  With  (de- 
ceased), formerly  of  Fairview  township,  who  by  occu- 
pation was  a  prominent  farmer  of  that  township. 
There  were  seven  children  in  the  \'eith  family,  six  of 
whom  are  still  living,  viz.:  Jacob,  Christian,  Caroline, 
Gotleib,  William  and  Louisa.  To  .Mr.  Smith  anil 
wife  were  born  seven  children:  Louisa  Emma,  wife 
of  Lewis  Rusterholtz,  of  McKean  township;  Jerome, 
who  was  married  November  17,  1885,  to  Lena  Land 
(they  were  blessed  with  two  children,  \'iola  and  Lena. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  L  O.  O.  F.,  of  Erie,  and  is  serv- 
ing the  office  of  school  director  at  the  present  time); 
William,  living  in  McKean  township;  Bertha,  wife  of 
George  M.  Steva,  of  Kearsarge;  John  (deceased)  and 
Hattie  (deceased).  Mr.  Smith  never  held  any  office. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

E.  E.  Rose,  postoffice  Sterrettania,  was  born  in 
McKean  township,  March  1,  1860.  and  is  a  son  of  J.  C. 
and  Lena  (  Dohl)  Rose.  The  first  of  the  Rose  family 
to  come  to  America  was  Jacob  F.  Rose,  in  1842;  he 
settled  in  Summit  township,  and  lived  there  until 
death.  Jacob  F.  Rose  married  Chri.stania  Faner.  To 
this  union  were  born  six  children,  four  of  whom  are 
now  living,  viz.:  Fred,  of  Erie;  J.  C,  living  in  Fair- 
view;  John,  of  Summit,  and  George,  of  Erie.  J.  C. 
Rose,  father  of  E.  E.,  was  born  In  Germany,  Decem- 
ber 9,  1831.    .At  the  age  of  22  years  he  learned  the 


828 


NELSONS  BIOOBAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  eight  years. 
He  then  bought  a  farm  of  sixty  acres  in  McKean 
township,  where  his  son  now  resides,  and  lived  there 
until  18!)1,  when  he  moved  to  I'airview,  and  engaged 
at  carpentering.  He  was  united  in  marriage  [anuary 
1,  liS(>(l,  to  I-ena,  daughter  of  John  Dohl,  one  of  the  old 
settlers  of  McKean  township.  This  union  was  blessed 
with  live  cliiUlren:  Levi,  .Mary,  l''lein,  ferry  and  Clary. 
Levi,  born  January  lU,  I8(il,  in  Krie,  is  now  living  in 
.McKean  township,  where  he  works  a  fine  farm  of  I'ifi 
acres  of  land,  in  a  gootl  state  of  cultivation.  He  was 
married  September  25,  1883,  to  Kettia  Rapjiold.  They 
are  the  parents  of  five  children,  viz.:  Harvey,  Will- 
iam, Lester,  .Arthur  and  Erwin.  J.  C.  Rose  held  the 
otitice  of  school  ilirectorfor  a  number  of  years.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  of  Fairview,  and  a 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  Politically  he  is 
a  Rejiublican. 

J.  L.  Schwartz,  farmer,  ]x)Stoffice  Sterrettania, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Mill  Creek  township, 
June  27,  1860,  and  is  a  son  of  Leo  and  Rose  (Grandler) 
Schwartz,  natives  of  Germany.  The  first  of  the 
Schwartz  family  to  come  to  America  was  Leo,  in  1867, 
locating  on  Long  Island,  New  York.  He  only  lived 
there  fourteen  months,  and,  in  1868,  moved  to  where 
J.  L.  now  resides.  He  was  married  in  1857  to  Rosa 
Grandler,  daughter  of  Jose]>h  Grandler,  formerly  of 
Germany.  There  were  ten  children  in  the  Grandler 
family,  and  the  wifeof  Leo  Schwartz  was  the  youngest 
child.  To  this  union  was  born  one  child,  J.  L.,  who 
started  in  business  for  himself  in  1885,  farming  in 
McKean  townshiji,  where  he  is  now  located  on  a  farm 
of  thirty  acres,  with  the  best  of  buildings  and  in  good 
cultivation.  The  farm  is  on  the  Town  Line  road,  nine 
miles  from  Erie,  and  is  in  a  prosperous  condition. 
Mr.  Schwartz  never  held  office.  He  is  a  highly 
respected  citizen  of  McKean  township,  and  was 
united  in  marriage  February  3,  1885,  to  Lizzie,  daugh- 
ter of  Lawrence  Armbruster,  a  retired  farmer.  She 
was  the  youngest  of  five  children.  Charles  U.,  Rosa 
C.  and  Leo  L.  are  the  children  of  this  union.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  of  Mc- 
Kean. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  .Alliance 
of  McKean  township,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Peo|)le's 
party.  Leo  Schwartz,  father  of  J.  L.,  died  Xo\ember 
17,  1886,  at  the  age  of  59.  His  widow  still  survives 
him,  and  is  living  with  her  son,  J.  L. 

Thomas  Barroa,  farmer,  postoftice  McKean, 
Erie  county,  Pa.,  was  born  in  .McKean  township, 
October  16,  1847,  .son  of  \'alentine  and  Marguerite 
(Hepburn)  Barron.  Mr.  A'alentine  Barron  was  born 
May  7,  1821,  in  Baden,  Germany.  October  1,  1835,  he 
started  for  America,  and  was  thirty-five  days  on  the 
ocean.  .Shortly  afterwards  he  went  in  the  employ  of 
Gen.  Charles  M.  Reed,  and  remained  therefor  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  then  married  .Marguerite  Hepburn, 
a  native  of  Scotland.  He  then  went  farming  on  the 
Long  place,  a  little  west  of  Erie,  and  remained  there 
three  years.  He  ne.\t  purchased  a  farm  of  P.  S. 
Hammont,  in  Fairview  township,  and  settled  on  it, 
living  there  for  six  years,  cultivating  it  with  good  suc- 
cess. Then  he  purchased  the  Scliluraff  farm  in  Mc- 
Kean, living  there  ten  years.  In  the  meantime,  seven 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  viz.:  Jane,  wife  of 
William  Peffer,  of  McKean;  Anthony,  Peter  J., 
Thomas,  Thressa,  wife  of  Jacob  Franz,  of  Corry,  Pa.; 


Marguerite,  wifeof  Edward  McLaughlin,  of  McKean, 
and  William.  His  wife  died  .Xugust  10,  1881,  at  the 
age  of  70  years,  and,  in  1885,  he  married  Mrs.  Open- 
kinch,  then  a  resilient  of  West  Mill  Creek  townshii). 
He  finally  moved  to  Erie,  and  is  living  a  retired  life. 
.Mr.  Barron  was  noted  for  his  ])uuctuality,  and  worthily 
earned  the  res]iect  of  his  neighlxirs.  'l'hom;is  Barron 
started  in  life  in  1880  at  farming  on  the  old  homestead, 
having  .some  money  to  start  with;  he  now  owns  a  fine 
farm  of  115  acres,  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
He  was  married  February  10,  1880,  to  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  Fred  V'ealey,  formerly  of  Erie,  Pa.,  and  was 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of^  four  children,  three  of 
whom  are  now  living:  EllaS.,  Robert  \'.,  John  E.,  and 
Florence  A.  Mr.  Barron  served  as  a  school  director 
for  three  year.s,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers' 
Alliance  and  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  Church  of  .McKean.  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican. 

Adoiph  Rohl,  wagonmaker,  postoftice  Sterret- 
tania, Pa.,  was  born  in  Germany  January  22,  1835,  and 
is  a  son  of  Carlton  and  .Mary  (Walcire)  Rohl,  natives 
of  Germany;  the  former  by  occupation  a  prominent 
farmer.  He  was  married  to  Mary  Walcire.  To  this 
union  were  born  five  children;  .Augusta,  born  in  1837, 
and  is  living  in  Clarence,  N.  Y.;  Fred,  born  in  l!^29, 
living  in  Marilla,  N.  Y.;  William,  born  in  1835,  living 
in  .Marilla,  X.  Y.;  Adoiph  and  Frederick,  born  in 
1840,  living  in  Elmer,  N.  Y.  Adoiph  Rohl  came  to 
America  from  Germany  November  14,  1858,  located  in 
Erie  county.  New  York,  and  was  engaged  m  the 
wagonmakmg  business  in  Marilla,  N.  Y.,  seven  years, 
an<l  in  1865  he  movetl  to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  engaged  in  the  wagonmaking  business  in  .Ster- 
rettania, Pa.,  where  he  now  owns  a  nice  jdace 
and  is  doing  a  good  business.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  December  14,  1861,  to  Lucinda,  daugh- 
ter of  Philip  Cook,  of  Lancaster,  N.  Y.  To  this 
union  were  born  a  large  family  of  children,  as 
follows:  William,  born  July  19,  1862,  living  at  Clar- 
ence, N.  Y.;  Frederick,  born  August  25,  186.3,  died 
.April  14,  1893;  Carlton,  born  December  19,  1864,  and 
died  January  12,  1866;  Law-rence,  born  May  27,  1866, 
living  at  Sterrettania;  .Adoiph,  jr.,  born  June  22,  1869, 
living  at  Ashtabula.  Ohio;  Lizzie,  born  December  2, 
1872,  of  Erie;  Kettie,  born  .August  8,  1879,  living  in 
Sterrettania.  .Mr.  Rohl  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Henry  Brown,  f:irmer,  postoffice  McKean,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  McKean  townshiji,  January 
3,  1856,  and  is  a  'on  of  Joseph  and  Lena  (Bernhart) 
Brown,  natives  of  Germany.  Joseph  Brown  came  to 
America  from  Germany,  in  1850,  and  settled  in  Mc- 
Kean townshi)),  Erie  county,  living  there  for  a  short 
time.  He  then  moved  to  Franklin  township,  and  was 
engaged  in  farming  for  seven  years,  after  which  he 
came  back  to  .McKean  township,  and  now  is  living  a 
retired  life.  He  was  married  in  Erie,  Pa.,  to  Lena 
Bernhart.  To  this  union  were  born  a  family  of  six 
children:  Jacob,  of  Mill  Creek;  Francis  (deceased), 
Henry,  Michael,  living  in  Oregon;  J.  T.,  Fred,  of  Mill 
Creek  township,  and  Joseph  (deceased).  Henry  Brown 
started  farming  in  1878,  and  in  1887  moved  to  the 
place  where  he  now  lives,  on  his  father's  farm  of 
seventy-five  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Brown  was  united  in 
marriage,  June  24,  1877,  to  Katie,  daughter  of  Patrick 


f 


AND  EISTOBIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


829 


Delanty,  formerly  of  New  Castle,  Pa.  There  are 
three  children  in  the  Delanty  family:  Katie,  Maggie 
and  Anna.  This  family  has  been  blessed  with  hve 
children:  Joseph,  Charles  (deceased),  John,  Lucy  and 
Frank.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church  of  .McKean.  .Mr.  Brown  never  held  any 
offices.  He  is  a  member  of  the  1.  O.  O.  K.,  of  Erie. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 

H.  L.  Kreder,  postoffice  Sterrettania,  was  born  in 
McKean  township,  where  he  now  resides,  December 
6,  1839,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Hidlier) 
Kreder.  The  first  of  the  Kreder  family  to  settle  in 
Erie  county  was  Jacob,  who  came  from  Lancaster 
county  anti  took  a  tract  of  land  containing  afjout  300 
acres.  When  the  county  was  Hrst  settled  John  Kreder 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  .McKean  township.  He 
settled  on  land  when  the  country  was  all  a  wilderness, 
and  lived  there  si.xty  years.  He  was  married  Decem- 
ber 2.5,  1S.'>8,  to  Susan,  dau^iter  of  Curtis  Hidlier  (de- 
ceased), formerly  of  Fairview  township.  .She  was  the 
eldest  child  in  a  family  of  ten  children,  eight  of  whom 
are  living.  To  this  union  was  born  one  child,  L.  H. 
Kreder.  He  started  in  life  in  LSliO,  farming  on  the  old 
homestead,  which  contains  104  acres  of  land  with  good 
buildings,  and  is  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  He 
was  married  t)ctober  30,  18(56,  to  Susan,  daughter  of 
.Manuel  W'eidel  (deceased),  formerly  of  Lancaster 
county,  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  She 
died  January  IT,  1891,  aged  47.  This  union  was  blessed 
wtth  eight  children:  John,  living  in  W'illisgrove,  Pa.; 
Charles,  living  at  home;  .Minnie,  wife  of  C.  F.  Pfeffer, 
of  Fairview;  Jennie,  wife  of  John  Luby,  of  McKean 
township;  Sarah  May,  Frederick,  Marcus  and  Annie. 
Mr.  Kreder  has  held  all  the  offices  in  the  township, 
and  is  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  the  township. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

J.  J.  Baron,  retired  farmer,  postoffice  McKean, 
was  born  in  Germany  August  15,  1829,  and  is  a  son  of 
Peter  and  Julia  (.Stritzinger)  Haron.  Peter  Baron 
came  to  .America  in  1833  and  settled  in  McKean  town- 
ship when  it  was  all  a  wilderness.  He  bought  forty 
acres  of  land  and  cleared  it;  afterwards  he  purchased 
eighty-five  acres.  He  was  married  to  Julia  Strit- 
zinger. To  this  union  were  born  seven  children,  viz.: 
\'alentine;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Peter  Kellar;  Frank; 
Anthony,  J.  J.;  Frances,  wife  of  Hiram  Buman,  and 
-Mary,  wife  of  Jacob  Sanner.  J.  J.  Baron  started  in 
life  at  the  age  of  22  at  farming  on  the  old  homestead, 
working  the  place  on  shares  four  years.  He  then 
bought  a  farm  of  forty-seven  acres,  and,  in  18G1, 
bought  the  old  Hauck  place  of  lOO  acres.  Mr.  Baron 
made  his  way  in  the  world,  having  no  money  to  start 
with,  and  now  owns  150  acres  of  land  in  McKean 
township,  w-ith  the  best  of  buildings.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  .April  22,  1852,  to  Justine,  daughter  of 
Anthony  Kellar,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Greene  township.  Mr.  Kellar  also  served  in  the 
Xapoleon  war.  To  this  union  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Kate,  born  .September  11,  1854,  wife  of 
Sabastian  Gossman,  postmaster  of  .McKean  township; 
Anthony  M.,  born  May  10,  1857,  living  in  McKean 
township;  Edward,  born  May  9,  ISIil,  living  on  the  old 
homestead;  Jennie,  born  .September  29,  18()3,  wife  of 
James  Chisholm,  of  Erie;  Valentine,  born  November 
22,  1866,  living  in  Nebraska;  Jerome,  born  July  31, 
1868,  of  McKean;  Nellie,  born  October  31,  1871,  and 
53 


Anna,  born  June  12,  1873,  and  died  March  19,  1887. 
.Mr.  Baron  is  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
of  .Middleboro.  His  wife  died  November  11,  1889, 
aged  59  years. 

Frederick  Leube,  farmer,  postoffice  McKean, 
Erie  county,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  No- 
vember 6,  1825,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary 
(Neighouse),  Leube,  natives  of  Germany.  The  former 
was  by  occujiation  a  farmer  in  Germany.  He  was 
married  to  Mary  Neighouse.  They  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,*viz.:  Philip(deceased),  Hammet  (de- 
ceased), Christina  (deceased),  William,  living  in  Ger- 
many, and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  P.  Woodman.  Frederick 
Leube  came  to  America  October  3,  1857,  and  settled  in 
Franklin  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years,  and  in  1860remove<l  to  .McKean  town.ship 
and  bought  a  farm  of  fifty  acres,  which  he  cleared  and 
now  has  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  with  good 
buildings.  He  was  united  in  marriage  .May  23,  1851, 
to  Lottie,  daughter  of  Hammet  Bax  (deceased),  for- 
merly of  McKean  township.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  twelve  children,  viz.:  William  F.,  horn 
in  Prussia,  Germany,  June  18,  1852,  and  was  united 
in  marriage,  September  10,  1875,  to  Julia  Weremely; 
reside  in  Fairview  township.  Lena  E.,  born  in  Prussia, 
Germany,  November  7,  1854,  is  the  wife  of  Hiram 
Dewault,  of  McKean.  Hammet,  born  in  Germany 
January  7,  1857,  united  in  marriage  February  7,  1881, 
to  Lizzie  Serr;  reside  in  \'ernon,  ,\Iich.  Fred  J.,  born 
in  Franklin  township  December  1,  1858,  was  united  in 
marriage  March  3,  1881,  to  Helen  Pratt;  reside  in  .Mc- 
Kean town.ship.  Henry,  born  in  .McKean  November 
30,  1860,  and  was  united  in  marriage  February  20,  1890, 
to  Ella  .M.  Hershey;  reside  in  Summit  township.  Han- 
nah, born  in  McKean,  December  11,  18()2;  wife  of 
Joseph  Bowman,  of  Swanville,  Erie  county.  Pa.  Frank 
A., born  in  McKean  December  12,  1864;  resides  in  Mc- 
Kean. Emma,  born  in  McKean  December  26,  1866, 
wife  of  William  Schurmer,  of  Mill  Creek  township. 
John  H.,  born  in  .McKean  February  26,  1869;  was 
united  in  marriage  February  15,  1893,  to  Jennie  Krei- 
der;  reside  in  .McKean.  Augustia,  born  in  .McKean 
July  16,  1872.  Nettie  L.,  born  in  McKean  January  31, 
1874,  and  Josie,  born  in  McKean,  .August  27,  1875.  .Mr. 
Frederick  Leube  held  the  office  of  road  commissioner 
six  years.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  of  McKean  township.  Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

Leverette  Cushmau,  fanner,  postoffice  Sterret- 
tania, was  born  February  14,  1817,  at  Stafford  Springs, 
Conn.,  and  is  a  son  of  Luck  and  Hannah  (Rockwell) 
Cushman,  natives  of  Connecticut.  By  occupation 
he  was  a  carpenter.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  two  of  w-hom  are  now  living,  viz.: 
Murdock,  of  Plymouth,  N.  V.,  and  Leverette.  The  lat- 
ter came  to  Erie  county  from  .Sherman,  N.  Y.,  in  1855, 
and  settled  in  North  East,  where  he  lived  until  1860, 
when  he  bought  a  farm  of  163  acres  in  McKean  near 
Sterrettania,  where  he  now  resides,  with  good  build- 
ings, and  in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  .Anna  Wilson.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  six  children:  Eliza  (deceased),  Emma, 
wife  of  Fred  Brockway,  of  I'iipley,  N.  V.;  Georgia, 
wife  of  Harry  Gardner;' Bertha,  wife  of  Dr.  M.  Sadlier, 
of  Ohio;  D.  R.,  attorney  at  law,  of  North  East;  L.  B., 
editor  of  the  North  East  Sun;  Carlton,  of  Washington, 


830 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  BIGTIONART 


and  Herbert  of  Ripley,  N.  Y.  He  never  held  any 
office,  is  a  highly  respected  citizen  ot  McKean  town- 
shi|>,  and  |i(ilitically  is  a  Re]iul)lican. 

Rev.  Father  F.  P.  4aroH.  jxistoffice  McKean, 
Erie  cinMitv,  I'a..  was  horn  in  Clarion  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  5,  1<S70,  and  is  a  son  of  Frank  and 
MarfJiaret  (Cyphert)  Aaron,  the  former  born  Decem- 
ber 11,  1S40,  in  Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  his  'ilSth  year.  He 
then  went  to  Manhattan,  111.,  and  engaged  in  farming 
until  his  death,  October  7,  1809.  He  was  united  in 
marriage,  November  10,  18();{,  to  Margaret,  daughter 
of  Henry  Cyi)hert,  who  was  the  fourth  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Mar- 
garet, Thomas,  of  Corsica,  Clarion  county.  Pa.;  Greg- 
ory, of  Crates,  Clarion  county.  Pa.;  James,  M.  1).; 
Rosa,  wife  of  !■".  X.  Markley;  and  Arthur,  of  \'irginia. 
liy  this  marriage  were  born  three  chiklren,  viz.:  Harry 
C,  of  Kingsville,  Pa.;  Charles  J.,  and  Rev.  F.  P. 
Aaron,  who  received  his  education  at  St.  Bonaven- 
ture's  College,  Allegany,  X.  V..  and  February  24,  1893, 
he  .started  to  preach  the  gospel  in  Punxsutawney,  Pa., 
and  was  there  for  about  five  months.  He  was  then 
transferred  to  Middleboro,  Erie  county,  Pa.  George 
Aaron,  grandfather  of  Rev.  F.  P.  Aaron,  was  of  one  of 
the  earliest  families  of  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
svlvania,  where  he  was  born  and  reared.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Margaret  Ruffner,  a  native  of  Westmoreland. 
To  this  union  were  born  twelve  chiklren,  seven  of 
whom  are  now  living:  James,  of  Kansas;  Thomas,  of 
Chattsworth,  111.;  John,  of  Leavenworth,  Kan.;  Mar- 
garet, the  wife  of  James  Crow;  Sylvester,  of  Crates; 
Joseph,  of  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  Sabylla, 
wife  of  Dr.  J.  \.  Burgoyne,  of  Pittsburg. 

Beujjatniti  Rohrer,  retired  farmer,  McKean,  Mc- 
Kean township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Lancas- 
ter county,  Pennsylvania,  December  0,  1820,  and  is  a 
son  of  David  and  Barbara  (Kauffnian)  Rohrer,  natives 
of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  three  of  whom  are  married: 
Fanny,  wife  of  Frederick  Schute;  Eliza,  wife  of  P'red- 
erick  Metzger;  Simon,  united  in  marriage  to  Fanny 
Ruhl  (born  in  1816),  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia. Simon  was  born  in  1809  in  Lancaster  county, 
and  later  became  a  resident  of  McKean  township, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
tannery  business  for  a  good  many  years.  Michael, 
horn  January,  1810,  in  Lancaster  county,  is  a  resident 
of  McKean,  and  was  a  farmer.  David,  born  July  4, 
1811,  was  a  native  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  and  was  engaged 
in  buying  and  selling  cattle.  Nancy  (deceased),  Abra- 
ham (deceased).  Benjamin  Rohrer  came  to  Erie 
from  Lancaster  county  in  IWO,  settling  in  McKean 
township,  where  he  engaged  with  his  brother  in  the 
tannery  business  until  18(i2;  he  then  bought  a  farm  of 
fifty  acres  in  McKean  township  that  he  still  owns.  In 
1891  he  moved  to  Middleboro,  and  is  living  a  retired 
life.  He  is  a  highly  resjiected  citizen,  and  politically 
he  is  a  Republican. 

George  SchuetZ,  lilacksmith,  postoffice  McKean, 
Erie  cciunty.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Paden,  Germany,  March 
1,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  F"red  and  Salmay  (Lehnhart) 
SchuetZ,  natives  of  Germany.  Mr.  Schuetz  was  by 
occupation  a  blacksmith   in    Germany.     He   married 


for  his  first  wife  .Salmay  Lehnhart,  in  1826.  Their 
children  are  as  follows:  -Salmay,  who  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1844;  Frederick,  of  Baden,  Germany,  and 
George.  He  married  for  his  second  wife  Mary  Hetz. 
To  this  union  were  born  three  children,  one  of  whom 
is  living:  Mary,  wife  of  J:icob  Muell,  of  Erie.  George 
-Schuetz  came  to  .America  in  18(i."),  settled  in  Fairview 
and  engaged  in  blacksmithing  for  about  one  year,  when 
he  went  to  Franklin  Center  :iiul  was  there  one  year. 
He  then  went  to  ISranchville,  Pa.,  and  had  a  shoji  there 
for  two  years.  In  1870  he  moved  to  Middleboro  and 
engaged  in  blacksmithing.  Mr.  Schuetz  was  united 
in  marriage,  January  1,  18()K,  to  Barbara  Gerber, 
daughter  of  John  (lerber  (dece;ised),  a  native  of  Baden, 
(Germany.  The  Gerber  family  consisted  of  (\\v  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  Mary,  Jacob  and 
Barbara.  Their  union  has  lieen  blessed  with  two 
children,  viz.:  Emma,  born  October,  18()(i,  and  died 
.August,  1888;  and  .Albert,  born  January,  1871.  He  was 
married  to  Fannie  Tome,  a  resident  of  Erie;  they  have 
one  child.  Mr.  Schuetz  has  served  in  the  offices  of  the 
Middleboro  council  three  years,  and  town  treasurer 
three  vears,  and  school  director  three  vears.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  ,A.  O.  U.  \\'.  and  P.  H.  C. 
of  McKean.  The  family  are  members  of  theSweden- 
borg  Church,  of  Erie.     Politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 

S.  J.  Gossftiaa,  postmaster  and  carriage  manu- 
facturer, Middleboro,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Bavaria,  Germany,  February  11,  185.3,  and  is  a  son  of 
Michael  and  Anna  (Wiendorf)  Gossman  (deceased); 
he  was  by  occu[)ation  a  farmer  and  blacksmith  of 
Bavaria,  Germany.  He  was  married  to  .Anna,  daugh- 
ter of  Nicholas  Weingard,  natives  of  Germany.  To 
this  union  were  born  seven  children,  viz.:  Barbara, 
wife  of  Michael  Ludwick,  a  blacksmith  of  Bavaria, 
Germany,  and  Killian,  a  farmer  of  Germany;  .'\nna, 
wife  of  Nicholas  Grennel,  of  Germany;  Anthony,  a 
farmer  and  blacksmith,  of  Germany;  J.  S.  and  John, 
of  Germany.  -S.  J.  came  to  America  in  1873,  and  located 
in  New  York  city,  and  was  engaged  in  the  carjienter 
and  shoe  trade  for  two  years.  He  was  also  in  Phila- 
delphia one  year,  and  Pittsburg  one  year.  In  1877  he 
came  to  .Middleboro,  and  went  to  work  in  the  Mankel 
Carriage  Factory,  and  worked  there  twelve  year.s.  He 
then  bpught  a  half  interest,  and  is  now  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  carriages  and  wagons.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  in  .September,  1879,  to  Katie, 
daughter  of  J.  J.  Barron,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
McKean  township.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  six  children,  viz.:  Edward,  born  March  \h,  1889; 
\'ictor,  born  May  1,  1891;  Rachania,  born  October  1.5, 
1893,  and  George  Chester,  .Margaret  and  John  (de- 
ceased). Mr.  Gossman  was  a]ipointed  ]50stmaster, 
June  1,  189,3,  and  he  also  carries  a  complete  stock  of 
tobacco  and  cigars.  He  held  the  office  of  council  of 
Middleboro  three  years.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church  of  Middleboro.  Politically  he  is 
a  Democrat. 

Samson  Short,  manufacturer  and  cajiitalist. 
North  East,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Chattham  township, 
Tioga  county,  Pa.,  March  24,  1823,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Sally  (Ferguson)  -Short.  John  Short,  his 
father,  was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1793.  He  came  to 
Pennsylvania  in  1815,  and  settled  first  on  the  Cowneska 
river,  in  Tioga  county,  living  there  but  a  short  time. 
Then  he  moved  to  Chattham  township,  which  was  a 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OE  ERIE  COUNTY. 


831 


wildt-rness,  ten  miles  being  the  nearest  point  where  a 
neighbor  lived,  and  began  to  clear  up  a  farm,  upon 
which  he  lived  the  balance  of  his  days,  dejjarting  this 
life  at  the  age  of  98  years.  The  other  chiUlren  of  John 
Short  (the  three  eldest  being  John,  Uavid  and  Lovell) 
all  lived  to  a  good  old  age.  Of  the  children  living, 
a  daughter  is  the  wife  of  Philip  Close,  now  living  in 
Chattham  at  the  age  of  80  years,  and  the  two  remain- 
ing sons,  .Samson  and  Benona,  are  still  living,  the 
former  bemg  T^  and  the  latter  71  years  of  age.  At  the 
age  of  Itj  Samson  Short  left  home  and  went  to  the 
lumber  woods  of  Potter  county,  working  eight  years 
for  the  man  who  first  employed  him  before  he  started 
in  business  for  himself.  He  then  built  a  large  saw- 
mill in  Potter  county,  where  he  continued  in  the  lum- 
bering business  successfully  until  liSiT,  when,  lumber 
having  become  scarce  in  that  section,  he  went  to  KIk 
county  and  resumed  liis  lumbering  operations,  manu- 
facturing on  an  average  five  million  feet  of  pine  lum- 
ber per  year,  which  was  run  by  way  of  the  Clarion, 
the  Allegheny  and  the  Ohio  rivers  to  be  marketed  in 
Pittsburg,  Cincinnati  and  Louisville.  In  18(i7  he  sold 
this  lumbering  property  to  his  son,  Alfred  .Short,  and 
C.  A.  Wilcox,  and  moved  to  North  East,  expecting  to 
retire  from  active  business.  He  has,  however,  instead 
of  this  engaged  with  an  active  spirit  in  nearly  every 
enterprise  or  industry  that  has  contributed  to  the 
growth  or  progress  of  North  East  borough  and  town- 
ship, besides  being  largely  interested  in  Slichigan  and 
Missouri  pine  lands.  He  owns,  at  this  writing,  over 
30,000  acres  of  timber  lands  in  the  State  of  Missouri. 
He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Eureka  Tempered  Copper 
Company,  the  Short  Manufacturing  Company,  the 
Columbian  Novelty  Company,  and  owns  nearly  all 
the  stock  of  the  Samson  Fertilizer  and  Chemical  Com- 
pany; is  the  owner  of  the  principal  hotel  in  North 
East,  the  opera  house  and  a  large  proportion  of  the 
business  blocks,  is  proprietor  of  the  Short  Banking 
ing  Company,  and  has  been  or  is  identified  with  a 
great  majority  of  the  larger  business  transactions  of 
that  section  of  Erie  county.  He  was  married  in  1846 
to  Olive,  daughter  of  George  W.  Sherman,  of  Sharon 
township.  Potter  county,  Pa.  The  children  of  this 
union  were  Frank  (deceased!  and  Alfred,  now  living 
in  North  East.  His  first  wife  having  died,  he  was 
married  again,  in  1851,  to  Lucinda  Wilcox,  of  Wells- 
ville,  N.  v.,  and  the  result  of  this  union  was  Frank  J., 
who  died  at  an  early  age.  His  second  wife  died  in 
North  East  in  1869,  and  he  was  married  the  third  time, 
in  1873,  to  Kate  Nissel,  of  St.  Mary's,  Pa.  The  result 
of  this  union  was  three  children,  Anna  and  George, 
both  deceased,  and  Mary,  aged  11,  now  living.  In 
politics  he  has  been  a  staunch  Democrat  during  his 
whole  lifetime.  He  is  enjoying  good  health,  attending 
to  his  business  every  day,  and  does  not  appear  to 
realize  that  he  is  getting  old.  It  is  the  lot  of  but  few 
men  to  became  so  largely  and  conspicuously  identified 
with  the  progress,  enterprise  and  indu.stry  of  the 
locality  in  which  they  may  make  their  homes  through 
a  long  series  of  years,  and  from  one  end  of  the  county 
to  the  other  Samson  Short's  name  is  associated  with 
public-spirited  and  progressive  citizenship. 

Alfred  Short  was  born  in  Potter  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, January  1,  1847.  He  is  the  son  of  Samson 
Short,  whose  personal  memoirs  are  contained  in  this 
volume.  Alfred  Short  took  one  years's  course  in 
academics  at  the  Kichburg  Academy,  Allegany  county, 


New  York,  follow'ed  this  by  a  three  years'  course 
at  Friendshi])  Academy,  and  completed  his  education 
in  186.5  at  Alfred  University,  Prof.  W.  C.  Kenyon, 
principal.  .Mr.  Short  was  first  engaged  in  business  at 
lirockport.  Elk  county,  Pa.,  with  C.  A.  Wilcox,  with 
whom  he  was  associated  in  lumbering  and  merchan- 
dising under  the  firm  name  of  Short  &  Wilcox.  In 
1870  .Mr.  Short  let  his  contract  to  his  partner  and  came 
to  North  East,  where  he  embarked  in  the  dry-goods 
business  with  E.  K.  Nason.  with  whom  he  was  asso- 
ciated, under  the  firm  name  of  Nason  &:  Short,  until 
September,  1871,  when  he  became  the  cashier  of  the 
banking  firm  of  Blaine,  Gould  &  Short,  in  which 
capacity  he  was  engaged  until  1878.  He  has  had  an 
active  identification  with  all  of  the  leading  manu- 
facturing interests  of  North  East,  namely:  Short 
Manufacturing  Company,  the  North  East  Canning 
Company,  The  New  Era  Organ  Company,  the  .Alfred 
Short  Company  (now  Columbian  Novelty  Company) 
and  the  Eureka  Tempered  Copper  Company,  of 
which  latter  company  he  is  the  president  and  general 
manager.  He  is  president  of  the  North  East  Heat 
and  Light  Company.  From  1884  to  1893  he  was 
president  of  the  People's  Savings  Bank,  and  at  the 
time  of  its  discontinuance,  January,  1895,  was  treasurer 
of  that  institution.  He  has  been  for  a  number  of 
years  a  member  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the 
North  East  Cemetery,  and  was  presiding  officer  of 
that  body  in  1894.  .\Ir.  Short  is  a  Democrat,  has  been 
actively  identified  with  his  party's  work,  and  has  held 
numerous  official  trusts.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Assembly  in  1878,  candidate  for  Congress  in  1880, 
burgess  of  North  East  in  1^84.5-6,  and  president  of 
the  North  East  school  board  in  1892-3.  Was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Democratic  national  conventions  of  1884 
and  1892.  He  is  a  32d  degree  .Mason,  a  member  of 
the  blue  lodge  of  North  East,  Temple  Chapter  of 
Erie,  Mt.  Olivet  Commandery,  Erie,  and  the  Caldwell 
Consistory,  of  Bloomsburg,  Pa.;  he  is  also  a  member 
of  the  B.  P.  O.  E.,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  other  secret  orders. 
Mr.  Short  was  married  January  1,  1872,  to  Helen  A., 
daughter  of  the  late  Isaac  Horton,  formerly  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  North  East.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Short  have 
four  children;  Ida  O.,  a  graduate  of  La  Salle  Semi- 
nary; Alfred  Lee,  a  student  of  Ann  Arbor;  Alice  L. 
and  Gladys  E.  Short.  The  family  reside  on  South 
Lake  street  and  attend  the  Episcopal  Church,  of 
which  Mr.  Short  is  a  vestryman. 

Ezra  Scouller,  president  of  the  Scouller  Milling 
Company,  was  born  in  North  East  township,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  July  7,  1839.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  John 
and  Sarah  .Ann  (Andrews!  Scouller,  the  former  a  native 
of  Scotlanci,  and  the  latter  of  New  York.  John  Scoul- 
ler was  born  in  Killliride,  Lanark  county,  Scotland, 
October  15,  1804,  and  came  to  the  L^nited  States  in  the 
early  30's,  locating  at  Moorheadville,  Erie  county.  Pa., 
where  he  for  some  years  managed  a  flouring  mill  and 
distillery  for  the  late  Joseph  Neely,  subsequently 
renting  the  property  and  conducting  both  industries 
on  his  own  account  until  1839,  when  he  removed  to  a 
farm  which  he  had  purchased  in  North  East  township. 
A  year  later  he  became  a.ssociated  with  the  late 
Chauncey  Eastman  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  Franklin 
paper  mill  (destroyed  by  fire  in  1838 1.  which  they 
operated  in  partnership  for  one  year,  when  Mr.  East- 
man's interests  were  purchased  by  Mr.  Scouller,  who 
continued  to  conduct  it  until  1849,  when  he  leased  that 


832 


NELSON'S  BIOQRAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


property  to  Messers.  lilaine  &  De  Long.  In  1844  Mr. 
Scoullcr  had  built  the  flouring  mill  known  as  the 
Franklin  Hollow  Mill,  and  upon  hi.s  removal  to  North 
East,  his  business  was  confined  exclusively  to  the 
manauenu-nt  of  this  mill  until  18(il,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded therein  by  his  son,  Kzra.  Mr.  Scouller  was  a 
valued  and  respected  citi/en,  and  was  often  sought  as 
a  canilidate  for  political  pri-ferments,  honors  which  he 
declined  to  n-ceive,  with  the  exception  of  serving  the 
borough  of  North  Ka.st  as  burgess  for  one  term.  He 
was  one  of  the  early  directors  of  the  Erie  and  North 
East  R.  R.  He  died  June  ;{,  18G7,  surviving  his  wife 
fifteen  years.  Ezra  Scouller  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  North  East.  His  first  business  con- 
nection was  as  a  nuMuber  of  the  firm  of  Jones  \'  Scoul- 
ler, grocers,  North  East.  This  firm  was  succeeded  by 
thai  of  Scouller  S:  .Spier,  of  which  Mr.  Scouller  was 
the  senior  member.  In  18(il  he  succeeded  his  father 
as  |)roprietor  of  the  Franklin  Flouring  Mdl,  and  is 
now  president  of  the  Scouller  MillingCompany,  which, 
in  addition  to  the  flouring  mill  business,  now  handles 
lime,  cement  and  budding  materials  generally.  Mr. 
Scouller  was  married  April  25,  18fil,  to  Joanna  E., 
daughter  of  the  late  John  Webb,  an  old  resident  of 
North  East.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Scouller  have  four  chil- 
dren: John  \V.,  secretary,  and  William,  treasurer,  of 
the  Scouller  Milling  Company;  Anna  H.,  wife  of  J.  .S. 
Corry,  of  New  York,  agent  of  the  York  Board  and  Card 
Company,  of  York,  Pa.,  and  a  resident  of  Forest  Hill, 
N.  J.,  and  }''.sther  A.  John  W.  Scouller  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Belknap,  of  North  East.  William  Scouller 
married  Miss  Bessie  I'ratt,  of  New  York  city.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ezra  .Scouller  and  family  reside  at  the  corner 
of  Gibson  and  North  Lake  streets,  and  attend  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  Mr.  Ezra  Scouller  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity. 

James  Harrison  Phillips  was  born  in  North 
Ea.st  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  November  11,  1837. 
He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Anaziah  and  Sarah  (Duncan) 
Phillips,  the  latter  a  native  of  North  East,  whose 
father  came  to  the  L'nited  .States  from  Ireland  and  lo- 
cated at  North  East.  James  H.  Phillips  lost  both 
parents  during  his  early  childhood.  He  was  reared  by 
an  uncle,  Archibald  Duncan,  a  farmer  of  North  East 
township.  He  completed  his  education  at  Poland 
Seminary,  Mahoning  county,  Ohio,  in  1857,  and  there- 
after engaged  in  farming  with  his  uncle,  who.se  heir 
he  became.  He  has  since  added  materially  to  the 
acreage  inherited,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading 
horticulturists  of  the  townshi]).  In  conjunction  with 
farming  he  was  engaged,  from  1868  to  1870,  in  the 
manufacture  of  wagon  and  carriage  spokes;  and,  from 
1857  to  1880,  engaged  in  the  sale  of  all  kinds  of  agri- 
cultural implements.  He  was  one  of  the  early  stock- 
holders of  the  People's  Savings  Institution,  and  after- 
ward a  member  of  its  board  of  directors.  He  was  a 
member  for  a  number  of  years  of  the  Erie  County 
Agricultural  .Society,  of  which  he  was  president  for  two 
years;  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  school  directors 
for  the  township  three  years.  He  was  married  January 
7,  1869,  to  Louisa,  daughter  of  the  late  Ira  Loomis,  a 
farmer  of  Kipley  township,  New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Phillips  have  three  children:  Archie  Duncan  Phillips, 
horticulturist;  Edward  L.  Phillips,  a  .student  at  Grove 
City  College,  and  Harold  Dean  Phillii)S,  a  student  at 
North  East.  The  family  reside  at  the  corner  of  Gib- 
son and  Pearl  streets,  and  are  members  of  the  Presby- 


terian  Church,   the  board  of   trustees  of   which    Mr. 
Phillips  has  been  a  member  for  some  years. 

Dr.  Amos  Button  Heard  was  born  in  Cusse- 
wago,  Crawford  county,  P.i.,  September  10,  1S;{7.  Hi- 
is  a  son  of  the  late  James  and  ( )rpha  M.  (liuttonl 
Heard.  James  Heard  was  a  native  of  Crawford  county 
and  of  Welsh  descent.  He  engaged  in  farming  for 
many  years  in  his  native  county,  and  spent  the  i.itter 
years  ot  his  life  in  Genesee  county,  Michigan,  where 
he  died  March  20,  1895.  He  was  twice  married,  his 
first  wife,  Grpha  M.  Button,  being  a  descendant  of 
early  Puritan  settlers  of  New  England.  She  died  in 
Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1841.  Amos  But- 
ton Heard  received  his  initial  schooling  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  township,  attended  the  State  Nor- 
m,-il  school  in  I'dinboro  two  lenus,  and  com]ileted  his 
general  education  at  the  Kingsville  (Ohio)  .Academy. 
He  had  just  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine  under 
the  ])receptor.shi|)  of  Dr.  William  Ciamble,  of  .Mosier- 
town.  Pa.,  when  the  war  liroke  out,  and  he  enlisted  in 
Col.  McLean's  regiment,  subse(|uently  becoming  mas- 
ter of  transportation  in  the  (|iiartermaster's  depart- 
ment, under  Major  Phelps,  .ind  continued  in  that  serv- 
ice until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  then  resumed  the 
study  ot  medicine  with  Dr.  William  Bullock,  of  Flint, 
Mich.,  and  in  1867  entered  the  medical  department  of 
Michigan  University,  Ann  .'\rbor.  .After  two  terms 
si)ent  in  this  in.stitution  he  entered  the  Detroit  Medi- 
cal College,  and  gratluated  therefrom  in  1872.  He 
then  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Flushing,  Mich.,  where  he  remained  for  four  years, 
thence  removing  to  Ripley,  N.  Y.,  where  he  spent  the 
following  seven  years.  In  1880  he  located  in  North 
East,  Pa.,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided  and  is  still 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Heard's 
public  service  at  North  East  has  been  chiefly  devoted  to 
its  educational  interests,  and  he  has  served  twelve  years 
a  samember  of  the  school  board  of  that  borough.  He  was 
married  September  15,  1867,  to  Amanda  J.,  daughter 
of  the  late  Edward  Stuntz,  a  native  of  Erie  county. 
Edward  Stuntz  was  a  |)rominent  and  (lublic  sjjirited 
citizen  and  held  numerous  offices  of  trust,  among  them 
those  of  county  surveyor  and  sheriff.  His  father, 
George  Stuntz,  a  native  of  Leiiizic,  .Saxony,  came  to 
Pennsylvania  early  in  the  century,  and  was  a  pioneer 
Methodist  jireacher,  with  a  circuit  that  extended  from 
Northwestern  Pennsylvania  through  Eastern  Ohio  to 
Northern  Kentucky.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  A.  B.  Heard  have 
five  children:  Mary  K.  Heard,  a  graduate  of  the 
pharmaceutical  deiKirtment  of  the  Michigan  Lnivers- 
ity;  Ralph  E.  Hearil,  a  graduate  of  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  Michigan  L'niversity,  and  now  practicing 
law  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.;  James  Lewis  Heard,  a  graiiuate 
of  the  medical  dei)artment  of  the  Michigan  Univers- 
ity, for  one  year  assistant  to  Charles  Neucreed,  pro- 
fessor of  surgery  of  that  institution,  and  now  associated 
with  his  father  in  medical  practice  in  North  East; 
Corydon  F.  Heard,  a  student  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  Michigan  University;  and  Fausta  Heard,  a 
student  at  the  North  East  high  school.  The  family  re- 
side at  47  North  Main  street,  and  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church. 

Robert  Joseph  Moorhead  was  born  at  .Moor- 
headville.  Harbor  Creek  townshij),  Erie  countv.  Pa., 
April  2,  1852.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Joseph  liyers 
and  Eliza  (Hampson)  Moorhead,  both  of  whom  were 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


833 


natives  of  Erie  county.  Joseph  Byers  Moorhead  was 
a  son  of  John  Moorhead,  who  with  his  brothers,  Rob- 
ert and  George  Moorhead,  located  early  in  the  cen- 
tury in  Harbor  Creek  township,  at  the  place  that  after- 
ward took  its  name  from  the  family,  and  is  still  known 
as  Moorheadville,  located  four  miles  west  of  North 
East,  the  Moorhead  farms  being  the  eastern  boundary 
of  Harbor  Creek  township.  Joseph  Byers  Moorhead 
removed  to  Xorth  East  with  his  family  in  186.5,  and 
carried  on  a  forwarding  commission  business  until 
1873,  when  he  located  at  Cadiz,  Ohio,  and  was  there  in 
the  employ  of  the  American  Express  Company,  up  to 
the  time  of  his  decease,  March  10,  1880.  His  widow 
returned  to  North  East,  where  she  continued  to 
reside  until  her  death,  September  6,  1891.  Robert  J. 
Moorhead  completed  his  education  at  the  North  East 
Academy,  in  1869.  For  one  year  thereafter  he  was 
bookkeeper  for  Ezra  Scouller's  milling  business,  and 
next  year  was  bookkeeper  for  the  First  National  Bank 
at  Xorth  East.  In  April,  1871,  he  took  charge  of  the 
books  of  the  Second  National  Bank  of  Erie,  in  which 
capacity  he  was  employed  until  October,  1872,  when 
he  was  put  in  charge  of  the  Savings  Bank,  Foxburg, 
Clarion  county.  Pa.,  the  controlling  interests  of  which 
institution  were  owned  by  John  \V.  Hammond,  Judge 
.Selden  Marvin,  Joseph  I.  Town  and  Hon.  Orange 
Noble,  of  Erie.  In  1874,  Mr.  Moorhead  embarked  in 
the  oil  brokerage  business  at  Parker's  Landing,  Arm- 
strong county,  and  continued  in  that  business  at  Oil 
City  and  Pittsburg,  until  his  retirement  in  1885,  having 
for  the  last  two  years  of  that  period  a  partnership  in- 
terest at  Pittsburg  with  S.  S.  Pinkerton,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Pinkerton  iS:  Moorhead.  Since  his  retire- 
ment from  the  oil  business  Mr.  Moorhead  has  resided 
at  North  East,  and  is  now  president  of  the  Short 
Manufacturing  Company,  having  purchased  a  con- 
trolling interest  therein  in  1888.  Aside  from  this  and 
an  extensive  vineyard  interest,  he  has  no  other  busi- 
ness connection.  He  was  unmarried,  resides  at  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Pearl  streets  with  his  sister.  Miss 
May  Moorhead,  the  site  of  their  place  of  residence 
being  historic  in  the  annals  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
as  the  spot  where  in  1801,  the  first  communion  of  that 
church  was  served  in  the  county.  Mr.  and  Miss 
Moorhead  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian   Church. 

Dennis  Denmau  Loop,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Mina 
(now  Sherman),  Chautaucjua  county,  N.  Y.,  June  19, 
1827.  He  is  son  of  the  late  Peter  and  Sena  (Spencer) 
Loop,  natives  of  New  York,  who  in  December,  1830, 
located  in  North  East  township,  where  they  resided 
upon  a  farm  until  the  death  of  the  former  in  1854,  when 
his  widow  removed  to  the  borough  of  North  East, 
where  she  died  August  h.  1880.  Dennis  1).  Loop  re- 
ceived a  pul)lic  school  education  and  then  began  the 
study  of  medicine,  under  the  preceptorship  of  the  late 
Dr.  James  L.  Hall,  with  whom  he  was  subse<iuently 
engaged  in  the  practice  until  1853,  thereafter  engaging 
in  practice  alone.  He  entered  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  L'niversity  of  Buffalo,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  1864.  Imniediatelv  following 
his  graduation  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board 
of  curators  of  his  alma  mater  and  is  still  a  member  of 
that  board.  Returning  to  Norlh  East,  he  resumed  the 
])ractice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  has  ever  since 
been  engaged,  making  a  specialty  of  surgery  and  treat- 
ment of  lung  diseases.  He  has  been  the  surgeon  at 
North    East     for     the     Lake    Shore    and     ^iichigan 


Southern  R.  R.  for  more  than  twenty-five  years. 
He  has  been  president  of  the  Erie  County  Med- 
ical Society,  president  of  the  Medical  Society  of 
Southwestern  New  York  and  a  member  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Medical  Society  and  of  the  National 
Medical  Association.  Dr.  Loop  has  given  largely  of 
his  time  in  the  interests  of  good  local  government, 
holding  the  office  of  burgess  for  several  terms,  serving 
as  school  director  for  two  terms  and  as  a  member  of 
the  council  for  ten  or  twelve  years.  Dr.  Loop  was 
thrice  noble  grand  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  has  held  all 
the  lodge  offices  of  that  order  except  that  of  guard. 
He  is  a  member  of  Mystic  Lodge,  of  Erie,  Knights  of 
Honor,  and  in  Masonry  is  a  member  of  Chapter,  Coun- 
cil and  Knight  Templar.  He  was  married  January  10, 
1860,  to  Rebecca,  daughter  of  the  late  Cyrus  and  De- 
lilah Dolph,  of  Grahamville,  Erie  county,  Pa.  Mr. 
Dolph  died  in  1854,  his  wife  in  1852.  Mrs.  Dr.  Loop 
died  March  14,  1894.  She  had  two  children,  Alice 
Amelia  and  Carrie  A.  Alice  A.  Loop  married  Allen 
D.  Husted,  of  the  insurance  firm  of  C.  B.  Armstrong 
&  Co.,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Husted  died  March  1, 
1890,  leaving  one  child,  Dennis  W.  Husted,  a  student. 
Miss  Carrie  A.  Loop  resides  with  her  father  at  27 
East  Main  street.  North  East.  Dr.  Loop  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church  of  North  East  for 
more  than  forty  years,  for  thirty-five  years  of  that 
period  having  official  connection  with  it. 

Clark  D.  Jameson,  North  East,  Pa.,  was  born  at 
Hamburg,  Erie  county,  N.  Y.,  April  5,  1823.  His  par- 
ents were  Hugh  and  Susannah  (Moore)  Jameson,  na- 
tives of  New  England,  the  former  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  Clark  D.  Jameson  received  but  little  school- 
ing, beginning  when  12  years  ot  age  to  assist  in  clear- 
ing up  his  father's  farm  in  Brant  and  continuing  to 
work  on  that  farm  until  18  years  of  age,  when  he  came 
to  North  East  and  engaged  with  the  firm  of  Chapel  & 
Perkstaff  in  learning  cabinetmaking.  In  1850  he  em- 
barked for  himself  as  a  manufacturer  of  furniture  and 
coffins,  establishing  in  connection  therewith  an  under- 
taking business,  which  he  has  ever  since  conducted, 
and  in  which  he  is  now  exclusively  engaged,  having  in 
1888  sold  out  the  furniture  manufacturing  branch.  He 
is  associated  in  business  with  his  stepson,  James  B. 
Stull.  Mr.  Jameson  was  married  September  7,  1848, 
to  Eliza,  daughter  of  Manuel  Henshaw,  of  Erie  county. 
New  York.  Mrs.  Jameson  died  October  17,  1858,  leav- 
ing two  children,  Grace  A.,  now  wife  of  James  P. 
Goodrich,  formerly  a  photographer  of  North  East,  and 
Lillie  -Adelia,  now  wife  of  IJyron  Munson,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  baking  business  at  Pasadena,  Cal.  Mr. 
Jameson  married  December  11,  1862,  Lorency  S. 
(Beebe)  Stull,  whose  only  son,  James  B.,  is  mentioned 
above  as  the  liusiness associate  of  Mr.  Jameson.  Mrs. 
Lorency  Jameson  died  February  12,  1889.  Since  Mr. 
Jameson's  embarkation  in  business  as  funeral  director 
ten  different  firms  and  individuals  have  attempted  to 
compete  with  him,  liut  this  firm  is  the  only  one  en- 
gaged in  the  undertaking  business  at  the  present 
time.  He  resides  at  the  corner  of  Lake  and  Clay 
streets  and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

William  Frankland  Allison,  proprietor  of  the 
Brawley  House,  and  the  oldest  living  man  native  of 
North  East,  was  born  July  25,  1829.  He  is  a  son  of  the 
late  David  and  Elizabeth  (Mills)  .Allison,  the  former  a 
native  of  North  East  townshiji  and  of  Scotch  descent 


834 


NELSOirS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


and  the  latter  a  native  of  Hamilton,  Ontario,  and  of 
English  descent.  David  Allison'sbusiness  throughout 
life  was  that  of  hotel  keeping.  He  was  for  many  years 
proprietor  of  the  Central  House  and  later  of  the  North 
East  (now  Rrawley)  House.  He  was  a  man  of  consid- 
erable local  importance,  holding  numerous  offices  and 
serving  a  numlier  of  years  as  colonel  in  the  State 
militia.  He  died  in  1852,  surviving  his  wife  several 
years.  William  F.  Allison  had  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, was  associated  with  his  father  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness at  an  early  age  and  has  been  continuously  en- 
gaged in  that  hne  nearly  sixty  years.  He  was  married 
in  1860  to  Antionette,  daughter  of  the  late  Richard 
Rrawley,  former  proi)rietor  of  the  Rrawley  House.  Mrs. 
Allison  died  in  1874,  leaving  one  child,  Lizzie  wife  of 
PVederick  J.  Carpenter,  of  the  firm  of  Bingham  & 
Carpenter,  hardware  merchants  of  North  East. 

George  Henry  Fernald  was  born  m  Monroe 
townshi]),  .\shtabula  covmty,  July  8,  1864.  He  is  the 
son  of  the  late  Moses  and  Ellen  E.  (Hookerl  Fernald, 
the  former  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  of  American  de- 
scent; the  later  a  native  of  New  York  and  of  American 
descent.  Moses  F'ernald  died  in  1894;  his  widow  re- 
sides in  Chautaucpia  county.  New  York.  George  H. 
Fernald  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Find- 
ley's  Lake,  and  then  took  a  commercial  course  at 
Clark's  Business  College,  Titusville,  Pa.  He  learned 
the  tinner's  trade,  after  which  he  embarked  in  the  in- 
surance business  in  Findley's  Lake,  and  in  con- 
junction therewith  conducted  a  hardware  busine.ss  for 
three  years.  He  sold  out  his  interests  in  Findley's 
Lake,  and  April  1,  1891,  removed  to  North  East,  where 
he  became  associated  as  traveling  salesman  with  the 
.ScouIUt  Milling  Comjiany.  .X  year  later  he|iurchased 
George  Hampson's  and  B.  C.  Spooner's  fire  insurance 
business,  and  conducted  that  until  |uly,  18fW,  when  he 
became  secretary  and  treasurer  of  The  Alfred  Short 
Company.  Upon  theorganization,  Noveml)er  20,  1898, 
of  theColumbian  Novelty  Company,  incor]>orated,  Mr. 
Fernald  liecame  its  president  and  general  manager. 
He  was  married  May  9,  1887,  to  Belle,  daughter  of  the 
late  Robert  Skellie,  of  Findley's  Lake.  ^ir.  and  Mr.s. 
Fernald  have  one  child,  Russell  G.,  reside  on  .South 
Lake  street,  and  attend  the  Methodist  Cluirch.  Mr. 
Fernald  is  a  member  of  the  Mason's  order,  1.  O.  O.  F. 
and  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Rev.  Farrell  Briody  w;is  born  near  Kilnaleck, 
County  Cavan,  Ireland.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  county,  and  then  took  a  four 
years'  classical  course  at  Ballyinacue,  under  a  private 
tutor.  In  18()6  he  came  to  the  L'nited  .States  and  en- 
tered St.  Bonaventure's  College,  .Mlegany,  N.  Y.,  and, 
upon  the  comjiletion  of  his  theological  studies,  was, 
in  1873,  ordained  i>riest  for  the  <liocese  of  F>ie,  for 
which  he  had  been  a<lopted  two  years  previous  by  the 
Rt.  Rev.  Tobias  Mullen.  He  was  appointed  to  the 
charge  of  St.  Gregory's,  North  F'ast,  and  St.  John's, 
Girard,  and,  with  headquarters  at  Erie,  attended  the.se 
congregations  upon  alternate  weeks  for  four  years.  In 
1877  he  located  at  North  Flast,  where  he  had  in  the 
meantime  succeeded  in  adding  materially  to  the  con- 
gregation, enlarged  and  remodelled  the  church  edifice, 
purchased  jiroperty  adjoining  the  church,  improved 
that  property,  and  bought  pro[)erty  and  established 
the  Catholic  cemetery,  three  miles  west  of  North  East. 
Father  Briody's  present  charge  includes  North  East, 


Moorheadville,  Harbor  Creek,  Swanville,  Fairview, 
Girard  and  Springfield,  numliering  in  ail  about  120 
families. 

Michael  Edward  Clune,  ]>roprietorof  the  Palace 
Hotel,  North  I'^ast,  I'a.,  was  horn  m  County  Clare,  Ire- 
land, .Xugust  7,  18(i:!.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Patrick 
and  Hannah  (Culleni  Clune,  natives  of  County  Clare, 
who  came  to  the  L'nited  .States  early  in  1864,  ami  lo- 
cated in  Boston,  Mass.  Mr.  Clune  immediately  en- 
listed in  a  .Massachusetts  regiment,  in  which  he  served 
until  the  clo.se  of  the  war.  In  1866  he  removed  his 
family  to  Oil  City,  Pa.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
cooper's  l)usiness  until  1868,  removing  thence  to 
Tionesta,  Pa.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  same  busi- 
ness until  1874.  The  following  year  he  spent  in 
Euro]ie.  He  then  re-located  at  Oil  City,  Pa.,  where 
he  died  in  1885.  His  wife  (lied  in  1869.  Michael  E. 
Clune  completed  his  education  at  St.  John's  College, 
Buffalo;  was  first  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  as 
clerk  at  the  Petroleum  House,  (jil  City;  was  for  ten 
years  thereafter  connected  with  the  United  States  Ho- 
tel at  Franklin,  Pa.,  and  for  the  following  four  years  at 
the  Wilson  House,  Erie,  Pa.,  and  in  October,  189;!, 
came  to  North  East  to  assume  the  iiroprietorship  of 
Short's  Palace  Hotel.  He  was  married  July  "20,  1891, 
to  Miss  .Anna  McMinnamon,  of  Franklin,  Pa.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clune  are  communicants  of  .St.  Gregory's. 
Mr.  Clune  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit 
Association. 

Samuel  Smith  Hammond  was  born  at  Canan- 

daigua,  N.  \' ,.  August  :)1,  1,S17.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late 
David  and  Deborah  (Jonesi  Hammond,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  the  latter  of  Canan- 
daigua,  N.  Y.  David  Hammond  was  a  farmer,  who 
came  with  his  family  to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania, 
late  in  the  winter  of  1821,  traversing  the  ice  of  Lake 
Erie  by  ox-team  sledge  from  Ruffalo  to  Rarcelona,  and 
from  the  latter  place  through  the  woods  to  Harbor 
Creek  town.ship,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  con- 
tinued to  reside  until  his  death,  in  1825.  His  widow 
married  Robert  Ham|ison  about  1827,  and  removed 
immediately  thereafter  to  North  F'.ast  tovvnshi|>,  where 
she  <iied  in  1890.  After  his  mother's  secorul  marriage, 
.Samuel  S.  Hanuuond  had  his  home  until  his  15th  year 
with  John  McCord,  a  farmer  of  North  I-'.ast  township. 
He  then  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner  at 
Gibsonville  (now  North  Ea.st),  with  the  late  Benjamin 
R.  Tuttle,  with  whom  he  remained  until  he  attained  his 
majority.  He  then  entered  into  the  carpentry  busi- 
ness for  himself,  and  continued  to  be  so  engaged  until 
1856,  building  the  m.'ijority  of  the  dwelling  houses 
erected  at  North  ICast  during  that  period.  From  1856 
to  1860  he  was  j)ostiiiaster  at  North  F'ast,  running  a 
general  store  in  connection  therewith.  In  18(i0  he 
spent  a  season  in  the  gold  regions  of  Colorado;  re- 
turning thence,  he  was  made  station  agent  at  North 
East,  and  was  employed  m  that  capacity  for  five  years. 
In  1865  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  ju.stice  of  the 
peace  for  the  borough  of  North  Ea.st,  a  position  to 
which  he  was  re-elected  at  intervals,  and  is  now  the 
incumbent  in  the  twentieth  year  of  his  service.  He 
has  also  served  the  borough  as  a  member  of  its  coun- 
cil and  .school  board  for  several  terms  each,  and  as  its 
burgess  for  one  term.  He  was  married  in  March, 
1839,  to  Sena,  daughter  of  the  late  John  Dunton,  then 
of    Fredonia,    N.    S'.,    later   of    North    I-".ast   township, 


AND  HI8T0RIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUmv. 


835 


where  he  died.  Mrs.  Hammond  died  in  1884,  leaving 
three  children:  John  (whose  personal  history  is  con- 
tained m  this  volume),  William  and  Cynthia  \.  One 
child.  Rush,  died  when  17  years  of  age.  William  Ham- 
mond resides  in  North  East.  Cynthia  A.  Hammond 
married  John  S.  Paden,  of  North  East.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Paden  have  two  children,  John  and  Frederick,  the  for- 
mer in  the  dry  goods  business  in  New  York  city,  the 
latter  a  telegraph  operator  in  Connecticut.  .Mr.  S.  S. 
Hammond  resides  with  his  children,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Paden,  36  South  Lake  street. 

Rev.  Beujattiin  Eugetie   Hillmati  was  born  in 

Sandusky,  Cattaraugus  county,  N.  V.,  June  19,  1848. 
He  is  a  .son  of  the  late  Benjamin  and  Lucy  A.  (Mark- 
ham)  Hillman,  both  natives  of  New  York.  The  Hill- 
man  family  is  descended  from  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Martha's  Vineyard.  The  late  Benjamin  Hill- 
man  was  one  of  the  prominent  merchants  of  San- 
dusky, N.  Y.,  where  he  held  numerous  positions  of 
public  trust,  among  them,  and  for  a  period  of  thirty- 
six  years,  that  of  town  clerk.  He  died  in  Sandusky  in 
October,  1873.  His  widow  is  now  a  resident  of  Inde- 
depence,  Mo.  Benjamin  E.  Hillman  received  his 
initial  schooling  in  Sandusky,  and  then  took  a  course 
in  academics  at  Ten  Broeck  Free  Academy,  Frank- 
linville,  N.  Y.  Determining  upon  the  ministry  as  his 
profession,  he  entered  Rochester  Theological  Sem- 
inary, where  he  had  spent  but  one  year,  when  failing 
health  and  the  decease  of  his  father  led  to  his 
temporarily  abandoning  his  seminary  course.  In  1873 
he  was  ordained  to  the  Baptist  ministry  while  pastor 
at  Belfast,  Allegany  county,  N.  Y.,  and  remained  with 
his  charge  until  1876.  He  was  next  pastor  of  the 
Church  at  Springville,  Erie  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
remained  for  three  years,  and  for  one  year  following 
this,  filled  the  pulpit  at  East  .-\urora.  In  1879  he  re- 
sumed his  course  at  Rochester  Theological  Seminary 
and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  with  the  class 
of  '82.  Prior  to  his  graduation  he  had  accepted  a  call 
to  the  FVanklinville  Baptist  Church,  with  which  charge 
he  remamed  until  the  spring  of  1887,  when  he  resigned 
to'accept  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Bajjtist  Church 
of  North  East,  Pa.  He  resigned  this  charge  October 
1,  1894.  and  retired  from  the  pastorate,  and  has  since 
devoted  his  attention  to  grape  culture  and  other  farm- 
ing and  business  interests.  He  was  one  of  the  foun- 
ders and  is  manager  of  the  Acme  Electric  Light  and 
Power  Company  of  North  East.  He  was  for  four 
years  a  member  of  the  school  board,  serving  one  year 
as  presiding  officer  and  three  vears  as  secretary  of 
that  body.  He  was  married  to  Belle,  daughter  of  the 
late  Wiliiani  Tluirber.  of  Olean,  N.  Y.  Rev.  and  Mrs. 
Hillman  reside  at  the  corner  of  South  Lake  and  Eagle 
streets.  Dr.  Hillman  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  and  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 

Rev.  Theodore  Charles  Beach  was  born  in 
Bristol,  Conn.,  February  ".^1,  1841.  He  is  a  son  of  the 
late  Charles  and  Mary  iGrannissl  Beach,  natives  of 
Connecticut,  the  former  of  Scotch,  the  latter  of  En- 
glish descent.  Charles  Beach  was  a  manufacturer, 
and  was  for  many  years  engageil  in  business  in  Bris- 
tol, where  he  died  in  1894.  Theodore  C.  Beach  com- 
pleted his  education  at  the  Wesleyan  L'niversity,  Mid- 
dletown,  Conn.,  from  which  institution  he  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  class  of  1X65.  The  same  year  he  joined 
the    New   York    East    Conference   of   the    Methodist 


Episcopal  Church,  and  was  connected  therewith  for 
the  succeeding  twenty-five  years,  during  that  period 
holding  successively  the  pastorates  of  the  .Methodist 
Churches  at  L^nionville,  Conn.,  Roslvn,  N.  Y.,  North- 
port,  N.  Y.,  .Southold,  N.  Y.,  Great  Neck,  N.  Y.,  and 
Reading,  Ridgefield,  Winstead,  and  Plainville,  Conn. 
In  the  fall  of  1889  Dr.  Beach  was  transferred  to  the 
Erie  Conference  and  stationed  at  .Meadville,  Craw- 
ford county,  Pa.,  in  charge  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  that  place,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years.  He  was  then  called  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  North  East,  Pa.  He  was  mar- 
ried September  5,  186.5,  to  Luanna  F.,  daughter  of  the 
late  Charles  Merritt,  a  farmer  of  Williamsburg.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Beach  have  four  children:  Bertha  Louise, 
Grace  Lillian,  Lulu  Frances  and  Theodore  Merritt 
Beach.  The  family  reside  at  21  Park  street.  Dr. 
Beach  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  the  Ancient 
Order  of  L^nited  Workmen,  and  the  Junior  Order  of 
the  L'nited  American  Mechanics. 

Lee  Granger  was  born  in  Portland,  Chautautiua 
county,  N.  Y.,  March  18,  1845.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late 
David  and  Juline  (Webster)  Granger,  natives  of 
New  York.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  county  and  then  went  to  the  oil 
(  ountry,  where  he  was  employed  in  drilling  until  1871, 
when  he  located  in  North  East,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  He  was  for  one  year  proprietor 
of  a  bakery  and  later  conducted  a  meat  market  in 
North  East,  and  for  one  year  was  engaged  in  the  same 
business  at  1213  .State  .street,  Erie.  He  is  superin- 
tendent of  the  Heat  and  Light  Company,  North  East. 
Mr.  Granger  was  married  November  6,  1872,  to  Sabina 
E.,  daughter  of  the  late  George  W.  and  Elizabeth 
(Cochran)  Law.  George  W.  Law,  who  died  in  1853, 
was  a  native  of  North  East  township.  His  father, 
Joseph  Law,  located  in  Erie  county  early  in  the  cen- 
tury and  died  in  1861,  aged  81  years.  Elizabeth 
(Cochran)  Law  was  born  in  North  East  township  in 
1825,  where  she  resided  throughout  her  life  and  up  to 
her  decease,  November  5,  189.5.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  the  late  Richard  Cochran,  who  came  from  Ireland 
and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Erie  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lee  Granger  reside  at  46  South  Lake  street, 
and  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr. 
Granger  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 

Dyer  Lootnls  was  born  in  North  East  township 
October  1,  ISKi.  Hi-  is  a  son  of  the  late  Dyer  and 
Nancy  I  Wood)  Loomis,  the  former  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, the  latter  of  Rhode  Island.  Dyer  Loomis, 
sr.,  went  to  Erie  county  in  1796  to  join  his  brother 
Henry,  who  had  located  there  the  previous  year.  They 
took  up  a  tract  of  land  (tract  1.54)  from  the  Population 
Company  of  4fX)  acres,  in  what  is  now  North  East 
township,  adjoining  the  present  borough  of  North  East 
on  the  ea.st.  It  was  upon  a  portion  of  this  tract  that 
Dyer  Loomis,  jr.,  was  born,  still  resides,  and  in  whom 
title  vests  as  heir  of  the  original  purchaser.  Dyer 
Loomis,  sr.,  was  an  esteemed  and  honored  citizen,  and 
held  numerous  offices  in  the  early  history  of  the  town- 
ship; was  its  first  constable  and  the  first  deputv  sheriff 
of  the  county.  He  died  in  1842,  surviving  his  wife 
four  years.  His  son.  Dyer,  was  reared  on  the  farm, 
receiving  such  education  as  the  early  schools  afforded, 
and  becoming  a  teacher  at  the  age  of  18,  tavight  four 


8^6 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DIOTIONART 


I 


years  during  the  winter  season  in  the  township  schools, 
and  for  one  summer  in  the  borough.  He  then  coni- 
eteii  his  own  education,  taking  a  term  each  at  the 
Vorthington  and  Mihm  (O.)  academies.  Returning 
to  North  East  and  finding  his  father  in  feeble  health, 
he  assumed  the  cares  of  the  farm,  which  he  subse- 
quently inherited.  He  was  married  in  May,  1839,  to 
tliza  M.,  daughter  of  the  late  Thomas  Robinson,  one 
of  the  ])ioneer  settlers  and  the  tirst  justice  of  the  peace 
of  North  East  township.  She  died  in  November,  18H7, 
and  Joseph  W.  I.oomis,  ex-prothonotary  of  Erie 
county,  died  in  January,  18i)t).  Other  deceased  chil- 
dren, Eaniartine  I-.  and  Mary  E.,  both  died  in  the 
winter  of  1862,  the  former  of  typhoid  fever,  con- 
tracted through  exposure  while  serving  as  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  the  latter  from  the  same 
disease,  contracted  while  nursing  her  l)rother.  Joseph 
W.  Loomis  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  and  it  was 
because  of  letters  written  by  him  from  the  front,  pre- 
dicting a  long  continued  struggle,  asserting  that  numy 
thousands  of  additional  troo])s  would  be  required,  and 
asking  what  North  East  would  do  in  the  extremity, 
that  led  his  father,  then  (ISfi'i)  52  years  of  age,  to  assist 
in  raising  a  comitany,  efforts  to  accomplish  which  had 
been  unsuccessfully  made  by  several  patriotic  citizens. 
Through  his  personal  popularity  and  the  confidence 
which  he  enjoyed  in  the  community,  Dyer  Loomis  suc- 
ci'eded  in  two  weeks  in  enlisting  a  full  company  and 
twenty  additional  men,  and  as  its  captain  was  sent  to 
the  front  with  the  14.")th  P.  V.  I.  He  was  made  prisoner 
at  C'hancellorsviUe  and  taken  to  Libby  Prison,  from 
which  he  was  paroled  in  bad  health,  which  led  to  his 
discharge  and  return  home  a  little  more  than  a  year 
after  his  enlistment.  In  ad(htion  to  his  farming 
interests,  Mr.  Loonu's  has  had  identification  with  both 
the  mercantile  and  manufacturing  interests  of  North 
East.  Eor  several  years  before  the  war  and  there- 
after to  1878,  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
brick,  and  during  this  jjeriod  built  the  great  majority 
of  the  brick  dwellings  and  other  brick  structures  in 
the  borough  and  township  of  North  East.  He  estab- 
lished a  harness  manufactory,  whicli  he  conducted  for 
nine  years,  and  was,  from  1870  to  188fi,  proprietor  of  a 
shoe  .store  in  North  East.  He  was  for  thirty-five  years 
a  justice  of  the  peace  for  Erie  roimty  at  North  East, 
seven  consecutive  terms,  from  1S4.">  to  1880,  and  was 
then  appointed  notary  public,  holding  that  office  for 
three  terms,  up  to  18S)1.  Mr.  Loomis  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church  since  December,  1831, 
has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  that 
church  for  many  years,  and  one  of  the  elders  since 
November,  1894.  He  is  permanent  clerk  of  the  con- 
gregation and  clerk  of  the  session,  and  was  for  more 
than  twenty  years  sujierintendent  of  the  .Sunday 
school.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  tem]>erance  so- 
ciety formed  in  North  East,  known  as  the  North  East 
Temperance  Society,  an  organization  that  was  founded 
in  1830,  by  Dyer  Loomis,  sr.,  and  six  associates.  Dyer 
Loomis,  jr.,  has  throughout  his  life  devoted  himself 
steadfastly  to  the  best  interests  of  the  community, 
lending  always  especially  active  service  to  the  cause  of 
temjjerance.  In  addition  to  looking  after  his  own  busi- 
tiess  interests  throughout  an  imusually  long  and  active 
life,  his  service  as  administrator  of  estates  and  execu- 
tor of  wills,  have,  because  of  his  recognized  ability  and 
uncompromising  integrity,  been  very  fre<iuently  called 
into  requisition,  he  having  acceptably  managed  about 
thirty  estates. 


Orville  Rolland  Gillette  and  Captain  James 
Wheeler,  of  the  Park  Drug  Store,  North  East,  Pa.,  are 
half  lirothers,  whose  mother  was  first  married  to  Or- 
ville Gilletti',  a  native  of  New  York,  and  of  French 
descent,  and  who  was  engaged  in  business  as  a  farmer 
and  millwright  at  LeBceuf,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  where  he 
died  in  18(i(i.  His  widow  married  James  Theodore 
Wheeler,  a  lumberman  of  Corry,  Pa.,  who  subse- 
quently engaged  in  business  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  re- 
turning thence,  in  1892,  to  LePxeuf,  where  he  died. 
His  wife  met  with  an  accident  by  which  she  lost  her 
life  in  1875.  Orville  R.  Gillette  was  born  at  LeBccuf, 
February  3,  18fi3,  com|ileted  his  education  at  Water- 
ford  Academy  in  1NS4,  and  then  entered  the  employ 
of  Ross  &  Wilson,  druggists  of  North  East.  A  year 
later  he  [lurchased  Dr.  Si.  .\.  Wilson's  interest  in  the 
drug  business,  the  firm  thereafter  being  known  as  E. 
E.  Ross  &  Co.  In  1889  Mr.  Gillette  went  to  Patterson, 
N.  J.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business  un- 
til 1892,  when  he  returned  to  North  East,  and  has  since 
been  associated  with  the  Park  Drugstore.  He  was 
married  .\\n'\\  17,  1888,  to  Winifred  Frances,  daugh- 
ter of  Moses  R.  Parsons,  of  Ligonier,  Pa.  Mr.  Gillette 
holds  diplomas  from  the  State  Boards  of  Pharmacy 
of  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  a  member  of' the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  R.  A., 
J.  O.  U.  A.  M.,  and  Knights  of  St.  John  and  Malta. 
Captain  James  Wheeler  was  born  in  August,  1872, 
graduated  from  the  Waterford  .-Xcademy  in  1892,  and 
from  the  Erie  Business  College  in  1893,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  associated  with  the  Park  Drug  Store, 
North  East.  Mr.  Wheeler  is  a  member  of  the  J.  O. 
U.  A.  M. 

William  Theodore  Kopcke  was  born  in  the 
province  of  Ponimern,  Prussia,  January  13,  18()3.  He 
IS  a  son  of  Henry  and  Minnie  (Luke)  Ko]icke,  who 
came  to  the  l'nit(-d  States  with  their  children  in  1809, 
and  located  in  North  P'ast,  Pa.,  wheri'  they  still  reside. 
William  T.  Kopcke  was  educated  in  the  German  Lu- 
theran and  public  schools  of  North  East,  and  at  the 
age  of  15  entered  the  clothing  store  of  James  S. 
Haynes,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the  death  of 
the  latter  in  1885.  He  then,  in  conjunction  with  his 
half  brother,  Helmuth  I''.  .Smith,  purchased  the  cloth- 
ing stock  and  business  from  the  estate  of  his  late  em- 
jiloyer,  and  the  partnership  thus  formed  coiuiucted 
the  business  under  the  firm  nameof  Smith  S:  Kopcke, 
until  1887,  when  Mr.  Kopcke  ]nircliased  his  partner's 
interest.  The  demands  of  a  rapidly  increasiug  busi- 
ness necessitated  the  erection  in  1890  of  the  hand- 
some edifice  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Ki>[)cke,  at  11,  13 
and  15  West  Main  street.  Mr.  Kojicke  has  served 
three  years  as  a  member  of  the  North  East  council. 
He  is  a  member  oi  the  Masonic  fraternity,  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum  anil  of  the  Knights  of  .St.  John  and 
Malta.  Mr.  Ko[)cke  was  married  September  25,  1884 
to  F^lla,  daughter  of  Michael  Conners,  of  North  East, 
Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kojicke  have  two  children,  Harry 
and  Rudolph,  and  reside  at  48  West  Main  street,  in  a 
beautiful  home  built  by  .\lr.  Kopcke  in  1893. 

John  Friedrich  Oldach  was  born  in  the  Province 
of  Pommern,  Prussia,  January  24,  1857.  He  is  a  .son 
of  the  late  John  and  Sophia  (Heiden)  Oldach,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  in  May,  18t>4,  and  located 
in  North  East  townshi|i,  where  the  elder  Oldach  en- 
gaged in  farming,  until  his  decease,  May  29,  1875.  His 


^ 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


837 


widow  suvives,  and  resides  in  the  borough  of  North 
East.  John  F.  Oldach  completed  his  education  at  the 
German  parochial  scliool  in  North  East,  and  then  en- 
tered the  employ  of  A.  F.  Jones  &  Co.,  dry  goods 
merchants  of  Xorth  East,  being  associated  with  that 
firm  from  March  2,  1872,  to  October,  18T9,  when  he 
was  made  a  partner  in  the  business,  the  firm  being 
known  as  Jones  &  Oldach,  until  February,  1890, 
when  Mr.  Oldach  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and 
has  since  conducted  the  business  alone.  In  1894  Mr. 
Oldach  built  the  e.vtensive  block  which  he  now  occu- 
pies as  9  and  11  South  Lake  street.  In  addition  to 
his  dry  goods  business,  Mr.  Oldach  has  vineyard  inter- 
ests in  the  township.  He  was  for  some  years  a  member 
of  the  Xorth  East  board  of  health.  He  was  married 
September  2,  1880,  to  Johanna,  daughter  of  the  late 
Rev.  E.  Leemhuis,  for  fourteen  years  pastor  of  the 
German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  at  Xorth  East, 
and  who  died  in  1892.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oldach  have  five 
children,  Gertrude,  Herman,  John,  Hilda  and  Margu- 
rita,  reside  at  18  Division  .street,  and  are  members  of 
the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 

Nicholas  T.  Bogeaschutz,  furniture  dealer,  was 
born  in  Buffalo,  X.  Y.,  June  6,  1862.  He  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Sophia  (Strack)  Bogenschutz,  natives  of 
Germany.  Miss  Sophia  .Strack  came  to  this  country 
with  her  parents,  who  located  at  Buffalo,  where  she 
married  John  Bogenschutz,  then  a  shoemaker  of  that 
place.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  serving  in  a 
regiment  of  the  X.  V.  \'.  I.,  and  now  lives  at  the 
Soldiers'  Home  at  Bath,  X.  Y.  His  wife  died  in  187(i. 
Xicholas  T.  Bogenschutz  completed  his  schooling  at 
the  normal  school,  F"redonia,  X.  Y.  He  learned  furni- 
ture finishing  with  G.  \V.  I^lood,  of  Frednnia,  and,  in 
187S,  went  to  Xorth  Ea.st,  where  he  learned  cabinet 
.naking  with  John  S.  Paden  and  others.  In  Augu,st, 
188;?,  he  established  a  furniture  repair  shop  at  Xorth 
East,  and  from  that  very  modest  beginning  added 
gradually  to  his  business  until,  in  1893,  he  was  able  to 
erect  the  connnodious  structure  now  occupied  by  him 
as  furniture  dealer  and  manufacturer,  at  13  and  15 
South  Lake  .street,  the  only  establishment  of  its  kind 
at  Xorth  East.  He  was  married  .April  11,  1883,  to 
Clara,  daughter  of  John  Ehmka,  of  Xorth  East.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bogenschutz  have  three  children,  Ruth, 
Pearl  .uiil  Rilla,  reside  on  South  Pearl  street,  and 
attend  the  Methodist  Church.  Mr.  Bogenschutz  is  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Charles  Frederick  Wilks  was  born  in  Meck- 
lenburg-Schwerin,  Prussia,  October  19,  1852.  His 
parents,  Charles  and  Sophia  (Schultz)  Wilks,  came  to 
the  United  .States  in  1865,  taking  up  their  residence  at 
Silver  Creek,  Chautautpia  county,  X.  \ .,  thence  re- 
moving a  year  later  to  Xorth  East,  Pa.  Mr.  Charles 
Wilks  is  a  farmer.  His  wife  died  in  June,  1892. 
Charles  F.  Wilks  was  educated  in  the  public  and 
parochial  schools  of  Xorth  East;  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter,  and,  immediately  thereafter,  in  188(i,  estab- 
lished a  shoe  store  in  the  Duncan  Block,  removing 
thence  to  his  present  location,  9  West  Main  street,  in 
December,  1890.  He  was  married  October  20,  1875,  to 
Elizabeth  J.,  daughter  of  the  late  Helmuth  Smith,  a 
native  of  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  where  he  ilied.  and 
whose  widow  remarried  Henry  Kopcke.  who  removed 
with  his  family  tothe  I'nited  States  in  1869,  and  located 
in  North   East.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  F.  Wilks  have 


one  child,  Karl  William,  reside  at  the  corner  of  Vine 
and  Poplar  streets,  and  attend  the  Methodi.st  Church. 
Mr.  Wilks  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  and  the  Knights  of  -St.  John  and 
Malta. 

Frederick  James  Sinedley  was  born  in  Xorth 
East  October  5,  185ti.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  P'red- 
erick  B.  and  .Susan  (Marsh)  Smedley,  natives  of  Litch- 
field county,  Connecticut,  where  they  were  married,  and 
whence  they  went  to  Xorth  East,  Pa.,  in  18.5;3.  Fred- 
erick B.  Smedley  was  a  farmer  and  continued  to  re- 
side in  Xorth  East  township  throughout  his  life,  living 
latterly  in  the  borough.  He  died  in  January,  1892. 
Frederick  J.  .Smedley  completed  his  education  at  the 
Lake  Shore  Seminary,  Xorth  Ea.st,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  in  June,  1877.  He  was  for  five 
years  an  employe  of  the  lateM.  L.  Selkregg.  grocer 
at  Xorth  East,  and  was  thereafter,  and  up  to  189;-!,  en- 
gaged in  the  same  business  at  the  same  place,  having 
for  a  .short  time,  at  the  beginning  of  his  business  ca- 
reer, a  partnership  association  with  James  .A.  McDon- 
ald. Lie  was  apjiointed  to  his  present  position  of 
postmaster  at  Xorth  East  by  President  Cleveland  in 
1895.  He  resides  at  28  East  Main  street  with  his  sis- 
ter. Miss  Emma  .Smedley.  .Another  sister,  Kate,  is 
the  wife  of  S.  P.  Whitehill,  a  farmer  of  Xorth  East 
township. 

Fred  Oscar  Davis  was  born  in  North  Ea.st,  Octo- 
ber 13,  IStiS.  He  is  a  son  of  O.  W.  and  Carrie  A. 
(Hopkins)  Davis,  the  former  a  native  of  Xorth  East, 
Pa.,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Xew  York  .State.  Fred 
O.  Davis  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Xorth 
East,  and  was  first  employed  under  his  father,  then 
postmaster  at  Xorth  East.  In  1883  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  People's  Savings  Institution,  Xorth 
East,  as  messenger,  and  was  successively  promoted  in 
that  bank,  becoming  its  cashier  in  1892,  a  position 
which  he  held  until  the  suspension  of  that  in.stitution 
January  23,  1895,  and  of  which  he  is  now  assignee. 
He  is  engaged  in  the  livery  business  at  Xorth  East, 
and  has  also  vineyard  interests  in  Xorth  East  town- 
ship. He  was  married  Xovember  7,  1891,  to  Miss 
Nellie  L.,  daughter  of  G.  W.  Butt,  a  farmer  of  North 
East  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  have  one  child, 
Marie,  reside  on  West  Main  street,  and  attend  the 
Presliyterian  Church.  Mr.  Davis  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order  and  of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Charles  Henry  Durham  was  born  in  Harmony, 
Chautauqua  county.  X.  Y..  Xovember  23,  184;}.  He  is 
a  .son  of  the  late  Daniel  .\.  and  Fidelia  (Truesdell) 
Durham,  also  natives  of  Harmony,  and  of  Scotch- 
English  descent.  Daniel  A.  Durham  engaged  through- 
out his  life  in  farming,  and  died  December  7, 189;i:  his 
wife,  June  12, 1877.  Charles  H.  Durham  waseducated  in 
the  ])ulilic  schools  of  his  native  town.  In  .-Xugust.  18(i2, 
he  enlisted  in  Co.  1 ).  1 12th  X.  Y.  \'.  L,  was  mustered  in 
.September  12th  following,  and  served  throughout  the 
war,  receiving  his  discharge  July  3,  18fi5.  The  112th 
was  with  the  18th  army  corps,  of  which  it  was  a  part; 
also  jiarticipated  in  the  engagements  at  Cold  Harbor, 
Cha])in's  Farm  and  other  battles.  From  1865  to  1875 
Mr.  Durham  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Chautautiua 
county.  The  latter  year  he  |iurchased  a  drug  store 
and  grocery  at  Ashville,  X.  Y.  Two  years  later  he 
sold  out  his  store,  and  was  thereafter  engaged  in  hand- 


838 


NELSOJf'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


ling  butter  and  cheese  until  1889,  when  he  established 
a  general  store  in  Findley's  Lake,  where  he  remained 
until  his  removal  to  North  East  in  1898.  He  is  at  pres- 
ent engaged  in  the  fire  and  life  insurance  business, 
having  the  agency  for  the  following  companies;  Liv- 
erpool, London  and  Globe;  Hartford,  of  Hartford, 
Conn.;  Phrcni.x,  of  Brooklyn;  Home,  of  New  York; 
.Sun  Insurance  Office,  Springfield;  .American  Central, 
Glen's  F'alls;  Manchester,  of  Manchester,  and  Lan- 
cashire, of  Lancashire,  England.  He  was  married 
April  19,  1866,  to  .Miss  Eleanor  A.,  daughter  of  the  late 
Daniel  King,  a  farmer  of  Chautau(|ua  county,  New 
York.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Durham  reside  at  86  South  Lake 
street.  Mr.  Durham  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  or- 
der, the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  G.  A.  R.,  and  A.  O.  U.  W. 

Ferdinand  Reibs  was  born  in  Demein,  province  of 
Ponnnern,  Prussia,  March  5,  1850.  He  is  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Sophia  (Gorndt)  Reibs.  His  father  was  a 
cooper  in  the  fatherland,  where  he  died  in  1862.  His 
widow  married  Charles  Hillman.  and  now  resides  in 
Fremont,  Neb.  Ferdinand  Reibs,  after  receiving  a 
public  school  education  and  spending  three  years  in 
learning  the  grocery  business  in  Germany,  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1867.  He  sjient  three  years  in  Ne- 
braska, and,  in  the  spring  of  1871,  located  at  North 
Ea.'st,  where  he  was  variously  engaged  until  1878, 
when  he  entered  the  employ  of  J.  E.  Kendig,  grocer, 
with  whom  he  remained  a  year  and  a  half,  then  assum- 
ing charge  of  a  branch  store  established  by  Mr.  Ken- 
dig  at  No.  5  Wall  street.  North  East.  This  business 
Mr.  Reibs  purchased  in  1882  and  continues  to  conduct 
it  at  the  location  named,  in  conjunction  with  a  hard- 
ware and  stt)ve  department  established  in  1892  in  the 
adjoining  building,  No.  7  Wall  street.  Mr.  Reibs  has 
served  six  years  as  a  member  of  council,  North  East,  Pa. 
He  was  married  .April  10, 1874,  to  Frederika,  daughter  of 
John  Wagner,  farmer,  of  North  East  township.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Reibs  have  four  children,  Louisa,  John  F.,  Henry 
and  Carl,  reside  at  42  Clinton  avenue,  and  attend  the 
German  Lutheran  St.  Paul's  Church,  of  whose  board 
of  trustees  Mr.  Reibs  has  been  a  member  for  fifteen 
years. 

William  Delaney  Wells  was  born  in  Greenfield 
townshi[),  Erie  county.  Pa.,  April  27,  1858.  He  is  a 
son  <)f  the  late  Daniel  J.  and  Marilla  (Whitney)  Wells, 
natives  of  Erie  county.  New  York,  the  former  of  Welsh 
and  tin-  httter  of  English  descent.  Daniel  J.  Wells  re- 
movt-d  with  his  family  in  1852  to  Greenfi<'l<i  township, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  business  of  wagon-making 
until  1S54,  going  thence  to  Wesleyville,  where  he  re- 
mained until  18C3,  when  he  removed  to  North  East 
township,  to  engage,  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life, 
in  farming.  He  died  May  6,  1888,  having  survived  his 
wife  sixteen  years.  William  D.  Wells  received  his 
education  in  the  public  .schools  of  Erie  county,  learned 
wagon-making  and  blacksmithing  of  his  father,  in 
which  business  he  afterwards  engaged  at  North  East 
with  his  brother,  Riley  D.  Wells,' from  1873  to  1876, 
and  with  his  second  brother,  Francis  E.  Wells,  from 
1876  to  1893.  In  the  latter  year  he  formed  his  present 
partnership  association  with  Fred  O.  Davis,  which,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Wells  &  Davi.s,  is  engaged  in 
the  jivery,  wagon-making  and  general  blacksmithing 
business.  The  firm  also  has  farming  and  lumber  in- 
terests, and  Mr.  Wells  has  vineyard  interests  of  his 
own.     He  has  served  the  borough  as  a  member  of  the 


council  for  three  years.  He  was  married  June  17, 1874, 
to  Nellie  .A.,  daughter  of  the  late  John  Miller,  farmer, 
of  Chautauqua  county.  New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wells  have  three  children:  John  1).,  a  student  at 
Buffalo  L'niversity;  Helen  M.  and  Benjamin  H.,  stu- 
dents at  the  North  East  high  school.  The  family  re- 
side at  34  Poplar  street,  and  attend  the  .Methodist 
Church.  Mr.  Wells  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order 
of  L'nited  Workmen. 

James  L>  Green  was  born  in  Brockport,  Monroe 
county,  N.  Y.,  Sejitember  13,  1836.  He  is  a  son  of  the 
late  Lewis  and  .NIary  (Tew)  Green,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Oneida  county.  New  York,  and  the  latter  of 
New  London  county,  Connecticut.  Lewis  Green 
brought  his  family,  in  1846,  to  North  East,  Pa.,  where 
he  followed  the  business  of  harness-making  until  his 
death,  November  14,  1857.  His  wife  survived  until 
1870.  James  L.  Green  attended  the  Nort  East  Acad- 
emy, took  a  commercial  course  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's 
Mercantile  College  at  Buffalo,  and  thereafter  for  sev- 
eral years  was  em])loyed  as  clerk  in  various  mercan- 
tile establishments  in  North  East.  In  1861  he  was 
elected  constable,  which  office  he  held  conjointly  with 
the  positions  of  assessor  and  tax  collector  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  From  1876  to  1895  he  was  township 
clerk,  and  during  that  period  was  fcjr  fifteen  years, 
ending  with  1895,  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  North 
East  township.  His  business  is  now  that  of  a  notary 
and  conveyancer.  Mr.  Green  served  as  a  member  of 
the  North  East  council  in  1862-3-4.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  stockholders,  and,  for  a  number  of  years,  a 
member  of  the  People's  .Savings  Institution  of  Erie 
county  at  North  East.  He  was  married  .\pril  17, 1861,  to 
Mary  .M.,  daughter  of  the  late  Seneca  Downer,  a  promi- 
nent farmer  and  pioneer  resident  of  North  East  town- 
ship. Mr.  and  ^Ir.s.  Green's  only  surviving  child  is 
George  .A.  Green,  bookkeeper  of  the  Wilcox  Tanning 
and  Lumber  Conijiany,  of  Wilcox,  Elk  county,  Pa. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green  reside  on  Grahamville  street,  and 
attend  the  Methodi.st  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Green 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

John  Jay  Loomis  was  born  in  North  East,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  June  13,  1839.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late 
RufusS.  and  Sarah  (Tuttle)  Loomis,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  of  Engli.sh  descent.  Rufus  .S.  Loomis 
was  a  carpenter  in  the  borough  of  North  East  until 
1863,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  adjoining  the  west 
line  of  the  borough  and  there  resided  until  his 
decease,  in  1873.  His  widow  is  the  oldest  living 
native  of  the  borough  of  North  East.  She  was  horn 
April  28,  1812.  Her  parents,  .Amos  and  Sally  Tultle, 
emigrated  overland  from  Connecticut  in  1795  and 
located  at  North  East.  At  the  time  of  her  birth  Mrs. 
Loomis'  grandfather  was  a  colonel  in  the  war  (jf  1812. 
John  J.  Loomis  was-  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
North  East,  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and,  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  enlisted  in  the  83d  P.  V.  1. 
He  was  for  eleven  months  at  the  front,  serving  through 
the  Peninsula  campaign,  and  in  August,  1862,  was 
returned  to  North  East,  where  he  was  engaged  until 
the  close  of  the  war  in  filling  out  quota.s.  After  the 
war  he  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  brick  manufacturing 
at  Erie,  Pa.,  and  since  then  has  been  in  the  roofing 
busine.ss,  following  that  occujiation  for  two  years  each 
at  Chicago  and  Toledo,  and  at  other  points,  with  head- 
([uarters  at  North  East.     He  is  unmarried,  and  resides 


AND  niSTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


839 


with  his  mother  and  sister,  Miss  Ella  M.  Loomis,  on 
West  Main  street.  A  brother,  Amos  T.  Loomis,  is  a 
builder  at  Erie,  Pa.  John  Jay  Loomis  is  a  member  of 
the  Riiyal  Arcanum. 

Daniel  R.  Taylor  (deceased),  late  of  North  East, 
Pa.,  was  born  March  27,  1812,  in  Greenfield  township, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  and  died  at  North  East  on  the  1st 
day  of  December,  1885.  He  was  a  son  of  James  and 
Anna  (Reed)  Taylor,  natives  of  Virginia,  who  came  to 
Erie  county,  settling  in  Greenfield  township,  in  1803. 
In  1812  they  removed  to  Chautautpia  county.  New 
York,  near  the  Pennsylvania  line,  where  thev  died, 
the  former  December  14,  1840,  the  latter  .March  27, 
1836.  Daniel  R.  Taylor  received  a  common  school 
education,  and  from  early  youth  until  his  arrival  at 
maturity  assisted  his  father  in  farming.  On  March  13, 
1834,  he  married  Phccbe,  daughter  of  John  T.  and 
Lucinda  (Otis)  Meyers,  natives  of  New  York,  who 
died  respectively  January  22,  1820,  and  April  10,  1867. 
Shortly  after  his  marriage  Daniel  R.Taylor  jrurchased 
a  farm  in  North  East  township,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  continued  to  reside  until  his  father's  death,  when 
he  purchased  the  interests  of  the  remaining  heirs  in 
the  homestead  farm,  where  he  lived  until  his  removal 
to  North  East,  Pa.,  in  1875.  In  his  early  life  in  North 
East  township  Mr.  Taylor  filled  a  number  of  positions 
of  trust,  tlie  duties  of  all  of  which  he  fulfilled  with 
ability  and  fidelity;  but  in  his  later  years  of  residence 
in  North  East  his  failing  health  prevented  his  devot- 
ing himself  to  the  public  service.  He  was  a  Christian 
gentleman  and,  from  1836  a  consistent  member  of  jhe 
Methodist  P'piscopal  Church,  contributing  lilierally  to 
several  churches  with  which  he  was  identified.  His 
widow,  and  two  sons,  William  P.  and  Clarence  D. 
Taylor,  survive,  the  former  residing  at  the  corner  of 
Clinton  avenue  and  Robinson  streets,  and  the  two 
latter  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  William  P.  Taylor  was  for  a 
number  of  years  an  employe  of  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R., 
acting  succe.ssively  in  the  capacities  of  station  agent 
and  telegra])h  operator,  train  dispatcher  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  Huffalo  division.  Succeeding  the  latter 
position  he  was  for  a  number  of  years  general  man- 
ager of  the  Canada  Southern  R.  R.  Prior  to  his 
severance  with  the  latter  road,  Mr.  Taylor  established 
the  Buffalo  Storage  and  Caning  Company,  to  the  in- 
terests of  which  he  devoted  his  time  exclusively  from 
1883  to  188i).  Since  which  latter  date  his  time  has 
been  given  to  the  Clinton  Iron  Works,  of  Buffalo,  a 
partnership  interest  in  which  he  ]iurchased  at  that 
time.  He  is  still  the  pro])rietor  of  the  Buffalo  Storage 
and  Carting  Company.  He  married  Augusta,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Alexantler  Davidson,  of  North  East. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  P.  Taylor  have  one  chiki,  ^Mice  M., 
wife  of  Henry  Chase,  an  attorney  at  law  of  Buffalo,  N. 
Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chase  have  one  child,  Stanley. 
Clarence  D.  Taylor  was  for  a  number  of  years  in  the 
em|iloy  of  the  West  Shore  R.  R.,  and  is  now  manager 
.of  the  Buffalo  Storage  and  Carting  Company.  He 
married  Irene,  daughter  of  Henry  Ellenvvood,  a  farriier 
of  Clyde,  N.  Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs.'  Clarence  I).  Taylor 
have  one  child,  Daniel  R.  Taylor. 

Charles  Loop  was  born  in  North  East  township, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  June  12,  1833.  His  genealogy  is  con- 
taineil  in  the  memoirs  of  his  eldi-r  brotln-r.  Dr.  D.  D. 
Loop,  in  this  volume.  Charles  Loop  received  a  com- 
mon-school education,  worked  ui>on  his  father's  farm 


until  20  years  of  age,  and  engaged  in  farming  there- 
after on  his  own  account  for  fifteen  years.  He  learned 
the  trades  of  ]iainting,  paper-hanging  and  carpentry,and 
has  been  employed  at  one  or  the  other  of  these  trades  at 
intervals  in  North  East  ever  since.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  North  East  council  for  three  years,  and 
during  that  period  was  largely  instrumental  in  forward- 
ing the  establishment  of  the  water  works.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  of  North  F.ast 
from  early  manhood;  assisted  largely  in  the  building 
of  the  edifice  in  which  that  congregation  worships, 
and  was  for  a  number  of  years  a  member  of  its  board 
of  trustees.  He  was  married  in  April,  1851,  to  Han- 
nah, daughter  of  the  late  Cyrus  Dolph,  an  old  resident 
of  North  East,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  of  German 
descent.  One  son,  born  to  this  marriage,  Admah 
Irwin  Loop,  is  the  proprietor  of  a  saw-mill  at  North 
East.  He  married  Emeline,  daughter  of  J.  L.  Phancoo, 
of  North  East.  They  have  one  son,  Howard  .Scott 
Loop.  A.  I.  Loop  has  served  as  a  member  of  North 
Ea,st  council,  and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  school 
directors.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  and  .-X.  I.  Loop  reside 
at  the  corner  of  Washington  and  East  streets.  North 
East. 

Fraacis  Kidder  Lyon  was  born  at  Stockton, 
Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  July  27,  1841.  He  is  a  son 
of  Aaron  E.  and  Mary  Ann  (Kiiider)  Lyon,  both 
natives  of  Massachusetts,  the  former  lineally  descended 
on  the  maternal  side  from  John  .\lden.  that  hi.storic 
pilgrim  father  who  was  the  first  to  touch  foot  on 
Plymouth  Rock  from  the  "  Mayflower."  Aaron  E. 
Lyon  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  but  has  long  since 
retired  from  business,  and  now  resides  with  his  wife 
at  Sherman,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  the  former 
81  and  the  latter  82  years  of  age.  Aaron  E.  Lyon,  sr., 
father  of  Aaron  E.  Lyon,  above  mentioned,  was  born 
luly  1,  1789,  made  three  trips  afoot,  in  his  early  man- 
ho()d,  to  Western  New  York,  the  then  far  West,  finally, 
in  1819,  locating  in  Chautauqua  county.  He  was  a 
valuable  citizen,  and  filled  with  honor  numerous  offices 
of  tru,st.  He  died  June  20,  1870.  His  sister,  Mary 
Lyon,  was  the  founder  of  Holyoke  Seminary.  Five 
of  his  daughters  married  Baptist  ministers,  two  of 
whom  went  as  missionaries  to  China,  and  the  sixth 
daughter  married  a  Methodist  minister.  Francis  K. 
Lyon  was  educated  in  the  jiublic  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and,  at  the  age  of  14,  took  charge  of  his  father's 
farm.  .\t  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  enlisted  for 
three  months'  service,  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  his 
parents,  who,  as  their  son  was  not  of  age,  succeeded 
in  bringing  about  his  discharge.  Upon  attaining  his 
majority  he  re-enlisted  in  Co.  E,  112th  N.  Y.  V'.  L, 
serving  until  the  close  of  the  war,  his  regiment  being 
a  part,  successively,  of  the  18th,  24th  and  loth  army 
corps.  .Vfter  the  war  he  ojierated  a  saw-mill  in  .Sher- 
man for  four  years,  then  he  purchase<l  a  farm  in 
Chautau<|ua  county,  which  he  cultivate<l  for  two  years. 
In  1872  Mr.  Lyon  removed  to  North  East,  where  he 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for  one  year.  Return- 
ing to  Chautauqua  county,  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
until  1886.  Since  the  latter  date  he  has  resided  at 
North  East;  was  for  six  years  in  the  drug  business, 
two  years  in  the  clothing  busine.ss,  and  has  since  en- 
gaged in  business  as  a  contractor.  He  served  as 
township  school  director  for  several  years,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  present  board  for  the  borough  of  North 
East.     He  was  married   December  26,  1866,  to  .Anna 


S40 


NELSOJrS  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


M.,  (laughter  of  the  late  Stephen  Heath,  a  farmer  of 
-Sherman,  and  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Chautau- 
qua county,  New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lyon  have 
three  children:  Jennie  M.,  wife  of  Virgil  1.  Cook,  a 
farmer  of  Duchess  county,  New  York  (who  have  one 
child,  Willard  Lyon  Cook);  Jenny  /\.  and  Lucy  J. 
Lyon,  milliners  at  North  East.  The  family  reside  at 
the  corner  of  Clay  and  -Smedley  streets  and  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Lyon 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  of  the  1.  ().  O.  F., 
G.  .\.  R.  and  Protected  Home  Circle. 

Earl  M.  Kctcham,  manager  of  the  I^arl  Hotel, 
North  East,  I'a.,  was  born  at  M  ina,  Chautau(pia  county, 
N.  Y.,  Octolier  4,  \HhA.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  S.  antl 
Martha  (Beenian)  Ketcham,  natives  of  New  York,  the 
former  of  Scotch  descent.  Charles  S.  Ketcham  was 
born  October  2(i,  1810,  was  for  many  years  a  farmer 
and  for  some  years  a  hotel  keeper  in  Chautau(|ua 
county.  New  York,  is  now  retired  from  business  and 
resides  at  Findley's  Lake,  Chautauqua  county.  His 
wife,  whoal.so  survives,  was  born  June  2,  1827.  Earl 
M.  Ketcham  was  educated  at  Mina,  was  for  twenty 
years  engaged  in  the  oil  business,  and  in  May,  1892, 
went  to  North  I'.ast,  Pa.,  to  assume  management  of 
the  Clpera  House  Restaurant,  a  business  which  was 
owned  by  Messrs.  Frank  McLaughlin  and  Isaac  Ack- 
ernian,  who  carried  on  business  in  the  block  at  tlie 
southwest  corner  of  Clinton  avenue  and  South  Lake 
streets,  which  was  in  I8i)4  remodeletl  and  fitted  for 
hotel  inir|)oses  by  Mr.  Isaac  .'\ckerman,  and  opened  as 
a  hotel,  which  takes  its  name,  "  The  Earl,"  after  Mr. 
Earl  Ketcham,  its  present  manager.  Mr.  Ketcham 
was  married  in  187i)  to  Harriet  A.,  daughter  of  the  late 
Charles  Horton,  an  okl  resident  and  merchant  of  North 
East.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ketcham  have  two  children, 
Lorena  Elvira  and  Stewart  Charles,  reside  at  .V2  South 
Lake  street  and  attend  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

(ieorge  W.  Cole  was  born  in  North  I'.ast  townsliip, 
Erie  county,  Pa.,  October  27,  18(i;{.  He  is  a  son  of 
James  M.  and  .Mice  Helen  (Eddy)  Cole,  the  former 
also  a  native  of  North  East  townshi])  and  the  latter  of 
Silver  Creek,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  \' .  |ames  M. 
Cole  is  a  son  of  the  late  Darius  S.'Cole,  whose  father, 
James  Cole,  settled  in  North  East  township  early  in 
"the  century.  James  M.  Cole  has  retire<l  from  active 
business  and  resides  on  his  farm  near  North  East. 
George  VV.  Cole  was  educated  in  the  public  .schools  of 
North  Ea.st,  and  in  his  youth  entered  the  employ  of 
the  banking  linn  of  Short,  HIaine  S:  Co.,  continuing 
witli  that  Hrm  and  its  successor,  the  People's  Savings 
Institution,  until  ISSIJ,  when  he  was  made  private  sec- 
retary of  Messrs.  Samson  and  Alfred  Short.  In  18'.<1 
he  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Samson  Fertil- 
izing S:  Chemical  Company,  the  general  management 
of  which  subseipiently  devolved  upon  him,  and  of 
which  he  is  also  treasurer  and  general  manager.  He 
was  married  June  10,  1886,  to  Anna,  daughter  of  the 
late  John  McNeill,  of  North  East  township.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cole  have  one  child,  Charles  Dana,  reside  on 
West  Main  street,  and  attcn<l  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Mr.  Cole  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  and  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Roice  S.  Pierce  was  born  in  North  East  town- 
ship, Erie  county.  Pa.,  May  2,  184(i.  He  is  a  son  of 
Earl   Pierce,  whose  jiersonal  history  is  contained  in 


this  volume.  R.  S.  Pierce  completed  his  education  at 
the  North  East  Academy  in  18{>4,  and  for  fourteen 
years  thereafter  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits 
at  North  East,  during  that  period  carrying  on  a  gro- 
cery and  hardward  establishment,  and  being  identified 
with  the  New  Era  Organ  Com|iany,  as  secretary.  In 
1878  he  removed  to  the  oil  country,  and  was  for  four 
years  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  Bradford. 
Relocating  in  North  East,  he  was,  from  188;j  to  18i)l, 
acting  in  the  interests  of  certain  lumber  companies. 
During  this  period,  also  (in  1887)  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  George  E.  Pierce,  for  the  cul- 
ture of  the  gra])e,  in  which  business  they  have  ever 
since  been  engaged,  with  con.stantly  increasing  acre- 
age, and  are  now  (1895)  the  most  extensive  cultivators 
in  Erie  coimty,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Pierce  has  served 
successively  in  the  olifices  of  assessor,  mercantile  ap- 
l)raiser,  and  member  of  the  North  ICast  council,  re- 
signing the  latter  office  during  his  third  term  to  ac- 
cept the  postma.stership  of  North  East  by  appoint- 
ment of  President  Harrison.  In  the  spring  of  1896  he 
was  elected  to  his  present  office,  justice  of  the  [leace 
for  Erie  county  at  North  Ea.st.  He  was  married 
November  17,  1869,  to  Josephine  A.,  daughter  of  the 
late  S.  D.  Hrown,  a  manufacturer  of  Girard,  Pa.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Piece  have  two  children,  Bertrand  R.Pierce, 
engaged  in  grape  culture  with  his  father,  under  the 
firm  name  of  R.  S.  Pierce  S:  Son,  and  Julia  L.  Pierce, 
a  graduate  of  the  North  East  high  school.  The  fam- 
ily reside  at  No.  40  Vine  street  and  attend  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  Mr.  Pierce  is  past  master  of  Lodge 
809,  North  East  F.  &  A.  M. 

Earl  Pierce  w.is  born  December  19,  1820,  in 
North  East  townsliip,  Erie  county.  Pa.  His  parents 
were  Palmer  and  .Anna  (Brewster)  Pierce,  the  former 
a  native  of  New  \'ork  and  both  of  English  descent, 
the  Pierces  being  lineally  descended  from  one  of  the 
|iilgrim  fathers.  Palmer  Pierce  purchased  a  farm  in 
North  East  township  in  1819,  and  the  following  year 
k)Cated  upon  it  with  his  family,  and  there  continued 
to  reside,  with  the  exception  of  a  year  or  two  spent  in 
Chautaut|ua  county.  New  York,  throughout  his  life. 
He  died  in  IS.Mt,  liis  wife  in  1868.  Earl  Pierce  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town.ship, 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  followed  that  busi- 
ness for  twenty-four  years  at  Nortli  East,  Pa.,  building 
a  large  number  of  the  residences  erected  in  that 
borough  during  that  period.  He  purchased  a  farm  in 
the  town.ship,  where  he  resided  for  twelve  years,  dur- 
ing which  [leriod  he  was  a  dealer  in  agricultural  im- 
plements. In  1876  he  returned  to  the  borough  of 
North  F^ast,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided  in  retire- 
ment from  busine.ss.  He  was  married  May  1.5,  1844, 
to  Louisa  L.,  daughter  of  the  late  Stephen  Histed,  a 
jiioneer  settler  of  North  East  town.ship.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pierce  have  two  children,  Roice  S.  and  George  ¥.. 
Pierce,  who  reside  on  West  Gibson  .street,  and  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  with  which  they 
have  been  identified  for  more  than  fifty  years. 

William  H.  Sandborti,  editer  and  proprietor  of 
the  North  ICast  Brazr,  was  born  at  Angelica,  Alle- 
gany county.  New  York,  March  10,  18.54.  He  is  a  son 
of  S(|uire  and  Eliza  (Woods)  Sandborn,  also  natives  of 
Allegany  county,  N.  Y.,  the  former  of  Scotch,  and  the 
latter  of  Scotch-German  descent,  and  who  now  reside 
at  North  East,  Pa.     William  H.  Sandborn  completed 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


841 


his  education  at  Pleasantville  (Pa.)  Academy,  and 
then  entered  upon  the  study  of  pharmacy.  He  was 
engaged  in  the  drug  business  for  some  years,  purchas- 
ing the  Park  Urug  Store  at  North  East  in  1888,  and 
conducting  that  establishment  until  1898,  when  he 
founded  the  weekly  newspaper,  2'lte  Breeze,  of 
which  he  is  editor,  publisher  and  proprietor.  He  was 
married  July  ;i,  187"J,  to  .Mary  E.,  daughter  of  James 
Kingsley,  of  \'enango  county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sandborn  have  one  child,  Perry  -Alvoid  Sand- 
born,  associated  with  his  father  in  business,  reside  on 
West  Main  street  and  attend  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Mr.  William  H.  Sandb(jrn  is  a  member  of  the  IJ.  P. 
O.  E. 

John  S.  Hamraoad,  late  general  freight  agent  of 
the  New  York,  Lake  Erie  and  \\'estern  K.  R.,  was 
born  m  North  East,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  February  '2^1, 
184U.  He  is  the  eldest  child  of  Samuel  Smith  Ham- 
mond, of  North  East,  whose  personal  history  is  con- 
tained in  this  volume.  John  S.  Hammond  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  North  East. 
When  1.")  years  old  he  was  called  to  the  superintend- 
ent's office,  Butfaloand  Erie  R.  R.,  at  Uuffalo,  to  learn 
telegraphy.  After  six  months  practice  he  had  ac<iuired 
sufficient  expertness  to  be  given  charge  of  the  tele- 
graph office  of  the  B.  &  E.  R.  R.  at  North  East,  where 
he  remained  until  the  winter  of  18.56-7,  durmg  the  lat- 
ter period  filling  the  position  at  Buffalo  of  operator  in 
the  general  freight  office  of  the  Buffalo  and  Erie  R.  R. 
April  1,  1857,  he  assumed  the  duties  of  operator  in  the 
freight  office  at  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.,  of  the  New  York  and 
Erie  R.  R.  Company,  in  which  capacity  he  was 
engaged  until  October,  1861,  when  he  went  to  Wash- 
ington, where  he  entered  the  service  of  the  United 
States  government  as  telegraph  operator  at  General 
McClellan's  headquarters,  serving  conjointly  at  the 
war  department  until  February,  1862,  when  ill-health 
compelled  his  resignation  from  the  service.  Prior  to 
this  he  had  been  proffered  an  increased  official  posi- 
tion in  the  railroad  service  at  Dunkirk,  and  this 
position  he  subsequently  accepted,  remaining  at  Dun- 
kirk until  1868.  The  latter  year  he  was  made  chief 
clerk  and  cashier  of  the  freight  department,  at  Buffalo, 
of  the  New  York,  Lake  Erie  and  Western  R.  R.  Four 
years  later  he  was  appomted  agent  of  the  same  road 
at  the  same  city,  occupying  that  position  until  1885, 
when  he  was  made  general  freight  agent  of  the  same 
road,  with  headquarters  at  New  York.  This  position 
he  was  compelled  to  resign  on  account  of  ill-health, 
in  1889,  smce  which  time  he  has  resided  in  the  vicinity 
of  North  East,  where  he  has  extensive  farming 
interests. 

Andrew  Boyer,  farmer,  was  born  June  16,  1834, 
in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Margaret  (Supplee)  Boyer,  natives  of  Chester  county, 
Pennyslvania,  where  the  Boyers  settled  in  1801.  They 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  viz.:  Harriet  mar- 
ried Michael  Graham,  and  resides  at  Chester,  Pa.; 
Lewis  (deceased),  Sabina  married  Richard  Piatt,  both 
deceased;  Levi  (deceased),  Rachael  (deceased),  mar- 
ried Mr.  Dunlap;  Elizabeth  (deceased),  .Andrew,  Mary, 
married  Benjamin  Grube;  Peter  resides  in  Berks 
county,  and  Margaret  .Anne,  who  married  .Alexander 
Storry.  The  mother  died  in  1866,  and  the  father  two 
years  later.  Andrew  Boyer  was  reared  and  educated 
m  Chester  county  and  commenced  life  farming  in  that 


county.  In  1862  he  came  to  Erie  county  and  engaged 
in  farming  at  Harbor  Creek,  where  he  remained  until 
1871,  when  he  came  to  North  East  township,  where  he 
now  resides.  .Mr.  Boyer  was  married  November  6, 
1854,  to  Louisa,  daughter  of  Jacob  Grube,  a  native  of 
Lancaster  county.  To  this  union  were  born  ten  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Elmer  E.  (deceased!,  .Samuel  J.,  farmer. 
North  East  township;  .Annie,  married  John  Seeley  and 
resides  in  North  East  township;  Louisa  lat  home); 
John,  Harbor  Creek;  Emma  (at  home);  Maggie  and 
Clara  (at  home),  and  Edward  (deceased).  -Mr.  Boyer 
politically  is  a  Democrat  and  the  family  are  members 
of  the  .M.'  E.  Church. 

John  Kane,  manufacturer  of  brick  and  tile.  North 
East,  I'ennsylvania,  one  of  the  leaders  i  n  his  chosen 
industry,  is  a  native  of  County  Clare,  Ireland,  and 
was  born  in  18.54.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  lived  to  maturity.  The  father  died 
when  John  was  twelve  years  old.  He  came  to  .America 
and  settled  near  Toronto,  Canada,  where,  when  a  boy, 
he  worked  at  brickmaking;  he  remained  there  until  1865, 
when  he  came  to  Erie  and  engaged  in  making  brick. 
He  made  the  first  stock  brick  that  was  manufactured 
in  Erie,  and  continued  brick  making  in  the  vicinity  of 
Erie  until  1877,  when  he  bought  a  farm  of  about 
seventy-five  acres  in  the  western  part  of  North  East 
township,  on  the  Buffalo  road.  Here  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  the  manufacture  of  brick  and  tile.  He 
also  has  another  farm  of  seventy  years  in  the  township. 
Mr.  Kane  was  married  May  1,  1859,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Rannells,  of  Canada.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  three  of  whem  are  living,  viz.:  Mary  M., 
married  Michael  .McMahon,  Moorheadville,  Pa.;  John, 
at  home;  and  Thomas,  Bradford,  Pa.  Mr.  Kane  is  a 
very  progressive  citizen  and  a  staunch  Democrat. 

Thomas   Pettit,  North  East,  Pa.,  is  one  of  the 

progressive  citizens  of  Erie  county,  now  resides  on 
the  farm  in  North  East  township  which  was  settled  by 
his  father,  Seth  Pettit,  in  1831,  when  it  was  a  heavy  for- 
est, and  the  only  way  that  he  could  see  out,  was  to  look 
up.  He  took  his  axe  and  went  to  work  in  the  manner 
of  a  true  pioneer.  He  converted  110  acres  of  wilder- 
ness into  fair  fields  which  now  constitute  one  of  the 
productive  farms  of  the  garden  township  of  Erie 
county.  Seth  Pettit  was  born  in  Galway,  N.  Y..  June 
22,  1806,  and  was  a  son  of  Elisha  and  Hannah  ( Rowe) 
Pettit.  The  former  was  a  native  of  France  and  the 
latter  of  New  York  State.  They  reared  a  family  of 
fourteen  children.  The  father  and  mother  died  at 
Galway,  N.  Y.  Seth  Pettit  was  marrieii  .September  19, 
1833,  to  Miss  Nancy  ^L  .Mellon,  of  North  East.  To 
this  union  were  born  eleven  children,  viz.:  Charles E., 
born  lulv  7,  WM,  resides  at  Calispell,  Montana;  Sallv 
A.,  born'  February  12.  XisiH,  died  June  2,  1836;  S.  Al- 
sina,  born  Julv  20,  1837.  married  Capt.  C.  H.  Culver,  of 
St.  Paul.  .Minn.;  Henry  R.,  born  May  5,  1839,  died  in 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  October  7,  1867;  .Marvin  D.,  born 
January  18,  1841,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Wauhat- 
chie.  Tenn..  was  a  member  of  Comiiany  F,  111th  P.  \'. 
I.;  Dewitt  Clinton,  born  lanuarvll,  1842,  Seward, Neb.; 
Dudley  M..  born  July  2,  r84.5,  died  July  6, 1871;  Thomas, 
born  January  21,  1847;  Lillie,  born  November  27,  1848, 
resides  at  North  East;  Martin,  born  March  it,  185<j, 
Erie,  Pa.,  and  Cassius  M.,  born  September  14,  1853, 
and  died  November  20,  1881.  The  four  elder  brothers 
all   served  their  country  during  the  late   Rebellion. 


842 


NBLSOM'S  BIOQRAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


Seth  Pcttit  (lied  at  his  home  in  North  East,  June  13, 
1HS(),  at  tlu-  a^e  of  8U  years  lacking  seven  days,  and  his 
wife  dieil  March  15,  1WI4.  She  was  liorn  June  2,  1812. 
'I'liomas  I'ettit  was  reared  on  the  phice  where  he  now 
resides  and  educated  in  tlie  pul)hc  schools,  and  lias 
made  farmini;  the  chief  occupation  of  his  life.  He  was 
married  December  2it,  l87il,to  Miss  Kathryn.  daughter 
of  Clark  and  Angelina  (Custard)  Bliss,  the  former  a 
native  of  Cienesee,  N.  Y.,  and  the  latter  of  Kriecounty, 
I'ennsylvania.  Mrs.  I'ettit  is  the  only  living  member 
of  this  family  of — four  children.  iMr.  and  Mr.s.  Pettit 
have  one  child,  Jessie  .\. 

R.  W.  Marshall,  farmer,  post-office  North  East, 
was  born  in  North  East  townsliip.  A|jril  2iS,  IS.'JS,  and 
is  a  son  of  Robi'rt  and  .Martha  (  Johnston  )  Marshall, 
natives  of  County  Tyrone,  Ireland.  They  were 
married  in  [relantl  and  came  to  America  in  1829  and 
located  at  .Solon,  Ohio,  where  they  lived  until  1836. 
They  then  decided  to  return  to  Ireland  and  had 
reached  Buffalo,  N.  \'.  when  the  mother  was  taken  ill 
with  cholera.  At  Buffalo  they  met  a  friend,  Ed  Gra- 
ham, who  told  them  of  the  good  ([ualities  of  Erie 
c<iunty,  I'ennsylvania,  and  induced  them  to  return  to 
I-lrie  county,  which  they  did  when  the  mother  recov- 
ered her  health.  They  settled  m  North  East  township, 
buying  lifty  acres  of  land,  and  then  followed  farming 
until  the  death  of  Robert  Marshall,  which  occurred 
December  2S,  1875,  his  widow  surviving  until  Novem- 
ber 9, 1894.  They  were  the  ]iarents  of  seven  children, 
viz.:  James  C,  was  born  in  Ireland  and  was  eighteen 
months  old  when  his  parents  emigrated  to  America. 
He  now  resides  on  the  old  homestead  in  North  East 
township;  Maria  J.,  married  Silas  H.  Merrill  and  lives 
at  Dayton,  Cattaraugus  county,  N.  Y.;  Elizabeth 
(  deceased  ),  Margaret  married  Edward  Merrill  (both 
deceased  );  Robert  \V.,  George  N.  resides  at  North 
East;  T.  O.,  North  East,  editor  of  North  East  Adar- 
tiser.  Robert  \V.  Marshall  was  reared  and  educated 
in  North  East  township  and  has  always  followed 
farming.  He  was  married  August  19,  1858,  to  Laura 
C,  daughter  of  Hiram  Edgerton,  of  Dayton,  N.  Y. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marshall  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Grace  R.,  married  E.  A.  Walling,  of  Erie; 
William  E.,  at  home;  Cora  E.,  married  Wni.  J.  Green- 
man,  Cleveland,  O.;  and  Mariette,  clerk  in  the  re- 
corder's office  at  Erie.  Mr.  Marshall  has  always  been 
a  staunch  Democrat. 

John  Kidder,  North  East,  Pa.,  was  born  at 
Wendell,  .Mass..  Eebruary  20,  1814.  He  is  a  son  of 
Johnathan  and  Patience  (Potter)  Kidder.  Johnathan 
was  a  son  of  David  Kidder,  who  was  one  of  two 
brothers,  David  and  Jesse,  who  came  to  this  country 
from  England  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war.  David 
settled  in  Massachusetts  and  his  brother  in  X'ermont. 
David  was  a  sailor  by  occupation,  and  was  employed 
on  the  coastwise  service  between  Boston  and  Maine. 
He  died  at  about  the  age  of  30,  leaving  three  sons, 
viz.:  David,  who  settled  in  Vermont;  Johnathan,  who 
remained  in  Massachusetts  and  afterwards  came 
West,  and  Jesse,  who  settled  in  Maine.  Johnathan 
was  born  at  Dudley,  Mass.,  March  10,  1770; 
was  twice  married,  second  time  to  Patience  Potter, 
and  afterwards  lived  in  Roxbury  and  Wendell,  and, 
in  1844,  moved  to  Sherman,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y., 
where  he  died  May  18.  1863,  aged  93.  He  made  farm- 
ing the  chief  occupation  of  his  life.     He  held  many 


local  offices;  was  a  man  of  considerable  force  and 
energy,  and  was  well  educated,  considering  his  early 
advantages.  His  wife,  born  June  28,  1778,  died 
Eebruary  8,  1872,  at  .Sherman.  They  were  parents  of 
six  children,  viz.:  Mary  Ann,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Lyon,  of 
Sherman,  N.  Y.;  John,  Jesse,  Sherman,  N.  Y.;  .SamiK-l 
K.,  .Sherman,  N.  Y.;  Jane  P.  (deceased),  and  Luther 
B.  (deceased).  John  Kidder  was  educated  in  Massa- 
chusetts, and  when  a  young  man  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's and  joiner's  trade,  which  he  followed  in  his 
native  State,  until  1851,  when  he  followed  farming 
until  1S75,  when  he  moved  to  North  East  township 
ami  [lurchased  a  farm,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south- 
west of  the  borough.  This  is  om'  of  the  oldest  farms 
in  the  township,  having  been  under  cultivation  over 
eighty  years.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Maria  E. 
Gates,  April  5,  1842,  at  Wendell,  Mass.  They  had 
two  chiUiren,  Harriett  Jane  (deceased),  and  Ann 
Isabel,  born  September  30,  1844,  wife  of  Benjamin  H. 
Ross,  North  East,  Pa.  Maria  E.  died  .September  24, 
18.')0.  John  Kitlder  was  again  married  March  28,  1853, 
to  Mrs.  .Almira  (  Rossi  Barley.  They  have  one  son,  O. 
.S.  Kiilder,  who  was  born  June  (>,  18(U.  Mrs.  Almira 
Barley  had  one  daughter,  Martha  Jane  Barley  (de- 
ceased). He  is  now  engaged  in  farming  and  fruit 
raising  in  North  East  township  with  his  father.  They, 
together,  have  about  100  acres  of  land,  forty  acres  of 
which  is  devoted  to  grape  growing.  The  son,  O.  S. 
Kidder,  has  made  farming  and  fruit  growing  the  chief 
occupation  of  his  life.  He  was  married  June  6,  1890, 
to  Miss  Henrietta,  daughter  of  Henry  Kuller,  of  North 
East.  They  have  three  children:  Ruth  May,  John 
Henry  and  Maurice  Scott.  He  and  his  father  are 
staunch  Republicans,  and  are  among  the  enteriirising 
farmers  of  Erie  county. 

Frank  A.  tiough,  dentist.  North  East,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  North  P'ast  June  28,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  Rob- 
ert Gough.  Erank  w-as  educated  in  North  East  High 
School,  and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1891.  He  then 
attended  the  Philadeljjhia  Dental  College,  the  Buffalo 
Dental  College,  and  the  New  York  Dental  College, 
graduating  in  the  last-named  institution  in  1894,  when 
he  immediately  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
North  East,  where  he  has  been  exceptionally  success- 
ful. He  is  a  thorough  student,  and  has  a  particular 
liking  for  the  study  of  dentistry  and  medicine,  and  a 
remarkable  adaptal)ility  for  its  ])ractice.  He  was  mar- 
ried March  29, 1894,  to  Miss  Allie  B.,  daughter  of  Orin 
Ellsworth,  of  Brant,  N.  Y.  The  father,  a  widower,  now 
resides  in  North  East. 

Robert  Gough,  North  East,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Wil- 
sliire,  I'ngland,  December  29,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of 
Richard  and  Anne  (Handy)  Gough,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Wilshire,  and  the  latter  of  Berkshire,  England. 
Richard  was  a  son  of  Roliert,  who  spent  his  life  in 
Wilshire,  England,  whose  grandfather  came  to  Wil- 
shire a  stranger.  This  is  the  first  paternal  ancestor  of 
Robert  Gough  of  which  we  have  any  record,  and  of 
the  first  authentic  records  we  have  of  him  is  the  court 
records  of  Wilshire,  where  he  appeared  as  an  impor- 
tant witness  in  a  murder  case.  Richard  came  to 
America  in  1844  with  his  family,  which  consisted  of  a 
wife  and  three  children,  of  whom  Robert  A.  was  the 
eldest.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children  in  all, 
viz.:  Robert;  Mary,  married  Richaril  Handy,  Long 
Prairie,  Todd   county,  .Minn.;    Paul   H.,  Watsonville, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


843 


Cal.;  Richard,  Manistee,  Mich.;  William  (deceased); 
Charles  H.,  Cedar  Rapids,  Mich.;  Sarah,  married 
Charles  Elliot  (deceased),  of  Harbor  Creek;  she  re- 
married Rubin  Jasper, of  f-ong  Pine,  Minn.;  Ellen  E., 
marrietl  Thomas  Batton,  C.reenridtje,  Manitoba,  Brit- 
ish .-Xmerica;  lohn  F.,  Hartford,  Mine;  and  Emma  E., 
who  died  in  .Nlanitoba  in  lS!t4.  When  tlie  fannly  came 
to  this  country  they  settled  on  hfteen  acres  of  land  in 
Erie,  about  where  the  Simpson  M.  E.  Church  now 
stands.  They  remained  there  about  a  year,  moved  to 
North  East  and  bought  a  farm,  which  is  now  owned 
by  Wm.  Kendall,  where  the  father  followed  farming 
until  lt<81,  when  he  went  to  live  with  his  son  and 
daughter  at  Long  Prairie,  Minn.,  and  died  November 
15,  188'2.  His  Wife  died  December  18,  18(55.  Roljert 
Gough  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  North  East 
Academy  and  the  Erie  Academy,  and  when  the  war 
broke  out,  in  answer  to  President  Lincoln's  first  call, 
he  went  out  with  Colonel  McLane's  three-months' 
men,  and  October  22,  18tJl,  he  re-enlisted  in  Co.  K, 
111th  Reg.  P.  \'.  I.,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Winchester, 
Cedar  Mountain,  Chancellorsville  anil  Gettysburg.  His 
regiment  was  then  transferred  to  the  Army  of  the 
West,  under  General  Hooker,  and  he  partici])ated  in 
the  battles  of  Wauhatche,  Lookout  Mountain,  .Mis- 
sionary Ridge  and  Ringgold;  and  the  following  spring, 
at  the  reorganization  of  the  army,  was  transferred 
from  the  12th  to  the  20th  corps,  under  General  Sher- 
man, and  participated  in  Sherman's  campaign  in  the 
march  to  the  sea,  being  at  the  front  in  the  battles  of 
Rocky  Ridge,  Dallas,  Resaca,  Dalton,  Marietta,  Ken- 
shaw  Mountain,  Chattahoochie,  Peach  Tree  Creek  and 
Atlanta.  He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Cedar 
Mountain  by  a  musket  ball  in  the  hi|).  He  then  came 
North  to  Washington  with  Sherman's  army,  where  he 
did  guard  duty  until  July  19,  18(35,  when  he  was  dis- 
charged as  sergeant.  During  the  last  two  years  of  his 
service  he  was  commissary  of  his  company.  He  was 
with  his  regiment  throughout  the  war,  except  three 
months  which  he  spent  in  Wolf,  St.  ,-\lexander  and 
Little  York  Hospitals,  recovering  from  his  wounds.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  North  East;  and, 
the  following  year,  went  to  Michigan  and  worked  at 
the  carpenter  trade,  having  served  an  apprenticeship 
prior  to  the  war.  He  also  taught  school  before  enter- 
ing the  service.  He  remained  in  Grand  Rapids, 
Mich.,  until  1871,  when  he  returned  to  North  East  and 
engaged  in  farming  on  his  present  place,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  Mr.  Gough  was  married  June  12,  1867, 
to  Miss  Alzina  C,  daughter  of  Luke  .Southwick,  a  pio- 
neer of  Erie  county.  They  have  three  children: 
Luke  L.,  at  liome;  P'rank  and  Bertha,  at  home.  Mr. 
Gough  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  and  -A..  O.  V .  W. 
Politically  he  is  a  Rejjublican,  and  has  served  as  as- 
sessor three  terms.  .-\t  present  he  is  town  clerk,  and 
serving  his  second  term  as  justice  of  the  peace. 

Frederick  Clark,  farmer.  North  East,  was  born 
on  his  present  place  July  22,  183!).  He  is  a  son  of 
Tunothy  and  Calista  F.  (.\dkins)  Clark,  the  former  a 
native  of  Massachusetts  and  the  l.itter  of  New  York. 
The  father  settled  in  Erie  county  in  18U0.  He  always 
followed  farming.  He  bought  100  acres  of  land  in 
North  East  township,  which  is  now  owned  by  P'red- 
erick.  He  died  July  2,  1865,  and  the  niotherdied  Feb- 
ruary 29,  1880.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Timothy  (deceased),  Mary  F.,  Mrs.  Geo.  W. 


Grififin  (deceased),  of  North  East;  Elizat)eth  L.  re- 
sides on  the  old  homestead  with  Fri-derick;  Levi, died 
in  18(iO;  Benjamin  die<i  in  1879;  and  Johnathan  R. 
died  in  188.'].  Frederick  Clark  was  reared  in  North 
l\ast  township,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
Hi'  remained  with  his  father  on  the  farm  until  Septem- 
ber, 1K60.  In  answer  to  his  country's  call,  hi-  enlisteil 
in  Co.  F,  111th  P.  \'.  I.  He  participated  at  the  battle 
of  Bull  Run  and  several  skirmishes,  until  the  battle  of 
Antjetam  where  his  military  record  came  to  a  close. 
On  the  morning  of  that  battle  Private  Clark  remem- 
bers of  firing  one  shot  and  commencing  to  re-load  his 
musket,  this  is  the  last  that  he  remembers  for  several 
days.  When  the  wounded  were  jiicked  up  he  was 
left  on  the  field  for  dea<l,  drenched  in  a  ])ooi  of  blood 
anil  blind  in  both  eyes,  a  musket  ball  having  passed 
through  the  bridge  of  his  nose,  his  right  eye  and  tear- 
ing away  a  portion  of  fiis  cheek  bone.  He  remained 
on  the  held  until  his  comrades  came  to  bury  the  dead, 
when  they  found  signs  of  life  in  him.  He  remained  in 
the  field  hospital  about  three  months  when  he  received 
his  discharge  for  causes  which  we  need  not  state  here 
— for  the  scar  which  he  carries  (the  loss  of  an  eye) 
gives  modesty  a  tongue.  He  returned,  home  and  has 
since  devoted  his  entire  attention  to  farming  and  suc- 
ceeded to  the  old  homestead,  which  was  cleared  anil 
settled  by  his  pioneer  father.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  and  is  a  Republican. 

Richard  B.   Reid.    North   East,    Pa.,  owner  and 

proprietor  of  Reid's  furniture  factory  and  planing  mill, 
was  born  near  Belfast,  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  March 
10,1843.  He  is  a  son  of  Jaiiies  and  Margaret  (Bell) 
Reid.  They  were  both  natives  of  Ireland,  and  the 
father  now  resides  on  his  old  homestead  in  that  coun- 
try. The  mother  died  March  10,  1860.  They  reared 
a  family  of  five  children,  viz.:  James  and  Joseph, 
twins;  the  former  now  resides  w-ith  his  father  and  the 
latter  at  Grace  Hill,  about  a  mile  from  the  old  home- 
stead; Hugh  resides  at  Cherokee,  Kan.,  and  .Margaret 
Ann,  at  home,  in  Ireland.  Richard  B.  was  rearedand 
educated  in  his  native  land  and  in  18ti3cameto.-\merica. 
He  landed  in  New  York  and  went  to  Cannonsville,  a 
small  town  near  that  city,  where  he  remained  about 
six  montlis,  when  he  went  to  Washington  county,  New 
York.  In  the  spring  of  1865  he  came  to  North  East. 
.\bout  1865  he  engaged  in  the  furniture  ami  cabinet 
manufacturing  business,  which  he  has  since  followed. 
He  built  his  present  factory,  which  is  situated  on  the 
south  side  of  the  town,  in  1887.  He  carries  on  an  exten- 
sive and  successful  business,  making  a  specialty  of 
order  work.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Sophronie  Hunt- 
ley, of  North  East,  a  native  of  Wattsburg,  Pa.  They 
have  five  children,  viz.:  James,  Flo,  Edward,  Freil 
and  Max.  Mr.  Reid  is  one  of  the  progressive  business 
men  of  the  town  of  North  t^ast,  and  ]>olitically  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

E.  D.  Pratt,  North  East,  Pa.,  was  born  at 
Humphrey,  Cattaraugus  county,  \.  Y.,  August  26, 
1838.  He  is  a  son  of  Erastus  B.  and  Eunice  M.  ( Pierce) 
Pratt.  The  father  was  born  at  Poinpev.  Onondaga 
county,  X.  Y.,  May  10,  1810.  Fhe  Pratts'  are  an  old 
New  England  family  and  E.  D.'s  grandfather 
Pratt,  served  in  the  war  of  1812.  Erastus  Pratt  re- 
moved from  Pompey,  the  place  of  his  birth,  to  Hum- 
]5hrey,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1849  nioveii  to  Brailford,  Pa., 
with  his  familv.     He   was  a  cloth  dresser  bv   trade 


844 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


and  later  in  life  engaged  in  farming.  He  died  on 
his  farm  near  Bradford,  Pennsylvania,  January  10, 
l!<71,and  his  wife  died  July  30,  1«74.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  viz.:  Evelene  R.,  Mrs.  John 
Travis,  Salamanca,  N.  Y.;  E.  D.,  Ann,  Mrs.  W'm.  Fox, 
Bradford,  Pa.;  Caleb  Ashley,  died  at  -Sherman,  N. 
Y.,  April  1."),  1894;  Mary  A..  .Mrs.  Austin  Shaw.  Sher- 
man, N.  Y.;  an<l  Caroline  T.,  Mrs.  Conrad  Guthrig, 
of  Humphrey,  X.  Y.  K.  I).  Pratt  was  about  nine 
years  of  age  when  thi-  family  moved  to  Bradforil,  whcTe 
he  was  reared  and  etkicated  and  devoted  his  time 
chietiy  to  farming,  until  the  fall  of  1871*,  when  he  re- 
moved to  North  Hast  and  purchased  a  farm  adjoining 
the  borough  on  the  the  south.  During  the  war  he  en- 
listed in  Co.  H,  19ilth  P.  \'.  I.  He  participated  in  the 
Siege  of  Richmond,  and  was  in  the  line  of  battle  at  the 
scene  of  tree's  surrender  at  .Appomatox,  and  thus  saw 
the  great  chieftain  of  the  Confederacy  lay  down  the 
guiding  sword  of  the  Rebellion.  F'rivate  E.  D.  Pratt 
was  discharged  at  Richmond,  \'a.,  June  28,  18(55, 
aiul  again  returned  to  the  tpiiet  scenes  of  ci\il  life.  He 
was  married  August  14,  1870,  to  Miss  Kowena,  daugh- 
ter of  Barnabas  and  Mary  Ann  (Colgrove)  Pike,  of 
Bradford,  Pa.;  the  former  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts and  of  English  descent,  and  the  latter  of 
Pennsylvania.  -She  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Sarah,  Mrs.  Samuel  Gray,  I^radford,  Pa., 
Oliver,  Bradford;  Clarissa,  Mrs.  Helen  Ogden,  Red- 
house,  N.  Y.,  .'\melia,  ^lrs.  Allen  Tibbetts,  Brad- 
ford; George,  Bradford;  Harlow,  Bradford;  Alfonso, 
died  in  \'irginia,  April  \h,  1865,  while  in  the  serv- 
ice of  his  country;  Rowena,  Mrs.  Pratt,  and  Or- 
lando, Bradford.  Two  of  the  brothers,  Harlow  and 
Alfonso,  served  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  the 
father  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  for  which  he 
drew  a  pension,  and  his  father,  Barnabas  Pike  was 
a  Revolutionary  soldier.  Barnabas  Pike,  Mrs.  Pratt's 
father,  was  born  June  30,  1795.  He  followed  lum- 
bering and  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Bradford  all 
his  life,  and  he  died  October  15,  1881;  his  wife  died 
Decemlier  4,  1865.  The  members  of  the  family,  ex- 
cept Mrs.  Pratt,  all  reside  in  Bradford,  Pa.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pratt  have  one  child,  Loretta,  who  resides 
at  home.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Brethern  Church  and  he  is  a  staunch  Prohibitionist. 

J.  F.  Peters,  North  East,  Pa.,  was  born  May  3, 
1861,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Hester  (Lewis)  Peters. 
John  Peters  was  a  sailor  by  occupation  and  a  native  of 
Sweden.  He  navigated  the  principal  waters  of  the 
globe  and  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  daring  youth 
from  his  childhood.  He  ran  away  from  home  and  went 
to  sea  when  yet  a  mere  boy.  He  was  sailing  on  the 
lakes  when  fate  directed  his  footsteps  to  North  East 
township,  where  he  married  Miss  Hester  Lewis,  a  native 
of  that  [ilace.  Mr.  Peters  settled  in  North  East  town- 
ship in  1852  and  made  farming  his  occupation.  Later 
in  life  he  retired  and  removed  to  the  borough,  w-here 
he  spent  the  evening  of  his  life.  He  departed  tliis  life 
November  2,  1894.  His  wife  died  May  8,  1882.  They 
were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  viz.:  Martha  M., 
now  Mrs.  George  Smith;  Emma,  married  Clarence 
Page,  North  East;  Myra  C,  John  L.,  Harbor  Creek; 
Jesse  F.,  J.  E.,  North  East;  E.  J.,  Little  Rock,  Ark.; 
Alma,  North  East;  Jennie,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Orton,  North 
East,  and  Millie,  Mrs.  C.  \V.  Orton,  North  East.  J.  F. 
Peters  was  reared  in  North  East  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools.     He  has  made  farming  his  chief  occu- 


pation. He  purchased  his  present  farm  of  110  acres  of 
land  in  1884,  where  he  carries  on  an  extensive  dairy  bus- 
iness and  runs  a  milk  wagon  to  North  East.  His  farm 
is  situated  two  miles  .south  of  the  borough.  He  was 
married  February  2(),  1884,  to  Miss  Jennie, daughter  of 
M.  C.  Putman,  of  North  East  township.  They  haveone 
child.  Aura  May.  Mr.  Peters  is  one  of  the  foremost 
young  fanners  of  his  township. 

Joseph  Riewald.  farmer  and  fruit  grower,  North 
East,  I'a.,  was  born  March  24,  1840,  in  the  province  of 
Pommern,  Prussia,  Germany.  His  father's  name  is 
also  Jose])h,  and  he  now  resides  in  his  native  land,  at 
the  age  of  88  years.  Mr.  Riewald  was  reared  and  ed- 
ucate<l  in  the  land  of  his  birth.  He  received  an  edu- 
cation superior  to  most  men  in  his  circumstances,  and 
since  his  boyhood  days  he  has  been  a  constant  reader. 
He  came  to  .America  in  18(i9,  landing  in  New-  York 
May  1.  He  followed  laboring.  In  his  native  land  he 
had  learned  the  weaver's  trade,  but  never  engaged  in 
it  in  this  country.  He  bought  his  ])resent  place  in 
April,  1886.  It  is  a  typical  fruit  farm,  locateil  on  the 
side  hill  road,  about  two  miles  south  of  the  borough  of 
North  East.  Mr.  Riewald  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Ernestine  Sponholtz,  of  North  East.  They  have 
no  children.  This  gentleman  is  one  of  the  industrious 
and  upright  citizens  of  North  East  township.  He  was 
a  member  of  Co.  I,  15th  Reg.,  N.  Y.  \'.,  and  was  after 
live  years  service  discharged  as  a  corporal. 

Alonzo  W.  Butt,  North  East,  Pa.,  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  and  progressive  citizens  of  the  community, 
was  born  on  the  place  where  he  now  resides  August  11, 
1827.  He  is  a  son  of  Wendell  and  Christina  (Shank) 
Butt.  The  former  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Pennsylvania,  both  of  German  descent.  The 
Butt  family  was  among  the  earliest  to  settle  \'irginia. 
Wendell  Butt  settletl  in  Erie  county  with  his  family  in 
1817  and  took  oOO  acres  of  land  from  the  Holland  Land 
Company,  where  Alonzo  now  resides.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  as  was  his  father  before  him. 
Wendell  and  Christiana  (Shank)  Butt  were  the  par- 
ents of  twelve  children,  viz.:  John,  born  October  23, 
1803;  Jacob,  born  .May  1,  18(J6;  William,  born  June  11, 
1808;  George,  born  August  27,  1809;  Mary,  born  April 
13,  1811,  married  Harry  Ross;  she  died  April  24,  1830; 
Sally,  born  .August  27,  1812,  and  died  February  8, 1831; 
Elizabeth,  born  June  27,  1814,  married  William  Du- 
rand,  of  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.;  Kate,  born  December  5, 
1817  died  at  the  age  of  six  weeks;  James,  born  May  15, 
1819', died  three  months  later;  Rosanna,  born  August 
10,  1820,  now  Mrs.  Louis  Baldwin,  of  Racine,  Wis.;  she 
is  a  widow;  Jane,  born  June  11,  1825,  married  William 
Ostrander;  she  died  March  12,  1879,  and  Alonzo  W., 
who  is  the  only  son  living.  Wendell  Butt  was  born 
March  7,  1782,  and  died  October  10,  1849,  on  the  place 
where  .Alonzo  now  resides,  and  his  wife  died  March  2, 
1843;  she  w^as  born  December  25,  1785.  Alonzo  Butt 
has  spent  all  his  life  in  North  East  township  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  its  early  schools.  He  has  fol- 
lowed farming  all  his  life  and  now  resides  in  a  hand- 
some residence  on  his  farm  of  over  160  acres,  which  is 
second  to  none  in  the  county,  located  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  northeast  of  the  borough.  He  carries  on  a  gen- 
eral farming,  besides  being  extensively  engaged  in 
fruit  growing.  Mr.  Butt  was  united  in  marriage  No- 
vember 4,  1846,  to  Miss  Laura  J.,  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Mary  (Gay)  Peabody,  a  native  of  New  Lebanon, 


'^   !P.^A. 


fVV  v-«  X>-->  tf-v-V 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


S45 


N.  Y.  They  have  seven  children,  viz.:  MeHssa,  born 
August  11.,  1847,  now  Mrs.  Henry  M.  Burdick,of  Hunt- 
ington, W.  Va.;  Alonzo  W.,  jr.,  born  October  25,  1848, 
died  ten  months  later;  WiUiain,  born  November  26, 
1850,  resides  in  North  East  (see  sketch);  Ella  M.,  born 
Ajiril   10,   1850,  resides  at  home;  Leroy,  born  June   1, 

1864,  resides  in  North  East;  Charles  A.,  born  August 
28,  1856,  resides  in  North  East,  an<l  Jennie  H.,  born 
November  4,  1860,  now  Mrs.  James  D.  Clark,  of  Bluff- 
ton,  Ind.  The  family  attend  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Mr.  Butt  has  always  been  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
Church. 

Benjamiti  H.  Ross,  farmer  and  lumberman. 
North  East,  Pa.,  was  born  at  Sherman,  N.  Y.,  June  'A, 
1836,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Samantha  (  Heath  )  Ross, 
who  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  southwestern 
Chautauqua,  having  moved  there  March  26,  1825. 
Their  nearest  neighbors,  except  a  brother  of  Mr. 
Ross,  were  five  miles  off.  They  were  the  parents  of 
five  children:  Almira,  wife  of  John  Kidder,  born 
March  27,  1842,  North  East;  George,  born  August  24, 
1830,  died  January  12,  1835;  Adeline,  born  July  15, 
18133,  died,  January  17,  1834;  Benjamin  H.;  and  Loren 
P.,  horn  January  29,  1843,  resides  at  Ripley,  N.  Y. 
Benjamin  Ross,  sr.,  was  a  son  of  Charles  and  Amy 
(Woodburni  Ross.of  Chenango  county, New  York.  They 
were  the  parents  of  twelve  children:  Joseph,  Charles, 
Benjamin,  Polly  (.Smith),  Abigail  (Freeman),  Amy 
(  Jaquius  ),  Samuel,  George,  William,  Artemus  and 
Schuyler.  Mr.  Ross  has  made  farming  and  lumber- 
ing his  chief  occujiation.  In  1874  he  moved  to  North 
East  and  liought  his  present  (ilace.  He  also  owns  a 
farm  in  New  York  State.  He  was  married  December 
25,  1858,  to  Anna  Isabel  Kidder.  They  have  three 
children:  George  Elmer,  born  July  23,  1861.  and 
died  November  3,  1882,  the  same  year  he  graduated 
from  Oberlin  College;  Washington  Bird,  born  June  5, 

1865,  resides  at  Ripley,  N.  Y.;  and  Benjamin  T.,  born 
October  27,  1870.  Mr.  Ross  has  been  assessor  of 
North  East  township  and  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

E.  E.  Maitland,  M.  D.,  Harbor  Creek,  Pa.,  has 
not  been  an  Erie  county  practitioner  very  long,  but  he 
is  rapidly  extending  his  ])ractice,  and  the  people  of 
the  vicinity  of  Harbor  Creek  congratulate  themselves 
upon  the  fact  that  they  have  in  their  midst  a  man  to 
attend  to  their  bodily  infirmities,  a  modern  physician 
and  surgeon,  a  man  who  is  u]i  to  date  in  the  marvel- 
ous science  of  medicine  and  surgery  in  its  unceasing 
onward  march.  Personally,  Dr.  Maitland  is  a  modest 
and  unassuming  man,  is  a  close  student  of  the  .science 
of  medicine,  and  capable  of  making  a  thorough  diag- 
nosis of  a  case.  He  was  born  in  Rockland  township, 
V'enango  county.  Pa.,  June  20,  1861.  His  jiarents, 
Alexander  and  Betsey  (Forker)  Maitland,  were  both 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The  father  died  July  29, 
1896,  and  the  mother  in  1883.  Dr.  Maitland  received 
his  medical  education  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Suigeons,  of  ISallimore,  Md.,  and  tlie  Academy  of 
Medicine  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  graduating  at  the  latter 
place  in  the  spring  of  1892,  his.  diploma  being  en- 
dorsed by  the  Pittsburg  Medical  College.  He  en- 
gaged in  |)ractice  in  Little  Coolie,  Crawford  county. 
Pa.,  and  later  at  Cambridge,  Pa.  In  the  spring  of 
1895  he  came  to  Erie  county  and  located  at  Harbor 
Creek,  where  he  is  the  only  iihysician  in  the  midst  of 
a  thickly  settled  surrounding  country.  He  was  mar- 
54 


ried  February  14,  1894,  to  Miss  Allie  Drake,  of  Little 
Coolie,  Pa.  Dr.  Maitland  was  employed  for  some 
time  in  the  North  Warren  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
and  has  considerable  experience  in  the  treatment  of 
mental  diseases. 

N.  C.  Remington,  North  East,  Pa.,  is  entitled  to 

no  small  portion  of  the  credit  of  making  his  township 
the  "garden '.'  of  the  county.  He  was  born  in  Pier- 
pont,  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  September  8,  1814.  He 
is  a  son  of  Seth  and  Asenith  (Bishee)  Remington,  who 
were  both  natives  of  New  England.  They  were 
■among  the  pioneers  of  Ohio,  which  was  then  a  portion 
of  the  great  West.  His  father  was  a  carpenter  and 
joiner,  while  he  resided  in  his  New  England  home, 
but  his  later  pioneer  life  was  devoted  chiefly  to  farm- 
ing. In  Ohio  he  took  up  90U  acres  of  land,  which  he 
disposed  of  in  1822  and  came  to  .Springfield,  Erie 
county,  and  made  Pennsylvania  his  home  after  that. 
In  1830  the  family  removed  to  North  East  township 
and  settled  on  the  place  which  is  now  occupied  by  Mr. 
Remington.  It  consists  of  100  acres  of  that  fertile  and 
fruit  productive  land  which  characterizes  North  East 
township.  It  is  situated  on  the  Buffalo  road  about  two 
miles  east  of  the  borough.  Here  Seth  Remington 
sijent  the  remainder  of  his  days  and  died  July  16, 1848, 
aged  60  years,  and  his  wife  departed  this  life  January 
23,  1826,  aged  46  years.  N.  C.  Remington  has  always 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  was  one  or  a 
family  of  four  children,  viz.:  Amos,  lives  in  Iowa; 
Lucy  (deceased),  N.  C,  and  Jonathan  died  in  Illinois. 
Mr.  Remington  was  married  December  21,  18;i6,  to 
Miss  Mary  Munger,  of  North  East.  She  died  in  1877. 
They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  viz.:  .Asenath, 
Mrs.  Charles  Barter,  Brockton,  N.  Y.;  Mariette,  Mrs. 
Blanchard  Campbell,  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  Seth  R.,  re- 
sides in  California;  Luzerne,  resides  in  North  East; 
Melissa,  at  home,  and  Amos  C,  at  home.  Mr.  Rem- 
ington has  always  been  a  staunch  Democrat,  and  al- 
though he  has  passed  four  score  years,  is  a  man  of  re- 
markable mental  and  physical  health  for  his  age. 

I..  D.  Bort  ( deceased ),  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  one  of  the  highly  respected  members  of  the 
community  of  North  East.  He  was  a  native  of  New 
York  State  and  born  in  Chautauqua  county,  March 
17,  1825.  He  was  a  son  of  Christian  and  Lorana 
Bort,  the  former  a  native  of  the  .Mohawk  \'alley, 
N.Y.,  and  the  latter  of  Massachussetts.  Christian  Bort 
came  to  Erie  county  in  1824  and  located  and  bought 
the  place  now  owned  by  Washington  Bonnell  in 
Harbor  Creek  township,  and  the  following  year 
moved  his  family  there,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death  in  1853.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 
His  wife  died  in  1881.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  viz.:  Polly  B.,  married  Epheriam  Bur- 
dick,  Madison,  O.;  S.  B.  Bort,  Iowa;  Malinda  (de- 
ceased); L.  D.;  ( two  children  died  in  infancy  I  Will- 
iam; Barney;  and  Mary  Jane,  Mr.s.  Marshall  Bunnell. 
L.  D.  Bort  came  to  North  East  township  in  1856  and 
followed  farming  in  that  townshi]i  until  the  lime  of  his 
death,  excei>t  two  years  that  he  lived  in  the  village. 
In  1869  he  purchased  a  farm  about  two  and  one-half 
miles  east  of  North  East,  on  the  Buffalo  road,  where 
his  widow  now  resides  with  one  son  and  a  liaughter. 
Mr.  Bort  was  married  October  14,  1850,  to  Lucinda, 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (  Shaw  )  Metzker,  of 
Tompkins    county.    New    York,   near    Ithaca.      The 


.846 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONABT 


Metzker  family  moved  to  Erie  county  in  183!i  and  set- 
tled in  Fairview  township,  near  Walnut  Creek.  The 
father  was  a  tailor,  which  occu])ation  he  followed  all 
his  life.  He  died  in  1^I.'J4,  a^ed  74,  and  his  wife  in 
1868,  aged  82.  Mrs.  Hort  is  the  only  one  of  the  fam- 
ily of  nine  children,  now  living,  except  a  brother  in 
Canada.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bort  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  viz.:  .-Xnnabel,  Mrs.  Henry  .Silliman;  Frank, 
resides  in  Toledo,  O.;  Charles  C.  (  decea-sed  );  Ida  M., 
at  home;  Carrie  1,.,  now  Mrs.  Hoffman;  and  Andrew 
G.,  who  resides  at  home  anil  has  the  manage- 
ment of  the  farm  of  L.  1).  Bort.  Mr.  L.  D.  Bort  was 
one  of  the  upright  men  of  the  community,  and  during 
his  life  held  several  local  offices  of  iniiiortancc.  He- 
died  October  V.i,  1893. 

DeWitt  Clinton  Bostwick,  North  East  town- 
ship, postot'lice  Northville,  I'a.,  was  born  in  Vernon, 
Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  December  'lU,  1847.  He  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Harriet  (Butler)  Bo.stwick,  both 
natives  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  The  father  was  a  cabinet- 
maker by  trade,  and,  in  18(>7,  moved  to  State  Line, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  nu-rcantile  business,  which 
he  followed  until  within  four  years  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  February  21,  1880.  He  was  born  July  2U, 
1«07.  His  wife  dii'd  Septendier  14,  1893.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  viz.:  Rachael,  born  Jan- 
uary 1,  184.'),  now  Mrs.  Dr.  .Strong,  We.stfield,  N.  Y.; 
I).  C.,  Marcia,  born  July  20,  18.")1,  married  Levi  Miller, 
of  Canton,  ().,  and  Carrie,  born  March  29,1800,  mar- 
ried George  Bartoo,  of  St.  Angars,  la.  1).  C.  Bostwick 
is  of  the  seventh  generation  from  John  Bostwick,  who 
came  from  England  with  his  three  brothers,  Robert, 
ICbenezer  and  Josejih,  about  1088,  and  moved  to  Strat- 
ford, Conn.,  in  the  year  1707,  and  was  the  second  ])er- 
son  settling  in  that  town.  He  was  of  Scotch  extrac- 
tion. D.  C.  Bostwick  was  educated  in  a  private  school 
and  in  Bryant  S:  Stratton's  Commercial  College, 
graduating  in  1800.  He  then  came  to  State  Line  and 
engaged  in  business  with  his  father  until  1871,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Bostwick  &  Son.  In  1872  he  went 
to  Ohio  and  was  engaged  on  the  construction  of  the 
Bainesville  and  Youngstown  R.  R.,  in  the  ca])acity  of 
sujierintendent  of  construction.  Mr.  Bostwick  is  a 
practical  stone  and  brickmason,  which  trade  he  thor- 
oughly learned  when  a  young  man.  He  then  went  to 
Cleveland  and  engaged  in  the  construction  of  various 
railroads  in  that  locality  about  two  and  one-half  years. 
He  has  followed  railroad  contracting  a  great  deal,  and 
did  considerable  of  the  work  of  grading  on  the  L.  S. 
&  M.  .S.  R.  R.  He  was  superintendent  of  excavations 
for  foundations  of  masonry  on  the  Nickle  Plate  R.  R. 
about  a  year  and  a  half,  and  in  1876  he  move<l  on  his 
farm  in  Summit  township,  where  he  resiiled  about  four 
years,  until  his  father-in-law's  death,  when  he  moved 
on  his  present  place,  in  the  eastern  part  of  North 
East  township.  Mr.  Bostwick  was  married  .September 
4,  1872,  to  Miss  Othellia  A.,  daughter  of  George  Hall. 
(See  sketch  of  George  Hall.)  They  have  one  child, 
George  H.,  born  December  18,  1879,  at  home.  Mr. 
Bostwick  has  held  several  local  offices.  Ls  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order  and  the  A.  O.  U.  \V. 

Edgar  Mason,  Northville,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Rip- 
ley, N.  Y.,  July  26,  1844.  He  is  one  of  the  seven  chil- 
dren of  Hezekiah  and  Rosanna  (Rich)  Mason.  They 
were  of  old  New  England  stock  and  both  natives  of 
New  York  State,  very  close  to  the  \'ermont  line.  They 


came  to  the  Western  part  of  New  York  in  182.5  shortly 
after  being  married.  They  drove  the  entire  distance 
with  an  ox  team  and  much  of  the  distance  their  only 
traveled  road  was  blazed  trees.  Hezekiah  Mason  was 
a  cloth  linisher  and  weaver  by  trade  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  Northville  built  a  woolen  mill,  the  first  in  that  sec- 
tion, which  he  operated  for  many  years.  He  died  in 
1848,  and  his  wife  in  1884.  I'^  .M.ison  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Ri|)ley  and  when  a  young  man,  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  l)usiness  which  he  followeil  live 
years  and  in  1873  he  [lurchased  the  grist  mill  which  is 
located  on  the  Twenty- Mile  Creek  and  Buffalo  road, 
about  half  a  mile  west  of  the  .State  line.  This  is  the 
oldest  grist  mill  in  this  section  of  the  country.  It  is 
said  to  be  over  90  years  old.  Mr.  Mason  keejis  it  in 
full  running  order  and  has  made  many  improvements 
in  keeping  pace  with  the  times  in  ailvance  milling.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  custom  grinding  and  in  the 
manufacture  of  buck-wheat  flour  in  season.  Mr.  Ma- 
son also  has  a  sawmill  in  connection  with  the  grist 
mill,  but  the  greatest  inilustry  which  now  occupies  his 
attention  is  his  grape  basket  factory,  which  is  situated 
in  clo.si'  jiroximity  to  his  other  mills.  This  marvelous 
institution  is  the  ]iroduct  of  Mr.  Mason's  genius  and  en- 
terprise. He  s.iw  the  necessity  of  such  a  factory  in 
the  heart  of  the  gra]>e  growing  country  which  has  so 
rapidly  developed  in  this  section  within  the  last  de- 
cade. He  conunenced  this  business  during  the  season 
of  1890,  and  since  that  time  has  manufactured  a  count- 
less number  of  grape  baskets.  He  supplies  the  North 
East  grape  growers  association  and  the  entire  gra[)e 
growers  within  a  radius  of  several  miles.  When  his 
basket  factory  is  running  to  its  full  capacity  he  em- 
ploys between  3.')  and  40  hands,  and  manufactures 
about  one  million  baskets  ]jer  annum.  Mr.  Mason 
was  married  October  31,  1867,  to  Miss  Ellen  Beatty 
of  North  East.  They  have  six  children,  viz.:  Jennie, 
Mrs.  James  Tripp,  Ripley,  N.  Y.;  Hugh,  John,  Ellen, 
Annie  and  Ralph.  Mr.  Mason  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order,  blue  lodge;  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  Royal 
Arcanum.  He  is  also  engaged  in  fruit  growing,  and 
has  a  farm  of  25  acres  devoted  to  vineyards. 

Isaac  Wolf,  postofifice  Northville,  railroad  station 
State  Line,  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  April  11, 
1827.  When  he  was  six  years  of  age  he  left  the  scenes 
of  his  early  childhootl,  coming  with  his  parents,  Cyrus 
and  Mary(Platt)\Volf,toEriecounty, Pennsylvania.  The 
family  settled  in  Mill  Creek  township,  about  one-half  a 
mile  east  of  the  Walnut  creek  bridge,  on  the  olil  turn- 
pike. The  father  was  a  farmer,  which  occupation  he 
followed  in  Millcreek  township  during  the  latter  years 
of  his  life.  He  <lied  in  1802  and  his  wife  in  1875' 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  viz.:  Henry 
(deceased),  Isaac, Margaret,  Mrs.  Henry  Gingrich,  Erie, 
Pa.;  Maria,  Mrs.  Edward  Sherman,  Erie;  Cyrus  (de- 
ceased). He  spent  his  life  on  the  old  homestead,  in 
Fairview  township,  and  Catherine,  Mrs.  Jo.seph  Hen- 
derson, Erie.  Isaac  remained  with  his  father  until  he 
was  about  25  years  of  age,  when  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  himself,  in  Mill  Creek  township.  In  18(i0  he  re- 
moved to  State  Line,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He 
bought  a  farm  of  03  acres  at  first,  and  continued  to  an- 
nex to  it  until  he  and  his  sons  now  own  about  300 
acres.  It  is  without  exception  one  of  the  finest  farms 
in  the  county.  It  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  the  grajje 
belt,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  rod  of  waste  land  on  the 
entire  farm.      Besides  farming  Mr.  Wolf  was  also  en- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTr. 


847 


gaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business  which  he 
conducted  from  March  1,  1893,  to  September  9,  1895, 
when  he  sold  the  business  to  his  son,  B.  L.,  who  nox 
is  devoting  his  entire  attention  to  it.  He  is  also  post- 
master of  Xorthville,  Pa.  It  is  the  only  store  at  the 
State  line  and  here  he  carries  a  line  of  goods  as  exten- 
sive as  found  in  any  country  store.  The  Xorthville 
postoffice  is  located  in  his  store.  Mr.  Wolf  was  mar- 
ried October  4, 1853,  to  Miss  Eliza,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Mary  A.  (Heiss)  .Myers,  early  settlers  of  Fairview 
townshi]j,  locating  there  about  1830,  where  the  former 
died  in  1877  and  the  latter  in  1891.  They  were  both 
natives  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wolf  are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  viz.: 
Clara,  Mrs.  J.  F.  Moore,  Forsyth,  \.  Y.;  Perry,  mar- 
ried Flora  Phear,  of  Ripley,  X.  Y.;  William  F.,  mar- 
ried Elsie  Woolsey,  of  Girard,  Pa.;  Edward  (deceased), 
Frank  (deceased),  Xelson,  .Mary,  Mrs.  John  Beatty, 
Xorthville,  Pa.;  Charles,  married  Frances  Benson,  of 
Ripley,  X.  Y.,  and  B.  L.,  married  Jessie  F.  Luce,  of 
Xorthville,  Pa.  The  sons  all  reside  in  the  vicinity  of 
State  Line.  Isaac  Wolf  acted  as  postmaster  at  Xorth- 
ville from  1884  to  188(;,  and  in  1893  B.  L.,  the  present 
incumbent,  received  his  commission  as  postmaster. 

H.  L.  Sillimati  is  one  of  the  progressive  farmers 
of  Xorth  East  township.  He  now  resides  in  the  house 
where  he  was  born  July  ID,  1849.  He  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Jane  (Schultz)  .Sillinian.  The  former  was 
a  native  of  Lancaster  county  and  the  latter  of  Erie. 
Thomas  .Silliman  was  born  April  24,  1802,  and  died 
July  9,  1890.  His  widow  now  resides  in  the  borough. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  children:  H.  L.; 
Frank,  farmer,  Xorth  East;  and  Fred  (deceased). 
Thomas  was  a  son  of  James  and  Jane  Hunter  Silli- 
man, who  moved  from  Xorthumberland  to  Erie  county 
in  1802,  when  Thomas  was  2  months  old.  James  Silli- 
man was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  his  wife  was  a  Penn- 
sylvanian.  He  bought  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Xorth 
East  township,  and  built  a  rude  log  house  thereon, 
near  where  now  stands  the  historic  old  brick  house, 
which  was  built  in  1818,  about  a  mile  east  of  the  bor- 
ough. James  and  Jane  Silliman  were  jjarents  of  seven 
children,  viz.:  Xancy,  married  Richard  Cochran; 
Alexander,  Polly,  .Asa  and  William,  all  of  whom  are 
now  dead.  Thomas,  father  of  H.  L.,  spent  his  life  on 
the  place  where  his  father  settled,  and  where  H.  L. 
now  resides.  He  was  well  known  throughout  the 
county,  and  his  long  life  was  one  of  honesty  and  in- 
dustry. He  was  prominent  in  local  politics,  and  was 
a  life-long  Democrat.  H.  L.  .Silliman  was  reared  on 
the  place  where  he  now  resides,  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  He  has  made  farming  his  chief  occu- 
pation, and  cultivates  about  100  acres  of  excellent 
land.  He  is  also  engaged  in  fruit  raising,  and  has  a 
handsome  ten-acre  vineyard.  He  was  married  Janu- 
ary 23,  1878,  to  Miss  Belle  Bort,  of  Xorth  East.  They 
have  three  children,  viz.:  Thomas,  Lorenzo  and 
George. 

A.  K.  Wing,  farmer,  Xorth  I-'ast,  Pa.,  born  March 
29,  1822,  in  Chenango  county,  Xew  York,  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Mariani  (Moseley)  Wing,  both  natives  of 
Hoosic,  X.  Y.  William  Wing  came  to  Erie  county 
with  his  family  in  1835,  and  lived  for  a  time  in  Wash- 
ington and  Girard  townships,  following  farming.  He 
finally  returned  to  Xew  York  State  and  .settled  in 
Hinsdale,  Cattaraugus  county,  where  he  spent  the  re- 


mainder of  his  life.  William  and  Mariam  (Moseley) 
Wing  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  viz.:  Fi- 
delia, born  March  19,  1815,  married  Xelson  Chapin, 
who  was  killed  at  Fort  Plymouth,  X.  C;  he  was  pro- 
moted to  colonel,  but  was  killed  before  he  received  his 
commission;  his  wife  died  January  4, 1890.  William  H., 
born  October  4,  1818,  spent  his  life  in  Ohio,  and  died 
September  12,  1891;  A.  K.;  Sarah,  born  June  27,  1824, 
now  Mrs.  Colfjv  Chamberlain,  Olean,  X.  Y.;  Uavid, 
born  March  31,' 1827,  died  at  Hinsdale,  X.  Y.,  March 
29,  1869;  Smith,  born  September  12,  1830,  removed  to 
Indiana  and  died  at  Ft.  VV'ayne  April  29,  1875;  and 
Mary,  born  Xovember  8,  1832,  now  Mrs.  Seth  Warren, 
of  Olean,  X.  Y.  A.  K.,  when  a  young  man,  learned 
the  tailor's  trade  at  Hinsdale,  X.  Y.  About  1844  he 
engaged  in  the  clothing  business  at  Castile,  X.  Y., 
where  he  remained  about  eight  years.  He  then  came 
to  Xorth  East  and  farmed  a  few  years,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  at  State  Line.  In 
.March,  1867,  he  purchased  a  part  of  his  present  place, 
which  has  since  been  his  home.  He  has  spent  a  great 
deal  of  time  in  the  Pennsylvania  oil  fields,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  oil  business  in  several  of  the  important 
oil  centers  within  the  last  thirty  years,  spending  about 
fifteen  years  in  that  section.  ,\Ir.  Wing  was  married 
October  5,  1845,  to  Miss  Richamer  Sherman,  a  native 
of  Rhode  Island.  They  have  one  child,  W.  O.,  who 
resides  in  North  East  borough.  He  was  born  at  Cas- 
tile, X.  Y.  He  was  educated  at  the  Ripley  High 
.School  and  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's  business  college, 
Buffalo,  and,  when  a  young  man,  learned  telegraphy, 
which  he  followed  for  a  short  time  on  the  Lake  .Shore 
R.  R.  In  1860  he  engaged  in  the  oil  business  with  his 
father,  and  for  eight  years  was  a  member  of  the  Brad- 
ford Oil  Exchange.  In  1882  he  moved  to  Xorth  East, 
since  which  time  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing and  fruit  raising,  in  partnership  with  his  father. 
Their  farm  is  located  about  one  mile  east  of  the  bor- 
ough, and  contains  100  acres,  forty-five  of  which  are 
devoted  to  grape  growing.  He  was  married  .May  28, 
1873,  to  Miss  Harriet  M., daughter  of  James  Crawford, 
of  Xorth  East.  They  have  four  children,  viz.:  .-\rthur, 
George  S.,  Mabel  and  Harry  C.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order,  the  Royal  .Arcanum,  and  a  coun- 
cilman in  the  Xorth  East  borough,  and  he  and  his 
father  are  stanch  Republicans. 

Anthony  Specht,  Xorth  East,  Pa.,  owner  of  one 
of  the  finest  farm  locations  along  the  shore  of  Lake 
Erie,  was  born  in  Williamsville,  Erie  county,  X.  Y., 
December22, 1839.  He  is  a  son  of  Lawrence  and  Mar>- 
Ann  (Gass)  Specht,  both  natives  of  Germany.  They 
emigrated  to  .America  in  1829  and  settled  in  western 
Xew  York,  where  the  father  followed  his  trade,  which 
was  that  of  a  stone  mason,  until  1852,  when  they  came 
to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  bought  a  farm  in 
West  Greene,  and  followed  farming  until  1865.  They 
next  moved  to  Xorth  East,  where  the  father  died  May 
13,  1867,  and  the  mother  July  19,  1881.  They  reared  a 
family  of  nine  children,  viz.:  Mary,  Mrs.  Henry 
Heimly  (deceased);  Gertrude,  Mrs.  Andrew  Blila, 
Erie,  Pa.;  Catherine,  Mrs.  Benjamin  Alger,  West 
Greene;  Eva,  Mrs.  Peter  Rectenwald;  Erie;  Rose, 
Xorth  East;  Lena,  Mrs.  Jacob  Held  (deceased); 
Lawrence  (deceased),  Anthony  and  Joseph,  Xorth 
East.  Anthony  Specht  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  has  made  farming  his  leading  occu- 
pation.    March  16,  1865,  he  purchased  forty-four  acres 


848 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


of  land  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  north  of  North  East, 
where  he  now  owns  over  1S8  acres,  which  fronts  on  the 
lake  for  about  23.")  rods.  He  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing and  fruit  raising,  having  over  fourteen  acres  of 
grapes.  He  was  married  October  4,  1870,  to  Miss  Jo- 
sej/hine,  daughter  of  John  and  Magdalene  (Shwen- 
dingeri  Gschoesser,  of  Mill  Creek  townshi]i.  Tlie  fa- 
ther died  in  Chicago,  March  17,  1872,  and  the  mother 
now  resitles  with  Anthony  Specht.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Specht  liave  a  family  of  eight  children,  viz.:  Albert, 
Helen,  Rosaline,  Josephine,  Frank,  Leo,  John  and 
Winnifred,  all  of  whom  reside  at  home. 

John  Beatty,  North  ICa.st  township,  postoftice 
Niirtln  illf,  I'a..  was  born  in  North  l-.ast  township,  Sep- 
tember T),  1,S4S,  and  is  a  son  of  Hugh  and  Maria  Till- 
man Beatty  (both  deceased).  Hugh  Beatty  was  a  na- 
tive of  L'nion  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  born  in 
1814,  and  was  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (.Sox) 
Beatty,  the  former  of  Irish  and  the  latter  of  German 
descent.  When  H  years  of  age  became  to  Erie  county 
with  his  father,  who  was  then  a  wiilower.  John  I5eatty 
was  three  times  marrietl,  and  his  children  were:  Mrs. 
Eleanor  Ross,  a  widow,  North  East;  Hugh,  Jacob  (de 
ceased),  William  (deceased),  veteran  of  tlu-  late  war,  who 
spent  his  life  in  Ohio;  Jacob,  2d  (deceased),  Jane,  Mrs.  V. 
1).  Ross,  .State  Line;  John  (deceasedl,  Timothy  N.  (de- 
ceased), John  M.,  resides  in  California;  Ann  Eliza,  Mrs. 
William  Lammis,  Hudson,  Mich.;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
O.  W.  Wheeler,  Minneapolis,  Minn.;  Thomas  S.,  Cali- 
fornia; Melvina  (deceased),  Eveline,  Mrs.W.  L. -Short- 
man,  Ripley,  N.  Y.,  and  George  O.  U.,  Chicago,  III.; 
he  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  Rebellion.  John  Beatty 
died  December  l(i,  18(18.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Hugh 
Beatty,  his  son,  al.so  followed  farming  nearly  all  his 
life  in  North  East  township.  In  the  fall  of  1852  he 
went  to  California,  where  he  followed  gold  mining 
three  years,  when  he  engaged  in  fruit  raising  and  gar- 
dening, which  he  followed  until  1857,  then  returning  to 
North  East,  where  he  spent  the  remainer  of  his  days 
on  the  place  now  occujiied  by  John.  He  died  Novem- 
ber 27,  1886.  He  was  married  four  times:  First,  to  a 
Miss  Childs,  who  died  within  one  year;  his  second 
wife  was  Mrs.  Shortman,  who  died,  leaving  one  child, 
Ella,  now  Mrs.  E.  Mason,  State  Line  (see  sketch);  he 
then  married  Maria  Tallman.  Three  children  were 
born  to  this  union:  Lsaac  (deceased);  John  and  El- 
dridge,  residing  in  North  East  township.  The  mother 
died  June  22,  1855,  and  Mr.  Beatty  afterward  married 
Mrs.  Margaret  Delong  (now  deceased).  They  had  no 
children.  Hugh  Beatty  was  prominent  in  local  poli- 
tics, and  held  several  township  offices.  He  was  an 
active  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  and  acted  as 
steward  a  long  time. 

A.  L.  Stetson  is  an  extensive  farmer  of  North 
East  township,  and  his  postofifice  address  is  Northville, 
Pa.  Mr.  Stetson  was  born  January  11,  1834,  in  the 
townshiji  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  a  son  of  San- 
ders and  Eliza  (Lott)  Stetson,  the  former  a  native  of 
Rhode  Island,  and  the  latter  of  Trumansberg,  Seneca 
county,  N.  Y.  The  father  was  a  farmer,  and  came  to 
Erie  county  in  1831,  settling  near  Sulphur  Springs,  in 
North  East  township.  In  1856  he  removed  to  a  place 
near  Jones'  Mill,  where  he  resided  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  March  25,  1891,  on  the  fourth  day  of 
his  86th  year.     The  mother  now  resides  with  her  son. 


A.  L.,  and  is  84  years  old.  They  were  the  parents  of 
five  children:  Eliza  (deceased),  A.  L.,  George  \V., 
North  East;  Henry  (deceased)  and  /ephaniah  (de- 
cea.sed).  A.  L.  Stet.son  was  reared  and  educated  in 
North  East  township,  where  he  remained  until  he  was 
19  years  of  age(l!S53).  Like  numy  others  about  that 
time  he  was  affected  by  the  new  gold  mines  of  Cali- 
fornia, which  acted  upon  him  as  a  huge  magnet  and 
drew  him  toward  the  tlolden  Gate.  He  reached  St. 
Joseph,  Mo.,  by  rail  and  river  transportation,  and  from 
there  drove  across  the  plains  and  over  the  mountains 
with  one  of  the  many  emigrant  trains  that  were  cross- 
ing in  those  days.  He  reached  the  Sacramento  river 
Octol)er  7,  1853,  twenty-six  miles  from  Shasta.  While 
in  California  he  was  engaged  in  mining  and  farming, 
and  was  al.so  an  extensive  Contractor  in  building  reser- 
voirs. October  23,  1803,  he  bought  the  place  where  he 
now  resides  of  F.  B.  Smedley.  It  contains  175  acres, 
located  on  the  lake  and  Twenty-Mile  creek.  Mr.  Stet- 
.son returned  to  California  after  he  ]jurchased  hisiilace, 
and  remained  about  three  years.  Since  1866  he  has 
resided  in  North  East  township.  He  is  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  grape  r;iising,  having  a  vineyard 
of  about  ten  acres.  He  has  dealt  a  great  deal  in  fine 
horses.  He  was  married  Februarv  28,  1868,  to  Miss 
Annette,  daughter  of  Alexander  Eddy,  of  Cambridge, 
N.  Y.  Tu  tiiis  union  were  born  four  children,  viz.: 
Alice  E.,  Henry  T.,  Leon  G.  and  Grace. 

J.  A.  Blauvelt,  North  East,  Pa.,  is  one  of  the  jiro- 
gressive  fruit  growers  of  North  East  township,  and 
was  born  in  Clark,  Rockland  county,  N.  Y.,  February 
28,  1823.  He  is  a  descendant  of  the  Holland  Dutch, 
who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  New  York  City 
and  vicinity.  Cornelius  Blauvelt,  our  subject's  grand- 
father, was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  British,  to  England.  He  was  seized 
when  the  British  captured  New  York,  and  was  not  re- 
leased until  after  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  J.  A. 
is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  .Anna  (Van  Orden)  Blauvelt, 
who  spent  their  lives  in  Rockland  county.  New  York. 
The  mother  died  in  1879  and  the  father  in  1880. 
They  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Cornelius  (de- 
cea.sed).  who  lived  in  Rockland  county  all  his  life  ex- 
cept a  few  years  which  he  spent  in  New  York  City, 
and  J.  A.  Blauvelt,  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
town,  and  when  a  young  man  learned  the  ma.son's 
trade,  which  he  followed  about  ten  years.  He  has 
been  engaged  in  farming  the  rest  of  the  time.  In  1870 
he  moved  to  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  and  seven  years  later 
came  to  North  East  township  and  bought  his  present 
place,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  fruit  rais- 
ing and  gardening.  Mr.  I^lauvelt  was  married  in  1851 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  .McAcclin.  Two  children  were  born 
to  this  union:  Annette,  married  James  Rappale,  of 
Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  and  Jessie,  at  home.  After  Mrs. 
Blauvelt's  death  Mr.  Blauvelt  married  Elizabeth 
Hunt.  They  have  one  child,  Jennie,  now  Mrs.  Frank 
W'eaver,  of  North  East.  Mr.  Blauvelt  is  a  staunch- 
supporter  of  the  [jrinciples  set  forth  by  the  People's 
party. 

C.  Grimshaw,  North  East,  Pa.,  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive citizens  of  Erie  county,  is  extensively  en- 
gaged in  fruit  culture  in  North  East  township.  He 
was  born  May  18,  18.53,  in  Calverley,  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
land, and  is  a  son  of  Job  and  Mary  Ann  (Craven) 
Grimshaw,  both  natives  of  England.     They  reared  a 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


849 


family  of  three  children:  Henry,  professor  of  music, 
Liverpool,  England;  Albert,  bookkeeper,  Xew  Brigh- 
ton, Pa.;  he  is  also  a  musician;  and  C.  The  father 
now  resides  in  retirement  on  the  old  homestead  in 
England,  and  the  mother  died  in  185G.  C.  Grimshaw 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  land  and 
learned  the  spinner's  trade.  When  20  years  of  age  he 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  North  East.  He  ob- 
tained employment  at  his  trade  in  the  old  woolen  mill 
which  was  then  operated  by  W .  A.  Grimshaw  &•  Co., 
where  he  remained  until  1884,  when  he  purchased  his 
present  place,  which  is  situated  just  south  of  Orchard 
Beach,  which  was  at  one  time  a  part  of  Mr.  Grimshaw's 
farm.  Mr.  Grimshaw  has  one  of  the  finest  [iroducing 
vineyards  in  the  county.  He  was  married  July  1. 1875, 
to  Miss  .Sarah,  daughter  of  D.  J.  Wells,  of  North  East. 
They  have  two  children,  Alice  G.  and  Harry.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Grimshaw  is  a  Republican. 

A.  E.  Martin,  North  East,  Pa.  It  is  natural  for 
each  member  of  the  human  family  to  cherish  in  his 
bosom  a  veneration  for  that  portion  of  terra  firma  where 
he  first  saw  the  light  of  day,  and  regardless  of  the  stage 
of  life  at  which  we  leave  our  birthplace  we  expect  at 
some  distant  day  to  again  visit  our  old  home  and  the 
scenes  of  our  childhood;  but  such  cannot  be  the  case 
with  Mr.  Martin,  for  the  land  of  his  birth  is  now  occu- 
pied by  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie-  the  site  of  his  early 
home,  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  in  Harbor  Creek  town- 
ship, has  gradually  slipped  into  the  lake  and  disap- 
peared. He  was  born  February  18,  1883,  and  is  a  son 
of  James  and  Lavisa  (Garham)  Martin  (both  deceased), 
the  former  a  native  of  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  the 
latter  of  Rutland  C(junty,  \'ermont.  The  father  when 
18  years  of  age  came  to  America  and  lived  in  \'ermont 
a  short  time,  when  he  .settled  in  Harbor  Creek,  this 
county.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  anil  also  fol- 
lowed farming.  James  Martin  was  one  of  a  family  of 
six  children,  viz.:  John  (deceased),  resided  in  Harbor 
Creek;.'\lexander  (deceased),  resided  in  Harbor  Creek; 
Thomas  (deceased),  lived  in  the  West;  James  (de- 
ceased); i\Iargaret,  Mrs.  John  Lindslay;  \'ermont  (de- 
ceased), and  Jane,  Mrs  John  Ciray,  Harbor  Creek. 
James  and  Lavisa  (Garham)  Martin  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  viz.:  Rachael,  Mrs.  J.  Curtis,  Chau- 
tauqua, N.  Y.;  A.  E.;  Robert,  Whitewater,  Wis.;  John 
(deceased),  William  (deceased);  Roland,  Buffalo,  N. 
v.;  Sanderman,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  Lavisa,  Mrs.  Chas. 
Howard,  Corry,  Erie  county,  Pa.  A.  E.  Martin  spent 
his  early  days  in  Harbor  Creek  township  and  received 
a  public  school  education,  and  when  a  youth  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed  about  twelve 
years  later;  he  was  engaged  in  carriagemaking  ten 
years  and  operated  a  cider  mill  five  years.  He  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  North  East  township  in  1873,  and 
IS  one  of  the  succe.ssful  farmers  of  the  locality.  He 
was  married  October  3,  ISIil),  to  Miss  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Andrew  Malick,  of  North  East  townshi]i.  She 
was  born  June  8.  1841,  and  died  November  11),  \>uQ, 
leaving  three  children,  Egbert  and  .Mbert,  twins,  born 
August  2'2,  18tU,  the  former  now  residing  in  North 
East  township,  the  latter  is  deceased,  and  Edith,  horn 
July   IH,  1,S()7,  Mrs.  James   Howard,  of   Harbor  Creek. 

O.  J.  Feltoti,  f.irnier,  postofTice  Ripley,  N.  Y.,  re- 
sides in  the  extreme  northeast  corner  of  Erie  county, 
on  the  shore  of  the  lake  and  not  twenty  rods  fi"om  the 
New  York  State  line.     He  is  a  Hollander  by  birth  and 


was  born  February  25,  1845.  He  is  a  son  of  Benodus 
and  Amelia  (Lictus)  Felton,  both  also  natives  of  Hol- 
land. The  family  emigrated  to  America  when  G.  J. 
was  about  3  years  old  and  settled  on  the  Mohawk,  near 
Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  where  they  remained  for  ten  years. 
They  then  went  to  Clymer,  Chautautiua  county,  N.  Y. 
There  were  four  children  in  the  family,  viz.:  G.  J., 
John;  who  resides  on  the  old  homestead  at  Clymer; 
William,  Westfield,  N.  Y.,  and  Mary,  Mrs.  William 
Luktus,  Clymer.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion all  his  life.  He  died  in  April,  1891,  and  the 
mother  died  in  1883.  G.  J.  Felton  and  his  father 
both  served  in  the  army  during  the  Rebellion.  The 
father  enlisted  in  Co.  E.,  154th  N.  Y.  \' .  I.  He  was 
taken  prisoner  at  Antietam  and  confined  m  Libby  a 
short  time  and  shortly  after  discharged  from  the  serv- 
ice on  account  of  physical  disal)ility.  He  served  two 
years.  G.  J.  Felton  remained  with  his  father  on  the 
farm  until  the  war  broke  out,  when  he  enlisted  in  Co. 
E,  112th  N.  Y.  \.  I.  He  participated  in  the  engage- 
ments at  Cold  Harbor,  Black  Water,  served  on  the 
blockades  at  Charleston  and  along  the  Florida  coast 
and  participated  in  the  action  in  front  of  Petersburg, 
whereon  July  30,  1804,  he  received  a  gunshot  wouniL 
He  was  taken  to  .Staten  Island  Hospital  and  recovered 
in  time  to  be  at  the  battle  of  Fort  Fisher,  and  when 
Lee  surrendered  he  was  detailad  to  hospital  duty  at 
Providence,  and  on  July  30,  1865,  was  discharged  and 
returned  to  Clymer,  where  he  followed  farming  until 
1875,  when  he  bought  his  present  place  of  100  acres. 
Besides  carrying  on  an  extensive  general  farming  he 
has  a  vineyard  of  twenty-five  acres.  Mr.  Felton  was 
married  .April  7,  1865,  to  Miss  Sarah  Galloway,  of  Rip- 
ley, N.  Y.  They  have  eight  children,  viz.:  Mary, 
Frank,  George,  Nellie,  Herbert,  Robert,  Edith  and 
Florence.  He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  K.  O.  T.  .M. 
and  is  a  Republican. 

B.  F.  Crawford,  North  East,  Pa.,  is  a  descendant 
of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Erie  county.  His 
grandfather,  Thomas  Crawford,  was  born  in  Harris- 
burg,  March  27,  1761).  His  fatlier  was  an  officer  in 
Washington's  army.  Thomas  Crawford  married  Polly 
Custard,  also  a  native  of  Harrisburg.  They  were  the 
parents  of  twelve  children,  viz.:  Hugh, +)orn  De- 
cember 3,  1791,  died  in  infancy;  Jane,  born  .Vpril  5, 
1793,  married  a  Mr.  Childs,  of  North  East,  Pa.,  both 
dead;  James,  born  November  17,  171)4;  \\'illiam,  born 
December  24,  1796;  Polly,  born  March  18,  1801,  njar- 
ried  Harry  Rogers,  lived  in  Mill  Creek  township,  both 
dead;  Thomas,  born  |une  13,  1803,  Rose  .Ann,  born 
June  20,  1805  (deceased);  Susan  E.,  born  May  10,  1807, 
(deceased);  Nancy  B.,born  July  19,1810,  married  Miles 
Caughey,  lived  in  Fairview,  and  died  in  1895;  .Sally, 
born  .August  10,  1812,  married  Wm.  Graham,  of  North 
East,  died  .August,  181)5,  and  Robert,  born  May  6, 
1817.  Thomas  Crawford  settled  in  North  East  towi. ship 
with  his  family  about  the  year  1796  on  the  Lake  road, 
near  where  Mr.  Carr  now  lives.  The  Carr  place  wasa 
]>art  of  the  land.  He  bought  about  240  acres  in  that 
vicinity.  He  devoted  his  entire  life  to  farming  and 
although  not  prominent  in  politics,  he  always  voted  the 
Whig  ticket.  He  died  in  18.57.  William  Crawford, 
father  of  B.  F.  Crawford,  was  born  at  North  East,  Pa., 
and  was  their  youngest  child  when  the  family  came  to 
Erie  county.  He  spent  his  entire  life  in  North  East 
township  and  followed  farming.  He  was  at  one  time 
interested  in  a  pail  factory  at  Freeport  and  also  ran  a 


850 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


sawmill  there.  He  lived  near  the  mouth  of  Sixteen- 
mile  creek,  which  is  now  known  as  Orchard  Beach, 
the  home  of  James.  He  married  Xancv,  daughter  of 
AlexT.  and  Rosanna  (McCord)  151aine,'June  '>0,  1820. 
She  was  born  June  21,  1800.  They  reared  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  viz.:  Alexander  B.,  born  Septemt)er 
24,  1821,  died  July  7,  18">8;  Thomas,  born  November  7, 
1822,  North  East;  Rosanna  M.,  horn  April  20,182.5, 
died  .August  1,  184f!;  William  .A.,  born  .August  17, 1827, 
Erie,  Pa.;  Harriet,  born  September  Ki,  1829,  died  May 
29,  1850;  James  M.,  born  December  25,  1831,  died  June 
20,  1857;  Ephriara  \Vm.,  born  October  23,  18*5,  VVar- 
ren.  Pa.;  Benjamin  F.,  born  May  25,  1836;  Joseph  T., 
born  March  30,  1830,  and  Josephine,  twins;  Joseph  died 
October  13,  1840,  and  Josejihine  lives  in  North  East; 
Edwin  J.,  born  May  18, 1842,  died  March  18,  1859.  The 
father  died  August  19,  1850,  on  the  Judd  farm;  and  the 
mother  died  ^lay  21,  1877.  B.  F.  Crawford  spent  his 
early  days  in  North  East  at  the  place  of  his  birth,  and 
when  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  went  to  Sandusky, 
O.,  where  he  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  machinist's 
trade,  and  afterwards  went  to  Kansas  and  in  1858  re- 
turned to  Warren,  ().,  where  he  was  working  at  his 
trade  when  the  war  broke  out.  He  enlisted  Septem- 
berH,  1862,  in  Co.  C,  Ifith  Pa.  Cav.  and  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  During  the  last  year  of  his  service 
he  was  ordnance  .sergeant  of  the  2nd  Cavalry  Div. 
In  18(i7  Mr.  Crawford  went  to  Nebraska,  and  worked 
for  the  L'nion  Pacitic  R.  K.,  until  the  Golden  Spike 
was  driven  and  the  road  opened  to  the  coast.  In  1870, 
he  went  to  Minnesota  and  worked  on  the  "Soo" 
R.  R.  as  passenger  conductor  until  1875,  when  he  re- 
turned to  the  Union  I'acific,  in  the  same  capacity, 
until  1882.  He  then  went  to  Pennsylvania  to  settle 
down,  but  shortly  after  went  to  Winnijieg  on  the 
Canadian  Pacilic  as  conductor,  and  afterward  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul 
R.  R.  in  the  same  capacity,  where  he  remained  until 
1892,  when  he  came  to  North  East,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  farming.  Mr.  Crawford  was  married  De- 
cember 27,  1863,  to  Miss  Emma  Jaehing,  of  Duluth, 
Minn.  She  died  December  9,  1874,  leaving  one  child, 
Emma  J.  He  is  a  member  of  the  O.  R.  C,  and,  al- 
though not  a  nu-mber  of  the  G.  .A.  R.,  usually  .ittends 
the  encampments,  parades,  etc.,  accompanie<i  by  his 
old  comrade,  "  Old  Ned, "  who  has  a  national  reputa- 
tion, and  as  far  as  known  is  the  only  surviving  four- 
legged  veteran  of  the  late  war.  The  horse  is  now 
about  40  years  of  age.  "Ned"  was  captured  from 
Gen.  Jubal  Early's  corps  near  Washington,  by  a  Union 
scouting  party,  thirty-two  years  ago,  and  was  given  to 
his  present  owner  to  replace  an  animal  he  loaned  and 
which  had  been  shot  in  a  skirmish.  -At  the  close  of 
the  war  .Mr.  Crawford  rode  Ned  from  Washington  to 
North  East,  and  he  has  since  been  in  his  possession. 

G.  Will  Butt,  North  East,  Pa.,  is  a  son  of  A.  W. 

Butt,  and  was  horn  November  26,  1850,  on  the  place 
where  his  father  now  resides;  he  was  educated  in  the 
conmion  schools  and  the  North  East  and  Ripley  high 
schools.  At  18  he  left  home  and  engaged  in  clerking 
in  North  East,  where  he  rem;  ined  a  little  over  a  year. 
He  then  went  to  Corry  in  the  same  capacity,  remain- 
ing about  nine  months.  He  then  followed  lumbering 
a  short  time  and  went  to  Rou.seville,  \'enango  county, 
and  engaged  in  the  furniture  business,  running  a 
branch  .store  in  Petersburg  and  one  in  Edenhurg.  In 
1876  he  engaged  in  the  oil  business,  which  he  followed 


until  1880.  In  that  year  he  went  to  Bradford  and  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  nitro-glycerine,  manufac- 
turing about  1,600  pounds  daily.  He  followed  this  for 
four  years,  when  he  returned  to  the  oil  business,  with 
headquarters  in  Warren,  Pa.  In  1892  he  returned  to 
North  Ea.st  and  engaged  in  farming,  which  now  occu- 
pies his  attention.  He  has  a  fine  farm,  well  adaiJted 
to  fruit  and  grape  growing,  situated  about  a  mile  from 
the  borough.  Mr.  Butt  was  married  February  18, 
1874,  to  Nliss  Lily,  daughter  of  H.  R.  Fullerton,  of 
Parker's  Landing,  Armstrong  county,  Pa.  They  have 
three  children,  viz.:  Rose  Harriet,  George  Alonzo 
and  Blanche  Lillian.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  (Blue  Lodge).  He  has  held  several  local  offices 
at  the  different  places  where  he  resided,  and  was  at 
one  time  burgess  of  Petersburg.  Politically  he  has 
always  been  a  Republican. 

C.  B.  Farr,  farmer  and  fruit  raiser.  North  East, 
Pa.,  was  t)orn  in  Bradford,  Pa.,  October  27,  1861,  and 
is  a  son  of  Levi  C.  and  Catherine (Mattison)  Farr.both 
natives  of  Bradford,  Pa.  They  were  parents  of  five 
children,  viz.:  C.  B.;  Milton,  resides  in  West  \'irginia; 
Anna  (deceased),  George  (deceased)  and  Isaac  (de- 
ceased). The  mother  died  .May  10,  1873.  The  father 
followed  the  occupation  of  lumbering  in  his  earlier 
days,  and  during  the  oil  excitement  of  Pennsylvania 
was  in  the  oil  business.  In  1878  he  came  to  North 
East,  and  eight  years  later  went  to  Florida,  and  is  now 
owner  and  projirietor  of  an  orange  grove  in  Hiwassee, 
Orange  county,  Fla.  Levi  C.  Farr  is  a  son  of  George 
Farr,  who  was  born  in  \'ermont  in  18(J6,  and  went  to 
what  is  now  Bradford  with  his  father  in  the  year  1826. 
There  was  not  a  white  settler  in  the  town  or  in  Luna 
X'alley  at  that  time.  Levi  was  the  second  white  male 
child  born  in  that  valley.  Isaac  Farr,  the  pioneer  of 
that  section,  was  born  in  \'ermont  in  1775;  his  parents 
were  natives  of  England.  C.  B.  Farr  had  his  early 
experience  among  the  oil  derricks  of  McKean  cfiunty, 
and  came  to  Erie  county  at  the  age  of  17.  He  pur- 
chased his  present  place  in  1888  from  his  father.  He 
is  engaged  in  fruit  raising  and  gardening,  and  his 
])lace  is  located  about  three  miles  northeast  of  the 
"grape  city."  Mr.  Farr  was  married  .Sei)tember  22, 
1885,  to  Miss  Nettie,  daughter  of  L.  P.  and  Louisa 
(X'ermilyae)  Merihew,  of  North  F^ast  town.ship.  They 
have  one  child,  Noel  Clifton.  Mr.  Farr  is  a  member 
of  the  Jr.  O.  U.  A.  M. 

Joseph  Rhodes,  postoffice  Northville,  Pa.,  rail- 
road station  State  Line,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Rhodes  is  a  native 
of  New  Jersey,  and  was  born  November  1,  1828.  He 
is  a  .son  of  George  and  .Annie  (\'anderhoff)  Rhodes. 
The  father  was  born  September  13,  1797,  in  New  Jer- 
sey, and  the  mother  July  11,  1798.  The  father  was  a 
blacksmith  and  wagonmaker  by  trade,  and  came  to 
Genoa,  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  at  an  early  date.  He 
was  an  excellent  workman,  and  noted  throughout  cen- 
tral New  York  State  for  the  perfection  of  his  forged 
fish-hooks.  He  followed  his  trade  at  Genoa,  N.  Y., 
and  several  years  at  Rhodesport,  and  was  next  en- 
gaged in  boating  and  boat  building  for  several  years. 
About  1842  the  family  removed  to  Corning,  N.  Y.,  and 
about  the  time  they  moved  he  caught  a  severe  cold 
through  exposure  on  Lake  Seneca,  and  went  to  Cor- 
ning, where  he  died  June  24, 1842.  His  wife  died  Feb- 
auary  10,  1881.  They  reared  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren:    Lucetta,   borti    September   1,   1818,   and    died 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


851 


March  20,  1840;  Hattie  Caroline,  born  Xoveniber  12, 
1824,  now  Mrs.  Robert  Clark,  Corning,  X.  Y.;  Catherine 
Maria,  born  Xoveniber  80, 1828,  married  Alonzo  Buck- 
ley, and  resides  in  the  West;  Hosea,  born  April  28, 
1831,  Olean,  X.  Y.;  John,  born  August  3,  18:33,  lives  in 
Chicago;  Lydia  Samantha,  born  September  13,  1837, 
died  September  T,  1847;  and  Rachael  Ann,  born  Xo- 
veniber 23,  1839,  died  October  23,  1840.  Joseph 
Rhodes  came  to  X'ew  York  State  with  his  parents 
when  he  was  1  year  old.  He  showed  a  talent  for  me- 
chanical work  ever  since  he  was  a  child,  and  when  a 
youth  naturally  and  easily  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  followed  this  occupation  as  a  railroad  car- 
penter for  several  years,  with  his  home  at  Corning. 
In  1875  he  bought  one-half  interest  in  the  cider  and 
vinegar  factory  which  he  now  owns.  It  is  situated  on 
the  Buffalo  road,  near  .State  Line.  In  1877  he  bought 
the  entire  concern,  and  since  then  has  been  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  cider,  vinegar  and  unfermented 
grape  cider.  He  manufactures  about  80,000  gallons 
of  vinegar  per  year.  Mr.  Rhodes  was  married  first  at 
Akron,  O.,  March  21,  1853,  to  Miss  Sarah  Townsend, 
of  Akron,  O.  She  died  January  16,  1889,  leaving  one 
child,  Marcus,  who  now  resides  at  Dayton,  X.  Y.  Mr. 
Rhodes  was  again  married  July  23,  1890,  to  Miss  Har- 
riet Baker.  Sir.  Rhodes  is  a  member  of  the  State 
Police,  and  politically  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  Rhodes' 
great-greatgrandfather,  Joseph  Rhodes,  lived  and  died 
in  Horton,  Yorkshire,  England.  His  son,  Charles 
Rhodes,  when  a  lad  of  17  years,  was  seized  by  a  press 
gang,  while  attending  school  in  a  seaport  town,  with 
his  school  books  in  his  hand,  put  on  board  a  man-of- 
war,  and  it  was  three  years  before  he  finally  e.scaped, 
while  the  vessel  was  at  anchor  in  Xew  York  harbor. 
He  found  a  position  as  a  school  teacher  in  Freehold, 
X.  J.,  where  4ie  was  married  on  the  6th  of  August, 
1750,  to  .Alice  Van  Kirk.  He  was  a  farmer  during  the 
Revolution,  and  the  British  took  possession  of  his 
farm.  Later  he  conducted  a  hotel,  built  a  gristmill, 
sawmill  and  distillery.  He  was  for  a  long  time 
county  clerk  of  Sussex  county,  holding  the  office  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  made  a  trip  to  England  to 
secure  property  left  him  by  his  father.  George 
Rhodes,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  the  third  child 
of  Joseph  Rhodes,  above  mentioned,  by  his  second 
wife,  Catherine  Wintermate. 

Jacob  Chefferle,  fruit  grower,  Xorth  East,  Pa., 
was  a  veteran  in  the  late  war,  is  a  native  of  .Switzer- 
land, and  was  horn  March  16,  1831.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  land,  and  when  21  years  of 
age  came  to  .America,  settling  in  Boston,  Erie  county, 
X.  Y.,  where  he  reniaineil  until  the  breaking  out  of 
the  rebellion,  when  he  enlisted  in  Co.  F,  116th  X.  Y. 
\'.  I.  At  Plain  Stone,  near  Ft.  Hudson,  May  21,  1863, 
which  was  the  first  engagement  in  which  he  partici- 
pated, he  received  wounds  which  disabled  him  from 
further  military  service.  He  lost  the  four  fingers  of  his 
left  hand  and  at  the  same  time  was  pierced  through 
the  right  wrist  by  a  musket  ball.  After  recovering 
sufficiently  to  leave  the  hospital  he  returned  to  his 
former  home  in  Xew  York  State.  Shortly  afterwards  he 
came  to  Xorth  East  and  engaged  in  farming  between 
Freeport  and  Xorth  East,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  is  chiefly  engaged  in  fruit  raising.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1856' to  Miss  Kate  Meehl,  of  Xew  ^■ork  State. 
They  have  nine  children,  viz.:  Lizzie,  John,  Hattie, 
Henry,  Frank,  Julius,  Charles,  Emma  and  Lewis.     He 


is  a  member  of  the  G.  X.  R.,  and  politically  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

E.  A.  Hart,  Xorth  East,  Pa.,  was  born  August  27, 
1837,  in  Xorth  East  township.  He  is  a  son  of  Edmund 
and  Mahala  (Jones)  Hart;  the  former  was  a  native  of 
Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  descendant  of  one 
of  the  early  pioneer  families.  Edmund  Hart  settled 
m  Xorth  East  township  about  1835,  and  bought  some 
sixty-three  acres  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southeast  of 
the  borough.  He  cleared  this  land,  and  followed 
farming  there  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  This 
is  where  E.  A.  was  born,  and  where  he  now  resides, 
although  his  present  farm  contains  nearly  twice  as 
much  land  as  was  originally  purchased  by  his  father. 
Edmund  and  Mahala  (Jones)  Hart  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  viz.:  E.  A.,  L.  C,  Xorth  East;  John 
H.,  Central  City,  Xeb.;  Dora  M.,  Mrs.  Robert  Thayer, 
Xorth  East,  widow;  Emma  T.,  Mrs.  Charles  Roth'ers, 
Pasadena,  Cal.,  and  Ida  V.,  Mrs.  James  Loucks, 
Pasadena,  Cal.  The  father  died  in  1893,  aged  82 
years,  and  the  mother  now  resides  in  X'orth  East 
borough.  E.  A.  Hart  has  always  been  engaged  in 
farming  in  Xorth  East  township,  except  one  year  he 
spent  in  the  oil  country.  He  was  united  in  rnarriage 
June  10,  1862,  to  Miss  Lydia  Fairchild,  of  Poughkeep- 
sie,  X.  Y.  They  have  three  children,  viz.:  Eva,  Mrs. 
George  Youngs,  Xorth  East  township;  \V.  S.  and 
Charles  A.  .Mr.  Hart  is  the  present  constable  of 
Xorth  East  township,  and  has  held  several  local 
offices,  having  been  school  director  nine  years.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  Republican. 

Charles  Wilks,  farmer,  Xorth  East,  Pa.,  resides 
about  three  miles  southeast  of  the  borough,  is  a  native 
of  Mechlenberg,  Germany,  and  was  born  .August  17, 
1820.  His  parents  were  John  and  Mary  (Holnagel) 
Wilks,  both  of  whom  spent  their  lives  in  Germany. 
Charles  Wilks  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
land,  where  he  followed  farming  until  he  was  36  years 
old,  when  he  emigrated  to  America,  locating  for  a 
short  time  in  Silver  Creek,  X.  Y.  In  1857  he  settled 
in  Xorth  East  township,  and  two  or  three  years  later 
purchased  his  pre.sent  place.  He  was  married  in  1844 
to  Miss  Sophia,  daughter  of  Christopher  Shultz,  a 
native  of  Germany.  They  reared  a  familv  of  five 
children,  viz.:  P.  C.,  Xorth  East;  Mary.  Mrs.  Homer 
Adkins,  Xorth  East;  Charles  V.,  Xorth  East;  .Minnie, 
Mrs.  Frank  Luth,  PainesviUe,  O.,  and  Albert  F.,  who 
resides  with  his  father,  and  has  an  adjoining  farm, 
working  in  partnership.  He  was  born  January  26, 
1863,  and  has  alway:  devoted  his  attention  to  farming. 
He  was  married  March  26,  1885,  to  Miss  Marv,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  Gruel,  of  Xorth  East  township.  They 
have  three  children,  viz.:  Walter  W.,  Frank  C.  and 
Burt  H. 

Benson  Bingham,  Xorth  East,  Pa.,  is  one  of  Erie 
county's  rei)resentative  farmers.  He  was  born  Au- 
gu.st  3,  1830,  at  Barton,  Steuben  county,  X.  Y'.,  and  is 
a  son  of  Johnathan  and  Mary  (Ben.soni'Binghani,  both 
natives  of  Steuben  county,  Xew  York.  The  Bingham 
f.imily  are  among  the  pioneers  of  this  countv.  The 
city  of  Binghamton,  X.  Y.,  received  its  name  from  this 
family,  of  whom  there  are  a  great  many  representa- 
tives in  New  York  State.  Johnathan  Bingham  was 
born  in  1796,  and  followed  farming  in  the  State  of  Xew 
York  until  1848,  when  he  settled  in    Xorth  East  town- 


852 


yjSLSOJTS  BIOGRAPHICAL  BICTIONART 


ship,  near  the  Xorth  East  cemetery.  In  1857  he  sold 
out  to  his  sons,  went  to  Fairfax,  Va.,  and  bought  an 
extensive  |)lantation  where  he  was  engaged  in  fann- 
ing at  the  lireaking  out  of  the  war.  As  he  was  a  loyal 
Northerner  his  plantation  was  devastated  by  the  Refiel 
army.  They  burned  his  fences  and  buildings  and  de- 
stroyed anil  confiscated  his  stock  and  produce.  Al- 
though a  man  of  nearly  70  years,  he  was  taken  to  Libby 
prison  by  the  Confederates,  but  was  shortly  after  re- 
leased. He  then  came  to  Erie  county  and  resided  in 
Corry  a  short  time,  when  he  went  to  live  in  Washing- 
ton, I).  C,  where  he  spent  nearly  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  died  in  Philadelphia.  His  wife  died  in  1870. 
They  were  the  jiarents  of  seven  children,  viz.:  Maria, 
Mrs.  Hampton  Phillips,  Chautaucpia  county,  Xew 
York;  Benson  and  Wesley,  North  East;  Franklin,  \'ine- 
land,  X.  J., and  Mariette,Mrs.  \ .  H.  Bennett, Wattsburg, 
Pa.  Mr.  Benson  Bingham  was  educated  in  the  pul)lic 
schools  of  Xorth  East  townshi]i,  and  has  always  made 
farming  his  occujiation.  He  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  8.")  acres  in  1872.  It  is  located  about  two  and 
one-half  miles  southeast  of  the  borough.  He  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  fruit  raising,  having  a 
vineyard  of  over  12  acres.  Mr.  Bingham  has  been 
twice  married,  first  March  fi,  IBtiO  to  Miss  Emma 
Poole,  of  Xorth  East.  She  died  in  1879,  leaving  four 
children,  viz.:  Harriet,  Mrs.  John  Bagley,  Xorth 
East;  F'ranklin,  traveling  salesman,  Xorth  East; 
F^rederick,  at  home,  and  John  P.,.clerk,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
Mr.  Bingham  was  married  on  the  second  occasion  to 
Miss  Emma  Stetson,  of  Xorth  East.  He  served  two 
terms  as  commissioner  of  Xorth  East  township,  and 
politically  is  a  Democrat. 

C.  B.  Archer,  Xorth  East,  Pa.,  is  not  only  one  of 
the  extensive  fruit  producers  of  Xorth  East  township, 
but  is  a  very  extensive  dealer.  He  has  a  large  fruit 
farm  located  about  three  miles  east  of  the  borough, 
where  cultivates  one  of  the  finest  vineyards  in  Erie 
county.  Mr.  Archer  was  born  at  Ripley,  X.  \ .,  July 
24,  1848.  His  parents  are  John  G.  and  Aurilla 
(  Inman  )  Archer,  the  former  a  native  of  Washington, 
county,  Xew  York,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
four  of  whom  are  livmg:  Caroline,  married  Frank 
Ludlow,  of  Ripley,  X.  Y.;  Fred  B.,  Xorth  ICast,  Pa.;  C. 
B.,  Henry,  Ri|)ley,  X.  Y.  John  G.  .-Xrcher,  father  of 
C.  B.,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  late  rebellion. 
He  served  in  Co.  E,  112th  X.  Y.  \ .  I.,  and  was  over 
fifty  years  of  age  when  he  entered  the  service.  He 
died  July  h.  1879.  His  wife  now  resides  at  Ripley, 
N.  Y.  C.  B.  .'\rcher  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  New  York,  and  in  1870  came  to  Erie  county 
and  bought  a  farm  in  Greenfield  township  and  in  1878 
bought  his  ])resent  place  in  Xorth  ICast.  Mr.  .Archer 
was  married  March  81,  18()9,  to  Miss  Henrietta  Baird, 
a  descendant  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Xorth 
East  township.  They  have  three  children:  Frank, 
Effie  and  Burt. 

L.  G.  Youngs,  nurseryman,  Xorth  East  town.ship, 
Pennsylvania,  born  in  the  township  where  he  now  re- 
sides December  18,  1858,  is  a  .son  of  Sears  and  |ane 
(Harper)  Youngs.  He  was  reared  in  Xorth  East 
township  and  educated  in  the  public  schools,  the 
Lake  Shore  Seminary,  Xorth  East,  and  the  Elyria 
Academy,  Elyria,  O.  He  taught  school  several  years, 
mostly  in  the  State  of  Ohio.   He  at  one  time  was  the 


principal  of  the  Grafton  Academy,  Grafton,  Ohio.  In 
1888  he  was  appointed  postal  clerk  and  worked  on 
the  Chicago,  Xew  York  R.  P.  O.  Div.  of  the  railway 
mail  service  until  1890.  He  then  resigned  his  position 
in  the  mail  service  and  has  since  devoted  his  attention 
to  his  present  place,  which  he  had  i)reviouslv  pur- 
chased. He  is  very  extensively  engaged  in  fruit  rais- 
ing, besides  having-one  of  the  finest  nurseries  along 
the  Lake  Shore.  His  place  is  located  about  three 
miles  from  the  borough  of  Xorth  East  anil  one-half  mile 
south  of  the  Xickel  Plate  .station.  Stale  Line.  Mr. 
Youngs  was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Covey, 
of  Xorth  East.  To  this  union  were  born  four  children: 
.Arthur  F.,  Leonard  X.,  Alfred  J.,  and  Anna  M.  Mrs. 
Youngs  departed  this  life  January  26,  1892,  and  he  was 
again  married  July  4,  1894.  to  Mi.ss  Celia  Dowman  of 
Girard.  Mr.  Youngs  is  a  member  of  the  .\.  O.  V.  W.. 
the  1.  O.  ().  F.  and  is  a  jirominent  Erie  county  Demo- 
crat. 

M.  D.  Newtoa,  Xorth  East,  was  born  on  the  place 
where  he  now  resides,  January  18,  18fil,  and  is  a  .son  of 
John  L.  and  Harriett  (Welchi  Xewton,  i)ioneers  of 
Erie  county.  The  mother  now  resides  in  Xorth  ICast 
borough,  and  the  father  died  October  18,  1892.  J.  L. 
Xewton  (deceased)  was  born  in  1880  in  Oswego,  X.  Y., 
son  of  Elias  and  Laura  Ann  (Gay)  Xewton,  both  na- 
tives of  Xew  York.  They  moved  to  Xorth  East  when 
J.  L.  was  fi  years  old.  Their  children  were:  Warren, 
Julia,  William,  Eveline  (all  deceased)  and  J.  L.  A  sis- 
ter and  two  brothers  died  young.  J.  L.  was  the  last 
survivor  of  the  children,  having  spent  his  life  in  the 
township  and  followed  farming.  He  was  married 
.April  19,  1 8.%,  to  Miss  Harriet  Welch,  of  Onondaga 
county,  Xew  York;  they  had  three  children:  Loran  E. 
(deceased),  Munroe  D.  and  U.  G.  Mr.'J.  L.  Xewton 
held  several  political  offices,  was  road  commissioner, 
school  director  and  assessor.  He  w-as  a  staunch  Re- 
jiublican.  M.  D.  Xewton  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Xorth  I^ast  town.ship,  and  has  always  made  farm- 
ing his  chief  occupation.  He  now  resiiies  on  the  old 
homestead,  which  contains  eighty-seven  acres.  He 
owns  another  farm  of  seventy-seven  acres  in  the  town- 
ship. Mr.  Xewton  is  very  extensively  engaged  in 
fruit  raising  and  has  a  large  and  productive  vineyard. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  March  25,  1885,  to  Miss 
Sophia  Senger,  of  Xorth  East.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren: William  John,  Bertha  M.,  Orpha  Delo.ss  and 
George  Harrison.  Mr.  Xewton  is  one  of  the  school 
directors  of  Xorth  East  township  and  is  a  Republican. 

G.  L.  YOHWgs,  farmer  and  fruit  grower,  Xorth 
East,  Pa.,  is  a  son  of  Sears  L.  Youngs,  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  this  section,  and  was  born  July  19,  1841,  in 
Xorth  East  town.shiji,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
spent  his  life  on  his  father's  farm,  and  in  1875  pur- 
chased his  present  place,  where  he  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  farming,  but  during  the  last  few  years  he  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  fruit  growing.  He  raises  all 
kinds  of  fruit  and  has  a  fine  vineyard  of  ten  acres. 
Mr.  Youngs  was  married  April  8, 1861,  to  Miss  \'ioletta 
Amanda  Thompson,  of  Tidioute,  Warren  county. 
They  have  two  children,  George  and  Leroy,  both  re- 
siding in  Xorth  East  township.  Mr.  Youngs  is  one  of 
the  successful  farmers  of  Flrie  county  and  has  many 
friends  in  the  conmiunity. 

F.  B.  Archer,  Xorth  East  township,  postoffice 
Ripley,  X.  Y.,  was  born  in  Ripley,  X.  Y.,  .May  7,  1838, 


^^'^4/^   yr^^i^ 


AND  HI8T0RIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


853 


and  is  a  son  of  John  G.  and  Aurilla  (Yuman)  Archer, 
the  former  a  native  of  Whitehall,  N.  Y.  (deceased), 
and  the  latter  of  Ripley,  \.  Y.  The  mother  now  re- 
sides at  Ripley,  X.  Y.  John  G.  Archer  was  a  son  of 
Valentine  Archer,  whose  father  was  a  native  of  Nova 
Scotia,  and  a  pjioneer  of  western  Xew  York.  F.  B. 
Archer  is  one  of  a  family  of  four  children:  Caroline, 
Mrs.  Frank  Luellow,  of  Ripley;  Y.  B.,  Charles,  of 
North  East,  and  Henry,  Ripley,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Archer 
spent  his  boyhood  days  in  Ri]>ley  Hill,  and  received  a 
common  school  education.  He  has  always  followed 
farming,  except  when  a  soldier.  In  Sei>tember,  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  comiiany  E,  154th  N.  \.  \'.  1.  He 
served  in  the  battles  of  Frederickburg  and  Chan- 
ceilorsviUe  and  several  minor  engagements.  At 
Chancellorsville  he  was  wounded — a  minie  ball  passed 
thrt)ugh  his  right  breast  and  his  right  arm  and 
shoulder.  After  spending  about  six  months  in  the 
Grace  Church  Hospital  at  Alexandria,  \a.,  he  served 
in  the  invalid's  corjis  a  short  time,  when  he  was 
discharged  and  returned  to  the  <|uiet  of  the  farm.  In 
1886  he  came  to  North  East  township  and  bought  his 
present  place,  where  he  is  chiefly  engaged  in  fruit 
raising.  Mr.  Archer  has  been  twice  married.  <")n  the 
hr.st  occasion  April  fi,  1858,  to  Sarah  Brownell,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children:  Emma,  Mrs.  Will  Luke, 
Corry,  Pa.;  Frances,  Mrs.Truman  Witherrell,  Gowanda, 
N.  Y.;  Ermine,  Mrs.  George  Getzelmer,  Gowanda,  N. 
Y.;  Grant,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  Leon,  at  home.  He  was 
married  on  the  second  occasion  to  Fannie  Hutchins, 
of  Westfield,  N.  Y.  Politically  Mr.  Archer  is  a  staunch 
Republican. 

E.  S.  OrtOM,  North  Fast,  an  extensive  fruitgrower 
of  the  garden  township  of  Erie  county,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 29,  1831,  in  the  township  where  he  now  resides, 
a  short  distance  south  of  State  Line  .Station  of  the 
Nickel  Plate  R.  R.  He  is  a  son  of  Edmund  and 
Amanda  (Camp)  (Irton.  Edmund  Orton  was  a  native 
of  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  came  as  far  west  as  North 
East  on  foot,  May  8,  1815;  the  next  fall  he  returned  on 
foot  to  Durham,  Conn.  The  same  w-inter  he  returned 
to  North  East  with  an  ox  team,  and  in  the  fall  of  1818 
returned  to  Connecticut,  where  he  was  married  to 
Amanda  Camp,  came  back  to  North  East  the  latter 
part  of  the  winter  and  bought  a  place,  of  which  they 
now  own  a  piortion.  The  father  made  farming  his 
chief  occupation,  and  died  June  2(1,  1870,  aged  84  years. 
His  wife  died  August  14,  18;W,  They  were  the  parents 
of  six  children:  Maria  A.  married  Lewis  Colton,  who 
died  in  1894,  at  Elk  Grove,  Cal.;  Sarah,  Mrs.  G.  M. 
Belknapp  (deceased),  Nfirth  East;  Elvira  (decea.sed); 
E.  S.,  Mary,  Mrs.  L.  G.  Baldwin  (deceased),  of  West 
Granville,  Mass.,  and  L.  M.,  North  East.  E.  S.  Orton 
is  a  <lescendant  of  the  seventh  generation  of  Thomas 
Orton,  who  was  burn  in  England  in  lfil8,  and  emigrated 
to  .America  about  1540,  settling  in  Windsor,  Conn.,  in 
1H41,  and  soon  after  removed  to  Farmington,  Conn. 
The  line  of  descent  is  Thomas  (lOlS),  lohn  (1647), 
Samuel  (l(i94), Samuel  (1724),Samuel(1759)'to  Edmund, 
the  father  of  E.  S.  E.  S.  Orton  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  North  East  township,  and  has  made  farming  his 
main  occupation,  and  within  the  last  few  years  has  been 
devoting  his  attention  to  fruit  raising,  and  now  his  farm 
of  over  ninety  acres  is  all  devoted  to  [iroducing  various 
kinds  of  fruit.  Mr.  Orton  was  married  March  22, 1862, 
to  .Miss  Mary  E.  Bell,  of  Sherman,  N.  Y.  They  have 
three  children:  Carrie,  Mrs.  Jasper  Peters,  North  East; 


E.  A.,  married  Miss  Jennie  Peters,  of  North  East, 
March  1,  1893.  They  have  three  children:  Carrie  B., 
Edward  A.  and  Joseph  W. 

John  (i.  Rose,  farmer,  Kearsarge,  Erie  county, 
Pa.,  was  born  June  20,  1836,  son  of  Jacob  and  Christina 
(Paner)  Rose.  Jacob  Rose  came  to  America  from 
Germany  in  the  year  1842,  bringing  John  with  him, 
and  settled  in  Summit  township.  He  married  Chris- 
tina, daughter  of  Mr.  Faner,  and  reared  a  family  of 
six  children,  as  follows:  Christina,  Jacob  (deceased), 
Fred,  Christ,  George  and  John  G.,  who  married  Sarah, 
daughter  of  John  Hammer,  of  McKean  township. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  six  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Charley,  Rosanna,  wife  of  Henry  Hosback, 
McKean  township;  John,  David,  Etta  and  Sarah. 
Mrs.  Rose  died  May  24,  1894,  aged  51  years.  John  G. 
Rose  settled  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  .A.  O.  L'.  W.,  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Evangelical  Church.  Mr.  Rose  started  in  life  a 
poor  man,  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  seventy-five  acres, 
where  he  resides. 

Joseph  Runser,  farmer,  Kearsarge,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  was  born  September  6,  1824,  in  Hessingen,  Ger- 
many, son  of  C.  E.  Runser,  of  Hessingen,  Germany. 
He  died  on  the  ocean.  G.  E.  Runser  married  Rosanna 
Frey  in  Germany,  and  the  union  has  been  blessed 
with  a  large  family  of  chihiren.  as  follows:  Katie 
(deceased),  Cecilia,  wife  of  F.  l_)uttlinger  (deceased); 
Margurett  (deceased);  Peter  (deceased);  Joseph,  living 
in  Suini^iit  township.  Joseph  Runser  was  married  to 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Frank  Spade,  of  Greene 
township,  Augu.st  9,  1847.  To  this  union  was  born  a 
family  of  eight  chiWren:  F.  Joseph  (deceased); 
George  C,  living  in  Erie;  Peter,  living  in  Meadville, 
Pa.;  NIary  E.,  wife  of  \'alentine  Baker,  of  Summit 
townshi|i:  Josephine  (deceased);  Crecensia  wife  of  Con- 
rad Wigand,  of  Erie;  .Scholasta,  wife  of  1.  Flickinger, 
of  Jamestown,  N.  Y.;  and  Helen  (deceased),  ^lrs. 
Runser  died  at  the  age  of  53.  In  1872  Mr.  Runser 
married,  for  his  second  wife.  Carry,  daughter  of  J.  J. 
Sens,  of  Germany.  Jtiseph  Runser,  who  came  here 
from  Germany  in  1832.  settled  in  Summit  township  on 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  He  .started  in  life 
without  assistance  and  by  his  industry  and  thrift  has 
acquired  a  farmof  sixty  acres,  well  adapted  for  farming 
He  is  a  member  of  the  St.  Jose|)h  Church,  of  Erie. 

Henry  Eggers,  farmer,  Kearsarge,  Erie  county, 
I'a..  was  liorn  in  Hanover,  Germany,  December  2, 
1847,  and  is  of  (German  ancestry.  He  emigrated  to 
America  September  16,  1871,  and  settled  in  Erie 
county,  where  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Jo.seph 
Runser,  of  Summit  township,  in  1877.  Four  children 
have  been  born  to  them:  Albert  (deceased),  Carrie, 
Lena  and  Clara.  Henry  Eggers  has  two  brothers  and 
a  sister,  .Augusta,  living  on  a  farm  in  Summit  town- 
ship, and  a  brother  and  sister  (Louisa)  decea.sed.  He 
atten<ls  St.  Francis'  Church,  of  McKean.  an<i  is  one  of 
the  active  and  practical  farmers  vi  his  neighborhood. 

Frederick  Moore,  farmer,  Kearsarge,Erie  county. 
Pa.,  born  December  31,  181^7,  is  a  son  of  George  Moore, 
who  came  from  Pru.ssia  and  settled  in  .Mlegheny 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1840.  Later,  in  1861,  he 
moved  into  Beaver  county,  where  he  died  November 
13,  1881,  at  the  advanced  age  of  72.    George  Moore 


S54 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


was  the  father  of  seven  children:  I'rederick,  living 
in  Summit  township;  Mary,  wife  of  John  Chisler,  of 
Allegheny,  Pa.,  living  in  Pittsburg;  Katie,  wife  of 
Michael  McGuire,  of  lieaver  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  George  (deceased).  Frederick  Moore  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  .Michael  Minick,  .Seiitemher 
22,  \m2,  at  .-Mlegheny,  Pa.  Mrs.  Minick  was  formerly 
Catherine  Spencer,  of  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania. 
-Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Frederick  Moore  are  the  parents  of 
eleven  children:  Joseph,  living  in  Pittsburg;  .Anna, 
Maggie,  Charley,  George,  John,  Edward,  Andrew, 
Aloyses,  Minnie  and  Paul.  Mr.  Frederick  Moore  is 
the  owner  of  two  large  farms,  one  situated  in  Beaver 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  other  in  .Summit  town- 
ship, Erie  county.  Pa.  He  started  in  life,  in  1862,  in 
Beaver  county,  where  he  resided  until  1K94,  when  he 
moved  to  Summit  townshii),  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  in  politics  he  has  always 
been  a  Democrat. 

Eraest  Nick,  of  Kearsarge,  Erie  county.  Pa., 
one  of  Summit  township's  enterprising  and  prosper- 
ous farmers,  was  born  April  16,  1838,  in  the  city  of 
Ksslingen,  \Vurtemberg,  Germany,  son  of  C.  \V.  Nick, 
a  German  military  officer,  who  married  Sophia  .Stad- 
nnind  in  1818.  They  reared  a  family  of  six  children, 
as  follows:  William,  of  Erie;  Frederick  (deceased) 
was  mayor  of  the  city  of  Esslinger,  (lermany,  for 
twenty  years;  Sojjhie,  wife  of  J.  J.  Schmitten,  of 
Sabulla,  la.;  Ernest,  Caroline,  wife  of  Charles  Fuchs, 
of  Erie,  and  Charles  (deceased).  Ernest  Nick  mar- 
ried Mary,  daughter  of  John  iM.  Veit,  of  Summit 
township,  September  22,  18r)9,  who  married  Margur- 
etta  Knodle.  of  the  town  of  Horrpeim,  Wurteniliurg, 
Germany,  the  latter  living  to  the  advanced  age  of  8;>. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nick  reared  a  large  family  of  children: 
Charles  \V.,  of  Erie;  John  H.,  of  Sumiiiit  township; 
Clara,  Emma,  wife  of  Samuel  Beckman,  of  Erie; 
Ernest  Gustave,  of  Erie;  Minnie  and  Bertha.  Ernest 
Nick,  located  in  the  city  of  Erie  in  1852,  making  his 
home  there  for  thirty  years,  and  moving  to  Summit 
townshi])  in  IWIl,  where  he  has  since  resided  on  a  farm 
of  seventy  acres.  .Mr.  Nick  has  been  \-ery  successful, 
in  a  business  way,  and  has  been  tax  collector  of  Sum- 
mit township  for  two  years. 

Fernando  Waldinger,  farmer,  Kearsarge,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  lii.rii  November  20,  1841,  in  Kheinbaiern, 
Germany,  son  of  Jose|)h  Waldinger  (decea.sed),  of  Ger- 
many, who  married  Margaretha,  daughter  of  John  A. 
Ziehl,  of  Germany.  To  this  union  were  horn  hve 
children,  as  follows:  I*" rank,  living  in  Erie;  .Augu.st  1st 
(deceased!,  -Anton,  living  in  Summit  townsliip;  Fer- 
nando, and  .August  2d  ((leceased).  Fernando  Wald- 
inger married  Svbilla,  daughter  of  John  j.  and  Barbara 
Wolf,  of  Erii'  (both  deceased),  October  27,  18(58.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  eleven  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Mary  B.,  born  .August  16,  1869,  married  Chris- 
tian Dahlkemper  of  Summit  township,  .April  21,  1891; 
Josejih,  living  at  home,  born  August  6,  1871 ;  Edward 
J.,  born  .August  23,  XtiTi;  Bertha,  born  June  20,  1M7.'); 
Frank  H.,  born  .May  14,  1877;  Emma  Mi,  born  May  14, 
1879;  Ida  F.,  born  March  26.  1881;  lohn.born  January 
27,  1883;  Fernando,  jr.,  born  April  20,  \><i<rr,  Clara  A., 
born  August  4,  1887;  and  Louisa  M.,  born  July  21, 
1889.  Fernando  Waldinger  came  to  America  from 
Germany  in  the  year  1866,  and  settled  in  Erie  county. 


By  his  individual  effort  alone  he  has  since  become  the 
possessor  of  a  farm  of  112  acres  in  Summit  township, 
where  he  resides,  six  miles  from  Erie,  and  also  owns 
25  acres  in  Mill  Creek  township.  In  politics  Mr. 
Waldinger  is  a  Democrat.  The  family  are  members 
of  .St.  Joseph's  Church  of  Erie. 

C.  E.  Dahlkemper,  farmer,  Kearsarge,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  born  in  \Vestphalia,  Clermany,  December 
22,  1860,  son  of  Staffen  Dahlkemper,  of  Germanv.  who 
was  united  in  marriage  in  18.");)  with  Miss  Katie  Buckle, 
daughter  of  Frederick  Buckle,  of  Westphalia,  Ger- 
many, a  highly  respected  citizen  in  his  native  town. 
This  union  has  t)een  blessed  by  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren: Barnett  (deceased),  Anna,  wife  of  Henry  Bicker, 
of  Germany;  Kate  (deceased),  Gerrold,  living  in  Ger- 
many; C.  E.,  Mary  (deceased),  Teresa,  Lizzie,  Will- 
iam, living  in  .Summit  township;  Joseph,  living  in  Ger- 
many; Henry,  living  in  Germany.  C.  E.  Dahlkemper 
was  united  in  marriage  April  21,  1891,  to  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Ferdinand  Waldinger,  of  Summit  township, 
whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  To  this 
union  have  been  born  two  children.  Bertha  and  Will- 
iam. The  family  are  all  members  of  St.  Joseiih's 
Church  of  Erie.  Mr.  Dahlkem])er  is  a  member  of  the 
.A.  O.  L'.  W.,  of  Erie,  where  he  first  lived  after  coming 
from  Germany  in  1882.  Four  years  later  he  moved  to 
Summit  township,  where  he  has  since  resided,  and 
where  he  owns  a  farm  of  sixty  acres,  situated  on  the 
Waterford  and  Erie  road,  six  miles  from  the  latter 
city. 

William  Dahlkemper,  fariiur,  Kearsarge,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Westphalia,  Germanv,  De- 
cember 24,  18(i4,  son  of  Staffen  and  Kate  (Buckle) 
Dahlkemper,  of  (lermany,  where  Mr.  Dahlkemper  still 
resides,  a  respected  citizen  of  W(-sphalia.  Mr.  Dahl- 
kemper was  a  carpenter  and  contractor  and  was  still 
living  (in  189.'))  at  the  age  of  76.  He  was  the  father  of 
a  large  family  of  children  (see  brother's  sketch).  Will- 
iam Dahlkemper  was  united  in  marriage  April  18, 
188:-!,  to  .Anna,  daughter  of  John  A.  Taller,  of  Erie,  and 
is  the  second  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  as  follows: 
Kate,  .Anna,  Eumia,  Mary,  Francis,  Josephine,  Teresa, 
Rosa,  Polly  and  .Anthony.  William  Dahlkemper  came 
to  .America  from  Germany  in  1X84,  and  l)y  strict  atten- 
tion to  business  now  owns  a  line  farm  of  ninety  acres 
with  good  l)uil<iings,  five  and  one-half  miles  from  Erie. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dahlkemper  are  members  of  St.  John's 
Church  of  Erie. 

Patrick  Lynch,  farmer,  Kearsarge,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  born  in  ( lliio,  .April  7,  1840.  son  of  James  and  Mary 
( Bohani)  Lynch.  James  Lynch  was  born  in  Ireland, 
came  to  America  in  1836  and  settled  in  .Summit  town- 
shi]i,  where  Patrick  now  resides.  He  was  the  father  of 
eight  children:  James,  living  in  New  York  city;  Pat- 
rick, Michael  (deceased),  John  (deceased),  .Archibald, 
living  near  Pitt.shurg;  Martin  (decea.sed);  Mary,  wife 
of  (jeorge  Herman,  of  .Summit  township,  and  Bridget. 
Patrick  Lynch  was  married  in  July,  1864,  to  .Mary, 
daughter  of  Frank  Ward,  of  Erie.  This  union  has 
been  blessed  with  a  large  family  of  children,  as  fol- 
lows: James,  of  Harbor  Creek  townshi]);  Julia  A.,  wife 
of  .Simon  Gilbert,  of  Croton,  N.  V.;  Frank,  living  in 
Croton,  N.  Y.;  Mary,  wife  of  Charles  Kent,  of  Greene 
township;  Archibald  L.,  living  in  Erie;  John,  living  at 
home;  Nellie,  Patrick,  jr.,  Patrick  (deceased),  Michael, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


855 


jr.,  Michael,  sr.,  and  Gertrude.  Patrick  Lynch  started 
in  life  in  \'enango  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1864,  and 
lived  there  one  year;  he  then  moved  to  Erie  county, 
where  he  now  resides  on  a  farm  of  fifty  acres,  eight 
miles  from  Erie.  Mr.  Lynch  has  served  as  school  di- 
rector six  years  and  constable  two  years.  He  served 
in  the  L'nited  States  navy  for  one  year  and  was  honor- 
ably discharged  in  November,  1863.  Mr.  Lynch  and 
family  are  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  of 
Summit  township  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Richard  Dolau.  farmer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Ireland,  June  2'.),  1830,  son  of  Richard  and  Mary  (Mc- 
Quade)  Dolan.  The  former  died  in  1845  and  the  latter 
in  1880.  Richard  Dolan  was  married  to  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Byran  McQuade  (deceased)  in  Ireland,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  two  children,  William,  resident  of 
Ireland,  and  Richard,  jr.,  who  came  to  America  from 
Ireland  in  18.52  and  settled  in  .Syracuse,  X.  Y.,  where 
he  lived  six  years;  he  then  removed  to  Erie  county, 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  married  November  16,  18.52,  to 
Mary,  daughter  of  James  Barns,  of  Ireland,  the  eldest 
of  a  family  of  three  children,  as  follows:  Thomas, 
Catherine  and  Mary.  To  this  union  were  born  eight 
children:  William  (deceasedl.  Hannah,  James,  living 
in  Warren,  Ohio;  Kate,  wife  of  Albert  Miller,  of  New 
Castle,  Pa.;  Joseph,  Edward,  John,  living  in  Chicago, 
111.,  and  Thomas.  Mrs.  Richard  Dolan,  died  June  4, 
1893,  at  the  age  of  60  years.  Mr.  Dolan,  who  has  been 
very  successful  in  business,  started  in  life  very  poorly 
provided  with  this  world's  goods.  He  now  owns  a  farm 
of  forty  acres,  finely  cultivated,  with  good  farm  build- 
ings, seven  miles  from  Erie.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  of  Summit  township,  and  has 
served  as  town  treasurer  and  judge  of  elections;  in  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Democrat. 

Philip  Ackertnan,  farmer,  of  Kearsarge,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Germany  December  7, 1831, son 
of  Poller  and  Anna  (Baltz)  .Ackerman,  both  deceased, 
the  latter  in  1840  and  the  former  in  1850.  Their  chil- 
dren were,  .\.  (deceased),  Martha  (deceased)  and  Philip. 
Mr.  Ackerman  served  in  the  German  army  seven 
years,  participating  in  the  war  of  that  period.  He  came 
to  this  country  from  Germany  in  18.53,  settled  in  Union 
Hill,  N.  J.,  and  lived  there  two  years,  when  he  moved 
to  Mill  Creek  township,  where  he  lived  some  four 
years;  he  later  moved  to  Summit  township,  where  he 
now  resides  on  a  fine  forty-acre  tract  of  land.  He  was 
married  August  19,  1854,  to  .Anna,  daughter  of  Martin 
Palle  (deceased).  To  this  union  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Anna,  wife  of  Joseph  King,  of  Erie; 
Frances,  wife  of  Philip  .Snyder,  of  Erie;  Philip,  jr.,  of 
Erie;  John  (deceased)  and  Margaret  (deceased).  Mrs. 
Ackerman  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  .Anna,  Catherine,  Eva,  wife  of  An- 
thony Frederick,  of  Germany,  and  George,  of  Charles 
City,  la.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Ackerman  and  family  are 
members  of  St.  Joseph's  Church,  of  Erie.  Politically 
Mr.  Ackerman  is  a  Democrat. 

John  Baker,  farmer,  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  June  10, 
1836,  in  Germany  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Eva 
(Baltze)  Baker  who  came  to  .America  from  Germany  in 
1852;  first  settled  in  Erie  and  .shortly  after  moved  to 
Wisconsin,  where  he  lived  two  and  one-half  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Erie  county  and  lived  in  .McKean 
township  four  years  and  Greene  township  eleven  years. 


Jacob  Baker  married  Eva,  daughter  of  Fehlcin  Baltze, 
of  Germany,  a  worthy  citizen  of  the  Fatherland.  Their 
children  were:  Philip,  living  in  Erie;  John,  Fehlein 
(deceased),  who  was  drowned  in  the  Erie  bay  in  1871, 
and  Barbara,  wife  of  S.  Haft,  of  Erie.  John  Baker  was 
married  October  25, 1865,  to  .Susan,  daughter  of  M  ichael 
Swap  (deceased),  and  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
three  children,  as  follows:  Jacob,  George  and  Susan. 
Mr.  Baker  started  in  life  in  Erie  in  the  coal  business 
and  after  following  that  business  for  a  number  of  years 
he  moved  to  .Summit  township,  where  he  now  resides 
on  a  farm  of  fifty-six  acres,  well  etjuipped  and  the  land 
is  in  a  good  .state  of  cultivation.  The  farm  is  located 
five  miles  from  Erie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker  have  the 
following  family:  Katie,  Ida,  Carrie,  John,  Rosa, 
Frank  and  .Anna.  The  family  are  members  of  the  St. 
Joseph's  Church,  of  Erie. 

John  StHbbe,  farmer,  Kearsarge,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Germany  November  27,  1845,  is  a  son 
of  Fritz  and  Mary  (Rhod)  Stuhbe.  who  were  the  par- 
ents of  three  children:  John,  Lizzie,  wife  of  Christian 
Schultz,  of  Germany,  and  Fritz,  of  Erie.  John  came  to 
America  from  Germany  in  1872  and  settled  in  New 
York  city,  and  one  year  later  removed  to  Erie,  where 
he  lived  about  two  years  and  then  located  in  Summit 
township,  where  he  now  resides.  .April  14,  1872,  he 
married  Sophie,  daughter  of  Frederick  Topp,  of  Ger- 
many. Seven  children  have  blessed  this  union:  John, 
Fritz,  William,  Charles.  .Albert,  Sophia  and  Otto. 
.Mrs.  Stubbe  died  December  25,  1888.  Mr.  Stubbe 
took  for  his  second  wife  Emma,  daughter  of  Rcgma 
Matthlia,  of  Erie,  September  21,  1889.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  them:  .Archibald  and  Emma.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  at- 
tend services  in  Erie.  Mr.  Stubbe  is  a  member  of  the 
K.  O.  T.  M.  of  Erie  and  politically  is  a  Democrat. 

,  B.  F.  Briggs,  stock  breeder,  Godard,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  was  born  December  20,  1839,  in  Washington 
township,  son  of  John  and  Sophia  (Fairbanks)  Briggs. 
The  Briggs  family  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Washington  township,  who  came  from  the  State  of 
New  York  in  the  year  1836  or  1837.  .After  twenty 
years'  residence  in  Washington  township  they  located 
in  Waterford  township,  where  Mr.  B.  F.  Briggs'  father 
died  in  1884.  John  Briggs  married  Sophia,  daughter 
of  Perley  Fairbanks,  of  Vermont.  They  reared  a  large 
family  of  children,  as  follows;  Marinda  (deceased); 
B.  F.;  Lorenzo  (deceased);  George  W.,  living  in  Cedar 
Falls,  la.;  Perley  F.,  living  in  Jamestown.  N.  Y.;  Jane, 
wife  of  lohn  Glatain,  of  Brighton.  Mich.;  Phiebe,  wife 
of  G.  W.  Richards,  of  Titusville,  Pa.;  anil  Walter  J., 
living  in  Titusville.  Mr.  B.  F.  Briggs  enlisted  in  1861 
in  Co.  G,  83d  Ree.  P.  \'.  L,  under  Captain  Knox.  He 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Hanover  Court  House, 
Fredericksburg,  siege  of  Yorktown  and  several  other 
engagements,  and  was  wounded  .May  27,  1862,  at  the 
battle  of  Hanover  Court  House,  and  again  at  the 
battle  of  Fredericksburg  in  December,  1862,  and  was 
honorably  discharged  in  March,  1863.  He  then  came 
to  Pennsylvania,  and  was  engaged  in  the  oil  business 
in  the  oil  fields  for  five  years;  he  then  came  to  Water- 
ford  township,  where  he  resided  about  seven  years, 
and,  in  1877,  moved  to  Summit  township,  where  he  now 
resides.  G.  W.  Briggs,  brother  of  B.  F..  enlisted,  on 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  in  Co.  B,  145th  P.  \'.  I., 
and  participated  in  all  the  engagements  of  that  regi- 


S56 


NELSON'S  BIOGBAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


nifnt  until  the  close  of  the  war.     Mr.  li.  F.  Briggs  has 
always  been  a  stanch  Republican. 

D.  E.  Nosh,  merchant,  Godard,  Erie  county,  Pa., 
born  September  8,  18;!8,  in  Richville,  St.  Lawrence 
county,  X.  V.,  is  a  son  of  Orlando  M.  and  Susan 
(Gleason)  N'ash.  Orlando  M.  Nash  was  born  Decem- 
ber 28, 1812,  in  Williamstown,  lierkshire  county,  Mass., 
and  March  15,  18.")4,  he  married  .Susan,  daughter  of 
Aaron  Gleason,  of  Cold  Rain,  iMas.s.  Mr.  Nash  tir.st 
started  life  in  Massachusetts,  and  lived  there  for  a 
number  of  years,  when  he  moved  to  St.  Lawrence 
county.  New  York,  and  after  twenty-tive  years'  resi- 
dence he  moved  to  Krie  county,  in  1871,  settled  in 
West  Greene,  and  was  a  resident  of  that  township 
three  years.  He  moved  to  Godard  in  1875,  and  to 
Lowville  in  187(i,  where  he  died  in  1881.  Mr.  D.  E. 
Nash  is  third  in  a  family  of  eight  children:  John  L., 
living  in  Richville,  N.  Y.;  .Sylvester  (deceased  in  188()); 
U.  E.;  Susan  (deceased  June  il,  18(i4);  Orlando  M.  (de- 
ceased in  1801);  Sidney,  living  in  Gouverneur,  N.  \ .; 
Anna  E.,  wife  of  Ralph  Buckiev,  of  .Scotland,  Conn.; 
and  William  H.  (decea.sed  July  2f>,  1867).  Mr.  D.  E. 
Nash  was  married  .Sejitemher  8(J,  18()2,  to  Lueretta  H., 
daughter  of  llenrv  Harkins,  of  Gouverneur,  N.  Y. 
Mrs.  Nash  died  liecember  27,  1894.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Nash  were  the  parents  of  two  children:  Edna,  wife  of 
C.  Maloney  (deceased  December  25,  1884);  and  Mary 
.•Xdell,  wife  of  E.  W.  Gardner,  of  Sunmiit  township. 
Mr.  Nash  came  to  Erie  county  in  IHfifl,  and  lived  m 
We.st  Greene  four  years;  he  then  moved  to  Godard, 
and  was  engaged  in  blacksmithing  until  1887,  when  he 
started  in  the  grocery  business.  He  was  iiostmaster 
eight  years  at  Godard,  served  in  the  offices  of  town 
treasurer,  collector  and  school  director.  Mr.  Nash  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  politically  is  a 
Republican. 

Frank  Diidenhoefer,  fanner,  Godard,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  borTi  in  Germany,  September  28, 
1852, and  is  a  son  of  Peter  1).  and  Ros.i  (.Sellinger)  Du- 
denhoefer.  Pettr  Dudenhoefer  was  borii  in  (Germany 
in  18(J9,  and  removed  to  America  in  18.5.'!,  settling  in 
West  Mill  Creek  townshi[),  where  he  lived  about  a  year, 
when  he  moved  to  Greene  townshi]),  which  is  now  his 
home.  He  was  married  in  WM)  to  Rosa,  daughter  of 
William  .Sellinger  (deceased).  To  this  union  were  born 
four  children,  as  follows;  Balsey,  living  in  Greene 
township;  Frank,  George,  living  in  MeadviUe,  Pa.; 
and  .Anthony,  who  lived  in  Greene  townshiji  in  1874, 
on  the  old  Northrup  jilace,  then  nuncd  to  Mill  Creek 
townshi]!,  a  number  of  years  later  returned  to  Summit, 
and  in  18i(4  to  the  place  where  he  now  resides,  on  a 
farm  of  eighty-two  acres,  well  ecjuipped  with  build- 
ings, and  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  eight  miles 
from  Erie,  near  Godard.  Mr.  Dudenhoefer  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Alice  Irene,  daughter  of  George 
Reynolds  (  deceased  ),  November  14,  1877,  and  is  the 
sixth  of  a  large  family  of  children,  viz.:  Deane,  of  Los 
.Angeles,  Cal.;  Mi>lain,  of  Ladora,  la.;  Nancv,  wife  of 
E.  Powell,  of  McKean  township;  liarr,  of'  Summit 
town.ship;  George,  of  Findlay,  O.;  Clay,  of  Los  Angi'- 
les,  Cal.;  Elmer  (deceased),  and  nine  half-brotliers 
and  sisters:  William  Reynolds,  of  Iowa;  Maria  Skel- 
ton,  of  Crawford  county;  Clinton  Reynolds,  of  Iowa; 
Benj.  B.  Reynolds,  of  Cambridge,  Pa.;  Mina  Blystone, 
of  Crawford  county;  Mary  Skelton.  of  California; 
Helen  Tittle,  of  Crrwford  county;  Clark  (deceased). 


killed  in  battle  of  Gettysburg;  Estella,  of  Waterford, 
Pa.  Mrs.  Reynolds'  maiden  name  was  Arminda 
Wobley.  Her  first  husband,  John  Lawson,  died  in 
1848,  leaving  two  sons:  Clinton  (  deceased  in  181)1  ); 
and  Chailes,  of  Hastings,  Neb.  In  1850  she  was 
united  in  marriage  to  George  Reynolds,  whom  she 
survives,  he  having  departed  this  life  in  1888.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Frank  Dudenhoefer  are  the  jiarents  of  live 
children;  Ella  Grace  Hetrick,  of  Greene  township; 
A.  R.  (deceased  );  Bessie  Irene,  Balsey  F.  (  deceased  ) 
and  Mable  J.  (deceased),  all  three  dying  within  a 
week  from  diphtheria. 

James  Porter  .lacksoti,  farmer,  Godard,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  born  in  Summit  township  Se|ileml)er  14, 
1841,  is  a  .Son  of  James  and  .Mary  E.  (Davison)  Jack- 
son, both  deceased,  the  former  in  1875.  James  jack- 
son,  jr.,  father  of  James  Porter  Jackson,  was  born  in 
one  of  the  Eastern  States,  came  to  Erie  county,  and 
located  in  Summit  township,  formerly  Greene  town- 
ship, and  was  one  of  its  first  settlers.  He  bought  10(J 
acres  of  land  from  one  of  the  land  companies  when  he 
first  settled,  and  later  added  seventy-five  acres,  and 
then  fifty  acres,  near  where  Mr.  Jackson  now  resides. 
James  Jackson,  jr.,  married  Mary  E.,  daughter  of 
James  Davison  (deceased),  fjy  occupation  a  ship  car- 
penter, who  heli)ed  to  build  Perry's  fleet,  and  also 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  who  was  the 
father  of  eight  children.  To  this  union  were  born  a 
large  family  of  children,  as  follows:  Mary  Elizabeth 
(deceast'd);  William  A.,  living  in\'erdon.  III.,  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business;  .Smith  I.,  of  Girard  township; 
Ira  \'.  (<lece,-ise(l),  who  enlisted  in  Co.  B,  145th  P.  \'.  1., 
under  command  of  Col.  Brown,  and  partici]iated  in 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg;  Sarah  Ann,  wife  of  Samuel 
Rice,  of  Union  City;  James  P.,  Florence  (deceased) 
and  John  D.,  of  Kansas.  Mr.  James  Porter  Jackson 
started  farming  for  himself  when  he  was  21  years  of 
age,  and  lived  in  various  places  in  Erie  county.  He 
located  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides  in  1885,  and 
has  become  the  owner  of  a  fine  tract  of  fifty  acres,  in 
a  good  state  of  cultivation,  located  at  Jack.son's  Sta- 
tion, on  the  P.  tS:  I-',.  R.  R.  He  is  al.so  engaged  in  the 
fertilizing  trade  and  is  agent  for  a  number  of  different 
fertilizers.  Mr.  Jackson  was  united  in  marriage  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1884,  to  X'ernie,  daughter  of  John  Myers  (de- 
ceased), who  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Greene  town- 
ship. There  were  six  children  in  the  Myers  family,  of 
whom  Vernie  was  the  fifth.  The  others  are:  Deioss, 
r'.mma,  George,  Yully  and  Gara.  Mr.  Jackson  and 
wifi-  are  the  jiarents  of  three  children:  Ira  D.,  Il.iddie 
J.  and  l''.miiia.  They  are  niemljers  of  the  Metlunlist 
I'.]iiscopal  Church  of  .Suuuiiit  and  he  is  connected 
with  the  P.  IL  C;  politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 

Frank  Eller,  farmer,  Godard,  Erie  county.  Pa., 
was  born  in  Erie  county  January  11,  \Xfih,  and  is  a  son 
of  Michael  and  Kate  (Neubauer)  Eller,  who  reside  in 
Erie.  Michael  Eller  emigrated  to  America  in  185(1, 
settled  in  \'enango  township,  lived  there  about  seven 
years,  and  moveil  to  HarlK)r  Creek  town.shi|),  where 
he  lived  for  three  years,  when  he  moved  to  the  place 
where  Frank  now  resides,  on  a  fine  farm  ot  160 
acres,  on  the  old  plank  road, six  miles  from  Erie.  Mr. 
Eller  was  married  to  Kate,  daughter  of  John  Neu- 
bauer. To  this  union  were  born  a  large  family  of 
children:  Phil  (deceased),  Michael,  Frank,  (k-orge, 
living   in    Erie;    Martin,   living    in    Mansfield,   Ohio; 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


857 


Peter,  of  Summit  township,  and  Christian,  Hving  in 
Erie.  Frank  made  his  start  in  life  in  Summit  town- 
ship, where  he  now  resides,  and  has  always  had  to  work 
his  own  way  in  life.  By  his  thrift  and  industry  he  has 
placed  himself  in  a  prosperous  condition.  .\Ir.  Eller 
was  united  in  marriage  to  .Mamie  S.,  daughter  of 
Simon  Snider  (deceased).  To  this  union  were  horn 
five  children,  as  follows:  Lena,  Philip,  Elizabeth, 
Michael  and  Frank.  The  family  are  all  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  of  Erie.  Mr.  Eller  received  a 
common  school  education  in  Summit  township.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

P.  A.  Root,  Clipper,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  was  horn 
where  he  now  resides  May  IT,  1S49,  and  is  a  son  of  H. 
O.and  Eliza  (Foot)  Root.  Mr.  H.  O.  Root  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Summit  township  and  move<l  from 
Hartford,  Conn.,  in  l^PJ,  settling  in  .Summit  township, 
near  Langdon  Station,  on  the  P.  &  E.  road.  He  was 
married  to  Eliza,  daughter  of  Warren  Foot  (deceased), 
and  is  the  father  of  six  children:  Eliza,  Sarah.Sophia, 
George,  Warren  and  Perry.  The  children  of  .Mr.  and 
Mrs.  P.  A.  Root  are:  Warren,  living  in  Greene  town- 
ship; P.  A.,  Flora,  wife  of  C.  P.  Haskinsof  Erie.  Mr. 
Root  started  for  himself  in  18"t'>,  farming  in  Summit 
township,  which  he  followed  for  two  years;  he  then 
moved  to  Erie  and  was  engaged  in  the  milk  business, 
which  he  followed  for  five  years;  then  he  removed  to 
Summit  township  and  engaged  in  farming,  on  the  place 
where  he  now  resides,  a  fine  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  with  good  buildings.  Mr. 
Root  was  united  in  marriage  with  Ida  .M.,  daughter 
of  S.  Webster  (deceased),  March  16,  1876.  One  child 
has  been  born  to  this  union,  Clarence -Allen.  Mr.  Root 
and  family  are  members  of  the  Universalist  Church  of 
Erie;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  A..  O.  L'.  W.,  of  Erie, 
and  has  passed  the  chairs  of  that  order;  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grange  of  Summit,  and  is  master  of  that  or- 
der. He  has  served  as  school  director  and  road  com- 
missioner.    In  politics  he  is  a  Populist. 

H.  O.  Root,  farmer,  Clipper,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Summit  township,  where  he  now  resides,  April 
3,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Lucius  and  Margaret  (Mulkins) 
Root.  Mr.  Lucius  Root  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Summit  township,  and  came  with  his  brother,  H.  O. 
RtX)t,  jr.,  from  Hartford,  Conn.,  when  the  township  of 
Summit  was  all  a  wilderness,  and  located  where  his  son 
now  resides.  He  was  married  to  .Margaret  Mulkins, 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  three  children.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Root  are  both  deceased,  the  former  in  June,  1843, 
and  the  latter  in  186.5.  Their  children  were:  Lucius 
M.,  H.O.,  H.  C.  living  in  Summit  township,  and  Try- 
phena,  wife  of  John  Hull,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.  .Mr. 
H.  O.  Root,  on  the  death  of  his  father,  when  but  15 
years  old,  took  charge  of  the  farm.  He  has  always  had 
to  work  hard,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  fifty 
acres,  which  is  in  a  prosperous  condition.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  December  24,  1875,  to  Addie,daugh- 
ter  of  .Anson  Yaple,  of  West  Greene  township,  who  is 
a  prominent  farmer  of  that  township,  and  the  father  of 
ten  children.  Mr.  Root  and  wife  are  the  parents  of 
three  children:  Inez  B.,  Carl  C,  and  Irwin  L.  Mr.  Root 
is  a  leading  citizen  and  has  served  as  school  director 
five  years,  and  politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

Sidney   A.   Root,   farmer,  Clipper,  Erie  county, 

Pa.,  was  born  in  Summit  township,  October  14,  1820, 


and  is  a  son  of  Roger  and  Lorinda  (Miner)  Root. 
They  were  one  of  the  jjioneer  families  to  settle  in  Sum- 
mit township.  Mr.  Roger  Root,  his  wife  and  four 
children  came  from  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  181(J,  and  set- 
tled in  what  was  then  Beaverdam,  but  is  now  Summit 
township.  They  came  the  entire  distance  in  a  wagon 
with  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  the  only  path  was  a  blazed 
way  through  the  trackless  forest.  Sidney  started  in 
life  for  himself  when  23  years  old,  going  to  work  by  the 
month  for  some  eight  years.  About  1845  he  located 
on  a  farm  of  fifty  acres  in  Summit  township,  near 
Langdon  station,  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  a  fear- 
less climber,  and  is  at  home  in  high  places,  such  as 
high  trees  in  the  woods.  He  was  married  February  5, 
1852,  to  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Jephina  Eckert  and 
Catherine  (Arkenburg)  Eckert.  There  are  three  chil- 
dren in  the  Eckert  family:  Mary  Jane,  Anna  Eliza- 
beth, and  Rebecca  A.  Mr.  Rrxit  and  wife  are  the  par- 
ents of  nine  children:  Merrit  E.,  living  in  Erie;  E.s- 
tella  (deceased),  Frank  \'.,  of  Greene  township; 
Charles  A.,  living  in  Erie;  Lucius  (deceased),  Edward 
was  killed  by  the  cars  on  the  P.  E.  road,  near  Garland 
station;  .Mary  L.,  wife  of  Eugene  A.  Kaveney,  of 
Greene  township;  .A.  M.,  of  Greene  township;  ami 
Katie,  wife  of  Daniel  .McDannell,  of  Summit  township. 
.Mr.  Sidney  A.  Root  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  .Al- 
liance of  Summit  township,  served  as  a  school  director 
nine  years,  and  has  filled  several  other  offices  in  the 
township.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Z.  Worswick,  farmer,  Sibleyville,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  was  born  February  16,  1823,  in  Chorley,  Lanca- 
shire, England,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  .Mary 
(Edwards)  Worswick;  the  former  was  by  occupation  a 
block  printer  in  Lancashire,  and  was  considered  one 
of  the  best  in  England.  He  married  Mary  Edwards, 
of  Wales.  He  died  in  1887  in  Lancashire.  They 
were  the  parents  of  a  largefamily  of  children:  William 
(deceased!,  Margaret  (deceased),  John  (deceased)  Le- 
lander,  Charley,  living  in  Lancashire,  England;  Eliza 
(deceased!,  Sarah  .Ann  (deceased),  and  Thomas,  living 
with  Mr.  Z.  Worswick,  who  came  to  America  from 
England  in  1871  and  located  in  the  State  of  Nebraska, 
living  there  only  a  short  time,  when  he  removed  to 
Erie  county,  locating  in  Summit  township,  where  he 
now  resides  on  a  farm  of  fifty  acres,  with  good  build- 
ings, and  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  located  eight 
miles  from  Erie  on  the  old  Turnpike  road.  Previous 
to  his  coming  to  America  he  was  engaged  in  the  block 
printing  business  in  Lancashire,  England.  Mr.  Wors- 
wick was  twice  married,  first  to  Margaret,  daughter  of 
Moses  Booth,  of  Chorley,  Lancashire,  England,  .March 
25,1846.  To  them  were  born  four  children:  Eliza  .A., 
wife  of  William  MuUinaux,  of  Preston,  England; 
Thomas  (deceased!;  Ellen,  wife  of  Joseph  Sweatman, 
of  Summit  town.ship,  and  John  (deceased).  .After  the 
death  of  Mrs.'Worswick,  Mr.  Worswick  married  for 
his  second  wife,  June  25,  1873.  .Ann  Sweatman.  .Mr. 
Worswick  has  held  several  township  offices,  and  is  a 
prominent  and  respected  citizen.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican. 

Michael  C.  Eller,  retired  farmer,  formerly  of 
Summit  township,  and  now  of  Erie,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Germany,  September  14,  1825,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob 
and  Julia  (Backer)  Eller  (deceased).  Mr.  Jacob  Eller 
came  to  America  from  Germany  in  1852,  and  settled 
in  \'enango  township,  Erie  county,  in  what  is  known 


858 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


as  tlie  Sinitli  neighborhood,  and  lived  there  ten  years, 
where  he  died  in  June,  1885,  at  the  a<;e  ol  78  years. 
He  was  niarrietl  to  Julia,  (huishter  of  Nicholas  Backer, 
of  Cierniany,  who  was  a  ])roniinent  farmer  in  his  native 
country.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children: 
Fiiilip,  livMig  in  Erie;  Michael,  Margaret,  wife  of 
(ieorge  Ludwick  (deceasi-d),  now  living  in  Nlinnesota; 
Catherine,  Julia,  wife  of  Philip  Backer  (deceased), 
and  Nicholas,  living  in  Erie.  Mr.  Michael  C.  Eller 
euiigrated  to  America  in  1850,  and  located  in  X'enango 
township,  living  in  that  township  seven  years.  He 
then  moved  to  Harbor  Creek  townslii|i,  an<t  from  there 
to  Summit  township,  wliere  his  son  now  resides  on  a 
farm  of  KiU  acres  of  land  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation, 
with  good  buildings,  located  seven  miles  from  Erie, 
on  the  old  plank  road.  In  1891  he  moved  to  Erie  and 
is  living  a  retired  life.  Mr.  Eller  made  his  own  way 
in  the  world,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  the  above  farm, 
and  also  three  hou.ses  and  lots  at  Twenty-eighth  and 
Myrtle  streets,  Erie,  I'a.  Mr.  l''ller  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Caroline,  daughter  of  John  Neidiauer, 
I'ebruarv  '29,  18,55.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  was 
eleven  children:  Plnliji  (deceased),  Elizabeth  (de- 
ceased), John  (decea.sed),  Michael,  living  in  Summit 
townshi])-,  Harvey  (deceased),  I'rank,  living  in  Summit 
township;  George,  of  Erie;  Martin,  living  in  Mem])his, 
Tenn.;  Porter,  of  .Sununit  township;  Christian,  of  Erie, 
and  Catherine  (deceasedi.  .Mr.  Michael  Eller  and 
family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  of  I'>ie. 
He  served  as  school  director  for  three  years,  and  road 
commissioner  three  years. 

William  Henderson,  farmer,  po.st-t)ffice  Godard, 
was  born  m  Cleveland,  ().,  October  2(i,  1828,  is  a  son 
of  Joseph  and  Jane  (  Sweney  )  Henderson,  the  former 
a  native  of  Allegheny  county,  and  the  latter  of  Erie 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Joseph  Henderson  was  born 
June  (■),  1798,  in  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
came  to  Erie  county  in  1810  and  located  in  Erie,  Pa. 
He  was  a  carpenter  by  occu]iation.  He  was  em- 
ployed on  most  of  the  original  buildings  of  promi- 
nence in  Erie  City.  He  had  the  contract  for  the  car- 
penter work  of  the  old  court  house,  and  was  the  super- 
intendent. He  was  at  one  time  engaged  on  the  pub- 
lic works  of  Cleveland,  O.  He  was  also  engaged  in 
farming  in  Mill  Creek  township,  where  he  was  living 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  married  March  29, 
1821,  to  Jane  Sweney.  To  this  union  were  born  ten 
children,  viz.:  Nancy,  wife  of  E.  Goodrich,  of  Erie, 
Pa.;  Trowers  (deceased);  Ann,  wife  of  Henry  Dunn, 
of  Erie;  Joseph,  of  Erie;  Jane  (deceased);  and  James. 
Joseph  Henderson  was  elected  county  commissioner 
in  1840  and  served  three  years,  and  was  re-elected  in 
18:!9  and  served  until  1862.  He  died  March  28,  1883, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  8ii.  Williaiu  Henderson  first 
started  in  life  in  Erie,  at  the  carpenter  liusiness  until 
the  age  of  2(5,  when  he  went  to  Dellia,  la.,  on  the 
McCoda  river,  where  he  had  charge  of  a  large  saw 
mdl  forjudge  Benson,  for  three  years.  He  was  also 
engaged  in  the  milling  business  in  Nebraska  for 
about  one  year.  He  then  went  in  the  employ  of  the 
United  .States  government  surveyors  and  was  en- 
gaged in  surveying  western  land  two  years.  He  was 
also  prospecting  for  gold  in  Colorado  for  about  one 
year.  He  then  came  to  .^Vrmstrong  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  was  married  August  20,  IBfiO,  to  Martha, 
daughter  of  Josepli  I.owry,  of  .Armstrong  county, 
Pennsylvania,  who  for  thirty  years  was  justice  of  the 


peace.  William  Henderson  moved  to  the  place 
where  he  now  resides  about  seven  years  ago.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hemler.son  were  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Elmer,  living  in  Warren,  Pa.;  .-Xlfred,  of 
Erie;  and  Thomas,  of  Erie.  Mr.  Henderson  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  I'.  P.  Church.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican. 

John  Huckes,  farmer,  postofifice  Kearsarge,  was 
born  in  .\lways,  Germany,  Sejitember  2f),  1844,  and  is 
a  son  of  Jacob  and  Marguerite  (Bread)  Guckes,  of 
Erie.  Jacob  Guckes  came  to  .\merica  from  Germany 
in  1851,  settled  in  Greene  township,  and  was  engaged 
in  farming  and  the  sawmill  busmess  for  about  a  year. 
He  then  moved  to  the  Miner  farm,  m  .Summit  town- 
ship, living  there  for  a  .short  time,  then  moving  to  one 
of  Cafit.  N.  \V.  Russell's  farms,  in  Mill  Creek  town- 
ship, and  living  there  five  years.  He  then  moved  to 
Five  Points,  Summit  townshi]i,  and  bought  a  farm  of 
100  acres.  Mr.  Guckes  was  inarried  in  (.)ctol)er,  1839, 
in  Ciermany,  to  Marguerite  Bread.  To  this  union  were 
born  ten  children,  viz.:  Katie,  wife  of  Jose])h  Herman, 
of  McKean  township;  Mary,  wife  of  Frederick  Borish- 
ard,  of  Erie;  John;  Jacob,  of  .Summit  township;  Mar- 
guerite (deceased);  Christian,  of  McKean  township; 
Pheba;  William,  of  Hardin  county,  Ohio;  Peter,  of 
McKean  town.ship;  and  Barbara  (deceased).  John 
Guckes,  at  the  age  of  21,  started  in  life  as  a  farmer, 
and  was  engaged  in  that  business  until  18(i4,  when  he 
engaged  in  railroading,  and  followed  that  business 
for  seven  years.  He  then  bought  a  farm  of  ninety- 
seven  acres  in  Summit  township,  where  he  nt)W  re- 
sides. Mr.  Guckes  was  united  in  marriage  March  21, 
1871,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  N.  Petre,  of  Germany, 
who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  in  that  country.  Mr. 
Guckes  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
of  Erie.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  Andrew 
Keller,  a  son  of  Michael  Keller  of  Germany,  is  living 
with  John  Guckes. 

E.  H.  Randall,  station  agent,  Springfield,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  Ijorn  in  1852  in  Aslitabula  county, 
Ohio.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry  Randall,  now  living  in 
Austinburg,  O.  Mr.  Randall  has  held  the  [losition  of 
station  agent  in  .Springfield  since  the  opening  of  the 
New  York,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  R.  R.  In  187t>  he 
married  Nancy  \\'oodruff,  of  Eagleville,  Austinburg 
township,  O.,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  three 
children:  Earl,  Edna  and  Rada.  Mr.  Randall  is  now 
burgess  of  Springfield  borough,  secretary  of  school 
board,  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  township  affairs. 

Frank  E.  Baldwin,  farmer,  Springfield  township, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  son  of  Clark  H.  Baldwin  (deceased), 
who  was  born  in  X'ermont  in  1809,  and  emigrated  from 
there  in  1833  and  settled  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son 
Frank  now  resides.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Belinda  Hart,  was  also  born  in  \'ermont  in  1813. 
They  were  both  of  English  descent.  To  this  union 
were  born  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living. 
Frank,  the  seventh,  was  born  on  the  farm  he  now  oc- 
cupies on  the  Ridge  road.  In  1875  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Lillian  Laughery.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
three  children:  Ernia,  Ralph  E.  and  Lora  L.  Mr. 
Baldwin  is  assessor,  and  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  ().  E. 
and  P.  H.  C. 

J.  Newton  Miller,  farmer.  East  Springfield,  was 
born  April  19,  18'20,  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  re- 


AND  HI8T0BIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNT r. 


859 


sides,  which  was  settled  by  his  ]iarents,  Thomas  R. 
and  Margaret  Miller,  of  Franklin  county,  I'ennsyl- 
vania,  who  came  to  Erie  county  in  1W)2,  and  reared  a 
family  of  seven  children.  Thomas  R.  Miller  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  a  prominent  citizen  of 
the  township.  He  was  director  of  the  poor,  county 
commissioner,  and  serveif  from  Erie  county  in  the 
House  of  Representatives.  His  wife  departed  this 
life  in  ISHri.  He  survived  until  18(iti.  J.  Newton  Mil- 
ler married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Isaac  Silverthorn, 
an  early  settler  of  Erie  covmty.  Their  only  child, 
Florence  I).,  died  in  187'2.  Mr.  Miller  was  a  member 
of  the  State  Legislature  in  18TU,  and  has  Ihtu  justice 
of  the  peace  for  twelve  years.  He  has  taken  great  in- 
terest in  local  affairs,  among  which  was  the  laying  out 
of  the  East  Springfield  cemetery. 

C.  E.  Kldridge,  fanner,  East  Springfield  town- 
ship, Erie  county,  fa.,  was  born  in  \f^M,  in  (iirard 
township,  Erie  county.  Pa.  His  parents  were  Chester 
and  Mary  (Welch)  Eldridge,  the  father  a  native  of 
\'ermont  and  the  mother  a  native  of  Springfield  town- 
ship. Mrs.  Eldridge  died  in  1894,  and  Mr.  Eldridge's 
death  preceded  it  some  years.  C.  ¥,.  Eldridge  was 
married  in  1871  to  Miss  Albina  Benedict,  of  .Spring- 
field townshi]).  Six  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
as  follows:  Chester,  Bertha,  Urville,  l-:dith,  Hallierl 
and  Harley.  Chester  and  Bertha  graduated  from  the 
Edinboro  -State  Normal  School  in  1894.  Mr.  Eldridge 
has  been  asses.sor  of  the  township  for  three  years,  and 
is  a  member  of  1.  ( ).  ( ).  F.,  Ir.  O.  U.  A.  M.  and 
State  Police. 

George  Nash  (deceased)  was  born  in  1826  and 
died  in  1884.  He  was  the  son  of  Alpheus  and  Sylvin 
Xash,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York  State,  who  for 
many  years  resided  on  his  farm,  three  miles  south  of 
the  Ridge  road.  In  1875  he  was  married  to  Ann  E., 
daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  (Dorn)  Barhite,  of 
Springfield  township.  Mrs.  Nash  still  survives  and 
manages  her  well  cultivated  farm.  She  has  one 
daughter,  Miss  Mabel  C.  Nash,  of  musical  talent. 

J.  W.  Richeus.  farmer,  was  born  in  1855  in  Con- 
neaut  township,  Erie  county,  Pa.  He  is  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Mary  (Handy)  Richens,  natives  of  England, 
who  came  to  this  country  in  1836,  and  first  located  in 
Conneaut  township,  Pennsylvania.  J.  W.  Richens 
located  on  his  present  farm  in  1894,  which  he  has  con- 
tinued to  im])rove,  and  in  1894  erected  a  modern  barn. 
In  1872  he  was  married  to  Ida,  daughter  of  John  Jones, 
of  Girard.  To  this  union  have  been  born  two  chil- 
dren, Glenn  and  Frank.  Mr.  Richens  has  been  road 
commissioner,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Protected  Home 
Circle. 

C.  D.  Eldridge,  teacher,  was  born  in  Springfield 
township  in  1872,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  C.  E. 
Eldridge.  He  graduateil  from  the  F^ast  Springfielil 
high  school  in  1890,  and  from  the  .State  Normal  School 
in  Edinboro,  Pa.,  with  the  class  of  1894.  He  lias  had 
four  years'  experience  in  teaching,  two  of  which  have 
been  spent  at  North  Springfield  .'Vcademy.  In  1895 
he  was  married  to  M.  Naomi  Daub,  of  North  .Spring- 
field.    He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

E.  W.  Brewer,  i)ainter  and  farmer,  was  born  in 
Springfield  township  in  1849.     He  is  a  son  of  John  and 


Sallie  (Lyons)  Brewer,  of  Springfield  townshiji.  Mr. 
Brewer  resided  for  ten  years  in  Girard  township  and 
for  two  years  at  Niagara  Falls,  where  he  learned  the 
painter's  trade.  In  1881  he  married  ,\li.ss  Lois  Waldo. 
To  this  union  have  been  horn  three  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Gertrude,  Raymond  (deceased)  and  Donald. 
Mr.  Brewer  is  a  member  of  the  State  Police. 

F.  M.  Nye,  teacher,  was  born  in  .Springfield  town- 
ship in  1874  and  is  a  son  of  .A.  R.  and  .Addie  (Calander) 
Nye.  His  jireparatory  education  has  been  obtained  at 
the  We.st  Springfield  .-Xcademy,  and  he  has  taught  two 
terms  in  District  No.  9,  Springfield  township.  Mr. 
Nye  is  a  member  of  the  I.  ().  G.  T.  and  Jr.  O.  0.  A.  M. 

(i.    .1.    niezeti,    station    agent,    Crayton's,    West 

Springfield,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Conneautville,  Crawford 
county,  in  the  year  18f)7.  He  is  the  son  of  John  Au- 
gustus an<l  Mary  (\'an  \'olkenburg)  Glezen,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  New  York  State,  respectively.  Mr. 
Glezen  began  active  business  life  near  the  place  of  his 
l)irth,  and  for  some  time  was  engaged  in  the  milling 
business  in  New  York  .State,  and  entered  the  employ 
of  the  New  York,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  R.  R.  Company 
in  1890.     Mr.  fJlezen  is  a  member  of  the  K.  O.  T.  M.  ' 

Marcus  L.  Morrell,  farmer.  East  S|)ringfield, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  185f)  in  Springfield  town- 
ship, Erie  county.  Pa.  He  is  a  son  of  Jonathan  and 
Mary  (Ellis)  Morrell,  a  life-long  resident  of  the  locality, 
whose  ancestors  are  identified  with  many  jjioneer  inci- 
dents of  a  century  and  a  quarter  ago  of  this  locality. 
In  December,  1880,  Marcus  was  married  to  .Miss  Emma 
Davison,  of  Springfield  township,  Erie  county.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Caroline  (Arbuckle) 
Davison.  To  this  union  have  been  born  three  children: 
Cora,  Carl  and  Bernice.  Mr.  Morrell  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  local  public  alTairs,  having  been  council- 
man, collector  and  school  director;  he  is  a  member  of 
the  State  Police  and  Protected  Home  Circle. 

John  H.  Hall,  farmer.  North  Springfield,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  1835  in  the  township  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Polly 
(Kelly)  Hall,  both  natives  of  Mifflin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  who  came  to  Erie  county  in  1804.  The 
former  died  in  1848  and  the  latter  in  1843.  John  Hall, 
sr.,  was  a  prominent  farmer,  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  John 
H.  Hall  was  married  in  18ti0  to  Julia,  daughter  of 
James  Miles,  of  Girard,  Erie  county.  Pa.  This  union 
has  l)een  blessed  with  two  children,  James  M.  and 
Eliza  B.  Hall.  Mr.  Hall  is  a  progressive  and  influen- 
tial citizen  and  the  owner  of  one  of  the  finest  farms  in 
Springfield  township.  During  the  past  few  years  he 
has  cleared  and  put  under  fine  state  of  cultivation 
over  KJO  acres  of  land. 

Henry  Daub,  farmer.  North  S]iringfield,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  and  was  born  in 
1843.  Fie  is  a  son  of  George  Daub,  who  died  in  184t>. 
Henry  came  to  .\merica  with  his  mother,  two  brothers 
and  a  sister  in  the  year  1848.  The  family  came  directly 
to  Erie  and  took  up  their  residence  five  miles  west  of 
the  city.  In  18(i4  Helen  was  married  to  Ellen  D., 
daughter  of  James  Randall  (deceased),  who  resided  in 
Harbor  Creek,  Erie  county.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  six  children,  of  whom  only  two  are  living, 


S6o 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


namely:  Charles  H.  and  M.  Naomi.  I\Ir.  Daub  came 
to  Springfield,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  in  1878,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  He  is  a  man  who  is  identified  with  the 
interests  and  [jrogress  of  his  township,  especially  in 
school  matters,  having  served  two  terms  as  director 
and  been  an  ini])oitant  factor  in  the  erection  of  a  new 
school  house  in  his  district  in  1894.  The  structure 
takes  the  place  of  one  burned  the  same  year,  and  is  a 
model  in  design  and  completeness.  Mr.  Daub  ij  a 
member  of  the  1.  O.  O.  F.  Charles  H.  was  married  in 
1895  and  resides  near  Eagley's  Grove.  .M.  Naomi  was 
married  a  few  months  later.  -She  has  begun  her  life 
work  as  a  teacher  and  has  received  her  education  thus 
far  in  the  conmion  schools  of  her  townsnip. 

Fraak  L.  Sherman,  West  Springfield,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  was  born  in  the  township  w-here  he  now 
resides,  in  the  year  1872.  He  was  educated  at  the 
public  schools  of  Springfield,  and,  September  10,  1894, 
associated  himself  with  Mr.  Fred  Gee  in  the  milling 
business,  and  since  that  time  several  large  tracts  of 
timber  have  been  converted  into  lumber.  Mr.  Sher- 
man is  a  son  of  Elihu  Sherman,  born  in  1827,  in 
\'ermont.  He  came  to  Girard  about  184.'),  and  lived 
in  what  is  known  as  the  old  Scott  tavern,  on  the  Kidge 
road.  In  IS.'JiJ  he  married  Mi.ss  Lydia  Ball,  of  Girard. 
.She  died  in  18li2  leaving  one  child,  Dora,  wife  of  Will- 
son  Ball  of  Giranl.  In  1804  he  marrieil  Elizabeth 
Baldwin,  of  Conneaut,  O.  She  died  in  18(i7.  In  18(18 
he  married  Mrs.  Mary  G.  Cutler  (Baldwin),  the 
mother  of  Frank  L.  Sherman.  He  moved  to  Spring- 
field in  the  year  of  1869,  where  he  died  suddenly  from 
a  stroke  of  paralysis  on  December  21,  1894.  His 
funeral  took  place  on  Sunday  following,  with  inter- 
ment in  East  .Springfield  cemetery.  He  was  born  in 
the  year  1827,  in  Girard  township,  where  he  resided 
until  1886,  when  he  came  to  Springfield.  The  same 
year  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Baldwin,  daugh- 
ter of  an  early  settler  of  Springfield  township.  To 
this  union  was  born  one  son,  Frank  L.  Sherman,  sub- 
ject of  sketch. 

Charles  C.  Strong,  East  Springfield,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  of  the  firm  of  J.  M.  Strong  cK;  Son,  millers  and 
dealers  in  lumber,  was  born  in  Springfield  township, 
October  13,  1869.  He  was  educated  at  Oberlin  Col- 
lege, and  began  business  with  his  father  in  1891,  and 
they  together  have  since  ojjerated  the  Springfield 
.Mills,  which  were  built  in  1842.  The  mills  have 
recently  been  overhauled  and  all  modern  improve- 
ments added.  An  extensive  business  is  carried  on, 
and  shipments  are  made  to  different  points  both  east 
and  west.  A  recent  acquisition  is  the  opening  of  a 
feed  depot  at  Forestville,  N.  Y.,  and  one  at  Erie,  Pa. 
The  Springfield  Mills  are  superior  to  any  in  the  local- 
ity, with  excellent  water  power,  aided  by  steam.  J.  .M. 
-Strong,  miller,  dealer  in  lumber,  and  farmer,  East 
Springfield,  is  a  native  of  Southam[iton,  Mass.,  and 
was  born  April  3,  1834.  He  is  a  son  of  lob  D.  and 
Betsey  H.  .Strong,  also  natives  of  Massachusetts,  who 
came  to  this  county  in  1838,  and  reared  two  children, 
J.  M.  only  surviving.  Mr.  Strong  died  in  1869,  his 
widow  in  1873.  Mr.  Strong  was  married  in  18.59  to 
Miss  Louise  M.  Webster,  a  native  of  .Springfield  town- 
ship, and  an  early  settler  of  the  county.  Of  the  chil- 
dren born  to  this  union,  Charles  C.  survives.  Mr. 
Strong  has  been  operating  the  Springfield  Mills  since 
1861,  which  were  built  by  his  father-in-law  nineteen 


years  earlier.  Since  1891  he  has  associated  with  him 
in  business  his  son.  Farming  has  also  occupied  his 
attention  for  several  years,  and  he  has  during  his  time 
transacted  the  largest  business  of  any  n>an  in  the 
township.  He  is  a  man  possessed  of  sterling  qualities 
and  energy,  always  first  in  any  new  and  beneficial 
enterprise.  Mr.  .Strong  was  the  first  burgess  of  Spring- 
field borough,  and  has  been  school  director  for  .several 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  a 
charter  member  of  Springfield  Lodge  I.  O.  O.  F.,  a 
member  of  the  F.  &  A.  .M.,  K.  T.,  and  E.  A.  U.,  and 
politically  is  a  Republican. 

William  Lee  Lord,  retired.  North  Springfield, 
Erie  county,  Pa.,  was  born  Sejjtember  7,  1831,  in 
Brownsville,  Jefferson  county,  N.  V.  He  is  the  son  of 
Col.  Lee  Lord,  a  native  of  Woodstock,  Vt.,  who  was 
born  in  1794,  and  died  in  1857.  Colonel  Lord,  during 
his  early  life,  resided  in  Jefferson  county.  New  York, 
and  for  many  years  was  postmaster  in  La  Fargeville, 
in  that  State!  In  1835  he  removed  to  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
and  engaged  in  the  milling  business  to  a  considerable 
e.\tent,  and  was  later  recorder  for  Cuyahoga  county. 
He  married  FJzada  Parkinson,  who  died  in  December, 
1893,  at  the  age  of  81  years.  To  this  union  were  born 
four  children:  William  Lee,  Hiram  (deceased),  Mar- 
vin L.,  of  New  York  City,  and  Eliza  A.  (deceased). 
William  Lee  was  married  in  March,  1888,  to  Miss  Ada 
L.,  daughter  of  the  late  Samuel  Holliday,  of  Spring- 
field township.  She  died  June  28,  1892.  Mr.  Lord 
spent  the  earlier  days  of  his  business  career  in  Wall 
street,  and  then  engaged  in  business  with  the  firm  of 
Robinson  &  Oviatt,  jjackers,  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and 
was  later  associated  with  J.  H.  Wade,  capitalist.  De- 
clinmg  health  made  a  change  necessary,  and  in  1894 
he  came  to  the  Holliday  homestead  to  reside.  He  is  a 
Knight  Templar,  a  member  of  Al  Koran  Temple,  A. 
A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Samuel  Holliday 
(deceased)  was  born  September  27,  1805,  in  Spring- 
field township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  on  the  farm,  where  a 
lifetime  was  spent.  He  was  the  fourth  child  of  Samuel 
Holliday,  sr.,  who  was  the  first  white  settler  in  the 
township,  and  a  native  of  Franklin  county.  He  came 
to  this  county  in  1796  and  purchased  7(J0  acres  on  the 
borders  of  the  lake.  He  returned  to  his  native  county 
in  the  fall  of  1796  and  married  Jennette  Campbell. 
Returning  to  Springfield  in  1797,  he  settled  on  a  tract 
of  land  in  the  then  densely  wooded  section  of  the 
township,  and  erected  the  first  cabin  in  that  locality. 
A  tree  now  marks  the  spot,  near  the  present  Holliday 
homestead.  They  reared  a  family  of  six  children.  In 
the  primary  enterprises  of  the  township  he  figured 
conspicuously  as  having  been  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  at  East  Springfield;  erected 
the  first  grist  and  sawmill  (1803-4)  and  helped  to 
establish  the  first  cemetery.  He  died  in  1841  and  his 
widow  in  1851.  Samuel  Holliday,  jr.,  in  1840  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Robert  and  F^lizabeth  Porter, 
residents  of  Girard  township,  who  were  among  its  first 
settlers.  Following  are  the  children  of  the  family: 
Robert  P.,  civil  engineer,  Girard;  Lieut.  Charles  C. 
(deceased);  Dr.  Benjamin  W.,  Cleveland,  (Dhio;  Dr.  W. 
Wallace,  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Susie  M.  and  Frances  J., 
residents  of  the  homestead,  and  Ada  (deceased)  wife 
of  William  Lee  Lord.  Mrs.  Holliday  died  in  1890 
and  Mr.  Holliday  in  1891. 

Alexander  Spear,   merchant  and   proprietor   of 
the   West  Springfield  hotel.   West   Springfield,  Erie 


AifD  HISTORICAL  REFERElfCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


86 1 


county  Pa.,  is  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  He  is  a 
son  of  Alexander  and  Mary  Spear,  now  residents  of 
the  Quaker  City.  .Alexantler  began  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  in  West  Springfield  in  1880.  In  1880  his 
store  was  consumed  by  fire,  and  a  new  building  was 
soon  after  erected  and  the  busine.ss  continued.  De- 
cember 1,  1894,  he  Sold  the  entire  business  to  the  firm 
of  Patten  S:  Welsh.  Mr.  Spear  has  taken  an  interest 
in  township  affairs  to  some  extent,  and  has  served  as 
township  treasurer. 

CyrenusLiadsley,  retired, West  Springfield,  Erie 

County,  Pa.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Nelson,  Madison 
county,  X.  v.,  .August  l-j,  182U.  He  is  the  son  of 
Judah  anii  Sarah  I  Smith  i  Lindsley,  who  came  from 
New  York  to  Springfield  township  in  1840,  and  to 
whom  were  born  the  following  children:  Samantha, 
wife  of  .Samuel  Rea,  of  Erie,  Pa.;  .Alniira  (deceased); 
and  B.  Franklin  Lindsley,  of  Springfield  township. 
Juilah  Lindsley  died  in  1857,  and  his  widow  in  1870. 
Cyrenus,  in  the  year  1839,  having  been  wearied  with 
working  the  unproductive  soil  about  his  native  heath, 
pushed  out  into  the  then  far  west,  and  selected  and 
purchased  a  farm  near  the  present  village  of  \\  est 
Springfield,  which  was,  in  those  days,  in  the  center  of 
a  dense  wilderness.  He  then  returned  to  his  home  in 
Xew  York,  and  the  next  year,  accompanied  by  his 
parents,  came  and  took  possession  of  his  newly  pur- 
chased farm.  In  1848  he  was  married  to  .Miss  Belva 
A.,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Clarissa  (Darker)  Ivory, 
one  of  the  original  settlers  of  the  townshi]j.  Of  the 
Ivory  family  there  were  also  the  following  children: 
Cyntha,  wife  of  Cephas  .Marsh,  Conneaut  townshij); 
Addison  A.,  who  died  in  California  in  1892;  John,  of 
Washington  county,  Idaho;  Mark  B.,  of  California; 
and  Edgar  D.,  of  California.  Thomas  Ivory  was  born 
in  Salem,  .Mass.,  and  was  the  son  of  John  Ivory,  a  na- 
tive of  Holland.  Cyrenus  Lindsley  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  in  1861,  and  served  in  that  capac- 
ity for  several  years,  and  has  always  been  identified 
with  the  thrift,  progress  and  general  growth  of  the 
township. 

Elias  Randall,  West  Springfield,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Conneaut  townshi]),  July  6, 1823.  He 
is  a  son  of  .Maxon  and  Hannah  iPomeroy)  Randall, 
life  long  residents  of  Girard.  His  grandfather  was 
John  Randall,  who  first  became  a  resident  of  Erie 
county  about  1795,  coming  here  from  Xew  York  State, 
bringing  his  son  Maxon,  who  was  then  only  3  years 
old.  His  mother  was  Miss  Hannah,  daughter  of 
Mcdad  Pomeroy,  for  many  years  a  resident  of  .\lbion, 
Erie  county.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  his  day  and  genera- 
tion. Elias  Randall  was  first  married  in  1847  to  Miss 
Hannah  Miller,  of  Springfield  township.  She  died  in 
1852.  Later  he  was  married  to  Caroline  Fergu.son, 
daughter  of  Hance  Ferguson.  The  children  are: 
Edwin,  of  S])ringfield  township;  and  Isadore,  children 
by  the  fir.st  marriage;  Emma  J.,  wife  of  C.  F.  Eaton, 
of  Monroe  township,  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio;  Ella  L., 
wife  of  J.  W.  Willey,  West  Springfield;  .'\lvira,  wife 
of  A.  H.  Dean;  and  Alta,  wife  of  Hance  Hardy,  of 
Monroe  township,  .Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  by  the  sec- 
ond marriage.  -Mr.  Randall  has  been  a  prominent 
citizen  of  the  conmiunity  in  which  he  resides  for 
forty-five  years,  having  occupied  his  present  place 
during  this  time.  With  him  resides  his  son-in-law,  |. 
65 


W.  Willey,  who  was  born  in  1842.  He  is  a  son  of 
of  John  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Ward)  Willey,  natives  of 
Summit  township,  Erie  county,  and  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  earlier  settlements  of  the  county 
through  their  ancestors.  .Mr.  Willey  was  married  in 
1876,  and  has  one  son,  Malcom. 

P.  O.  Richards,  mechanic.  West  Springfield, Erie 
county,  P.I.,  was  born  in  the  year  1835,  in  Evansburg, 
Crawford  county.  Pa.  He  is  a  son  of  Daniel  R.  Rich- 
ards, of  near  Shaftsbury,  \'t.,  who  was  born  in  18(J4, 
and  accidentally  killed  while  drawing  corn  stalks,  in 
the  month  of  October,  18.54,  in  one  of  his  fields  on  the 
west  side  of  George  L'ffortl's  farm  in  Ashtabula  county, 
(;)hio,of  which  land  he  was  owner  at  the  time  of  the  ac- 
cident. He  fell  upon  a  tine  of  a  pitchfork,  inflict- 
ing a  wound,  from  which  he  died  in  a  short  time.  Mr. 
P.  O.  Richards'  mother  was  Marie,  daughter  of  Ezra 
Olin,  a  native  of  \ermont.  She  died  in  the  year  1877. 
Mr.  Richariis  was  the  second  son  of  a  family  of  nine 
children,  two  sons  and  seven  daughters,  all  living.  He 
came  from  Kingsville,  .Ashtabula  county,  O.,  in  I860, 
and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  vocation  he 
has  since  followed  in  his  present  location  in  West 
Siiringfield.  In  1859  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Abel  Lockw(H)d,  an  old  and  pr  miinent  resident  of 
Conneaut,  O.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  the 
following  children:  Ida  (deceased),  .Arthur,  Lottie, 
Harriet,  Charles  and  Mary. 

Charles  H.  Khitoti,  farmer.  West  Springfield, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  b(jrn  in  the  township  in  which  he 
now  resides  in  the  year  1862.  He  is  a  son  of  Rev.  Ed- 
ward and  Theresa  (Dewey  I  Whiton,  life-long  residents 
of  Springfield  township,  and  natives  of  Xew  England. 
Edward  Whiton  was  for  years  a  local  preacher,  regu- 
larly ordained  bv  the  authorities  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 
His'death  took  place  April  19,  1890.  His  widow  sur- 
vives, and  resides  with  her  son,  Charles,  on  the  home- 
stead farm.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  J.  D.  Dewey, 
a  native  of  \ermont,  who  took  an  active  part  in  the 
late  Rebellion,  and  for  seven  years  was  a  resident  of 
Springfield  township.  Abijah' Whiton,  grandfather  of 
Charles,  was  the  first  of  this  family  to  settle  in  Erie 
countv.  He,  with  his  wife,  Rachael  Remington,  came 
from  the  east  and  settled  on  the  Ridge  road  about 
1820.  They  first  settled  in  Pierpont,  .Ashtabula  county, 
O.,  and  later  located  on  a  160-acre  farm  on  what  is 
known  as  the  Ridge  road  in  Springfield  township.  He 
came  to  the  locality  early  in  1807  from  Massachusetts 
with  his  hou.sehold  effects  drawn  by  an  ox-team,  and 
loaded  on  a  cart.  This  denizen  of  the  forest  for  many 
years  hauled  wood  to  Conneaut  Harbor,  and  was  thus 
able  to  gain  a  livelihood  for  himself  and  family,  and 
lay  bv  in  store  a  comfortable  nest-egg  for  his  posterity. 
In  those  days  he  was  compelled  to  take  grain  forty 
miles,  the  nearest  milling  point.  Charles  H.  Whiton, 
is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  five  children,  as  follows: 
Ellen,  wife  of  Calvin  Johnson,  Springfield  township; 
William,  West  Springfield;  Marietta,  wife  of  Joseph 
lohnson,  Conneaut,  O.;  Belle,  wife  of  Horace  G. 
Thaver,  West  Springfield,  and  Charles  H.,  who,  Xo- 
vem'bcr  12,  1887,  was  married  to  Miss  May,  eldest 
daughter  of  Cyrenus  and  Mary  Thompson,  of  Con- 
neaut, O.  To'  this  union  has  been  two  children. 
Charles  H.  Whiton,  began  life  as  an  active  farmer  in 
1882,  and  purchased  in  co-partnership  with  his  brother, 
William,  the  Caughey  farm,  and  after  six  years  of  sue- 


862 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  BICTIONABT 


cessful  farming  disposed  of  the  same  and  located  on 
his  present  farm.  In  townsliip  affairs  he  has  been  an 
important  factor,  and  is  at  present  tax-collector. 

George  C.  Gates,  notary  jiublic,  West  Sjirinjjfield, 
Erie  comity,  I'a.,  was  born  in  1883,  in  Harbor  Creek, 
Erie  county,  I'a.,  where  he  resided  until  l^(i7,  when  he 
moved  to  West  Springfield,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  is  a  son  of  Alonzo  and  Emily  Gates,  natives  of 
New  York  State.  The  former  died  in  the  vear  1882, 
and  the  latter  in  1878.  October  3,  18.V>,  Mr.  Gates 
married  Julia  G.,  daughter  of  Ralpli  and  Lucy 
(Barnes)  liostwick,  natives  of  Plymouth,  Conn.  The 
former  came  to  Springhekl  in  18.')3,  and  died  in  1872. 
His  wife  liied  in  18.58.  Mr.  Clates  leariu-d  the  trade  of 
carriage-making,  which  he  successfully  followed  for 
many  years,  until  other  and  more  important  duties, 
together  with  impaired  health,  compelled  an  abandon- 
ment of  this  vocation.  Many  of  the  additions  and 
devices,  the  work  of  his  own  hands,  adorn  and  orna- 
ment his  home.  Being  a  man  of  determination  and 
untiring  energy,  lie  has  been  foremost  in  public  enter- 
prises, and  a  ]>roinineiit  citizen.  He  was  apiiointed 
notary  public,  and  also  has  an  insurance  agency  for 
the  locality.  In  June,  1892,  after  having  served  seven 
years  as  secretary,  he  was  elected  Grand  Captain  of 
the  Grand  Camp  of  .State  Police  and  Home  Guards  of 
Pennsvlvania  and  Ohio,  which  office  he  held  until 
June,  m)h. 

Orange  S.  Huntley,  farmer.  West  Springfield, 
P>ie  county,  ]'a.,  is  a  native  of  Pierpont,  Ashtabula 
county,  O.,  and  was  born  May  20,  1822.  He  is  a  son 
of  Orrin  and  Charity  Huntley,  natives  of  Massachu- 
setts and  Connecticut  respectively,  who  came  West 
about  1826  and  settled  in  Erie  county.  Orange  is  the 
second  child  of  a  family  of  six  children.  Orrin  Hunt- 
ley was  a  prominent  farmer  and  citizen,  and  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  died  .April  \h,  1865, 
aged  69  years,  and  liis  widow  died  March  29,  1890, 
age  91  years.  In  1845  Orange  S.  Huntley  was  mar- 
ried to  Clarissa  R.  Carter,  a  daughter  of  Franklin  H. 
and  Clarissa  Carter,  late  residents  of  Conneaut,  Ohio. 
The  former  was  a  citizen  of  prominence  and  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire;  he  died  in  1864;  the  latter  a  na- 
tive of  \'ermont,  who  died  in  1841.  This  union  has 
been  blessed  with  six  children,  as  follows:  Ellen  M., 
wife  of  Albert  W.  Wass,  Marshalltown,  Iowa;  Frank- 
lin C,  Nebraska;  Myron  H.,  Cherry  Hill;  Clara 
Louise,  wife  of  W.  Jay  Sherman,  West  .S[)ringfield; 
Emma  R.,  wife  of  Hiram  Armstrong,  living  in  UeWitt, 
Neb.;  and  Lizzie  C,  wife  of  Perry  Jerrils,  West  .Spring- 
field. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huntlev  are  jirominent  members 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  at  West  Springfield.  They  have 
lived  a  life  of  usefulness,  which  is  characterized  by 
many  worthy  deeds  and  thoughtfulness  for  others.  Mr. 
Huntley  has  been  a  life-long  Repulilican.  The  fol- 
lowing family  history  of  the  Huntleys,  written  by  Mrs. 
D.  W.  Brown,  of  Cherry  Hill,  this  county,  will  iirove 
interesting  in  this  connection:  "  Our  greatgrandfather 
came  from  Wales,  with  two  sons,  Amos  and  Daniel 
Huntley,  and  died  on  shi])  board,  leaving  the  two  boys 
to  propagate  their  name  across  the  sea.  Nothing  is 
known  of  Daniel.  Amos  lived  in  Massachusetts,  where 
he  landed  as  a  bound  boy  until  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority, after  which  he  married  a  maiden  named  Cook. 
Fourteen  children  were  born  to  this  union.  He  set- 
tled in   Pierpont,  w-hen  there  were  only  four  families 


in  the  town.  He  .served  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  was  paid  off  in  Continental  money,  which  at  that 
time  had  no  value,  so  he  raked  ov<-r  the  coals  and 
burned  over  S300  ol  it.  That  kind  of  money  was  after- 
ward redeemed.  The  children  were  Amos,  William, 
Elisha,  Ezekiel,  James,  Orrin  and  Hiram.  The  girls 
w-ere  Lydia,  .Sylvia,  Sybil,  Lois,  Lucy  and  Nancy. 
Grandfather  lived  to  be  83  years  old.  Amos,  the 
namesake  of  his  grandfather,  was  given  his  time  at  the 
age  of  20  years.  He  went  on  foot  to  New  York  State, 
and  hired  out  for  one  year  at  SlO  jier  month.  He 
afterward  married  the  sister  of  his  employer.  When 
ElLsha  became  of  age  he  wi-nt  and  joined  the  elder 
brother,  and  they  together  bought  lUO  acres  of  land. 
Afterward  William  came,  and  Lydia,  their  oldest  sis- 
ter, ke|jt  house  for  them.  William  and  Lydia  died  of 
typhoid  fever.  Amos  married  Adah  Pardee  in  1805. 
Grandfather  claimed  one-half  the  iirojierty,  and  being 
dissatisfied,  he  sold  out  and  came  to  the  Holland  Pur- 
chase, where  he  improved  a  large  farm,  built  and  run 
a  sawmill  and  ilistillery,  owned  and  run  a  canal  boat, 
and  had  many  men  in  his  employ.  He  died  in  1S29. 
.Seven  children  were  born  to  this  .son,  two  of  whom  are 
living.  James  marrietl  Lydia  Hart  and  livetl  on  the 
old  homestead.  He  raisetl  five  children,  all  of  whom 
settled  near  him,  except  William,  who  went  some 
years  ago  to  California.  Ezekiel  bought  a  farm  in 
Monroe;  he  married  Minerva  Brooks  and  raised  a 
family  of  eight  children.  Orrin  was  married  in  1818 
to  Charity  Blakesley.  He  first  settled  in  Pierpont, 
but  sold  his  place  in  1842,  and  moved  to  Conneaut, 
Pa.,  where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  69  years.  The  family  consisted  of  six 
children.  Orange,  his  twin  brother,  died  when  com- 
paratively a  young  man,  leaving  a  wife  and  one  child. 
Hiram  also  died  quite  young,  leaving  two  daughters. 
Of  the  girls  one  married  Simon  Forbes,  one  a  Mr. 
Campbell;  Nancy  married  Elisha  Knapp.  Of  the 
descendants  of  these  several  families  there  are  now 
represented  .Amos,  Ezekiel,  James,  Orrin  and  Hiram; 
of  the  girls,  Lucy  and  Nancy." 

Harlo>v  D.  Norton  (deceased)  was  born  in  Mon- 
roe, Ashtabula  county,  O.,  and  was  a  .son  of  Albert  A. 
Norton,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Pierpont,  .Ashtabula 
county,  O.,  who  died  in  August,  1885.  Harlow  was 
married  in  1862  to  Sarah  C,  daughter  of  Isaac  Aldrich, 
of  Pierjiont,  A.shtabula  county,  O.  Their  children 
are:  Olive,  wife  of  M.  E.  Carbary,  of  Conneaut,  O.; 
Leroy  H.  Norton,  West  .Springfield,  and  A.  \.  Norton, 
West  Springfield.  Mr.  Norton  dieil  March  II,  1892. 
His  widow  survives,  and,  together  with  her  sons,  oc- 
cupy and  run  the  farm  upon  which  they  have  resided 
for  several  years.  Mr.  Norton  served  several  terms 
as  constable,  and  was  prominent  in  township  affairs. 

George  T.  Steenherg,  proprietor  of  the  planing- 
mill.  West  Siiringfield,  P^rie  county,  Pa.,  is  a  native  of 
Syracuse,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y.,  and  was  born  in 
1847.  He  is  a  son  of  I.  F.  Steenberg,  also  a  native  of 
the  Empire  State.  George  came  to  Springfield  in 
1863,  and  began  in  the  milling  business  in  1871  in 
Conneaut,  Ashtabula  county,  O.  In  1875  he  came  to 
East  .Springfield,  where  he  conducted  a  similar  busi- 
ness until  1882,  when  he  purchased  his  present  site, 
and  erected  the  steam  mill,  located  on  what  is  known 
as  Eagley  road,  and  which  he  has  since  conducted.  It 
embraces  a  planing-mill  and  feed-mill,  and  he  does  a 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


S63 


general  milling  business,  which  has  been  carried  on 
successfully.  This  enterprising  gentleman  has  not 
only  been  foremost  in  this  undertaking  but  in  several 
measures  of  local  imijortance.  In  1868  he  married 
Miss  Rose  A.,  daughter  of  John  I).  Gerrerd,  a  native 
of  X'ermont,  who  died  in  1873.  Two  children  have 
been  born  to  them:  Glenna  A.  and  James  G.  Steen- 
berg.  George  T.  Steenberg  is  a  member  of  Ever- 
green (Conneaut)  Lodge,  No.  222,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Jr.  O. 
U.  M.  W.  and  State  Police. 

G.  J.  ShermaM,  teacher,  West  Springfield,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  was  burn  June  3,  187t).  He  is  a  son  of  W. 
Jay  Sherman,  who  resides  at  wliat  is  known  as  the 
Centre.  This  gentleman  is  a  .son  of  .Anson  B.Sher- 
man, who  was  born  in  ISOO,  and  with  his  [jarentscame 
to  West  Springfield  townshi]!,  and  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  in  what  was  called,  in  honor  of 
the  family,  Sherman  Corners.  He  ran  a  general  store 
for  some  thirty  years.  He  died  September  G,  1888, 
having  been  a  resident  of  .Springfield  for  sixty-two 
years.  His  father.  Ware  J.  Sherman,  was  the  first  of 
the  family  to  come  to  the  township.  Anson  was  mar- 
ried in  1835  at  Attica,  N.  V.,  to  Miss  .Angelina  Ciray, 
with  whom  he  lived  fifty-three  years.  To  them  were 
born  three  children;  Charles,  a  resident  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo.;  Dr.  J.  A.,  of  Cherokee,  la.,  and  William 
Jay,  father  of  G.  J.  Sherman.  W.  J.  Sherman  was 
married  June  17,  1875,  to  C.  Louise  Huntley,  daughter 
of  O.  .S.  Huntley.  Two  children  have  blessed  this 
union:  G.  J.  and  Lena  L.  G.  J.  began  teaching  in 
1893,  in  .Springfield  township,  and  was  educated  at 
West  Springfield  Academy  and  the  Edinboro  State 
Normal  School. 

George  R.  Moore,  deputy  supreme  president  of 
the  Equitable  Aid  L'nion,  East  Springfield,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  New  York, 
December  15,  1838,  where  a  portion  of  his  early  life 
was  spent.  Later,  for  a  few  years,  he  resided  in 
Waterville,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.  George  is  a  son  of 
Henry  L.  and  Emeline  (Sanders)  Moore, natives  of  New 
York  State.  The  former  died  in  1881  and  the  latter 
in  1884,  in  East  S]iringfield.  George  R.  Moore  is  the 
eldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  as  follows:  Sarah, 
wife  of  N.  A.  Angell,  Geneva,  O.;  Dr.  C.  N.  Moore 
(deceased),  Emily,  wife  of  Fayette  Holmes,  Iowa; 
Chester  C,  Clinton,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.;  Joseph  S. 
(deceased),  H.  Eugene,  Waterville,  Oneida  county,  N. 
Y.,  and  Mary  E.  (cleceased),  wife  of  H.  D.  Sanders, 
East  Springfield.  The  first  of  this  family  to  come  to 
Erie  county  was  Dr.  C.  N.  Moore,  who  came  to  Spring- 
field about  1870,  and  had  an  extensive  ]iractice  for 
several  years.  Hisdeath  occurred  July8, 1887.  George 
R.  Moore  was  married  in  April,  18(il,  to  Hattie,  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  H.  and  Betsey  M.  (Burdick)  Burgess, 
natives,  and  now  residents  of  New  York  State.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  two  children,  Alice  May 
(deceased)  and  Currie  A.  Moore,  now  po.stmistress  at 
East  Springfield.  Mr.  Moore  began  early  in  life  in 
the  milling  business  in  Otsego  county.  New  York, 
which  he  followed  successfully  for  thirty  years.  In 
1890  he  represented  Merrill  iv  Lamb,  of  Chicago,  as 
traveling  salesman,  continuing  in  their  employ  until 
1892,  when  he  was  appointed  deputy  sujireme  presi- 
dent of  the  E.  A.  U.,  and  has  become  a  most  energetic, 
faithful  and  successful  worker  for  the  order  in  estab- 
lishing numerous  unions  in  the  county  and  elsewhere. 


The  first  two  years  after  his  appointment  was  spent  in 
Kansas  in  effectual  work  for  the  order.  Mr.  .Moore 
came  to  Sjiringfield  in  1881,  and  with  the  exception  of 
two  years,  has  ever  since  been  a  resident  of  the  borough. 
He  is  a  member  of  Western  Star  Lodge,  No.  15,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  at  Bridgewater,  N.  Y.  Mr.  .Moore  is  the  in- 
ventor anil  patentee  of  a  valuable  and  important  de- 
vice for  catching  and  delivering  mail  in  transit.  Ex- 
perts who  have  examined  it  say  it  is  far  ahead  of  any- 
thing ever  devised  for  catching  and  delivering  mail  in 
transit. 

The  Rev.  Jeremiah  Cooper,  rector  of  .St.  .Mat- 
thew's Church  (Episco]ial),  Union  Citv,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
St.  Louis,  .Mo.,  December  20,  1844.  He  is  the  son  of 
Jeremiah  (deceased!  and  Catherine  Herman)  Cooper, 
of  Waynesboro,  Franklin  county.  Pa.  .Mr.  Cooper 
entered  the  Union  army  in  his  15th  year,  and  served 
till  the  close  of  the  war.  Immediately  he  entered  the 
academy  at  Mercersburg,  Pa.,  prosecuted  collegiate 
studies,  and  in  1874  graduated  from  the  Delaney 
Divinity  Seminary  in  Geneva,  N.  Y.  Having  served 
burg  and  Renovo,  Pa.,  and  other  jilaces,  he  took 
churches  at  Bradfonl,  Pa.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  Harris- 
charge  of  .St.  .Matthew's,  L'nion  City,  in  1889,  where  he 
still  resides.  Mr.  Cooper  enlisted  in  18(51,  in  Co.  A, 
77th  P.  V.  I.,  Capt.  J.  E.  Walker;  he  was  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Shiloh,  Stone  River,  a  number  of  skirmi.shes, 
and  at  Chickamauga,  where  he  was  wounded  and 
made  a  |irisoner  of  war,  being  e.<changed  ten  months 
afterward.  He  returned  to  his  regiment  and  took  part 
in  some  of  the  campaigns  against  .\tlanta,  and  after- 
wards at  Atlanta  and  Nashville,  Tenn.  Next  his  regi- 
ment was  sent  to  Texas,  where,  four  months  later,  he, 
with  the  regiment,  was  mustered  out.  Such  is  the 
worthy  war  record  of  a  gallant  private,  who  underwent 
all  phases  of  hardship  in  war,  especially  the  unspeak- 
able, awful  horror  of  those  hells  named  Libby  and 
.Andersonville.  To  these  men,  who  faithfully  per- 
formed the  real  duty  of  the  soldier,  suffered  and  en- 
dured all  things,  and  won  victories,  we  owe  more  than 
can  ever  be  paid,  for  thev  saved  the  Union.  .Mr. 
Cooper  was  married  to  Mi -is  Rebecca  Laughery,  of 
Carlisle,  Pa.,  and  five  children  were  born  to  them; 
Howard  (deceased),  Walter  and  .Ada  (deceased),  Flor- 
ence \'iola  and  Bertha  Naomi.  Miss  Florence  was 
married  to  Mr.  William  D.  Ackley,  of  Warren,  O.,  on 
September  25,  1895. 

Rev.  M.  D.  M.  Altice,  presiding  elder  of  the 
I'nited  Brethren  in  Christ,  for  the  Meadville  district, 
was  born  in  Franklin  county,  \'irginia,  a  son  of  Will- 
iam H.  and  Catharine  H.  (Johnson)  .-Mtice,  natives  of 
\'irginia.  Mr.  .-Xltice  was  reared  and  educated  in  West 
\'irginia,  where  his  jiarents  moved  soon  after  his  birth. 
After  a  course  in  the  public  schools,  he  entered  the 
West  \'irginia  .Seminary,  where  he  attained  a  high 
mark  for  scholastic  ability.  After  a  couple  of  years  at 
this  institution  Mr.  .Altice  began  teaching,  and  con- 
tinued to  follow  that  profession  until  31  years  of  age. 
.As  a  teacher  Mr.  . Mtice  was  earnest  and  conscientious, 
and  his  duties  led  him  to  more  fully  reali/e  the  graver 
resjionsiljilities  of  life,  and  after  much  careful  thought 
he  entered  the  ministry,  joined  the  Parkersburg  con- 
ference, and  was  sent  to  Ripley,  Jackson  county,  W. 
\'a.,  where  he  remained  two  years.  He  then  served  at 
L\ibeck,  Little's  Mills,  Glenville  and  West  Milford. 
Later  he  took  a  transfer  from  Parkersburg,  joined  the 


864 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Erie  confercncf,  and  has  st-rvcd  at  the  following 
places:  Wctherstield  Springs,  Williston,  Sardinia, 
X.  v.,  Keating,  Summit,  Pa.,  and  at  the  latter  place  he 
hudt  a  church  without  having  a  member;  m  other 
words,  he  built  a  church  and  became  personally  re- 
siiousible.  He  afterward  went  to  Farmer's  N'alley  and 
Homer,  Fa.  In  No\  ember,  ly!S8,  Bishop  X.  Castle,  1). 
D.,  appointed  him  iiresiding  elder  of  the  Buffalo  dis- 
trict, where  he  served  one  year;  next  he  served  for  two 
years  in  the  same  capacity  on  the  Meadville  district, 
then  going  to  Sugar  Grove  district  for  one  year.  His 
health  failing,  he  was  made  jjastor  of  the  Union  City 
church;  but  his  illness  became  so  serious  that  he  went 
to  the  Fox  .Sanitarium  in  Clevehuul,  O.,  for  treatment. 
Later  ret\u'ning  to  his  home  he  was  again  elected  pre- 
siding elder  and  appointed  to  the  Meadville  district, 
and  has  since  served  in  that  capacity.  Mr.  Altice  has 
been  twice  married:  first  to  Annie  L.  Boyce,  of  West 
Columbia,  W.  X .,  June  12,  18(i4;  his  wife  only  lived 
seven  weeks.  Mr.  Altice  was  married  a  seconii  time, 
September  3,  1W2,  to  Miss  Alice  h'..  Perkins,  of  War- 
saw, X.  V.  'I'hey  have  one  daughter,  Jessie  Gertrude, 
whom  they  adopted  while  an  infant.  The  life  of  Mr. 
Altice  has  been  cliaracterized  by  unswerving  integrity 
and  calm  jierseverance;  his  intercourse  by  a  warm 
geniality  which  wins  respect  from  those  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact. 

H.  L.  Stem,  M.  D..  I'nion  City,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Waterford,  Pa.,  October  5,  18(iH,  and  is  a  son  of  Louis 
T.  and  Elizabeth  Stem.  His  mother  died  when  he 
was  but  a  few  days  old,  and  he  was  reared  by  his 
graniiparents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Rice;  was  edu- 
catetl  in  Waterford  Academy,  Waterford,  Pa.,  gradu- 
ating in  1888,  and  in  the  fall  of  1889  began  the  study 
of  medicine  in  the  Homccopathic  Medical  College  of 
Cleveland,  t)hio.  In  the  fall  and  winter  of  1890-91  he 
attended  the  Hahnneman  Medical  College,  Chicago, 
returning  to  Cleveland  Medical  College  in  the  fall  of 
1891;  he  graduated  from  that  institution  with  honors  in 
the  spring  of  1892.  In  April  of  the  same  year  he  lo- 
cated at  Union  City,  Pa.,  where  by  his  superior  abili- 
ties anil  excellent  judgment  he  has  built  up  a  sub- 
stantial and  lucrative  practice.  He  is  a  deej)  thinker, 
a  con.scientious  stuilent,  and  by  his  good  qualities  has 
established  himself  in  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
the  community. 

James  A.  Hodgius,  dentist,  Union  City,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  .Shawville,  Pontiac  county,  Quebec,  and  is  the 
liftli  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  three  sons  and  four 
daughters.  Mr.  Hodgins  was  reared  and  educated  in 
.Shawville.  .'\fter  completing  a  thorough  course  of 
training  in  the  public  schools,  he  concluded  to  gratify 
a  long-cherished  ambition  to  become  proficient  in  den- 
tistry; and,  with  this  in  view,  he  began,  in  1888,  the 
study  of  dentistry  with  one  of  the  leading  dentists  in 
Brockville,  Ont.,  William  Brace.  He  continued  with 
Dr.  Brace  until  188.");  then,  entering  the  Philadelphia 
Dental  College,  he  was  graduated  from  that  institution 
in  1887,  and  inmiediately  located  at  Waterfonl,  where 
he  practiced  until  1890,  when  he  removed  to  Union 
City,  and  has  established  a  practice  that  only  a  man  of 
ability  and  skill  could  command.  Mr.  Hodgins  was 
united  in  marriage  June  4, 1890,  to  Miss  Jennie,  daugh- 
ter of  T.  M.  Judson,  a  resident  of  Waterford.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  Lawrence  J. 
and  May.     Mr.  Hodgins  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 


order,  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  K.  of  P.,  and  an  attendant  of  the 
Ejiiscopal  Church. 

Frank  E.  McLean.  <-dilor  of  the  Union  City 
Times,  I'uion  City,  Pa.,  is  the  eldest  son  of  Lewis  II. 
and  Mary  F-.  ( Lamphien  McLean.  He  was  liorn  in 
Lel5ieuf  township  June  4,  18.'')(l.  He  had  the  advan- 
tage only  of  a  common-school  education.  In  18li7  he 
entered  the  printing  office  owned  by  H.  (I.  Pratt,  from 
which  the  I'nion  Mills  Stiir  was  published,  and  learned 
the  trade.  .After  working  at  the  business  for  several 
years  he,  in  1878,  pm'chased  the  L'nion  City  Tiniea. 
After  conducting  the  jiaper  for  two  y<-ars  he  associ- 
ated with  him  his  brother,  J.  C.  McLean,  and  under 
the  firm  u:nne  <if  McLean  Bros.  Tliv  Timi's  has  since 
been  published.  In  1871  he  was  the  nominee  of  the 
Democratic  party  in  F^rie  county  for  the  Assembly, 
but  with  the  large  Rei>ul)lican  majority  in  the  county 
again.st  him  he  was  defeated,  although  he  ran  several 
hundred  votes  ahead  of  his  ticket.  He  was  for  three 
terms  chairman  of  the  F'rie  County  Democratic  com- 
mittee, and  was  also  a  member  of  the  State  executive 
committee.  In  .'\ugust,  1887,  he  was  ont'  of  the  dele- 
gates from  Pennsylvania  to  the  Xational  F'ditorial 
Association  which  met  in  Detroit,  Mich.  On  January 
MO,  1872,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucinda 
Cottrell,  of  Waterford  township.  They  were  the  ])ar- 
ents  of  three  children:  Jessie  N.  (who  died  when  4 
years  old);  Frank  L.  (who  died  when  11  months  old), 
and  their  surviving  daughter,  Bessie  Wave.  Mr.  Mc- 
Lean is  a  member  of  Clement  Lodge,  Xo.220,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Sylvan  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Xinevah  Encamp- 
ment, I.  O.  O.  F.,  Israel  Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor, 
Vera  Lodge,  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  and  Star  Coimcil, 
Royal  Templars  of  Temjierance.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Lean and  daughter  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Richard  Titus,  of  the  firm  of  Thompson  S:  Titus, 
coal  dealers,  L'nion  City,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Venango 
townshi]),  Erie  county,  I'a.,  .April  21,  1859,  and  is  the 
fourth  in  a  family  of  six  children.  The  Titus  family 
belong  to  the  oldest  inhabitants  of  Erie  county.  Jesse 
Titus,  the  grandfather  of  Richard,  came  from  Ma.ssa- 
chusetts  and  settled  in  \'enango  township  when  it  was 
a  vast  wildernes.s.  Richard  Titus  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  birthplace,  and  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  until  1888,  when  he  came  to  Union  City  and 
worked  for  W.  H.  Harrison,  a  shipper,  for  two  years. 
He  then  worked  in  the  freight  department  of  the 
Philadeljihia  and  Erie  R.  R.  h)r  two  years,  and  went 
on  the  road  firing,  but  at  the  end  of  a  year  returned  to 
the  freight  office,  where  he  continued  until  he  bought 
a  half  interest,  with  W.  H.  Thompson,  in  the  coal 
business.  Both  members  of  the  firm  are  energetic 
and  industrious  business  men,  and  are  doing  a  large 
business  in  their  line.  Mr.  Titus  was  married  Sep- 
tember 21,  1892,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  M.  H. 
Haynes,  of  Waterford  town.ship.  Three  children  were 
Ixirn  to  this  union:  Rosa.  Ora  and  Ollie.  Mr.  Titus  is 
a  Republican  in  jiolitics,  and  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

John  P.  Sitmacher,  tanner  and  currier,  LInion 
City.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Pontiac,  Erie  ctumty,  N.  Y.,  June 
6,  186r),  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Magdaline  (Linble) 
Sinnacher,  natives  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  who  came  to 
the  L'nited  States  in  18fi4,  settling  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  where  Mr.  Sinnacher  operated  a  tannery.   John 


AND  MISTOBIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


865 


was  reared  and  educated  in  Pontiac,  N'.  V.,  and  at  an 
arly  age  learned  the  tanner's  and  currier's  trade,  and  has 
followed  it  ever  since.  In  1884  the  family  came  to  Union 
City  and  bought  the  tannery  formerly  owned  by  A.  J. 
Terril.  It  was  operated  by  Sinnacher  &  Son  until 
August  12,  ISf'l,  when  the  fatherdied.  John  ran  it  one 
year  after  his  father's  death,  and,  in  1892,  formed  a 
partnership  with  Barnhart  May,  a  brother-in-law,  and 
they  have  since  successfully  carried  on  the  business. 
Mr.  Sinnacher  w-as  united  in  marriage  January  28, 
1887,  to  Miss  Euphemie  T.  Walker  of  Union  City. 
One  son  has  blessed  this  union,  John,  jr.  Mr.  Sin- 
nacher has  always  been  identihed  with  ihe  Democratic 
party,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Fidelity,  Sobriety  and 
Integrity  Society  of  Union  City.  The  family  attend 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  Barnhart  May,  the  other 
member  of  this  firm,  was  born  December  28,  1862,  in 
Strasburg,  Germany.  His  family  came  to  thiscountry 
and  settled  in  Alden,  N.  Y.  Mr.  May  was  educated 
in  Alden,  N.  Y.,  and  learned  the  tanner's  trade  when 
quite  young.  He  worked  at  different  places  at  his 
trade  until  1892,  when  he  came  to  Union  City,  and 
formed  the  partnership  noted  above.  Mr.  May  was 
married  July  4,  1877,  to  Miss  Josephine  Sinnacher. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  Albert, 
Lily  (deceased)  and  Nina.  Mr.  May  is  a  Democrat, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church.  The  reputa- 
tion of  this  tannery  is  high  wherever  its  products  are 
known,  and  great  pains  are  taken  to  maintain  a  high 
standard  of  quality. 

Louis  S.  Clark,  of  the  firm  of  Fcssler  &  Clark, 
proprietors  of  the  Union  City  meat  market,  Union 
City,  Pa.,  was  horn  in  Union  township,  Erie  county, 
Pa.,  October  6,  1856.  He  is  .second  in  a  family  of  three 
children  of  Jerry  and  Sophia  (Lewis)  Clark,  natives  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  Louis  was  reared  and  educated 
at  his  birthplace,  and  after  leaving  school  worked  in 
a  meat  market  for  five  years.  In  1882  he  came  to 
L'nion  City  and  worked  for  the  Philadelphia  and 
Erie  R.  K.  Company,  in  the  capacity  of  clerk  and 
baggageman,  where  he  remained  for  twelve  years.  In 
May,  1884,  he  bought  a  half  interest  in  the  L'nion  City 
meat  market,  where  he  and  his  partner  have  suc- 
ceeded in  building  up  a  large  trade.  The  greatest 
care  is  observed  by  this  house  in  selecting  their  meats, 
and  in  their  prejiaration  and  handling,  and  it  enjoys 
an  enviable  repntation.  Mr.  Clark  was  united  in  mar- 
riage March  81,  1879.  to  Miss  May,  daughter  of  New- 
ton Heimbaugh,  of  Erie  county.  Five  children  have 
been  born  of  this  union,  .Mabel,  Lena,  Harold,  Bessie 
and  Myrtie.  Mr.  Clark  was  president  of  the  Union 
City  Hose  Company  in  1880,  vice-president  of  the  Pro- 
tected Home  Circle,  and  its  secretary  and  treasurer  in 
1890-1.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Chiirch,  and  is  identified  with  the    Republican    party. 

Charles  A.  Law,  merchant  tailor,  L'nion  City,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Greenville,  Pa.,  .September  4,  1867.  and  is 
the  second  of  three  children  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Rice)  Law,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  James  Law  was 
a  carriage  manufacturer,  was  born  in  1824  and  died 
September  27,  1889.  The  three  children  of  this  fam- 
ily were:  Mary  Teresa  (now  widow  of  H.  B.  Lay,  late 
of  Greenville,  Pa.),  Charles  A.  and  .-\lban  H.,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, a  traveling  salesman  for  the  International 
Shirt  and  Collar  Company,  of  Chicago.  Charles  A. 
Law   was   educated   in  Greenville,  Pa.,  and  after  his 


school  days  went  to  Mercer,  Pa.,  where  he  learned  the 
tailor's  trade,  working  at  it  there  about  three  years, 
and  then  going  to  .Meadville,  where  he  was  employed 
as  a  clerk  for  six  years.  In  1880  he  went  to  Chicago 
and  clerked  for  four  years.  He  then  returned  to 
Greenville,  where  he  remained  one  year.  In  1885  he 
came  to  Union  City  and  was  employed  by  L.  J.  Treat 
three  years  and  by  Carroll  &  Van  Dusen  about  two 
year.s.  .Mr.  Law  opened  a  tailoring  establishment  of 
his  own  in  1891,  and  has  since  conducted  it  with 
marked  succss.  The  artistic  taste  and  knowledge  of 
style  best  adapted  to  each  subject,  so  necessary  in 
the  successful  tailor,  are  happily  combined  In  Mr. 
Law,  whose  long  and  varied  experience  has  well  qual- 
ified him  for  his  business.  He  was  married  A|)ril  16, 
1888,  to  Mi,ss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Avery, 
of  Waterford,  Pa.  Mr.  Law  is  a  Republican,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Masonic  order  and 
I.  O.  O.  F. 

William  H.  Thompson,  freight  agent  for  the 
Philadelphia  an<l  Erie  R.  R.  Company,  Empire  Line 
and  .Adams  Express,  at  L'nion  City,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
L'nion  City  February  3,  1868,  and  is  the  second  of 
seven  children  of  Charles  C.  and  Amanda  .S.  (Bur- 
roughs) Thompson.  The  pioneer  representative  of 
this  branch  of  the  family  was  Abel  Thompson,  who 
came  to  Erie  county  in  1802,  to  what  is  now  known  as 
Union  City.  It  was  at  that  time  a  dense  forest.  Caleb 
Thompson,  his  son,  and  grandfather  of  William  H., 
helped  to  clear  the  lands  where  the  thriving  town  of 
Union  City  now  stands.  Charles  C.  Thompson,  the 
next  in  order  of  descent,  was  born  in  L'nion  City  De- 
cember 14,  1833,  was  educated  in  the  common  schfKils, 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  has  followed  con- 
tracting and  building  for  many  years.  Mr.  W.  H. 
Thompson  was  reared  and  educated  in  L'nion  City, 
and  after  his  leaving  school  clerked  in  a  gro- 
cery for  four  years.  He  then  became  deputy 
po.stmaster  under  his  father,  during  Grant's  sec- 
ond administration,  discharging  the  duties  of 
his  iiosition  faithfully  for  three  years.  In  April, 
1878,  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  P.  &  E.  division 
of  the  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  His  industry  and  ability 
won  him  promotion,  and  now  he  occupies  the  respon- 
sible position  of  freight  agent.  Mr.  Thompson  has 
also  been  interested,  since  1883,  in  the  sale  of  coal, 
building  material,  fire  clay  products,  stoneware  and 
dairy  salt.  His  first  partner  in  the  business  was  C.  C. 
Thomas,  who  c<intinued  with  him  and  looked  after  the 
office  and  its  business  until  his  death,  in  1889.  The 
business  was  contiucted  under  the  firm  name  until 
1893,  when  Richanl  Titus  was  taken  in  as  a  partner. 
The  busmess,  an  extensive  one,  is  at  [jresent  conduct- 
ed under  the  firm  name  of  'l"hom])Son  &  Titus,  Mr. 
Titus  giving  his  entire  time  to  it.  Mr. Thompson  was 
married  August  7,  1889.  to  Miss  Alma  T.,  daugther  of 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Lawrence)  Watson,  residents 
of  Su.s(|uehanna  county,  Pennsylvania.  .V  daughter 
has  blessed  this  union,  Marie  E.  Mr.  Thompson  is 
identified  with  the  Repul)lican  party, and  is  at  present 
a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Union  City.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  Charles  Alanson  Thompson,  second  son  of 
Charles  C.  and  Amanda  (Burroughs)  Thompson,  was 
born  in  L'nion  City  June  24,  18C9,  and  was  reared  and 
educated  for  the  most  part  by  his  uncle.  William  Put- 


866 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


nam.  At  an  early  age  he  became  driver  for  the 
American  Express  Company,  and  by  perseverance 
and  business  abih'ty  he  rapidly  made  his  way  to  the 
front,  and  at  the  present  time  is  chief  clerk  under  his 
brother,  W.  H.  Thompson.  Charles  A.  was  united  in 
marriage  October  12,  1892,  to  Miss  Minnie  A.,  daugh- 
ter of  Francis  and  jemima  (Buell  I  Millet,  the  former 
born  in  Allen,  .Mleghany  county,  N.  Y.,  and  the  latter 
in  Riceville,  Crawford  county,  Pa.,  October  29,  18.')2. 
One  daughter  has  blessed  this  union,  Helen  Cardine, 
born  September  19,  1898.  Mr.  C.  A.  Thompson  is  an 
ardent  Republican  and  an  enthusiastic  worKer  in  the 
[larty  ranks. 

William  Puttiani ,  ticket  agent  for  the  Philadel- 
phia and  Erie  R.  R.,  Union  City,  Pa.,  was  born  in 
Bethel,  \'t.,  May  18,  1822,  and  is  a  son  of  William  W. 
Putnam,  a  native  of  \'ermont,  who  w-as  born  .August 
ti,  1796,  and  died  in  1848,  and  Philana  (Buck)  Putnam, 
a  native  of  Xew  Hampshire,  born  in  1799,  and  died  in 
1888.  William  Putnam  is  a  direct  descendant  of  John 
Putnam,  the  original  head  of  the  family  in  this  coun- 
try. He  was  born  in  Buckingham,  England,  in  1582, 
settled  in  Salem,  Mass.,  in  1H34,  and  died  in  Buck- 
ingham, England,  in  lH(i2.  William  Putnam,  jr.,  was 
12  years  of  age  when  his  father  left  \'ermont  and  set- 
tled in  Erie  county,  Xew  York,  where  he  resided  for 
five  years,  coming  from  there  to  L'nion  township,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  in  1839.  In  1844  he  moved  to  the  borough, 
and  his  house  is  on  the  same  spot  that  he  I)uilt  upon 
in  1848.  At  an  early  age  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  followed  contracting  and  building  until 
1857.  In  1859  he  began  work  for  the  Philadelphia  and 
Erie  R.  R.  Company  in  the  capacity  of  freight,  ex- 
press and  ticket  agent,  but  at  the  pri-scnt  time  has 
relini[uished  all  the  duties  but  that  of  ticket  agent. 
He  has  dealt  tpiite  extensively  in  real  estate.  In  1855 
he  established  and  operated  a  coal  office,  opposite  the 
P.  &  E.  depot,  which  hecontinueil  until  1888,  when  he 
.sold  out  to  W.  H.  Thompson.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Whig  until  185(i,  when  he  united  with  the  Republicans, 
and  in  1857  was  elected  county  commissioner.  .Mr. 
Putnam  was  united  in  marriage  in  Xovember,  1845,  to 
Miss  Xancy  C,  daughter  of  I)r.  .Alanson  Burrows,  of 
l'nion  City.  Dr.  Burrows  was  born  in  .Alstead,  X.  H., 
February  14,  1800,  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  .State,  and  October  20,  1S48,  moved  to  Erie 
county  and  settled  in  Beaverdani,  where  he  practice<I 
his  profession  until  Fel)ruary  18,  1849,  when  he  came 
to  l'nion  City,  where  he  was  the  leading  physician  at 
that  time  in  this  part  of  the  county.  He  was  married 
to  Miss  Xancy  McCormick,  a  native  of  Windham, 
\'t.,  who  was  l)orn  October  20,  1800.  There  were  two 
children  born  of  this  marriage.  The  Doctor  died  in 
1856,  his  wife  in  ia5.S. 

Richard  R.  Lewis,  merchant  tailor  and  clothier, 
of  the  firm  of  Lewis  &  Carroll,  wfls  born  in  Dollgelley, 
the  county  seat  of  Merionethshire,  X'orth  Wales,  ."^pril 
13,  1846,  and  is  a  .son  of  Robert  and  .Ann  (Jones) 
Lewis,  natives  of  Wales.  He  is  the  third  in  a  family 
of  four  children,  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  birth- 
place, and,  at  the  early  age  of  11,  began  to  serve  ^n 
apprenticeshi])  with  his  father,  who  had  been  a  mer- 
chant tailor  throughout  his  business  life.  Richard 
was  compelleil,  as  all  apprentices  are  who  learn  trades 
in  England  or  Wales,  to  master  it  thoroughly  before 
being  allowed  to  engage  in  it  as  a  journeyman.     He 


worked  in  different  places  in  Wales  as  a  journeyman 
until  18(i8,  when  he  came  to  America  and  located  in 
L'tica,  X.  Y.,  where  he  worked  a  short  time,  and  then 
traveled  westward  to  California,  from  thence  to  Mexico 
and  Central  .America,  and  returned  by  vessel  to  L'tica, 
where  he  worked  as  a  tailor  until  September,  1873, 
when  he  came  to  L'nion  ('ity,  Pa.,  and  was  em|)loyed 
by  L.  J.  Treat  until  1879.  In  that  year  he  was  engaged 
by  C.  W.  Dabney,  for  whom  he  worked  ten.  years.  In 
1890  he  became  a  [jartner  in  a  merchant  tailoring  and 
clothing  establishment  with  O.  W.  Carroll.  The  busi- 
ness has  been  successfully  conducted  by  these  gentle- 
men since,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  houses  in  L'nion 
City.  Mr.  Lewis  is  a  complete  master  of  his  trade,  is 
a  first-class  cutter.  Personally  he  is  a  gentleman  well 
regarded  in  the  community  where  he  has  resided.  He 
is  a  frecpient  contributor  to  The  Atnerinin  l^ni/or,  a 
leading  trade  magazine  published  in  Xew  York  city. 
His  contributions  are  usually  on  the  art  of  cutting.  In 
1892  he  secured  letters  patent  from  the  L'nited  .States, 
Canada  and  Great  Britain  for  an  improved  measuring 
tailoring  square,  which  is  extensively  used.  Mr.  Lewis 
was  united  in  marriage  May  1,  1871,  to  Miss  Xarcissa, 
daughter  of  P.  W.  Sloody,  of  L'nion  City.  Seven 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union:  Robert, 
Richard,  Ellen,  Ruth,  Grace,  Margaret  and  Russell. 
Mr.  Lewis  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  the 
Knights  of  Honor,  and  the  family  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Alfred  C.  Sherwood,  M.  D.,  who  has  been  a  prac- 
ticing physician  of  L'nion  City  for  twenty-one  years, 
and  has  come  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  sur- 
geons in  Western  Pennsylvania,  is  the  eldest  son  of  F. 
W.  M.  and  Evaline  (Trow)  Sherwood,  his  father  being 
a  native  of  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  mother 
of  Chautau([ua  county,  Xew  York.  He  received  a  com- 
mon school  education,  and  afterwards  attended  the 
State  Xormal  School  at  Edinboro.  He  read  medicine 
with  Dr.  H.  R.  Terry,  then  located  in  L'nion  City,  for 
four  years,  after  which  he  entered  the  V'niversity  of 
Pennsylvania  medical  department,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  graduated  with  honors  March  13,  1873.  He 
inmiediately  entered  u|ion  the  duties  of  his  chosen 
profession.  On  January  20,  1876,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Fmima  \'.  Jackson,  daughter  of  .An- 
drew Jackson,  of  Meadville.  Seven  children  born  to 
this  union  were:  Miss  Daisy  M.,  Andrew  J.,  Belle  E., 
Rose  \'.,  Frederick  L.,  Beatrice  M.  and  .Alton  C.  Fred- 
erick L.  died  at  the  age  of  7  years  and  .Alton  C.  at  the 
age  of  3  months.  Before  he  had  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  he  was  aii]iointed  physi- 
cian for  the  county  and  has  continuously  held  the  po- 
sition since.  He  was  also  appointed  surgeon  for  the 
Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  about  the  same  time  and 
still  retains  the  place.  He  has  been  elected  to  the 
school  lioard  several  terms,  and  in  this  position  gave 
much  time  and  attention  to  the  building  up  of  the  city 
.schools.  In  1891  he  was  elected  elder  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  L'nion  City,  of  which  he  and  his 
family  were  memfjers.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  an  honort^l  member  of  Eureka  Lodge,  F.  &  .A. 
M.,  of  L'nion  City;  Temple  Chapter,  Xo.  215,  of  Erie; 
Jerusalem  Council,  Xo.  .3;^,  Erie;  Presque  Isle  Lodge 
of  Perfection,  A.  .A.  S.  R.,  Erie;  Consistory,  S.  P.  R.  S., 
32d  degree,  Pittsburg;  Zem  Zem  Temple,  A.  .A.  O.  N. 
M.  S.,  Erie,  Pa.;  Clement  Lodge,  Xo.  220,  I.  O.  O.  F.; 
Xineveh    Encampment,   I.   O.   O.    F.;    Israel    Lodge, 


AND  HISTOBIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTY. 


867 


Knights  of  Honor  and  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  a 
ready  pubHc  speaker,  active  in  all  public  affairs,  lib- 
eral spirited  and  charitable  in  all  his  dealings. 

Wilson  Moore  (deceased),  of  Waterford  township, 
was  born  February  22,  1852,  in  Waterford  township, 
and  was  a  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Canning) 
Moore,  natives  of  Countv  Derry,  Ireland,  who  came  to 
America  in  1818  with  a  family  of  nine  children  (three 
more  being  born  to  them  in  America),  and  locating 
near  Pittsburg,  where  the  family  remained  for  about 
two  years,  when  they  came  to  Waterford,  where  James 
purchased  a  farm  on  what  is  known  as  the  Waterford 
and  Union  road.  It  was  there  that  Wilson  was  reared, 
his  education  being  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of 
the  township.  After  his  school  days  were  over  he  de- 
voted his  time  to  farming,  lumbering  and  dealing  in 
stock,  the  last  twenty-five  years  of  his  life  being  de- 
voted almost  exclusively  to  that  of  an  extensive  stock 
business.  Mr.  Moore  was  a  very  popular  Democrat, 
and  in  1873  was  a  candidate  for  sheriff,  being  beaten 
by  only  three  votes  in  a  strongly  Republican  county. 
He  was  one  of  the  leading  men  of  Erie  county  and  did 
much  for  the  welfare  and  development  of  the  western 
part  of  the  State.  He  w-as  public-spirited,  kind-hearted 
and  always  willing  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  those  who 
were  in  need  of  a  friend.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
December  18,  1851,  to  Miss  Xancy,  daughter  of  James 
and  Sarah  (Lytle)  Campbell,  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
Five  children  were  born  of  this  union:  Francis  J., 
George  S.  (deceased),  Marshall,  Elizabeth  (deceased) 
and  Harry  L.  Mr.  Moore  died  April  2S),  1876,  after  a 
painful  and  protracted  illness.  .  By  his  death  Erie 
county  lost  one  of  her  most  loyal  sons  and  public- 
spirited  citizens.  Francis  J.  Moore,  the  eldest  son,  was 
born  June  18,  1853,  was  reared  in  his  birthplace  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the  Waterford 
Academy.  He  did  business  for  his  father  until  the 
latter's  death,  continuing  the  lumber  business  until 
1887,  when  he  embarked  in  the  hotel  business,  which 
he  has  since  followed,  having  been  proprietor  of  the 
Park  Hotel,  Waterford,  St.  Charles,  Union  City,  and  is 
now  conducting  the  Eagle  House  at  Waterford,  Pa. 
In  1882-5  he  was  a  candidate  for  sheriff  on  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket,  the  first  time  being  defeated  by  about 
162  votes  and  the  last  time  by  1,200.  The  county  at 
that  time  was  about  3,000  Republican,  and  Mr.  Moore's 
close  run  speaks  well  for  his  popularity.  Marshall 
Moore  (deceased),  the  next  son  in  order  of  birth,  was 
born  August  26.  1857,  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  reared  on  the  old  homestead  settled  by  his 
grandfather  years  before.  -After  his  school  days  were 
passed  he  purchased  a  farm  and  for  four  years  followed 
farming.  In  1881  he  came  to  Union  City  and  was 
employed  as  a  bookkeeper  by  the  I'nion  City  Chair 
Company,  which  [)osition  he  filled  until  1884,  when  he 
purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  business,  H.  C.Che- 
ney being  the  senior  member  of  the  firm.  The  pro- 
duction of  chairs  at  this  factory  is  large,  and  their  trade 
extends  over  a  wide  section  of  country.  They  give 
employment  to  about  100  nien  and  have  six  salesmen 
on  the  road.  Mr.  Moore  also  made  several  trijjs  dur- 
ing the  year,  besides  attending  to  the  office  business. 
Mr.  Moore  was  a  man  possessed  of  extensive  liusiness 
abilities  and  was  a  gentleman  prominently  identified 
with  the  substantial  interests  of  the  city.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  December  30,  1879,  to  Miss  Ida  B., 
daughter  of  George  and  Julia  (Kinaman)   Hipiilc,  of 


Waterford,  Pa.,  both  now  living.  Two  children  were 
born  to  this  union,  Fred  W.  and  Julia  .Marie.  Mr. 
Moore  was  a  staunch  Democrat,  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  K.  of  P.  The  fanuly  are  members 
of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Harry  L.,  the  youngest  of 
this  family,  was  liorn  March  15,  1866,  and  was  edu- 
cated at  the  Waterford  Academy  and  LaFayette  Col- 
lege, graduating  in  the  class  of  '88.  After  leaving  col- 
lege he  went  to  F>ie  and  studied  law  with  F.  F.  .Mar- 
shall, being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  December,  1891. 
Upon  admission  to  the  bar  he  became  associated  with 
Hon.  John  C.  Brady,  a  leading  lawyer  of  Erie,  and  the 
firm  is  one  of  the  leading  ones  of  that  city.  He  is  a 
prominent  Democrat  and  in  the  fall  of  1894  was  chair- 
man of  the  Democratic  city  committee.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Moore  was  united  in  mar- 
riage May  16,  1888,  to  Miss  .Madaline,  daughter  of  John 
and  Leah  (Titus)  Gleuber,  of  Easton,  Pa. 

John  Mcliityre,  senior  member  of  the  Union 
City  -Steam  Granite  Company,  was  born  in  Clarence- 
ville,  Canada,  June  6,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Mary  (Doman)  Mclntyre,  natives  of  Glasgow,  -Scot- 
land, who  came  to  America  m  1853,  and  settled  in 
Canada.  John,  jr.,  is  the  youngest  in  a  family  of  four 
diildren,  two  boys  and  two  girls;  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Canada,  and  followed  farming  and  buying 
hay  for  about  fifteen  years.  He  then  came  to  Union 
City,  and  by  energy  and  industry  established  a  marble 
and  granite  business,  which  he  conducted  until  1894, 
when  he  sold  a  half  interest  to  Frank  Woodcock. 
The  firm  makes  a  specialty  of  fine  cemetery  work, 
and  has  turned  out  some  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
artistic  designs.  They  are  large  importers  of  Scotch 
granite,  ami  handle  Italian  and  .\merican  marble, 
having  always  on  hand  a  large  assortment.  Mr.  Mc- 
lntyre was  united  in  marriage  December  28,  1887,  to 
Miss  Dollie,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  (Klem- 
merer)  Middleton,  of  Erie.  They  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Sir.  Mclntyre  is  a 
Democrat. 

Benjamin  F.  Camp,  merchant  miller,  of  the  Camp 
Milling  Comi>any,  Union  City,  Pa.,  was  born  in  South- 
ington,  Trumbull  county,  O.,  and  is  the  sixth  of  a  fam- 
ily of  nine  children  of  Lambert  and  Sophia  (Wana- 
maker)  Camp,  natives  of  Lehigh  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  birthplace, 
learned  the  miller's  trade,  and  worked  at  it  in  (^hiofor 
four  years.  In  1878  he  came  to  L'nion  City  and  estab- 
lished the  Camp  Milling  Company,  which  was  oper- 
ated for  three  years  under  the  firm  name  of  Camp, 
Geiger  &  Beebe,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period  Mr. 
Beebe  retired  from  the  firm,  which  was  then  run  under 
the  firm  name  of  Camp,  Geiger  &  Co.,  until  -August, 
1891,  when  Geiger's  interest  was  purchased  by  Frank 
Silliman.  The  company  was  incorporated  m  1891, 
and  has  been  doing  an  extensive  milling  business. 
Mr.  Camp  continued  an  active  member  of  the  com- 
pany imtil  1895,  when  he  sold  out  his  interest.  Daniel 
W.  Camp,  a  brother  of  Benjamin,  who  was  largely  in- 
strunnntal  in  the  organization  of  this  company,  and  is 
an  expert  miller,  worked  in  the  mill  during  its  early 
development.  The  plant  furnishes  work  for  about 
fourteen  men.  Benjamin  F.  Camp  was  united  in  mar- 
riage February  28,  1872,  to  Mi.ss  Celestia,  daughter  of 
William  Laird,  a  resident  of  Mercer  countv,  Pennsvl- 


868 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


vania.  Three  children  have  been  born  of  this  union: 
Fred  L.,  Charles  R.  (deceased)  and  Delia  Irene.  Mr. 
Cam]3  is  identified  with  the  Republican  jiarty,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor  and  Knights  of 
Pvthias. 


William  F.  Blatichard,  pension  attorney,  Union 
Citv,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  county;  New  York,  May  2, 
1847,  and  is  the  second  in  a  family  of  three  children  of 
Francis  Read  and  Sojironia  (Brown)  Blanchard,  the 
former  a  native  of  New  liampshire  and  the  latter  of 
Connecticut.  William  F.  w-as  reared  in  Crawford 
countv,  and  when  only  sixteen  vears  of  age  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  111th  V'.\.  I.,  February  10,  1«IJ4,  under 
Capt.  Wallace  B.  Warner.  He  was  trans]>orted  to 
Bridgeport,  Ala.,  and  jomed  the  regiment  there.  He 
participated  in  the  following  battles:  Resaca,  Ga., 
May  15,  1864,  and  Dallas,  Ga.,  May  25,  1864,  where  he 
received  a  gunshot  wound  in  the  foot  and  was  taken 
to  the  hospital  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he  remained 
until  the  latter  i)art  of  December,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Comjjany  1,  6th  Reg.,  \'.  R.  C,  and  was  as- 
signed to  duty  at  Johnson's  Island,  O.,  where  he  was 
mustered  out  of  service  .-\ugust  5,  18(>5.  Returning  to 
his  home  in  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  he  fol- 
lowed the  vocation  of  a  carpenter  and  farmer  until 
September  10,  1889,  when  he  came  to  Union  City,  and 
has  followed  the  profession  of  a  pension  attorney  ever 
since.  He  is  very  successful  in  securing  ]jensions  for 
his  clients,  and  is  well  versed  in  the  law  relating  to 
them.  Mr.  Blanchard  was  married  September  26, 
1878,  to  Miss  Rosa  A.,  daughter  of  Fzra  and  Maria 
(Sturgis)  Clark,  natives  of  Crawford  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Two  chddren  were  born  of  this  union.  Dawn 
Waive, born  Junel4,1880  (deceased  September6, 18iH), 
and  Rosa  Feme,  born  July  12,  1885.  Mrs.  Rosa 
Blanchard  died  February  20,  1887,  and  December  26, 
IHilO,  Mr.  BlanchanI  was  again  married,  and  has  one 
son  l)y  this  union,  Clyde  Humphrey,  born  (October  5, 
18itl.'  Mr.  Blanchard  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
and  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

Marshall  W.  Lyon,  blacksmith.  Union  City,  Pa., 
was  born  N\)vember  26,  1825,  in  Ashfield,  Franklin 
county,  Mass.  He  is  the  oldest  son  in  a  family  of 
twelve  children,  of  Marsha^  and  Chloe  (.Sherman) 
Lyon,  natives  of  Massachusetts.  Two  ^brothers, 
D.ivid,  of  Girard,  and  Josiah,  of  Butler,  Pa.,  are  vet- 
erans of  the  late  war.  In  the  fall  of  1836  the  family 
came  to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  settled  in 
Girard,  jiurchasing  a  farm,  where  Marshall  worked 
until  he  was  18  years  old,  when  he  engaged  as  black- 
smith's apprentice  to  Jacob  \'an  Loon,  of  Girard. 
After  completing  his  trade  he  went  to  Cleveland,  ()., 
with  the  intention  of  settling  there  and  working  at  his 
trade,  but  in  Decemljer,  1846,  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier 
in  Company  G,  Regular  Infantry,  to  serve  in  the 
Mexican  war,  under  Captain  W.  Scott  Ketcham.  He 
was  sent  from  Cleveland  to  Cincinnati  by  stage, 
thence  down  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans,  where 
they  took  a  vessel  for  the  seat  of  war.  He  was  a 
faithful  soldier,  served  his  country  well,  and  saw  all 
the  vicissitudes  of  army  life,  being  in  the  |irincipal 
battles,  and  was  with  .Scott  when  he  marched  his  vic- 
torious army  into  the  City  of  Mexico.  His  regiment 
was  under  the  immediate  command  of  Zachary  Tay- 
lor.    He  was  mustered  out  in   [ime,  1848.     Fewer  and 


fewer  become  the  Mexican  war  veterans,  and  soon 
the  last  one  will  be  mustered  out,  when 

"  Strange  hands  their  knell  will  ring; 
Forms  unseen  their  dirge  will  sing." 

After  the  war  was  over  Mr.  Lyon  returned  to 
Girard,  Pa.,  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  that  place 
until  1850,  when  he  went  to  .Spartausburg,  Crawford 
county,  Pa.,  and  conducted  a  shop  for  twenty-one 
years.  In  1872  he  came  to  Union  City  and  built  a 
shop,  which  he  is  now  operating.  He  is  a  veteran 
blacksmith  as  well  as  soldier,  and  is  well  and  favor- 
ably known  throughout  Erie  and  Crawford  counties. 
.Mr.  Lyon  was  married  -August  27,  18.54,  to  Miss 
Cynthia  C,  daughter  of  Oliver  Allen.  Four  children 
have  been  born:  Sophia  E.,  now  widow  of  Clarence 
Daemer;  Clarence  A.,  electrician,  New  York  city; 
George  (deceased);  and  Marshall  A.,  painter,  decora- 
tor and  jiaper  hanger.  Mr.  Lyon  is  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F. 

WilliatH  Duwttieyer,  proprietor  of  the  Industrial 
Iron  ^\"orks,  Union  City,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  October  30,  1840,  the  eldest,  in  the  family 
of  six  children,  of  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Hreyer)  Dun- 
meyer,  natives  of  Piaden,  Germany,  who  came  to 
America  in  1837,  settling  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
where  Jacob,  the  father,  worked  in  the  Baklwin  Loco- 
motive Works,  as  a  machinist,  for  four  years,  then 
going  to  \'irginia,  where  he  lived  for  three  years, 
moving  from  there  to  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  residing  there 
until  bis  death,  September,  1890.  William  received 
his  education  in  Pittsburg,  .md  at  an  early  age  learned 
the  blacksmith's  and  machinist's  trade  which  he 
worked  at  in  Pittsburg  and  Philadelphia  until  1864, 
when  he  enlisted  in  the  United  .States  navy  and 
.served  on  the  monitor  "Sangamon  "  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  In  18()5  Mr.  Dunmeyer  returned  to  Pitts- 
burg and  worked  as  a  journeyman  until  1872,  when  he 
came  to  Union  City  and,  in  1873,  estalilished  the 
Industrial  Iron  Work.s.  Later  he  took  Mr.  Allen  B. 
Seymour,  as  a  partner,  into  the  concern.  At  these 
works  engines  of  a  high  grade  are  con^trucied.  Mr. 
Dunmeyer  is  a  workman  of  superior  abilities,  and  this 
fact,  taken  in  connection  with  the  particularly  advan- 
tageous location  of  the  ]jlant  in  a  center  of  manufac- 
ture that  creates  a  large  local  trade  which  the  works 
can  readily  supply,  gives  a  volume  of  business  requir- 
ing almo.st  constant  running.  Mr.  Dunmeyer  was 
married  November  1,  1883,  to  Miss  Laurie  E.,  daugh- 
ter of  Gerrett  G.  Davison,  of  Blooming  \'allev.  Pa. 
Mrs.  Dunmeyer  died  October  14,  1.S94.  Mr.  'Dun- 
meyer is  a  member  of  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  Knights  of 
Pytliias.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

Jacob  F.  Kattierer,  manufacturer.  Union  City, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  April  4, 
1839,  and  is  a  son  of  John  J.  and  Dorothy  (Breakley) 
Kamerer,  natives  of  Germany.  In  1847  the  family 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  McKean  township, 
F>ie  county.  Pa.,  where  Jacob  received  such 
education  as  the  public  schools  at  that  time  afforded. 
He  followed  farming  until  1861,  when  the  oil  business 
drew  him  to  upper  Canada,  where  he  operated  wells 
until  1862,  then  he  returned  to  the  Stales,  took  up 
arms  in  defense  of  his  country,  enlisting  in   Company 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


869 


F,  169th  Pennsylvania  regiment.  After  the  term  of 
his  enlistment  expired  he  returned  and  again  specu- 
lated in  oil  on  Oil  Creek,  and  in  the  spring  of  1864 
went  to  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  en- 
gaged there  until  1865  drilling  test  wells.  In  1865  he 
came  to  Union  City  and  did  contracting  and  building 
until  1872,  when  he  began  the  manufacturing  of  lum- 
ber, shingles  and  broom-handles,  which  he  is  operat- 
ing extensively.  About  twelve  men  are  emiiloyed  at 
his  factories.  Mr.  Kamerer  has  had  a  wide  exper- 
ience in  business,  and  that  he  is  a  prompt,  reliable, 
energetic  man  is  fully  attested  by  the  manner  m 
which  his  present  enterprise  is  conducted.  He  has 
been  twice  married:  first  to  Eliza  M.  Johnson,  August 
4,  1864;  she  died  in  the  spring  of  1874,  leaving  two 
children,  Fred  J.,  and  .'\ddie.  Mr.  Kamerer  was 
again  married  December  28,  1874,  to  Miss  Marga-et 
H.  Mclntyre,  and  one  son,  Edward  S.has  been  born  of 
this  union.  Fred  J.  and  Edward  .S.  are  both  engaged 
largely  with  their  father  in  manufacturing.  Mr.  Jacob 
Kamerer  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  I.  O.  O.  F. 
and  Encampment,  and  is  a  district  deputy  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.  this  year.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat;  has 
been  a  member  of  the  town  council  and  school  board 
serving  two  terms  in  each;  he  was  also  burgess  of 
Union  City  two  terms,  from  1885  imtil  1887.  Mr. 
Kamerer  is  a  public  spirited  citizen  and  has  done 
much  to  promote  the  welfare  of  Union  City. 

Haniel  Clark,  manufacturer  and  merchant  miller, 
Union  City,  Pa.,  horn  in  Penobscot  county,  Maine, 
August  24,  1824,  is  a  son  of  John  B.  and  Mary  (Towle) 
Clark,  natives  of  New  Hampshire.  The  family  con- 
sisted of  seven  boys  and  four  girls,  Haniel  being  the 
third  child.  He  was  reared  in  Penobscot,  and  re- 
ceived such  education  as  was  afforded  in  the  country 
schools  at  that  time.  When  quite  young  he  began  life 
for  himself,  working  for  a  boat-oar  manufacturer  for 
eleven  years.  Later  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Girard 
township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  and  followed  farming  until 
1861,  when  he  sold  out  to  engage  in  manufacturing  at 
Pageville,  continuing  there  until  1865,  when  he  came 
to  Union  City  and  estaljli.shed  his  present  business, 
which  at  first  was  on  a  small  scale,  but  which,  through 
Mr.  Clark's  practical  knowledge  of  everything  apper- 
taining to  his  business,  together  with  his  untiring  en- 
ergy and  upright  dealings  with  men,  has  established  a 
number  of  thriving  industries  in  New  York,  Pennsyl- 
vania, l)hio  and  Indiana.  He  owns  and  operates  a 
large  flouring  mill,  a  sawmill  and  a  "D  "  shovel-handle 
factory  in  Inion  City.  He  has  been  interested  in 
shovel-handle  factories  at  Watts  Flats,  N.  \ .,  and  in 
Pennsylvania  at  Mosiertown.Conneautville  and  Grand 
\'alley;  in  Ohio,  at  Sidney,  Hradfonl,  \'ersailles,  Cold 
Water,  Botkins,  New  Bremen  and  Fort  Recovery, 
still  having  an  interest  in  the  last  two.  He  is  also  in- 
terested in  a  stave  factory  at  Hagerman,  Ohio.  The 
different  works  he  is  mterested  in  employ  about  sixty 
men.  Mr.  Clark  is  a  self-made  man,  having  had  no 
assistance  to  start  life's  battle  but  willing  hands  anil  a 
courageous  heart.  He  po.ssesses  a  genial  and  kindly 
disposition,  and  is  recognized  as  a  sutistantial,  ui^right, 
indu.strious  and  worthy  citizen.  Mr.  Clark  was  united 
in  marriage  .August  5,  18.52,  to  Miss  Harrii-t  R.,  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  and  .Anna  (l.inneli  Partridge,  of  North 
East,  Pa.  Four  children  were  born  of  this  union: 
Edwin  P.,  \irginia  E.  (now  Mrs.  Henry  Neal),  Sarah  ! 
May  (who  married  Samuel   Long,  a  minister  of  Pitts-   1 


burg,  Pa.),  and  Helen.  Mrs.  Clark  died  April  5,  1801. 
She  was  a  faithful  wife,  a  loving  mother,  devoted 
friend  and  a  kind  neighbor. 

John  Caflisch,  retired,  L'nion  Citv,  Pa.,  born  at 
Barr,  .Msace,  France,  January,  28,  18^8,  is  a  son  of 
Christian  and  Saloma  (Bartholme)  Caflisch,  the  former 
a  native  of  Switzerland  and  the  latter  of  Barr,  France. 
John,  the  elder  in  a  family  of  two  children,  was  reared 
and  e<iucated  in  .Alsace,  and  at  an  early  age  learned 
the  tanner's  trade,  working  at  it  from  the  age  of  14 
until  26  in  his  native  country.  In  1854  he  came  to 
.America  and  settled  in  Chautauqua  county,  New  York, 
where  he  followed  his  trade  for  a  couple  of  year.s, 
when  he  purchased  a  farm  which  he  tilled  for  seven 
years.  In  1864  he  came  to  L'nion  City  purchasing  a 
farm  near  town,  occu|>ying  it  until  1883,  when,  after  a 
visit  to  his  native  land,  he  returned  and  purchased  his 
present  home  in  L'nion  City,  where  he  has  lived  in  re- 
tirement ever  since.  .Mr.  Caflisch  was  married  in  Barr, 
Alsace,  France,  in  1850,  to  Miss  Madeline,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Madeline  (Momell)  Heywang,  natives  of 
France.  Eleven  children  have  been  born  to  this  union: 
Madeline,  (now  Mrs.  Thomas  Wilson  of  L'nion  City), 
John  A.,  Saloma  (now  Mrs.  Wallace  Johnson,  of 
Mystic,  Pa.),  Williiam,  (deceased,)  Henry,  Jacob, 
Fred,  .Albert,  Ernest,  Edward,  and  Frank  (deceased). 
Jacob  Caflisch,  who  has  extensive  lumber  mills  in  this 
and  adjoining  counties,  was  born  November  13,  1861, 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Union  City  and  township. 
After  his  school  days  were  over  he  was  emiiloyed  by 
W.  D.  Brunstetter  in  a  saw  mill  for  a  year,  when  he 
bought  a  fourth  interest  in  the  business  and  in  1881, 
purchased  enough  to  make  a  third,  and  in  1885  the  re- 
maining interests  were  bought  up  by  the  Caflisch 
Brothers,  who  succeeded  to  the  entire  business,  and 
have  successfully  conducted  it  since.  Besides  this 
mill  at  L'nion  City  with  a  capacity  of  20,000  feet  per  day, 
they  o])erate  mills  at  Antes  Fort,  Lycoming  county, 
with  an  average  run  of  15,000  feet  [)er  day,  l)esides  the 
manufacturing  of  staves,  shingles,  headini;  and  cloth 
board.  They  also  operate  a  mill  at  Elgin,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  where  the  daily  output  at  full  Ume  is  probably 
20,000  feet.  They  have  recently  con.structed  a  general 
planing  mill  in  connection  with  the  saw  mill  at  Union 
City.  Jacob  Caflisch  was  united  in  marriage  November 
6,  1884,  to  Miss  Margaret,  daughter  of  \V.  B.  Good- 
rich, of  Union  township.  They  are  rearing  two  chil- 
dren, Willie  and  Clara  C^oodrich,  nephew  and  neiceof 
the  deceased  brother  of  Mrs.  Caflisch.  .Albert  Caflisch, 
the  junior  member  of  this  firm,  was  born  November 
14,  1862,  in  Union  City,  Pa.,  was  reared  and  educated 
in  l'nion  township,  and,  after  leaving  school,  was  em- 
l)loyed  by  Brunstetter  &  Co.  for  two  years,  when  he 
bought  an  interest  in  the  business,  which  he  has  as- 
sisted in  conducting  since.  He  was  married  March 
17,  l!^85,  to  .Miss  Matilda,  daughter  of  John  C.  and 
Margaretta  (Hasslerl  Maiirer,  residents  of  l'nion  City. 
Five  children  have  been  born  to  this  union:  Mar- 
garet, Alfred,  John,  Gertrude  and  Gladys  L.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Frederick  Caflisch,  manufacturer,  is  the  seventh  in 
order  of  birth  in  this  familv,  and  was  born    December 


25,  18(;(l.  was  n 


and  educated  in  Union  Citv   and 


township  and  at  the  College  of  Commerce  in  Phila- 
del]ihia.  .After  leaving  .school  Mr.  Cafli.sch  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business  extensively  as  a  contractor  and 
dealer,  which  he  has  followed  during  the  greater  part 


Syo 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIOHABT 


of  his  lift'.  In  1808  he  built  his  present  establishment, 
which  consists  of  a  liandle  and  general  wood-turning 
factory.  He  married  November '2(i,  1888,  Miss  Xettie 
I..,  daughter  of  M.  C.  Coburn,  of  Hatch  Hollow.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  three  children;  Ma- 
bel, Adelle  (deceased),  Clarence  M.  and  Allie  Bell. 
In  politics  Mr.  Caflisch  is  allied  to  no  i)arty,  but  votes 
as  his  judgment  dictates. 

Jonas  Huttiphrey,  M.  D.  (deceased),  was,  during 
his  lif<',  one  of  the  leatlmg  and  most  successful  jihysi- 
cians  in  Krie  county.  He  was  born  March  25,  1S20,  in 
\'erniont,  where  he  was  reared  and  educated.  In  1842 
he  entered  the  Castleton  Medical  College, of  \'ermont, 
and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1844,  when 
he  came  to  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
located  in  Centerville,  where  he  practiced  one  year 
and  then  removed  to  I  "nion  City,  where  he  commanded 
a  large  practice  until  his  death,  which  occurred  July 
30,  1867.  Dr.  Hum|)hrey,  as  a  physician,  stood  at  the 
head  of  the  profession;  as  a  man  he  was  courteous  and 
kind  to  all,  and  his  death,  in  the  prime  of  mature 
manhood,  was  greatly  lamented.  He  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Erie  County  Medical  Society,  and 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  Dr.  Humphrey  was 
married  February  14,  18.5(j,  to  Miss  Jane  A.,  daughter 
of  Herman  Abbey,  of  Wayne  township,  Erie  county. 
To  this  union  five  children  were  born:  Allie  J.,  wife  of 
C.  B.  Greer,  jeweler,  l^nion  Citv,  Pa.;  Mabel  C,  now 
Mrs.  W.  P.  Meehan;  William'  J.,  Herman  A.  (de- 
ceased) and  Glennis.  William  J.  was  horn  in  Union 
City,  December  31,  18IK),  was  reared  and  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  the  city,  and,  in  188(i,  entered  the 
Buffalo  Meilical  College,  graduating  from  that  institu- 
tion in  1890.  He  then  began  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession  in  I'nion  City,  where  he  succeeded 
his  brother,  Glennis.  William  J.  is  a  young  man  of 
marked  ability,  and  will  doubtless  win  a  worthy  reputa- 
tion in  the  profession,  which  his  distinguished  father 
.so  much  honored.  Glennis,  the  younger  son,  was 
educated  in  Union  City,  and  took  a  three  years'  course 
at  the  L'niversity  of  Pennsylvania,  and  afterwards 
spent  a  year  at  hospital  work.  He  is  now  located  at 
Hazleton,  Pa. 

Dallas  G.  Smiley,  merchant.  Union  City,  Pa., 
born  in  Union  township,  April  10,  1846,  is  the  third  in 
a  family  of  seven  children  of  Moses  and  Margaret 
(Marshall)  .Smiley.  James  Smiley,  grandfather  of 
Dallas,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  serving  under 
General  Harrison.  He  came  to  L'nion  City  and  oi)er- 
ated  the  first  grist-mill  in  the  town.  Moses  .Smiley 
was  born  in  Meadville,  Pa.,  and  followed  farming  for 
a  number  of  years;  he  was  also  justice  of  the  peace 
for  many  terms;  sub.se<iuently  he  removed  to  Union 
City  and  spent  his  latter  days.  Dallas  Q.  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Union  City,  and  after  (putting  school 
clerked  in  a  store  for  several  years.  In  1869  he  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  with  G.  W.  [ohnson 
and  J.  \ .  A.  Smiley,  a  brother.  They  did  fiusiness 
under  the  firm  name  of  Johnson  S:  Smiley  Bros,  for 
five  years,  when  the  firm  dissolved,  and  .Smiley  Bros, 
have  been  engaged  in  conducting  a  general  store 
since.  Mr.  D.  G.  Smiley  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace  in  1889,  on  the  Democratic  ticket, 
and  was  re-elected  in  189.'{.  During  the  year  1883  he 
served  as  burgess  of  the  city.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage in  January,  1876,  to  Miss  Ella  J.,  daughter  of  J. 


J.  Zin,  of  Union  City.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  four  children;  Frank  D.,  Clyde  Z.,  Ward  M.  and 
Robert  Clifford. 

William  M.  Toy,  proprietor  of  meat  market, 
Union  City,  Pa.,  born  January  1,  1867,  in  Union  City,  is 
the  eldc'st  in  a  family  of  four  children,  one  son  and 
four  daughters,  of  Benjamin  and  Julia  (Tourtellotte) 
Toy,  the  former  a  native  of  Philailelphia  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Union  City.  Benjamin  Toy  was  reared  and  ed- 
ucated in  Philadelphia,  and  at  an  early  age  learned 
the  trade  of  butcher  and  has  since  followed  it.  In 
1882  he  came  to  Union  City  from  Gilmore,  Pa.,  and 
bought  out  the  establishment  conducted  by  Wilkins  S: 
Gale,  one  of  the  most  important  of  the  kind  in  I'nion 
City.  The  market  is  central,  and  every  facility  is  af- 
forded for  the  prompt  and  systematic  transaction  of 
business.  Mr.  Toy  was  educated  in  Gilmore,  Mc- 
Kean  county.  Pa.,  and  since  he  was  old  enough,  has 
worked  with  his  father  in  a  market.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  .April  l(i,  1802,  to  Miss  Eva  A.,  daughter 
of  John  E.  and  Josejihine  White,  natives  of  Massa- 
chusetts. Mr.  Toy  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and 
the  Knights  of  Pythias.  The  family  attend  the  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Charles  Jarecki,  [iresident  and  general  manager 
of  the  Jarecki  Manufacturing  Comjiany,  Erie,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Posen,  Germany,  August  28,  1837,  and  is  a  son 
of  Charles  W.  Jarecki,  who  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  He  was  educated  in  his  native  country, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  the  fall  of  1852.  He 
located  in  Erie,  where  he  engaged  to  learn  the  machin- 
ist trade  with  X'incent,  Himrod  &  Co.,  with  whom  he 
remaine<l  two  years.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of 
his  brother,  Henry,  with  whom  he  entered  |iartnership 
in  1862,  under  the  firm  name  of  Henry  Jarecki  &  Co.  In 
1872the  Jarecki  Manufacturing  Company  was  incorpor- 
ated, with  Mr.  Henry  jarecki  jiresident,  and  Mr.  Charles 
Jarecki  .secretary  and  treasurer.  In  I870the  incorpora- 
tion was  dissolved  and  the  company  has  since  done 
business  under  the  limited  laws  of  the  .State.  The 
officers  of  the  new  organization  were  Charles  Jarecki, 
president;  .Albert  H.  jarecki,  secretary,  and  Oscar  H., 
treasurer.  Mr.  Fred  C.  Jarecki  has  since  Ijeen  made 
assistant  secretary.  The  officers  of  the  company,  to- 
gether with  Mr.  Alexander  Jarecki,  who  is  superin- 
tendent of  the  iron  foundry  department,  con.stitute  the 
board  of  managens.  Two-thirds  of  the  stock  of  this 
concren  isownedby  Messr.s.  Henry  and  Charles  Jarecki, 
while  the  remaining  third  is  ilistributed  among  several 
others.  The  portion  of  the  plant  which  is  located  on  East 
N'mth  .street,  and  includes  the  gener.al  offices,  occupies 
over  half  a  .stjuare,  while  the  iron  foundry  department, 
on  West  Twelfth  street,  covers  three  and  three-fourths 
acres.  The  buildings  are  all  substantial  stone,  brick 
and  iron  structures,  and  range  from  one  to  three  stories 
in  height.  The  machinery  with  which  the  plant  is 
equipped  throughout  is  of  the  very  latest  and  most  im- 
proved, and  would  make  in  itselt  a  wonderful  display 
of  mechanical  ingenuity.  Many  of  these  machines 
have  been  invented  by  the  Messrs.  Jarecki,  or  by  the 
able  mechanics  who  have  charge  of  the  various  de- 
])artments.  Branches  have  been  established  in  all 
principal  oil  towns  in  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  West  Vir- 
ginia and  Indiana,  for  the  sale  of  oil  well  supplies, 
with  headtpiarters  for  these  branches  at  Pittsburg. 
The  ])roducts  of  the  Jarecki  Manufacturing  Comjiany 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


871 


include  all  kinds  of  cast  and  malleable  iron,  gas,  steam 
and  water  fittings,  brass  and  iron  valves  and  cocks, 
steam  and  hot  air  radiators,  pipe  and  threading  tools, 
and  oil,  artesian  and  natural  gas  supplies.  The  brass 
department  is  undoubtedly  the  largest  brass  works  in 
the  world.  As  is  detailed  in  another  part  of  this  work, 
the  Jarecki  Manufacturing  Company  had  its  beginning 
in  the  little  brass  shop  of  Mr.  Henry  Jarecki,  and  it 
was  he  who  for  several  years  was  chiefly  resjionsible 
for  its  life  and  growth,  but  when  the  condition  of  the 
manufacturing  interest  of  the  world  became  such  as 
to  require  greater  resources  and  capabilities  in  order 
to  compete  successfully  with  other  institutions  of  its 
kind,  it  was  Mr.  Charles  Jarecki  who  planned  and  ex- 
ecuted the  great  movements  which  placed  it  in  the 
front  rank  of  the  industries  of  the  country.  In  man- 
agement and  equipment  the  Jarecki  Manufacturing 
Com|)any  has  few  equals  and  certainly  no  sui)eriors. 
This  is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  the  gentleman  who 
is  at  its  head  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  every  de- 
tail of  the  business,  not  only  financially  and  commer- 
cially, but  mechanically.  A  very  unicjue  feature  of 
this  great  institution  is  the  sympathy  which  the  mana- 
gers have  always  shown  the  laboring  classes,  which 
the  latter  fully  appreciates,  so  that  when  business  is 
slack  on  account  of  panics  or  other  causes,  and  short 
time  and  other  concessions  are  requireit  of  the  em- 
ployes, they  readily  accjuiesce,  knowing  that  they  are 
being  fairly  dealt  with  and  receiving  all  that  is  right 
and  just  at  the  hands  of  their  employers,  in  whom  they 
have  come  to  have  the  most  implicit  confidence.  In 
1894  Messrs.  Charles  and  Albert  H.  Jarecki  dis])layed 
their  characteristic  enterprise  by  purchasing  and  en- 
larging and  thoroughly  remodehng  and  refitting  the 
Penn  block,  which  now  is  a  modern  building  in  every 
sense  of  the  word,  and  has  already  demonstrated 
that  the  undertaking  will  be  a  success.  Mr.  Charles 
Jarecki  was  married  in  1862  to  Miss  Louise,  sister 
of  ex-Mayor  Pbihp  .'\.  Becker,  of  Erie.  This  happy 
union  has  been  blessed  with  threechikiren;  Alexander, 
supermtendent  of  the  iron  foundry  department  and  a 
member  of  theboarilof  managers  of  the  company;  P'red 
C,  assistant  secretary,  and  Robert,  of  the  Erie  high 
school.  Mr.  Jarecki  is  a  Knight  Templar  Ma.?on,  a 
member  of  the  Liedertafel  Society,  and  of  the  Erie 
Club,  and  is  a  member  of  theboarddf  managers  of  the 
Hamot  Hospital.  In  jiolitics  Mr.  Jarecki  is  a  Repub- 
lican, but  the  multitudinous  cares  of  his  active  business 
life,  together  with  a  distaste  for  political  notoriety, 
have  prevented  him  from  seeking  or  accepting  any  of 
the  honors  which  his  party  would  gladly  confer  u|)on 
him.  He  always  has  the  best  interests  of  the  commu- 
nity at  heart,  and  is  ever  ready  to  encourage  and  sup])ort 
worthy  enterprises  of  a  public  or  a  charitable  nature. 

HarrisoB  C.  Cheney,  manufacturer,  L'nion  City, 
Pa.,  is  among  the  leading  manufacturers  of  the  Middle 
States,  and  none  are  more  widely  or  prominently  known. 
He  was  born  October  4,  1840,  at  Chesterfield,  Cheshire 
county,  N.  H.,  and  he  is  the  second  in  a  family  of  seven 
children  of  Col.  Clark  and  .-Vdeline  (Crosby)  Clieney,  na- 
tives of  New  Hanqishire.  Colonel  Cheney  was  a 
farmer,  and  when  Harrison  C.  was  only  a  bov  of  \h  the 
father  died,  leaving  the  family  to  be  cared  for  by  this 
Sturdy  New  Englantl  lad,  who  did  not  shrink  from  the 
duties  placed  upon  his  youthful  shoulders.  He  went 
toSwanzy,  N.  H.,  where  he  found  employment  in  one  of 
the  numerous  factories  that  go  to  make  up  the  average 


New  England  town,  and  for  four  years  he  worked 
faithfully,  sharing  his  meager  earnings  with  the  family 
of  younger  children.  In  1859  he  went  to  Wi.sconsin. 
where  he  was  employed  in  a  pail  factory  for  about  one 
year,  and  then  returned  East  and  found  employment 
in  a  chair  factory  at  .Xshburnham,  .Mass.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  beginning  of  the  war.  He  had  been 
for  some  time  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  militia, 
and  after  the  president's  first  call  for  volunteers  he  en- 
listed as  a  private  in  July,  1861,  in  the  21st  Reg.,  M.\'. 
I.,  and  was  mustered  in  for  three  years.  The  country's 
peril  aroused  his  most  patriotic  impulses,  and  he  en- 
listed, as  thousands  of  young  men  did,  reckoning  not 
the  lost  time  and  opportunities  of  civic  life.  Imme- 
diately after  the  battle  of  Roanoke  Island  he  was  pro- 
moted to  a  corporal,  then  sergeant,  sergeant-major, 
and  finally  lieutenant,  which  position  he  held  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  After  this  battle  the  regiment  was 
sent  to  Camden,  N.  C,  to  destroy  the  locks  and  canals 
near  the  Dismal  Swamp,  and  at  the  battle  of  Camden, 
April  19,  1862,  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the  arm, 
near  the  shoulder.  He  was  placed  in  the  Newbern 
ho,spital,  where  he  remained  until  his  wounds  were 
sufificiently  healed,  when  he  went  home  on  a  furlough, 
remaining  until  he  was  able  to  join  his  regiment  in 
Newport  News,  \'a.,  where  the  corps  were  under  march- 
ing orders  to  join  Pope  in  X'irginia.  They  fell  in  with 
that  army  at  Culpepper,  on  a  rapid  march  toward  the 
Potomac,  to  intercejit  Lee,  who  was  making  that  an 
objective  point.  .Xfter  the  memorable  battle  of  Fred- 
ericksburg, the  corps  was  sent  West  and  jomed  Burn- 
side,  to  be  distributed  through  the  State  of  Kentucky 
as  a  patrol  to  protect  loyal  citizens  from  the  maraud- 
ing guerrilla  bands.  They  were  .soon  sent  to  assist 
Grant  at  Vicksburg,  and  after  that  siege  were  again 
sent  to  Kentucky.  The  disastrous  campaign  there  re- 
sulted in  a  loss  of  nearly  one-third  of  the  corps.  They 
were  next  sent  to  Fort  Nelson,  near  Lexington,  to  re- 
cuperate and  to  be  put  into  fighting  condition.  .After 
a  short  rest  they  were  sent  over  the  Cumberland 
Mountains  to  East  Tennessee  to  destroy  detached  por- 
tions of  the  rebel  army,  and  after  a  successful  cam- 
paign were  marched  back  over  the  same  route  to  Ken- 
tucky. In  1864  the  corps  was  transferred  to  the  army 
of  the  Potomac,  and  followed  the  fortunesand  disasters 
of  that  army  until  tliecloseof  the  war.  Mr.  Cheney  par- 
ticipated in  the  following  battles:  Roanoke  Island,  N.C., 
Newbern.  X.  C,  February  1,  2  and  8,  1862;  Camden, 
N.  C,  second  Bull  Run,  \'a.,  August  30,  1862;  Chan- 
tilly,  \'a.,  Septemlier  1,  1862;  .South  Mountain,  Md., 
September  14,  1862;  .-Xntietam,  Md.,  Seiitember  15,  16 
and  17,  1862;  Fredericksburg,  \'a..  December  18,  1862; 
Blue  Springs,  Tenn.,  October  10,  1S6;H;  Cambell's  Sta- 
tion, Tenn.,  November  16,  186;^;  siege  of  Knoxville, 
Tenn.;  Wilderness,  \'a.,  ^Iay  5,  1864;  Spottsvlvania, 
Va.,  May  9,  1864;  North  Ann,  \a..  Cold  Harbor,  Va., 
June  3,  '1864;  Petersburg,  \'a.,  July,  1864,  where  Mr. 
Cheney  was  wounded  a  sect)nd  time  in  a  mine  explo- 
sion. The  record  above  neetis  no  comment  to  those 
versed  in  the  history  of  the  Rebellion.  .After  his 
arduous  and  patriotic  service  to  his  country  he  was 
mustered  out  in  the  spring  of  1865,  and  returned  to 
A.shburnham,  Mass.,  where  he  was  commissioned  a  ma- 
jor of  the  State  militia  in  Worcester  county,  which  po- 
sition he  held  until  he  left  the  State.  After  returning 
from  the  war  he  again  entered  the  chair  factory  in 
.Vshlnirnham,  and  held  a  responsible  position  until 
1870,  when  he  went   to  Jamestown,  N.  V.,  and  organ- 


S72 


NELSON'S  BIOaiiAPEICAL  DICTIONARY 


ized  the  Cane  Seat  Chair  Company,  and  was  retained 
by  the  company  in  the  capacity  of  an  expert  to  instruct 
men  in  the  construction  of  such  chairs.  He  was  iilen- 
titied  witli  this  coni])any  for  tliree  years,  and  in  the  fall 
of  lcS78  he.  in  coni|iany  with  Mr.  Whitney  and  other 
parties,  established  what  was  known  as  the  Jamestown 
Wooden  Seat  Company,  but  after  two  years  Sir.  Cheney 
sold  out  liis  interest  and  went  to  Canisteo,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  was  employed  as  sujierintendent  of  the  chair  works 
operated  by  Taylor  Bros.,  remaining  with  them  two 
years.  He  then  made  an  innovation  in  his  old  line  of 
business,  and  became  proprietor  of  the  Canisteo 
House,  which  he  successfully  con<lucted  for  four  years. 
It  was  necessary  to  enlarge  the  house  twice  during  his 
stay.  .Socially  tlie  major  is  a  genial  companion,  a 
quality  useful  in  the  conduct  of  a  hotel.  In  the  spring 
of  1881  Mr.  Cheney,  in  connection  with  a  Mr.  Hine- 
man,  bought  out  the  Charles  Wheeler  Chair  Works,  of 
L'nion  City,  which  at  that  time  was  a  small  concern. 
After  taking  possession  they  made  needed  improve- 
ments, and  were  just  getting  into  working  condition 
when  the  entire  plant  was  burned  to  the  ground.  In 
the  following  fall  it  was  rebuilt  by  Messrs.  Cheney, 
Hinenian  iV  I.owry,  who  erected  a  much  larger  build- 
ing than  the  former  one,  but  this  was  reduced  to  ashes 
in  January,  1888,  after  being  ojierated  seven  years.  In 
1888  the  ])resent  plant  was  built  by  .Mr.  Cheney  and 
the  late  Mr.  Marshall  Moore.  The  factory  is  con- 
veniently located  near  the  P.  &:  E.  R.  R.  depot,  and 
has  excellent  facilities,  not  only  for  shipping  out  their 
manufactured  goods,  which  consists  of  a  full  variety 
of  chairs  of  the  latest  ]>atterns,  but  also  for  bringing 
in  the  raw  material.  These  works  emjiloy  about  100 
hands,  and  are  of  great  value  to  l'nion  City,  as  the 
amountof  wages  distributed  facilitates  trade  and  keeps 
business  thriving.  It  is  creditable  to  this  concern  that 
during  all  the  recent  hard  times  they  have  run  full 
time  and  have  been  constantly  busy  filling  orders. 
Mr.  Cheney  was  married  in  February,  1862,  to  Miss 
Kllen  P.,  daughter  of  Ives  Burgess,  of  Ashburnham, 
Mass.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  this  union, 
Harry  C.  and  I.ouis  I.  In  jiolitics  Mr.  Cheney  has  al- 
wavs  been  a  staunch  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of 
the'G.  A.  R.,  I.  O.  ().  F.,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  En- 
campment.    The  family  attend  the  E]iiscopal  Church. 

Henry  Fassler,  jr..  pro|prietor  of  meat  market. 
Union  City,  Pa.,  born  March  Ifi,  bsif),  in  Lyconnng 
county,  Pennsylvania,  is  the  sixth  in  the  family  of  ten 
children  of  Henry  and  Margaret  (Weaver)  Fassler, 
natives  of  Xorthumberland  county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr. 
Fassler  was  rearetl  and  educated  in  Williamsport,  and 
followed  farnn'ng  until  .August  2.'J,  18()"2,  when  he  en- 
listed in  Co.  F,  28(1  Wis.  1.,  under  Cajit.  A.  J.  Slick. 
He  was  in  the  following  engagements:  Arkansas 
Post,  Jackson,  Mi.ss.;  \icksburg.  Buzzard  and  Prairie, 
La.  He  was  also  in  the  Red  River  expedition,  and 
was  at  the  battles  of  Sabine  Cro.ss  Roads,  Mobile,  Ala., 
and  many  minor  actions.  Mr.  Fassler  was  in  some 
hard-fiiught  battles,  but  passed  through  all  without 
being  wounded.  He  was  ma.stered  out  of  the  service 
August  22,  18fi.5.  He  returned  to  Williains|iort  and 
engaged  in  the  business  of  handling  meat,  remaining 
there  until  1878,  when  he  removed  to  Duke  Center, 
McKean  county,  Pa.,  where  he  ran  a  market  for  the 
years,  afterward  going  to  Clarendon,  I'a.,  where  he  did 
business  for  four  years.  In  1887  he  came  to  Union 
township  and  purchased  a  farm  of  sixty  acres  located 


near  the  P.  &  E.  R.  R.,  a  few  miles  east  of  Union 
City,  which  he  conducted  until  the  spring  of  1893, 
when  he  rented  the  farm  and  again  engaged  in  the 
meat  business,  entering  into  partnership  with  L.  S. 
Clark.  This  market  is  one  of  the  best  conducted  con- 
cerns in  Erie  c<junty,  and  caters  to  the  best  trade  in 
the  city.  Mr.  Fassler  has  been  twice  married:  first  to 
Sadie,  daughter  of  Samuel  Casner,  of  Lycoming 
county,  March  28,  1870;  four  children  were  born  to 
this  union,  .Samuel  L.,  William  (deceased),  Margaret  E. 
and  Annie  (deceased).  Mrs.  Fassler  died  in  Novem- 
ber, 1882,  and  Mr.  Fassler  was  remarried  December 
24,  1884,  to  Elizabeth  A.,  daughter  of  James  Welsh,  of 
Alleghany  county,  New  York.  Mr.  Fassler  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Republican  party. 

Fred  Bartholme,  cigar  dealer  and  manufacturer, 
Union  City,  P.i.,  was  born  in  Barr,  .ALsace,  which  was 
then  under  French  rule.  He  was  born  November  3, 
185i),  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Frederica  (Heywang) 
Bartholme,  natives  of  Alsace.  Fred  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  birthplace,  and  in  1872  the  family, 
which  then  consisted  of  seven  children  (six  boys  and 
one  .girl)  removed  to  .America,  settling  in  L'nion  City, 
where  the  father  followed  the  trade  of  tanner  and  cur- 
rier, later  purchasing  a  farm,  which  he  oversees.  One 
daughter  was  born  since  coming  to  this  country.  Fred 
attended  school  at  LInion  City  for  a  short  time  after 
the  arrival  of  the  family,  and  then  learned  the  cigar- 
maker's  trade,  working  at  it  as  a  journeyman  until 
August,  1881,  when  he  established  his  present  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Bartholme  is  well  located  and  possesses  all 
the  facilities  for  making  the  factory  a  very  successful 
one.  He  is  manufacturing  domestic  cigars  of  different 
brands,  which  are  sold  extensively  to  the  local  trade, 
and  also  to  large  dealers  in  Pennsylvania,  Ohio  and 
New  York.  He  is  a  thorough  workman,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  his  two  brothers,  Jacob  and  Adolph, 
skillful  cigarmakers,  he  is  able  to  turn  out  a  large 
(piantity  of  goods  yearly  to  his  patrons.  He  is  a  musi- 
cian as  w'ell  as  cigarmaker,  having,  with  a  brother,  or- 
ganized Coleman's  famous  band  in  1882,  and  now 
plays  in  the  Bartholme  orchestra, of  which  his  brother 
Charles  is  leader,  and  which  is  represented  by  the  fol- 
lowing members  of  this  family:  Fred,  Adolph,  Charles, 
Jacob  and  Edward.  Mr.  Bartholme  was  united  in 
marriage  January  28,  1883,  to  Miss  Rosina,  daughter 
of  Rudol])h  Smith,  a  native  of  .Switzerland.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  six  children:  Carrie, 
Nellie,  .Mice,  Maud,  Sophia  and  Marguerite.  Mr. 
Bartholme  is  a  Democrat,  is  a  member  of  the  I.  <).  ( ). 
F.,  and  the  family  attend  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Henry  J.  Humes,  confectioner.  Union  City,  Pa., 
born  in  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  the  eldest  in  a 
family  of  three  children  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  (Henry) 
Humes,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Henry  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  birthplace,  and  after  leaving  .school 
engaged  in  the  lumtier  business  in  differt  parts  of  the 
State  for  sevt-ral  years.  He  then  went  to  I'lysses,  Neb., 
where  he  was  employed  in  a  creamery  during  the  sum- 
mer months  and  a  grain  elevator  in  the  winter.  In  the 
fall  of  181IU  he  came  Ea.st  and  located  iu  l'nion  City, 
where  he  followed  the  lumber  business  two  years.  In 
1892  he  went  to  Cambridge,  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  and 
engaged  in  the  confectionery  business  and  continued 
there  until  the  sj>ring  of  1894,  when  he  came  to  Union 
City  and  established  his  present  business.     Mr.  Hume 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


^73 


pays  strict  attention  to  business,  is  straightforward  in 
all  his  dealings  and  disjilays  enterprise  which  cannot 
fail  to  make  success  in  the  business  workl.  In  con- 
nection with  the  confectionery  business  he  keeps  a  full 
supply  of  tobacct)  and  cigars  of  all  kinds.  He  is  a  man 
of  integrity  and  enterprise  and  is  looked  u]Jon  as  an 
estimable  citizen.  Ide  was  married  .March  1,  1H88,  to 
Miss  Laura  B.,  daughter  of  Wesley  and  Klizabeth 
(Morris)  .-\llen,  natives  of  Ohio.  Two  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union,  Karl  J.  and  Lloyd  H.  Mr. 
Humes  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party  and  is 
a  member  of  the  1.  I).  O.  K.  The  family  attend  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

C.  A.  Barr,  proprietor  of  the  .St.  Charles  Hotel, 
I'niou  City,  Fa.,  born  at  Blooming  \'alley,  Crawford 
county,  Ba.,  is  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Jane  (Floyd)  ISarr, 
both  natives  o{  tlie  State  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Barr 
is  the  only  son  in  a  family  of  four  children,  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Crawford  county,  and  after  leaving 
school  became  clerk  at  the  Barr  House,  Mcadville,  Pa., 
which  was  kept  by  John  H.  Barr,  his  father.  He  re- 
mained there  about  five  years,  when  he  went  to  the 
Colt  House,  remaining  there  one  year.  In  1S82  he 
came  to  Cnion  City  and  clerked  in  the  Cooper  House 
for  a  short  time  and  then  was  eni|iloye<l  by  (J. }?.  John- 
son, who  at  that  time  was  conducting  the  Johnson 
House.  He  remained  with  Mr.  Johnson  about  si.\ 
years.  In  1884,  in  partnership  with  I-' red  K.  Warner, 
he  took  the  .St.  Charles  Hotel,  which  they  conducted 
for  two  years,  when  Mr.  Barr  went  out  and  took  charge 
of  the  Keystone  Billiard  Parlors,  which  he  managed 
until  1890,  when  he  again  went  into  the  St.  Charles, 
this  time  with  John  Phel|)S.  They  conducted  it  about 
seven  months  together,  when  Mr.  Barr  went  to  Erie 
and  clerked  in  the  Reed  House  for  three  years,  and  in 
April,  1894,  he  returned  to  L^nion  City  and  purchased 
the  St.  Charles  Hotel  and  fi.xtures,  which  he  is  now 
conducting.  Mr.  Barr's  lifelong  experience  in  the  ho- 
tel business,  combined  with  his  natural  qualifications, 
makes  his  hotel  one  of  the  best  in  Erie  county.  He 
spares  no  pains  to  make  his  guests  comfortable,  and 
his  tables  are  supplied  with  a  temjiting  variety  of 
wholesome  food.  This  hotel  is  headquarters  for  the- 
atrical troups  and  traveling  men.  Mr.  Barr  possesses 
a  genial  disposition  and  is  always  ready  to  minister  to 
the  wants  of  his  many  gue.sts.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage December  15,  1890,  to  Miss  Hannah,  daughter  of 
Edward  and  Ellen  (Toner)  Malley,  natives  of  Ireland, 
who  came  to  .America  in  186'2,  settling  in  Worcester, 
Mass.,  and  a  year  later  moving  to  I'nion  City.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  one  child,  Gertrude  A. 
Mr.  Barr  is  and  always  has  been  identified  with  the 
Rei)ublican  |)arty. 

Ray  P.  TiptOM,  manufacturer,  of  the  Keystone 
Chair  Works,  Union  City,  Pa.,  born  February  2(),  18.")9, 
in  Chapinville,  Pa.,  is  the  only  child  of  Thomas  J.  and 
Amelia  (Pierce)  Tipton,  tlie  former  born  at  Hickory, 
Pa.,  and  the  latter  at  Cooperstown,  \.  Y.  The  family 
lived  in  Chapinsville  until  1870,  wnen  they  removed  to 
Buffalo,  \.  Y.,  where  Thomas  J.  worked  for  the 
World's  Dispensary  Medical  Aasociation,  in'the  chem- 
ical department.  Ray  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Buffalo,  X.  Y.,  and  after  com|)leling  his  education  he 
was  employed  by  Dr.  Pierce  as  bookkeeper  until  1889, 
when  he  came  to  I'nion  City  and  became  interested  in 
the  Keystone  Chair  Works,  taking  a   half   interest    in 


the  concern,  the  other  half  being  owned  by  W.  ]. 
Sloan.  This  factory  employs  about  90  men  and  can 
turn  out  about  1 ,400  chairs  of  the  cheap  grade  daily  and 
about  .'JOO  of  the  higher  grade.  They  make  a  specialty 
of  the  high  'grade  chair,  cane,  leather  an<i  wood 
seats.  They  have  twelve  commissioned  salesmen  on 
the  road  an<l  two  salaried  men.  Their  goods  are  di.s- 
tributed  throughout  the  I'nited  States  and  Canada. 
The  premises  occupy  one  of  the  most  convenient  lo- 
cations in  the  city,  where  every  facility  is  enjoyed  for 
the  production  of  their  g(M)ds.  The  gentlemen  at  the 
head  of  this  extensive  ])lant,  although  comparatively 
young,  have  secured  a  prominent  positi(jn  in  the  man- 
ufacturing world.  They  are  pleasant  to  meet  and  are 
always  considerate  towards  those  who  call  on  them  in 
a  business  or  social  way.  Mr.  Tiptijn  was  united  in 
marriage  November  18,  18ii;!,  to  .Miss  Kate,  daughter 
of  Adam  S.  Sclmedweind,  of  Buffalo,  \.  N'.  Prior  to 
her  marriage  with  Mr.  Tii)ton  this  lady  was  the  busi- 
ness manager  of  the  Ladies"  Home  Journal,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  one  of  the  leading  journals  of  its  kind  in 
America.  Mrs.  Tipton  possesses  more  than  ordinary 
executive  ability,  and  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Tipton 
has  given  Union  City  a  lady  of  distinction.  .Mr.  'Tip- 
ton is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  Chapter  and 
Connnandery.  He  is  a  staunch  and  active  Reimbli- 
can. 

Harry  H.  Strycker,  manufacturer  of  and  dealer 
in  cigars  and  tol)accii,  Union  City,  Pa.,  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  July  27,  18()4,  is  a  son  of  Henry  H.  and 
Mary  (Sassaman)  Strycker,  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
In  the  family  there  were  four  children:  Mary  Alice, 
now  Mrs.  A.  J.  Xourse;  Harry  H.,  Margaret  Ann,  and 
William  S.  The  father  has  always  been  a  cigar  manu- 
facturer, and  in  1878  came  to  L'nion  City,  where  he 
followed  the  same  business  very  extensively  until  1880. 
He  then  went  to  the  oil  regions,  where  he  followed 
railroad  contracting  for  six  years.  In  1887  he  resumed 
his  former  occupation  and  has  followed  it  at  Punxsu- 
tawney.  Pa.,  ever  since,  where  he  is  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  cigars.  William  is  now 
engaged  in  the  cigarbusiness  at  .Meadville,  Pa.  Harry 
was  reared  and  educated  in  L'nion  City,  learnetl  the 
cigar  maker's  trade  with  his  father,  and  remained  with 
him  until  189(1,  when  he  established  his  present  busi- 
ness. 'The  product  of  his  factory  is  well  and  favorably 
known  throughout  Western  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York.  For  (|uality  and  excellence  they  are  recognized 
as  standard  goods  in  the  cigar  market.  .Although  a 
young  man,  Mr.  Strycker  has  established  an  enviable 
business  reputation,  and  by  his  integrity  and  fairness 
in  dealing,  he  nol  only  has  many  patrons,  but  has  the 
confidence  of  a  host  of  friends.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  I  ().  O.  F.,  Jr.  O.  U.  .A.  M.,  and  several  other  organi- 
zations, and  )>olitically  he  is  a  Republican.  On  June 
12,  189."),  he  was  married  to  Miss  Susie  .<\.,  the  youngest 
daughter  of  Mr.  Joshua  Bailev,  a  ]>rosperousand  highly 
respt'Cted  farmer  of  LeBccuf  township. 

flus  Underholt.  blacksmith,  Union  City,  Pa., 
born  in  Frenchville,  Clearfield  county.  Pa.,  is  the  son 
of  Francis  and  T'.leanor  (Pease)  Underholt,  theformera 
native  of  Alsace,  France,  and  the  latter  of  Switzer- 
land. Mr.  I'nderholt  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Meadville,  Pa.,  and,  after  leaving  school,  learned  the 
carriage-painting  trade,  working  at  it  seven  years.  In 
1879  he  began  the  blacksmith's  trade,  working  a  year 
in  Meadville  and  then   removing  to  MilU'r's  Corners, 


874 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONABT 


where  he  spent  another  year,  when  he  came  to  Corry, 
remained  until  1888,  then  located  in  I'nion  City,  where 
he  has  succeeded  in  building  up  an  extensive  trade. 
He  is  a  lirst-class  workman  in  every  iiarticular,  and 
his  genial  manner  has  won  him  hosts  of  friends.  He 
is  an  ardent  poultry  fancier,  and  he  possesses  some  of 
the  finest  birds  in  the  State.  Mr.  Underholt  was 
united  in  marriage  July  4,  1879,  to  Blanche,  daughter 
of  George  N.  and  Mary  J.  (Bean)  Wai<l,  natives  of 
Crawford  coimty,  Pennsylvania.  Two  children  have 
l)een  born  to  this  union:  Evaline  and  Frederick.  Mr. 
Underholt  is  allieil  to  no  political  party. 

Lucius  Markham,  L'nited  Brethren  mini.ster, 
Union  City,  I'a.,  was  born  in  Columbus,  Warren 
county,  Pa.,  March  6,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  George  VV. 
and  Laura  A.  (Raymond)  Markham,  both  natives  of 
New  York.  The  father  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner, 
and  followed  his  trade  to  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1890. 
Lucius  is  the  only  child.  He  was  reared  and  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Clymer,  X.  Y.  .After  leaving 
school,  while  yet  a  lad,  he  enli.sted  August  7,  18G2,  in 
Co.  D,  ll'2th  N.  Y.  \'.  I.,  under  Captain  Curtis,  and 
was  sent  directly  to  .Suffolk,  \a.,  and  November  18, 
1862,  was  under  tire  at  the  battle  of  Ludlow  and  Law- 
rence Plantation,  on  the  Blackwater;  December  12, 
Joiner's  Lord,  Virginia;  January  30,  1863,  Deserted 
House;  April  11,  1863,  siege  of  .Suffolk;  June  1,  1864, 
Cold  Harbor,  where  he  was  taken  prisoner,  and  trans- 
ferred to  Libby  pri.son.  Ten  days  later  he  was  taken 
to  Andersonville,  where  he  was  kept  five  months;  then 
he  was  taken  to  Millen,  Ga.,  from  there  to  Savannah, 
Ga.,  and  from  there  to  Florence,  N.  C,  where  he  was 
confined  two  weeks,  and  December  13,  1864,  was 
paroled,  and  later  exchanged  and  transferred  to  the 
Navy  School  Hospital,  Maryland,  where  he  remained 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  mustered  out  in 
1865,  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Clymer,  N.  Y.,  a 
broken-down  veteran,  and  only  23  years  old.  The 
hardship  and  exposure  of  a  soldier's  life  on  the  field 
he  could  have  endured  as  well  as  did  any  of  his  older 
and  age-hardened  comrades,  but  the  reason  of  his 
]jrematurely-wrecked  constitution  is  told  in  the  ter- 
rible records  of  Libby  and  Andersonville  and  other 
Confederate  prisons,  with  their  fearful  tales  of  hard- 
ship and  suffering.  His  lot  was  not  unlike  that  of 
many  thousands  of  other  brave  hearts,  and  the  marvel 
is  that  any  of  them  survived  their  terrible  experiences. 
After  his  return  to  Clymer,  N.  Y.,  Mr.  ^L^rkham  lived 
on  a  farm  until  1882,  when  he  began  preaching  at 
Ashford,  Cattaraugus  county,  N.  Y.,  two  years,  and  has 
.served  churches  at  Bear  Lake,  Warren  county.  Pa.,  two 
years;  Wayne  Valley,  Pa.,  seven  years,  and  in  1894  he 
came  to  Union  City.  He  was  married  Novemfjer  12, 
1865,  to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Stephen  B.  and  Martha 
C.  (Lopez)  Wright,  of  Freehold,  Pa.  To  them  have 
been  born  five  children:  Ira  L.,  Julia  A.  (Mrs.  Lynn 
C.  Holdridge,  of  Chautauqua,  N.  Y.),  Letta  M.  (de- 
ceased), Stephen  R.,  Ethel  ^L  Mr.  Markham  is  a 
member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  P.  O.  S.  of  A., 
and  is  a  Prohibitionist. 

John  Landsrath  (deceased)  was  born  in  Wies- 
baden, Germany,  December  8,  1822,  and  was  a  son  of 
Anton  and  Eliza  Landsrath,  the  former  a  German  sol- 
dier who  fought  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  and  after- 
wards was  given  a  position  as  revenue  officer  for 
bravery  as  a  soldier.     John  Landsrath  was  second  in  a 


family  of  five  children,  was  reared  and  educated  in  Ger- 
many, and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  there 
until  1847,  when,  in  company  with  his  brother,  he  emi- 
grated to  .Vmerica,  settling  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  where 
he  stuiiied  the  English  language  for  about  a  year,  and 
in  the  latter  part  of  1847  went  to  Philadel]ihia  and  en- 
listed in  Co.  H,  2d  Dragoons,  and  served  in  the  Mex- 
ican war  about  a  year  under  Captain  Hunter,  seeing 
active  service  under  General  Taylor.  He  was  dis- 
charged at  Jefferson  barracks,  near  St.  Louis,  in  1848. 
Returning  in  1848,  he  worked  as  a  tinner  in  Buffalo 
and  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.;  he  then  went  to  Jamestown,  and 
was  in  the  hardware  business  there  two  years,  and  in 
1853  came  to  Union  City  and  engaged  in  the  hardware 
trade.opening  the  first  store  of  the  kind  in  the  town  in 
1853.  Nir.  Landsrath,  by  his  skill  as  a  workman  and 
tact  as  a  business  man,  built  up  an  extensive  trade  in 
L'nion  City.  In  1808  he  erected  a  large  store,  where 
he,  with  his  son,  John  A.,  as  a  partner  (until  he  died,  in 
1880,  and  then  with  E.  B.)  carried  on  a  paying  busi- 
ness imtil  1888,  when  they  sold  out.  Mr.  Landsrath, 
in  addition  to  his  hardware  business,  had  a  variety  of 
interests,  being  jjartner  in  a  liarrel  factory  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  also  an  extensive  oil  operator,  buy- 
ing and  selling  in  large  lots.  He  was  one  of  Union 
City's  most  enterprising  and  foremost  citizens  and  did 
much  for  the  development  of  the  town.  Of  strong 
character  and  sterling  qualities,  he  was  a  man  univer- 
sally respected.  As  a  loyal  citizen,  his  patriotism  was 
manifested  in  a  substantial  way  by  his  .service  in  the 
Mexican  war.  In  1861  he  aided  in  recruiting  antl  was 
made  a  captain  in  McLane's  regiment  of  volunteer  in- 
fantry, which  went  to  Pittsburg  and  remainetl  inactive 
until  the  expiration  of  its  time.  Mr.  Landsrath  was 
twice  married:  First  in  Germany,  his  wife  dying 
about  a  year  after  marriage.  He  was  married  a  sec- 
ond time  May  8,  1851,  to  Miss  Lydia  H.,  daughter  of 
Eliphalet  and  Belle  (Carter)  Burnham,  natives  of 
Hartford,  Conn.,  who  came  to  Chautauqua  county, 
New  York,  in  the  ]iioneer  days.  F'our  children  were 
born  of  this  union:  John  Anton  (deceased),  Grace  E. 
(deceased),  Clement  L.  (deceased)  and  Eliphalet  B., 
who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  L'nion  City, 
and  was  in  business  with  his  father,  being  a  partner 
from  1885  until  1888,  when  they  disposed  of  the  busi- 
ness, E.  B.  fiecoming  projirietor  of  the  Sunnyside 
Stock  Farm,  where  he  handles  thoroughbred  Perch- 
erons,  imported  from  France.  He  owns  five  very 
valuable  stallions.  His  farm  is  located  a  short  dis- 
tance from  L'nion  City,  and  consists  of  about  200  acres 
of  first-class  land.  He  was  united  in  marriage  Octo- 
ber 20,  1885,  to  Anna  G.,  daughter  of  Lyman  B.  and 
Martha  (Johnson)  Hill,  of  Union  City.  This  union 
has  been  fjlessed  by  the  birth  of  three  children:  John 
A.,  Mary  H.  and  Mildred  G.  John  Landsrath  died 
February  16,  1890,  after  an  illness  of  two  weeks.  By 
his  death  L'nion  City  lost  one  of  its  most  valued  cit- 
izens. He  was  an  honored  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian congregation,  rendering  valuable  assistance 
during  the  building  of  that  edifice.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order. 

Henry  R.  Briggs,  agent.  Union  City,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  L^nion  City  July  15,  1864,  and  is  the  eldest  of 
four  children  of  William  and  Clara  (Sturdevant) 
Briggs,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Briggs  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Union  City,  and  after  his 
school  days  he  was  employed  in  a  meat  market,  which 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  C0U2iTr. 


875 


business  he  followed  for  seven  years.  He  then  found 
employment  in  Caflisch  Bros."  mills  for  five  years,  and 
later  worked  for  Haniel  Clark  about  four  years.  In 
189.3  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  business,  represent- 
ing some  of  the  old  line  companies.  .\i  the  present 
time  he  is  city  police  officer,  and  has  proven  himself 
to  be  efficient  and  energetic.  Mr.  Briggs  was  united 
in  marriage  .May  ■>,  1892,  to  .Miss  Maggie  T.,  daughter 
of  Patrick  and  Helen  Falocju, natives  of  Ireland.  .Mrs. 
Briggs  died  July  21,  1804.  On  .August  28,  189.J,  .Mr. 
Briggs  was  married  to  Miss  J.  Freda  West,  of  Erie, 
Pa.,  at  Cutting,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Briggs  is  a  stanch  Re|)ul)- 
lican  and  an  active  politician. 

Delos  A.  Wright,  general  produce  dealer.  Union 
City.  Pa.,  born  in  Busti,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y., 
May  13,  1840,  is  a  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
fKelso)  Wright,  natives  of  Otsego  county.  New  York. 
William  came  to  Chautauqua  county.  New  York 
and  followed  farming  for  a  number  of  years,  then 
came  to  Crawford  county,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death.  The  family  consisted  of  nine  children:  George 
W.;  .Sarah  E.  (deceased),  wife  of  Levi  Pierce,  of  Gar- 
land, Pa.;  Mary  A.,  widow  of  Joseph  Barlow,  Rich- 
mond township,  Crawford  county,  Pa.;  John  W.,  a  sol- 
dier of  the  late  war,  who  was  numbered  among  the 
missing;  Delos  A.,  Horace  R.,  Wattsburg,  Pa.;  Doctor 
W.,  Townville,  Pa.;  Anna  E.,  now  Mrs.  Bri  Hill,  of 
Richmond  township,  Crawford  county.  Pa.;  and 
Henr)'  H.  Delos  A.  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Crawford  county,  and  followed  farming  until  1873, 
when  he  began  the  manufacture  of  butter  and  cheese, 
operating  three  factories  located  at  Centerville,  Glen 
ville  Station  and  Little  Cooley.  He  sold  out  these 
interests  in  1870,  went  to  Saegertown,  Pa.,  where  he 
manufactured  and  dealt  in  butter  and  cheese.  In  1882 
he  came  to  L'nion  City  and  established  a  general  pro- 
duce store,  which  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  and 
prosperous  in  this  part  of  the  State.  .Mr.  Wright  has 
as  his  assistant  his  son,  Robert  L.,  a  young  man  of 
extensive  business  experience.  Their  strict  and  hon- 
orable business  relations  with  the  [jublic  has  estab- 
lished them  in  the  esteem  of  the  community.  Besides 
the  general  store  at  L'nion  City,  Mr.  Wright  has  large 
lumber  interests  at  Parrish,  Forest  county.  Pa.,  where 
he  operates  a  plant  that  will  manufacture  30,000  feet 
of  lumber  daily.  He  employs  about  fifty  men  at  this 
place,  and  also  has  a  general  store  at  Parrish.  Mr. 
Wright  is  one  of  the  enterprising,  substantial  business 
men  of  Erie  county,  and  his  large  business  interests 
have  given  him  a  wide  acquaintance  throughout  the 
western  part  of  the  State.  He  is  pleasant  to  meet, 
whether  in  a  business  or  social  way.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  L'nion  City,  belongs  to 
the  Masonic  order,  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  Grange. 
Mr.  Wright  has  been  married  three  times:  the  first 
time  in  .April,  186.5,  to  Miss  \'irginia,  daughter  of 
David  and  Polly  (Lyon)  White,  natives  of  Crawford 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Two  children  were  born  of 
this  marriage:  John  W.,  born  September  24,  18t)8, 
educated  in  the  Crawford  county  and  L'nion  City 
schools,  and  in  1886  he  entered  the  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  graduating  in  the  class  of  '89.  In  1890  he 
took  a  course  at  the  lying-in  hospital,  and  in  1891  lo- 
cated at  Wattsburg,  where  he  has  built  up  an  exten- 
sive practice.  Robert  L.  was  born  November  27, 1869, 
and  was  reared  by  his  uncle,  Levi  Pierce,  at  Garland, 
Pa.,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools,  and  later 


attended  school  in  Philadelphia.  Mrs.Virginia  Wright 
died  November  11, 1871,  of  consumption.  Mr.  Wright 
was  again  marrie<l  in  1873  to  Mary,  daughter  of  George 
and  Sarah  (  McCullough)  Charmer,  natives  of  England. 
One  chilli  was  born  of  this  union,  Fred  D.  .Mrs.  .Mary 
Wright  died  in  .April,  1874.  .Mr.  Wright  married  the 
third  time,  in  1879,  to  .Miss  Edna  J.,  daughter  of 
James  1).  and  Loduskie  (Drakei  Minniss.  James  D. 
.Minniss  was  born  in  .Meadville,  Pa.,  in  1826,  a  son  of 
John  and  Sarah  A.  (.Scowden)  Minniss,  natives  of 
Susquehanna  county,  Pennsylvania,  who  were  early 
settlers  of  Crawford  county.  His  father  died  in  1828, 
and  his  mother  subse<|uently  married  Dr.  .Silas  Tay- 
lor, of  Athens  township,  where  James  was  reared  and 
educated.  He  read  law  with  Hon.  .A.  B.  Richmand, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Meadville  February 
17,  1859.  He  was  very  much  attached  to  his  profes- 
sion, and  was  a  careful,  prudent,  intelligent  counsellor 
and  ])ractitioner.  His  death  occurred  October  30, 
1888,  after  a  lingering  illness.  .Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Wright 
have  three  chiUlren;  Hortense  E.,  William  and 
Gertrude. 

Michael  J.  Tatisey,  of  the  firm  of  Tansey  & 
Warner,  proprietors  of  the  Johnson  House,  L'nion  City, 
Pa.,  born  in  Belleville,  L'pjier  Canada,  May  17, 
18.51,  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Ellen  I  Murphy)  Tansey, 
natives  of  County  Sligo,  Ireland,  who  came  to  .Amer- 
ica in  April,  1848,  settling  in  Belleville,  Canada,  and 
remaining  there  until  186.5;  then  they  came  to  l'nion 
City,  where  the  former  died  December  2-5,  1872,  and 
the  latter,  January  10,  1892.  They  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  four  boys  and  three  girls,  only  two 
of  whom  are  living,  Michael,  and  Ellen,  now  .Mrs.  John 
Skivington.  Mr.  'Fansey  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Belleville,  Canada,  and  Union  City.  .After  leaving 
school  he  entered  the  employ  of  \Voods  &  Johnson, 
barrel  manufacturers,  and  worked  for  them  twelve 
years.  He  was  then  employed  by  J.  D.  Wescott, 
broom-handle  manufacturer,  and  eighteen  months 
later  engaged  in  the  bottling  business,  operating  the 
Union  City  Botthng  Works  from  1883  to  1887.  .At  the 
latter  date  he,  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Warner,  be- 
came the  proprietor  of  the  St.  Charles  Hotel,  and 
conducted  it  satisfactorily  to  the  public  and  success- 
fully for  all  concerned  until  1890,  when  they  took 
charge  of  the  Johnson  House,  and  are  doing  a  thriving 
business.  Mr.  Tansey  was  united  in  marriage  Octo- 
ber 15,  1884,  to  Miss  Caroline,  daughter  of  Frederick 
and  Fredricka  M.  (Lembeck)  Warner,  natives  of 
Wurtemburg,  Germany,  who  came  to  .America  in 
1850,  settling  in  Clyde,  N.  Y.,  where  the  father  followed 
his  trade  as  a  baker  until  1861,  when  the  family  came  to 
L'nion  City,  the  father  working  at  coopering  until  July 
28,  1894.  'They  were  the  parents  of  six  children:  Caro- 
line, Fred  E.,  Charles  .A..  Frank  E.,  Minnie,  and  Kittie 
(deceased).  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tansey  have  been  born 
three  children:  Kittie,  Fred  and  John.  Mr.  Tansey  is 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  Fred  E.  Warner,  junior 
member  of  this  firm,  was  born  November  11.  18.59,  in 
Clyde,  N.  Y.,  was  reared  and  educated  in  L'nion  City, 
and  after  leaving  school  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Nelson  Waters,  who  was  at  that  time  a  hotel  proprie- 
tor, and  worked  for  him  two  years,  going  from  there 
to  the  Johnson  House  with  Mr.  Hallenbeck  for  two 
years.  In  1884,  in  partnership  with  Chris.  Barr,  he 
conducted  the  St.  Charles  Hotel  until  1886,  when  this 


876 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


partnership  was  dissolved  and  the  present  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Tansey,  formed.  Mr.  Warner's  experi- 
ence in  the  hotel  business,  together  with  his  genial 
disposition,  makes  him  popular  with  all  who  meet 
him,  whether  in  a  business  or  a  social  way.  He  is  ever 
ready  to  contribute  to  the  comfort  of  the  guests  and 
patrons  of  the  house.  In  politics  he  is  a  staunch 
Democrat. 

James  Parsons,  retired,  is  the  head  of  his  branch 
of  the  Parsons  family  in  .\nierica.  He  was  horn  .Se])- 
tember  11,  1811,  m  County  Hereford,  England,  anil  is 
the  second  in  a  family  of  nine  children  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Uavis)  Parsons,  natives  of  England,  and  of 
Saxon  descent.  James  was  reared  and  educated  in 
England  and  followed  farming  until  1844,  when  he 
came  to  .America,  settling  in  Michigan,  where  he 
lived  twelve  years.  In  the  early  days  of  the  California 
gold  excitement  he  start etl  for  the  gold  fields  by  the 
overland  route  and  remained  tliere  two  years,  when  he 
returned  to  Michigan  and  moved  the  family  to  Erie 
county,  Pennsylvania,  .settling  in  Concord  township, 
where  he  operated  his  large  farm  until  1884,  when  he 
retired  and  went  to  live  with  his  .son  John.  Although 
85  years  old,  he  is  hale  and  hearty  and  reads  easily 
without  glasses.  He  was  married  in  England  to  Miss 
Ann,  daughter  of  Thomas  Roberts.  She  died  July  25, 
1879,  at  the  age  of  (i8  years.  Eight  children  were  born 
to  this  union:  James,  Robert  and  John,  born  in  Eng- 
land; Henry,  born  on  the  ocean;  Selina  H.,  Emily  A., 
Myra  and  Charles,  born  in  .'\merica.  John  was  born  in 
Monmouthshire,  England,  March  15,  1841,  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Michigan  and  Pennsylvania,  and  after 
leaving  school  he  worked  in  the  oil  regions  for  four 
years.  He  then  returned  to  Erie  county  and  has  fol- 
lowed farming  and  the  mason's  trade  since.  In  1868 
he  purchased  his  ])resent  [iroperty,  w4iich  consists  of  a 
farm  of  fifty-five  acres,  which  he  uses  for  dairy  purposes. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  September  15, 1861,  to  Miss 
Catherine,  daughter  of  Dr.  John  and  Sophia  (McDou- 
gal)  Lilley,  natives  of  New  York.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  five  children:  Clarence  Arthur,  Lilly  May, 
now- wife  of  Fred  Wade  of  Union  City;  Frederick  E., 
Will  F.  and  Marie  A.  Will  F.  graduated  from  Luce's 
Business  College  June  '2,  1891,  and  has  been  employed 
since  in  the  capacity  of  clerk  in  the  Union  City  post- 
office  until  October,  1894,  when  he  was  appointed  dep- 
uty postmaster  under  John  C.  McLean.  Will  F.  and 
Marie  A.  are  both  talented  singers  and  are  residents 
of  L'nion  City.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Parsons  is  a  staunch 
Republican. 

G.  Watson  Johnson,  merchant,  L'nion  City.  Pa., 
born  in  Prospect,  Oneida  county,  X.  Y.,  June  16, 1850, 
is  a  son  of  Garrett  B.  and  Charlotte  E.  (Hopkins) 
Johnson,  natives  of  Madison  county.  New  York.  Garrett 
B.  Johnson  was  born  December  24,  1822.  His  father,  a 
native  of  Holland,  entered  the  navy  as  a  cabin  boy 
when  15  years  old,  rose  to  the  rank  of  captain,  and 
fought  in  the  w-ar  of  1812.  Garrett  B.  was  postmaster 
twelve  years,  and  was  in  the  mercantile  business  nine 
years  at  Prospect,  N.  Y.  He  came  to  L'nion  City  in 
1863  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  which 
he  followed  for  a  few- years.  In  1870  he  erected  the 
Keystone  Block,  part  being  fitted  for  a  hotel,  which  he 
conducted  successfully  for  a  number  of  years.  Hew-as 
married,  in  1847,  to  Charlotte  E.,  daughter  of  Orange 


Hopkins.  Their  surviving  children  are:  Garrett  W. 
and  C.  Edith  (now  Mrs.  Charles  E.  B.  Hunter).  Gar- 
rett W.  received  his  early  training  at  his  birth|ilace. 
At  the  age  of  13  his  parents  came  to  Union  City,  and 
he  completed  his  education  in  the  |)ublic  schools  of 
the  latter  ])lace  and  in  Whitestown  Seminary,  Whites- 
town,  \.  \,  In  April,  1871,  he  associated  himself 
with  Smiley  Bros,  in  a  general  store  at  L'nion  City  and 
a  branch  store  at  Lowville,  Pa.  This  i)artnership  was 
dissolved,  and  he  opened  a  store  in  the  Key.stone 
Block  and  conducted  it  successfully  alone.  Later,  his 
father,  G.  B.  Johnson,  became  a  partner.  This  i)art- 
ner.ship  lasted  until  1883,  when  G.  B.  Johnson  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Mr.  Hunter,  at  present  a  member  of  the 
firm.  Both  gentlemen  are  thorough  business  men,  and 
the  house,  w-hich  employs  ten  efficient  clerks,  is  one 
of  the  leading  concerns  of  its  kind  in  the  State.  iMr. 
Johnson  was  united  in  marriage,  September  1,  1880,  to 
Miss  Georgia  B.,  daughter  of  Frank  and  Harriett  (Mc- 
Kinney)  Kinnear,  natives  of  Warren  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Three  children  were  born  of  this  union:  Paul 
B.,  Lillian  C.  and  Karl  W.  His  wife  died  .'August  3, 
1893,  after  a  protracted  illness.  Mr.  John.son  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  1.  O.  O.  F.,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Royal 
.■\rcanutii.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  In  politics  Mr.  Johnson  has  always  been 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

Charles  E.  B.  Hunter,  merchant.  Union  City, 
Pa.,  born  August  19,  1857,  is  a  son  of  William  and  Jane 
(Arters)  Hunter,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children:  Thomas  A.,  Jared  W., 
William  M.,  Mary  A.,  Elizabeth  M.  (deceased),  Jane 
E.  (deceased),  Ellen  R.,  Charles  E.  B.  and  Sarah  .4lice 
M.  Charles  was  reared  and  educated  in  Emlenton, 
Pa.,  and  Baker  University,  Baldw-in,  Kan.,  w-hitherthe 
family  removed  when  he  was  13  years  old.  After 
his  school  davs  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising  successfully  until  1881,  when  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  mercantile  business  in  Baldwin,  Kan.  In 
1883  he  came  to  L'nion  City,  Pa.,  and  became  a  part- 
ner with  G.  W.  Johnson  in  a  large  dry  goods  store. 
The  store  is  centrally  located  in  the  Keystone  Block, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  concerns  in  Erie 
county,  carrying,  in  addition  to  dry  goods,  a  complete 
line  of  boots  and  shoes.  .Mr.  Hunter  is  a  thoroughly 
practical  business  man,  and  any  enterprise  he  under- 
takes turns  out  a  success.  He  is  one  of  Erie  county's 
most  progressive  business  men,  and  is  always  inter- 
ested in  the  welfare  of  Union  City,  where  he  is  gener- 
ally and  favorably  known.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage, November  30,  1881,  to  Charlotte  Edith,  <laughter 
of  Garrett  B.  and  Charlotte  (Hopkins)  Johnson,  na- 
tives of  New  York.  Tw-o  children  have  been  born  to 
this  union:  I-~dith  Ethel  and  Charles  Kenneth  J.  Mr. 
Hunter  is  identified  with  the  Republican  jiarty;  he  is 
a  member  of  Eureka  Lodge,  F.  S;  A.  M.,  of  l'nion 
City;  Temple  Chapter,  Xo.  215,  of  Erie;  Jerusalem 
Council,  Xo.  33,  Mt.  Olivet  Commandery,  Xo.  30,  K. 
T.,  Erie;  Pennsylvania  Consistory,  S.  P.  R.  S.,  32d 
degree,  Pittsburg,  Pa.;  Zem  Zem  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  X. 
M.  S.,  Erie;  Clement  Lodge,  No.  220,  1.  p.  O.  F.;  Xin- 
evah  Encam|iment,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Royal  Arcanum. 
Jared  W.  Hunter,  brother  of  Charles,  and  a  resident 
of  Union  City,  was  born  in  \'enango  county  March  10, 
18;i8,  was  educated  at  his  birthplace  and  .\llegheny 
College.  After  completing  his  education,  he  foUow-ed 
teaching  several  years,  and   in    1861   engaged   in   the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OP  ERIE  COUNTY. 


877 


lumber  business  in  Warren  county,  following  it  until 
1864,  when  he  engaged  in  the  oil  business  in  Tidioute 
for  one  year,  and  then  went  into  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness there;  and  in  1869  he  came  to  Union  City  and 
became  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  i>um[js,  and 
later  added  a  planing  mill.  He  operated  these  indus- 
tries until  1886.  Mr.  Hunter  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  K.  and  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order. 

Richard  Shreve  was  a  son  of  Colonel  William 
Shreve,  of  Bordentown,  \.  J.,  who  served  seven  years 
under  Washington.  Richaril,  sr.,  was  born  September 
22,  1760,  and  his  wife,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Ann  Neubole,  was  born  May  26,  ITfiU.  They  were 
the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  namely:  William, 
Baiz-illa,  Thomas,  .Ann,  Israel,  Charlotte,  Richard,  jr., 
Caleb,  Benjamin,  Charles,  Isaac,  Sarah  and  Margaret. 
Richard  and  his  wife  moved  from  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  17!I8,  and  settled  in  Bloomheld  town- 
ship, Crawford  county,  then  a  vast  wilderness.  It  was 
here  that  this  sturdy  pioneer  raised  his  family  and 
cleared  a  farm.  He  died  Se])tember  12,  1822.  Richard 
Shreve  was  a  miller  by  trade,  and  was  at  one  time  in 
the  employ  of  George  Washington,  operating  a  mill 
for  him.  Richard  Shreve,  jr.,  fifth  son  of  Richard 
Shreve,  ]iurchased  land  in  Union  townshi|i,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  and  until  his  death,  February  10,  1872, 
followed  farming.  He  held  many  offices  of  tru,st 
during  his  life  in  Union  township.  The  children  of 
Richard  and  Margaret  (Keider)  Shreve  were  as  fol- 
lows: Lucinda  (deceased),  Josiah,  Eliza  (deceased), 
James,  John  K.  (deceased),  Solomon,  Emily  (deceased), 
Amos  (deceased),  Matilda,  Milton  (deceased),  Rufus 
(deceased),  Mary  J.  and  Melissa.  Josiah  Shreve,  the 
eldest  son  in  this  family,  was  born  December  22,  1822, 
in  Union,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated.  At  the  age  of  21  years  he  went  to  Warren 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  engaged  in  lumbering  for 
one  year,  and  going  from  there  to  Centerville,  he 
operated  a  saw-mill  for  two  years.  He  also  lumbered 
about  a  year  at  Riceville,  and  ran  the  river  to  Pitts- 
burg. At  the  age  of  24  years  he  purchased  a  tract  of 
timber  land  in  Union  township,  consisting  of  100  acres, 
and  by  hard  work  and  perseverance  has  cleared  it  all 
and  ma<ie  it  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county.  Mr. 
Shreve  has  held  many  township  offices,  and  has 
always  been  known  to  discharge  his  duty  faithfully. 
He  is  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  and  a  .self-respecting 
gentleman,  whether  following  the  plow  or  in  whatever 
position  he  is  placed.  He  is  a  leading  Granger  in  the 
State,  and  has  done  much  to  promote  the  interests  of 
the  farmer,  always  being  on  the  alert  to  do  them  a 
good  turn.  He  is  an  honored  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcojial  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  steward  for 
twenty-five  years,  and  in  political  matters  is  independ- 
ent. He  was  married  January  6,  1847,  to  Miss  Belle, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Mulvin)  Carroll, 
natives  of  Erie  county.  Three  chililren  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  namely:  Sidney  A.,  now  wife  of 
J.  P.  Wilkins;  George  R.  (deceased),  and  Almeda  E., 
now  wife  of  O.  B.  Sherwood.  The  next  son  in  the 
family  is  James  Shreve,  who  was  born  Se|)tember  IS, 
1825,  was  reared  and  educated  in  Union  township,  and 
has  followed  farming  the  greater  ^lart  of  his  life. 
When  a  young  man  he  purchased  a  Ime  tract  of  land 
of  100  acres,  and  by  perseverance  and  courage  has 
cleared  and  improved  it  until  it  is  a  very  valuable 
propertv.  He  was  married  December  25,  1849,  to 
5'6 


.Miss  Hannah  A.,  daughter  of  David  Sturgis,  of  Cat- 
taraugus county.  New  York.  Nine  children  were  born 
to  this  union:  Clinton  J.  (deceased),  .Mary  B.,  Arthur 
M.,  .Maggie  E.,  Hattie  F.,  Richard  (deceased),  Fred 
J.,  John  P.  and  Kittle.  Mr.  Shreve  is  a  Prohibitionist, 
and,  in  1804,  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  for  Union 
township.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  has  been  elder  for  twenty-five  years. 
Jfihn  K.,  the  next  in  order  of  birth,  was  born  February 
111,  1827,  and  was  reared  in  L'nion  township,  attended 
the  public  schools.  He  has  followed  farming  the 
greater  part  of  his  life,  although,  when  young,  he  did 
considerable  lumbering.  His  i)resent  farm,  which 
consists  of  ninety  acres,  was  cleared  and  improved  by 
himself.  He  was  married  January  8,  1859,  to  Miss 
Ellen  L.,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary  \.  (Gates) 
Bellinger,  natives  of  Oneida,  X.  V.  Six  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union:  Clemont  .M.,  Carry  A., 
Emma,  Clarence,  Gertrude  and  Clifton.  Mr.  Shreve 
is  at  this  writing  serving  as  school  director,  and  is  a 
Prohibitionist.  .Solomon  was  married  to  Mary  Sturgis, 
daughter  of  David  .Sturgis,  of  Cattaraugus  county, 
New  York.  Four  children  were  the  result  of  this 
union:  Frank,  Jennie  L.,  George  and  Minnie.  Milton 
married  Christine,  daughter  of  Rev.  Mr.  Cross,  of 
Panama,  N.  N'.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren: Florence,  Ralph  and  Clyde.  Rufus  was  mar- 
ried to  .Adelie  Odell,  of  Erie  county.  They  have 
three  children:     Elbert,  William  and  Bertha. 

(jeorge  Byroti  Kelley,  teacher,  Union  township, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  in 
1869,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Soule)  Kel- 
ley. The  father  was  a  native  of  Cattaraugus  county. 
New  York,  and  the  mother  of  Otsego  county.  John 
Kelley  was  a  carpenter  and  builder,  and  soon  after  his 
marriage  removed  to  Stark  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  and  farming  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  October  21,  1870.  After  the  death  of  Mr. 
Kelley  the  family  came  to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  settled  in  Concord  townshi]),  where  they  lived  five 
years  and  then  went  to  .Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  where 
G.  Bvron  was  reared  and  educated.  In  the  fall  of  1884 
the  family  returned  to  Erie  county  and  purcha,sed 
their  present  pro|)erty,  which  consists  of  seventy-five 
acres  of  improved  land.  It  is  a  first-class  dairy  and 
stock  farm.  G.  Byron  Kelly  has  followed  teaching  in 
the  public  schools  and  is  also  a  .skillful  musician,  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  the  piano.  He  has  a  large  class  of 
piano  pupils.  In  the  si)ring  of  1890  he  went  to  Buffalo, 
N'.  Y.,  and  clerked  in  a  shoe  store  for  two  years,  but 
owing  to  ill-health  he  was  compelled  to  give  it  up. 
He,  therefore,  began  teaching,  first  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Buffalo  and  later  in  Union  township.  As 
a  teacher  he  meets  with  the  highest  success,  instilling 
that  confidence  in  the  pupils  that  always  stimulates 
and  encourages  them  to  earnest  study.  Mr.  Kelley  is  a 
Republican  and  attends  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Curtin  Kelley  was  born  in  Grand  \"alley.  Pa.,  May  10, 
1864,  and  is  the  sixth  in  a  family  of  .seven  children. 
He  was  reared  and  educated  in  .Ashtabula  county, 
Ohio,  and  has  always  followed  farming,  and  in  1887 
came  to  Union  township  and,  with  G.  Byron,  purchased 
their  jiresent  jiroperty.  Curtin  was  married  November 
5,  1884.  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Frank  Kineer. 
of  .Ashtabula  county,  Ohio.  Onedaughter  hasbeen  born 
to  this  union,  Ethel  G.  Mr.  Kelley  attends  the  Metho- 
dist  Episcopal  Church.     He  is  a  staunch  Republican. 


878 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


Rev.  Kelsey  T.  Jaquay,  minister,  Ferdinand,  Pa., 
was  liurn  September  21,  185ti,  at  Sugar  Grove,  Warren 
county,  Pa.,  and  is  tlie  fourth  in  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren of  Theodore  P.  and  Ursula  (Alvoid)  Jaquay.  He 
was  reared  and  eilucated  at  his  birthplace  and  began 
life  as  a  lumberman,  working  at  it  from  youth  up  to 
1884.  He  then  went  into  the  mercantile  business 
keeping  a  general  store  at  Corydon,  Pa.,  for  about  six 
years.  In  September,  18'J1,  became  to  Ferdinand,  Pa., 
as  supply  pastor,  and  in  l!S'.t'2  entered  the  Erie  annual 
conference  and  was  apipointed  as  minister  to  hll  the 
present  charge  for  1893-4.  Mr.  Jaquay  is  a  pleasant 
and  affable  gentleman,  and  is  devoted  to  his  high  call- 
ing. He  was  united  in  marriage  October  10,  1872,  to 
Miss  Alice,  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Maryetta 
(Meriahen)  Black,  natives  of  Corydon,  Pa.  They  have 
three  living  children:  Frank,  Jennie  and  Paul.  Mr. 
Jaquay  is  a  strong  advocate  in  the  cause  of  temperance 
and  votes  the  Prohibition  ticket. 

John  Cox  (deceased)  was  born  in  County  Dublin, 
Ireland,  June  3,  1834,  and  was  the  second  in  a  family 
of  five  children  of  John  and  Catherine  (Archibald) 
Cox,  natives  of  Ireland.  John  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  place,  and  in  1854  embarked  for 
America,  where  he  landed  safely  and  settled  in  War- 
ren county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  followed  farming 
for  six  years.  In  1858  he  came  to  Union  City,  where  he 
lived  two  years  and  then  purchased  the  farm  about 
four  miles  from  the  city,  where  the  family  now  reside. 
The  farm  consists  of  lOti  acres  of  fertile  and  well-tilled 
land.  It  is  used  principally  for  dairy  purposes.  Mr. 
Cox  was  married  .A.ugust  19,  1868,  to  Miss  Mary, 
daughter  of  John  and  Xancy  (Pohen)  McKendren,  na- 
tives of  the  County  Mayo,  Ireland,  who  came  to  .Amer- 
ica in  1841,  settling  in  Union  township,  among  the  early 
settlers  of  the  county.  To  this  union  were  born  eight 
children,  namely:  John  and  Thomas  (twins),  Mary, 
now  Mrs.  Daniel  Miller,  of  TitusviUe,  Pa.;  James,  who 
resides  at  home;  Anna,  now  Mrs.  John  McConlogue,  of 
Center  Point,  W.  \'a.;  Nellie,  Kate  and  Margaret  (de- 
ceased). Mr.  Cox  died  January  8,  1892,  after  a  short 
and  severe  illness  of  two  weeks.  He  was  .stricken  with 
pneumonia.  He  was  a  man  of  good  [jrinciples  and  a 
good  neighbor,  a  kind  father  and  faithful  husband. 
His  sudden  death  was  universally  regretted.  In  re- 
ligious matters  Mr.  Cox  was  a  Catholic.  Politically 
he  was  a  Democrat. 

Charles  H.  Bush,  farmer  and  lumberman.  Union 
City,  Pa.,  was  born  December  14,  1840,  at  Jamestown, 
N.  v.,  and  is  the  elder  in  a  family  of  two  children  of 
Luther  and  Maria  (Thomas)  Bush,  natives  of  New 
York.  Charles  H.  was  reared  and  educted  in  New 
York  and  when  14  years  of  age  came  to  Union  town- 
ship, where  the  father  worked  as  a  millwright,  car- 
penter and  cabinetmaker.  Charles  remained  with  his 
father  until  22  years  of  age,  when  he  went  West,  visit- 
ing most  of  the  States  and  Territories,  and  roughing  it 
for  four  years.  In  1870  he  returned  to  Union  town- 
ship and  engaged  in  the  farming  and  lumbering  busi- 
ness, which  he  has  since  followed.  In  1870  he  pur- 
chased fifty  acres  of  his  present  farm  and  in  1872 
bought  enough  more  to  make  it  117  acres.  He  has 
a  fine  dairy  and  stock  farm  and  has  been  an  extensive 
cattle  dealer.  His  farm  is  finely  situated  aTid  has  sub- 
stantial buildings  on  it.  Mr.  Bush  was  united  in  mar- 
riage March  11,  1872,  to  Miss   .Mary  A.,  daughter  of 


Samuel  Lilley,  of  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr. 
Bush  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  is  a  staunch  Republican. 

Merrick  B.  Chamberlin,  farmer.  Union  City, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Chautauqua  county.  New  York, 
August  8,  1830,  iind  is  the  third  in  a  family  of  five 
children  of  Eli  and  Caroline  (Barnes)  Chamberlin,  na- 
tives of  New  York  State.  When  only  a  lad  of  7  years 
his  ])arents  died  and  left  him  on  his  own  resources. 
He  drifted  around,  working  summers  and  attending 
school  winters,  until  he  soon  had  enough  means  to  take 
a  course  in  the  Jamestown  Academy.  After  leaving 
school  he  came  to  Union  City  and  engaged  in  the  cabi- 
net-making trade,  which  he  had  learned  when  quite 
young,  and  followed  it  until  about  1853,  when  he  went 
to  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  took  a  course  at  the  Louisville 
Business  College.  After  graduating  there  he  taught 
bookkeejiing  in  that  city  until  1856,  when  he  returned 
to  L'nion  City  and  started  the  first  cabinet  shoj)  in  the 
town.  He  followed  that  business  twelve  years,  during 
which  time  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  In  1873 
he  was  elected  a  director  of  the  poor  of  Erie  county, 
and  served  three  years.  In  the  faithful  discharge  of 
his  duties  of  this  office  he  gained  the  confidence  of 
the  tax-paying  public,  as  well  as  the  gratitude  of  the 
many  unfortunate  dependents  of  his  county.  In  1879 
he  went  to  the  oil  country  and  engaged  in  the  milk 
business,  and  remained  there  three  years.  In  1881  he 
came  to  L'nion  county  and  settled  on  the  old  Smiley 
homestead,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  mar- 
ried September  7,  1858,  to  Jane  E.,  daughter  of  Moses 
and  Jane  (Thompson)  Smiley,  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  respected  families  in  Erie  county.  Three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  this  union:  Emma,  now  Mrs."  Dr. 
Smith,  Paducah,  Ky.;  Elmer  (deceased)  and  Blanch, 
Mrs.  Peter  Edwards.  Mrs.  Chamberlin  departed  this 
life  December  1,  1890.  Her  husband  was  very  much 
devoted  to  her,  and  her  death,  although  not  unex- 
pected, was  no  less  a  terrible  blow  to  him.  Mr. 
Chamberlin  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  during 
Lincoln's  administration  was  appointed  po.stmaster  of 
Union  City,  and  held  said  office  until  John.son's  ad- 
ministration. He  has,  during  recent  years,  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Prohibition  party. 

Anthony  M.  Holden,  farmer.  Union  City,  Pa., 
was  born  in  Rockdale  township,  Crawford  county.  Pa., 
July  14,  1843,  and  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  three 
children  of  Stephen  and  Sarah  (Boyd)  Holden,  natives 
of  Pennsylvania.  They  were  the  parents  of  three 
children:  .'\nthony,  Adalaide  B.  (deceased!  and  Lid- 
die  J.  Anthony  M.  was  reared  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  birthplace,  and  was  alsfi  tutored 
by  his  father,  who  was  a  man  of  education.  .After  his 
school  days  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  the 
war  broke  out,  when  he  enlisted  September  t>,  18ti4,  in 
Co.  B,  211th  P.  W  I.,  under  Ca])tain  McLanc.  On 
September  Kith  he  reached  the  seat  of  war,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battlesof  Bermuda  Hundred,  Hatches' 
Run,  Port  Steadman,  Welden  Railroad  and  Peters- 
burg. Mr.  Holden  was  a  brave  soldier,  and  although 
he  sustained  no  wounds,  his  health  was  so  seriously 
impaired  that  he  cannot  do  much  manual  labor.  He 
was  nuistered  out  of  the  service  June  9,  1865,  at  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  returned  to  Crawford  county 
and  lived  there  until  1868,  when  he  came  to  Erie 
county,  living  in  Union  City  and  other  places  in  the 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


579 


county  until  the  spring  of  1894,  when  he  purchased  his 
present  farm  of  seventy-five  acres,  which  is  located  on 
the  Wattsburg  road.  His  farm  is  in  excellent  condi- 
tion, and  he  uses  it  chiefly  for  dairying  purposes.  Mr. 
Holden  has  been  twice  married.  He  was  first  united 
in  marriage  to  .Miss  Esther,  daughter  of  John  and 
Martha  (Kelley)  Jarvis,  natives  of  Crawford  county. 
Two  children  were  born  to  this  union,  Bert  and  Beryl, 
the  latter  being  the  wife  of  George  Fullerton.  Mr.s. 
Holden  died  January  Ki,  187.5,  and  her  death  was  a  sad 
bereavement  to  those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  be 
on  terms  of  intimacy  with  her.  Mr.  Holden  was  again 
married  August  24,  1890,  to  Ellen  .\I.,  daughter  of 
Jonathan  and  Julia  (Roekwood)  Parker,  natives  of  \ew 
York.  Mr.  Holden  is  a  member  of  the  P.  O.  S.  of  A. 
and  the  Grand  .Army  of  the  Republic.  In  politics  he  is 
a  staunch  Republican. 

John  Cupples,  farmer.  Union  City,  Pa.,  born  in 
County  Down,  Ireland,  October  31,  18w,  is  a  son  of 
Andrew  and  .Mary  I  Hare)  Cupples,  natives  of  Ireland. 
The  father  died  in  Ireland,  and  the  mother,  with  her 
family,  which  consisted  of  four  children — Alexander 
(since  deceased),  John,  Mary  J.  and  Sarah  .Ann  (since 
deceased) — came  to  .-Xmerica  in  1847  and  settled  in 
Waterford  township.  John  remained  on  the  farm  un- 
til the  death  of  his  mother  in  18.56,  when  he  sold  out 
and  purchased  his  present  farm  in  Union  township. 
When  he  settled  on  his  present  place  it  was  a  dense 
wilderness,  which,  under  the  patient  application  of  his 
pioneer  ax,  has  been  converted  into  fertile  fields  of 
unexcelled  productiveness.  The  life  of  this  gentle- 
man bears  testimony,  in  language  not  to  be  misunder- 
stood, to  what  is  possible  for  men  with  willing  hearls 
and  hands  to  accomplish.  He  was  married  .Aiiril  10, 
1860,  to  Miss  Susan,  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah 
Middleton,  natives  of  Ireland;  the  former  was  born 
February  11,  1809,  in  Ireland,  and  came  to  America  in 
1827,  settling  on  French  creek,  in  Waterford  town- 
ship, where  he  reared  a  large  family,  and  was  well 
known  as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  township 
during  his  life.  He  died  October  29,  1855.  .Mrs. 
Middleton  was  born  April  10,  1819,  and  came  to 
America  with  her  parents  when  11  years  of  age.  She 
settled  in  Waterford  township.  .After  a  life  of  useful- 
ness she  died  September  27,  1864.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cupples  have  six  children:  \"erna,  Mrs.  Lou  Hatch, 
of  Union  City:  Genevive,  Duluth;  Minnie,  Iris  \'..  Mrs. 
Clark  Rice;  Curtis,  Bertha,  Mrs.  Sheridan  Hamilton, 
of  North  East.  Mr.  Cupples  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  and  a  Prohibitionist.  He  has  been  school  di- 
rector for  several  terms. 

William  B.  Kimball,  farmer.  Union  City,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Canandagua,  Ontario  county,  X.  Y.,  December 
29,  1822,  and  is  a  son  of  Ira  and  Eliza  (Wilds)  Kim- 
ball, the  former  a  native  of  \'ermont,  and  the  latter  of 
Massachusetts.  William  was  the  only  son  in  a  family 
of  five  children.  When  he  was  15  years  of  age  the 
family  removed  to  Canandagua  county.  New  York, 
where  they  remained  until  1847,  when  they  removed 
to  Union  township  and  settled  on  tract  No.  X'.Mi,  which 
was  still  a  wilderness,  where  the  screech  of  the  wild 
turkey  and  the  howling  of  the  wolves  were  not  unfa-  ' 
miliar  sounds  to  this  hardy  pioneer.  His  heaven  of 
happiness  was  to  wander  through  the  limitless  forest 
with  his  trusty  rifle  as  his  companion,  and  he  seldom 
returned  without  a  good   supply  of  game.     He  has  I 


cleared  a  farm  of  110  acres,  where  he  now  resides. 
His  father  served  in  the  war  of  1812  as  a  drummer 
boy,  being  but  18  years  of  age  at  the  close  of  the  war. 
.\Ir.  Kimball  was  married  December  13,  1848,  to  Miss 
Salina,  daughter  of  Charles  and  .Aleinda  (Fletcher) 
Chandler,  natives  of  Connecticut.  Salina  was  the 
youngest  in  a  family  of  seven  children:  Philetus  (de- 
ceased), Louisa,  Eunice  (deceased),  George  (deceased), 
Simon  and  Elvira  (deceased).  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kim- 
ball have  been  born  five  children:  Eugene,  Ella,  .Mrs. 
Henry  .-\very,  Waterford;  May,  Mrs.  Elenezer  Mackey, 
of  Union  City;  \\  iUiam  I.,  and  W.  Scott.  In  politics 
.Mr.  Kimball  has  always  been  a  staunch  Republican, 
and  has  held  the  offices  of  assistant  assessor,  school 
director  fifteen  years,  road  commissioner  three  terms, 
constable  and  tax  collector.  He  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  enterprising  citizens  of  Erie  county. 

Henry  Dick,  farmer.  Union  City,  was  born  in 
LeBoeuf  township,  Erie  county,  September  9,  1836, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  .\I.  and  Maria  (Golden)  Dick, 
natives  of  Madison  county.  New  York,  lames  .\I., 
with  his  family,  came  to  Pennsylvania  in  I80I  and  set- 
tled in  Waterford,  and  later  removed  to  LeBoeuf.  In 
1855  they  removed  to  L'nion  township,  where  the 
father  followed  farming  until  his  death,  October  31, 
1859.  His  wife  survives  him,  and  at  this  writing  is  80 
years  of  age,  being  remarkably  active  for  a  woman  of 
her  age,  and  in  appearance  is  not  over  60.  This  fam- 
ily consisted  of  ten  children:  David  (deceased),  Levi, 
Henry,  Mary  A.  (deceased),  Lorenzo,  Ira,  Caroline 
(deceased),  Robert  (deceased),  Eunice  (deceased)  and 
Sarah  J.  Henry  was  reared  and  educated  in  Water- 
ford township,  and,  after  leaving  school,  remained  at 
home  until  21  years  of  age,  when  he  moved  to  L'nion 
township  and  jjurchased  a  farm.  In  1862  he  secured 
the  old  Kimball  home.stead,  where  he  still  resides.  He 
was  married  March  2,  1862,  to  Miss  Marietta,  daugh- 
ter of  Ira  and  Eliza  Wilds  Kimball,  of  L'nion  town- 
ship. Two  children  have  been  born  to  this  marriage: 
Jennie  R.,  Mrs.  M.  W.  Fairchild,  of  L'nion  township; 
and  Harry  T.  In  May,  1861,  .Mr.  Wck  enlisted  in 
Co.  H,  8M  P.  \'.  I.,  under  command  of  Colonel  Mc- 
Lean, of  Erie,  and  was  in  the  service  three  months. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  a  strong  advo- 
cate of  the  principles  of  Prohibition. 

Henry  S.  Roberts  (deceased),  was  born  in  Che- 
mung, N.  Y.,  June  27.  1841,  and  was  a  son  of  Nothern 
and  Eliza  (  Hoxie)  Roberts,  natives  of  New  York.  He 
was  reared  and  educated  at  the  place  of  his  birth,  and 
when  he  was  a  young  man  the  family  moved  to 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was,  in  company  with  his 
father,  in  the  lumber  business.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in 
Co.  B,  107th  P.  \'.  I.,  and  served  through  the  war  with 
the  same  regiment,  the  brilliant  record  of  which  is  too 
well  known  to  every  student  of  our  national  history  to 
be  repeated  here.  .Mr.  Roberts  was  with  his  regiment 
in  every  engagement,  and  was  always  found  at  the 
front  where  the  fight  was  the  hottest,  and  yet,  like 
many  other  favored  heroes  of  that  great  civil  conflict, 
escaped  unscathed,  but  it  was  not  because  he  courted 
safety  or  flinched  from  his  duty,  even  in  the  darkest 
hour  of  peril.  Let  it  be  said  of  him  that  "  He  was  a 
.soldier  every  inch."  He  was  mustered  out  of  service 
in  July,  1865,  by  general  order  of  the  war  department, 
and  returned  to  Rochester,  where  he  resumed  his 
former  business,  that  of  a  lumber  dealer,  which  he 


S8o 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


followed  until  1873.  During  the  Indian  troubles  in 
the  West,  about  this  time,  he  enlisted  in  the  United 
States  regular  army,  and  went  to  the  Black  Hills, 
where  he  participated  in  many  engagements  witli  the 
Indians  until  the  hostilities  of  the  red  man  ceased  for 
the  time  being.  In  187!)  he  started  to  come  home, 
but  circumstances  indicate  that  he  must  have  died 
while  on  the  way  to  Minnesota.  He  was  married 
April  IG,  1804  to  Miss  Frances  P.,  daughter  of  Green- 
leaf  C.  and  Fanny  ( Dennisoni  George,  the  former  a 
native  of  Xew  Hampshire,  and  the  latter  of  New 
York.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  this  union: 
Emma  L.,  now  wife  of  Samuel  Passmore,  real  estate 
agent,  Olean,  X.  V.;  Etta  M.  now  Mrs.  William  Rus- 
sell, an  extensive  manufacturer  of  Xew  York  city;  and 
J.  Charles,  of  Elgin,  Pa.  Mrs.  Roberts  was  re-married 
September  7,  1883,  to  Alonzo  White,  one  of  the  pio- 
neers, w^ho  died  January  20,  1891.  He  was  a  life-long 
member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  a  prominent  Re- 
publican. 

Carroll  Family. — Among  the  pioneers  of  Erie 
county,  no  family  is  moreproniinent  or  more  respected 
than  the  Carroll  family.  Ferdmand  Carroll,  the  first 
rei)resentative  of  this  family,  was  born  in  1751,  in  the 
northern  part  of  Ireland,  and  was  the  voungest  of  a 
large  family  of  children.  In  his  boyhood  he  was  sent 
to  reside  with  a  wealthy  uncle  in  London,  but  a  fellow- 
traveler  stole  his  valise,  which  contained  all  his  clothes 
except  those  he  was  wearing,  and  having  too  much 
])ride  to  face  his  uncle  in  such  a  condition,  he  appren- 
ticed himself  to  a  weaver  and  served  seven  years  at 
his  trade.  At  the  age  of  24  years  he  w^as  married  to 
Isabella  Johnstone,  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  six  sons  and  six  daughters,  one  son 
and  two  daughters  dying  young.  The  two  eldest  sons, 
upon  attaining  their  majority,  determined  to  seek  their 
fortunes  in  America,  but  Ferdinand,  unwilling  to  part 
with  his  children,  decided  to  emigrate  with  the  family 
to  the  new  world.  He  accordingly  .sold  his  life  lease 
in  the  land  he  held  for  enough  to  bear  his  expenses  on 
the  journey,  and  the  whole  family,  in  the  spring  of 
1801,  embarked  from  Dublin  to  Xew  York  in  an  old 
w-ar  vessel.  The  family  then  consisted  of  the  hus- 
band, wife,  and  ten  living  children,  the  eldest,  Samuel, 
being  25  years  of  age,  and  Isabella,  the  youngest,  be- 
ing but  2  years  old.  The  latter  died  of  the  measles 
during  the  voyage  and  was  buried  at  sea.  The  voyage 
was  a  slow  and  tedious  one,  and  after  eight  weaW 
weeks  the  passengers  were  landed  at  Xew  Castle,  Deli, 
instead  of  Xew  York.  The  monotony  of  the  journey 
was  relieved  by  music  rendered  by  p'erdinand,  who 
was  an  excellent  player  on  the  violin.  The  passen- 
gers were  delighted  when  land  was  sighted,  and  they 
were  glad  to  get  away  from  the  captain,  who  was  an 
arrogant  tyrant  and  was  arrested  on  the  arrival  of  the 
vessel  in  America.  Soon  after  arriving,  Ferdinand  set 
out  with  his  family  for  Chillicothe,  0.,"and  came  as  far 
as  Pittsburg,  when,  hearing  of  fever  and  ague  at  his 
intended  destination,  he  gave  up  the  idea  of  going 
there.  The  inducements  held  out  by  the  Holland 
Land  Company,  which  was  to  give  100  acres  free  for 
making  a  settlement  and  staying  five  years  on  a  400- 
acre  tract,  next  took  his  attention,  and  hearing  of  such 
land  situated  on  the  head  waters  of  French  creek,  a 
tributary  of  the  Allegheny,  Ferdinand  and  his  two 
eldest  sons,  Samuel  and  George,  started  up  the  river 
to  Franklin,  and  finding  it  hard  to  decide  what  part  of 


the  country  to  settle  in,  Ferdinand  decided  to  settle  it 
by  chance.  He  therefore  placed  a  stick  on  end,  as 
near  perfiendicular  as  ])ossible.  and  said  he  would  go 
whichever  way  It  fell,  which  was  towards  Meadville, 
for  which  place  he  immediately  set  out.  After  arriv- 
ing at  that  town  he  was  directed  on  to  Lnion,  where 
he  came,  and  purchased  from  Andrew-  Halsev  the 
right  of  settlement  and  improvements  on  tract  15!1,  in 
the  .southwest  of  Union  townshi]).  The  consideration 
was  S30  in  gold.  Ferdinand  then  returned  to  Pitts- 
burg for  his  family  and  household  goods.  The  fam- 
ily, with  their  earthly  jiossessions,  were  brought  from 
Pittsburg  on  horseback,  and  in  due  time  were  installed 
in  their  one-story  shanty,  built  of  poles,  which  was 
called  by  Ferdinand  and  his  family  "  Castle  Halsey." 
It  was  now  the  fall  of  1801,  and  P'erdinand  completed 
the  settlement  of  tract  159,  and  secured  a  clear  deed 
to  100  acres,  which  was  left  to  his  youngest  son,  Will- 
iam, who  willed  it  to  his  fourth  son,  George  W.,  who 
at  this  writing  owns  it.  Ferdinand  was  50  years  of 
age  on  arriving  at  "Castle  Halsey,"  and  his  family 
consisted  of  his  wife  and  nine  living  children,  namely: 
Samuel.  George,  Phcebe,  Jane,  Betsey,  Mary,  James, 
Thomas  and  \Villiam.  In  1809  he  left  his  farm  and 
moved  to  the  Moravian  grant,  near  what  is  now  known 
as  LeBceuf  Station,  where  he  rented  a  place  for  a  term 
of  years,  but  it  not  proving  [jrohtable,  he  returned  to 
his  own  farm,  which  in  the  meantime  had  grown  up 
w-ith  a  heavy  second  growth  of  timber.  In  early  times 
the  small  timber  was  cut  away  and  the  large  timber 
girdled  and  left  standing,  and  when  Ferdinand  re- 
turned he  found  the  large  dead  trees  had  blown  down 
among  the  young  timber,  consequently  it  was  harder 
to  clear  than  formerly.  But  he  was  courageous  and 
was  not  easily  daunted.  He  therefore  set  to  work  with 
a  will,  and  the  primeval  forest  gave  way  under  his 
steady  strokes  to  the  cleared  meadow  land.  He  died 
February  1,  1831,  at  the  advanced  age  of  80  years. 
His  death  was  caused  by  a  cancer  on  the  lip.  His 
wife  died  in  September,  1830,  at  the  age  of  70  years. 
Samuel  settled  on  French  creek,  in  the  Middleton  set- 
tlement. He  died  January  28,  1836,  at  the  age  of  60, 
leaving  no  issue.  George  commenced  a  settlement  on 
tract  147,  but  his  family  were  not  contented  to  live  in 
the  woods,  and  he  purchased  a  farm  about  two  and 
one-half  miles  below  L'nion  City,  on  the  creek.  He 
was  the  father  of  seven  children:  John,  James,  Mary, 
Isabella,  Margaret  and  Hannah.  John,  who  lived  near 
the  old  homestead,  was  the  father  of  eight  children: 
Frank,  Sophia,  John,  Charles,  Maria,  .Albert  and  Al- 
fred (twins),  and  Emma.  James,  the  second  in  this 
branch  of  the  family,  moved  to  Iowa.  James,  son  of 
Ferdinand,  settled  near  the  west  line  of  Union  town- 
ship, where  he  died  at  the  age  of  .54  years.  He  wasthe 
father  of  fifteen  children.  Thomas,  the  next  son  of 
Ferdinand  in  order  of  birth,  settled  near  the  west  line 
of  Union  township,  and  was  the  father  of  nine 
children.  He  died  at  the  age  of  64  years. 
Wesley,  the  eldest  son  of  Thomas,  settled  on 
a  farm  his  father  gave  him,  and  was  the  father 
of  seven  children,  three  dying  in  childhood.  Wesley's 
death  occurred  in  1879,  at  the  age  of  64  years.  Jona- 
than M.  Carroll  was  born  at  the  old  homestead  Octo- 
ber 2,  1855,  and  is  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren of  Wesley  and  Phoebe  (Organ)  Carroll,  the  latter 
being  a  native  of  Xew  York.  Jonathan  was  reared 
and  educated  at  his  birthplace,  and  remained  at  home 
until  24  years  of  age.     In  1888  he  took  possession  of 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


88 1 


his  present  property,  consisting  of  a  farm  containing 
sixty  acres,  which  was  willed  to  him  liy  his  father.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  November  15,  1^80,  to  Miss 
Olive,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Mary  (Shelmandine) 
Barnes,  the  former  a  native  of  Xew  Vork  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Philadelphia.  Two  children  have  been  born  to 
tliis  union,  Clarence  E.  and  Winifred.  Mr.  Carroll  is 
a  Republican,  and  has  served  his  township  in  the 
capacity  of  road  commissioner  and  school  director. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Fletcher  S.  Carroll,  the  next  in  order  of 
birth  in  this  family,  was  born  at  the  homestead,  where 
he  now  resides,  November  27,  1858.  He  was  reared 
in  LeBccuf  township  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  birth])lace  and  the  Waterford  Academy. 
After  completmg  his  education  he  returned  to  his 
home,  where  he  has  since  followed  farming,  falling 
heir  to  the  old  homestead  at  his  father's  death,  which 
consists  of  100  acres  of  well  cultivated  land,  twenty- 
five  acres  being  a  part  of  his  grandfather's  (Thomas 
Carroll)  estate.  In  1884  he  began  selling  milk  in 
Union  City,  and  rapidly  built  up  a  substantial  trade, 
which  he  supplies  with  a  first-class  article.  Mr.  Car- 
roll was  married  December  23,  1879,  to  Miss  Alice, 
daughter  of  Levi  C.  and  Mary  (Shelmandine)  liarnes, 
of  Union  township.  Three  children  have  been  born 
to  this  union,  Wayne,  Aha  May  and  Mabel.  Mr. Car- 
roll is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  O.  W.  Carroll, 
tailor  and  clothier,  L'nion  City,  Pa.,  is  the  next  son  in 
order  of  birth  of  Wesley  and  Phcebe  (Organ)  Carroll. 
He  was  born  July  6,  IStiO,  was  reared  at  his  birthplace 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place 
and  the  Waterford  Academy.  After  comjjleting  his 
education  he  taught  school  for  two  years,  and  then 
came  to  L'nion  City  and  purchased  the  furniture  busi- 
ness of  A.  O.  Gillett,  which  he  conducted  for  two 
years,  selling  out  at  the  end  of  that  period,  and  the 
eighteen  following  months  he  devoted  to  trade 
throughout  the  Western  States  and  Mexico.  In  1883 
he  returned  to  L'nion  City  and  engaged  in  the  cloth- 
ing business  with  \'an  Dusen,  the  hrm  continuing  un- 
til 1890,  when  Mr.  Carroll  sold  out  and  went  into  part- 
nership with  R.  R.  Lewis  under  the  firm  name  of 
Lewis  &  Carroll,  and  at  this  writing  are  conducting  a 
first-class  merchant  tailoring  establishment.  Mr.  Car- 
roll was  married  September  15,  1886,  to  Miss  Jennie, 
daughter  of  David  Carroll,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Four 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union:  Elsie,  Rees, 
Cliford  and  Clifton  (twins).  Mr.  Carroll  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order  and  the  1.  O.  O.  F.  The  family  are 
membersof  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Samuel 
J.  Carroll,  son  of  Thomas,  lives  in  Bloomfield,  Craw- 
ford county.  Pa.  Jonathan  C,  the  next  younger  son  of 
Thomas,  lives  on  a  iiart  of  the  old  homestead,  and  has 
two  children,  Solomon  and  Rose.  The  daughters  of 
this  family  were  Jane,  Isabella,  now  wife  of  Josiah 
Shreve,  and  Margaret.  William,  youngest  son  of 
Ferilinand  Carroll,  was  given  the  old  homestead  on 
tract  159,  anil  was  married  to  Hannah  Slouson  in  1820. 
Ten  children  were  born  to  this  union;  James  (de- 
ceased), Lucy  (deceased),  Mary  A.  (deceased),  Lucilla 
(deceased),  Esther  (deceased),  Charles  S.,  fatally 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Fretiericksburg,  Decemlier 
13,  18C2,  and  died  three  days  later.  He  was  second 
lieutenant  of  the  145th  Reg.,  P.  \'.  I.  David  Carroll 
(deceased),  son  of  William,  who  owned  part  of  the  old 


original  tract.  No.  159,  was  married  in  1854  to  Miss  E. 
Coventry,  who  came  from  England  when  a  child. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely: 
Ella,  Jennie,  Rosa,  Etta,  Fred,  Hannah  and  George. 
George  W.,  son  of  William,  is  now  in  possession  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  old  homestead  obtained  from  the 
Holland  Land  Company  for  settlement  of  tract  159. 
In  1871  George  W.  started  a  cheese  factory,  which  has 
been  running  satisfactorily  ever  since,  and  in  185*0  a 
postoffice  was  established,  and  the  name  of  Ferdinand 
was  chosen,  in  honor  of  the  pioneer  who  made  the  first 
settlement  on  the  tract.  George  W.  was  united  in 
marriage  in  1863  to  .Miss  Susan  A.,  daughter  of  Levi 
Barnes  (one  of  the  pioneers,  who  came  from  the  east  in 
1820  and  settled  south  of  tract  159,  where  he  died 
at  82  years  of  age).  She  is  a  woman  of  rare 
energy  and  business  ability.  Jonathan  H.,  second  son 
of  William,  lives  on  part  of  the  homestead.  He  mar- 
ried Antoinette  Myers  in  1851  ;  had  three  sons  and  one 
daughter:  J.  Burr,  C.  Eddie,  Lotta  (deceased)  and  Le- 
vildia.  Esther,  youngest  child  of  William,  wife  of  G. 
W.  Brooks,'  had  two  sons.  Glenni  (deceased  at  12), 
and  George  Clifton  (deceased  at  16).  Eliza  Jane, 
daughter  of  William,  wife  of  S.  B.  Brooks,  had  seven 
sons  and  two  daughters:  Ashley  J.,  Cassi us,  Charles  S., 
Archibald,  ElverdoC,  William.  George  G.,  Phcebe  and 
Ruth.  Mary,  daughter  of  Ferdinand,  never  married. 
Jane  married  Jonathan  Carroll,  of  Mercer  county, 
Pennsylvania;  Phoebe  married  David  Middleton,  of 
Waterford  township,  Pennsylvania,  and  Betsey  mar- 
ried John  Richards  of  Brady's  Bend,  Pennsylvania. 

George  W.  Brooks,  farmer.  Union  City,  Pa.,  was 

born  in  Harnnjn,  Chautauqua  county.  N.Y.,  January  2, 
1839,  and  IS  a  son  of  James  and  Rhoda  (Williams) 
Brooks,  the  former  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  the 
latter  of  Rhode  Island.  The  family  is  of  Scotch  and 
German  extraction,  and  were  very  early  settlers  in 
New  England,  coming  many  years  before  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  Mr.  Brooks  is  a  great  grandson  of 
Colonel  Collar,  who  was  a  distinguished  officer  in  the 
Continental  army  during  the  Revolution.  Those  who 
are  familiar  with  some  of  the  minor  historic  adven- 
tures of  the  Revolutionary  heroes  will  perhaps  recall 
the  incident  of  Col.  Collar's  narrow  escape  from  being 
captured  by  the  British  at  the  time  when  American 
officers  were  at  a  premium  in  the  English  courts.  He 
had  left  his  quarters  for  a  walk  one  morning  ami  in 
the  adventurous  manner,  which  characterized  his  mili- 
tary career  he  strolled  into  an  old  house  by  the  way- 
side, when  he  suddenly  found  himself  surrounded  by 
red  coats,  who  oiitnumliered  him  by  at  least  a  half 
dozen.  They  demanded  his  surrender,  but  he  did  not 
understand  the  meamngof  the  word  "  Surrender,  "  and 
immediately  seized  a  large  broken  bottle  which 
chanced  to  be  at  hand,  and  being  a  very  tall  and  mus- 
cular man  struck  right  and  left  with  telling  effect  on 
the  heads  of  his  would-be  captors.  Thus  he  made  his 
escape  and  also  won  a  single-handed  victory  unarmed, 
save  with  the  old  bottle.  James  Brooks,  sr.,  great- 
grandfather of  George  W.  Brooks,  also  served 
throughout  the  Revolutionary  war  as  a  private,  and 
James  Brooks,  jr..  his  grandfather,  was  a  .soldier  all 
through  the  war  of  1812.  George  W.  Brooks  is  the 
youngest  in  a  family  of  twelve  children.  He  was 
reared  in  Chautauqua  county.  N.  Y..  where  he  received 
his  early  education,  and  when  Iti  years  of  age  the 
family   removed   to  Lelxuuf  township,   and   George 


882 


NELSON'S  BIOOBAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


completed  his  education  in  the  Waterford  academy. 
He  then  taught  school  four  winters  in  LeBoL-uf  and 
Union  townships.  In  April,  18(il,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany H,  McLean's  Regiment  (afterward  called  the 
8;^rd  Reg.)  for  three  months'  service.  After  serving 
his  time  he  was  mustered  out.  August  16,  1862,  he 
re-enlisted  in  Co.  C,  16th  I'a.  Calvary,  under  Major 
Swan.  His  first  engagement  was  at  Hartford  Church, 
where  they  surrounded  the  Confederate  pickets,  cap- 
turing a  large  number  of  them.  The  next  engage- 
ment was  at  Kelley's  Ford,  where  General  Averie 
took  the  2d  brigade  and  2d  division  of  the  cavalry 
across  the  Rappahannock  and  attacked  Stewart  at  Cul- 
pepper. This  was  the  first  cavalry  engagement  on 
the  continent.  The  next  engagement  was  at  Chancel- 
lorsville.  Then  Stony  Creek  Station,  Bull  Run  (sec- 
ond), Gettysburg,  Wilderness,  .Spottsylvania,  Five 
Forks,  Kelley's  Ford,  Cedar  Mountain  (cavalry  en- 
gagement), A  Idle  (cavalry  engagement),  Middlefjurgh, 
Sulphur  Springs,  Shepardstown,  Mine  Run,  Ream's 
Station,  Stony  Creek  Station,  White  Oak  Swamp  and 
Malvern  Hill;  besides  numerous  minor  skirmishes. 
N'ear  Savior's  Creek,  Mr.  Brooks  was  knocked  from 
his  horse  and  a  squadron  of  rebel  cavaly  passed  over 
him.  their  horses  trampling  him  severely,  injuring  his 
head  and  spine,  anil  at  Saylor's  Creek  a  bullet  grazed 
his  chin,  cutting  away  a  [lart  of  his  beard.  Here  he 
was  taken  prisoner  and  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Con- 
federates at  the  time  of  Lee's  surrender.  .A.t  Middle- 
burg  a  bullet  perforated  his  cap  cutting  away  a  por- 
tion of  his  hair,  and  on  two  occasions  his  horse  was 
shot  dead  under  him.  August  17,  1864,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Andrew  Curtin,  second  lieuteuant  Co.  C, 
16th  Reg.  P.  V.  Cav.,  and  he  held  that  com- 
mission until  February,  1865,  when  he  was  de- 
tailed captain  of  Co.  E,  16th  P.  \'.  Cav.,  and 
served  in  that  capacity  until  he  was  mustered  out  by 
general  order  of  the  war  department.  The  military 
record  of  Captain  George  W.  Brooks  speaks  for  itself, 
and  he  may  truly  be  called  a  soldier  of  unmistakable 
loyalty  and  bravery,  and  however  people  may  differ 
as  to  the  truth  of  the  hereditary  doctrine,  it  cannot  be 
denied  that  history,  in  this  case,  jiroved  that  military 
valor  seems  to  be  an  inherent  cpiality  of  Captain 
Brooks,  as  his  illustrious  ancestors  furnish  an  almost 
unparalleled  military  record,  which  he  has  perpetu- 
ated. Cajitain  Brooks  has  been  twice  married;  Au- 
gust 20,  1865,  to  Miss  Esther,  daughter  of  William 
and  Hannah  (Slawson)  Carroll,  natives  of  Erie  county. 
To  this  union  were  born  two  children;  Glenni  and 
Clifton,  both  deceased.  His  wife  died  Se]iteniber  11, 
188(J.  He  was  again  married  March  16,  1882,  to  Miss 
Lizzie,  daughter  of  Samuel  J.  and  Caroline  (.Shreve) 
Carroll,  of  F^rie  county.  Ca])tain  Brooks  is  a  member 
of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  I.  O.  ().  F.,  and  a  prominent  Re- 
publican. In  1877  he  purchased  his  present  home, 
which  consists  of  160  acres  of  land. 

Stephen  B.  Brooks,  farmer,  Ferdinand,  Pa., 
was  born  at  HaniKiny,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y., 
.August  26,  18-58,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Rhoda 
(Williams)  Brooks  (see  sketch  of  George  W.  Brooks,  a 
brother!.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  Xew  York 
.State,  and  in  18-56  the  family  removed  to  Pennsyl- 
vania and  settled  on  the  farm  which  is  now  owned  by 
Stephen  in  L'nion  township.  His  father  was  one  of 
the  early  pioneers  of  the  township,  and,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  his  sons,  he  cleared  up  a   large  portion  of 


the  homestead.  He  died  April  8,  1887,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  91  years.  The  mother  died  January  29, 
1874.  Mr.  Brooks  not  only  oversees  his  farm  of  134 
acres,  but  is  also  traveling  salesman  for  the  E.  Frank 
Cole  Fertilizing  Coni]iany,  of  New  York  city.  He 
was  united  in  m.irriage  March  1,  18-59,  to  Miss  Eliza 
1.,  daughter  of  William  and  Hannah  (Slawson)  Car- 
roll, natives  of  Erie  county.  To  them  have  been 
born  nine  children:  Ashley  J.,  Cassius  M.,  Phcebe  A., 
now  Mrs.  .Stanley  Racey;  .Archie  IX,  Elverdo  C, 
William  W.,  George  G.,  and  Ruth.  Mr.  Brooks  is  a 
Republican,  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  Grange, 
and  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  one  of  the  representative  men 
of  Erie  county. 

Hubbard  Taylor,  farmer,  L'nion  Qty,  Pa.,  was 
born  in  Bangor,  Fianklin  county,  N.  \ .,  F"ebruary  16, 
1827,  and  is  the  second  in  a  family  of  three_children  of 
Calvin  and  Polly  (Osgood)  Taylor,  natives  of  Ver- 
mont. Mr.  Taylor  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
birthplace,  and  at  an  early  age  began  railroading,  be- 
ing employed  as  foreman  on  the  Ogdensburg  R.  R. 
for  a  number  of  years,  also  by  the  .Alleghany  \"alley 
between  Oil  City  and  Pittsburg.  When  the  A.  &  G. 
W.  (now  N.  Y.,  P.  S:  O.  R.  R.)  was  built  he  was  em- 
ployed as  foreman  for  that  company  until  1874,  when 
he  came  to  Union  township  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
sixty-hve  acres,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was 
married  March  2,  1851,  to  Miss  Almira  C,  daughter  of 
Eli  and  Harriet  (Butterfield)  Gale,  natives  of  New 
York  .State.  One  child,  Adelbert  F.,  was  born  to  this 
union,  August  2,  1856.  Adelbert  F.  was  reared  and 
educated  at  Oil  City,  Pa.,  and  has  followed  farming 
the  greater  part  of  his  lile.  He  was  married  Decem- 
ber 10,  1879,  to  Miss  Rose,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Laura  (Wellman)  Hood,  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
Five  children  have  been  born  to  this  union;  Bertha  R. 
(deceased),  Lester  A.,  Mina  E.,  Dwight  O.,  and 
Herald.  Adelbert  is  a  Prohibitionist,  while  the  father 
is  identified  with  the  Republican  party.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Jefferson  Triscuit,  farmer.  Union  City,  Pa., 
was  born  March  28,  18H5,  in  Wayne  township,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  and  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and  .Sophia  (Miles) 
Triscuit,  the  former  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  the 
latter  of  Pennsylvania.  Jesse  came  to  Erie  county 
early  in  life  and  settled  in  Wayne  township,  where  he 
followed  farming  until  his  death.  Nine  children  were 
born  to  Jesse  and  Sophia,  namely;  George  (deceased), 
Julia,  Jefferson,  Marietta,  Maria,  Anson  (deceased), 
So])hia,  Jennie,  and  Lora  (deceased).  Jefierson  was 
reared  and  educated  at  his  birthplace,  and  when  the 
war  broke  out  he  responded  to  the  first  call  for  vol- 
unteers in  April,  1><61,  and  enlisted  in  the  old  Erie 
regiment,  and  after  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  en- 
listment he  re-e  ilisted  September  2,  1861,  in  Co.  A, 
111th  P.  \ .  I.  He  was  in  the  engagements  at  Har- 
per's Ferry,  Little  Washington,  and  Cedar  Mountain, 
at  the  latter  place  being  severely  wounded,  a  minie- 
ball  striking  him  in  the  breast,  passing  through  his 
body  and  coming  out  below  the  right  arm.  He  was 
taken  to  Culpepper  Court  House  and  placed  on  the 
floor  of  the  Ma.sonic  Hall,  where  he  lay  for  four  days, 
when  he  was  removed  to  Armory  .S(|uare  Hospital, 
Washington,  where  he  stayed  about  a  month,  when  he 
was  sent  to  Camden  Street  Hospital,  Baltimore,  two 
months,  and  later  to  Convalescent  Hospital,  Concord 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUliTY. 


883 


street,  remaining  at  the  latter  place  until  he  was  mus- 
tered out  February  16,  IJSOo,  by  reason  of  his  inability 
to  serve  longer,  owing  to  his  serious  wound.  Mr. 
Triscuit  was  a  loyal,  brave-hearted  soldier,  and  was 
always  found  where  duty  called  him,  and  ha<l  he  been 
able  to  remain  in  the  service  a  cajitain's  commission 
was  awaiting  him.  He  was  orderly  sargeant  at  the 
time  he  was  wounded.  After  returnmg  home  he  pur- 
chased his  present  property  in  Union  township,  which 
is  pleasantly  located  on  the  Union  City  and  Concord 
road.  The  farm  consists  of  110  acres  of  well-culti- 
vated land.  He  also  owns  a  large  farm  of  140  acres 
in  Wayne  township.  Mr.  Triscuit  is  a  staunch  Re- 
publican, and  has  held  many  offices  of  trust  in  the 
township  and  county.  He  has  been  auditor,  assessor, 
constable  and  collector  two  terms,  school  director  and 
director  for  the  poor  for  Erie  county  two  terms.  As 
an  officer  he  has  always  proven  himself  trustworthy 
and  efficient.  He  is  one  of  Erie  county's  most  sub- 
stantial and  enterprising  citizens.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  September  10,  1863,  to  Mi.ss  Amy  D.,  daugh- 
ter of  Ansel  and  Phcebe  (Morin)  Estee,  the  former  a 
native  of  Buffalo  and  the  latter  of  Rochester,  X.  Y. 
There  the  family  consisted  of  six  children,  namely; 
Morris  M.,  a  prominent  candidate  for  governor  of 
California  in  the  fall  of  1894;  Louisa  (deceased),  Morin 
(deceased),  Lyman  (deceased),  Phujbe,  and  Florence 
(deceased).  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Triscuit  have  been  born 
four  children;  Grace  M.,  now  wife  of  Fred  F.  Ford, 
Hydetown,  Pa.,  Nellie  M.,  now  Mrs.  J.  P.  Hall  of 
New  York;  Jay  Guy,  and  Miss  Jennie  H.  Mr.  Tris- 
cuit is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  the  family  at- 
tend the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

John  A.  Bond,  farmer,  Union  township,  L'nion 
City,  Pa.,  was  born  at  East  .\shford,  Cattaraugus  county, 
N.  Y.,  and  is  the  second  in  a  family  of  eight  children 
of  Solomon  and  Maria  (Coffon)  Bond,  natives  of  Ver- 
mont, who  came  to  Cattaraugus  county.  New  York,  in 
1830,  and  purchased  a  farm.  John  was  reared  and  ed- 
ucated in  his  birthplace,  and  after  leaving  school  went 
to  Minnesota  and  engaged  in  farming,  remaining  there 
until  August  14,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  7th 
Minn.  \'.  L,  under  Captain  Cutler.  The  company  was 
sent  that  summer  to  the  Black  Hills,  to  keep  the  In- 
dians under  subjection.  They  had  an  encounter  with 
the  redskins  at  Birch  Cooley  and  Wood  Lake,  Minn., 
and  at  both  places  won  victories  over  their  enemies. 
They  then  marched  eastward  and  captured  straggling 
bands  of  Indians  along  the  route  until  they  reached 
Mankato,  Minn.,  where  the  campaign  ended.  The 
company  was  stationed  at  Fairmount  during  the  win- 
ter of  18fi2-3,  and  in  the  spring  were  sent  to  the  Mis- 
souri river,  and,  all  along  the  route,  had  encounters 
with  their  dusky  foes,  and  after  arriving  at  the  Mis- 
souri a  bloody  battle  was  fought  at  a  ])oint  where  .A.pple 
creek  flows  into  the  Mis.souri.  The  redskins  were 
nearly  all  killed  or  cajitured,  only  a  few  being  able  to 
make  their  escape.  The  company  then  returned  to 
Fort  .Snelling,  and  after  a  month's  delay  moved  down 
the  river  to  St.  Louis,  was  stationed  there  during  the 
winter  of  1863-4,  and  was  then  sent  to  Kentucky,  and 
from  thence  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  joining  the  16th  corps 
at  the  latter  place.  After  a  severe  raid  the  company 
returned  to  Memphis  and  were  sent  to  Little  Rock  to 
head  off  Rice,  and  Mr.  Bond,  being  taken  sick,  was 
left  at  the  latter  place.  He  was  at  Little  Rock  three 
weeks,  and  then   returned  to  his  company  in  time  to 


participate  in  the  battle  of  Nashville,  .'\fter  this  bat- 
tle .Mr.  Bond  was  delegated  to  do  duty  at  corps  head- 
quarters, and  served  in  that  capacity  at  .Mobile,  New 
Orleans,  Fort  Blakesley  and  .Montgomery,  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Bond  was  mustered  out  by  gen- 
eral order  of  the  war  department  August  16,  1865. 
Mr.  Bond,  while  he  did  not  participate  in  many  bloody 
battles,  saw  hard  service,  and  was  coping  with  an  en- 
emy that  was  hard  to  meet  in  open  battle.  The 
marches  were  long  and  tedious,  and  at  night,  when 
they  camped,  they  knew  not  what  minute  they  would 
be  surprised  and  scalped  by  the  bloodthirsty  red  men. 
Soon  after  the  war  closed  Mr.  Bond  came  to  Erie 
county,  purchasing  a  farm  in  Franklin  township, 
where  he  remained  about  four  years.  He  then  came 
to  Union  township,  living  on  the  farm  of  Jonathan 
Parks  until  1880,  when  he  purchased  his  ]iresent  jirop- 
erty  of  tifty-tive  acres,  nicely  locate<i  near  L'nion  City. 
He  was  married  November  11,  1865,  to  -Miss  .Melissa, 
daugh'er  of  Jonathan  and  Julia  (Rockwood)  Parks, 
natives  of  New  York  State.  They  have  one  child 
(adopted),  Joseph  D.  Mr.  Bond  is  a  member  of  the 
G.  A..  R.,  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  has  been  township  auditor  for  three  terms. 

O.  D.  LeBarou,  farmer  and  mason.  Union  City, 
Union  township.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Chautauqua  county. 
New  York,  June  22,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Orlando  A. 
and  Susan  (Clark)  LeBaron,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  York  State  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  O.  D. 
was  the  only  child,  and  obtained  his  education  in  his 
birthplace.  After  his  school  days  were  over  he  learned 
the  mason's  trade,  and  in  1873  came  to  L'nion  township, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  working  at  his  trade  and 
farming.  In  1883he  purchased  hispresent  farm  of  forty- 
eight  acres,  and  erected  a  tine  brick  house  thereon,  be- 
sides making  many  other  substantial  improvements 
which  tend  to  make  the  home  one  of  the  pleasantest 
in  the  county.  As  a  workman  Mr.  LeBaron  is  second 
to  none,  and  has  done  some  of  the  finest  work  in  this 
section  of  the  State.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  pleasing 
manners,  and  stands  well  in  the  community  where  he 
resides.  He  was  married  May  1,  1873,  to  Miss  Clara, 
daughter  of  George  and  Charlotte  (Johnson)  Mvers, 
natives  of  Chautauqua  county.  New  York.  Five  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  this  union,  namelv;  George, 
born  June  13,  1876;  Willie,  born  January  6,  1878;  Car- 
rie, born  .April  10,  1884;  Lynn,  born  Decembers,  1887, 
and  Blaine,  born  January  24,  1893.  Mr.  LeBaron  has 
always  been  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

Samuel  P.  Lord,  farmer,  Union  township,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  was  born  April  26,  1847,  in  Richmond 
town.ship,  Crawford  county,  and  is  a  son  of  Zalmon 
and  Maria  (Mansfield)  Lord,  the  former  a  native  of 
Reading,  Fairfield  county,  Conn.,  who  was  born  in 
1792,  and  in  1814  came  to  Pennsylvania,  .settling  in 
Richmond  township,  Crawford  countv,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  March 
10,  1872.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  18]2,  and  his 
father,  Gould  Lord  (grandfather  of  Samuel)  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Samuel  was  reared  anil  edu- 
cated in  his  birtlqilace,  and  when  but  16  vears  of  age 
ran  awav  from  home  and  enlisted  in  the  army,  March 
31,  1864',  serving  in  Co.  B,  12th  Reg.  Pa.  Ca'v.,  under 
command  of  Capt.  Daniel  B.  Lewis.  His  first  initia- 
tion  in  the  methoiLs  of  warfare  was  at  Strasburg,  W. 


884 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPniCAL  DICTIONARY 


\'a.,  then  at  Lynchburg,  Va.,  and  CharU-stown,  \i\. 
At  the  last-nanieil  battle  his  horse  was  shot,  falling 
across  his  body  and  rupturini;  liim,  besides  other 
severe  injuries.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  this  [ilace 
by  Mosby's  men  and  sent  to  Lynchburg  (\'a. I  pirison; 
here  he  was  kept  for  three  weeks,  and  tlien  transfer- 
red to  Libby,  and  July  27,  1804,  sent  to  Andersonville, 
where  he  was  kejit  until  October,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Savannah,  (ia.,  and  from  thence  to  Millen, 
Ga.,  where  he  remainetl  until  December  l20th,  when  he 
escaped.  The  sick  were  to  be  jiaroled  on  a  certain 
date,  and  a  conu'ade  of  Mr.  Lord's  was  among  the  list, 
but  he  died  during  the  night,  and  Mr.  Lord  assumed 
his  name  and  place,  and  succeeded  in  making  good 
his  escape.  He  went  to  .Savannah,  where  he  was  jnit 
aboard  the  I'nited  States  Hosiiital  boat  "  .Xtlantic,"  for 
he  was  more  dead  than  alive  by  exposure  and  torture 
at  Andersonville,  and  taken  to  Annapolis,  Md.,  to  the 
Naval  School  Hospital,  where  he  was  under  treatment 
three  weeks.  He  then  came  home  on  a  furlough,  and 
remained  sixty  days,  joining  his  regiment  February 
23,  1865.  He  iiarticijiated  in  the  battles  of  Port  Royal 
and  Hamilton,  and  was  mustered  out  June  28,1805, 
by  general  order  of  war  department.  Mr.  Lord  is  a 
descendant  of  a  jjatriolic  family  of  soldiers,  and  has 
done  credit  to  his  country,  his  ;mcestors  and  himself. 
After  the  war  closed  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Craw- 
ford county,  and  remained  there  until  1876,  when  be 
came  to  L'nion  township.  In  1881  he  purchased  his 
present  iirojierty,  which  consi.sts  of  fifty  acres  ot  well- 
cultivated  land  near  the  P.  &:  E.  R.  R.,  between  Union 
City  and  F.lgin.  Mr.  Lord  was  married  .•\]>ril  2,  1800, 
to  .Sliss  F.annie  F..,  daughter  of  Harvey  and  Caroline 
(Hoycel  Knickerbocker,  natives  of  Frie  county.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  sixteen  children,  namely: 
William  H.,  Emma,  now  wife  of  Hazen  Allen,  I'nion 
City,  Pa.;  Clara  L.,  now  wife  of  Levi  Peterson;  Calvin 
E.,  Harvey  Z.,  Charles  L.  (deceased),  Benjamin  G., 
Flora  F:.,  Dexter  A.,  Kittie  B.  Frederick  J.,  Paul  M., 
Carl  M.  (deceased),  Caroline  M.,  Samuel  P.  and 
Joseph  H.  Mr.  Lord  is  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  is  a  member  of  tin'  P.  ( ).  S.  of  A. 

Daniel  J.  Brown,  farmer,  Union  town.ship,  LInion 
City,  was  born  June  7,  1842,  and  is  the  seventh  in  a 
family  of  twelve  children  of  Samuel  and  Charity 
(.Staley)  Brown,  natives  of  New  York.  Daniel  J.  was 
reared  in  Amity  township,  where  the  family  located 
when  he  was  a  year  old.  He  attended  the  public 
schools,  and  in  l864  enlisted  in  Co.  L,  4th  Pa.  Cav., 
and  later  transferred  to  Co.  1,  Pa.  Cav.  His  first  ex- 
perience was  at  tlu-  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  where  his 
horse  was  shot,  falling  on  him  and  breaking  his  breast- 
bone and  nose,  and  also  rupturing  him  seriously.  He 
was  taken  to  the  hospitals  at  Frederick.sburg,  Wash- 
mgton,  I'ittsburg  and  Philadelphia,  and  was  mustered 
out  of  the  .service  by  general  order  of  war  department 
in  July,  1865.  Although  Mr.  Brown's  experience  was 
short  in  the  service,  yet  he  went  through  with  more 
than  many  whose  lime  there  was  longer.  He  was  al- 
ways found  at  his  post,  never  shirking  duty.  After 
returning  home  Mr.  Brown  engaged  in  farming,  which 
he  has  followed  since.  He  has  been  twice  married: 
first  in  1865,  to  Louisa,  daughter  of  Lawson  and  Roxy 
(Perry)  Butler,  of  Lake  Pleasant,  Pa.  Three  children 
were  born  to  this  union,  namely:  Samuel  (deceased), 
Lilly  (deceased),  and  Henry  (deceased).  His  wife 
<lied  in  1S70,  and   he  was   rem.irrird    in    1!^77  to  Caro- 


line, daughter  of  Rufus  and  Mary  (Martin)  Benson, 
natives  of  New  York.  Five  children  were  born  to 
this  marriage:  Nellie,  Louis,  Bertie,  Ella  J.  and  Har- 
riet. Mr.  Brown  is  a  stanch  Rejuiblican.  He  attends 
the  H.iptist  Church. 

Thomas  Jefferson  Shepard,  farmer.  Union 
City,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Union  township  November  7, 
1844,  and  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  nine  children  of 
.\lexander  and  Clarissa  (Harris)  She|)ard,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  Thomas  was  reared  and  educated  at 
his  birthplace,  and  after  leaving  school  enli.sted  in 
Co.  L,  Pith  Pa.  Cav.,  in  March,  1804,  and  was  innne- 
diately  sent  to  the  seat  of  war.  He  jiarticijiated  in  the 
battles  of  Harper's  Ferry,  Winchester  and  several 
union  engagements.  Mr.  Shejiard  saw  hard  service, 
and  was  mustered  out  July  24,  1805,  by  general  order 
of  war  department.  He  returned  to  ('nion  township 
and  engaged  in  lumbermg  until  1871,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Warren  county,  Pennsylvania,  following  the 
same  business  there  until  18'.)2,  when  he  returned  to 
llnion  township  and  purchased  his  present  jiroperty, 
which  consists  of  105  acres  of  well-cultivated  land, 
situated  on  the  Union  and  Beaver  Dam  road,  two 
miles  from  the  former  place.  Mr.  She|)ard  was  united 
in  marriage  December  22,  1808,  to  Miss  Rhoda  A., 
daughter  of  Charles  antl  Permelia  (Price)  Wade,  na- 
tives of  Union  township.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  eight  children,  namely:  Clarissa,  Permelia,  Le- 
nora,  Jennie,  Charles  (deceased  November  26,  1887), 
Cleveland,  Oscar  and  Ora  Alexander.  The  two  eld- 
est are  teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  Union  town- 
ship. Mr.  Shejiard  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and 
in  politics  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  held  several  town- 
ship offices,  such  as  commissioner,  school  director  and 
judge  of  elections.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episco]>al  Church. 

Day  Linn  Triscuit,  farmer.  Union  City,  Union 
township.  Pa.,  w.is  born  .August  28,  1854,  and  is  a  son 
of  George  and  Mary  J.  (Heath)  Triscuit,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  Jesse  Triscuit,  grantlfather  of  Day,  was 
brought  from  .Massachusetts  when  (juite  young,  the 
family  settling  in  Wayne  township,  F>ie  county,  when 
it  was  a  dense  wilderness.  Jesse  and  Sophia  (Miles) 
Triscuit  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  namely: 
George  (deceased),  Jefferson,  Marietta,  Maria,  Anson 
(deceased),  Sophia,  Jennie,  Lora  (deceased),  George, 
father  of  Day,  was  born  in  Wayne  township,  reared 
and  educated  in  his  birth  place,  and  followed  farming 
until  his  death,  which  occurri'd  Fel)ruary  17,  1871. 
George  and  Mary  J.  (Heath)  Triscuit  weri'  the  |iarents 
of  five  children.  IJay  L.,  Elmer  J.,  Belle  (deceased), 
Carrie  and  George.  Day  Linn  Triscuit  was  reared 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  L'nion  townshij), 
and  has  followed  farming  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 
In  1882  he  purchased  his  present  property  of  seventy- 
six  acres,  which  is  mostly  improved,  and  used  for 
dairying  and  stock  purposes.  .\Ir.  Triscuit  was  united 
in  marriage  y\ugust  28,  1879,  to  Miss  Sophonia,  daugh- 
ter of  Je.sse  and  Jane  (Kincaide)  Lyons,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  who  were  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, namely:  Andrew,  Joshua  (deceased),  William 
(deceased),  Rebecca  (deceased),  Julia,  .Amanda,  Jesse 
(deceased),  .'\ugustus,  Etta  (deceased),  Celia  and  So- 
phronia.  The  Lyons  family  came  from  Colerain, 
Massachusetts;  Daniel  and  his  family  locating  in  Sus- 
(luehanna  county,  I'ennsylvania,     Daniel  and  Rebecca 


AND  EISTOBIGAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUJSTr. 


885 


(Banks)  Lyons  were  the  parents  of  ten  children.  Jesse 
Lyons  came  to  Beaver  Uam  when  21  years  of  age,  and 
resided  there  all  his  life.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Erie  county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Triscuit  have  been 
born  two  children,  I^ula  B.  and  Edith.  In  politics  Mr. 
Triscuit  is  a  Republican,  and  the  family  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  E|)iscopal  Church.  .%Ir.  Triscuit  is 
one  of  Erie  county's  substantial  and  highly  respected 
citizens. 

Cyrus  H.  King,  farmer,  L'nionCity,  L'nion  town- 
ship, Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  at  Stockton,  Chau- 
tauqua county,  N.Y.,  May  20, 1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Jasi)er 
and  Betsey  (Pickett)  King,  natives  of  Vermont.  Cyrus 
is  a  grandson  of  Gen.  E.  Pickett,  of  Revolutionary 
fame,  and  his  grandfather  on  his  father's  side,  Thomas 
King,  served  through  the  war  of  1812.  Ten  children 
were  born  to  Jasper  and  Betsey  King,  namely:  Cyrus 
H.,  Ellen,  widow  of  X.  M.  Waters,  late  of  Union  City; 
Nancy,  wife  of  Corry  Goodrich,  of  New  York  City; 
Lanston,  Sherod,  William,  Lucius,  Jaines,  Fred  and 
Charles.  Cyrus  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  birth- 
place, and,  in  1851,  his  parents  came  to  Pennsylvania, 
settling  in  Crawford  county,  where  they  remained 
three  years,  when  they  came  to  L'nion  township,  where 
Jasper  died  April  12,  1875.  When  Cyrus  was  21  years 
of  age  he  enlisted,  September  16,  1862,  in  Co.  C,  169th 
Reg.,  P.  V.  I.,  under  Captain  .•\dam  Davis.  He  was 
sent  directly  to  the  seat  of  war,  and  his  first  experience 
was  at  Vorlitown,  \'a.,  under  McClellan,  then  at  Get- 
tysburg July  1,  2,  and  3,  1863,  being  wounded  at  the 
last-named  battle,  a  bullet  striking  him  in  the  breast 
near  the  heart.  His  life  was  doubtless  saved  on  this 
occasion  by  the  fact  that  his  breast  pocket  contained 
a  euchre  deck,  book  of  poems,  some  letters  and  a  pic- 
ture, which  were  perforated  by  and  stopped  the  force 
of  the  bullet,  which  would  have  otherwise  passed 
through  his  body.  His  ne.xt  battle  was  at  .Southside 
Railroad  where  he  was  wounded  in  the  hip  by  a  minie- 
ball.  .-Mthough  seriously  wounded  here,  he  would  not 
go  to  a  hospital,  preferring  the  camp  and  battle  field 
to  hospital  life.  He  next  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Petersburg,  coming  out  of  that  bloody  fight  unscathed. 
His  term  of  enlistment  being  expired,  he  was  then 
discharged  and  came  home,  but  after  twenty  days,  the 
desire  to  again  take  up  arms  impelled  him  to  enlist 
September  5,  1864,  in  Co.  B,  98th  P.  \'.  I.  He  was 
made  sergeant  of  his  compony,  and  ])articipated  in 
many  skirmishes  during  his  term  of  enlistment,  and 
was  at  Richmond  when  Lee  surrendered.  On  one  oc- 
casion, after  giving  orders  to  ten  posts  which  were 
under  him,  he  was  returning  leisurely  to  his  tent  when, 
passing  a  moment  midway  between  the  posts,  a  shot 
was  fired  by  a  rebel  guerrilla,  the  ball  striking  the 
front  piece  of  Sergeant  King's  cap  and  ploughing  a 
furrow  across  the  top  of  his  head  inflicting  a  scalp 
wound.  .Sergeant  King's  record  shows  for  itself  what 
he  has  done  in  behalf  of  the  country  lie  loves  so  well. 
His  patriotism  and  bravery  were  born  in  him,  coming 
as  he  did  from  a  family  of  .soldiers.  He  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  June  23,  IHH.'),  by  general  order  of 
the  war  department.  .After  the  war  closed  he  re- 
turned home  and  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has 
since  followed.  He  was  united  in  marriage  Septem- 
ber 29,  1864,  to  Miss  Harriet,  daughter  of  Marcus  and 
Mary  (Hamilton)  Cowden,  natives  of  New  York.  Four 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union  namely:  Ed- 
ward, Ella,  Perry  and  Elmer.  Mr.  King  is  an  honored 


member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  has  always  been    identi- 
fied with  the  Republican  party. 

Barker  A.  Skinner,  Wattsburg,  Pa.,  physician 
an<l  surgeon,  born  .August  25, 1833,  in  Mina,  Chautau- 
qua county,  N.  Y.,  is  a  son  of  .Abbott  and  MariUa 
(Barber)  -Skinner.  The  former,  who  was  a  painter, 
died  in  1883.  The  children  are  Henry  \.,  residing  in 
Elgin,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  member  of  the  83d  Reg.,  Co. 
K,  P.  V.  I.  He  lost  an  arm  at  the  battle  of  Gaines 
Mills,  in  1862,  and  has  been  unable  to  do  any  work 
since  then.  Dr.  .Skinner  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Wattsburg  and  the  medical  department  of 
the  L'niversity  of  Wooster,  at  Cleveland,  O.,  from 
where  he  graduated  February  28,  1878.  He  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  Elgin,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  where 
he  remained  for  six  years;  from  Elgin  he  removed  to 
Wattsburg,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  a 
painter  previous  to  reading  medicine.  Dr.  Skinner 
was  drafted  three  times;  twice  he  was  not  accepted, 
owing  to  disability,  but  was  held  to  service  on  the  third 
draft.  He  joined  the  10"2d  P.  \'.  I.,  served  four  months, 
and  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  was  married  January  1,  1856,  to  Isora  J.,  daughter 
of  William  Rackliffe,  of  Starke,  Somerset  county.  Me. 
Mrs.  Skinner  died  January  13,  1864.  No  children 
were  born  of  this  marriage.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Jane  J.  Dalrymple,  of  Wattsburg,  July  11, 
1864,  daughter  of  Jeremiah  E.  and  Sabra  Peck  Dal- 
rymple. One  son  and  three  daughters  are  the  issue  of 
this  marriage:  Myra  M.,  Jessie  L.,  Zora  J.  and  Harry 
B.  Skinner,  the  only  son,  who  is  an  artist,  residing  in 
Warren,  O.  Jessie  L.  was  married  to  Henry  A.  Rou.se, 
son  of  Albert  P.  Rouse,  of  Wattsburg.  Henry  A. 
Rouse  died  in  April,  1891,  leaving  one  son  and  one 
daughter.  Jessie  L.  was  married  a  second  time  to 
Fred  A.  Taylor,  son  of  .\.  C.  Taylor,  of  Wattsburg, 
Pa.  Dr.  Skinner  is  worshipful  master  in  Wattsburg 
Lodge,  No.  533,  F.  &  A.  M.,  past  grand  and  representa- 
tive to  the  Grand  Lodge  from  Wattsburg  Lodge,  No. 
118,  L  O.  O.  F.  He  is  medical  examiner  and  past 
president  in  Wattsburg  Union,  No.  672,  E.  A.  L.;  is 
county  physician  and  agent  for  the  director  of  the 
poor,  Erie  county.  He  has  resided  in  Wattsburg 
since  1854.  Dr.  Skinner  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
Church.  Jeremiah  E.  Dalrymple,  father  of  Mrs.  Dr. 
Skinner,  was  a  memebr  of  145th  P.  \'.  I.,  enlisting 
from  Wattsburg.  He  served  two  years  and  was  one 
of  the  unfortunates  who  were  starved  to  death  in  An- 
dersonville  prison. 

George  H.  Duncontbe.  manufacturer,  Wattsburg, 
Pa.,  born  in  X'enango  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  in 
1858,  is  the  son  of  Charles  H.and  Eunice  (Wood)  Dun- 
combe.  The  great-grandfather  of  George  H.  settled 
in  \'enango  township  in  18"28,  moving  from  Delaware 
county.  New  York.,  and  with  the  assistance  of  his  son, 
Francis  Burritt,  cleared  away  the  timber  on  his  land 
and  followed  farming.  Charles  H.  Duncombe  enlisted 
in  the  war.  and  shortly  afterward  contracted  an  illness 
that  rendered  him  unfit  for  service  and  at  the  end  of 
six  months  he  was  discharged.  George  H.  Duncombe 
has  one  brother, Morris  E.,who  is  engaged  in  the  jewelry 
and  printing  business  in  Wattsburg.  Mr.Dunconibe  was 
united  in  marriage,  in  1884,  to  Mertie,  daughter  of 
Charles  E.  and  Isabel  (Johnson)  Gross.  Four  chil- 
dren are  the  issue  of  this  marriage:  Charles  G.,  Herbert 
G.,  Isabel  and  .Alice  M.      Mr.    Duncombe  is  actively 


886 


NELSON'S  BIOOBAPUICAL  DICTIONARY 


engaged  in  farming,  and  is  also  manager  of  a  large 
saw-mill  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county.  This  mill 
furnishes  the  I'nion  City  Furniture  Company  with  lOD,- 
IlltO  pieces  of  turned  lumber  every  month.  Mr.  Dun- 
combe  takes  an  active  part  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  is  afliliated  with  the  Masonic  order.  In  politics 
he  is  independent. 

Charles  Harrison  Page,  Lowville,  Erie  coimty. 
Pa.,  born  in  Allegany  county.  New  York,  .•\i)ril  fi, 
1840,  of  English  extraction,  is  a  son  of  Phmeas  P.  and 
Mary  (Spaulding)  Page.  His  father  settled  in  \'e- 
nango  township  when  he  was  one  year  old,  where  he 
was  reared  and  educated,  and  has  lived  continuously, 
with  the  excej)tion  of  the  time  he  served  in  the  late 
war.  He  enlisted  .September  4,  1864,  in  Co.  F,  211th 
P.  V.  I.,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  battles  of  Ft. 
Stedman,  Peterslnirg,  and  Point  of  the  Rocks,  and  was 
discharged  June  fi,  1865.  Mr.  Page  has  four  brothers 
and  sisters,  namely:  Albert  Page,  who  is  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  in  Union  City,  Pa.;  Mary  E.,  wife 
of  Charles  .Austin;  Helen  (deceased  wife  of  Samuel 
Phelps),  and  George,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Kansas.  On 
the  22nd  day  of  October,  1862,  Mr.  C.  H.  Page  was 
married  to  Alice,  daughter  of  .Aaron  M.  and  Jane  (But- 
terfield)  Durfee.  Three  children  have  been  the  issue 
of  said  marriage,  namely:  Marion  L.,  Walter  E.,  and 
Cecil  .\.  Mr.  Page  is  a  prosperous  farmer,  and  has  105 
acres  of  good  farm  land.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church  and  is  an  active  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R. 

Marvin  Elliot  Janes,  Eowville,  Erie  county.  Pa., 
born  in  \enango  township,  June  15,  1837,  of  English 
parentage,  is  a  son  of  James  and  Ann  (Smith)  Janes. 
He  had  two  brothers,  James  Harris  and  James  Lucas, 
t)oth  deceased.  The  grandfather  of  .\lr.  Janes  settled 
in  Venango  township  about  1810,  took  a  (|uarter-sec- 
tion  of  land,  and  gave  118  acres  to  Marvin,  which  he 
cleared.  He  still  retains  80  3-10  acres,  having  given 
37  7-10  acres  to  his  daughter  as  a  wedding  present. 
Mr.  Janes  was  married  in  1858  to  Geraldine  Stafford. 
Two  children  were  born  to  this  union:  .Anna,  wife  of 
George  Dippo,  and  James  H.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in 
the  111th  P.  \'.  1.,  served  one  year  in  the  army  of  the 
Potomac,  partici|iating  in  the  battles  of  Chancellors- 
ville.  \'a.,  and  Gettysburg,  Pa.  He  was  with  others 
transferred  to  .Sherman's  command  to  reinforce  Rose- 
crans;  he  fought  in  the  battles  of  Wahatchie,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Mission  Ridge,  and  took  part  in  the  siege 
of  Atlanta,  and  followed  .Sherman  in  his  march  to  the 
sea.  He  was  mustered  out  July  19,  1865.  On  Augu.st 
28,  1868,  Mr.  Janes  took  for  his  second  wife  Maria  L. 
Shijiman,  who  died  on  the  22nd  of  June,  1869.  Mav3, 
1871.  he  was  married  to  Alice  D.,  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Hannah  (Smith)  Allen.  Two  children  were  the 
result  of  this  union:  Heman  L.  and  Maria  L.,  wife  of 
Fred  Plumb.  Mr.  Janes  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R. 
James  Janes,  the  father  of  Marvin  Elliot,  died  April  7, 
in  1S94,  in  Wesleyville.  He  came  from  a  long  line  of 
Puritans  which  gave  to  the  world  Hishop  E.  .S.  Janes 
of  the  M.  E.  Cliurch.  James  Janes  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  greatly  resi>ected  l)y 
a  wide  circle  of  friends.  Mrs.  Janes  still  survives  her 
husband.  In  the  settlement  of  James  Janes'  estate  it 
largely  went  to  liis  son  and  grandchildren. 


Allen  Henry  Smith,  of  Phillip.sville,  Erie  county, 

'a.,  was  born  in  \'enango  township,  Feljruary  28,  1848, 


son  of  Thomas  and  Sallie  (Janes)  Smith.  He  is  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  has  three  sisters  and  broth- 
ers, namely:  Melvin,  a  farmer  in  Iowa;  Wallace  (de- 
ceased), and  Ella,  wife  of  Thomas  Xewsham.  His 
grandfather,  John  Smith,  settled  in  \'enango  township 
in  1810,  and  took  u|)  a  (|uarter  .section  of  land,  wliich 
he  cleared  of  timber.  On  February  20,  1874,  Mr. 
Smith  married  Kate,  daughter  of  David  and  Elizabeth 
(P'ritz)  Duncombe,  and  as  issue  of  this  marriage  they 
liave  two  children,  namely:  Ely  and  Gertrude.  When 
Mr.  Smitli  started  for  himself,  liis  father  gave  him  100 
acres  of  land  and  he  in  spite  of  losses  entailed  by 
reason  of  two  hres  has  accumulated  300  more,  and  has 
at  present  200  head  of  stock  on  his  place,  and  esti- 
mates himself  worth  s20,000.   Mr.  Smith  is  a  Methodist. 

Judge  Weber  Chaffee,  Lowville,  Erie  county, 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Boston,  Erie  county,  N.  Y.,  eighteen 
miles  south  of  Ikiffalo,  April  17,  1865,  settled  in  Erie 
county, Pennsylvania,  in  November,  1870,  and  in  Venan- 
go in  September,  1886.  He  is  the  eldest  child  of  Isaac 
and  Hilda  (Bathburn)  Chaffee.  There  were  four  child- 
ren, namely:  George.  U.  S. postal  clerk  on  L.  S.  &  M.S.; 
Clark,  superintendent  of  a  hardware  store  in  Boston; 
Francis  (deceased);  Freelan,  in  county  treasurer's 
office  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  Alice,  wife  of  Edward 
Xott,  a  druggist.  Mr.  Chaffee  received  his  education 
at  the  Springfield  .Academy  and  the  New  York  Central 
College,  and  finished  at  the  L'niversity  of  Rochester. 
He  then  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  P.  G.  Par- 
ker, and  while  there  was  ?n  associate  and  fellow-stu- 
dent of  Grover  Cleveland,  who  was  then  .studying  in 
the  office  of  Bowen,  Rodgers,  Rock  &  Bowen.  In 
Grundy  county,  Iowa,  he  was  elected  county  judge  and 
county  clerk,  and  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors. CJn  the  28th  day  of  April,  1861,  he  married 
.Melissa  M.,  the  only  child  of  Abel  E.  and  Abigail 
(Harrington)  Chaffee,  his  second  cousin,  and  as  issue 
to  said  marriage  there  were  five  children,  namely: 
Ernest,  Willis N.,  Agnes  and  Archibald.  Mrs.  Chaffee 
is  a  space  writer  for  a  number  of  newspapers.  Mr. 
Chaffee  is  a  third  degree  Mason,  and  is  senior  warden 
of  the  Wattsburg  Lodge,  No.  533,  antl  is  a  member  of 
the  Grange.     He  is  a  Democrat. 

Mrs.  Zelphia  Ryan,  widow  of  Erastus  Ryan, 
was  liorn  .May  7,  1836,  in  Washington  township.  Her 
father,  William  McLallen,  wasa  native  of  Erie  county. 
He  was  born  A|)ril22,  1804,  in  the  eastern  portion  of 
Washington  township.  His  father  was  Robert  Mc- 
Lallen, a  native  of  New  York,  and  of  Irish  descent. 
He  married  a  Miss  Polly  Drake,  in  New  York  .State, 
and  settled  in  Erie  county  about  1798.  They  had  ten 
children,  of  whom  William  was  the  sixth  child.  He 
was  married  to  Miss  Philena  Davis,  daughter  of 
Zopher  Davis,  a  native  of  \'ermont.  She  was  born 
there  in  1805,  and  in  1815  came  to  Erie  county  with 
her  parents,  who  .settled  in  Washington  township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McLallen  had  eleven  children,  of  whom 
Zeljihia  was  the  fifth  chikl.  On  June  9,  185fJ,  .Mrs. 
Zeljihia  Ryan  was  married  to  Erastus  Ryan,  a  son  of 
John  Ryan,  a  native  of  London,  England.  Mr.  Ryan 
came  to  this  country  when  a  bt)y,  and  lived  with  a 
family  in  eastern  New  York  State.  On  reaching  his 
maturity  Mr.  Ryan  was  married  to  a  young  English 
woman.  Soon  after  his  marriage  he  moved  to  Erie 
county,  locating  in  Wasliington  township,  where  his 
wife   died.     He    later   married    Maranda    Crow,    and 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


887 


Erastus,  their  eldest  child,  was  born  February  l-*?,  WW. 
There  were  nine  other  children  in  this  family,  of 
whom  five  were  girls.  Erastus  was  first  married  to 
Miss  Phoebe  Hamilton,  an  orphan  girl.  She  died 
April  12,  1856,  leaving  one  child,  Winstone  L.  Ryan, 
who  is  now  living  in  LeBieuf  township,  near  McLallen's 
Corners.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  Ryan  ami  Miss  .\lc- 
Lallen  resulted  in  the  birth  of  rtve  chikiren,  all  of 
whom  are  now  dead  with  one  exception,  William  Wal- 
lace, who  was  born  May  20,  18H9.  The  others,  Ells- 
worth E.,  Florilla,  Xorton  J.  and  Archie  E.,  all  died 
before  they  were  4  years  old.  Mr.  Ryan  died  Septem- 
ber 20,  1892,  leaving  his  widow  and  sons,  who  are 
living  near  McLallen's  Corners. 

Harry  Culbertson.  postmaster  at  Edinboro,  Pa., 
was  born  June  23,  1870,  in  that  place.  His  father, 
Louis  C.  Culbertson,  was  a  son  of  John  .\ugustus  Cul- 
bertson, who,  in  turn,  was  the  first  man  to  settle  in 
Washington  township,  making  his  home  in  what  is 
now  the  thriving  village  of  Edinboro.  The  ancestors 
of  William  Culbertson  were  originally  from  Scotland. 
They  went  first  from  Scotland  to  the  North  of  Ireland, 
and  were  of  Scotch-Irish  population  in  the  province  of 
Ulster.  Here  they  are  known  to  have  taken  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  life  and  death  struggle  between  King 
James  II  and  his  Protestant  subjects  in  the  siege  of 
Londonderry.  The  first  Culbertson  to  emigrate  to 
America  is  said  to  have  come  over  during  the  reign  of 
King  George  I,  of  England,  about  1720.  The  eldest 
son  of  this  man  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1708.  His 
name  was  John.  The  eldest  son  of  this  second  John 
Culbertson  was  .•\ndrew,  who  was  born  in  1731.  In 
1763  he  was  married  to  Jennette  Boyd  in  Philadelphia, 
and  the  followingyear  settled  in  the  town  of  Williams- 
port,  Lycoming  county,  Pa.  They  had  nine  children, 
the  eldest  of  whom  was  William,  who,  in  the  year  1794, 
was  married  to  Mary  Culbertson,  a  relative  also  de- 
.scended  from  the  John  Culbertson  who  came  over 
from  Ireland.  This  marriage  took  place  at  Williams- 
port,  and  the  following  year  they  settled  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Washington  township.  In  179.T  they  moved 
farther  west,  to  what  is  now  the  town  of  Edinboro. 
He  built  at  the  mouth  of  Conneaut  lake  a  grist  and 
sawmill  near  the  location  of  the  present  mill  at  that 
place.  He  acquired  considerable  land  in  the  vicinity 
of  Edinboro,  and  combined,  to  some  extent,  the  busi- 
ness of  milling  and  farming.  He  was  at  an  early  day 
appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace,  which  office  he  held 
continuously  for  forty  years.  .Mr.  Culbertson's  fir.st 
wife  died  at  Edinboro  March  2,  1802.  They  had  four 
children:  Andrew  Columbus,  Jennette  C,  John  .\u- 
gustus  and  William  Washington.  In  January,  1801), 
occurred  the  second  marriage  of  William  Culbertson. 
His  second  wife  was  Margaret  Johnson,  who  died 
June  30,  1820.  They  had  (\\<;  children;  Maria  J., 
James  Johnson,  Josiah  J.,  Cyrus  A.  and  Elizabeth, 
Mr.  Culbertson  died  November  11, 1843.  John  .August 
Culbertson,  son  of  William  Culbertson,  was  married 
to  Claris.sa  Harrison  in  Edinboro,  (October  23,  1827. 
They  had  six  children;  Harrison,  Louis  C,  Johnson, 
Porter,  Emily,  who  married  John  Prouilfit  in  Edin- 
boro, and  Edwin.  Mrs.  Culbertson  died  October  l(i, 
1862,  and  she  was  followed  by  her  husband  on  .March 
16,  1872.  Their  second  son,  Louis  C,  father  of  Harry 
Culbertson,  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  March  7, 
1832.  On  May  31,  18.iS,  he  was  married  to  Martha  M. 
Proudfit,  daughter  of  .Alexander  Proudfit,  .son  of  .An- 


drew and  Isabel  (Smith)  Proudfit,  who  settled  in  Frank- 
lin township  in  18.")3.  This  family  is  of  .Scotch-Irish 
ancestry,  and  were  among  the  early  settlers  in  this 
country.  Eleven  children  were  the  result  of  this 
union:  Claribel,  now  the  wife  of  Frank  Pulling,  liv- 
ing at  Edinboro;  Mabel,  the  wife  of  Charles  Dundan, 
in  Edinboro;  Hattie,  died  October  2>^,  1870;  .Agnes, 
Harry,  Lizzie  and  Andrew,  living  with  their  parents. 
Mr.  Culbertson  is  a  carpenter  by  occupation,  and  is 
one  of  the  men  who  had  done  considerable  toward 
building  the  pretty  town  that  is  now  his  home.  Mr. 
Harry  Culbertson  was  born  and  reared  in  Edinboro. 
He  was  educated  in  the  Edinboro  .State  Normal  .School, 
attending  there  five  terms.  He  then  clerked  in  his 
uncle's  store  for  seven  years,  when  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  by  President  Cleveland  on  March  18,  1895. 
In  this  capacity  he  is  assisted  by  his  sister,  Agnes 
Culbertson. 

Henry  Lewis,  Edinboro,  was  born  in  Meadville, 
Crawford  county,  Pa.,  December  9,  1832.  His  great 
grandmother,  Airs.  Jane  Campbell,  was  the  first  woman 
settler  in  Washington  township.  .She  came  to  Erie 
county  m  1797,  with  the  William  Culbertson  [larty, 
which  came  from  Williamsjxirt,  Lycoming  county.  Pa. 
Mrs.  Campbell  was  a  widow  and  was  accompanied  on 
the  trips  by  her  two  sons,  John  and  James.  They  set- 
tled on  400  acres  of  land  in  Washington  township  just 
south  of  the  present  site  of  the  town  of  Edinboro.  Soon 
after  .Mrs.  Camfibell  was  married  to  Robert  Fritz 
Randolph.  They  removed  to  Meadville  where  he 
died.  .'VIrs.  Campbell  returned  to  her  home  in  Wash- 
ington township,  soon  after  her  husband's  death.  She 
died  October  18,  1843.  John  Campbell,  a  .son  of  Jane 
Campbell,  was  married  on  May  10,  1804,  to  Mary 
Laughery,  a  daughter  of  James  Laughery.  They  had 
nine  children.  Sarah,  their  second  child  and 
daughter,  was  born  January  28,  1807.  On  May 
27,  1830,  she  was  married  to  Jesse  Lewis,  son  of  Lot 
Lewis,  who  settled  in  Crawford  county  in  1797,  im- 
migrating from  New  Jersey.  The  Lewis  family  is 
of  Scotch,  Welch  and  Irish  descent.  Jesse  and  Sarah 
Lewis  had  eight  children,  of  whom  Henry,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  the  second  child.  The  others  are: 
Mary  J.,  widow  of  J.  O.  Reeder;  John  Randolph,  now 
general  secretary  of  the  Cotton  States  International 
Exposition,  at  .Atlanta,  Ga.  Sarah  Jane  married  Will- 
iam S.  Proudfit;  she  died  .March  10,  18.57;  James  .Alex- 
ander, was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg;  Harriet 
.Amanda,  is  now  the  wife  of  William  .S.  Proudfit,  and  is 
living  in  Chicago;  .Martha  .Ann,  wife  of  C.  H.  Barnes, 
of  Lake  Charles.  La.;  William  Winters,  now  living  at 
Palton,  Iowa.  Henry  Lewis  was  twice  marrieil,  first  on 
January  13,  1856,  to  Frances  Yry.  of  Franklin  town- 
ship. She  died  January  7, 1861.  They  had  one  daugh- 
ter. Mary  Frances,  who  married  Daniel  F.  Delo,  by 
whom  she  had  one  child,  Flora  W.  Mr.  Delo  died 
February  28.  1882,  and  his  wife  on  March  12,  1890.  Mr. 
Lewis  was  married  to  his  present  wife,  Catherine  A. 
.Shreve,  a  daughter  of  .Samuel  and  Sarah  Ann  (Fleni- 
ming)  Shreve,  of  N'enango  County,  on  -August  8,  1866. 
They  have  had  no  children.  .Mr.  Lewis  entered  the 
army  in  the  late  war,  enlisting  in  July,  1862,  m  Co.  B, 
145th  P.  \'.  I.  He  i)articipated  in  the  battles  of  Fred- 
ericksburg, Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg.  In  the 
latter  battle  Mr.  Lewis  lost  his  left  arm,  and  was  also 
badly  injured  in  the  back  by  a  piece  of  shell  at  Gettys- 
burg.    .After  the  amputation  of  his  arm  he  returned 


8S8 


NELSOJ^'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


home  until  Dcct'inber,  when  he  returned  to  his  regi- 
nienl  in  llie  lield,  and  then  on  December  18,  1808,  he 
was  hon(iral)ly  (hschar^ed.  Mr.  Lewis  started  in  hfe 
as  a  car|><'nter  and  joiner,  and  continued  in  that  V)usi- 
ness  until  apjiointed  postmaster  of  Edinboro  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  on  Jan\i.iry  h,  18(i5,  which  office  he  held 
until  March,  ^S^!(i.  He  has  also  served  one  term  as 
borough  councilman,  and  was  for  eighteen  years  a  trus- 
tee in  the  Edinboro  State  Normal  school.  Mr.  Lewis 
is  a  member  of  Proudtit  Post,  No.  41(i,  G.  A.  R.,  and 
also  of  the  U.  \'.  L.  at  Erie.  He  has  held  all  of  the 
offices  in  his  post  and  was  its  first  commander.  Mr. 
Lewis  is  also  a  metnber  of  the  A.  O.  U.  VV. 

John  Randolph  Lewis  is  a  Pennsylvanian,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Erie  county  September  22,  1834.  Af- 
ter attending  jireparatory  schools,  he  took  the  regular 
course  of  study  at  the  Pennsylvania  College  of  Den- 
tal Surgery  and  the  medical  department  of  the  L'ni- 
versity  of  \'ermont,  after  which  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  dental  surgery.  Having  enlisted,  April  20, 
l8(il,  he  served  during  the  three-months'  term  as  ser- 
geant of  Co.  H,  1st  \'t.  I.,  taking  jiart  in  the  battle  of 
Rig  Bethel  and  other  engagements  of  that  camjiaign, 
and  being  discharged  August  15,  ISGl.  He  re-entered 
the  army  September  16,  f861,  as  captain  of  Co.  I,  5th 
\'t.  I.  On  July  1(5,  1862,  he  was  promoted  to  major,  and 
to  lieutenant-colonel  October  5,  following.  He  served 
in  all  the  campaigns  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  be- 
ing wounded  at  White  Oak  Swamp,  until  May  5, 1864, 
when  he  lost  his  left  arm  at  the  .shoulder  joint  from  a 
gun-shot  w'ound  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  Hav- 
ing been  proniotetl  to  the  colonelcy  of  his  regiment, 
June  5,  1864,  it  was  found  that  his  wound  unfitted  him 
for  active  service,  and  he  was  mustered  out  Septem- 
ber 11,  1864.  Having  been  commissioned  colonel  of  the 
1st  Reg.,  \'t.  Res.  Corps,  Septembers,  Lewis  accepted, 
September  12,  the  day  after  his  discharge  from  the  5th 
\"ermont.  He  served  on  the  board  for  the  examination 
of  officers  for  transfer  to  the  \'t.  Res.  Corps  until  De- 
cember 26,  1864,  and  then  on  the  board  for  the  exami- 
nation of  enlisteil  men  in  hospitals  for  transfer  to  the 
same  corps  until  June,  1865.  Having  been  a  brevet- 
brigadier-general  of  volunteers,  March  13,  1865,  he 
commanded  the  ]50st  in  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  from  June  till 
October,  awaited  orders  at  Buffalo  till  December,  and 
was  then  on  duty  at  Nashville  as  inspector-general  of 
the  staff  of  Gen.  Clinton  B.  Fisk,  and  assistant  com- 
missioner B.  R.  F.  and  A.  L.  at  Nashville  until  Janu- 
ary, 1867.  Having  been  commissioned  major  of  the 
44tli  r.  S.  Inf.,  January  22,  1867,  Gen.  Lewis  accejited 
the  place  and  was  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer  serv- 
ice  .March   31,  and  into  the  United  States  Army  April 

1,  1867.  Then  he  served  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  C.  C. 
Sibley  at  Savannah,  Macon  and  .'\tlanta  till  1869;  un- 
a.ssigned  March  15,  1869;  assistant  commissioner  B. 
R.  F.  and  A.  L.,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  to  .April  28,  1870;  brevet 
lieutenant-colonel  and  brevet  colonel,  V.  S.  .\.,  March 

2,  1867;  retired,  with  tlie  rank  of  colonel,  V.  S.  A., 
April  28,  1870,  after  a  total  active  service  of  eight  years 
and  eleven  months.  Since  leaving  the  army  his  occu- 
pations have  been  as  follows;  .State  school  commis- 
sioner of  C.eorgia,  1870  to  1872,  during  which  time  he 
organized  the  public  school  system  oif  the  State;  mer- 
cantile business  at  Des  Moines,  la.,  1873  to  1876;  resi- 
dent of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  1876  to  1880;  secretary  Atlanta 
Cotton  Expositions,  1880  to  1881;  mercantile  business 
at  .Atlanta  since  1883;  postmaster  of  .\tlanta  from  Au- 


gust 1,  1889,  to  December  1,  1893;  secretary  Cotton 
States  and  International  Exposition  from  .April  1, 
1894,  to  December  31,  189.5.  Gen.  Lewis  was  a  char- 
ter member  of  theO.  M.  Mitchell  Post,  Department 
of  Tennessee  and  Georgia,  and  has  served  as  its  senior 
vice-commander.  .At  the  Nineteenth  National  En- 
campment in  Portland,  Me.,  he  was  elected  junior 
vice-commander-in-chief.  He  was  married  and  has 
two  sons. 

Alonzo  Shafer,  clergyman,  postoffice  McLallen's 
Corners,  born  in  Cobleskill,  N.  Y.,  September  21,  1846, 
is  a  son  of  .Sylvester  and  Margaret  (Andrews)  Shafer, 
natives  of  Cobleskill,  N.  Y.  The  former  was  born  at 
Cobleskill,  N.  Y.,  in  1825,  and  was  by  occupation  a 
carpenter  and  joiner.  He  enlistetl  in  December.  1862, 
in  Co.  K,  121st  Reg.  Heavy  .Artillery,  and  in  June, 
1863,  was  transferred  to  the  light  infantry,  and  while 
on  picket  duty  was  shot  by  a  sharpshooter.  He  was 
married  in  1845  to  Margaret,  daughter  of  James 
Andrew's,  a  native  of  New  York.  The  former  died  in 
1863,  and  the  latter  in  1875.  This  union  was  ble.ssed 
with  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.: 
.Abraham,  born  in  1849,  now  living  in  Green  Bush,  N. 
Y.;  Celia,  born  in  1851,  wife  of  Jolm  Carr,  of  Onenta, 
N.  Y.;  James,  born  in  1864,  livmg  in  Onenta,  N.  Y.; 
Mary,  born  in  1867,  wife  of  John  Wetherwax,  of 
Onenta,  N.  Y.;  Helen,  born  in  1860,  died  in  1870; 
Emma,  born  in  1863,  the  wife  of  Stephen  Sweet,  of 
New  York  city.  Rev.  Mr.  Shafer  received  a  part  of 
his  education  at  Carlisle  Seminary,  New  York  city, 
and  finished  at  the  normal  school  in  Cobleskill,  N.  Y.; 
he  took  a  theological  course  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and 
in  1879,  .started  to  preach  the  go3|)el  in  .Albany,  N.  Y., 
for  the  .M.  E.  Church,  remaining  there  for  a  short  time. 
He  then  went  to  New  York  city,  and  was  there  one 
year,  and  from  there  he  went  to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  re- 
maining there  four  years;  he  then  went  to  Delhi,  N. 
Y.,  for  one  year,  joining  the  Christian  denomination; 
to  Jonesboro,  N.  J.,  for  one  year;  Hartwick,  N.  Y.,  for 
two  years;  then  to  New  London,  Conn.,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years  and  six  months;  and,  in  October, 
1894,  he  moved  to  McLallen's  Corners,  where  he  has 
charge  of  the  church,  and  also  the  one  at  Itley,  Pa. 
He  has  been  principally  engaged  in  evangelist  work. 
Rev.  Mr.  Shafer  w-as  united  in  marriage  .September 
23,  1869,  at  Unadilla,  N.  Y.,  to  Malicia  C,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Fisher,  a  native  of  New  York.  Of  the  twelve 
children  com|)Osing  the  Fisher  family,  seven  .still  sur- 
vive. This  union  has  been  blessed  with  one  child, 
viz.:  Frances  K.,  born  September  19,  1870,  wife  of  N. 
D.  Rutherford,  of  Hartwick,  N.  Y.,  who  is  by  occu- 
pation a  photograjiher.  Rev.  Mr.  Shafer  is  a  member 
of  the  L  O.  O.  F.,  Lodge  No.  85,  of  New  London, 
Conn.;  also  the  Jr.  O.  \J.  A.  M.,  Temple  of  Honor  and 
Good  Temijlars,  of  New  London,  Conn.  His  wife  is  a 
inember  of  the  Daughters  of  Liberty.  Rev.  Mr. 
.Shafer,  after  leaving  the  -State  of  New  York,  asked 
and  received  his  letter  from  the  New  York  Eastern 
Christian  Conference,  and  Se|itember  24,  1895,  he 
joined  the  Erie  Christian  Conference,  to  which  his 
local  charge  is  attached. 

Henry  C.  Allen,  farmer,  Mcl^allen's  Corners, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  August  30,  1846,  in  Cam- 
bridge township,  Crawford  county.  The  first  of  this 
family,  James,  born  in  1762,  near  London,  England, 
came  to  America  in   1825,  and  settled  in  Cambridge 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


889 


townshij),  Crawford  county,  Pa.,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm  of  250  acres  which  he  was  engaged  in  clearing 
and  farming  until  his  death,  in  1837.  He  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Tamer,  a  native  of  England.  This  union 
was  blessed  with  seven  children:  Charles,  William, 
Anna,  Eliza,  Mary,  Henry  and  Jane,  the  wife  of 
George  Barnes,  of  Janesville,  Wis.  Henry,  sr.,  born 
in  180f),  in  England,  came  to  America  with  his  father 
in  \V-'ih,  when  lit  years  old,  and  was  a  resident  of 
Crawford  ccjunty  until  his  <leath,  in  1)^88.  He  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Cambridge  township,  and 
was  united  in  marriage  in  ISSJ  to  .Mary,  daughter  of 
John  Humes,  a  native  of  Crawford  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. To  this  union  were  born  ten  children,  as  fol- 
lows: James,  born  in  ISM,  now  living  in  Lead  City, 
S.  D.;  .Matilda,  born  in  1836,  the  wife  of  James  Haw- 
thorn, living  in  Crawford  county,  on  part  of  the  old 
homestead;  John,  born  in  1837,  of  Crawford  county; 
Oscar,  born  in  1840,  of  Crawford  county;  Parnell,born 
in  1842,  died  in  1849;  Mary,  born  in  1844,  died  in  18f;2; 
Henry,  jr.;  .A.delia,  born  in  1849,  the  wife  of  Amos 
Willie,  of  Crawford  county;  Homer,  born  in  1851,  now- 
living  in  Lead  City,  S.  D.;  and  Alma,  born  in  1853,  the 
wife  of  Frank  Glover,  of  Crawford  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Henry  C.  Allen  received  a  common  school 
education  in  Cambridge  township,  Crawford  county, 
remaining  at  home  until  the  age  of  35,  when  he  started 
out  for  himself  at  farming  on  a  part  of  the  old  home- 
stead, remaining  there  until  1892,  when  he  purchased 
106  acres  of  land  in  Washington  township,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  known  as  the  Andrew  Culbertson  farm,  located 
one  mile  south  of  McLallen's  Corners.  He  w-as  united 
in  marriage  October  12,  1881,  to  Maggie  (born  June 
24,  1861),  the  daughter  of  Jose[)h  Kline,  a  native  of 
Erie  county.  She  was  the  third  child  of  a  family  of 
nine  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.:  Emma, 
born  in  1857,  died  in  1877;  Fannie,  born  in  18,")9,  wife  of 
Eortis  Crow,  of  Washington  township;  Claude,  born 
in  1863,  now  living  in  Crawford  county;  Pet,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Jasper,  jr.,  born  in  1867,  living  in  Wash- 
ington township;  Norman,  born  in  1870;  and  Jennie, 
born  in  1874.  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Allen  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  as  follows:  Bruce,  born  in  1882; 
Claude,  born  in  1884;  and  Mary,  born  in  1894.  Mr. 
Henry  C.  Allen  is  a  member  of  the  Grange  at  Cam- 
bridge, Crawford  county,  Pa.;  he  has  never  sought 
office,  and  has  always  voted  the  Democratic  ticket  un- 
til three  years  ago.  .Mr.  Allen  has  won  the  respect  of 
all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  and  occupies  a 
worthy  place  in  the  estimation  of  the  community. 

Emery  S.  Mattison.  farmer,  Edinboro,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  born  Ueceml)er  22>,  1861,  an<l  is  a  son 
of  Sheldon  and  Delindia  iWoodard)  Mattison,  natives 
of  New  York.  The  first  of  this  family  to  come  to 
Washington  township  w-as  Ruben  .Mattison,  a  native 
of  Eastern  New  York,  horn  in  1794,  one  of  a  family  of 
four  children.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812;  was 
married  in  1817  to  Experience,  daughter  of  Zenasand 
Betty  ( Blakeslee)  Potter,  of  Erie  county.  New  York. 
She  w-as  one  of  six  children,  and  w-as  left  motherless  at 
the  age  of  15,  and  kept  house  for  her  father  until  his 
second  marriage  four  years  later.  They  settled  on  the 
shores  of  Chautaucpia  Lake,  near  where  Mayville  now- 
stands,  remaining  two  years.  From  there  they  went 
down  the  Allegheny  river  on  a  flat  l)oat  to  Marrietta, 
O.,  where  they  stayed  three  years,  when  they  removed 
to  Erie  county,  New   York.      In    1840  they   came  to 


Washington  township,  Erie  county.  Pa.,  where  they 
bought  a  farm,  and  passed  the  rest  of  their  days.  They 
had  a  family  of  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  now 
living:  Asenath,  widow  of  Stephen  Wait,  now  living 
with  her  son,  Levi,  on  a  farm  in  LeBoeuf  township; 
Sheldon  and  Sherman,  formerly  of  Erie  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, but  now-  living  in  Michigan.  Reuben  died  in 
1878.  aged  84  years,  and  Ex|jerience  in  1873,  at  the  age 
of  75.  They  and  their  children  were  members  of  the 
Christian  Church  of  McLallen's  Corners,  Erie  county. 
Sheldon  .Matti.son,  born  in  1827,  in  Erie  county,  New- 
York,  came  to  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  with  his 
father  when  about  seven  years  old,  and  in  his  youthful 
days  worked  by  the  month;  when  a  young  man  he 
went  to  Illinois,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  fora  short 
time.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Easter  Dibble; 
this  union  resulted  in  six  children,  two  of  whom  are 
living:  /\lw-il(Ha,  wifeof  William  Briggs,  Rondo,  Mich., 
and  Amelia,  wife  of  Fred  Clark,  of  Michigan;  Ardelia 
(deceasedi,  was  the  wife  of  E.  Swails.  He  returned 
from  the  West  and  went  to  Alleghany  county,  New- 
York,  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  for  four 
years.  He  then  came  to  Washington  township  and  en- 
gaged in  the  carpenter  trade.  .Mr.  Mattison  tocjk  for 
his  second  wife,  in  1860,  Delendia  Woodard,  born  in 
1842,  a  native  of  Alleghany  county.  New  York.  To 
this  union  were  born  two  children:  Emery  S.,  and  Em- 
ma, born  in  1867,  wife  of  Dr.  B.  N.  Bricker,  of  Wild- 
wood,  .Mich.  His  second  w-ife  died  in  1888.  Emery  S. 
.Mattison  received  his  education  at  the  Edinboro  Nor- 
mal .School,  and  was  engaged  at  farming  for  hisfather 
until  24  years  of  age,  when  he  was  married  to  Hattie, 
daughter  of  Philander  and  Clari-ssa  (.Mitchell)  Porter, 
natives  of  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania.  There 
were  six  children  in  the  Porter  family,  four  of  whom 
are  now-  living.  Hattie  was  the  second  child.  After 
their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Mattison  went  to  Rondo, 
Mich.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  school  for 
one  year.  He  then  came  back  to  Washington  town- 
ship and  taught  school  for  three  seasons,  after  which 
he  went  to  farming  on  the  old  homestead,  containing 
sixty-two  acres  of  land  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
with  good  buildings,  on  Kinter  Hill.  This  union  has 
been  blessed  with  five  children:  Georgia  died  in 
1887;  Porter,  born  in  1888;  Alta,  born  in  1890;  Fenn, 
born  in  1891,  and  Clara,  born  in  1894,  died  in  1895. 

Fred  Hetineous,  farmer,  McLallen's  Corners, 
Erie  County,  I'a..  was  born  December  16,  1819,  in  Han- 
over, Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Charlotte 
(Kisshman)  Henneous,  natives  of  Germany.  .Mr.  Hen- 
neous  was  by  occupation  a  farmer  in  Germany,  where 
he  owned  a  farm  of  100  acres.  He  was  married  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  to  Charlotte  Kisshman.  They 
w-ere  the  parents  of  four  children,  three  of  whom  are 
dead.  Mr.  Fred  Henneous  was  twice  married:  first  in 
Germany,  Fredereka  Deiderich,  a  native  of  Han- 
over, Germany,  in  1847,  and  in  1852  he  started  with  his 
wife  and  three  children  to  .America,  landing  in  Balti- 
more, .Md.,  and  from  there  he  went  to  -St.  Louis,  Mo., 
where  his  wife  and  two  chiliiren  died  of  cholera,  and, 
in  18.54,  he  came  to  Erie,  Pa.,  from  there  going  to  Cam- 
bridge township,  Crawford  county,  where  he  jnirchased 
a  farm  of  fifty-five  acres,  operating  it  successfully  for 
twenty  years.  He  then  came  to  Washington  tow-n- 
ship  and  bought  a  farm  of  111  acres,  w-liere  he  now-  re- 
sides. He  married  for  his  second  wife,  in  1857,  Char- 
lotte, daughter  of  Henry  Saunders,  a  native  of  Ger- 


890 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY 


many.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with  nine  chil- 
dren: Albert,  born  in  1859,  and  now  judge  of  Aurora 
county,  South  Dakota;  Fred,  born  in  18(i],  living  at 
home;  Anna,  horn  in  1863,  wife  of  James  Cam|ibell,  of 
Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania;  Sena,  born  in  1865, 
living  in  Erie;  Frank,  born  in  1867,  and  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  wagons  in  Monroe  county,  Iowa; 
George,  born  in  18()il,  living  at  home;  Kmn)a,born  in 
1871,  at  home;  Eddie,  bt)rn  in  1873,  living  in  W'ashmg- 
ton  township;  Mark,  born  in  1875,  at  home.  Fred  Hen- 
neous  and  wife  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
at  Drake's  Mills.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Sylvester  Culbertsoa,  farmer,  McLallen's  Cor- 
ners, Erie  coimty,  I'a.,  was  born  January  1'2,  1844,  in 
Washington  townshij],  and  is  a  son  of  Stephen  and 
Elizabeth  B.  (Isherwood)  Culbertson,  natives  of  the 
township.  The  first  of  this  family  to  settle  here  was 
John,  who,  in  1799,  took  up  40U  acres  of  land,  but  his 
title  was  not  clear,  the  land  also  being  claimed  by  a 
Mr.  Fisher.  The  matter  was  settled  by  Mr.  Culbert- 
son taking  a  deed  for  1.50  acres.  Stephen  Culbertson, 
born  May  13,  1809,  in  Washington  township,  was  the 
first  settler  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Washington 
townshi[i,  where  he  took  u])  a  tract  of  land,  cleared  it 
and  farmed  it  until  his  death.  He  was  married  March 
27,  1834,  to  Elizabeth  B.,  daughter  o.f  George  Isher- 
wood, one  of  the  early  settlers  of  I^eBieuf  townshi]). 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children:  ."Xdeline.born 
April  30,  1836,  wife  of  Ha'lsey  Mitchell  of  Crawford 
county.  Pa.;  Nancy,  born  May  20,  1839,  the  wife  of 
Wells  Hodges,  of  Lansing,  Mich.;  George,  born  April 
12,  1841,  who  enlisted,  in  1865,  in  Co.  E,  98th  Reg.,  and 
was  honorably  discharged  June  23,  1865;  he  died 
shortly  afterwards  from  exposure  received  there;  Syl- 
vester, born  lanuarv  12,  1844;  Fayette,  born  .August  6, 
1848,  and  died  in  1849;  Wesley,  born  July  8,  1850,  and 
diet!  in  1877;  Rhorbert,  born  May  6,  1852,  a  farmer  of 
LeBccuf  township;  and  .■\ustin,  born  May  3,  1854,  now 
living  on  the  old  homestead.  Elizabeth  Culbertson 
died  March  21,  1895,  at  the  advanced  age  of  81  years. 
Mr.  Sylvester  Culbertson  received  a  common  school 
education  in  Washington  township,  and,  in  1870, 
started  at  farming;  he  purchased  the  farm  where  he 
now  lives,  containing  70  acres,  cleared  it  up,  and  now 
has  it  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  with  substantial 
buildings;  it  is  located  one  and  a  half  miles  from  .Mc- 
Lallen's Corners.  He  was  united  in  marriage  May  9, 
1869,  to  Roxy,  born  July  26,  1848,  daughter  of  George 
and  Lydia  L']>ham,  natives  of  Crawford  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, the  former  born  October  25,  1814,  the  latter 
January  14,  1821.  There  are  six  children  in  the  L'p- 
ham  family,  viz.:  Roxy,  the  wife  of  Sylvester  Culbert- 
son; George  C,  born  July  9,  1850,  a  farmer  of  Ovid, 
Neb.;  John  N.,  born  .'\|iril  16,  1852,  of  Crawford  coun- 
ty; Effie,  born  November  20,  1854,  and  died  March 
1'2,  1893;  .-Xmos  T.,  born  September  15,  1856;  Hattie, 
born  October  13,  1865,  the  wife  of  Frank  Racop,  of 
Crawf(jrd  county.  Mr.  Culbertson  and  wife  are 
the  parents  of  five  children,  as  follows:  Myrtle  S., 
born  May  7.  1870,  the  wife  of  Charles  Ryan,  of  Wash- 
ington town.ship;  Maud  L.,  born  June  21,  1874,  and 
died  February  21,  1891;  De  Etta  M.,  born.  November 
16,  1876;  Grace  B.,  born  ..\ugust  13,  1884;  and  Willow 
F.,  born  October  4,  1889. 

Balser  Bowman,  farmer,  Eilinboro,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  January    1,   1810, 


and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Cushman)  Bowman, 
natives  of  Baden,  Germany,  both  of  whom  are  now 
dead.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Martin,  who  came  to  America  and  settled  near 
McKean,  where  he  died  about  twenty  years  ago; 
Phili])  also  came  to  America  and  settled  m  New  York 
city,  where  he  died;  Balser,  .Sophia  (deceased),  Eliza- 
beth (deceased).  Balser  Bowman  came  to  .America 
in  1830,  and  settled  in  Erie,  Pa.,  where  he  followed 
the  occupation  of  watch-maker  for  three  years.  He 
then  purchased  a  farm  of  25  acres  in  Cussewago 
township,  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  living  there  ft)r 
three  years,  and  in  1838,  he  purchased  the  farm  where 
he  now  lives,  located  on  Kinter  Hill,  two  and  one-half 
miles  from  Edinboro,  containing  130  acres,  now  in  a 
good  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Bowman  was  twice 
married,  first  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Joseph  Fry, 
December,  1835,  in  Erie.  To  this  union  were  born  six 
children:  Mary,  born  in  1837,  the  wife  of  Amos  Bur- 
dick,  of  LeBoeuf  township;  William,  born  in  1839,  liv- 
ing in  LeBoeuf  township;  Josejih,  born  in  1841,  of 
LeBoeuf  township;  Susan,  born  in  1843,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Way,  now  deceased;  John,  born  in  1845,  living  in 
Erie,  Pa.;  and  Charles,  born  in  1848,  living  at  home. 
Mr.  Bowman  married  for  his  second  wife,  Julia, 
daughter  of  Patrick  Brofa,  a  native  of  Ireland.  Mr. 
Bowman  is  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  Washington 
township,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church  of 
McKean. 

Albert  C  Stafford,  farmer  and  dealer  in  meats, 
Edinboro,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  was  born  May  28,  1853,  in 
Washington  township,  and  is  a  son  of  Jasper  N.  and 
Mary  (Sipps)  Stafford,  natives  of  Erie  county.  The 
first  of  the  Stafford  family  to  come  to  Erie  county  was 
.■\nnanias,  who  came  from  New  '\'ork  State  when  the 
townshi])  was  all  a  wilderness,  and  settled  in  Conne- 
autte  valley,  near  McLallen's  Corners,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  and  was  engaged  in  farming  it  until  his 
death,  about  twenty  years  ago.  There  were  eight 
children  in  the  family,  three  of  whom  are  living:  Ba- 
zillia,  the  wife  of  William  Mallory  of  LeBoeuf  town- 
ship; Lucinda,  wife  of  Mathias  Sipps,  of  Muskegan, 
Mich.;  and  F^dward,  now  living  in  Oceana  county, 
Michigan.  Jasper  Stafford,  born  in  1823,  in  New 
York  .State,  came  to  Pennsylvania,  when  a  boy,  with 
his  father,  and  lived  at  home  until  he  was  19  years  of 
age.  He  was  married  in  1842  to  Mary,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  .Sipp,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Wash- 
ington township,  and  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  following 
that  occupation  for  twenty  years.  During  that  time 
he  purchased  a  farm  of  fifty  acres,  near  Gleeton 
Corners,  farming  it  for  a  number  of  years.  Selling  it 
he  purchased  another  of  fifty-five  acres,  located  on  the 
Crane  road,  about  half  a  mile  north  of  the  other  place, 
which  he  occupied  until  his  death,  in  1890.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jasper  Stafford  were  the  parentsof  nine  children: 
Mellissa,  wife  of  Philip  Kline,  of  Washington  town- 
ship; David,  living  in  Oceana  county,  Michigan;  Aaron, 
who  enlisted  in  1863  in  Co.  C,  83d  Reg.,  P.  V.  I.,  and 
in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  he  received  a  wound 
which  resulted  in  his  death  the  same  year;  Matthias, 
living  in  McLallen's  Corners;  Jane,  wife  of  Bennett 
Crocker,  of  Oceana  county,  Michigan;  Albert;  Lydia 
(deceased);  Eva  (deceased),  and  Clara  (decea.sed).  Al- 
bert Stafford  received  a  conmion  school  education,  and 
at  the  age  of  17  he  started  in  life,  working  in  the  lum- 
ber woods  in  the  northern   iiart  of  Michigan,  remain- 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


89 1 


ing  there  two  years,  when  he  came  back  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  worked  in  a  mill  at  Cambridge,  Pa.,  for 
about  two  years;  he  then  purchased  a  small  farm  near 
Cambridge,  and  operated  it  two  years;  coming  to 
Washington  township,  he  purchased  a  farm  of  ten 
acres,  and  is  engaged  in  farming  and  the  meat  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Stafford  was  united  in  marriage  in  1874,  to 
Alice  (born  in  1853),  daughter  of  .Melker  .Stultz,  a  na- 
tive of  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania.  To  this 
union  were  born  five  children:  Clara  Bell,  born  Janu- 
ary 1,  1877;  Aaron  Chilton,  born  May  28,  1880;  Delia 
May,  born  April  '27,  1883;  .Mary  Elizabeth,  born  Au- 
gust 8,  188f),  and  William,  who  died  in  infancy.  His 
wife  died  June  18,  1891.  Mr.  Stafford  has  held  the 
office  of  tax  collector  two  years,  and  is  highly  respected 
in  the  community.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

Patrick  FiyHM,  farmer,  Edinboro,  Erie  county. 
Pa.,  was  born  March  10,  1820,  in  County  Cork,  Ireland, 
and  is  a  son  of  Dennis,  Jr.,  and  Catherine  (Lally) 
Flynn,  also  a  native  of  Ireland.  Dennis,  sr.,  was  the 
only  ancestor  w-ho  came  to  America,  arriving  about  the 
time  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  settled  in  South 
Carolina,  living  there  until  his  death.  He  married 
Ellen  Tobin;  they  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  all 
of  whom  are  now  dead.  Dennis,  jr.,  born  in  1770,  in 
Ireland,  where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer 
until  his  death.  He  was  married  in  1790,  to  Catherine 
Daley.  This  union  was  blessed  with  ten  children,  six 
of  whom  arrived  at  maturity,  and  four  came  to 
America,  viz.:  Marguritte,  who  came  here  about  1847, 
was  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Raycnjft,  both  of  whom  are 
now  dead;  Ellen,  came  to  .•\merica  about  1852,  was  the 
wife  of  Daniel  Sullivan  (deceased);  she  is  now  living  in 
Cincinnati,  O.;  Patrick  and  Michael,  who  came  about 
1848  to  Pennsylvania,  and  settled  in  Erie  county,  where 
they  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1885; 
Patrick,  who  came  to  America  in  the  spring  of  1847, 
landing  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  from  thence  going 
to  Philadelphia,  where  he  worked  a  short  time  and 
then  went  toXorristown,Pa.,and  remained  for  one  win- 
ter; he  went  to  Harrisburg,  and  eighteen  months  later 
removed  to  Cincinnati,  O.,  where  he  lived  over  six 
years;  he  then  came  to  Washington  township,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1855,  settling  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides. Mr.  Flynn  has  always  been  a  hard-working  man, 
and  brought  his  farm  from  a  primitive  wilderness  to  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  with  substantial  buildings  on 
it.  The  farm  is  located  two  and  a  half  miles  from 
Edinboro.  Mr.  Flynn  was  twice  married,  first  to  Mary, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Lehan,  a  native  of  Ireland,  in  1848. 
She  was  the  mother  of  seven  children,  three  of  whom 
are  now  living:  Catharine  (born  in  1849)  living  in 
LeBoeuf  township;  Ellen  (born  in  1854),  in  Denver, 
Col.;  Margaret  (born  m  1857 1.  wife  of  John  Kingston, 
of  Washington  township.  He  took  for  his  second  wife 
Mary  Ann  Tarlev,  a  native  of  Ireland.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  six  children,  two  of  wln)m  are  now  liv- 
ing; Joseph  v.,  born  February  14,  1869,  is  now  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  at  Erie,  Pa.,  and  John, 
born  June  13.  1872,  druggist,  Edinboro.  Mr.  Patrick 
Flynn  has  held  the  otVice  of  school  director  for  three 
years.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  of  Crossingville,  Crawford  county.  Pa. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

John  A.  Bolard.  L.  L.  B.,  eldest  son  of  Frederick 
D.  Bolard  and  Celia    H.    Bolard,  was   born    in   Craw- 


ford county  October  4,  1867.  He  was  a  grandson  of 
Christoj)her  Bolard,  a  prominent  business  man  of 
Mcadville,  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  and  came  to  Water- 
ford  with  his  parents  in  1874,  completing  his  studies  in 
the  grammar  school,  which  was  followed  by  a  three- 
years'  course  in  the  Waterfonl  Academy,  graduating 
in  1889;  the  same  year  he  became  principal  of  the 
Jamestown  (Pa.)  Seminary,  which  position  was  held 
until  1890,  when  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  graduating  with  the  class  of 
1892.  He  next  studied  law  in  the  office  of  A.  E.  Sis- 
son,  Esq.,  in  Erie,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Erie 
county  bar  in  July,  1893.  January  1,  1893.  Mr.  Bolard 
became  associated  with  his  brother,  Charles  F.  Bolard, 
in  the  [lublication  of  the  Waterford  l.endir,  and  con- 
tinued it  as  a  live  local  journal.  He  began  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  Waterford,  where  he  is  now  located,  in 
May,  1893,  and  August  8,  1894,  he  was  married  to  Mary 
J.,  youngest  daughter  of  Andrew  J.  Cowan,  formerly 
of  \'enango  county. 

Prof.  W.  P.  Mercer,  principal  of  Waterford 
Academy,  was  born  in  Mansheld.  X.  Y.,  in  1864.  Soon 
after  leaving  the  public  schools  he  entered  Chamber- 
lain Institute,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1885,  and 
immediately  entered  Hillsdale  College,  in  Hillsdale, 
Mich.,  graduating  with  high  honors  in  1890.  He 
taught  at  intervals  during  his  college  course,  begin- 
ning as  early  as  1882.  .Soon  after  completing  his  edu- 
cational course  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  the 
public  schools  in  Homer,  Mich.,  and  a  little  later,  act- 
ing principal  of  Chamberlain  Institute  in  Randolph, 
N.  v.,  which  position  he  held  until  elected  principal  of 
the  Waterford  Academy  in  1892,  which  position  he 
held  until  1895.  He  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  educational  work,  having  been  actively  engaged 
in  presenting  miscellaneous  treatise  of  science  in  gen- 
eral with  illustrated  lectures  before  teachers'  institutes 
throughout  the  country.  His  marriage  took  place  in 
1886,  to  .Miss  Belle  Eddy,  of  Cottage,  X.  V.,  who  was 
instructor  of  Latin  and  German  in  the  Waterford 
Academy  during  his  incumbency  of  the  principalship. 

C  W.  S.  Anderson,  justice  of  the  peace,  Water- 
ford. Erie  county,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Waterford  town- 
ship in  1827,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  Waterford  Academy.  His  parents  were  William 
and  Nancy  Anderson.  The  former,  who  was  identi- 
fied with  hauling  equipment  for  Perry's  fleet  died  in 
1846,  the  latter  surviving  until  1876.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Nancy  Pollock,  daughter  of  Capt.  James 
Pollock,  a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention. 
C.  W.  S.  Anderson  began  life  as  a  clerk  in  the  store 
of  T.  B.  X'incent,  dry  goods  merchant  in  Erie,  and 
next  entered  the  employ  of  Cadwell  &  Bennett,  later 
returning  to  Waterford,  where  he  engaged  as  clerk  for 
Hutchinson  &  Son.  Four  years  later  hewasemployed 
by  Cooper  &  Stanford,  general  merchants.  In  1866 
he  became  justice  of  the  peace  in  Waterford,  and  has 
since  continued  in  that  capacity.  In  185:i  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Maryetta  Leland,  of  Erie.  Seven  chil- 
dren blessed  the  union,  five  of  whom  are  living,  as 
follows:  Mrs.  L.  B.  Thomp.son,  Grace,  Charles,  Harrv 
and  Lincoln;  Mrs.  \'irginia  A.  McClue  died  in  188^, 
and  X'ermont  in  infancy.  .Mr.  .\nderson  was  a  prom- 
inent member  of  Clement  Lodge  220,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  dur- 
ing its  existence. 


892 


NSLSOJU'-S  BIOQRAPHIGAL  DICTIONARY 


Daniel  W.  Hunt,  farmer,  W'aterford,  Pa.,  one  of 
Krie  Cdunly's  most  progressive  citizens,  is  a  native  of 
W'aterford.  He  was  born  on  the  place  where  he  now 
resides  March  12,  1884.  He  is  a  son  of  Simeon  and 
Aseneth  (Tracy)  Hunt.  Simeon  Hunt  was  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  and  a  descendant  of  old  New  England 
stock.  He  came  to  Erie  county  about  the  year  ]!S14, 
settling  in  Waterfonl,  and  iiurcliasiiig  the  farm  (now 
owned  anil  occupied  by  Daniel  W.  Hunt)  from  the 
State,  through  Land  Commissioner  Martin.  The 
place  is  located  near  the  borough  of  Waterford,  on 
the  north  side,  and  now  contains  fifty-five  acre.s,  a 
great  deal  of  the  land  having  been  sold  off  in  town 
lots.  Simeon  Hunt  built  a  distillery  in  Waterford, 
which  he  operated  for  many  years.  It  is  the  only  dis- 
tillery ever  operated  in  Waterford.  He  was  prom- 
inent in  county  politics,  and  served  as  auditor  of  Erie 
county  several  terms.  Mr.  Hunt  led  a  very  active  busi- 
ness life,  and  died  April  2,  1874.  Aseneth  Tracy,  his 
wife,  was  a  daughter  of  Capt.  John  Tracy,  who  was 
one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  Erie  county  (see 
sketch  of  the  Tracy  family).  She  died  in  1854. 
Simeon  and  Aseneth  (Tracy)  Hunt  were  the  parents 
of  si.\  children,  viz.:  Caroline  (deceased),  Cardelia 
(deceased),  .^nn,  Mrs.  Uavid  Hunt,  resides  in  Somo- 
nauk.  111.;  Horace  resides  in  Mill  X'illage;  Daniel  W., 
and  Mary  Jane  (deceasedi.  Daniel  \\".  Hunt  was 
reared  in  Waterford  and  educated  in  the  Waterford 
Academy.  He  remained  at  home  with  his  father  until 
1852,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  Stockton  & 
Fuller,  in  Erie,  as  clerk.  After  remaining  there  two 
years  he  went  to  Illinois,  and  shortly  after  went  to 
Iowa,  which,  at  that  time,  was  well  on  the  frontier 
border  of  the  "  Great  West."  He  pre-empted  a  claim 
in  Pocahontas  county,  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
in  that  locality.  During  the  Inilian  excitement  of 
1859,  he  moved  out  of  that  section,  as  did  nearly  all 
the  settlers,  and  returned  to  Pennsylvania.  In  1867 
he  again  removed  to  his  Iowa  farm,  where  he  resided 
until  1876,  when  he  moved  back  to  Waterford.  Mr. 
Hunt  has  made  agriculture  his  chief  occupation,  and 
may  well  be  included  in  the  list  of  Erie  county's  most 
successful  farmers.  He  was  employed  on  the  con- 
struction of  the  Erie  and  State  Line  R.  R.,  now  the  L. 
.S.  &  M.  S.  He  was  united  in  marriage  December  14, 
1876,  toMiss  Adeline,  youngest  daughter  of 'Squire  J. 
and  Soiihia  (Reed)  Trask,  of  Waterford  township. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  He  was 
born  in  1707,  and  died  in  1866.  His  wife  died  in  1883. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunt  have  one  child.  Reed  Tracy,  born 
February  6,  1880.  He  is  now  attending  school. 
During  the  late  Rebellion  Mr.  Hunt  resjjonded  to 
Governor  Curtin's  call  for  minute  men.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  Masonic  order.  He  is  a 
Republican,  but  in  ]iolitical  matters  does  not  allow 
jjartisan  feeling  to  override  his  judgment. 

J.  A.  Boyd,  furniture  and  undertaking,  Waterford, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  born  in  LeBceuf  township  in  18li8, 
where  his  early  days  were  spent.  He  began  active 
life  as  a  car|>enter  at  the  age  of  25  years,  which  voca- 
tion he  ]iursued  until  1889,  when  he  succeeded  H.  C. 
Putnam  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking  l)usine.ss.  In 
18(>7  he  was  married  to  Jennie  McLean,  of  LeBreuf 
township.  Mr.  IJoyd  is  a  son  of  Johnson  Boyd,  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania,  who  died  in  1889  upon  the  farm 
in  LeBoeuf  township,  on  which  he  had  spent  an  active 
and  busy  life.     D.  C.  Boyd,  of   Leikeuf  township,  is 


also  a  son  of  the  deceased.  Mr.  J.  A.  Boyd  was  a 
member  of  the  102d  Reg.,  P.  V.  I.,  and  is  an  active 
member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  F.  &  A.  M.  and 
Jr.  O.  LI.  A.  M.  organization,  bearing  official  relation 
to  each. 

Isaac  Y.  Lunger,  retirr<l  farmer,  is  a  resident  of 
Waterfonl  borough.  He  was  born  in  Montgomery 
county,  Pennsylvania,  January  5,  1822,  son  of  Jacob 
and  Elizabeth  Lunger,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  eleven  children.  Jacob 
Lunger  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  in  the  days  when  it 
was  the  custom  to  go  from  one  farmhouse  to  the  other 
and  make  all  the  shoes  of  the  family.  In  this  way  he 
accumulated  means  with  wliich  he  purchased  a  farm 
in  \\  aterford  township.  His  father  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Jacob  died  in  1858,  and  his 
wife  in  1855.  Isaac  Y.  Lunger  was  first  married  in 
1843,  to  Elizabeth  Burger,  who  died  in  188(J,  and  a  year 
later  his  eldest  son  Charles.  In  1881  Mr.  Lunger  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Anna  Miller,  widow  of  Greekson 
Miller.  His  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living, 
were  educated  in  the  Waterford  .Academy.  They  are 
Mrs.  L.  M.  Ross,  Mrs.  B.  M.  Edmunds,  Mrs.  V.  C. 
Barnes,  George  W.  Lunger,  who  was  marrieil  to  Miss 
Etta  Clemmons  in  189(J,  and  Fred  J.  Lunger,  who  in 
1893  was  united  in  marriage  to  Maud  .Sedgwick.  Mr. 
Lunger  has  spent  his  whole  life  in  Waterford  town- 
ship, removing  to  the  borough  in  1887.  He  has  served 
as  .school  director  eleven  years  and  road  commissioner 
two  years,  and  is  known  as  a  representative  farmer  of 
the  township. 

James  W.  Hamilton,  carpenter,  was  born  in 
Waterford,  Pa.,  May  22,  1821,  where  the  first  thirty 
years  of  his  life  were  spent.  He  was  the  son  of  Hugh 
and  Mary  (.Anderson)  Hamilton,  the  former  a  native 
of  Centre  county,  and  the  latter  of  Northumberland 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Hamilton's  ancestors  were 
numbered  among  the  early  inhabitants  of  Centre 
county,  and  removed  from  there  to  \'enango  county, 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Hamilton  went  to  Peoria,  111.,  in 
1856,  where  he  followed  his  trade  until  ten  years  ago, 
when  he  settled  in  Waterford  borough,  and  is  now  one 
of  its  prominent  residents. 

C.  L.  Townley,  M.  D.,  Waterford,  Erie  county, 
Pa.,  is  a  son  of  James  Townley,  who  was  a  native  of 
Waterford,  Pa.,  in  1817.  He  left  his  parents  at  the 
early  age  of  three  years.  This  was  in  1820.  James 
was  the  son  of  Robert  Townley,  who  came  from  Ire- 
land about  the  year  1790,  and  became  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Erie  county.  He  occupied  and  owned  the 
house  now  the  property  of  T.  W.  Whitney,  which  is 
identified  among  the  early  landmarks  of  Waterford 
borough.  The  wife  of  James  Townley  was  Fidelia 
Reese,  and  was  born  in  Cuba,  N.  Y.,  in  1822.  Dr. 
Townley  was  born  in  1853,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Western  Reserve  Medical  College,  Cleveland,  O.  He 
liegan  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Oil  City,  Venango 
county.  Pa.,  in  1880,  and  came  to  Waterford  in  1889, 
where  he  has  since  engaged  in  active  practice.  Dr. 
Townley  was  married,  in  1881,  to  Florence  Brown,  of 
Venango  county.  Helen,  their  daughter,  was  born  in 
1890.  He  is  a  member  of  Waterford  lodges,  F.  &  A.  M. 
and  I.  O.  O.  F. 

E.  E.  Kendall,  M.  D.,  jihysician  and  surgeon, 
Waterford,  Pa.,  was  born   in   L'nion  City,  August  13, 


AND  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE  COUNTY. 


893 


1860,  second  son  of  Darwin  R.  and  Alice  (Smith)  Ken- 
dall, residents  of  W'aterford  for  the  past  twenty  years. 
The  latter  is  a  daughter  of  John  Smith  (deceased I  of 
Washington  township,  Erie  county.  Dr.  Kendall 
spent  his  early  life  attending  school  during  the  winter 
and  in  summer  assisted  his  father  at  his  trade,  that  of 
carpenter.  He  entered  the  \Vaterf(jrd  Academy  as  a 
student  in  1880,  and  taught  district  school  during  the 
winters  of  1881-2-3,  after  which  he  entered  the  drug 
store  of  Clemens  &  Patten,  where  he  clerked  and 
studied  medicine  under  Drs.  Bowman  and  Clemens. 
He  graduated  from  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Phila- 
delphia, April  .5,  1887,  and  began  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine in  Warren  county,  Pennsylvania.  In  1888  he 
located  in  W'aterford,  where  he  has  a  very  e.xtensive 
and  successful  practice.  .After  the  terrible  fire  in 
Waterford,  March  3,  188.5,  Dr.  Kendall  and  brother,  P. 
G.  Kendall,  bought  the  stock  of  E.  W.  Patten,  and  now 
have  one  of  the  best  and  prettiest  drug  stores  in  the 
county.  April  21,  1887,  Mr.  E.  E.  Kendall  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Iva  G.,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Helen 
R.  Miner  (deceased),  residents  of  Fairyiew,  Erie  coun- 
ty. A  son,  M.  Raymond,  was  born  July  3,  1888;  a  son, 
Ralph  L.,  died  July  23, 1891,  aged  11  months;  a  daugh- 
ter, Leah  Isabella,  was  born  September  -5,  1894.  Dr. 
Kendall  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  and  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  academy,  and  is  president  of 
the  public  school  board.  He  has  an  active  member- 
ship in  the  following  lodges:  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees,  P.  H.  Circle  and  E.  A.  U. 

Hon.  William  Betisoti,  banker,  Waterford,  Pa., 
one  of  the  substantial  business  men  of  Erie  county, 
is  a  descendant  of  Isaac  Benson,  who  emigrated  from 
County  .Armagh,  Ireland,  to  .America  in  1780,  accom- 
panied by  his  wife,  Lydia  ( Lytle)  Benson.  They  settled 
inSalina,  X.  Y.,wherethey  remained  about  a  year  or  two, 
when  they  removed  to  Warren  county,  Pennsylvania. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz.:  James, 
William  and  Margaret.  James  married  a  Rebecca 
Van  Kirk,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children,  five  boys  and 
five  girls.  They  lived  about  a  mile  east  of  Waterford. 
William  married  Sarah  Bishop,  of  Delhi,  X.  Y.,  and 
they  reared  a  family  of  seven  children,  viz.:  James 
F.,  John  B.,  Emily  M.,  married  Xoah  H.  Shane,  of 
Cleveland,  O.;  William,  Jane,  married  James  M.  Scott, 
of  North  East;  S.  B.  and  George  W.  William  Ben- 
son is  the  only  one  now  living.  The  father,  Isaac  Ben- 
son, was  a  carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade,  and  did 
some  of  the  first  building  in  the  town  of  Waterford, 
where  he  settled.  He  assisted  in  getting  out  the  tim- 
ber used  in  the  construction  of  Commodore  Perry's 
fleet.  He  ran  a  keel  boat  from  Pittsburg  to  Water- 
ford, and  brought  the  nails  used  in  building  the  first 
houses  in  the  locality,  which  was  then  nearly  a  wilder- 
ness, the  old  French  and  English  fort  being  the  only 
building  in  the  place.  In  1838  he  built  a  tannery 
about  one  mile  east  of  the  town,  which  he  operated 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  18.")0,  at  the  age  of 
G2.  He  was  well  known  in  the  county  and  i>rominent 
in  politics,  and  during  the  existence  of  the  Whig  party 
was  one  of  its  strongest  advocates  in  Erie  county.  In 
182f;  he  was  elected  one  of  the  county  conmiissioners, 
and  was  justice  of  the  peace  from  1840  to  the  time  of 
his  death.  He  also  held  several  other  local  ofiices. 
William  Benson  was  born  in  Waterford  April  .">,  1818. 
The  house  where  he  was  born  is  still  standing.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  Waterford  Academy.  .At 
57 


the  age  of  17heengaged  in  teaching  school,  and  taught 
a  district  school  four  winters,  and  one  year  in  Water- 
ford -Academy.  He  then  clerked  in  a  store  three  years, 
when  he  followed  farming  about  six  years.  In  1850  he 
was  elected  a  justice  of  the  peace  to  succeed  his  father. 
He  held  that  Commission  sixteen  years.  He  followed  sur- 
veying a  great  deal,  and  served  as  county  surveyor  from 
18.54  to  1863.  Mr.  Benson  was  elected  associate  judge 
of  Erie  county  in  1866,  and  re-elected  in  1871,  serving 
ten  years.  He  was  one  of  the  last  associate  judges 
under  the  old  constitution.  He  has  served  as  one  of 
the  trustees  of  Waterford  Academy  since  I80O.  In 
1861  he  engaged  in  banking  in  Waterford,  in  partner- 
ship with  Chester  West,  under  the  firm  name  of  Ben- 
son &  West.  In  1874  .\lr.  West  sold  his  interest  to 
S.  G.  Brotherton,  who  died  in  1886.  Since  that  time 
Mr.  Benson  has  been  in  the  banking  business  alone. 
He  was  married  December  3(),  1841,  to  Miss  Submit, 
daughter  of  Jason  Phelps,  who  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Waterford  and  a  native  of  Connecticut.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  five  children,  viz.:  Edgar, 
cashier  of  bank;  Kate,  married  Charles  Phelps,  both 
deceased;  George  (deceased),  William  P.,  Waterford, 
and  Je.ssie,  married  William  G.  Sargent,  agent  for  the 
P.,  S.  &  L.  E.  R.  R.  at  Meadville.  The  number  of  re- 
sponsible public  positions  which  .Mr.  Benson  has  held 
is  the  best  evidence  of  his  ability,  and  this  fact  also 
shows  that  he  has  always  been  regarded  as  a  man  fully 
worthy  of  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  commu- 
nity. Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  cast 
his  first  vote  for  General  Harrison,  in  184(). 

Eugene  P.  Betisoti,  bank  cashier,  Waterford, 
Y.r'xe  county.  Pa.,  was  born  Xovember  5,  1842,  in 
Waterford  township.  He  was  educated  in  the  Water- 
ford .Academy,  and  has  been  a  life-long  resident  of  the 
township.  Mr.  Benson  has  been  identified  in  the  work 
of  extending  numerous  surveys  of  the  township  and 
borough  since  1860.  He  became  associated  with  the 
Waterford  Bank  as  cashier  in  1890,  and  became  a  resi- 
dent of  the  borough  in  1870.  He  is  a  son  of  William 
Benson,  who  was  born  in  1818,  and  came  to  the  locality 
at  an  early  date.  Eugene  P.  Benson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Adelia  C,  daughter  of  John  Brown,  of  -Sunmiit 
township,  in  1866.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Waterford 
Lodge.  F.  &  A.  M.  and  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 

E.  W.  Patteti,  druggist,  born  January  26,  1861,  in 
LeBceuf  township,  where  he  spent  several  years  of  his 
early  life.  Educated  at  Waterford  .Academy,  he  scKin 
after  accepted  a  clerkshij)  in  his  jiresent  store  with 
Bowman  &  Smith,  and  in  the  fall  of  188;^  purchased 
Dr.  Bowman's  interest,  and  the  firm  continued  umler 
the  name  of  Clemens  iS:  Patten  until  1886,  when  Mr. 
Patten  assumed  entire  control  of  the  business,  which 
has  greatly  increased  under  his  successful  manage- 
ment. He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Patten,  of  LeBtruf 
townshi]),  and  is  a  member  of  the  Waterford  Ltxlge, 
F.  &  A.  M.  He  was  married  in  1886  to  Nettie  X. 
Briggs,  of  Waterford  borough. 

L.  M.  Ross,  boot  and  shoedealer,  Waterforil,Erie 
County,  Pa.,  was  born  in  McKcan  township,  Erie 
county,  in  1841.  He  was  a  son  of  James  S.  Ross,  who 
died  in  1885.  He  moved  to  Waterford  townshij)  in 
18.51,  and  was  engaged  in  lumbering  for  some  time. 
His  wife  was  .Sarah  Ann  Wilson,  a  native  of  X'ermont. 
Mr.  L.  M.  Ross  was  married  in  1862  to  Nancy  Jane 


894 


NELSON'S  BIOGRAPiliCAL  btcftONARf 


Lunger.  Their  children  are:  Hattie  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  George  Wells,  born  in  1863;  Fred  Ernest  Ross, 
born  in  1872.  Mr.  Ross  was  for  many  years  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business,  and  embarked  in  the  boot  and 
shoe  trade  in  1893,  and  is  also  an  active  member  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.  and  I.  O.  O.  F. 

James  X.  Haynes.  farmer,  Waterford,  Erie 
county.  Pa.,  was  burn  in  England  in  1833,  and  came  to 
this  country  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  11  years. 
He  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Haynes,  an  early  resident 
of  the  township,  who  died  in  1891.  James  X.  Haynes 
was  married  in  1852  to  Ellen  Beaumont,  daughter  of 
.Mark  Hill  and  Sarah  (Thornton)  Beaumont.  Their 
children  are  Mary  Ellen,  wife  of  Abram  Burger,  of 
Erie;  Mark  Hill  Haynes,  Erie;  John  F.  Haynes,  Bag- 
dad, Erie  county;  .Anna,  wife  of  William  Craig,  of 
Bagdad,  Erie  county;  James  Y.  Haynes,  Bagdad,  Erie 
county;  Harry  Haynes,  Waterford  township;  Minnie, 
wife  of  Dana  Briggs,  Waterford.  Mr.  Haynes  has  re- 
sitled  on  the  farm  he  now  occujiies  during  the  pa.st 
forty-two  years. 

John  M.  Moore  (deceased)  was  born  in  1836  in 
Waterford  township  and  spent  most  of  his  days  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  died,  October  27,  1883.  He  was 
married  September  15,  1869,  to  Carrie  \'.  Wheeler, 
daughter  of  Stephen  D.  and  Xancy  (Pritchard) 
Wheeler,  natives  of  New  Hampshire,  who  came  to 
Waterford  township  when  the  locality  was  a  dense 
wilderness.  Many  of  the  early  scenes  are  recalled  by 
.Mrs.  Susan  Moore,  who  still  survives,  being  in  her 
83d  year.  J.  M.  Moore  was  a  son  of  Alexander 
Moore,  who  came  to  this  country  from  Ireland  at 
the  age  of  12  years.  He  married  Susie  Lytle.  The 
children  of  Mr.  Moore  are  Dwight  Kirk  and  For- 
rest Free  Moore,  who,  with  their  mother,  conduct  the 
farm  which  was  surveyed  and  |)urchased  by  their  an- 
cestors three  generations  ago. 

Judson  Walker,  farmer,  Waterford  township' 
born  December  26,  1836,  on  the  farm  now  occupied  bv 
him,  was  educated  in  the  Waterford  Academy,  and 
afterwards  taught  township  schools  several  terms, 
later  becoming  interested  in  farming,  and  since  1860 
has  devoted  his  time  chiefly  to  that.  December  30, 
1883,  he  became  equally  interested  with  his  brother, 
Joseph,  in  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides. 
Joseph  Walker  died  on  the  4th  of  April,  1894.  Judson 
Walker  was  elected  treasurer  of  Erie  county  on  the 
Republican  ticket  in  1889,  and  served  three  years.  He 
is  iilentihed  as  a  prominent  farmer  with  the  township 
interests,  and  is  a  member  of  the  following  organiza- 
tions; F.  &  A.  M.,  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  A.  O.  V.  W.  The 
remaining  members  of  the  family,  not  heretofore  men- 
tioned, are:  Francis  R.,  \yaterford;  Cecelia  A., 
Nancy  M.,  at  home,  and  Sarah  A.,  Mrs.  A.  M.  Wood, 
Lincoln,  Neb.  James  Walker,  Judson's  father,  was 
born  in  1796,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  of 
Revolutionary  stock.  His  father,  Joseph  Walker,  was 
a  member  on  the  staff  of  General  LaF'ayette.  He 
was  himself  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  for  which  he 
received  a  pension.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
the  eldest  man  in  Waterford  township.  He  settled,  in 
1816,  on  the  place  where  Judson  now  resides,  coming 
from  New  York  State.  In  1850,  assisted  by  his  sons, 
he  built  over  a  mile  of  the  plank  road,  then  being  con- 
structed from  Waterford  to  Erie,  and  during  the  con- 


struction of  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  R.  R.  he  and 
his  sons  constructed  some  three  miles  of  said  road.  In 
1826  he  married  Sarah  Ross,  of  .Meadville,  Pa.,  who 
died  March  30,  1866.  They  were  among  the  pioneers 
of  the  county.  Judson  Walker  has  held  all  the  town- 
ship offices,  and  during  the  year  1887  was  transcribing 
clerk  in  the  State  Senate  at  Harrisburg.  He  was 
married  April  11,  1895,  to  .Miss  Kate  M.  Crawford,  of 
Erie,  Pa.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has 
several  times  been  elected  a  delegate  to  the  party  con- 
ventions. Mr.  Walker  has  a  farm  of  325  acres,  located 
three  miles  from  Waterford  and  twelve  miles  from 
Erie,  on  the  Waterford  and  Harbor  Creek  road,  and  is 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 

I.  C.  Hayes,  tanner,  Waterford,  Erie  county,  Pa., 
born  February  18,  1837,  in  Waterford,  a  son  of  James 
and  Polly  (Boyd)  Hayes,  who  were  early  identified 
with  the  town.  James  Hayes  was  born  in  1799.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  At  an  early  day  he 
went  to  Milton,  Pa.,  to  learn  the  trade  of  ctiair-mak- 
ing  and  wheelwright.  After  learning  his  trade  he  lo- 
cated in  Waterford.  He  married  in  1823,  and  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Waterford,  excepting  a 
short  time  spent  in  Mill  Creek,  and  on  farms  near 
Waterford.  Fourteen  children  blessed  this  union,  of 
which  I.  C.  was  the  ninth  child.  The  father  died 
March  1,  1874,  and  his  wife,  November  18,  1866. 
Much  interesting  history  surrounds  the  ancestors  of 
this  large  family,  many  of  whom  served  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  1.  C.  Hayes  married  Ena  Barnett. 
One  son  was  born  to  them,  William  Boyd  Hayes.  Mrs. 
Hayes  died,  and  Mr.  Hayes  afterwards  married  Rose 
Johnson;  they  had  five  children,  as  follows:  Clarence, 
born  .A.|iril  3, 1876;  ."Mice,  born  October  7,  1878;  Jessie, 
born  September  27,  1880.  Two  children  are  dead: 
Ella,  born  December  25,  1882;  Irwin,  born  November 
21,  1884.  Mr.  Hayes  was  a  member  of  the  83d  Reg., 
P.  V.  I.,  and  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Run. 
He  has  always  made  Waterford  his  home,  and  has  for 
some  time  been  proprietor  of  the  Waterford  tannerv. 

H.  L.  White,  retired,  Waterford,  Erie  county,  Pa., 
fjorn  ."April  3,  1831,  in  Waterford  borough,  was  a  .son 
of  I.  M.  White,  born  1802,  a  native  of  Vermont,  and 
whose  wife  was  Rose  Anna  Lenox,  of  Erie  county, 
born  1803.  Their  children  were  W.  C.  White,  born 
May  15,  1833,  and  H.  L.  White,  who  married  Naomi 
Rich,  born  May  15,  1837,  daughter  of  Richard  and 
Mary  Rich,  of  Erie,  natives  of  England.  Their  chil- 
dren are  E.  L.  White,  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  Delia 
R.,  wife  of  G.  G.  McLean.  Mr.  White  began  life  as  a 
clerk  for  Cooper  &  Stanford,  and  was  afterward  in  the 
employ  of  H.  H.  Whitney  &  Whiteand  Lucius  Phelps. 
In  1860  he  took  the  census  of  the  east  half  of  the  city 
of  Erie,  all  of  North  East  township  and  borough.  Har- 
bor Creek,  Greene  and  Waterford  borough  and  town- 
ship. In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  became  traveling 
salesman  for  J.  C.  Burgess,  and  afterward  for  Clemens, 
Caughey  &  Burgess,  of  Erie,  retiring  in  1874,  when  he 
became  a  resident  of  Waterford  borough  where  he  has 
since  lived. 

Chester  West  (deceased),  was  born  in  Greenwich, 
Mass.,  in  1816,  son  of  Justice  and  Ruth  (  Marvin  |  West, 
of  Scotch  descent.  Chester  came  to  Erie  county  at 
the  age  of  13  years,  and  went  to  live  with  his  uncle, 
Dr.  Loren  West,  of  Edinboro,  who  died  at  an   early 


ANi>  HISTORICAL  REFERENCE  BOOK  OF  ERIE   COUNTY. 


895 


day,  leaving  Chester  to  gain  a  livelihood,  which  he  did 
by  engaging  in  mercantile  pursuits.  Later  he  came  to 
Waterford,  and  soon  after  associated  himself  in  busi- 
ness with  John  Marvin,  and  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising and  the  lumber  trade.  In  1860,  he  became 
associated  with  Judge  Benson,  and  organized  the  first 
bank  in  Waterford,  under  the  firm  name  of  Benson  & 
West.  He  continued  in  the  banking  business  until 
1874,  when  he  retired.  His  death  occurred  May  3, 
1891.  Mr.  West  was  married  in  18.55,  at  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  to  Sophie,  daughter  of  Michael  Dominique  and 
\'ictoire  Hersant,  natives  of  Paris,  France.  The  chil- 
dren are:  .Alice  West  (deceased),  Otis  C.  West,  mer- 
chant, New  York,  and  W.  H.  West,  M.  D.,  of  Water- 
ford,  a  graduate  of  Columbia  University,  class  1890. 

Moatello  W.  Davis,  merchant,  Waterford,  Pa., 
born  18411,  in  Waterford  township,  son  of  William  and 
Louise  (Thomas)  Uavis,  natives  of  \'ermont.  Will- 
iam Davis  died  in  1894,  and  was  the  son  of  Zophar 
Davis,  a  native  of  Long  Island,  and  who  came  to  Erie 
county  with  his  family  in  181().  He  died  in  18.56. 
•Montello  W.  Davis  spent  a  jjortion  of  his  early  life  in 
.Andover,  X.  Y.,  and  in  Waterford  township.  In  1886 
he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  with  his  brother, 
M.  M.  Davis,  in  Waterford  borough,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Davis  Bros.  M.  M.  Davis  sold  his  interest  to 
M.  A.  Patten  in  1889,  which  firm  now  e.xists  as  Davis 
&  Patten.  Mr.  Davis  was  married  in  1873  to  Flor- 
ence E.,  daughter  of  John  A.  Benson,  of  Waterford 
townshi]).     He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  A. 

o.  r.  W. 

J.  L.  Cook,  Waterford,  Erie  countv.  Pa.,  born  Jan- 
uary 28,  1811,  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  son  of  Robert  and  Lo- 
demia  Cook,  natives  of  New  England.  Robert  Cook 
was  accidentally  shot  in  1811,  while  sitting  in  a  hotel 
in  Buffalo.  His  widow  moved  to  Chautauqua  county. 
New  York,  and  bought  a  farm;  she  was  subsequently 
married  to  Samuel  Truesdale;  she  died  in  1827.  Mr. 
J.  L.  Cook  remained  with  his  mother  until  12  years  of 
age.  He  then  lived  with  Capt.  John  Tracy  one  year, 
and  was  afterwards  hostler  at  H.  G.  Davis'  hotel.  He 
learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade  of  Johnson  Boyd, 
with  whom  he  served  five  years.  Besides  learning  his 
trade,  he  assisted  in  caring  for  his  five  younger 
brothers  and  sisters,  a  liberal  trait  in  his  character 
which  has  followed  him  through  his  life-long  career. 
His  life  since  early  childhood  has  been  one  of  per- 
sistent activity,  pushing  one  enterprise  after  another, 
and  now,  at  the  close  of  four  score  years,  he  is  found 
full  of  life  and  animation.  He  married  Belinda,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Boyd,  Esq.  Si.\  children  were  born  to 
them,  as  follows;  Laura  M.,  wife  of  John  Brion;  Ella, 
wife  of  D.  D.  Miner;  Julia,  wife  of  the  late  Dr.  Sjiencer, 
of  Erie;  Lee  (deceased),  Cook  and  Edwin  (deceased). 
Mrs.  Cook  departed  this  life  September  1,  1877.  Mr. 
Cook  was  proprietor  of  Cook's  Hotel  for  fifteen  years; 
at  the  same  time  was  engaged  in  the  carpenter  and 
joiner  business,  employing  from  three  to  five  men 
most  of  the  time.  He  was  one  of  the  company  who 
constructed  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R.  from  the  New  York 
State  line  to  North  East,  including  the  building  of  a 
bridge  over  Twenty-Mile  creek,  580  feet  long  and  100 
feet  high,  and  the  railroad  buildings  at  North  East. 
Hethen  engaged  in  buildingthree  milesof  plank  road 
from  Waterford  to  Marvin's  Mills;  piers  and  abutments 
across  the  Wabash  at   \'incennes,  Ind;  graded  about 


twelve  miles  of  the  O.  &  M.  R.  R.,  and  about  twenty 
on  the  L'.  M.in  Missouri,  and  erected  twenty  buildings. 
He  then  returned  to  Waterford  and  purchased  the 
Eagle  Hotel,  which  he  conducted  three  years,  then  sold 
out  and  went  to  Cameron,  Pa.,  and  opened  the  Riddle 
House,  which  he  ran  in  connection  with  his  trade  for 
four  years.  He  then  erected  a  large  hotel,  a  block  of 
buildings  and  a  residence,  which  he  presented  to  his 
daughter,  Laura.  At  that  time  he  budt  the  greater 
I)art  of  Emporium,  Pa.,  and  was  worth  S120,<X)0.  Re- 
verses came,  and  his  buildings  were  consumed  by  fire. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in  the  oil  re- 
gions, and  was  again  burned  out.  He  then  returned 
to  \>-'aterford,  and  with  his  old  time  vigor,  erected  the 
Park  Hotel  and  other  buildings.  Waterford,  like  the 
places  herein  befcjre  mentioned  in  this  sketch,  has  not 
only  in  this  instance,  but  in  numerous  other  ways, 
received  a  lasting  benefit  from  this  public-si)irited 
citizen. 

Lewis  Sedgwick,  retired  farmer.  Waterford  town- 
ship, Erie  County.  Pa.,  was  born  .August  28,  1813,  in 
Renssalaer  county.  New  York;  he  has  lived  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides  since  1825.  He  is  a  son 
of  Aaron  Sedgwick,  who  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
coming  to  Waterford  township  at  an  early  day,  when 
the  countrv  was  a  dense  wilderness,  raised  a  family  of 
ten  children,  and  died  in  1847.  Lewis  Sedgwick  was 
married  August  15,  1839.  to  Emily  H.,  daughter  of 
Captain  Reuben  Sharpe,  a  native  of  England,  a  soldier 
of  the  war  of  1812,  and  an  early  settler  of  Erie  county. 
Four  children  were  born  to  tliem,  as  follows:  Elmina 
M.,  wife  of  Wilson  Marsh;  Eugene  \'.,  who  lost  his 
life  at  the  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  while  acting  as 
second  sergeant  in  the  111th,  P.  \'.  I.;  Jeremaine  B., 
of  the  United  -States  navy,  resident  of  Omaha,  Neb., 
and  Claude  D.,  of  Waterford  township.  Mr.  Sedg- 
wick is  a  grandson  of  Gordon  Sedgwick,  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolutionarv  war,  and  besides  being  prominent 
in  the  various  interests  of  the  township,  has  served  as 
assessor,  ci>nstable  and  collector. 

T.  W.  Barton,  M.  D..  physician  and  surgeon, 
Waterford,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  was  born  in  Weston, 
Windsor  county,  \'t.,  in  1836.  and  is  a  son  of  Ira  and 
Mary  Barton,  the  latter  a  native  of  \ermont.  Ira  Bar- 
ton was  born  in  Hoosac,  N.  Y.,  March  24,  1796.  and 
was  a  son  of  Timothy  S.  Barton,  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Ira 
was  a  graduate  of  the  Medical  College  at  Castleton, 
\t.,  ami  began  his  practice  in  Western  X'ermont,  con- 
tinuing it  in  Massachusetts.  In  1836  he  came  to  Erie 
city,  where  he  practiced  four  years,  and  then  came  to 
Waterford,  where  he  followed  his  profession  for  forty 
years.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  enlisting 
when  he  was  but  16  vears  old.  Dr.  T.  W.  Barton 
graduated  from  the  Buffalo  Medical  College  in 
1862,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Hartstown,  Crawford  county.  Pa.,  where  lie  remained 
until  18(15,  when  he  removed  to  Waterford,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
father,  who  finallv  retired  from  active  duties  of  the 
profession  in  1872.'  His  death  occurred  in  1884.  Dr. 
T.  W.  Barton  was  married  October  4, 1864,  to  Emeline, 
daughter  of  Dr.  lames  White,  ot  Hartstown,  Crawford 
countv.  Pa.  Their  children  are:  Shirley  McLean, 
May  E.  and  Loyd  Barton.  Dr.  Barton  became  asso- 
ciated in  the  drug  business  with  W.  L.  Kelly  in  1882, 


S96 


NBLSON-8  BIOQRAPHIOAL  DICTIONARY 


and  has  since  continued  a  prosperous  business.     He  is 
a   member  of  the  F.  &  A.  M.  and  1.  O.  O.  F.  societies. 

Harvey  Boyd,  farmer  and  dealer  in  himber, 
Waterford,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  born  February  21,  1815, 
on  his  present  farm  in  Waterford  township,  Erie 
county,  Pa.,  which  consists  of  200  acres  of  excellent 
farming  land  an;i  a  saw-mill,  with  a  capacity  of  Ji.OOO 
feet  per  day.  He  is  the  son  of  the  late  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Lattiniore)  Boyd,  who  came  to  Waterford 
township  and  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Harvey 
Boyd  in  1802.  Mr.  Boyd  was  educated  at  the  Water- 
ford .A.cademy,  and  was  married  to  Sarah  Ann  Himrod, 
daughter  of  Moses  and  Xancy  (Lattimore)  Himrod, 
early  settlers  of  Erie  county.  Their  children  are: 
J.  Flavel,  Elizabeth  L.  and  Sarah  A. 

A.  S.  Pearce,  Wayne  township,  farmer.  Wheelock 
post  office,  was  born  in  Columbus,  Warren  county,  Pa., 
in  1838.  He  was  the  son  of  Ira  Pearce,  who  m  1826, 
removed  to  Columbus  from  New  York  State.  He  was 
accompanied  by  two  brothers,  Erastus,  now  dead,  and 
Loren,  who  died  in  1889.  A.  S.  was  married  in  1858, 
to  .Miss  Sophia  Mertz,  daughter  of  Jacob  H.  Mertz,  who 
came  from  Xew  England  in  1830  and  settled  on  the 
State  line.  The  children  of  A.  S.  are:  Dessa  M.,  wife 
of  W.  P.  Hall,  of  Corry;  Ira  M.,  Lee  C,  Guy  B.,  Ida, 
wife  of  Grant  Barton,  of  Corry;  Lora  L.,  and  Lo  L. 
.Mr.  Pearce  was  a  member  of  the  Erie  three  months' 
men,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Austin.  He  af- 
terwards enlisted  in  Co.  K,  199th  Reg.  P.  \'.  I.,  under 
Captain  Echols.  He  is  a  member  of  G.  A.  R.  post 
No.  70,  of  Corry.  His  grandfather,  Loren  Pearce,  was 
a  veteran  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  his  brother  Edgar  N., 
was  in  the  late  Rebellion.  A.  S.  Pearce,  besides  being 
engaged  in  farming  pursuits,  also  represents  the 
granite  works  of  .M.  D.  Judd,  as  traveling  salesman. 

Andrew  Lyons,  lumberman,  Wayne  township, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  was  born  in  Erie  county,  April  2, 
18;%!.  He  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Jane  (Kincaid)  Lyons, 
who  were  married  in  1837.  The  latter  was  born  June 
7,  1818,  and  died  November  23,  186(5;  the  former  was 
born  July  1,  1814,  and  died  November  2,  1866.     He 


came  to  Wayne  township  in  1834,  where  Mr.  Lyons 
carried  on  a  milling  business,  besides  conducting  a 
farm,  and  was  a  mo.st  thorough-going  citizen.  To  this 
union  were  born  eleven  children,  as  follows:  Andrew, 
Joshua  (deceased),  William  (deceased),  Rebecca  E. 
(deceased),  Julia  .A.,  Amanda  A.,  Jesse  K.  (deceased), 
.Samuel  A.,  Rosetta  J.  (deceaseii),  Celia  N.,  and  So- 
jihronia  A.  The  grandfather  of  Andrew  Lyons,  John 
Kincaid,  was  a  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812.  .Andrew 
Lyons  was  married  January  20,  1864,  to  Julia  A.  Bloss, 
who  was  born  October  13,  1836.  Their  issue  has  been 
as  follows:  Carrie  P.,  born  .March  17,  1871,  and  died 
September  6,  1888;  and  Eugene  A.,  born  November 
21,  1873.  Mr.  Lyons  has  been  engaged  in  the  milling 
business  sixteen  years,  and  has  run  an  extensive  mill 
in  Wayne  township  since  1885.  He  has  been  town- 
ship commissioner,  tax  collector  and  assessor,  and  is  a 
most  highly  respected  citizen,  of  temperate  habits. 

William  Buller,  superintendent,  State  Fish  Com- 
missioner, Corry,  Erie  county,  Pa.,  came  to  Corry  in 
1885,  from  Allentown,  Pa.,  and  accepted  the  position 
of  superintendent  of  the  State  Hatcheries,  one  mile 
west  of  the  City  of  Corry.  This  was  at  the  time  the 
.State  Commissioners  purchased  the  present  property 
of  private  owners,  and  fitted  and  enlarged  the  same, 
making  it  the  most  extensive  of  any  in  the  State. 
William  Buller  was  born  in  Maytown,  Lancaster  coun- 
ty, Pa.,  in  1853  and  is  a  son  of  William  B.  and  Annie 
(Gish)  Buller,  of  Lancaster.  Their  children  were:  Will- 
iam, Emlen,  Nathan,  Howard,  Bertha,  Fannie  and 
Abram.all  living.  .Mr.  Buller  has  been  in  the  employ  of 
the  Commission  for  twenty-four  years,  and  is  a  most 
enthusiastic  and  energetic  man  in  this  line,  and  has 
made  numerous  valued  additions  to  the  Commission. 
Since  the  start  ten  years  ago  there  has  been  added, 
under  the  personal  supervision  of  Mr.  Buller,  thirty- 
seven  ponds,  new  spring-houses,  food  grinding  ma- 
chines, office,  bridges,  hatchery  enlarged,  and  the 
ponds  boarded  and  graveled,  so  that  now  Corry's 
hatchery  has  twice  the  amount  of  fish  that  any  hatch- 
ery in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  contains.  Mr.  Buller 
makes  this  his  first  interest,  and  thus  has  attained 
great  success  in  his  chosen  vocation. 


ERRORS  AND  EXPLANATIONS. 


Page  35 — The  first  National  Convention  of  the  Republican  party  was  held  in  Philadelphia 
in  June,  1856.     It  nominated  Fremont  and  Dayton. 

Page  75 — The  postoffice  name  of  Mill  Town  is  Arbuckle.  Lake  Pleasant  postoftice  is  at  the 
head  of  the  lake.     Little  Elk  postoffice  is  in  Girard  township.      (See  map.) 

Page  7(5 — '•Mill  Town  (Lake  Pleasant  postoffice)"  should  read  "Mill  Town  (Arbuckle  post- 
office.)" 

Page    81 — Front  Run  should  read  Trout  Run. 

Page  85 — Six-Mile  creek  was  accidentally  omitted  from  the  list  of  Lake  Shore  streams.  See 
page  316  for  a  description  of  the  same. 

Page  12G — Gen.  Reed's  first  steamboat  was  the  Peacock,  John  Fleeharty,  captain.  The  Penn- 
sylvania was  his  second  steamboat. 

Page  183 — The  distance  referred  to  in  the  account  of  the  fast  train  on  the  Lake  Shore  R.  R. 
is  from  the  Union  Depot  at  Erie  to  the  outer  limits  of  Buffalo. 

Page  233 — The  Maine  Liquor  Law  was  defeated  in  1854. 

Page  264 — The  name  of  E.  Camphausen,  Consul  at  Xaples,  should  appear  under  the  heading 
of"  Other  U.  S.  Officers." 

Pages  2i)2-302 — Little  Elk  postoffice  is  in  Girard  township.      (See  map.) 

Page  349 — The  Conneaut  branch  of  the  Shenango  R.  R.  extends  through  the  southern  part  of 
Springfield  township.  Its  stations  in  the  township  are  West  Springfield  and  Five 
Corners. 

Page  397 — There  are  thirty-four  election  districts  in  Erie  City. 

Page  42C) — The  sum  of  IIOAHX),  appropriated  to  Erie  harbor  in  August,  1894,  through  tlie 
efforts  of  Hon.  Joseph  C.  Sibley,  was  unintentionally  omitted. 

Page  501 — The  Burdett  Piano  Company  is  located  at  Peach  and  Eighteenth  streets. 

Page  550 — Levi  Vincent  came  to  America  about  17<X),  during  the  reign  of  William  III. 


PART    VII. 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


AbPHABBTlGAb  INDBX. 


PAGE 

Aaron,  Christopher  15. . .  .764^^-676 

"      Rev.  F.  P 830 

"       Jacob 67fj 

Rev.  Stephen  E 682 

Abattoirs   and    Meat   Packing 

Hou.ses,  Erie 496 

Abandonment  of  the  Canal.. . .   180 

Abbey,  W.  E 793 

AboHshment  of  the  Street  Mar- 
ket, Erie 623 

Abolition  Party  Started 225 

Aborit^inal  Inhabitants 91 

Aborigines 19 

Academy  of  Music,  Erie 520 

Pupils,  Erie,  in  1844.  492 

Academy  Lands 109 

Academies  and  Seminaries.. . .   189 

Ackerman,  Philip 855 

Acreage    of    Townships,   Erie 

County 79 

Act  for  laying  out  the  town  of 

Presque  Isle 387 

Adams,  Davis  B 797 

John  (2uincy,  Chosen 

President  bv  the  House 219 

Additional  Law  Judges. . .  .150-268 
Adjutant  Generals,  List  of  . .  .  264 
Adoption   of   Common   School 

System,  Erie  County 189 

Advent  Churches 143 

Advertiser,  P'.rie 176 

African  M.  E.  Church 143 

After  the  Battle  of  Lake  Erie.   136 

Agricultural  Societies 193 

Aitkin,  A.  B 657 

Akam,  G.  0 765 

Alarmed  by  a  Camp  Fire 543 

Alberstadt,  Tobias  S 744 

Albion  Borough,  Descriptive. .  285 
Churches....  285 
"            "           Incorporated.  285 
Mills,    News- 
papers, Hotel,  etc 268 

Albion    Borough    Schools  and 

.Secret  Societies 286 

Albion  Station 284 

Aldermen,  List  of,  in  Erie  ....  406 

A  Live  King  in  Erie 191 

Allen,  Benjamin 787 

"       Geo.  A 330^-595 

Henry 787 

Henry  C 888 

"       Henry,  Sr 889 

"       James  D 747 

Allison,  James  W 640 

William 640 


PAGE 

Allison,  William,  Sr 640 

David 8*5 

Wm.  F 833 

Almshouse,  County 146 

"  Stewards,  List  of .  .  274 

Alps  Insurance  Companv,  Erie  181 

Altice,  Rev.  M.  D.  M.. .' 863 

Amateur  Fishermen 424 

American  Force  at  Erie 107 

FortLeBoeuf 106 

"  Garrison  at  Le  Boeuf  105 

"  Independence 102 

"  Occupation 94 

Amity,  County  Officers  from. .   288 

"       Township 287 

"  "        Description  of  288 

Amity  Township,  History  of. . 

287-289 

Amity,  Mills  and  Roads 287 

"      Pioneers  of 288 

"       Population  of 287 

"  Schools  and  Churches.  288 
"  Streams  and  Bridges..  287 
"     Value  of  Farm   Lands..  288 

An  Ancient  Structure 630 

Ancient  Graveyard,  An 80 

Anchor  Line  Docks,  Erie 421 

Anderson,  A.  J., 820 

C.  W.  S 891 

Leslie   M 794 

Andrews,  Dr.  Wm.  K 805 

Angola  Disaster 182 

Animal  Training  (A.  G.  Mar- 
tin's sketch) 792 

Annual  .Salaries  of  Erie   City 

Officials 407 

Anthracite  Coal 19 

Anti-Cameron  Outbreak  in  the 

Rejiublican   Partv 261 

Anti-Masonic  Era . '. 220 

Anti-Slavery  iMovement 199 

Anti-Slavery  Riot 38 

An  Unsolved    Mystery  (C.  T. 

Hall   .sketch), 786 

A.  O.  U.  W.,  Erie 472 

Appalling  Lake   Disasters....   128 

Applebee,  Patrick 757 

Aqueducts  in  Erie  County. ...     85 

Arbiter-Zeitung 591 

Arbuckle,  Adam 591 

Family 591 

Frank' P 591 

Geo,  W 691 

"  James 592 

J.  P 692 

JohnB 591 


I'AGE 

Arbuckle,  Pre.ssly 591 

Richard  H 806 

Wm.  G 591 

Wm.  .M 591 

Wm.    1 591 

Wm.,  Sr 591 

.Atkinson,  W.  P 740 

Archer,  C.  15 852 

F.  B 866 

Arthur,  John  \' 823 

Aubrev,  H.  C 673 

Austin,  Capt.  J.  F 773 

Avonia 299 

Babbitt,  Elijah 6fW 

Baker,  John 855 

Baldwin,  Frank  E 858 

"          Nelson 651 

Ball,  Gideon  J 579 

Ball  &  Colt  Bankers,  Erie....  480 

Banks  and  Bank  Failures,. . . .  537 

Bank  of  Commerce,  Erie 478 

Baptist  Church,  Early 

140-14;J-451 

Barnes,  Chas.G 761 

Barnhurst,  H.  R 600 

Barron,  J.  J 829 

"        Peter 829 

Thomas 828 

\alentine 828 

Barr,  C.  A 873 

"     Family 692 

"    George  H 694 

"    George  W 593 

"    James,  Sr 692 

'•    James 593 

"    Lester  J 594 

"    Matthew   R 693 

"    Samuel 593 

Bar  Association,  Erie 100 

Bar,  The  Erie  County 143 

Bartholme,  Fred .*.  872 

Barton,  Dr.  T.  W 896 

Base  Ball  Grounds,  Erie 429 

Batchelor,  Harry 795 

Battershill,  Wm.  .X 746 

Battles,  Dr.  R.  W 807 

Battles  fought  in  Penn'a 19 

Battle  Flags  of   Penn'a 44 

Bav  and  Harbor,  Erie 419 

Beaver,  James  A 56  !4 -67-256 

Beach,  Rev.  Theodore  C 836 

Beatty,  Hugh  848 

"      John 740">;-Jft48 

Beaver  Dam 380 

Beck,  Charles 691 


902 


A  LPIIABK riC.  1 L    INDEK. 


PAGE 

Becknian,  Christian 817 

Henry 817 

Beebe,  Dr.  F.  A 770 

Beer,  Ale  and   Malt   Manufac- 
ture, Erie 581 

Besfinning  of  the    Iron    Indus- 
try    119 

Bell  of  the  Queen  Charlotte...   137 

Bell,  Wm.,  Jr  704 

Belle  \alley 330 

Bemis,  Henry  S 670 

Benevolent  Societies    (Miscel- 
laneous 1 472 

Bennett,  Henry   | 724 

Bernritter,  John .' 820 

John,   Sr 820 

Berst,  Henry 704 

"      Hiram  L 705 

"      Jacob 705 

"      John 152'X-704 

"      Titus 705 

Benson,  Chas.  P 808 

"      Eugene  P 893 

"       Isaac 893 

"       James  C 723 

Judge   Wm 893 

Beyer,  Joseph 643 

Benze,  Rev.  Adolph  L.  ..668^-599 

"      Rev.  Gustave 699 

Bible  Society,  Erie  County...     143 

Bicycle  Works,  Erie 497 

Biebel,  Daniel 810 

"       George 810 

Bigler,  William 40,'4-    66 

"Big  Oaks  from  Little  Acorns 

Grow" 495 

Bingham,  Benson 851 

"      Jonathan 851 

Biographies    of    the     Govern- 
ors   65-  68 

Biographical  Sketches  . . .  .543-896 
Bird,  Rankin  and  Davis,  Fate 

of 138 

Bishops  of  the   Erie   Diocese 

(Catholic) ,. . .  140 

Bishop  Mullen  (Catholic),  Erie  457 
"  .Spalding  I  Episcopal). .  444 
"       X'incent  (  Episcopal).. .  446 

Bituminous  Coal 20 

Black,  Jno.  F 764 

"      Jno.  R 764 

"      Matthew 764 

Bladen,  A.  B 822 

Blair,  David  P 795 

"      James 795 

Blanchard,  Wm.  F 868 

Blank  Bi  ok  and  Printing  Es- 
tablishments, Erie 497 

Blauvelt,  J.  A 848 

Blenner,  Anthony 747 

Edward  C 753 

Bliss,  John  H 208;^-559 

"      John,  an   Officer  in   the 

War  of  1812 559 

Bliss,    Joseph,    in    the    Conti- 
nental Army 559 

Bliss,  George  T 560 


PAGE 

Block  Houses  at  Erie 107 

Bloeser,  Frank 755 

Blum,  Frank  .X 732 

Board  of  Public  Charities,  Erie  436 

Board  of  Trade,  Erie 504 

Bogenschutz,  Nicholas  T 837 

Bolard,  John  A 891 

Bolkev,  Will 811 

Bolles,  Stephen  W 740 

Bond,  Jno.  A 883 

Boni.ski,  Frank 704 

"Boo"  Bladen, Colored  Pioneer  822 

Books  in  Early  Use 188 

Booth,  Rev.  Geo.  B 808 

Borough    and    City    Charters, 

Corry 536 

Boroughs  of  Erie  County,  when 

Incorporated 74 

Boroughs,  Principal 20 

Bort,  L.  D 845 

Borthwick,  Lieut.-Com.  J.  L.  D.  575 

Bostwick,  Chas.  F 693 

DewittC 846 

John 846 

Boundaries  of  Erie  County.. . .     71 
Boundary  Lines  of  Erie  County     75 

Bowers,  Jonas 675 

Bowman,  Balser 890 

Joseph,  Sr 781 

Boyd,  Harvey 896 

"      J.  A 892 

Boyer,  Andrew 841 

Braddock's  Defeat 20-24-101 

Brady,  John  C 598 

Brainerd,  Samuel 637 

Samuel  M 637 

Brandes,  Dr.  Charles 584 

Branchville 324 

Brass  Works,  Erie 497 

Bray,  Rev.  James  M 643 

Break   up   of  the  Democratic 

Party  in  1860 237 

Brewer,  E.  W... 859 

Breweries  in  Erie 195 

Breweries,  First 117 

Brewster,  William 378^-601 

Brick  Works,  Erie 497 

Brickyards,  First 117 

Bridges  in  Erie  County 85 

Brief  History  of  the  Erie  Coun- 
ty Regiments 209 

Briggs,  B.  F 855 

"       CM 665 

"       Henry  R 874 

"       John 855 

Brindle,  J.  A 823 

"        Samuel 823 

British  Armv  at  Erie 94 

Briodv,  Rev'.  Farrell 8:M 

Brooks,  Geo.  W 881 

Stephen  B 882 

Brown,  Asel 719 

Brown's  .Avenue  Mission(  Meth- 
odist Church),  Erie 448 

Brown,  B.  B 6:35 

"       Conrad  J 594 

"       Daniel  J 884 


PAGE 

Brown,  David 662 

F.J 809 

"       George 734 

Henry «28 

"       Isaac  B 773 

Joseph 828 

Joseph  K 776 

Richard  T 652 

"       Samuel 634 

Scott 635 

"       W.  S 634 

Brown's  Hotel,  Erie 519 

Bruder,  Andrew Kll 

Brundage,  M.  \V 714 

Bryce,  Alexander 678 

"      George 678 

"      Rev.  George 678 

"      Jno.,  V.  S 6.52  ■< -678 

"      Peter  H 678 

"      Robt.  H 678 

Buchanan  and  Breckenridge. 

Elected 234 

"  Buckshot  War  " 20  223 

Buettner,  Jno 687 

Buffalo  Road 120 

Buhl,  Geo 812 

Building    and   Loan   Associa- 
tions, Erie 484 

Building  Inspector,  Erie 406 

"        of     Perry's   Fleet    at 

Erie 130 

Building  Permits,  Issued  1889- 

94,  Erie 399 

BuUer,  Wm 896 

Bumpus,  I.  F 725 

Burchfield,  Chas.  S . . 639 

Bureau  of  Charities,  Erie 435 

Burgesses  of  Erie 399 

Burgoyne,  Jno.  J 658 

Burke,  Andrew 727 

James 724 

Burning   of    Black  Rock    and 

Buffalo 136 

Burning  of  the  Steamboat  Erie  128 

Burns,  James  H 756 

Burton  Family 580 

"       Allured,  P 436)4-580 

"       Frank  C 580 

"       J.  B 581 

"      J.  E 581 

"      John 581 

"      Spencer 588 

Busch,  C.  F 781 

Buseck,  Emil  V 807 

Bush,  Chas.  H 878 

Business  at  the  Port  of  Erie.. .   130 
Business    Blocks,    Erie,   when 

erected 513 

Business   Centers,  Erie,  at  Va- 
rious Periods 505 

Business        and        Residence 

Streets,  Erie 394 

Butt,  AlonzoW 844 

"    G.Will 850 

"     Wendell 844 

Butterfield,  Henry 660 

Button  Works,  Erie 498 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


903 


PAGE 

Cady,  William 765 

Caflisch,  Albert 869 

Jacob 869 

John 869 

Calls  for  More  Men  in  the  War 

for  the  Union 205-206 

Cameron,  Opposition  to  in  his 

Part/ 251 

Camp,  Benj.  F 867 

Irvin 607 

Campaign  of  1814  at  Erie 136 

Canal   Abandoned 180 

"      Commissioners        First 

Elected 226 

Canal,  Erie-Beaver 179 

Canty,  Jeremiah  H 739 

Capitals  of  the  State 20 

Captains  of  Police,  Erie 414 

Capture  of  Forts  at   Erie  and 

Waterford 93 

Care  of  Paupers,  Cost  of 147 

Carev,  Isaac 718 

"  '   John  H 749 

Carnegie   Docks,  Erie 421 

"  Library    (Pittsburg) 

Builder  of 613 

Carnes,   William 722 

Carney,  James 836^-751 

Carriage  and   Wagon   Works, 

Erie 498 

Carroll  Family 880 

"       Ferdinand 880 

"       Fletchers 881 

"      George 880 

"      George   W 880 

"      James 880 

"      John 880 

"       Jonathan  M 880 

"      O.  W 880 

"      Samuel 881 

"      Thomas 880 

"      Wesley 880 

"      William 880 

Carse,  John 700;^-667 

Carter,  Edward  D 657 

'■       John  H 657 

"      John   S 594 

■'      Hill.... 381 

Cascades  m  Erie  County 80 

Casey,  James 314^-605 

James  F 605 

Very  Rev.  T.  A.  .322^-605 
Catholic  Benevolent   Legion . .  473 
"        Bishops,  Erie  Dioce.se 

140-456 

Catholic  Church,  Growth  of . . .   140 
"       Churches,  Schools,  etc  141 
'•        Ladies'  Mutual  Bene- 
fit Association 473 

Catholic  Literary  and  other  So- 
cieties   473 

Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Asso- 
ciation   473 

Catholic  Parochial  Schools,  188-493 

"        Societies 472 

"        Union,  Knights  of  St. 
John 473 


PAGE 

Cattle  Driving  and  Selling 198 

"     Trade,  The 198 

Caughey  Family,  Early  Settlers  571 

"       Andrew 571 

"       Andrew  H 571 

"       John .571 

John  H .571 

Miles  W .571 

"        Samuel    H .571 

"        Samuel  .S .571 

Cauley,  Rev.  P.  M 653 

Cavalry  Companies  Recruited .  202 

Cedars,  The 428 

Cemeteries  Established 144 

Centennial   Celebration,   1895, 

Erie 525 

Centennial  Exhibition,  1876...     21 
Central  Market  House,  Erie. .  523 

Park,  Erie 425 

"        Presbyterian    Church, 

Erie 440 

Central    Presbyterian    Mission 

Schools,  Erie 440 

Chaffee,  Judge  Weber 886 

W.   E 801 

Chamberlin,  Merrick  B. ...'.. .  878 

Chambers,  Ezekiel 801 

"  James 801 

Chambersburg,  Burning  of. . .     44 
Change  in  the  Actual   Settle- 
ment Law 110 

Chapin,  Dr.  Samuel    F 628 

Character  of  Erie  County  Soil.     72 
Charter     Members,   Board    of 

Trade .504 

Chase,  O.  M 765 

Chefferlee,  Jacob 851 

Cheney,  Harrison  C 692;<-871 

Cherry  Hill 284 

Chestnut   Street    Presbyterian 

Church,   Erie 441 

Chidester,  Dr.  C.  B 732K 

Chiefs  of  Police,  Erie 414 

Cholera  in  Erie 198 

Chor,   Philip 736 

Christian  Church,  Early. .  .140-143 
"  Endeavor  Societies.   143 

"  Endeavor  L'nion  of 

Erie 467 

Churches  in  Pennsylvania....     20 
Church     of     Christ     (Taber- 
nacle), Erie 465 

Church   Organizations  in    the 

County,  1880 141 

Circuses  and  Shows 198 

Cities  and  Towns,  Principal  in 

Pennsylvania 20 

Cities  of    Erie    County,  when 

Incorporated 74 

City  ."Xssessors,  Erie 406 

"    Boundaries,   Erie 390 

"   Charters,  Erie 389 

"    Controllers,   Erie 406 

"    Councilmen,  Erie 400 

"    Electrician,   Erie 406 

"    Engineers,  Erie 406 

"    Finances  of   Erie 398 


PAGE 

City  Hall,  Erie Am 

"    Hospital,  Erie 4.30 

"    Recorder  of  Erie 1.52 

"    Superintendents,  Erie  and 

Corry 190 

City  Solicitors,  Erie 406 

"    Superintend'ts  of  Schools, 

Erie 487 

City  Superintendents  of  Streets 

and  Sidewalks,  Erie 406 

City  Treasurers,  Erie 405 

Clark,  David    S 609 

"       Family 631 

"       Chauncev 631 

"       David..;   631 

"       David,  Jr («! 

"      Henry  A 631 

"      Henry 631 

"      Joel 631 

"      William,      First     White 
Child  Born  in  Harbor  Creek.  631 

Clark,  Donald 807 

"       Fred'k 843 

Haniel 869 

"        Louis  S 865 

Timothy 943 

Claus,  H.  V 820>^-589 

Clay  and  Polk  Campaign 227 

Clerks  of  the  Courts,  List  of..  .  270 

"      of  the  U.  S.  Courts 1.5:^ 

"      of  the  Erie  Markets...   406 
"      to  County  Commission- 
ers  '. 273 

Clerks  to  Directors  of  the  Poor.  274 
Cleveland  and  Erie  Railroad..  181 
Cleveland      and       Hendricks 

Elected 253 

Cleveland,  Frank    F 609 

Re-elected 258 

W.  L 608 

Climate  of  Pennsylvania 21 

"      of  Erie  County 73 

Close    of    the    War    for    the 

L'nion 207 

Close  of  Xavigation,  dates  of.  129 

Cloughsburg  396 

Club  Houses,  etc 429 

Clune,  Michael  E...'. 8:34 

Coal  and  Oil   Inspectors,   List 

of 277 

Coal  Dealers  &  Dock  Builders  5:33 
Coal  Shipments,  1874-1894....  422 
Coat  of  Arms,  Pennsylvania..     21 

Cochran,  Dr.  Geo.  W' 689 

Cochran's  Grove 428 

Cochran,  John   602 

"Robert 602 

Colby,  Chas.  C.  Jr 6.58 

"      C.  Sr 658 

John 658 

Piano  Works,  Erie 668 

Col.  Collars'  Narrow  Escape..  881 

Cole.  Geo.  W 840 

"     Thos.  H 694 

Coleman,  Wm.  B 540.!<-744 

Collection  District  of   Presque 
Isle 129 


904 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


PAGE 

Collectors  of  Customs,  Erie.129-263 
Collectors  of  Internal  Revenue 

Erie 263 

Colleges  in  Pennsylvania 20 

Collins,  John   Henry 6(i4 

Colored  Masons,   Erie 474 

Colored  Odd  Fellows,   Erie...   474 

Colt's  Station  Road 123 

Colton  Family 602 

"      Eli 602 

"      Geo.   W 602 

"       Henry 602 

"      Mark  E 602 

Company  L,  Twelfth  Cavalry 

Regiment 215 

Comjieting     Candidates      for 

Judge 1.50 

Concord  Township,   Churches 

and  Schools 201 

Concord  'Township,      County 

Officers 289 

Concord    Township,     Earliest 

Settlement 289 

Concord   Township,  Historical 

and   Descrijitive 289-291 

Concord  Townshij),  Population 

of 289 

Concord  Township,   PrinciiJal 

Streams 290 

Concord  Township,  Roads  and 

Railroads 290 

Concord   Township,    \'alue  of 

Farm  Lands 290 

Concord  Station 291 

Congregational  Church 143 

Congressmen,  Erie  District...  262 
Congressional  Districts,  Penn- 
sylvania       21 

Congressmen,    Leading,   from 

Pennsylvania 21 

Conneaut    Township,    County 

Officers  286 

Conneaut  Township,  Early  Set- 
tlers   281 

Conneaut   Township,    History 

of 281-286 

Conneaut     Township,     Lands 

and   Litigation 283 

Conneaut     Township,      Mills, 

Schools  and  Graveyards.  . . .  284 
Conneaut  Township,  Origin  of 

Name 281 

Conneaut  Township.  Popula- 
tion of 281 

Conneaut  Township, Postoffices  281 
"  "  Pre -His- 
toric Remains 283 

Conneaut  Township,  Principal 

Settlements 284 

Conneaut     Township,    Roads, 

Railroads  and  Canals 283 

Conneaut   Township,   Streams 

and  Bridges 282 

Conneaut  Township,  Value  of 

Farm  Lands 283 

Conrad,  CM 743 

Jacob   S 756^-820 


PAGE 

Conrad,  Joseph 820 

Conrader,  Chas.  A 710 

Rudolph 710 

Constable,  Chas.  A 709 

Edward  W 708 

"  George 708 

Herbert 708 

John 708 

lohn,  Jr 708 

Thomas 708 

"  Washington 708 

Constitution,  New,  Adopted.. .  246 
"  New,  Text  of.. 45-61 

Constitutions,  Several  State. .  .     21 
Constitution,  Present  .State,  in 

full 45 

Constitutional      Amendments 

Adopted 224 

Constitutional  Convention, 1837  629 
Convenfn,  State  223 
"            Convention,  Vo- 
ted Down 258 

Continental  Congress,  Sessions 

of 20 

Contract  Authorized  for  a  Wa- 
ter Supply  in  Erie 408 

Cook,  Francis  M 786 

"      J.  L 896 

"      Samuel 786 

Cooney,  John  R 663 

Cooper,  Rev.  Jeremiah 863 

Coppersmith,  Jacob 728 

Corbett,  W.  S...: 811 

Cordoner,  Alex.  C 762 

Coroners,  Erie  County 271 

Correspondence    between 

Washington  and  St.  Pierre. .   100 
Corry  City,  Borough  and  City 

Charters 536 

Corry  City  Churches 538 

"         "      Factories  and  Busi- 
ness Institutions 663 

Corry  City,    General  Descrip- 
tion of 536 

Corry  City,  History  of .535-640 

"        "     Miscellaneous 540 

"        "       Newspapers 538 

"       Population,   1870- 

1890 78-536 

Corry  City,  Public  Officials... .  539 

"      Schools 537 

"       Secret  Societies..  639 
"         "       Sewerage  System.  540 

"       Water  Works 640 

Cos.  A  and  C,  15th  Reg.  N.  G.  P  524 
Cost  of  Elections,  Erie  County.  262 
Cost  of  Maintaining  the  lail. ...  145 
Counsel  to  County  Commission- 
ers  ' 273 

County  Alm.shouse 146 

"       .AuiHtors 276 

"            "         Minority   Rep- 
resentation    247 

County  Buildings 145-147 

"      Commissioners 271 

Clerks  to. 
List   of 278 


PAGE 

County  Commissioners'  Coun- 
sel to.  List  of 273 

County  Commissioners,  Minor- 
ity Representation 247 

County    Detectives 275 

Finances,  1861-1870...  208 
"                "           in    Connec- 
tion with  the  Last  War 208 

County  Jails 145 

"       Newspapers 177 

"       of  Erie,  History  of.  .  71-345 
"      Officials,  List  of. . .  .267-277 
Supts.  of  Schools..   190-274 
State   and  U.  S.  Build- 
ings, Erie 145-149 

County  Surveyors 275 

"       Treasurers 270 

"      Treasurer,    when     first 

Elected 226 

Courses      of      Study,      Public 

Schools  of  Erie  Citv 489 

Courts  of  Erie  County 21-149 

Court  Criers,  List  of 160-277 

"      Expenses,   1894 151 

"      House  Bell 430 

"      House.  County 145 

"     Terms  of 151 

Covell,C.  L 767 

Cox,  Chas.  S 761 

"     lohn 878 

"     Joseph  A 724 

Cranch,  Dr.  Edward..     .492>^-604 
Cranberries      and     Cranberry 

Day 41.5-529 

Crandell,  Ira 763 

Crane  Family 603 

"      Abiather,  a   Revolution- 
ary .Soldier 603 

Crane,  Abiather,  Jr 603 

"      Amos  B 603 

"       Charles 603 

"      Elihu 603 

"      Frank  M 603 

"       George 603 

"       George  W 603 

"       Henry  H 603 

"       James  M 603 

"      Joseph  U 603 

"       Joseph  P 603 

"       William  A 603 

"       William    W 603 

Cranesville 294 

Crawford,  B.  F 849 

"         Thomas,  Pioneer. . .  849 

Cray,  M.  A 712 

Criminals,  Number  of,  in  Penn- 
sylvania . : 21 

Crosby,  Mahley 766 

Family 824 

Michael 825 

W.  G 638 

Crottv,  John 760 

Crowlev,  Peter  1 702 

Culbert'son,  Hafry 887 

W.  C 346K-788 

lohn 890 

John  Augustus...  887 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


905 


PAGE 

Culbertson,  Louis    C 887 

Stephen 890 

Svlvester 890 

W.  M 791 

Culverts  in  Erie  County 81 

Cupples,   John 879 

Curious  Custom 530 

Curious  Lake  Phenomena   ....     87 
Currency-Old  Time  and  Pres- 
ent   193 

Curtin,  Andrew  G 48)4-  67 

Curtin's  First  Election  as  Gov- 
ernor   237 

Curtin's    Second    Election    as 

Governor 589 

Curtze  Family 589 

"       Kred'k' 420'4-589 

'•       .Adolph  L 590 

"       Charles  A 590 

"       Felix  F 590 

"       Herman  J 590 

Cushman,  Edgar  L 750 

Leverette 829 

Custodian  of  the  Peninsula. . .     88 

Cutler,  George  A 601 

••       Geo.  H 601 

Marcus   N 601 

Daggett,  C.  G 793 

Dahlkemper,  C.  E 864 

Wni 854 

Damage   in    Recent   Years  to 

Peninsula 417 

Darling,  Conrad 759 

Daub,  ^Henry 859 

Daugherty,  Chas 716 

Daughters  of  Liberty,  Erie.  . .  474 
Davenjjort,  Capt.   William   ...  611 

Chas.W 611 

"  Samuel  A 611 

"          John,    Puritan    Di- 
vine   611 

Davenport,  William  R 611 

Davis,  Fred.  Oscar 837 

"     Montello  \V 895 

Davison  Family 595 

Day  Nursery,  Erie 436 

Deaths  and  Removals  of  Erie 

Attorneys 159 

Debt,    Mortgage    in    Pennsyl- 
vania      22 

Debts,   State,   Municipal    and 

School  District 22 

Deck,  Conrad 703 

Declaration  of  Independence..     22 
Defenseless   Condition   of  the 

Frontier  in  1812 132 

Defunct  Erie  Newspapers....   176 

Deighton,  Amos  R 818 

Deitz,  John 760 

Delaney,  James  H 606 

John  P 748 

Delegates  Elected  to  Constitu- 
tional Convention 244 

Democratic  Governor   elected 
in  1882  and  18iX) 252-257 


PAGE 

Democratic  Party  Break-up  in 
1860 237 

Democratic        Partv        Name 
Adopted ' 221 

Democratic   President  elected 
in  1884  and  1892 253-258 

Democratic  Split  in  the  State..  222 

Democratic   State  Convention 
in  Erie 247 

Democratic     "  Tidal      Wave " 
Year 246 

Denio,  Alfred 396 >4- 789 

■'      Elon 789 

Dennis,  Dr.  David  N 611 

Dentists,  Erie  Society  of 173 

"        List  of  Erie  County. .  166 

Depinet,  John 596;4-634 

"        Joseph 705 

Michael 634 

Deputy     Attorney     Generals, 
Erie  County 268 

Deputy  Clerks,  U.  S.  Courts.. .  264 

Deputy     Collectors     of    Cus- 
toms  129-263 

Deputy  Collectors  of  Internal 
Revenue 263 

Deputy  Secretaries  of  the  Com- 
monwealth from  Erie  County  265 

Destructive     Floods     in     the 
Stream  of  Mill  Creek 527 

Detectives,  County,  List  of. .  .  275 

"  Devil's  Backbone  " 32-aj4 

Detzel,  Frank  J 669 

.Matthias 751 

Dick,  Henry 879 

'■      James  M 879 

Dickinson,  Dr.  Sanford 644 

John  S 644 

Dickson,  Thos.  H 729 

■W.  H 681 

Diefenbach,  Chas.  E 723 

Philip,  Jr 648 

Diefenderfer,  David  F 674 

Diehl,  Frederick 737 

"      John  C 737 

Dietly,  Philip  W 681 

Dietrich,  Rev.  Henry  F 784 

Diffenbach,  Benjamin 715 

B.P... 715 

Differences  of  Opinion  on  Erie 
■Water  Supply 409 

Difficulties  Contended  with  by 
Com.  Perry 133 

Dillon,  Thomas,  Oldest  Resi- 
dent of  Erie 610 

Dill  Park 339 

Dime  Savings  Bank,  Erie 480 

Dimensions     of     the      Great 
Lakes 86 

Directors  of  the  Poor 273 

"    List  of  At- 
torneys to 274 

Directors  of  the   Poor,   Clerks 
to 274 

Directors   of   the  Poor,    when 
first  IClected 225 

Disasters  on  Lake  Erie 128 


PACK 

Dispatch,  Erie 174 

Disbrow,  Burt  F 643 

Disciple  Church 143 

Disputed  Boundary  Lines....  103 
Disposal  of  Perry's  fleet.  .136-137 
DistancesbyE.  &'P.  R.  R....  184 

by  Lake  128 

by   Lake  Shore  R.  R  182 

bv  P.  &  E.  R.  R....  183 

bytheShenangoR.R  186 

Distances  by  Water  from  Erie.  128 

"         from  Erie  to  Leading 

points  in  the  County 76 

Distilleries,  Breweries,  etc....  195 
District  and    County    Officers 

267-271 

District    Attorneys,    Erie    Co. 

152-269 

District  Judge 268 

Dobbins,  Capt.,  Daniel. .  ..88J4-.544 
"  "     and  Perry's  fleet.  544 

"  "     His  Capture    by 

the  British 544 

Dobbins,     Capt.,   Ordered     to 
bring    Home    Com.    Perry's 

Remains 544 

Dobler,  A.  F 476  ■^-779 

Doctors  and  Dentists  in    Erie 

County   166-534 

Doerr,  Albert  I 688 

Dolan,  Richard 855 

Doll,  John 649 

"      Martin .649 

Donovan,  Mrs.  Anna  T 691 

Dougan,  Isaiah 797 

Downer  Oil  Works,  Corry 535 

Downing,  James     553 

Jerome  Francis.216^-553 

Downing,  Thomas  J 716 

"  "        John 716 

Drake,  Col,  J.  C 620 

Dr.  J.  C.  M 620 

Draper,  Geo.  P 805 

Driscoll,  Edward 733 

"        John 753 

Drive     Along      the      Beach, 

Presiiue  Isle  Bay 530 

Dudenhoefer,  Frank 856 

Peter 856 

Dunconibe,  Geo.  H 885 

Duff,  Dr.  R.  H 791 

Dugan,  Edward  J 700 

Jno.  P 700 

Duke,  J.  Hanford _.  771 

Dunlap,  Capt.  James ";  606 

Capt.  John  B 606 

Jas.  D' 572 

John  B 606 

"        Thomas  J 606 

Dunmeyer,  Wm 868 

Dunn,  Dr.  Ira  J 646 

"      Geo.C 749 

"      Simeon 749 

Durfield,  John  A 718 

Durham,  Chas.  H 8;i7 

y\\\\ 771 

Dwver,  Rev.  Wm.  F 653 


9o6 


ALPUABETICAL  INDEX. 


PAGE 

Eagle  Village 397 

Earliest   Merchant  Vessels  on 

Lake  Erie 12.5 

Earliest    .Movement  for  p'.rie's 

Water  Su|)ply 40<S 

Earliest  Snow  Falls 1% 

"         Thoroughfares  in  the 

County ": 120 

Earliest    War  Vessels  on    the 

Lake 125 

Early  Arrivals  in  Erie 891 

"   '  Catholic  Burial  Places..  469 

"      Lawyers  in  Erie 153 

"      Land    Purchases,     Erie 

County 105-107 

Early  Military  Coniiianies 194 

"      Mills,  etc.,  in  Erie  ..  .116-495 

"      Mills,  Outside  of  Erie...    117 

Moves  for  Fire  Protection  411 

Navigation  of  the  Lakes.  125 

Police  System,  Erie 414 

"  Burial  Places  in  F>ie. .. .  408 
"  Post-office  Sites,  Erie..  684 
"      Presbyterian  Churches  in 

Erie  County 188 

Early  School  Buildings 486 

"       Settlements 22 

Settlers 118 

"       Sunday  Schools 143 

"  Surveys,  Erie  County... .  105 
"       Surveyors    and        Land 

Agents 110 

East  Greene 810 

East  Springfield  Borough 3.50 

East  Waterford 871 

Eaton,  Henry  M 660 

"       Morris 660 

Ebisch,  Chas.  G 683 

Gustave  A 683 

Wm.  C 683 

Edenville 322 

Edinboro,  Borough  of 367-369 

"         Churches  and  Cem- 
eteries   868 

Edinboro,  Newsj)apers,  Socie- 
ties, etc 368 

Edinboro  Normal  School 

148-189-368 

Edinboro  Plank  Road 121 

Edison    Electric     Light     and 

Power  Co 482 

Edson,  Chelous 735 

■'       Philander 785 

"      W.  N 785 

Edwards,  David  H 676 

Thomas  A. ..  .684^^-782 

Effect  of  Railroads 581 

Egbert,  Dr.,  Elected   to   Con- 
gress    246 

Eggers,  Henry 858 

Eggleston,  Palmer  E 712 

Eichhorn,  Louis 706 

Eighty-third  Regiment 202-210 

Elber,  JohnF 751 

Eldridge,  C.  E 859 

CD   859 

Electic  Assembly,  Erie 474 


PAGE 

Election  Districts,  Erie  County     75 
"  ■'         Fir.st  in  Erie 

County 216 

Elections,  1798  to  1895 215 

Cost   of 262 

When  Held 23 

Elevations   Above    the    Lake, 

Erie  City 398 

Elgin  Borough 291 

Eller,  Frank 856 

"      Jacob 857 

"       Michael 856 

"       Michael   C 857 

Ellicot',     Maj.    Andrew,    His 

Public  Services 80^4-559 

Elliott,  Andrew 798 

Thos.  A 798 

Thos 798 

John 685 

Ellithorp,  John  C 761 

Elk  Creek  Township 292-294 

"        "  "        Churches 

and   Schools 293 

Elk  Creek  Township,  County 

Of=ficers 298 

Elk   Creek     Township,    Early 

Settlers 292 

Elk  Creek  Township,  General 

Description 292 

Elk  Creek  Township,  Popula- 
tion of 474 

Elk   Creek   Township,    Roads 

and  Streams 293 

Elk  Creek  Township,  X'alue  of 

Farm  Lands 292 

Elks,  B.  P.O.  of 474 

Ely,  Theodore  J 792 

Emanuel  Evangelical   Luther- 
an Church,  Erie 455 

Emling,  Peter  J 698 

Eminent  Men,  Pennsylvania. .     28 

Engle,  Christian 797 

Engine,  First  made  in  Erie  .  .   741 
English  and    French    in  Erie 

County 92-  99 

Episcopal  Church,  Early 140 

Equitable  Aid  L'nion 474 

Erie  Cemetery 469 

Erie  City — Academy 491 

"       "         A     Memorable 

Event 588 

Erie  City — An  Ancient   Struc- 
ture  580 

Erie  City— Art  and  ArtLsts 580 

"       "         Banks  and  Banking  478 
"       "         Bay,   Harbor     and 

Improvements 419 

Erie  City — Beach  Drive 530 

"       "         Bethel  Association  467 
"       "         Board  of  Trade...   504 
I5eer,  Ale  and  Malt, 

Production  of 531 

Erie  City — Borough  and   City 

Government 399 

Erie  City — Board  of  Fire  Com- 
missioners    413 

Erie  City   -Boundaries  of 890 


PAGE 

Erie  City    Building      Permits 
1889-1894 .399 

Erie    City— Business    .Men   of 
Years  Ago .505 

F>ie    City-  Business     Blocks, 
When  Erected ,513 

Erie  City — Business  L'niversity  494 
"        Bureau  of  Charities  425 
"      "        Building  and  Loan 
Associations 484 

Erie  City — Catholic   Parochial 
Schools 493 

Erie  City— Cedars,  The 428 

"       "        Centennial       Cele- 
bration    525 

Erie      City-  Cemeteries     and 
Early  Graveyards 468 

Erie  City — Changes    in   Busi- 
ness Centers 505 

Erie  City -Charity  Work .528 

'"      "        Citizens'     Associa- 
tion    534 

Erie  City — Churches  and  Sun- 
day Schools 437-468 

Erie  City — Christian  Endeavor 
Union' 467 

Erie  City— Charter  Granted..  :*9 
"       "         Councilmen    Since 
1851 ...  400 

Erie  City — Chiefs  Fire  Depart- 
ment   418 

Erie     City — Cochran's     Grove 
and  The  Maples 428 

Erie     City — Ceniral      Presby- 
terian Church 440 

Erie     City — Chestnut     Street 
Presbyterian  Church 441 

Erie    City — Christian    Science 
Association 465 

Erie  City-  Cranberry  Day. . . .  529 

"       "         Day  Nursery 436 

"       "         Deep      Test     Gas 
Well 527 

Erie  City — Defunct  Banks  in.  479 
"       "        Destructive  Floods, 
Stream  of  Mill  Creek 527 

Erie  City — Dime  Savings  Bank  480 

"      "        Directory .580 

"       "        Docks     and     Lake 
Business 420 

Erie  City — Dock  Builders .538 

"       "        Early  Doctors  and 
Dentists 534 

Erie  City — Early  Mechanics.  .  .529 
"       "         Early        Postoffice 
Sites .5:54 

Erie  City— Settlers 891 

"      "        Electric  Light  and 
Power  Co 482 

Erie  City— Electric  Motor  Co.  483 
Election     Districts 
in 397 

Erie  City — Emanuel  Evangel- 
ical Lutheran  Church 4.55 

Erie  City — Erie  Cemetery. . . .  469 
"       "         Exchange  for  Wo- 
men's Work 436 


ALPltABETIGAL  INDEX. 


¥>1 

PAGE 

Erie  City-  Proposed  Public  Li- 
brary    491 

Erie  City  -Public  and  Amuse- 
ment Halls 487 

Erie  City     Public  SchoolBuild- 
ings 487 

Erie  City — Public  Buildings,  in 
General 429 

Erie     City     Public   Buildings, 
Churches,  etc 395 

P>ieCitv     PublicMarket 522 

"       "'      Public  Parks 429 

"        Public  School  Sta- 
tistics  491 

Erie  City — Public  Schools....  485 
"      "        Railroads,     Trans- 
portation, etc 396 

Erie  City— Real  Estate  Title  Co  484 
"      "       Religious  .Statistics  468 
"      "        Roman       Catholic 
Chapels 462 

Erie  City — Salaries  of  Officials  407 

Erie  City— Sale  of  Town   Lots, 
and  Prices  390 

Erie  Citv— Salem  Evangelical 
Church 464 

Erie      City  -Second     Baptist 
Church 452 

Erie    City— Second     National 
Bank 480 

Erie  City-   .Sewerage  System.  395 
"       "        .Simpson      .M.     E. 
Church 448 

Erie  City — .Sisters  of  St.  Joseph  531 
"      "     Social,  Secret,  Benev- 
olent,   Protective    Societies, 
etc 472 

Erie  City — Soldiers'and  Sailors' 
Home 430 

Erie  Citv— St.  Alban's   P.    E. 
Church 447 

Erie  Citv— St.  Andrew's   R.  C. 
Church   460 

Erie    City— St.    .Ann's    R.    C. 
Church 461 

Erie       City     St.        Benedict's 
Academy 493 

Erie  City  -St.  James'  A.  .M.  E. 
Church 450 

Erie  City-  St.  Joachim's  R.  C. 
Church 461 

Erie  City     St.  John's  Lutheran 
Church  453 

Erie    City-St.  John's     P.     E. 
Church 445 

Erie   City— St.   John's     R.    C. 
Church   495 

Erie  City  -St.  Joseph's  Orphan 
Asylum 434 

Erie  Citv     St.  Josephs's  R.  C. 
Church 459 

Erie   Citv     -St.    Marv's   R.    C. 
Church ; 458 

Erie  Citv     St.  Michael's  R.  C. 
Church 461 

Erie  City    St.  Patrick's  R.  C. 
Church 455 


I'AGE 

Erie  City     Exi.sting  Banks....  478 
"        Express  and  Carry- 
ing Companies 484 

Erie  City     Female  Seminary.   493 

Eire  Alarm  System  413 

Hre  Dejjarlment ..  411 

Fire  Insurance 

Companies 480 

Erie  City-    Fire  Limits 414   : 

"        Finances,      Assess- 
ments and  Tax  Rates 398   i 

ErieCity-  Fir.st  BaptistChurch  451    i 
"       "        First           Christian 
Church 463 

Erie    City   ~  First     Methodist 
Episcopal  Church   463 

ErieCity     First  National  Bank  479 
"         First     Presbyterian 
Church   .' 437 

Erie  City — First  Spiritual  So- 
ciety   466 

Erie   City — First    Universalist 
Church 463 

Erie  City-Fishermen's     Para- 
dise    423 

Erie    City — Fishing    Industry, 
Growth  of 423 

Erie  City— Gas   Company....  481 
"         General      Descrip- 
tion    392 

Erie     City  -German      Baptist 
Church 452 

Erie  City- German     Evangel- 
ical Lutheran    Church 455 

Erie    City — German     Temple 
Congregation 466 

Erie  City — Glenwood  Park.  . .  428 
"       "         Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic 534 

Erie  City— Grove  House  Park  428 
"       "         Hamot  Hospital..  .   433 
"       "         Harbor  Appropria- 
tions   419 

Erie  City — "Head"  and  Tracy's 
Point 426 

Erie  City — Hebrew   Reformed 
(Jewish)  Church   463 

ErieCity— High  School 487 

"        Himrod      Mission, 
Sunday  .School 467 

I'^rie     City — Home     for      the 
F"riendless 432 

Erie  City — Homteopathic  Hos- 
pital   436 

Erie  City — H  orticulturai 
Society 530 

Erie  City — Hotels,  Ancient  and 
Modern   518 

Erie  City — Ideal  Location, Fine 
Drainage   392 

Erie  City — Influence   of    Rail- 
roads    531 

Erie  City— Its  Growth 392 

"       "        Ju.stices  and  Alder- 
men, List  of 4I)(> 

Erie  City  -Keystone   National 
Bank 479 


PAGE 

Erie  City—  Kindergarten   Sys- 
tem   494 

Erie  City— Lake  and  Railroad 
Business 512 

Eric  City--Laid  Out 107 

Lakeside  Cemetery  471 
"       "         Letter  Carrier  .Sys- 
tem in 530 

Erie  City--List  of  Manufacto- 
ries in 496 

Erie  City— Local  Names,  sub- 
urbs   396 

Erie  City — Low  Water  in   the 
Lake .533 

Erie  City — Lunibef  Interests.  .   531 
"       "         Luther      .Memorial 
Church 454 

Erie  City — Manufactories,  His- 
tory of 495 

Erie  City— Manufacturing,  Sta- 
tistics of 496 

Erie    City— Marine     National 
Bank 480 

Erie  City — Masonic  History..  530 
"       "         Members      School 
Board,  List  of 487 

Erie   City — Mercantile   Agen- 
cies   512 

ErieCity    Military  Companies  524 

Erie  City    Ministerial  .Associ- 
ation       467 

Erie     City  -Modern     Market 
House 522 

Erie  City — Musical   Organiza- 
tions   528 

Erie  City— National  Guard. . .  524 
"      " '      Natural  Gas 527 

Erie  City— N.  W.  Penn'a    Hu- 
mane Society 435 

Erie  City — Old   Council   Rec- 
ords   632 

Erie  City — Older   Teachers  in 
Public  Schools 490 

Erie  City— Old  Folks'  Home. .  434 
"       "        Original  Town. .. .  529 

Erie   City — Park   Presbyterian 
Church :.    ..    .  438 

Erie     City — Peninsula     Dam- 
aged by  Storms 417 

Erie     City-  Peninsula,    Engi- 
neering Work 415 

Erie  City-Peninsula,  Interest- 
ing Facts  concerning 415 

Erie  City— Pennsylvania     Gas 
Company 481 

Erie  City— Pest  House 430 

Picnics  and  Fairs.  533 
"  "  Pleasure  Boating..  425 
"       "         Pleasure  Resorts. .  425 

Erie   City — Police  Department  414 

Erie  City — Polish  Cemetery..  471 
"      "     Prices    and    Wages, 
Early  Days  ,528 

Erie   City — Principal   Officials 
Since  1805 399 

Erie     City     Private     Pleasure 
Resorts. 429 


9o8 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


I'AfiK 

Erie     Citv  -  St.     Paul's  P.     E. 
Church'. 441 

Erie  City— St.     Paul's    R.    C. 
Church 4()1 

Erie  Citv— St.  Peter's   Cathe- 
dral...'   467 

Erie  City — Streams    and     Ra- 
vines     393 

Erie  City — Streets.-Avenues.etc  393 

Erie  City — Street    Lighting...   395 
"        "      St.  Stanislaus' R.  C. 
Church 4(i0 

Erie  City — St.  X'incent's  Hos- 
pital   434 

Erie  City — St.  \'incent's  P.  E. 
Church .    . .   44(i 

Erie     City — Swedish     Baptist 
Church 453 

Erie  City — Swedish  Evangeli- 
cal Lutheran  Church 455 

Erie  City — Tanning  Industry.  526 
"      "        Taxes  in   1820....  629 

Teachers'  Salaries, 
Public  Schools 490 

EneCity— Telegraph  and  Tele- 
phone Companies 484 

I-:rie  City— Tenth  Street  M.  E. 
Church 449 

Erie  City— The  New  Church ...  464 

Erie     City — The     Tabernacle 
(Church  of  Christ) 465 

Erie  City — Topography  of 393 

"       "      Transfer  Company.  483 
"       "       Trinity   Cemetery..  471 
"       "       United       Brethren 
Church 463 

Erie    City — L'nited     Presbyte- 
rian Church 441 

Erie  City— U.  S.  Branch  Bank  478 
"       "     Villa    Marie    Acad- 
emy    493 

Erie    City — Wards  and   Ward 
Limits 397 

Erie  City — Water  Department, 
History  of 408 

Erie  City— Wayne  Street  M.E. 
Church 450 

Erie  City — Welsbach  Gas  Com- 
pany   482 

Erie  City — Woman's  Christian 
Association 467 

Erie  Citv— Y.  M.   C.  Associa- 
tion...'.   466 

Erie  County — Area  of 71 

Assessm't  Table     79 

Bar  of.. 153 

"         "  Boroughs  in 74 

"         "           Boundary  Lines     75 
"         "'           Cities   in,  When 
Incorporated 74 

Erie  County — Climate     of 73 

"        "    ,  Election   Districts 

in 75 

l'>ie  County — Elevations, High 
est  in 72 

Erie  County — First  Settlement 
of 105 


I'.ACE 

Erie   County     Geology  of.    .  .     73 
"            Gulfs, Cascad's, 
Natural  Curiosities 80 

Erie  County — History  of 71-345 

"        "          Mutual   Fire  In- 
surance Co 480 

Erie  Countv — Natural   Gas    in     73 

"    '     Oil  Wells  in   . . .     73 

"         "  Organization  of..     74 

"         "  Original     Town- 

shijjsof 74 

Erie  County — Population  of... .     77 
"        "          Post-ofifices  in...     75 
"        "     Pre-Historic    D  i  s- 
coveries 80 

Erie  County — Products  of 72 

"     Rates  of  Taxation..    80 
"         "     Receipts   and    Ex- 
penditures of 78 

Erie  County  -  Regiments  in  the 
War  for  the  Union 209 

Erie  County — Savings   Banks.  479 
"         "           Schools  Prior  to 
General  Law 188 

Erie   Countv — Soil,   Chai-acter 
of : 72 

Erie  County — Soldiers,  War  of 
1812 137 

Erie  County— Streams,  Interior 
Lakes,    Bridges 81 

Erie  County — 'Teachers'   Insti- 
tute    190 

Erie  County   -Timber  of 73 

"         "           Topography  of.     71 
"         "           Townships,  For- 
mation of  New 74 

Erie  County — \'alleys.  Princi- 
pal      71 

ErieCounty-  Votes  Separately  216 

"     Day  Nursery 436 

"  Electric  Motor  Company  482 
"     Fair  Associations,  etc.  ...   194 

"     Female  Seminary 493 

"     Gas  Test  Well .527 

"  Horticultural  Society ... .  530 
"  Real  Estate  Title  Co....  484 
"     Rubber   Company   660 

Erie  State  Reserve 109 

"     Transfer  Company 483 

"     Yacht  Club 425 

Eriez,  Tribe  Exterminated. ...     92 

Esser,  Martin   H 752 

Etter.JohnW 717 

Evading  the  Liquor  Law 543 

Evangelical  German  St.  Paul's 
Church 142 

Evangelical  Association 142 

Evans,  George  W 794 

Evans,  Wm.  E 782 

Ewing,  Clark 673 

Exchange  for  Women's  Work, 
Erie 436 

Execution,  Only  Civil  in  Erie 
County 163-193 

Execution  of  Bird,  Rankin  and 
Davis 1.38 

Executive  Com.,  World's  Fair.  265 


I'ACE 

Executive  Officers,  Principal 
in  Pennsylvania 23 

Express  and  General  Carrying 
Companies 489 

Extensive  Land  Sales Ill 

Ey,  Herman 667 

Factories,   First 113 

"  Hotels  and  Business 

Houses,  Erie .536 

Fair  Grounds,  Erie 428 

Fairbairn,  Oscar  J 6.54 

Fairbairn,  John 662 

Fairview  Borough,  Description 

of 299 

Fairview   Borough,   Churches, 

etc 299 

Fairview  Borough,  First  Set- 
tlers   299 

Fairview  Borough,  Industries, 

etc. .300 

Fairview  Township,  Descrip- 
tion of 295-300 

Fairview     Township,    Church 

Organizations 298 

Fairview     Township,     County 

Officers 297 

Fairview  Township,  Early  Set- 
tlers   295 

Fairview       Township,       How 

Named 296 

Fairview  Township,  Lands  of, 

and   Value 296 

Fairview  Township,  Mills  and 

Bridges 296 

Fairview  Township,  Popula- 
tion of 296 

Fairview     Township,     Roads, 

Railroads  and  Canal 297 

Fairview     Townshiji,     School 

History 297 

Fairview      Township,      Stone 

Quarries 299 

Fairview  Township,  .Streams  of  296 
"  "  \'illagesin 

'..298-299 

Fales,  C.   W 718 

Family  Histories .593  to  896 

Farmers'  Alliance 193 

Farms,  Number  of,  \'alue.  Pro- 
duction, etc 25 

Farnsworth,  N.  A. . 800 

Farr,   C.    B 850 

Farrar.C.  W 636 

■•       F.  F 636 

"       Hall,  Erie 521 

"       Oliver... ^ 636 

"      W.  W 636 

Fast  Run  on  Lake  Shore  Rail- 
road   182 

Fassler,  Henry,  Jr 872 

Fehrenbach,  John 7.54 

Feisler,  Louis   E 7'23 

Felton.G.  J 849 

Fenningham,  Geo 711 

Ferguson,  Frank  L 805 

Fernald,  Geo.    H 834 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


909 


PAGE 

Fickinger,  Tobias '807 

Fifteenth  Regiment  N.  G.  P. .  624 

Final   Resting   Place  of    Gen. 
Wayne 98 

Finillay,  \Vm .24'^-  65 

Finances,  Erie  County  in  the 
Last  War 208 

Fire  Alarm  System,  Erie 413 

"     Apparatus    now    in    use, 
Erie 412 

Fire  Commissioners,  Erie 413 

"    Department,      Paid,     Or- 
ganized    411 

Fire  Engine  Houses,  Erie. . . .  412 
"     Limits,  Erie 414 

First  American  .Settlers,  Erie.  388 
"      Baptist  Church,  Erie. .. .  4.51 

"      Building  in  Erie 389 

"      Borough  Officers,  Erie. .  299 
"      Catholic  Services  in  Erie 
County 138 

First  Christian  Church,  Erie. .  463 
"     Divided  into  Wards,  Erie  389 

"     Draft 203 

"     Election  Districts  in  Erie 
County 216 

First  Election  in  Erie  County.  215 
"     Election   of    Lieutenant- 
Governor  246 

First  Erie  Bank 478 

"     P'ire  Steamer,  Purchased, 
Erie 411 

First  F"ree  Soil  County  Ticket.  233 

"     House  in   Erie 543 

"     Jury  Commiss'rs,  Elected.  241 

"     .Market  House,  Erie 522 

"     Marriages,     Births,   and 
Deaths 114 

First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  Erie 4.52 

First  National  Bank,  Erie. .. .  479 
"     November  Election,  State 
and  County 247 

First  Presbyterian  Church,Erie  437 
"  Prohibition  Movement..  .  229 
"     Propeller  on  Lake  Erie.  .   126 

"     Public  Library  Law 491 

"     Purchasers  of  Land Ill 

"     Regular  Preachers 139 

"  School  Houses  in  Erie. . .  485 
"  Settlement  in  Erie  County  107 
"     Settlers  in  Erie  County. .   113 

"     Shows  and  Circuses 198 

"  Spiritual  Society,  Erie. . .  466 
"     Steamboat  on  the  I^akes.   126 

"     Thank.sgiving 200 

"     Things    (C*nals,    Rail- 
roads,   etc.) 23 

First  Universalist  Church,  Erie  463 
"     Wedding  in  Erie  County.  543 

First  White  Men  and  Women.  113 
"      White      Woman,       Erie 

County 557 

"     War     Meeting     in    Erie 
County " 201 

First    Water    Commissioners, 

Erie 409 

58 


VAGV. 

First  Women,  Erie 389 

Fiscus,  Jas.  D 714 

Fish  and  P'ishing  Business. ...     88 

Fish  and  Fisheries 25 

Fish  Hatcheries,  State 148-381 

Fish,  Henry  E 639 

Fisherman's  Paradise, Erie  Bay  423 

Fishing  Industry,   Erie 423 

Fitzmaurice,  Chas 716 

Thos 719 

Flag  of  the  United  States. . .    .     24 

Fleming,    Benjamin 725 

"  Hugh  Brady 635 

Hugh  Neely 698 

"  Gen.  James 635 

"  Thomas 725 

Fletcher,  David  P 727 

S.   H 727 

Flickinger,  Conrad 669 

Geo  669 

Wm.  B 669 

Flint,  Dr.  John    F 500 '^-626 

Floods,  Great 24-200 

Flood-Siblev  Campaign 259 

Flouring  Mills,  Erie 498 

Flury,  Jacob 980 

John  J 680 

Flynn,  Patrick 891 

Follett,  R.  J 775 

Fogel,  Wm.   S 717 

Foote,  Frank  D 720 

Foran,   Michael 677 

Forbes,  C.  R 778 

Forman,  Chas.  P 612 

LA 338J4-611 

Foringer,  Dr.  H.  H 645 

Founder  of  the  State 23 

Forster,  Col.  Thos 549 

"        Thomas.Jr 549 

Forts     Presque    Isle   and    Le- 

Bteut,  Descriiition  of  101   102  106 
Fort  Presque  Isle,  Capture  of.     93 
"  "  Indians     and 

English  at 94 

Fort  Presque  Isle,  Occupied  by 

Americans 94 

Fox,  Gustavus  A 774 

Fralick,   Alfred 765 

Francisco,  Hung  for  Murder. .   193 

Franklin,  Benjamin 25 

Chas 730 

"  James 700 

Julius 730 

Franklin  Center 301 

Franklin  Township,  History  of 

300-302 

Franklin   Township,    Descrip- 
tion of 300 

Franklin  Township,  Early  Set- 
tlers   .    ......  300 

Franklin    Township,     Mills, 

Churches  and  Scliools 301 

Franklin  Township,  Roads  in.  301 
"  "  Streams 

of 301 

Franklin  Township,  \'alue  of 
Farm  Lands   in 301 


P.AGE 

Franklin    Township,     Village 

and  Stone  Qi^arry 301 

Franz,  Frank  E 641 

Fraternal  Mystic  Circle 474 

Free  Kindergarten.  Erie 4.'jG 

"     Public  Library  Law   491 

"    School  Books 489 

"     Soil  County  Ticket.  First  232 

Freeport 339 

French  and  British  Claims. .. .     99 
"         "  "      Occupation 

99-102 

French   and    English    in   Erie 

County 92-  99 

French  and  British  War 100 

"       Creek   and  Branches  .     83 
"       Evacuate  Fort  Presque 

Lsle lfJ2 

French  Explorers,  Early 99 

"       Forts 101-2 

"       Take  Possession 99 

"       Road 102 

"       Soldiers  in  Erie  and  Le 

Boeuf 99 

French  War 42-101 

Fries  Rebellion   37 

Fritz,  Jacob 670 

Froby,  Edward 777 

Fruits  Grown  in  the  State 24 

Fuessler,  A.... 782 

Fuhrmann,  Julius 687 

Furniture     and     Fine     Wood 
Work 498 

Gaither,  Chas.  A 697 

Geo.  A 696 

Galbraith,  .Andrew 548 

"  Bertram .548 

Daven])ort 549 

James 548 

lames,  Jr 548 

John 548 

lohnW 549 

judge  John...  168 ■<$ -548 

Robert 548 

William  A.... 200 '/^-549 
John,  Elected  Presi- 
dent Judge 231 

Galbraith-i.owrey  Contest 238 

William  A.,  Elected 

President  Judge 248 

Gallagher  Family 586 

Geo.  W 587 

Wm.  M 587 

Game  Laws  of  Pennsylvania. .     26 
"      Wild,  in  Erie  County. . .   115 

Gara.  Isaac  B 578 

(larlield  and  Arthur  Elected. .  250 

Clarri.son  Reservation 109 

Garvev,  Martin  J 748 

Gates,' Geo.  C 862 

Gazette,  Erie 173 

Geary.  lohn  W 48 !i-  67 

Geist.  Jacob 815 

General   Description    of    Erie 
Countv 71-  73 


9IO 


ALPUABETICAL  TNDEX. 


PAGE 

General  Progress  of  Pennsyl- 
vania       26 

General  Statistics   of    Pojiula- 

tion .    •     78 

Geology  of  Erie  County TA 

German    Evangelical    Trinity 

Church 454 

German  InsurnnceCompany . .  481 
in  the  Public  Schools.  490 
"         Savings  Institution.  .  .  479 
"         St.  Paul's  Evan,i;elical 

Church ' 462 

German     Temple     Congrega- 
tion   466 

Getchell,  Geo.  E 730 

Gettysburg,  Battle  of 26 

Gibson,  Daniel  C 665 

"        Jesse 665 

Perry  A 665 

Giflford,  J.  P 801 

M.  V.  B 668 

Gill-Net  Fishing 423 

Gillen,  Henrv 681 

Gillette,  Orville  R 836 

Gingenbach,  Fred'k 688 

Gitting,  J.  J 804 

Girard  Borough 386 

"  "     Cemeteries   and 

Schools 307 

Girard  Borough,  Churches. . . .  306 
"  "  Hotels      and 

Factories 307 

Girard    Borough,    Miscellane- 
ous   308 

Girard    Borough,  Newspapers 

and  Bank 308 

Girard  Borough, Public  Square, 

Monument,  etc 307 

Girard     Township,    Churches 

and  Schools 305 

Girard       Township,       Public 

Officers 307 

Girard  Township,  Creeks,  Val- 
leys, etc 304 

Girard   Township,  Curiosities, 

Natural    304 

Girard    Township,  Early   Set- 
tlers  ••••.-••  302 

Girard     Township,    Historical 

302  309 

Girard  Township,  How  named  302 
"  "  Lands    and 

Values 303 

Girard    Township,    Hills    and 

Mounds 304 

Girard'  Township,    Population 

of 302 

Girard     Township,    Railroads 

and  Canals 303 

Girard  Township,  Roads,  etc..  303 
\'illages  of..  302 

Girard  Station 305 

Glenwood  Park 428 

Glezen.  G.  J 859 

Glick,  Chas.  R 662 

Goalding,  Geo.  J 688 

Golden,  Anna 679 


PAGE 

Golden,  Bartholomew 679 

"        James  P 679 

"         John  Benson 679 

Mary  \" 679 

T.  G 679 

Gossman,  S.  J 830 

Gospel  Hill 318 

Gough,  Frank  A 843 

Robert 842 

Gould,  Edward  P 660 

Gourley,  \V.  J 805 

Government       .Appropriations 

for  Erie  Harbor 419 

Government  Engineers  at  Erie  420 
Government    Vessels    on    the 

Lakes 127 

Governors     of     Pennsylvania, 

Biographies  of 65-  68 

Governors,   List  of 26 

Governor's  Guard,  Erie 524 

Grabowsky,  Stephen 749 

Grace  Mission,  Erie 445 

Graham,  W'm 673 

Grahaniville 339 

Grain  Elevators  at  Erie 421 

Grain  Receipts,  where  from...  422 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic...  474 
Grand  Efforts  for  Charity. . .  .528 

Grange,  The 194 

Granger,  Lee 835 

Grant  and  Colfax  Elected   .  . ..  241 
and  Wilson  Elected. . . .  245 

•  "      Benjamin .581 

"      F.'W   582 

"     Jno.  F 759 

"      Peter 737 

"      'Wm.  J 688 

Graphic  (Sunday) 175 

Grape  Interest,  The 200-339 

Graveyards  of  the  Indians. ...     95 

Graveyards,  Old 144 

Gray,  W.  M 728 

Great   Floods 200 

Great    Lakes,  Origin   of  their 

Names 86 

Greeley,  Horace,  in  Erie 191 

Greeley  Family  in  Erie  Co  . . .  382 

Green,  James  L 838 

Lewis  838 

Greene     Township,    Common 

.Schools 312 

Greene  Township,  County  Offi- 
cers   312 

Greene  Township,  Early   Set- 
tlers   310 

Greene    Township,    Hamlets, 

Churches,  etc 31 1 

Greene  Township,  History  of. .   310 
"  "  Lands    and 

Streams  and  Mills 310 

Greene  Township,  Roads  and 

Railroads 311 

Greenback     Party,     National, 

Started 247 

Greenfield,  Dr.  'Willard 047 

Greenfield    Township,    Public 
Officers 314 


PAGE 

Greenfield  Township,  Descrip- 
tion of .312-315 

Greenfield  Township,  in  Gen- 
eral.  314 

Greenfield  Township,  Pioneers 

of 313 

Greenfield  Township,  Streams, 

Postoffices,  etc 313 

Greenfield  township.  Villages, 

Churches,  .Schools 314 

Grimshaw,  C 848 

Griswold  Defeats  Sibley 261 

Griswold-Tilden  Contest 257 

Grist  Mills 116 

Grove  House 428 

Grow's  Immense  Majority 260 

Growth  of  Manufacturing 119 

Growth  of  the  Public  Schools..  491 

Grubb,  Benjamin 610 

Family,  Pioneers 610 

"       John,  Commands   First 

Troops  at  Erie 610 

Grumblatt,  Peter  C 755 

Gucks,  Jacob 858 

John 858 

"Gulfs"  in  Erie  County 80-  81 

Gunnison  Family 560 

Albert  B 298  ■^-562 

"  Benjamin 560 

Charles  E....  272!^-561 

"  Ebenezer  D 560 

Frank 561 

Hugh 560 

John  B 561 

"  Jonas 561 

"         Merrick  L 562 

Ora  C 562 

■William 560 

Haas,  Joseph,  Jr 817 

"      Joseph,  Sr 817 

Haibach,  John  H 817 

"         Joseph 817 

Hagmann,  Joseph 701 

-Wm.  A 809 

Hale,  Frederick  W 735 

Hall,  Chas.  T 786 

"     Chas.  T.,  Sr 786 

"     John  E 729 

"      Horace  C,  M.  D 649 

'■      !ohn   H 859 

■  "      J.Robert 412K-789 

"      Rev.  H.C 649 

Hallock,  John  K 640 

Rev.  John  K 640 

Hamilton,  Ira 811 

James  'W 892 

Hammond,  David 834 

John  S 841 

"  Samuel  Smith....  834 

Hamot  Hospital,  Erie 433 

P.  S.  V 120^^-669 

Hamot,  Settlement  of 310 

Hanley,  James  P . .  655 

John 655 

Hannon,  B.J 728 

Harbor  Improvements,  Erie  .  419 
.Masters,  Erie 406 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


911 


I' AGE 

Harbor  Creek  Fire    Insurance 

Co 481 

Harbor  Creek,  Village 317 

Harbor        Creek       Township, 

Churches,  Schools,  etc 318 

Harbor  Creek  Township,  Pub- 
lic Officers 318 

Harbor  Creek  Township,  De- 
scription of 315-319 

Harbor  Creek  Township,  Mills 

and  Factories 316 

Harbor  Creek  Township,  Pio- 
neers of 315 

Harbor       Creek       Township, 

Roads,  Railroads,  etc 316 

Harbor       Creek        Township, 

Streams  and  Gullies 316 

Harbor  Creek  Township,  \'il- 

lages 317 

Hard  Coal  Docks,  Erie 420 

Harding,  Albert  F 81-2 

Hardwick,  John  W 613 

William 612 

Hare  Creek,  Settlement  of . . . .  381 

Harper,  Wm.  W 689 

Harrisburg    and    Presque   Isle 

Company 108 

Harrison  and  Van  Buren  Cam- 
paign   192 

Harrison  and  Tyler  elected. . .  225 

"  "      Morton  elected.  256 

Gen.  Wm.  H.,  in  Erie  136 

Hart,  E.A 851 

Edmund 851 

Hartleib,  Mathias 820 

Hartranft,  John  F 48;^-  67 

Harugaris,  The 474 

Harvest  Home  Picnic 194 

Hasbrook,  A.  L 763 

Haskins,Chas.  P 700 

Hastings,  Daniel  H 56 >4-  68 

"  Elected  Governor.. .  260 

Hatch,  Adinijah 760 

"      Daniel  W 760 

"      Jason  C 760 

"      Roswell 760 

Hatch  Hollow 288 

Hathawav,  C.  X 657 

"      '   E.  M 791 

Haverstick,  Henry  B 668 

John  D 668 

McCauley 668 

Haybarger,  Geo 725 

Geo.  Sr 726 

Hayes,  I.  C 894 

Haves-Tilden  Campaign 247 

Hayes,  W.  E 650 

Haynes,  James  X 894 

"Head,"  The 426 

Health  Officers,  Erie 406 

Heard,  A.  B 715 

"      Dr.  Amos  B 832 

"      George 715 

"       Randolph 715 

Hebrew  Cemetery,  Erie 469 

Churches 143 

"  Societies,  Erie 475 


PAGE 

Heidecker,    Henry 811 

Heimberger,  Jacob 756 

Heiss,   Samuel 672 

Heister,  Geo.  W 758 

Hellman.Adam 809 

John 749 

Henneous,  Fred 889 

Henry,  John  W 691 

Henderson,   Joseph 858 

Wm 858 

Herald,  The  Erie 175 

Hermann,  Peter 818 

Hershev,   Benjamin 824 

"    ■      W.  W 827 

Hespelein,  Michael 670 

Hess,  John  W 818 

Heuer,  Edward 743 

John 743 

Hewitt,  Wm.M   819 

Heydrick,  Balthazer 639 

Chas 639 

Chas.H 639 

"'        Dr.  Christopher 639 

PeterC 639 

Heywang,  G.  W 763 

Hicks,  Johns 706 

Hiesler,  Joseph 32>4-_65 

Higgins,  Geo.  H 638 

High  Constables  in  Erie,  List  of  406 

High  School,  Erie   487 

High  War  Prices 208 

Highest  Elevations  in  Erie  Co.     72 
Highest   Pomts  on  P.  &  E.  R. 

R.  in  Erie  County 184 

Highland  Light,  Erie 176 

Hill,  Homer "M 713 

"     Wm 659 

"    Wm.  H 659 

Hillman,Rev.  Benj.  E 835 

Hilton,  Archibald 612 

Capt.  John  C 612 

Family 612 

William  E 612 

Himrod,  Aaron 582 

Family 582 

"        Simon 583 

William,  Sr 583 

William,  Jr  583 

"       Mission  Sunday  School 

Erie 467 

Hinkle,  John  A 816 

History  of  Erie   County. . .  .71-345 
History  of  Erie  County  Regi- 
ments   209 

Hodgins,  Dr.  James  A 864 

Hoenes,   Fred  C  772 

Hoffman,    Edward 796j4-642 

"         Frederick 723 

Hogan,   Hobart 737 

Holcomb,  Chas 746 

Holden,  Anthony  .M 878 

Holidays,  Legal   27 

Hollands,  Caleb 651 

Holland  Land  Companv 108 

HoUiday,  Maj.  Samuel'V 582 

Samuel,  Sr 582 

William... 582 


PAGE 

Holmes,  A.  J 727 

Holmwood,  Henry .  699 

Home  for  the  F"riendless,  Erie  432 
Homeopathic      Hospital     and 

Free  Dispensary 436 

Homestead   Riots 38 

Hope  Mission,  Erie 452 

Hoover,   Samuel .  808 

Hopkins,  L 794 

Horace  Greeley,  an  Erie  Sun- 
day School  Scholar 143 

Horace   Greeley,    Brief   Resi- 
dence in  Erie 191 

Hough,  Robt.  B 651 

Howard,  H.   C 783 

"        Henry 783 

How  Erie  was  Laid  out 389 

"     the  Pioneers  Lived 114 

Hoyt  and  Stone  Elected 249 

"      Henry  M 56-4-  67 

HubV)ard,  James 779 

"         Louis  E 736 

\V.  S 777 

Huff,  Gabriel 678 

Hughson,  C.   M 757 

Hull,  Wm.   C 702 

Humboldt  Savings  Bank,  Erie  479 

Hume,  A.  B 803 

Humes,  Henry  J 872 

"        Joseph 872 

Humjihrev,  Dr.  Jonas 870 

Hunt,  Daniel  W 636'4-892 

"      J.  H 726 

"      J.  F 722 

"       Simeon 892 

Huntly,  Orange  S 862 

Orrin 862 

Hunter,  Capt.   Robt 815 

Chas.   E.  B 876 

Dr.  Wallace  R 646 

Huster,  Chas  686 

Hutchinson,  David  W 619 

"  Family 619 

.Myron 619 

"  Monroe 619 

Hyke,  \V.  H   783 

Ignasiak,  Rev.  Andrew 663 

Improved  Order  of  Red  Men.  476 
Incidents  before  the  Battle  of 

Lake  Erie 134 

Incorporated   as    a     Borough, 

Erie 389 

Independent  Order  of  Forest- 
ers   475 

Independent  School  Districts.  190 
Indians  and  British  at  Erie...   102 

Indian  Councils 95 

"       Historv 91-96 

Hostilities 106 

Indians  Offended 104 

Indian  Purchases 96 

Indians.  The 27-91-  96 

Indian  Threats 95 

"      Titles 28 

"       X'illages     and     Grave- 
yards  ." 96 


ALPUABETtCAL  INDEX. 


I'AGE 

Indian  Wars  and  Disturbances    28 

Indigent,  Care  of 147 

"  Insane,  Care  of 147 

Inflated  Currency,  Its  Effects.  208 
Inscription  on  Wayne's  Monu- 
ment      98 

Introduction  of  Steamboats  on 

Lake  Krie 126 

Introduction     of    Steam    Fish 

Boats  at  Erie   424 

Iron  and  Iron  Ore 28 

Irons,  Joel  li.,  D.  V.  S. . .  .788)4-681 
Iron     Works,      First    in      the 

County 119 

Iron    Works    (.MiscellaneousJ, 

Erie 498 

Iro<|Uois,  Tribe  of 92 

Irvine's  Reservation 109 

Irwin,  W.  W 721 

Jackson,  A.  C 041 

"         A  ndrew.  Elected 

President 220 

Jackson,  Andrew,  Re-elected.  221 

"        James 641 

James  P 8.50 

Jacobs,  Frank  A 700 

Jacobson,  C.  M O.W 

Jail,    County W'i 

Jail  Expenses 1-51 

Jameson,  Clark  D   883 

Janes,  Heman 532',^-629 

"       James 886 

.Marvin    E 886 

Jansen,  -Xndrevv  P 693 

Jafjuay,  Rev.  KelseyT 878 

Jarecki,  Alexander  H 61.5 

"        August 614 

"        Capt.  Gustav 614 

Charles ..  870 

•■  ■      Chas.  W 614 

•:         Frederick 615 

"         Frederick,  Jr 615 

"  •      Henry 614 

"         Herman  T 614 

"        Oscar 615 

"        Theodore 614 

Jefferson,  Elected 215 

Re-elected   216 

John  Eliot  &  Co.,  Bankers,. . . .  479 
John  Qiiincv  Adams  Elected  by 

the  House 219 

Johnson,  Earnest  C 778 

Johnson,  Guy 714 

G.Watson 876 

Johnson's  "Swing  Around  the 

Circle," 240 

Johnson,  ■Wm.F 40 Ji-  60 

Johnston,  Joseph 599 

Johnstown  Flood 88 

Jones,  Bennett  T 676 

'■     1).   T 741 

"     Hugh 4.52,K-616 

"     Hugh,  Jr 617 

Jourdan,  John  T 729 

Judges,  Associate 151-268 

First  Elected 231 


P.VGE 

Judges  of   the  Superior  Court 

First  Elected 261 

Judge  of  the   Supreme  Court 

from  Erie  County 265 

Judges,  President,  District,  Ad- 
ditional Law,  etc. . .  .1.50  267-268 
Judge  Thompson's  Election  to 

Congress 227-228 

Judge  Trunkey's  Election 249 

Judicial  Districts 150 

Judicial  System  of  Pennsylva- 
nia       28 

Judson  Family 585 

"       Amos 585 

"       Amos  M 585 

"       Col.  P.  E 585 

Dr.  William 585 

"       P.  E 585 

Peter  P 675 

"        P.  P 585 

"       Seth .'..  585 

Timothy 585 

"       T.  M 377 

■wniliam 585 

Junior  Order  LI.  A.  M 475 

Jury      Commissioners,      First 

Elected 241 

Jury  Commissioners,  List  of.. .  276 
Justices    of   the    Peace,   First 

Elected 225 

Justices  of  the  Peace, List  of .  160-165 
"          "        "       and  Alder- 
men, Erie  City 406 

Justice  Family 586 

Capt.  John 586 

•'       John  M 586 

"       Joseph 586 

Kaltenbach,  Jacob 752 

Kalvelage,  John  li 642 

John  M 730 

Kamerer,  Jacob  F 868 

Kane,  M 719 

"      John 841 

Kearsarge 330 

Keepville 284 

Keller,  John ' 752 

Michael 758 

Kelley,  Geo.  B 877 

John 877 

"        John  L 666 

■ft'm.  J 757 

Wm.  S 795 

Kelsey,  Henry  C 655 

"        Samuel  H 655 

"        Joseph 655 

Kelso  Family 554 

"     A.  C 557 

."      Albert  J 556 

"      Gen.  John 555 

"      Edwin  J 556 

"      Melvin  M 556 

"      Melvin  M.,Sr 556 

"      Richard  B 5-57 

'■     'Wm.  C 557 

Kendall,  Dr.  E.  E 892 

Kennedy,  David 598 


I'AGK 

Kennedy,  Frederick  1 694 

Kent,  Geo.  L 685 

Kepler,  J.  C 748 )< -776 

Kepner,  Chas.  H 745 

Kerner,  Anton  J 757 

Kernick,  'Wrii.,  Jr  780 

Kessler,  Christian 6.56 

Henry 608 

Kester,  Levi 666 

Ketcham,  Earl  M 840 

Keystone  State,  Origin  of  Name    28 

Kilburn,  X.  P 772 

Kibler,  Dr.  C.  B 771 

Kidder,  John 842 

Kimberlv,  Geo.  B .572;^-745 

Kimball,'Wm.  B 879 

Kincaid,  S.  E 770 

Kindergarten  System 494 

King,  Cyrus    H 885 

Family 613 

"       Capt.  Robt 585-613 

"       Alfred 614 

"       Josiah 614 

"       Thomas 614 

Wilson 614 

King  of  France  in  Erie 191 

Kingtown 397 

Kinsev,  Mathew  L 714 

Klennii,  Charles  H 709 

Klick,  Joseph 823 

Kline,  W.  G 713 

John  A 713 

Klocker,  Rev.  Bernard  H 682 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor..  475 
and  Ladies  of  .Macca- 
bees    475 

Knights  of  Honor 475 

"        of   Labor 475 

of  Malta 47.5 

"        of  Pythias 475 

of  St.  John  and  Malta.  475 
"       of  the  Golden  Eagle...  475 

Knochel,  Valentine 755 

Know-Nothingism,  Rise  of 233 

Koch,  Moses 404  J^ -814 

Kocher,  Jacob,  Sr 811 

Koehler,  Jackson 742 

Charles 852 '^-743 

Fred 743 

L.  C 753 

Kopcke,  Wm.  T 836 

Kramer,  Daniel  J 702 

Kraus,  Edward 712 

Kreider,  H.  L 829 

John 829 

"         I.  E 794 

Krug,  J.  G 669 

"      Max  A 041 

Kuch,  Edward 736 

"      George 692 

"       Phillip 736 

Kuhl,  Peter,  Sr 785 

Kuhn,  Joseph  F 698 

Kurtis.  Col.  Adam 750 

Lachermaier,  Rev.  James 682 

Ladies'  Aid  Society  in  the  War  202 


ALPHABETICAL  lA'DEX. 


913 


PAGE 

Ladies  Auxiliary,  V.  M.  C.  A.  466 
"       Catholic  Mutual  Bene- 
fit  Association 473 

Ladies  of  the  L\  \'.  L 477 

Lafayette's  \"isit  to  Erie 191 

Land  Agents  and  Surveyors,. .   110 

"      Companies 708 

Lands,  First  Purchasers  of . . . .  Ill 
"       First  Sales  of  in    Erie 

County Ill 

Land  Grants 110 

Lands,  Litigation  over Ill 

Legislation  Regarding.  107 

Land  Speculation   in  1836 112 

Lakes  in  Pennsylvania 29 

Lake  and  Railroad  Business, 

Erie 512 

Lakes  Conneauttee,  Le    Boeuf 

and    Pleasant 85 

Lake   Disasters 128 

"       Erie  Described 86 

Lakes,  Fishing  Industry  of  . . .     89 
"       Interior  of  Erie  County     85 

Lake  Navigation   125-131 

"      Pleasant  Road 122 

"     Road 121 

"     Shore    Masonic     Relief 

Association 530 

Lake  Shore  R.  R 182 

"      Shore  \isitor,  Erie 175 

"      Shore  Streams 84 

Lakeside  Cemetery  Association  471 

Park 425 

Lambein,   Martin 756 

Lander,    Francis 781 

Landsrath,  John 874 

Lane,  John'  F 726 

Lang,  Alfred  P 821 

"     Charles  A 748 

Language  of  Pennsylvania ....     29 

Lapsley,  John  E 823 

Large  .Military  Force  at  Erie. .   136 
Largest  Picnics  and   Fairs....  532 

La.st  Whig  National  Ticket 231 

Later  Erie  Military  Companies  624 
Later  Public  Houses,  Erie. .  . .  518 

Laurie,  Frank.   774 

Lavery,  \illage  of 294 

Law,  Cha<-les  A 865 

Laws,  Harry  E 736 

Law  Library  in  Erie  County.  .   160 
Lawrence  and  Niagara,  The. .   137 

Lawyers,   Early 153 

Leary,  John 780;-<-738 

Le  Barron,  O.  D 883 

Le  Boeuf  Township,  Character 

of  the  Land 320 

Le  Boeuf  Township,  Churches 

and  Schools 321 

Le    Boeuf   Township,   Creeks, 

Mills  and  Bridges 319 

Le     Boeuf      Township,     First 

White  Settlers 319 

Le   Boeuf   Township,   History 

of 319-323 

Le    Boeuf    Township,    Indian 
Camping  Ground 321 


PAGE 

Le     Boeuf    Township,     Land 

Grants 320 

Le    Boeuf    Township,  Roads, 

Quarries  and  Railroads 321 

Le  Boeuf  Township,  State  and 

County  Officials 322 

Le  Boeuf  Township,  Value  of 

Lands 321 

Le  Boeuf  Station 322 

Leading  Products  of  Pennsyl- 
vania       29 

Leech,  John  W 617 

Leemhuis,  F.  G 734 

P.L 734 

Legal  Width  of  Streets  in  Erie  394 
Legislation,  Restriction  Upon.     29 
Legislature,  Number  of  Mem- 
bers, etc 29 

Lerch,  Henry  Clay 682 

Letter   Carrier   System   Intro- 
duced in  Erie 630 

Leube,  Frederick 829 

Leuschen,  Nicholas 731 

Lewis,  Harry  W 711 

Henrv 887 

John  Randolph 888 

"    •  Richard  R 866 

Lexington 284 

Libraries,   Art    Galleries    and 

M  useums 29 

Liberal  Rejjublican  Movement  245 
"       War   Subscriptions   in 

Erie 201 

Liberty  Bell,  The 29-200 

Lichtinger,  Anton 752 

Lick,  C.  V 777 

Liebel  House,  Erie 619 

Lieutenant      Governor,     F'irst 

Elected 247 

Lieutenant  Governors,  List  of.     27 

Life  Saving  Service,  Erie 131 

Light  Houses  at  Erie 130 

Light  House  Keepers  at  Erie.   130 

Lime  and  Cement  Trade  632 

Works 500 

Lincoln's  Address  at   Gettys- 
burg  .' . .     27 

Lincoln  and  Hamlin  Elected. .  237 
"        "    Johnson  Elected.  239 

Lincoln's  Beard 344 

Lindsley,  Cvrenus 861 

Judah 861 

L.  O 764 

Link,  Frank 748 

Liquor  Amendment  Defeated..  257 
List  of  Erie  Coun»y  Attorneys  164 
"    "   Chiefs     Fire     Depart- 
ment    414 

List    of    District  and   County 

Officials ...267-277 

List  of  Erie  Mayors 536 

"    "   Fire  Commissioners 413 

"    "   Principals,   Erie    High 

School 487 

List  of  School  Directors,  Erie, 

1834-95 488 

List  of  State  Officials 264-267 


PAGE 

List  of  L'.  S.  Officials 262-264 

"    "   Water  Commissioners..  411 
Literary  and  Other  Societies, 

Catholic 473 

Little,  Christopher 717 

Live  .Stock,  Statistics  of,  etc.. .     29 
Living,  Primitive  Modeof. ...   114 

Livingston,  Charles 747 

Hotel,  Erie 520 

Local  Issues  Supersede  Party.  234 

Local  Names,  Erie 396 

Local     Option,   Adopted    and 

Repealed 245 

Location  of  the  City  of  Erie..  392 

Lochner,  Amand 674 

"  Nicholas 674 

Locke,  Philip  A 616 

Lock  port   Borough 309 

Loesch,  William 671 

Loffi,  John 781 

Loomis,  Dyer,  .Sr 835 

Dyer,  Jr 8*5 

"        James 776 

John  Jay 8:» 

Joseph  W  836 

Rufus    S 838 

Loop,  Charles 839 

■'       Dr.  D.  D 8*3 

"       Peter 8*i 

Lord,  Hugh  Compton-  ■  ■  ■ 640 

"      Judge  Samuel 640 

"      William  Lee 860 

"      Samuel  P 883 

Loss  of  Life  on  the  Lakes. . . .   128 

Louch,  Abraham  J 671 

Love,  James  F 654 

"      Samuel 6.54 

Lovell's  Station   291 

Low  Water  in  Lake  Erie 5*3 

Lowrv,  Commodore  R.  B 618 

"   '   R.  St.   P , 618 

Lowville 362 

Ludwig,  E.  D 616 

Lumber  and  Building  Material.  .500 

"        Interests,  Erie 531 

Lund,  Peter 7-54 

Lundy's   Lane  Mission,  P.   E. 

Church 445 

Lunger,  Isaac  Y 892 

Jacob 892 

Lutheran  Church,  Early. .  .140^54 

Lynch,  Col.  Charles   M 661 

Patrick 854 

Lyon,  Aaron  E 839 

Francis  K 839 

"       Rev.  Geo.  .A 589 

"       Marshall  W   868 

Lyons,  Andrew 89() 

Lucv  M 796 

Lvsaght,  Michael 699 

Lytle,  S.  F 724 

MacQueary,  Rev.  Howard  T. .  644 

Mackres,  Dr.  Henry  O 767 

Madison,  Twice   Elected 217 

Magvon,  Henrv  E 798 

Mail  Routes,  Old 124 


9'4 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


PAGE 
Maine      Liquor      Law     \'otecl 

Down '233 

Maitland,  Dr.  E.  E 845 

NLilinowski,  J  oseph 707 

Malthaner,  jiicob (i97 

Malt  Houses,  Erie 501 

NLinchester 298 

Mandeville,  M 7fii) 

Mansold,  John    V 807 

Mann,  Charles  F 747 

Mansion  House,  Erie 519 

Manufactures,   Pennsylvania..     30 
Manufacturing,  Growth  of . . . .   119 
Statistics,  1880 

•90-'94 496 

Manufactories,  Leading  in  Erie  496 

"  Maples,  The,"  Erie 428 

Map  of  Erie  County,  O])posite 

Title  Page 

Marine  National  Bank,  Erie.  .   480 

Markhani,  Lucius 874 

Marks,  Charles  S 825 

Marshall,  F.  F 639 

James  C 639 

Robert 842 

R.  W   842 

Martin,  ..\.  E 849 

"        Agrippa  D 792 

'■       G.  E 725 

Martz,  Charles  M.  S 677 

"        James  G 677 

Samuel 677 

Marvin  Family 558 

Elihu 136K-558 

Elisha 558 

Enoch 558 

Selden 558 

William  E 558 

Marvintown,  \'illage  of 397 

NLison  and  Dixon's  Line 30 

"      Edgar 846 

^L^.sonic  Societies,  List  of   in 

Erie 475 

Masonic  History 530 

Massassauga    Hotel,  etc 520 

Mattison,  Emery  S 889 

Reuben 889 

Shelden 889 

Mayors  of  Erie,  List  of 399 

McAllister,  Clark 762 

McBrier,  James 623 

McCarter,  Joseph '264  ■•<-603 

Wm.  F 603 

McCarthy,  Jeremiah 754 

McClure,  John   705 

Robert  T 705 

McCoy,  \V.  R 805 

McCrny,  Chapman  B 764 

Wilson  C 763 

McCreary,  Cassius 6'22 

Gen.  D.  B.... 282 '4-620 

"  Joseph  J. 6'22 

Samuel  S 621 

Winfield  S 621 

McCurry,  V 8'25 

McDonald,  Ralph  W.,  D.  D.  S  793 
Mclntyre,  John 867 


PAGE 

McKean,  Thomas 24^-  65 

Town.ship 323 

"  "  Churches, 

Schools,  Roads,  etc 3'24 

McKean  Township,  Early  Set- 
tlers   323 

McKean      Township,     Lands 

and  Streams 323 

McKean  Township,  Mills   and 

Factories...   324 

McKean  Township,    State  and 

County  Officers 325 

McKean  Township,  Villages..  324 

McLane,  Col.  John  W 635 

McLane,  Village  of 366 

McLallen's  Corners 367 

McLean,   Frank  E 864 

McLean,  J.  C 864 

McMahon,  Daniel 653 

John  J 735 

McMullen,  Andrew  K.,  M.  D..  6'24 

McXerney,  J.    M 732 

McPherson,  Dr.  A 646 

McSparren  Family 615 

Albert  J 616 

Archibald 615 

Archibald,  Jr 616 

Chas.  Archibald..   616 

Clark 616 

"  Frank 616 

"  James 615 

John 616 

"  Joseph 615 

Rev.  Archibald...   616 

William 616 

McWhorter,  William 710 

Meagher,  L.  B 718 

Mechanical    Drawing    School, 

Erie 490 

Medical  Societies,  Erie  County  171 

"         Societies,  Erie 476 

Meehan,  William  P 702 

Meeker,  George   B 732 

John  O 732 

Mehl,  Edward 804^^-709 

Memorable  Event,  A 533 

Mercantile  Agencies,  Erie. . . .  512 
"  A])])raisers,  List  of.  277 

Mercer,  Prof.  W.  R 891 

Merchants'    and    Manufactur- 
ers' Electric  Co.,  Erie 482 

Merchant     Vessels    on    Lake 

Erie 1'25 

Mertens,  Frederick  E   670 

"         Louis 693 

Messenger,  SunJay,  Erie.    ...   176 

Metcalf,  George  K 567 

"         Joseph  P 567 

Prescott 192^^-566 

MethodTst         Episcopalian 

Church 139 

Methodist  Church,  African...  143 
Methodist     Church,    Early   in 

Erie  County 139 

Methodist  Church,  Wesleyan. .   144 
Methodist  Episcojial  Churches, 
Erie 447 


PAGE 

Methodist  Epi.scopal  Church 
Alliance 450 

Methodi.st  Episcojial  Confer- 
ences   450 

Metropolitan   Hotel,   Erie 520 

Metzner,  Orr  G 680 

John.... 680 

Meverhoffer,  Tobias 651 

Michaels,  M 769 

"Michigan,"  U.  S.  S.  Launched  1'27 

Middleboro,  Borough  of 326 

Mifflin,  Thomas 24^-  65 

Miles  Family 557 

"      James 557 

James,  Jr 558 

"      John  F 558 

"      William,  First  White  Set- 
tler   557 

Miles,  William,  Soldier 558 

Miles  Grove,  \"illage  of 305 

Military  Companies,  Early. . .  .   194 

"      '   Called  to  Erie 132 

"          Companies,     Modern 
in  Erie  524 

Military  System,  Old 194 

Military   System,    Present....     30 

Mill  Creek  Townshij), Churches 
and   Schools 329 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Early 
Settlers 332 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Election 
Districts 327 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Errors 
in  Survey 328 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Fair 
Grounds,  Military  Camp,  etc.  332 

Mill  Creek  Town.ship,  Fed- 
eral, State  and  County  Offi- 
cers   333 

Mill  Creek  Township,  First 
Frame  Barn  in  County 331 

Mill  Creek  Township,  History 
of 3'27 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Lands 
for  Support  of  Poor 328 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Mills 
and  Factories 332 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Popula- 
tion of 327 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Promi- 
nent Points 331 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Re- 
claimed Lands 334 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Reserva- 
tions and  "Gore" 327 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Roads, 
Railroads  and  Canal 329 

Mill  Creek  Township,  Streams 
and  Bridges 328 

Mill  Creek  Township,  the  Scott 
Farms 3;M 

Mill  Creek  Township,  the  Weis 
Library 334 

Miller.  Andrew  H 744 

'■       Capt.  G.  W 8'22 

"      Chas.  F   656 

"      Eugene  M 766 


ALPIIABETWAL   INDEX. 


915 


PAGE 

MiUcT,  John 686 

"       1.  Newton 858 

"      Thomas  R 859 

"      T.Jeff 753 

Mills,  George  C 778 

"       Darby 117-118 

Mill  Town 288 

Mill  \'illage,  Borough  of 322 

Minerals  of  Erie  County 73 

Mineral  Products  of   Pennsyl- 
vania     30 

Ministerial  Association,  Erie.  .   467 
Minority  Representation,  Erie 

County  Boards 247 

Misery  Bay 87 

Missimer,  H.  C 694 

Mitchell,  Adrain  J 707 

Mizener,  F.  A. . . 388 '4-652 

Modern  Cemeteries 144 

Motlern  Market  Houses,  Fine..  522 
Money  Matters  and  Politics...  204 

Montfort,  W.  J 793 

Montgomery,  Dr.  1.  H 645 

F.     L 639 

Monroe  Twice  Elected 218 

Morgan,  George  B 677 

Charfes 677 

Moore,  Dr.  M.  M 799 

"        Frederick 853 

George  R 863 

Frank  J 867 

Harry   L 867 

"       James 867 

Marshall 867 

Wilson 867 

John  F 672 

John  M 894 

Leslie  B 672 

Shelden  M 720 

Moore  House,  Erie 520 

Moorhead,  James  M 817 

Joseph  B 833 

Robert  J 832 

W.  K 817 

Moorheadville 317 

Moravian  Land  Grant ..109-320-347 

Morrell,  Marcus  L 859 

Morton  House,  Erie 520 

"       N.  M 825 

Moske,  Julius 758 

Mott's  Enormous  Majority.  . . .   233 

Motto  of  the  State 30 

Mulvin,  Henrv 761 

Munn,  J.  C..; 809 

Munsee,   John  \V 762 

Murphy,  Alfred  H 664 

J.C 790 

Patrick 708|<-694 

Murray,  E.  R 774 

JohnD 770 

Music,  Evening  Schools,  etc., 

Erie 490 

Musical  Organizations,  Erie... 

476-528 

Myers,  Geo.  H 784 

"      Samuel   C 784 

Mystic  Shrine,  Erie 476 


PAGE 

Nagle,  Bailey  P 653 

Nagle,  T.  H 653 

Nagosky,  Alois 828j^-663 

Barney 706 

Frank 757 

Name  of  State,  Origin  of 30 

Nash,  D.  E   856 

"      George 859 

Nason,  A.  H 794 

"      A.J 783 

National   Guard   of     Pennsyl- 
vania    524 

National  People's  Party   Start- 
ed  258 

National  Union,  Erie 476 

Natural  Curiosities,  Erie  Coun- 
ty      80 

Natural  Gas,  State 30 

Gas  Wells 527 

Gas     Wells    in     Erie 

County 73 

Native  American  Party  Organ- 
ized   228 

Native  American  Riots 28 

Nativity  of  the  Pioneers.   114 

Naval  Battle  of  Lake  Erie..  134-135 

"      Inspectors.  Erie 131 

"      Officers       from        Erie 

County 207 

Navigation     of     Lake      Erie, 

Early 125-131 

Navigation,  Opening  of  at  Erie  129 

Nellis,  Daniel 793 

"      Peter  H 793 

Neubauer,  Henry 812j^-746 

"  Frank 746 

New  Constitution  Adopted  ....  246 
"  "  in  Force. . . .  247 

"     Jerusalem 396 

"     Park  Opera  House,  Erie.  521 

New  Ireland   322 

News,  Erie  Evening 175 

Newspapers,    Number    of     in 

Pennsylvania 30 

Newspapers,    History  of   Erie 

County 173-177 

Newspapers  Outside  of  Erie. .  177 

Newton,  lohn  L 852 

"        M.  D 852 

"  Niagara,"  Place  Where  Sunk, 

etc 634 

Nichols,  Harry  H 790 

Nicholson,  Andrew 826 

Eliza 826 

"  George  W 826 

John' 826 

JohnE 826 

D.  W 657 

Nick,  Ernest 854 

"       William  C 670 

"Nickle  Plate"  R.  R 185 

Nickle  Works,  Erie 501 

Noble,  Charles  C 588 

"       Horace  W 588 

"       Orange 587 

Orange,    Defeated    for 
State  Treasurer 251 


PAGE 

Noble,  Theodore  F 588 

"       Light  Guard 524 

Norcross,  Andrew 818 

Peter  E 819 

Normal     School,     Edinboro. . 

148-189-368 

Norris,  Eben  H 697 

North  East  Borough 340 

"        "  "         Banks  and 

Hotels 343 

North  East  Borough,  Churches  341 
"        "  "  Incidents  344 

North    East     Borough,    Mills, 

Factories,  Water  Works ....  343 
North  East  Borough,  Newspa- 

[jers .343 

North    East    Borough,   Public 

.Schools 342 

North  East  Borough,  St.  Mary's 

College 341 

North  East  Township 336-345 

"         "  "  A  Great 

Grape  Section. 339 

NorthEast  Township,Churches 

and  Cemeteries 339 

North    East   Township,   Early 

Incidents 337 

North  East  Township,  Federal, 

State  and  County  Officers. . .  ;i44 
North    East   Township,    Mills 

and  Factories 388 

North  East  Township,  Pioneer 

Settlers 336 

North  East  Township,  Popula- 
tion   336 

North  East  Township,  Princi- 
pal Streams 338 

North    East  Township,  Roads 

and  Railroads 337 

North  East  Township,  School 

History 340 

North  East  Township,  Topo- 
graphy and  soil 336 

North   East  Township,  Value 

of  Land 336 

North  East  Township,  Villages, 

etc 3:39 

North  Springfield 349 

Northville 339 

North  -Star  Mission,  Erie 452 

North  Western    Pennsylvania 

Humane  Society 485 

North  Western  Pennsylvania, 

Counties  of 30 

Norton,  Harlow  D 862 

Notable  Law  Suit 156 

November  Election,  First 247 

Nowak,  John 695 

Nye,  F.  M 859 

"Nypano"  R.  R 185 

Oberkirch,  Frank 642 

O'Brien,  loseph  P 606 

Patrick   P 684 

"        Richard ,5.56'<-606 

"       W.  H 719 

Observer    Erie 174 


9i6 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


PAGE 
Odd  Fellows  Societies,  Erie...  47G 

■  O'Donnell,  .Arthur 748 

Oess,  Hartley 756 

C)fficcrs  of   the  Erie   Fire   De- 
partment  411 

Official     Positions     Held     by 

Erie  Attorneys IhH 

Ohmer,  Theodore 756 

Oil  Inspectors,  List  of 277 

"    Natural 81 

"    Refineries,  Eric. .      501 

"    Refinery  {2i.\)  in  Erie 741 

"    Wells  in  Erie  County 78 

(Jid  and   New  Fire  F^ngines. . .   410 

Oldach,  John  F 836 

Old       Fa.shioned      .Spelling 

Schools 189 

Old  Folks'  Home,  Erie 4:34 

"    French  Graveyard,  Erie.  .  469 

"   Graveyards   144 

"    Mail   Routes 1^4 

"Old    Ned"     (B.   F.   Crawford 

-Sketch) 850 

Old  Stage  Lines 124 

"   Style  Currency 198 

"   Time    Wages   and   Their 

Payment 119 

Old  Thoroughfares 120^124 

Oldest  Justice    of  the  Peace. .  318 

"       Men  and  Women 199 

Olds,  Asa  G 633-813 

"      Clark 637 

"      Joel  A 633 

"      Lewis  W 688  5^-637-813 

"      Melvin   J 633 

Olmstead,  William   E 764 

Oliver,  E.  J 716 

"      J.  M 716 

"       Thomas  F 775 

William 775 

One-Hundred     and    Eleventh 

Regiment 202-211 

One-Hundred   and   Forty-fifth 

Regiment 203-213 

Opening  of  Navigation,  Dates 

of  the 129 

Order  of  United  Friends,  Erie.  476 

(Jre,  Frank  H 801 

Original  Town  of    Erie 529 

Organization  of  Erie  County..     74 
Original  Townships  in  Erie  Co    74 

Orton,  Edmund 853 

E.   S 853 

Ownership  of  the  Peninsula.88-418 

Packer,  William  F 48>^-  67 

Page,  Charles  H 886 

"       Phineas 893 

Pageville 294 

Paid  Fire  Department  Organ- 
ized   411 

Pain,  Joseph  A 768 

Palace   Hotel,  Erie 520 

Palmer,    .Myron 521 

Paper     Mills     and     Chemical 

Works,  Erie 501 

Parade  Street  .Market  Houses, 
Erie 523 


PAGE 

Paradine,  Thomas  J 825 

Park  Hall,  Erie   521 

"     Home  Chapel,  Erie 489 

"     .Mission  Chapel,  Erie.  .  .  .  439 

"     0])era  House.  Erie 521 

"     Presbyterian  Church, Erie  438 
Park     Superintendents,      Erie 

List  of 406 

Parkview  House,  Erie 520 

Parsons,  James 876 

Party  Names   and     Organiza- 
tions   216 

Party  Names  in  Early  Days      216 
Patriotic  Order  Sons  of   Amer- 
ica, Erie 477 

Patrol  Wagon,  Erie  414 

Patrons  of  Husbandry. .  ■. 194 

Patten,  E.  W ' 898 

Patterson,  Freeman   821 

Patti.son  and  151ack  Elected.. .  252 

Pattison-Delamater  Contest...  .  257 

"      Robert  E.    ...56j^  67-  68 

Paupers,  Number  of  in  Penn'a.     32 

Pay  of  Firemen,   Erie 412 

Peace  with  the  Indians. ..  .95-106 

Pearce,  \.   S 896 

Peck,  Edmund 804 

"       G.  E 804 

"       Zolomon 804 

Peculiarities    of     Lake    Shore 

Streams 83 

Peninsula,  The 72-415-425 

Title  of 88-418 

Penn,  William 32 

Penn's   Wise    Provision 187 

Pennside 284 

Pennsylvania  Dutch,  Origin  of 

Language 29 

Pennsylvania   Historical,    De- 

.scriptive.   Statistical 19     44 

Pennsylvania  Natural  Gas  Co.  481 
"  One  of  the  First 

States  to  Provide  for  General 

Education...'.. 187 

Pennsylvania  Population  Co. .   107 
People's  Market  House,  Erie.  523 
Party,      National, 

Started  258 

"  People,  The,"   Erie 176 

Periods   of    Incendiary   Fires, 

Erie 413 

Period  of  -Soldier  Candidates. .  240 

Perley,  Samuel 680 

"       Seth  Todd 680 

Perry's  Arrival  in  Erie 183 

"       Famous  Fleet 188 

Dispatch 135 

"       Fleet,  How  Disposed  of  136 

"       Return  to  Erie 136 

"       Sojourn  at  Erie  183 

"      Victory  on  Lake  Erie. .   183 

Peters,  J.  F..'. 844 

Pettit,  Seth 841 

"      Thomas 841 

Petroleum,  Discovery  and  De- 
velopment of 33 

Phelps,  B.  H 769 


PAGE 

Phelps,  F.  S 649 

Philadelphia  &  Erie  R.  R  .  . .  .   183 
Dis- 
tances by 188 

Philadelphia,  Description  of..     34 

Phillips,  Dr.  J.  H 508>^-647 

Phillips,  Alfred  W 722 

Phillip.s,  James  H 832 

Phillip-sville 362 

Phy.sical  Features  of  the  StJUe     32 

Piano  Factories,  Erie .501 

Pickering,  Thomas 672 

Pierce  and  King  elected 231 

Earl 840 

Palmer 840 

Roice  S 840 

Pinney,  A.  S 6.i4 

■'  -      Horace  L 6.")4 

Pioneer  Lake  Captains 125 

"        Mechanics ■")29 

Pioneers,  Nativity  of  114 

Pitt.sburg,  Description  of 85 

Pittsburg,  Shenango  and  Lake 

ErieR.  R 185 

Piatt,  George 6445^-571 

Pleasure    Boats,    Erie 425 

Plumb,  W.  C 766 

I'olice  Call  .System,    Erie...    .  414 

Police  Department,   Erie 414 

Polish  Cemetery,  Erie 471 

Political  Contest,  An  Exciting.  192 
Political      Events,      1798      to 

1895 215-262 

Political  Harmony,  Era-of 218 

History, 'state 82 

"        Societies,  Erie 477 

Pollock  Family 629 

Adam   629 

Capt.  James 629 

Charles 629 

"  lames 629 

"I.   -Steele 629 

OtisW 629 

Robert 629 

"        Thomas 629 

lames 48;^-  66 

H.  W 805 

Matthew  810 

M.G 810 

Pont 294 

Pontiac's  Conspiracy 93 

Poor  F..\penses,  Erie  County..   147 

Population  of  Corry 78-586 

"    Erie  Citv.-. . .  .77-392 

"    Erie  County 77 

"    the  State 81 

"    the   U.  S.,   1790 

to  1890 8i 

Port  Business,  Erie 130 

Porter,  Frank  A 805 

"      David  R 48 >^-  66 

Postmasters  of  Erie 263 

"    Corry 540 

"    Waterford 377 

Postoffices  in  Erie  County. .  . .  75 
Pound-net  Fishing,  Lake  Erie.  424 
Pratt,  E.D .'^ 843 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


917 


PAGE 

Pratt,  Erastus 843 

Pre-Historic  Uiscoverit- s   80 

Presbyterian  Churches,  Erie..  443 
Presbyterians,  Earlv    in    Erie 

County ' 138 

Presbyterian   Synod,  etc 141 

Present  Hotels,  Erie 519 

Presidential    Candidates   from 

Pennsylvania 32 

Presidential  Electors 22-265 

"  Visitors  to  Erie. . .  191 

^'ote  of  the  State..     35 

President  Judges 267 

Presidents    of    City  Councils, 

Erie 400 

Presidents  of  the  State  Senate, 

List  of 265 

Presidents   of   the   U.  S.  from 

Pennsylvania 32 

Presque  Isle 87 

"       Bay 87 

Hotel,  Erie 543 

Press,  The,  of  Erie  County.173-179 
"  Organizations  in  Erie..  177 
"        Personal     Mention     of, 

Erie  Members  of 177-179 

Pressly,  Rev.  Joseph  H 587 

Price,  Giles  U 625 

Prices  Paid  for  Lots  in  Eriel. .  390 
Prices  and   Wages    in    Years 

Past 528 

Prices  During  the  Last  War.. .  208 
"      for  War   Substitutes  in 

Erie .• 207 

Primitive  Mode  of  Living 114 

Principal       Creeks      of     Erie 

County .• 82 

Principal  Docks  at  Erie 420 

Prisoners,  Number  of  in  Penn- 
sylvania       32 

Private  Bankers  in  Erie,  in  '61.  478 
Prohibition  Movement,  First...  229 
Propellers.  First  on  Lake  Erie.  126 

Projected  Railroads 186 

Proposed  Public  Library  Sys- 
tem    190 

Protected  Home  Circle,  Erie...  477 
Protection  of  the  Peninsula...  415 
Protective  Trades  and   Labor 

Organizations,   Erie 478 

Protestant  Denominations.. 140 -141 
"  Episcopal  Churches 

Erie 443 

Prothonotaries,  List  of 269 

Prothonotary,  First  One  Elect- 
ed     224 

Prothonotarv,      Register     and 

Recorder .' 224 

P.,  S.  &  L.  E.  R.  R 186 

Public  and  Private  Schools.  187-189 
"       Buildings,  Churches,etc. 

33-395 

Public     Halls    and    Places  of 

Amusement,  Erie 521 

Public  Houses,  Old 123 

Improvements,  State.  . .     33 
"       Markets,  Erie 622 


PAGE 

Public  Parks,  Erie 394 

Schools,  State 34 

"             "         County  Super- 
intendents of 274 

Public  Schools,  System.. .  .190-486 
"  "  Urged  by  the 

Early  Governors 187 

Public    Works    Sold     bv    the 

State .' 236 

Pump  Makers,  Erie 501 

Pupils  Erie  .Xcademy,  1844 492 

Putnam,  William 866 

William  M 866 

Quinn,  William  J 666 

Rabe,  Christian 747 

Race  Tracks,  Erie 429 

Raeder,  P.  B 803 

Railroads  and  Transportation, 

Erie 396 

Railroad  History 180 

Railroads  of  the  State 36 

Projected 186 

Railroad  Riots,  1877 38 

"        Societies  ,  477 

"  Railroad  War,"  in  Erie  Coun- 
ty  121-2:3:3 

Randall,  Dr.  A.  Z 646 

E.  H 858 

Elias 861 

Maxon 861 

Rappold,  Frederick  J 663 

Rate  of  County  Ta.\ation,  1869 

to  1895 80 

Ray,  James  H 716 

Raymore,  Henry  J 665 

Rebel  Invasion  of  Penn'a. . .  .4:3-204 

Rebellions  in  the  State :37 

Rebellion,  Southern 43 

Receipts  and   Exjienses,    Erie 

County,  1894 78 

Record    of     Political    Events, 

1798  to  1896 215-262 

Reed,  Charles  M 256  ■^-544 

Col.  Seth 72^4-543 

"       Charles  John  and  Man- 
ning   543 

Reed   Family 543 

"      Gen.  Charles  M..  128 J^ -544 

Lloyd  G 548>^-544 

■'       RufusS 112>^-543 

Simon 721 

"       William  W 290>^-572 

"      House,  Erie 519 

Rees,   Thdhias 572 

Register  and   Recorder,   First 

Elected 224 

Registers  and  Recorders  and 

Clerks  of   the  Courts 270 

Regular      Army      and     Navy 

L> nion,  Erie 477 

Reibs,  Ferdinand 838 

Reichart,  William    F 734 

Reid,  Craig  J 575 

Dr.  Robert   K 575 

"      James  C 575 


PAGE 

Reid   John  C 575 

Rev.   Robert 574 

"      Richard  B 843 

"      Robert    1 675 

Reidel,  Gottlob 753 

Reifel,  George  \' 6:^6 

"      John  P (m 

"     J.  P 6:36 

"       William 6:W 

"       William  V 6:36 

Rejoicing  at  the  Close  of  the 

Last  War 207 

Religious  Congregations  in  '80  141 
"  Denominations 

36-138-14:3-437 

Religious    Societies    in     Erie, 

Miscellaneous 477 

Religious  Statistics  of  Erie  for 

18'90 468 

Remington,  N.  C 4K5 

Seth 485 

Removals  and  Deaths  of  Erie 

Attorneys 159 

Republican    Dissensions,  1882 

and  1890 252-257 

Republican  Party  Organized..  2:34 
"  "Tidal  Waves". . 

of   1893  94 260 

Representatives   in    Congress, 

Leading 36 

Representatives  State,  List  of  266 
Reservoir      for     Erie     Water 

Works 410 

Revenue  Cutters,U.  S.  on  Lake 

Erie 127 

Revenue  and  Expenses,  Penn- 
sylvania      :36 

Revolution,  American 36 

Revolutionary  Soldiers 199 

Rhodes,  George 860 

"       Joseph   850 

Riblet,   Alfred   K 610 

Edward  J 609 

"       W.  S 609 

Richards, Capt.  John  S..  .2:32'/,-701 

Harry 701 

John.'.   701 

"  Thomas 701 

William 701 

Richards,  lames 776 

■:  p.  0 861 

Richens,  J.  W 859 

Richest  Counties  in  the  United 

States :38 

Ridge  Road 121 

Ridges  and  X'alleys,  Erie  Co. .     71 

Riewald,  Joseph 844 

Rinderle,  J.  Reinald 819 

Sebastian  R 819 

Rindernecht.  William  F..306"<-o87 
Riots,    Most    Noted   in     Penn- 
sylvania      :37 

Ripley,  Christian 818 

Rise  of  Know-Nothingism. . . .  233 

Ritner,  Joseph .32  "X-  66 

Rivers,   Principal    in   Pennsyl- 
vania      37 


yiJ 


.  1  /.  PHA  B  R  TWA  I.  IND  EX. 


PAGE 

Road  Fund  in   1894 78 

Robbins,   Ur.   D.  P T.SIS 

Roberts.  Henry  S 879 

"         Jesse 7U7 

Robinson,  Daniel   B 784 

Wni.  J 740 

Rockafeller,  E.  S 650 

Roemer.  lohn  J fit'4 

'  '         Rev.  John  I H64 

Rogers,  C.  P.,  Ir ' 7(i8 

Rohl,  Adolph." 828 

Rohrer,  Benjamin 880 

Roland,  Emanuel 680 

"         Jacob 680 

Levi  H 680 

Roll  of  First  Erie  School 465 

Roman        Catholic       Church, 

Growth  of 140 

Roman  Catholic  Congregations 

in  Erie ■  •  455 

Roman  Catholic    Chapels     in 

Erie 462 

Root,  H.   0 857 

■•      p.  A 857 

Sidney  A 857 

Rose,  E.  E 827 

"      Jacob  F 827 

■■       J.   C 827 

"      Jacob 853 

"       JohnG 853 

"      John   P 784 

Rosenzweig,   Grant    L 627 

"  Isaac,  Sen 627 

Louis 468>^-627 

Ross,  Benjamin   H 845 

"     Harvev  A 717 

"    L.  M   .' 893 

Rossiter,  S.  Y 792 

U.  P 792 

Royal  Arcanum,  Erie 477 

"        Government    in    Penn- 
sylvania       36 

Royal    Templars  of   Temper- 
ance, Erie 472 

Royer  Chas.  E 737 

Philip 737 

Runser,   Edward  T 759 

"         Joseph 853 

Russell  Famdy 574 

Geo.  J 574 

N.  W 176^^-574 

Ryan,  Mrs.  Zelphia 886 

Salaries   and    Fees     of    State 

Officials 39 

Salariesof  County  Officials. .. .  277 
"       Paid     Public     School 

Teachers,  Erie _ 489 

Salary    List,     Water     Depart- 
ment, Erie 406 

Sale  of  Erie  Town    Lots 390 

"     of  Land  in  Erie  County. .   107 
Salem  Evangelical  Association, 

Erie 464 

Salisbury,  L.  H 777 

Saltsman,  John  R 563 

R.  J 370K-563 

"  William 563 


PAGE 

Salt  Trade 124 

Sandborn,  Win,  H 840 

Sandusky,  Jacob 751 

John 758 

Saw  Mills,  First 116 

Schaffner,  Morris 683 

Schaper,  August  H 812 

Scheer,  J.  S 692 

Schlosser,    David 658 

Schmitt,   Simon 823 

Schneider,   Adam 703 

John 687 

William 703 

Schofield's  First  Election 238 

Schofield-Marvin  Congres- 
sional Campaign 242 

Schroeck,  Adolph .  ■. 708 

School  Superintendents,  Coun- 
ty and  City 190 

School   System,   Pennsylvania    39 

Public 190 

Schools,  Public  and  Private..   187 

The   Erie.. 484 

School  Buildings,  Erie 487 

School      Term,      etc.,     Public 

Schools,  Erie 489 

Schuetz,  Geo 830 

Schultz,  Chri-stian 804 

Edward 804 

"       George 830 

Godfrey 795 

Henry 795 

Schumacher,  Peter 764 

Schwartz,  J.  L 828 

L 828 

Scouller,  Ezra 831 

John 881 

Scott,  Andrew 563 

"      Robert 563 

"      Walter 428^-563 

"      Emery  D 722 

'■       Ezra  D 722 

"       Gustavus 546 

"       Maj.  Robert  J 546 

"       Rev.  James 546 

"       Robert  Wainright 546 

"      William  L 184K-646 

"  "         "    His  Coming 

to  Erie 646 

Scott,  William  L.,  His  Vast 
Mining  and  Shipping  Inter- 
ests   546 

Scott,  William  L.,  His  National 

Influence 547 

Scott,  William  L.,  His  Political 

Career 547 

Scott-Mackev  Campaigns.  .253-254 

Scott  Farms,'  The 331-338 

Sealers  of  Weights  and  Meas- 
ures, List  of 277 

Seal  of  the  State 38)^-  38 

Second  BaptLst  Church,  Erie. .  452 
National  Bank,  Erie. .  460 

Sedgwick,  Aaron 895 

Lewis 895 

Seelinger,  George 752 


PAGE 

Seelinger,  Joseph  L 810 

Seib,  Peter 822 

Seiter,  Edwin  S   773 

Selden  Family 564 

"       Dr.  Charles  C 565 

Edward  P 564 

George  D 564 

Jr 565 

Sr 564 

John  Card 565 

"       Memorial  Chapel,  Erie  438 

Sam-uel 564 

Samuel  F 565 

Seminaries 189 

Senators    from     Pennsylvania 

in  United  .States  Congress.. .     39 
Sergeant-at-Arms,   City    Hall, 

Erie 406 

Settlers,  First  in  Erie  County.   113 
"         in   Erie   County,  Pro- 
tection of 106 

Sewell,  D.  W 803 

"        Ebenezer 803 

Norton. 803 

Sewer  System  in  Erie 395 

Seymour,  Dr.  Nelson.  . .  .484!'<-626 

Shafer,  Rev.  Alonzo 888 

Sharswood,  Elected  Judge. . . .  241 

Shatto,  John  W 690 

Shaw,  Wm.  C 685 

Shenk,  Charles  E 613 

"        Henry 460'/^-613 

Wilbur 613 

Shepard,  Alexander   884 

Thomas  J 884 

Sheppa,  Wm.  W 779 

Sheridan  Guard,  Erie 624 

Sheriffs,  List  of 269 

Sherman,  Anson  B 863 

Frank  L 860 

G.J 863 

W.  Jay 863 

Sherner,  Henrv 810 

Sherrer,  F.  A..'. 713 

Sherwin,  John 781 

Sherwood,  Dr.  A.  C 866 

John  R 692 

F.  W.  M 866 

Shipping  Statistics,  Lake  Erie.  126 

Short,  Alfred 831 

■'      Samson ..564^-830 

Shows  and  Circuses 198 

Shreve,  Richard 877 

Sr 877 

Col.  William 877 

Shue,  John  R 815 

•■       W.  H 816 

Shulze,  lohn  A 32',^  665 

Shunk,  Francis  R 40!^-  66 

"Shunpike,"  The 122 

Shuler,  Daniel  W 787 

Sibley-Flood  Campaign 269 

Siegel,  Frank  P lU 

"       Jacob  F 693 

Sill,  James 597 

"    Thos.  H 104>^-696 

Silliman,  Dr.  James  E 627 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


919 


PAGE 

Silliman,  H.L 847 

"         Thomas 847 

Simpson,  M.E.  Church,  Erie..   447 

Silverthorn.  M.  H 807 

Sipple,  John  P 718 

Simmons,  Elliott 683 

Frank  R 683 

Sinnacher,  John 8(54 

John  P 8fi4 

Sisters  of  St.  |oseph,  Erie 531 

Sitterle,  John  B 6iH' 

Martin 699 

Skinner,  Dr.  Barker  A 885 

Henry  A 765 

Oliver  D 771 

Slaves    and    Slavery    in    Erie 

County 195 

Slavery,  When  Abolished  in  the 

State '^8 

Sloan,  B.  F 634 

Slocum,  George  V 617 

Smart,  Morref  W 671 

Sniedley,  Frederick  B 837 

■■  "  J 837 

Smiley,  Dallas  G 870 

"        James 870 

"        Moses 870 

Smith,  Allen  H :....  886 

"      Conrad. . ., 827 

"      Dr.  A.  R 791 

"      Dr.  Munson  C 648 

"       Henry 827 

"       J 827 

Smutz,  John 773 

Snyder,  Simon 24^-  65 

Sobel,   Isador 604^-638 

"      Semel 638 

Soil,  Character  of,  Erie  Coimty     72 
Soldiers'   and    Sailors'    Home, 

Brie 44  147-430 

Soldiers'   and   Sailors'    Monu- 
ments  199-307 

Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Orphans.     44 

Soldiers  Authorized  to  \'ote. .  .   239 

Soldier  Candidates,  Period  of..  240 

"        Vote,  Mexican  War. .  .  229 

Solicitors,  City,  Erie 40(i 

Sons  of  St.  George,  Erie 477 

"     "  Veterans,  Erie 474 

Sontaggsgast,  The  Erie 176 

Sopp,  Frederick 818 

Spadacene,  Charles 752 

Spahr,  John  F 816 

Spath,  George  F 816 

Spear,  Alexander 860 

Specht,  Anthony 847 

"        Lawrence 847 

Spetz,  Henry 754 

"       John 759 

Speculation  of  1836 112 

Spencer,  Dr.  H.  A 645 

JudahColt 566 

Speakers    House   Representa- 
tives from  Pennsylvania. . . .  265 

Springfield  Township 345 

Church 
History 348 


PAGE 

Springfield    Township,    Early 

Settlers 345 

Springfield    Township,    Lands 

and  X'alues 347 

Springfield  Township,  Pioneer 

Trials 346 

Springfield  Township,  Popula- 
tion, etc 345 

Springfield   Township,    Public 

Men 348 

Springfield  Township,  Roads, 

Railroads,  Hotels,  etc 348 

Springfield  Township,  Schools, 

Burial  Places,  etc 348 

Springfield  Township,  Villages 

and  Boroughs 345 

Stanbro,  L.  O   783 

St.  Alban's  P.  E.  Church,  Erie.  447 
St.  Andrews,  R.  C.     "  "      460 

St.  Ann's  R.C.  "  "      461 

St.  Benedict's  Academy,       "      493 

St.  Boniface 311 

St.   lames,  A.   M.  E.    Church, 

Erie 4.50 

St.     loachim's   R.   C.  Church, 

Erie 461 

St.    John's     Evangelical      Lu- 
theran    Reformed    Church, 

Erie 453 

St.  John's  R.  C.  Church,  Erie. .  4.59 
St.  Joseph's   Orphan   Asylum, 

Erie 435 

St.  Joseph's  R.  C.  Church,  Erie  459 

St.  Mary's  College 341 

St.  Mary's  R.  C.  Church,  Erie...  458 
"       "          "   "   Priory,       Con- 
vent, etc 4.59 

St.  Michael's    R.    C.    Church, 

Erie 461 

St.  Paul's  German  Evangelical 

Church,   Erie 142 

St.  Paul's  R.  C.  Church,  Erie. .  461 
St.    Patrick's  R.    C.    Church, 

Erie   456 

St.  Patrick's  R.  C.  Auditorium.  4.56 
St.  Peter's  Cathedral,  Erie.  . . .  4.57 
St.  Stanislaus    R.    C.    Church, 

Erie 460 

St.   X'incent's   P.   E.     Church, 

Erie 446 

St.  Vincent's  Hospital,  Erie...   434 

Stafford,  Albert  C 890 

Ananias 890 

■'      Henry  C.,Jr 675 

"      Jasper  W 890 

"         "         Sr    675 

State       Agricultural      Society, 

Presidents  of 265 

State  and  County  Fairs  in  Erie  193 

State  Buildings ;S8-147 

"      Board    of    Medical    Ex- 
aminers   265 

State  Board  of  Public  Charities  265 

"     Constitution  of  1873 45 

"     Constitutional      Conven- 
tions  223-246 

State  Fish  Commissioners 265 


PAGE 

State  Fish  Hatcheries 148-381 

"       Officers  from  Erie  Co.. .  264 

"      Officials,  List  of 264 

Officials,  Principal .39 

Police.... 194 

"        Reservations 109 

"      Representatives 226 

"       Senators 265 

"      Treasurer  made  Elective  244 

Starr,  Geo.  W a54;^-569 

Start    of  National   Greenback 

Party 247 

Steamboats,  First  on    Lakes...   126 
Steam    Fish    Boats,    Introduc- 
tion of 424 

Stearns,   Herman  T 695 

Steen,  Charles 714 

-Steenberg,   Geo.    T   862 

Steimer,  George 671 

John 671 

Steiner,  Frank   F 7.52 

Steinmetz,  John  A 691 

Stem,  Dr.  H.  L 864 

Sterrettania 324 

Stetson,  A.  L 848 

"         Sanders 848 

Stewards  Erie  County    Alms- 
house, List  of 274 

Stone  Cutters,  Erie 501 

"       Scarcity  of  in  Erie  Co.  .     73 

"       George  .S 780 

"       Amos 780 

Stone,  Leading   Kinds   of,    in 

Pennsylvania 39 

Story,  Jacob 796 

Stough,  George 716^-812 

"        John 827 

Peter  E 827 

Stranahan,  Perry  G 618 

William  P 619 

Strauch,  John   7.54 

Stratton,  William  H 816 

Streams  in  Erie  County 81 

Streets  and  Avenues,  Erie 393 

Street  Lighting,  Erie 395 

"     Market,   Erie 522 

Names  Changed,  Erie. .  394 

Numbering,   Erie 39.5 

Streuber,  Louis 627 

Strong,  Charles  H 569 

"   '     Martin 96 '^-568 

Charles  C 860 

J.  M 860 

Job  D 860 

Strycker,  Harry  H 873 

Stubbe,  John.. 855 

Stuebgen,  Edward  .\ 690 

Stuntz,  J.  F 782 

Sturdevant,  Dr.  H.  C 777 

Sturgeon  Family 570 

Carson  J 6205^-570 

J.C 612K-5'J0 

Sturgis,  G.  W 805 

SulliVan,  H.  C 721 

John   705 

Summer  "  Resorts,     Principal, 
Erie 38 


920 


. I IJUIABK  TIC.  1 L    INDKX. 


PAGE 

Summit   Township,    Churches 
&  Schools 351 

Summit     Township,      Creeks, 
\;illiys  and   Lands 351 

Sunnnit  Township,  Karly   Set- 
tlers  a5i 

Sumniit  Township,   Historical, 
etc  a50 

Summit  Township,  Miscellane- 
ous   352 

Summit  Township,  Pojiulation  350 
"                "            Roads  and 
Railroads 350 

Sunday  Graphic,  Erie 175 

"         Messenger,  Erie 176 

"        Schools,  First   in  Erie 
County 143 

Superintendents  Sidewalks  and 
Streets,  Erie 406 

Sui)reme  Court,  Held   in  Erie.   152 
"     Term  for  Erie 
County ". 152 

Supreme  judges  from   County 
and  District 150 

Superior   Court,   When  Estab- 
lished   261 

Surgeons,  List  of,  in  the  County  166 

Surveyors,  County,  List  of . . . .  276 
When  First 
Elected 280 

Survey  of  Lands ..   110 

Sutter,  lohn 667 

Sutton,  John  F 730 

Swallev,  Christian 648 

Swap,  '[acob  E 860 

Swanville,  \illage  of.  ...      ...  298 

Swedenborgian      (The     N'ew) 
Church,  Erie   464 

Swedish  Baptist  Church,   Erie  455 
"          Evangelical  Lutheran 
Bethany  Church,  Erie 455 

Switzer,  Jacob  W 797 

Table  of  Distances  from  Erie. .     76 
Tageblatt-Zuschauer,  Erie. . . .   175 

Tail,  J.  W   824 

Tanneries  in  Erie 502 

The    First 116 

Tanning  Industry,  The 525 

Tansey,  Michael  J 875- 

Taverns.  Old 123 

Taxation  in  Erie  County,  Rate 

of 80 

Tax  Rate    for    Twenty-seven 

Years 398 

Taxes  in    1820 529 

Taylor  and  Fillmore  Elected. .  229 

Charles  B 744 

"       Daniel  R 660^-839 

"       Hubbard 882 

"       James 839 

Teachers'        Institute,       Erie 

County 190 

Teachers'  Institute,  Erie 489 

"  Over  Ten   Years   in 

service,  Erie 490 

Teel    Family 604 


PAGE 

Teel,  Alexander 604 

"       John 604 

"      John  2nd 604 

;'      John  3d 604 

"       Norman 604 

"       Silas  E 604 

"      Silas  E,Jr 604 

Telephone  Exchange,  Erie...  848 

"  System,  Erie 848 

Telegraph      and       Telegraph 

Lines 198 

Teller,  Henrv 624 

"      Henrv  R 624 

Temple,  Dr.' Frank  M 780 

Temperance  Societies,  Early...  195 

Tenth  Donation  District 108 

"      Street  M.  E.  Church.  Erie  449 
Terms  of  Erie  Countv  Courts, 

1894 ■ 151 

Terms  of  L'nited  .States  Courts.  153 

Test  Gas  Well,  Erie 627 

Thanksgiving   Day  (See   Pre- 
face)  .". 200 

Thayer,  Dr.  Alvin 444 >:^  602 

"         Henry  W   771 

"        Horace  N 659 

Jason  P 659 

"        Stephen 796 

The  New  Church  (Swedenbor- 
gian), Erie 464 

Thrasher,  David 779 

Three  Months  Regiments  Or- 
ganized   201 

Thompson,  Abel 865 

"  George  W 731 

Caleb 865 

Charles  C 865 

•      •  JohnP 844><-755 

William   H 865 

Thoroughfares.  Old 120-124 

Throop,  Jonathan 799 

J.  W 799 

Thurston,  Henrv 774 

Tibbals,  Charles  M 598 

Charles  M.,  Jr 598 

Lincoln  X 598 

Tilden     and     Griswold    Cam- 
paign   257 

Timber  of  Erie  County 73 

"       "    Pennsylvania 39 

Tinie.s,  Erie  Daily 175 

Tipton,  Ray  P 873 

Title  to  the  Peninsula 88-418 

Titus,  Je-sse 864 

"      Richard 864 

Tompkins,  George  W 731 

Tong,  Herbert 817 

Tonnage   through     the   "Soo" 

Canal 534 

Topographv  of  Erie  County.. .     71 

Totnian.  H.  M 650 

Town,  Bester  C 676>^-626 

Townley,  C.  L 892 

Townships  in  Erie  County. ...     74 

Toy,  Wm.  .M 870 

Tracv,  lohn  A 160;<-544 

"■    "John  Avery 224>4-813 


PAGE 

Tracy,  John  F _.     240,'/<-545 

"      Point ' 427 

"      X'illageof 285 

Trade  and  Travel,  Early  Times  123 
Treasurers,  Countv,  List  of. .    ..  270 
"    '   First  Elect- 
ed   244 

Treasurer,  State,   Made  Elect- 
ive   244 

Triangle,  Description  of 104 

"         Disputed     Boundarv 

Lines '.   103 

Triangle,  Price  Paid  for 103 

"         Survey  of  the  Bound- 
ary    103 

Trimble,  Charles  A 774 

Trinity  Cemetery 331 

Trinitv  Episcopal  Mission,  Erie  445 

Triscu'it,  Dav  L 884 

Jefferson   882 

Jesse 882 

Trustees,  Soldiers'  and  Sailors' 

Home 265 

Trustees  Warren  Insane  Asy- 
lum    265 

"Truth,  The,  "  Erie 176 

Turners,  Societies  of  in  Erie. .  477 

Turner,  Harrv 711 

Tyson,  Major  W.  W 627 

Uhlman,  Emil 7.67 

L'nderholt,  Gustave 873 

Lfnjon  cS:  Titusville  R.  R. 185 

Union  City,  Borough  of 355-358 

"      Busi- 
ness Progress 355 

Union      City,  •    Borough      of. 
Churches  and  Cemeteries...  366 

Union   City,   Borough  of.  Fires 
and   Floods 357 

Union  City,  Borough  of.  Found- 
er of  the  Town 355 

L'nion  City,   Borough  of.  Mat- 
ters of  Interest 358 

Union  City,  Borough  of,  N'ews- 
pajiers 357 

L'nion  Township 362-358 

Churches  and 
Schools 353 

Union   Township,   Early    Set- 
tlers    354 

L'nion   Township,  Lands  and 
X'alues 352 

Union  Township, Main  Streams  353 
"  "  Poinilation  of.  351 

L'nion    Township,     Railroads, 
Bridges  and  Mills :ib'i 

Union 'Depot  Hotel,  Erie 520 

United  Brethren  Church.   ..142  463 
"       Presbyterian       Church 
....; 140  441 

United  States  Buildings 148 

"      Branch  Bank  at 
Erie 478 

United  States  Commissioners..  264 
"       Courts 163 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


921 


PAGE 

United  States  District  Attor- 
neys     153 

United  States  Judges 153 

Jurors,  How  Se- 
lected     153 

United  States  Marshals 153 

Officers 262 

"           "       Officials,  List  of 
262-264 

Universalist  Church,  Early —   142 

Universities  and  Colleges  in 
Pennsylvania 40 

U.  S.  Collectors  and  Deputies..  129 
"     Constitution.    Pennsylva- 
nia's Part  in  Establishing..  ..     40 

U.  S.  Life  Saving  Service,  Offi- 
cers of 131 

U.  S.  Officers,  Principal,  from 
Pennsylvania 40 

L'.  S.  Representatives  in  Con- 
gress, Leading,  from  the 
State 41 

U.  S.  Revenue  Cutters  127 

"     Senators   from    Pennsyl- 
vania, List  of 41 

L'.  S.  Weather  and  Signal  Serv- 
ice Office .■ 131 

U.S.  S.  Michigan 127 

L'nusual  Seasons  of  Naviga- 
tion, etc 129 

Unusual  Spells  of  Weather. . .   196 

\'alleys.  Principal  in  Erie  Co..  71 
Valuable     Information    about 

Fish  and  Fishing 89 

\'aluations.  Real  and  Personal 

Property 43 

\'an  Buren  Elected  President  222 

\'an  Scoter,  John  C 628 

X'egetable       Productions      of 

Pennsylvania 42 

Veit,  Albert 756 

"     Bernard 756 

Venango  Township 359 

"  "  Churches, 

Graveyards  and  Schools. . . .  361 
Venango     Township,    Creeks, 

Roads  and  Bridges 361 

Xenango  Township,  First  Set- 
tlements   369 

Venango     Township,     Lands, 

Mills,  etc 361 

Venango  Township,Population 

of 3.59 

Venango     Township,     Public     * 

Roads 360 

Venango  Township,  Reminis- 
cences   362 

Venango   Township,    Soldiers 

in  the  War  of  1812 360 

Venango    Township,  Taxable 

Citizens  in  18.^0 3-59 

\'enango    Township,   Milages 

of 369-362 

Vessels  Owned  at  Erie 129 

X'cssel  Statistics 126 

\illages  of  the  Indians 95 


I'.XGE 

Vincent,  Benjamin 660 

Bethuel .5-50 

Bethuel  Boyd 661 

Boyd,  Rt.  Rev 

"        Cornelius -351 

Daniel 5.52 

"         Harry. 6.52 

"         John •561 

"        John 6.62 

John .5.52 

"         .1  udge  John  P 650 

"        Levi 551 

Strong 550 

Vicar  Generals,  Erie  Diocese.  456 
Vice-Presidents  from  Pennsyl- 
vania      41 

Vice-Presidential     Candidates 

from  Pennsylvania 41 

Villa  Marie  Academy,  Erie. . .  493 
X'inegar  and   Pickling  Works, 

Erie 602 

Voelk,  Andrew  F 707 

Volland,  Charles 677 

"        Leopold 677 

Volunteer  Army  Officers,  Erie 

County  207 

Vosburg,  Albert.  .„ 742 

Robert,  Sr 741 

Vote  of  the  State  for  Governor    41 
' President    35 


Wade,  Hial  D 

Frank  E   

William  R 

Wager,  Stephen  D 

Wages,  Old  Time  and  Present 

Wagner,  John 

Wagner,  Valentine 

Waidley,  George 

Levi  P 

John 

Waite,  Amos  H 

Waldermarson  Peter  

Waldinger,  Fernando 

Walbridge, Carl  H.. 

"  Ebenezer 

Frank  D 

Johns 

Wales,  A.    L 

"      Settlement  of 

Walker,  John  H 

"        Thomas  M 

Judson 628;^ 

John  W 

Robert  T 

William  A 

Wallace  Baptist  Mission,  Erie 

Dr.  John  C 

Irwin  M 

"       William 

William  .M 

Walther,  Jacob  F 580 ,'-2 

Walnut  Creek,  Settlement 

War  Fleet  for  the  Lakes  De- 
cided Upon 

War  for  the  Union,  Erie  Coun- 
ty's Part  in 201-215 


779 
711 
711 
690 
119 
766 
757 
816 
813 
816 
779 
752 
854 
802 
802 
720 
820 
766 
311 
622 
623 
-894 
623 
676 
709 
4.52 
5.52 
5.53 
.553 
553 
-629 
330 

133 

238 


PAGE 

War  for  the   Union,   Pennsyl- 
vania's Part  in 43 

War  X'essels  on  Lake  Erie...    125 

"     of  1812-14 132-138 

"     with  Mexico 43 

Wards  and  Election  Districts, 
Erie .397 

Warfeltown 397 

Warrentown 330 

Warnath,  Frederick 680 

Warren,  ].\' 783 

Washington,  John  G 76(; 

"            Township,      De-' 
scription  of 365-369 

Washington  Township,  Creeks, 
Lakes  and  Lands 366 

Washington    Township,  Com- 
mon Roads 366 

Washington   Township,   Early 
Settlers 365 

Washington  Township,  Popula- 
tion of .366 

Washington  Township,  Schools 
and  Mills 367 

Washington    Township,   State 
and  County  Officers 369 

Washington  Township,\'illages 
and  Churches 365 

Washington's  Visit  to  Water- 
ford 100 

Waterford  Borough,  American 
Settlement,  etc 372 

Waterford     Borough,   Boating 
Trade 375 

Waterford  Borough,  Churches.  376 
"                 "         Factories, 
Mills,  etc 378 

Waterford  Borough,  Fires, etc.  378 
French 
and  English  Forts .372 

Waterford  Borough,  Incidents 
of   Early  Days 374 

Waterford  Borough,   Newspa- 
pers    377 

Waterford   Borough,  Pioneers 
of 373 

Waterford  Borough,  Postmast- 
ers    377 

Waterford   Borough,  Public 
Men 376 

Waterford   Borough,  Tax  Pav- 
er^ in  1813 .'.  374 

Waterford  Borough,  Academy  376 
"                 "          Cemetery  376 
and    LeBceuf   Re- 
serves     109 

Waterford,  Laid  out 107 

Plank  Road 122 

"  Turnpike 121 

"            Township,    Creeks 
and  Lakes 370 

Waterford  Township,   History 
of 369-378 

Waterford   Township,    Lands, 
Reservation,  etc 369 

Waterfortl   Township,  Popula- 
tion ot 369 


922 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


I'AGE 

Waterford  Township,    Roads, 

Bridges   and  Mills 871 

Waterfoid   Townshii),     School 

History -ITl 

Waterford  Station ;{71 

Water  Department,   Eric 408 

Waterfalls  in  the  County 82 

Waters,  Hamilton  E 742 

Waterworks,    Erie 408 

Watson,  Harrison  F 592 

Wattsburg 363 

"          Churches  and  Socie- 
ties    3(i8 

Wattsburg,  General  Features.  304 
"  Newspapers      and 

Public  Men 304 

Wattsburg,  Plank  Road 122 

Wayne,  Anthony 96-  98 

Block  House,  Erie.  .98-430 
Wayne   Street  Church,  Erie. .  4.'J0 
Wayne   Township,  Early  Set- 
tlers  382 

Wayne  Township,  History  of. .  379 
"  "  Lands    and 

Streams 379 

Wayne  Township,  Population 

of 379 

Wayne   Township,  Prehistoric 

Remains.... 382 

Wayne   Township,    Prominent 

Men 382 

Wayne  Township,  Roads,  Rail- 
roads, etc 381 

Wayne   Township,  State  Fish 

Hatchery  in 381 

Wayne  Township,  the  Greeley 

Family 382 

Wayne      Township,    \'illages. 

Schools,  Mills,  etc 380 

Wealth  of  the  State 43 

Weather  and  Signal  Office  at 

Erie 131 

Weather    Tables      for     Many 

Years 197 

Weather,  Unusual  Spells  of. . ..  19.') 

Weber,  Andrew  M 77.") 

Henry 723 

Joseph  B.  696 

Weed,  Wilhs  N 774 

Weddege,  Henry 727 

Weeks,  A.  E 772 

Seth 772 

W.  N.  Y.  and  Pa.  Railroad. . . .   IHU 

Wehan,  Peter 686 

Weiblein,  John  G 782 

Wm.  F 749 

Weigelville,  Village  of 331-.397 

Weindorf,  J.  B 729 

Weislogal,  Charles  E 782 

Weis,  Jacob 806 


PAGE 

Weis  Library,  The 334 

Weiss,  Samuel 666 

Wieczorek,  John 702 

Welsbach  Gas  Co 482 

Welsh,  John 749 

"       John  S 726 

Wells,  Wm.  Delaney 837 

Wellsburg,  \'illage  of 294 

Wesleyan    Methodist   Church, 

Erie 143 

Wesleyville,  Village  of 317 

West  Chester 894 

West  Girard,  Village  of 306 

West  Greene 312 

West,  Simon  P.,  Rev 741 

West  Springfield 349 

Wetmore,  C.  H 772 

Jerome  W 524^4-597 

Wheeler,  Charles  M 362  ■/-804 

Dr.  Arthur  C 805 

Edward    E 805 

Fred  C 806 

Orton  H 805 

Phineas 696 

Whig  Party  Organized 225 

Ticket,  Last  one  Elected.  231 

Whiskey  Rebelli(?n 37 

White,  Albert  E 697 

■•       Fred  A 825 

"       H.  L 894 

Seymour,  M.  D.,  1).  S...  777 

Whitehead,  Charles 660 

"  Nathaniel  J 685 

William 660 

Whitely,J.  S 759 

Whiteman,  Nicholas 826 

Whitman,    Benjamin 248>^-596 

"  "         Editor  of 

Erie  Observer 596 

Whiton,   Charles 861 

Wilcox,  Clyde  D 775 

House,  Erie 519 

Wild  Game  in  Erie  County .. .   114 

Wilks,  C.  F 837 

Willis,  Charles 851 

Wilkins,  John 814 

Thomas 814 

Thomas  L 814 

Wilkinson,  Abel 797 

Williams,  J.  B 655 

James  C 710 

George  D 655 

Wilson,  Dr.  M.  A 516^^-647 

Harry  L 596 

John  H 745 

Thomas.  Hon 626 

Wilson  House,  Erie .520 

Wilson  Moore's  close   run    for 

Sherill 242-246 

Wine  Making 195 


PAGE 

Wing,  A.  K 847 

Wingerter,  Adam  W 689 

George  B 690 

Winschel,  Frederick 674 

John  M 674 

Winter,  George  J   756 

Wittich,  Frederick 144;^-631 

Jr 632 

"  James  Forbes 632 

William  G 632 

Wolf,  George 32^-  66 

"       Isaac 772)^-846 

Women's    Christian    Associa- 
tion, Erie 467 

Women's  Relief  Corps,  Erie. .  474 

Wood,  C.  M 799 

"       Peter 724  "^-643 

Woods,  Andrew  J 720 

Woodbury,  E.  A 824 

Woodmen  of  the  World,  Erie.   477 

Woodruff,  Samuel   E 625 

Rev.  E.  T 625 

"         Thomas  S  625 

Worswick,  Z 857 

World's  Fair,  Part  taken  in  by 

Penn'a 44 

Wright,  Delos  A. 875 

John 786 

Rial    B 796 

Yaple,  Anson  H 786 

"      David 785 

■'       William 785 

Yeager,  Charles  H 679 

"         Louis 679 

Y.  M.  C.  Association 148-466 

Y'oung,  Delmer  J 698 

David 698 

Henry   D 698 

James 820 

R.  G 820 

Youngs,  G.  L 852 

L.  G 852 

Zahn,  Dr.  H.  A 776 

Zaepfel,  Joseph 748 

Zeigler,  Jacob 822 

Zeiser,  Henry  William 686 

"       Jacob 686 

Zion's  Mission,  Erie 4.54 

Zimmer,  Conrad 671 

William  M 672 

Zimmerly,   William 753 

Zuck,  Clark  W 642 

"       John 810 

"       John  J 810 

"       Lester  L 642 

"      S.  B.  P...   810 


5  8  29f 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

305  De  Neve  Drive  -  Parking  Lot  17  •  Box  951388 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library  from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


3   1158  00391    9783 


F 

157 

E6N33 


D     000  295  577     1 


r 


